(Of a) Dying Breed

Welcome to The Order, Alexis

Alexis sat outside of her assigned testing room, hastily reading through her notes one last time. At least she wasn't alone. Waiting with her was an entire group of grim-faced juniors and seniors, counting down the seconds until the exam proctor let them into the room so that they could take their final exam – waiting for the exam, the anticipate, was always the worst part. It sounded, from the murmurings of her classmates, that none of them felt truly prepared to meet their fate, but as the proctor arrived and let them filter into the room, Alexis hoped that she was more prepared than most; otherwise, the countless hours spent both in study groups and at home had been for nothing.

Faced with the exam itself, she began to feel jittery, her head pounding in time with the ever-present tick of the clock at the back of the classroom. Maybe she'd had too much coffee that morning? Maybe she hadn't had enough? She tried to ignore the frantic beating of her heart as a voice in the back of her head reminded her that a handful of wrong answers could mean the difference between four more years at Limbo University or a top-tier medical program.

She breezed through the multiple-choice questions – turns out that the study groups had been worth it – and was half way through the written portion of the exam when the headache that had been brewing since she work up became unbearable. She placed her pencil down and drew a shaky breath; in her nose, out her mouth. Running her hands over her face, she brought her fingers up to massage her temples and zoned out, concentrating on each swell of pain as it gradually melted away to a dull, non-distracting ache.

That was when she noticed the proctor's eyes on her. Self-conscious, Alexis grabbed her pencil and continued her written answers, successfully losing herself in the test and ignoring the proctor's attention. The sooner she could wrap up the exam, the sooner summer could start.

Only a smattering of test-takers remained when Alexis convinced herself that staring at her own finished exam wasn't going to miraculously improve her grade. She silently gathered her materials so as not to disturb anyone and made her way to the front of the class. The unwavering gaze of the proctor was on her again. She offered the woman a small, kind smile before averting her gaze and handing over her exam.

The sudden steel grip on her wrist almost made Alexis jump out of her skin, a startled sound escaping past her lips as her head shot up.

Black. The proctor's eyes were black, droplets of dark blood spilling past lashes to drip down her ashen cheeks. Around them, tables and chairs launched into the air as the linoleum floor roiled and cracked into odd angles. The hair on the back of Alexis' neck stood on end as a disembodied voice growled and the visage of the proctor faded away to reveal the smooth, grey face of a monster.

FOUND YOU!

Alexis screamed, wrenching her arm as she fell backwards over the uneven floor. The creature jumped on top of the desk as Alexis scrambled to her feet and ran out the door, yelling for help in the uncannily deserted hallways of the university. She could feel the monster hot on her trail as she raced through the once-familiar halls, their appearance mutilated and ever-shifting as she searched for the nearest exit, finally hurtling through a door and making it outside. Alexis sputtered and let loose an ear-splitting scream as more monsters clawed their way up from the concrete of the courtyard.

What the fuck was going on?

Kat yelped, grabbing her head in both hands.

"What is it?"

She looked up at her boss, wincing. "I don't know. A cry for help? I've never felt anything like it before."

"From Limbo?" Vergil pressed; his interest piqued. He hadn't heard anything.