The TV flickered in the dim living room as I sat on the edge of the couch, pretending to watch, pretending the unease gnawing at my chest wasn't there. This is how our family watched, my mother insisted on watching this way.
The anchor's voice was steady, professional. "Tonight, from eleven to midnight, a full planetary alignment will occur where all eight planets align together. Scientists have declared it virtually impossible under natural conditions, and they can't explain why it was happening. Meanwhile, many worshippers across the globe have begun calling it the end of the world."
The screen cut to footage of people kneeling in crowded streets, candles trembling in their hands. Shrines overflowed with flowers and smoke. Lips moved in desperate prayer. Even through the screen, I could feel their fear pressing into the room.
Another voice cut through it—warm, familiar, real.
"Are you going to watch the planetary alignment later, Nick?"
I turned my head. My mother sat on another couch, her face glowing softly in the television's light. Even in her early forties, people still turned their heads when she passed—her gentle eyes, her quiet beauty, the kindness that never seemed to fade. The world could be ending, and yet she would still ask if I'd eaten.
I shook my head. "No, Mom. I don't feel well tonight. I think I'll sleep early."
She frowned immediately and stood, crossing the room in three quick steps. Her palm pressed to my forehead.
"Oh God… you're hot."
My father coughed from his seat, eyes still on the news. He was a man with few words, strict, but never cruel. People often mistook him for being younger than he was. In truth, he was two years older than Mom.
My mother pulled her hand back, flustered. "I—I mean his temperature is high. He might be coming down with something. Hold on, I'll get the medicine."
She hurried upstairs toward the master's bedroom.
My father finally glanced at me. "If you still don't feel well tomorrow, tell me. I'll tell Mr. Topaz."
"I'm okay, Dad," I said quickly. "Medicine and rest always work for me."
He studied me for a moment, then gave a small nod. "Still—tell me if it gets worse. Take your medicine and go straight to sleep."
The news continued to mumble on as he turned back to the screen.
A minute later, Mom returned, stopping first at the kitchen to pour water. She handed me the glass and the pills, her hands warm, steady.
"Take these and go to bed," she said gently. "Don't stay up late."
"I won't."
The medicine slid down my throat with the water, bitter and chalky. I headed for my room, each step heavier than the last.
I dropped onto my bed and checked my phone on the desk beside my bed.
No messages.
Disappointment struck like a sharp little fang.
She's probably just busy studying, I thought, trying to comfort myself.
I placed the phone back down and lay flat on my bed, staring at the ceiling.
The medicine did nothing.
Heat bloomed beneath my skin, climbing through my veins like a slow fire. It felt as if something inside me was swelling, expanding, pushing against my bones, looking for a way out. Every breath came shallow and tight. I hugged my pillow and curled around it like it could protect me from whatever was burning me alive from the inside.
Time lost its meaning.
Eventually, darkness took me.
I passed out.
Then, out in the dark, light appeared in rows.
Torches lined a narrow path that stretched forward into nothingness, their flames wavering in a wind I couldn't feel. Against every instinct I had, I followed it. My feet moved without sound. At the end of the path waited only darkness—vast, endless, devouring.
Then the fog came.
It poured out of the void like a living tide, swallowing the torches one by one until only gray silence remained. From within it, something opened its eyes.
Large. Purple. Watching me.
My breath caught. I stumbled backward, fell, scrambled to my feet, and ran. I dared to look back—
The eyes hadn't moved.
But when I turned forward—
They were there…right in front of me.
My legs refused to respond. Fear rooted me in place.
My heartbeat thundered in my ears as laughter rolled through the fog, low and amused.
"You fool," the creature said. "You think you can run from me?"
With all my remaining courage, I forced the words out with a shaky voice, "Who… who are you?"
"I am you."
The fog surged forward like a tidal wave.
Tried to scream. Tried to run. But darkness swallowed me whole.
I jolted awake, gasping, my lungs burning as if I'd been underwater. The room still dark, yet morning sun rays escaped from the window curtain. My clothes and bed sheets were soaked beneath me.
Pressing a trembling hand to my chest, I felt my heart still racing.
"That was just a dream," I whispered.
But the heat still clung to my skin.
A chill crept up my spine as I stared into the darkness of my room, the echo of those purple eyes burning behind my closed lids.
How could a dream feel this real?
A knock echoed softly against my door.
I flinched so hard my heart stumbled.
"Time to eat, Nick," my mother's voice followed, gentle and warm as always. "Breakfast is ready."
"Just a minute," I replied, clearing my throat.
After hearing her footsteps retreated down the stairs, I sat on the edge of my bed for a second, staring at the floor as if expecting the fog from my dream to crawl out from beneath it. My chest still felt tight, as though I hadn't fully woken up from the nightmare.
I hurried into the bathroom and turned on the shower. Warm water poured over me, but it couldn't wash away the lingering heat beneath my skin. I dressed quickly in my school uniform. Without bothering to fix my hair, I grabbed my bag and returned to my desk.
My phone lay there, silent.
I picked it up, unlocking the screen with a small, desperate hope.
Still no message.
Disappointment settled in my stomach, followed closely by that familiar whisper of insecurity. I told myself she must have fallen asleep while studying, yet the silence still stung. I slipped the phone into my pocket and headed downstairs.
Mom and Dad were already at the table. Mom was in the middle of an animated story, smiling as she spoke. Dad listened while sipping his coffee, newspaper spread open in front of him.
"Good morning, Mom. Dad," I greeted as I pulled out a chair.
Mom stopped mid-sentence and looked at me—then her eyes widened.
"Oh my," she laughed. "Nick, look at your hair. A bird could live in that thing."
Before I could react, she stood and pulled out a comb.
"Mom, wait—" I lifted my hands to shield my head. "I'll fix it later. In the car."
"You always say that," she scolded playfully, already tugging gently at my hair.
Dad lowered his paper just enough to glance at us. "He's old enough to take care of himself. Let the boy eat."
Mom shot him a sharp look. "Says the man who still can't fix his tie properly."
Dad coughed violently, nearly choking on his coffee. Mom smirked in triumph and returned to her seat.
She studied me again, her playful expression softening.
"How do you feel today?"
I forced a smile. "I'm good, Mom. I can go to school."
Dad folded his newspaper and looked straight at me. "Are you sure?"
"Yes."
He nodded once. "Okay." Then he returned to his reading.
After breakfast, I stepped outside and slid into the passenger seat. A moment later, Dad took his place behind the wheel and started the engine. The car rolled forward, the quiet of the morning stretching between us.
After a few minutes, he spoke.
"There are four months left before graduation," he said. "What's your plan after that?"
"I plan to go to college with Mae," I answered.
His grip on the steering wheel tightened slightly. "I told you before—I won't interfere with your love life. But I don't feel like Mae is the right girl for you."
My chest tightened. "Is it because of her background?"
"No, son," he replied calmly. "I don't care that her father is in prison. What concerns me are the rumors around your girlfriend."
"They're just rumors, Dad," I said quickly. "Nothing more."
He was silent for a long moment before saying, "I hope so."
We reached the school fifteen minutes later. As students gathered at the gate, Dad parked near the administration building. I stepped out of the car, slung my bag over my shoulder, and started walking.
Behind me, a cheerful voice called out,
"Good morning, Principal Xevoz!"
I looked back and saw my father answer with a nod and a polite smile.
To everyone else here, he wasn't just my father—he was the authority of the school. To me, he was both, and sometimes that made it hard for me to breathe.
Inside the classroom, my eyes immediately searched for Mae.
She wasn't there.
I took my seat and pulled out a book instead—A Symphony of Corpses. The title alone made most people uncomfortable.
Jerry leaned over from the next desk. "How come you enjoy creepy books like that, Nick?"
He looked rough as always—scraped knuckles, tired eyes, the shadow of a hundred fights clinging to him—but Jerry was good at heart.
"I don't really know," I said. "I just… enjoy reading."
"You ever read something not creepy?"
"Yeah. Sometimes."
A sweet voice suddenly came from behind me.
"Hey, babe. Good morning. I'm sorry I forgot to message you—I fell asleep."
I turned.
Mae stood there, smiling softly. She wasn't the prettiest girl in school, but something about her—her innocent look, the way she smiled—always captured me.
"It's okay," I said. "I know you've been studying hard for the exam."
She nodded shyly.
Another voice chimed in. "Good morning, Nick."
John stepped beside me and ruffled my hair. I swatted his hand away.
"Stop, man."
He laughed. "Have you heard the news?"
"What news?"
He sat on the edge of my desk. "Seven volcanic islands appeared around the world after last night's planetary alignment. Just popped out of nowhere. Weird, right?"
"There could have been abnormal gravitational forces," I said.
"Scientists still can't explain how entire islands formed overnight," John said. "Some say the same thing you did."
The bell rang before I could respond.
Mae took her seat. I noticed the dark circles beneath her eyes.
She really did stay up late…
I straightened in my chair as the door opened. Mr. Topaz entered, calm and composed as always. We all stood.
"Good morning, Mr. Topaz."
"Good morning," he said. "Take your seats."
I tried to listen to his lectures, but his voice blurred into noise. The image of the purple eyes and choking fog clawed at the back of my mind. No matter how hard I focused, the dream refused to loosen its grip.
When lunch break arrived, I walked to Mae's seat.
"Let's go eat," I said.
She stood, and we made our way to the cafeteria. It was packed, every table full.
"Do you mind eating outside?" I asked.
She smiled. "I don't mind."
"What do you want? I'll buy it. Just wait here."
"An egg sandwich will do."
It took five long minutes to get through the line. When I returned, I handed her the sandwich.
"Sorry it took so long."
"It's okay."
We walked to the shade of a tree near the soccer field. As we ate, I gathered my courage.
"Do you want to go somewhere after school?"
I noticed her hesitation just for a heartbeat.
"I can't," she said softly. "I need to go home early. Maybe tomorrow?"
"Tomorrow, then," I replied.
We returned to class after lunch.
The afternoon dragged on like it was being pulled through mud.
The teacher's voice blurred into a distant hum, words flowing over me without meaning. I stared at my notebook. No matter how hard I tried to focus, my mind kept drifting—back to Mae's hesitation at lunch, back to the dream.
When the final bell rang, the sound startled me so badly I flinched in my seat.
Students erupted into motion, chairs scraping, voices rising. I packed my notebook into my bag and lifted my gaze, searching the room.
Mae was already gone.
A hollow ache opened in my chest. I told myself not to read into it. She said she needed to go home early. Still, the disappointment seeped in quietly, like water through cracks in stone.
I spotted John near the doorway, slinging his bag over his shoulder.
"Hey," I called. "Have you seen Mae?"
He nodded. "Yeah. She left in a hurry. Went straight home."
"Thanks, man."
"No problem. I gotta bounce too."
"Okay. Take care."
He waved and disappeared into the rushing crowd.
The hallway swallowed me in noise and motion, but I felt completely alone.
I guess I'll go to the bookstore first, I murmured to myself.
The city felt louder than usual as I walked toward the business district. Cars screamed past. Neon signs buzzed faintly, even in the late afternoon light. People brushed past me, laughing, arguing, living their normal lives.
Before I reached the bookstore entrance, a familiar figure caught my eye across the street.
My steps slowed.
John…?
My heart skipped. He wasn't heading toward the train station. He was walking in the opposite direction from his house.
A strange instinct twisted in my gut.
Without thinking, I followed him.
He stopped in front of one of the hotels. My pulse spiked, and I slipped into the shadow of a nearby alley, my back pressed to cold brick as I watched from a distance.
A few minutes passed.
Then someone approached him from the far end of the street.
My breath caught.
A girl in a skirt and coat. A facemask covered the lower half of her face. For a moment, I tried to convince myself it wasn't her.
Then she moved closer.
She wrapped her arms around John.
My heart fractured in a single, silent crack.
John leaned down and whispered something into her ear. She laughed softly. Even through the mask, even from this distance, I knew.
Mae.
"No," I whispered. "It can't be."
My breathing turned shallow. My hands shook as I pulled out my phone. I needed proof. I needed to be wrong. I dialed her number, my fingers trembling so badly I had to grip the phone with both hands.
The girl beside John lifted one finger to his lips—shushing him—and answered.
"Hey, babe," Mae's voice came through the line, sweet and familiar. "What's the problem?"
What's the problem?
You're standing in front of my best friend in front of a hotel.
But my voice came out weak. Controlled. Broken.
"Nothing," I said. "Where are you right now? I can hear cars."
There was a brief pause.
"Oh—um, I'm on my way home," she replied quickly. "I just stopped by the grocery store."
The lie slid so smoothly from her lips it nearly broke me.
"I see," I said.
That was it.
"Okay… goodbye."
This time, I meant it.
"Okay. Take care," she said. "I love you."
Those three words used to warm me. Now they tasted worse than poison.
I ended the call without replying.
Tears spilled freely down my face, blurring everything—John, Mae, the street, the world. My girlfriend. My best friend. The two people I trusted most had crushed me without hesitation.
My chest hurt as if something inside had been ripped out barehanded.
I turned and stumbled deeper into the alley, walking without direction, without thought—only the need to get away. I don't know how long I wandered. Time dissolved into grief and numbness.
Then—
Something slammed into my side.
The impact sent me flying several meters through the air. I crashed hard into the wall at the end of the alley, my head struck with a sickening force. A trash bin clattered across the ground, spilling garbage everywhere.
My vision blurred violently.
Warm liquid slid across my forehead.
I reached up weakly—and when I saw red coating my fingers, a chill shot straight down my spine.
Footsteps approached.
Slow. Heavy.
I lifted my gaze.
A hooded figure stood before me. At first, I thought the shapes behind him were shadows. Then they moved.
No—those weren't shadows.
They were tentacles.
My body screamed to run, but I couldn't even move. Darkness crept in at the edges of my sight.
Still, I forced the words out.
"What… do you want?"
The man's voice was calm. Almost amused.
"Your life."
A cold shock ripped through me.
"I—I don't even know you," I whispered. "Why would you want to kill me…?"
He tilted his head slightly. "It was hard to track you down, little puppy. But you're worth it."
The tentacles writhed eagerly behind him.
"So stay still," he said quietly, "and become my meal."
They lunged.
My vision collapsed into shadow. My thoughts scattered. I felt my consciousness slipping away as death rushed toward me.
So this is how it ends…
I closed my eyes.
Then a voice echoed inside my head—deep, ancient, and not my own.
Let me handle this, boy.
Total darkness swallowed me whole.