The Day Death Died

The Day Death Died - Chapter 14

I stood near the maintenance shed, my breath coming in ragged gasps, my body shaking. Tears stung my eyes, but I blinked them away, forcing myself to focus. I had to get back inside the school. I had to fix things. At least... with the souls. Edwin didn't care about them—he'd made that much clear. To him, they were just wandering spirits, insignificant in the grand scheme of death. But I cared. These were my friends, my classmates, and Alex. I couldn't leave them like this.

"Okay, Maddy," I whispered to myself. "Let's go."

I ducked down and crept along the tree line, my eyes scanning the area for any movement. The police were still patrolling the site, their flashlights cutting through the dark like searchlights. Investigators were hauling pieces of the building out, trying to salvage whatever evidence they could. The coroner had called in help from the next county over to handle the sheer number of bodies.

I could see the tops of the white tents in the parking lot, their presence a stark reminder of the horror that had unfolded here. Were they storing bodies there? Or just parts of the building?

The explosion had blown a massive hole in the back of the school, and the only thing covering it was a flimsy tarp. It flapped uselessly in the wind, barely concealing the gaping wound in the building. I dropped to the ground and army-crawled toward the hole, every muscle in my body tensing with each inch I moved. I couldn't let them see me. Not now. Not while I was doing this.

I reached the edge of the hole and crept inside, pulling the tarp back as quietly as I could. The school was eerily silent, the walls barely standing, debris scattered everywhere. The smell of burnt wood and scorched metal lingered in the air, a haunting reminder of the destruction.

I stood up slowly, taking a deep breath. My stomach twisted as I realized where I was.

"Shit. It's the gym."

"You shouldn't be here," came a cold voice from behind me.

I jumped, spinning around to see Edwin standing in the shadows, his expression as unreadable as ever.

"Stop doing that," I muttered, trying to calm my racing heart.

"Doing what?" he asked innocently, his tone bordering on mockery.

"Just... appearing. It's creepy."

He shrugged. "A perk of being Death."

I rolled my eyes and jumped down from the stage area onto the gym floor. The wood creaked under my weight, the entire floor feeling unstable. It felt as if the ground was giving way beneath me, and for a moment, I wondered if it was. This whole place was on the verge of collapse—physically and spiritually.

"What's the plan if you find Alex?" Edwin asked, his voice casual, but I could hear the edge to it, as though he already knew what would happen.

I swallowed hard, not wanting to admit how unprepared I was. "I don't know. I'll try to talk to him, I guess."

"Talk to him," he repeated, almost as if the idea amused him. "Okay. Let's go find your boyfriend." With that, Edwin jumped down from the stage and walked toward the hole in the gym floor where the explosion had ripped through the foundations.

I followed, trying to stay quiet, watching out for any police officers who might be patrolling nearby. The last thing I needed was to get caught in the middle of this mess. But part of me wondered if getting caught would be easier than what I was about to face.

The hole looked deeper and darker than it had before. Edwin disappeared into the shadows without hesitation, his movements almost too fluid, like he belonged in the dark.