MURDER ON THE SCHOOL

"Marilyn, do you realize that lately there's someone following you?" said the girl with black hair with a thin stroke on her forehead.

Marilyn, the girl in question, suddenly looked up while raising her eyebrows. "Ah, no really. Maybe your feelings, Nicole," she replied.

Nicole's eye moves to follow the silhouette of someone she caught just now. But when she blinked, the figure was gone in an instant.

"But ...." Nicole didn't continue, the girl shook her head as if she was forgetting something that was on her mind.

"But what?" said Marilyn still with a confused look.

"No, forget it," she said.

The two of them were chatting under a big tree in the corner of the school garden. The situation at that time was not so crowded, some students had actually returned to class after filling their stomachs.

"Oh, it's cloudy. Just come back, shall we?" asked Nicole, realizing that the weather at that time was suddenly unfriendly. Thick clouds almost covered the entire sky above them.

"Wait a minutem." Marilyn said slowly pointing to the roof of the school, to be precise in the teacher's room, thick black smoke was rising from that direction.

Nicole reflexively covered her mouth. Both of them tensed up, surprised for sure. They stared at each other followed by the school alarm that went off making all students come out of their class. One word can describe the situation at that time. Chaotic.

Marilyn and Nicole ran after the other students into the middle of the field. Their eyes were now focused on the point where the fire occurred. Hoping someone will come out of there, but that seems impossible. In an instant the fire spread, consuming other buildings next to it. And the people who are still in it.

Marilyn witnessed that tragic event right before her eyes. Screams of fear filled the entire school. At the same time she felt Nicole's hand trying to pull her from there. The fire is getting closer. But who knows what Marilyn was thinking at that time.

The corner of her eye caught a figure in a black robe standing on the second floor of the school. So relaxed. She thought then because she realized that soon the fire would consume the entire school building. Unfortunately, Marilyn could not see clearly the effects of the fire which limited her vision.

The next second, she faintly saw an object being floated towards the field, filled with liquid, in a container like a jerry can. Marilyn could only recite a prayer, resigned.

***

Marilyn closed her eyes as she recalled the events of two days ago. Here, she stood staring at her school building which had been scorched by fire. It is reported that twenty teachers, school staff, and the principal were declared dead in the incident.

Marilyn also received a message from her friend Nicole, that several students were victims of it.

"What really happened?" muttered Marilyn in a low voice. She could only look at the building from outside the fence.

Based on the police report, until now there is no definite reason, the suspect and the motive for the incident are still a mystery. The surviving school residents have been questioned by the authorities. Still, there is still no bright spot.

Marilyn reached for her cellphone in her jacket pocket, remembering that Nicole had not contacted her since yesterday. This girl is not normal.

Marilyn immediately called Nicole. First try, no answer. Continuing on to the second attempt, Nicole had time to answer it but not even five seconds later, the girl ended it.

"Nicole is busy maybe, huh?" the parrot guessed.

Just as Marilyn was putting the phone in her pocket, Nicole suddenly called. Without waiting for a long time, Marilyn immediately picked it up.

"Hello? I'm not disturbing, am I?" she asked.

["No, how are you? Are you feeling better?"]

Marilyn touched her forehead, there was still a bit of pain from the impact hitting the cement on the pitch. Luckily Nicole quickly pulled her away, otherwise Marilyn might have been engulfed in flames.

"That's fine, thank you."

For a moment Marilyn felt silence. Nicole didn't answer, but Marilyn was sure she had just heard the girl whisper something. Unclear.

["Today I'm moving. My father asked me to go to school outside the city."]

Marilyn was surprised. "Wow, seriously? Good, that means you'll be going back to school soon."

["You hurry up, Marilyn."]

"Yeah, I'm still looking for it."

Marilyn heard a noise from behind the phone, her ears hurt a little hearing that, she pulled the phone away from her ear. But when she felt the sound was starting to disappear, Marilyn came closer to her again, apparently Nicole had closed the call.

"Busy times, want to move," muttered Marilyn trying to understand.

"Who are you talking to, my daughter?"

Marilyn was surprised to hear the sound. She turned and found her mother. "Ouch, I just surprised, Mom," she said while stroking her chest.

"I'm sorry, because you were busy talking earlier, so I just rebuked you right away," said the woman who was no longer young.

Marilyn nodded. "So after I talked to Nicole, her father wanted to move Nicole to a school outside the city. It didn't take long for me to talk to her, Nicole immediately cut off the call."

"It could be that Nicole is busy, maybe she is preparing," her mother guessed.

"So what did you say to Mrs. Caroline?" asked Marilyn curiously. Incidentally she came here accompanied by her mother to see the condition of the school more closely. However, seeing Mrs. Caroline's stall, where Marilyn used to eat when she came home from school, Mother asked permission to stop by for a moment to say hello.

"I just asked about her condition, thank God Mrs. Caroline is healthy. Then she asked a lot about you. What did she say, have you got a new school yet?"

Marilyn smiled remembering that until now no school was willing to accept her due to the full student quota.

"I can be frank that until now she is still looking for a school for you. Then Mrs. Caroline said that there are still schools near here that want to accept new students. She then told me the specifics of the schools concerned," explained her mother.

"Oh, did you? So what did Miss Caroline say?" said Marilyn getting interested.

"You know there's no little alley near here?" She asked.

Marilyn nodded. "There is."

"Mrsm Caroline said there was a big school in that small alley, Alexandria High School, the students weren't many, but the facilities were still very adequate. I think there's nothing wrong with you going to school there. While there's a quota of new students, you'll catch up quickly left behind."

"I just found out that there is a school there," she said.

Mother smiled. "I returns to you again, whether you want to or not depends on your decision."

"Sure, Mom. I really want to go to school again," she said excitedly.

"Okay, I'll take care of your files as soon as possible," replied the mother.

In her heart Marilyn gave thanks, finally looking for a school for so long, in the near future she will soon be going to school again. Meet new friends and of course fun subjects.

As she and Mother walked out of the school, Marilyn's eyes detected something. She turned her head and saw Mrs. Caroline from a distance waving at her.

Marilyn replied with the same wave, but after a while she realized something was off.

Mrs. Caroline kept smiling still waving her hand, her pale face made Marilyn clumsy. The smile that widened, made Mrs. Caroline look terrible.

Marilyn decided to end the waving, before turning around she bowed slightly intending to say goodbye to Mrs. Caroline.

She immediately chased her mother who had walked some distance in front of her. Marilyn looked back for a moment, she no longer found Mrs. Caroline there.

Continued...

Marilyn looked up at the building in front of her, today was her first day at the new school. One thing she must underline, that apart from being covered in shady trees, the Alexandria building stands right next to a banyan tree which is quite dense and large.

Rumor has it, the banyan tree is known to be full of mystique. It is said that the long dangling tree roots can turn into the hair of the female guardian. If you intentionally or unintentionally pollute the tree, be prepared for the female guardian to follow you home and return to school the next day.

Marilyn gulped down her saliva roughly. Even if she was a little scared, she had to be brave after all it was just a rumour, right?

Marilyn took a deep breath and then stepped into the school grounds.

"Wow, it's really beautiful," she said, looking at the view in front of her. She was amazed, this school building was very beautiful, especially the design that was plastered on the wall.

"Beautiful?"

Marilyn was surprised to hear a voice right next to her, she turned to find a middle-aged man who she believed was a security guard at this school. The man smiled making Marilyn smile too.

"Are you the new student?" asked the man.

Marilyn nodded. "Yes, I'm a new student, sir," she replied politely.

"Sometimes, we can't judge something from the outside." Marilyn looked at the security guard with an uncomprehending face, while he looked at her with a faint smile.

"Hope you are well," he said again and turned to leave, but before that his hand rose to rub Marilyn's head making her wince.

What does it mean? She could only watch the man leave with a confused look, the security guard looked friendly but also a little strange. Never mind, don't think about it, she stepped back.

When Marilyn entered the school corridor, for some reason she felt a different air as if she was astonished, moreover finding the presence of students passing by.

Marilyn once again swallowed roughly. Look at their faces. Just like an undead, very pale. It wasn't just one or two people, but all of them had the same face color. What really happened?

Not to mention the way they walk, very stiff. Looking straight ahead, none of them even glanced at Marilyn. Seeing that, she was afraid to say hello first.

Marilyn rubbed her neck, didn't the sun shine hot outside earlier? But, why is it cold here?

Marilyn felt the chills on the back of her neck, she couldn't believe a school as good as this had such a sinister aura. She was silent when she remembered the security guard's words earlier, maybe what he meant was this? The girl shrugged nonchalantly, not wanting to think about it anymore, Marilyn immediately stepped into the principal's office.

When she knocked on the door, she saw a middle-aged man coming out of it, looking straight at her with a pale face, exactly like the students who were passing by earlier.

Marilyn smiled kindly and explained her aims and objectives. During that time, the man who was known to be the principal of the school was silent, but Marilyn tried to understand the situation, positive thinking.

Later, he was given a school uniform and also a small map, indicating the location of Marilyn's class. She got out of there and started wandering around looking for the whereabouts of her class.

About five minutes of searching, Marilyn stared at the door in front of her then looked down at the map the headmaster had given her. She smiled, there was no mistake this class. Her hand lifted to knock on the door. After a while, the door opened and a female teacher appeared.

"Excuse me ma'am, I am a new student in this class," she said when she saw the teacher's confused look.

The teacher smiled. "Ah so, come on in please," she said invitingly. Marilyn smiled, nodded then walked to follow the teacher.

"Wr have a new student, please introduce yourself," she ordered.

Marilyn nodded, then looked ahead. "Hi, my name is Marilyn Cassandra, just call me Marilyn. Greetings all!" She said with a smile, inside she was grateful to see everyone seemed happy with her.

"Okay, Marilyn, please sit next to Jessica," sje said.

The school girl in question raised her hand, telling Marilyn. Marilyn just nodded and walked towards the bench next to Jessica. After she sat down, the teacher returned to writing on the blackboard which she might have delayed because of it.

A few minutes later the recess bell rang making the teacher say goodbye, after the teacher left all the students scattered out, but not Marilyn and the girl next to her.

"Hi!" Marilyn looked up at the girl next to her. She smiled. "Hi," she replied.

"I'm Jessica. Jessica Lincolin. Em, by the way why did you study here? Even though there are many other good schools," Jessica asked. To be honest, Marilyn was slightly offended, but she knew what the question mean. "I just want," Marilyn answered casually

"This school is weird, you're not afraid?" She asked again. Marilyn shook her head slowly, smiling a little. "That banyan tree, isn't it? I hear it's just a rumour?" she asked back, yes even though this school seemed like nothing was wrong because it had a frightening aura, Marilyn still couldn't believe it a bit.

Jessica shook her head making Marilyn wince. "You're the one who wants to be here, right? There is a risk, you have to face it."

Marilyn still didn't get it.

"Even if you're not an indigo, at any time you'll be able to see ghosts even if only briefly. There have been many testimonials from students here. So I'm saying this so you won't be surprised, when you meet one of the ghosts, it's normal. That's it, calm down," she continued.

Marilyn was silent hearing Jessica's explanation, it felt like her body was stiffening and even her heart was beating faster. So that means, this school is really haunted, is that it? And students often get disturbed and they are required to act normal?

Marilyn's body tensed, her breathing began to be erratic, her gaze fixed on a pale white hand that appeared behind Jessica. Then Marilyn cringed as the hand suddenly disappeared. However, it wasn't long before her body stiffened again when Marilyn felt her shoulder being held from behind.

"You can see me that means your life is not long anymore ...."

Deg.

Marilyn closed her eyes, shook her head as if she was coming to her senses. Convincing herself that he was just hallucinating.

"There is one thing you should know. This is mandatory for all classes at this school," Jessica said seriously.

Marilyn took an exasperated breath. It's not even a day of going to school here, strange things often appear. She tried not to think about it. Because her initial goal here was to continue her education.

"Listen to me. Plug your ears carefully. If you want to study comfortably here, obey the rules. If not, get ready for big trouble."

Marilyn nodded in understanding.

"Don't look back. We're not the only two here, there's a quiet guy in the far left corner. He has a dragon tattoo on his neck. Rule one, don't even try to look him in the eye. Never! Stay away from him as much as possible."

Marilyn's brows knit together. "What's wrong with him?"

"People say he's weird, never made friends with anyone at this school, aloof and anti-social," she whispered. "And you should stay away from him."

Marilyn nodded obediently. Hearing Jessica's explanation made her want to be more aware of her surroundings.

"Second rule, as much as possible don't do anything that can get his attention at any time. DON'T EVER ATTRACT HIS ATTENTION. Remember!"

"I understand, Jessica," said Marilyn very understandingly.

"Rule three, never say a word to him. Please understand!"

"Understand!"

Jessica seemed to sigh. "I don't want weird things to happen to you. So wherever you're going, I have to come with you!" press it.

"Oh, I can take care of myself, besides the rules you explained just now are very well understood, I don't even think I dare to invite other people's friends."

"It's okay to be friends with other kids, as long as it's not with him. It's dangerous!" She warned.

Continued...

"The last subject will be empty, do you want to stay in class or go out to overcome boredom?" Jessica said giving Marilyn a choice.

"Just get out? Maybe you can invite me around to introduce the buildings at this school," she replied.

"Okay," she said, slamming the table. Suddenly this caught the attention of the ambitious students who were concentrating on their reading.

"OMG,, Jessica! You're so noisy!" exclaimed a voice feeling disturbed.

Jessica just chuckled. "Shut up you nerd!"

Marilyn chuckled a little. They both then left the classroom. Jessica began to take Marilyn around the school. Introducing all kinds of facilities owned by Alexandria.

"So this is the viral room at Alexandria school," Jessica said looking at the room in front of her.

"What's wrong with the room?" asked Marilyn curiously.

"Testimonies of students who walk around say that they often hear mysterious voices," she said. "Sometimes during the day the voices are like people asking for help, and usually at night the voices turn into screams of pain, girls crying and various other things," explained Jessica.

Marilyn got goosebumps seeing the room. Surprisingly, Jessica was mediocre, she was relaxed and didn't have any pressure.

"Is this school really that scary?" she asked.

"This school isn't haunted. It's just haunted," she said.

Marilyn frowned. What did Jessica mean? Haunted? Does this mean that before this school was just like any other school, but it was given a dark aura by someone, is that it?

"Now, continue with this," concluded Jessica when they arrived at the door of the toilet. "They say it's haunted here too."

Marilyn gulped.

"At that time the school was in an uproar with the boys who came here. According to his confession, he heard the sound of water, yes, the sound is generally like that when someone uses the toilet. He waited a long time, the person who used it didn't come out, he was frustrated because it took so long really, opened this door. And... there was no one."

"Jessica, you actually asked me to take a look at the school, tell me about the horrors of this school?" asked Marilyn in surprise.

Jessica chuckled. "I just want to tell you a story. So that later you won't be surprised if you've been terrorized by these "they."

The two walked down the deserted school corridor. At first glance Marilyn remembered what she had met this morning.

"Jessica, but I was a bit strange when I first came here, people were passing by, their faces were pale almost like corpses, stiff bodies, flat expressions. What's the character of the students here?" She asked curiously.

Jessica just silent. The girl's expression changed from the one that used to look cheerful when explaining about the school's awesomeness, now she has an expressionless face.

Seeing that, Marilyn felt bad. What was the wrong question that kept the girl silent.

"I'm also really confused, they ate the wrong meal that's why their condition is so disturbing, they don't look good, they keep talking like mutes. People like this just avoid it," she warned.

Marilyn nodded in understanding.

They walked around for a long time, finally Marilyn decided to return to class. They sat on their respective chairs. At the same time, Marilyn felt like something hard was sitting on her, she stood up and checked. Apparently a pen. She frowned, why could a pen be in her chair? It wasn't even her pen.

Initially, Marilyn wanted to tell Jessica about it, but the girl seemed engrossed in chatting to the boy next to her. Marilyn's little heart was moved to return the pen to its owner.

Then the only way is to check the pen body. Sure enough, there was the name of the owner of the pen written on it. "WILLIAM" Marilyn smiled, she got up and started looking for the owner.

It was easy enough for Marilyn to find the name in question. Because each student's table has their own name written on it. Marilyn wandered for a long time, she finally arrived at one of the tables.

"William Neinstein"

There wasn't another William in the class besides this one. Marilyn smiled because she managed to find the owner of the pen. She looked up and began to stare at her face while thrusting the pen in her hand.

"William? Your pen, right?" She asked.

The boy turned his head, looking at Marilyn with a look that was difficult to decipher.

William has a sharp jawline, thick eyebrows and hazel irises, only five percent of the population has that eye color. Marilyn was pretty sure William had Spanish roots running in his blood.

At the same time, Marilyn felt that the boy was staring intently at her. There is a look like dislike. Marilyn began to realize something.

That rule! The guy in the corner on the left has a dragon tattoo! Is this what Jessica meant? This William?

William looked into her eyes, his hand reached out to take the pen from Marilyn's hand.

Marilyn wasn't blind, she actually saw the man raise the corners of his lips, forming a hideous grin.

***

"Tell me, did you really look into his eyes yesterday?" Jessica threatened looking at Marilyn with a sharp gaze.

The girl innocently nodded. "Yes, Jessica. Nothing's going to happen, I just want to give it back-"

"That's not the problem!" Jessica interjected. The shoulder-length haired girl sighed, turning her face elsewhere.

"He's weird. People often see him smiling to others. If at any time he's interested in you, I'm just worried that you're being hurt," Jessica explained.

"Why? Why can't I talk to him, even just to return the pen is such a big deal? Am I wrong with him?" asked Marilyn not understanding.

Her mind was filled with questions. About how unclear Jessica is, and what's wrong with that guy named William. Why does it seem like Jessica is blocking her from getting close to her own classmates?

In the midst of these problems, they were made to wonder by the busy students running towards the back of the school. Their faces showed panic as if a big problem had just be fallen them.

"Huh? Really?"

"Just come with me!"

"But yesterday I still saw her teaching."

"She's gone."

Marilyn frowned in disbelief. They were running around while discussing something she did not understand. Gradually Marilyn felt the arrival of the more and more crowded school residents. This caused the problem that she and Jessica had been arguing about to be diverted by the students who fled in fear.

Marilyn saw Jessica stopping a student wearing glasses. "What's wrong? Why are people running like crazy like this?" she asked, raising an eyebrow in surprise. Marilyn followed along.

"That ... Mrs. Janet was found dead in the bushes behind the school building," she said.

Suddenly, Marilyn covered her mouth, surprised not to play. Her eyes widened in disbelief, her hands shaking unconsciously. Mrs. Janet, the teacher who greeted her into class yesterday, was found dead.

Continued...