One of the 13 stories in A Friday the 13th Story #9: Last Stop by Tamrie Foxtail
Fun Fact:
I work as a monitor on a Special Education bus. Our kids are wonderful. From a little one who loves to have me clap a rhythm so he can copy it, to one who tells about everything that’s in the sky. These kids make us laugh. I love working the Sped Bus. But what if we had a child who didn’t make us laugh? What if there was one child who was frightening rather than sweet?
About Last Stop:
It’s the day before Spring Break, but today the bus won’t be making its final stop.
Gina has been picking up the kids on the special education route for years. Some steal her heart and some make her laugh, but one student makes her blood run cold.
Marcus Kenton is a Marine turned principal. He’s been warned about one student.
Silas has been listening to the voice of his master, and his master has a plan.
Excerpt:
“Maybe now the school board will approve metal entry doors.” Kenton waved his card over the sensor. “I’m betting on Silas wanting to brag and gloat before shooting me,” he said. He reached for the door.
Avery blocked him. “I hope you’re right,” he said, “because I’m going first.”
They stepped into the high school lobby, Avery taking a few steps to the left and Kenton stepping to the right, making it harder for Silas to keep both of them in his sights.
The teenager stepped out from behind the door to the janitor’s closet. His right arm was wrapped around Kayla’s throat, keeping her in front of him as a shield. There was a gun in his right hand.
The smile on the Torrence kid’s face was like nothing Kenton had ever seen. Evil. That was the only word for it. He could imagine Satan himself with just that smile.
Silas held up his left hand, the dead man’s switch clearly visible.
“Dead man’s switch,” he said in calm voice with a touch of glee. “Shoot me and the bomb goes off. You’re both dead and so is blind girl.”
He shoved the girl away from him, pointing the gun at Kenton in the same motion.
She crawled away and Kenton wondered if it was because she couldn’t get to her feet, or because she was trying to stay low. A thin streak of blood trailed behind her.
“I’ve been waiting to kill you since the first day of school,” Silas said.
“Why?” Kenton asked. From the corner of his eye he saw Avery take another step to his left.
“Always standing here in the morning, acting like you’re a human.”
“I am a human,” Kenton said.
“You’re not. You’re an alien. Everyone in authority is an alien.”
Avery took another step.
“Silas, I spent twenty years in the Marines. They would have found out if I wasn’t human.”
Silas shook his head. “You cloned a human body, and your alien race put you inside. The whole military is made up of aliens.” He pointed the gun at Kenton’s face. “When I shoot you, will I see the alien body?”
About the Author:
Tamrie Foxtail was raised in the sunshine state. She married an Okie who brought her to the Sooner State. As soon as she recovered from a rather serious case of culture shock, she fell in love with Oklahoma and its people.
Tamrie spent years working as a librarian (surrounded by books and book lovers). She now works with children in Special Education.
She is currently working on a cozy mystery series set in Oklahoma.
Author Alicia Dean 