[ Classroom section A ]
"All students, your math exam results have been released," Kabir Sir announced, scanning the classroom.
The students leaned forward—some excited, others anxious.
"Highest score goes to Lily—96, our class topper. Edwan scored 94, as usual. Our class captain, Hira, earned 92, third highest. Charlie scored 90, Mihir 87, Geone 85… and Suga… only 50."
Suga's jaw dropped. "Ooooh, Sir! Chill! Chill!"
"Your guardians will be contacted," Sir added.
Suga waved his hands frantically. "No, Sir! Please! Don't call them!"
The class erupted into laughter, whispering and teasing.
Geone stared at his mark—80, down from 90. He frowned, confused. 𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘏𝘪𝘳𝘢'𝘴 𝘴𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘦? His fingers drummed against the edge of his desk.
Hira glanced at him, smirking. "Oh… actually… my foot."
Geone pushed back his chair and stood, about to protest.
Sir looked up, surprised. "What happened? What's the problem?"
Hira shot him an evil grin.
Geone shook his head. "No, Sir… it's just a little pain in my leg."
"Ah, then sit down. Don't just stand there! Sit, sit!" Sir said firmly.
Suga leaned toward Geone. "Sir always does this, but you did fine, like usual."
Geone lowered his head. "Hira scored better than me today.. How!" he growled.
Suga smirked. "Yeah… maybe you need tuition from her..ha.ha?"
Geone shot him a sideways glance.
Suga suppressed his laugh immediately,"Relax, I'm joking. I'll take tuition… and probably fail math even harder. He..he.."
"Shut up," Minase said, laughing.
Suga grabbed Minase's notebook. "Hey, how much did you get? Let's see."
"More than you, don't worry," Minase replied proudly.
"80?!" Suga nearly jumped out of his seat. "What?!"
The whole class turned to look. Kabir Sir raised his voice. "Suga, step outside. You've had your fun."
"But Sir…" Suga started.
"Now!" Sir snapped.
"always do this… just 'cause I'm too good. Heh."muttered,
Then he chuckled and walked out.
Suga whispered, "Maybe he's taking tuition from his girlfriend."
Kabir Sir cleared his throat. "From now on, you'll do group study. Two per group. I'll assign the pairs."
Minase turned to Geone. "Want to be in a group?"
Geone glanced at the desk in front. Charlie was probably sketching something. He wanted to ask him, but Sir was watching. He told Minase instead, "You take Suga."
Minase grinned. "Oh… he's gonna eat me alive."
Geone nudged Charlie's shoe under the bench with his own. Charlie glanced up briefly at Sir, then back at his sketch.
"Listen up. I've put the roll numbers in this box. Take one paper each," Sir instructed.
Geone thought, 𝘚𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘭𝘺? 𝘈𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘦 𝘬𝘪𝘥𝘴 𝘰𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵?
He picked Lily's roll number. Every girl wanted him in their group—jealousy buzzing in the air. Minase ended up with Mihir. Suga with Barun.
Safa with Edwan, the class's most beautiful girl. Everyone gasped. Some boys even considered swapping just to be with Safa.
Finally, Charlie picked Hira's roll number. The classroom went silent for a moment.
Geone stood up immediately.
"No, Charlie goes in my group," he growled.
Hira interrupted, "Charlie is in my team. I'm not giving him, Sir."
Sir raised an eyebrow. "Geone, sit down. Everyone listen carefully—no swapping. Got it?"
Geone sat, eyes still darting toward Charlie and Hira.
In the next class, Suga was already crying loudly the moment he heard Barun was in his team.
As soon as class ended, Charlie slipped out first. Geone was about to leave too when Suga called out,
"Hey—wait! Where are you going?"
Geone replied quietly, "I've got something to do."
"What thing?"
Geone let out a breath and smirked. "Ahira Withman."
He walked straight over to Hira's desk and sat down.
Hira frowned. "This is Edwan's seat. What are you doing here?"
Without answering, Geone reached out and grabbed the comic from Hira's hand.
"From today, this is my desk. I'll sit here."
Hira yanked the comic back immediately. "Don't touch my stuff."
Geone didn't relent. "My wish ."
They both gripped the comic, tugging back and forth, neither letting go.
"Stop it! I said stop!" Hira shouted.
But Geone only tightened his hold. "Never."
And then—rip... The comic split right down the middle.
Geone froze, eyes widening at Hira. Hira screamed,
"My new comic book!!! Aaah...!"
Geone didn't wait—he bolted out of the classroom. Hira ran after him, matching his speed, determined to catch him.
Suga muttered, "Yeah… Geone is dead today."
Then he quietly walked over and sat beside Minase.
"Hey dude, long time no see."
Minase raised an eyebrow, teasing. "Hmm… yeah, it's been like… thirty minutes."
Suga rested his head on the desk with a tired groan. "Man, I can't deal with all this studying. Where's that idiot Barun?"
Minase shrugged. "No idea. Didn't see him in class today."
Suga clicked his tongue. "Watch—he's probably hanging around with that senior bully group again."
"By the way," Suga added, "how much did you score in that last video game?"
"8890," Minase answered.
"Not bad," Suga said.
Minase asked, "And you?"
"Around ten thousand. Let's play again this evening," Suga said.
"Umm… okay."
[School play ground ]
Hira, with her bandaged leg, was still chasing after Geone—somehow at full speed.
Geone shouted from ahead, "Stop running! Your leg will break again!"
Hira snapped back, "Today even God won't be able to save you from me!"
Geone laughed. "You've never beaten me in a race. And you're trying again? Dream on! He..he..!"
"Bullshit," Hira hissed, panting hard.
Suddenly, she stopped. Completely still.
She was breathing fast—too fast—and staring up at the sky."The sky is.....beautiful !"
she whispered.
Hira blinked up ...
For a moment, she thought she had gone blind.
The whole sky was swallowed by darkness.
Clouds-thick, heavy, unending-pressed down from above, stacked so densely that day and night blended into one. It wasn't noon anymore.
As if the world's light had been switched off entirely. A cold, biting darkness wrapped around her. The wind was sharp, cruel against her skin.
Her leg felt frozen. She couldn't move. Not a finger. Not even a twitch.
Nothing around her seemed familiar.
Dark ...so... Dark.
The weather turned icy. Her breath came out in white puffs...
Her leg... she couldn't feel her leg anymore.
It wasn't pain.
It was nothingness.
A dead weight, frozen to the ground.
She tried lifting her hand.
It wouldn't move.
Her entire body felt like stone.
The world around her was empty-silent-wrong.
"Hey!!... Geone...????"
Her voice trembled.
Nothing answered.
She tried again, louder.
"Geone!!!"
Only the echo returned.
Mocking her.
Repeating her voice with a strange delay-
"GeonEE...!! GeOnnn...!!"
Her heart hammered painfully.
She forced her head to turn.
At first, she saw nothing.
Then-
A shape...
A human shape..
Standing at a distance.
Completely still.
Wrapped in a black shroud that touched the ground.
No face, no features-only a warped silhouette like a shadow pulled loose from the earth.
Hira tried to scream,
"Who ...who....?!"
Her voice came out thin.
The figure didn't answer.
It didn't move.
But the wind shifted-carrying a horrible smell.
Rotten.
Rusty.
Suffocating.
The darkness deepened.
The sky rumbled.
A low, vibrating sound crawled down Hira's spine.
Then-
The figure took a step.
Just one.
A slow, deliberate step.
The light bent around it.
Even the shadows seemed afraid.
It stepped again.
Each movement felt wrong-jerky, unnatural, like bones grinding against each other.
Hira's eyes widened.
Her breath hitched.
In its hand-
was an old, rusted spade.
Not clean.
Blood dripped from the metal-
thick drops hitting the invisible ground with a wet sound.
Hira choked on her breath.
Her mind screamed but her voice wouldn't come.
The figure tilted its head-slowly-unnaturally-almost in curiosity....
It kept coming.
Closer.....
Closer..
Geone slowed, confused.At first, he thought she was pranking.
Just then,Hira dropped... to her knees and sat on the ground . Her mouth fell open, her eyes froze—wide, unfocused. Her whole body started trembling.
"Hira??" Geone ran to her. "Hira!!!!Hey!"
The moment he touched her shoulder, she collapsed fully onto the ground.
Geone's heart dropped. Panic surged through him instantly.
He shouted for help, voice shaking, "Sir!.. Ma'am!...Someone—HEEELP..Help..!"
He kept calling Hira's name over and over.
Without waiting for anyone, he scooped her into his arms and ran—full speed—toward the school medical room.
Continues.....