I tightened the towel around me, conscious of how alone I was. The other girls had finished up and headed off to their next classes, leaving me in the locker room. Once, under these exact circumstances, I could’ve expected a truly heinous prank. Inside me there was still a frightened kid waiting for the torture to resume. But my problems were broader and deeper now. My skin crawled with the unmistakable certainty that I was no longer alone. I rushed to my locker, half expecting to find my uniform missing or damaged in some ways, but most of the people responsible for that were dead. A chill went down my spine as I struggled into my underwear. Not drying off made it difficult, as did the steam all around me. Visibility was low, and the rows of lockers obscured my vision even more. Still, I got dressed in record time and was shouldering my backpack when the fog parted. That was the right word too, as it blew to either side, as if driven by a strong wind. Seconds later, I felt that icy touch on my skin; the goose pimples popped up instantly.
