Odessa High Slaughter

2-Stephanie

    That night, after I had cried myself asleep, I dreamed that I was at school.  It was eerily dark.  I kept hearing a scream.

    "Hello?" I know, I'm ridiculous.  I fearfully walked the halls because I felt as though someone was watching me.  Then someone started chasing me.  I tried, with all my might, to run away but he stayed close behind me, lashing his knife at me.  I threw random hall items behind me hoping that he would trip but he kept after me.  I kept turning corners hoping that I would lose him, when I finally turned my last corner...  A dead end.  I turned around as the guy turned into the hall.  We exchanged silence and then he lashed out at me thrusting his knife.

    I jumped awake, my bed drenched in sweat, or tears.

    I had a hard time getting back to sleep.  In the morning I slugishly got ready.  School started silently slow, some people were talking about what happened and I couldn't help but hear it.

    "I heard that she was decapitated." A girl said, passing by.  Apparently no one felt threatened or vulnerable after what had just happened.  In other words, besides the school faculty, the whole school carried on like it usually does.

    "Nathan," I focused my attention on Debbenie who was now standing in front of me.  "Do you have it?"

    "Have what?" I asked.

    "You're story." She answered.  I handed her the notebook I was holding.  "Thanks." She went to her seat and opened it, reading silently.

    When the bell finally rang I headed to my next class.  I sat down next to the seat where Destini used to sit.  I turned on the computer and the fax machine and as soon as I turned it on, it sprouted another message:

    After the first incident came another.  This one found gutted in a vending machine.

    I looked around to see who could have sent it, but no one was in the room yet.  I got out of my chair, grasping the paper and headed to the office.  I walked in to find Stephanie talking to the principal.

    "I saw it happen!" She screamed.  "She was dragged into the bathroom by someone wearing a black hoodie.  He pulled out a big knife and started..." She motioned her hands like sawing.  "Then he just pulled her head off and blood went everywhere.  That's how it got me."

    "Well, then, how did it get on you if 'he' didn't even know you were there and why did you just happen to be in the restroom at that time?" The pricipal asked.  Finally he noticed me.  "Can I help you?"

    "Nothing." I managed.  Quickly, I turned and left.

    "Nathan, wait up." I turned to see Stephanie running up to me.  "Did you hear that?"

    "Yeah." I already knew who and what she was talking about.  "Um...  I gotta go to class." I rushed away before she said another word.

    That night I had the same dream.  The only strange part was that I was the guy with the knife and I was chasing the person that was suppose to be chasing me.  Another strange point in my dream was that I lost him after a few turns.  The most interesting thing was the second part of my dream.  Destini and I were at lunch together in the cafeteria along with many other people playing catch with a wadded napkin, when it flew over my shoulder.  I leaned over to pick it up from the floor and when I turned back around I was in the dark cafeteria alone.  Dim blue light poured onto my table barely lighting the place up.  I looked around and I jumped at the sound of one of the doors slamming.  I looked towards their way to see Destini on the other side of in the brightly lit hallway, waving at me.  I got up and walked over to the doors.

    "Come on." She said, and at her command I tried the doors.  They jiggled loudly.  Locked.

    "I can't." I said, still shaking the door.  I looked down at the key slot and noticed the key on the floor below it.  I picked it up and when I lifted my eyes back to Destini--

    "Behind you!" I screamed as the hooded figure drew close behind her.  She turned and screamed as he dug his blade into her chest.  "Destini!" He grabbed her and threw her across the hall.  Panicing, I tried to get the key into the door.  Finally I was able to turn the key and push the door open rushing into the, now dark and empty, hallway.  "Destini!"

    My eyes shot my eyes open and I was sitting straight up.

    I arrived to school early as I walk through the doors.  The halls were empty, as they usually were early in the morning.  I lazily walked through the halls, on the way to my class.  That's when I met Stephanie, also cruising the halls.

    "Hey, Nathan." She said as she approached me.

    "Hey." I answered.  "What are you doing?"

    "Nothing, just walking around." She started walking slowly and I followed.

    "Exploring the school?" I asked.

    "Yeah."

    "Why are you here so early?"

    "My mom had to take my little brother to school so I just asked her to bring me."

    "Hey what were you talking about when I was in the office?" As if I didn't know.  "Were you talking about Destini?"

    "The girl who died?" I nodded slowly. "Yeah, I was there when it happened.

    "Tell me."

    "Well, I went to the bathroom, you know too...  Anyways I was in there when the guy in a black hoodie, with the hood on, started dragging her in there.  He was dragging her violently so I just stayed quiet.  Then he pulled out a knife and just started cutting at her neck.  Blood just started sparying everywhere.  It got all over my pants."

    "And he just left her there?"

    "Yeah, when they came, they found me in there and thought that I did that to her.  They only let me go because I didn't have the weapon." After she stopped talking I realized that we were outside.  "Hey I have to go to the bathroom, I'll be right back.  Wait here for me." I stood against the wall as she went into the building.

    After fifteen minutes waiting for her, I went inside.  Then a scream shot through the hall, piercing the silence.  I hurried to who had screamed.  I turned a corner and saw Austin on his back and on the floor, horror onhis face.  He stared fearfully at the vending machine in front of him.  He looked at me, scrambled to his feet, and ran passed me, his keys jingling as he left.

    "Austin!" I cried, but he quickly fled from the area.

    I turned back around and looked at the machine.

    This one found gutted in a vending machine.

    I slowly made my way to it with the frightening thought in my mind.  When I got in front of it, I couldn't believe what I saw.

    "Stephanie!" Her body was crammed into the machine against the glass.  Her guts and other unmentionable carnage filled the bottom of it.

    People came running in to see the mutilated body.  I couldn't believe that this would happen twice.  I pushed through the crowd and headed to my computer class.  As soon as I walked in the fax shot out another sheet.  I snatched it from the machine and read it.