5:13 pm
The school premises were nearly deserted, students had all hurried to home when the final bell had permitted their exodus.
Inside a classroom, Serene was finalizing her assignments, the pen curving with the movements of her hand, forming sentences of narrated information she had collected. The final line of the paragraph concluded and the brunette put down the writing tool to shake her aching wrist in relief.
'Ugh, finally, that took way longer than it needed.' The girl assorted the sheets of paper to a systemic pile before rising from her chair to stretch her rigid muscles that had benumbed after the long immobile position. 'I'll put them in my locker and give them to my teacher tomorrow, it's already late.' Her feet happily lead her out with a leap of complacency over her productivity.
The rest of the compound had the same inactivity as the room she had existed. Forcing Serene to inspect the deserted hall in askance 'Hmm, I could have sworn I wasn't still the only one here.' Dismissing her quandary, she moved down the soundless corridor with prosperity over the evening.
As the girl arrived at her locker, an unusual notion had gradually shaped in her subconscious, pursuing her body to hold an alertness around the surroundings.
'Shouldn't the cleaner lady be here already?'
The nervous speculation rang in her mind at the lacking sign of the worker who typically wandered around the facility to eradicate the building of any unclean imperfections.
Serene opened the laminated compartment to place her work onto the welded shelf. A small sense of pride washed through her as she glanced at the neatly written pages, each one a testament to the hours of focus she had poured into her work. She then packed up her equipment for the day's end. When her bag was readied with its respective contents, the girl closed her locker and twisted the keys to hear the operative click that confirmed its functioning lock.
Her ears acquired the sound of footsteps in the space and relaxed her stiff posture within the presence of assumingly a cleaner coming to execute their job.
The brown-haired girl stirred her head to the path of the incoming individual, but her eyes could only identify the flash of a silver object before a sharp scream echoed out of her vocal cords as a pain shot from her arm to incapacitate every limb due to the harm.
She reflexively gripped the wounded part of her body, trying to assess the damage done by retracting the hand to stare in fear at the deep-coated red staining her palm, her brain not fathoming the sight as it ran with adrenaline.
Yet before the female could grasp the situation, her form destabilized as her body was lunged backwards and her back hit the cold steel of the ground. Dizziness set into Serene's vision at the impact and with a pained grunt withdrawing from her lungs, she forced herself to look up at her attacker.
The most noticeable feature was the obscuring appearance of the assaulter, the mask they wore presented an obvious pointer that they didn't want to be recognized by characteristic attributes, the texture seemed rough, the color a smeared dirty beige, with hollow dark sockets, hiding the wearer's visage from prying eyes.
Their whole outlook shaped a hostile demeanor. Too absorbed in the ominous image of the individual, Serene delayed her actions. The grip on the bloodied knife raised upwards, in the span of a quick burst of endurance, the girl maneuvered her leg back to kick the stranger in the knee, their stance lowered to the ground and Serene took hold of the strap of her bag to chuck the backpack at their face, the heavy luggage dislocating the attacker's mask in the process. The stunt gave her a gap to utilize all strength into sprinting from the scene.
The running vibrated off the walls of the compressed passage. The individual adjusted their disguise when the girl was no longer in sight. Irritation oozing from the failed attempt as they stood up with a slow pace. Gazing toward the way the girl had scurried down to, then thoughtfully eyeing the bloody weapon in consideration.
Serene pushed her legs to move with accelerating speed, ignoring her body's weakening co-operation. Her hallowing breath grew more scratchy as each step progressed. 'Come on, I'm almost at the exit!' Her eyes gleamed with faith as the large entrance of the school came into her view.
Lunging toward the structure, she expected the doors to open and allow her worries of being possibly murdered disappear with the rays of evening sun. But the doors didn't budge and Serene went crashing against the hard external.
'What? No, no! This can't be happening!'
The girl tugged the handles but the opposing struggles did nothing against the metal shafts.
'It's locked, but who the hell could have?!-' her train of thought stopped when a second pair of footsteps entered her earshot and her muscles began pumping adrenaline through her blood once more at the dread that her attacker was near. Not wishing to stay in the open area, she skid toward a classroom to take refuge.
The teaching room was enshrouded in darkness, the only light casted from the hallway and crept through the creases of the door.
Serene quietly shut the entrance and stepped back to distance from the opening. Her eyes looked back to her wounded arm, the girl glanced to the door before concluding there was no individual that could pick up on her movements. She grasped the fabric of her uniform, shredding a piece of the clothing then secured the material around her limp to momentarily limit blood loss.
Succeeding in the medical measure, her mind frantically began trying to calculate the next course of action. 'I need to call the police.' A shrivel of hope ignited in her eyes, the brunette reached to grab her device when once more, strides were heard in an even closer proximity than previously and panic overtook her judgment.
Serene's eyes darted from one corner to the next, taking in every inch of the room fast, trying to spot anything she could use to her advantage as a hiding place, halting on a row of sliding cabinets. The footsteps came closer. Serene shot toward the furniture and hastily flung open the sliding door, creeping into the cramped closet, closing the aperture just as the class door opened and light shone into the classroom.
The stranger moved into the area at a tardy speed. Their steps slowing at the center of the room in a sour mood.
Serene covered her mouth, trying to maintain a silent presence. However, controlling her shaken mind was difficult. The smell of iron stung her nose, a grave reminder of the outcome that could transpire.
'I don't want to die'
Noises from the environment rang through her ears, her own breathing, the beating of her heart. The small whimpers escaping her throat the more seconds passed. Her mind raced with different options and their worst case scenarios in a frenzy, before determining that staying in the confided box was the most risk worthy.
Her pulse beat across her veins when she moved the entryway and quietly crept out of the hiding spot. The gloomy room filtered an inkling of light through the door, a brightness that shone shadows over the desks and chairs, giving Serene just enough faculty of sight to determine her path.
Her eyes switched between the floor and her attacker, her injury created a soaring pain with each move, but she forced herself to endure for the sake of survival.
A chair near the exit caught her attention and Serene tried to judge whether the idea surfacing up would bring on a disaster. 'I have only seen people do this in movies...' She equalized her feet, preparing to brace upright, Her clammy palms brushed over her pants and then she bolted forward, grasping the furniture and yanking it out the threshold.
The dragging noise of the rear legs alerted the stranger and the two made brief eye contact when they angled their head toward the escaping girl.
Serene slammed the door close and leaned the back post of the chair to forestall under the knob, posing as a barricade to the inside. 'That felt...too easy.' The girl gawked at her alleviating action in awe and skepticism when the other side persisted doubtful reticence.
But the girl quickly prepared to leave the scene knowing that the current obstruction would only last temporarily and didn't want to wait around for something to occur. 'I just need to find a safe place where I can call the police.' Her body stirred in the mentally guiding direction.
Reaching the self-designated safe place, Serene sprinted into the fourth stall of the bathrooms and secured the latch closed. Hunched over, the girl's posture waned, excessive sweat lingered on her forehead, and her subsiding heartbeat throbbed heat under her skin as a result of the exercise. Serene wiped the dampness off her face.
"Damn it...who was that?" She wailed, her voice cracking under the pressure of the moment when she tried to recount the assault. A noise in the hallway made the brunette jolt as a shock of energy forced her mind to concentrate on the disruption. but when no other implication of the sudden noise was ascertained, she clasped her hands together to avoid the trembling of her limbs.
'Calm down, I'm just being paranoid, I'm hearing too many things'
Serene refocused on surmising the prior happenings. 'The only logical answer would be the Runswick killer...but why the hell?...' Serene discouraged the perplexity to a lower priority and instead once more, reached for her cellular phone. 'I don't have time to question this right now.' She flapped her shirt to ventilate her body from the overflowing humidity in the stall and rid her fingers of the sticky warmth that built up from expanding fear.
The hinges of the washroom squeaked as the door opened.
The brown-haired froze as a cold rush tightened in her chest. She instinctively went still and pivoted her head to fixate on the indicating sound ' There's no way they already found me.' Rationalizing to the second most plausible individual, Serene leveled her fears 'It must be the cleaner lady.'
She prepared to unlock the stall to face the worker but her hand twitched, and an afflicted grim shadowed the teen's face. She lowered her arm. 'Something does not feel right.' In contrast to the confident assumption, an inner voice appeared undeterred by the claim, causing the girl to stay stiff in her own conflict.
footsteps of the other person hit the ground, creating a repeating tapping, as though they were mindlessly wandering around. The audible noise stopped, then, the creaking of a stall door.
The speechless girl chewed down on her tongue in anticipation. It was quiet. The fluorescent lighting flickered above the ceiling and a droning murmur of air vibrated out the air conditioning accommodated the atmosphere.
The footsteps came nearer to the cubicle the female occupied. The second stall opened, and the wood produced a small thud as the cracking door collided with the panel.
Serene clenched her device to her chest and retreated to the wall, away from her door in an innate reaction to the impending peril. Serene's breath hitched as her lungs failed to exhale air. The female's heart pounded in her chest as she shrank further into the confines of the stall, her form touched the cold tiles of the wall, surging chills prickling up her spine.
The steps walked to the third door, resonating around the empty bathroom, There was a scraping sound, like something being dragged slowly along the floor, barely coherent but growing louder as the person neared the last cubicle
The cramped space instantly felt even smaller under the intensity of the approaching individual. The girl's muscles tensed listening intently, pressing her body to the wall as much she could. Not peeling her sights off the entry.
The individual halted before the compartment. An eerie silence engulfed the room.
Serene shut her eyes, her breath ragged as her jaw went taut, muttering prayers of pleas between her teeth. After what felt like an unending torment, the footsteps resumed, but the radar of the sound appeared to walk away.
Serene exhaled a shaky breath, her heart's tempo gradually returning to a steady beat. Strands of light blond hair stuck to her moist skin, the brunette resumed the task of informing the authorities.
But as she tapped on the phone, the device didn't react, her fingers leaving behind a layer of perspiration on the touch-screen, Serene expressed her disdain with a confused frown 'You've got to be kidding me.' She repeated the motions rabidly. Regardless of her desperate attempts, her sweaty fingertips posed a hassle. 'Come on, come on!' Urgency and frustration flooded her movements as the screen struggled to operate.
CRACK
A gasp exited Serene when splinters of wood flew in each direction as The blade of an axe protruded through the door creating a wide slash.
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5:43 pm
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The evening air was chilled, the day's lukewarm temperatures distinguishing as the sun began fading in the gloaming colors.
A turquoise haired male stomped down the pavement, the distinctive sound accompanied the occasional car that passed by, blocking out the harsh mumbling of the frustrated boy.
Bruises around Brandon's face were a muted color, proving its healing process, yet a few band-aids stuck to his features due to grazes that had reopened with reoccurring movements.
Brandon winced as the wind flew against his face, forming itching sensations in his damaged nerves. 'Damn it...' He shielded his hand over his eyes to cover off the breezing while he walked.
Events of the past days had caused a ruckus within his family, his parents had demanded he pressed charges, but the procedure came across as more tedious and time-consuming than he wanted, not to mention that an investigation of assault could lead to the exposure of the male's unsavory actions and if his dealer caught on to potential police involvement, he predicted he would endure worse than just a beating.
The front of his parents' house became visible to his sight. His feet staggered up in speed til he arrived at the porch pathway. Brandon took out his keys and fiddled with the multiple gadgets.
The gravel under his shoes crunched when he neared the front entrance.
Journeying up the treads, the turquoise haired perked up his vision to glimpse at the door as a muffled noise percolated out the house. Brandon hazily glanced toward the window before readjusting the metal tool to twist it into the lock and allow himself in.
(Play video at 1:00)
Once inside the residence, the sound elucidated in decibels and transformed into a hearable melody. Brandon closed the door, observing the music, his shoulders slacked down in tired recognition of the tune.
'Is Dad playing that song again? He never even takes it off the platter!'
The teen exhaled a groan hearing the repetitive sounds that ingrained themselves into his brain. "Dad! Are you there?" He shouted to the second floor where his father's office located. When no answer was reciprocated, Brandon furrowed his brows in puzzlement.
"Dad?" He repeated at a higher pitch, guessing his voice was too drowned out by the song to be properly heard by the parent. Moments passed in the stale silence and the melody turned to lyrics.
I had a love, I had a love
That changes like the moon
Brandon grumbled and took off his shoes, placing them by the rack of jackets organized by the wall. His eyes narrowed as he pondered over the absence of the other residents. "Mom? Are you home?" He exclaimed.
Oh my love is gone, my love is gone.
She flew just like a loom
The inquiry was not responded with a positive return. The turquoise-haired's expression soured, 'Can they seriously not hear me?' The boy wandered into the living room to check the space for any sign that his parents had been in the area.
Yet scanning the room with no success, the environment was empty. Brandon's posture unsteadied, Jitteriness convulsed through his bones at the vacancy. His muscles quivered as an incomprehensible suspicion filled his perception. He reached his hand upwards to squeeze his lower lip.
Why did she up and go?
He carried his eyes upstairs to reflect on his choices in the matter before making a decision and ushered his feet to the staircase leading to the secondary floor.
Reaching the end of the staircase Brandon's flickered to the open door. His heart began hammering as he slowly escorted his body into the office.
The vinyl recorder his father cherished was displayed on a wooden desk, and the record was spinning around, stemming out a cracking voice, the tonearm of the recorder was nearing the middle, meaning that the song was finalizing the final refrain.
And I hope the man she left me with
Is cold and dead and soon.
The needle halted as the device automatically stopped once the lyrics ended, outing a last rasping squeak. The turquoise-haired male gaped at the vinyl while alarm bells flared in his mind. The ambiance took on a more sinister feeling as his wariness escalated into shaky breaths.
'Who turned this thing on?'
Brandon's head snapped to the doorway as his ears heard a noise.
Footsteps came from the end of the hallway in slow progress toward the room.
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6:31 pm
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Serene felt her consciousness returning sluggishly, her eyesight feeling darker than she last remembered. 'I'm?...' The brunette groaned as a pain shot through her skull 'Did I get knocked out?-....'
Her eyes expanded when she noticed her restricted movements, the reality pulled her awareness from its foggy state. Everything came to her directly, her tied-up body, her inability to speak from the cloth wrapped around her head.
On the verge of a breakdown, she forced herself to calm down to evaluate her circumstances.
'Its dark, but... I'm outside?' The brunette looked around the scene, the darkened weather clarified that it was later in the evening, yet there were still dull blue accents in the sky. The minimum light showed she was surrounded by trees. Serene inspected the wildlife to get a hint of her coordination, but to no avail, as each way looked identical to the other.
The girl tried wiggling out the restricted positions but stopped when she was reminded of the other individual that she had been attacked by.
Serene heard a shovel behind her, like dirt being scooped out of the ground. Her brain immediately went into survival instincts. It was too late, the stranger had seen her motions. The shovel was balanced on the ground, and the individual stepped over to the shaken-up girl.
The teen watched as her alleged attacker moved into her sight and bent down to her eye level. Serene stared at the beige mask as dread filled her stomach.
Moments went by, and the stranger grabbed something in their pockets, took out a rectangular white print, unfolded it, and then waved it in front of the brunette's vision. The abrupt shift startled the girl, and she observed the paper with fear. There was a sentence written in pen. Serene blinked to be able to study the paper presented for her.
You should have kept your filthy hands off him. :)
The female couldn't grasp onto the cryptic threat and thought back to her last 24 hours and whoever she had interacted with that would match the description of the note.
Swirling inside her own memories, her brain came to one specific meeting, it felt so insignificant of a reasoning yet was the only one that equalized with the message, it concluded on one person, and immense terror pervaded her thoughts.
'Y/n'.
Her eyes gleamed with tears, and she began muttering apologizes out of the cloth. The note was stuffed back into the stranger's pocket, and they peered down at her.
The cloth was pulled from her mouth, allowing her to freely speak her mind, Serene strangled a sob out of her throat, composing her cries to communicate with her kidnapper. "I'm-I'm Sorry." She begged, tears falling to the ground. The person tilted their head to the side, observing the sorrowful teen in curiosity.
"Please...I didn't...I didn't mean it in a wrong way, I just wanted to be nice."
Serene's eyes stung as she explained her motive. The stranger stayed motionless in their knee-down stance. The cloth was shoved back into the girl's mouth. They stood back up, stuffing their gloved hands in their pockets while eyeing the brunette in false contemplation.
As minutes delved by, the individual put the sole of their shoe against Serene's figure, then kicked her into the makeshift hole. Serene coughed as she landed on the soiled dirt. Her uniform was stained against the wet ground, and she let out a whine as her wounded arm ached from the collision.
Her weak body bled out all energy, and thus her tries of escaping the rope became unproductive and sloppy, leaving her a sobbing mess.
The maniac took hold of the shaft and began transferring the dung-up dirt into the hole. The brunette did her best to salvage whatever chance of escape she had left but soon accepted it to be futile. Her inhalation was declining as her mental state broke under the horror.
The ditch got brimmed with dirt and soil, bit by bit, narrowing Serene's breathing to fatal damage. And as she took a last exhale of air, she pleaded with whatever deity existed.
'Please be okay, Y/n, I'm sorry.'