He looked around and found that everyone was staring at him. Suddenly, time froze. Everything became still and not a sound could be heard.
Clear as day. Thoughts no longer rushed into his mind. All was now at peace. So, this is the silence I've been looking for.
'Tool you long enough but you're finally here. Now I can rest.' Jessy thought that he could enjoy a moment or two. Anything was fine really, as long as it meant he had the liberty to escape the harsh reality before him.
But no, life is not fair to anyone. But then again, it was this unfairness to everyone that made him realize that it was indeed fair, just not predictable.
One by one, the students eyes fell on him. He could feel it approaching, the intangible dark energy that had haunted him since birth.
It rushed forth, disrupting his moment of peace. At the school gate, time was still frozen.
A few passers-by were leisurely enjoying casual strolls, unaware of the developments. No one knew. This atmosphere was simply too good. Too peaceful. Too...natural.
It was like the world was made to be like this. Fate intertwined with their wishes, creating the illusion of perfection. But he knew. He knew it was too good.
'There's simply no way life can be so good without her. Life this good always has a flaw' He thought inwardly.
Then, it came. Rushing forth from light. It did not come from the shadows in the alley or the freeway, it was the shadows, menacing, repulsive. A manner of all things evil. A fierce energy that could make a newborn baby flinch.
Everything in it's wake disintegrated, turning into ashes.
Screams filled the school compound as students and faculty outside began to drop like flies. Rushing to the safety of the administration block, a mother and child screamed for help.
The matter, now barely a foot away from them, picked up the pace. It was like it was scripted. Jessy could immediately tell that this would happen. By then, the comfort of the classroom had not yet waned. Everyone was still in a daze, admiring the dupe turned genius still at the front.
"Please... Someone help us... Help. Anyone.." The woman's breathing became laboured, the lingering fear that death was looming literally a few inches from her was motivating enough.
The spirit was willing to run away, but the body was uncooperative. Such were the effects of not having proper physique. The child, Amanda Warren, clutched onto the hem of her mother's skirt.
Abiding by the logic that had kept her alive until now 'Follow this woman. She is the only reason I am able to live'
For a five year old, that was more conviction than needed. The pace quickened, both werey of what would happen next. A man not far behind saw where they were headed.
Call it stupidity or poor judgement from his side, this guy was not in the mood to be ashed any time soon. Furthermore, his family's religion didn't support cremation. Either way, it was a lose-loae situation.
'If they're running in there, it must mean that this thing can't'. He took to his heels at the thought of such. Focused solely on the path to the administration block.
It was all conjecture, a gamble really. But it was all he had. True to this, a drowning man clutches straw.
He rushed past the duo.
The mother, seeing she was not fast enough, started pleading, begging in a loud voice. It was more of an earnest request to the man who had had now gained a glimmer of hope from her.
"P...please take...take her with you. I beg you out of the kindness of your..." Before she could finish, she was thrown onto the ground by the man who had now got closer to safety.
'This thing wants people. If I stall it...' Such thoughts corrupted the man's head. Meanwhile, the black mass, now within reach, gathered all it's furry. A behemoth of darkness. Towering over all that was in the immediate sorrounding. The screams grew louder.
Cries of anguish spread throughout the entire school. This was no longer a place for learning. This was a graveyard, save for the silence. Everything about this situation spelt 'CHAOS'
Amanda Warren stood, as if suddenly stimulated by something, someone. She could tell that she was being watched.
Her mother, bruised, on the ground and unable to go any further, looked at her last hope of saving her daughter flee into the confines of the school administration office.
In her heart, she knew she had let her only daughter down. It would have made for a perfect emotional piece in a painting, but such was not the case. There was still too much substance. Too much noise...too much time...wait, too much time.
That's when she realized that she had managed to stay alive for longer than expected. She closed her eyes in prayer, hoping that this was all just a bad dream.
'We will wake up soon. It's all just a bad dream. My daughter is fine'. With that, the silence subsided, only if for a moment. Still with her eyes closed, Miss Charlotte Warren could feel it all. The calm, the peace and serenity. It was at that moment that she realized how peaceful the atmosphere had been before it began, the onslaught of this evil monstrosity.
A wake up call. Amanda's small hand was still clinging onto her skirt, but now she was down. She had just sprained her ankle at worst, but the second she had stopped she knew that she had lost.
She pulled in Amanda closer, to share a last embrace. Maybe then, she could say goodbye in a better manner. How selfish.
She looked at her child, then at the guy fleeing, and said out loud, "Everything is going to be okay my sweet ..."
Before she could finish, the thousand or so voices within the monstrosity ushered forth. She could feel it, rushing forth towards her. Forget a pig tail. It had closed in to a distance of less that a hair's breadth. But within that small fraction of a second. She cherished her daughter and held her, as if she would protect her if something went wrong.
All hope had now faded, the man had made it, his hand was now on the handle to the door. In his mind, he had made the right choice. Sacrificing a poor woman and a five year old in exchange for a manager of a medium business was not a bad deal at all if you viewed it like a diehard capitalist.
But still, he felt it too. This woman was willing to let the child go so that she could live. She knew she couldn't give her the chance he could. Oh well, that's why there's therapy and counseling services. He would just get over it with time.
Tears welled up in Charlotte's eyes. A single drop. That was all that fell. It was not fast. It fell comicly, the earth stopped revolving and focused all it's energy on the single tear, which symbolised a mother's love for her child.
It fell silently on the ground with a soft sound, almost peaceful. Then the darkness washed over Charlotte. It was warm.
At that moment she remembered her own mother's embrace. Memories of her childhood and the time she had spent with her mother rushed into her brain. These were the good times, but they were now no more.
The darkness washed over her and Amanda, and slowly, she began to accept her fate. Gone. All she had with her daughter was five years.
But in those five years, she had accumulated a lifetime's worth of memories with absolutely no regrets.
A final breath to remember the earth by. A final touch of her daughter's skin.
Then she heard something pierce the air, a scream. Masculine, loud, impolite. So barbaric it was familiar.
She opened her eyes only to see the man who had rushed for safety trying to hold his chin as it rained down like flour from his face. A sharp realisation hit her. She was alive. Otherwise, she wouldn't be seeing these things. The first though was to check if Amanda was there. A single clutch confirmed it. But why? Why spare them and go after the man?
Surely, it couldn't be because it had morals or ethics, otherwise, why kill at all.
She looked around and discovered that it had left a while ago. No bodies. Only two people had survived the onslaught outside. Amanda Warren and Charlotte Warren clung onto each other, vowing to never let go. This was the power of a mother's love. And this was exactly what Jessy didn't have at this time.