You would think by now my rational thoughts would return and I'd be able to make the decision to run, but no. I mean, where's the fun in that? I stood quietly in my spot, eyes glued to the darkly shaped bushes where the noise came from. I began to shake slightly as my stomach churned uncomfortably inside me. My hands flew to my stomach in hope the pressure pushed against my stomach would settle the unwanted feeling of fear. It didn't. I watched the spot intently, counting the seconds until I most likely would die.
3
2
1
Nothing. Alright then.
"Zero, negative one, negative two, negative three..." I counted softly, hoping my idiocy would somehow sympathise with the intruder and send him away, far, far away. Like England...or Hell.
By the time I reached negative thirteen, they had gained enough confidence to jump out in front of me. I screamed loudly.
"Max, please be quiet!" A rushed whisper begged me. I looked closer at the shadow and gasped. I'd know that Irish accent anywhere.
"Mr Wood!" I screeched in happiness. Finally something good as happened!
It's funny how one grown up can make all the difference to make you feel safe. I like to think I know Mr Wood quite well, seeing as I am his favourite science student and all. He's my favourite teacher, not just because of his heritage but he is so much funnier than any other stuck up snobs of a teacher at our school. I mean, a couple of students and I filled his office with planks of wood as a joke. We got sentenced to four weeks detention by the bitch of a principal whereas Mr Wood laughed and gave us a high five.
I am honestly so grateful he is alive, maybe he can get us out of this.
"Oh my gosh Mr Wood I am so scared! Everybody is dead and I don't know where the others are..." I gushed taking in deep breaths every few seconds. Mr Wood grasped my shoulders roughly and shook me.
"Max, just shut up, please." He said in a hard tone. I don't know why but coming from him I felt quite offended. Well, you can expect someone to be raging with anger if some psychotic murderer came into your school and killed every child and teacher who had attended, well most of them.
"Did you say there were others?"
"Well, yes, but I don't-"he let go of me and took a small step back, racing a hand through his sweat filled hair.
"Okay, Max listen to me. You need to stick with the others. Do not leave each other, use the buddy system. Just don't go anywhere out alone." He warned me, a sharp look crossing across his face.
"Wait, where are you going?" I asked in hysterics. The safety shield I once felt is slowly starting to shatter around me, bits of glass softly falling to the ground.
"I'm going to try find a way out of the campus, I'm positive there is a way out up the back way."
"Oh yeah! All seniors use to sneak up out the back of the campus and go through the small gap in the fence to get food and stuff!" Excitement bubbled inside of me. We may actually get out of here alive.
He shook his head sadly. "No, we knew you students did that so we fixed it up. Although now I bet everyone regrets such a thing." He sighed sadly. I rubbed my eyes roughly, trying to make sense of this situation. Oh gosh, am I tired.
"Max, promise me you will not go looking for the killer. I know you are a determined young thing, but in these sorts of situations, bravery is not the answer. Not if you are risking your life." He said softly. I gulped and nodded my head solemnly. At this point I realised the best thing to do is listen to someone much older and wiser than me. I will put my pride aside and follow others instead of walking to the beat of my own drum.
He stepped forward and grabbed one of my shoulders in comfort. "We will get through this Max, it will all be over so-," His voice cut off with a grunt. His body suddenly stiffened and the colour drained from his face, making him a scarcely shade of white.
"Mr Wood?" I asked quietly, nervously shaking the arm holding my shoulder. Suddenly, the weight from his body fell onto me. My quick reflexes caught his heavy body and kept him from falling to the ground, but making me stumble a few steps back.
I looked over his shoulder to find a dagger sticking out from Mr Woods back, blood seeping down his plaid sweater vest. I screamed in terror and dropped his corpse onto the ground, stumbling back against a tree. His body collapse to the earth and rolled onto his back in one swift moment, his dead eyes looking up at me in fear.
My body slowly slipped down the trunk of the tree, scraping the skin of my back painfully. I clasped my hands together and put them in my mouth, biting down hard with my teeth to try and hold the tears threatening to escape from falling.
The thought that the murderer would most likely be near me if he killed Mr Wood registered wildly in my head, begging my muscles to jump into action and run. But I can't. I give up. I do not want to run anymore. He's won. I just don't care anymore.
I pushed my hands down hard against the earth, pushing my body into a standing position. I walked slowly to where Mr Woods's body lay still and turned around in a wide circle.
"Do it!" I screamed loudly. "You've won! Gain your satisfaction, and shoot the fuck out of me. I don't care anymore!" silence filled the air as I heaved jagged breaths while frequently shooting my eyes in all directions. "Oh, so you're a coward now are you? You can shoot the entire school, but hesitate with me? Just do it you piece of shit!" I suddenly grew angry and was heaving with rage. I bent down to the ground and picked up a handful of small rocks. I started hurling them in every direction, listening to the whistle as it soars through the air.
"Do it!" I screamed continuously as I threw the rocks in to the wilderness. I cried angrily, shouting curse words at the man who has destroyed our sanctuary. My face was stained with tears as the cold wind whipped my face with every move I took.
"Just do it," I fell to my knees and broke into sobs, my shoulders heaving up and down in a continuous rhythm.
A sick feeling started to rise up in my stomach, a feeling of pain and shock and sadness all pressed into one ball of emotion. My hands grasped my neck in a flourish, trying to desperately stop the emotion vomit from rising.
Oh wait, actual vomit.
I coughed violently and sunk my nails deep into the ground, grasping onto the dirt as this afternoons lunch poured out of my body. I felt my hair being brushed aside and hushed tones trying to calm me down.
"I guess those nachos were a mistake, huh?"
I lifted my head a fraction and cocked it to the side.
"Shut up," I croaked groggily. "And it wasn't a mistake." I lifted myself up with the help of Fang lifting the crook of my elbow. I brushed the dirt off my knees and wiped my mouth with my sleeve. "The second serving was the mistake."
I wobbled over to where Mr Wood lay silently on the ground. Looking down at him I never realised how old and helpless he looked. All those times I looked up to him thinking he was an indestructible, fearless adult who could accomplish almost anything. But now I realise he's just like me. Well, only dead.
"Come on, we have to get out of here." Fang said slinging his arm over my shoulders and turning me away the mess of the bush. As we walked I quickly threw a look over my shoulder, expecting the intruder to be grinning evilly, eyes wild and dagger slinging in his hand by his side. But as I adjusted my eyes, I saw nothing.
And that scares me.
