THE ROOT OF DARKNESS

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Jackson had been busy practicing his moves downstairs in the motel lounge when all the lights had gone off. 

“What’s going on?”. He muttered under his breath. 

“The lights went off. Isn’t it as simple as that?”. A voice said behind him making him turn around to see Daisy, the goth. 

“What are you doing here?” He questioned, surprised as he thought he was the only one who knew about the motel lounge. 

“You thought you were the only one who knew about the motel lounge?”. Daisy questioned, voicing out his thoughts. 

Jackson shook his head in denial. “I thought no such thing”

“Guys”. Liz called walking into the lounge. “Miss Penelope said we should all round up in one room because of the blackout”. 

“Just how many people know about this lounge”. Jackson muttered under his breath. “Has there been any reason to the blackout?”. He voiced out

“The rain blew up the fuse. They will be calling someone shortly to fix it up so till then she wants us all rounded up in one room”. 

“I really need to practice my moves for when I get back though”. Jackson mumbled disappointed.

“It’s just going to be for a short while”. Liz said reassuringly as both Daisy and Jackson followed her out of the lounge to Penelope’s room. 

“Rounding us all in one could lead to suffocation and then death, you know”. They heard Derrick says softly to Penelope as soon as they’d entered the room. 

“It’s just going to be until the light cijes back on”. Penelope assured him but truthfully she was scared because of what Kira had told her. 

If there really was a killer on the loose, she couldn’t let anymore of her students get killed. She had to protect them at all cost. 

“Miss Penelope…” Kira dragged out slowly with what seemed to be a small smirk on her face. “Are you scared?”

Penelope trembled in her stead as she was completely taken aback by the look on Kira’s face but she regained composure just in time for her to deny it. “No. Why would I be scared?”. 

Penelope turned back to the students Infront of her as she did a rough headcount estimate. “Where’s Desire, Cassey, Vivan and Becky?”.

Liz stilled on hearing Desire’s name as she instantly broke down onto tears. 

“Why are you crying?”. Penelope questioned as she moved to comfort her. 

“Miss Penelope…”. She said in-between sobs. “Desire’s gone”. On hearing those words, Jackson moved closer to the door while Daisy clutched tightly onto her leather choker around her neck. She often times did this whenever she was scared. 

Derrick removed his headphones from his ears, staring at Liz with utmost interest while Caleb turned into Sherlock Holmes as physics was no longer the root of his problems and conversely, the bedspread in Alfred’s hands had crashed to the ground as he was taken aback by shock. 

“What do you mean ‘gone’?. You don’t mean she’s …”

“Yes, she’s dead.”. Liz said strongly. 

Tears threatened to roll down Penelope’s cheeks on how badly she’d disappointed the parents that left their children in her care but she tried her best to suck it in. “Since when?”

“Few hours ago”

Penelope sifted her hands through her hair, annoyed. “Why didn’t you tell me about it this before?!”. 

Seeing Liz tremble at the sound of her voice, she took in deep breaths before embracing her. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to frighten you. You must have been so scared”

Liz just nodded her head as she couldn’t bring herself to stop her tears. 

“Where’s the body?”. Penelope questioned. 

“It should still be in the room. She was burnt, Miss Penelope”. 

“What about Casey and Vivan?”. Jackson questioned still by the door. 

“I left them in the room. I was disgusted by the fact that they were cheating on her”. 

Daisy scoffed. “Why would you be disgusted by that? All men are scum, did you forget?.”

“And moreover, with how they so verbently locked lips at the bus I could tell right away that they weren’t the perfect couple they’d displayed themselves to be. “Daisy continued. “I can’t believe that Casey was a conniving bitch!”

“Stop it”. Derrick said curtly.”It’s wrong to speak of the dead that way and judge people without knowing the full story”.

“Really?”. Daisy questioned folding her arms. “Or are you just upset that I’m talking about Casey this way. Did you form a special bond with her when you’d lent her your headphone at the bus?”

“Daisy!”. Alfred shouted bringing her to a pause. “This is not the time for all this”

“You said her body is still in the room, right?” Penelope questioned.

“Yes”

“I’m going to check it out then”

“Penelope, you can’t go now. It’s still very much dark”. Alfred countered. 

“I don’t care”. Came Penelope’s sharp reply. “I couldn’t be there for her when she needed me the most. None of us were and now you want me to hesitate to see her body now that she’s gone?”. Penelope shook her head. “That can never be me”. 

With that said she made her way to move towards the door when Kira stopped her. “Wait!”

“What is it?”

“Let me come with you”. 

Penelope looked at Kira from head to toe. “But why? You are still shaken from seeing Sasha, Monica and Bree”

“That’s why I want to come with you”. Kira said placing her hands on Penelope’s shoulders. “Because I know you are going to need someone to lean on when you see her body”. 

Penelope nodded her head as she took Kira’s hands in hers. “It’s dark so hold onto me tightly”. Kira nodded her head as she and Penelope headed upstairs.

When they came to an halt infront of Room 312, Desire’s room, Penelope took in deep breaths preparing herself for the worst but nothing could have possibly prepared her for what she saw.

It wasn’t just Desire’s burnt lifeless body on the floor but also Vivan’s, Casey’s and Becky’s. On the verge of tears she screamed as she quickly looked away from the pool of blood on the floor as Kira embraced her. 

“Are you scared?”. Kira inquired as Penelope nodded her head with shaky breaths. “Yes, I’m scared”. 

A slow smile crept up the corners of Kira’s mouth as her talons slowly started popping out of her hands. “You don’t know how long I’ve been waiting for you to say that.”. Kira said “What a relief I don’t have to wait any longer”. 

With that said, she sinked her talons deep inside Penelope’s eyeballa before pulling it out with full force. As she licked her blood off her talons, there was no denying the fact that she loved her preys eyeballs.