Night Class

Vice Principal Luna and Star Gazer hadn’t returned yet.

“We should go find Miss Luna and tell her,” Sunflowers said for the fourth time since they had left the ruined computer lab. “What if he has other pranks planned? What if they are as stupid and destructive as that scene downstairs?”

“Can’t we just wait until she returns?” Micro Chips sounded uncomfortable. “And until Dex returns? There’s got to be a good explanation for all of this.”

“It’s just a silly prank,” Sweetie Drops said. “He’ll show up eventually, Miss Luna will return once she’s finished up on the roof, and he’ll get his due punishment. No need to risk running into more setups and give him the satisfaction.”

Micro Chips mumbled something. “Yeah, yeah, you still don’t believe your little buddy really did all this,” Sunflowers said irritated.

“I don’t,” Micro Chips said. “I know him.”

“Still waters run deep.” She picked up the newspaper from where Sunset had left it and, after a glance at the headline, dropped it again. “Speaking of which, what happened to our esteemed guest?”

“Haven’t seen her since…” Sweetie Drops interrupted herself. “I don’t even remember. Has anyone seen her after we found that fake body?” The others shook their heads.

“So it could have been her instead of Dex,” Micro Chips mused.

“Don’t play dumb,” Sunflowers admonished him. “She was with us when we first heard the noises, and when we found the cupcake. Face the facts, your friend Dex is in on this.” She picked up the newspaper, got up from her chair, and tossed it into the bin.

Suddenly they heard a muffled clatter from somewhere downstairs, like some piece of furniture being knocked over. Sunflowers tilted her head and listened more carefully. She thought she heard someone screaming, but couldn’t be sure.

“Good sound effects,” Sweetie Drops commented sarcastically, maintaining her eerie dauntless air.

Sunflowers decided that it was enough now. “I don’t really care what you are going to do, but I’ll go and find Miss Luna. She’s gotta be in her office or on the roof.”

“We shouldn’t all leave this room,” Sweetie Drops said.

“Yeah. I’m going to stay with Sweetie Drops.”

Surprise, surprise, Sunflowers thought. Out loud she said, “See you in a bit,” and left the room.

The lights were still not working in the staircase. She moved cautiously, her eyes firmly on the floor in front of her. She really didn’t want to step into any unpleasant or messy surprise courtesy of Poindexter.

Micro Chips, even though he was obviously defending his best friend, had a point—it seemed very unlike Poindexter to pull such a prank. Although Sunflowers didn’t know the boy very well, she could tell from how he acted in the Astronomy Club that he was probably one of the shier, quieter guys. Even in the club where he obviously felt safe and more familiar he didn’t speak much, outside of knowing a lot of facts about whichever astronomical feature they were discussing. Sunflowers knew that he and his buddy Micro Chips spent a lot of time in the computer lab, and from what she had heard others say, it was in no small part to avoid the other students. Apparently both Micro Chips and Poindexter were quite regular victims of other students’ pranks, and even bullying.

Especially by Sunset Shimmer.

The combination of shyness and being a victim made it all the more surprising that Poindexter would arrange such a prank. Especially the reckless abandon with which he had damaged the computer lab—and set himself up for one hell of a punishment—was something one would rather expect from some of the less sophisticated pranksters.

Maybe he snapped. Had enough of whatever fun people were making of him and decided to get back at everyone.

Or maybe it is actually one of the other pranksters who’s snapped, and what we thought was a mannequin covered in fake blood was actually his dead body.

Very funny.

She shuddered. On the second floor landing the remaining light coming from upstairs was as faint as the street lights and the moon shining in through the windows. It was certainly not the right place for ridiculous thoughts like that.

To distract herself she turned her thoughts towards Sunset Shimmer. She had no idea what her story was, why she had joined the Astronomy Club, or why she was trying to play nice all of a sudden. As far as Sunflowers knew, people didn’t just change. Sunset Shimmer was still the same alpha bitch she had been before the Fall Formal. Where she had also turned into a demon monster.

If she hadn’t been with us…

And even then…

Sunflowers hurried down the hallway to the corner behind which the administrative wing lay. A faint light was reflecting on the floor, probably from Miss Luna’s office in the hallway around the corner. The chances that Poindexter—or whoever—had messed around in this part of the school were basically nonexistent.

Before she reached the end of the corridor, a person barely recognizable in the dim light turned the corner, coming straight at her. “What is it with those lights tonight,” Sunflowers heard her murmur.

“Miss Harshwhinny?” she asked, surprised to see the teacher at this time of the night.

“Sunflowers,” Miss Harshwhinny greeted her, walking up to her. She looked at Sunflowers suspiciously. “What are you still doing here this late at night?”

“We’re here with Vice Principal Luna and the Astronomy Club,” Sunflowers explained feebly. Miss Harshwhinny always made her feel guilty, even though she never got herself into trouble. “I was just looking for her.”

“Well, she isn’t here. I have some tests that I need to correct, and it seems like I’ve lost track of time,” Miss Harshwhinny said. “Someone was causing a ruckus in the hallway. Was that you, Sunflowers?”

“No, I—“ In this moment Sunflowers saw the motion behind Miss Harshwhinny—a shadowy figure, covered in some sort of hood or cloak leapt out from behind the corner and rushed towards them, behind Miss Harshwhinny’s back.

“Miss Harshwhinny, careful!” Sunflowers shouted.

But Miss Harshwhinny didn’t turn around and instead looked at her with an almost comical expression of confusion. “What is—“

With one final lunge the killer was right behind Miss Harshwhinny, and whatever she had wanted to say was drowned in a wet gurgling as the knife blade was driven straight through her neck. The blade’s point exited her throat, and a gush of blood sprayed onto Sunflowers’ blouse.

Sunflowers screamed. She screamed harder than she had ever screamed in her life. At the same time, she was unable to move.

The killer shoved Miss Harshwhinny aside, and her now limp body slid off the blade and fell down. Then he slowly raised the knife again.

The matter she wanted to ask what is the matter, Sunflowers thought incoherently. In the last moment before the killer could bury the knife in her guts she leapt backwards, and the blade only cut her stomach superficially.

She screamed again as she turned around and ran for her life. The killer, thrown off balance by his attack, struggled to remain on his feet as she flew down the hallway and around the corner. As she reached the staircase door she looked over her shoulder and, seeing that the killer wasn’t around the corner yet, she rushed through the door and upstairs.

Just as she was about to reach the third floor landing the killer burst through the door and into the staircase as well, following her upstairs at full speed. Sunflowers quickly opened the third floor door and shut it again audibly before she sneaked up the stairs to the fourth floor and pressed herself into the shadowy corner of the next landing, praying that the killer wouldn’t come looking for her there.

The hooded figure reached the third floor landing and opened the door without hesitation. As he rushed through that door Sunflowers had to bite her lip as to not let a sigh of relief escape. She waited just long enough for the door to fall shut before she hurried up the stairs and silently slipped through the hallway door.

Her belly hurt where the killer had struck her, but she didn’t dare look at it out in the hallway, clearly visible to any killer who might be coming along.

Warn the others, get help. Warn the others, get help, she repeated in her mind.

***

Sunset and Trixie heard the muffled sounds of a conversation out in the hallway, but couldn’t discern any words. Just as Sunset was about to suggest that this was probably not the killer and they should leave their hideout, they suddenly heard something else through the door.

Hushed steps.

Trixie sharply inhaled, but fortunately didn’t say anything.

Then they heard the scream.

Sunset noticed Trixie taking breath and quickly put her hand on her mouth to keep her from screaming as well. Trixie squeaked in surprise and stared at Sunset with her eyes wide.

“Don’t!” Sunset hissed. Trixie slowly nodded, and Sunset lowered her hand.

“Who do you think that was?” Trixie whispered.

Sunset just shook her head. Trixie wrapped her arm around Sunset’s and leaned against her. She was shivering. They both were.

***

When she stumbled into the club room the other two jumped up from their chairs immediately. “What happened?” Sweetie Drops asked alarmed by the blood on Sunflowers’ blouse.

“This isn’t a prank. Miss Harshwhinny is dead,” Sunflowers explained. “We have to call the police and get Miss Luna.”

“Miss Harshwhinny?” Micro Chips asked incredulously. “What does she have to do with anything? And what’s wrong with you? Is that your blood?”

“It’s Miss Harshwhinny’s,” Sunflowers said and leaned heavily against a table. “And some of mine too I think.”

“What the hell happened?” Micro Chips asked. “I don’t understand a word you’re saying!”

“Just calm down and tell us from the beginning,” Sweetie Drops added.

“We don’t have time for this!” Sunflowers exclaimed. Realizing that Micro Chips wasn’t going to be of any help before he had gotten a better explanation, she forced herself to take a deep breath, and continued, “I went to the office wing. Miss Harshwhinny was there, correcting some tests. Right when I was talking to her, she was stabbed from behind.” When Micro Chips just continued to stare at her uncomprehendingly, she added, “He stabbed her in the neck from behind. I got her blood all over me. Then he… he tried to stab me, but I don’t think he got me bad.”

“Are you saying you got cut?” Sweetie Drops asked.

Instead of a reply Sunflowers lifted her blouse, exposing the cut in her belly. As far as she could tell it wasn’t that deep. It was bleeding weakly; most of the blood on her was still Miss Harshwhinny’s. She bit her teeth and forced her mind to not think of the blade bursting forth from Miss Harshwhinny’s throat and the blood—

Stop it right now or you’re gonna vomit.

“We need to get this treated,” Micro Chips said.

“We need to call the police,” Sunflowers said. “Just get your phone and call 9-1-1!”

Sweetie Drops knelt next to her bag and rummaged in it for a few seconds. “Wait, where’s my phone?”

“Whatever, take mine, it’s in the front pocket,” Sunflowers grumbled. “We don’t have time for this!”

Sweetie Drops opened the bag’s front pocket. “There’s no phone in here.” She opened the main zipper even though Sunflowers was perfectly sure that she had put her phone in the front pocket. She always put her phone in the front pocket in school. Just how hard can it be?

“Are you even sure you brought your phone?” she asked. “Chipper, get yours please.”

Micro Chips took a moment to react, but finally opened his bag. “It’s gone,” he said. “My phone is gone as well.”

“That can’t be—“ Sunflowers said, but interrupted herself. “He took them.”

“What?”

“There was nobody here when we went downstairs for the telescopes, remember? The killer had all the time in the world to pick our phones from our bags.”

“I’ll check the other bags,” Micro Chips said without a lot of hope in his voice. He quickly rifled through the bags of Sunset Shimmer, Poindexter, and Star Gazer, without success. “Looks like you’re right. What the hell do we do now?”

“First we need to treat Sunflowers’ wound,” Sweetie Drops said.

“Yeah,” Micro Chips agreed. He didn’t sound very confident. “What do we do? I don’t really know anything about first aid!”

“Give me your jumper,” Sweetie Drops said. “I know how to do a compression bandage.” Sunflowers couldn’t help but hope that she actually did, and this wasn’t just her feverish bravado. Micro Chips took off his jumper and handed it to Sweetie Drops. She shook her head. “Tear it apart. I need two smaller pieces and one with the sleeves.”

With quite some effort Micro Chips tore his jumper in several pieces and handed them to Sweetie Drops. The girl pulled up Sunflowers’ blouse and examined the cut. “Hold that up,” she ordered Micro Chips, who hesitantly held the fabric, careful not to touch Sunflowers’ skin. Sunflowers thought that he was probably as uncomfortable with being this close to her as he was with the blood.

Sweetie Drops used the first piece of the jumper to wipe off most of the blood, while Sunflowers grit her teeth and tried not to cry out because of the fresh pain. When Sweetie Drops was done, the cut was clearly visible. It wasn’t big or deep or gaping, but nonetheless seeing an open wound in that spot almost made Sunflowers dizzy.

Sweetie Drops folded up the second piece of jumper and placed it on the wound. “Chipper, hold it there.” When he gingerly placed the fabric on the wound, she added, “No, you gotta press!”

“Isn’t that going to hurt her?”

Too impatient to deal with Micro Chips’ insecurities, Sunflowers put her hand on his and pressed, inhaling sharply as the pressure added a new wave of pain. Sweetie Drops picked up the third piece of the jumper, the one with the sleeves, and tied the jumper around her with the knot on top of the wound. “Make sure it stays tight,” she said.

“Thank you,” Sunflowers said, grabbing both sleeves and holding it tightly.

“What now?” Micro Chips asked.

“We go to the roof,” Sunflowers said decisively. “Miss Luna wasn’t in the office wing, so she’s most likely up there. She can call for help.”

If she isn’t dead as well, she thought.

Don’t. Just don’t.

“But it’s dangerous out there,” Micro Chips protested.

“Staying here is worse,” Sweetie Drops chimed in. “This is the only room with the lights on on this floor. It won’t take long before he finds us. We gotta go out there.”

“I didn’t—“

Of course you didn’t think of it, Sunflowers thought.

“There’s no time for this. Chipper, we have to go, now.”

“Okay,” he agreed. He started. “Why in the world are you calling me Chipper?”

“I thought you needed a nickname, and calling you Micro just didn’t seem okay,” Sweetie Drops replied with a titillating smile. “But if you don’t like it…”

“Actually I do like it,” Micro Chips said, reddening.

Sunflowers rolled her eyes. “Anyone happen to have a flashlight?” she asked. The others shook their heads. Of course not—that’s what you have a phone for. “Alright, let’s go. Keep your eyes and ears open.”

“And if we see him?” Micro Chips asked.

It was Sweetie Drops who answered, “Run.”

***

The cut hurt, and having to constantly hold the makeshift bandage in place slowed her down even more, but Sunflowers knew that she had been lucky. Again she was taking the lead. Micro Chips and Sweetie Drops were following here, almost huddled up against each other.

Hansel and Gretel, she thought. As if that’s important right now!

Fortunately it wasn’t far; all they had to do was go down the hallway to the other staircase and up to the roof. It felt less safe out in the hallway, less than in the familiar and bright club room. Sunflowers was aware that this was a fallacy; in the brightly lit room they had been like fish in a fish bowl.

But still.

When they reached the staircase door, Sunflowers signaled them to stop and pressed her ear against the door. She heard nothing. She opened the door and led the way up the stairs, trying to make as little noise as possible. There was no need to alert the killer in case he was nearby.

Hopefully Miss Luna was there.

Hopefully she wasn’t—

Nope. Not gonna finish that thought.

When she reached the roof level she again paused to listen through the door. Again there was nothing to be heard. If the killer was out there, he was being perfectly silent, Sunflowers thought. She suddenly had a very clear mental image of a hooded figure with a knife lurking behind the door, ready to strike the second she opened it.

Gritting her teeth she pushed away the mental image and opened the door. The fresh air made her shiver. In the faint light of the moon and the stars she couldn’t see anybody. There was no trace of the new telescope either.

Sunflowers stepped through the door. The staircase exit was in the middle of the roof, and for a moment she was hesitant where to go. She decided to turn right.

She took a few steps before Sweetie Drops tugged on her sleeve. Sunflowers turned around and immediately saw what had caught Sweetie Drops’ attention. The new telescope had been set up near the far end of the roof, behind some chimneys.

I could just call for her, she thought. But she didn’t dare.

She nodded at Sweetie Drops and slowly moved towards the telescope. There didn’t seem to be anyone nearby. Where were Miss Luna and Star Gazer?

Or the killer?

Moving as silently as they could they passed by the first chimney. Sunflowers noticed something on the ground, something—

Oh shit.

“Dex,” Micro Chips whispered.

Sunflowers almost gagged. Behind the chimney, in a rough heap, lay the bodies of Miss Harshwhinny, Poindexter and Star Gazer. Star Gazer’s dead eyes seemed to be looking at her.

“What the hell is this?” Sweetie Drops asked and made a tentative step towards the next chimney. Sunflowers, unable to look away, realized that at least Miss Luna wasn’t among the dead. Maybe she has called for help already.

“Don’t go closer, please,” Micro Chips pleaded.

“But look at this, what is this?”

“I’m not gonna look!”

“It’s lines and some sort of weird symbols. Here, on the chimney as well,” Sweetie Drops mused. “Drawn in blood.” She made a gagging noise. “Eugh.”

“Is this some sort of ritual?” Micro Chips asked. “Why did he bring all the bodies up here?”

“No,” Sunflowers whispered, “when did he bring the bodies up here?” How much time had the killer had after killing Miss Harshwhinny? “Guys, we have to—“

In that moment she saw a figure appear from behind another chimney. Hooded. With a silvery knife in his hand. She realized the fatal mistake she had made—how she had led everybody into their doom. He’s been hiding here all along.

“Run!” Micro Chips cried and pulled Sunflowers and Sweetie Drops backwards. “To the staircase!”

The three ran across the roof. The hooded figure, which had been walking up to them slowly and menacingly, also started to run. Looking back Sunflowers estimated they had a head start of no more than ten yards. It wasn’t even going to be close, not after how fast she had seen the killer run.

Then she saw something to her right that gave her hope.

“Fire escape!” she gasped.

“Genius!” Micro Chips cried.

The three turned towards the fire escape, Sweetie Drops and Micro Chips pulling a step or two ahead as the pain from her wound slowed Sunflowers down. She knew it was futile even before something kicked against her ankle from behind, knocking her off balance. She stumbled and fell, rolling across the roof. The fire escape, as she could see, was only a few yards away. She tried to sort out her limbs and get on her feet again, but a hand gripped her left arm, and suddenly she was being dragged towards the fire escape, where Sweetie Drops and Micro Chips—

“Don’t stop, you idiots!” Sunflowers yelled. “Run! To the staircase!”

Can you believe those two?

She heard steps running away, and then she was being lifted in the air. The killer put her onto her feet, still holding her arm like in a vice. She tried to make a step backwards, but to her surprise felt nothing but empty air underneath her shoe—apparently the killer had dragged her all the way to the edge of the roof.

There was no escape. This was it.

“Please don’t,” she whispered. She didn’t want to die, not on the school roof, not for some silly extracurricular activity that she had only taken because these things looked good on a college application. She didn’t even have her high school diploma. She had had such great plans.

“Please, let me live.”

The killer thrust the knife into her belly. Intense, hot pain. He let go of her arm, and now the only thing holding her upright was the knife inside her. Her insides burned like fire.

She stared at the hooded figure who stood there motionlessly. Completely unmoved by her agony. She tried to take a breath, just one more breath, but the pain this caused in her belly was unbearable. She was certain the killer, her killer, was smirking.

I don’t wanna die like this… not with him watching me… not like this…

Whether it was instinct or a final act of defiance, Sunflowers managed to bring up an arm and push against the killer. She felt the knife sliding out of her as she slowly fell backwards. The world turned upside down, and she screamed. The last thing she saw was the pavement coming closer.