So that was just it? The summary of all our lives? That was just how our lives were supposed to end? In such a pitiful undignified way?

I was running for my life, but I was thinking. Thinking about all the things I could and should have done with my life that I didn't.

I could have told Roman who I was and expressed how I truly felt about him. No matter the consequence, I could have lived with it. Maybe.

I should have been closer to my family and oh...I should have had sex. Perhaps that was what I was going to regret most if I died -not having sex.

Now in a matter of minutes, perhaps seconds, I could be gone forever and I wouldn't even know it. I wouldn't know anything. What a waste of everyone's life.

A pair of strong clammy palms grabbed my arm roughly and quaking with fright, I punched the air and kicked and screamed. Screamed hard.

"Claire!" A hard slap landed on my face. "It's me Claire! Open your eyes!"

My eyes shot open and feeling the faintest sense of relief, I nearly laughed at my own stupidity.

"Peggy?" I tried to catch my breath and failed.

"Run you dumbo!" She shouted and violently yanked me in the direction of the winding stairs.

The winding stairs. That was where everyone was headed.

They were all making a dreadful mistake by thinking that the winding stairs was going to be the Heavenly gateway out of the situation. It led to the main entrance yes, but that wasn't how things worked in those horror and paranormal fictions. Whoever was behind this wasn't just going to allow us troop out the gate just like that. Right?

I stopped running and Peggy stopped too, gaping at me like some devilish psychopath.

"Come on Claire!" She seized my hand again but I pulled back and shook my head, tears almost blinding my vision.

Her eyes popped.

She opened her mouth to say something but drifted her eyes away over my shoulder, cautiously or perhaps painfully.

"Claire! Run!" She shrieked and forcefully clutched my hand.

"Shit!" She snapped her head to the left, right, left, right and left again. The ground seemed to be shaking. "This way!"

We ran down the right wing, but not before seeing Piper land on Ashley, punching and crushing her completely like a tiny insignificant termite. I saw Ashley's veins bulge and her face flush before drawing in one last and final breath.

I shivered. Four, I counted. Sixteen girls more to go.

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