Chapter 32: Automaton Students

The door to the nurse’s office clicked shut behind them, and for a second, the only sound was the frantic, uneven rhythm of Thiago’s breathing. Jovan gripped the violet key in his pocket, the metal seemingly vibrating against his thigh, hummed in sync with the heavy, rhythmic thudding of feet from the hallway.

"[Yo, Thiago, you still with me?]" Jovan whispered, his voice cracking as he peered through the small glass pane of the door. "[You’re looking a little green.]"

"[I’m fine, J. Just… peachy,]" Thiago grunted, leaning his shoulder against the doorframe for support. "[My ribs feel like they’re trying to stage a coup, but I can walk. Mostly.]"

Jovan didn't look back. He was transfixed by the scene in the corridor. "[Look at them. It’s not just that they’re quiet. It’s the way they’re moving. It’s like they’re on a track.]"

Thiago hobbled over, squinting through the glass. "[Man, that’s messed up. They’re not even looking at where they’re going. It’s like… a factory line. You see their heels?]"

"[Their heels?]"

"[Yeah, look,]" Thiago pointed with a shaky finger. "[Every time their feet hit the floor at the same time, the floorboards are sparking. Not real sparks, but that violet static. They’re pumping the building, Jovan. Every step is a pulse.]"

"[So they’re the batteries,]" Jovan said, his stomach turning. "[The Principal said they were fuel. He wasn't exaggerating.]"

"[Fuel, batteries, whatever,]" Thiago spat, wincing as he shifted his weight. "[The point is, the building is drawing from them. If we don’t get to the gym and ground this thing soon, there won't be enough left of these kids to fill a cereal box. They’ll be hollowed out.]"

"[We have to do something now,]" Jovan said, reaching for the door handle.

"[Whoa, hey!]" Thiago grabbed his wrist. "[What are you doing? We can’t just go out there and start a scene. There’s thousands of them, and two of us. And I’m currently held together by butterfly bandages and spite.]"

"[I see Leo,]" Jovan said, his voice dropping an octave. "[He’s right there, Thiago. In the middle of the pack.]"

Thiago looked again, spotting the tall, lanky frame of Jovan’s best friend. Leo was shuffling along with the same mechanical precision as the others, his eyes fixed on the back of the girl’s head in front of him.

"[Leo? Oh, man,]" Thiago muttered. "[Look, J, I get it. He’s your boy. But he’s part of the loop now. He’s not going to recognize you.]"

"[I can’t just let him march into the gym like a cow to the slaughter,]" Jovan argued, his hand tightening on the handle. "[Maybe if I can break his rhythm, I can break the loop for the others. Like a circuit breaker.]"

"[Or maybe you’ll just trigger a massive feedback loop that fries your brain,]" Thiago countered. "[Jovan, listen to me. This isn't a normal trance. They’re tethered.]"

"[I’m going out there,]" Jovan said, his jaw set. "[Stay behind me. If things go sideways, use the tool.]"

"[Things are already sideways! They’re diagonal!]" Thiago hissed, but he let go of Jovan’s arm. "[Fine. But if he tries to bite your face off, don't come crying to me.]"

Jovan pushed the door open. The sound hit them instantly—a low, sub-audible hum that made Jovan’s teeth ache and his vision blur for a split second. The hallway was a sea of gray and blue denim, a slow-moving river of students that didn't even flinch as the door opened.

"[Leo!]" Jovan called out, stepping into the flow. "[Leo, hey! Over here!]"

The students around him didn't turn. They didn't even seem to hear him. The air was thick with the smell of ozone and a strange, metallic heat.

"[He can't hear you, man,]" Thiago said, limping along the wall, his eyes darting between the blank faces of their peers. "[The frequency is too loud. It’s drowning everything else out.]"

Jovan pushed past a sophomore girl who felt as cold as a marble statue. He reached out and grabbed Leo’s shoulder. "[Leo! Stop! It’s me, Jovan!]"

Leo didn't stop. He didn't even slow down. His shoulder felt rigid, like the muscles had been replaced by iron cables. Jovan was nearly pulled off his feet as Leo continued his march.

"[Dude, let go!]" Thiago warned. "[You’re going to get trampled!]"

"[Leo, look at me!]" Jovan yelled, stepping directly in front of his friend, forcing the line to a halt.

Leo stopped. The girl behind him stopped. The entire line for ten feet back stopped in a perfectly synchronized jerk. Leo’s head slowly tilted down, his eyes—usually full of bad jokes and lazy energy—were now flat, milky voids.

"[Leo?]" Jovan asked, his voice trembling. "[You in there, buddy?]"

Leo’s mouth opened, but no words came out. Instead, a low, buzzing sound vibrated from his throat.

"[Jovan, get back,]" Thiago said, his voice turning sharp. "[Something’s wrong. The glow in his eyes… it’s changing.]"

"[He’s my friend, Thiago!]" Jovan shouted back. "[Leo, come on! Think about the history project! Think about the mystery meat! Just… just blink, man!]"

Leo’s hand suddenly shot out. It wasn't a slow, mechanical movement. It was a blur of violet light and raw, terrifying speed. He grabbed Jovan by the front of his shirt and lifted him off the floor with a single hand.

"[What the hell?!]" Jovan gasped, kicking his legs as he was hoisted upward. "[Leo, put me down!]"

"[I told you!]" Thiago roared, swinging his iron tool toward Leo’s arm. "[He’s not Leo anymore! He’s a terminal!]"

Leo didn't even look at Thiago. With a flick of his wrist, he tossed Jovan through the air like he was made of straw. Jovan slammed into a row of lockers, the metal groaning under the impact.

"[Jovan!]" Thiago yelled, lunging forward despite his injuries.

Leo turned his head toward Thiago. His movements were no longer mechanical; they were liquid, predatory. He blurred across the three-foot gap, his fingers locking onto the shaft of Thiago’s iron tool before the older boy could even swing.

"[Nice… try…]" Leo rasped. The voice was his, but it sounded like it was being played through a broken speaker. "[Warden… must… ground…]"

"[Get your hands off my tool, you little punk!]" Thiago gritted his teeth, trying to wrench the iron free, but Leo’s strength was supernatural.

"[Leo, stop!]" Jovan scrambled to his feet, his head spinning. He saw Leo raise a fist, the air around it shimmering with a violent, violet haze. "[Don't hurt him!]"

Leo ignored the plea, his fist connecting with Thiago’s shoulder. There was a sickening thud, and Thiago was sent sprawling across the hallway, his iron tool clattering across the floor.

"[Thiago!]" Jovan lunged for the tool, but Leo was already there. He stepped on the iron shaft, pinning it to the ground.

Leo looked at Jovan, his head twitching at a forty-five-degree angle. "[Key… give… the key…]"

"[You want the key?]" Jovan reached into his pocket, his fingers closing around the violet metal. "[Is this what you’re looking for?]"

Leo hissed, the sound like steam escaping a pipe. "[Deliver… the vibration… Jovan…]"

"[He’s talking through him,]" Jovan realized, backed up against the lockers. "[The Principal. He’s using Leo to get the key back.]"

"[No kidding!]" Thiago groaned from the floor, clutching his newly bruised shoulder. "[Kill the connection, J! Hit him with something!]"

"[I can’t hit Leo!]"

"[It’s not Leo right now! It’s a high-voltage cable with a face!]" Thiago yelled. "[Do it!]"

Jovan looked at the key in his hand, then at his best friend. He didn't use his fists. He focused on the key, pushing the memory of the white-light loop he’d shared with Thiago into the violet metal. "[You want a vibration? Fine. Have this one!]"

Jovan lunged forward, pressing the glowing key against Leo’s chest.

An explosion of white static erupted between them. Leo’s body arched, his feet leaving the floor as the conflicting frequencies collided. The violet haze around him flickered and died, replaced by a shower of stinging, white sparks.

Leo collapsed in a heap, the mechanical stiffness vanishing from his limbs.

"[Leo?]" Jovan dropped to his knees beside him, his hands shaking. "[Leo, talk to me!]"

Leo groaned, his eyes fluttering. For a second, the milky film cleared, and he looked up at Jovan with a look of pure, unadulterated confusion. "[Jo? Why… why does my head feel like it’s full of bees?]"

"[You’re okay, buddy,]" Jovan breathed, a sob of relief catching in his throat. "[I’ve got you.]"

"[Don't get too cozy,]" Thiago said, pointing down the hallway.

The students who had stopped were starting to move again. But they weren't marching toward the gym anymore. They were all turning. Thousands of blank faces, all looking directly at the three of them.

"[Oh, that’s not good,]" Leo muttered, trying to sit up. "[Why are they looking at us like that?]"

"[Because you’re a broken circuit, Leo,]" Thiago said, grabbing his iron tool and standing up with a grimace. "[And the building doesn't like being broken.]"

Suddenly, the school bell rang again.

It wasn't the funeral dirge of the first bell. This one was a high-pitched, crystalline shatter of sound that seemed to rip through the air itself. Jovan felt the violet key in his pocket go cold—dead cold.

"[What was that?]" Jovan asked, his blood turning to ice.

"[That was the second chime,]" Thiago said, his eyes wide with terror as the walls of the hallway began to hum with a visible, violet light. "[The first was for the batteries. The second… the second is for the harvest. The ritual just moved to the next phase.]"

The students began to move toward them, not in a march, but in a frantic, terrifying sprint.

"[Run!]" Thiago roared. "[To the gym! Now!]"