FAMILIA

familia1.03

Journee Moraga

"What's happen—" Seinna started to ask, but Elaine didn't let her finish and prevented her from looking into the cubicle. Elaine and I knew what this would do to Seinna. Even though I'm a horror fan, I couldn't handle this. It's far different from books and movies - this is real blood, real flesh, and real horror.

My hands were still shaking, and my knees felt weak. I tried to close my eyes, but it made things worse because I could see her image in my mind even more clearly. I know her. I know her very well. She's Amari Acosta. Four-eyes.

I admit, I hate her, but I never imagined seeing her in this situation.

"Jo, let's go!" Elaine shouted at me, snapping me back to reality.

"We need to get out of here before something happens!"

"What's going on? What's happening?" Seinna asked again, feeling scared too.

Elaine pulled Seinna, and despite my weak knees, I did the same. I tried to walk fast.

When we opened the door, the three of them were waiting for us, looking worried.

"What happened?" Maddy asked us.

I couldn't hold back my tears, and Maddy immediately hugged me. Son went inside to check what had happened. Despite being scared, Elaine told them about the lifeless body of Amari we found, while I couldn't speak anymore because my lips and hands were numb.

The image of Amari's body kept flashing in my mind, making me shudder. Maddy's hug was comforting, but I couldn't shake off the feeling of dread that had settled in. The reality of our situation was hitting us hard, and it was overwhelming.

Seinna started to panic and cried out of fear. I wiped away my tears, trying to act strong even though I felt weak. I thought I was brave, especially since I liked horror. So, for now, I'll just pretend like I'm watching from a distance, not really involved, not really part of what's happening to me and my friends.

I didn't know what they were discussing anymore. All I knew was that we were in chaos. I saw Elaine trying to calm Seinna down.

"Who's there?" a guard's voice called out, getting closer. We exchanged nervous glances. We're fine now. I breathed a sigh of relief. I was about to approach the stairs where the guard's voice was coming from, but Son held me back.

"We don't know who did this," she said.

"We need to be extra careful," Maddy added, ushering us back into the CR. They told us that at this point, we couldn't trust anyone, not even the school guard. He might look innocent, but we had to suspect everyone in the school to avoid getting hurt.

Like before, I trusted their decision, so I just followed along. Maddy said we needed to come up with a plan. Someone needed to distract the guard while the others would slip away from this place.

Maddy told Son, "You take care of them."

"Be careful, Maddy," Son replied.

Maddy planned to approach the guard and if she noticed something off she would distract or lead the guard away, and once the guard was far enough, we would exit and leave the school.

Elaine was supposed to accompany her, but it was too risky since they would have to look out for each other.

Maddy exuded her usual calm composure, a beacon of stability amidst the chaos. Her level-headedness was exactly what we needed in that moment. I admired her ability to remain collected, even as fear and uncertainty swirled around us. With her clear thinking, I felt a glimmer of hope. All I wanted was to escape the terrifying scene unfolding before us.

"I will. See you at Morata."

Son quickly approached Amari to check if she was still alive or if she was really dead. Because this wasn't a joke if it was just a prank to scare us, but for now, hopefully, it was just a prank.

"She... has no pulse." Son didn't want to say it, but it was the truth.

Seinna cried again, but she covered her mouth to make sure no sound came out. To ensure the guard wouldn't hear us.

"Help!" I was sure that was Maddy's shout from the other part of the building. I didn't know if she was really asking for help or if that was her way to lure the guard closer.

"Maybe I shouldn't have let her go alone," Elaine paced back and forth, showing how worried she was. She wanted to follow Maddy but knew it wouldn't make a difference now. Minutes passed, and we realized the guard and Maddy were far away. It seems the guard was unusual.

Son saw my phone that had fallen earlier, so she picked it up and wrapped it in her handkerchief. I had forgotten that I dropped my phone.

After a while, we went out and returned to the room to get our things. Son and Lucas were guiding us on where to exit and which path to take. We decided to go down the stairs that the guard had passed.

"Help!" Maddy shouted again. "Guys, let's follow Maddy," I said. I was worried - what if the guard was the one who did this? And Maddy was asking for help, but we were leaving her behind.

"What if something happens to Maddy?"

"Jo, let's trust Maddy," Lucas said.

"You're right, for now, that's all we can do for her - trust her," Son agreed with Lucas, convincing herself too. I'm sorry, Maddy.

We carefully made our way down the stairs, holding hands due to our fear and weakness. We are currently on the fourth floor.

"Make sure no one gets out!" We heard unfamiliar men's voices coming from upstairs. Lucas pulled me to hide in a room that was luckily still open.

We could hear their voices, but they weren't clear. I tried to peek at them and saw two men wearing black... Damn! They're holding guns! They're... they're really aiming to kill!

My heart was racing even faster. There are really killers, and I heard what they said earlier - that they would make sure no one escapes. I tried to calm myself down and breathe slowly, but it wasn't working. Why did our day turn out like this? We were just supposed to enjoy the rest of the day, but why did it turn out this way?

The men passed by, and I couldn't help but cry again. I was weakening. "Seinna, we need to leave," Son pleaded with Seinna, comforting her. They were already standing and about to leave, but Seinna was still sobbing uncontrollably. I'm sure she saw what I saw.

"I think we're safer here. Please, let's not leave yet," Seinna said, crying and trembling.

"No, Sein, it's more dangerous for us here," Son replied.

"Please, please... I don't want to. Let's just stay here."

Elaine held Seinna's face and looked into her eyes. "Sein, we need to leave," Elaine said, but it had no effect. Seinna was still shaken, shaking her head and crying uncontrollably.

"Sein, we need to get out of here," Elaine tried to convince her again.

"I can't do it, Elaine. If you want to go, just go without me. I'll stay here," Seinna said.

"Seinna, come on. We don't have enough time for this! We need to muster up our courage and leave!" Son said, her voice weak and frustrated.

"Just leave me behind. It's okay. I'll just wait for dawn. Please." Honestly, I wanted to go home too, but Seinna was right - how could we bring ourselves to leave when we knew it might be the end for us?

"Sein, listen. We'll all get out of here, safe and sound. You understand?" Elaine said.

"Do you understand, Sein?" Seinna shook her head, her knees still trembling.

"Sorry, I can't do it," she said.

"I don't want this anymore." Tears streamed down my face as I yearned for my mom's comforting presence. Like Sein, all I wanted was to escape this nightmare and find solace in the safety of my home. I wished I could fast-forward time, skip the fear and uncertainty, and wake up to the warmth of my own bed. But the reality was unforgiving - no magical rescue, no pause button, just the harsh truth that we had to find a way out ourselves.

We need to be strong because if we're not, we'll be the ones who lose.

"There's someone here!" a man shouted as he approached the room where we were hiding. Lucas pulled me, and I found the strength to run. We all started running down the hallway. Seinna was stumbling, but Elaine and Son held her hands and kept her going.

As we ran, I realized that fear can make people react differently. Some freeze in fear, while others run for their lives. Tonight, fear was making us run fast.

My heart was racing as we ran down the hallway. I didn't dare look back. Lucas held my hand tightly, and we kept running. We dodged and turned, trying to lose the people chasing us. But they were getting closer.

I didn't know how much longer we could keep running. My legs hurt, and I was out of breath. But I knew I couldn't stop. We had to keep going. The thought of being caught was too scary.

We ran as fast as we could, fueled by fear. We didn't know what would happen if we got caught. We just knew we had to keep moving and hope for the best. Our lives depended on it. We ran down the stairs, our footsteps echoing through the building. We were running out of time, and we knew it.

We went through another door, hoping to escape. But we were seen by another group. "There they are! Stop!" someone shouted. The footsteps behind us got louder, and I knew we couldn't run forever.