...The final bell rang like a release....
...Students flooded out of classrooms in waves, conversations instantly rising to replace the silence that had ruled the halls minutes earlier. Lockers slammed shut. Chairs scraped against the floor. Someone laughed too loudly near the stairs. Someone else complained about homework already....
...Normal....
...Completely normal....
...And yet, for some reason, Asuki couldn’t shake the feeling that the day hadn’t ended at all....
...—...
...Near the school gates—...
...“Bro, I’m telling you, this is how cults start.”...
...Derek held his hand up dramatically, staring at the thin bandage wrapped around his palm like it had personally betrayed him....
...“We cut our hands. For a guy we barely even see. You can’t tell me that’s not suspicious.”...
...—...
...“It wasn’t a cult,” Chris replied calmly, adjusting his bag strap. “It was a requirement.”...
...“That makes it worse!”...
...—...
...Hansuke walked a little ahead of them, pretending not to listen....
...He *was* listening....
...He just didn’t want to acknowledge the fact that Derek wasn’t entirely wrong....
...—...
...“Look at this,” Derek continued, shoving his hand closer to Chris’ face. “Does this look normal to you?”...
...Chris didn’t even glance at it. “It looks shallow. You’ll survive.”...
...“That’s not the point!”...
...—...
...Hansuke sighed under his breath....
...“It’s done already,” he said flatly. “Stop complaining.”...
...—...
...Derek stared at him....
...“You sliced your hand without blinking. That’s not normal either.”...
...—...
...Hansuke shrugged. “We chose this.”...
...Chris nodded slightly. “Exactly.”...
...—...
...Derek looked between them both like he had accidentally joined a secret organization he didn’t remember signing up for....
...“…You two are insane.”...
...—...
...“Maybe,” Hansuke replied....
...But his tone was quiet now....
...More thoughtful than dismissive....
...—...
...The school gates were just ahead....
...Students crowded around them, waiting for friends, scrolling through phones, calling rides home. The atmosphere felt lighter out here. Free. The kind of freedom that only existed after a long school day ended....
...—...
...And then—...
...Derek suddenly went silent....
...—...
...Chris noticed immediately. “What?”...
...—...
...Derek didn’t answer....
...He just nodded toward the gate....
...—...
...A man stood there....
...Arms folded. Calm posture. Dark jacket. Expression unreadable but not unfriendly either. He didn’t look out of place....
...But people noticed him anyway....
...Because some people carried presence without trying....
...—...
...“…You’re kidding me,” Hansuke muttered....
...—...
...—...
...Hansuke sighed....
...Deeply....
...“…You’ve got to be kidding me.”...
...—...
...Derek leaned closer to Chris, whispering, “Bro’s getting picked up.”...
...Chris adjusted his stance. “Quiet.”...
...—...
...Hansuke approached the gate slowly....
...Rick Iorin...
...straightened slightly as he arrived....
...“You’re late.”...
...Hansuke frowned. “I just finished school.”...
...“Still late.”...
...—...
...Derek almost laughed....
...He stopped himself when Rick glanced briefly in their direction....
...The look wasn’t threatening....
...But it was enough....
...—...
...“What are you doing here?” Hansuke asked....
...Rick shrugged. “Picking you up.”...
...“I can go home myself.”...
...“I know.”...
...“…Then why are you here?”...
...—...
...Rick smiled faintly....
...“Because I felt like it.”...
...—...
...Hansuke rubbed the back of his neck in irritation....
...“…You’re treating me like a kid again.”...
...“You are a kid.”...
...“I’m not.”...
...“You are.”...
...—...
...Chris quietly stepped forward....
...“Good afternoon.”...
...Rick nodded. “Chris.”...
...Then his eyes moved....
...To Derek....
...Then—...
...To their hands....
...—...
...The bandages....
...—...
...“…What happened?”...
...—...
...Hansuke answered immediately. “Nothing.”...
...Rick didn’t look convinced....
...His gaze lingered....
...Then shifted again....
...Chris spoke calmly....
...“Just a game Hansuke dragged us into.”...
...—...
...Derek forced a laugh. “Yeah… rough one.”...
...—...
...Rick studied them for a moment....
...Not accusing....
...Just… reading....
...—...
...Hansuke crossed his arms slightly....
...“It’s nothing serious.”...
...—...
...A pause....
...Then Rick exhaled softly....
...“…Be careful who you involve yourselves with.”...
...The tone was quiet....
...But deliberate....
...—...
...Hansuke looked away....
...“Yeah.”...
...—...
...Rick opened the car door....
...“Come on.”...
...—...
...Hansuke hesitated....
...Then turned back briefly toward Derek and Chris....
...A quick glance passed between them....
...Unspoken....
...—...
...Derek gave a small nod....
...Chris said nothing....
...—...
...Hansuke got in the car....
...Rick followed....
...The engine started....
...—...
...As the car pulled away—...
...Hansuke looked out the window....
...Back toward the school....
...Something about the air felt…...
...Different....
...—...
...—...
...Elsewhere—...
...Asuki walked through the gates alone....
...—...
...The crowd surrounded him, but it felt distant. Like he was moving through it rather than with it....
...He kept thinking about what Dustin had said earlier....
...*Head home immediately.*...
...*Don’t leave your house.*...
...—...
...Why would a teacher say something like that?...
...—...
...Asuki shoved his hands into his pockets, trying to ignore the tight feeling in his chest....
...It was just a weird day....
...That’s all....
...—...
...The walk home felt longer than usual....
...Every sound seemed sharper....
...Every movement slightly delayed....
...Even the wind felt strange, brushing past him like it didn’t belong to the same world he was walking in....
...—...
...When he finally reached his house, he exhaled quietly....
...Safe....
...That was the word his brain wanted to use....
...—...
...He stepped inside....
...Closed the door....
...Locked it....
...—...
...Silence....
...—...
...The house looked the same as always. The same narrow hallway. The same faint smell of detergent. The same quiet atmosphere that felt more empty than peaceful....
...—...
...Asuki dropped his bag near the couch and sat down heavily....
...“…I’m overthinking,” he muttered....
...—...
...His phone buzzed....
...—...
...He picked it up....
...Mom....
...—...
...“…Hello?”...
...—...
...“How was school today?” her voice asked gently....
...—...
...Asuki leaned back slightly, staring at the ceiling....
...“Normal.”...
...—...
...“You say that every time.”...
...—...
...A pause....
...—...
...“…It was fine,” he added....
...—...
...“I’m glad,” she replied softly. “You should try to relax a little. Don’t stress too much this term, okay?”...
...—...
...“…Yeah.”...
...—...
...Another pause....
...—...
...Then—...
...The sound shifted....
...—...
...“…Asuki?”...
...—...
...Static crept into the call....
...—...
...“Asuki, can you hear me?”...
...—...
...“I can hear you,” he replied quickly, sitting up....
...—...
...“…You sound far away.”...
...—...
...“What?”...
...—...
...More static....
...The signal didn’t feel like it was weakening....
...It felt like it was… disappearing....
...—...
...“Asuki?”...
...—...
...Silence....
...—...
...The call ended....
...—...
...Asuki stared at the screen....
...No signal....
...No service....
...Nothing....
...—...
...“…That’s weird.”...
...—...
...He stood up slowly....
...Something felt wrong....
...Not emotionally....
...Physically....
...—...
...The air felt heavier....
...—...
...He turned toward the hallway....
...—...
...And froze....
...—...
...The walls looked the same....
...But they didn’t *feel* the same....
...—...
...The light flickered once....
...—...
...The sound of the clock in the living room stopped....
...—...
...Just stopped....
...—...
...Asuki swallowed slowly....
...“…Okay, this isn’t funny.”...
...—...
...He walked forward cautiously....
...Step by step....
...—...
...Something was off....
...Something was *very* off....
...—...
...The hallway felt longer....
...Too long....
...—...
...He reached the end of it....
...Turned the corner....
...—...
...And his breath stopped....
...—...
...It wasn’t his living room....
...—...
...It was a classroom....
...—...
...His classroom....
...—...
...The same desk....
...The same board....
...The same faint smell of chalk....
...—...
...“…No.”...
...—...
...Asuki stepped backward instinctively....
...The floor didn’t feel like wood anymore....
...It felt like cold tile....
...—...
...His heart began pounding....
...Fast....
...Too fast....
...—...
...“I went home,” he whispered....
...“I *did* go home.”...
...—...
...The classroom lights flickered softly....
...Not turning off....
...Just… weakening....
...—...
...The windows were dark....
...Not night-dark....
...Empty-dark....
...—...
...Asuki backed away from the desk slowly....
...Every instinct in his body screamed that something was terribly wrong....
...—...
...The air grew colder....
...—...
...That pressure returned....
...The same one from the restroom....
...—...
...Only stronger....
...—...
...He felt it behind him....
...—...
...Something watching....
...—...
...Not from this world....
...—...
...His breathing became shallow....
...His hands trembled....
...—...
...“…No…”...
...—...
...The door at the front of the classroom creaked slightly....
...—...
...It wasn’t opening....
...Just… shifting....
...—...
...Asuki couldn’t move....
...Couldn’t think....
...Couldn’t even breathe properly....
...—...
...Because deep down—...
...He understood something terrifying....
...—...
...He hadn’t come back to school....
...—...
...Something had brought him back....
...—...
...And this time—...
...It wasn’t letting him leave....
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