Rewriting the School Scene

Original Scene

She raised to her feet and slung her pack onto her back. They thought she was heading south. This was good because town was east. She could get to her bike and travel north, to get over the cliff side and then east to Sanctuary. She was going to make it, she thought to herself. As she approached the gate she noticed the bike was not in the bushes where she left it. She cursed under her breath. I am going to have to get out of here on foot. Then she thought about Dearil. He probably didn’t walk all the way out here. She scanned the nearby area and saw a motor bike propped on the fence by the far side of the motorized gate. She jogged to the bike, and saw it was missing the keys.

Turning back toward the fence she paused to contemplate returning to the wounded rapist to search for keys or to just go on foot. She decided to take the bike without the keys. She would be on foot, but at least that maniac would be too once he awoke. As she rolled the bike across the street towards the elementary school, the rain stopped. The earth was drinking up the rain water.  She was leaving a trail of footprints and tire tracks in the mud. She had noticed that there were hallways throughout the school. She would be somewhat concealed as she traveled. She made her way through the school. She did not hear the motor bikes anymore. This was either a great sign, or a really bad one. They had either travelled so far they were out of ear shot, or they were aware of her ruse. It didn’t matter. She had made her choice, and at least that crepe wasn’t doing whatever he wanted with her.

She made her way through the halls of the school quietly. She was near the grocery store, and just a little bit further would be the cliff. She would have to make her way up the cliff and then go east a few miles. Her bike was likely still in range, and she knew she could call for help but whoever took her bike might also be listening. She had to be smart, if she was going to use the radio. She turned her radio back on and keyed the mic, “There are marauders at the town. I am heading home on one of their bikes. I am on the North path.” It was short and had both key information and disinformation. There are marauders at the town. This was a vital piece of information that would let them know to get their defenses ready. Secondly she misinformed them as to her situation and location. Maybe this would be enough for the marauders to start searching for her further North, instead of South.

New Scene

Then she thought about Dearil. He probably didn’t walk all the way out here. She scanned the nearby area and saw a motor bike propped on the fence by the far side of the motorized gate. She jogged to the bike, and saw it was missing the keys. No Keys. The man had the keys. The path behind her seemed to get further away as she realized this. The sound of the rain became a deeper thump in her ears. Her legs were unsteady underneath her. She shook her head and held onto the handle bars. Even without the keys this bike was a great resource. At the very least it would mean that creep would be on foot.

Across the street was the local elementary school. The red brick building was overtaken by vegetation. Large banyan trees broke through the concrete, clusters of trunks shooting up toward the canopy. Thick branches sprouted from the trunks in every direction like wooden tentacles probing the surrounding structure. Green sheets of Vines crept up the walls, making the school unrecognizable from where she would hang out with her friends between classes. The school would conceal her as she traveled north.

Massive branches lay overtop the school’s perimeter fence was bent. She rolled the bike through a fallen section of the fence. The rain stopped as she entered the forest. She maneuvered the bike around roots and fallen debris as she followed the sidewalk path north. As she passed the library she heard a clicking noise. Clickers were insect species that had grown in size, with the changes to the local ecosystem. They were not large enough to harm a human on their own, but a swarm would be a problem. Normal sized click beetles were about the size of a sunflower seed, but the larger ones were the size of an avocado. She continued quietly, their clicks making a rattling growl in throughout the library. She imagined the library itself was a monster growling at her. She used to love the library. She would read the Harry Potter books while she waited for her brother. He would meet her there after his school let out. Just beyond the library was the perimeter fence.