The Angel of Death

prologue

A late glow glided over the face of the school building as the sun proceeded to descend. I wiped my eyes as I yawned, wondering how long it would take for my mother to arrive. The schoolyard stood eerily quiet in stark contrast to the noisy bustle of the day. I checked my phone to confirm my mom's location: still thirty minutes away. I sighed as I stood up, lugging my backpack off the ground. I pondered whether to call her again but decided against it. She would only respond with a barrage of furious complaints, giving me a stern lecture on how I was irresponsible and reckless for missing my bus. 

If only I hadn't missed it! I would be at home right now with my sister enjoying a scrumptious meal together. 

My mouth watered at the thought of food. Smoked salmon, cream cheese, and cucumber all enveloped in a fluffy layer of rice and seaweed. Or maybe a nice savory broth brimming with a web of noodles daintily covered with delicate slices of beef. I covered my stomach embarrassingly as it emitted a faint rumble.

Regardless my hunger distracted me from a more foreboding thought that I tried to push away into the deepest crevices of my mind: I was stuck here--alone by myself--at night. Although I had missed the bus plenty of times before, it was the first time I was here alone after the sun had set. Usually, the school hosted festivities and other events, but as the day grew shorter and colder, the crowds that used to gather together on the after-school campus dwindled until it was completely now (except for me, of course). 

As the shadows crept closer, my wild imagination flew out of control. Every rustle or creak sent an icy tingle down my spine as I pictured what sorts of dreadful horrors laid in store for me. I paced around the courtyard seeking to restrain my active mind, when I suddenly heard a loud splash. Immediately, I froze in place as my heart skipped a beat. What was that? 

But then I noticed a series of high-pitched yelps following the splash. Was it just a dog? I was slightly relieved and waited for the noise to subside but it didn't. What if it was in trouble? I dropped my school bag and decided to investigate the source of the noise.

I quickly ran down and reached a smaller building with a giant unsightly banner: "GO TIGERS AQUATICS". I never learned how to swim but I remembered waiting here for my friends to finish their diving practice. The door was unlocked and slightly ajar. That was unusual. Could someone have forgotten to lock it? Perhaps that's how the dog accidentally wandered in. I quietly stepped inside the facility and surveyed the scene. It was awfully quiet. An overpowering wave of stench attacked my nose as I lurched backward, my head spinning dizzily. I clutched my abdomen as a sickening feeling spread throughout my body. Before me was a crimson sea of death; floating in the middle of it was a motionless lump of fur. As if entranced in a hypnotic dream, I took a dazed step forward. A deafening thud awakened an instinctive fear inside of me as I realized the door had just been shut. I rushed towards the door, but even before I reached it, I knew it was a fruitless attempt. I had already heard the uncanny click of the lock. My breath grew shallow and tears stung my eye as my chest contorted painfully. I staggered hopelessly back towards the scene of the massacre. Littered around the floor were dismembered parts of animal corpses. Some looked fresh and were collecting puddles of blood while others were older with dried clumps of matted fur. My body trembled as I stood near the edge of the pool. This can't be real. Maybe this was all a dream and I will wake up soon and it will all be over and I'll have a good laugh over it with my friends. 

I closed my eyes and desperately prayed for this nightmare to end when I felt an icy tap on my shoulder.

"Tag, you're it!" A chorus of childish giggles accompanied the ominous phrase. I fearfully turned my head around only to be forcefully pushed into the gaping abyss. I frantically flailed my arms about as the metallic taste seeped into my mouth, and then my nose, and then it was everywhere, seeking to choke me with its excruciating grasp.