Death

*Ring!*

"Hmm..." I groaned, annoyed at the usual alarm ringing at the usual time.

I yawned and rubbed my eyes, still lying on the bed, while the alarm rang.

I sighed, turning over and pressing "stop" on my phone, finally ceasing the constant barrage of headache-inducing sounds.

Looking over at the window, which was covered by thin green curtains, I could see it was morning and it was time to get ready for school.

I slowly got out of bed, walked to the bathroom, and closed the door. I took a shower, brushed my teeth, did my hair, got dressed, and made sure I had everything ready for school.

Standing in front of a mirror was a pretty young girl in her junior year of high school. She had long blonde hair and emerald-green eyes.

Dressed for the cold, she wore a white hoodie, gray sweatpants, and gray sneakers. The young girl wasn't overly concerned about her appearance but still wanted to look presentable.

'Hmm... I think I look good today.' I said this in my thoughts while fixing loose hair strands or straightening my clothing.

Wrapped around my arms and on my back was a bookbag that carried my school supplies. This included books, binders, folders, and other things one would need for high school.

Anyway, after checking if I had everything I needed, I walked downstairs to the kitchen, where my beautiful mom was making breakfast.

"Good morning, Mom." I pulled out a seat before sitting down at the table.

Like me, she had blonde hair and green eyes. She wore a business suit as she worked in an office.

Although we look alike, I still feel she's prettier than I am.

Looking at my mother, she smiled at me as she hummed a tune. "Good morning, baby. I'm almost finished, so hang tight."

I nodded, looking at my phone and checking anything on social media that had happened as I slept.

"There was a home invasion last night not far from here. Did you know about this, Mom?" I asked, looking at the news while glancing at my mother.

She sighed and shook her head. "I didn't. Though I have heard that they're getting more rampant as of late."

I looked into it further, and I found out that no one was injured. However, they haven't caught the people responsible, and they are still on the run from the police.

My mother turned to me and said, "Be careful when you head to school, Madison. I love you more than you could possibly know, so it'll break my heart if something happens to you."

I smiled. "I know, Mother. I could say the same about you."

She chuckled and finished breakfast. Today, we had scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon, toast, and orange juice. Something simple and filling to start the day.

....

After breakfast, we hugged each other goodbye as I headed to the bus stop and she got in her car and drove to work. She always offered to take me to school, but school is out of the way for her, so I denied her offer.

At the bus stop, a few people stood in silence. They, as well as me, stood here listening to music while we waited for the bus to arrive.

Usually, the bus arrived on time or a few minutes later, never early. Unfortunately, the bus arrived later than expected, but we didn't complain nonetheless.

Taking an empty seat on the silent bus, I looked out the window as I listened to my music. The bus started and drove to a few more bus stops, letting the other teenagers on before driving to school.

....

Entering school, we walked to our homeroom class, where the teacher took attendance and we pledged allegiance to the flag—the same standard stuff if you live in the United States.

After homeroom, I went to science class, where I learned about biology and cells for an hour. It was pretty interesting until the class ended, and I headed to my next class, Math.

Although math wasn't as difficult for me as it is for some, I didn't enjoy it either. The bell rang after an hour, signaling that class had ended, and I moved on to art class.

I wasn't really skilled at art, but it was a class where I could relax from stressful studies and do what I wanted. This only lasted for half an hour before the bell rang, and it was finally time for most students' favorite part of the day.

Lunch.

Going to the cafeteria, I picked out my usual lunch. It consisted of a chicken sandwich, a tub of chocolate milk that tasted like cardboard, and grape juice.

Some students had either packed a lunch or were better off and had more elaborate lunches. I didn't pity myself, as my mother works hard for the money she makes.

I'm grateful that she hasn't abandoned me. Being a single mother is not easy, and I never undermined her efforts. I offered to help with the income by getting a job or finding a way to make money, but she scolded me, saying that I should focus on studies and "let the adults worry about things for adults."

Anyway, after purchasing lunch at the checkout, I walked to an empty seat and sat down by myself. It's not that I don't have friends; it's just that I choose not to. I wanted to focus on my studies and not friendships, so I could later get a job and not let my mother's efforts be in vain.

You may call me a mommy's girl, but I'm not embarrassed by it.

A half hour later, the bell rang, and it was time to head to my third core class of the day, social studies. To be honest, I dislike history very much.

I'm not sure why, but I doze off sometimes. It doesn't help that the teacher lacks enthusiasm when teaching the subject.

For the sixth time, the bell rang, and I walked to my final core class, English. For me, I loved English because not only did the teacher make it interesting, but she was really hot too.

I wasn't a simp, but I loved the sound of her voice and could listen to it for hours. Though the unfortunate sound of the bell had rang and faded, I reluctantly walked to gym. Going into the locker rooms, we changed into our gym uniforms and entered the gymnasium.

Like English, I liked gym as well, but not for the same reasons. During gym, we would mostly exercise and sometimes play games such as handball, basket ball, or volleyball, but I enjoyed the exercises.

I love the feeling of working out and becoming stronger than I was yesterday. Today, we ran laps around the gymnasium as the teacher played music that suited working out.

When the bell rang, we went to the lockers and changed out of our uniforms and into our clothes. We were now heading back to homeroom before the school day ended.

....

For the last time of the day, the bell rang, and the school day ended. There were some who stayed behind and did after-school activities, but I wasn't among those people.

Heading to the bus parking lot, just like every other student returning home, we walked to our assigned bus and got on.

I had to sit next to a boy who was severely lacking in proper hygiene. Luckily, I sat near the window, and I smelled the fresh air and not the boy.

Though I noticed the boy was wearing a Star Wars shirt, I remembered that my mother and I used to be Star Wars fans. I played some of the games and watched the movies, but that's as far as I went before I dropped it all together and focused on school.

Anyway, after riding through other people's bus stops, I finally arrived at mine and got off, not forgetting to thank the bus driver.

I had to walk thirteen minutes back to my house. Mom wasn't home, so I walked up to the door and twisted the handle. It was then that I noticed the door was unlocked.

"Did mom forget to lock the door...?" I asked aloud.

This was something she didn't forget, but everyone has their off days. However, I kept my guard up and entered the house.

When I entered the house, I tried to listen for noises. When I didn't hear anything, I shrugged and closed the door before locking it.

Walking up the steps, I could see something bizarre and frightening at the same time.

"What...?"

In the living room, some items were missing and others were trashed. While looking around, I saw someone unfamiliar come out of the bathroom who was a few steps away from me. He wore black clothing and a black ski mask.

We locked eyes for a few moments, stunned by each other's presence. I was about to say something until the man's eyes lit up. "Yo, Brad. Take care of that brat, will ya'?"

'Brad?' I asked in my thoughts before following his gaze and looking up at a person standing behind me. I looked up at him, and he stared at me with a death stare.

When the thought of him coming up behind me and not being able to hear him, my heart raced. I was about to panic and scream until my vision suddenly became dark.