text: [Themes: sci-fi, horror]
  
  "I'll go with Christie," you say.
  
  James and Destiny pass a look between them and Destiny rolls her eyes. "Alright," she says; "James where would you like to go?"
  
  "Let's check out the pool," he says. The two of them head a little farther up the hall until they reach the double doors that lead to the swimming pool. You watch them as they step inside. He smacks her ass as they go. Classy.
  
  "You didn't want alone time with your dream girl?" Christie asks with an arched brow.
  
  "Nah," you tell her coolly; "I'd rather work with you. I at least know you."
  
  "At least," she agrees. "Come on, let's go check some more rooms out."
  
  The two of you walk along, checking on classrooms as you go but finding each one the same as before; floor littered with notebooks, loose papers, pencils, and textbooks; the rooms completely devoid of desk or chair. You and Christie aren't sure what to make of it.
  
  Soon you come to the end of a long hall where one of the school exits is located. You find the outside of the door is barricaded shut by a mess of chairs and desks.
  
  "That answers one question," Christie comments absently.
  
  "Yeah, but why?" You ask. She has no answer for you. Not that you expected one.
  
  You check more doors down the hall but after a few more classrooms she stops in the hall with a big smile on her face. She spreads her arms out to her sides and spins around. "What do you think?" she asks.
  
  "About what?"
  
  "About the portal," she says seriously. "Being able to experience alternate universes. Limitless possibilities."
  
  "It's pretty cool in theory," you say after some thought. "But I hope the other worlds are more exciting than this place. This one is... boring. And kind of creepy."
  
  Christie nods. "It is. The other worlds I've been to were much more exciting."
  
  "Like what?" you ask. "What was the most exciting?"
  
  Christie is about to answer when a loud scream echoes through the halls. "Back to the portal!" the voice calls. Christie and you share a look and make your way hastily back up the hall from where you came.
  
  You meet Mike, Frank, and the doctor at the trash cans.
  
  "What is it?" Christie asks. Before any of them can answer you see a pale pasty featureless creature running toward you; its face is blank. It has the appearance of uncooked dough.
  
  "Hurry," Dr. Verrukt says, opening the door to room 413 while the rest of you are still navigating past the line of trash cans. You bring up the rear despite the terror you feel and are the last one in the room.
  
  "Where's James and Destiny?" Frank asks.
  
  "They went into the pool," you tell him.
  
  "Shit," he says.
  
  "Yeah," you reply.
  
  "Come on," Christie tells you both frantically. "We need to leave."
  
  Frank shakes his head. "I don't feel right leaving them behind. He starts stepping around the trash cans again, into the hall where the dough-like creature approaches. You lock eyes with Frank for a moment.
  
  "Stay or go, man. It's up to you."
  
  > Go
  "Good luck," you tell him. He doesn't take the time to respond. You make haste following the rest of your group into the room and stepping through the portal. Christie is the last one through, she drops the chalk on the tray as she goes and you check the space above the portal to see no circles remaining. As you hastily draw a circle for yourself you hear the door open behind you. You glance over your shoulder as the dough-like creature points its eyeless face in your direction. It doesn't move, simply studies you.
  
  You drop the chalk and step slowly through the portal, leaving the dough creature behind and stepping out of the chalkboard on the other side into the safety of your own world.
  
  Dr. Verrukt almost shows a glimpse of emotion for a moment. Then he speaks in his dry voice. "That is one universe we will not be returning to," he says. He takes an eraser and removes the final two runic characters from above the portal.
  
  "Dr. Verrukt," Mike says hesitantly; "You knew what that thing was didn't you?"
  
  The older man seems reluctant to answer but at lasts he nods. "Yes," he says. "Whatever that thing is, it's the reason my assistant did not come back. He must have panicked trying to open a portal home. We were running from one of those creatures."
  
  "What was it?" Mike asks.
  
  "I don't know," Verrukt answers. "I don't wish to discuss it now. Allow me to collect my thoughts and we can discuss it tomorrow, yes?" He looked around at the other students and all agreed. "Good," he says. "For now, we will wait for the return of James, Destiny, and Frank."
  
  "What if they don't come back?" You ask.
  
  "Let's hope it doesn't come to that," Dr. Verrukt says.
  
  As the minutes tick by it becomes increasingly apparent that the others are not coming back. At least not anytime soon. Dr. Verrukt is the first to leave. He says that he will talk to the rest of you tomorrow and walks out the door. As more time passes Mike leaves as well, saying his parents will be expecting him home soon.
  
  This leaves only you and Christie to huddle in the dark of room 413. The two of you alternate between sitting, standing, and pacing around. You chance glances over at the portal but mostly try to avoid looking at it. Nothing happens. No one steps through.
  
  You hear something brush up against the outside of the door and see the custodian Mr. Lewis sweeping the hall.
  
  "We should go," Christie says sadly when Mr. Lewis was past the door. "I don't think they're coming back."
  
  > go home.
  Dr. Verrukt wasn't at school the next day. James and Destiny were never seen again. Frank is another story. It would have been better if he'd stayed on the other side of that portal and never returned.
  
  After going missing for two days Frank was spotted in the school strolling through it as though nothing was amiss. He had no answers for where Destiny and James were or where he'd been for the last two days. He stated only that he wanted to go home. Eventually he was allowed to return to his parents under the premise that the authorities would meet with him the next day.
  
  When the police arrived at his door they found his parents both dead, their throats ripped out and the blood drained from their bodies. Frank was nowhere to be found.
  
  The authorities remain on the lookout for him for years but he is never seen again.
  
  You wonder sometimes what happened to Frank on the other side. You wonder where he is now and if he's found peace.