Mindreader in a Nightmare Game

A chill crawled straight up my spine.

After that day, the attendance log contained only Erin's increasingly panicked, distorted handwriting.

"Mr. Prescott, I saw Peggy hurting herself. What should I do? She could die.

"I did everything you asked. You promised my dad wouldn't lose his job.

"Mr. Prescott, Peggy's falling apart. Can we please stop now? I'm begging you."

Later, large sections of the log were left blank. Only the last page recorded one final attendance note.

Peggy dropped out, while Erin died in a car crash. Wyatt had used his authority to crush two helpless female students.

Like fresh, bright, and barely blooming flowers, they were ground into the dirt by malice before they ever witnessed dawn or dusk.

Hatred churned in my chest, so intense that it felt unbearable.

…

As I set the attendance log down, the sudden emotional drain left me feeling weak.

Erin was still seated behind me, revived by the swarm of ghosts frantically shaking her awake, though I had my doubts about whether that even worked on ghosts.

Maybe forgetting everything was the best for everyone. And if someone had to remember the truth, it should be me.

As I met Erin's gentle, smiling gaze, I smiled back.

"She smiled at me! She likes me! She said she'll be my only human from now on!" she squealed. "What do I do? I'm so shy… What should I name her?"

Covering her face, Erin lowered her head in a flutter of bashfulness.

…Maybe I should stop smiling.

Suddenly, the screech of brakes and the heavy thud of a collision tore through the rare moment of peace.

My expression fell as I rushed to the window and looked outside.

A car sat stalled on the empty lot in front of the teaching block. Beneath it, a large pool of blood was spreading from a mangled body.

My heart pounded wildly in my chest.

The truth seemed to be right before my eyes. It was just a thin veil away and almost within reach. The nagging suspicion that had been lodged in my throat all this time was finally about to be revealed.

I grabbed a chair and smashed it against the class window. As shards of glass flew everywhere, I only felt a strange sense of relief.

When I turned around, the ghosts were standing quietly behind me. Their already pale faces now seemed nearly transparent.

I gave Erin's trembling hand a comforting squeeze and said, "Don't look or follow me. I'll handle this. Just don't try to remember anything. Forget it all."

The ghosts exchanged glances.

Ghosts seemed to have an innate fear of those who'd directly or indirectly caused their deaths. Even after all these years, that terror, watered by hatred, had grown into deeply-rooted towering trees, and it bred incurable maladies.

Through their inner voices, I could hear their terror and dread as clear as day. So, there were some things I had to do myself.

After climbing out the window, I paused and turned back to see the ghosts watching me eagerly.

"Do you have a knife?"

…

After climbing out of the classroom, that strange premonition grew stronger.

The hallway ahead felt strange yet familiar, as if I'd walked it a thousand times.

Guided by instinct, I wound through the twisting hallways and arrived at the car. Erin's body lay crumpled under it in a pool of blood. She'd long stopped breathing.

Still, I crouched down and closed her eyes.

Despite knowing that this was just a replay of events from years ago, it didn't matter that nothing I did could change it. Some things simply had to be done.

As expected, the driver's seat was empty.

I circled to the passenger door and pulled it open.

A female student lay curled on the seat, limp and unconscious. Blood matted her dark hair and hid her face.

I reached out and brushed her hair aside. It was a face identical to my own, or rather, it was me from years ago.