All the Children

My back straight I look at the piece of chalk in my shaking fingers. No sound was made as the chalk scraped over the board in an ear-splitting screech.

'The revolution had then...'I droned on, creaking around to face the class of children; only just turning into teenagers. They were sitting up straight, taking notes and not saying a word; just as I had trained them to do. At least while in my classroom. The same was with my other classes from the years previously. Seven years with these children and only took one year to completely civilize them. A hand raised in the front of the class and I had to mask my astonishment.

'Yes Anthony?' I said, feeling my back hurt from the rain I knew we were going to get as well as hiding my emotions.

The boy's hand fell back onto the desk and a look of complete seriousness fell on his face. 'I am wondering why everything took place. Shouldn't people be more civilized, Ms Rowe?' I blinked. Where did this serious young man come from? The next time I blinked my eyes caught a glimpse of a flash across the boy's face. Shock settled on my face and I tried to quickly mask it.

'War changes people, Anthony,' I replied, before continuing, 'There are those that do not wish that war would happen. However, because of the way people are there will always be countries wanting to rule over others. Sadly that is the same with just people. Civilized is hard to come by Anthony.' I gave a small smile, something I only do for certain situations. 'Do you understand now?'

The boy just nodded, looking extremely and weirdly happy with my response. The rest of the day went without incident; if you don't include my mind thinking back on the flash on Anthony's face.

 

It was only a few days later when I saw the flash again. This time it was outside the classroom. I heard whispers coming from a group of children just around a corner. I hobbled over there, hearing my back creak and trying not to make too much noise. Hopefully I'd call them out on a prank they were planning on. As I got closer however the voices turned to hushed tones. So hushed I could hear nothing.

Fortunately I could see ever face in that little crowd. There was a look of seriousness on every face; their mouths turned down and frowns all identical. I felt the fear before I realised what it was. I wasn't afraid that they looked like they were plotting or all looked the same. No, I was afraid  because every time a child whispered their face would flicker into that other being; the other person. Also their eyes were as dark as night.

Whatever was going on scared the hell out of me. Enough to make me hobble away quickly and shudder to think what was really behind their human faces and their eyes; behind the scenes.

 

'Miss Rowe? What would happen if society broke down?'

I knew that voice; I also knew the state of the question. Anthony didn't want to know about history or its aspects. Fact was he'd been asking questions like this for days. I told myself it had nothing to do with their other faces; absolutely nothing. Whether I believed it was for a different reason or not.

Instead of answering his question, I asked, 'What do you think?'

As I sat behind my desk, the thoughtfulness of the boy showed all over his face. His eyes were dark however. For the first time I was afraid of the answer he would give me. Afraid that what he might say would come back upon me and I would agree with every word he had said.

Anthony looked straight at me with those soulless black eyes before opening his mouth and spilling out his thoughts. ‘Depends what you define as society.' I felt my face frown in confusion and he continued, 'Some people are self-centred and only think that they are society. Others think society is the people who give to others and help maintain everything. So technically it affects the mental state of that one particular person no matter the situation, I guess.'

My jaw had dropped as the words tried to sink into my head. Where was the intelligence coming from? At least what I could make out of the nonsense. I opened my mouth to answer him back just as the lunch bell rang. I thanked the bell and watched as all the children scurried out of my classroom.

 

I was fixing the classroom up for my students when a shiver ran down my old creaking spine. Out of the corner of my eye was a shape; a shape of a child. I shook off the feeling of dread and turned with a grim smile, trying to look friendly. As soon as I saw who was standing there my fear jump started and my heart rate increased.

'Anthony, shouldn't you be out in the playground?' I asked, sounding genuinely curious and friendly.

The almost teenager just gave me a creepy grin. I should have noticed to begin with that something was wrong. His posture was too relaxed to be normal, legs spread like an army soldier but body in a relaxed state where he was slouching. His arms weren't crossed like they always were, instead hanging loosely at his sides. However the most important thing I should have picked up was that door was tightly closed.

I waited for answer knowing that if I repeated myself the boy would only widen his creepy grin. His cold black eyes looked me over like a piece of meat he was going to devour.

'I just wanted to have a talk with you Miss,' he said, sounding so childlike but eerily calm.

The hairs on the back of my neck stood up and I realised I was also standing stiffly; a squeak noise being heard as I stood to full height.

'What about?' I didn't sound harsh like I expected. I didn't want this faceless monster to notice how frightened and confused I was about this whole situation.

'You can see it can't you, Miss Rowe.' The statement threw me off but when his face flashed into the monster within I lost control. The fear, the frustration, it burst out of my mask showing this... thing everything I had been hiding.

'What are you? ‘I whispered, not daring to speak any louder.

'Whatever we want to be,' he replied, giving me that creepy full stretched grin. 'We are all the same. Here for the same reason.'

I knew he was talking about all of his classmates. All there for a reason I really didn't want to know, but had to ask. 'Reason?'

He chuckled, his eyes almost squinting at me as he did so. 'Oh Miss,' he said. 'You aren't that stupid. You know why we are here.'

I swallowed, my mouth dry. Now that I did think of it, I did know. I knew every single reason of why they were here and it was much worse than the other beings inside them. My brain didn't want to function; didn't want to think what these monsters could do. Most of all, I didn't want to believe him.

"Lies,' I whispered, knowing that the fear only now showed in my eyes.

"I am not the one lying,' Anthony stated just before the rest of the class filed in through the door.

I tried to ignore their smug faces, wondering how they all knew what just happened, but not really wanting to know. I went on with my class the way I always did and, unsurprisingly, without interruptions and silence.

 

I tossed under the covers of my bed, thinking about the other day. My back made a crack noise and I groaned. Sleep was not coming and this was the third day in a row.

As I lay in the darkness, I knew those children would be smug as soon as I walked into that classroom. I dreaded entering my own classroom because of those smug faces looking at me; their blank and cold black eyes staring at me, through me. I wanted to rip them to shreds, just to show them that they were indeed human; that they could feel.

I sat up quickly, an idea popping into my head. They could feel. At least their human hosts could. Oh the things that could happen; the things I could come up with. My legs swung out of bed and I heard my spine creak softly as I stood up straight. If I was careful enough, I would show them what true pain and fear was.

I felt the silly happy grin on my face, felt indestructible and, for once, unworried. I hurried as fast as my old creaking back would let me to my late husband's little shelter down in the back garden. I opened the door and felt the grin widen as I planned out what I was going to do.

 

I nervously walked down to my classroom, barely hearing the vague good mornings from the other teachers. A bag was slung over my shoulder and I had to heave it up sometimes because of the weight. The only reason I was nervous was because of what was in the bag and my overactive imagination; waiting for someone to catch me out.

As I walked into the classroom, my lips quirked up in a smile and I dropped the bag near my desk. The class greeted me like normal and it seemed like they knew nothing; even though their faces held that smug look. After I planned my course of action, I had had the best sleep since my husband passed away and I was almost overcome with happiness.

I looked around the room and noticed that one person looked different from the others. Anthony looked confused but still pleased under that mask he called a face. Possibly thinking that I had completely lost my mind, which might be true if he knew what was going on in my mind.

I let the class go on as normal for a while letting the bell ring, signalling it was time for lunch. I watched as they filed out before following and going to the bathroom, bag now slung over my shoulder once again. I took a deep breath and then turned the tap on. I knew that I would feel some sort of emotion for the children but I had to push past it. The surprise they had waiting for them was going to make my life so much better. I glanced at the clock before rushing out and back to the classroom as fast as my aching back would let me. I sat back down at my desk, bag in my lap and waited for my students, my monsters.

Another bell sounded and I heard the stomping of the little monsters' feet. The next minute they filed into the room, all still with the smug look on their face. Their eyes were soulless black again and immediately I was worried, wondering what was in store for me or if I had been caught out.

'Would you like to see?'

The voices seemed to echo in the room but it only came out of one mouth; Anthony's. I shuddered and knew what they were talking about as soon as they said it. Hesitantly I nodded, watching all those faces turn to me and how all flashed to see those other beings; those monsters. I unzipped my bag and gripped what was inside it.

The flashes didn't cease and it changed, getting darker and showing me the real faces of those children. I couldn't contain my gasp and my grip tightened.

'Don't you see now?' Anthony said, the echoes of the others in his voice. My eyes couldn't believe it, didn't want to as I saw the bumps, facial bones and other things that seemed to have no name all over their faces. 'We are the Others, the ones of nightmares -'

I didn't let him finish as I took my hand out the bag and brought it up to be level with their sights. I gave no warning as I fired the make-shift machine gun my husband had made, spraying the bullets into the thirty-odd creepy monsters and thanking my husband for the license to carry.

Many fell to the ground, faces changing to the human horror that should be normal, what I should be seeing every day. I heard the screams and the screeches from the monsters as Anthony ducked for cover. There was barely any sound because of the silencer. I stood and walked towards the still alive students, shooting them in the head with a short burst.

Anthony's head popped up out of the wreckage and I realised he must be the only one left. Not only that but someone might have heard the screams. I aimed my gun at his head, watching as the fear filled his eyes and creepy, strange face.

'You can't,' he said, eyes wide and sounding normal for once. The smug look was wiped from his face and I felt victorious.

'Oh I can,' I hissed, pressing my finger on the trigger without pulling it. I don't know why I needed to draw it out; maybe it was the look on his face that I wanted to savour.

'You are killing your Brethren,' he pleaded and I noticed he was also on his knees.

'We are nothing. We aren't even related,' I sneered, noticing the monster shudder.

Anthony shook his head quickly, hair flying. 'That's where you are wrong...'he said sadly.

I felt the sneer take a hold of my face and I pulled the trigger at close range. A ragged hole with little fragments was all that was left of his face. I laughed so hard, falling in between the dead bodies littering the floor. For once, I was sane. For once, I had the control and I knew who I was; not this Brethren that this thing had been talking about.

"Oh my god!"

My head whipped up and I saw a female teacher that taught the class closest to me; Miss Webb or something. She had her glasses on and as soon as my eyes caught sight of my reflection, I gasped. My eyes couldn't believe and I screamed, raising the gun to my own head and pulling the trigger.

The monster, Anthony, was right. We were Brethren.