Jo Cotterill https://jocotterill.com

13/11/2019

The Panther Initiative
Toby stared at his phone screen. There it was again. Just a flicker, nothing you could take a screenshot of; it was too fast. But it was definitely a panther. An image of a panther, black, sleek, with glowing eyes, was every now and then flashing up on his phone. It didn’t matter which app he was using. It even happened on the lock screen.
‘Hey.’ He said it casually, as though it didn’t matter; wasn’t freaking him out. ‘Any of you getting a weird panther pic on your phone?’
His mates stared at him. ‘What?’
His body felt hot and cold. ‘Nothing.’ He gave a shrug, and a laugh. ‘Think my phone’s dying.’
Sayid slapped him on the back. ‘You want a new phone? My uncle just took in a load of reconditioned iPhones. Dead cheap.’
‘Mmm,’ said Toby, glancing at his phone screen again.
There it was. So fast, you wouldn’t notice it if you weren’t looking for it. He stuffed the phone in his pocket, and headed after the others, pulling up the collar of his coat against the chill wind.
Some instinct made him look to his right. There was a figure just outside the school gates, wearing a dark coat. Standing very, very still – and looking right at Toby.

7 Comments

J Dennis

14/11/2019 09:24:31

His eyes glowed a hellish red. The light cast an eerie glow over his face illuminating his features: his teeth were like knives and there was a strange slash across his face. Somehow Toby knew that it was the mark of a panther.

The Man turned round and walked through the school gates, it was like he wanted Toby to follow him. But Toby was freaked out.

Who is he? Toby thought.

“Toby!” Sayid called out.

Toby looked up and saw Sayid and his friends were further down the street.

“Coming!” Toby yelled back.

“Come on, we’ll be late for school,” Sayid said and carried on walking.

The whole way to his form room, Toby felt like someone was following him. He kept peering over his shoulder, thinking that he would spot the man but he was never there. It’s all in my head, it’s all in my head. He thought to himself.

His mind was whirring with different thoughts: Who? Why? It’s all in my head, it’s not real, it can’t be…what does he want with me? Panicked, Toby ran to the bathroom, needing a second to calm down. He splashed water on his face and took a deep breath.

Toby felt the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. Something wasn’t right. Unknown to him, the door to the toilet stall behind him had opened silently and slowly. He turned to leave but froze; the toilet door was open and inside it was as dark as the witching hour. He peered into the darkness only to realise that two glowing red eyes were staring back at him. A deep growl started to shake the room. Long, clawed fingers curled around the edge of the doorway and a face…that face started to emerge from the smoky darkness.

SLAM!

Sayid came bursting through the door.

“Toby, come on!” Sayid was impatient, “We’re gonna be late for form time,”

“I’ll-I’ll er, meet you there,” Toby said anxiously.

“Alright, alright,” Sayid said walking away.

Toby turned back to the toilet and was shocked to discover that the door was closed. Am I going crazy? He thought. It felt so real.

As Toby leaned down to grab his school bag he glimpsed his own reflection in the mirror. His eyes flashed red. The same…hellish…red. He stumbled away in shock. His phone started to ring and as Toby pulled it from his pocket he noticed that the number was unknown. Holding his breath Toby answered it:

“Hello?”

By Kaiden – West Kirby School and College

Laura Jane Ferguson

14/11/2019 10:25:24

“YOU CAN RUN BUT YOU CAN’T HIDE” growled a deep voice from the other end of the telephone “We will track you down Toby no matter where you are”

Trembling in shock, he hung up, his phone slipped out his sweaty palms and dropping onto the damp toilet floor. The phone shattered; shattered like Toby’s braveness. He picked up his phone, and hesitated. Should I call the police? He thought to himself. No, they would never believe me, I’m just a child in a distressed state. His heart was beating like someone hammering his heart. A bead of sweat dripped down his face. Slowly, he made his way to form time. The anonymous voice lurked in the darkest corners of his mind.

Sayid questioned “You okay Man? You’re acting a bit unusual. Like something is bothering you…?”

Toby shook his head solemnly.

The bell rang; it was the end of the day. He was free from his friends bombarding him with questions. He got home and lay on his bed. He closed his eyes, hoping if he slept this might just be a dream.

The next day, he woke up and went outside, tripping over an unusual cardboard box. After opening it he realised there was a phone just like his shattered one. A sleek Black Panther face popped up with devilish red eyes. He looked curiously at the parcel. The postcode read Panther Initiative.

A decapitated bony hand crept across his mouth; he was drowning in his own screams.

By Tommi, Arabella, Jennifer, Sophie, Emma

Ruben D and Akaash A

14/11/2019 11:13:14

He suddenly woke up, his phone rang. He wearily slipped his sweaty hand into his pocket unsure what lurked before him. He anxiously thought, was it the panther? Was it the hellish red eyed man? He didn’t know. As he apprehensively glared at his screen he didn’t recognize the number. Toby was shivering with fear, he answered the phone, he didn’t know why... “Hello Toby, I know where you live, Panther Initiative are watching all your movements.” The call ended, Toby felt like he couldn’t breathe. Why, Why, Why? How did they know his name and where he lived?
For the first time he realised where he was. He took in his surroundings and then through his bedroom window. He saw HIM. The mysterious man was approaching him. Toby panicked, he didn’t know what to do. He got out of his bed, reached for the door handle, but it suddenly slammed shut. HE was coming. Coming quickly. The only option was to call the police, however when he unlocked his phone, the panther had taken over it. The devilish eyes stared straight at him. He could hear the man’s footsteps. Tap, Tap, Tap.

Rishi and Siddhant, Reading School

14/11/2019 12:38:36

Then, suddenly he felt a large hairy hand grasp his shoulder. Too terrified to look back, he stayed rooted to the spot. An ominous voice broke the silence.
“Hello Toby,” the strange man whispered. The icy voice sent a shiver down his spine, he didn’t reply.
“Don’t be scared, your powers can be put to good use,” the voice echoed,
“Wh- what powers?” Toby stammered, suddenly immersed in his words
“You mean you don’t know, child of the greatest sorcerer alive and you don’t know!?” he exclaimed, Toby finally found the courage to look back. His face was scarred and his arms rippled with muscles; he closely resembled a panther. Toby wished he hadn’t looked.
He ran.
He ran out the door and onto the crowded street. The street he lived on was always packed with citizens and the roads jammed with cars. He dodged the cars and ran towards his school: he couldn’t think of anywhere else. He suddenly remembered the message “We will track you down Toby, no matter where you are.” He felt vulnerable, he was being tracked by complete strangers, he realised the danger of this situation. Running was not an option… Rishi and Siddhant, Reading School

Henry Atkinson, Lola Jones, Luke Jarvie, Sylvie Thomas, Alice Kneller Woolmer Hill School

14/11/2019 13:31:27

Aghast, he staggered backwards.
Tap…
Tap…
Tap…
Nothing.
An almost tangible silence.
Sccrreeeeccchhhh
An unbearable shrill inhuman noise sliced through the ever growing silence. He fumbled with the door handle desperately, but his hands were slick with sweat. He peered through the key hole and was met by the hellish red eye. As quick as the panther that flashed across his phone, the eye was gone in an instant. What was this monstrous nightmare that followed him through the dark, and haunted his very existence? Each time he saw the hypnotic eyes they seemed to stare into his soul. Shell-shocked, Toby stumbled backwards. What was the point? It’s all over anyway. He might as well curl up on his bed and let the Panther Initiative rip him shred from shred. Just as he turned around to solemnly give up, he spotted his final hope. The window was his last chance. The eerie white moonlight poured in to the room, drawing him away from the once comforting bedroom. Toby steadied himself and focused on each step at a time. Without thinking, he jumped…
And fell into a bush. He tasted the soft mulch in his mouth, he hurt all over. Had he escaped? Was it all over? He slowly sat up. He didn’t know what made him do it, but instinctively Toby looked to his left. There it was the dark figure with hellish red eyes staring back at him…Etched on to the face of his best friend…
Sayid

Laura Jane Ferguson

14/11/2019 15:27:37

Toby screamed a piercing scream. When would this perpetual torture end?
Which would end first Toby’s existence or the devilish panther? His best friend still
stood in front of him. He outstretched his arm & in the palm of his hand was a
phone. Toby grabbed it. Ahhhhhhhh, he screamed as electricity pulsed through him -
it must have been the phone….but then blackness enveloped him.
He sat up, blinking as the sunlight hit his eyes. He got up & started walking. His body
felt weird. Scrap that, everything felt weird. The world looked like it was grey & all
the colours were dimmed. Somehow, everything was clearer – more defined, smells
were sharper and he could hear EVERYTHING. Everything was becoming too much, it
was all too confusing. He ran. He ran like his life depended on it . Toby had never
been particularly good at running but now he felt agile and light – It must have been
all the practice. Finally, he was approaching a lake, somewhere that would calm him
– peaceful places always calmed him.
Panting, he trudged over to lake, hoping the water would help him cool off. But as he
looked into the water, instead of his own reflection he saw those daunting red eyes
and the rippling, black fur combined together. He was the panther. He let out the
wail of an injured animal but as he shouted his grief to the world he stumbled into
the lake. Sinking, sinking, and sinking. To what fate would he and the Black panther
come to.
Pippa, Martha, Vetikkashri and Megumi. Wirral Grammar School for Girls.

Christina Nguyen

15/11/2019 16:38:18

As he was drowning he felt the sudden urge to go back up to the surface. With each second his heart began to beat faster, with each movement his head began to throb. He felt screams trying to sip out his mouth, but they were drowned out by the sound of rushing water in his lungs. The panther inside him was dragging him deeper with every second. He felt the bottom of the lake. Toby felt the spaces of oxygen in his lungs being replaced with water. He pushed off the bottom of the lake and took a burst upwards in his last attempt to get a breath. With every second his consciousness began to fade. His vision began to turn red as he saw a bright light. As he takes a deep breath at the top of the lake he feels oxygen rush into his lungs. He slowly makes his way to shore, laying their motionless but still breathing and the clouds above him turn hazy and he blacks of his tired human shell.
Toby wakes up surrounded by 12 people in dark robes, and with the same features as the man. They start to chant something as two men start to tie Toby down to the stone floor. Toby looks around frantically, seeing if anyone were going to save him. But he knew wherever he might help would be nowhere to save him He yelps as he feels a sharp pain in his stomach. He sees his blood is gushing out, and it felt like a thousand needles being jammed into one place. He yelps and curses at the men as they continue to ominously chant, “Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua!” Toby sees the man lift him up and jab him with a khopesh through his neck. As the man does that another robed member comes to Toby with a goblet and catches the blood drops dripping from the pommel. They share this drink between the members and laugh with sorcerer child blood power coursing through their veins and Toby brutally still alive is untied and put into a pit full of other carcasses. He tries to dig out of the pit but his attempts start only allow him to see light. He gets a closer expection of the bodies. They’re crumbly and gray. He sees his own skin, and it’s crumbling off too. His legs and arms? Gone. Torso? Gone. Head? All gone. The only thing left was a cry from Toby. A faint, “Help me.”
Clarence B., Brooks M. and Reese R. - Robert E. Lee Junior High School

Jo Cotterill https://jocotterill.com

Leave a Reply.

Author

Archives

Categories