Maria, Pedro, Lucan, Isabella, Marcos, Sandra. Their names seemed to flash through Leo's mind as his eyes remained glued to the scene in front of him. His friends' torn and bloody corpses adorned the classroom like something right out of a horror movie.
Lucan's head seemed to have exploded. The only way Leo could tell it was him was by the tattoo on the back of his hand. Isabella looked like she had stumbled back in horror, only to find herself trapped by the blackboard behind her. Maria had run for the exit, as attested to by her body lying face-down in a pool of blood, one hand outstretched in the direction of the door. What Pedro had done, Leo couldn't say. His body was draped across the ceiling fan, which was currently off, or else his blood would be flying everywhere. As it was, it simply dripped steadily downwards, onto the corpse of Marcos, who had tried to fight without a wand, probably after seeing whatever happened to Sandra, whose wand was currently impaled through her eye and out the back of her head.
Besides Leo, only one person lived inside that room, if he could really be called a person. Carlos. His back was turned, or else he would have certainly noticed Leo standing behind him. His shoulders started to shake. At first, Leo thought he was sobbing, but then Carlos burst into hysterical laughter.
Leo felt numb. He couldn't think. He couldn't feel. He barely knew what he was doing. He raised his wand silently, as if in a dream, pointing it straight at Carlos's back.
"Avada Kedavra," he whispered. A flash of green and a rush of wind. Carlos's body dropped to the floor, lifeless. Then it shifted. A tiny voice in the back of Leo's brain seemed to whisper to him urgently. He's alive! it said. Run! But he was frozen in place.
Carlos's robes seemed to darken and decay until they were nothing but gray rags. His skin bubbled and started to turn black. A putrid stench filled the air, but Leo didn't even flinch. In a daze, he stepped over the bodies of his friends and arrived next to the creature on the floor. He kicked it over onto its back with his foot.
There, where Carlos's face should've been, was a dark, gaping hole, surrounded by what looked like floating waves of fabric. The creature that had taken Carlos's place could only be described as a cross between a Dementor and a Lethifold.
Leo wasn't sure why he cared, though. Now it was his turn to die. The voice from before whispered again, but it was weak and faint. No… don't…. Leo barely took notice. He brought his wand up, pointing it at himself. No, you can't, the voice said, more strongly now. Leo opened his mouth to say the words.
NO! The voice shouted, and Leo suddenly recognized it. "Dad?" he whispered. Leo's soul seemed to go somewhere else. His eyes still saw the bloody classroom and his hand holding his wand, his ears still heard the silence that filled the air, he could still smell the iron of blood and the stench of the creature, but his mind was somewhere else.
His father glared at him. What can I do? Leo asked. More glaring. It was the look he'd always given whenever Leo had asked a question he could answer on his own. The hybrid… no one knows about it but me. It can take people's bodies, their memories, their mannerisms. It can imitate them perfectly. And it loves to kill. His father nodded, almost imperceptibly. I need to warn people. I need to warn everyone. Otherwise more will die. But…. Leo didn't want to think the next part, but the thought entered his mind anyway. But I want to die. I don't want to live with this pain, this horror, this loneliness. Why can't I just die? His father's frown deepened. The word his father had repeated all his life entered the forefront of Leo's thoughts. Responsibility. After what seemed like an eternity, Leo nodded. His father's frown broke, and he smiled at his son. Leo could practically feel his father's hand on his shoulder. His father hugged him tightly, and spoke. It's gonna be ok, he said.
And with that, Leo's soul and mind seemed to return to his body. His senses no longer dulled, he nearly gagged at the stench surrounding him. Leo lowered his wand and stood up straight. "I'm going, Dad," he whispered. And Leo left the classroom.