The One Who Didn’t Run
1081 Words
The smile didn’t make sense.
That was the first thought that crossed Alex’s mind as he stood frozen in the doorway of the abandoned locker wing. Not fear. Not shock.
Confusion.
Because nothing about the scene called for a smile.
The person sitting on the floor was barefoot, their clothes soaked in dark, sticky blood that had already begun to dry in patches. Their hair clung to their face in wet strands. Their chest rose and fell slowly, calmly, as if they’d just finished a normal jog and decided to rest.
And yet… they smiled at them.
Not wide. Not friendly.
Just enough.
Serena was the first to move. She stepped forward instinctively, captain mode kicking in, voice low but firm. “Hey. Are you hurt?”
The person tilted their head slightly, studying her like she was the strange one.
“No,” they said.
Their voice was steady. Too steady.
Danny whispered, “That’s… that’s not blood?”
The person glanced down at themselves, then back up. “Not mine.”
That was when Ryan took a step back.
“Okay,” he said quietly. “That’s enough. We’re calling campus security. Right now.”
Chris finally lowered his phone. “You were in the tunnel. We saw someone running from this direction. Do you know who that was?”
The person’s smile faded.
For the first time, something real flickered across their face.
Annoyance.
“They ran too early,” they said.
Alex felt his stomach drop. “Ran from what?”
The person looked directly at him.
“From me.”
Silence slammed into the room.
Even the buzzing light overhead seemed to grow louder.
Serena swallowed. “Listen. You’re covered in blood. You’re barefoot. You’re in a locked, abandoned building. You’re not making this better.”
The person laughed softly.
A dry sound. Almost tired.
“I didn’t mean to involve you.”
Ryan snapped. “Involve us in what?”
They stood up.
That was when Alex realized something else.
They were tall. Taller than Ryan. Broad shoulders. Strong build. Not bulky like a bodybuilder — lean, controlled. Like someone who moved a lot. Someone who knew their body.
The person looked around the room slowly, then back at them. “This wasn’t supposed to happen here.”
Danny’s voice shook. “What wasn’t?”
The person took a step forward.
Instinctively, all five of them stepped back.
“I needed the field,” they said. “Open space. Lights. Noise.”
Chris frowned. “For what?”
The person’s eyes flicked to the blood trail leading back into the tunnel.
“To see how far they could run.”
Alex felt his heart start pounding harder. “Who is they?”
The person studied him for a moment.
Then said, “You’ll meet them again.”
Serena had had enough. “Okay. That’s it. I’m calling security.”
She reached for her phone.
The person’s head snapped toward her.
And in less than a second — less than a blink — they were in front of her.
Not walking.
Not running.
Just… there.
Serena froze.
So did everyone else.
The person didn’t touch her. Didn’t grab her. Just leaned in slightly, their voice suddenly low and sharp.
“Don’t.”
Something in their tone made Alex’s skin crawl.
Not threatening.
Warning.
Serena slowly lowered her phone.
The person stepped back, just as quickly as they had appeared.
Ryan stared. “How did you—”
“You shouldn’t be here,” the person said again, more quietly now. “None of you should.”
Danny whispered, “Then why didn’t you leave?”
The person’s jaw tightened. “Because it’s already started.”
Chris frowned. “What has?”
The person looked at each of them in turn.
Then finally said the words that shifted everything.
“They’ve been watching this place for months.”
Alex felt a chill. “Who?”
The person hesitated.
For the first time, they seemed unsure.
“People who don’t care about your rules,” they said. “Or your fences. Or your cameras.”
Serena crossed her arms. “You’re talking in riddles.”
“Because if I talk clearly,” the person replied, “you won’t believe me.”
Ryan scoffed. “Try us.”
The person sighed.
Then looked straight at the stadium wall.
“At some point,” they said, “one of you is going to disappear.”
The words hung in the air like smoke.
Chris laughed nervously. “Okay, now you’re just being dramatic.”
But the person didn’t smile this time.
“I’m being honest.”
Alex felt something twist in his chest. “Disappear how?”
The person’s eyes met his.
“On the field.”
Another silence.
Heavier than the first.
Serena shook her head. “This is insane. You’re injured, you’re talking nonsense, and you’re scaring my team.”
“Good,” the person said softly. “Fear keeps people alive.”
Ryan snapped. “Then tell us your name.”
The person paused.
Then said, “Evan.”
Chris blinked. “Just Evan?”
“Yes.”
Alex frowned. “You a student here?”
Evan hesitated for half a second.
“No.”
That single word made everything worse.
Serena exhaled slowly. “Then how did you get into a restricted campus area?”
Evan looked down at their bare feet.
“I walked.”
Danny whispered, “That’s not an answer.”
Evan looked up again.
“None of the real ones ever are.”
Before anyone could respond —
A loud metallic bang echoed from deeper inside the locker wing.
Not a door.
Not a footstep.
Something heavier.
Like metal shifting.
Evan’s entire body tensed.
All calm vanished instantly.
“They’re here,” Evan said.
Alex’s heart skipped. “Who is they?”
But Evan was already moving.
“Run.”
Serena blinked. “What?”
Evan grabbed Alex’s wrist.
Not violently — urgently.
“Now.”
Another sound echoed.
Closer this time.
Slow.
Deliberate.
Footsteps.
Not human.
Not rushed.
Walking.
From the darkness of the abandoned corridor.
Evan’s grip tightened.
“If you stay,” they said, voice low and deadly serious, “you won’t be the ones chasing next time.”
And as the footsteps grew louder behind them, Alex realized something terrifying:
The person they had chased onto the field…
Had been running from whatever was now walking toward them.
- Writer
