Dear Diary

27. LOOKING DEATH IN THE FACE

K E L L Y

I take my hand away from my mouth and attempt to steady my ragged breathing, kneeling as I reach out to place two fingers on the man's neck. I initially don't feel anything, then I realize it's faint, but a pulse is there.

I release a breath. Not dead, but out cold. I stand up, unlocking my phone to call the police.

A female operator answers. "Grovesville Police Department, what is your emergency?"

"My friends and I are trapped in a school," I whisper frantically. "Grovesville High. A woman is trying to kill us—"

The door swings open. I drop my phone in surprise as my eyes, wild with fright, meet Regina's menacing gaze.

"Did you really think you could hide from me?" she says.

That sense of paralyzation creeps back up on me. I can't move.

This is it.

Death and I are face to face and Regina is the vessel. She raises the gun, pointed directly at my face. I close my eyes, dooming myself to oblivion.

Now, Kelly! says a voice in my head, distant but desperate. Fight! Now!

I holler—an anguished, shrill battle cry, and with an unbridled rush of adrenaline I tackle Regina to the floor with all the strength I can muster. The gun flies from her grip and slides across the floor. I scramble to my feet and make a start for the gun, but she grabs my ankle, tripping me. I fall back to the floor and she pulls me toward her as I kick to break free.

"Get back here!" she rasps, flipping me onto my back and straddling me.

Before I know it her hands are wrapped around my neck. I gasp for air, using my fingers to try prying hers away, but her hold remains firm. My eyes water as I claw at her wrists and arms.

The knife.

I dive into a pocket with my left hand, pull out the switchblade, flick it out, and drive it into Regina's thigh. She roars, grip tightening around my neck, but I ball my right hand into a fist and swing at her face. She topples off of me when the punch lands, crying out once more.

I roll over, light headed, taking in large gulps of air. Tears drop from my face onto the floor. I stand to my feet as Regina lets out an enraged holler and is up in a flash, grabbing me and shoving me into an array of lockers, the back of my head smacking against one.

She grabs the knife's handle, still in her thigh, and pulls it out with a grunt. "Let's see how you like it."

She plunges the blade into my abdomen.

I gasp, grabbing hold of her for my only source of support as my knees buckle. The pain is unlike anything I've felt before. It's piercing. Searing.

"I've always liked you, Kelly," she says to me in an almost endearing fashion. "Sweet. Smart. But surely you understand why I can't let any of you live."

"W-What about J-J-Jerome?" I choke out.

"He'll see things my way," she says confidently. "A mother knows best."

"Y-You're crazy."

"Well . . ." She twists the knife inside of me, causing me to scream. "I'd rather be crazy than dead."

My vision blurs with tears, but I can see the smirk twitching at her lips as she slips the knife out. Overwhelming fear gives way to anger. I lash out with the last bit of fight I have in me, slamming my forehead against hers.