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Okay that was weird. She thought as she went about her day. School had just ended and the students left so it was only her and the staff. So what was the concern? Perhaps it was just a joke but it stuck in her mind and something deep within told her to listen.

Wouldn’t hurt to air on the side of caution right? she thought and locked the door, It would be silly but she could play it off as a simple accident. With that she kept working handling her student’s homework. The door and message almost left her mind when someone tried to open the door but failed. “Is someone in there?” A voice said. She almost replied when she thought better of it. “Beware” the message said. She may have been new but the other teachers knew her by name now why would they say someone too? They knew her class her name was on the door. Deciding to air on the side of caution she kept quiet.

Whoever it was kept trying the handle and eventually slamming on the door. Every fist pound warping their voice till it sounded no longer human. “Is someone there I’m so terribly hungry please give me something to eat let me eat yoooooou!” Whatever it was chilled her to the bone and it seemed as if the door was about to give way so she followed the third part of the message. “Hide” there was a standing closet most of her middle schoolers could hide in but an adult probably couldn’t. Luckily she was smaller than the average adult and managed to squeeze in and shut the door just in time for her doors lock to break and whatever it was to enter. “food food where are you~” It sang as it rampaged through her classroom. It was starting to get closer to her hiding spot when new voices were heard. “There it is take it down!” It was a distinctly man’s voice and thankfully human sounding. Gun fire erupted and the thing made an inhuman screech as the man and his companions battled it. “Frag out!” Another voice called and there was an explosion and one final screech louder than the others followed by a wet thud. “We got it search for survivors.” The voice said again. There was the sound of footsteps as the man and his team began looking for survivors. Eventually one opened the locker and found the terrified teacher.

It was a soldier though their face was obscured. “We have a survivor.” He called out. “Man you’re lucky quite a few of your associates were not.” He helped her out and she saw the thing that tried to eat her a black puddle of goo in the vague form of a human. “What was that?” She asked trembling, The man shrugged. “No idea you’re lucky that spirit was looking out for you though told us exactly where to find it and you.” Spirit? She looked at the blackboard to see a new message. “I’m glad your safe, the kids really like you.”

It's "err" on the side of caution, not air. Loved your writing! Creative take.

Jessica pulled a finger through her neatly curled ringlets as she entered her classroom. She wondered what message would await her today before clearing the blackboard.

She froze in her tracks as she read it. Oh.

“Run, beware, hide!” Words from a stranger. What to beware, when to run, where to hide? Perhaps it was a joke. But Jessica couldn’t believe that, not when she had woken up with ice in her veins and the vibrations of dread everpresent.

She took a deep breath and looked around the room. There at the back she saw him. Riley.

He looked up and grimaced weakly. He looked so different from the last time they spoke. He grew into a man, yet now pale and sickly. If only she could have seen him before he got sick.

He didn’t need to say a word for her to know what disease was killing him.

Jessica pulled at her ringlets again and winced. She was so careful. So crafted in image, a perfect paragon of femininity.

And Riley saw through it all like he’d crafted it himself. Because once upon a time, he had.

“Run, beware, hide?” Jessica said. “You know I won’t do that to you. I can’t if I want to.”

“Others do.” Riley shrugged as he looked into her eyes. The two had a way of never glancing apart. “All the time. Run, the abomination might give it to you! Beware, hide, or you’ll become one too! All until you’re alone and dying, and that’s how it is for all of us. Well. Most of us.” He raised an eyebrow, and Jessica shivered.

“I’m not leaving this time. I won’t do that again.”

“But wouldn’t you? If you had to?” Riley almost scoffed, but he didn’t need to. Jessica could see it in his eyes. “You always did what you had to for the world not to kill you like this. You know our president just about laughed at the disease? He wants us gone.

“But you aren’t dying with us. You live a lie every day, and you know it, and you don’t change. And that’s your decision. And mine was mine. Got me so far.”

“Don’t say that!” Jessica exclaimed, face suddenly hot. “It did get you far. It got you further than me. Yeah, you’re dying. But you lived! I—“

Jessica shuddered and turned away. She still hadn’t erased the board. She did so in one passionate swoop. “You lived, Riley. And I know it’s hard to believe, but I won’t leave you this time.”

She turned back.

“You’re all I have.”

Holy ** that was tense reading.
Well done you!

>err

I've never seen that word before. Are you sure it wasn't "ear" ?

No, it's short for error as far as I know.

Nope! It's "err" - it's a word that has fallen mostly out of use, originating in Latin and coming to English from Old French. It's similar to "error" (not just in spelling) meaning "to be mistaken, incorrect" or "fail to adhere to the proper or accepted standards; do wrong"

I'm not an English teacher, but I used to read the dictionary for fun like a nerd

wow. you are good.