1 Hectic Day
"Haaaah, what an exhausting day it is; all we do all day is research and read books, and it's driving me insane!"
"Look, man, if you're still complaining about it when it's already lunch, then you need to get a hobby, just don't think about the time, it goes by quickly if you're busy with something."
A pair of young men sat on a bench on the roof of their school.
The light of the sun shines through the clouds in the sky, and a gentle breeze caresses their skin.
As a youth, Noah had a slim body and a childish face.
He also had clear white skin, which made him good-looking.
Noah frowned and said, "You're right Oliver, I think imma just think about good thoughts while we're in this dreadful place,"
"Maybe I really do need to pursue a hobby," Noah thought.
"I think you should drop out of school; you're not supposed to be here,"
Oliver said as if he were speaking to a farmer.
Oliver's looks are plain and ordinary.
He is often described as a man with average looks and tall height.
His face always wears a faint smile making him look calm and composed.
"I think you're the one who isn't meant to be here; after all, you're a moron, and secondly, I'm going to graduate school, get a job, and a lovely wife; what's the point of my ambition if I can't even complete my first task in life?"
Noah said as he burst out laughing.
When he faced Noah, Oliver said to himself, "You're the moron."
"Besides, my mother can be a bit frightening; if I slack off, she'll beat me to death!"
"I agree with you, your mom is truly is terrifying, she beat that salesman to a pulp in front of the house's front door for trying to con her,"
Oliver gulped.
Goosebumps emerged on Noah's skin, as he recalled the scene.
"That damn scammer ran with his tail tucked between his legs, shouting something about an insane woman trying to kill me,"
They all grinned at each other and laughed so hard that their stomachs hurt.
"Haha, that conman should have scammed on others, unfortunately, he conned your mother,"
Oliver joked.
"I agre-" Noah's sentence came interrupted by a bell.
"ding-a-ling."
The alarm bell rang, signaling the end of the lunch break.
The two young men ate their lunches at a breakneck pace and ran for the stairs and down to their classes.
They both arrived in the nick of time.
"Phew, we made it,"
Noah and Oliver said to themselves.
"This school really needs to schedule their bell five minutes before the scheduled time, we still ran our way here to get to the classroom, this damn management,"
Oliver said while panting.
They returned to their seats and resumed their conversation; a few seconds later, the teacher entered their room.
They greeted the teacher before resuming their classes in the afternoon.
Time elapsed from seconds to minutes to hours, and now school is over as the sun was about to set.
Noah stared at the setting sun and he thought that it was stunning.
The orange-red shade on it looks breathtaking.
Unexpectedly a voice spoke to him from the side.
"Catch you later Noah, I gotta go, I can't wait to go home and play pc with my boys,"
Oliver said as he waved Noah farewell.
"Hey, take care and invite me as well, maybe I'll play a few games."
Noah responded.
"OK, I'll do that; let's talk again tomorrow,"
Oliver bid Noah farewell he turned around and walked away.
Noah glanced at Oliver before going home as well.
He boarded the bus to return home, taking a long look at the sinking red sun with a nice song playing on the bus.
He felt relaxed and worry-free.
In doing so, he neglected to purchase supplies for the homework due the next day.
Noah smacked his head for being such a moron.
Noah alighted at the next bus stop and proceeded to the closest convenience store to purchase some supplies.
The nearest one is just around the corner in the next block, so he strolled over to it, with the freezing wind blowing across his face.
Noah approached the shop and pulled open the glass door.
Except for the cashier, he glanced around and saw no one.
The cashier's appearance looked to be a lanky guy with a sickly expression.
He looked over and welcomed Noah then nodded to him.
Noah smiled at the cashier as a show of politeness.
Noah hesitated for a moment before entering the shop to buy some supplies.
He had been through row after row of columns to purchase some supplies and still hadn't seen anybody.
"That's weird,"
"Does this shop normally have this few customers?" Noah thought.
After gathering everything he needs, he returns to the cashier to get his things scanned so that he can get home and play pc games with Oliver as soon as possible.
"That's it, can you scan it for me?" Noah asked, looking over the cashier.
The cashier gave Noah a long look before returning his attention to his transactions, and he responded, "Ok, I'll be right on it."
Noah simply responded to the cashier's remark with a smile.
Time passed as the light in the shop flickered uncontrollably, the cashier slowly scanned the things Noah had purchased.
Noah glanced up at the ceiling and saw how the light flickered, but dismissed it as insignificant.
"That will be 350 pesos, sir," the cashier replied when he finished scanning.
Noah took out some money, double-checked the number, and handed it to the cashier.
The cashier nodded slightly because it was the correct number, then he put Noah's purchases in a plastic bag and handed it to him.
"Thank you sir, and please come again," the cashier said to Noah as he gave him the plastic bag. "Do be careful on the way out," The cashier added.
Noah nodded and stepped towards the entrance, pushing it open as a cold wind brushed across his cheek and ruffled his hair.
"That cashier looks sick; if I were him, I'd take the day off," Noah thought
After completing his purchase.
He walked slowly to the bus stop, which is eerily silent except for the rustling of leaves here and there.
He waited for the next bus while the sun faded and the city fell into darkness.
He is alone at the bus station and accompanied by an old lamppost that emits a gentle glow.
A blurry man can be seen from a distance of three blocks down the highway, and he is the only one standing there.
Noah's heart skipped a beat when he saw it.
He kept quiet and minded his own business as he quickly found himself waiting for the bus for what seemed like an eternity.
The bus arrived shortly after, and he hurriedly boarded it.
But this time, the bus is almost empty.
His hair stood on end, and he smiled at the driver.
The driver is a friendly old man with white sideburns on his head.
When the young man looked at him, the old man smiled and took off his hat, clearly indicating hello.
"Why's the bus empty?"
"Some people have night shifts and they usually took the bus at this hour,"
Noah was terrified, thinking like this.
He searched around for a suitable seat and sat at the back of the bus.
The last seat beside the window.
He made himself comfortable and waited for it to arrive at his destination.
A couple of minutes passed and nothing changed.
A sense of foreboding can be felt, as though it was about to explode.
Goosebumps formed on his skin as his heart rate increased, but then the bus stopped and a couple boarded the bus.
He took a deep breath and sighed, feeling relieved once more.
"I'm such a coward, feeling a little terrified for being alone in the bus, that old man must have been driving this bus for years and he didn't seem terrified at all,"
Noah grumbled to himself.
Noah pulled his phone from his pocket and began playing games while waiting for the bus to arrive at his destination.
A few minutes passed and a piece of strange music could be heard playing.
"I walk through walls,
I walk through walls,
I walk through walls,
I walk through walls,
I know too much,
I saw the eyes,
And they saw me,
I walk through walls,
When evening comes,
I will be there,
I have to be,
I saw the eyes,
You can not see me coming,
And you will not see me go,
I walk in silence,
Hidden by the darkness,
I don't hide, I don't have to,
Why'd they pick me,
What does it want,
It opened its eye, twice,
Once to look for me,
Twice to look at me,
I saw its face,
I saw its eyes,"
Noah heard this song as panic sprouted in his heart.
His heart rate is racing at breakneck speed, and his forehead is drenched in sweat.
He took a long look outside to distract himself from this frightening song and tried to see any pedestrians on the streets to calm his frightened heart.
But alas, the outside is pitch dark, you cannot see anything, not even lamps.
Noah was horrified and looked around to find the couple, wondering if they were bothered by the odd music being played by the driver.
He saw them in the middle rows, and they seemed to be still and motionless, like statues.
Noah couldn't believe what was happening; the couple didn't appear to hear the odd music being played by the bus, so he got up and attempted to speak to them.
"He...hello to both of you, how are you this fine evenin-?"
Noah interrupted his words, as he didn't see the couple turning around to look at him.
Silence!
There is complete silence!
Unfathomable silence, as if they didn't hear Noah crying out to them, as if Noah didn't exist.
Noah's heart shook as he tried to contact his mother on his phone to calm down and ask for support.
Noah hastily went to his phone's contact list and pressing his mother's name as quickly as he could.
Placing the phone in his ear and hoping for his mother to pick it up sooner as a sensation of panic hit his heart.
His hands were sweaty, and the only sound he heard was the strange song and his pounding heart.
"Come on, mum, pick up, please pick up, I'll be a good boy from now on,"
Noah prayed as much as he could as he took brief looks at the pair and the driver in front.
A sudden burst of joy gushed through his heart, his phone call was answered.
[I'm sorry; the number you have reached is not in service, or temporarily disconnected. The number you have reached is not in service at this time.]
Noah experienced unexplainable terror and couldn't stop crying.
His eyes turning red and a slight tear forming at the corner of his eyes.
"WHAT? How can this be, why would it be unavailable, how is this possible?"
Noah's expression is filled with disbelief.
"I have to try again, I have to!"
Noah cried out with fear in his heart.
Noah's sweaty fingertips attempted to contact his mother once more.
The cellphone seemed to be unresponsive as if it had broken.
He hurriedly wiped his fingers on his uniform and tried again.
He dialed his mother's number and the call got connected once more.
A strange voice interrupted him as he was about to reply.
"What seems to be the problem, young man?"
