Heavy footsteps thumped across the cool linoleum flooring, punctuated by panicked breaths. A child curled up beneath one of the many lockers, arms wrapped tightly around his legs as though making himself smaller would erase all chances that he might be seen. The lights above were flickering violently, providing short bursts of vision for the stranger storming the school corridors. At nine at night, there was nobody else around to see the fear in the child's eyes as he was approached by the darkly clad man.
"It's time," he growled in a low, husky voice which made the hair on the child's neck stand on end. The ill-lit corridor only revealed the slightest details; sleek, dark hair made all the more prominent in comparison to pallid skin; an old leather coat far too short for long, lithe arms; and the unmistakable shine of a blade jutting out of his belt. "You knew it would come eventually. He told you. We told you. Time has come."
The child whimpered, peering up with watery blue eyes that spoke volumes of the fear preventing him from moving an inch. "I'm sorry. I'm s-s-sorry. I didn't mean to, really. Please, sir. Please, please, please."
A booming laugh bounced off the walls, followed by the distinctive thump of a body hitting the floor.
"He never even stood a chance."