Chapter One: Present Part One
Hey, everyone! First time writing, so mistakes are guaranteed! I hope you enjoy it!
Bright lights and a splitting headache greeted Jordan Rosato as she awoke from what felt like a deep slumber. A pained gasp escaped the fourteen-year-old's mouth as she grasped her head in a vain attempt to ease the pain. Her eyes tried to adjust to the blinding lights that were burning her eyes. She shut them tightly and gently pulled herself up from her bed. As she swung her legs over the edge, a voice spoke.
"Hello, Miss Rosato."
Jordan turned towards the voice and attempted to open her eyes, but with the throbbing pain in her head and the lights, it was turning into an impossible task.
"Ca- Can you turn off the lights or something? Oh, God, my head!" she exclaimed.
Footsteps moved around the room past Jordan, and she heard a soft click sound. The footsteps moved toward the other side of the room and the sound of a water faucet was heard, along with something being filled up with water. The footsteps then stopped in front of the teenager.
"Hold out your left hand, Miss Rosato. I'm handing you a cup of water. And if you will extend your right hand, I have some pills for the headache."
Jordan grasped the small foam cup and took a quick sip before she popped the pills into her mouth, washing them down with the cool liquid. She slowly opened her eyes and screamed.
Standing in front of her was an adult wearing a white hazmat suit like the ones she had seen in that one science fiction movie from her health class. She backed up onto the bed and scooted all the way back until her back touched the wall. The adult immediately raised his hands.
"Hey, Miss Rosato, relax! I'm a doctor and I'm here to help!" the person exclaimed. The masked person sounded like a young man.
"What's going on! Why am I not in my room! Where are my parents!" demanded Jordan. "Who are you!"
That's when she began to take in her surroundings.
She was in a small room with four bright white walls. A see-through plexiglass window was across from her, allowing her to see the numerous people standing outside the room, watching her. A few of them looked like Army personnel while several of them were dressed in white lab coats. A medium-sized PDA was being passed amongst the group as they chatted with each other; a concerned look on their face. On the other side of the room were a sink, a few cabinets, a walk-in shower, and a toilet. Her eyes fell upon the sole door that served as the only way in and out of the room. Standing on each side of the door were two more people wearing white hazmat suits. The only difference was that the duo was holding a silver shotgun in their arms. Their stance suggested military type.
"Wait, what the hell are you guys doing to me!" Jordan screamed. "HELP! HELP!"
The man shushed her gently. "Miss Rosato, I reassure you that we're all here to help you. All of us. But I can't begin to help you if you won't calm down. If you calm down, I can answer any questions you have."
Jordan slowly calmed down, her breathing becoming steady again. She remained pressed against the wall and carefully held her gaze on the so-called doctor in front of her. Through the clear face mask, she could make out a pair of glasses, brown skin, turquoise eyes, and black hair. The man sat down in a metal chair and offered the teenager a genuine smile.
"Miss Rosato, my name is Dr. Tucker Foley. I'm with the Federal Bureau of Investigation."
Jordan looked puzzled. "The FBI? What does the FBI want with me?"
Dr. Foley clasped his hands together. "Miss Rosato- "
"Jordan." Said Jordan. "You can call me Jordan."
Dr. Foley smiled. "Jordan, I need to ask you something very important. What's the last thing you remember?"
Jordan groaned as her head was still pounding. "Um, I'm not sure. I think I was at home, maybe."
Dr. Foley got up from his seat and grabbed a small PDA resting on the counter before he returned to his seat. He began to type something on the device.
"When was- "
"Sorry, am I sick? Is the air in here contagious?" asked Jordan. The doctor noticed the rising fear in her voice. "No, no, no. Your vitals are stable and you're not showing any signs of contagion yet."
Jordan's eyes widened. "CONTAGION?!"
Dr. Foley raised his hands again. "Calm down, Jordan. You're fine."
"What the hell is going on! Why am I in this room!" she screamed.
Dr. Foley sighed. "Look, Jordan. I need you to remain calm."
"Remain calm? YOU'RE WEARING A FREAKING HAZMAT SUIT!" snapped Jordan.
"For my protection. It's our understanding that you came into contact with some hazardous materials during your field trip."
A wave of confusion hit Jordan hard. She blinked a few times at the federal agent, completely puzzled. "Field trip?"
The doctor placed his PDA in his lap and cleared his throat. "Your class was scheduled to go on a field trip to Ontario for one week."
'The last field trip of the school year. Of course!' she thought.
"Yeah, that's right. All of the freshmen were going." said Jordan. Dr. Foley continued. "Do you remember anything about the trip?"
A wave of confusion hit Jordan. She glanced around the room, trying to rack her brain for any details about the trip, but nothing came up.
Except…
"Wait! I remember us getting on our bus! Me and my friends!" said Jordan.
Dr. Foley resumed typing on his PDA. "Just to clarify, your friends are Lincoln Loud, Clyde McBride, Liam Hunnicut, Stella Zhau, Rusty Spokes, and Zach Gurdle?"
Jordan nodded, then glanced down and took notice of the white t-shirt and white hospital scrubs that she was wearing. What happened to her clothes?
"Um, where are my friends?" she asked.
An uncomfortable silence fell upon the room. Dr. Foley stared at the ground, refusing to make eye contact with the teenager. Jordan could make out the somber expression on his face.
"Dr. Foley where are my friends?" she asked again.
The doctor sighed. "Jordan," he said, now making eye contact with her, "We don't know."
Jordan felt the fear from earlier return in full force. "Wait, what do you mean- "
"Your entire class vanished, Jordan." Said Dr. Foley firmly. "You're the only one we've found."
Jordan's eyes began to tear up. "Wh, what?" she whimpered softly. "I, I, I don't understand! What happened! Where are my friends?!"
A faint tapping on the window grabbed Dr. Foley's attention. He glanced to his right and saw a young man with messy blonde hair, blue eyes, and pale skin. The man was wearing a light grey trench coat, black jeans, and black shoes. He motioned for the doctor, who then stood up from his seat.
"Jordan, I'll be right back."
"NO! WHERE'S MY FRIENDS!" shouted the crying teenager. "WHAT HAPPENED TO EVERYONE!"
Dr. Foley quickly walked over to the door and one of the guards swiped a keycard, unlocking the door. The doc stepped through and entered a decontamination chamber.
'Please stand by for decontamination.' A female voice said over the intercom.
A bright light engulfed the room as the sanitation measurements began. The doctor closed his eyes as the procedure ran its course. A light ping signaled him that it was over. He opened his eyes and then stepped into another room and was met by the blonde man.
"Hey, Tuck. I just got here a few minutes ago. What'd you get?"
Tucker began to take the suit off, quickly pealing off the uncomfortable suit. "As expected, she doesn't really remember anything. I'll keep on pressing her for information, but come on, Dash. We both know what happened to the students-."
"No, we don't!" said Dash firmly. "Yeah, we know where they ended up, but- "
"No, buts, Dash!" exclaimed Tucker. "Amity Park was ground zero for the incident! And we both know that the GIW didn't stop their experiments either!"
"So, what? We should just give up?! Tell all the parents that their kids are lost forever in some quarantined town?!" snapped Dash. "Hell no! I refuse to!"
Tucker sighed. "Dash- "
"Jesus, what's gotten into you?" asked Dash. "What happened to the Tucker Foley that didn't give up?"
Tucker's shot Dash a glare. "Don't even go there, Dash. I'm warning you, don't."
The doctor shoved past his boss and was about to exit the room when Dash spoke again.
"Masters is sending four teams inside the zone. Ex-military from all over the world and several of the best paranormal experts."
Tucker scoffed. "So, we're gonna send more people to just vanish, huh? That's her solution?"
"Look, Tucker. I have dozens of families, the goddamn media, and even the President asking me if this whole situation is gonna have a happy solution. I don't know what to tell them."
"And you think I have the answer?" said Tucker bitterly. "You forget; I haven't dealt with any of this ghost shit since we were teens!"
"Same here!" exclaimed Dash. "I mean, I haven't even heard of any ghost activity anywhere in the US since the incident. But we now have dozens of students and teachers that vanished. We must find them, Tucker. We must. No matter what."
Tucker rubbed the back of his neck and sighed. "I'm going to take a fifteen. Have someone bring Jordan something to eat, please."
Dash nodded. "Yeah, I'll get someone on it."
As Tucker exited the room and reentered the large observational wing of the research facility, he refused to make eye contact with Jordan, who was banging on the glass, her eyes red from crying. He ignored the questions that the researchers and military guests asked and exited the room, heading for anywhere else in the building.
'This is gonna be a long day.' he thought.