Inside the dim hallway, light footsteps rang out as silhouettes moved.
"Where are we going?"
Ren asked quietly, taking careful steps.
He was following a girl he barely knew. Even he could feel that he was being a bit reckless, trusting others so easily.
"We need to find my teacher. He should know what to do in situations like these."
She answered without looking back.
Suddenly, she stopped and adjusted her position closer to the darkness.
"There's someone coming..."
Hearing her whispered words, Ren tensed, eyes locked forward. The nervousness he'd felt earlier crept back. His body pumped blood rapidly, preparing for a fight.
In the corner, faint footsteps sounded, getting closer and closer.
"Someone?!"
A tall, handsome guy with sharp ears burst out of the darkness. He wore the same uniform as her.
His expression was terrified as he looked repeatedly over his shoulder.
"Kyle?"
She called out.
Ren breathed a sigh of relief. By the looks of it, she knew this guy. Probably a classmate. He didn't need to fight for his life anymore.
"What happened? Why are you panicking?"
Calming him down, she asked.
Seeing someone familiar, Kyle steadied himself.
"There's chaos in the upper viewing hall! And t-teacher—he turned into a monster!"
With fear in his eyes, he described what he'd just experienced vividly, as if it were etched into his mind.
"Even teacher..."
There was disbelief in her voice.
"How? Why is this happening?"
Hearing that the person she'd originally relied on couldn't even protect himself...
She frowned, realizing the seriousness of the problem. Her teacher, who had brought them here, was a smart and powerful person. If even he were in trouble...
"What do we do now?"
Suddenly, a faint screeching sounded in the distance. The scream was so disturbing that even from far away, it evoked a sense of horror in anyone who heard it.
"Let's go to my room first! We can think of a solution then!"
Kyle passed by them in a hurry.
"Hey, you."
She didn't run away. Instead, she turned toward Ren.
"You heard what he said. I can't bring you to a safe place now. I'm sorry I lied."
A hint of embarrassment flashed across her expression.
"You can choose to follow him or not. You don't need to follow me anymore."
Her voice was cold and her expression slowly calmed.
Under the bioluminescent lighting, her accessories seemed to emit a faint light at the center. It resonated with the growing glow in her pupils, illuminating her features.
"To follow or not to follow?"
Ren, faced with the choice, turned to look at his dim, unfamiliar surroundings and made a decision.
He also wanted independence, but in the current situation, following her seemed more promising than going alone.
As for following Kyle? Just by looking at his reaction, he could tell the guy wasn't reliable.
"I'll follow you if you don't mind. I promise I'll be useful and do what I can!"
Ren said seriously. He couldn't help but feel ashamed of himself.
*This is only because I'm unfamiliar with this place. I'm not trying to be dead weight,* he told himself to ease his feelings.
"...Okay."
She raised her head slightly. Surprise flashed across her eyes before she slowly spoke.
A tiny emotion of happiness flickered through her heart.
*Someone has trust in me?*
Suddenly, her slender ears twitched lightly.
"Why is Kyle coming back?"
Her ears sensed before her eyes saw.
From the direction where Kyle had gone, his figure could be seen hurrying back.
"Lanae! There's a monster chasing me! Let's go to your room to hide!"
Kyle yelled while bursting out with even faster speed. A very faint glow could be seen through his trousers, its outline like veins.
As if applying a speed buff, his running pace improved considerably.
Behind him, a terrible entity emerged.
Head dripping with unknown liquid. Eyes occupied by a bunch of bluish mushrooms that pulsed with faint light.
Its body was humanoid but wrong—limbs bent at unnatural angles, skin mottled with patches of the same blue fungus that covered its face. It moved with jerky, puppet-like motions, as if something else was controlling it from within.
"Run!"
Kyle's voice cracked as he sprinted closer.
Lanae's expression hardened. Her hand moved to the accessories on her wrist, and they began to glow brighter, responding to her touch.
"This way. Quick."
She urged Ren lightly, then turned right.
Ren quickly caught up with Kyle slowly closing in behind him.
Sensing this, he mustered all his potential and ran one of the best track records of his life.
*You don't need to be faster than a tiger—you only need to be faster than your companion.*
"Faster! Faster!"
He took a deep breath while running.
Fortunately, the monster didn't seem to move too fast.
They moved quickly but quietly through the corridor, their footsteps barely audible against the smooth floor. Behind them, the monster became more agitated as it couldn't catch up.
Its mouth bulged, as if mixing something dirty inside.
Suddenly, it spat it out.
A greenish liquid like acid sprayed from its mouth. Amidst the disgusting liquid, a flexible tongue with spikes at the center burst forth. It lashed out like a whip with the accuracy and power of a spear thrown by a master.
*Whoosh!*
The speed at its edge broke the sound barrier, causing the air to scream.
It targeted the closest person: Kyle.
Sensing the incoming attack, Kyle looked at the back of the person in front of him. His eyes narrowed with a deep glint. Estimating distance and time, and...
*Tsk!*
He dispelled the strange thought in his head.
"Damn! It seems I have to use it!"
Kyle's hand grasped the necklace with glowing blue matter suspended at its center and crushed it.
"I hope this gift my parents gave me holds!"
*Crack!*
Despite its sturdy appearance, it was fragile—fine silver dust fell through his fingers. A strange blue wave bloomed like a flower, starting from the destroyed necklace.
Then the wave materialized. Circular patterns appeared, then turned into glowing hexagonal parts that surrounded his figure.
"Is that a... barrier?"
Ren's eyes widened as he witnessed this fantastic scene out of his imagination.
*Whoosh!*
He didn't have time to think more as a blurry silhouette pierced the air and made violent contact with the barrier.
A dull vibration pushed air at the moment of contact to both sides.
The shield absorbed the impact, its surface trembling as waves ran through its structure, equalizing the force to all parts.
Then, as the wave met on the other side, it reversed direction and came back to its starting point.
It looked slow but actually happened in a split second, and the monster hadn't been able to retract its tongue.
Like a miniature bomb exploding.
*Boom!*
The force destroyed the tongue's sharp tip and made a mess of its flesh.
Then, a cracking sound. Without warning, the shield burst, scattering sharp blue shards in all directions. Most of the shards flew toward the attacker.
A shrill scream erupted from the monster's mouth as it retracted its destroyed tongue, now pierced by dozens of sharp shards like blades.
Ren tore his gaze away as he turned the corner, following her.
The corridor seemed endless with no complex paths. The dimness made it even more difficult to navigate.
He could only remember each section by their unique designs and powerless electronic devices.
On the way, they didn't encounter any more danger except for occasional sounds of shouting and screeching from afar. Thanks to Kyle's counterattack earlier, they managed to leave the creature behind.
"This way!"
Suddenly, her calm voice rang in his ears.
"Lanae, how far is your room?"
Kyle complained.
There was no reply.
She turned another corner.
"I hope we reach her room soon."
Ren couldn't help but worry. He was already feeling a little tired, his endurance wearing off. Especially his head—it was starting to feel uncomfortable, probably from the toll of being alert for danger everywhere.
Even with her in front leading the way, he still couldn't be careless, especially around unseen corners.
Fortunately, this was the last turn and they finally reached her room.
"We're here."
She stopped in front of a door indistinguishable from all the others. She pressed her palm against a panel beside it, and with a soft chime, the door slid open.
Breathing a sigh of relief, she murmured.
"Fortunately... fortunately it was— ah!"
Her words cut off and she staggered slightly.
"Let's get inside!"
Kyle hurriedly swept past her and got inside. His uniform hit the still-moving door, making a slight sound—proof of his urgency.
Ren frowned but didn't say anything. He also wanted to get in faster.
Steadying herself, she rubbed her shoulder. A slight discomfort crossed her brow.
"So impatient."
She looked at Ren and invited him in.
"Come in."
"W-wait!"
Suddenly, another guy with the same uniform burst out from the corner. He was wearing clear eyeglasses with messy short hair.
He looked from side to side, shaking nervously and taking careful steps while walking.
His eyes lit up when he saw them, and he hurried closer, pleading to be let in as well.
"Lanae? It's actually you! Wait, can I come in as well? I'm scared to go to my room—it's still far away from here."
Ren didn't know why, but he felt like this guy had a weird vibe to him. He seemed so nervous that he couldn't control his body from trembling slightly.
*Is it just my imagination?*
"No! Lanae, you can't let him in! Who knows, maybe he was infected or is a carrier! We cannot take the risk!"
Kyle, already inside, quickly objected before she could even say something.
He was looking at the new guy with wariness and hostility in his gaze. Although they were from the same school, wearing the same uniform, he wasn't exactly familiar with this guy.
Of course he wouldn't pay attention to these kinds of nerdy guys with eyeglasses anyway.
And that guy too.
He looked at Ren out of the corner of his eyes.
In his opinion, letting in more people would increase danger. He didn't comment on the stranger Lanae had brought since they'd grouped up first.
"I-I'm not infected or a carrier or something. I promise!"
The new guy's expression changed as he gave Kyle a hostile glare through his glasses.
Meanwhile, she hesitated, thinking about the risk. But looking at the fear and desperation on his face, as if he would die the next second...
"...Come in."
Suddenly, she said.
"I— thank you, Lanae!"
The new guy's grave expression visibly brightened with gratitude, as if saved from a death penalty.
"What!? Y—!"
Kyle didn't even finish his words before the new guy came inside, shoving him rudely. Seeing this, he could only close his mouth unwillingly.
"Tsk!"
"You too. Get inside now."
Ren didn't need to be told twice. He slipped through the doorway, and she followed immediately, the door sealing behind them with a hiss.
Unbeknownst to them.
As it closed up, just in time, a silhouette in the dim corner silently moved closer and caressed the smooth door, trying to get inside.
Then, with a small noise, it retracted into the darkness—like mud falling over and merging with swamp soil, indistinguishable from one's eyes.