An Unfair World: Hello

No.

No.

No no no no no no no no no.

Impossible.

This is a dream, a horrible dream.
Sadie isn't really dead in your lap.
That's not blood staining your skin.
It's... It's a-

It's a joke! This is just some elaborate prank that Joel and Sadie came up with.
Any moment now her eyes are gonna focus on you and Joel's gonna jump out and they'll both yell "Surprise!" and you'll all laugh and go back to the bus and live your lives as normal high schoolers.


Oh god.

Her head won't even turn.
She's so rigor-mortised right now.


When did it get so hot?

Why are you so thirsty?

Why is everything going wrong?


You try to say "I hate this wretched fucking Program", but all that comes out is a whine and a groan.

Your eyes start tearing up again.
Your lower lip quivers, and you know it's going to start again.

You feel a hand on your shoulder, and you're sure it's T'kelah, about to tell you that you both need to move or you're both screwed.

But it's not.

No.
No?
Yes?
No.

"Your-you're supposed to be dead." You whimper, and T'kelah shoots you a concerned look from the other side of the tree.

"I am," She replies to you, smiling ever-so-sweetly. She's just floating there, translucent and evanescent. Her hair swirls around like she's floating in water, and the only evidence of her mortal wound is the-

Oh god that's a lot of blood.

"Why are you h-he-here?" You question, your voice wavering like you're one of the brain damaged bomb victims that your mother showed you after a city street was attacked by a single, suicidal terrorist.

"I'm here to tell you to remember me as I was," She looked at you with saddened green eyes. "Not as I am now."

You nod, closing your eyes and trying to think back, but all that comes to you is Joel's face, caked with the liquid life of other students.

And of Sadie.

"I can't!" You plead, looking up at your phantasmic former friend. She hums, and descends to your level, reaching forward and closing your eyes with her thumb and forefinger. It's easier, then, and you begin to relax.

Remembering becomes much easier after that.

EIGHT MONTHS AGO

"Jacqueline, wait up!" You heard footsteps behind you and, turning around, you ran faster, laughing the whole way. Her shoes clicked on the linoleum as she tried to keep up with your longer strides, but she groaned and gave up eventually. What she didn't know was that you had already started backtracking, and were just around the corner from her. "Saaaaaaadie~!" You gave your best shot at impersonating a ghost, shifting tone and pitch like people did in the movies.

You peeked around the corner, and she was not amused. She frowned at you, her (luxurious) blonde hair framing her soft cheeks, which brought your vision up to her eyes. "Green is my favorite color, you know." You smirked, leaning against the lockers as she folded her arms across her chest. "You're not nearly as smooth as you think you are, dear."

You lean forward and hoop her nose.
She twitches a bit, then tries to grab you.

It's awfully hard to catch someone who's not in the space you thought she was in.

You giggle a bit as you run faster, turning a corner before a smaller body crashes into you.
You shake your head a bit and look to see T'kelah sitting on you. "'Ello Jacq!" She smiles at you, and stands up. Sadie catches up to you, and you grin at both of them. Wrapping an arm around each of their shoulders, you squeeze them both close to you and laugh a bit.

"I love you. Both of you." You leaned your head against Sadie's, closing your eyes and just trying to soak up the moment so that you would never forget it.

======================================================================================

"Seb, either take off the fucking chains, or we're splitting up." You demand, turning on your heel to look the dumbass in his stupid, dead cow eyes. "But Moraaaaaa~!" He whined, pouting his lip like a satirical child. "I like my bling!"

"I'm about to facepalm so hard my hand crashes through every single brain cell that wants to go postal listening to you." You warn, jolting your head to the side to get a bang out of your face. "At least then I won't have to put up with that goddamn rattling you make every step you take." He frowned at you, cocking a blonde eyebrow before smirking a bit. "Fine, I'll wrap up the chains, but you have to give me the gun." Sebastian Beaudet, master of stupidity everyone.

"First off, I have steadier hands than you, so no. Second, you're an idiot if you think I'm going to give you a fully automatic submachine gun, so fuck you." Seb rolled his eyes at you, crossing his arms. "Fine, the chains stay on then." You grumbled for a second before throwing your hands up in defeat. "I am way too goddamn tired to be putting up with your shit, Beaudet!"

He shrugged at you, pointing at a hollowed oak with an entrance at the base. "You could sleep there. I'll stand guard if you give me th-" "Thanks, but I'd rather take my chances with sleep deprivation." You retort, trudging forward even as your eyelids felt like ten tons dragging your face into the ground. Sebastian started griping again, so you turn around to try and decipher his unintelligible babble.

He was griping, making animated hand motions as you watched apathetically.
You blinked and opened your eyes.
He had a crowbar in his cranium.

BOY #7 SEBASTIAN BEAUDET: DEAD

Seb's mouth was still partway open, and the clawed end of the killing tool could be seen pushing its way out of the roof of his mouth. His blue eyes had rolled backwards in his head, and blood seeped out from the mat of his close-cropped hair.

You reeled in shock, backing up and falling as you shouted. The figure holding the crowbar jolted the metal tool around, sending tiny bits of brain matter into the surrounding brush. Sebastian's killer finally released the twitching corpse, pushing it down before turning and grinning at you.

It was Matthew.
Matthew?!

"Sorry for the mess," the brunette smiled, wiping off the clawed part of the tool off. "But I promise you won't be bothered by it much longer."

You bolted, stumbling over roots and rocks as you tried to pass through the forest in a near-intoxicated state.
You were disgusted. You were angry, and you were scared.

You, Morana Atropine, vow to never be scared again.