“Ms. Lockwood. Please come with me back to the classroom. We...we need to discuss something...”

Discuss something? Katie would wager half a million dollars that this was because Mr. Isaac has had enough of her snarky comments and insulting actions. And who could blame him? She was literally turning his games of horror into a personal talent show! Whatever Mr. Isaac had in mind for her, suffice to say it wasn’t gonna be pretty. If Mr. Isaac could burn innocent students alive, what would he do to someone he actually disliked?

Death. Torture. Pain. Horror...yessss! What are we waiting for?

“Well, I am a good student…” Katie leaned forward and smiled, but that was when her friend cut in.

“Sorry, Mr. Isaac,” Caitlin took a step forward, bravely placing herself between Katie and the undead teacher after her head. “but Katie is tired. She has had a long day. She needs some rest.”

“I’m sure that rest can wait…”

“I’m not tired!”

Two voices spoke out at once, prompting Caitlin to turn back and glare at Katie. Mr. Isaac’s words she could understand, but what are you doing, Katie? I’m trying to help you! Judging from how Mr. Isaac was sticking to this whole ‘teacher-student’ dynamic, Caitlin believed she had a chance of deflecting this invitation for Katie.

But what was she supposed to do when Katie herself wanted to go along with it? Couldn’t she see what Mr. Isaac had in mind? In fact, she probably could...oh…

This notion made Caitlin frown. Did Katie think she could beat Mr. Isaac? But...none of the conventional weapons worked against Mr. Isaac! She and Zach didn't even know if an incendiary grenade could burn Mr. Isaac alive!

Before she could say anything else, Katie grabbed onto her hands.

“I’ll be fine.” She said quietly before suddenly letting out a flirtatious smile. “But if you’re really concerned…” She peeked at Zach. “a kiss in the lips will really give me an extra boost…”

Really? Caitlin’s eyes widened. You’re about to be dragged into a dark classroom to face an undead monster alone, and you’re asking for a kiss? What’s wrong with you? You’re about to die!

“Katie…”

“I’ll be fine!” Katie reassured once again. “Since when do I do something without being prepared?”

“Hmmm...every single time?” Caitlin shrugged before sighing and giving Katie another kiss in the lips. Thankfully, there wasn’t any blood on Katie’s lips or things would’ve gone really ugly.

When the two girls parted way, Katie turned back to Mr. Isaac, who observed the exchange quietly. “Let’s go! Caitlin? Go wait back at your house. And...if I come home and find you making out with that boy again, I will be really disappointed!”

Really, Katie? Do you really think you can come home again if you leave with Mr. Isaac? Caitlin was obviously concerned, so concerned that Katie’s rude words didn't bother her that much. All she did was give her friend a small nod and walked away with Zach.

Now, it was just the two of them, Katie and Mr. Isaac, walking across the football field back toward the classroom where everything first started.

The undead teacher moved slowly, his limbs forming unnatural angles at every turn. In fact, Katie suspected both his legs had quite a few bones broken, enough to cripple a normal person with the sheer pain, but it didn't stop Mr. Isaac from continuing to move. His eyes looked like they were about to fall out of their eye sockets.

Another student would’ve fainted already. Katie? She had a few comments that she would like to politely express.

“So, Mr. Isaac.” She grinned, almost so energetic that she was literally hopping around Mr. Isaac. “May I give you a few suggestions?”

Mr. Isaac’s neck snapped as he turned his head to face Katie. “Of course, a good teacher always welcomes the input of his students.”

He said with a low, grim voice. Katie could see a vicious, mocking grin as his face, as if he was looking at something funny.

“Ok…” Katie started. “look, I don’t know what you’re trying to do, but I’m assuming it’s something in the realm of creating fear, right? And honestly, the first few games were good. You know...getting people to choose a classmate to kill. Hide and seek and stuff. But I’ve got to say, Mr. Isaac, lately I’m a bit disappointed!”

“Dis...disappointed?”

“Yeah! I mean...we’re going for a horror vibe, right? And a gladiatorial fight between students and monsters is all gory and nice, but you know what’s real horror? Forcing people to play twisted games and watch as they either turn on their friends or die! Maybe put a loving couple in a game together and tell them only one of them can live and see how their love crumble! Show everyone the cruel and selfish nature of human beings! Just…just be creative!”

She shook her head in disappointment.

“Honestly, what you did was so damn stupid! This is not three hundred years ago! Zombies and giant spiders are tropes used way too frequently in tv shows and movies! I was expecting a lot more from you!”

Even as she spoke, deep down, a part of her was screaming. What the fuck are you talking about? Mr. Isaac is stupid? Well if that’s the case, you, Katie Lockwood, are the stupidest idiot in this universe! The monsters are what you are the best at dealing with, and you’re urging Mr. Isaac to get creative? You can’t protect Caitlin if he gets creative!

But the desire to make things interesting, to provoke Mr. Isaac and see how he would react, was overwhelming. It was enough to shove Katie down the path of stupidity.

“Hmmm…” Surprisingly, as the two walked into the classroom and Katie finished her rant, Mr. Isaac nodded. “that’s actually quite a good point.”

“Yep! I’ve always got the best ideas!”

“I will keep that in mind…” Now that they were inside the classroom, Mr. Isaac suddenly waved his hand, and the classroom door swung shut, sealing the two inside. “after I turn you into one of my puppets!”

Before Katie could even respond, two creatures emerged from the shadows inside the classroom and leaped onto her. In just moments, two pairs of sharp claws dug into Katie’s arms, severing skin and tearing flesh.

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“Owwwwww!” Katie screamed in pleasure. She hasn’t felt this good in a while!

“Bloodhounds.” Mr. Isaac grinned proudly, as if he was watching something hilarious. “Adorable puppies. Well, unless they see you as their food. In that case...”

The smell of blood excited both of the Bloodhounds, extracting an excited growl out of both beasts.

Unfortunately for the Bloodhounds, the same could be said for Katie.

Katie let out a sharp growl. Suddenly, countless brown stems extended out of parts of her arms that were chewed on by the Bloodhounds. The tips of these stems were as sharp as knives, and when these tips buried themselves in the skull and throat of the Bloodhounds, well...let’s just say this wasn’t the delicious meal the hunters expected.

Both Bloodhounds fell back on their back. Already, the wounds they created on Katie have mended themselves. But the stems were still extending out of her arms and wreaking havoc inside the Bloodhounds.

The Bloodhounds were still growling. This time, it was from the pain. Somehow, they were still well alive, but right now, all they could do was act as the background music, a beautiful tone of pain and suffering, for Katie, who has turned back to Mr. Isaac.

“Is that what you expected this to go?” Katie provoked fearlessly.

Seeing the unfortunate fate that befell his Bloodhounds, Mr. Isaac smirked once again, not at all disturbed. Suddenly, the two beasts exploded into a puff of black smoke. Mr. Isaac moved his hands and formed a strange symbol.

And then, the shadows in the room started creeping.

A swarm of flies darted out of every dark corner of the room. All of them were just like normal flies in almost every form. Size. Structure. Only difference? They were fast.

Very fast.

All of the flies glided down on Katie before she had any chance of reacting. Within two seconds, the swarm has gone through Katie three times. Their speed meant they could hit Katie, rip off a piece of her flesh, and then circle around and repeat this process.

“Uh…” When Katie finally reacted, she was literally being skinned alive. Even a layer of her flesh was removed. With another pained cry, she summoned a layer of stem armor that covered her body.

This was enough to keep the flies out. These insects were fast, but they weren’t any different from ordinary bugs in terms of strength. The stem armor was able to keep them out.

Now no longer being chipped away, Katie closed her eyes, enjoying the excruciating pain. But that pain was short-lived. In just seconds, she went from a fleshy skeleton that could scare a child to death to the beautiful young woman she has always been.

“You know…” After she finished recovering, Katie let go of her stem armor and shrugged. “that really hurt. And when I say it hurts, you know it’s bad!”

Mr. Isaac wasn’t finished, but the mocking smile on his face was nowhere to be seen. Using the time Katie took recovering, he unleashed his final strike.

The flies were reduced back to darkness. Katie looked around curiously, wondering what was next.

She didn't have to wait very long.

Four ropes, composed of the same dark material that composed of the Bloodhounds and the flies, reached out from the four corners of the classroom. With lightning speed, they wrapped themselves around Katie’s arms and legs.

A fifth rope came in and wrapped itself around Katie’s neck.

“In ancient China,” Mr. Isaac said with a dark, grim voice. “prisoners who have committed certain extreme crimes, like treason, will be sentenced to death by five horses. Unfortunately, we don’t quite have five horses here, but I’m sure this will get the job done…”

“Death by five horses?” Katie rose her eyebrows. This sounded fun...also, why horses? What's wrong with cows or dogs or sheep...

And then the ropes pulled at once with impossible strength, ripping off all four of Katie’s limbs, along with her entire head.

Blood covered half the room. Katie’s blood.

Mr. Isaac took a breath of relief. Finally...

Suddenly, Katie’s severed ahead, a distance away from the rest of her body, was suddenly lifted into the air. Skin, flesh, bone, and blood alike started growing beneath the head. Within seconds, Katie was alive once again.

It was a miracle that defied every scientific law in the universe. Yet, it happened right then and right there in that classroom.

As soon as she was back, Katie frowned and watched as two more stems extended out of her palms. But...how? She understood the whole ‘I’ve got a stem inside my body’ thing, but she was literally reduced to only her head! She completely switched her body! How was she still able to do this?

Like she told Mira, her body had a lot of secrets.

The devoted scientist and researcher she was, Katie spent a full ten seconds wondering what happened before turning her attention back to Mr. Isaac.

“You know...I can really do this all day!”

That actually wasn’t a lie. First of all, she physically couldn’t die! Rip her head off? She lived! Skin her alive? She lived through that too! Now, for most people, that didn't matter. The sheer agony of being ripped apart again and again until the end of time could drive almost anyone mad, but Katie...you might as well try to drown a fish or suffocate a chair.

That went through Katie’s mind as she stood back up once again. Suddenly, she held her hand up in a pause motion. “Just...one second, shall we?”

Katie’s body grew itself back, yes. But the same couldn’t be said for her clothes. This forced the girl to cover herself as nicely as possible as she knelt down beside her body and literally stripped her t-shirt and jeans off of her own bloody corpse and put them back on.

Honestly, it was some fun experience, in a weird, perverted kind of way.

When she was finally semi-modest again, Katie Lockwood turned back to Mr. Isaac, who has been strangely quiet. To her utter disappointment, and even annoyance, Mr. Isaac was nowhere to be seen!

“Oh no...come on!” Katie complained as she chased out of the classroom into the hallways. There, Mr. Isaac was walking down the empty halls. She chased up to him.

“Hmmm...Mr. Isaac? We haven’t finished with our talk yet!”

The teacher’s head turned by 90 degrees.

“Yes, we did.”

Katie frowned. So...the fight was probably what Mr. Isaac referred to as the talk, but why did he stop? He wanted to kill her and she was still alive and talking! Unless...maybe Mr. Isaac just finished all his attacks and decided to call it a day? What is he? Some sort of dumb computer that can’t think for itself? Can’t he tell she was still alive?

Whatever Mr. Isaac was thinking, Katie didn't like it! His attacks were deadly, but honestly, they just turned Katie on! And now he wanted to leave? Hell no! She was just getting started!

“Look, Mr. Isaac.” Katie said sweetly, a wide smile on her face. “Come on! I know I’m a difficult student! But that doesn’t mean you should give up on me! Have some persistence! Look...I’m sure there’s a way to kill me. Maybe try destroying my head as well? Just…just don’t give up!”

Mr. Isaac kept on moving. It almost looked like he didn't even want to talk to Katie.

“Ok…” Katie kept on going. She wasn’t taking no for an answer! “you were able to light Lucy up on fire! How about do that to me? And...how about that corrosive goo that devours people...oh right, I burned it alive...sorry!” Katie bit her lips.

Mr. Isaac ignored her words.

“Oh come on!” Katie finally threw her arms up in frustration. “Just make a stand, coward!” Since appealing didn't work, she turned to threats. “Here’s the thing, friend! If you don’t kill me right now, I will do everything I can to destroy your games! I...I swear I will come to school with a machine gun tomorrow and shoot every student! I’ll do it I swear!”

Judging by how much dedication Mr. Isaac put in these games, this should be an effective threat, right?

Mr. Isaac froze and turned his head to face Katie. That was when Katie Lockwood saw something in the eyes of the undead teacher.

“Wait...are you...are you afraid of me?” Her eyes widened in surprise as she yelped like she just learned the greatest secret in the world. “Oh my god! You...you are afraid of me!”

Mr. Isaac, the despicable monster that went to hell and back, the entity that slaughtered dozens of innocent people and turned their bodies and souls into puppets, was afraid of her, Katie Lockwood!

The teacher gave Katie one last glance.

“I will think about your advice. I assure you, Ms. Lockwood.”

He almost sounded nice.

And then, his form disappeared into a puff of smoke.

Katie growled in frustration and slashed a stem sword across the smoke, but it was useless. She could only watch as the smoke disappeared into thin air.

Damn coward!