Act 2.1 Fear

"FOUND YOU"

Like a demon standing atop everything, pointing its finger toward Ashay. His heart skipped a beat, and the whispering voice began sounding in his head again. This was similar to the cryptic message he used to get.

But this time, it was visible to everyone.

"Run, run away, run away!" whispers echoed in his mind. Ashay didn't hesitate to turn around, but before he could take a single step, the lights abruptly cut off. The sound of a siren stopped, and the courtyard was filled with a darkness deeper than a moonless night.

'What happened to the light?' A voice spoke in the darkness.

"The power is cut down. There must be something wrong with MCB." Another unnamed voice replied. The phone flashlight began to flash in the dark courtyard.

'Now of all times?' A voice said something in irritation.

"Wait, I have seen this in movies; the criminals cut the lights off so they can easily run away!" A sarcastic voice sounded behind a girl.

"Who said that? Will you just shut up?" The girl responded as she turned on her flashlight, searching for the source of the sarcastic comment. It was when she turned around that her movement froze at once.

Her eyes froze in fear, and a thump fell heavy on her heart. It all happened in a second; she felt a strong twisting sensation in her body, and her upper body was separated from her legs, a shower of blood leaking out on the ground.

"AAAArrrrggghhhhh!!!" She let out a soul-chilling scream, a death roar that sent fear into the atmosphere. The scream was so intense it silenced all the whispers in the yard.

"What was that sound?"

"Is that a prank?"

They were all just stunned, standing in their place like frozen statues, unable to move. Everyone quickly reacted without speaking a word; they turned their flashlights to search around.

The crowd quickly began to point lights at the source of the sound, and everyone's attention was attracted by the scream. Some were scared and even began making their way out, but with the dense crowd and no light, it was almost impossible.

"Hey…everyone… look at…" A trembling voice shattered the whispers; they all looked at the student, fear visible on his face and his trembling finger pointing in a direction. They all followed the direction to see five more corpses handing down the bloody symbol.

It was blurry at first, but as more people pointed their flashlights at it, the horror became more and more clear. Five more bodies were pinned against the wall. Their limbs missing and bent at an unnatural angle, eyes scorched out, and heads pointing at them as if the hollow inside their eye socket was looking at them.

Screams erupt, and fear soared through the air.

"RUN!!"

Someone screamed, and the crowd fell into chaos. All heading in one direction, the singular exit opposite the courtyard.

"GRRAAAAAAAA!!" An ominous roar sounded across the courtyard, its source unknown but yet so monstrous it was able to strike fear down the students. The crowd erupted, people stepping over others to run away.

Ashay too quickly turned and began forcing his way out. The exit wasn't too far from him. All he needed to do was run out of this damn building. He dashed with all his might, looking at the people's heads, about to exit the building.

It was another boy, ready to take the first step out, but before he could, an invisible force fell on his back, which pulled him inside the corridor, skidding through the ground. He passed Ashay just a few steps and smashed into the wall like a paper.

Ashay's eyes opened wide; images flashed before him. It was all too similar to his nightmare; the part where he needed to run away was all too familiar.

"Ah, my hand, AAAAAHHHHH!" A boy screamed; his head began twisting until it rotated and tore off from his body. Another invisible force struck a girl, like a cannon in her chest; her heart was scorched out of her body as she fell to the ground lifeless.

Blood and screams were everywhere, overwhelming Ashay's senses, yet he kept running, pushing towards the metallic gates. He didn't understand what was happening, nor did he care; the adrenaline rushing inside his body just wanted him to do one thing.

ESCAPE.

The gate was closer, barely ten meters away. Ashay ran quickly without thinking anything; the metal handle was within his reach; he grabbed it quickly, and suddenly the person running before him was grabbed by the same invisible force again.

The boy was pulled inside with a monstrous force; he wiggled his hands to grab onto anything, but all he could grab on was Ashay's hand. He gripped tight, dipping his nails in Ashay's skin.

Ashay could feel the pain; he firmly grabbed onto the door handle with his other hand. He looked at the person grabbing onto him, screaming, crying, and begging for help.

"Please save me; it's pulling me inside. It's going to KILL ME !!" The boy pleaded as his grip slipped; his fingers left a long, deep scratch on Ashay's hand before they let go, and the boy was pulled aside while screaming for his life.

Ashay's mind was all blank, numb to the pain in him. His instinct just told him to run and save his life; he couldn't afford to stay a second longer. His legs moved on their own, pushing him off the edge; he abruptly jumped off the stairs, falling outside on the ground of the academic building.

'Thud' was followed by a pain in his face as Ashay fell to the ground, out of that gate. He grasped his breath like he was thirsting for air. Ashay stood up, turning to take just one look at the department building. He saw what terror meant.

This so far was not a dream but a massacre in real life. While some ran past him, some couldn't make out of that gate; all that remained were their blood and limbs, which flew in the air.

Ashay stood up on his trembling legs and looked around at the chaos outside. Things weren't limited to the department building, nor were they limited to this campus, but to the whole outside world.

'I don't want to die here; I need to make it out alive.' Ashay thought a stinging pain was continuously aching in the right side of his forehead, as if someone were continuously hammering a nail in his skull.

Ashay's mind was blanking out again and again; his body was on autopilot, just running in any random direction he didn't know. He was feeling as if the world around him was rotating and he could fall any moment.

"Ashay!!" A faint voice sounded in his head; in the chaotic crowd, he couldn't find the source of the sound. The voice sounded again and again, this time closer. It felt like someone was shaking his body.

Ashay abruptly jumped to consciousness; he found himself blanked out in the middle of the campus road while Jay was violently shaking and slapping him. He saw him covered in blood, but he didn't look as injured.

Jay was calmer than him, trying to drag Ashay in a direction. But Ashay was too stunned by adrenaline; he tried to say something, but his tongue fumbled. He tried to calm himself down and took a long breath, but none of it was working.

"Escape…" He mumbled, looking at Jay; the mixed emotion he was feeling couldn't be described in words. He just had the thought that he needed to run away from something. As if something was trying to hunt him down.

"Yes, quick, escape!!" Jay said, visibly calmer than Ashay, the wound in his chest appearing like a claw mark, bleeding, drenching his whole body in blood. Yet he was somehow calmer than Ashay. He pulled him constantly in a direction, but Ashay refused to go.

"No, not the gates!" He shouted, but the chaos and screams around made his voice inaudible to Jay. Ashay pulled his hand back, shouting at him once again, "We can't go through the gates!"

Jay stopped, frustration evident in his voice. He looked at Ashay and asked, "Are you gone insane? Just keep your mouth shut and come─" He tried to pull again, but Ashay refused.

"No, no, no, listen to me. We can't escape through the main gate!" Ashay cut his sentence in between. He was somehow able to speak; he didn't know when he pulled Jay aside from the crowd. He observed around.

Not just his, but all eight department buildings were under attack; all those who managed to escape from the building were running toward the gate. But something in Ashay was telling him not to do so.

"Jay, I know you can do that. We need to escape through the campus fast. But not through the main gates." Ashay explained.

"But why the fuck, no?" Jay shouted in frustration.

"Because I said so!" Ashay shouted back, "You need to trust me on this one. Find me one way to escape the college campus but not the gates. I know you can do that; only you of all people can do that."

Jay looked into his eyes; he had a lot of questions in his mind, but he remained silent, listening to Ashay. He nodded aggressively, grabbing Ashay's hand and pulling him over in a direction.

"Follow me, damnit!" he said, and both of them started running, not towards the campus gates but to the girl's hostel. They ran against the crowd with flashlights in hand. Ashay constantly tried connecting calls, but the signal was null.

Jay stopped; just before the boundary, he pointed at the guava tree next to the 5-meter-tall boundary. "We need to climb up here and jump to the other side!"

Ashay gritted his teeth, looking at the tall tree. "How am I supposed to jump down from a 5-meter-tall wall?"

"Are you seriously worried about that?" Jay exclaimed, and without waiting for Ashay, he climbed the tree. Ashay too climbed the tree next to the boundary; he jumped on the boundary and looked at the height below.

Without wasting any second, both jumped off the boundary on the damp ground. Ashay probably got injured, but he didn't know where. He just stood back up and ran with all his might.

Jay was second to run. Just fifty meters from the boundary, it felt like Ashay had stepped out of a bubble. Suddenly, the sky was not as dark. The screaming sounds of the students stopped. He could hear police sirens and notifications bombarding his phone.

He looked back; Jay followed him, but he was bleeding relentlessly. Ashay quickly pulled him over and rushed to the road. The college was near the road; the hospital wasn't so far; he needed to get there as quickly as possible.

"Just hold on one darn minute; we are almost there!" Ashay said, supporting Jay to run, but the other was too weak; he doubted if Jay could even hear him. His legs were fumbling, and his eyes were half closed.

Ashay could feel the increasing weight of Jay with each step he took. "I said, hold on one more darn minute!" he shouted, but it was no use. Jay was already unconscious, his body like a lump.

Ashay had no choice but to lift him on his back and run towards the road. He wants to know how he is doing everything. He could just see himself moving like a video game.

He could remember a car stopping before him; in the other scene, he was calling Jay's family. The next scene he remembered was the hospital, where Jay was getting treated. His family was there soon.

He could see his father calling; maybe he picked it up, but he didn't remember. He didn't know how much time had passed; it was all like a blank. He sat in a car; someone was driving.

In the other fragment of memory, he was standing before his house. Dragging himself inside like a zombie, he could feel himself collapsing at any moment. Someone ran out of his house; the person was blurry, but he could recognize it was Mukesh.

As if looking at him was all it needed, tears began to erupt from his eyes. He could hear someone crying. It was no one but him who was crying. He tried to walk forward, but his leg turned limp, and he collapsed on the ground.

It was happening all over again. The girl was pinned to the wall, the blood flying in the air. Haunting visions played before his eyes all at once. The familiar ringing sound erupted once again, overwhelming his senses.

His vision turned completely white, as if someone were increasing the contrast of the world around him. He could feel a burn in his throat, but he didn't know what caused it.

Like a heavy weight was pressing against his chest, he could feel it. The foul scent, as if someone puked just now. He wiggled his arms and legs, touching the gooey liquid beneath him.

He found himself drenched in his vomit, as his senses were fading. He didn't know what was going on, nor could he care. All he heard around him was someone calling his name again and again.

"Ashay!"

"Ashay!"

"Ashay!"

The voice faded as if it were going far, and the scene paused. An abrupt end cut him off from reality. Ashay lay there on the ground, unconscious, while Mukesh constantly sprayed water on his face.