Adrienne

4 - Hallucinating Love

As I left the cafeteria, I turned my flashlight on and started walking in the corridors. I was shining at the floor and walls. I was doing it until I saw stairs at the stairwell that led down. I was in the ground floor of the school but I don't remember seeing those stairs leading us down there. I was sure if it was dangerous to approach downstairs but I want to see more of it. I approached anyways and proceeded downstairs. I walked down the stairs and I arrived at the same floor as I've previously been.

"What the hell? Didn't I go downstairs?" I was confused, then again I walked down the stairs. I still arrived at the same floor. "What's going on?"

"You can't... go downstairs..." a deep teen-like voice was heard.

"Wh-who the fuck said that?" I was alerted, shining my flashlight at random areas to see if there was anyone.

"Behind... you..." said the voice. I looked back and saw a phantom sitting on the stairs that leads us to the upper floor. It was a male senior student, wearing an American-like high school jacket and black jeans. His hairstyle was a sideburn and had a slight facial hair. Horrifyingly, his neck had a knife wound that was bleeding. He looked real, but he is a hallucination.

"Who are you?" I asked, shining my flashlight at him.

"You... can't... go... down..." he repeated.

"Why not? I asked who are you?"

"Mark... my name... is... Mark..." He seemed to talk slowly due to the knife wound on his neck, probably.

"Well, Mark, why can't you let me go downstairs?"

"Help me... find her..."

"Find who?" I was guessing Adrienne at mind, but it wasn't her.

"My sweet... Ingrid... she... she is around here... she is... the one I need... to be with... forever... until eternity..." He still spoke slowly, but I'm again guessing that the girl, Ingrid, is his girlfriend. He gave me a locket. I grabbed it from him and opened it. The inside has a small picture of her, the girl he mentioned. They looked like a couple together, all sweet and innocent.

"Where can I find her?" I looked at him again.

"You'll be... able to... find her... in one... of the classes... in this hallway..."

"Okay, but I don't remember seeing you in the school before, are you... new?" As I was asking him if it was his first time here, I then realised that his neck was wounded. "Oh... never mind, but were you a student before in here?"

"Has the principal... told you... the story... of... The Murder... of 2001?"

"Oh shit... I know that story. I assume that you're one of the seven victims?"

"I was a Year 12... student here... Ingrid and I... were heartbroken... when we were murdered..."

"Don't worry, I will help find Ingrid for you. Are you sure she is in one of the classes in this hallway?" I pointed the direction, meaning I pointed at the west hall, he nodded. "Well, thank you, Mark."

"You don't need... to thank me... just tell her... I will be waiting..."

I depart from that part of the hallway and started searching for her. Her appearance in the locket picture was that she was wearing a cheerleader outfit with pompoms in her hands. She had a long brown hair, her bust size was average and she can be seen wearing a plastic headband.

There were about three classes in the west corridor of the first floor. Those were all actually Science Labs, labelled in numbers.

I entered the first lab, it had almost nothing but I wanted to check the room around anyways. I opened a few drawers at the teacher's lab table and a few others in the room. All I saw in the room were a model skeleton, the periodic table and shelves filled with unused beakers and flasks. I wasn't sure if a beaker or flask would help me but ignored it anyway.

I went out and entered the second lab. This time, someone smashed a window. There was also blood on some tables. In one of them, I saw microscope. The lenses were broken so I rather not poke my naked eye, it could probably be cursed or something. The same elements from the first lab were present here too.

I went out again and entered the third lab.

"WHERE THE FUCK IS MARK?" Ingrid appeared at the back room and started looking, shouting at me. I got scared and left the room immediately. What scared me the most was her appearance, where blood was all over her face.

"I... think that's Ingrid..." I said, panting and my heart was beating rapidly. I was still scared though but I decided to enter the third lab again. This time, she disappeared. "Wh-where did she go?" I saw a small pool of blood at the back of the room, known as the place where she... screamed at me. "Hey... are you here Ingrid? Your boyfriend... wanted me to get you guys back."

She appeared at my back. "Mark...?" she said, in a gentle manner. I turned and looked at her. I have the locket that he gave earlier, so I gave it to her. She opened it and she saw a picture of them together. Her tears were shed and she was smiling. "Mark... I... missed you..."

"He's waiting for you." I said, slightly smiling.

"Please, lead the way." She was eager. We both went outside to the corridor. At the distance, we saw Mark standing there, waiting for her.

"He's there. Go." I was officially smiling as the happy part will happen.

They both smiled at each other. They started running towards each other and hugged. Their hug lasted about longer, and started to hold hands. I went to them, seeing their faces in happiness. They were looking at me afterwards, Mark approached. "Thank you... so much..." he said, "Please... take this..." He gave me a key. "You are free... to go downstairs... use it when needed..."

"Thank you." I said. He went back to her, holding hands again. They walked away and was never seen again. "I didn't know hallucinating people can fall in love too."

I proceeded downstairs, finally it wasn't the same thing. It was a basement, which our school actually don't have one but it was probably part of the curse when it was there.