Literatura en Español

Hunger Aches (4)

I lied.

I have to get them out of the school. Screams erupt from every corner—a chaos worthy of Dante’s deepest hell. I throw my voice over the roar, barking orders and guiding my beloved students away from this cradle of horror. I try to save everyone I can, tears of grief blurring my vision as the impotence of my own limits sets in. I want them all to be safe, but some have already ceased to be the bright-eyed children who greeted me every morning with a smile.

I spot a group approaching, led by the PE teacher. They are sprinting toward me, and for a fleeting second, a spark of hope flickers in my chest. But they don’t slow down.

Then comes the kick. My ribs crack under the force, the air driven violently from my lungs as I am sent sprawling backward. I catch a glimpse of a sneer on that coward’s face as he blasts past me. I struggle to rise, blood slicking my lips and tears carving tracks through the grime on my cheeks. Rage begins to coil within me.

By some stroke of luck, divine justice finally deigns to show its face: he trips, slamming face-first into the dirt. I am not nearly noble enough to let him escape unscathed.

As he scrambles to get up, I seize him. I lock eyes with him, throwing his own mocking smile back at his face, just as the rest of my beloved students finally catch up to us...

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