As the they stood on the stage the teens were greeted with a grisly sight. The whole stage was bathed in a red light coming from the floodlights above them. On the floor were at least half a dozen creature carcasses, all covered with great cuts and gashes across their bodies. In one corner of the room was a large cluster of tables, chairs, and other props stacked together to create some sort of barricade. A shadow could be seen moving ever so lightly between the small gaps in the structure. Simon was about to approach the barricade, but Natsuki tapped him on the chest and gestured him to stay put while she moved forward. Simon was initially perplexed, but chose to stay and watch carefully as she slowly walked over the corpses.
She then stood at a large gap in the stack and peered in.
"Yuri?"
Suddenly a pale arm reached out from the gap and pulled Natsuki inside as she gave out a fearful shout.
"Natsuki!"
Simon ran towards the barricade and pushed his way through the gap. He saw Natsuki on the floor being hugged by a figure with long hair that covered it's face. A light female voice could be heard between sobs from the figure.
"I thought- I thought you were-"
"It's alright Yuri, it's alright. I'm here."
Then the figure's eyes met Simon's. Simon watched in fear as the figure slowly pulled out a long, bloody knife from behind her and pointed it at him. Natsuki turned her head and saw the blade and quickly released herself from the figure's embrace. The figure then stood up and moved itself in front of Natsuki, still pointing the blade at Simon.
"Yuri!?"
"Who are you?! What are you doing here?!"
With Natsuki no longer in front of the figure Simon could see her more clearly. A tall and slender young girl. A student like Natsuki. Yet her uniform was almost fully coated in blood and there seemed to be cuts and tears all over her. Her long hair was wet with blood, the few dry strands revealing a dark violet colour. Her large eyes were full of fear and frenzy as she stared directly at Simon. Doing the same as before, Simon put his bat down and lifted his hands.
"Calm down. I'm a friend."
"I don't know you, what are you doing here?!"
"Yuri, this is Simon, he helped me find you."
Yuri started to rock back and forth where she stood, mumbling incoherently. Simon noticed the many wounds on her body, some which were still bleeding.
"Look. I can see you're hurt." Simon removed the first aid kit form his back, Yuri never taking her eyes off him as he did so. "Please, let me help you."
Yuri looked at Natsuki with worried eyes.
"Yuri, you can trust him. Please. Just let us help you."
Yuri looked back at Simon with anger and pointed at the first aid kit.
"Give it to her."
Simon looked at Natsuki.
"Do you know how to-"
"Yes, just give it here."
Simon walked over to Natsuki and handed her the first aid kid. He gestured him to give them some space. He turned and walked out of the barricade.
Simon sat on a chair on the stage as he waited. Bat in hand in case something happened. He looked at the corpses on the floor.
"First a girl who can crush skulls, now one that can do all this? What were they teaching in this school?" He thought to himself.
After about a half hour the girls emerged form the barricade. Simon stood up and looked at Yuri. Her wounds had been bandaged up and most of the blood had been cleaned off her face and hair. Revealing a beautiful, yet shaken expression. She still held the knife in her hand.
"Natsuki told me everything." She looked at Simon. "I just have one question. Why do you want to help us?"
"You two are only ones I've meet since this mess began. If there is anyone else alive, I'm not leaving them behind. Have you seen your friends anywhere?"
Yuri looked at her feet.
"No. I ended up in the middle of the gym. And there were these… Monsters running at me. I climbed onto the stage and they just went after me. I had to hold them off." She looked at the corpses on the ground. "They just kept coming.. and coming. I should've tried to find the others. But I was too- oh, God." Yuri put her free hand over her face.
Natsuki put her hand on Yuri's shoulder.
"It'll be alright, Yuri."
Yuri removed her hand and took a deep breath.
"You're right. We've got to keep looking." She looked at Simon. "You ready to go?"
"Yeah, lets."
The teens walked out through the backstage door and back into the corridor. They searched several classrooms but found nothing. Simon realized that there was no sign of any other students or teachers anywhere. No corpses or bloodstains.
"Were you and your friends the only ones in school at the time?"
"Most of the kids didn't have clubs today so they just went home. But the teachers were still here. If there's no sign of them they probably ran away." Said Natsuki.
"I don't think that's what happened. I don't remember leaving the clubroom or entering the gym. It felt like I was "displaced" or something. Maybe the same thing happened to the teachers."
The team continued to walk across the dark corridor. The light from Simon's phone caught something unusual. A web of heavy chains bolted across a pair of doors at the end of the hall.
"Who the hell put this up?" Said Natsuki.
Simon inspected the chains and found a padlock.
"Where does this lead?"
Yuri looked about her, cautiously.
"Upper floors, and the roof."
Simon, by this time, had learned to recognize the patterns. One of the girls, or at least a clue to finding them, would be behind these doors. He spent a full minute trying every key on the ring he found, but to no avail. He then noticed that on the lock the letters W and S and scratched on. He turned towards the girls.
"Does this mean anything to you? WS?
"Nothing to me."
"WS..." Yuri put her hand on her chin. "Workshop!"
"And where would that be?"
Yuri pointed to a red door at the end of the corridor, only a few yards away.
"Just on the other side, right over-"
A sudden, loud buzzing sound erupted from behind the door. Simon instantly recognized it.
"Run! Now!"
An immense, horrid screech sounded from the workshop as a chainsaw burst through the door and tore it down in seconds. A tall, dark figure wearing smiling masks on all sides of its constantly twitching head ran towards the teens, brandishing its chainsaw from side to side.
The two girls followed Simon as they ran from the creature, the sound of the chainsaw's engine echoing through the halls. Simon burst through a random door and waited for the girls to enter. He then closed the door and looked around. Under a single bulb there were dusty racks of tools and cleaning equipment. A maintenance room of some sort. He saw a large cabinet next to the door and immediately pushed it to the side, blocking the door.
"Come on, help me out!"
The three began gathering whatever they could and started piling it in front of the door. Chairs, racks, tables, boxes. Soon the whole door was covered, leaving them trapped.
"That'll slow him down, for a while."
The roar of the chainsaw was then heard from behind the door.
Natsuki began panicking and Yuri held her hand. Yuri heard a faint buzzing coming from her right. She turned her head to see a fusebox. Hope washed over her as she suddenly had an idea. She turned to her friends.
"I have a plan."
Simon stood alone in the room as he saw the monster cut through the door and push its way out of the barricade. With one last strike, it entered the room. He readied himself as the creature's hollow eyes met his. It revved up its chainsaw and began sprinting towards him with a horrendous howl. As it got closer it raised its weapon high above its head. Simon remained focused as his heartbeat rose rapidly. Just before the teeth of the saw touched his head Simon flung himself to the side as the creature jammed its chainsaw into the fusebox.
Simon watched from the floor as bright flashes of light bathed the monster, it screamed as its flesh began to burn and Simon could smell the stench of it. After five seconds of the sparks and screams ended, the creature let go of its chainsaw and fell to the floor, foul fumes rising from its carcass.
The door to the closet opened next to him and the two girls squeezed themselves out.
"Did it work?" Said Yuri.
Simon looked at the corpse in disbelief.
"I can't believe it did. Thanks for saving our bloody lives."
Natsuki smiled and hugged Yuri with a relieved and grateful laugh.
"Yes, yes! We did it! Your idea worked, Yuri! I told you you had brains!"
Simon noticed a small key hanging from the neck of the corpse.
"Of course." He said wearily.
The trio made their way out of the room. From out the windows they saw a cloudy sky dimly lit by the morning sun. Back at the bolted doors Simon unlocked the padlock and with the help of Yuri pulled the chains away. The door to the staircase was now open. Simon took a deep breath, and opened the doors.