"If only I were stronger.
If only I were faster.
If only you had never met me.
Then maybe… you would still be alive.
maybe the only way to stop the pain—
is to end it all."
As I sat on the rooftop, I watched the students below, playing with their friends, laughing their lungs out. The sun bounced off their hair, the wind carrying their shouts across the courtyard. For a moment, it almost looked… normal.
I stand at the edge of the rooftop. The wind bites against my skin.
Below, students are still playing, completely unaware. Their laughter echoes through the courtyard, carefree and bright.
But to me, their joy feels like a blade piercing my chest, reminding me of memories I wish I could forget.
This is my chance to end it all.
A deep breath. A step forward.
Click.
The rooftop door swings open. Shadows spill across the floor, and a figure steps inside, watching me. My heart freezes. Every instinct screams at me to jump, to escape, to end it all before they can reach me.
Then, over the distant laughter, a siren wails. Sharp. Piercing. But there's something… off about it. The sound doesn't just echo—it vibrates, crawls under my skin, twisting thoughts, slowing reflexes.
The students below freeze mid-laugh, faces slack, eyes unfocused. Their limbs twitch awkwardly, like puppets with tangled strings.
My chest tightens. I stumble back instinctively. The hum under my skin flares in warning. Something about the siren—it's affecting me too. I blink, trying to shake the dizziness.
Something wasn't right.
"Everybody! Stay where you are! Hands up—NOW!"
The soldier's booming voice echoed across the courtyard, drowned out only by the roar of helicopters overhead and the clatter of engines. Panic rippled through the students below, their laughter replaced by terrified screams.
My eyes snap back to the figure in the doorway. They don't move toward me—just watch. I take a shaky step back, hands raised instinctively, my pulse hammering in my ears.
The hum beneath my skin stirs, electric and hot, reminding me of what I can do. But fear and uncertainty freeze me in place. The wind whips my hair across my face, and for the first time, I wonder… maybe I'm not meant to face this alone.
The soldiers' commands echo again, sharper this time.
"Hands where I can see them! Move, NOW!"
I swallow hard. My chest burns. I glance down at the students, some captured, some fleeing. And I realize… this rooftop isn't a place to end things. It's the place I have to fight.
One of the soldiers glances up, spotting the rooftop. Their visor reflects the morning sun, black and unyielding. My hands are still raised, but the hum under my skin grows stronger. Today… today I won't step off the edge. I'll step into the unknown instead.
The students obey instantly, their motions slow, robotic. Some slump to the ground as if the siren steals strength from their limbs. I raise my hands instinctively, feeling the hum under my skin spike—a surge of energy reacting to the foreign sound, warning me that my powers are stirring… and that I am a target.
They covered my eyes. I could feel it wasn't just me—other students were blindfolded too. My feet ached where I had tripped over the edges, scraped and bruised.
I couldn't see anything. Only the deafening roar of the helicopter blades above and the draining, pulsing sound of the siren, crawling under my skin, twisting my thoughts.
The next thing I knew, I was sitting still, blindfolded, my body pressed against cold metal.
I could hear it—the shallow, panicked breaths of the person next to me, quick and ragged. The whispers, the stifled sobs. And the soldiers… their voices barked commands I couldn't understand over the relentless roar of engines and the siren.
Every word blurred, meaningless, but full of authority and menace.
It felt like hours. A long, endless ride. Every second stretched, every noise stabbing my nerves. My chest ached. My stomach churned. Every bump and jolt through the vehicle was a reminder that we were powerless, controlled, trapped.
I clutched at the hum beneath my skin, feeling it respond to my fear—stronger, hotter, restless. But the siren… it was too much. It screamed at me in a way my mind could barely fight. I had never felt so helpless.
And in that darkness, I realized.. whatever this was, it wasn't over. Not yet.
The helicopter blades suddenly stopped. I felt the jolt as we landed somewhere unknown. Our tied hands were released, and the blindfolds ripped away.
The first thing I saw was a huge man in an armored uniform. The way he stood—calm, commanding—I knew immediately he was in charge.
I glanced around. Trees surrounded us, a stark contrast to the concrete of our school. My schoolmates were scattered nearby, some sitting, some still trying to recover from the ride.
I caught glimpses of familiar faces, classmates I thought I knew—but there was no time to recognize anyone properly. My mind was still reeling, trying to process what had just happened.
Why are we here? What did we do to deserve this? And… where is "here," exactly?
The armored man's voice cut through the haze of my thoughts, steady and powerful.
"Everybody, line up. I am Captain Victor. Welcome… to The Enclave."
The words sent a chill down my spine. The Enclave. That name alone carried weight authority, control, maybe even danger...