Deathless [ON HOLD]

Chapter 2

The weird man at the car accident. The whole school in danger. The mysterious teacher.

I run like my life depends on it. I run from my past and my problems. But I know I can't run forever. I can't be a coward forever. I grit my teeth and come to a stop. "Do something." My voice trembles, betraying me.

The entire school is a danger zone and I only have a few minutes to find a way of getting everyone out.

I pace back and forth, contemplating possible solutions. There's no time. My arm reaches out with a mind of its own. I do something a useless person like me would never do.

I pull the lever.

Students file out of their classes as the fire alarm rings out, excited by the idea of free time. For all they know, this is just another drill.

Thick smoke snakes around them, reminding me of their impending doom. The little demons have begun to arrive at the scene, scouring the school for their next meal. I can only hope that there isn't a buffet in store for them.

"Leave," I say in a shaky whisper, "Leave before something disastrous happens."

I let the crowd pull me along, searching for the familiar mop of blonde hair. After a few minutes of searching, my eyebrows knot together.

A nearby conversation piques my interest. "I can't believe she actually went."

"Who went where?" I probe the source for more information, sounding more demanding than I mean to. It's the girls Claire was talking to before. They give each other a look and point in a direction.

"Claire dared us to check out the bathroom the girls disappeared from but we were too scared. She ended up going by herself," one of the girls explained in fake concern.

The other nods. "I told her it was a bad idea but she went anyway."

I bite my lower lip, a nasty habit of mine when I'm anxious. Why did Claire have to pick the worst possible time to disappear?

I mutter a 'thank you' and set off to find her. There's no way I'm letting someone close to me get hurt. Not this time. I'm stronger than I was before.

No one's dying today.

I swing open the bathroom door with renewed determination. The girls bathroom has a massive amount of death energy concentrated in this area, more than the rest of the school. It fogs my vision, making it hard to see in front of me.

I shudder as a wave of fear sweeps over me. The setting is eerily similar to every horror movie known to man.

With much difficulty I search the area, but the place is completely empty.  I check every stall twice, but no luck. Where could she have gone? A frustrated groan escapes my lips.

I turn to leave when I suddenly feel as if the air has become incredibly heavy. My breathing turns into ragged gasps of air. It gets to the point where I feel as if I'm suffocating – no, choking. I can already see my tombstone as I stumble back and gasp for air. Cause of Death? Choking on air.

Just as I'm on the verge of losing consciousness, a dominating voice resonates. "Demon Arts: first stage. Initiate!"

A boom sounds out after those words are spoken and I'm knocked backwards. The unknown force that gripped me has disappeared and I can breathe normally. All that's left is the ringing in my ears and the voice echoing in my mind.

My eyepatch is lost in the commotion, revealing my cursed eye. As a result, my vision grows stronger, allowing me to see that the death energy has become clearer and greater in number. Before I know it, I'm caught up in a vortex of death energy.