Castle High's After School Horror

Everyone is slumping on the floor. They'd found nothing. Every exit is still locked. Every single door is locked. Only three doors are open, that they know of: the detention room, the girls' bathroom, and the art room. No one wants to go into any of those. So the seven shattered and shaken teens opt for sitting against the lockers, admitting defeat.

"We're gonna die," Mace mutters.

"Don't say that," Gerard says. They are sitting together against the lockers. Gerard has his arms wrapped comfortingly around Mace. He's nervous. His hands are shaking as he holds her.

"Doesn't anyone have any ideas?" Ray asks. Everyone is silent.

"You would think by now someone would've noticed a group of missing kids," Chelsea mutters. She cuddles up closer to Ray.

"Well, as long as we stick together, we'll be fine until they send for help," says Bob, who's sitting next to Bonnie. He wraps his arms around her. She leans into his chest.

Gerard stares at Bonnie. Gerard sighs, wishing to be the one comforting her. He looks down at Mace, who's eyes are closed and face is contorted into a worried look. He looks at Mikey, who's rolled up in a ball and hasn't said a word since he so subtly hinted about Gerard cheating on Mace. Gerard wonders how many people know.

"Everyone," Mikey answers Gerard's unspoken question.

"Could you not?" Gerard hisses.

"Can't help it," Mikey says. "You fucking know that."

Gerard glares at his brother, who still hasn't moved. Everyone glances at either Way. Gerard has a utter disdain for Mikey's supernatural "gift". He knows everything a person thinks, feels, remembers, just by being at a close approximation to them. Many times Mikey has blabbed to their parents about things that Gerard was easily keeping tucked away in the back of his head. Mikey, the psychic freak, would fish them out to get him in trouble.

"Not on purpose," Mikey says.

"Stay out of my head!" Gerard yells, gripping Macey a little too tight. Macey whimpers and pulls away from him.

"It's not my fault you’re a fuck up, Gerard," Mikey mutters. Gerard sees the images of all the things he'd done to get himself in trouble: drugs, drinking, stealing...

"You could keep your mouth shut!"

"Again: I can't help it. You know how long I've been holding in what you did to Macey? It's driving me insane. I see her every day."

"What?" Macey says, confusion in her tone.

Mikey claims that being inside people's heads makes it hard for him not to blurt out random things at any given moment. He insists that his head gets crowded, knowing the secrets of everyone around him.

"It's true!" Mikey yells. Everyone is evidently confused by the half mental, half verbal argument. Gerard is burning with fury. "I'm sorry, okay? How many times do I have to apologize for you to start treating me like your brother and not just like I'm a burden?"

Gerard doesn't get that it's not the easiest thing in the world. Being constantly inside people's heads, Mikey gets his own thoughts confused with theirs. It's a heavy burden to carry, knowing every fragile fact about a person that could break them...

"Those aren't my thoughts," Gerard says, his head hurting from Mikey penetrating his thoughts. He groans painfully and grabs fistfuls of his hair. "Stop!"

He can also stick images into people's heads. He invades people's mind and twists their thoughts into the little images he wants to see.

"That is not true," Mikey insists. "It's not my fault, I do it by accident!"

"What the fuck is going on?" Macey exclaims.

Gerard looks up. He sees that everyone is staring either at him or at Mikey. Mikey is kneeling on the floor, giving Gerard a pleading expression. Gerard is shaking having almost been consumed by the spooky dark feeling he gets when Mikey's been in his head for too long.

"Tell them," Gerard says.

"It's not their business," Mikey says, shrinking back against the lockers.

"You're making it our business," Ray says.

"Why don't you blurt out one of your secrets for once, brother?" Gerard says mockingly. Mikey raises his chin.

"No one will believe me," he says.

"You can prove it."

Mikey turns his stare to Bob, who's giving him the look he usually gives him: disgust. Mikey closes his eyes for just a moment. Bob groans and rubs his head painfully. Gerard is surprised that Mikey's actually going through with it.

"Bob," Mikey says. Bob keeps a shaky hand on his head and stares at Mikey. "You know that spooky, haunted house-like feeling you get when you're around me?"

Bob's eyes go wide. "Y-yeah?"

"I can read minds. It subconsciously freaks you out." Mikey turns to Gerard. "Happy now?"

"Quite," Gerard says with a nod.

"Wait, what?" Chelsea says. "That's total bull!"

"Bob bullies me to distract himself from the fact that his own dad beats him," Mikey says. "It makes him feel better knowing he can be at the top of the food chain, if at least at school."

Everyone stares at Mikey in disbelief, even Gerard, and then they turn their stares to Bob. His face is red, contorted into a look of more sadness than anger.

"How would you..." Bob starts, breathing hard, then stares at the linoleum floor.

"Your father beats you, Bob?" Bonnie asks, her voice holding too much concern for Gerard to handle.

"It's none of your business," Bob mutters.

"Wait a second!" Macey yells. "What were you talking about when you said...something about...what Gerard did to me?"

Gerard's muscles tense. Bonnie's eyes go wide. Mikey covers his mouth with his hands, shaking his head. Gerard hears the words I won't say it playing in his head. It sounds like Mikey's voice. Well, he is actually trying. Too bad it's too late.

"Yeah, Gerard, what did you do to her?" Chelsea asks, grinning. Mikey groans, closing his eyes tight. He let's go of his mouth.

"You are a terrible person, Chelsea," he blurts. He sighs and eases into the lockers.

"Excuse me?" Ray asks.

The spotlight is off of Gerard, but only momentarily. Macey is still looking at him with a pained look on her features.

"Don't make me talk, guys, seriously," Mikey says, staring at the floor with wide eyes.

"You can really read minds? Really?" Ray asks. Mikey closes his eyes and nods. "What does she think of me?"

Mikey sighs. "She thinks you're sweet, but...she doesn't really know if she likes you. If..." Mikey shudders. "...we make it out of here, she's planning on breaking up with you."

Mikey breathes out a huge sigh. Ray's jaw clenches. Chelsea gapes at Mikey in disbelief.

"You are so full of shit, Way!" Chelsea screams.

"Funny, I think I believe him," Ray mutters. Chelsea turns her disbelieving stare to Ray.

"Are you kidding? He's claiming to read minds and you believe him?"

Ray pulls away from Chelsea, stands up, and walks to the other side of the hall. Chelsea groans.

"Mikey, you're just as fucked up as Beth!" Chelsea says.

"You were jealous of her," says Mikey. "You're glad she's dead."

Everyone gasps. Mikey bites his lip and shrinks against the lockers. Everyone glares at Chelsea in disgust. She looks about ready to cry. Her bottom lip is trembling and her face is red. Gerard is enjoying the display. He smiles at his brother, feeling good to know that for once he's not the only one getting in trouble. He looks over at Chelsea, who's giving him an angry glare.

"Well, Gerard," she spits, a tear rolling down her cheek. "Why don't you tell your girlfriend that you've been fucking her sister?"