"Fuck.. Fuck.. Fuck…"

My rapid footsteps echoed throughout the hallway as my breath quickened with each frantic step I took. The corridors looked like they stretched on forever as my hand desperately gripped at my side.

It hurts…

I retracted my hand and lifted it to my dimming gaze. My hand was covered in warm crimson red blood while the throbbing pain in my knuckles followed it. My body retracted slightly from my own touch as I desperately clutched the linear gash. Tightly holding my hand against the wound seemed to slow the expansion of blood out of my body.

I need.. To run...

The once familiar school was now as unknown as the darkest depth of the ocean. The whole world seemed to spin in reverse as my clouded vision faded in and out. I heaved and wheezed as I turned corner after corner towards the exit of the school. My panic increased with every turn I took, every cog in me was shifting and turning wildly as it tried desperately to keep up with the conditions I was putting it through. I was running out of time.

I'm so…. cold..

My body felt numb as the grip on my wound eased and even more blood seeped out onto my shirt. The once warm feeling I felt was replaced by a freeze that pulled me closer every moment. My legs buckled with fatigue as I collapsed onto my knees.

The sound of huffing filled the air as I could vaguely comprehend any action I took. My body desperately wanted to stop, but if I did, it would catch me. 

Get up.. Get the hell up Corey.

I winced in pain as my free hand pushed off the ground and slung my body upright once more. My legs trudged forward as the unfamiliar coldness grew heavier and more burdensome. If I stop then I won't ever start again. My body felt as if it were moving on its own accord because with every few steps I seemed to bump or trip or things I couldn't tell were there. From lockers to my own feet, I staggered more and more the closer I got to escaping the desolate school.

The moonlight seeped into the hallways through the windows and illuminated the walls which aided my faltering vision. My mind, fully in disarray, couldn't think of anything but moving forward into the seemingly infinite hallways. Every step I took felt like a hundred as the coldness originating in my side seemed to spread equally as quickly as the feeling of dread in my heart. 

As I turned the final corner my body began to slow, and my chest began to relax thanks to the surge of relief overturning the dread inside me. I sighed deeply as the adrenaline inside me washed itself out. 

Finally…

A smile cracked from my face as I pushed forward once more for the last few meters to the door. Seconds passed and I seemed no closer than before. My eyes and head turned down confusingly as I wondered why my legs stopped responding to my mind, in fact, why was nothing but my head moving?

My eyes, still ever so foggy and desolate, could barely make out the faint dark color seeping from my clothes. The entirety of my waist down on my left side was covered in blood, blood that had once been flowing inside me now poured out with seemingly no end. I tried but failed to grasp the wound. My arms faintly moved but I felt nothing. There was no feeling in my body, only a desolate coldness overcoming anything else inside me. 

My head, which felt a hundred times heavier than a moment ago, slowly lifted up and blankly stared at the exit. My smile faded as my body refused to listen to any commands I attempted to give it. 

I'm going.. to die…

Tears began to trail down the side of my face as my body collapsed to its knees before quickly sprawling out on the floor. My eyes struggled to keep themselves open as I lay on the floor shallowly weeping. No noise came from me for I could not make a sound if I tried. The only strength that remained in me was used to keep my eyes open. I knew right then that If I closed them more than a second, then I would never open them again…

"Hello?"

My consciousness weakly began functioning as an extremely familiar voice called out to me from the exit. A dim light glowed on me as my eyes blinked in slight agony at the beam. A man in slacks and a blazer opened the exit door and peered down at me. His tall figure hovered over mine as he probably stood there unable to comprehend what he was looking at.

Mr.Tanen..?

My eyes were hardly able to make out anything specific, but I knew the man I'd been seeing every day for the past 3 years was standing in front of me. His friendly smile, the happy tone he always had, and even the way he dressed was easily recognizable. 

I'm saved! I'm not going to die here!

My eyes began to leak slightly harder than before as Mr.Tanen squatted down beside me and reached his hand out for my head. He gripped my chin and pointed it upwards like he was checking who I was. His face was barely visible to me, but I could make out a small frown as his face struggled to stay still.

"H-help me…"

My voice croaked. Those two words were all I could say. My body had long since given out and the coldness had overcome me. The only moveable part of my body seemed to be my eyes now. Mr.Tanen reached down and with his opposite hand ran his knuckles along my head and clicked his tongue a few times before standing back up.

What are you doing? Help me!

He laughed.

My heart, which was already on the verge of giving out, started beating rapidly as Mr.Tanen's face stopped hiding his malicious smile. He could hardly hold back anymore as he stared down at me with a sinister grin. 

"You hit me pretty hard y'know? I really thought you were gonna get away."

My eyes struggled and firmly closed once more for the last time. I couldn't get away anymore. It was over. The only thing left in my mind was that smile, that fucking crude smile. It wasn't the smile any man could ever conjure up.

That smile…