The Death of 1977 (Book 3)

Chapter 23

"Now, say de alphabet backwards dis time." The medium sized, young Mrs. Fortuna commanded her second grade class as she methodically strolled past all twenty-seven desks on her way back to her own desk in front of the small classroom.

With some rolled eyes and some lethargic moans, the children, in unison, all began reciting the alphabet in reverse while the rain outside that following morning pounded against the four brick walls of the tiny schoolhouse. It was quite apparent that each student would have loved to have been anywhere else in the world other than their own school. It wasn't that they couldn't say the alphabet backwards, it was just the simple fact that performing such a task was just that, a task. Meanwhile, Mrs. Fortuna, with her tightly wrapped braided hair, leaned against the edge of her desk with her arms folded and listened to not only her lackluster students drone on and on, but also the rain that sounded as if it were increasing in its fervor. Yes, the walls of the schoolhouse were made of stone, but the roof was metal, rusted metal to be exact. Mrs. Fortuna always made sure in cases of torrential rainfalls to not only keep a steel bucket in the left corner of the room, but also keep a vigilant eye on the roof to make sure no dents would appear.

"Very good," Mrs. Fortuna said out loud. "Now dat you have dat mastered, den perhaps each of you can recite de books of de bible, too."

"I can!" A little girl smack dab in the middle of the class excitedly raised her hand.

"No, no, Liliana, dis is for everyone." Mrs. Fortuna spread her arms wide open.

At once, each student, minus Liliana, either sat back in their seats or slumped down. Some actually turned to the lone window in the schoolhouse and stared outside at the rain like they were wishing it would come and carry them far away.

"Turn around, Gaston and Joonbo!" Mrs. Fortuna admonished two boys.

At once, both little boys reluctantly turned about face before joining the rest of the class in naming off each book of the bible, jumping in at the book of Numbers.

Once again, Mrs. Fortuna began a tour of her class up and down each row, making sure every student was speaking the words that she wanted to hear. The instant she reached the back of the room, her eyes couldn't help but to be mesmerized by the same rainstorm that the boys found so alluring. The rain was so overbearing that all she could possibly see was a solid, blinding sheet. As soon as the students got to the book of Zachariah Mrs. Fortuna lost interest in the rain and began back to the front of the class, but not before her ears caught the sound of something very foreign and unusual.

The woman hadn't even made it to the middle of the row. She turned around and looked outside once more. The sound she was hearing was the rain, along with something else, something that resembled a pack of wild animals chasing one another. Mrs. Fortuna figured it for a truck rolling by before she squared her eyes even more out the thin window to see a figure moving about in the rain. It was a dark thing that seemed to be galloping. Tourists would often ride horses up and down along the beach on any given day, but it was pouring and they were nowhere to be seen.

The woman then made her way back to the window to see the figure drawing closer and closer while hearing it make such a terrifying grunt amidst all the rain.

"First and Second Peter," the class all continued on.

But Mrs. Fortuna had completely lost track of them way back at Matthew. She stood directly in front of the window and watched as the galloping thing emerged from out of the rain before its pair of shiny eyes appeared at the front walkway.

The woman's body at that very moment began to shake so violently that she nearly vomited. "Everyone get up and run to de backdoor!" She hollered with all her might before racing to her desk.

Without a hint of hesitancy each child got up from out of their seats and clamored for the backdoor. All 27 bodies huddled together in the corner while Mrs. Fortuna reached underneath her desk and pulled out a shotgun.

"Everyone stand right dere and don't move!" She screamed before running back to the window and looking out to see where the beast was.

They all could hear it growl and roar as it repeatedly ran around the schoolhouse. The children all yelled and cried, but Mrs. Fortuna made sure to keep pace with its rampant prowling.

From one corner of the school to the other she raced until she found herself at the backdoor along with the children. Sweating, huffing and puffing, Mrs. Fortuna held guard against the door as the beast stalked back and forth. She pointed her weapon at the door with the children all behind her. The hideous growls the animal was making sounded ever so angry and hateful.

Mrs. Fortuna cocked her shotgun before looking back and breathlessly saying to her students, "You all must be very, very quiet! It can hear us in here!"

Mrs. Fortuna then turned her attention back to the door which all of the sudden grew amazingly quiet. The woman carefully made her way to the door and pressed her ear against the wood.

"Is it still dere?" One little girl stuttered.

Mrs. Fortuna never answered. She just stood back away from the door before sailing past the rows of desks just to make it back to the front window. She looked outside but could hear or see no sign of the thing.

"I don't see it anywhere." Mrs. Fortuna strongly whispered.

The children all seemed to begin to settle down right before a large claw ripped through the door and into the school. Instantly, the children all screamed bloody murder as Mrs. Fortuna ran back to the door, pointed her gun and fired.

"Go out de front door!" She yelled at her students.

At once, all 27 children took off towards and out the front door. Mrs. Fortuna continued to fire at the backdoor, but the more she fired that seemed to be all the more space the beast needed to storm its wet and bloody body right on inside and pounce on the woman, tearing her throat and face apart with its ever so sharp and voracious fangs and claws.

Mrs. Fortuna had only one slug remaining in her shotgun. The slavering beast just would not relent, no matter how full its belly was.