Lunch hums beneath the old forest school’s rafters. Zatch and Toby sit together at a long table, their enormous bare feet tucked beneath the bench as they eat.
Toby
“Zatch, why is it so quiet today?”
The usual clatter has thinned to a nervous murmur. From somewhere beyond the lunchroom doors comes a faint metallic rattle, followed by a sweet, unfamiliar smell.
Toby
“That smells like the stuff Jack was making.”
A pale haze begins slipping under the doors and spreading across the floor. It curls around chair legs, then gathers beneath the tables like something searching.
Toby
“Jack did this. He wants to be the only boy left.”
✓ Quest Accepted
Escape the gas
✓ Quest Accepted
Stop Jack