Many of the students were mil ing around in groups while reporters asked a few of them questions. Brynna and Casey broke off to join their friends.
Nick fol owed Tad as he headed over to Ms. Pantal , who was standing with three other teachers.
“Hey, Ms. P,” Tad cal ed, “what’s going on?” She let out a slow breath before she answered. “You won’t believe this … Brian Murrey tried to eat Scott Morgan.” Nick’s eyes widened at the unexpected explanation. Had he heard that right?
Tad gaped. “What?”
She nodded as she gestured toward the school’s entrance.
“They were in the cafeteria before the bel , acting completely normal, when al of a sudden Brian attacked him for no reason. He started chewing on his arm and tearing at his skin like a rabid dog with a steak. I’ve never seen anything like it in my life. It was so gross.”
Tad passed a wide-eyed stare to Nick. “Is Scott al right?” In perfect timing to the question, Scott came out of the school on a stretcher with two EMTs watching over him.
Nick drifted away from them so that he could listen in on a few other conversations, including that of a female reporter who was talking on her cel phone. There had to be more to this story than what Pantal was saying to Tad.
“I’m tel ing you, Bob, something’s going on. What with the attacks last night and now this … How many cities have six cannibal attacks in twelve hours?”
Wel , it was the Big Easy where they had a slack attitude over most things. But even the stoutest New Orleanian usual y drew the line at eating human flesh.
Most days, anyway.
Then again, Hal oween was just around the corner. If not for the cops, he might think it a prank.
“They’re questioning the kid now. He seems out of it. Like his brains are rattled or something. But you should have seen the vic’s arm. He tore it down to the bone and his classmates said he ate al the flesh like he was starving for it. You think it could be something voodoo related?”
Yeah, any time something freaky happened, blame the Goth or the voudoun communities—’cause normal people could never be insane. Maybe he should remind the reporter that the infamous serial kil er and cannibal Jeffrey Dahmer hadn’t been a voodoo worshiper either and Brian, until this, had been a normal jock like the rest of the team. A little dumber than most, but he was a poster child for normality.
Until he tried to eat Scott …
Nick moved away from her, closer to the ambulance where they were loading Scott. There was a white bandage over his arm that was red as more blood seeped through it.
Scott was sobbing. “Al I did was reach for his milk. He could have just said no. He didn’t have to eat my arm. … God, I’l never be able to throw a bal again. I’m gonna lose my scholarship, I know it. We’l never make the state championship now. Terry can’t throw for squat. Man, the season’s over. Why? Why did he do this?” That seemed to be the question. …
“Hey, kid! Get back behind the barricade.” Nick nodded to the officer before he obeyed.
“Hey, Nick!” Frank McDaniel ran up to him. “Hear what happened? Brian ate Scott. How cool is that? Man, I wish I’d seen it. That’s what I get for being late to school. I miss al the good stuff that happens.”
Jason laughed in agreement. “I just hope whatever got into him isn’t catching. I don’t want no one coming up and trying to gnaw on my flesh or me going after someone else. Sheez. My mom’s a vegan. She grounded me for six months last summer when I ate a cheeseburger at McDonald’s. Can you imagine how long she’d ground me for eating a person?” Frank cast a hungry look over to the group where Brynna and Casey were standing. “Oh man, if it is catching, I hope Casey Woods gets it and comes for me. If you gotta die, no better way to go than to get eaten by the head cheerleader.” Jason high-fived him. “Yeah, al right. Sign me up for that too. I definitely want to be her chew toy.” Nick ignored his friends as he caught sight of his lab partner Madaug St. James, who seemed to be muttering to himself as he stood off to the side of the ambulance. An almost stereotypical nerd, Madaug had a black gamer T-shirt on underneath his blue button-down that had been left open.
His dishwater blond hair was cropped short and he had large blue eyes that were always covered with thin-rimmed glasses.
Even though Nick knew the name was pronounced “Mah-dug,” he, like most of the people in his class, usual y pronounced it “Mad Dog.” But that always irritated Madaug and right now he looked agitated enough.
“Hey, dude. You al right?”
Madaug froze at his question. “Uh, yeah. It’s terrible, isn’t it?
”
“Epical y gruesome.”
Madaug nodded. “I can’t believe it. I just can’t believe it.” Neither could Nick. “Wel , I guess the bright side is you don’t have to worry about Scott or Brian picking on you today in gym class, right?” Last time Nick had been in school, Brian had worn Madaug’s gym shorts and then forced Madaug into them after he’d sweated al over them.