The Oneiro Rangers: First Night by Erwin Blackthorn Page B

“Can I go to the bathroom?” She
asked sweetly, crossing her arms behind her back.
    “Go ahead, but make it quick. We don’t know how long it will take
for the lights to return.” He handed her his flashlight. “Here, take this too,
but don’t lose it.”
    “Yes sir!” She saluted playfully and skipped out the door, the
light bouncing around in front of her.
    Clint watched her leave the room, his eyes peeking up to the clock
above the door. It was a little past ten.
    He gasped. “Rhonda!” Running to the front desk, he picked up the
phone, quickly pushing the number wheel. “Oh no, not again. I hope it’s not too
late.”
    .  .  .
    Glenda’s head shot up, having nearly dozed off after waiting for
so long. The door opening was followed by a rapid patter of footsteps. A light
swam through the darkness, washing under the stall’s bottom. She shifted on top
of the seat, her bag slipping out of her hands, dropping onto the floor with a
loud clatter. Waiting for a reaction, she held her breath and expected the
worse to come.
    “Hello?” Malory called out, “is someone there?”
    Joy flushed down Glenda’s face as she sighed in relief.
    Malory took a step back, seeing the stall open suddenly. “Hey,
what’s going on—?”
    Yanking Malory into the cramped stall, Glenda shushed her; the two
of them squished together in the small space. “Be quiet. They’re going to hear
you.”
    “Who?”
    “I don’t know what they are. I saw the hallway full of some kind
of animals or something .”
    Malory clapped her hands in joy. “Ooh, ooh, Maybe it’s a kitty!”
    “No!” She held Malory’s hands together. “They weren’t kitties.
They stood up like people, but had these big evil eyes and like… rabbit ears.”
    Malory gasped from the description. “Wow, it’s a good thing I
didn’t see them on the way in. I would have been scared!”
    Glenda turned her head at her, as if not hearing her right. “You
mean you didn’t see anything out there?”
    “Nope. I even have a flashlight too. See?” She waved the
flashlight around, making long shadows over their faces.
    Glenda held Malory’s hands down again. “Okay, just let me walk
with you back to the dorm room. I’m not going out there alone.”
    “Okay, but can I go pee first?”
    “Oh... sorry.” Glenda ungainly collected her things, nearly
tripping on her bag’s strap on her way out of the stall. “I’ll be over here
then...”

 
     
     
    Act 3
    The Night’s End

 
    Chapter 10
     
    Clint hung up after the fifth try. “Hmm, how come she’s not
answering? The phone can’t be out, there’s still a dial-tone.”
    Malory returned, bringing someone new. “I found a girl in the
bathroom. Can she stay here with us?”
    Roland woke up out of his nap, smacking his lips. His head flew
right off the desk at the sight of Glenda, drool still coming out of the side
of his mouth. All of his attention focused on her and only her. She didn’t even
notice his eyes on her, walking right by him without even a passing glance. It
took Roland a moment to notice the string of drool dangling off of his chin,
quickly wiping it off.
    Clint put the phone down. “What were you doing in the main
bathroom, young lady? You know it’s off limits at night. That’s what the dorm
ones are for.”
    “There is something going on in the school,” Glenda warned,
dodging the question. “There were little monster things in the halls and they
were going into all of the rooms!”
    “Now miss...”
    “Glenda Suru.”
    “... Miss Glenda Suru.  What did these creatures look like?
Were they like rats? Maybe that is what you saw — there are a few of those out
at night sometimes.”
    Glenda shook her head, her twin pony tails flopping wildly. “They
weren’t rats! They were like people, but they had long floppy ears and three
claws on their hands and these wide mouths.”
    Clint hummed in thought, rubbing his bottom lip. “If I remember
correctly, I believe you just