Go collect your belongings form your locker
From Create Your Own Story
“No, Penny,” you say after a moment, shaking your head. “I just want to grab my things from my locker and get out of here. It’s such a nice day—I don’t really want to spend my summer cooped up in a classroom.”
Penny pauses, clearly unimpressed but already shifting her focus elsewhere. “Fair enough,” she says briskly. “I guess I’ll see you guys around, then.”
She gives a quick wave and turns on her heel, striding down the corridor to the left toward the art department, her long red hair swaying behind her as she disappears from view.
You and Sam turn the opposite way, heading down the quieter hallway toward the student lockers. Your footsteps echo softly in the empty space.
“If you’re just grabbing stuff from your locker,” Sam says after a moment, glancing over at you, “would you mind dropping this pen drive off at Principal Lunt’s office for me?”
He holds it out, offering you a small, almost shy smile. “I’ve gotta go up to the third floor and grab some things I left in the library. I was planning to hang out there until Penny’s class is over, then give her a ride home.”
“Yeah, sure,” you say, taking the pen drive. “No problem.”
“Thanks,” he replies, visibly relieved.
At the stairwell, you split up. Sam heads upward, backpack slung over one shoulder, giving you a quick wave before disappearing onto the stairs. You continue straight ahead, the ground-floor corridor stretching long and empty in front of you.
The lockers come into view, rows of dull metal lining the walls. You stop at yours, spin the combination, and pull the door open. Inside, everything looks exactly as you left it. You grab what you need, then pause—and there it is, your favorite hoodie, crumpled on the shelf like you’d hoped.
You pull it out with a quiet breath of relief, shut the locker door, and lock it.
For a moment, you just stand there.
The silence feels heavier now. Without students, without noise, the school feels… wrong. Too still. The fluorescent lights hum faintly overhead, casting long shadows down the empty hallway.
Then—
Thud.
You freeze.
Thud.
Your heart skips.
Thud.
Do you
