Academy Murder Party

~:Chapter 53:~

"N-No..." Catherine gasped.

Yuki put a hand over her mouth in shock.

Jake winced at Eric's painful sobbing as he held the girl he loved into his arms, holding her for one last time, even if she was long gone by that point.

Amelia watched. Her mouth quivered as a tear fell from her cheek. She rapidly blinked, feeling the water leave her eyelids and waterfall down her cheeks, already covering the runny makeup that had previously dried on her skin. Claire could only put a hand on her shoulder to comfort her. Amelia barely reacted, keeping her eyes locked on the sobbing Eric, who held Danielle in his arms and buried his face in her shoulder.

"Ugh..." The girl on the ground next to Claire's feet softly groaned, making her immediately step back in fear as she gasped, looking down at the girl. The others, aside from Eric, turned to look at her. 

"S-she's still alive!" Claire gasped.

"T-That's pretty clear..." She groaned from beneath her veil. 

"That voice..." Catherine muttered. 

"Nice shot..." She grunted in pain.

"This isn't the time for jokes." Yuki hissed. "W-Who are you?!"

The girl grunted, placing her hands on the ground as she pushed herself upward and leaned against the back of a seat. Her hand rested on her stomach, where lines of crimson fell over her gloved hand. She sighed, using her free hand to lift her veil for the group to see.

Jake stared.

"Are you... shitting me?" Catherine asked.

"No way..." Claire muttered.

Amelia covered her mouth.

"Who is that" Yuki stared at the girl with a raised eyebrow. The veil reveals an unfamiliar face attached to pink hair tied in a tight bun, hidden beneath a hood. She looked around at the group, confused from their reactions of sheer confusion and surprise.

"It's... Nurse Lane..." Claire whispered.

"Nice to meet you, dear." The unfamiliar girl said with a grunt of pain.

"That's... the school nurse?!" Yuki asked. "B-But why?! How?!" Yuki looked around in hopeless confusion. It didn't make sense to her, and from the looks of the others, it didn't make sense to them either. She couldn't wrap her head around why a school staff member was in the game, killing people. Unless was it part of the game? Was it to speed the game along? She wasn't exactly sure.

"W-Who gives a fuck?!" 

Eric approached.

"She killed D-Danielle..." He sniffled. "WHO CARES WHY SHE'S HERE?!" He screamed, spit flying from his open mouth in sheer anger.

"Maybe she could help-" Claire began to say.

"HELP? SHE MURDERED MY FUCKING GIRLFRIEND! YOU THINK SHE CAN HELP?!" Eric screamed.

"Guh.." The girl grunted. "It... wasn't my choice." She mumbled, staring up at Eric.

"Look. I know you're upset and all." Catherine said with a sigh. "Trust me, I am too, but we're trying to figure out what the hell is going on here." Catherine crossed her arms. Her eyes remained glossy, like she was fighting back the tears beyond the facade of her calmness. Yuki could quickly tell she was barely holding it together, same with Amelia.

Eric took a deep breath, falling silent for a moment.

"No." He grunted. "She needs to die." He hissed, kneeling as he picked up the dagger Nurse Isabelle dropped as she was shot. He tightly gripped it in his hand, the veins bulging as he glanced up at her—pure malice and bloodlust in his eyes as he stepped forward. Yuki watched with widened eyes as he pulled his arm back, blade in hand, to drive it straight into Nurse Isabelle's gut.