The Queen of Death

Mara ~ 8

I turned up to my maths classroom after school for detention. The teacher was sat down reading through some papers when he looked up at me. He nudged his thick-rimmed glass up his nose and frowned. 

"Right, go to the cafeteria and there I want you to remove all the gum from underneath each table." My jaw slackened. He couldn't be serious? That would take me hours

"Are you serious?" I asked. He sent me a smile, one that made my stomach churn.

"Deadly." My anger bubbled as I stormed toward the cafeteria.

I had spent hours crouched on the floor removing gum. My back ached and my hands were sore. By the time I was done, it was late and the sun had set. The halls were bathed in moonlight. The building was abandoned, I was the only one in it. 

I grabbed my school back and walked out of the cafeteria, turning the light off behind me. My footsteps echoed down the hallway. I used my phone torch to see where I was going. The silence was eerie. The feeling of being watched intensified. I needed to distract myself.

 I checked my phone, there was a text from Tyler telling me to call him so that's what I did. Anything to take my mind off of the chill that ran down my spine.  

He picked up almost instantly.

"Hey Ty, I've just finished scraping gum off the tables." I heard him make a gagging noise.

"That's disgusting. I can't believe he made you do that." I chuckled.

"Neither can I." An awkward silence followed.

"Mara I wanted to apologise for pushing you early." He said. I knew he was talking about when I snapped at him.

"No, it's my fault I shouldn't have snapped. It's just that I've been really stressed recently. I'm sorry." He sighed. I lied to him again. I turned the corner and my heart stopped beating.

A figure caused me to freeze mid-step. The figure was large and hunched over. I sucked in a breath as it scurried around the corner. The sound of sharp nails on the floor bounced off the walls. 

"Ty. I've got to go, see you tomorrow." I didn't wait for a response, I just hung up.

Fear coursed through my veins as I slowly walked down the corridor. My heart raced in my chest as I approached the corner the figure went around. I pressed my body against the wall and slowly looked. 

There was nothing there. 

I was about to step into the corridor when the figure returned. It stepped into the moonlight. I held in a scream at what I saw.

The figure was covered in thick black, scaly skin. It stood hunched over, its long arms dangling by its side. Long dark nails trailed along the floor as it walked forward. It had thick legs and a long, bony tail. 

My body began to tremble. 

Its back was facing me and from what I could tell it was covered in scars. What was this creature? 

A loud ring echoed out from my pocket. 

SHIT. SHIT. SHIT. 

I silenced my phone but it was too late.

The creature's head snapped in my direction. Blood red eyes connected with mine. A fanged smile spread across the monster's face as drool dripped off its chin.