Chapter 19: The Humming in the Hallway

Inside the examination hall, the silence was long gone. It had been replaced by the rhythmic, wet thwack of steel meeting bone.

Vaani huddled in the corner by the door, her hands clamped over her mouth so hard her knuckles were white. Through the haze of her tears, she watched the impossible. Half of her classmates lay scattered across the floor like discarded dolls. The survivors were pressed against the far walls, paralyzed by a confusion deeper than their fear.

Priya—or the thing wearing her skin—sat casually on a student's desk in the center of the carnage. Her nose was bleeding steadily, a dark crimson trail running over her lips. Her eyes were closed, a look of serene peace on her face.

She was humming.

The tune was high-pitched and jaunty: the Astro Boy theme song. It was a sound of childhood innocence used to soundtrack a massacre.

"Priya..." Vaani whispered, her voice trembling. "They were your friends."

Priya didn’t open her eyes. She simply tilted her head, the hum turning into a low, guttural chuckle.

The Failed Rescue

Outside the door, a shadow moved. Rekha had arrived, driven by a desperate need to save whoever was left. She tapped lightly on the wood. "Vaani! Open the door. Quickly!"

Vaani lunged for the handle, a spark of hope flaring in her chest. She cracked the door open just enough to see Rekha’s panicked face.

"Rekha! Help us! I don't know what's wrong with her!" Vaani sobbed.

"Quiet! Just get out, now!" Rekha hissed, reaching for Vaani’s hand.

"But the others—"

"Forget the others! Move!"

THWACK!

An axe blade buried itself into the door frame, inches from Vaani’s head. The wood splintered with the force of a thunderclap. Both girls froze.

Priya stood behind Vaani, the axe handle gripped in her gore-stained hand. Her face was a mask of splattered blood, her eyes burning with an ancient, predatory hunger. She looked through the gap in the door directly into Rekha’s soul.

"No escape," Priya whispered, still humming that damn song.

Rekha’s legs turned to stone. She saw the death in Priya’s eyes and realized that the girl she had defended, the girl she had pitied, was gone. There was only the Monster now.

Priya kicked the door wide. She raised the axe, the light from the hallway glinting off the serrated edge. Rekha stared up at her end, unable to move, unable to breathe.

Just as the axe began its downward arc, a small hand grabbed Rekha’s collar and yanked her backward. The blade slammed into the marble floor, sending sparks flying.

It was Swathi. "Run, Akka! Move your legs!"

Swathi dragged the shell-shocked Rekha down the hall, their footsteps echoing like heartbeats. Priya didn't chase them. Not yet. She just stood in the doorway, the blood from her nose dripping onto the floor, watching them go with the patience of a spider.