Chapter 36
“We can’t go.”
Spencer and Min kicked open the cupboard door and stumbled into the rec center janitorial closet. Everything was still powdered in white chalk dust. Spencer and Min left new footprints as they maneuvered past boxes and shelves, emerging at last into the hallway beyond. If Daisy and Dez were with the other recruits, then they must be in one of the gyms because Spencer didn’t see anyone in the hall.
The boys checked a few empty gyms before Spencer reached a racquetball court at the end of the hall. He tested the small door, but it didn’t budge. Either it was locked or something heavy was blocking it from the inside.
“They could be in here,” Spencer called to Min.
“Spencer?” Daisy’s voice drifted down a nearby stairwell. In a second, she appeared at the top of the stairs.
“There you are!” Spencer said. “Come on! Meredith’s waiting for us in the parking lot!”
But Daisy’s eyes were wide and filling with tears. “We can’t go,” she said.
“What are you talking about?” Spencer ran up the stairs, Min close behind. Dez was at the top of the hallway with Daisy, leaning against the wall.
Daisy pointed to an observation window that overlooked the racquetball court. “We have to get them out.” Her voice was choked with emotion.
Spencer stepped forward. When he reached the window and looked into the racquetball court below, his stomach churned, threatening to push out the food he’d just eaten.
There were probably thirty recruits below, wearing handkerchiefs of blue, red, and green. They were crowded into the racquetball court, frazzled expressions on their faces. Some showed signs of crying; others were curled up on the floor.
Thick, orange extension cords littered the floor like wet spaghetti noodles, maybe half a dozen. One end of each cord was plugged into a power strip along the wall of the court. But the other end made a gruesome connection with the flesh of a Toxite.
Filths, Grimes, Rubbishes ... the monsters hunched invisibly, drinking in the brain waves of the Academy recruits and hissing out breaths of grogginess, distraction, and apathy. Electricity flowed through the Glopified extension cords, fueling unnatural growth in pulsating waves.
Chapter 37
“I love breaking things.”
Spencer backed away from the racquetball court’s observation window, horrified by the scene below. The students were trapped down there! Growing Toxites sapped away their brain waves, and Spencer remembered what Slick had said about long-term exposure to the Toxite breath. If the students didn’t get out of the court soon, their brains could turn to mush!
Then Spencer saw something that made the whole situation painfully real.
Jenna was down there!
She sat in the corner, shoulders slumped like she didn’t care about anything in the world. She had the most awfully bored look on her face, and Spencer could see tears staining her cheeks. Behind her, a Rubbish pulsed and glowed. Having already expanded to the size of an eagle, the monster had to be spewing terribly potent breath.
A figure suddenly appeared on the stairway. The kids turned to see Director Carlos Garcia striding toward them, his hands casually tucked in the pockets of his slacks.
“You were absent when we passed out the envelopes,” Garcia said as he crested the stairs. “It was a tough decision, but the winning team really came forward at the end.” He rubbed his chin. “The brown team has been accepted to New Forest Academy.”
“What?” Daisy shrieked. “The brown team won? Like, Dez’s brown team?”
But the bully didn’t look like a winner. He was unusually quiet and pressed against the wall, far from the observation window.
Min looked crushed, his hopes and aspirations for the Academy coming to a fast close. He must have been rescuing Spencer when the announcement was made. Lucky thing, too, or he would be trapped down in the racquetball court with the rest of the Academy rejects.
“Fine,” Spencer said. “I don’t really care who won. But there’s something bad going on down there.” He pointed to the window. “We’ve got to get them out. Now!”
“These others,” Garcia gestured to the window, “did not meet our qualifications to study here.” His tone was somber, like that of a parent telling a child that the family dog must be put down. “And now we must let the old forest burn.”
Spencer turned to him, cruel realization dawning at last. “You know ... ? You know what’s happening!”
“You’ve been working with Slick all along!” Daisy accused. “You’ve been helping the BEM take over the school!”
Director Garcia shook his head. “The BEM has no need to take over New Forest Academy.” He paused. “They founded it.”
Spencer felt a tingle pass through his body. What was Director Garcia saying? The BEM was the founder of New Forest Academy?
Garcia looked back to the observation window. “With its left hand, the BEM destroys every shred of competition. It lets Toxites run wild, polluting every traditional school and rotting the brains of anyone who opposes it. Then, with its right hand, the Bureau raises up a safe school, a clean school—an exclusive Academy where only the strongest can attend.”
Spencer pointed into the racquetball court. “But they are the strongest. They are the smartest!”
“Unfortunately, brilliance is not the only criteria,” Garcia said. He closed his eyes. “Their personalities are not right. They’re ... too loyal, too honest. They don’t have what it takes to fight their way to success. They’re too afraid to step on their friends to get to the top.”
So that was why the cutthroat brown team had won! The Academy was sifting through everyone, looking for the most self-serving, aggressive, manipulative students. That was who the Academy was choosing to educate while everyone else fell by the wayside, rotted out by Toxite breath. Spencer turned back to the students trapped below.
“Who cares if they didn’t make it into your Academy!” Spencer shouted. “They’re innocent! Just let them go home!”
“I can’t do that.” Garcia stepped away from the observation window. “Those kids down there represent the greatest threat to the BEM’s plan. If they go home, they’ll continue to learn and develop, doing all they can to resist the Toxite breath. We can’t let that happen.” Director Garcia put a hand on Spencer’s shoulder. “In order for the new forest to rise, the old forest must burn.”
“They’re not trees!” Spencer jerked away from Garcia. “They’re human beings, with thoughts and hopes!”
“Cálmate,” Garcia held out his hands. “They won’t die down there, Spencer. We’re just helping them find their place in society’s future. They will simply be followers. They will still be able to lead normal lives. But they will never be ... great.”
“How can you say that?” shouted Spencer. “How can you decide their future?”
“I have been chosen to judge them,” Garcia said. “It is a difficult task. I do not enjoy it, but it is necessary to ensure the BEM’s success. The Bureau takes no risks. Everything must burn in order to establish New Forest Academy’s dominion over education.”
Spencer didn’t want to know what other diabolical plans the BEM might have. It was enough to know that they had founded an elitist school to educate a select few while the brains of thousands of kids across the nation were rotting from Toxite breath.
Director Garcia was saying something else, but Spencer couldn’t stand to listen. No one heard the soft snap as the Ziploc bag opened in Spencer’s coat pocket. No one noticed as he pinched a bit of vac dust between his fingers.
Spencer leapt forward, hurling the puff of dust toward Director Garcia’s face. At the last second, the man turned aside and the dust went past. Garcia lunged, shoving Spencer to the floor. On his way down, Spencer pulled the Ziploc bag from his coat and tossed it to Daisy. Garcia whirled around, but the girl was too fast. The suction from Daisy’s palm blast caught Garcia and pulled him instantly to the floor.
“All right.” Spencer picked himself up and faced his three comrades. Min’s eyes were a little wider than usual as he stared at the suctioned director. “We’re going to have to split up if we want to get everyone to the parking lot.”
Spencer turned to Daisy. “Take Min to the stash. Gather everything we’ve got. Once you’ve got it, do what it takes to get that front gate open.”
“What about me?” Dez said, still standing with his back to the wall. It was the first thing Dez had uttered, and Spencer wondered at his silence.
“You’re staying with me,” Spencer said. “I’ll need your help to break into the racquetball court and rescue the recruits.”
Daisy handed Spencer the Ziploc bag of vacuum dust. “Don’t trust anyone from the Academy,” Spencer said. “Students, teachers, not even the old members of the brown team. Remember ...” Spencer narrowed his eyes. “Academy equals BEM. They’re one and the same now.”
Daisy headed toward the stairs, but Min extended a quick farewell handshake to Spencer. “It’s odd,” the Asian boy said. “My experience at New Forest Academy has taken a sudden janitorial turn that was quite unpredictable.”
Spencer couldn’t help but grin through the tension of the moment. “I hope that’s your way of saying good luck.”
“I hate to break up this lame friendship moment,” Dez said. “But Director Gracias is trying to get up.”
Spencer whirled around, digging a second pinch of vacuum dust from the baggie. The attack plastered Director Garcia back to the floor. When Spencer turned again, Min and Daisy had vanished down the stairwell.
“So what’s your genius plan to rescue these chumps?” Dez asked.
“Can you break down the door?” Spencer asked.
Dez popped his knuckles. “Sweet.” He grinned. “I love breaking things.”
“I’ll stay here and keep Garcia pinned with vac dust,” Spencer said as Dez headed downstairs. A moment later, Spencer heard the racquetball door shudder once, twice ... He could imagine the big bully throwing his whole weight against it.
“Won’t break!” Dez shouted.
“Hit it harder!” answered Spencer, readying another puff of vac dust for Garcia.
“You trying to make me hurt myself?” shouted Dez. “I said, it won’t break!”
Spencer tossed the vacuum dust onto the director’s chest. With a grunt, the man was down again. Garcia rolled on his side, a ring of keys jingling on his belt. Spencer quickly unhooked them.
“What about these?” Spencer called. He ran down the stairs, dangling the keys victoriously.
“I bet you had those the whole time,” Dez said, massaging his shoulder. “You were just trying to get me to knock myself out.”
“That would have been nice.” Spencer tried a few keys before he found the right one. They didn’t have much time before the vac dust holding Garcia wore off.
“Ready?” Spencer shoved open the unlocked door.
Most of the students were so influenced by the Toxite breath that they didn’t even look up. But Jenna lifted her chin, and for one brief moment Spencer thought he saw a shred of hope in her eyes. Then the Rubbish opened its mouth, and her eyes clouded over.
Spencer suddenly yawned as Filth breath drifted through the open door. The potent Toxite breath was going to make this harder than he’d thought.
“Look out!” Dez shouted, jerking Spencer away from the open door. They rolled away from the entrance just as an overgrown Rubbish flapped through the doorway. It cut a jagged course through the hallway and disappeared around a corner.
“Thanks.” Spencer turned to face Dez. “Did you see the size of that thing?”
“Yeah,” said Dez. “It was huge.” He held out his hands like a fisherman telling about his prize catch.
Spencer lashed out, suddenly shoving Dez against the wall. “Anything else you want to tell me?”
Dez tried to make a puzzled expression. “What are you talking about?”
Spencer raised his voice to an angry shout. “Since when have you been able to see Toxites, Dez?”
Chapter 38
“They must have plans for you.”
Dez pushed Spencer off and stepped away from the wall.
“You can see them!” Spencer accused.
“So what!” Dez shouted back. “You can too! I’m sick and tired of you and Daisy seeing things and doing stuff behind my back! I’m just as important as you are. I have a right to see the monsters!”
“Who did it to you? Who gave you the soap? Was it Slick?”
“This morning,” Dez said. “Slick gave me some while I couldn’t move.”
“Why would he do that? Did you make some kind of deal with Slick?”
“No deal. He just gave me the soap for fun.”
“The BEM doesn’t do anything for fun,” Spencer said. “They must have plans for you.”
Suddenly, an alarm blared through the hallway, resonating in the racquetball courts and every gym in the rec center. Spencer turned to see Director Garcia on his hands and knees at the top of the stairs. He had crawled to the end of the hall, fighting the vac dust long enough to pull a security alarm.
“We’ve got to unplug the Toxites,” Spencer said. “I’m going in!”
He leapt through the small doorway and into the haze of sapped brain waves that filled the racquetball court. The harsh blare of the security alarm helped keep him anchored, without letting his mind slip into worry-free sleep.
“Come on!” Spencer shouted, but the recruits were too far under the spell of the Toxites’ breath to heed him. Spencer staggered across the court until he reached the first extension cord. He bent down and grabbed the cord in both hands.
A huge yawn forced him to his knees. He slumped against the wall and crumpled to the floor. Somewhere in the back of his sleep-muddled mind, Spencer knew he had to unplug the cord. Doing so would frighten the Toxites away and give him a chance to help the students escape. But the temptation to sleep was too strong. Instead of pulling out the cord, Spencer rested his head on the floor, eyelids drooping.
Someone bent over his prone form, grabbing the extension cord from his hands and jerking it out of the wall socket. Spencer squinted to see Dez stepping past him. The big kid was walking along the wall, trying to keep a safe distance from the ever-enlarging Toxites. Dez reached the next outlet. Leaning down, he yanked the plug out of the socket and let it fall to the ground.
The Grime that was attached to the other end scurried up the wall, bulbous fingertips finding easy purchase. The next plug Dez pulled sent a Filth scurrying out of the racquetball court, trailing its extension cord along like a dog on a leash without an owner.
With the Filth gone, Spencer felt revived. He rose to his knees as Dez unplugged another. The bully’s high tolerance for Toxite breath was impressive, but even Dez was starting to show signs. His pace slowed and his attitude became apathetic, like he couldn’t understand why it was important to unplug the Toxites. Finally, he slumped down, only feet away from the last cord. It was attached to that Rubbish, the big one perched behind Jenna.
Spencer dug out a dash of vacuum dust. His Ziploc bag was almost empty now. It was a long shot across the gym. Positioning his hand with the fingers together, he took aim and flung the vac dust. It ripped across the gym with the sound of a revving vacuum and struck the pulsating Rubbish head-on. The creature fell to the court floor and, for a moment, its foul breath caught in its throat.
Dez recovered his senses quickly. Reaching out, he unplugged the final extension cord. The Rubbish shuddered and took flight for the open doorway.
The thirty recruits seemed very confused. Spencer remembered the terrible feeling of trying to piece his brain back together after inhaling too much Toxite breath. But there was no time for a sympathetic recovery.
“Get up!” Spencer shouted. “Everyone’s in danger! We have to go!” The piercing alarm gave his warning validity, and a few of the students seemed to realize what he was saying.
In a
moment, Spencer had herded everyone into the hallway and Dez was leading them toward the rec center’s front doors. Spencer scanned the hall for any sign of Garcia, but the director was gone, probably rounding up help to stop the escape.
The last student to leave the racquetball court was Jenna. She stared at Spencer and gave him a smile. The eye contact had a strong effect, and Spencer saw Jenna put the pieces back together.
“What are we doing?” she asked.
“Couple of guys headed this way!” Dez shouted from the front doors of the rec center.
“Everyone out!” Spencer ordered. But how could he and Dez possibly get all the students past the bad guys with only one small shot of vac dust? Spencer took a final glance into the racquetball court, but the only things in there were discarded extension cords used to make Toxites evolve. Spencer snatched a coiled cord and took off running toward the group, Jenna at his side.
They burst into the crisp November air. All the recruits were huddled on the steps of the rec center. Dez stood in front of them like an angry shepherd guarding his flock.
Two men were running toward the rec center, determined to stop the escaping recruits. Spencer recognized one of them as the New Forest Academy math teacher.
“Dez!” Spencer tossed one end of the extension cord to the bully. He caught it with a confused look on his broad face.
“What are we supposed to do with this?”
“Run!”
Holding tight to the ends of the cord, Spencer and Dez sprinted forward. The approaching teachers hesitated as the extension cord went taut between the two boys. There was no chance to turn aside. The cord made an inescapable clothesline, catching the two Academy teachers and flinging them to the ground. The force pulled Spencer and Dez off their feet, the extension cord burning as it slid through their hands and out of their grasp.
The boys were quicker to recover. Before the adults could stand, the thirty Academy rejects sprinted past, following Dez and Spencer to the far side of campus. They ran into the street, Spencer crossing his fingers as the brick wall and gate came into view.
Janitors: Secrets of New Forest Academy Page 16
