Chapter 7: Checking It Out Is A Bad Idea

The halls are bustling with people, each of them as confused as we are. Was the ringing a glitch? Even some teachers seem to be wandering around confused. 

"No one knows what's going on." Leo comes back from asking anyone who would answer. "Most people are thinking of just going back to recess."

"That sounds like a good plan." Ziggy says, as a light at the end of the hallways cuts out. Shoes squeak against linoleum as the other students leave the malfunctioning building.

Another light cuts out, the one next to the first. The murmuring of the other teens stops and more people start to move. I'm tempted to join them, but the others aren't leaving. 

The next light goes out.  Something is very wrong, but I can't move. I can't leave the others. There's only two more left in the hall and people are rushing to exits while my friends stay still.

"This seems fishy." She could say that again. The second last light goes out. People aren't running anymore. Most people still there are saying it's faulty wiring. Maybe I'm just paranoid. I'm next to Scott. Even if something happens I'll be fine. 

The final light goes out and the doors fling open.

Down the hall someone screams. The last few people have started running. It isn't hard to guess why. Anemobots are flooding the hall.

Their tentacle heads scan the passageway for potential targets. Each tendril scans a different direction, eventually though they settle on our group. The only people left. 

My mind is screaming at me to run. These monsters are going to kill us! My body won't respond. It's like it's made of stone. I'm a statue. The air is frigid, maybe I'm frozen, maybe everything is frozen. 

Then one's stalks fixate on me. It's haphazard body of rock and moss shambles towards forwars.  It glistens in the small amount of light coming from the windows. The colours of its tentacles shift from colour to colour like a warning to stay away. To run, but I can't oblige. There's mumbling behind me. Nothing that I can make out. Everything is quiet and dull except the monster in front of me. Today was going so well!

Something touches me. Whatever was stopping me from moving cracks. I'm finally allowed to move. I do the only thing any rational person can do in this situation. "Help me!" My voice cracks but being embarrassed about it doesn't matter as much as staying alive. 

"Ryan, it's only me." It's just Summer. Maybe embarrassment is important. Her voice is calm at least. 

"Oh, uhh, sorry." I stammer.

"I'll get Ryan out of here and be back. You three should be able to take care of them." she says, pulling me away from the creatures and towards the door.

"No, I'll take him." Scott says. I want to stay with him and the ground, but my mouth refuses to make any words. I know they are safe. I need to be safe.

"You're the leader, Scott. Those two need you." Wait. Shit. Right. Rangers.

"Sorry man, but you ar the martial arts expert here. We need you. Summer will take care of him."

"Leo's right. I'll be fine." I flash him a weak smile as I run after Summer. I don't want to leave him, but the door is so tempting.

Summer and the door is all I see. Everywhere else is covered in monsters. So I don't see them. I can feel their dampness seeping into the air. Their creaking and grinding is all I can hear. The hallway is so cold. I need to get out. The door is so close. 

Summer pulls me from the hallway into the janitor's closet. What are we doing? I am so close to freedom.

"Firstly, I need you to know I'm not going to be mad." Summer says. Her voice is a lot calmer and more soothing than I've ever heard it be. 

"What are we doing, Summer? We need to get out of here!" I need to get away from here. At least to catch my breath. Then I can morph.

"Does Scott know you are Filia?" The world stands still. My soul leaves my body as I blink at her question. Everything I am is sucked back into the janitor's closet. How did we get here? 

"What? What do you mean? How could I be Filia? She's a girl, right?" This isn't happening. This can't be happening. 

"It's okay, Filia. You don't have to pretend to be a guy around me." Pretending? Filia? 

"What do you mean? I am a guy?" 

"It's okay to be a girl, Filia." What does she mean? I'm not a girl.  Where is this attack on my masculinity coming from?

"I'm not a girl. Are you accusing me of cross dressing? At a time like this?." I ask with the confidence of a scared mouse. 

"We need to morph, Filia." Why does she keep calling me that? Why does it hurt when she calls me that?

"Stop calling me Filia!"

"I get that you likely aren't ready to come out yet. I won't tell anyone. Just morph. They need us out there." She's pleading with me, but I can't let her confirm her suspicions.

I crack the door open a bit. Just to see how desperate it actually is. I'll wait this out. Scott could take on a hundred of these things single handedly. Summer is wrong. She has to be. They don't need me.

Down the hall, Ziggy and Leo are holding their own, back to back as the monsters surround them. Everytime one steps out of line, they take it down. It's body crumbles, impressive, but where's Scott? A herd of them are gathering around a classroom. I look past that. He has to be somewhere else, but I can't see a hint of red anywhere.

"Let's talk after, Summer." I steel myself. What kind of decisions am I making here? I could hide it for a lot longer if I... Could I? Could I live with myself if he got hurt?

"Alright…" She seems disappointed. 

I hold out my morpher. The metal radiates a warmth, like it wants to be used and it knows I'm going to oblige.

"Galah power, help me." The morpher glows pink and envelopes my gangly form, tendrils of light begin adjusting my body. What it changes and cuts feels consistent, like its removing unnecessary pieces and distractions. My height goes first, frustrating but less weight means I might be able to move faster. My waist shrinks, maybe that helps with flexibility. And then my hips, one of the few parts of me that didn't shrink, shifts there is no explanation for that. Except maybe, I am being fucked with. At least I know what I need to do. 

The Power wants me to be small and agile and I need to run, jump and maneuver around the monsters. Preferrably fast enough that I can't see them.

"Scott's in trouble." I squeak, as I make a break for it. Why did he lure them into a classroom? What is he thinking? Does he have a plan? Why am I worrying about this?

Summer runs beside me, her longer legs making it easy for her to keep up. That makes this a little easier. If she's here I might be able to try something.

"Summer, can you clear them from the door?"

"On it, Fi." Thank the Power I'm wearing a helmet or she might think she's confirmed something. This feels so natural.  

"Thank you!" I squeak. Why is everything squeaky? Am I panicking about the wrong thing right now? Is this a distraction? I don't know. 

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Summer is getting ready to clear the way. The thoughts 'This is crazy', 'Please run  Filia', 'What is wrong with you', flash through my mind. For once I need to ignore them. I'm not a pussy. I'm not scared. Okay I am. But I'm not going to let that stop me right now. Maybe later, but not now. I'm a hero. This is the manliest thing I can do.

Summer slams her foot into the back of one of the Anemobots at the door. It's fall forward knocking three of the uncoordinated creatures into Scott's fist. At least that's what I assume based on the sound of rubble crumbling. 

Even with her giving me an in they are to busy focusing on Scott to notice us.

Her foot flies through the air and kicks one of the other creature's head off. Are they that fragile? It's head disappears once off it's shoulders, and the rocks crumble to dust. She throws one bot at the doorway, bowling over enough of them for me to get through.

"Strike." Scott shouts through a strained grunt. 

I let out a sigh of relief. He's well enough to make bowling jokes. Summer has made a path, to the fight pit Scott created. Flashes of red and then dust.

Before thinking, I'm in there as well. I pick one of the creepy creatures up and throw it across the room. It's body shatters and it's head flashes before disappearing. I dash into the opening, and I'm by his side. The safest place in the world, in my opinion. 

"Filia? How'd you get here so fast?"

I punch through an encroaching Anemobot. Come on, Filia, think of a lie. Don't think about the nightmare creatures.

"Astrus teleported me."

"Huh, he works fast." A loud crunch.

"You okay?"

"Never better, Filia." The source of the crunching looks down in shock at the new hole, before crumbling to dust. "What about you?" I can hear his stupid smirk behind the helmet.

"Why did you let them back you into a corner, Scott? You could have gotten hurt." My voice sounds sweet. Like a worried girlfriend. It's the kind of thing I wish I could hear from a girl. Why do I sound like this? Why can't I be in his position? 

"I didn't want them chasing after Ryan." My heart skips a beat. What the heck? I guess that's one good thing about being a like this. He doesn't have to worry about Filia.

"I saw Summer with him! He wouldn't want you getting hurt, dumbass."

"You haven't met him, Fi. Summer would protect him, but I don't think he could take them harassing him." His helmet is beginning to look really slappable. Is that what he thinks of me. I punch the head off an Anemobot instead. Right, I'm in the middle of a fight. 

"Your friend wouldn't want you getting hurt for his sake. I don't want you to get hurt." My eyes stay locked on Scott. The Anemobots fade into the background of my mind. I'm throwing punches and kicks, but Scott is in the forefront of my mind. What is he thinking? 

"Jeez you're starting to sound like him."

"What's that supposed to mean?" 

"Nothing bad I promise."

"Then tell me."

"Maybe after we get out of here."

"You are such an asshole."

"I know."

Summer interrupts our banter with a bot she throws into the middle of the room, centimeters from where we are standing. "We are done out here." 

"Need a hand you two, or do you want some alone time." Leo laughs. I'm going to kill him. 

"Get in here," shouts Scott.

"Happy to oblige!" Ziggy shouts from behind the wall of bots surrounding us. 

Crunching, cracking and shimmering echo through the room as the others fight through the wall the Anemobots were creating. Scott and I continue to punch anything that gets too close. Is it cowardly to avoid looking at the creatures? Probably, but the suit helps with spacial awareness and fainting in the middle of a fight would be even more embarrassing. I'm running on adrenaline, as soon as it runs out I'm going to do the manly thing and cry in a corner away from everyone else.

A cloud of dust erupts in front of us and the team funnels in starting with Summer. We can finish this. 

"Pink, you're hurt, get behind me." Am I hurt? What is Summer talking about? She positions herself in front of me as the room explodes into smoke. 

"I have to admit you all did better than I expected. Especially you, Ranger Red." A familiar raspy voice echoes through the room. The room seemed to be getting colder. Was he here? Was Loch here? All I can see is Summer in front of me. "Looks like I might need some new henchman. Let's call this a draw."

"Come back here." Scott shouts.

"You'll have your fight, Little Red."

"Face us!" Why is he being so cocky? We don't know anything about Loch, or his plans. The fights over. It's done. We can leave.

"You'll be hearing from me soon." The smoke starts to thin. The piles of dust where Anemobots had been defeated are gone. The lights flicker on and the loudspeakers crackle.

"All students. There has been an attack on the school. Please remain calm and head to the fire evacuation points."

"Dang it. We better get out there before people notice we are gone," Summer says. She kneels down and outs a hand on my shoulder. I'm on the ground? Why? My eyes are watering. Oh. I have to get out of here.

"Is Ryan safe, Summer?" Scott asks. 

"He should be. I'll take Filia and we'll go get him." 

She grabs a hold of my shaking hands and pulls me out of the classroom, up the hall and into the janitor's closet again. 

"Astrus, I need you to teleport me and Filia to base. She's going to need some help."