Yet another story.

by **Pallid** Tue Apr 01, 2014 12:19 am

Chortles evaded my parted lips as I skipped down the sidewalk with much mirth and glee; an accurate embodiment of my spirit at the time. I clutched the sack lain on my back as if it were my sole possession. The school was in view and instinctively, my pace slowed. It was oddly placid.

There were no girls crowded at the entrance, giggling for nonexistent reasons. There were no boys, chattering loudly among themselves and plotting upon the next thousand ways to annoy the arithmetic teacher. I thought not much of it, after all, I was late for school. I continued in.

The normally terracotta brick walls were now tinted slightly gray, hue reminiscent of a slab of slate. I thought not much of it.

It was still eerily noiseless, and there was not a soul to be seen in the hallways. I merely grasped my backpack tighter and proceeded to my first class of the day. The door was opened ever so slightly and I offered it a barely perceptible push. It did not budge so much as an inch. I shoved it with more force, and it creaked open, revealing what was harbored inside.

I stared, horrified. My palms dampened considerably, coated with beads of sweat. Vision blurring slightly, I shut my eyes, before proceeding to open them mere moments later.

Students were seated in the chairs, but they were frozen. Some mouths were parted slightly, proving that they were in the midst of discourse when they stiffened. Not only were they motionless, but they were gray.

Their complexions were lifeless and unnaturally pale. I seemed to be the only being of color in the room. Who I assumed to be the teacher was also still. A sudden urge to shriek overcame me, but I could not move. My breaths were shallow and quick.

Spontaneously, I jerked around and ran.

I ran for fear. I ran for my life. There was really not much more I ran for, and I was not quite sure where exactly was my destination. Adrenaline coursed wildly through my veins. By this point in time, my backpack had long vanished, fallen off somewhere amidst the chaos.

My surroundings were an ashen blur, and I shrieked as I bolted down the sidewalk, arms flailing wildly about. Crazed with fear, I continued this queer behavior for a while before suddenly halting. My lungs burnt with the flame of lost breath, and I collapsed, panting. I welcomed darkness with embracing arms, but it never came. Instead, moments later, my eyes opened. I released another shriek. I had so dearly hoped it had all been a nightmare, that it had all been a figment of my queer imagination. Yet alas, my wishes were abolished. It was reality, and I was going to face it alone.

I remained on the ground for a while, my throat strained from all my excess screeching. A slight wind disheveled several strands of my hair, but I paid it not much attention. Everything around suddenly grew fuzzy, blurred, unclear.

As my vision further worsened, giggles spurted from my mouth. Chortles, chuckles, all that could be heard from a ways away was laughter. Deranged laughter...from none other than myself. Concealed in my little world of insanity, all I could manage were giggles. And even then, I didn't know how to stop; how to stop my fit of giggling. I gasped for air, but the laughter stole it away. My lungs ached, but the chortles wouldn't stop. I attempted a scream, but all that I released was a whisper, or nothing at all.

I couldn't see anything. Everything was dark, void of colors other than black. Suddenly a muted silence arose. Stone silence.