User: The winner ;)

A man once said that there are an infinite number of universes identical to our own but for one or two significant events. If this is true, it means there's hope for a killer like me.

'There's a world out there where I never attend Carter Hollow Academy,' I muse as I step through the auditorium's doors. The last of us are gathered here to wait for pick-up, guarded under the vigilant eyes of Arabella Blackwell and local police. Bennet, Rundolf, and Harkon are the only staff left. No teachers survived the slaughter except for the professor I liked.

A mangled cry pulls me to where Ariadne is crouching, her eyes hopeless beacons that shine in darkened sky. 'A world where I never met a girl,' I think as I easily maneuver my belongings through the empty auditorium lobby. "Da...Dani..." she whispers brokenly as I sit beside her. Reaching through her haze of pain, she holds me tightly and cries in silence, mourning her broken heart. It is only her and I in the lobby, awash in a sea of mingled tears.

'Or a world where you never found him,' whispers my brain as Bryn trudges towards us. "Dani was found this morning," I hear as he places his hand on my shoulder. Horror lies in his eyes, and an unfamiliar tone laces his voice. "Joan was with her."

Adam is right behind Bryn, his face a tortured mask of grief. A stab of pity lances my heart as I see the pain he's in. "Hold Ari a second?" I ask Bryn. We switch places and I try to speak to Adam, to alleviate the hurt he's received.

But he curses me out and shoves me away swearing it's my fault she died. HIs grief-swollen eyes spark with rage, and I know this will scar him for life. 'There must be a world where I'm not a killer,' I think with some remorse.

'But there's also a world where you're a sociopath.'

As Adam's murderous face vanishes through the doors into the main auditorium, a dangerous idea floats into my head. It's risky--and painful--but not much worse than what I've already done. Still, I try to push the thought from my head, to prevent it from becoming a plan. Comforting Ariadne distracts me for a few minutes. Exhausted, she falls asleep in my arms.

I can't delay any longer.

Carefully, I nestle Ariadne in a nest of bags. Bryn lends me his cell phone, and a quick call to my parents lets me know I have two hours left. Water bottle in hand, I casually drip the liquor it contains onto the carpet in front of all of the auditorium's exits, including the boarded-up tunnels. A quick trip to the bathroom lets me refill my bottle, and I douse the bottoms of the doors as I make another round of the auditorium. Quick fingers and a book of matches creates two dozen small flames throughout the auditorium and its corridors.

As I ignite the last doors, fire alarms begin to blare. Stumbling through the hungry flames, my pants catch fire. A few seconds rolling on the ground extinguishes the flames, and I'm soon racing towards Bryn and Ariadne.

"Fire!" I yell over the piercing alarms. Smoke curls through the air, causing my eyes to water and throat to burn. Bryn's grim expression mirrors my own. He grabs a bag, and I sling my backpack and Ariadne's on my back. Together, we hustle a shocked Ariadne out of the smoking auditorium.

Like rabbits escaping a burning warren, we flee to the safety of the quad. Bryn dials 911 while Ariadne uses her cell to contact her parents. From our spot under a shady tree, we gaze in horror as the auditorium rapidly becomes an inferno. Afraid of being discovered, I insist on returning to the fire to see if there are any survivors. My friends violently disagree. I ignore them and head towards the flames.

Halfway around the perimeter, as close as I dare to the flames, I see someone laboriously dragging themselves away from the fire. When I get close, I recognize the charred form of Adam Black. Third-degree burns cover his body. I don't know if he can survive.

An ugly rattle comes form his throat. The stench of cooked flesh hits my nostrils. Adam feebly stretches out his hand towards me. Revolted, I realize the rational thing--the kind thing--would be to kill him quickly.

I swallow the lump forming in my throat, hold my breath against the smoke; grasp his charred body and swing my friend while letting go. Adam tumbles back into the flames. I have to stop myself from gagging as I walk away from the gruesome display.

Rounding the corner, I catch a glimpse of a figure through the hazy air. Closer and closer I come, until I can see it's Arabella Blackwell. Her face is dark and sorrowful, with deep lines etched into her stately features.

The bad, irrational part of me that drove me to destroy the school is screaming to kill her now.

But this time--this one time--I don't think I can do it.

I haven't hesitated before killing the others, before murdering Beth Rose or Sarah Jordan or the dozen that followed. I'm sure why I don't do it immediately now. I know every second I wasted meant that I was likelier to get caught.

But this time, it was kind of like diving, y'know? You psyched yourself up to do it as your friends cheered or made fun of your cowardice. And you promised yourself that yes, this time you would go, this time you would jump headfirst off the dock in a perfect dive. Then you took a step and ran towards the edge breathing deeply focused on jumping.

Reaching the edge for a split second you just thought--really thought--about what you were doing and screeched to a halt arms flailing hanging over the water as the laughter of your friends rang in your ears and you hung your head in shame because you couldn't stop being a coward or stop thinking for a second or just try be free and fly.

The cold truth slaps me in the face.

'Oh, God. I am so tired of killing.'

Bone weary, I head over to Blackwell and explain how I survived the fire. We head back to where my friends are, standing together under the tree.

And as the last of the auditorium collapses and the sirens wail in the distance, we stand watch as Carter Hollow Academy falls. Flanked by Ariadne and Bryn, two of the five people I love the most, the question that drove me to murder is finally answered.

I am not a sociopath. And I never will be.

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Welcome to the end! :D If you did not figure it out within the entry the third killer was Leonidas Ramirez.

Congrats KnightoftheRealm, you got away with murder!

Second place goes to CraZCanuck and third to infinitywordlover.

Thank you all for participating! :D