When I wake up, the sun spills through the dorm window, covering me. Meaning I'm very late for class.
Except, the term ended yesterday, and today is the start of Winter Break.
I sit up in bed and look over at Diana. She's sprawled over her bed, practically drooling on her pillow. She's clutching Mango, the dorm cat, in her arms.
It was a late night. We stayed up with the girls, painting our nails and burning our coursework in the fireplace. I had fun.
It was a welcome escape from the fact that I'll die today.
***
After eating breakfast together in the dining hall, Diana and I return to the dorm. With coffee, of course.
We sit in the window seat, swaddled by our warm blankets, Mango squished between us. Diana reads and I write. Every once in a while, we look out at the school grounds, watching snow land softly on the trees. It cloaks everything, every plant in the Gazoban Gardens.
"Do you think we'll be able to go back to the shed in this weather?" Diana asks me.
There it is. My impending doom.
I hate the idea of going back there.
I hated everything about it.
"Yeah," I answer. "I think it'll clear up."
Diana goes back to her book.
I pick up Mango and start stress-petting her.
***
After our little consultation with the headmaster, it became clear that he was hiding something. Something important.
The moment we mentioned the shed, it was like a light switched. All of a sudden, he was angry. Frantic, even.
Diana and I knew there was something wrong. We knew there was something more.
That's why we're here. Standing right outside of the school. In the snow. With Brooks and Theo.
"Flashlights?" asks Diana.
"Check," I reply.
"First aid kit?"
"Check."
"Plastic knives from lunch?"
"Check."
"Alright, I think we're all set," Diana says and starts walking down the trail.
The snow has stopped falling, but the sky is still white. I can see the black shed hunched in the distance.
"So, what's the plan?" Brooks asks.
"Go in the shed, look around, see if we can find anything else, then make it back in time for dinner," Diana answers.
"Great," says Brooks. "Wait, what if the monster is still in there?"
Diana hesitates. "Then we run."
***
Dread spills over me as we near the woods.
The Gardening Shed sits, waiting to chew us up and swallow.
"So," Theo says when we reach the door, "we just walk in?"
Diana steps in front and turns the doorknob. The hinges squeal as the door opens, revealing the nightmare inside.
Shelves upon shelves of weapons (axes, knives, etc.) and animal parts (eyes, intestines, etc.).
Diana steps inside the shed. She looks to the left. She looks to the right.
"All clear," she says, gesturing for us to come in.
Theo and Brooks walk inside. I take a deep breath and follow.
***
I'm watching you.
The words on the wall send my heart reeling. The blood is dry and crusted, but the message is still the same.
I am watching you.
I know the warning is outdated. We've already checked for the monster. He's not in here.
But the words still send a chill down my spine.
Diana and the others are looking around at the shelves, checking every crevice and corner of the shed. But I stand still.
Something is happening.
Energy is surrounding me, soaking into me. A magnetic force pulling me forward.
The walls are calling out to me, beckoning me, reaching, clawing at me.
My fingers press into the damp wood, and everything goes black.
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