Name:________________________________ Date:_________________________

The Empty School

By Eric Summers

“Is it an emergency?” Mrs. Smith asked.

Charlotte couldn’t answer, she could only nod her head up and down urgently. Of course it was
an emergency. It was a BIG emergency. In fact, if she didn’t go to the bathroom soon, it would
be an emergency for the janitor too.

Mrs. Smith said okay and Charlotte sprinted out of the room, down the hall and into the girl’s
restroom. I am not going to tell you what she did in there, but when she came out about three
minutes later she felt a LOT better.

The first thing she noticed was the noise. Or rather, she noticed that there wasn’t any noise.
Before she had gone into the bathroom, the school had been normal. There had been the
sound of kids laughing, talking, and screaming all up and down the halls. There had been the
sound of teachers buzzing as they taught, of lunch ladies slicing up something that may or may
not be food, and of fans humming as they pushed air through the walls.

Now there was nothing.

Charlotte thought it was odd, but she was used to odd, so she went on her way. Her head was
filled with thoughts of candy and costumes, it was Halloween after all. So when she opened
the door and went back into the classroom it took almost a full ten seconds before she realized
that there was no one in there. The room was empty, dark, and colder than she remembered.

But, Charlotte had been in this situation before. She was kind of a scatter brain so sometimes
she got left behind. The rest of the class was probably in the library or at lunch. She decided to
check the library first.

There was no one there. They must be in the cafeteria. So that’s where she went next.

No one. Not even the lunch ladies. There were trays sitting out on the tables still full of food,
cartons of milk sitting open, and napkins scattered here and there on the tables and on the
floor. It was as if everyone had suddenly left.

Charlotte smacked her head. “There must have been a fire drill and I didn’t hear it!” She
realized. She hurried out of the cafeteria and down the hall to the doors that led out to the
parking lot. She knew she was going to be in big trouble for this one. She hoped that it
wouldn’t mean that the principal was going to call her mom again.
Name:________________________________ Date:_________________________

She pushed against the doors, but they didn’t budge. She pushed again, harder this time, but
the doors did not move an inch. She threw herself against the door and she might as well have
thrown herself against a brick wall. All she got for her effort was a sore shoulder.

She peeked through the glass and gasped. Outside the school she should have seen a
parking lot full of kids lined up in neat rows with teachers walking around, counting heads, and
talking into their radios. She should have seen sunshine and trees that were changing colors
and leaves drifting lazily across the asphalt and a bright blue autumn sky.

There was only darkness.

Now, I don’t mean it was kinda dark, or dim, I mean it was black. She couldn’t see anything
because there was nothing to see. No kids, no teachers, no trees, no parking lot, no leaves, no
sky. It was as if she was looking off the edge of the world into space, only all of the stars had
gone out.

Now she was scared. Her heart was racing as she ran to the nearest classroom. It was empty
too. She ran to the windows and was once again greeted by absolutely nothing. A ball of terror
formed in her stomach, and she ran desperately from room to room, yelling.

“Brylee! Cadence! Mrs. Smith! Hello! Anyone?” She yelled as she ran up and down the halls,

No answer.

The school was empty. The world outside the school was gone. She was alone.

She banged her hands against the front door of the school, yelling, kicking, and screaming
hoping for something, anything to change. Any sign that someone could hear her, anything
that would prove the world she knew was still out there somewhere. But after nearly an hour of
this, all she had to show for her effort was a cracked voice and bruised and bloodied hands.

Charlotte sank against the door and sobbed. This could not be happening. This was not
possible.

But it was happening.

Then she heard something.

Now, I know you are hoping that Charlotte was hearing her friends, or the teachers, or
someone coming into the school to save her. But that is not what she heard at all.
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She heard a low, deep, growling sound. A growl like from a dog, but a large dog, a mean dog,
an evil dog. It was a growl so full of hate and menace that her hair nearly stood up on end and
she could feel all the blood drain away from her face. She slowly looked up, but she could not
see the dog or whatever it was that was making the noise. But she could still hear it, and it was
getting closer.

She stood up and ran, she didn’t know where she was running to but she ran anyway. Down
the dark hallways, through the empty gym, across the barren cafeteria. She ran toward the
only place in the school where she felt safe, her classroom.

Behind her the growls turned to barks. The sound of long, wicked claws clicking on the floor
kept getting closer and closer. She dare not stop, dare not turn to look and see what was
behind her. She could only run. It was her only chance.

Her lungs burned, her eyes watered, and the room seemed to be so very far away. She could
hear it behind her, getting closer and closer, could feel its breath on the back of her neck, its
anger and hatred and hunger penetrating into her very bones.

There was the door. Just a few feet more. She dug into herself for the last bit of strength and
pushed her legs to run just a bit faster. She heard a loud bark, heard the beast leap at her, felt
the back of her shirt rip open, felt five long fingers of pain across her shoulders. She threw
herself at the classroom door and burst into the room and fell on the ground.

“What in the world?” Mrs. Smith said loudly as all of the students gasped at the sight of
Charlotte sprawled out on the floor. “Charlotte, you better have a good explanation for this!”
Her teacher said loudly and then she too, gasped.

Charlotte looked up. They were all back. The teacher was there. The students were there.
Through the windows she could see the sky. She was safe again. It must have all been a
dream. She was so relieved that she collapsed back on the floor.

Mrs. Smith rushed over to her. “Oh, my lord, Charlotte, what happened to your back?
Someone call 911! Now!”

And then Charlotte felt a breeze on her back as it blew through the rips in her shirt. Was she
bleeding? She couldn’t tell and was afraid to find out. She felt the relief at being safe in her
classroom being replaced by burning pain in her back. It must have been real after all. It must
have been real and it must still be out there, somewhere.

“I’m never going to the bathroom again,” she told herself while Mrs. Smith stroked Charlotte’s
hair and told her everything was going to be okay.
Name:________________________________ Date:_________________________

Comprehension Assessment

1. What was the name of the main character in the book?

a) Misty
b) Charlotte
c) Craig

2. What was the setting of this story?

a) A restaurant
b) A playground
c) A school

3. What was the noise that Charlotte heard that made her so afraid?
a) Honking car horns
b) Laughing children
c) A growl

4. “She pushed against the doors, but they didn’t budge.” In this sentence, what does the
word budge mean?
a) Move a little bit.
b) Make a noise.
c) Feel soft.

5. “She was kind of a scatter brain so sometimes she got left behind.” In this sentence,
what does that author mean when he says Charlotte is a scatter brain?
a) That she is very serious.
b) That she easily forgets things.
c) That she cannot read.

Answer the following questions using complete sentences.

What was the first thing that Charlotte thought of that explained why there were no kids in the
school when she came out of the bathroom?
Name:________________________________ Date:_________________________

In your own words, describe what Charlotte saw when she looked out of the front doors of the
school at the parking lot.

Why do you think that the teacher wanted someone to call 911 when Charlotte burst back into
the classroom?

In your own words, tell what you think really happened to Charlotte in this story.
Name:________________________________ Date:_________________________

Thank you for downloading The Empty School. I hope your students enjoy it!

There is an AUDIO version of the story available on Youtube at:

https://youtu.be/H-sfuskciWs

If you use the audio version in your class, please remember to hit LIKE on the video!

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