1 The Mysterious Poisoning

The world had become a place unfit to live in. Alex thought, observing episodes of exhibited human lifestyle. His right hand was on a metallic rod, keeping himself steady as the jeepney moved towards its destined routes. Wearing masks does not keep him away from the pollution the environment has given, not just him but its citizens. May it is noise and air, the gravity of human greed had harmed its habitat.

"Change, huh?" Alex muttered.

"What a joke." He added.

Looking outside the moving vehicle, he saw nothing but faces eliciting suffering and despair. The white ashes were brimming around the air, covering the vision of everyone that uses eyes to see. Honking noises of parading vehicles pierces the ears like it was screaming with contempt about being born into this world.

With the vehicle's sudden turn, Alex knows that he's near his destination. Undoubtedly, the school shouldn't be his top priority when he wanted to change the world. But the world Alex is currently living in does not consider people with no education as credible steps to make an impact – change. He knows that to survive in this harsh world, taking action according to what society has told them to do so is the best way to fight back.

The clinking of the coin signals the driver that the passenger has arrived at their destination. With a sudden stop, he grabbed his things. He hurried towards the exit of the vehicle, where he saw the university where he was currently enrolled in.

A prestigious university, everyone would say, but he saw nothing but a pile of stone garnering itself together to make itself bigger. Big enough to shape itself, they isolate potential people with two designated ways – either to create/innovate or destroy. Walking towards the entrance to the university, he saw a familiar face waving near the school's entrance.

"Alex!" Ivan shouted, waving his hand, trying to gain Alex's attention.

With delight on his face, Alex immediately responded with a wave back and hurried toward his friend. "Hey." He greeted.

"Are you done with the assignment?" asked Ivan while scanning his ID at the entrance that permits them to enter. A new device has been used by the university to secure students' safety.

"Yeah," he replied while doing the same.

With the complete entry to the university's grounds, they walked towards their building, where they found their classmates busy with their own things—a typical situation when entering the classroom when there's no teacher around.

With the empty metallic seat in hand, he put his things on the table and sat down to wait for the class to start. They chatted and laughed with his friends. For a moment, Alex knew that without his friends, the school would be a place that he would not consider going to.

A few minutes passed, and the class finally started after one of his classmates had entered the classroom and said, "Ma'am's here!". Thumping sounds of rushing footsteps were echoing inside the room. Their shoes are made of hard plastic, and other materials make them sounder as they step onto the floor's porcelain tiles. Their reflexes show that they are prepared for this type of circumstance. A sounding footstep of a familiar teacher has entered the classroom. She sat in front, grabbed a paper and a pen, and checked the attendance. "presents" were heard during the checking. She stood up and greeted everyone with a happy morning when it was done. An entirety of different pitches and voices have been heard as they responded to the teacher's greeting.

Alex has been close to his teacher for quite a long time, but he had never seen her emit such a distressing aura. His teacher's eyes were deep, deprived of weeks of sleep. She's not her usual self. A young, easy-going science teacher had been barren with life. Her acts were voided with happiness showing nothing but despair.

"Ma'am, are you okay?" asked Darline, noticing what everyone observed.

Surprisingly, the teacher suddenly sobbed. Her eyes flooded with tears in an instant.

"I'm sorry, everyone. Vita in Morte Sumus," She said while continuing to cry.

The lights flickered. The doors and windows were covered with rolling shutters covering all the classroom's entrances and views from the outside. In an instant, everything faded from white to black—complete darkness. Screams resonated in the now lightless classroom.

"What's happening?!" everyone shouted. A hissing sound came from almost everywhere.

"Poison!" Cindy shouted, alarming everyone not to inhale the gas after her seatmate, Cherry, fell trying to check where the hissing sound came from and accidentally inhaled it.

Loud banging or rattling footsteps were dominating inside the classroom. With no light to see, Alex's classmates rattling noises makes it harder for him to determine where the sound comes from. "Use your cellphone's flashlights! And try to cover your noses!" Alex shouted, trying to make calm the situation. His classmates opened their cellphone flashlights and flashed them onto almost every side of the classroom.

"There!" Jessie shouted, pointing to the ceiling that was in the middle.

A large black tube was planted, releasing the toxic gas at a fleeting speed.

"Also, here!" cried Kent. She was pointing to the back corner of the classroom. Using their flashlights, they determined that large black tubes were scattered among their room's four corners and one at the ceiling. the back part might be where Cherry inhaled the toxin.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!" one of Alex's classmates screamed. There, they saw the unconscious body of their classmate, Lynne, lying on the classroom's floor.

"We're going to die!" said Emily, now in tears.

There's no way out, Alex thought to himself. At the same time, he was trying to open the rolling shutters that were blocking their exits. The other students also tried to destroy one, especially the boys. Still, the action was trivial because the shutters were made of aluminum and locked extensively. Losing hope and almost out of breath, they waited for the gas to fill the classroom. Alex saw his classmates fall unconsciously, one by one. Their eyes were brimming with sadness and guilt of maybe, dying in an unexpectedly cruel way. Alex thought one last time of his desire to change the world. But the passion for that was long gone until this scene happened. One last time, he looked at his friends, who were now hugging each other. How hard could this be? We're just hugging each other without talking because we're afraid of inhaling the gas. But Alex inhaled, accepting the dreadful fate he was now facing.

"Someday, I'm sure we'll meet again." With a calm voice, Alex said to his friends. Exposed to the toxic gas, his eyes turned red. I feel hot, he thought.

The poison must have entered his body now; he has difficulty breathing. His lungs are deteriorating, denying the entrance of the poisonous gas inside his body. His friends, who are also losing hope, took painful sighs. They hugged each other and, for a moment, realized how lucky they were to meet each other. Slowly, Alex's friends turned unconscious but didn't fall onto the floor, for they had positioned themselves to brace each other, preventing one another's downfall. Alex tried to breathe again but couldn't. Dying this way, he could never accept. Someday, I'll have my chance. He thought, and his precious breath had now left him.