"N-nng…"

Isabelle squeezed her shut eyes even tighter, groaning. She exhaled as she slowly opened her eyes, her body stiff and her mind numb.

"U-uh…" she moaned, propping herself up on one elbow, her other hand rubbing her aching neck and head. A dark and heavy atmosphere eerily lingered all around her. Completely unfamiliar She squinted in an attempt to see, peering into the darkness before a crack of lightning illuminated the room.

She yelped, falling back onto her side.

The room around her was in ruins. She glared at the desks and chairs haphazardly thrown across the room. They were so small, as if previously used by young children. Her head throbbed again, making her groan sorely.

"M-my ankle… heaven it hurts…" she breathed, moving it slightly, "but it appears to be only a sprain…"

She got to her feet, wobbling in her half awake state, but then froze, one thing racing through her mind.

"Ciel?!" she called worriedly, the only voice coming back being her own echo.

She looked around frantically, "CIEL?!" she shouted again, more helpless.

She clutched her head, fearing for the worst, "A-Adrian?! Lydia, Mathias, Mariella, Tobias?! Octavia, Narissa?!- ANYONE?!" she screamed, dropping her head in a grip of defeat as tears threatened to escape her glazed eyes.

Her head was spinning as she looked around hysterically, an oppressing feeling fogging her mind.

"E-eh…" groaned a nearby voice.

Isabelle gasped in surprise and spun on her heels, peering in the direction on the sound. Isabelle clenched her fists, gathering her courage before approaching the sound in the dark. She froze and held her breath upon seeing a silhouette sprawled out in front of her.

The groan returned. She took a few steps forward before running to the person's side, rolling them over to see their face. She sighed shakily, holding them up in her arms, shaking them awake.

"Octavia…" she mumbled softly.

Octavia opened her eyes slightly, gazing at Isabelle with dulled hazel eyes, blinking several times before finding her voice.

"Isabelle…" she breathed, her voice scratchy and hoarse yet soft. Isabelle sighed in relief, helping Octavia sit up stiffly.

She looked around, "where are we…?" she asked, rubbing her eyes as her vision adjusted to the darkness around them, lightning cracking again outside.

Isabelle sighed, shutting her eyes, "I have no idea…"

Octavia huffed, getting to her feet, leaning on a rotted teacher's podium for support, Isabelle standing with her. "well let's go find out then!" Octavia said with a wink, giving Isabelle a thumbs up.

Isabelle rolled her eyes and cracked a smile, "well, the only thing I could deduce from our surroundings was that we're in some sort of school, most likely… an elementary school… seeing all these small desks…." she stated, gesturing to the desks and chairs.

Octavia nodded, "but how did we get here- where are we anyway?" she asked curiously yet cautiously.

Dim lights began to flicker on and off overhead, giving them a better visual of the room.

The floorboards had gaping holes in them,. The ceiling beams above were deteriorating along with the rest on the walls and floors. Windows were molded along the edges with thick layers of grim climbing up the glass and piling in the crevasses, and tacked up paper on bulletins were slowly decaying. They both studied the room in disbelief.

"It looks as if this place hasn't been touched in years, let alone once used as a school." Octavia said, running her finger over a thick layer of dust covering the teacher's podium. Octavia spotted a piece of paper tacked to a board and, curiously, read it.

"E-EH?!"

Octavia shouted, backing away from the paper in disbelief.

Isabelle narrowed her eyes, going to her side, "w-what is it Octavia?!" she asked worriedly.

Octavia bit her lip, "t-the paper… i-it says… Heavenly Host Elementary School..." she breathed, Isabelle's eyes widened in shock. "t-that can't be right!" she stuttered, reading the note for herself.

She blinked in shock, backing away just as Octavia had done, "i-it can't be… i-isn't that the school from…" her words trailed off in thought as Octavia nodded.

"The same place where that serial kidnapping happened… b-but how are WE here?! And where are our friends…?!" Octavia asked, worry in her voice.

Isabelle sighed and shrugged in defeat.

"Let's just try and get out of here. We can't give up before we've even tried, right?" Octavia said, trying to lighten the miserable mood. Isabelle nodded, both walking to some of the windows on one side of the wall. They both pulled at them, trying to open them, but to no avail.

Octavia panted, "n-no luck… I don't see them opening any time soon…" she breathed, putting some hair behind her ear. Isabelle huffed, lifting a chair before tossing it at the window which had no effect whatsoever.

Isabelle panted, "it's like they're not even there… as if they're just painted on the wall…"

Octavia sighed, "I guess we're not leaving through there…"

Isabelle nodded in agreement, watching the torn spider webs tangled in the loose floorboards and ceiling.

She bit her lip, "maybe we should leave this room and see if we can find the others…" she said, a worried frown crossing her face.

Octavia put on a reassuring smile instead, "don't worry Isabelle, we'll find everyone- Hell if we're doing alright then everyone else is too!" she said, giggling lightheartedly, making Isabelle crack a smile.

"Come, come, Milady!" Octavia called, looking around the room for an exit, the rain pouring violently outside. Octavia lit up, spying a door before jogging over to it, holding her dress up with one hand.

"Come help me with this Tonnerre!" she shouted, trying to pry open the door. Isabelle's eyes widened slightly as she followed, assisting Octavia with the door, slowly pulling it open. They both peered into the hall which was deathly silent.

They both glanced at each other before hesitantly venturing out of the room and into the empty corridor, which looked no better than the classroom in terms of its condition. They both stood side by side, glancing down both ends of the hall which led into more dark emptiness.

A torn paper caught Isabelle's eye. The two girls wandered over, studying the article written on the stained parchment.

Heavenly Post: 'Third Student Reported Missing'

One by one, the young students of Heavenly Host ... School seem to be disappearing, as now a third student has joined the ranks of the missing. Classmates testify that fifth-grader ... was on her way home from school, but got separated from her friends in the hall and hasn't been seen since. Police are investigating the possibility of a serial kidnapping and have assigned countless investigators to the case in hopes of a speedy resolution. However, ten days have already passed since the first disappearance, giving parents and classmates ample cause for concern.

Some of the words were obstructed by splatters of red.

Isabelle and Octavia studied the article curiously.

"Three missing children… then this place is really Heavenly Host…" Isabelle gulped, thinking aloud with a shaky sigh, Octavia nodding in agreement as they set the article back where they found it. Isabelle sighed again, walking deeper into the halls,

"I wonder if there any more notes to fi- AH!"

CRACK. Isabelle fell to the ground with a sickening crack, Octavia immediately kneeling by her side.

"I-Isabelle?!" she called, holding her up nervously.

Isabelle bit her lip, running her hand along her ankle, "m-my ankle isn't doing so good…" she said with a wince.

Octavia nodded, helping her up, "here…" she said softly, offering her shoulder, which Isabelle took graciously.

"Well, this is a school. It's gotta have an infirmary somewhere…" Octavia said, holding Isabelle up.

"Y-yes, that does sound logical… I wonder if we can find one… then we can find a way out of here…" Isabelle said with a wince, making Octavia frown worriedly.

The two girls walked down the hall cautiously, coming to a classroom door, which they hesitantly entered, having nowhere else to go.

The classroom was in the same deteriorated state as the rest of the building, crumbling and decaying horribly. Suddenly, Octavia screamed, pointing at something frantically. Isabelle yelped in surprise and fright, her gaze following Octavia's pointing finger.

There was a corpse sprawled out across the floor, lying on its side in a pool of blood. The carcass had rotted mostly, exposing bleached bones in the decaying meat.

Octavia stared at it with wide eyes, "i-i-is that a dead body?!" she yelled, hiding behind Isabelle for protection. Isabelle bit her lip, approaching the corpse to study it closer.

She gulped, "i-it's definitely not a prop of any kind…" she said, deeming the body authentic, which only made Octavia even more skittish.

"...You two... You two are new victims, are you not?" spoke an echoing voice, coming from nearby.

Octavia jumped, looking around frantically as Isabelle stared in disbelief at a blue flame ignited by the corpse, which seemed to be the object speaking to them.

"Y-yes, I believe so… Who are you?" Isabelle asked nervously, Octavia following her gaze to the supernatural, blue light.

"I was brought here against my will... and confined... just like you..." the spirit answered.

"Confined? Does that mean there's no way out of here?" Isabelle said, worry taking over her tone as her voice cracked some.

"I'm afraid not. This school exists in a reality all its own, cut off from the world you know." The spirit said.

"So why have we been brought here?" Octavia asked hesitantly, biting her lip in fear of getting an answer.

"... 'They' brought you. They're constantly bringing new victims into the school. More and more, all the time... Sinless innocence, one after another... This is a cursed, multi dimensional nexus... multiple planes of existence, all piled on top of one another... created by powerful, vengeful spirits. 'Closed space' ... Or perhaps, 'Closed spaces' ... You, and we as well, are the unlucky victims of an inescapable abduction..." the flame stated, flickering near the corpse as he continued.

"Closed... spaces?" Isabelle said in a questioning tone, stepping closer with genuine interest.

"Indeed. And it seems that you two are not the only ones to of been brought here. I'm sensing numerous others... I don't know the exact number, but I do know that others were pulled into these close spaces at the same time as you... They are in the school." the spirit paused for a moment or so.

"..However... you cannot meet them. They are definitely in the school. But the space they occupy differs from the space we occupy... If you wish to see your friends, you must find some means of entering their space, or bringing them into the space... Even then, escape is nigh impossible... But at least you'll be able to die together..." the spirit said, his tone almost pitiful for them.

"Why? Who are these vengeful spirits you speak of anyway?!" Isabelle said in a demanding tone, narrowing her eyes.

"...I don't know... neither the motives of our captors... nor a means of escaping this hell... All I know... is that with some effort... you can at least live out your days together, in the same space. And that alone is a fate worth fighting for. Two heads are better than one. Your chances, and your opportunities, are so much greater when working together... do whatever you can... to find a way out of here... Don't end up... like us…" the spirit finished, his tone longing and distraught, making Isabelle and Octavia frown, taking pity upon him.

Another door to the left of where they had entered swung open, some unknown force unlocking it for them. Both girls turned to it in surprise before the spirits voice cried out a final time.

"No!" he yelled before disappearing into thin air, the atmosphere around them thicker, almost suffocating.

They both turned their attention to a glowing apparition crouched over in the corner. They both stared at the ghost in shock, the little girl dressed in a torn red dress with long, matted black hair to match. Random, almost demonic and ominous, drawings began creating themselves on a blackboard in the front of the classroom.

Isabelle and Octavia screamed, leaving the room quickly through the newly unlocked girls panted in the hall.

"T-that was DEFINITELY a ghost…" Octavia breathed, glancing at Isabelle while slouched over, catching her breath. Isabelle nodded, wobbling on her bad ankle.

She panted shakily, calming herself through the adrenaline rush, "n-none of this makes sense… d-dammit all…" she said with a frustrated breath, "all I know is, we're not getting out of here easily if not at all…"

Octavia frowned before straightening up with a reassuring smile, "hey, i-it'll be alright… we just need to keep our heads on straight and think of a way out! I know we can do it, besides; you're the Queen's Raven! You can do anything." she announced with a wink, making Isabelle crack another smile before wincing.

Her ankle gave out; sending them both tumbling to the floor with grunts.

Octavia bit her lip, "we should really get you to that infirmary…" she urged worriedly.

Isabelle nodded, obediently while getting to her feet, letting Octavia help her walk as the two roamed the dark and empty halls, just the two of them.

After walking a little they found their way into a darkened and heavy hallway. Isabelle held her breath, limping along with Octavia as support before she gasped. At the end of the hall, was a chunky mess of blood and guts slammed against the wall violently. Organs, bones and flesh was tossed around in a blood splatter that fell to the floor in a gory mess that was once a person.

The girls looked on in shock.

"O-oh by god…." Octavia said, exhaling slowly while approaching the obliterated body, which was far beyond recognition, "i-it looks like this person was thrown against t-the wall… a-at super-human speeds…"

Isabelle said with a shaky breath. "h-how could someone do this…?"

Octavia, with a gulp, stepped back with her hands over her mouth, swallowing again as Isabelle stepped up to examine it.

"Repulsive…" she breathed, nearly stepping in the congealing puddle of blood. Octavia quickly turned her back to her, choking in an attempt to not throw up.

"S-Sorry!" Isabelle called, limping away from the corpse back to Octavia's side, who shook her head.

"N-no i-its fine…. L-let's just keep moving…"

Isabelle nodded and the two girls set off again further into the school, finding an entire other level of locked classrooms which weren't going to be opened.

Victim's' memoirs and other notes were strewn across the torn halls, each parchment decaying, leaving their stories behind.

But then both girls froze, standing before the basement door which was decorated with random protection charms. Isabelle pulled out the handles and sighed, luckily finding the nailed door wouldn't be opening any time soon.

Do not enter under any circumstances. –Principle Takamine Yanagihori

Octavia gulped nervously, "l-let's turn back… the hall ends here anyway…"

Isabelle nodded, "y-yeah… good idea…" she said, taking Octavia's hand, both of them heading back the way they came with one classroom door now thrown open.

They stood before the open door anxiously before nodding to each other, heading inside the dark room.

Upon entering, they noticed the skeletal remains of a girl with a large hole in her skull slouched over in a chair, a note wrapped around something in her bony hand. After mustering up her courage, Isabelle pried open the fingers which crumbled to the floor, dropping the note and object inside with Octavia retching at the sight.

Isabelle sighed, taking the note which was sloppily wrapped around a small silver key. She paused and read it.

You're an idiot Koito. If you don't believe with all your heart, then we'll never get rescued. I thought we were friends!

With a frown, Isabelle squeezed the key reassuringly and dropped the crumpled note back where it fell. She stood up, presenting the key to Octavia who blinked in surprise before smiling.

"It leads to an infirmary! We can patch you up there…" she said happily, taking Isabelle onto her shoulder gently.

Isabelle nodded, "yes please…" she said with a smile.

The two set off to a different part of the school with lifted hopes, entering the second floor containing the girls and boys bathrooms.

Isabelle led the way into the girl's bathroom and pulled at the stall doors, all empty and able to open except one. The middle stall was locked tight and didn't show any signs of even budging. Isabelle pulled at it again and froze, a voice echoing in her head.

If you should die here… you'll experience the pain you felt at the moment of death for all of eternity. Heaven's completely cut off. No paradise. No nirvana. Just eternal pain.

Upon the thought being finished, a key appeared at the foot of the door. Isabelle blinked slowly as she emerged from her sort of motionless trance and picked it up, presenting it to Octavia who smiled.

Octavia then tilted her head, "where did that come from anyway?" she asked.

Isabelle looked away briefly, avoiding her gaze, "from inside the stall…" she said simply, choosing not to scare her with what she heard.

Octavia nodded with her usual smile, "well let's go then!" Isabelle smiled back and nodded, both leaving the bathroom. Isabelle glanced back, hearing a fleeting voice.

"M-Mathias?! C-come back…. P-please…!" sobbed the familiar voice.

Isabelle whispered under her breath, "Mariella…"

"Something wrong Isabelle?" Octavia asked, noticing her strange behavior with a concerned frown.

"Hm? O-oh nothing… I just thought I heard something… think nothing of it…" Isabelle said, returning to Octavia's side reassuringly.

Octavia nodded, "I-if you say so…" she mumbled, both girls leaving the lavatory areas.

While wandering the halls, Isabelle stopped and gazed at a door. Octavia turned upon noticing.

"What is it?" she asked curiously yet cautiously.

Isabelle blinked slowly without acknowledging she'd even heard Octavia, "we should try the key we found on this door." she said, approaching said door, Octavia nodding before joining her.

Upon turning the key, Isabelle gasped.

Octavia squeaked in surprise, releasing the key in fright, "a-are you alright?" she asked worriedly.

Isabelle shook her head, "Y-yes I'm fine… it just felt like… when I turned the key… and the door unlocked… my heart seemed to have almost skipped and beat in my chest…" she shut her eyes, the door opening wide.

"I have a really bad feeling about this room…"

Hesitantly, both girls entered the room.

The atmosphere heavy. Suffocating. The room's floor had collapsed for the most part, making the remaining half or so of the room completely inaccessible. A corpse lay sprawled out on the floor, a message in front of it which was painstakingly scratched into the floorboards with finger nails.

Whatever you do… don't read the newspaper…

Isabelle bit her lip, "w-we should really just leave…" she whimpered, looking to the door to retreat.

Octavia groaned, "y-yeah… but now I'm really curious about that newspaper…" she said, looking over to the torn parchment.

Isabelle sighed and complied and both of the girls wandered over to the paper. Octavia read aloud.

Heavenly Post

'Breaking news: Serial Kidnapping Ends In Murder'

The good name of Heavenly Host Elementary School has been stained in blood today as horrific details on the recent wave of disappearances are revealed. Over the past month, numerous children have gone missing within the town, and authorities quickly turned to kidnapping as the most likely explanation.

Now investigators have located the whereabouts of these children, their findings far worse than anyone could've anticipated. The bodies of the absconded youths were discovered within the basement of the Heavenly Host Elementary School building on September 18th at around 7 PM.

Authorities further revealed that a male instructor from the school was found with them, alive but near catatonic, holding a pair of bloodied scissors. Each of the corpses appear to have had its tongue sev...ed and remove...ique mutilations far too grot….….g to describe.

Octavia gulped, backing away from the paper, "h-how awful…" she whined.

Isabelle sighed shakily, rubbing her face before both girls approached the door, "I believe I've heard of this before…" she said, stopping before the exit.

Both gazed in disbelief, frozen where they stood.

The door was locked tight.

Isabelle pulled on the door handles, "no luck!" she said, her voice shaking as she tried to mentally quell her panic.

Octavia glanced back at the paper, the article distorting into a single phrase while a distant female voice sobbed.

You will never leave this room…

"O-oh god, t-this isn't good…" Octavia said with a whimper, Isabelle gritting her teeth.

"This is your fault you know…" she said coldly, turning her attention away from the door to face Octavia.

"E-eh? What do you mean?" Octavia said, staring at Isabelle in hurt and disbelief.

"J-just… never mind!" Isabelle shouted in frustration.

And just then, the door opened again.

Both girls took the opportunity to dart into the hallway before it could close again, and stood outside, panting.

"T-that could've gone b-better…" Octavia breathed, and then whined.

Isabelle turned, "what is it?"

"My paper scrap… it's gone…" she said with a pout.

"I've told you to find better places to keep things…"

"Yeah, yeah…" Octavia muttered sadly.

Isabelle put on a reassuring smile, "oh come on, it'll be alright… it's just a paper scrap after all and you're still alive and well…" she said, heading down the hall.

Octavia nodded slowly before following close behind, "I guess…"

Isabelle nodded back before another crunch came from her ankle, causing her fall to the floor with a yelp of pain.

Octavia gasped and immediately kneeled at her side, "we should really get you to that infirmary…" she said with a worried frown.

Isabelle nodded, "Yes please…" she breathed again, Octavia helping her up.

"Here, lean on my shoulder…" she said, Isabelle supporting herself on Octavia graciously. "Thanks, I don't know what I'd do without you Octavia…" she said with a soft smile.

Octavia giggled, leading her through the halls, "Think nothing of it friend…"

After walking for what felt like forever, Octavia gasped lightly.

"Here!" she shouted, making Isabelle jump with a wince in surprise.

Octavia smiled, gazing up at a hanging sign above a rotting door reading "Infirmary". Isabelle smiled, taking out the key they had found earlier.

"Let's see if this will work…" she said, handing the key to Octavia who nodded in agreement, returning the smile.

Leaving Isabelle's side for a moment, Octavia pulled at the door, which opened easily with a creak.

"Ha!" Octavia exclaimed victoriously, making Isabelle giggle while the brunette led her inside the dark room.

"See? We make a pretty good team, don't we?" Octavia declared with a bright smile.

Isabelle nodded, smiling softly back, "it's really amazing what our teamwork has accomplished thus far… I fear we might not be around much longer without each other…" she said with a sigh. Octavia nodded in agreement with a quick hum before both stepped into the center of the room.

The atmosphere definitely differed from the rest of the building; however, Isabelle chose to ignore it, seeing Octavia was not affected by the change.

The room, like every other, was torn apart, the floorboards and ceilings falling apart at the seams. Cabinets with assortments of medicine lined the walls, along with a desk in the center of the back wall with an empty journal affixed to it. In the far right corner was a sink. The handle turned, however no water came out.

Isabelle frowned at the sight, "I guess I didn't realize just how thirsty I was until now…" she breathed, swallowing dryly.

Octavia smiled, wandering over to the beds, "it'll be alright… and hey, you can come rest over here… the beds appear to be surprisingly clean." she said happily, dusting them off with her hands as Isabelle joined her.

"Somehow I expected them to be dustier…" Isabelle said with a soft sigh of relief as Octavia helped her climb up onto the bed, tearing off of her heavy gown to the thin white dress slip underneath that was still decently concealing. Octavia smiled, leaving the dress heap to the side, "now you can finally rest your weary bones, Isa," she said happily, "now, let me see if I can get you something for that sprain…"

Octavia left Isabelle sitting on the bed to search the room and Isabelle smiled.

"Thank you Octavia, you're a lifesaver…"

Octavia waved her finger at her teasingly , "ah, ah, ah! Don't thank me yet, I haven't done anything." she chimed, giggling lightheartedly while searching.

Isabelle smiled after Octavia returned shortly.

"This'll work well as a makeshift splint, though I wish I could give you some ice…" Octavia pouted while kneeling down, tending to Isabelle's swollen ankle.

Isabelle shook her head, "you've done enough for me. Really, thank you Octavia…" she said, lying down on the far bed in the corner after Octavia wrapped her ankle and climbed into the bed beside her.

Both girls lay facing each other in their own beds, eyes closed as they attempted to sleep.

"We'll find everyone soon… ok?" Octavia whispered, breaking the silence. I

sabelle opened her eyes to look at her but she had already fallen asleep after speaking.

Isabelle smiled and whispered to herself, "Of course, we will find everyone… Octavia…" she said with a soft smile and a yawn, shutting her eyes again while deep in thought.

"I've been pretty curt with Octavia since we got here… I should be sure to apologize later…"

Suddenly, another cry cut through the silence.

"Mathias! W-where are you?! W-where are you…"

Both girls' eyes snapped open.

"That was Mariella!" Isabelle blurted out, sitting up abruptly as Octavia nodded, getting off the bed.

"I'm going to go take a look." she said, dusting off her dress.

"I really don't think that's a good idea." Isabelle retorted, swinging her legs off the bed, but Octavia stopped her.

"No I insist! You stay and rest your ankle." Octavia said almost sternly. Isabelle bit her lip nervously.

Before she could protest again, Octavia left.

Time passed and Octavia didn't return. Isabelle sighed nervously.

"Dammit Octavia… where did you go…" she thought, getting off the bed, limping to the door. She pulled at the door handles and the door didn't open.

"E-Eh?" she muttered, pulling at the door again with no luck.

Her eyes then widened in horror.

The door was suddenly latticed with strands of thick black hair.

She backed away from the door in frustration, cursing under her breath before the eerie laughter of children cut through the room, the atmosphere becoming heavier around her. She groaned as her head began to pound and throb.

"Let's all go on a field trip together over summer vacation…"

Isabelle gasped in surprise, looking for the source of the women's voice while trying to gather up her courage.

"W-who… was that?" she asked aloud, approaching the desk against the back wall.

The pages in the journal began to turn by itself, words appearing on the pages as if someone was writing in it at that very moment.

"Sachi… Have you come to find me?"

A mist of black suddenly appeared before the desk.

Isabelle yelped and backed away in fright, nearly losing her footing with her bad ankle, the dark entity approaching her. She yelped, looking around frantically before dodging it, searching frantically for a way out.

Upon her frantic searching, she found matches and a bottle of rubbing alcohol and gasped, dodging it again before running to the door while screaming helplessly for rescue, the floorboards being caved in around her.

"Come on, come on!" she shouted, splashing the alcohol against the black strands before igniting them.

Each hair burned away before the door was able to be opened, a foul smell wafting up with the heat from the fire.

Isabelle gasped and threw herself into the hall, the malevolent force grabbing at her as she exited, but couldn't seem to leave the infirmary. She panted shakily, on her hands and knees in the empty hallway.

Her eyes widened as the voice of the women echoed into the hall.

"I will kill you…"

SLAM. The door slammed shut on its own and locked in place.

Isabelle whimpered helplessly before crawling away from the door to a wall. Using one hand to support her on the wall, she retched and threw up onto the rotting wallpaper. Gasping for air shakily through puking, she whimpered, the pressure in her head still present.

"ISABELLE?!"

Octavia screamed her name, running down the hall before skidding to a stop at her side, placing her hand on her back. Isabelle looked up and gulped while panting, her body quaking.

Octavia frowned deeply, eyes wide, "a-are you alright?!" she asked worriedly, rubbing her friends back.

Isabelle nodded, controlling her breathing, "I-I'm fine…" she breathed, sitting up to meet Octavia's anxious gaze.

Octavia helped Isabelle up to her feet, "what happened? You look so scared…" she asked, biting her lip nervously.

Isabelle wiped her mouth clean, "t-there was some kind of… dark entity was in there… i-it wanted to… t-to…" she choked back her words. Octavia nodded in understanding before she'd have to explain.

"I-I'm so sorry for leaving you in there…" she said guiltily, lowering her gaze.

Isabelle shook her head, "don't be… you and I had no way of knowing that would happen…" she said, her tone reassuring.

Octavia nodded, putting on her usual smile, "well… I'm just glad you're ok…" Isabelle returned the smile and Octavia sighed.

"Well, let's get a move on…"

Isabelle looked at her, tilting her head in question with a sneer, "Where? We've been all over this school and haven't found any means of getting out. And all of the people we've seen have all been long dead…" she said, her tone distant.

Octavia's smile faded to a surprised frown.

"Dammit… there I go again…" Isabelle thought, a frown washing over her face as she looked away. Octavia went to speak again as Isabelle shook her head.

"It's hopeless… we're finished… and I'm so tired and thirsty… a-and hungry… and scared…" Octavia's frown deepened.

"I'm acting like a child. What's wrong with me…?" Isabelle thought, chewing her bottom lip.

"I-Isabelle… C-come on, it's not that bad! We'll figure something out, I'm sure of it! Besides, the only thing we have to fear is fear itself, we'll be ok…" Octavia said with a determined smile, "besides, I've got guests coming tomorrow at noon and I'm determined to be there to greet them! And how about afterwards we have tea at my manor? OK?" she asked almost pleadingly, tilting her head to the side, smiling just as usual,

"If we stick together, there isn't anything we can't accompli-"

"What the bloody hell has you so chipper?" Isabelle snapped coldly.

Octavia's smile faded away as her eyes widened in disbelief.

"All you've done since we got here is smile and laugh. Tell me… how long that will keep up if it turns out we can't leave this godforsaken place?!" Isabelle shouted, raising her voice as Octavia sunk back in utter shock.

"I-Isabelle…"

"Have you given that any thought at all?! 'We'll figure something out' … That's just a false hope and you know it!" Isabelle shouted, gritting her teeth.

"Who…" Octavia shook her head, "who says things like that?!" she yelled, catching Isabelle off guard.

"I-I want to get home just as bad as you do you know! I have a family who is probably worried about me and dear friends!" she shouted, choking back tears as her voice began to crack, "and I sure as hell don't want them to worry about me!"

"I should apologize… this is my fault..."

Octavia shut her eyes, her own lip quivering, "but most of all… I don't want you… of all people… to talk to me like that…"

"O-Octavia… I-I'm… I-I'm…" Isabelle stuttered.

"I-its f-fine…" she mumbled, her voice shaking as she choked back tears, glaring back up at Isabelle, whose azure eyes widened slightly, "m-maybe we should just split up… we'll cover more ground that way… right?" Octavia continued, averting her gaze while rubbing her arm in hurt.

"No, that's not what I want!" Isabelle thought, trying to bring herself to say those words, but just couldn't seem to do so.

"Ok…"

Isabelle replied simply, a pang hitting her heart, knowing she shouldn't have agreed.

Octavia nodded brokenly at the response before trudging deep in the dark halls all alone, leaving Isabelle with herself.

She shook her head, speaking aloud, "why- why couldn't I tell her what I really wanted… I know it's a bad idea for us to split up- so why did I agree with her… and why was I so cruel to her…?" she asked herself with a frown, rubbing her head.

After standing silent for a while, Isabelle sighed.

"nothing I can do about it now…" she said softly.

With that, Isabelle stepped away, heading off in the opposite direction, being swallowed up in the dark halls, thinking deeply about the heated exchange.

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

Octavia wailed brokenly, sobbing to herself all alone.

"D-dammit Isabelle… y-you jerk…" she said with a whimper, wiping her tears away. She sniffled and continued wandering the halls before stopping.

"S-Someone's… calling to me…" she thought aloud, turning her head to face the sound.

With an exhale, she turned and started walking, following the voice while deep in thought.

"That was the first time huh…"

She continued off into the dark of the halls, not looking back.

"The first time… Isa and I fought…"

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

"OCTAVIA!?"

Isabelle screamed as she ran through the school, searching frantically for her dear friend.

"WHERE ARE Y-YOU!?" she yelled, sobbing through her shouts.

She panted heavily and shakily, her head throbbing. Her mind was foggy, as if something had taken control of her.

She sobbed harshly, "O-Octavia… c-come back… p-please... I-I don't want to b-be all alone…"

In her disoriented state, Isabelle wandered up to the lavatories on the second floor and stumbled inside the girls' bathroom.

"O-Octavia…?" she called helplessly.

Getting no response, she whimpered and wobbled to the center of the room before dropping to her knees. While trying to calm herself down, she took notice of a foul stench lingering in the air. She raised her head, rubbing the tear stains on her cheeks while gazing at the bathroom stalls.

A pool of blood was slowly forming outside of the middle stall. With a shaky hand, she reached out and pulled on the handle slightly.

Something heavy was leaning up against it inside.

She adjusted her body to face the door, her knees on the edge of the puddle of red. She pulled again and the door opened, pushing against something in the stall that resonated a sickening crunch and squish before the bloodied object flopped out of the stall and into Isabelle's view.

Isabelle looked on in horror.

Her eyes were wild and bloodshot as she stared at the corpse before her.

A perfect cut separated the body into two parts, the intestines cut to pieces, spilling out of the gaping hole where the upper torso once was, along with some other organs. The upper half was face down in front of the other piece. The lower half had the legs bent, resting on the knees while the pelvis slouched forward. The tattered skirt was draped sloppily over the legs coated in a thick layer of fresh blood.

With an already weakened mental state, Isabelle stood frozen, not knowing what to do or how to react for that matter as she internally crumbled.

She clutched her head as she screamed bloody murder.

"NO! O-oh God, no! PLEASE NO!" she crawled helplessly over to one half the corpse, pulling the bloody mess up into her lap as more chunks of guts and fragments of bone spilled out.

Her body quaked violently as she moved the bangs that covered the body's opaque, expressionless eyes which blended with the corpse's ghostly white skin, a trail of blood leaking from the hanging jaw. She clenched her own jaw.

"N-No… Octavia! P-Please don't leave me alone! DON'T LEAVE ME ALONE IN THIS GOD FORSAKEN PLACE!" she ordered, shaking her friend's corpse helplessly.

Fresh tears trickled down her cheeks as Octavia's blood stained her skin and dress.

She squeezed her head tightly, dropping the already rotting carcass.

Her head felt as if it would burst, her ears were ringing.

Her pulse throbbed through her tense body as the painful feeling of loneliness enveloped her. She couldn't take it.

It was the very essence of madness lingering in the air and it was slowly, yet surely, consuming her.

End of Chapter 2

Oh my gerd! That's the end of chapter two, and, as to be expected, shit hit the fan. People are dead and Isabelle is now crazy. I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Please comment, favorite and follow, each is greatly appreciated~

Stay creative my friends~