Collapsed

Current Events

Michael Gu

“Ever since the roof collapsed!”

This story is about a detective named Jack Bird investigating an abnormal event in a

collapsed school. During the incident a few children and staff were trapped inside and

have been stuck there ever since. Every rescue team had been unable to return unscathed

and successful. Will Jack be able to solve the mystery of how the roof went down or will he

discover a mysterious entity lurking in the shadows.

The wanning moon shone through the glass windows of the cars. It was night; the

school was quiet. Deserted and so very eerie. Outside were a few police cars and large

orange barriers. The red and blue lights filled the clear night sky. There were clouds

covering the bright stars letting only a glimmer of light to be seen every so often, and two

tall figures were standing next to a smaller barricade talking.“How long have the children been in there?” asked Jack Bird, moving his cap up to

take a better look at the worn-down school. He was a tall and slim man with dark hair and a

brown leather jacket.

“Around a week.” The officer said with an uneasy expression. His face was covered

in scratches, and he had bags under his eyes. He was shivering with fear.

“No news?” He asked.

“Ever since the roof came down a week ago the school has been shut down. Many kids

were trapped inside with a few staff. We haven't been able to communicate with anyone.”

The officer was clearly scared of something inside.

“Has nobody gone in to try to save them?”

“There has. But every time only one returns. When they come back, they seem to

have gone mad in there. Screaming, crying and babbling random gibberish. Something

about the coldness. The ice, all random gibberish. It’s as if there was a ghost in there!” He

says that as if he doesn’t believe ghosts are real, but Jack could see through his eyes he

was terrified.

“Why have you called me here? I’m a private investigator, not a ghost hunter.” He

said nonchalantly, sounding a bit annoyed.

“I was enjoying a fancy dinner with my partner Lavender.”

“We called you over because we think you can do some investigation into what happened

to the missing children and staff.”

“Alright. How many people are we talking about?” Jack stood up straight with expression of

determination. He had to admit, this case was more interesting than he had thought. He

was going to solve this.”

“Five children and two teachers. They were helping the children when the roof collapsed. If

they are still alive, they should be in the south wing of the building. You'll must get there by

the flight of stairs on the right side of the hall in room 315, The library.” The tone of his voice

had an almost horror element to it.

“I'll do it, in return for five-hundred dollars. Still must earn a living.” He said with a quirky

smile.

“Only if you find the children.” He said while handing him the money.

“Don’t worry officer, this better be worth skipping dinner!” Jack exclaimed while gladly

taking the money and pocketing it.

Jack began to walk slowly towards the main doors along the cracked cement path.

The school was made of reddish bricks which were cracked and worn down. Small embers

were noticed through the cracked glass. A field of grass and flowers were layed out on

either side of the path which were now filled with dead flowers and chunks of bricks

The path was old and had plants growing out of it. Pieces of the school were scattered

around. Chunks of wood along the grass and sharp needles of glass were lying on the pavement, the school was unrepairable. Just as Jack reached the door and was about to

pull it open the officer grabbed onto his sleeve.

“BE CAREFUL!” he said with his eyes bulging red. He grabbed hold of Jack’s sleeve with a

very strong grip, a grip hard enough to strangle a bird.

“What are you-”

“Everyone else doesn’t believe there are ghosts, but I believe there are evil spirits that

haunt this place!” He spoke almost as if he was possessed.

“Okay! Okay! Are you fine?” Jack asked genuinely wondering if the man was alright.

He shook the officer off his sleeve, and they stood back up. “Good luck!” he said blankly.

Jack turned around slightly agitated at what had just happened and slowly opened the

door.

As the door opened, it creaked so loud it was as if no one had opened it in years.

Rust had been spreading on the joints. Jack peered into the school only to see eternal

darkness, like staring into his demise. The creaking of the door echoed through the

shadowed empty hall. Small flames were flickering reflected by shards of glass on the

ground and the smell of ashes was present. Jack walked into the darkness and pulled out a

match. He struck the match, and the scrape echoed through the halls. The small flame

emitted a warm glow fighting off the darkness. Jack could now see tin lockers lining the

cold brick walls. Jack began to walk at a regular pace. His footsteps echoing down

hallways and rooms he passed.

“Room 301, 303, 304.” He whispered to himself every door he passed. peering through the

windows into the empty rooms. The inside of the school was not as damaged as it looks

from the outside. Occasionally the wanning moon would shine on a shard of glass. Jack

turned a corner and passed room 309 where he could see the collapsed roof, the rubble of

the roof was clamped together in a pile like they were a sports team huddled together.

The moon peered at Jack and disappeared behind a cloud. The small flicker of the match

and the dim moonlight were the only source of light in the hall. *Whoosh. A silhouette went

by behind him.

Jack turned around instantly, clearly shaken by the noise.

Was it wind? He thought to himself while looking side to side around the room. He walked

back and peered through both sides of the hall. Jack turned around and continued to

slowly walk through the rubble to the library, where he passed room 311, whose door was

open, and a light was still flickering inside. He investigated the room, and he could see a

wooden table on its side with one of the legs snapped on the ground. Paper was spread out

all over the floor like an animal had been rummaging through all the papers. A tin storage shelf was tipped over flat on its face. The room was a mess. The light flickered again, and

darkness filled the room. Jack left the room and found his way to the library door. He tried

to open the door, but it was jammed with rubble on both sides. He called out into the room

but to no response. He kicked and kicked the door and finally kicked it open. The library

was dark and empty just like the rest of the school but there was something different about

it, something more eerie, something more- terrifying.

Books lay open on the floor and shelves were missing chunks of themselves. There

were papers everywhere, and on the ground Infront of Jack, ironically was a horror novel he

loved. Jack chuckled at this.

“This must be a well-done joke.” he said with a tone of sarcasm. He stepped over the

novel, and he felt a coldness around his back. He subtly turns around “Who’s there?” Jack

shines his match in the void showing nothing except a few bookshelves and chairs. There

was a small metal door which he could see, leading to a staircase that was blocked by a

giant bookshelf.

“I need something to jam it open.” He whispered to himself

He continued to investigate the library, but open books and wood were all he could

find, when a deafening screech echoed down the corridor outside. He runs out of the

library and sees the silhouette again this time bigger, faster, still. The shadow stood there

unflinching.

“Who are you!” He demanded and pointed to the shadow which was illuminated by the

dim moonlight now fading to dawn.

With a whoosh he felt the air become cold and his lungs struggling to breathe, he felt a

stone-cold hand around his neck, he felt his feet leave the ground dropping the match in

the process. Starting to grasp for air, trying to get free, he kicked and flailed, and his vision

blurred. The shadow still stood Infront of him but in the tiny glow of the match he could see

another figure holding him by the neck; its face was a blank slate, and it held him like a

hunter squeezing the life out of their prey. Jack closed his eyes and felt the ice-cold

sensation consume him.

The Bird Has Fallen!

*

A few days later, the sun was high in the sky smiling down at the world. The sweet scent of

lavender filled the air. Sounds of birds chirping gleefully echoed down from atop the

highest branches.

A tall woman strode hurriedly down the ash sidewalk; she wore a violet fleece jacket with

“LAVENDER” imprinted on the back. Her hair was long and dark with a stripe of purple on

the strand of hair to the left. Her face was pale, and a worried expression was evident. Shehad eyebags under her sparkling purple eyes which gleamed dimly in the sunlight.

Lavender came to a halt on a dark and collapsed roof. The air was still, and the birds

stopped singing. Even nature knew something wasn’t right here.