I sighed as Ethan walked briskly up to me, grabbing my shoulders and forcing me to the floor.
"You bastard!"
"What is it now?!" I hissed, pushing him off me. Tears rolled down his cheeks.
"Ryan has been killed!"
"What!?" Me and Katia shouted at the same time.
"Ryan is dead and its all your fault! I bet I'm next aren't I?! I'm gonna be murdered just like them because of you!"
"Shut up will you?!" This time it was Katia's turn to shout, "Stop blaming Ryuu! He has done nothing wrong! You think he wants this to happen!? Stop being an idiot! Why would he have told us his secret and gone through those awful punishments if he was just going to watch us die!?"
I had to admit, she was good at arguing. Ethan was lost for words at her sudden outbreak, and he flopped onto his bed, which would now only have one occupant; the top bunk was going to be strangely empty now.
"Look, I'm sorry,"he whispered after a while, "I'm just... Really scared."
"That makes three,"I sighed, "we're all scared, but pointing fingers helps no one."
"I see that now,"
I stood and walked across the room to his bunk, sitting beside him, "are we going to get through the night without you strangling me?"
"Yeah, yeah,"
Katia stifled a giggle, and I heard Ethan's stomach growl.
Checking my watch, I almost flipped.
"Argh! We missed dinner!"
"Nooooo!" Ethan dropped to the floor holding his stomach and Katia groaned. At that moment, the door opened to reveal Karl carrying three takeout pizzas.
"Idiots skipping dinner, look what I had to do!"
Leaping from his place on the floor, Ethan was a blur as he claimed one cheesy prize for himself, eating it with inhuman speed.
"Where's Ryan?" Karl asked unknowingly, glancing around the room, "apparently there's been two murders on campus, its not safe to be outside."
The three of us glanced tiredly at each other. I began to speak.
"Lily Appleton and Ryan Fall. These are the two students murdered,"
Karl's eyes grew wide and he shrunk back, "N...No!" He looked to Ethan and Katia for reassurance, but only found darkened gazes.
"I... I can't believe it..." he slumped to the floor, "Poor Ryan. I... I always nagged him to do his work... the last thing I said to him was... I can't even remember. I'm such a terrible friend!"
Karl ran from the room, only to return moments later.
"Actually, I think I'll stay here. I don't want to die just yet."
Mr Loin poked his head around the door, "No-one is to leave their rooms until further notice," he saw Katia on the floor, "I'm sorry, but you'll have to stay in here for tonight. Also, no-one is to leave campus as anyone could be the murderer. Currently, every student and teacher is a suspect."
"It was the guy who chased me." I whispered, "Don't keep everyone here for no reason."
He rolled his eyes, "and how would you know that?"
Well, would he believe me if I said I had been told by Lily's ghost that he was coming for me? No.
"I just do."
"Whatever. Just don't leave this room." he left to tell the others the same info. Glancing at Katia, I saw she was blushing lightly, probably from his words to her.
Glancing at the clock on the wall, I saw the time was half nine.
"What do you guys say we get an early night? This day has been hectic and it'll look better in the morning."
Everyone nodded, and we all began to get ready to go to sleep.
OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOO
I lay awake on the top bunk, finally allowing myself to cry for my lost friends. Everyone else had long since drifted off, Katia in the top bunk opposite mine, Karl beneath her and Ethan beneath me snoring. Sighing, I shut my eyes and tried to sleep, but to no avail. When I opened them again, a face was staring back at me. It was the man from earlier. Placing a finger to my lips, he tutted quietly.
"With me or all your friends die." I nodded and climbed from the bunk. He signalled for me to put some 'outdoorish' clothes on and I obliged, trying not to show that my hands were shaking as I fastened the buttons on my shirt. When I was ready, he jabbed the hilt of a knife into my back; a signal to walk. He marched me to the school gates, lifted me over, then motioned me to get into a black van parked there. Fear crept up my spine as he opened the back doors of the van and forced me in, closing the door and leaving me in darkness. Moments later, I heard the roar of the engine and the van sped off.
OoOoOoOoOoOo
Kicking what I thought was the door again, I jarred my foot and cried out in pain. The van had long since parked and I wasn't going to give up on my efforts to escape. I had to escape.
"Theres no use in kicking it," A voice nearby muttered, "believe me, I've tried."
The voice startled me; it seemed to be from a boy who was younger than me.
"You've been here... the whole time?"
"Yeah,"
We couldn't see each other but I found great comfort in knowing that I wasn't alone in that dark place. Crawling along the floor towards the voice, the van jolted into motion, sending me sliding into the door with a heavy thud.
"Are you alright?" the boy cried, and I heard him shuffle towards me. A small hand came into contact with my face.
"Hey, how old are you?" I asked, "why did they take you?"
I heard a loud sigh, "I guess it wouldn't hurt to tell you. I'm two hundred and eight. I was resurrected two years ago!"
My eyes widened. He... he was just like me. Another resurrected.
"They took me because I was resurrected. They're gathering all of us up, then killing us off because they think we are evil beings or something stupid... At least thats what I've heard them say."
My blood ran cold and I felt my breathing quicken, "Who are they?"
"They're the Serpents. And me... my name is Trent Smith, or, as I was known before I died, Taiga Yoshida!"
Everything went out of my head then. I completely reset. Only one name lingered in my head. Taiga Yoshida. Taiga Yoshida. Taiga... I let out a small wail, reaching for the young boy and hugging him tightly, leaving him gasping for air and crying out with confusion. I began wailing loudly, not caring anymore what he thought. I wasn't letting him go this time.
"Taiga... Taiga its me. Its Ryuu!"
