Detention in Rottsloth Jr. High by Jessica Bosen Sue sat down with her group in English class in the room J-5. Her teacher, Mrs. Huskins, was giving a group project on ancient China. They had to come up with a big poster that showed a lot of China's religion. The only problem was that none of her group was there in school! "Oh, help!" Sue thought as she took her supplies from the back of the room. There was no way she could finish this on her own. It was due at the end of the period. "Mrs. Huskins?" She put up her hand and asked the teacher a question. "What?" "Well, I was wondering if I could work with another group? Mine isn't here, you know." "So what? It isn't my fault that none of your group showed up. You need to get after them to come to school! And if they show up late today, your whole group is on detention. You need to work as a group, not independently!" "That's not fair! All of us need to work independently! Why are you punishing me for something others have done? I can't decide for someone else!" "I'm a mean teacher, aren't I?" "I will not get an F on this project!" "Of course not! You'll get a zero and do it after class!" * * * * * * All of the other group members showed up late to class, of course. They were all working on it in silence, when suddenly, the lights went out. This was an afternoon school, beginning at 2:00 p.m., so it was 9:00 after school. It was pitch black outside, and now inside. The only people in the room were Sue, Shelly, Eddie, Shawn, Connie, and Mrs. Huskins. Eddie got up from his desk and got a flashlight. While he struggled to turn it on, there was a bloodcurdling scream. "AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" "Turn it on!" screamed Shelly. "I'm trying!" Eddie yelled. "Try harder!" yelled Shawn. With everyone grabbing at the flashlight, and someone screaming like a hurt animal, it was very hard to turn the flashlight on. In the end, Connie managed to turn it on. Shining it around the room, Connie soon discovered that Mrs. Huskins was lying in the middle of the floor, and she had a pair of sharp scissors stuck in her back. Sue screamed, and, pointing to the chalkboard, nearly collapsed with fear. There, on the chalkboard, were words written in wet, dripping blood. Connie held to trembling flashlight to the board. NO ONE GETS OUT ALIVE!!!!!!!!!!! Connie and Shawn screamed. Shelly and Sue bolted for the door. They pushed the door. They pulled the door. It was of no use. "It's locked!!" they screamed. A sudden knock on the window across the room made everyone jump. "It's the janitor!" yelled Eddie. He went over to the window. "Can you let us outta here?" The janitor gave him a long, hard stare.Then he flashed a cruel smile at all of them. "I wonder if he's the murderer," muttered Eddie. "How could he have gotten in?" asked Shelly. "Well, remember when the lights went out?" asked Shawn. "He could have gotten in then." "SSSSSSHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!" Listen!" said Connie. "The doorknob is turning!" said Sue. Creak, creak, creak. Creak, creak, creak. Silence. No-one was breathing. Suddenly the door swung open. The janitor was there. He let out a cruel laugh when he saw Mrs. Huskins lying on the floor. Then, he stared at everyone for a long, long time. The flashlight went out. "The batteries! The batteries! They're out!" yelped Eddie. "AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" he screamed. Shawn grabbed the flashlight and shook it. The light flickered on. Sue, Connie, Shelly, and Shawn looked at the janitor and Eddie. The janitor had a rope around his neck. Eddie had a crowbar next to his head, on the floor. Both were dead, and lying down. Sue screamed. "I'm getting out of here!" she yelled. Shelly was at her heels. They bolted for the door. All of a sudden, the flashlight went out again. There was a pushing and shoving noise as they lost their way to the door. Connie and Shawn heard them being pushed to the big window across the room. Then, the sound of cracking glass. "Turn on the light!" Connie screamed. "I'm trying!" yelled Shawn. The beam sputtered back to life. The window was shattered. Down on the ground lay the bodies of poor Sue and Shelly, covered in glass. "All right, Uncle!" screamed Connie. She shined the flashlight in Shawn's face. "You've gone too far!" "Cut it out, I swear!" Shawn yelled. "I'm not the murderer!" "I know I'm not," said Connie thoughtfully. "That means...." "Oh no!" cried Shawn. "You mean there is someone eles in here with us?" "YOU"RE ABSOLUTLY RIGHT!" boomed a strong and terrifying voice. The ugliest person you'd think of was there, stepping out from behind a bookshelf. It was the evil Principal Sludge! "NOW, UNLESS YOU WAN'T A HUNDRED BOOK REPORTS DUE TOMARROW FROM THE EACH OF YOU, YOU WILL NEVER LEAVE HERE ALIVE!!!!!!!!" he boomed. The walls and windows were shaking from his voice. He raised two pairs of scissors like they were daggers. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!" The lights went out.