Bugged Out!

by Matthew Porter

  After speaking with the others, we decided to go to the organization after school to give Kristiana a status report. Unfortunately, she wasn’t there. Apparently, there was something more pressing she and the other heads of staff had to deal with. I wondered what in the world could be more pressing than mutant insects invading a place of learning, but decided I didn’t want to know.

  Things worsened as the week progressed. Like some kind of biblical plague, more and more insects were coming out of the walls. They were more aggressive now, too. At least four students were hospitalized due to extreme exhaustion. On top of that, a girl, Darla Charleston, had gone missing. She was last seen at the school at the start of the week. That made me think of the dream or vision or whatever I had about the girl in the insect nest. Could that have been Darla?

  ***

  Thursday, during free period, I took Kelly aside in the natural sciences wing and spoke with her about the situation.

  “We need to know how these insects function and how to stop them,” I said.

  “I agree,” she said, looking a little pale. “But what are we going to do?”

  “What objective scientists are supposed to do—research them. We’ve got to study these monstrosities, we simply need to get our hands on one.”

  She shivered. “That’s easier said than done. You’ve seen what they can do to you if you get too close. How are we supposed to catch one of them without getting bitten?”

  “We do what we did in elementary school whenever we would try to catch an insect. We use a net and a jar.”

  She slapped her forehead and shook her head. “That may work for your garden-variety bugs, but these things aren’t natural. We need to think of another way.”

  Just then, Nick yelled from down the hallway. “Hey, guys, guess what I’ve got?”

  He sprinted toward us, wearing his gym shorts and a gray tank top, holding his crinkled-up basketball team jacket. A few girls watched him intently as he ran to us.

  He reached us and handed me his jacket. “Careful, don’t let it go,” he said, then took a few deep breaths.

  “Why are you giving this to me?” I asked, wrinkling my nose.

  “It’s a crazy story,” he said as he stretched his arms and legs. “So, there I was in the gym, working on my basketball moves when, all of a sudden, I feel something crawl on my shoulder. One of those evil bugs was on me!”

  Kelly cringed and swatted her own shoulders like there were invisible insects on them. “Ew. No, I don’t want to hear this…”

  “I freaked a little,” Nick continued. “I threw off my jacket and chucked the bug across the room. Lucky it didn’t bite me, or I’d be knocked the heck out on the gym floor right now. Talk about embarrassing. Anyway, I remembered you saying you needed one of these bugs to look at, so there ya go.”

  I stared at him, disgusted, as if he had committed murder. “This jacket was on…the gymnasium floor?”

  “Uh, yeah?” he said, tilting his head in confusion.

  I could feel my throat tighten. “So, it was on the floor, where billions of unseemly microorganisms grow?”

  After a moment of silence, he said, “Yes?”

  In a panic, I tossed the jacket to Kelly as if the thing had tuberculosis, and I started to pace, holding my hands out as far away from the rest of me as I could.

  “You okay, man?” Nick asked.

  “No, I’m not. Please excuse me,” I said. I ran to the bathroom and vigorously scrubbed my hands for four minutes.

  I walked out of the bathroom and rejoined Nick and Kelly. “Nick, can you please go wash your hands now?” I asked.

  “Why?” he asked.

  Kelly sighed. “Just humor him. He won’t let it go until you do.”

  “Alright, in that case…” Nick went into the bathroom.

  “We will meet you in the biology lab,” I called out to him.

  The lab was empty, as it always was during free period. I grabbed a jar, Kelly shook the jacket, and a dazed, rat-sized mantis plopped into the jar. I put the lid on the jar to suffocate it. Normally, I would be against such acts against animals, but these insects were pure evil.

  I looked at Kelly, who was still holding the jacket. I pointed at it accusingly. “Now throw that unclean thing into the biohazard bin and wash your hands.”

  She raised an eyebrow at me. “James, his jacket was on the gym floor. It’s not riddled with Ebola. I’m putting it right here for him. Do you realize how expensive these jackets are?”

  My eyebrows furrowed. “Do you realize how expensive MRSA outbreaks are?”

  She rolled her eyes. “You’re being ridiculous. Don’t make me throw it at you. You know I will.”

  I cowered. I admit, I did have a slightly irrational fear of germs. I once burned my bookbag because a girl sneezed on it in the ninth grade, but I didn’t want to get influenza…or pertussis…or anthrax.

  Nick walked into the lab and saw his jacket. He grabbed it and put it back on. “So, what’s the deal with these bugs, Dr. J?”

  “I will let you know as soon as I know.” The insect was dead now, so I donned two layers of gloves just to be safe, took it out of the jar, and began to examine it.

  I removed the tip of its proboscis with a pair of forceps so that I could examine it under the microscope, which I asked Nick to grab from the shelf. After he brought it over, I plugged it in, took the cover off, and turned it on. I got a slide, placed the tip of the proboscis on it, and began the examination.

  “Nothing out of the ordinary at 10× magnification,” I said, studying it carefully.

  “What’s that mean?” asked Nick.

  “Nothing yet. I need to look at it under higher magnification.”

  When I put the slide on 40× magnification, something caught my eye. There were small ridges all along the outer layer of the proboscis. I put the oil immersion on the slide and put it on 100× magnification. What I saw made me shudder. The proboscis had microscopic spines all along it. I poked it with a probe and the spines dilated. It happened so suddenly, I jumped. “This is not good.”

  “What’s not good?” asked Kelly nervously.

  “There are microscopic spines along the proboscis that expand, probably locking it in place when it penetrates into the flesh. That would explain why I could not get the insect off of Mr. Simmons. When I pulled at it, the spines tore at his skin. I assume that the insects can control when the spines shoot out and when they recede.”

  A bloodcurdling scream came from the room next door. It reminded me of the scream I heard in the nightmarish vision I had, and for a second, I thought I was starting to have another one. But Nick’s and Kelly’s expressions were as surprised as mine. We rushed into the room and saw Mackenzie Theel, one of Kelly’s friends, cowering in the corner.

  Kelly ran over to her. “Kenz, what’s the matter?”

  “There was… It was a…” Mackenzie said. She seemed too distraught to spit it out.

  Kelly gently shook her. “Kenzie, you need to tell me what’s wrong.”

  Mackenzie gasped. “It was a...giant bug. It tried to eat me... then, when I screamed, it ran to the window and crawled up the wall.”

  “Those insects that have been crawling around school?” I asked her. “They are rather large, but they can’t eat you.”

  She looked at me with hurt, terrified eyes. “You don’t understand, James. This one was giant, like, eight feet tall!”

  I scoffed. “That’s impossible.” It was hard to believe. I mean, sure, these mutated insects were like something out of a bad science-fiction comic, but an eight-foot-tall one?

  “I’m not crazy. I know what I saw.” She was still trembling.

  I crossed my arms. “I don’t think—”

  A loud bang from the ceiling cut me off. It sounded like a thousand-pound man was crawling around up there.

  Mackenzie recoiled. “That’s the bug!”

  Nick glanced over toward the window. “What the—” he said as he walked over to th
e window and picked something up. “What’s this thing?”

  A cold sweat trickled down my face when I saw what he was holding. I couldn’t believe my eyes... Could Mackenzie have been correct?

  “Dude, what is it?” Nick asked, his eyes wide. “You look like a deer caught in the headlights.”

  I pointed a shaky finger at the mass Nick was holding. “That, it appears, is part of the exoskeleton that some insects shed as they grow. What you hold in your hand is a section of the foreleg.”

  The shed exoskeleton was about three feet long, and it appeared to be just a segment.

  Nick’s face wrinkled in disgust. He dropped the exoskeleton and rubbed his hands on his shorts.

  “If that’s just a section of the foreleg, how big is the insect it belongs to?” asked Kelly.

  I looked at Mackenzie apologetically. “Unbelievably large, probably at least eight feet tall, like she said.”

  “I told you!” Makenzie cried.

  I nodded. “It would seem the smaller mantises have a mother—a much bigger mother.”

  ***

  Friday came. We still had school, despite the fact that six more students and one teacher had been attacked by the insects. It was the day of the big biology exam and Abby’s gymnastics tryouts. She seemed to be more nervous about trying out for the team than she was about our new abilities and the insects, even after we told her about the possibility of there being a bear-sized mantis queen somewhere around the school. Apparently, she had put that into the back of her mind. The reason she was so anxious was because the captain of the gymnastics team, Alyssa DeGallo—Jeremy’s sister—seemed to have it in for her.

  The place seemed quiet, not a mantis in sight, but that didn’t change the fact that something had to be done about them. We still needed to learn more about these evil insects, which in my mind required a more exhaustive study of their anatomy and physiology. We also had the task of finding the Ark, which we couldn’t focus on because we were preoccupied with trying to keep our abilities under control.

  ***

  After biology, I went up to Mrs. Snider’s desk. “Mrs. Snider, I was wondering if I could ask you a question?”

  She looked up from grading the exams. “Go ahead, James. What is it?”

  “I was wondering if I could study that mantis specimen I obtained for you?”

  That wasn’t entirely a correct statement, though. When Kelly, Nick and I went back to study the specimen further after Mackenzie had calmed down, we’d found that Mrs. Snider had come into the classroom and taken the specimen and put it on her desk. Then, she lectured us about the safety hazards these insects posed and that that we should do our best to stay away from them. If only she knew the extent of it…

  She glanced over at the mantis and shook her head. “These insects should be handled by any student, they’re very dangerous.”

  “But I’m the top student in the class, and I give you my word that I will take the maximum precautions when examining the specimen.”

  She shook her head. “I’m sorry, James. I can’t allow it. These things are too dangerous, and I’m going to be sending this specimen to the department of public health after school today.”

  I left the room, feeling disheartened. I had to take a look at that specimen again.

  “What took you, James?” asked Kelly, who was waiting outside the classroom with Nick and Abby.

  I sighed. “I asked Mrs. Snider if I could study the specimen after school. She said no, but I have to study it further.”

  “We can always catch another bug,” Nick suggested as we began walking. “There’re a bunch of them to choose from.”

  I shook my head. “I don’t want to approach them willingly until we have a firmer grip on our abilities.”

  Abby seemed more on edge than usual as we walked toward the main hall.

  Kelly patted her shoulder. “I know, all this talk about bugs is making my skin crawl, too.”

  Abby sighed. “It’s not only the bugs I’m freaking about…” she mumbled. “I have my gymnastics tryouts out in the garden fourth period, and I’m super nervous.”

  “Were you on the gymnastics team at your old school?” Kelly asked her.

  Abby nodded. “Yeah, but I don’t know if I’ll make the cut here.”

  “Don’t be modest, Abbs,” Nick said, giving her a slap on the back. “You know you’re the best gymnast at this school.”

  She glanced up at him. “You’re saying that because I’m your sister.”

  “Sister or not, you’re the superstar when it comes to gymnastics,” he said cheerfully, but then his expression became more thoughtful. “Wait, why’re they holding tryouts with all these bugs everywhere?”

  Abby mimicked Alyssa DeGallo’s demeanor perfectly, twiddling her hair and walking with a prissy gait. “You, like, don’t deserve to be on the team if you’re attacked by one of those disgusting bugs! Like, grody to the max.”

  “That’s screwed up,” said Kelly in disgust. “Not that I’m surprised. Alyssa is always pretty...indelicate.”

  ***

  Fourth period was everyone’s free class as long as they had at least a 3.0 GPA. I was doing my literature homework in the library, reading “The Raven” by Edgar Allan Poe, while Nick was redoing his biology test study guide. I was just finishing up my report, when I started to feel light-headed, and I knew that my Scan ability was about to activate. The room started to spin, and I closed my eyes to keep myself from getting nauseous. When I opened them, I was somewhere else, which should not have been a surprise at this point.

  I expected to be in one of the dark rooms I had seen before, but to my relief, I was outside the school, looking out into the garden. Off in the distance, I saw Abby trying out for the gymnastics team. I blinked, and I was instantly much closer, as though my eyes were able to zoom in.

  Abby moved as gracefully as a swan as she flipped and twirled on the balance beam. I saw the panel of judges write their scores. Everyone gave her a perfect ten, except for Alyssa DeGallo, who gave her a four.

  Abby flipped off of the balance beam and landed spryly on the ground. Alyssa gave her a nasty smile and said something to her, but I couldn’t hear what it was.

  Abby nodded and started to collect her belongings. Behind her, in the bushes, I saw a giant figure eyeing her from the shadows with its big, red eyes.

  As Abby walked along the path up to the school, the giant creature followed her. I wanted to get a closer look at what it was. I blinked, and suddenly I could see the creature better than I’d ever wanted.

  It was humongous, at least three feet taller than Abby. Its body was predominantly blood-red with sharp, white spines that stuck out of it, and its mouth was filled with razor-sharp teeth. Its red eyes seemed to burn with hunger. It was salivating at the sight of Abby as it crept behind her, waiting to strike. Its saliva landed on the grass, instantly making it brown and shriveled.

  I blinked again, and I was back in the library. I was on the floor, and everyone was staring at me. Was this going to be commonplace now?

  “James, are you okay?” asked Mr. Miller, the librarian.

  I didn’t know what to do. That thing was going to get Abby. “I—I feel a little faint, Mr. Miller.”

  “Do you need to go to the nurse’s office?” he asked.

  I nodded weakly. “I think I do. Can someone come with me so I don’t fall again?”

  “Sure.” Mr. Miller looked around the room for someone to go with me.

  I glanced over at Nick and tried to convey a sense of urgency, and he seemed to get it. “I’ll take him, Mr. M.”

  Once we were out of the library, I started to sprint.

  Nick ran after me. “Whoa, James, where’s the fire?”

  “The giant mantis that shed the massive exoskeleton,” I said hastily. “I think it’s going to attack Abby!”

  “What?” he yelled as he rushed ahead of me.

  “Wait!” I called.

  “I can’t,” Nick said. “M
y sister’s in trouble!”

  “But you do not even know where she will be.”

  He stopped. “Well, where is she?”

  “Along the garden path, right outside the cafeteria.”

  He began sprinting again. I took a deep breath and followed. As we got to the main hall, I heard Kelly’s voice calling out from behind us.

  “What are you guys doing? I saw you two running past the classroom,” she called after us.

  “It’s Abbs,” Nick said hastily. “She’s in trouble. J-Man’s scanner power saw that big bug following her.”

  “What?” she squeaked.

  We ran into the empty cafeteria and looked out of the windows, which comprised the entire wall. Abby was walking up the path, looking at her phone. Behind her, the creature was stalking her in the shadows. Despite its giant size, it moved quickly and stealthily.

  The three of us banged on the windows to get Abby’s attention. She looked up at us and waved, unaware of the monstrosity behind her. “Abby, look behind you!” we said in a chorus of screams. She stopped and raised her eyebrow, mouthing, “What?” Nick ran to the side door and shoved it open.

  “Abby, behind you!” he yelled.

  Her face blanched. She slowly looked behind her and saw the menacing creature just as it bounded out of the shadows. The beast let out an otherworldly screech and came at her with a powerful leap. It lifted its pincers and opened them, about to grab her.

  She screamed and fell to the ground. The mantis stretched its pincers around her; they looked like vises about to sever her in half. Nick raced to her.

  “He won’t make it,” Kelly said, despondent.

  Just as the monster began to close its pincers around Abby, she lifted her hands to shield herself, and the mantis stopped moving.

  Kelly and I ran outside. The wind had stopped blowing, the flowers had stopped swaying, and the petals falling from the trees closest to Abby were suspended in midair. The distant trees were still blowing in the wind, though. It seemed that only about a ten-foot radius around Abby was Freeze-Framed.