They didn't need to be told twice.
Riku launched himself toward the door, dragging Hana by the sleeve while Tetsuya grabbed a chair and hurled it behind them.
The three of them tore through the hallway like their lives depended on it—because at this point, they probably did.
Behind them, it gave chase.
Not running. Not floating.
It moved by snapping forward—each lurch like a glitch in reality. One moment it was behind the piano. The next it was halfway down the hall.
Its limbs bent the wrong way.
Its fingers scraped the walls, leaving trails of black sludge that sizzled against the paint.
"LEFT! LEFT!" Riku yelled as they rounded a corner, nearly slipping on the dusty tiles.
Hana kicked open a door of a class. "In here!"
They piled in, slamming the door shut.
Silence.
Dust swirled in the stale air. Broken desks lay scattered like bones. A chalkboard, half-erased, still had faint writing on it:
"Final Exam – Do Your Best!"
Riku backed against the wall, heart pounding in his throat. "I don't think it saw where we went…"
Their panting was the only sound.
For a second, they dared to hope.
Then came the sound of wet dragging across the hallway. Slow. Deliberate. And then—
Scratch. Scratch. Scratch.
Nails on the other side of the door.
Riku held his breath. "It knows we're in here."
"No kidding," Hana whispered, gripping the broom again, as if it'd help this time.
Tetsuya pulled out his phone. "Signal's dead. Of course. Classic horror story logic."
The scratching stopped.
They waited.
Then—
SLAM.
The door bulged inward.
Another slam. Harder this time. Cracks formed in the wood.
Riku clenched his fists, eyes wild. "Isn't there something we can do? I don't wanna die yet—"
Then.
Everything stopped.
The sound. The air. The pressure. Like someone hit mute on reality itself.
Silence
And then—
BAAM
Door opens
Hana and Tetsuya, they faint.
Not like they'd been attacked.
Like someone had hit an off-switch.
A voice.
Not soft.
Not calm.
Annoyed. Sharp. Almost scolding.
"Why are you still here?! You were supposed to be home hours ago!"
In front of him, arms crossed like a disappointed mom, was Yuki.
Beautiful white dress shining through the moonlight. Not even a single hair out of place. Like she hadn't just walked into a war zone of nightmares.