Bastian

Jalan Suram, October 3rd, 15:15

I slammed my hands on the front gate and yet it didn’t even budge even though it gave way quite easily before. “Help.” I called for assistance. Whether it came from behind me or beyond the door didn’t even matter anymore. Sadly, none came. “Dammit, someone help!” Finally, several men joined me in pushing the gate.

It still wouldn’t budge.

Around us, people had also climbed up on the gate, trying to climb over it, and were met with an invisible blockage. They tried to punch the transparent wall but it was futile. They could see the world outside them—even though it was a lifeless gloomy world of Jalan Suram—but they couldn’t go out.

They were trapped in the school.

Broken animalistic roars and screams rang throughout the school when the realization hit everyone there. I was never quite a believer of the supernatural but after everything, I was inclined to believe it now. You could argue the disappearing man was a result of some kind of light trick but an invisible wall?

That was not the work of a human being.

“Move!” I stared in disgust as a burly man pushed a little girl aside to rush onto the wall with a wooden chair. As everyone scrambled to evade the mad man, I was pushed and fell on top of someone. “How idiotic.” An impassive voice reached my ears. I soon realized the body under me was a stoic-looking albino. I tried to stand up at once but was pushed down by the mass again. Having no choice, I could only thicken my skin and brace my hands on the ground so I didn’t crush the white-haired man.

As if he didn’t notice our awkward position, with an expressionless face, he laid down and looked around the chaos. Both of us were in silence even when we heard another scream after a loud crash from the gate. I turned my head just in time to see a body fall down. A piece of wood was stuck on the front of the body’s face.

It was the burly man from before.

The chaos was multiplied by a tenth after that. Everyone was rushing to leave the scene while screaming their heads off. Since I was on the ground, I had to endure the stampede of the mass. Luckily, I was standing in front of the crowd before and there were not a lot of people there.

Still, it was a weird feeling to feel the constant pressure on my back without knowing what happened.

Not long after, the place was deserted. I stood up and reached out to my back to come back with red liquid. I don’t know if it was my own blood or from the dead man. Making a disgusted face, I turned and face the dead body. Broken pieces of wooden chair were around the body with the largest piece—the leg of the chair—stuck firmly on his face.

I had seen a lot of dead bodies in the movies but this guy could be counted among the top in the list of shittiest ways to die. As I was investigating the scene with my eyes, I shuddered when I felt a fleeting touch on my back.

“You have a high pain tolerance.” A whisper-like voice was heard. Turning, I saw the albino I was protecting before staring at his blood-stained hand. “I suggest you cleaned up and took care of your wounds.”

So I was indeed injured. That’s… not good.

The man in the loose white dress shirt calmly turned without any change in expression even though I was sure he saw the dead body in front of us.

“Come on.” He turned and stared with pale blue eyes.

“What?”

He sighed in irritation. “I despise owing anyone. So come on let’s take care of your wound.”

It was indeed not good to leave my wound untreated. Not to mention the open wound had come in contact with blood from another person which… was worrying. Without any other choice, I followed the stoic teen. Not even five steps forward, I heard an irritated sigh from behind me.

Staring forward at the teen, I resolutely ignored the goosebumps on my arms and left the place.