One day, on a thick, foggy and bitterly cold morning, the wind lashed violently from side to side, clawing at both towering trees. Its howl crept through cracked windows and thin walls, carrying with it a sense of unease. An alarm clock shrieked beside her ear, sharp and relentless, dragging her from sleep.

She woke abruptly.

For a moment, everything felt peaceful—too peaceful. Her body was rested, her mind oddly clear, as if whatever she had done the night before had been erased entirely.

"Ugh... what time is it...?" she muttered, turning her head toward the alarm clock.

"It's... 6:30... almost time for school."

With a tired groan, she pushed herself upright and stretched her stiff arms and legs. The apartment greeted her with chaos. She shuffled into the hallway, stepping over clutter without a second thought. Empty cans rolled beneath her feet. Cardboard boxes slumped against the walls. Random household items, dirty plates, and half-empty water bottles littered the floor like forgotten relics. The mess didn't bother her. It never did.

She kicked aside a can and wandered into the kitchen.

"Hmm... so sleepy... fuck, why do I even have to go to school again?" she groaned, irritation bubbling up at the thought of returning after such a long summer break. Her eyelids drooped heavily, her vision blurred as though the world itself hadn't fully loaded yet.

She opened the fridge and grabbed a can of coffee.

Something about it felt... wrong.

She stared at it for a moment. The metal looked warped somehow, the label slightly distorted, like it was breathing.

"Why does this feel so... strange?" she whispered.

She shrugged it off. Just her imagination, still half asleep. She went through her usual routine: brushing her teeth, combing her long hair, getting dressed. Everything felt automatic, mechanical, as if her body knew what to do even if her mind lagged behind.

When she finally stepped out of her apartment, a sudden gust of wind rushed through her hair, biting at her skin. It was freezing but oddly refreshing.

"Shit... It's cold... maybe I should bring my jacket."

She stepped back inside. As her fingers brushed the fabric of her jacket, a sharp jolt surged through her body.

*Bzz*.

Her hand recoiled instinctively. Her heart skipped.

"What... was that?" she murmured, staring at her trembling fingers. "I've never felt anything like that before. Am I... hallucinating? How the hell does a coat do that..."

The sensation lingered foreign, invasive, and unsettling.

She exhaled shakily, grabbed the jacket, and put it on anyway.

Locking the door behind her, she made her way down the apartment complex stairs. Her footsteps echoed strangely, too loud, too heavy, as if the building itself amplified each step. Normally, the mornings were filled with life: birds chirping, children laughing, neighbors chatting, radios humming behind open windows.

Today, there was nothing.

No voices. No laughter. Only the faint whisper of wind slipping through empty air.

"What's wrong with today...?" she muttered. "It's so quiet... I feel... lonely."

The streets greeted her with what looked like normalcy—cars passing by, students walking in small groups, people talking and smiling. Yet despite it all, the unease from the morning clung to her like a second skin.

As she continued toward school, fog began to gather.

It thickened unnaturally fast, swallowing the road ahead until visibility shrank to a few feet. The sound of her own footsteps clanking against the pavement grew oppressive. Her breathing sounded too loud in her ears.

Her chest tightened.

Was she overreacting?

Or was something truly wrong?

Fear crept in slowly, sinking its claws into her gut. Her face twisted with dread as she pressed on, every step heavier than the last. By the time she reached the school gates, it felt as though she had been walking for hours.

Inside, surrounded by students, the tension eased slightly.

Everything seemed... fine.

A teacher approached her with a warm smile. "Hey, Luzia. Did you enjoy your summer break?"

Something about the teacher sent a chill crawling down Luzia's spine. The smile felt forced. Hollow.

"It was really amazing," Luzia replied quickly, masking her discomfort. "How about you? You seem happy today..."

The teacher's smile slowly twisted into something sharper of a smirk. "It's school days again. That means I get to teach once more. That's why I'm happy. I love teaching, can't you see\~"

Luzia frowned faintly. "Um... do you know where my new class is? It's a new year, right?"

"Class 11E," the teacher said smoothly. "End of the hall."

Luzia nodded and walked away.

Halfway down the corridor, her vision blurred again. The walls seemed to bend inward. Her limbs felt heavy, her body suddenly exhausted despite doing nothing strenuous. That strange sensation returned, flooding her thoughts like a rising tide.

Still, she managed to reach the classroom.

She sat in the corner near the window, her favorite spot. The outside world distracted her, pulling her into thought, into stillness.

The bell rang.

Too loud.

Painfully loud.

Her senses exploded. Sounds sharpened. Lights burned brighter. Smells twisted and merged. It felt as though something inside her was changing, stretching, breaking, rearranging.

Was it just her?

She ducked her head onto the desk and closed her eyes, hoping sleep would quiet the chaos.

The world dimmed.

Sounds faded.

Soon, there was nothing.

A blinding white light emerged.

No sound. No warmth. Just light growing brighter until it swallowed her whole. She floated in an endless white void, empty and silent.

"Where... am I...?" she whispered. "This can't be a dream..."

She pinched herself.

Pain...?

"It hurts... so this is real? Real... it doesn't feel real at all..."

Her breathing became erratic. Her heartbeat thundered, accelerating until it felt ready to burst from her chest.

"I—I can't breathe!" she cried. "Help! Please, anyone!"

No answer.

Time passed, or maybe it didn't. Eventually, she stopped moving altogether, drifting like a lifeless corpse suspended in nothingness. Dead...

She must be dead.

She had to be.

Then she coughed.

Gasped.

Her lungs burned as if rejecting life itself. Reality shattered around her, cracking and collapsing into darkness. The void consumed her, dragging her down. It burns! Life fire from hell...

She fell.

Laughter tore from her throat. wild, broken, inhuman... like a demon... spirit...?

"H̷̴̡̨A̷̡̛͡H̴͏̴A̴̡̕H̶̛́A̵̢̛H̴̛̀Ą̷̕H̶̡̡H̷̴̡̨A̷̡̛͡H̴͏̴A̴̡̕H̶̛́A̵̢̛H̴̛̀Ą̷̕H̶̡̡!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Her mind snapped.

Then...

She woke up with a violent gasp.

She was back in the classroom.

"W-What...? That was a dream?" she screamed. "What the fuck is going on?!"

No one answered.

The room was empty.

She grabbed her bag and left. The halls were deserted. The school felt abandoned.

She went to the bathroom and splashed cold water on her face. The dripping faucet echoed loudly.

She looked up.

The reflection wasn't alone.

A tall, grotesque creature loomed behind her, its skeletal hands gripping her shoulders. Its body was thin and blackened, reeking of decay. Its smile was impossibly wide, lined with knife like teeth.

"D̴o̸ ̶y̵o̵u̶ ̶w̷a̷n̵t̴ ̷to̵ ̷p̸l̷a̸y̴ ̶w̷i̴t̶h̶ ̸m̵e̷...?̶"

She screamed and shut her eyes.

A shrill, ear-splitting screech erupted.

When she opened them

It was gone.

Luzia collapsed to her knees, sobbing.

"Please..." she whispered. "End this... I can't take it anymore."

She stayed there, broken, surrounded by silence... nothing but the hum of the ventilation fan in the bathroom.

/End of chapter 1/

Written by Kosa Satoru