The whispers grew louder.
One after another.
Then hundreds.
Then thousands.
Lucas squeezed his eyes shut.
“…Stop…”
The voices ignored him.
His breathing became ragged as an unbearable pressure spread through his skull.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
The classroom suddenly fell silent.
Too silent.
Lucas slowly opened his eyes.
His heart nearly stopped.
The classroom…
Was empty.
Billy was gone.
Alex was gone.
Every student had vanished.
Professor Liu…
Had disappeared as well.
The desks stood exactly where they had been, yet every chair was vacant.
Even the ticking of the classroom clock had ceased.
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Lucas slowly stood.
“…Hello…?”
No answer.
Only the faint echo of his own voice.
His breathing became uneven.
“W-Where…?”
“Where did everyone go?”
The afternoon sunlight pouring through the windows no longer felt warm.
It felt…
Cold.
The entire room seemed lifeless.
Then—
A voice.
Behind him.
“…Wake up…”
Lucas spun around.
No one.
The classroom remained empty.
His pulse raced.
“What do you want?!”
No reply.
Only silence.
Then—
A hand suddenly grabbed his shoulder.
Lucas flinched violently.
“DON’T TOUCH ME!”
He instinctively stumbled backward.
“…Lucas!”
The voice sounded familiar.
Everything shattered.
The empty classroom dissolved like broken glass.
The students reappeared.
Billy was still standing awkwardly at the whiteboard.
Professor Liu was explaining the lesson.
Pens scratched against notebooks.
Laughter echoed softly from the back of the room.
Everything…
Had returned.
Derek was standing beside him, gripping his shoulder tightly.
His expression was filled with panic.
“Lucas!”
“What the hell is wrong with you?”
Lucas stared blankly at him.
His breathing was still uneven.
Derek’s face suddenly turned pale.
“…Your ears.”
Lucas instinctively touched them.
His fingers came away stained crimson.
Blood.
More blood.
Derek swallowed hard. New chapters come out on g.com first.
“Lucas…”
“You’re bleeding again.”
Lucas lowered his trembling hand.
“…I…”
His voice barely came out.
“I need…”
He struggled to catch his breath.
“…some fresh air.”
Without waiting for permission…
He turned and hurried out of the classroom.
The corridor felt strangely quiet.
Lucas walked as quickly as he could, one hand pressed against his head as another wave of pain surged through his mind.
“…Just get outside…”
“…Just breathe…”
He rounded the corner—
Thud!
He collided with someone.
Several books slipped from delicate hands and scattered across the polished floor.
“Oh—”
Lucas instinctively stepped back.
“…I’m sorry.”
Without waiting for a response, he hurried away down the hallway.
The young woman remained standing in silence.
She slowly knelt to gather her books.
Her sapphire-blue eyes lingered on Lucas’s retreating figure.
“…Lucas…” she whispered softly.
Then…
She noticed something on the floor.
Tiny crimson droplets.
A trail of blood…
Leading after him.
Katherine’s expression slowly changed.
“…Blood?”
A strange feeling settled deep within her heart.
Something…
Was terribly wrong with that boy.