One after Another

Chapter 3- That Is No Joke

Foot-high, reddish-brown word 'LEAVE' was daubed on the wall. They were written with blood, and even though everyone couldn't see well in this dark, they could make out that the blood dried, indicating it was written a while ago. Bloodstained spots were all over the ground. Everyone was too shocked to speak and could only hear the wobbly sound of the rocking skull against the ground. As the vomiting smell welled up their nostrils once more, the group had had enough. They bolted towards the exit, greatly traumatised by the scene. They didn't care if teachers were out there anymore. All they wanted was to escape this burning hell.

When they arrived outside, the sun had already set. The appearance of silky, smooth collisions of sky burst red and yellow in the night's calm. The complete opposite of what had just happened. They took a seat outside the school, processing the 'adventure'... more like the walk to the netherworld. Of course the teachers would not let the students in that hall.

"I take it back, between hallway and teachers. I choose teachers," breathed Kenneth, still shaken by the event.

"It's getting late — let's meet up next week," said Max, voice quivering a little. "How about the MolMall?" There was not even a slight squeak. "Come on, cheer up! MolMall it is!" Max forced a smile, trying to lift everyone's spirits, even though he was also greatly affected by the event..

After they finally caught their breath, they bid goodbye and went home. After they had gone separate ways, a sinister shadow shot past and followed Max's way to his home.

It was the middle of the night. Natalie was getting a thrill out of her dreams. She was just strolling along a sidewalk near the beach, wind ruffling her soft hair. But not to her amusement, the scene changed with a quick snap.

It had transformed into a dark and spooky hallway, similar to the one she and the others visited. The skeleton's knees began to crack. The lumbar spine started to locate itself and adjusted its position. The spine straightened up. Soon, the bones were on their feet — headless. The rocky skull rolled and rolled, and with a final jump, it landed right on top of the cervical spine. It snarled at Natalie and launched itself on top of her. The bulky weight of the skeleton was crushing on top of her like a machine. When she was about to suffocate, she woke up with sweat dripping all over her face.

"Geez," wiping the exudation off. It was the worst night ever, and she couldn't wait for morning's arrival. But, Natalie knew there were going to be more desolate nights.

After several nights of sleeplessness and terrible nightmares, the discussion day between the gang finally arrived.

Early in the morning, Natalie applied some makeup, wore a T-shirt with tight jeans which wasn't too complicated, as she wasn't going to go somewhere too important. With this outfit, she went out to MolMall.

When she was about to enter the mall, her phone rang. Max had video-called them, trying to spread his enthusiasm and excitement to the others.

"Guys, where are you? I have arrived!" exclaimed Max, smiling and moving the camera to show where he currently was.

Yet, contrasting Max's excitement, Natalie narrowed her eyes, evident that his behaviour completely irritated her. Under the large, babbling face of Max, there were small rectangular windows showing her companions' faces. Natalie saw Joyce's forehead with her background blurred. Ali was seen fiddling with some sort of a machine before turning off her camera in a hurry. Patrick and Kenneth were surprisingly the only ones who showed their faces, but with a judgemental attitude.

"Come on, guys. Cheer up!" exclaimed Max.

His futile attempt in cheering them up irritated Natalie even more. She turned off her webcam, and the others followed the same action. Max was wandering around the mall, adding a little bounce in his steps. Suddenly, the lights were fluctuating; there were weird buzzing sounds and he was feeling uneasy, increasing his pace to the elevator. Through the camera, the screen was shaking a lot and the noise was fuzzy. He stumbled and fell, then he tried to get up, the elevator sparked and malfunctioned. The camera was instantly upside down, taking a shot of his clumsiness. He was lying headfirst, upper body in the elevator but the lower part outside it. Its doors were getting closer and closer, at last closing with a snap.

When seeing the terrible situation Max was in, the others raced to the venue to help him. When they found him, the lift was about to go up with him. The others tried to pull him back to the ground, along with other passersby. As they yanked and pulled, Max began to scream in agony.

No matter how hard they tugged, it did not help. The lift kept rising. High-pitch screams echoed around the mall, attracting attention from people who were just having their daily shopping time. Blood splattered everywhere. Max had been sliced in half. The lower half of the corpse fell on top of them. As the blood leaked out from the body, the metallic scent welled up their nostrils.

Some vomited. Some were gagging. But all were disgusted and revolted. Natalie couldn't believe her eyes. Joyce had paralyzed, her mouth trembling vigorously. Patrick was covering his face, trying to find a place to hide from this horror. Ali was curling together, tears streaming down her face. Kenneth's eyes were as big as a goldfish, shocked at what happened.

The once excited and enthusiastic boy who just wanted to make everyone happy was now destroyed.

Not long after, the police arrived. The gang was taken soon after to the police station like lost sheep and asked many questions.

"How are you related to the deceased?"

"We're classmates," Natalie answered, eyes narrowed, facing the police.

"Friends?"

"I don't have friends," she stated coldly, giving a cold-eyed stare.

Meanwhile, Joyce was having a tough time.

"What were you doing when he died?"

"I-I wa-was p-p-pulling—"

"Pulling?"

"I-I" Joyce wrapped her hands around her head and was unable to form words. Her lips trembled, and she shook as if she was under a lot of pressure.

On the other side, Ali talked about how she went to the mall and how Max was chattering non-stop, which was classified as useless information.

Patrick, being his usual self, said nothing.

" Why were you going to the mall?"

"..."

The only one who provided some practical information was Kenneth.

"Mr. Madom, what was your impression of the deceased?"

"He was annoying and over-enthusiastic. But he was a kind and optimistic person."

"What were you doing when he died?"

"Pulling his leg, trying to get him back down."

"Did your group have any special events that may cause him to die?"

"..." Kenneth was debating whether he should tell the police about the hallway exploration. His memory flashed before him. He could never forget her genuine smile.

"No. There was nothing of that sort."

After a long hour of questioning, the gang left the station and went to the nearby park to calm down.

"Ma-x wa-s a — h-he—— " Joyce stuttered, fiddling with her fingers, which was visibly shaking... a lot.

"He was annoying. But he was optimistic and kind to us," Kenneth started. "He didn't deserve this."

"It was an accident," Ali said, "no one wanted it to happen."

"Do you all remember what the headmistress said at the opening ceremony?" asked Natalie, a huge frown on her face.

"Why do you have to bring up that old hag?" Kenneth asked, annoyed about the mention of the devil head.

Natalie pursed her lips before speaking, "because she once said, anyone who entered the hallway ..." She couldn't bring herself to say the next word.

"Will die," Ali continued, with a solemn look on her face. The others gaped, remembering the 'old hag's words. "A painful death."

"Well, that is certainly no joke," said Kenneth, the first to recover from the utter shock.

Author's Note: Two chapter in two days! I'm so proud. So if you like this chapter, even a teeny bit, please vote and comment! Thank you so much and see you next time!