Chapter 12: The Silence Around
The sports field lay just a stone’s throw away from the imposing school structure. Usually bathed in powerful floodlights, it was now swallowed by an intimidating darkness as all the lights had been extinguished. Its haunting dimness projected an eerie, oppressive atmosphere that hovered heavily in the air. Yet, compared to the overwhelming, all-consuming abyss inside the main building, the intimidating aura of the sports field was somehow more bearable.
Upon finally escaping to this spot, the terror that had taken hold of the students’ hearts began to subside slightly. Nevertheless, the panic-stricken group found themselves unable to stand, weakened and breathless, their bodies slumped onto the grass. This state wasn’t a reflection of their physical endurance, rather the emotional and mental exhaustion of being entrapped in the educational structure, fleeing from an unknown threat that had completely sapped their vitality.
“The inside… it’s terrifying. I was so close to that infant creature when it attached itself to Coral’s shoulder. I swear it was staring directly at me when it crawled towards us,” admitted a male student, his voice still trembling with residual fear.
“That baby, it has to be a ghost. This whole place, it’s swarming with ghosts. We’re doomed!” A visibly shaken female student, her face ghostly pale, was on the verge of losing her sanity as she vocalized her terror.
Suddenly, Grace, another student, voiced a fresh concern. “Wait, we saw that ghost grab Coral, but why is Miles also gone?” Her query drew attention to the absence of their fellow classmate.
Grace, who shared a desk with Miles and had known him since their junior high days, had an innate tendency to keep an extra eye on him compared to the others.
William, another student, glanced around, indeed confirming Miles’s absence. Overcome with sorrow, he brushed the corner of his eye, “Miles sacrificed himself for our safety, that I’ll never forget. I’ll honor his memory annually, and should his family hold a funeral, I pledge to contribute more to guarantee a respectful farewell. He was a decent, honorable man.”
Grace, don’t get too disheartened. We can’t resurrect the dead. Let’s all take a brief rest here. I’ll go back and confirm if Miles has indeed perished. If that’s the case, we can strategize our escape plan,” William declared, steeling his nerve to venture back despite the grim prospect.
“William, after listening to your statement, I can definitively say our friendship is nothing more than a shallow illusion. If danger threatens us again, don’t count on me to rescue you. You’ll be left to your own devices,” an unexpected voice retorted from behind the group.