Another day went by, and by nightfall, another student had bit the dust. The students have done their best to remain together, but one tiny mistake was all it took. The victim fell behind his friend and was left alone in a room for two seconds. The next thing his friend knew, the door closed behind him and chilling screams followed.

By the time the class got the door open, the student was already in a hundred pieces. Literally. Katie counted them. One hundred pieces. Not one more. Not one less. 

At this point, the class has figured out a pattern. One victim around 12 hours, approximately. This seemed to be a limit placed on the wraith. In other words, around 10 students would be killed during the stay here. 

This was definitely partially good news. After all, it didn't feel like the entire class would be massacred. At the same time, 10 students! That was a little less than ⅓ of the entire class! No one could say for sure he or she wouldn’t be one of those 10. 

Demands for executing Kyle’s plan reached a new height after the third death. At this point, Eric has lost whatever authority he might’ve once had. It took all of Katie’s threats to keep the students back, but no one knew how much longer her threats could last. After all that they have been through, the students grew quite the resilience against danger. 

As the day came to an end, most of the class was gathered up in the Presidential Suite. Katie personally sat at the door, both to make sure nothing could get in and to make sure no one could get out. She wasn’t alone. A squad of five watchers was set up for every shift. If they fell asleep again like Abigail and her shift...the rest of the class would no doubt skin them alive.

At this point, no one worried about the genders anymore. 

Hours passed, and nothing happened. Now that she was out in the open, Katie didn't have as much fun as she did last night. Well...relatively speaking. To her, the occasional stabbing herself in the chest under the black sports bra was trivial. It was nothing, really. 

She made sure to hide these stabs as much as possible. That was perhaps the least she could do. As long as no one stared at her sports bra and saw the blood soaking through, she should be fine. 

Either way, as Katie covered another freshly induced wound with the dark piece of clothing, she suddenly saw someone walking over. Kyle. 

“Oh right.” She stood up and greeted the man who she beat up yesterday. “Hey, Kyle!”

“Uh...hey…”

Before he said another word, Katie grabbed onto him by the neck and smashed him against the wall. Bam! 

“Damn it!” The boy growled as he stumbled back, blood on his forehead. “What was that for?”

“Well,” Katie shrugged and sat back down as if nothing happened. “Caitlin told me something in the realms of...hit you whenever I see you? Something in that regard. You really pissed her off with your dumbass idea. I proposed just outright killing you, but she said that would draw too much attention...honestly, I prefer that more. There's only so much fun to be had in a quick kill...either way, what are you doing here?”

From punching Kyle to casually explaining to him why and asking him what he was up to...only Katie could be so smooth with the transition. 

Kyle paused for a moment, doing his best to remember what he was doing here, before letting out a small grin. 

“Well, I couldn’t sleep, so I decided to come over and have a little chat.”

“Chat?” Katie glanced at him, casually wiping her bloody Knife against her left arm like no one was watching. “I have nothing to talk to you about. Or is chat to you about? Whatever.”

“Why not?”

“Because you rape and torture and kill.” This time, Katie turned to him and stared into his eyes. The despise in her voice was clear. “Yes, Kyle, I’ve heard stories about you. You had your fun with a lot of girls, didn't you? And apparently, you also robbed a few houses and gunned down the owners? You are a thug, Kyle. Nothing more. Nothing less. Talking to you is no more than a waste of time.”

“And you’re not?” The boy retaliated. “Do you really think you’re any better than I am? You don’t kill?”

“That...that is actually a very good question.” Katie paused, just briefly. “Well, I do torture and kill, but I don’t rape. And I only kill and torture those who deserve it. See? We’re different! Completely different!” 

“And why not?”

“Wait…” Katie scoffed at the question.“Are you seriously asking me why I don’t rape? Maybe cause I don’t really have the tools?” She was so surprised she almost stabbed herself by accident...never mind. She did follow up with the accident and stab herself. On purpose. Moving on...

“Yes, I am asking that...are you gonna deal with that bleeding?”

“Nah…”

“Ok…” Kyle took a deep breath, recollecting his argument. “think about it, Katie! Don’t tell me you haven’t realized your advantage in the class! You are probably one of the toughest fighters among us! The way you expertly handled those zombies...whoever has you on his or her side has a much higher chance of surviving! If you want anything from the class, you can get it!”

“If you want money, I’m sure Eric will empty his giant checking account to bribe you! Sex? Anyone in the class will spread their legs for you! You are in such a powerful position, yet...yet you throw all that away by being the loyal bitch of another girl! You’re such a simp!”

This notion annoyed Katie, so she stood up and slammed Kyle’s head against the wall once again. Bam! 

Kyle growled at the contact, but deep down, he was smiling. He had some knowledge of Katie’s strength. If she really hated what she was hearing, then his head would’ve been a cracked watermelon by now. Instead, she settled with such a symbolic and trivial strike. In other words, Katie might not be as determined as she was trying to show. 

“You are a work of art, Katie. Your body…it is magnificent!” The man continued as he sat back down, trying to ignore the headache. There was a look in his eyes that Katie mistook as lust. “The power it is capable of, the endless potentials it can achieve as long as you try...you...you are marvelous, Katie Lockwood!” 

Even as Kyle spoke, distinctly, there was a shadow of darkness in his eyes. Not figuratively. Literally. Perhaps Kyle himself didn't even realize it. Perhaps even he himself thought these were just words of sheer lust and desire whereas in reality, they were so much more. And the intention of these words? They were far beyond what Kyle wanted, which was simply to turn Katie against Caitlin and to him. 

Far, far beyond. 

Katie sat there in silence. The human part of her wanted to punch Kyle in the guts and knock him out. She wanted to silence him and treat every word that came out of his mouth like the words of a maniac. A fool. The words of a man who has lost every sense of humanity he once had. This way, she didn't need to even consider them and whether they were valid.  

But there was something inside her, just a tiny fragment, that realized Kyle had a point. Why was she even in this position? What was stopping her from truly doing what she wanted? From truly having fun? Yeah, playing hide and seek with a ghost was all fun and all, but she could be doing so much more!

Outside the games, she could’ve been massacring entire cities! She could be ignoring Mr. Isaac and traveling around the world, hunting down supernatural creatures! Even if she stayed in the games, she could be carving a way through those damn employees as they spoke! Were they wraiths? Were they human? Who cares? She would be satisfied as long as blood was shed! So what if it was actually a trap? The others could all die and she wouldn’t shed a tear!

But...no! I care about the innocent people! Ok...I don’t, but I am not killing them unless I have to! Katie screamed to herself. But...but why? So she could feel better about herself? The truth was, all she had to do was let go, and in a few seconds the thrill of the massacre itself would destroy whatever guilt she once had!

And why was she listening to Caitlin’s every command like a loyal hound? Love? Loyalty? Did she even know what those meant? In the past, perhaps, but now? 

“So what do you propose that I do?” She scoffed, trying to use humor to hide the doubt in her own head. “Go on a killing spree? Massacre the class? Bash Mr. Isaac’s head in? Is that it?”

“No. All I want is for you to see yourself for what you truly are. To follow your heart, wherever that leads.” The darkness in Kyle’s eyes deepened. Zeal was in his voice as he continued with his input, luring Katie deeper and deeper into the abyss with every word spoken. “I want to show you your greatness by freeing you from the burdens weighing you down as we speak…”

“Burdens? Is that what you call my humanity?” Katie smirked. “Love. Loyalty. Persistence. You see them as burdens that you gladly got rid of, but guess what? To me, they are priceless treasures that I will hold dearly onto no matter how much that makes me hurt...or doesn't make me hurt.”

The interesting thing was that if Katie truly despised Kyle, if Kyle was simply spewing nonsense that would never resonate with Katie in a million years, then she would've shut him up already by force. But instead, Katie was talking to Kyle. It was uncharacteristic, to say the least. In reality, Katie was much less talking to Kyle than she was talking to herself. She wanted to convince herself that her love and morals, things that she had fought so hard to maintain, were worth fighting for. 

“Priceless treasures?” The mockery in Kyle’s voice was clear. “The thing you call loyalty is just a chemical reaction inside your very brain. It’s hormones, that’s it. And loyalty? Loyalty is no more than a pact. You give someone service in exchange for something else. What’s so priceless about them?”

"Tell me, Katie." Kyle continued before Katie could even reply. "Think about it! Imagine Caitlin on her knees, screaming! Begging! Would you not like to see that? Imagine cutting your knife through her neck and watching as she chokes to death! How fascinating will that be? How...how glorious? And all you have to do to see that...is make up your mind!"

The brunette froze there in silence. She could've silenced Kyle as soon as he mentioned Caitlin. She should've. She has killed for much less. But...but to her horror, she realized Kyle had a point. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get that image out of her head. Oh...it was such a terrible and terrific picture...Katie thought so silently as she found herself more than slightly aroused. 

Finally, shifting in her seat, she snapped to the side, breaking free of the image. 

“A coward like you will never understand what I stand for.” 

Kyle tilted his head. Now, the darkness in his eyes has almost consumed his pupils, but Katie didn't see a thing. The man sat there in silence before speaking up in a final declaration. 

“Perhaps, but mark my word, Katie. Sooner or later, you will come to your senses. You will recognize your power, and that those around you, people like Caitlin and Vivian and Eric, are mere mortals. They are not worthy of your love and respect. The only thing they deserve…is to be your victim.” 

“I look forward to that day, Katie Lockwood...”

With that last sentence, the black in Kyle’s eyes completely disappeared, and the boy was himself again. Of course, as far as Kyle saw, he has always been himself, and all the words of temptation he just gave voice to were by his own accords and to his own benefits. But were they really? 

As silence returned to the room, Katie sat there, speechless. She looked down at the wound she accidentally cut on her arm, which was already nowhere to be seen. The only thing left was the bloodstains on her perfect, marble skin. 

If an outsider like Kyle could see what she was capable of, how could Katie herself fail to recognize that? Of course, Katie knew her own potential. Of course, she wanted to go on a killing or a torture spree without a care in the world! But she also knew she couldn’t let herself be dominated by her desires! She was better than that! She would never be a slave! 

But the girl also knew her urges were closing in on her with every passing day. Perhaps it would be a week, perhaps a year, but sooner or later, it would consume her until she was no more than a raging beast that was all too happy to devour entire worlds for her personal desires. Yes, she has made a few stands. She volunteered to kill those zombies summoned by Mr. Isaac, and she stepped in and saved Mira, but those were no more than minor victories. 

Her eyes landed on Caitlin. She was her anchor to the land that was known as humanity. It was her care that helped her stand against the corruption constantly eating away at her. As long as Caitlin remained, Katie was sure she herself would be perfectly fine. 

But if Caitlin was to die...what would be left in this world for her to cling onto? 

Suddenly, Katie heard a chilling cry from outside the room. This cry was enough to send all of the watchers and half the class springing to their feet and pulling out their weapons. Most of the students had no idea what to do, but Katie abruptly opened the door and stepped outside. 

In the carpeted hallway leading up to the Presidential Suite, a young woman was fleeing. Her foot was bare, and she barely had any clothes on her. Katie recognized her as soon as her eyes landed on her. She was a member of the class. In the evening, she and her boyfriend refused to sleep in the Suite. In their words, they were about to die either way, so why not have some fun while they could? 

Plus, the wraith could only snatch up the students while they were alone, and there were two of them. 

Caitlin did all she could to change their minds, but she failed miserably. It was truly difficult to save someone who pretty much wanted to die. 

Of course, as the girl was fleeing toward the safety of the Presidential Suite, it quickly became clear that she didn't want to die anymore. Tears ran down her face as she moved. Katie could only imagine that her boyfriend was gone, and somehow instead of pausing for another 12 hours, the wraith was still hunting. 

Not that she cared. Katie let out a bloodthirsty smile as she charged toward the girl with her Knife in her hand. It has been too long since she has claimed a kill. At long last! If the wraith struck now, she could intervene!

And then the wraith struck. 

The girl was running as quickly as possible. Her eyes were staring into the front, which meant she had little vision of her sides. In her blindspot, one of the two plain white walls started transforming. Somehow, from the solid wallpaper, a breach was made, and a hand reached out.

That is such a beautiful hand! Katie noted, not necessarily because the hand was that soft or anything. Instead, she was saying that because she saw countless red dots across the hand. Those were cuts. Cuts deep enough to draw blood. Hmmm...that’s gotta feel so good! She should try that sometimes...they would look so damn pretty! 

But the other girl in the hallway didn't have time to marvel at the hand. She only noticed the hand when it reached out and grabbed onto her wrist, and by then, it was too late.

The next second, the bloody hand yanked the girl into the wall. 

And just like that, the girl disappeared without a trace. While the previous victims at least had a chance to leave behind bloody corpses, this girl didn't even get that. She was killed outright, with nothing left to prove that she ever existed.

"No!" Katie practically collapsed on her knees and screamed. Not because a girl was killed...not at all. She was screaming because after snatching up the second victim, the hand disappeared! Not again! Oh, it has been so, so long since she scored a kill! God damn it! 

This time, two students were killed. This time, the wraith struck right in front of the other students, and despite that, the students still couldn't identify the wraith. They could accuse the hands, but that would only work when the wraith was attacking, and they had no idea when that would happen. The fact was that the wraith was growing more and more powerful with every kill, and as soon as the students came to that realization, a fact became obvious. 

They had to find and accuse the wraith as soon as possible. In other words, the purging of the hotel was on the schedule again.