All she knew was that she had to run. The crowd of people followed her, or at least she thought they were people; they looked almost human, the same mouths, noses, and ears, but it was the eyes, the yellow eyes, that made them different. She continued to run towards the distant building, but the closer she got, the further away it became. Letting out a cry of frustration, she whirled about to see where the hideous 'people' were. They were right on top of her. Hopeless, she screamed as the people descended upon her, tearing into her flesh.
Holly awoke in her own bed, drenched in sweat. She sat up, gasping for air. Her skin was crawling from that awful dream. She calmed for a moment, breathing normally.
"It was just a dream." She muttered to herself, pulling the covers back over her body and slipping into an uneasy sleep.
"Holly! It's time to get up!" Yelled Mrs. Wilson. There was no response from Holly's bedroom. Mrs. Wilson called again.
"HOLLY!" She yelled, much louder this time.
"I'm up, I'm up," Holly mumbled groggily. "No need to yell."
Mrs. Wilson smiled and continued to pack her daughter's lunch. Today was an important day: the start of final exams at Kennedy High. Thankfully, Holly's first exam was Spanish I, her easiest class, so her lack of sleep wouldn't hurt her too much.
"How did you sleep, dear?" Mrs. Wilson asked.
"I had a nightmare, and after that I didn't get much." Holly said, stifling a yawn. "I hope it doesn't affect my exam grade!"
The moment after she finished her sentence, her father came into the kitchen, holding a cup of coffee. He kissed his wife, and then kissed his daughter on the cheek.
"What's this I hear about exam grades?" He said, jokingly. Holly grinned, and then checked the clock.
"I have to catch the bus," She said walking for the door. "Love you both!"
She hopped on the bus and took a window seat. At the next stop, her friend Viktoria Rawlins boarded and plopped down next to her.
"Hey." She said hurriedly. Her face was crammed in the textbook Introduction to Spanish 1. Holly shook her head and laughed, and then continued to look out of the window. She could see the air; it was hot and thick, like some kind of mask on the earth. At this time of the year in southern Georgia, it wasn't an uncommon heat. She turned back to Viktoria, who had sadly put her book aside and accepted her failure.
"What's up?" Holly asked.
"Well I am so not ready for this exam." Viktoria said, and they both burst into laughter. They had become friends through Spanish class, because Holly was good at Spanish, while Viktoria was horrendously bad. The bus finally halted outside of Kennedy High, and the students began to pour off the bus.
"I'll see you at the exam, Holly!" Viktoria called, and Holly waved her goodbye. She headed for her locker on the second floor so she could stash her stuff before the exam. Her portion of the freshman hallway was pretty packed, but she could pick out the faces of her other friends. First, Chip Radford and his sister, Cindy, then Izzy Holbrook and her boyfriend Brady Benton, who was also the star pitcher of the JV baseball team, Ali Pearsall from the volleyball team, and finally Harrison Fauth, captain of the water polo team and president of chess club. She waved hello to this mass of people, who all waved back, and continued to her locker. Principal Vickers came over the intercom.
"Students, please report to your exam rooms. We will begin testing in five minutes."
After this announcement, the hallway cleared rapidly, students skittering off to exam rooms. Holly headed to the cafeteria, where all the Spanish exams were taken. She walked in, received her exam, and sat down. After writing her name, the date, and all the other required information, the alarms went off.