She barely felt Saphris hurrying to catch up with her.
She glanced behind her just in time to see the scowl Saphris was giving her. She shrugged. Well, you were the one who asked if we were ready or not.
She gestured to Saphris to pick up the pace—they were almost to the staircase and she didn't want to be moving any slower than she had to be.
They slowed to a walk as they came around to the staircase entrance, the area suddenly much darker compared to the rest of the hallway.
Dylan looked around and noticed that the emergency lights stopped a couple feet away on either hallway, making the design seem intentional. Why leave the stairs in the dark?
She turned back to the stairs, looking down at the shadowed steps with unease and stepped closer to the dividing wall—leaning up to look over the wall to see the bottom set of steps below. She kept a tight grip on the railing to keep herself steady.
There was a muted red glow creeping up from the bottom of the staircase, but she couldn't discern anything else from this angle. At least we know there's still light down there.
She stepped away, and looked to Saphris—the girl keeping watch while she checked the stairs. She tapped her on the shoulder and watched as she jumped, startled.
Dylan smiled, amused, and pointed down at the staircase—giving Saphris a thumbs up as a way to say the coast was clear.
The girl nodded, and started down the steps. Dylan followed after her carefully, trying not to slip.
She could hear the light shifting of the backpack as her friend moved down the steps, stopping on the landing and crouching when she got there.
She shifted over when Dylan got there, and stared down into the foyer as Dylan painstakingly crouched alongside her.
She was just about to look up, almost done getting her knees to cooperate with her when Saphris shook her arm.
She looked up, instantly alert, and froze.
Holy mother of God…
The normally gleaming white floor was dark, smudges and streaks covered the majority of the floor.
But it didn't register what exactly she was looking at until she noticed the arm laying at the bottom of the staircase.
An arm.
Like, a completely severed—all by itself—arm.
What the fuck happened here?
She struggled to take a deep breath, the air leaving her body coming out shaky. Oh my god. Oh my god. It's all blood. And that's a fucking arm.
That person very literally got torn apart–
Saphris glanced over at her, concerned, and Dylan wordlessly pointed at what Saphris hadn't seen yet. Her friend's eyes followed her finger and widened dramatically, her body started to tremble.
And then the screams started, echoing down the hall from the other side of the foyer. Only getting louder and closer as the seconds ticked on. There's more than one?
I have to get out of here—god knows what else there is!
I have to find Saphris.
She gasped with the realization; holy fuck, that could've been me. If I hadn't run when I did? Her vision seemed to narrow—tunneling into the arm, until that was all she could focus on.
That could've been me.
That could've been my arm on the ground right there.
She couldn't tear her gaze away from the arm, afraid of what else she'd find.
How many people –kids, we're all just fucking kids and they– died like that…? What kind of monster does this?
I'm scared.
A pair of hands grabbed on her shoulder and shook her vigorously, her head jerked away from the grotesque sight and her gaze locked onto Saphris' face—startled.
When she noticed Dylan was paying attention to her, she whacked her shoulder lightly and started wagging a furious finger at her.
Dylan got the point even if no words were said.
She felt ashamed that she lost her head so quickly—they had to think clearly when they were out in the open like this. It just didn't occur to her that she would be seeing the aftermath everywhere she went now.
She took a quiet breath, nodding as she breathed out, and gave Saphris a sheepish look.
Her friend shook her head, and reached for her hand, interlacing their fingers together.
Dylan appreciated the comfort.
Saphris shot a glance downstairs, and raised her brows when she looked back to Dylan—asking.
Dylan nodded, swallowing.
They slowly descended the steps, trying to be as cautious as they could.
When they got down to the last couple of steps, Dylan realized that they might not have thought this all the way through.
There was no way they'd be able to avoid stepping in the gore that was covering the majority of the floor. She shuddered at the thought of it seeping into her socks, staining her skin.
They'd leave behind bloody foot-prints that'd lead monsters straight to them.
They had to go back for their shoes. God damn it! Why'd I tell Saphris to take off hers? I should've put mine on!
She wanted to groan, and knew that Saphris was going to be irritated with her. She weakly tugged her hand away from Saphris', getting her friend's attention. Saphris' face grew concerned at Dylan's expression.
Dylan reluctantly pointed at the blood, and then to their feet—miming a little stepping motion.
She knew Saphris understood what she was trying to say when the girl's head jerked up and she scowled, clearly annoyed. She angrily pointed at her feet and then up to the hallway above them.
How was I supposed to know about this? Dylan gestured frantically at the foyer ahead of them, eyes wide—pleading.
Saphris rolled her eyes and shoved a palm in front of her face—telling her to wait, and started back up the stairs without giving her a chance to react.
And I'm alone. Again. She thought as she watched Saphris dart up the steps much faster than they came down them. She bit her lip, fretful, as she glanced around anxiously.
She crouched down, pressing herself as close to the wall as possible. God, I wish I had had the foresight to grab my shoes.
I can't hear Saphris… which is probably a good thing, because then monsters can't hear her either. But I really hope she hurries up.
I hate waiting. I feel like a sitting duck.
She just hid there, taking in the extensive carnage that was spread across nearly the whole area—barely conscious of the fact that she was numbering every body-part her eyes darted across. 64… 65… 66…
How many actually belonged to one person…?
How much was… eaten?
It felt almost taboo to think that thought, the word resonating strangely in her mind. Was it better to be hunted for sport? Or for food?
None of this feels real.
An image flashed through her mind; her standing in this very foyer, with a massive group of students crowding around her—all of them trying to find a way out.
And now this is all that's left of them.
Her vision blurred, the dark smudges on the floor distorting. She sucked in a deep breath, pushing the tears back. We can cry later.
This doesn't feel real. Her mind repeated, unable to comprehend how something like this could even happen.
How did this happen? This just doesn't happen! What freak accident did we get sucked into?
She was pulled from her thoughts when she heard a minute sound. She turned, looking up the steps and saw Saphris' familiar silhouette on the landing.
Saphris didn't waste any time as she hurried down the stairs and slipped off the bag, unzipping the main pocket. She pulled the shoes out, one at a time—wrestling with the bag to get them out.
Dylan grabbed her shoes quickly, trying to get them out of the way and sat down to put them on.
Her shoes slipped on easily enough despite the laces still being tied together. When she stood up, Saphris was still tying her shoes—having been slowed down by having to put the backpack on again.
When Saphris stood up, Dylan grabbed ahold of her hand and tried to lace their fingers together—wanting that comfort for what they had to face.
Her friend rolled her eyes, but helped interlock their hands together and tentatively started down the last couple steps—dragging Dylan with her.
Dylan was careful when she stepped into the thick blood splatter, unable to avoid it. It squelched underneath her shoe, the whole surface shifting an inch and causing her to wobble.
Oh god, this is so slippery—I really don't want to fall in this shit.
She loosened her grip on Saphris' hand, not wanting to throw her off balance.
She continued forward, moving away from the staircase, her feet sinking into the ground slightly with each step. When she looked up, she immediately noticed that the back-office door was left untouched—the bloodshed ending just a few feet away from the door.
There was a body laying in that pool of blood—arm stretched out, as if they were reaching for help. The lower half of their body was missing.
How is this happening?
She couldn't let the thought go, it echoed throughout her mind as the tragedies kept unfolding. I just want answers.
I just want to get out of here as fast as possible.
She took a deep breath, and Saphris squeezed her hand. She looked back, surprised, and saw Saphris nodding at the back-office door.
Right. I need to focus; we're about to get answers. She thought and started the careful trek to the door.
The sound of their shoes walking through the blood, squelching against and peeling off the floor so loudly it consumed the silence.
Dylan winced with every step, praying to god that whatever that could be roaming the halls wouldn't hear them.
Her eyes flitted around nervously, analyzing the shadows near them. We're a freaking noise beacon—this is awful.
It wasn't far away by any means, but with how careful they had to walk on the blood-slicked floors—it was taking them forever to get even a few feet across.
She hated how exposed they were, how easily she could see across the building. She turned her head, staring deeper into the school—the same path she took to look for Saphris. It was a straight shot.
We got lucky with that maggot-boy-thing, but who knows how long that luck will last?
What if something came charging at us right now? Would we be able to get to safety then?
They finally reached the end of the
bloody mess on the ground, the door a mere few feet away, and stepped out of the blood with relief.
Only to cringe when they heard the sound of their shoes peeling away from the floor, the coagulant blood almost like velcro as they walked up to the door—ten times louder than what they were hearing not even 30 seconds ago.
Dylan glanced around, watching for movement as Saphris went to open the door. She tried not to look at the body that was now just a couple feet to the right of her. The image she already had of it didn't need an updated close-up version. Her eyes drifted to the trail of bloody footprints that led right up to their feet. Damn it. Either way, it was better than getting that shit on our bare skin. But we'll definitely have to take off our shoes before we go too far.
Saphris tapped on her back, and she turned. Saphris shook her head, solemn. She tried pulling the handle down again, showing Dylan what she was trying to say.
Of fucking course it's locked.
Our one damn lead on this bullshit and the door's locked.
She resisted the urge to thread her fingers through her hair and rip it out from the roots. Fucking great.
Saphris flipped off the door, and turned with renewed purpose—marching further into the school.
Right. I guess we're going to Plan B instead. Breathe. We'll figure it out later. She reminded herself, walking over to where Saphris had stopped a few feet away and sat down so she could take off her shoes.
I will be so glad to get these freaking noise-makers off.
She carefully pulled the shoes off, not wanting to touch the crap that was caked on the bottoms.
How do I clean this off? Scrape it against the wall or something? She stared at the shoes, weighing her choices.
Or would it be easier to just leave our shoes here—like we'd done earlier? Save the space in the backpack for food…
She stood up, and leaned down to grab her shoes—deciding that convenience won out and walked over to set her disgusting shoes beside the wall.
When she straightened up, Saphris came up next to her—lightly dropping her shoes against the wall. She glanced up at Dylan and pointed past her shoulder with a questioning look.
Right. We gotta get going. She nodded and turned, heading deeper into the school.
Her gaze continually swept across their field of vision, scanning for danger. She listened for anything as they walked, not wanting to be caught off-guard.
She briefly hesitated when they reached the junction, unsure of which way to go. But it didn't take long for her to come to the decision of which path it would be best for them to take.
Her mind flashed through all the memories of students screaming, likely running down the hall ahead of them—she didn't want to see more bodies. The last time she'd seen the foyer by the cafeteria it was empty, clean without a speck of blood.
Besides, the hall to her left looked pretty gore-free too, and she'd much rather take that path if she could help it.
When she turned into the hall, Saphris didn't fight her on it, walking alongside her as they continued down the hall.
Dylan couldn't move her gaze away from the wall on her left though. Even as they walked past them, Dylan couldn't help but stare at the closed doors of the band hall—lonely and foreboding.
An image of that little boy standing there, numb, in that pool of liquid that used to be Genna's body—her bones scattered around him, sat firmly at the front of her mind. She shuddered, looking away. Is that little boy still in there…?
Waiting for someone else?
They turned right, walking into the foyer and paused. Brilliant white light poured from the courtyard windows, illuminating the cafeteria entrance ahead of them.
I'll get to see the tree again… she thought dreamily. The feeling curdled when she noticed the dark stain against the light room. The cafeteria's wide open doors didn't feel very welcoming with the dark shadows that lingered behind them.
I don't feel very good about this.
She glanced over at Saphris, trying to gauge what she thought about it. The girl was frowning, giving the entryway a look of trepidation. At least I'm not the only one.
After a moment's hesitation, they started forward again. When they began to pass by the descending staircase, Dylan glanced up anxiously, watching the balcony above them for any movement.
Saphris nudged her when she started drifting off-course, and she looked forward again.
She couldn't keep her eyes from straying to the windows though. The massive tree loomed, and those glowing leaves continued to sway in a gentle breeze. Nothing had changed about the scene since the last time she'd seen it.
The wrong feeling twisting about in her gut got worse. No matter how hard she stared into the branches, she couldn't find even a hint of blue. How does a tree completely blot out the sky like this?
It doesn't feel real.
She looked away, disconcerted, and found herself in front of the cafeteria entrance.
I hadn't even realized I stopped walking…
She stared into the gaping maw of the entryway, the soft white light creeping in past her and showering the floor just inside the door with light.
If she squinted, she could barely see the outline of the first row of folded up tables.
She breathed in, just about to sigh and turn to Saphris when the smell assaulted her nose. How had I not noticed it until now?!
The smell was unmistakable.
She turned to Saphris, hoping she realized the danger they were in and stopped dead at the sight she found.
There was a solid crease in the furrow of Saphris's brow, and she was gazing intently at something her hand was cradling—extended fingers gentle as they brought it closer to her face for her to examine.
Dylan stared, thrown-off by Saphris' almost serene-like demeanor. She narrowed her eyes, trying to get a better look at what Saphris was studying. She shifted over slightly and the light refracted suddenly just a little above Saphris' fingers.
A thread.
Saphris was looking at a thread. A tiny thread that was mostly transparent and glistened in the light.
And then she noticed that Saphris wasn't actually holding it.
Her eyes followed the barely-visible line as it travelled up, disappearing into the darkness of the cafeteria.
Wait a minute…
Is this…?
She reached out, letting her fingers graze the strange thread before violently flinching back. She vigorously wiped her fingers on her pants, the familiar sticking sensation filling her with dread.
She stared at the supposed-thread with new eyes, realizing with a dawning horror what exactly she touched.
Oh dear god, how fucking big is it for the silk to be that fucking thick?
She pulled Saphris' hand away, shaking her head frantically and without thinking pulled out her phone aiming it up at the ceiling.
This is a terrible idea, but I need to see what-the-fuck we're dealing with, she thought just before she turned the flashlight on.
She almost dropped the phone, unable to keep the tremors from coursing through her body, and she scrambled to turn it off just as fast as she turned it on.
This isn't real. This isn't real. This isn't real.
It can't be.
How is that real?
She turned to Saphris, terror in her eyes—hoping she saw it too. The absolute horror in her friend's eyes said that yes, she saw it.
I can't do this. I can't do that. What the fuck was that?! How the fuck is that possible?
I can't. I just can't. The entire– she shivered, an instant itchiness crawling across her body. It hasn't even been 24 hours–
How has the entire ceiling been overcome by webs?
The flashlight may have only been on for a moment, but that instant was seared into her brain forever.
She always thought her worst-fear-come-true would've been seeing a so-called 'ghost tree' in-person, or going to Australia and seeing a giant fucking Huntsman.
This was much, much worse.
Webs seemed to cover every inch of available space, thick silk strands reaching across the myriad hanging lights—
overlapping with each other again and again and creating thick, opaque layers.
It stretched the length of the massive room, and the 9-foot gap between the lights and the ceiling? Gone. Eaten up by webs.
I never thought I'd see one of those 'colony' webs. Never wanted to see…
How am I supposed to go in there knowing that is above my head?