High Fever and Staring

At three o'clock, Ethan showed up at the dorm building. Noah was leaning against his car, impossible to miss.

"Get in." Noah opened the door.

Ethan got in without a word. Noah leaned over to buckle his seatbelt for him, coming in close.

"That guy Winston," Noah asked suddenly, "he seemed pretty worried about you?"

"We just ran into each other."

"Is that right?" Noah looked at him, the corner of his mouth curling up. "Hope so."

The car drove out of town and stopped in front of a dull gray building. Didn't look like an aquarium. Looked more like someone's house. Inside, it was dark and cold, with a strong fishy, salty smell.

Big tanks were built into the walls on both sides of the hallway. No colorful fish in them—mostly weird-looking deep-sea creatures, swimming slow in the deep blue water. The hum of the water filled the space.

Noah took Ethan's hand and led him in, gripping tight. Ethan tried to pull away, but couldn't.

Noah stopped in front of a huge tank. No fish inside—just a dense black mass writhing slowly.

"What is that?" Ethan felt uneasy.

"An ancient species," Noah said, wonder in his voice. "They don't like light. It's beautiful—this pure form of existence."

Ethan didn't think it was beautiful. He just felt cold.

Then all the lights went out. Pitch black. The water sound stopped. Dead silence.

Ethan's heart started racing. He felt Noah's grip tighten on his hand, but Noah's breathing stayed steady.

"Don't be afraid," Noah's voice came in his ear. "Just a power outage."

In the dark, Ethan felt something cold and slimy wrap gently around his ankle. He froze.

The lights came back on. Everything was normal again. Only the lingering cold on his ankle told him it hadn't been in his head.

"Did that scare you?" Noah asked, watching him.

Ethan's face was pale. He didn't say anything.

"Let's head back," Noah said, pulling him toward the exit.

The drive back was quiet. As they got close to campus, Noah asked, "Did you have fun today?"

Ethan stared out the window and didn't answer.

"You see," Noah said softly, "only when you're with me do you get to see the real world. It's a little dark, a little cold. But this is the place that suits us."

The car stopped. Noah turned to look at him.

"Good night. Sweet dreams tonight."

Ethan practically fled the car and ran back to his dorm. He locked the door and leaned against it, breathing hard.

He went to the window and carefully lifted the edge of the curtain. Noah's car was still parked below. The window rolled down, and Noah was looking up at his window. When he saw Ethan, he smiled, rolled the window back up, and drove away.

Ethan let the curtain fall and sat down on the floor. He knew something had changed.

The heat washed over me like a tidal wave, drowning me. When I woke up, it felt as if my throat were stuffed with sand. It was already dark outside; only a small desk lamp was lit in the dorm room. Noah sat at the edge of the light and shadow, half his face hidden in the darkness.

“Drink this.” He handed me a cup; the water was lukewarm. I took a sip, and the stinging sensation as it ran down my throat brought me back to my senses a little.

I remembered the cold sensation wrapping around my ankles at the aquarium. My stomach churned. I instinctively pulled back, avoiding his hand as he reached out to feel my forehead.

His hand hovered in midair, then slowly dropped. In the lamplight, his eyes were black, devoid of any light, simply staring at me. That gaze reminded me of the large felines I’d seen in nature documentaries as a child, lurking at the entrance to their prey’s den—behind that extreme patience lay a calmness ready to snap a throat in the next second.

“Zack came by earlier today. He wanted to see you,” he said flatly. “I told him you need to rest.”

I nodded, too weak to speak. I lay back down, turning my back to him. I knew he was still watching. His gaze felt like a tangible weight pressing against my back. After a long while, I heard him shift ever so slightly, followed by the faint rustle of pages. He was probably reading. But that feeling of being watched never faded.

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