From the school gate, something began to spread—like a creeping shadow come alive. Black mist, tinged faintly with dying shades of blue, slithered forward, curling and coiling as it bled into the air. It moved slow—painfully slow—but it moved, no question about that. Like it was savoring the moment.
It flowed past the gates and into the school, spilling along the ground like liquid darkness. From the walls too, it descended, seeping downward in wisps and tendrils, swallowing the proud, once-white surfaces in a shade deeper than black—more void than color. Even the flag that once danced atop the pole, bold with its country's pride, hung limp now. Its colors drained, faded under the suffocating influence of the mist.
On the second floor, behind a wide classroom window, a girl poked her head out, staring. Her eyes were wide, yet distant—uncertain.
"What is that?" she muttered, voice a ghost of itself.
Behind her, her friend placed gentle hands on her back, leaning close to get a look too. Her mouth parted slightly, caught between breath and thought.
"What do you think that is?" she whispered.
"What the hell…"
"Is that mist?" a boy asked, tone skeptical but uneasy.
"Of course it's mist, what do you think it is…gold?" someone snorted from the back of the room.
"I wish it was gold though," the boy replied dryly.
"Hey, hey, class—uhmm, uhmm, ehmm ehmm!" Cough! Cough! A voice rang out, chidish in sound and fumbling for authority. A middle-aged, round-bellied with a short goatee beard in a pink shirt and black trousers struggled for control. His head was balding, his presence loud—but ineffective. "Hey, cla—"
"Hey look!" a girl suddenly gasped, her finger shooting up to point at a particular spot in the mist.
Every head turned instantly toward the window, eyes straining, minds racing, trying to follow her gaze.
They all stared at it, eyes watching but they didnt see anything. They stared at her once more and looked at where she was pointing and they did the same thing again, but yet all their eyes could see was the movage of mist.
"Hey, what are you talking about, jasmine? Why are you pointing there?" a bulky student asked, arms folded as he frowned. An obvious gym bro.
And just like that, the others turned away from the window again, their curiosity pivoting to the girl—faces filled with confusion and growing irritation.
"Guys, can't you see that?" the girl—Jasmine—asked again, her voice tinged with disbelief, like she was being gaslit by reality itself.
"See what? What are you even talking about?" asked a short, scrawny student with thick black glasses.
"Yeah, we can't see anything. There's nothing there," another voice added.
"See!" Jasmine insisted, stretching her finger further against the window. Her fingertip pressed to the glass, trembling as it pointed precisely at…nothing. Or maybe something. Still, no one else could see it.
The class began to murmur, confusion turning to irritation. Some students frowned outright, others shared skeptical glances.
"Why the hell are you playing tricks right now?" the gym bro snapped, his voice rising. "We don't even know what's going on."
"Yeah, why?"
"Yeah, why would you do that, Jasmine?"
"Yeah? We can't see anything there. None of us. Only you keep saying you can."
A petite girl snorted loudly, arms folded. "Tch. She's just trying to stir drama. Like always."
Mr. Rick—the teacher, finally decided to step in. He moved closer to the window, face calm but voice raised slightly, trying to reassert his presence.
"Hey, hey. Everyone. I know confusion's in the air and we're all feeling a bit rattled, but let's not start turning on each other," he said smoothly.
He turned his gaze to Jasmine, whose finger still trembled against the window.
"Jasmine, you say you're seeing something, right? If so…please, tell us—what exactly are you seeing? But listen," his voice took on a sterner edge, "if this is a joke, it won't be taken lightly. We're already dealing with something strange here."
Then, something seemed to click in his mind. His eyes flickered with sudden thought. A slow realization.
"Wait—Jasmine… do you have an…" He paused. The word caught in his throat. But he forced it out anyway.
"Jasmine… do you have an ability?"
Jasmine still continued looking at the window until finally slowly she turned her head. Her sky blue eyes pulled away from the mist and locked onto his own. They were wide—far too wide—and wrong. In the most chilling, broken tone possible, she said:
"Am I… dead?"
"Uh? Wha-"
A shift in expression, and that was it. She had won
SPLASH!!
THUD.
A head rolled.
Thick, crimson blood splattered against the window, painting it with the vibrant color of red. A grotesque smear of brain matter and particles painted the wall, dying the once milk color red. Students stared confused at first, like their brain was trying to understand what the fuck was going on, som stared wide eyed at their freinds, the friends doing the same in kind.The mist hadn't just arrived. It had announced itself.
Silence. A heavy, blood-soaked, soul-numbing silence.
Then—
A scream. Another. And then many."ARGHHHHHHHHH! ARGGGHHHHHHHH! WHAT THE FUCK?!"
Panic detonated through the room like a bomb. Instantly the students, once hurdled together close to the window stumbled, screamed, and shoved each other in blind terror. Chairs crashed, hitting some of the students. Bodies fell. Chaos bloomed.
Where Mr. Rick once stood… was only a stump. Blood jetted from his neck like a macabre fountain, unending in its release. His head lay at his feet—mouth still open. Eyes still alive with shock.
"ARGHH! What the fuck?! What the fuck?! He just fucking died He just fucking died!"
"Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh oh my gosh!"
"Mommy, I want to go home" sob sob!
....
On the third floor, in Class A, silence still reigned—just for now.
Kai stood sandwiched between Anthony and a blonde girl named Sienna, all three staring through the glass at the advancing mist below. None of them spoke. Their minds were moving too fast. The mist swirled like something alive… and angry.
Kai's eyes flicked left.
Then—
His back froze.
A deep chill surged up his spine.
Every hair on his neck and arms rose. His mind halted.
What the…