Chapter Anti-Virus

Sheri was terrified, “What was that?” There was a pounding on the door and it seemed it would come off the hinges any moment. Brutus growled and barked loudly.

Pete said, “Now now, that’s a good boy,” trying to calm him not sure who he was growling at, them or what was aggressively smashing at the other side of the door.

“That must be an anti-virus judging by Mike’s description. You better open the door before it is destroyed,” said Josh. He reached into his pocket and pulled out one of the zappers.

“You open it,” Pete retreated.

“Sheri, open the door and stand aside,” Josh stood back and pointed the zapper at the door.

“Ready?” Sheri cried out. Josh nodded nervously and she flung open the door and stood back on the side. Brutus was down in an attack stance behind Josh waiting.

In the hallway hovered a sphere with siphons protruding in all directions just as Mike had described. It rotated some in both directions like it was trying to determine what they were. Trying to read their credentials. They had none which spelled trouble. The protrusions radially moved in and out all at different times making a honking sound as each reached it’s outer limit. They appeared soft and malleable like a squids tentacles. The sphere whistled as it rotated. This gave it an appearance and sound of being alive. It was a horror to see.

Josh stood still and did not fire his device right away. Pete stepped out from behind him to his side. There was a moment when Josh thought he might not have to when one of the tentacles streamed out with great speed and attached itself to Pete’s abdomen like a suction cup. Pete screamed in horror. He felt excruciating pain.

Brutus rushed by Josh knocking his aim off. He clamped onto the tentacle with his jaw and bit right through it with his teeth. Pete was free and Sheri pulled away the remains from him and dropped them to the floor motionless. They followed Josh out into the hall. Brutus jumped into the air and bit another tentacle pulling the device to the ground like a balloon on a string. He then shook his head battering it against one wall then the other. The tentacle came off and the anti-virus retreated with great speed to a safe distance and hovered.

It quickly returned focusing it’s attention on Brutus this time. Spinning in the air and honking as one tentacle went after Brutus. It clamped onto him but he quickly bit through it and the suction dropped off. The damaged tentacle fell from the sphere and was replaced as another blossomed in it’s place while another was already attacking the dog.

Josh was worried that Brutus might lose the fight so he raised the aim of his zapper and fired at the anti-virus. It was a direct hit and the sphere sputtered for a moment, then dropped to the floor. Brutus charged it and bit into a tentacle, then shook it again, He slammed it into the wall several times and then dropped it as soon as he realized it no longer had any life left in it. He jogged back to Josh and sat at his feet.

“Good boy Brutus,” Josh said to him while patting his head.

Sheri and Pete looked on. She said to him, “Are you OK?”

Pete had a dizzy look on his face and replied, “I don’t know yet. Check back with me,” looking like he was not sure about the question.

Mike had quietly arrived in the door way and watched the fight thinking Josh showed great poise taking out the anti-virus. “Thank you Josh for thinking of Brutus and helping him.”

“You are both welcome. Was he OK, could that thing have hurt him?”

“Brutus has only one Achilles heel unbeknownst to those creatures. The answer is yes they could get lucky, but in most cases he will win. It just takes a little longer with them. He shreds viruses much quicker as you have witnessed. I am glad I gave you the zapper. You have earned it. Take care of it and keep it close.”

Sheri, “Would you mind if we visited him in the future and you of course?”

“I guess I will leave that up to him. Well fella what do you think?” Mike bent over and roughed the virtual fur on his neck with both hands. Brutus understood and his mechanical tail wagged back and forth like a metronome in over drive accompanied by a few shrill barks. “I guess that’s a yes.”

“We should be heading back. Thanks again for what you told us. I guess it will be up to us how we go from here.” Josh put his arms around Sheri and Pete’s shoulders and they walked away back towards their classroom.

Sheri asked Pete, “So what did the pain feel like. It seemed pretty intense as you buckled over.”

“I don’t know. The pain was from my thoughts. That is, it felt like it was sucking my thoughts out of my head.”

Josh jokingly said, “That shouldn’t have taken long.” Sheri smiled.

Pete usually would have come back with some kind of a snap back at him, but there was nothing. That worried Josh. He didn’t seem right.

Sheri also took note of his non comeback. They walked on.

Yancy was bored beyond belief thinking what is taking them so long sitting in a chair with his foot in the door. He wasn’t keeping watch of the hall. He started day dreaming about being home.

“DIDN’T I TELL YOU TO KEEP THAT DOOR CLOSED AND STAY OUT OF THE HALL!”

Yancy fell backward out of the chair to the floor he was so caught off guard. He looked up and Miss Ursbrook was glaring at him. She pushed his foot aside with her foot and the door closed.

Yancy couldn’t follow what Josh told them about the time irregularities regarding the door being shut while others were still outside the room but he knew this would not have a good outcome. He told them that seconds inside the class translated to hours in the hall.

“Well, what have you got to say for yourself young man?” Miss Ursbrook spoke in a heated and unfriendly manor.

Yancy stuttered back, “Na na nothing ma’am.”

“Why do you have that door open? Are there others still outside the room?”

Yancy was afraid to speak truthfully. On the one hand she would get mad. On the other hand Josh and the guys might get mad. “I don’t think so,” he answered.

“What do you mean by that. Either they are or they are not. Which is it?”

He decided to hold off for now thinking she would leave and he could re-open the door. “I guess they aren’t.”

“You are not very convincing. They better not be out there. I warned them.” She stood there looking at Yancy.

He started to sweat. Wondering if she was going to leave. He had to hold on longer and see.

The three successful adventurers arrived back near the classroom but there was no sign of Yancy marking their door. Sheri started grabbing door handles and looking at the room numbers on the windows, “What was our classroom number again?”

“XG22,” said Josh as he reached for the next door handle. “This is it, Its locked. Darn.” He looked inside and saw Yancy seated and the teacher standing over him. “Oh no.”

Sheri, “What is it,” looking in along side him. “The teacher is with him and they are not moving.”

Pete stood oblivious to their conversation, being locked out of the classroom and looking away down the hall. He still seemed a bit out of it after his encounter with the anti-virus earlier.

“They are moving. Just extremely slowly. She must have startled him. Something we did not expect was for her to return now. Well we are going to be out here for a long while. If she goes right to the door from there, it could take for us all afternoon. I know I went through this last time.”

“But to them everything is moving and fluid as normal?” Sheri was puzzled how Josh figured all that out.

“Yeah,” Josh noticed Pete’s condition and began to worry about him. He pointed at Pete so Sheri would look.

She glanced at him. “At least you are not alone this time You have us with you,” she tried to put a positive spin on it.

“You are right. I’m glad you are here. I am going to try to exit him from the program. It probably won’t work if there are any rules that are constant here.” He grabbed Pete’s arm and lifted it while pushing the button on his wrist. Nothing happened. He frowned looking at Sheri.

She stepped across the hall, “Have we tried this door,” she reached for the knob but it was locked.

“The mirror isn’t helping.” Josh looked inside the window. He saw the same scene as the other room. “We really shouldn’t be caught standing around the hallway. Something is bound to visit and threaten us here. Why don’t we head in different directions and check the doors for an open room where we can find safety.”

“I’ll try this way,” said Sheri.

“Pete, why don’t you stay put here so we know where we are,” Josh pleaded but Pete just stared away. “Don’t go so far that we lose sight of him and each other,” he said to Sheri.

“OK,” she replied. Door by door in both directions on either side of the hall. After ten checks she found one that turned. “Josh, I found one!” she called out.

Josh looked back, “Its open?” he called to her.

She nodded, “Yes.” The excitement overcame her but she waited until Josh came to her. “What should we do?”

“I don’t know yet. Its good that we have a choice if any more visitors show up. Let’s have a look inside before we decide.”

Sheri opened the door slowly. There was a loud noise. “Wow, what is it?” she asked.