Saints Fall - PROLOGUE: Blackout

I stared at the test paper in front of me, biting my lip. A pencil was next to the paper but I made no attempts to use it, or even touch it. The words, dancing in front of my eyes, wouldn't make sense.

"If it takes eight men ten hours to build a wall, how long would it take four men?" it said, loud and clear. And yet, I couldn't understand it at all.

I looked around to see if anyone finished, and to my relief, nobody did. Only the sulky girl with brown hair was reading a manga secretly under her desk, much to my annoyance.

I decided to pick up the pencil even though I didn't feel like writing anything carefully, feeling the weight of it as I spun it on my fingers. But as soon as the pencil did its second spin, something happened.

Something… I didn't expect.

The whole classroom suddenly became black, shrieks filling the room. My pencil clattered to the floor, making me jolt and surprising another student. All around me students were shoving each other, calling out names. The classroom was no longer in test mode.

More like PANIC mode… I thought, snorting.

I was getting up from my seat when a cold hand touched my shoulder.

"Stay where you are, Chiyoye," a voice whispered in my ear, "don't move unless I tell you to."

I frowned, trying to work out who the voice belonged to when Mrs. Jade called out, "Open the curtains everyone!"

At that moment, dim light poured into the classroom, eating away the darkest shadows. The room was still dark, but much brighter than before – at least I could see a few meters ahead of me.

I sighed in relief, and began to get out of my seat again when the hand touched me on the arm.

"Didn't I tell you to stay where you are?" The voice snapped, behind me.

I whisked around and came face to face with Yamato, the new kid who joined Grade 8 only last term. He was only a bit taller than me (I was very disappointed because of that) and had a lot of sandy-coloured hair that were slightly curled, like it was permed.

I blinked, staring at the boy. He stared back.

And then he pointed to the ground next to my seat, gesturing me to look. Once I saw what was on the floor, my cheeks flushed as I looked away, embarrassed.

Someone had accidentally spilt water on the floor and "coated" it with pins and needles from the art box. If I had gotten out of my seat, I would have slipped and stabbed myself with those pesky, pointy things. I turned to Yamato, not looking at his face. "Thanks," I mumbled quietly.

He nodded and walked away, leaving me alone. Even though I didn't want to admit it, I like it when he's around. Yamato doesn't give me sneering looks or tries to slap me with those fancy fans the girls own. In fact, he's the only person who was sort of nice to me and he even saved me from the water-and-pins-and-needles accident. I just hope he won't bully me once he finds out my secret. Or, at least not until Grade 8 ends.

I shook my head, forcing myself to stop staring at Yamato as he walked away. I cautiously got out my seat the other way, the way that has no spilt water or pins and needles. But before I could walk even 1 centimeter, Mrs. Jade was telling everyone to go back to their seats and watch the projector.

GREAT TIMING, CHIYOYE. GREAT TIMING, my mind was saying while I plopped back into my seat.

Looking at the projector, it seemed to project a lady covered in hideous makeup while talking to a microphone that was held by someone offscreen. Mrs. Jade silenced the class and explained what was going on, "All right, 8R, please settle down. The school recently had an electricity malfunction so every classroom has no power."

The teacher paused to hear someone say "is it a blackout?" and nodded, praising the student who spoke. "Yes, it is very much a simple blackout. Nothing to worry about," Mrs. Jade continued, "but I found something interesting on the internet before the blackout happened. I already downloaded the video on my laptop so hopefully we can see it now."

She pointed to the projector, speaking quickly, "You may or may not know that there is recently a virus spreading in USA. Many people say it isn't serious but in this video it really shows how the virus is actually more dangerous than it seems. Now, everyone look at the projector."

5 hands shot up like tree roots and Mrs. Jade sighed, picking one hand. "Why are we watching this?" A blonde girl asked, her face annoyed.

"To inform everyone about the virus so that they can prepare for it. Wouldn't that be handy? Knowing how to protect yourself from something deadly?" Answered Mrs. Jade.

"How is the virus dangerous?" Another plump boy questioned.

"It will explain in the video."

Soon, more hands were waving in the air and poor Mrs. Jade struggled to answer them all.

"Everyone, put your hands down! It's time to watch the video," Mrs. Jade shouted at last, and every remaining hand hesitantly went down.

I, on the other hand, had no curiosity for the virus. All I cared about was the lights to turn back on. Outside, the sky was getting very cloudy and I could hear distant thunders, bellowing to the world.

Mrs. Jade started the video, and everyone stopped talking. I peeked at Yamato to see if he was watching it.

He was.

Might as well watch it too, I thought, looking at the projector.

"I don't know how and why the virus started," The lady with the ugly makeup muttered in the video, "but I do know it is fatal. It wasn't so bad in the beginning but it began to infect a large amount of people the more we ignored it. Please, let this virus stop."

The video then switched to a man with a beard, saying that he was a scientist of some kind and listed all his work details. "This virus is called [___________]. It originated from USA but now it has spread all over the world, including Australia," The man said and a few gasps erupted in the room.

"There has been many cases and unfortunately, hospitals are packed with sick patients because of this disease. It targets children between 10 – 15 years old — I found out this a few days ago — so parents, if your children are or between those ages, please keep an eye out for them. This virus is considered to be very contagious," The old man grunted huskily.

I leaned back in my chair, aware that I was sitting on the edge of my seat a few seconds ago. The information I heard from the video startled me a little bit, but still not enough to make me believe this virus was actually dangerous. Grabbing my water bottle from the empty bottle tray next to me, I took a big gulp of water and focused my attention on the projector once again.

This time, it was a young teenager with piercings and he had a worried look on his face. His lips were moving rapidly and I could hear a slight Dutch accent as he spoke: "The virus is going out of control! My little sister recently got it and she's been acting all strangely. She wouldn't eat or drink anything, and has been sleeping for a week now. I fear that she is in coma but I am not certain. And to make it worse, my father and older brother also got it and now it's only me and Ma to look after everybody. Please, scientists and doctors out there, do something and create a vaccine as soon as possible!"

I looked around the room to see everyone's reactions. The blonde girl who asked Mrs. Jade about why the class has to see the video was looking at the young teenager adoringly, and the boy sitting next to her was backing away, a cringe look on his face. Most of the students wore a sympathetic face for the teenager, although some were expressions of disgust. I spent a few more seconds examining everyone before I remembered something.

There was only one person left that I didn't inspect on yet. He was the only one that made my heart thump in my chest as I turned, timidly…

To Yamato.

My breath seemed to be caught in my lungs when I realised Yamato was looking at me too. His azure blue eyes reflected in the dull light and they looked ever so enchanted. I looked away quickly, breathing heavily. My body was still tense, but I felt my muscles relax when Yamato's gaze wasn't on me.

What was that? I thought to myself, shaking my head, and why did I look away? Why does Yamato make me feel… things?

I knew I wasn't going to find the answers to my questions anytime soon. Sometimes, they are left better unasked (at least according to my grandmother). Don't dwell on it… A colder part of my mind muttered, get back to the video already!

Reluctantly, I turned to the projector, trying to not think about Yamato.

"The symptoms of [__________] consist of fever, extreme fatigue, nosebleed, coughing and back pain," an old woman was saying in a serious tone, "although for everyone the severity of the symptoms is different, and sometimes people may not have a fever at all.

"The most common ones are coughing, fatigue and nosebleed. So if you are coughing or experiencing sudden tiredness and have sudden nosebleeds, I suggest you stay at home and book an appointment with a doctor immediately. Everyone will need to wear masks and lock-downs are happening in some countries."

A few of the classmates yawned and looked like they were losing interest. The teacher, with an anxious face, seemed to bite her lip as she surveyed the class. "Children! I need you to focus on the video please. It might be for your health assessment!" Mrs. Jade said, trying to make up a joke.

The whole class groaned and stuck their eyes to the projector screen again like they were glued.

I didn't want to. I was busy listening to the howling wind outside the window, staring at the dark clouds forming together like one giant candy floss monster and being fascinated by the streaks of lightning igniting the stormy sky. Just then, my ears were filled with the noise of something else.

It was incredibly loud and it sounded like the world was spilt apart, sending shivers down my spine. I knew other people heard it too. Some of the sensitive students were covering their ears, crying out and everyone was talking at once. The video on the projector had turned to a screen that was entirely black and no one was paying attention to it anymore.

"EVERYONE, CALM DOWN! STOP TALKING!" Mrs. Jade yelled above the noise, and to me she sounded even louder than the thunder.

The whole class became silent again, blinking. "What was that?" an anxious voice cried from the right side of the classroom.

"It's the King of the Nether, descending upon this world! He's going to kill us all!" another boy joked, and was hushed by a serious-looking girl.

GrrrrRRrrRRrrr…. rAWWwarr…...

Suddenly, those sounds could be heard. Everyone in the classroom went quiet and even Mrs. Jade went pale. She made her way to her desk and fumbled for her phone, muttering underneath her breath. The class could hear the teacher dialing numbers into her phone but all we heard next was Doo! Doo… doo… "Great, even my hotspot isn't working," the teacher sighed, running a hand through her hair.

She looked at the class, anxiousness in her eyes as she started walking towards the nearest window on her left. The teacher stood with her back to the window and she crossed her arms, eyes scanning each student. "Uhmm… Mrs. Jade? Something's… behind you…" One of the student stammered, pointing at the window.

But Mrs. Jade didn't turn around, saying that the student was just imagining things. "All right, class, I need you to remain calm. Sooner or later, the electricity will go back on and our class will…" she suddenly stopped.

Her neck tickled, and she felt like someone was blowing hot air at her back. Slowly, she decided to turned around and saw two glowing red eyes, and a mouth full of sharp, hooked teeth. AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!

The window was smashed and Mrs. Jade was pulled out the classroom by the jaws of a huge monster, blood splattering everywhere. It stained the floor and even squirted onto the classroom desks… and some unlucky students.

That included me.

The whole class started screaming (especially the girls) and everyone was in total chaos. Some of the boys even took advantage of the teacher being killed by jumping onto the desks and wrestling each other. The children who had blood on them were either crying or desperately trying to rub it off while I just let the warm blood trickle down my face.

It seemed to tingle my nose, somewhat sweet and unpleasant at the same time. Without thinking, I licked the blood that was on my cheek and tasted it. It was…

DELICIOUS!!

Never in my life had I thought blood was actually quite palatable until the day I tasted it. I went over to one of the blood spattered desks and started licking it, the sweet aroma teasing my nose. I didn't stop until someone was pointing at me, a mixture of horror and disgust painted on his face. "WHAT are you DOING?! YUCK! YOU'RE LICKING BLOOD!!" a boy shouted and everyone's head turned to stare at me.

I stared back, lips bloody by the leftover blood as I grinned. "So what?" I tormented, and giggles seemed to erupt in my stomach.

I tried to hold it back, dropping to the floor as I clutched my stomach but they just came out.

He...he..hehe...!!...hehe.. ehehHE..HEHEHEHE!!!...!

Ugh, not again…!! My mind was saying as I covered my mouth to muffle the giggles. The whole class started backing away from me and looks of terror and abhorrence flashed in their eyes. "He might be infected! Get away from him everybody!!" The blonde haired girl yelled and everyone started running to one corner of the classroom, every now and then glaring at me.

"…It's just his laughter attacks… why are you all so afraid?" A voice unexpectedly rang out while I was banging my head on the ground.

I tentatively looked up, and to my surprise, it was Yamato who spoke.

"Ya… heh… mato? W-what are doing?!" I shouted between giggles, shaking my head from side to side but he kept on walking towards me, and crouched down to face me until we were eye leveled.

"What are you doing?!" I hissed again, but Yamato didn't reply. He only stared at me with his pretty cat-like eyes, a flashing azure that seemed to glow in the dim light coming from the broken window.

I looked away, my cheeks growing red with hotness but I realized my giggles had stopped.

I got up quickly, still keeping my head down to avoid everyone's gaze but the blonde hair girl wouldn't just let some kid talk back to her.

"How on earth do you know if it's just laughter attacks?! From what I know, there hasn't been a single person with that kind of sickness!" she snarled haughtily.

"Yeah, if you don't know, then don't just jump straight to conclusions," Yamato argued back in a flat tone, "because from what I know, people who are like that end up with karma."

The girl snorted, not believing what she was hearing. "I don't care what you say, Yamato. I just don't understand why you're defending a freak like him!" she shouted, pointing at me, "can't you see he's a good-for-nothing?!"

The students around the girl all nodded, not willing to look me in the eye. I bit my lip, feeling guilty that Yamato was taking the risk of defending me, when I am — like the blonde girl said — a freak. Suddenly, I felt myself being dragged away by the arm, a cool hand against my warm skin. They headed for the storage room as they said, "Since you don't care about what I say, I don't care about what you say."

The storage room then closed behind us and my vision was shrouded by darkness.