Chaper 11

The hallway was silent as students watched in disbelief. Emily was hovering over an unconscious Illaden, the wound on his chest leaking out blood, the smell of copper quickly filling the hallway. Jay covered his mouth and watched his sister in front of them unfazed by what just happened, her dagger tight in her hands.

Jay and her made eye contact before she motioned back at Emily, looking forward once again as her eyes locked onto the other students, some running off and some staying. Jay took the hint and took off. He made a B-line to Doku's office, rushing in the second he got to the door. The door slammed open, making Doku jump a bit 

"What's wrong?" Doku asked as she got up. Jay went over to her while panting heavily. 

"Illaden...Is hurt..." Jay mumbled in between breaths. Doku's eyes went wide, her smile dropping. 

"Take me there. Now." She told him before nodded, slightly put off by her tone. Jay quickly took her to Emily and Illaden but by the time they got there, Tenma, Cameron, and Eddison had also arrived. Tenma quickly turned around, clearing his throat loudly. 

"Alright, I need everyone to part from the middle of the hallway!" He called out and watched as students quickly moved out of the middle. Emily had wrapped her jacket around Illaden's chest, stopping the blood from leaking out while keeping pressure on the wound. 

"It's going to be okay...I'm here..." She kept whispering to him in a somewhat soothing tone. 

Cameron and Eddison rushed to them, Doku slowly putting her hands on Emily's shoulders as the two boys picked Illaden up. Emily made a move forward to grab Illaden's hand but she was quickly stopped by Doku turning her around and giving her a reassuring smile. 

"Emily, let the boys take him to the nurse. We can follow them but we must stay out of their way and let them do what they need to do." She told Emily as she gently took hold of her hands, watching as Cameron and Eddison began to make their way to the nurses’ office, the girls along with Tenma and a large group of students following close behind them. May put her sword away and grabbed her brother’s hand, both of them following the crowd.

Illaden arrived at the nurse and was placed in one of the beds. Emily, now not as shaken, turned to look at her other council members and let out a small sigh once she noticed the large group of students.

"Tenma, Cameron, you two will stand guard here for now until Illaden can move, don't let anyone else other than council members and the nurse in. The only time as of right now that students are allowed in is if they are in the same condition as Illaden. Doku, Eddison, please come with me." Emily said as the small group left the room. 

"Emily, do you have any idea how idi-" Tenma started but was cut off by Emily holding her hand out. 

"I understand but right now, Illaden recovering undisturbed in my main concern right now." Emily told him before giving him a soft smile.

"I have faith that the two of you can perform this job beautifully." Emily told him in a sadden yet reassuring tone. Tenma let out a loud and annoyed groan before taking his post by one side of the door. Cameron gave Emily a hard glance before also taking his post, standing on the other side of the door.

Jay watched as Emily, Doku, and Eddison walked away while Tenma and Cameron stayed and guarded the nurses’ office. 

"Alright! The show is over, get lost!" Cameron yelled into the crown and the students quickly dispersed, going back to their activities. May and Jay made their way back to their rooms, Jay letting out a stressed sigh as he shut and locked the door. 

May took a seat on her bed and took one of her daggers out, using a rag that was next to her to clean the blood off the tip of the blade. Jay began to put his notebooks away before remembering Ally. He then looked at his sister, giving her a smile. 

"Will you do okay if I go for a while? I need to talk to someone." He asked and she looked up, giving him a nod while returning the smile. He got up and went over to her, giving her a soft hug before leaving. 

Jay made his way to the first floor, looking around at the classrooms before he came up to the vacant room. He smiled to himself before going up to the door. He was going to open it but stopped once he saw that it was cracked open. He paused for a moment before slowly opening the door.

"Ally?" He asked softly as he peeked into the pitch-black room. Jay recoiled a bit as the familiar scent of heavy copper hit him, causing him to cough a bit. He opened the door completely now, the lights from the hallway filling the darkroom with light, and what Jay saw made his blood run cold. 

Laying in the middle of the room was a student, their head turned towards the door, their mouth agape in an eternal scream, their chest and stomach seemingly clawed open with dry blood surrounding the area.

Jay quickly turned his head away, covering his mouth in a desperate attempt not to throw up as he blinked away the tears that were daring to spill. He took a few deep breaths and let out a shaky sigh as he looked around the room, confirming it was the same room Ally had shown him before looking at the body, taking a step into the room before quickly making his way to the body. He leaned down a bit, getting a better look at it.

Jay was relieved once he realized that it wasn't Ally or anyone else he knew. Jay flinched a bit and froze once he heard the speakers switch on.

"Good afternoon, This is your student council president, Emily, with some important announcements." Emily's voice was dripping with sadness, her tone unenthusiastic. 

"Because of unfortunate events, certain school activities are going to be temporarily suspended. These activities include going to town, field trips, any outdoor club activities, official sparring matches, and anything else that requires student council supervision or permission. The nurses’ office is now closed unless it is an extreme emergency until further notice. As of tomorrow until further notice, any student caught breaking any school rules including dress code, will be immediately expelled." Jay wasn't surprised to hear the sudden enforcement of the rules or sudden activity suspension. 

"Moving on, I will be taking a temporary break from my position as student council president. And without Illaden unable to fill in for the time being, Doku Saki will be filling in until further notice. Those who are scheduled to be at tomorrow's festival will continue like normal. That will be all." And with that, the speakers turned off. 

Jay stood there for a moment, processing the new information. He knew why Emily was taking a break from the council while Illaden was recovering but didn't understand why the festival was still going on. He quickly came back to reality as his eyes met the body once again. 

He turned to leave but stopped once he saw a figure standing in the doorway. Jay's eyes went wide in fear as the lights flicked on, The boy’s yellow snake-like eyes now fixed of Jay's shaking body. 

The black-haired boy just stared at him for a minute before his eyes went wide and he gave Jay a toothy, bloody smile.

"You!" The boy shouted, making Jay flinch. 

"You -You -You -You!" The boy kept repeating as he ran to Jay, making him yelp and fall back, the boy now hovering over him. 

"I found you! I found you!" The boy exclaimed as he grabbed Jay by the collar of his uniform, pulling him to his feet. Jay glanced at the boy’s hands, noticing the dry blood on his fingers and nails. 

"G.U.T. will be so happy! Yes -Yes! She will!" The boy let out a wild laugh, leaving Jay petrified.

"G-G.U.T. wanted to see me?"Jay stammered out, the boy nodding energetically.

"Yes -Yes! She told me if I don't hurt you, I can finish my meal!" He said as he let go of Jay. 

"The name is Danny." The boy said as he held his hands behind his back, the toothy smile never leaving. Before Jay could say anything, Danny began speaking. 

"Please come with me to see her. It isn't smart to keep her waiting!" Danny said with another wild laugh, making Jay shiver. 

"A-Alright, Lead the way." Jay said quietly with a nervous smile, following Danny out of the room. Jay took one last glance back at the body before he closed the door.