Part 5: "Kindergarten Cop"

In my restless dreams,
I see that town...

A beats B & C by one vote each. Always such a close race!



Chapter 4
"Kindergarten Cop"


I immediately hid underneath a nearby table.
However, it was smarter than I thought...

At a glance its legs appeared thin, but it spreads them wide and uses its
long nails as a tool to lift the table up and then lets out a loud laugh.

I don't have a choice. I have to try and fight. But if I randomly fire
blindly then I will only waste bullets.

That's it. I must set my aim. Its body. When it spreads its wings, at that
moment when its body is undefended.

It swings its large arm-like wing down at me and using that "weapon" it just
misses my neck.


This is my chance.
The target is its body...
Mumbling, I tell myself that.
However...I can't fix my aim very well.
My hands are shaking.



When that single bullet hit it...
It finally lost its flight and fell to the floor like a wet rag.



"What the hell...
This is not a dream.
What's happening to this place?"

Only the sound of my fist hitting the table echoes in the cafe.
At my feet the still warm corpse of the creature lies in the center of a pool
of oddly colored liquid.

After leaving the cafe I decided to first head toward that alley from before...


Black figures fly about in the heavens as if searching for prey.
I then come to realize a constant.
The static on the radio changes based on their movements.

The closer the monsters come to me the louder the static gets.
My sight is hindered by the fog and on top of that the weather is so bad that
snow is falling.
So this is extremely important information.

I run through the snow that appears to have no intention of stopping.
Increasing my speed each time the static comes in on the radio, I proceed
into the fog.


Following the thin thread of my memory I finally arrive at the alley from
before.
The evil atmosphere has dissipated and light pours in along with snow from in
between the buildings.

I move into the alley and it dead ends after a bit...


At the end of the alley I see a familiar sketchbook that appears to have been
thrown away.
The likeness of me that Cheryl drew is on the cover of the sketchbook.

"This is definitely Cheryl's..."


I try opening it.
Inside the following is written in red ink:

"to School"

Along Levin street I slip through the backdoor of a house that had a
doghouse and then head for the school.
The surroundings gradually fill with darkness and only the flashlight on my
chest illuminates this strange street.

///MUSIC STARTS///


I pass through the entrance to the elementary school grounds. When I open the
door that leads into the school building I see that even more darkness is
waiting for me inside.

It is possible that Cheryl scribbled those letters "to School."
I can't be sure whether Cheryl is here or not.
It's just that I haven't a clue other than that sketchbook.

A guide map of the school has been tacked to the sidewall of the entrance with
a rusted thumbtack.
After removing the map from the wall I place it in my pocket and push open the
heavy door that leads into the interior of the school building.



My footsteps, and the creaking of the hallway...
They sound like screams as their reverberations rock my eardrums.
I had been walking carefully step by step, but without realizing it I had
began to run.

There is no sign of anyone.
The silent innards of the school building are dark, and with only the
flashlight on my chest it is impossible for me to see any of the details.
Cheryl doesn't have a flashlight, so if she came in here and got lost then
she probably wouldn't even be able to walk around.

Since I have my flashlight turned on she should be able to notice me easily...
At least I have that modest hope.

I then notice that I have come to the entrance to the music room.
I place my hand on the heavy door.


When I open the door I see that the inside of the room is large and there is
a grand piano placed in its center.

As I sit on the chair of the piano I am shocked.
The seat is still warm, as if someone had been sitting here just a few minutes
before.

Cheryl's smile runs through the back of my mind.

Cheryl often played the cheap upright piano in our home.
It had become nice background music when I was working.
Perhaps Cheryl had come to the music room?


I gently open the cover over the piano keys.
I notice that there is red mixed in among the black and white.
I try touching the liquid.
It has a lukewarm feel, it is still holding heat.
It is definitely blood.

My heart pounds in my chest like an alarm bell.
The large amount of blood spilled on the keys...
If this is Cheryl's blood then she may no longer be alive.
I wipe the stain off my hands onto my jeans, stand, and leave the music room.

At the same time I closed the door thought I heard someone scream.........
Maybe it was just my imagination?

I walk down the hallway.
The sleety mixture of snow pounds hard against the windows facing the
courtyard.
I take a look through a window down at the dark courtyard.

The not so large courtyard is dotted with areas in which withered plants are
growing. In addition to that an old clock tower is faintly visible.
From here I cannot determine what time the clock is pointing to.

Wait.
Something appears to be wriggling about in the darkness.
An animal? No, it's dark and I can't see so well, but it is slowly moving on
two legs.
It appears to be searching for prey.



(JiJiJiJi...JiJiJi.........)
At that moment the radio I had clipped to my chest suddenly began making noise.
As I return my sight to the hallway a sharp pain runs through my thigh.

When I look down I see that the tips of those long claws are piercing my thigh.
Those oddly shaped monsters.
They are posed like they want to hug me and have gathered around my waist.
They are about to bite me?!



I...

A ) Instantly pushed the monster away with my hands.

B ) Readied the handgun and fired.