Interruption

Lately, I’ve gotten into the habit of coming to the library—not because I actually want to study. It’s just a quiet place to pass the time and read some of the comics tucked away in the “discarded books” section. Why does the principal get so irritated about us reading comics? *“That’s not real reading,”* she says. What nonsense. She acts like we’re in one of those ridiculous elite genius academies, always shouting whenever we don’t bring home a trophy, or whenever our school’s name “isn’t among the top in the country.” Maybe it once was—but for years now, we haven’t contributed anything to anything.

Anyway, this place became an escape. A way to stay out of the house a little longer. It’s not exactly pleasant there.

But today—just when I had discovered the pinnacle of comics, that diamond hidden between dusty shelves, the one that brought back my will to live just so I could read another like it—

Of all days, Henry decides to come “study.”

Ah, his snoring. If I had to describe it, I’d say it sounds like a buffalo. A very sick buffalo, only days away from dying, suffocating in its own mucus and drool.

And even if I move to the farthest corner of the library, I can still hear him.

Sometimes I simply wish I could strangle someone with a rope.

This was the exception, though. No—I didn’t want to strangle him. I just wanted to punch him over and over and rip out his tongue so his suffering might equal mine.

Unfortunately, something called *the legal system* exists. So I’ll refrain from doing anything that could land me in prison—or juvenile detention, at best.

Frustrated with myself for not being able to ignore him, I decided it would be better to walk the halls for a while. At this hour, hardly anyone was still around.

“Hi, Cloe,” someone said, holding a stack of books. “Coming from the library?”

“Yeah.”

“Have you seen Henry anywhere?”

“Ah, yeah. The sleeping beauty’s over there.”

“Thanks. I’ve been looking for him.”

Becca is one of those cliché girls you see everywhere, so I won’t bother introducing her properly. If you’re curious—she wears her hair in twin pigtails and uses perfume so sugary it could probably give me type three diabetes if I inhale too much.

And she’s always so nice. Why is she like that? Maybe in a past life she was that mustached man who almost conquered the world. Otherwise, I can’t explain her kindness. People that pleasant usually hide some deeply degrading past they’re trying to atone for through good deeds.

Or maybe I’m just jealous of her…

The orange sky signaled it was time to go home. Unfortunately.

I felt lighter than usual. I owed this good mood to that comic. In the end, I managed to finish the first volume. Now I suppose I’ll save up to buy the next one, because I doubt volume two will magically appear in that forgotten corner.

As I hummed to myself, I noticed a shadow in the hallway. One that violently darted from one side to the other.

A little unsettled, I continued toward the school entrance.

Then I heard it.

A dull thud against the floor.

A tremor—almost imperceptible.

The sound of something falling in the hallway to my right.

Curious, I approached. Slowly, careful not to let my shoes make noise. I was nervous, so I lowered myself to the floor and began to crawl—faster than I meant to.

When I finally saw it—

A woman. A large woman with long blonde hair was biting into another woman’s neck. Blood—blood dancing between her fangs, gleaming against the white of the student’s shirt.

Soft moans accompanied the execution.

There was a visceral cracking sound coming from her abdomen, moving in rhythm with the fingers of her left hand. When I looked closer, her nails could hardly be called nails at all—more like claws, now stained red.

As I watched her drain everything from the girl’s neck, I realized that no matter how close I got, she didn’t seem to notice me.

I approached because I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. I wanted to touch it—to feel whether this was real or just some feverish hallucination.

The moment I tried to lay my hand on her—

An arm wrapped around my throat.

My heart stopped.

The woman was staring directly at me. I still couldn’t understand how she’d moved so fast.

Her lips were soaked in blood. The smell was overwhelming.

Her eyes glowed, turning the dark hallway into a dim, oppressive light that pressed against my mind.

I felt detached. Dissociated. I couldn’t form a single word.

“Lucky girl. I’m already finished here,” she said as she released my throat.

“You shouldn’t tell anyone about this,” she added mockingly. “No one would believe you anyway.”

As I staggered backward, dazed, I turned and ran with the last fragments of consciousness I had left.

Everything was spinning. My body trembled so violently I kept stumbling.

What is happening in this town?