Toralei rushed to her locker as soon as the bell rang. She always had to do this. She didn't regret it, though.
A short, pale girl with shoulder-length, light brown hair and green eyes, she had always been quiet. She didn't like crowds, and she preferred drawing in her notebook to talking. She didn't talk much. Some thought she was mute. She definitely wasn't, though. She always had a slightly mournful aura about her, as if a beloved pet of hers had died.
A lanky boy, a year older than her, blue-eyed and black-haired. He strolled up to her as if he didn't have a care in the world. "Why are you always in a hurry?"
"None of your business, Drake."
"Hey, I thought you were my friend. Can't you even tell me this?"
It was true. Toralei had met Drake in first grade, and they'd agreed on everything, right down to the ugly wart on their teacher's nose. They at first thought she was a witch. Things had changed since then. Everyone thought the two of them were dating (those immature idiots) and they'd stopped hanging out as often. Still, they were friends. And friends don't lie to each other.
"I'm sorry, Drake. I would if I could."
"Why can't you?"
"I can't tell you that, either."
"Can't you tell me anything!?" Drake crossed his arms. It was the same argument every day. Toralei always dodged his questions, and he'd give up and go home. Not today, he thought to himself. Not today, Tora. He turned around and walked away, down the hall to the buses. When Toralei darted off, though, he stole after her.
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Toralei kept glancing over her shoulder. She had a feeling that someone was following her. Whoever it was, they'd be better off at home. This was no walk in the park. To be safe, she took the longer route to her destination. He wouldn't be happy... he was not a patient person...
Finally, she arrived at the end of her walk. A tall house with high windows leered from the top of a hill. It looked eerie against the cloudy sky. Toralei shuddered. She had never liked this place, even if it was their best option... The rumors of children occasionally going missing only helped keep the place shrouded in secrecy...
At the same time as Toralei walked to the menacing gate, pulled out a key, and unlocked it, Drake was thoroughly confused. Why on earth would Toralei come to this place? It was dangerous! There were stories told sometimes, about kids going missing... Being found later, their bodies mutilated, slashed open, guts gouged out... He had to follow her. So when she disappeared inside, he pulled the gate open just enough to slip through and did just that, dashing to the safety and shadows of the porch.
As he stepped inside, he heard a whisper. It was too quiet for him to make out, but he got the feeling that it was about him. Soft, pattering feet seemed to follow him through the house. Once in a while he heard a stifled floorboards creaked with every step he took, and once or twice Toralei glanced back. She seemed intent upon finding something, and sure that it was just through the door, at the end of the hallway, at the top of the stairs...
The door squealed in protest as it was pushed open, and Drake could see a figure standing at a window in the fading light of afternoon. Messy black hair fell to its shoulders, and it wore a white sweatshirt with dark pants. As Toralei opened the door, the person turned, and Toralei was met with a face unlike any other. "Hello," spoke Jeff the Killer.