Golden Murders

IX.

Hazels POV

28th October, 2015
10:00 AM

Placing the textbooks on the wooden table, I sat down on my bench. Today was murder day and everyone was deathly silent. So many murders, all at our school, and the killer is yet to be found. Fear bit at our backs as we sat down for class to start. Somehow, I felt safe having Mythra and Alexi be in the same class as me for once.

I felt the wooden bench next to me creaking. I turned my head to find Alexi seated beside me, her hand reaching out to hold mine. "It'll be okay." She gave me a reassuring smile. I nodded, even though I could see the clear amount of pain behind that one smile.

Classes began, but my mind was elsewhere. Why was it always me who stumbled upon the corpses first? It couldn't be mere chance, not every single time. The uncertainty of who would be the next victim loomed over us all. Would it be a teacher, a student, or even one of my friends? The fear of it being me was a constant weight on my shoulders.

The class went by as usual, the class was suffocatingly silent and Ms. Ross wrapped up her teaching for the day. Alexi was busy staring out the window while I bounced my leg nervously.

——*——

10:51 AM

The sound of the bell chiming broke through the menacing air, signaling the start of the next class. Mythra had to make her way to another classroom, leaving me and Alexi to our English lesson while she headed off to math. With a final smile, she departed, leaving a lingering sense of unease in the air.

The memory of our previous English teacher, who had been healthy just weeks before but was now gone, sent shivers down my spine. The image of her limp body, laying on the ground in a puddle of blood slipped into my mind, sending goosebumps crawling all over my skin.

"Open your textbooks to page 186." Our new teacher spoke. The sound of pages flipping filled the air, he then started the endless lecture.

I melted into the warmth of the sunlight that fell through the window. It offered the slightest comfort on a winter morning, which was enough to get my mind off of all these crimes. I turned my head back towards the class and saw Roseline Whitlock heading outside to use the restrooms.

Turning my gaze back to the professor, I struggled to focus once more. The memory of the stolen diary haunted me, raising questions that begged for answers. Why had the thief targeted Alexi's diary when there were more valuable items within reach, like the class funds in the locker?

Could it be by someone familiar with Alexi, or perhaps someone known to Alexi themselves?

——*——

11:05 AM

A few more minutes into class, the students were eerily silent, visibly quivering in fear. The silence added in to my uneasiness, I felt sick. I could feel a knot forming in my throat, threatening to make me gag. Unable to bear it any longer, I raised my hand and asked, "May I use the restroom?"

"Fine, but make sure to check on Roseline," the teacher replied without looking up from his book. "She's been gone for more than 10 minutes."

I nodded at his words and stepped out of the classroom, hands on my stomach. A wave of nausea wash over me as I left the classroom. My stomach churned with a mix of anxiety and dread, unsure of what was causing me to feel so sick. The stress of the past few days had taken its toll on all of us, considering the terrifying situation we're in.

A foul stench grazed under my nose, and at this point, I already knew what it was. My hands trembled, and beads of sweat formed on my forehead. With a sense of dread, I inched closer to the girls' restroom and cautiously pushed the door open, only to find it empty.

The anxious feeling in my stomach was gone, it was replaced with pure fear instead. My feet were planted to the ground, paralyzed in place as my eyes gazed around the restroom, unsure of what to do next.

"Roseline?" I called out, my voice quivering. "are you here?" My voice echoed through the silent room. No response.

I felt a knot in my throat again, I couldn't do anything at this point. I just stood there, hands shaking, and I prayed. I prayed that there wouldn't be another body, I prayed for all of this to end. I just wanted to hear Roselines voice so I didn't have to worry anymore.

The stench grew stronger, almost suffocating me with its smell. I stepped closer to one of the stalls, it's door was slightly ajar. I stepped closer and closer, the smell grew stronger with each step.

I reached a shaking hand out to the door, pushing it open.

A dead body.

Roseline Whitlock, once the most perfect girl in the school was sprawled on the floor, dead in a restroom stall. Her vacant eyes stared into nothingness and the soul sucked out of her. Blood soaked her uniform, and a swarm of flies buzzed around her, a brutal scene that chilled me to the core.

A gasp escaped my lips, my hands and legs trembling uncontrollably as shivers raced up my spine. I took a few shaky steps back, nearly losing my balance at the horrifying sight before me.

Then, I ran for my life.

Tears streamed down my face as I sprinted back to the classroom, my legs pumping as fast as they could go. My breath came in ragged gasps, and my heart pounded in my chest. The sound of my shoes squeaking on the polished floors echoed in the empty hallway as I burst through the door of the classroom.

I slid the door open and yelled at the top of my lungs, tears still flowing freely. "S-she's dead! Roseline Whitlock is dead!"

——*——

Next chapter comin late