Rohan

Saturday, April 23rd, 2022 (32 days after the Shutdown)

Throwing the book onto the floor, Rohan rubbed his eyes.

He’d come a long way in the past few days.

When he’d woken and was thrown headfirst into hell, the field medic told him it would take at least 6 weeks to regain his basic range of motion. For the first time in his high school career, he surpassed expectations and was almost back to normal after a single night’s sleep — definitely normal…

Luckily for him, no one paid him any regard since there were more pressing matters, namely the Sorrows.

From the second-floor windows, several of the wind monsters could be seen floating through the tents in the backfields, which had now become a desolate landscape. The same was true for the front and the sides of the school.

They were boxed in.

The military regiment stationed at their school had established stricter policies to keep everyone safe, but it meant that there was limited space for civilians and students to travel. In the cramped quarters, disagreements over food, water, and even the most obscene things like sleeping locations were the topic of arguments that became a regular occurrence.

To avoid them, Rohan found sanctuary in the library and read up on survival tips and the benefits of different types of flora and fauna.

Putting away his latest book, he smiled. There was still so much to read but with the notes he made on treating water and local edible plants, he had a solid foundation. The next step was probably figuring out how to make bombs from scratch but that could wait until his body was completely healed.

Judging by how little food they were given, that would be a while.

His muscles were still shriveled, his face gaunt, and his arms were the same thickness as his legs. Yet, he could manage to walk on his own so he didn’t have to rely on the generosity of others just to use the washroom. He could tell by the faces of others that they were thrilled by the prospect even more than he was. Sending a silent ‘thank you’ to the albino serpent for his supernatural regeneration, he picked up his papers and headed to the foyer.

Taking his time to walk down the hall, he felt the bones in his legs grinding against each other. A sizable crowd had formed in the foyer when he entered, all of them clustered in front of the main doors.

The night in the cafeteria after the Sorrows first appeared, he’d overheard a group of soldiers discussing a supply drop. Almost immediately after, a group had been sent out to retrieve the supplies despite the danger and after 3 days, they were declared M.I.A.

“Everyone back up! It’s the Ghoul,” a student sneered as he passed by. A few others joined his laughter.

There are monsters and the best they can do is bully a cripple? Damn, that’s embarrassing…

“Where are tryna hobble, outside? Are your monster friends waiting for you?”

Clenching his fist, the memory of Corporal Anneliese flashed in his mind. Turning around, he wanted to clock his smug face but he couldn’t do anything with his current strength.

“That’s really funny, Reid. I’m dying of laughter,” he said with a deadpanned face. “Actually, you know what I realized? I was in the library browsing the books which, I know is shocking and hard for someone as stupid as you. But I had a random thought. ‘What plant would Ried Garner be?’ You, my good man, would be a cactus. Not because of any of the other redeeming qualities of a cactus. No, it’s simply because you’re a prick. Get it?”

He watched with amusement as Reid’s face turned bright red to match the color of his hair.

“Nahhh… I tried to dumb down the joke but it still went over your head. For reasons I cannot comprehend, you find so much joy in giving me crap for some freak accident and how much of a burden I was. But during that time, what did you do? The same as me. Nothing. Nada. In fact, I would say I was better than you since I wasn’t being a parasite and annoying everyone. Hell, I bet dear Mommy and Daddy are glad that you aren’t with them. So I don’t know why your twisted little mind is finding so much joy in harassing me you’ve done jack-shit, fuck-face.”

Watching a nerve work in his temple, Rohan smirked and turned around. The moment he was out of their purview, his smile curdled on his face.

You idiot, he scolded himself. He’s going to beat you to a pulp when he gets the chance. Learn to shut up.

Rushing to the cafeteria, he grabbed his small ration and went to sit down when a soldier stopped him.

“Sorry, we’re about to have a debrief and we need the cafeteria for maybe an hour. There are spots outside to eat your lunch,” he said, waiting for Rohan to follow him.

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

They stared at each other awkwardly until Rohan relented. Using the table as a support, his face flushed in embarrassment as he struggled to get up in front of the soldier. Taking his ration with him, he left the cafeteria from another door to avoid Reid and his posse.

He found himself in the southeastern wing of the school, back where he had his first encounter with a Sorrow. Against his better judgment, he decided to revisit the scene where it took place.

He’d done his best to push the incident to the side by burying himself under books, and whenever he needed to pass in front of the corridor he purposely took a detour just to avoid seeing her. But every shadow had her face on it, and the wails of the Sorrows outside reminded him of her cries for help.

Taking a deep breath, he opened the door… and his blood went cold.

He wasn’t the only one in the darkened corridor.

In front of the glass door that the soldiers had covered in cardboard, a small body was behind the statue of Corporal Anneliese, their hand on the lock.

Who is that?

“Hello?” he queried, cautiously stepping closer. The door behind him was closing slowly from the hydraulic dampers that they installed. They were so lost in thought that he had to call out another two times to get their attention.

Spinning around, they knocked over Anneliese’s calcified body, sending it crashing onto the floor. Rubble and stone spread out across the corridor. Her head stopped at his feet. Transfixed by it, his stomach turned and his face went pale as bile rose in the back of his throat.

…That’s not what I intended…

Moving aside so that the light from the hall revealed the culprit, he recognized the freshman girl who almost killed him days ago.

Blankly looking up at him, recognition dawned on her face when she realized who he was.

“Stay back,” she whispered, reaching towards the door handle.

Raising his hands, he frowned at the door. Based on the marked absence of the Sorrows’ ceaseless wailing, they weren’t nearby which was a relief. He had time to negotiate.

“Let’s think about this… okay… let’s calm down. How about we introduced ourselves…” he started, trying to imitate what he’d seen on television. “I’m —”

“I-I know who you are,” she said in a quivering voice. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her grip slacken on the door handle.

“T-That's great! I remember you from a few days ago,” he replied, lowering his hands to not draw attention. “What’s your name?”

“... Peyton.”

“That’s a really nice name, Peyton. What are you doing there? How about we continue this conversation away from the door?” he probed, keeping eye contact the whole time.

Watching him come closer, she pressed the door open until a sliver of daylight leaked in from the other side.

Ah shit, I messed up. Do I run for it? I can try and grab—

“She doesn’t leave me alone.”

Raising an eyebrow, he was at a loss for words. “... Sorry? What are you— ”

“I said she doesn’t leave me alone!” she screamed, her eyes moistening as tears welled up. “I-I keep trying to forget her but she keeps following me and she’s always making noises. The crying… I just want it to stop!”

She’s gone crazy.

“See! She’s crying again!” she yelled, opening the door even wider.

A group of Sorrows had noticed the commotion and started to drift toward them from the ruins of the soldiers’ tents. The pieces clicked together in his head.

“P-Peyton that’s not her. She’s gone okay. That wailing you constantly hear, right, those are monsters. It's not just you. Everyone in this building hears them all the time. I hear them too.”

He watched the gears turning in her head and a trace of understanding wriggled onto her face.

“But— ”

“Peyton.”

“She— ”

“Peyton. Peyton, look at me. Anneliese… she visits me in my nightmares and I know I’ll never be… I’ll never be free of the guilt. But she’s gone now and we’re here, and all we can do is accept it and move on. I’m sorry for what I said back then. I was scared and I was pushing my guilt onto someone else. Just… please come back in,” he pleaded, keeping one eye on the incoming Sorrows.

“...”

“Peyton?” he implored, his attention divided between Peyton and the group of Sorrows. “Shit— Peyton, they’re right behind you!”

Turning on her heel, her spine went rigid. In the time they were talking, the Sorrows’ ranks had swollen until they practically formed a roiling wave — a storm front made of amorphous dark gray clouds that blotted out the surrounding environment. Twenty meters away from the door, they simultaneously let out a bloodcurdling screech.

The sound buffeted him from all sides, incapacitating his body until he collapsed onto his knees. Nausea ran amok throughout his body, as the sound reached into his psyche and forcefully recalled his memories of that day.

Why are there so many?

Fear had a stranglehold on his heart.

“H-Help m-m-me…” a fractured voice choked out, breaking his trance. Peyton was looking back at him with a single tear rolling down her cheek.

For a fleeting moment, he saw Anneliese’s face pleading with him.

Grappling with his basic instinct to flee, he leaped towards her and pulled her back by the collar.

Immediately he suffered the repercussions of over-exerting his body when his right arm fell limp to his side. Shouting as he tore his ligaments, his hands struggled to find purchase on the door handle but it was for naught.

Time wasn’t on his side. By the time he managed to close it halfway, he was forced to abandon his effort when noticed the first of them were mere feet away.

“RUN!” he yelled, stumbling over the rubble from Anneliese’s statue.

Opening the other door, Peyton turned to watch him barreling towards her when her eyes widened.

“B-Behind you!”

Three Sorrows had managed to slip in before the door shut.