We all stare at Emily in horror, while Chris is on the ground behind her with a sightless gaze, fixed on the ceiling. (He's dead... And we'll soon follow...) Max is the one to break out of her paralysis first as she shouts "Run!" and we all begin running down the stairs. We run through the hallways of the school and I look over my shoulder. Strangely, she isn't following us. Even so, we race all the way back down to the first floor hallway. We're all out of breath as we stop to regroup for a couple of minutes. "What was that all about...? First Chris then Nora... Both of them betrayed us and now both of them are dead!" Sarah vents her feeling while raising her voice. "Okay let's calm down and think rationally. Anette can you sense where Emily is now?" Max asks in between battered breaths. "She... She is standing in front of the door... Like she is guarding it." Anette voices with a pained expression, as she clutches her head. "You okay?" April asks her and she shakes her head. "The darkness... Emily is filled with so much hatred right now... The emotions inside the school are... overwhelming." She explains furrowing her brows. "We need to get out of here and fast, then." I state and everybody nods. "What about what Nora said? There's a chance she might have told Chris the truth... and if she did then who will be the first to get out?" Sarah reminds us and we all turn to look at each other. A take a long look at everyone present. (I don't want to live on their expense. I wouldn't be able to live with myself...) I think as I shake my head. "I won't be going first." I state and everybody looks at me, wide-eyed. "What?" Max voices and I give her a smile. "I will distract Emily while you guys sneak out behind her back." I announce my plan. "Why would you do that?" Sarah asks while April lowers her head. She came to know me all too well, so she probably knows the answer. "I just can't bear to live at the cost of your lives." I state wholeheartedly. "Jack..." Anette says in a low voice. "Since I've already decided that I won't be going first, I might as well do something to increase your chances of survival. That's why I'm going to distract Emily." I explain my reasoning to them. "But if it turns out that we can all escape, you'll make a run for it, right?" Max asks me and I reassure her with a nod. "Oh he'd better do." April glares at me and I easily get the message. (I feel strangely peaceful now. If we can pull this off, the four of them will live. Right now, that matters more to me than anything else...) "Okay then, so Jack tries to distract Emily while someone sneaks past her and goes through the door. If the door doesn't closes behind that someone, then the rest follow, right?" Sarah goes through our plan. "That's the idea, yes. It looked like Chris unlocked the door before Nora attacked him, so we don't need to worry about the keys." Max adds, as we all realize there's one last question left unanswered. "Who's going first then?" Sarah asks yet again, this time it's Anette's turn to speak up. "I'm not going first either. With my powers, I might be able to find another way to fight the darkness. I should stay behind to search for an alternate way to escape." She explains and I'm instantly taken aback. (What? I thought Anette would want to get away from the darkness as soon as possible!) "I won't go first either. If Jack and Anette are trapped here, I want to help them look for a way out." Max speaks up as well and at this point my jaw basically drops. I instinctively turn to look at April, who shrugs. "Then it should be Sarah the one who goes first, because I'm staying too." She calmly states. "What? Me? Why?" Sarah points to herself. "I'm not leaving this idiot to battle a ghost alone." April motions towards me and I chuckle while rubbing my temples. (I honestly can't believe this lot...) "It's settled then. While Jack distracts Emily, Sarah will go through the door. If it remains open, the rest of us will follow-Including Jack." Max goes through the full plan, one more time as we all look at one another. It all goes down to this. These might be our final moments together. We've been through so much, and now it's just a matter of time before the final die is cast. "Guys, no matter what happens. I'm glad I spent those 3 days with all of you." I spill my heart out to them, and Max jokingly comments "Oh no Jack's being melodramatic!" while everybody, including me, laughs. We stay there a moment longer, standing together as a group for what might be the last time. After a few more seconds, we head to the stairs.

I'm the one to climb the stairs first, as I lock eyes with Emily. A white light coming from the open door behind her, illuminates the room. "So you're the one your group chose to go? Or perhaps, you forced your opinion onto them?" She poses a question to me and I decide to hit her with a faint. I quickly dash to the side, but before she can touch me I retreat a few steps behind. "You're a cunning little rat aren't you?" Emily hisses at me, an evil smile playing on her lips. "Why are you doing this, Emily!?" I shout out her name, in an attempt to make her focus entirely on me. "Why you ask? Because I want all you humans to suffer... Just like I suffered, at the hands of my classmates. They locked me here, with no remorse, and I died because of them!" She barks at me, and I can most certainly feel the rage welling from within her. "And when I finally started taking revenge on this school and its students, I realized.... Humans care only about themselves. I've seen many more students kill their own classmates just to survive. And that boy, and YOU, are no exceptions. You only care about yourselves. That thing, that so called love and compassion, is just a lie. Humans are all made up of greed and selfishness." As Emily goes on about her monologue, Sarah sneaks past her and goes through the door. To our delight, the door remains the exact same as before, as Max and Anette realize that and make a break for it. They both pass by the door easily but before April can do the same, Emily whirls around and grabs her wrist. "You think I wouldn't notice, brats?!" She spits as she tightens her grip around her hand and April shrieks in pain. "No!" I shout as Emily pulls April closer to her. She struggles but I can tell that she's weakening. "If I can't kill you all, I'll at least make sure you can't all escape." She voices coldly and I hold out my hands in surrender. "Let April go! Take me instead!" I shout instinctively as the ghost turns to me, intrigued. "What did you just say?" She asks me and I audibly gulp. But I stand firm and repeat one more time. "All you care about is killing one of us, so we can't all escape right? Make it me. The others have already escaped so you can't kill all of us. What difference does one extra person's going to make? Let her go and I will go down without a fight. You'll get your kill, your revenge 100%." I propose and she tosses April over to me. "I accept your offer." She coldly states as I catch April just in time. "Are you out of your mind?! I'm not leaving you here!" She shouts at me as soon as I catch her in my arms. "You have to, April. You have to go." I say in a soft tone while bringing my hand to her face. Her beautiful face, this is the last time I'll get to see it. "No... No!" She cries out as tears start streaming down her face. "You said we'd get out of here! You said we'd go to the movies! You said we'd go on dates and have fun! I had so many plans for us! I can't just leave you..." She shouts and shouts, her voice breaking as she lightly hits me in the chest every time she finishes a sentence. I wrap my arms around her a last time, as I notice Emily standing behind, granting us this last moment of privacy. This is the last time I'll hold her. "I know... I know... I had so many plans too. But it just wasn't to be, April." I reply, fighting back tears. (I won't cry! I'll face my death with dignity!) "How am I supposed to live, knowing you died for me?!" She protests while slightly separating from my embrace. All I can do is wipe one of her tears with my thumb in response. I bring my lips to hers, for what is possibly the last time and I try to cherish this moment as much as possible. We pull apart and she looks at me, red-eyed. "I love you." I say while looking her in the eyes. "I love you..." I say it lower the second time, linking my forehead with hers. "No..." She whispers as I release her from my arms. (I'm sorry April, but this is goodbye...) I think as she finally steps towards the door. I watch her as she turns to look at me, before passing through it and I see her off with a smile. Before I can even think of following her, Emily steps between me and the door. (What did that song say? Only know you love her when you let her go?) I think as the ghost hovers closer to me. "Is it gonna be quick?" I ask, my head lowered. "That depends on you." She states while I remember the janitor from earlier. "Oh... I thought YOU were gonna kill me..." I voice and she shakes her head. "You'll have to suffer the same fate as me. Stay inside this school... until you're dead." She bluntly states. Having no other choice, I walk down the stairs back to the hallways, as I hear the heavy footsteps of earlier, ascending. I look back out the window and notice that it's day outside. (It can't be sunrise already, right? Maybe that's because I failed to escape...) I think to myself, as the sound of my own footsteps mix with the ones of the janitor. (I never got to talk to my mum in the end. I never told Max how much I appreciated her. I never hung out with Anette, my first new friend. I never got to play online games with Chris... I never got to go on dates with April and I certainly won't live long enough to see that Bond movie or play that game that's gonna be released tomorrow...) I suddenly look up to see that the janitor has actually reached the same floor as me, and he's slowly walking towards me. (At least the others are safe...) Behind him I can barely make out 7 familiar figures, waving at me. Max, my best friend. April, the girl I love. Anette, a pure and kind friend of mine. Sarah, a cheerful and optimistic girl. Liam, a guy I never knew much about, but sadly lost to the traps of the school. Chloe, Liam's girlfriend, someone that probably could never get over his death. And lastly, Chris, a kid that lost his mind inside this hell. This hell that will soon be my own resting place. As the janitor walks closer to me, I decide to surrender myself to my fate. There's no point in struggling anyway. The monster that was once a human, raises his arm and strikes me clean in the head. I'm sent flying quite some feet back. I open my eyes and feel blood dripping from my head. "Damn it all..." I mutter to myself before I start hearing familiar and friendly voices. "What are you doing?" "Are you just giving up?" "What about our promises?!" All those lines circle around my head and I instinctively rise to my feet. "What the fuck am I doing?!" I shout as I slap myself back to reality. "Even if I die, I'm gonna die fighting!" I exclaim as I turn to my heel and start running down the hallway. "Come get me asshole!" I taunt the monster, who swiftly comes after me. (Now where was that classroom I marked?) I think while going down the stairs. I look around the 2nd floor hallway and notice the marked door with the X at the far end. "There it is!" I exclaim while dashing towards it, as the janitor topples down the stairs but instantly gets back up. "Back at New York, I was the best at the track and field team motherf*cker!" I shout my lungs out as I refuse to lose in a race, with the monster striding behind me. I reach the door in a matter of seconds and swing it open. I scan my surroundings and see the darkness of the void beneath me. Exactly across from the door I notice that a part of the floor is still intact. I make small steps backwards and look over my shoulder to make sure the janitor is following me. As soon as he is in range, I dash towards the threshold and leap. "HAAAAA!" I shout full of adrenaline as I land on the edge of the still intact floor. I turn around hoping to see the janitor falling to his death (To his second death) but to my surprise his big and nasty fingers grab hold of my foot, as he falls inside the void. "Oh you ba-" I exclaim while grabbing the edge of the floor and hang above the black nothingness, with the monster clinging to my left shoe. "You're goddamn heavy man!" I shout while trying to shake him away from me. As I look down something in my mind clicks, and as the janitor struggles I untie the shoe he's hanging from, making it slip away from my foot, and into the void beneath. With a heavy and hoarse shriek, the monster meets the same fate. I quickly climb back up the floor and take heavy and shaky breathes. "I can't believe that worked, right Ma-" I instantly stop before I mention my best friend's name. I'm alone now... For a moment I forgot all about it... (She's probably safe though, so that's fine by me...)

Having jumped back to the hallway, I sluggishly decide to walk back to the rooftop, with one shoe less. (Don't get your hopes up, Jack.) I think as I ascend the staircase heading to the door Nora showed us at the very first day. As I reach the top, I notice that Emily is nowhere to be found and the door is closed shut. I walk up to it and turn the knob nervously. (Of course it wouldn't open.) For a moment, I stand there looking at the door. The door that saved all of us. All of us but me. Without noticing, a tear escapes my eye. (I told myself I wouldn't cry damnit!) My knees give out suddenly and I kneel in front of the door, as more tears stream down my face. In a matter of seconds, I'm crying like a baby in front of a locked door. "Don't leave me behind..." I mutter while slamming my fist at the door multiple times. But they're not coming back...

Having accepted my fate, and with my eyes red I make my way downstairs. At first I decide to pay a visit to the Home Ec room. The room that we had all bided farewell, but eventually had to use one last time. I couldn't handle the silence, so I left. But the problem is, everywhere I go is silent. I'm all alone, inside this school... I make my way down to the courtyard and sit back down on the grass, underneath a tree. No birds are singing, and the sun doesn't feel warm. It's like I'm completely numb. At least... At least the others are home by now... At least they'll remember me. I'll just stay here, until this so called darkness swallows me whole. "Why did you do this?" I hear a familiar voice that will probably be the last voice I'll ever hear. "What do you mean?" I bluntly ask, not looking away from my feet. "What do you hope to gain by sacrificing yourself?" Emily asks yet again. "Me? Nothing. But THEY have a lot to gain." I reply with a small, sad smile. "Who's they?" She inquires and I simply reply after a long breath, "My friends.". "To think you'd sacrifice yourself. That's pure nonsense." She spits and I chuckle. "Not everyone cares only about themselves." I simply reply while looking back at her. "I'm sure that every single one of them, would do the same for me. But even if they didn't, I'd still die here so they can be safe." I sincerely explain. "I was finally getting my life back together, I wanted to get out of here with all of them. But if staying here guarantees their survival then so be it." I continue spilling my heart out to the one responsible for all this. "You just didn't meet the right people, Emily." I bait her and she bites. "Silence!" She barks back. "I wish I could have met you earlier, and gave you a reason to trust humans..." I say lightly and I can feel something welling from inside her. "Thanks for sparing my friends though..." Suddenly she stumbles back and clutches her head. "I..." She mutters as the ground begins to shake. The school starts shaking too and the windows shatter one by one. I stand up and she waves me back. "Get out." She says in a low voice. "Get out! I have no need of you!" She growls and my feet instantly shoot forward. I run back inside the school and quickly go up the stairs. The school is a mess, as the earthquake doesn't relent. I topple from side to side but I finally find my way back to the rooftop door. It's open, once again, as the same white lights emanates from within it. (I'm getting out! I'm getting out!) I take a big sharp breath as I put my hand inside the white fog and walk closer to it. As I cross the door and light envelopes me, all I can see is white.

I don't need you. You are nothing like them. All I wanted was to see for myself, this thing called unconditional love. For a long time, I thought it was just a lie. But now I understand... There's no point in torturing you or killing you. You are NOTHING like THEM after all...

I open my eyes and feel the morning wind on my hair. I instantly look around and realize that I'm standing in front of the school gate. In front of me stands April, Max, Anette and Sarah. They all widen their eyes when they see me and I smile in response. I'm finally back, I'm finally back home. As all I can think of is that I'm alive, everybody envelopes me in an embrace. At this point I can't even tell what's happening. April's crying, Max's crying, Anette's crying I'm crying! Heck, even Sarah's crying.... We're all crying clasped together, as we're finally free from the hell we've experienced. We fought with death, day in day out, and in the end we came out victorious.

At exactly 6am, Monday, of the 20th of January 2020, 5 students of Kirkwalle Private High School broke the curse that took countless students' lives, once and for all.

As all of us go our separate ways, I find myself walking back home alone, at the break of dawn. After 3 days confined inside the school, walking outside feels extremely surreal. I take the short way home, because in all honesty, I can't wait to go back... I want to see my mom, sleep on my bed and take a relaxing shower... As these thoughts fill my head my feet gradually walk me back home on their own. Standing in front of the doorway I fidget with my keys inside my pocket, as they gradually slip away from my palm and fall to the floor. As I bend to pick them up, I hear footsteps from inside and the front door swings open. The one holding it, is no other than my mom, who looks at me, eyes wide. "Jack!" She cries out as I step inside the house and she envelops me in a hug. "Oh my god Jack, where the hell were you!? You've been gone for 3 days!" She shouts while I hug her back. "I'll tell you everything..." I say as my voice cracks, in a moment where eyes are impossible to stay dry. "I'll finally tell you everything... everything..." I repeat as tears stream down my face. And I do just that... I spill my heart out to her and finally tell her everything I never did for so long... I tell her about my old school... I tell her about the curse... I tell her about my new girlfriend and everything that happened... By the end, I feel a massive weight being lifted from my shoulders... I'm not just back from the curse of the school, I'm back to being my real self. Today, 20th of January, was the day, Jack Carter truly came back home...