White Noise

His eyes snapped open, his heart beating rapidly as his breaths came out in quick waves. He glanced around the room in confusion, jumping and sliding up to the wall. Where was he? What was that dream he had? Forget the dream—where was he? This wasn't his room! Hesitantly, he closed his eyes and took deep breaths. Was he still dreaming? He had to be! And when he opened his eyes, he'd be back in his room and—

"Breakfast's ready!"

He opened his eyes slowly and glanced to the door, a short sigh of relief falling from his lips as he relaxed, shaking his head in dismay. Pushing himself off the wall, he skirted around the table in the room and picked up his new school uniform from off the couch. With his exhausting day yesterday, he'd forgotten he'd arrived in Inaba to live with his uncle and cousin for a year. The distant nightmare he'd had probably wasn't helping matters. He still felt tired and lightheaded. Breakfast would probably help.

Tugging at the hem of the uniform, he grunted in annoyance at how tight it was. It was constricting around his shoulders and under his armpits, too. Maybe he should have tried it on when he received it initially to make sure it fit right.

"Too late now..." he muttered to himself as he exited the bedroom, staring down to his hand as he twisted the door closed. The knob rattled in his hand as it trembled, and he suddenly realized how weak he felt.

Slowly starting down the stairs, he could hear plates being set on a table, the smell of eggs and toast wafting in the air and making his stomach rumble. He glanced around nervously when he reached the landing, watching as his young cousin stretched on her tip-toes to place plates on the counter.

When she hopped back down to the flats of her feet, she brushed away some crumbs on her dress as she turned and started to walk towards him. She raised her head and jumped in surprise when she saw him standing there.

"Sorry, did I startle you?" he asked sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.

"I didn't hear you come downstairs," she replied, voice meek as she fidgeted with her hands. "I made breakfast! C'mon, let's eat while it's still warm!"

She clambered back to the table and climbed onto her chair, watching him expectantly as he sat on the other side. He looked at the plate before him, eggs slightly runny and toast slightly burnt. He glanced up at his cousin, who had already started on her eggs. She stopped once she saw him staring, blush creeping onto her face.

"Nanako, did you make this all by yourself?" he questioned, slightly scowling at his body as his hands trembled picking up the fork and knife she'd set for him.

Nanako nodded, finishing her bite before answering, "Yeah. Daddy usually leaves for work real early, so he taught me how to make eggs and toast. Are you okay? You still don't look too good."

He paused as he bit into the toast, the girl fidgeting in her seat as she stared at him worriedly.

"Are you still sick from the car ride?" she asked quietly before taking another bite of her breakfast. "Maybe you should stay home."

His expression softened, turning into a smile at his cousin's concern. "Thank you, Nanako, but I'll be fine. Your delicious breakfast is making me feel better already."

Her face lit up pink and he could her hear feet kicking wildly on the chair before she grinned back. "I'm glad!"

They resumed their breakfast in almost complete silence, Nanako commenting her dissatisfaction when it started to rain. After helping her wash the dishes, he ran back upstairs to grab his book bag, regretting the action when the room spun under his feet. Nanako gave him another look of concern as they slipped on their shoes, the girl locking the door before handing him a spare key they'd made before he'd arrived.

Nanako peered out from under the roof as the rain started coming down heavy. She sighed and the two opened up their umbrellas, the girl shivering as they started down the road. Past the pattering rain and their splashing footsteps, Nanako would comment on things rarely, explaining the streets and roads vaguely as they walked by. They made their way to a flood plain and Nanako pointed down the way, stating his school was over there. She wished him a good day before turning around and headed back the way they came.

He chewed absentmindedly on his lip, hoping she wouldn't be late to her classes for leading him here. He started his trek slowly, following the other teenagers in the same uniform as him as they ran or walked down the flood plain. His body trembled as the rain continued to fall, his breaths coming out in shakes as he followed the students absentmindedly. He slid his book bag to hang off his elbow as he brought his hand to his forehead, grimacing when his head started to pound. He paid no mind to the student that crashed his bike trying to steer and hold his umbrella at the same time—focusing on keeping his breaths steady and trying to calm his rapid heart. The rest of the walk was a blur—he barely registered his surroundings until there was a hand waving in his face.

He blinked rapidly, looking around in confusion. He was standing in front of a class, completely unaware of how he got there. Well, he walked, of course, but he couldn't remember... getting there.

He felt his face flush in embarrassment as the homeroom teacher—Mr. Morooka, he thought he remembered hearing—glared at him, his classmates murmuring.

"My name is Souji Narukami," he greeted, rubbing his arm as he glanced to the ground, stopping when it caused his uniform to dig into his skin. Souji jumped in surprise as the teacher started going on a rant, spitting in his face about how since he was from the city, he was nothing more than a horny good-for-nothing. He stared in horror as the man continued his tirade, uncertain how to respond to the accusations thrown at his direction. He could feel his face burning up to his ears as the yelling and murmurs continued, his stomach churning and twisting, his head pounding.

"Excuse me! Can the transfer student sit here?" He turned to look at a girl who had called out, standing in her seat and pointing to the empty desk next to hers.

Morooka paused short, before snorting as he waved a hand. "Eh? Yeah, sure, fine, whatever. Go siddown."

Souji nodded, quickly making his way towards the desk, trying to calm his breathing. The girl leaned over after a couple of moments when Morooka went on another spiel, lightly nudging his shoulder with her arm.

"He's the worst, isn't he?" she whispered. "I'm sorry you had to deal with that. You okay? You looked like you were gonna throw up on him."

Souji stifled a laugh, giving his classmate a smile and a light shove back before snapping to attention as Morooka slammed a hand on his desk, staring the two teens down. He jumped again when the man slammed the desk behind him, hearing the student at the desk yelp in surprise.

"No sleeping in class, Hanamura!"

"S-Sorry, sir, it won't happen again!"

Souji swallowed the bile that had risen in his throat, sweat rolling down his brow as Morooka threw his hands up in the air and stalked back to the front of the class. The day passed by in a haze, the lectures lost to him as he tried to focus, only to realize nothing was staying with him. He found himself unbuttoning the uniform, only to find his shirt underneath soaked in sweat. He stared incredulously, suddenly overwhelmed with how uncomfortably warm he actually felt. His mind swam in circles, stomach twisting and knotting, head hammering, hands shaking as he went to grab his pencil.

"Hey, you are not looking good." The girl next to him commented, concern laced in her voice. "You want some of my lunch? It might help you feel better."

"Chie, it might be better if we take him to the nurse's office," another girl commented as she stood beside her desk.

"I'm sorry..." he mumbled, dragging his hands through his hair and grimacing in disgust at how much sweat there was. "I think... I should just... go home."

The girls continued to fuss beside him as he packed his bag. He glanced around, hazily taking in the students doing there own thing. There was no teacher up front. Good, it was lunch. He wasn't going to just walk out in the middle of a lecture and feel like even more of a fool. Slowly lifting himself from his seat, Souji turned to the two girls beside him and gave a weak smile before it fell as he stared at the brunette's obvious green jacket. He hadn't noticed it the entire time. He needed to get home.

"Thanks for saving me from Mr. Morooka earlier," he said, putting a smile back on. "I'll... see you later, uh..."

The girl's eyes widened. "Oh! I'm Chie Satonaka, and this is Yukiko Amagi," she stammered out quickly, pointing to the girl in red who had continued to stand beside her desk. Yukiko gave a short bow at the hasty introduction.

"It's a pleasure," he started, blinking in horror as his environment faded to black before reappearing in a second. He swallowed nervously, unaware of the bile that had risen back up to his throat until it burned on the way down. "I... need to go."

He hastily made his way out of the classroom, knees knocking and vision blurring, heart pounding, head pulsing. The school halls danced before him in smoky waves and he could feel curious eyes watching him, hear the hushed whispers as he wandered through. He didn't need to go to the nurse's office, he just had to get home and rest. He just wasn't used to the new environment, that was all... He was still lagged from his long day yesterday, that was all...

He found himself outside in a daze, watching as a student stormed by him on her way to the school, muttering something about leaving her cell phone at her desk. Souji continued forward, blinking and waving his trembling hand in front of his face. It looked faded—distant. The rain had stopped, but it was freezing. It was then that he realized there was fog, the mist brushing against his skin in cool ripples as his wobbly legs pushed himself forward. He could barely see, and he'd already forgotten the route he'd taken to get to the school in the first place.

Souji's breath hitched in his throat as he walked aimlessly through the empty streets, glancing and squinting as he tried to see if he could remember anything as a landmark. He paused abruptly, staring up at a telephone pole. Something wasn't right—there was a person. They were hanging off it it, upside down and absolutely still.

Souji blinked, rubbing his eyes and looking back up. He was seeing things, he had to be! No matter how many times he rubbed his eyes and glanced up at the silhouette, it remained. His heart leaping to his mouth, Souji stumbled backwards, falling to the ground and hitting his head on a cement wall behind him. His breaths came out laboured, the coolness of the fog doing nothing to dispel the hot sweat he found himself quickly covered in. Ripping off his uniform and throwing it to the side, he stared back up at the body. He thought he could feel it staring back.

Mouth dry and hands trembling, he reached into his pocket and flipped out his phone, scrolling through his contact list until he landed on his uncle's number. Placing it to his ear, he listened as the ringing sliced through the silence. After five rings, it cut to voicemail. Ending the call, he tried again, the rings echoing throughout his head, sending vibrations down his body as he could do nothing but stare.

"Souji?" There was hectic chaos going on in the background past his uncle's rough answer. "I'm at work. What do you need?"

Souji opened his mouth, cracked sounds coming out as he continued to look at the scene above him. Words died on his lips, head reeling and his answer was lost on him. It was right there, he was looking at it, but he couldn't bring himself to say it.

"Souji? Souji, are you there? What's wrong? Are you okay?"

"...Body." Was the simple word he heard himself say. "Dead body."