...A knife?
For a moment, I couldn't breathe. The metallic gleam caught the faint light...clean, cold, and out of place. It sat there on top of the bag like it was waiting for me. My throat tightened. I didn't know whose it was, or how it got there, but something deep inside me whispered: run.
Before I could even question it, footsteps echoed behind me. Slow. Uneven. Like someone dragging their feet.
My body locked up. The sound crawled closer, each step sinking into the silence. I didn't dare look back. My hands shook as I shoved the knife into the bag, zipped it up, and grabbed all of them in one motion. My heartbeat thundered in my ears.
I forced a shaky smile as I reentered the gym. "Hey guys, here are your bags," I said, pretending nothing had happened.
Alden's face was unreadable when I handed him his bag. Calm. Too calm. I wanted to ask, Did you see that? Did you leave it there? But my throat refused to form the words.
It was already 11:00 p.m. The festival lights dimmed as the last stalls closed. The after-party kicked in, music thumping, laughter spilling through the gym. Everyone seemed happy. Normal.
For a while, it almost felt real again.
Time slipped through like sand, and soon, people started packing up. Someone suggested ice cream before heading home, and of course, Alden and I were picked. "You two are fastest," Julian joked.
We walked to the convenience store. The night was quiet except for the buzzing streetlights. My hands were cold, my stomach twisting. I could feel it... the air changing. It was almost that time again.
I tried to talk about random things to distract myself. Alden laughed at my stupid jokes, but his smile... it didn't reach his eyes. Something was off about him tonight.
When we returned, the gym looked breathtaking from the outside. Fluorescent lights bathed the windows in soft gold, and the paper lanterns fluttered gently in the night breeze. From a distance, it looked almost magical.
Alden stopped by the door. "You go in first," he said, a small smile tugging at his lips.
I nodded and stepped inside.
And then–darkness.
The lights snapped off, plunging everything into black. No music. No laughter. Not even the sound of my own footsteps. It was exactly like the nightmare.
My breath hitched. The world around me felt like it was shrinking. I couldn't see, couldn't move. My heart slammed against my ribs, desperate to escape.
My voice came out a whisper. "Alden?"
No answer.
I stepped back. One. Two. The floor creaked, too loud. I wanted to believe it was a prank, anything but that nightmare coming to life. But before the panic could consume me
FLASH!
The lights burst back to life.
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"
The shout hit me like thunder. My body jolted, my breath catching. And then, confusion melted into stunned laughter. They'd thrown me a surprise party.
"Th-that scared me, you guys," I laughed, half trembling. "But... thank you. Seriously."
It was the first time anyone outside my family had ever done this for me.
They rolled out a cake; chocolate, frosted flowers, my name written neatly in cream. My chest ached, warmth flooding through the fear that had gripped me minutes ago.
I cut the cake. Everyone sang. For a brief, perfect moment, the world was right.
Then Alden walked up beside me. His voice was soft. "I'll be right back. Kinda feel like having a coffee."
"Sure," I said, still smiling. I didn't think much of it.
Julian and Clara dragged me to the center of the gym. "Birthday boy in the spotlight!" they cheered. Music, laughter, confetti; the party buzzed with life.
Until time crept toward 11:50 p.m.
The teachers started calling everyone to clean up. Bags rustled, chatter filled the gym again. Everything seemed perfectly normal, except Alden hadn't returned.
His bag still sat by the wall.
Something twisted in my gut. I walked over and reached for it, then froze.
The knife. It was gone.
My pulse spiked. "Alden?" I called out, my voice thin.
No response.
I bolted outside. The courtyard was empty. The air was cold, still. I sprinted toward the convenience store...nothing. Not a soul.
When I turned back, that's when I saw it:
a narrow passageway between the gym and the main building, half swallowed by darkness.
Something pulled me toward it. I slipped inside, each step echoing too loud. The further I went, the heavier the air became. The smell, iron. Sharp. Familiar.
And then I turned the corner.
Alden.
He was slumped against the wall, blood pouring down his arm. One of his hands...gone. The other still clutched a knife. My knees nearly gave out.
And standing before him...
My nightmare.
The serial killer.
The mask. The chainsaw. The same distorted breathing that haunted every one of my dreams.
I couldn't think. Couldn't breathe.
The world tunneled into one thought,
I WILL KILL HIM.
I lunged. My hand grabbed the knife from Alden's trembling fingers, and I swung with everything I had. The blade slashed across the killer's shoulder, but he only staggered back before revving his chainsaw.
That sound: metal grinding, snarling to life, ripped through the air.
He charged. I ducked. Sparks exploded as the chainsaw tore through the wall behind me. I slashed again, grazing his arm. My chest burned. My lungs screamed.
Each move was pure instinct.
He swung downward. I raised the knife, blocking the blade, sparks raining between us. The vibration crawled up my arms, numbing them.
"YOU WON'T TAKE HIM!" I screamed.
The killer laughed, a deep, distorted rumble behind his mask. "That's not enough!"
I didn't care. I saw an opening and drove the knife into his thigh. He roared, stumbling backward.
I pushed forward, stabbed once, twice, over and over, screaming until my throat shredded. Blood splattered my face, warm and thick. My body moved on rage alone.
DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE
And then, silence.
He fell
My chest heaved. My vision blurred. I dropped the knife and ran to Alden. He was still breathing: barely.
"Hey, hey, stay with me, okay?" I said, lifting his head into my lap. His eyes fluttered open.
"...S-st-stop... r-run..." he gasped.
My heart cracked. "Why didn't you tell me? What's happening to us?"
He coughed, blood spilling from his lips. His next words barely came out,
"L-listen... c-carefully... th-this... isn't... the first... time..."
I froze.
Those words hit me harder than any wound. Not the first time?
I stared at him, trembling. Every nightmare, every repeated night...it was real. It had happened before. Again and again. And Alden... he'd known.
Before I could say another word; he went still.
His eyes lost their light.
I screamed. The sound tore through the night. I didn't stop. Couldn't.
And then–
VrrrRRRRRRMMM!
The chainsaw roared to life behind me.
I turned. My blood turned to ice.
He was standing again.
Still alive. Even after all those stab wounds. His mask cracked slightly, revealing the faint curl of a smile underneath.
"You can't kill me with only this much," he growled.
Before I could react, he swung. The chainsaw cut clean through my chest, tearing through flesh and bone. Pain exploded in my body like fire. I screamed, choking on blood.
I collapsed beside Alden, gasping, my vision tunneling.
The killer leaned close. His voice was low, almost calm.
"Tonight will be a massacre."
He turned and walked toward the gym.
"No..." I croaked, reaching out, my arm trembling. "No..."
I couldn't move. Couldn't scream. My body was breaking down.
But my mind; my mind was alive with one thought.
If this has happened before... and it'll happen again... then maybe I can still fix it. With you this time, Alden.
I reached for his hand. It was cold now. I gripped it tightly, even as my strength faded.
The sound of screams tore through the night. Clara's. Julian's. Others.
Blood. Chainsaws. Panic. The nightmare was real, and endless.
My sight dimmed, darkness closing in again. But I was smiling.
Because if the loop continued, then next time, I'd be ready.
I'd end it.
For both of us.
"Let's do it one more time... Alden."
–S. Yusuf