Adrian Graves walked along the sidewalk, his phone pressed to his ear.
"Layla, I'm fine, okay," he said with a sigh.
On the other end, her voice was soft but uneasy. "I know… but still. We've been dating for a year now and haven't even met in person. I keep postponing, and I hope you don't think I'm not serious about us."
Adrian shook his head even though she couldn't see it. "It's fine. Like I said, I understand. We've got busy lives."
As he approached the college gates, someone brushed past him roughly.
Adrian flinched at the sharp sting where their shoulders connected. Looking up, he saw an older man with glasses staring back at him, startled.
"I'm sorry," the man said quickly, giving an awkward laugh. "Haha, I must be getting senile."
Adrian rubbed his arm, still sore from the jab, and nodded before continuing on his way.
"Adrian?" Layla's voice came through the phone. "What was that?"
"Nothing, just bumped into someone," Adrian muttered. He glanced at the building ahead. "Hey, I'm about to head into class. Can we talk later about this whole thing?"
There was a pause, then her quiet reply. "Sure… I love you."
Adrian froze, silent for a moment. Before he could bring himself to finally say it back, the call ended. He exhaled, slipping the phone into his pocket.
He pushed open the college doors and made his way inside. In the hallway, a familiar voice called out.
"Hey, Chubs!"
Adrian turned and grinned despite himself.
Kyle, his best friend since childhood, strode over with a wide smile. The nickname had stuck since middle school.
Adrian wasn't obese, just solidly on the heavier side, and though he had been teased for it, he eventually embraced the name when Kyle made it his own way of showing affection.
"We got a test today, you ready?" Adrian asked as he walked alongside Kyle.
Kyle rolled his eyes and let out a groan, deliberately over-dramatic. "Man, if the world ended right now, I'd be grateful. I didn't even get the chance to study."
Adrian smirked. "Didn't get the chance, or just didn't?"
"Hey, don't judge," Kyle shot back. "The new update dropped last night. That game had me up till three. You haven't been on in weeks."
As they rounded the corner, another student brushed into them hard. He stopped, eyes flicking past Kyle and locking on Adrian.
"Well, if it isn't two-chin," the guy sneered. "You should lay off the food, man. Your buddy here looks like he's starving and you're taking all the rations."
Adrian froze, the words cutting deep even though he'd heard worse before.
Kyle immediately stepped in, squaring up. "Seriously? Bro, you're what, twenty-three? And this is the best you've got? Picking on people like you're still in high school?"
The guy smirked, ignoring him, and walked off without another word.
Adrian let out a long breath and shook his head. He and Kyle had always been the classic duo, one skinny, one chubby, opposites that somehow balanced each other. And like always, Kyle had his back.
That guy was Derek. Ever since Adrian had started college, Derek had been pushing on him, little comments, jabs about his weight.
It wasn't like high school; there were no fights or shoves, just words. Adrian had learned to take it, though Kyle never let it slide.
"Man, why don't you just punch that motherf—er?" Kyle grumbled as they walked. "With your weight, you could sit on his face and rip one out."
Adrian stopped mid-step and gave him a look. "You realize that sounded more like your kink than advice, right?"
Kyle burst out laughing, throwing an arm around Adrian's shoulder. "Hey, I'm just saying, whatever works, works."
Adrian shook his head with a faint smile. For all the teasing, Kyle always found a way to make things easier.
They soon reached the lecture hall and slipped into their seats.
Adrian took his usual spot by the window, while Kyle slouched beside him.
Derek drifted in late, settling at the back with a lazy grin as if he owned the row.
The room buzzed with low chatter, notebooks flipping open, laptops clicking awake. The space was wide, with long desks arranged in tiers so everyone could see the front.
The door opened and in walked Professor Harrison. He wasn't the strict type.
Middle-aged with a scruffy beard and rolled-up sleeves, he had a reputation for drifting off syllabus.
He taught geography officially, but he liked to weave in politics, history, and even philosophy, subjects most professors avoided.
Some students appreciated it. Others hated it, since it meant no time to zone out.
"Alright," Harrison said, dropping a stack of papers onto the front desk. "Let's get into it. We've got a test today. Hopefully you all managed to do some studying between whatever else you've been wasting your time on."
Groans rippled through the hall, Kyle's among the loudest.
A gasp cut through the quiet test room. One of the students by the window pointed frantically. "Everyone—look!"
Chairs scraped as heads turned. Even Professor Harrison stopped mid-step and walked toward the glass.
Outside, the sky was no longer blue. It had turned pitch black, streaked with a deep red hue that bled across the horizon.
Murmurs filled the hall. Some students crowded closer to the window, phones already in their hands.
Harrison, a man fascinated by anything unusual, stood frozen. "This… this isn't natural," he muttered, more to himself than to anyone else.
Kyle leaned forward in his seat, squinting at the view. "Looks like the skybox from Crimson Vale," he said, comparing it to a video game.
Adrian pulled out his phone, joining the others who had already started filming. But just as he lifted it, a sharp crash split the air.
Glass shattered.
A bird burst through the window in a storm of feathers and shards.
Before anyone could react, it shot straight into a student's face, its beak tearing through the eye socket with sickening force.
The student collapsed, screaming cut short.
Chaos erupted.
More birds swarmed through the broken pane, their wings beating wildly. But instead of attacking, they dropped to the ground mid-flight, convulsing and dying the instant they crossed into the room.
Students screamed, stumbling over desks and each other. Phones clattered to the floor. The air reeked of blood and panic.
Professor Harrison finally shouted, his voice cracking over the noise. "Everyone, get down! Now!"
Only a few obeyed. Most were frozen, staring at the carnage in shock.