The hallway outside the classroom stretched on like an empty tunnel. The air felt heavy, quiet, too still for a normal school day. Every classroom door was closed tight, blinds drawn, each one with a strip of paper taped to the window—"DO NOT DISTURB."
Normally, that only happened during exams. But it wasn't exam week.
Rudolph walked beside the security guard, his sneakers squeaking faintly on the tile. He glanced left, then right. Nothing but locked doors and silence.
You've got to be kidding me. Every door, sealed. Every teacher, busy. No witnesses. Perfect. Just me, the creepy guard, and my impending doom. Somebody please help me.
The guard's baton tapped against his palm in slow rhythm. He scanned the hallway like a predator scenting prey, then nudged Rudolph's shoulder and pointed ahead.
"There. That will do."
It was a bathroom. Men's, at the far end of the hall.
Rudolph tried to play it off, slowing his steps. "Oh. Great. You go ahead. I'll wait right here. Don't really… uh… have to go."
"Nonsense." The guard's tone was flat, but his glowing pupils flickered. "You'd better go now while you have the chance."
He placed a heavy hand on Rudolph's back and began pushing him forward.
Damn it all. He's serious. I'm about to get shoved into a bathroom with this guy. This is how horror movies start.
"Listen," Rudolph blurted, "if this is about my joke earlier, I'm sorry! Or… or is this about me calling you an ugly Angry Bird with a face only a mother could love when she's—uh—really drunk? Oh wait, I didn't say that part out loud… at least not to your face. Still sorry! Stranger danger! Stranger danger!"
"Shut the hell up and get in there already!" The guard barked, giving him a hard shove.
Rudolph stumbled into the bathroom, flailing.
Is this really how it ends? No chance to become a celebrity, no girlfriend, not even a cool last meal. Fantastic.
He turned back toward the door—only to find the guard gone.
"What the smurf?" he muttered. The bathroom echoed with his voice. No footsteps. No sound. Just the buzz of a flickering fluorescent light. He was right behind me. Now he's gone? Either I'm hallucinating or I just teleported into a horror game.
Rudolph darted for the exit, but as soon as his hand touched the handle, an invisible force threw him backward like a rubber ball. He slammed into the ceiling, bounced off the floor, then ricocheted into the wall.
"OW! WHAT THE HECK?!" he yelped, clutching his head. "Did I just get Looney Tuned? I'm a cartoon character now?!"
He staggered upright, leaning on the sink for support. Blood dripped from his forehead into the basin.
Okay, yeah. Concussion. Definitely a concussion. Silver lining—I'm still alive.
He glanced at the mirror. His reflection stared back—messy hair, jam-stained shirt, blood streak on his forehead.
Then it flickered. Distorted. Changed.
Staring back at him now was the security guard, eyes burning yellow like molten metal.
"Aww, come o—"
Before Rudolph could finish, a hand burst out of the mirror and clamped around his face, slamming his head against the glass.
BANG!
BANG!
"DIE! DIE ALREADY!" the guard roared from within the reflection, each blow cracking the mirror further. "I NEED TO FEAST!"
Blood smeared across the glass as Rudolph struggled, grabbing at the monstrous hand. Am I seriously gonna die here? I don't wanna die!
With a desperate lunge, he bit down hard on the guard's fingers.
"GRR! YOU DAMN BRAT!" The guard yanked him backward, hurling him into a stall. Rudolph crashed into the toilet, gasping.
The world tilted. His head pounded.
Is it just me or is the room spinning? Oh wait, I just got beaten up by a man in a mirror. Right.
The mirror rippled. The guard emerged—not a man anymore but a hulking, hairy beast, six feet tall with clawed hands, cracked mask, and a single jagged horn jutting from his skull.
"I NEED TO EAT!" it bellowed, stomping the tiles to dust.
Great. Final boss fight in the boys' bathroom. Exactly how I wanted to go out.
Rudolph pushed himself up, blood streaming from his head. The creature thrashed like a toddler mid-tantrum, throwing tiles like shrapnel. One hit Rudolph's leg, cutting deep.
He winced, but stayed focused. He's not even aiming. He's just lost it.
Static buzzed in his ears.
Bzzt.
Zzzt.
He blinked. Is that… a TV in my head? Kinda tickles.
A voice whispered through the static. Concentrate on the water. Think of an image.
Rudolph hesitated. Then shrugged. Better than dying to Bigfoot's evil cousin.Or would he be Rudolph's evil cousin.I mean since he doesn't have a big red nose definitely Bigfoot's.
He turned toward the toilets, focusing on their swirling water. The monster roared, hurling chunks of floor at the walls. One clipped Rudolph's shoulder, sending pain shooting down his arm.
Still, he concentrated.
PSSH!
PSSH!
PSSH!
Water exploded from the stalls, twisting in midair. It shaped itself into three massive eating utensils—fork, spoon, knife—all shimmering liquid-blue.
Rudolph grinned weakly. "Hey, if I'm gonna die in a bathroom, where's my last meal? You can't be the only one who eats, buddy."
The monster lunged. Rudolph snapped his hand forward. The fork speared the creature's palm, the knife slashed across its arm, and the spoon rocketed into its mouth. It reeled back, howling, pushed toward the mirror like it was a gate sucking it in.
"AW COME ON, JUST GO AWAY ALREADY!" Rudolph shouted, muscles trembling.
The creature clawed at the tiles, fighting the pull.
Excuse me, Mr. Voice, Rudolph thought desperately, little more help here? Maybe a "use the Force" or something? Anything?!
His vision blurred. He spotted the only thing left he could use—a toilet seat. Still bolted down.
If I can rip that off, maybe… but how much does school vandalism cost? Whatever. Live now, pay later.
He gripped the seat with both hands, ignoring the blood running down his forehead.
"Come on! Come on! Not trying to die here!"
With a final yank, the seat came free. "YES—"
The monster grabbed half a broken sink, hurling it at him.
"Aww, come on! He gets a sink and I get a toilet seat? Totally unfair!"
They moved at the same time—the monster's sink flying, Rudolph's toilet seat spinning like a boomerang.
The seat slammed into the monster, knocking it backward into the mirror. It shrieked as the glass warped, sucking it in.
The sink smashed into Rudolph's chest, slamming him against the stall. His head cracked against the toilet.
Blood dripped down his face as he slumped. "I… did it… haha… still alive…"
He smiled through tears of pain as the edges of his vision darkened.
Then everything went black.