She held her breath, the cold metal of the locker against her back, but the cut on her side made it hard. Her heart raced, and her vision blurred. That thing, whatever it was, hunted them. It had already killed all of her friends.

The room filled with an awful smell, something like rotten eggs, and the thing slowly made its way into the room. A thick smoke, rolling almost like water on the floor. God, the scent it gave twisted her insides, giving her an intense desire to scream. That’s how it had gotten some of the others. They hadn’t been able to hold it.

She covered her mouth and bit one of her fingers, drawing blood. Her eyes teared, and her entire body shook.

The thing looked like it floated, the smoke like a black veil dragged on the floor. She couldn’t see anything of its body, only it’s dim yellow eyes looking around the room, methodically scanning.

Red and black spots smeared her vision even more, and her consciousness drifted. Was it the blood loss? Was it from fear? She tried reaching to her cut with her right hand, but the locker was too tight. Still, she felt the warmth spread on her clothes and slide down her leg.

The screams of her friends echoed, each one more horrifying than the other. Even if she managed to survive this night, she was never going to get those sounds out of her head.

The creature’s attention seemed to lock onto her locker, the eyes staring at her as if they knew she was inside. Could it look inside the locker?

God, please help me, she prayed. She was not really the religious type, but tonight had changed her mind. If creatures of nightmares existed, then angels should too. She tried to imagine a being of light coming to her aid, easily destroying the creature with an arrow made of pure light. But it didn’t happen. Instead, the creature looked at her, its eyes lingering.

Her heartbeat slowed, and her breath grew deep. Maybe she would manage to escape. All she had to do was stay in the locker and make it through the night. The next day, people would come to school. They would find her. They would save her.

With each breath, her eyes grew heavy. Still, the thing didn’t stop looking at her. Was it waiting for her to pass out? Shit.

The smell grew more intense, and her desire to scream grew. She nearly ripped out her finger. But she managed to hold it in. Slowly, the creature turned from her, and she closed her eyes. She’d survived.

Letting go of her finger, she licked the blood from her teeth. Their deaths had not been wasted. She would survive thanks to all of them. She couldn’t help but smile and thank the heavens. She even swore that she’d go back to church.

Exhaling, she opened her eyes and met the yellow eyes through the holes on the locker.

She screamed.