Day: Friday, May 19, 3174
Time: 2:18 PM
Planet: Earth
Location: Caroltin High School                                             
POV: Matthew Connor, First person

TW: Violence, torture

I didn't think we could get quieter than we were before. I now know that's wrong.

The clacking got closer. The source was so close now I could here them quietly humming. I could also hear the soft scraping noise of someone dragging something behind them.

My mind raced with what it could be.

What if it was a body? No, it sounded metallic. Maybe a gun? It would be a weird way to hold one, though. Plus, a gun would be louder. This sound was metallic, but still soft. Like a cloth bag of forks. I don't think that's what he's carrying, though.

What if he had robbed a bank and now he was hiding in our school? What if it's a bag of stolen jewelry? What if it's a bag of pure gold? What if it's not any of that, and instead a bag of grenades? What if it was a bag of ammunition? The possibilities are endless, and I don't think I like any of them.

I realized I had been unconsciously holding Zach closer. Speaking of Zach, he was shaking and quietly sobbing. My navy blue gym shirt was drenched in his tears. Tears flowed from his eyes like water from a sink. I gently brushed his eye and held him more securely. I couldn't look him in the eyes though. If he saw how scared I was, he would have gotten worse.

The footsteps got closer.

We could still get out alive. Perhaps he just wanted a place to hide. There was chance he didn't want to hurt any of us.

The footsteps ceased. It sounded like they stopped outside our door.

Some villains have a code they follow where they won't kill children. A lot of villains look down on massacres of children. So if who ever's outside does kill us, they at might at least get exiled from the villain club. Do villains have a club? Probably not, but they are really showy.

The door knob started jiggling.

There are a lot of us so if we do get attacked, some might be able to run away. There's a part of a wall that detaches in the alley a few block down. The others and I broke it ourselves as a secret hideout. No one has ever found us there before, so if we can get there it'll be fine. Will I be able to leave my classmates behind though? The kids I've grown up with my whole life? Plus, since we're all in different cupboards, the groups are smaller. That also makes the chances of getting away smaller. What about the others? I can make sure that Zach gets out, but I can't help my other friends. Plus, MB and Carly are alone. I at least have Zach. I can't even imagine what it must be like for them.

I heard a loud crack. He got through the door. Nothing can be changed now.

I'm not entirely sure anyone was even breathing. The footsteps got louder. They stopped again. This time outside the door next to ours. That meant we were in the second closet.

There was a metallic noise again as the villain picked up whatever they were dragging. There was a five second pause until...

The villain stabbed the closet door. Almost silent whimper could be heard from the students on the other side. Turns out they weren't silent enough.

The villain started laughing. It could barely be considered laughing, sounding more like a chain smoker mixed with crushing paper, but it was laughing. The footsteps started again.

This time they stopped outside our closet.

There was a longer pause this time. Probably closer to twenty five seconds. When he stabbed the door, only Mia and Emma squeaked. I think Zach might've too, but because my arm over his mouth and his frozen state, he didn't.

It didn't matter that only Mia and Emma made noise, he still heard.

He did the same with all the closets. The whimpers had completely stopped by the end. It didn't matter, though.

When he reached the last closet, he yanked open the door. He did the same with all the doors.

When he got to ours, I immediately realized who it was.

His name was the Specialist. He was known for torture.

Aside from torture, almost everything else about him was a mystery. His powers were one of the known things about him. They are perhaps the most terrifying aspect of the Specialist. He had the power of instant healing. You may be wondering how healing could be used for nefarious means. Like I said before, he used his healing powers to torture people. He could keep a victim alive for as long as he needed, regardless of what he did to them. He could push someone to the brink of death, and then proceed to completely heal them, and he could do this as many times as he needed. He never showed a ounce of mercy and had no moral code. There would be no painless way to escape.

In short, we're completely and utterly fucked.

He opened the last closed closet and stood back. I finally saw what he was holding. It was a long metal stick with a razor sharp tip. It was completely silver, except for the dried blood at the point. The dried blood was what had quieted the scraping.

His face cracked open in a crooked pumpkin-like smile. His eyes darted between the closets, looking at the cowering students in each. He appeared to be making up his mind about something. The something was probably who would be his first victim. We linked eyes for the briefest of seconds. I put forward the best glare I could muster and squared my shoulders. His eyes were cold, empty graveyards. If the saying about eyes being windows to the soul is true, this man had lost his soul long ago. His eyes were completely blank. No anger, sadness, or even a demented sort of joy. They were completely and utterly void of emotion, even with that deranged smile creeping across his face. It was chilling. I hugged Zach closer.

After a few more excruciating seconds, he lept forward to the fourth closet and dragged out a blonde-haired girl by her throat. She was kicking and sobbing. I felt Zach's grip on my arm tighten. I recognized the girl as Harper Davis. She had been in my class since kindergarten. I had never been friends with her, but she's had been a constant. Now she was most likely going to meet her end.

The Specialist lifted Harper off the ground, still tightly grasping her throat. Her face started to get red. He swung her in a circle. He laughed that horrific laugh again, his eyes still empty. He picked up his bloody stick.

I couldn't take this any longer. I had to do something, anything. I couldn't let anyone die.

I was pretty strong from working out all the time. I had practiced fighting a couple times before. It would be a risk, but I'll probably die anyway. I noticed the fact he was alone. There was a chance I can save my friends. As I looked at the dried blood coating the spear now dangerously close to Harper's throat, I could only hope no one had already died.

Zach didn't notice me loosen my grip. He did, however, notice me get up.

I sprinted at The Specialist and yanked the spear away from him. It was burning hot.

As he wasn't expecting an attack, I had managed to yanked it free surprisingly easily. He dropped Harper, who crumpled to the ground. She sat there panting for a few seconds, before she stood up and scampered away. Part one of the plan was successful.

I don't really remember what happened next. It was a mess of adrenaline and pain.

As soon as Harper had run away, all hell broke loose.  A good number others had sprinted away, following Harper to the exit. I hope there aren't any traps or anything. Some remained glued to their positions on the floor, too scared to move. I noticed Zach. He was staring at me with such a great fear and confusion that I had almost regretted my actions. Soon enough however, Carly grabbed his hand and pulled him out of the room. The same thing happened with all the others.

At least, I believe that's what happened. I was fighting a infamous super villain with his own weapon.