They increased their paces.
Si Xia began, "She was acting a little wierd before...." But he never completed his sentence, because at this moment, they heard a loud scream.
The voice sounded oddly familiar. Yu Chen turned to look at Si Xia as Huo Zenghai started running towards the sound. Xia and Chen looked at each other for two seconds before they also followed. As they turned a corner, the worst fear of the three was realised. They saw someone lying on the hard concrete floor in a pool of blood.
Huo Zenghai kept running, he was mumbling, "No. It cannot be true. Please god, it's not true."
Yu Chen stopped in her track. She could not go further. She wanted to go close to verify, but her legs would not move. Her knees gave away as she fell down on her knees. She did not want to believe it. But it was as clear as day, the girl was wearing a brown dress. She was lying on her stomach so her back could also be seen through the backless dress. Si Xia noticed that Chen had stopped. He turned to see her sitting on the floor. Xia ran back and supported her to stand up. Together they reached closer where Huo Zenghai was kneeling two feet away from Xi Hua. Yu Chen felt her knees give away again as she leaned on Si Xia for support.
She could not believe it. Why would someone do that? By this time, more people had gathered there who had heard the scream. Soon, Mo Kio also reached there. He saw everyone. Hua, lying in a pool of blood. Zenghai, kneeling beside her, pants already soaked in blood, looking like all life had been drained out of him.
Xia, the boy who never cried, standing there, supporting Chen, with tears dripping down his eyes.
And finally Yu Chen, leaning on Xia. She was not crying. Her expression was blank. She was looking at Hua as though she would wake up any minute and say, "Ha, I got you all."
Then Kio looked at Hua again. He saw her, lying there, and felt like he was in one of his nightmares. He said to himself, "No, it's all just a dream. I only need to wake up." And then everything went blank.
Si Xia had not noticed anything. He had not noticed the tears streaming down from his face, he had not noticed Mo Kio coming to stand beside him. But he was suddenly pulled into reality as he heard a thud beside him. Xia turned his head to see Mo Kio lying on the floor. Yu Chen also saw him. She knelt down beside him and started shaking him, "Kio, wake up. We have to help Hua. Get up, Kio. Get up."
By now the teachers and principals had arrived at the scene. One of the teachers pulled Chen away from Kio saying, "It's all right kid. It's all right. She will be all right. An ambulance is on it's way."
The sirens of an ambulance suddenly drew everyone's attention towards themselves. Apparently somebody had called an ambulance upon arriving at the scene.
Xi Hua was immediately put onto a stretcher and into the ambulance.