Horror Story: Academy

Chapter 1 - I Like Your Hat, So Stalk Me Maybe

Illinois, USA, 1983 —

"I know I'm not allowed to kill," Joseph Howe spoke to himself, scraping the dried blood of his teacher off the skin of his forearm. It peeled off effortlessly under the stream of water that tumbled from the shiny faucet.

"I don't care if I'm not allowed to kill," he continued to converse with himself, rubbing the red off his pale skin, "I'll do as I please."

As the last of the scarlet liquid found its way down the sink drain, Joseph turned and dried his hands on a white towel, continuing to argue with himself on the matter of his actions.

"Why did you kill him?" he asked himself, "Why wouldn't you kill such a man? He was mean and failed me just because he didn't like me," tears began to stream down his face, "I just wanted him to like me. You never handed in your last geography assignment you idiot!"

He slammed his forehead against the mirror and continued to cry. The tears stung his eyes while he tried to come to consensus with himself.

"You're worthless!" he yelled into the mirror, staring into the creature that was himself, "Mr. Hawthorne would hate you even more if he'd stayed to see what you did to his body! What I did to that is none of your business."

Another student turned around the corner entering the men's restroom to find Joseph in his maniacal state on the floor with his arms covering his face in his lap. He froze in his tracks before trying to talk to the troubled boy.

"Why are you crying?" he asked, trying to view Joseph's pale face.

"Please, leave me be," Joseph cried softly.

"Should I get help?" the boy tried, in an effort to prompt Joseph to stop crying.

"No, I'm alright I just need to be alone," Joseph insisted, his face still buried in his lap.

"Can you at least tell me your name?" the boy asked quietly.

Joseph ignored the request.

"I'm gonna go get help. You stay here," the boy stated, standing back up from his crouched position. He turned to leave just as a metal pipe collided with the back of his head, sending him sprawling to the tile floor of the bathroom.

Joseph turned over the boy's unconscious body to stare down at the face that had wanted to help him. He'd never seen him around campus before.

"Why did you try to help me?" he asked the unconscious boy, "you don't even know my name."

Joseph lifted the boy's body so that his head rested in the sink he'd washed the dried blood of his teacher off in moments ago. He turned on the faucet, and with it came a stream of water that entered the unknown boy through his mouth and nostrils.

Joseph lowered his mouth so it was nearly touching the unconscious and soon to be drowned boy's right ear.

"My name is Red Hands," he whispered, "and no one can help me."

* * * * * *

Illinois, USA, Present Day —

Lily stuck her head out of the car as the rest of her body followed. Her mother opened the driver's door of the jet black automobile to exit it and walk next to Lily towards the doors of the Richard Victoni Academy for Youth.

"Are you nervous?" Lily's mother asked her as the two walked in the autumn breeze. Lily's black hat flopped against the wind as she listened and ignored her mother.

"I don't even want to go to this effing school," Lily stated firmly.

"I know honey," Lily's mother spoke softly, pretending to care.