Ring!
Ring!
The bell rang sharply through the halls, signaling the end of fifth period. Students spilled out of classrooms in noisy clusters, chatting with friends, rushing to their lockers, or heading to their next class.
Leo, however, wasn't paying attention to any of them.
Hold it in, hold it in, damn it—please!
He practically jogged down the hallway, clutching his stomach like a man racing against destiny. Relief was only a door away. At last, he spotted a bathroom—and not just any bathroom, but one three annoyed-looking students were walking away from, muttering curses under their breath.
Leo frowned. Weird. Why do they look like they just lost a fight with plumbing?
He didn't have the luxury to ask. He hurried forward, reaching for the bathroom door—when suddenly—
Pssh!
The sound of glass shattering rattled through his head, sharp and disorienting. Just like earlier, when he'd helped the girl with the umbrella.
What the hell was that? He staggered, hand flying to his forehead. For a moment, the door beneath his palm didn't feel like metal at all. It felt like…rubber.
Leo shook his head, forcing the strange sensation away, and pushed inside.
The sight made him freeze.
A half-broken sink hung crookedly from the wall. One stall door dangled on its hinges, another had been smashed clean off. The floor was wet, toilet paper scattered everywhere. The mirror—what was left of it—was a spiderweb of cracks, shards glittering faintly under the fluorescent lights.
And on the floor, lying limp and grotesque, was a severed, monstrous hand.
Leo's stomach dropped. What the hell happened here?
Cautiously, he stepped closer. The hand was huge, hairy, and its fingers curled in strange, unnatural angles. It looked like a movie prop—or something that crawled out of a nightmare.
"This can't be real," he whispered. "Some kind of prank, right? Please let this be a prank."
Against his better judgment, he crouched and reached out. The moment his fingertips grazed it, faint sparks of electricity zipped across his skin. The hand twitched.
Leo yelped, stumbling backward onto his butt.
The monstrous hand trembled…then began to crumble away into dust, dissolving into nothing.
"…Yeah, okay, that wasn't normal. Not normal at all." Leo rubbed his arms as goosebumps spread up them. "Another scare like that and I'm seriously gonna piss myself. Enough, world. That's enough surprises for today, right?"
He forced himself toward the stalls. The floor was damp with toilet water, the smell sharp. That was when he noticed someone slumped against the wall inside—
A boy.
He looked about Leo's age,His clothes were soaked, his messy brown hair plastered to his forehead. Blood trickled from a gash above his eye, his face pale and battered. A scorch mark marred his T-shirt, like he'd barely survived a fire.
Leo froze. Seriously? World, why me?
Still, instinct kicked in. He crouched beside the boy and checked his pulse. Relief flooded him when he found it faint but steady.
"Good. Still alive." He muttered, scanning the injuries. "But…what the hell happened to you? You look like you got into a wrestling match with Bigfoot. Or…I dunno, bullied by a demolition crew?"
Leo tried to shake him gently awake. Come on, kid. I'm not about to carry you bridal-style across the whole school. Wake up already.
Before the boy stirred, voices echoed from outside.
"Yo, the bathroom's open."
Leo's eyes widened. Oh, you've gotta be kidding me.
He grabbed the unconscious kid, dragging him awkwardly into the only stall with a working door. They squeezed inside just as the voices drew nearer.
"Holy shit," one student gasped, stepping inside. "Who destroyed this place?"
"Yeah, looks like a hurricane came through here."
"Forget this. Let's just find another bathroom."
Yes, please. Just go!
But then—Bang! Bang! Bang!—one of them rapped on Leo's stall door.
"Yo, anyone in there?"
"Open up!" another demanded.
Leo tensed, standing on the toilet seat with the limp boy in his arms. His legs shook under the weight, his muscles screaming.
Oh, hell no. Don't you dare open this door. Just leave already before I fall and—
Bang! Bang! Boom!
The boys outside banged on the stall like they were trying to start a drum circle.
Why?! Why are you like this?! Leo's legs slipped, his grip faltering. Shit, I can't keep this up much longer—
Finally, one of the boys groaned. "Forget it. If we're late to class, we're screwed."
"Fine. Whatever."
Their footsteps retreated.
Leo exhaled, holding the pose a few seconds longer before slowly lowering himself down. "Okay…coast should be clear. Now let's—"
His cramped legs buckled.
"Aww, come on—"
Slip!
He fell backward, crashing into the toilet with a loud thud. The unconscious boy, stirred by the fall, jolted forward and headbutted Leo square in the face.
"Oww, oww, oww!" Leo clutched his nose. "Yup. Nurse's office. Definitely gonna need the nurse after that."
The boy groaned, eyelids fluttering. Slowly, he woke. His bloodshot eyes focused on Leo's face, still inches away.
"…Where am I? Wait—who the hell are you?"
Leo blinked. "Shouldn't I be asking you that?"
The boy scrambled up, pressing his hand against his bloody forehead. His gaze darted around the ruined bathroom, then locked on Leo suspiciously.
"I remember now…that hairy Bigfoot—the no-nose glowing monster—he attacked me! Are you working with him too?!"
Leo just stared. …What the actual hell did I just hear?
"Kinda a weird thing to say to the guy who just checked your pulse and kept you from getting trampled," Leo muttered.
The boy froze, then relaxed. "Wait—so you're not with him?"
"No!"
The boy studied him, then nodded. He extended a shaky hand. "My name's Rudolph. Nice to meet you. But you can call me Rudo. My friends call me that."
Leo hesitated, then accepted the hand and pulled himself up. "…Leo."
Wait. Did he just say friends? When the hell did that happen?
"So where to next?" Rudo asked, wincing as he touched his bloody head.
"The nurse's office. Before you bleed out."
"Oh. Right." Rudo smiled faintly through the pain. "Still…this was worth it."
Leo squinted. "How?"
"Because it was our fated encounter of course!"
Leo pinched the bridge of his nose. "Or just dumb luck I found you half-dead in a bathroom."
"No, no. This is just like a movie I saw once," Rudo insisted. His eyes lit up despite the blood dripping down his face. "The protagonist had superpowers but terrible luck. He met allies by chance, and together they fought to protect the world from monsters. That's us!"
Leo stared at him. Yep. Concussion. This guy's totally concussed.
"Well, movie protagonist or not, you're bleeding everywhere. Let's move before you pass out again." Leo pushed Rudo toward the door.
Rudo laughed weakly. "This is definitely our fate, though!"
"Yeah, yeah, I hear you," Leo muttered, guiding him out. Why do I feel like I just made a terrible mistake?