 Welcome to Microterrorz. Scary stories for kids. Where it's always the spooky season. Full of chills. Thrills. And spine-tingling spooks. Microterrorz are family-friendly frights for those ages 8 and up. And while our stories are for younger years, we are still talking about things that go bump in the night. And some children may not be able to handle what others can. Parental consent is recommended. Now for tonight's Microterrorz. Starved for detention. I walked into room 13 with my Pokemon book bag slung over my back. I wasn't sure what to expect over the next hour. I've never had detention before. This was a first for me, but I tried to take comfort in the fact that I actually didn't do anything wrong to begin with. It was a guilty-by-association kind of thing. Tommy Ferris and Danny Boy Fledgman were the ones who'd engaged in a hallway fistfight between classes. Abigail Myers and I just happened to step in to break them up. That's when a team of teachers filed out from the teacher's lounge and pulled all four of us away from one another. Mr. Rodan, my gym teacher, was the one who called my parents and allowed me to plead my case to them. I've always been an honest kid, something not everyone can say about themselves, so naturally my parents believed me. But there was no fighting the hierarchy of the school system. I was still required to serve the after-school detention with the other three kids involved. Room 13 was empty when I walked in. I was the first one there and picked the seat closest to the windows along the far wall. If I was going to be stuck here for the next hour, I at least wanted a good view of the beautiful weather outside. Tommy Ferris came in next, followed by the grumbling Danny Boy Fledgman. Abigail, the last of us to arrive, followed almost immediately by Mr. Rodan. He closed the classroom door and locked it, which I found odd. He was a large, intimidating man, but had the kindest demeanor. He was more encouraging in class than demanding. His personality and his physicality were complete contrasts of one another. I noticed the sweat on his shaved head like he had run to the classroom. There were even dark spots of perspiration on the armpits of his sleeves and back. He sat down at the desk and closed his eyes. One hour, he said, keeping his eyes shut. He then opened them and looked at us. One hour and you'll all be done. The other three kids didn't say anything in response, so maybe it was my inexperience with detention, but I thought that was an odd thing for him to say. You'll be done in an hour, Danny Boy growled at Tommy, in the parking lot, he added, smacking his fist against his palm. The slapping sound made Mr. Rodan stand up and approach Danny Boy. There'll be none of that, he shouted, startling Danny Boy and making him slink back in his seat. Tommy smirked. Abigail didn't look up and I just stared at the teacher. This wasn't the way Mr. Rodan usually acted. Something must have been on his mind. Mr. Rodan returned to his desk, sat down in his chair with a near-perfect posture, and stared directly at me. At first it was hard to remove my eyes from him. He was kind of frightening me, but I finally did. I looked out the window. I saw a police car out in the street, drive by slowly. Behind it was a second police car, which stopped just outside the school. I could see the officers inside, exchanging a brief dialogue with one another, but then they pulled away and followed the other cruiser out of sight. I looked back at Mr. Rodan. He hadn't removed his gaze from me. It took a sneeze from Abigail to interrupt his stare. He snapped his head to her next and focused his eyes on her. A chill went down my spine when I saw him lick his lips while holding his stare. She didn't seem to even notice. How sick, I thought, what was wrong with him? I heard a low groan next. Someone's stomach had growled in extreme hunger. It wasn't me, and sounded too far away to be Abigail or Danny Boy. They must have heard it too, because all our attention then focused on Tommy. He shook his head. Not me, he mouthed to us. Mr. Rodan stood up, holding his belly. He laughed to himself. Oh, your bodies react to hunger as humorous to me. He said, acting as if he was new to the feeling. And what did he mean by your bodies? It was a knock at the door, normally at first, but quickly escalated into something a little more urgent. Mr. Rodan turned and faced the locked door. This humorous look of bodily confusion vanished and was replaced by an intense frown. Another round of urgent knocks led to a voice shouting on the other side. Hey, open the door. Kids, open up now. It was the voice of Mr. Rodan, but how could that be? He was here in the room with us. That's not me in there. The Mr. Rodan from out in the hallway yelled, He's an imposter. The Mr. Rodan in the room turned and faced us. His frown became a snarl. And his eyes went so wide that I thought they were going to pop out of his face. Danny Boy stood up and pushed the desk away. He squared off against the unhinged teacher. Any imposter? Danny Boy said. What's going on here, Mr. Rodan? Mr. Rodan began to breathe heavily. His body uncontrollably heaving up and down. He looked like he was about to burst at the seams. Something outside caught my eye. I looked out the window and saw a chain of military vehicles arriving. Jeeps, trucks, tanks, men and women and army fatigues leapt out of the vehicles, carrying guns and raced onto the school's property. They all took positions that looked like they were about to confront or attack an enemy. I stood up and faced Mr. Rodan just as Danny Boy did. Sit down, Mr. Rodan growled. Both of you. Make me, Danny Boy said. Mr. Rodan and the hallway continued to pound on the door and demand that we open it. Abigail quickly stood up and raced for the door. But Mr. Rodan in the room quickly stopped her, blocking her path with his hulking frame. Help! Abigail screamed. Danny Boy nodged to Tommy and the enemies joined forces. They both charged Mr. Rodan, but he swatted them away like flies. His inhuman strength sent both of the boys flying across the room in different directions. Mr. Rodan reached out and grabbed Abigail by the front of her shirt and lifted her off the ground until she was eye level with him. An evil smile spread across his face and he licked his lips again. Put her down! I demanded of the imposter, taking a few steps closer but still trying to keep a safe distance. Suddenly, I heard a bunch of commotion in the hallway. The military had breached the school and were gathering outside of room 13. The imposter, Mr. Rodan, became aware and decided to make the move he'd been building up to this entire time. His skin ripped apart to reveal a scaly, serpentine-like creature underneath. It had 50, no, 100 writhing limbs that waved and grabbed at Abigail. The horrible creature shrieked as it unhinged its jaw, revealing endless rows of razor sharp teeth and shoved Abigail into its mouth with a loud crunch and a gulp. Abigail was gone. Tommy and Danny Boy attacked the creature, buying me enough time to make a mad dash for the door. As I fumbled with the knob, I heard two more loud crunches and gulps. Followed by a hiss and a monstrous belch. I stopped fumbling with the door knob and turned around slowly. Tommy and Danny Boy were gone. Only the horrible creature remained. It snarled at me, slime and drool spilling from its mouth as it skittered closer on its 100 legs. I closed my eyes and prepared for the worst. But then a barrage of gunshots exploded through the windows, shattering the glass and turning the creature into Swiss cheese. With one final shriek, the creature dropped dead, spreading its now goopy form across the classroom floor. The door blasted open behind me and a swarm of soldiers spilled in to secure the scene. A little while later, I sat in the back of an ambulance outside of the school with a fleece blanket around me. As I waited for my parents to arrive, I watched the chaos and confusion unfold further on the school property. The news spread fast. There was an alien invasion going down and the military was trying to keep it contained. From what I understood by the classified chatter around me was that alien spores had fallen from the sky, attached themselves to unsuspecting hosts and then copied their appearance exactly. The aliens were here to take over our planet, our bodies and feed. Mr. Rodan, the real Mr. Rodan, hopped up into the ambulance and sat across from me. Just his presence sent a chill down my spine. After seeing what the imposter Mr. Rodan had done, it was hard not to picture the man in front of me doing the same thing. Are you okay? Mr. Rodan asked groggily. I nodded but didn't say anything. Mr. Rodan rubbed the side of his head. I didn't even see it coming, he said. I felt something fall on my head like a large raindrop. Then I felt something crawl into my ear. I was out cold after that. Hearing Mr. Rodan's explanation, it was hard not to feel for him. Sure, my first detention turned into a horrific alien massacre, but Mr. Rodan was also a victim. I couldn't imagine being violated the way he was and having a hungry carbon copy of myself walking around out there. I'm sorry, I said to him, I can't imagine what you went through. Thank you, you sat with a grateful smile. He lowered his head, but then slowly lifted it a moment later. His eyes were different. He was different. Mr. Rodan licked his lips and then pulled the ambulance doors shut. Thank you for listening to Microtarrers. Join us each Saturday for another scary story. For more fun, visit our website at microtarrers.com where we will also have spooky games you can print out and play, like wicked word searches, mysterious mazes, and more. Microtarrers.com is also where you can find us on your favorite social media and even send in your own scary story for us to tell. Plus, you'll learn more about our author, Scott Donnelly, who has other horrors for both young and old. I hope you'll join me again soon for Microtarrers. Scary stories for kids.