"Pool." Haru said, standing in the dirty, old locker room in Heavenly Host Elementary School.
"No, Haru, no pool," I told him, putting a hand on his shoulder.
"But Makoto….pool." Haru kept pressing me on the fact that there was a pool. We haven't seen it yet, but that was only because the door to the pool was locked. Haru was practically salivating at the idea of their being a pool in this hellhole. So far we had seen more bodies than we could count, some still in the state of decomposition. We'd been picking up their nametags along the way, hoping to look up their identities when we got home so we could contact their family to tell them that their relative is deceased.
"Haru, the door is locked. We couldn't even get there if we wanted to!" Haru just kept staring at the door to the pool with wanting eyes. I kinda felt bad for him. He has a special connection to water, whether it be in a pool, bathtub, and one time a fish tank. That was one weird afternoon!
I began to look around the room, searching for any keys. So far, we've found a handful of keys in a variety of rooms. The locker room was one such room. We also found ones to the janitor's closet, classroom 5-A, as well as the music room, which we can't seem to find anywhere in the crazy school. We've looked everywhere, but haven't made much progress with getting out of here. Haru doesn't seem to care though. He's always wearing his stoic expression, which is kinda disconcerting in this place. I mean, shouldn't he show a little fear? There's been some seriously scary shit here!
"Makoto!" Haru called from across the room. He was holding up something, but it was too small to be seen from this distance.
"What is it Haru?"
"A key. To the pool!" His voice perked up as he ran over to the door and quickly unlocked it. He ran outside, running towards the pool.
I walked outside, noticing the pouring rain. I was barely outside and I was already soaked to the bone. Not to mention freezing!
That's when I noticed the pool. Sweet Jesus Christ! This shouldn't be considered a pool. This should be a grave pit.
Floating in the sludge like water were countless bodies, all waterlogged and disgusting. Not to mention the countless pieces of wood drifting amongst the corpses.
Haru was already in the process of getting undressed. He was looking at the pool with loving eyes, apparently not noticing the sights that I was seeing.
"Haru! Don't you dare!" I screamed at him as I ran up beside him, holding him back from jumping in.
"But Makoto…" he whined, however, still keeping his emotionless face. But his eyes told a different story. He had a mission, and that mission was to get in this pool.
"No buts! Can't you see it, all the bodies! Plus, this pool doesn't even look like it's filled with water! You can swim when we get back, got it?!" I had never really been this strict with him before, but this is a matter of life or death. For some reason, I have a feeling that if he jumps in that pool, that he's never coming out.
Haru then took a good look at the pool, his eyes widening in the process. For one second, a flash of fear appeared on his face, but then was swiftly replaced with one of sadness. For the dead bodies or for the fact that he couldn't swim I didn't know.
"Okay," he finally responded, "Let's just look for keys and get out of here, I'm not feeling well." But I could tell that he was absolutely freezing, considering that he was in nothing but his swim shorts.
"Why don't you go inside and try to dry off. I think I spotted some towels in there somewhere." He nodded, picked up his clothing, and hurried inside, not even arguing.
I began to walk around the perimeter of the pool, not finding much except for rocks, wood, and...a key! Finally! I picked it up and studied it. It was fairly small, smaller than any of the keys I've seen here. I wonder what it goes to…
Suddenly, I heard a splash behind me. Turning around so quickly I felt like I would get whiplash, I saw small ripples emanate from a spot in the pool. Haru...wouldn't have...would he?
I rushed back inside, screaming Haru's name all the while. "HARU?! HARUU?! IF YOU'RE HERE, PLEASE, SAY SOMETHING!" Nothing. He must've jumped in! But why, I told him not to!
I went back outside to the pool, and something caught my eye that I hadn't noticed before. A door! I rushed over to it, pulling out the small key I grabbed earlier. Please, please let this work! I turned the key, and it easily turned. Opening the door, I looked for something, anything that could help Haru. It looked like this was the pump room...so there must be a valve to drain the water! Looking around I spotted a valve in the corner.
I quickly turned it, hearing the satisfying whoosh of the water rushing through the pipes. However, it abruptly stopped with a disconcerting smoosh sound.
Rushing back over to the pool, I looked for Haru in what was not an empty pool. I could see all of the corpses fairly clearly now, their bodies practically unrecognizable as humans because of the amount of water their dead bodies had managed to absorb. The bodies were a slight greenish color, and I felt myself going green from the thought of how putrid they were.
But I couldn't see Haru among the bodies, which was a good sign. Maybe he didn't jump in after all? Maybe he was lost in his own world again, not bothering to answer me what I had called? I prayed to whatever God was out there that Haru was perfectly alright, and not dead, but ALIVE.
But God must hate me. For as I thought those words, I looked at the drain, and where was there brought me to my knees in utter despair. Red, fresh blood was pooling up in the drain, spilling over the sides from the amount. And what caused this mass pool of blood? Why, only the mangled body of my best friend! I couldn't see his top half, but I could see his legs sticking up from the drain, countless wounds marring his once beautiful, swimmer legs.
This was...my fault...If I hadn't turned that valve, if I had just...dived in and tried to save him, then this wouldn't have happened!
But he's a great swimmer, so why did he not come up. He was under there for an awfully long time..a voice in my head was saving. And it was right. If I had gone after him, I would most likely have drowned along with him. So what?! another voice was saying, You would've both died, but now you're sitting here, alone, utterly alone...helpless, a coward. Too chicken to jump in after your...first love. All you wanted was to hold him, but now you can't, now can you?! How about you go pull his carcass from that drain and cuddle it, rain kisses upon it, all in vain. He can't feel love, he can't feel your love. He's gone, and it's all YOUR FAULT! Go hold him in your arms one last time….because you have to die. For repentance of your sins. You took a life, now you must take your own. It will feel good, pleasant even. The intoxicating feeling of a blade piercing your heart, breaking open the muscle, spilling your blood everywhere. Feeling your life force flow out of you like water from a faucet, until there is nothing left but your lifeless remains.
But Haru...wouldn't want me to do that! He would want me to get back and lead the swim club to victory! He died in a pool, I'm sure he must be happy of that, right?! He's in the big swimming pool in the sky! He'll be able to swim as freely as he wishes.
This was all I could say to myself to save myself from going wouldn't stop pouring out of my eyes. By now I was almost covered in Haru's blood, which didn't help my emotions.
After hours of sitting there, crying until my eyes could produce no more tears, I stood up slowly. I took one last look at Haru...and turned away. I can't stand looking at him anymore.
I tried to channel my inner Haru. No emotions, that's the key. Think about something else. The rest of the swim team! I wonder how Nagisa and Rei are doing? I hope they're alright. I couldn't stand to lose another friend….
Oh who am I kidding! I can't take it! He's GONE! I was going to tell him soon….maybe he loved me back!? We could've lived happily, had a wedding by a swimming pool or something, whatever he wanted! We would have adopted a lovely child, taught them to swim, go swimming together all the time. But...we can't now. He's a pile of mangled flesh, most likely going to decay soon like the rest of these fucking corpses! I hurried out of the pool, back into the locker room, and then into the entranceway. I banged on the door, trying to pry it open somehow, but it was like it was a decoration fixed to the wall. There was no use. I was going to die here.
All my dreams were crushed. Becoming a swimming coach, dating Haru, growing old...gone. I'd probably die of starvation, seeing as there is no food anywhere. I've accepted that now. I slid down the wall, thumping to the ground.
At least we'll be together in heaven…
Free Forever….
