In the Name of Halloween (5)

"Ugh… why the hell are we stuck dealing with this crap because of that asshole?" Furuya grumbled, staring out the classroom window, his shoulders tense.

Ten minutes had crawled by, and outside the school, cops swarmed the grounds. They picked through every corner, every shadow, all of them hunting for Tomoya like he was about to jump out of nowhere. The classroom doors had been shut, blocked off by desks and chairs shoved into place. If that psycho was still somewhere inside the building, he wouldn't be able to get close to Hana or Yasushi — if they were even his targets.

"We seriously need a screening process for new students. This school, hell, even the other schools in this city, are cranking out way too many mentally unstable people," Xinyi muttered, her eyes dark and angry as she leaned back in her chair.

"Complaining about it won't change anything," Senbarisu shot back from her desk, barely looking up. "If you've got an issue, bring it up with the principal or the school board. Now's not the time to whine."

No one could argue with that. The room fell quiet for a moment, but then Yasushi's phone buzzed, cutting through the tense silence. Eyes locked on him — they all knew by now that he was the one in touch with the police.

Yasushi glanced at the screen, his face tightening as he read the message. "He's inside the building. They confirmed it. He's not outside. The K-9 unit sniffed around the grounds, and both dogs traced his scent to one of the back exits. He must've slipped in there," he explained, voice even, though tension clung to the air.

A voice cracked through the silence, worried. "He doesn't have a weapon, right? A knife, or something?" someone asked, the words carrying a sense of dread that spread to the rest of the class.

Yasushi stared at his phone, shaking his head, but not offering any comfort. "I don't know. I really don't. All we can do is keep these doors shut and blocked. Hopefully, he's not the kind of lunatic who'd just smash through the glass panels to get inside."

That last part hit the room hard, the tension doubling. The uneasy looks from the others only grew worse.

Reina scowled, her brows furrowing. "That's not helping. You're just making it worse."

Yasushi shrugged, indifferent to her complaint. He wasn't going to lie or sugarcoat anything. Feeding them false comfort wouldn't help. Maybe harsh reality would make them understand the gravity of the situation, or at least, that's how he saw it.

A sudden shout, followed by a deranged laugh, echoed down the hallway. The sound slammed into their ears, forcing everyone's attention to snap toward the door. Since Tomoya had been one of their classmates, he knew exactly where to find them.

The thought of him making it to their classroom felt almost inevitable now. Yasushi moved fast, typing out a message to Yinhaie, while Furuya threw open the window. He leaned out and screamed at the police below, warning them that Tomoya had made it to their floor. The officers immediately started rushing into the building, scrambling to respond.

"Let me iiiin!!!" Tomoya's voice thundered through the door as he slammed his body into it, hitting it again and again. "Hana, my love! I'm here! We can run away together! Just open the damn door!"

A guy in the corner, likely desperate for some twisted humor to break the tension, muttered, "If this was during Halloween, it'd actually be pretty perfect." He was met with glares and furious expressions from around the room. His mouth shut fast after that, realizing no one found anything remotely amusing about this nightmare they were in.

The pounding on the door grew louder, each thud feeling heavier. It was only a few moments before the sudden sound of scuffling replaced the banging. Grunts and groans filled the hallway, followed by Tomoya's wild, frustrated screams. The older men must've gotten to him, the ones outside dealing with the maniac who had thrown himself at their barricade.

Yasushi scanned the faces of his classmates. Fear gripped them, but there was something else too. They hadn't broken down completely. Maybe it had all happened so fast that panic hadn't fully sunk its claws into them.

The noise from outside suddenly stopped. The pounding, the shouting, all of it just cut off. Yasushi's phone buzzed again, and he pulled it out, eyes scanning the message. It was from Yinhaie. "It's done." That was all it said, but it was enough. He pocketed his phone and looked up. "It's over. We can take down the barricades."

He didn't wait for a response. Walking over to the pile of chairs and desks, he began dragging them away from the door. The others quickly followed suit, everyone moving to dismantle the makeshift wall they'd built in a panic.

Within minutes, the door was clear, and one of them swung it open, revealing the cops waiting just outside. The officers stepped into the room without hesitation, their faces grim and exhausted.

After a quick exchange of words, they got straight to the point, explaining what had gone down in the hallway. Tomoya had been taken down hard, dragged out of the building, his wild screams still fresh in their minds. The cops didn't waste time, though, turning their attention to Yasushi and Hana. A gesture, nothing more, and the two of them were silently told to follow.

Out in the corridor, they were led to a police car. The ride to the station was quiet, tense, the air in the car heavy. Once inside, the officers got down to business, questioning the two of them again.

Hana went first, recounting her connection to Tomoya, providing every piece of information she could remember. Then it was Yasushi's turn. His answers were clear, direct, though the questioning seemed to drag on longer than either of them had expected.

When they finally finished, they were allowed to leave.

"I really need to start picking better boyfriends," Hana muttered, her voice low, breaking the uncomfortable silence.

Yasushi didn't turn to look at her. "I need to stop being their target. It's been going on since last year."

For a moment, neither said anything. They both sighed, then exchanged small, tired smiles, like they were silently agreeing that this whole situation was too much. Yasushi glanced at the darkening sky. "It's getting late. I'll call you a cab, and I'll cover the cost."

Hana shook her head quickly. "No, no, no, that's not necessary. I'll call my dad. He's probably worried anyway."

She pulled out her phone and dialed. It didn't take long — within minutes, her dad's car pulled up, headlights cutting through the growing shadows. He got out of the car immediately, his face full of concern. Without a word, he rushed over to her, wrapping her in a tight hug. She stood there, letting out a deep breath as he held her close.

They spoke softly for a moment, voices too low for Yasushi to hear, though his eyes remained on them, curious. Then, both Hana and her father turned toward him and walked over. Her father's face softened as he looked at Yasushi. "It hasn't been that long since we last saw each other, huh?" the older man said, a slight smile pulling at his lips.

"Yeah, but I didn't think things would escalate this fast." Yasushi paused, rubbing his neck. "At least it ended before it could get worse, so hopefully no more bullshit after today." He exhaled, then shifted gears, catching them off guard. "By the way, are you guys coming to our Halloween event in a few days?"

"Yeah, me and my wife are planning to go. Why do you ask?" Hana's father asked, his brows knitting together slightly, unsure of the sudden question.

Yasushi shrugged, eyes dropping for a moment before he answered. "Just wanted to check. It's Hana's — well, our — last event like this. After this, it's all about the colleges and universities. This one's different, though, since it's our last high school thing."

Hana's father seemed to catch on, his expression softening. He chuckled, a quiet sound escaping him as he nodded. "I get it. Makes sense. Well, we'll be there, no worries." He motioned toward his car. "We should head out now. See you at the event, Yasushi."

Hana waved from the passenger seat as she climbed into the car. The vehicle pulled away, engine humming as they drove off into the distance.

Yasushi stood there for a moment, watching them disappear before pulling out his phone. Several unread notifications stared back at him. A mix of group messages and a couple from Xinyi and Jingliu. They all wanted to know if he was okay and what exactly had gone down earlier.

He started responding to each one, fingers moving as he walked.

+-+

Work pressed on, everyone moving with the kind of urgency that didn't allow room for yesterday's chaos to slow them down. The interruption hadn't killed their momentum. Sure, a few still glanced over their shoulders every now and then, but it wasn't enough to stop the final touches from getting done.

Paintbrushes swiped across backdrops, fingers adjusted costumes, and voices echoed with the lines they needed to memorize for the haunted house. The whole place buzzed with an almost frantic energy.

"One, two, three! One, two, three! Keep up the pace! We've got a day left before the show kicks off!" Senbarisu shouted, her voice cutting through the noise as she directed different groups through their routines, barking orders at them.

"Yes, ma'am!" came the chorus of responses from those around her, the rhythm of their footsteps matching the count.

"Sure thing, old hag!" some boy called out from behind the line, though the words barely left his mouth before Senbarisu's shoe smacked him square in the face, knocking him flat to the floor.

"I'm still young, damn it!" she yelled, glaring down at him while the others snickered, their work only slowing for a brief moment as she reasserted control.

The rehearsals continued, everyone working hard to shake off any lingering unease. Yasushi, meanwhile, took a break, glancing at his phone as it buzzed again. It was close to eleven now. He skimmed over the updates from Yinhaie. Tomoya had been committed to the institution. Locked away, getting the treatment he needed. It seemed like, this time, he wouldn't be finding a way out.

As for Hana, she looked different today. Lighter, somehow. Her shoulders weren't hunched anymore. She laughed, really laughed, in a way that made it clear something had finally been lifted from her. Yesterday's mess was behind her now.

"Sorry for snapping at you yesterday, Yasushi," Reina said, walking up beside him after what seemed like a pause. "I was stressed and…" She stopped, like she couldn't quite finish.

Yasushi scratched the back of his neck. "No, it's on me. I said things too bluntly. Didn't really think before I spoke. So yeah, sorry for that." His words hung there for a second before she smiled, a little relieved.

"Anyway, how's everything going with your group?" Yasushi asked, moving the conversation forward.

"It's fine. We're taking a break, so I thought I'd come talk to you," she replied, taking a seat next to him. Her posture looked a bit awkward, something clearly weighing on her, but she didn't dive right into it.

Reina hesitated, her fingers fidgeting with her sleeve. After a moment, she glanced up at him, her mouth opening and closing before she finally spoke. "So… I've been keeping something from everyone for a while. I didn't know how to say it before, but now seems like the right time. I wanted to tell you first since you've been encouraging me to, and also… as a way to apologize."

Yasushi gave a slow nod, waiting for her to get whatever was on her mind out into the open.

Reina's voice stumbled before she found her footing. "I've... actually been writing stuff online for a while now. Just letting people read it, y'know? At first, it was small — ten, maybe twenty readers if I was lucky. But then this popular writer in the genre I follow a lot put my work on a recommendation list of hers."

She paused, the energy behind her words building as she kept going. "And it kinda blew up from there. More and more people started reading it, leaving comments, even praising it. It went from a handful of readers to hundreds every week. It's crazy — exciting even! I never thought people would actually like what I wrote. And now... I think I'm about to get a contract. So I've started on a new novel, but I haven't posted anything yet."

Yasushi blinked, clearly caught off guard. He hadn't expected that from her, but his expression shifted to something warmer, a bit impressed even.

"Well… I didn't see that coming, but I'm glad you're finally getting your stuff out there. I was gonna tell you to do exactly that. Get some real feedback, y'know? Not just the surface-level stuff like 'I like this, don't like that.' A lot of people say what they don't like without actually explaining why something doesn't work, or why it feels out of place. They don't have to be pros, but reviews grounded in something real, with actual thought behind them? That's where you get value, not from someone throwing around pointless opinions."

Reina gave a firm nod, her hands moving a little as if they couldn't stay still. "Yeah, it's really messed up when you see people acting like that. Like, they feel invincible just because they're sitting behind a screen. They say the nastiest stuff, and you know damn well they wouldn't dare say any of it to your face."

Yasushi gave a grunt of agreement. "Yeah, that's what they are. Trolls, keyboard warriors, whatever you wanna call them. All talk when no one can reach them. It's just sad when you think about it."

They went back and forth, Reina's excitement clear as they talked more about her writing, the way her career was starting to take off in ways she hadn't expected. She was riding that momentum, already making plans for future chapters, thinking up new ideas for upcoming projects. She even promised Yasushi she'd let him read the first chapter of her next novel before it hit the public eye, something she hadn't done with anyone else yet.