A Harris Burdick Story

~Ethan Lee, Class of 2027

Clunk! I peered out the window as we bounced into the dark and foggy town. There was a small sign that read “Entering Marion.” The fog continued to thicken as we kept going closer. I saw our moving van behind us and then I could no longer see it because of the fog. When we got to the new house we saw the Library just a block away. It was a large Library and there was a big plaque that said “Mr. Linden’s Library.” We go inside and get settled. I go to sleep.

 I wake to the sound of the birds and go and eat. My mother says I should go to the library and get a few books. I go in and I notice it feels very small on the inside. There is only one floor and there are only about 30 shelves with books. I go to a shelf and grab a few books. I ask to check out and this tall man with a name tag that says “Mr. Linden” struts over. 

“What’s your name?” he says boringly.

“I’m Cas Harper, we just moved in,” I say.

“Oh yes, your brother got a book a few days ago,” he slowly says in an eerie tone.  

When I look at my watch, I realize that I have been asleep for three days! As I’m going back this boy warns me about getting books from that Library. 

“Don’t get books from there! All the people that have disappeared have got a book from that library.”

“But then why do you think that?” I ask. He then talked about how big the library is but it’s small inside and thinks there is another floor. While he was talking I noticed that there are a lot of vines surrounding the town. I run to find my brother, Bobby and corner him at the end of the street. 

“Mr. Linden said that you got a book from the library a couple of days ago,” I exclaimed.

“Yeah this kid named Joey and I are reading this book on vampires together,” Bobby says.

“And the book is in your room?” 

“Yes, why are you asking?” 

“Oh just wondering.”

 I figured everything was fine. Later when I go home I start reading. At night I wake up to see that I am getting strangled in vines! I saw that the vines were coming from the book! He warned me about the book, now it was too late. The vines took me back to the library and pulled me up! I went through a panel in the ceiling, and I see Mr. Linden up there. 

“Ah yes, more blood for me, good job Joseph, where are the other kids?”

“They will arrive in 7 minutes and you can feast, sir.” says Joseph timidly. 

“And the carpets?”

“Ready sir.”

I get put in a big device and then the case shuts! I see other people slowly arrive. Then I feel a prickling sensation and then everything goes black.

Bobby-Cas’s Brother

I wake up to see that my sister is gone! I see vines coming from a book that she was reading, so I follow the vines and they go into Mr. Linden’s Library. I  see some stairs so I go up them. When I get to the top it is a horrific scene. I see kids trapped in machines and I see the blood getting drained out of them. Who I think is Mr. Linden goes to each one and sucks the blood out. I run! I think, what will defeat him? In my vampire book I remember that garlic can defeat them. I wake up Joey and we go to the library. We now just see a lot of rugs that are rolled up. When we unroll it we realize that bodies are inside it! We turn around and see Mr. Linden. 

“Hello, I see you have found my little secret.” 

At this point we start to run and he glides in the air after us. We then see 100 clones of him chasing us. Then I feel the clones sucking my blood and  I see that he is just a book that is really powerful.