Hello! My name is Cosmo, and this is a bit of a self-indulgent fanfic of mine, for one of my favorite games. This is dedicated to one of my friends named Teng. And I really hope you enjoy reading this... thing. Maybe if you want, check out my other stories too! Thx ~Cosmo.

Tap-click.

Tap-click.

Tap-click.

My half lidded eyes looked on blankly while burning just to keep them open.

Mr. Wilson gestured grandly to the lopsided circle that was supposed to be the orbit around the sun. Rain drops splattered onto the window in a heavy kamikaze barrage. Mr. Wilson's voice just began to sound like a weak buzz, hanging on the rims of my ears. Gliding my thumb over the top of my ballpoint pen; I spun the pen sloppily between my fingers so the dipper faced the desk. My eyes were itching, hungering for last night's sleep that I chose to forgo. The clock looked so blurry from back here, so I couldn't even count down the hours we had left until I could go home.

Then again…why would I want to go home? Home for me, is, complicated. Fighting the stinging of my eyes was a battle I had to win; without an army it was fruitless. A yawn escaped my body. The milky, grey, morning fog lined the large bay window that stretched from one wall to the other. It was stagnant, so still, you couldn't even see a sign of life outside the mist. Not to sound pretentious, but it was an honest reflection of how my head was…Grey, hazy, and yet clear? One could compare it to the gentle pain in your eyes and head when you stare up at the summer sun. Mr. Wilson drew from his shoulder, pushing out a thin chalk line from the dot the representing Earth in its orbit. Astronomy was usually on one of my better subjects, yet I could not identify what exactly that line meant. A rogue meteorite? The moon? Serves me right for not paying attention. Maybe today was just one of my off day's where I could barely function. It takes nothing more than a stray thought to lead me down this path of…emptiness. The stray thought of home.

Tap, click.

I dug the dipper of the pen into the wood of the table. The plastic squeezed against the wood, yet I knew it wouldn't even make a mark. There was a beat of silence, not even the coolness from the window was enough to keep me awake. One by one my muscles went limp, like wax beads off of dinner candle, drowsiness melted down my being. My lids fluttered closed once again.

Tap... click.

The milky, grey, morning fog lined the large bay window that stretched from one wall to the other. A mumble from the front of the room had stirred me awake.

"-Miller, would you care to join the discussion?"

The end of the sentence had popped up, floating in the silence. My eyes snapped to the front of the room. The beating of my heart began to quicken. I was still in the half process of sleep and blankness. Mortified, my face felt hotter than the surface of the sun. The teacher in front of the whiteboard awaited my answer. The dry-erase marker in his already blue stained hands. He had intentions of writing down my response. So he could tear it down in front of the class while proclaiming that I should've tuned into the lesson. Hesitantly, I opened my mouth-

A student to my left turned to face me his neck bones cracking with his sudden jerky motion. There was something wrong with the way he looked at me. A bead of sweat rolled from my brow, tracing around the brim of heads staring at me. Some of their necks had rotated around their own backs just to get a better view of me. In the ocean of faces, in the sea of judgment…the students had eyes randomly scattered across their faces. Others just had one giant eye instead of a face. The boy to my left, his multiple pupils in his singular, bloodshot, eye wavered, shrinking to a pinprick of black. A high pitched squeal akin to that of an after an explosion from a grenade echoed in the room. I began to shiver unconsciously. They were all staring at me. The rain outside began to pound onto the window in an unrelenting cascade. A tidal wave rolling over the road leading to the school. Washing away the cars in the staff parking lot, was all that plagued my imagination.

I swallowed down a growing lump in my throat, trying to just block them out, and just answer the question. Mr. Wilson seemed to think I was taking too long,"What's the matter-" an eye unfurled on his forehead.

Wilson's voice wasn't his at all, somehow snaked in my ears," Honestly —It's like you don't even take this seriously." the left of his wrinkly face began to split in half vertically, from his jaw to the apple of his cheek, and shuttered open to reveal another eye. Squirming in my seat, with a sharp, quick inhales. My body was heaving unnaturally, as my breath tried to keep up with my heart, and my heart lagged behind my the adrenaline in my veins. Full of energy, yet I could swear my arms and legs were chained to my desk. I demanded myself to fight; My mind refused to even look down to confirm my suspicion. The danger in the room still held my attention captive. I needed an escape, a way out. Darting my gaze to the windows; I could only remain a victim to what was about to occur. A hairline fracture etching its way further in a thousand directions. The window began leaking in water from the outside, filling the room almost as suddenly as it started. The invisible chains in my mind had disappeared long enough for me to rush to plug the leak with my hands. I braced myself against the window. I seemed to have no effect as the room kept filling up. The glass pushed against my forehead, splitting open my eyebrow. Blood drops mixed with the flood. In an instant, my classmates began to restrain me from the window. Trying desperately to fight them off.

It was to no use as hands began to cover random parts of my body, trying to force me back. Once my bloodied hands left the glass, the entities began to beat the glass. Some even throwing their entire bodies at the window.

I screamed so hard my voice cracked like ancient clay.

The glass shattered.

There was silence as the beings that held me dissolved into inky ribbons of nothing. Abandoning me here to drown, alone. One by one the students at the opening vanished while still holding their last pose. It was all a matter of seconds, that lasted an eternity, but ended abruptly.

Water rapidly entered the room and engulfed me. The wave overpowered me launching me from my desk. Grabbing at my throat, my back hit the ceiling, and bubbles escaped my mouth.

Tap-click, tap, click, tap… click.

Gasping, my head had shot up from where it was resting. Leaning too far back in my seat, causing me to become unbalanced. I had landed hard on the cement that pretended to be carpeted. I was drenched in sweat, practically panting. My eyes adjusted to the light I noticed my leg entwined with the metal chair I had knocked over in my frenzy. Rubbing the back of my head. I hoped I suffered from some sort of brain injury to excuse the next time I do something that stupid. My fingers remained on my cheek. I had an odd feeling resting in the pit of my stomach, to say the least. Glancing around I spotted more empty desks in the dimly lit room. The shadows from the window on the other side of the room made the desk legs appear longer and slimmer. However, they look to me as they always did, exactly like prison bars. I stared unsure what I was truly searching for. The glass had appeared mended. I twisted my foot, which caused my shoe to get further stuck in the opening of the desk. I tried a few more rapid-fire attempts to remove my foot all of which failed. Taking a deep breath to try to calm down, I rolled onto my back. Grabbing my leg, I tugged gently to see where exactly I was stuck and figure the best solution I could to get…unstuck. Slipping off my shoe, I managed to pry my foot loose from the desk. With the sudden release, I managed to somehow hit my head on a table leg behind me.

I winced,"SON OF A- MmmmMMMmph."

I let out a shaky breath. My head throbbed in a wave of pain, I laced my fingers around the bruise that would probably soon develop. It would've been a shame to go through all that only to die being permanently tangled in a school desk. What a way to go. A figure zipped through the shadow bars like a bolt of lightening. I rose to my knees, trying to peer over the table. In the gloomy, Washington countryside I saw an iridescent, shimmering, and noble, hummingbird. I stepped toward the bird in awe. It was a rare sight to see one in this area. Its wings, of course, were too fast for the human eye to see. It appeared the frail bird was levitating in the air, hopping from place to place yet never really 'moved' in the traditional sense. It disappeared after it saw me staring at it. It was a type of beauty that was only out of place here.

I grabbed my backpack from the ground, slinging it over my right shoulder. There was a blue lump on top of a pile of papers with pencils that were seemingly thrown from the bag as well. Sighing, exasperated only with myself. Why can't I sleep at home? Like a normal person? I must have pushed my binder off my desk while I was asleep. I filed my papers back in accordingly and zipped up. There was no rain here, just vague impressions in the fog. There was enough light to see whiteboard at the front. I had finally noticed on the writing in red marker,"Door unlocked! You don't have to go home but you can't stay here!" I still can't believe a teacher let me fall asleep and didn't just wake me up. What kind of teacher would just do that?

I turned to face the empty classroom, there wasn't a trace that anyone but me had been here, and yet... that feeling of ice being pierced through my chest. I felt like I was being watched. I fidgeted with my strap, messing with the tautness. That dream was making me paranoid, it's nothing. One last glance to the window, nothing but the haze remained on the outside. Pressing my back into the crash bar on the door, I left with my nerves.

The 9th-grade hallway was a short obstacle, it was right, down another hall, and then right once more. How exactly could I mess that up? My mind had lapsed enough to where I had forgotten to check the time. I know that time probably didn't matter, dad was going to kill me regardless. Once my body had left the boundary of the door, it swung back gently into its frame. I spun round while making a stroll to the double doors. There was something off about being in school when it's closed. Maybe, It was the hanging dread that you could get caught. The paranoia that you would be locked in until the next morning, or forever. Perhaps it was just the loneliness? I was so used to all sorts people, some of whom I didn't know all that well, just making a directed wander to their next class. It was space that I could only occupy comfortably for a short eight hours. The halls themselves felt a lot wider when I was by myself, now that I wasn't constantly fighting for room to breathe. The floor looked recently waxed. The linoleum tile showed an indistinct reflection in the off white. The halls had our school's colors laid out on the floor as a sort of checkerboard pattern. The fluorescent lights flashed on as I walked toward the lockers. The unsettling feeling I had when I left the classroom lingered in my gut. It had to be all in my head. My brain chattered about the possibilities, of the vague concepts of crisis. To take my mind off of it, I thought I would try to get involved in my peers' community, by examining posters of upcoming events. Typically the water fountain is where most of the posters are, yet they were, torn off with no such care for clean up. Scraps of paper, flecks of color were strewn about in the fountain that was still leaking small droplets from the mouthpiece. The odd destructive tendencies of the teenage mind never seem to make much sense to me. Granted, this was not the strangest sight I've seen in the high school drinking fountain. It's…probably even worse that I still drink out of there, despite the horrors. Ignoring the mess, I sped up. The so-yellow-that-its-annoying lockers lined each side of the hall. A menacing looming shadow began to consume mine. The sign that I was closer to the exit was not as comforting as one hoped it would be. A few lights behind me flickered to a dim.

I was being followed or watched or—Something! There were footsteps an-and every time I would stop they would stop just a few seconds after.

I shut my eyes tightly and began to white-knuckle-squeeze my backpack straps. The exit wasn't that far, it wasn't that far. Just two rights, and, wow, look at that, I'll be home. As my footsteps gained speed, so did the ones following me.

tap, tap, tap tap, tap-tap, tap-tap, taptaptaptpataptataptapptatpa—

BANG!

I slammed into the metallic bar nearly tripping into the front wing of the school. I took an immediate right, moving past the shorter one person lockers. There was an abandoned mop bucket by the bathrooms. The mop laid on the ground halfway into the entrance for the boy's restroom. Without much time I had ended up near the staircase that led down into the 10th-grade floor. The towering front window displayed the fog settling onto the courtyard, strangling the color out of the benches. The rain pounded hard against the windows. Syncing up with the rhythm of what was around me, including my own beating heart. There was a faint droll of thunder in the distance. As I recalled from before, the widow with the hummingbird, it wasn't raining. In fact, I thought, it was clearing up outside…How long was I in the hallway? Darkness clung to the clouds. I put my left arm through the other strap on my bag as I furrowed my brow. There was a shortcut if I cut across the courtyard; the arms of the fog laid outstretched waiting to swallow me whole. Weighing the risks within my head; For my own safety I couldn't stay here another second, but the courtyard? Chances were whatever was following me would manage to corner me by the gym. I launched myself toward the main entrance of the school. The motion detector lights were set off when I sprinted past the main office. A tipped fifty gallon wheeled waste container thrown out onto the floor with trash from the cafeteria. Milk cartons filled with black mold, and spaghetti noodles still covered in pasta sauce, were scattered across the floor. Worms writhed around in the garbage, as rats scurried away from the sound of my approaching feet. Ramming into the front door at full speed, I felt as if I could've blown the door off its damn hinges.

A bolt of lighting illuminated the evening sky, the thunder was so loud I thought the sky would break apart. The bolt reflected onto the glass, I could see it then. The creature that was following me. A black billowing smoke cloud ripped straight out of Lost, with burning crimson eyes. When I stared into its eyes, I felt drained of my own will to live. It banged against the door only to bounce off of it. I whimpered, as it picked itself up to try to break down the door. I glanced to the side, to see a bench by the flagpole. Gathering my courage, I darted over and began dragging the bench over to the door. It was then I realized I was running on nothing but fumes, the bench had put up resistance.

Suddenly, brassy flute music began to play over the static of the P.A system. Out of nowhere a flock of thousands of hummingbirds, all flew together in a hive mind. They rose from the parking lot from down the hill. The Flute was then accompanied by violins and bells. As the music grew in tempo, the group of birds split into two. One dived towards me, in an elegant shimmering spiral. The hummingbirds began to collectively lift the bench. Astonished, by their hidden strength. The other group held the door back. The monster seemed to actually be afraid of the hummingbirds. Whatever light there was out here reflected off of the glitter of their feathers. Together with the birds, we barred the door with bench. The monster was growing furious by the second. It repeatedly smashed its face on the door attempting to push it open. Taking a few cautious steps back…

The P.A suddenly cut out. It was the cue to get the hell out of there; I took off and didn't look back.

The fog surrounded me. The street was nowhere to be seen, neither was the school. I suppose that was a good thing. I needed to think. there was a glowing street lamp, figuring that would be my checkpoint if I was to get lost… if I got even further lost. My feet dragged with me, as my legs grew tired of carrying me. Stepping into the circle of light, the thunder sounded farther off in the distance. Despite not being able to see the street, headlights bathed the fog in a dingy warm light. There was no sound that accompanied them. I counted off my breaths as to remain calm. I continued down the sidewalk only to arrive at the streetlight again, then again, then again. It taunted me. I couldn't escape the light no matter how fast I ran, no matter if I took a turn at the end of the road. It could have been hours that I was at this but I couldn't tell. Yet there was no way I could tell if it was even the same lamp, but yet the same green graffiti tag was still there.

Sliding my back down the pole, I touched down on the sidewalk.

A familiar voice called out to me,"Darling? Where did you go?"

"M-Mo-" My throat was leaking a thick fluid that felt a lot like blood, I had interrupted myself by gagging.

"Honey?"

A foot clad in a candy apple red heel appeared within the light's rim.

"Why did you run away?"

My heart climbed into my trachea," I-mom-I di-didn't. You were sick—I'm sorry, mom. Please, I-I-I…I can't."

Blood began to flood down the leg and form a large puddle beneath the woman.

"I'm…sorry. I'm so sorry, I'm sorry…" Repeating over and over, choking on sobs.

The street light clicked off. Leaving me alone in the dark.

Tap…click, Tap…click, Tap, click, Tap, click, Tap-click, Tap-Click