Chapter 3: Deja vu
Myeong's eyes flew open, her heart pounding furiously in her chest. Her body was drenched in cold sweat, and her hands were shaking. Everything around her was blurry for a moment, until a familiar voice brought her out of her daze.
"Myeong, are you okay?"
Ethan frowned at her, worry written across every line of his face.
She blinked several times, trying to focus. Her breathing was shallow, and her mind was still caught in the hellish vision she'd just experienced. She looked around, fear piercing her chest.
Everything seemed... normal.
The gymnasium was untouched, illuminated by the colorful lights and spotlights from the band on stage. The students laughed, danced, and chatted as if nothing was wrong. There was no fire. There was no screaming. There was no death.
Myeong felt nauseous.
"Myeong, are you okay?" "Ethan repeated, leaning slightly toward her.
"Yeah... yeah, I'm fine." His own voice sounded strange, as if coming from far away.
But it wasn't okay. Nothing was okay.
He tried to take a deep breath, trying to calm himself. Maybe it had all been a dream, a horrible nightmare brought on by stress. However, when his gaze moved around the gym, his body instantly tensed.
No. It can't be.
Zack Holloway, leaning against one of the gym walls with his arms crossed, stared at the stage with an annoyed expression.
"This music is crap. Who the hell is still listening to this?"
Myeong felt a chill run down her spine.
She turned quickly and saw Mrs. Wilkes standing in the corner of the gym, hands on her hips and a furious glare as she scolded two girls.
"Lily, Violet, what the hell do you think you're doing?" Her voice was harsh and authoritarian.
The Spencer twins shrugged with feigned innocence.
"It was just a little fun, teacher," Lily replied with a nervous smile.
"Fun? Bringing alcohol to a school party sounds fun to you?" Wilkes snapped. "This isn't an open bar. Put that away right now before I expel you."
Myeong felt her breath catch in her throat. It was the same. Everything was repeating itself.
No. No. No.
It had to be a coincidence, right?
A sudden movement brought her out of her thoughts when Ethan accidentally tripped over his own glass of punch and spilled the red liquid all over her.
"Fuck, I'm sorry!" she exclaimed, rushing to clean up her dress with napkins. "Are you okay?"
Myeong dropped the napkin she was holding. Her mind was fragmenting with fear.
"No..." she whispered.
Her eyes searched for the clock above the gym entrance.
23:35 PM
Five minutes before everything went to hell.
Her breathing became erratic.
"Myeong, what's wrong?" Ethan asked, noticing her change in expression.
She looked at him desperately.
"We have to get out of here."
Ethan frowned.
"What? Why?"
Myeong didn't wait to answer. Her panic propelled her toward the stage, pushing past the crowd, ignoring the confused looks she received.
She ran up and snatched the microphone from the vocalist's hands, who looked at her in surprise.
"EVERYONE, LISTEN TO ME!" she shouted at the top of her lungs.
The gym fell silent. Everyone stared at her in confusion.
"YOU HAVE TO GET OUT OF HERE NOW!"
A few nervous laughs echoed through the crowd. Maddie pushed her way through the crowd and looked at her in disbelief.
"Myeong, what the hell are you doing? Get off the stage and calm down."
"NO!" Myeong insisted, her voice desperate. "Something terrible is going to happen, you have to believe me!"
"What are you saying, crazy woman?" Dylan mocked from the crowd. "Are you trying to get attention or what? Stop making a fool of yourself!"
Myeong's heart raced even faster. No one believed her.
"I swear there's going to be an explosion! The gym's going to burn down! If we don't get out now, everyone's going to die!"
Dylan snorted contemptuously.
"You're talking complete nonsense, you hysterical bitch."
Ethan didn't hesitate for a second to launch himself at him.
"Shut the fuck up!" he roared before punching Dylan in the face with a brutal punch.
The gym erupted in chaos as the two began to fight. Maddie, Jason, Chloe, Ryan, and Sasha rushed to separate them while the other students screamed and backed away.
"Stop it, damn it!" Maddie yelled, trying to push Ethan away.
"Stop, Ethan!" Sasha insisted.
But Ethan was furious, and Dylan wasn't one to be left behind. He got up from the floor and launched himself at Ethan, punching him in the stomach.
"ENOUGH!"
Mrs. Wilkes's voice echoed through the gymnasium. She pushed her way through the crowd and glared at the boys with a look that could pierce souls.
"All of you, out! NOW!"
Ethan, Dylan, Emma, Myeong, Maddie, Jason, Chloe, Ryan, and Sasha were pushed toward the exit as the students looked at them curiously and murmured. Zack took the opportunity to escape the party and followed them out.
The Spencer twins, intrigued by the scene, also followed them.
Once outside, Mrs. Wilkes crossed her arms and glared at them.
"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!" she bellowed, glaring at Ethan and Dylan. "Fighting in the middle of the party! You're supposed to be young adults, not cavemen!"
Ethan was breathing heavily, still furious.
"Dylan asked for it."
"Fuck off!" Dylan huffed, wiping the blood from his mouth.
Wilkes ignored their complaints and turned to Myeong.
"And you, explain it. Now."
Myeong, her breath coming in short gasps, felt tears rolling down her cheeks.
"I... saw it."
"You saw it? You saw what?" The teacher frowned.
"The fire. All... all of this happened before. Everyone died. I died. The gym is going to explode any moment!"
There was an awkward silence.
Dylan snorted.
"See? She's completely crazy."
Ethan, without hesitation, launched himself at him again.
"Say it again, asshole!"
"Stop it!" Maddie yelled.
But before they could fight again...
BOOM.
The explosion shook the ground beneath their feet.
Everyone turned to the gym. A burst of flames erupted from the windows, and the fire roared with hellish fury.
Myeong let out a scream of despair and fell to her knees, her face streaming with tears.
"NO...!"
The others stared at her in shock, speechless.
She was right.