My body moved before I told it too. It seemed Anthony was still stuck in his tracks. I couldn't think about him, about what might happen to him. It wasn't an act of fear or cowardice, just a reflex that sent me sprinting back to the front doors. No thoughts, no time, just adrenaline. It felt as if my legs were just taking turns throwing my body further down the hall. Then, like a car crashing through my wall of reality, I had feeling in my legs again. Control of my own body came with the terror and anxiety of what ran behind me pouring into my mind. I quickly glanced back to see if Anthony or something else was treading behind me. Regret and horror answered the question as I witnessed the mob of blood sobbing students running only 20 feet behind me. Their feet were silent behind me. I looked forward and pumped my arms and ran harder than I've ever run. The hallway seemed endless, the end not getting any closer to me as I ran. I closed my eyes and forced myself to run harder. Cold tears streamed down my cheeks. I opened my eyes again only to find I was a few feet from the doors at the end of the corridor. I tried to stop running, but my pace was too intense to stop and left me crashing my shoulder into the seemingly indestructible glass of the doors. I toppled onto my back and quickly scrambled to my hands and feet to face the mob chasing me. The hallway was again empty. I stood slowly. Anthony was gone and so was the crowd of corpses. My eyes focused on the walls of the hallway. My mind was blank, all thoughts halted and dissolved. Terror overcame my confusion with reality. My breath was heavy from running and for a moment it was the only thing drawing out the silence. As I calmed myself I heard something from behind me. Short breathing and a soft sob. I quickly spun myself to see the girls. I left them. Anthony and I just left them here alone, not thinking about the consequences. My mouth was dry from being hung open in horror. Bethany lay on her back flat in the floor, tears pouring from the corner of her eyes to small puddles on the floor. Above her were three missing ceiling tiles, two of them were occupied by dangling lifeless legs. The nameless girls were pulled up to their waist into the ceiling.
"Bethany?" I choked out dryly. Her tearful eyes darted to meet mine. The legs then shot upward into the darkness above and the ceiling was suddenly covered again by square tiles. She didn't move and neither did I. I got on my knees and slowly reached for Bethany. I kept my head low as I grabbed her leg and gently pulled her out from under the tiles from where her friends had hung seconds before. She still laid motionless flat on the floor crying. I laid on my back next to her.
"Maybe if we lay here and wait awhile someone will come to help us." I felt tears fall down my cheeks as the empty words left my throat. No one was coming, I knew that. We weren't trapped in a school, this building. We were in a nightmare. A meaningless illusion constructed with fear and chaos. Bethany laid next to me. As confused and terrified as I was, she seemed to multiply it. I figured it was because she watched her friends all die one by one, but to me they were all just people. Kids and teachers I've not had the motive to talk to. Bullies, assholes, and strangers. I had spent fractions of my life with these strangers, they knew me. Some of these strangers believed I was their friend, just silent and not social. I lay on the floor next to the only one left. I shifted in place to unwrap my back pack strap from an uncomfortable place on my shoulder. I felt the lump on my lower back again. I had a thought for a moment. This girl next to me, innocent and thrown into this hellish situation for no reason at all, she suffered the most.
"Bethany?" I broke the silence. Her quiet sobbing stalled and she cleared her throat.
"Yes Hunter?" Her voice was as broken as her spirit.
"Are we friends Bethany?" I paused for the answer. I turned my head towards her. Her cheeks were blotched red from hysterical crying.
"Yes Hunter, we're friends. Why?" She didn't move her head or eyes when she spoke. She didn't blink.
"I want to help you." I watched her chin shiver.
"How can you help Hunter? We're stuck in here." I unzipped the bag and reached to the bottom. I kept my back on the floor, but lifted my head to find the gun. I pulled it out and laid it between us. She turned her head and stared at it. Her eyes lifted to mine. I prepared myself for questions. Why did I have it? What was going to do? But there were no questions. She sat up and faced me, crossing her legs. She wiped her tears and sniffed. "Help me then Hunter." She said softly. I sat up a foot away from her and lifted the gun.
"Are you sure?" She nodded and sniffed again,
"I don't want to know what's in the darkness." I hesitated for a second. I pointed the barrel of it towards her head and closed my eyes. Click. Nothing. I opened my eyes. I flipped the gun and slid the magazine out. No ammunition. Before I could question myself, I heard Bethany whisper something couldn't understand.
"What?" I looked up at her. Her forehead had a gaping hole in it with blood pouring down her eyes and nose.
"Thank you" she spoke louder. Her head began to cave inward around the hole. A smile spread across her face and her eyes opened to meet mine. I looked down at the empty gun then back at her as she began to shake violently. She dropped backwards, head slamming the floor.
"The gun wasn't loaded! I didn't do this!" I shouted at her, hoping it would change something. I kept shouting, until words became shrill noises partnered by my sobs. I shouted for a few minutes. When I stopped, it wasn't because I was done, it was because I felt something tighten around my throat. I looked up at the missing ceiling tile above me and clawed at my throat. I felt my legs limply leave the ground as I shot upward into the eternal abyss. A darkness darker than dark could ever be.