The Broken Slayer

Ch. 3 - If Only

Lily went about her usual day. She went to her classes and then lunch.

"Lily! Over Here!"

She turned around to see her friends, Grace and Keira. They already reserved a spot in the lunchroom. She trudged over, seating herself right next to Grace.

Keira and Lily were more acquaintances than friends. They only knew each other due to Grace's many attempts to get them together.

"During English, we were watching this documentary on Slayers. It was so cool!" Keira exclaimed as she played with her fork, spinning it on the table. "I don't understand how people look down on the profession. They're essentially heroes."

She eyed her fork as if it was a treasure.

"I know right? I heard door appearances are becoming more frequent these days."

Grace radiated happiness as soon as Keria mentioned Slayers.

They were gateways to a dungeon filled with monsters. Ten days after a door appears, monsters could seep into our world and wreak havoc. This is when the Enlightened ones come in to kill them before then.

"Maybe one of these days we can see one. It's always treated as an event whenever they appear."

Grace spoke with her mouth full. She stabbed her fork into the meat she was eating and continued talking, "If I ever get Enlightened, I'd just drop whatever I have to become a Slayer. Who cares about the money. I want to live on the edge."

Lily laid her head down on the table. She thought about the possibilities of the life Grace would live if she became a Slayer. It would either end in death, a decent life, or one filled with riches.

Lily knew that to Grace, becoming Enlightened would be her way out of the cycle they lived in. Go to school, excel in school, move to the next school, excel again, get an office job, and die old. At least as a Slayer, you would have a chance at fame and riches.

"We don't need to be Enlightened to live on the edge. Just become a murderer."

Keira laughed, smiling blissfully.

The corner of Lily's mouth curved upwards.

"Ha, yeah. Anything is better than this hell."

There was an awkward silence. Lily doesn't particularly like silence.

"I started reading ATLAD, by the way."

She spoke hesitantly.

"REALLY? OMG, IT'S SO GOOD RIGHT?" Keira exclaimed, stars dancing in her eyes.

"Did you get past the part where they f*ck up *insert spoilers of another comic/novel idea I have lol*?"

"Yes"

"When I saw him, I was like omg, he's hot... "

They chatted until the bell rang.

Just like that, lunch was over.

They packed their things and left the lunchroom. Lily and Grace waved their goodbyes to Keira. They headed to their last class together.

****************

Mr. J was sitting in the back of the room working on his computer. He looked creepy with all the lights turned off. The windows were the only sources of light that illuminated the room.

"Good afternoon, and last day of school before break," he said in a cheerful tone. "We'll be watching a movie today, so feel free to sit wherever you like."

"Awesome," Grace sang, responding with the same amount of energy.

Five hours of nonstop working was enough to turn Lily brain dead. A class just to relax was exactly what she needed.

Grace suggested they sit in the back of the room, furthest from the door.

Other students started pouring in as the bell rang.

Mr. J got up with a DVD in hand.

"I'll go ahead and play the movie. Now if you guys'll excuse me, I need to get something from the printer."

Mr. J switched on the projector. He grinned maliciously at first, but then quickly transformed it into a faint smile.

"Today we'll be watching a documentary on Slayers!"

The rest of the class applauded. Grace grabbed Lily's arm, shaking it in excitement. It wasn't a topic covered in our average curriculum, considering they only appeared no more than five years ago.

A gold door with the roman numeral five appeared on the whiteboard. Mr. J strode to the door, briefly walking in front of the screen to do so. He shut it rather loudly, but no one paid much attention. Everyone was captivated by the projection.

"March 12, 20XX. The first door appeared," the narrator uttered in a monotone voice. "It was a measly level five-door, a gold one at that. Little did the world know, this weakling would create a reaction so strong."

A shadow of a claw appeared on the screen, slowly morphing into a man. He was wearing gold and red armor, brandishing a sword in the right hand and shield in the left. "These types of people would face against the horrors that came through those doors."

Students were amazed. Lily wasn't particularly interested. She looked at Grace. Her friend's eyes beamed at the screen in awe.

Beep... Beep...

They were only a few minutes into the film when the PA went off.

"All students get in position for a lockdown. This is not a drill, repeat. All students get in position for a lockdown, this is not a drill."

Confusion spread among the students. They never had a lockdown drill during this period. In other words, they didn't know the procedures in this room. Mr. J wasn't back yet either. Some, including Lily and Grace, slowly stood up, while others hesitantly crawled under their desks. One kid even got up to turn off the projector.

Big mistake.

SMASH

A spear pierced through the window of the door, shattering the glass.

They all saw it.

The spear drilled through his head. Blood gushed out as the student crumpled to the ground. A puddle of red formed rapidly across the tile floor. Some classmates began screaming at the top of their lungs. Others had the audacity to pull out their phones and record it.

Suddenly, the door was kicked open. The thunderous boom from the impact stopped everyone in their tracks. Even the screamers shut up.

There stood a creature. It had blonde hair, eyes red as rubies, and a sharp smile. The monster marched into the room to retrieve its spear, wrenching the glistening blade out of the boy's skull. Two more followed close behind. They were no taller than average adult humans, though one of them was much larger, and wore more elegant armor.

Lily was horrified. The color drained from her face. Time seemed to grind to a halt as she turned to face Grace. She opened her mouth to speak.

Slice

Crimson red liquid splattered onto Lily's clothes and face.