The Technique

Chapter 16: Decide

The knife sat quietly on my coffee table. I had been staring at it since Greg handed it to me. 

I couldn't understand why I even got that from him. I wasn't going to kill Kylie, neveŕ. 

I looked down at the laptop on my lap. Night at Jackville had been playing for almost an hour now, but I was never paying attention. No matter how I tried to stare at the screen, I couldn't be captivated since there were a lot of thoughts floating in my head. My lap had been heating from the laptop, but I didn't care. 

I told Kylie and Mike that I needed to rest. It was Sunday, but I felt restless. For sure, Greg's idea was haunting me. I would kill Kylie just to be on the top? That was completely insane. I also asked them if they had been investigating Greg, and they denied it. But the look in their eyes was telling me they were lying. I was certain they were keeping on the investigation behind me. I was sure they were only making the steps so that I would be able to focus on more important things. 

However, I felt like I wasn't at school anymore. The first day I entered the school, there was something mysterious that I still felt up today. And then Greg showed up to show off his gore technique. That very moment, I thought my whole life was all ruined. 

No, I needed to get up and bring the knife back to Greg before anyone caught me with it. 

I sighed and stood up from my bed. The sun was already setting outside my window. I slid the knife under my t-shirt and got out of my room quietly. I knocked on Greg's door. He immediately opened it. "What?" he asked, brushing his hair with his hands. He looked like he had just gotten up from a deep sleep. 

I made sure that no one was around before I got the knife out of my shirt and threw it in his room. "Are you crazy? Do you really think I'm going to kill my own best friend?" I revolted. 

He smirked. "You know what, I'm just testing your loyalty. Well, now, I see you're defying." 

"Well, shut up because I'm not going to listen to you ever again. Don't touch a single strand of my friends' hair or else---" 

"Or else?" He laughed weakly. "You're going to call 911?" He put his arms across his chest, had one look, and turned away from me. He was about to close the door when he stopped and turned around. "And one more thing, stop dreaming of being at the top anymore. I will be this year's top 1 again, and no one is going to drag me down, especially you. You lost your damn chance." He laughed before closing the door. He still uttered some words before the room drowned his voice out, "If you can't kill her, I will." 

Now, I was left hanging facing the solid door. The thoughts of hesitation and disappointment were coming back. I just wanted to see my dad. Why did I even come this far? 

The whole time after that, I stayed in my room and left my door open. I was thinking about what he had said before closing the door. I knew him. I knew he could kill my best friend. It would only take him a strong hand, a knife, and everything would be gone in a second. 

I thought I needed to do something. I stared at the hallway outside my door. By far, only three people had passed by. The whole building was hushed, as though ghosts were the ones living here. The sun was gone now, and the moon was doing its thing. I waited for Greg to pass by. I couldn't think of anything, but I had to do something to stop him. Then suddenly, a man in a black hoodie passed by my door. 

And I knew it was him. I quickly stood up and followed him. "Stop!" I shouted. 

He immediately turned around and smirked. "What are you doing in the middle of the night? Aren't you scared?" 

I found his tone insulting. I felt my hands forming into balls. My teeth were clenching when I spoke, "I'm not here to fight over something. But I thought you were right. I think I need to think more of myself now than my best friends." 

He looked at the wall then turned to me, completely baffled. "Wait, what? Are you actually telling me you want---" 

"Yes, I will... kill her," I uttered. There was a long pause after that. I felt the cold air entering my spine, and I almost hugged myself. I didn't know what I was doing. But I could find my way, for sure. 

He eyed me up then slowly pulled up a corner of his mouth. "I never expected it would turn like this." 

I walked up to him and snatched the knife from his hand. "I can do it alone." 

His right eyebrow elevated. "What? No, I will go with you and watch you do the whole thing." 

My fear started to creep up. He shouldn't see me do my plan. 

"No," I suddenly said, and I saw that he was a little suspicious. "I mean, I'm sure the guard is going to inspect the building anytime now. What if you get caught?" 

He laughed and looked around. "Now, you're concerned? Don't worry. I can run." 

I was speechless after that. I let my mind work, but I couldn't think of any reason for him to stay away. He was standing there waiting for me to kill my best friend. He stretched his hand and gave me a key. Kylie's key. I stared at the key and turned to him. "Where did you get this?" 

"No more questions. Just do it." 

But I thought he just used his connections to get the duplicate of this key just like how he got the knife. 

Now, I knew that Kylie's life was in my hands. And if I wouldn't do any actions, her life would be ending tonight. I stopped thinking about what to do. I started walking down the hall and let the situation take me wherever. We reached Kylie's room when some lights turned off. It made the whole place much darker. I looked at the cameras blinking in red lights. I was done for. 

I sighed nervously and opened the door with the key in my hand. I felt Greg gazing at me while I stepped into the room. I saw Kylie sleeping deeply, drowning her body in a thick blanket that she bragged about a lot since it was bought from France by her father. She was facing the opposite of the room. Her room was completely dark. She didn't leave a single lamp open. The window was safely locked. It was quiet that I could hear her breathing. 

I turned to Greg and saw him standing against the wall, looking at me, then checking around. "Just do it," he mouthed. 

The knife trembled in my hand. I needed to do something. But I would never harm Kylie in any way. I still felt the gaze at me when suddenly a man whistled in his song from meters away. 

I turned around and caught the light from the flashlight covering the hallway. 

The guard was there. 

Greg's eyes grew wider. He looked at his left then turned to me before running away. His loud heavy footsteps made me shake more. 

"Hey! Who's still up around?" the guard asked in his low voice. 

I heard his footsteps getting closer to Kylie's room. 

I crouched myself down beside Kylie's small drawer. I hugged my knees and let myself be eaten by the dark. The light came into Kylie's room. 

I could hear the guard breathing as he walked inside and let his flashlight inspect the whole room. 

The light almost got me, but I managed to stay intact and not breathe for a few seconds. I closed my eyes the whole time until I heard the door being closed. 

I let a sigh of relief and looked at Kylie. She was still bunking. But now, she slowly moved until she faced my direction. She'd catch me right away once she opened her eyes. 

Luckily, she didn't.