After giving a proper burial to Russ and taking a day's rest, they all decide to move down and continue their journey. Eager and full of anticipation, they reach the 5th floor, where only one flat stands open. Droit consults with everyone, asking if they prefer heading down to the 4th floor or venturing into the mysterious room. Intrigued by the unknown, everyone agrees to enter the room.
Upon stepping inside, they find themselves transported to a breathtaking and bewildering sight – standing on a sea ramp in the middle of an open ocean. Melnik quickly takes charge, instructing Dan to hold onto the door to prevent it from closing behind them. However, Droit, captivated by the beauty of the surrounding scenery, nearly leans over the edge of the ramp. With caution, Melnik warns Droit to step back and avoid any unforeseen dangers.
Surveying the vast blue sky and the radiant sun above, Melnik is taken aback by the peaceful and surreal atmosphere. But Droit's eyes are drawn downward, where a mesmerizing golden glow emerges from the depths of the sea. Overwhelmed with excitement, he exclaims, "I think this sea is filled with Gold! The whole sea is glowing!"
Their amazement, however, is short-lived. As the golden water begins to ripple in a zig-zag pattern, an enormous water body emerges – the head of a colossal serpent. Towering like a mountain, the serpent's head resembles that of a cobra, adorned with stunning golden scales and black markings. Its intimidating teeth are as enormous as the Eiffel Tower, and its eyes are a hypnotic combination of blue and white. The serpent ascends to the skies, locking its gaze on the intruders, and a spine-chilling smile spreads across its face. All three of them stand still in awe and terror, witnessing the majesty and horror before them. A guttural growl emanates from the serpent, and with it, poisonous rain starts pouring from the sky.
In a swift and decisive move, Melnik grabs Droit and Dan, pulling them outside the room and sealing the door behind them. They are now safely away from the wrath of the giant serpent.
They went down one floor and entered room 402, all flats are open on this floor. but, they decide to go into 402.
Upon entering, they find themselves in a room filled with kids and some adults. There are around 10 kids and 2 adults here. They all look sick and weak like they are coming down with something. They all are shocked when they see them enter the room through a gate that is locked from the inside. One adult comes forward and asks them who they are.
"Hey, we are fellow prisoners of the building. Can you please tell us where are we? And btw my name is Melnik. This is Dan and Droit." - Melnik.
"Fellow Prisoner? Building? What are you talking about?" - Adult Person.
"Do you know where you are? And what is wrong with you all? You look sick." - Melnik.
"That is because we haven't eaten in days. Mr. Lucas is out there. So we can't go out and get something to eat. But tell me who are you people? Can you take us where you came from? We need to eat something or we will die. Like many of us already did. We used to over 100 people here." - Adult Person.
"A hundred!, in this room?" - Dan.
"No, in the whole school. This is just one class and all the kids that are left, and also Miss Daisy." - Adult Person.
Miss Daisy nods to everyone.
"And you are?" - Droit.
"Ohh, Sorry. My name is Sukomi." - Miss Sukomi.
"Okay, So, What is happening here? Who is this Lucas and why is he not letting you eat anything?" - Melnik.
"Mr. Lucas is one of the teachers or was. Something happened to him. There was a monster, roaming our corridors.
What happened is Mr. Lucas went out of the class to get something to eat. He knew that the Monster was out but he couldn't watch more kids die because of hunger. So He went out but the Monster got him and now somehow he is the Monster." - Miss Sukomi.
"So, you are saying there are Zombies out there?" - Dan.
"Not Zombies. I think there is only one Monster now and that is Mr. Lucas. I think it transfers itself onto his/her latest prey." - Miss Sukomi.
"What is that smell?" - Dan.
"We take care of our needs in this room only. So, you are smelling that. Sorry." - Miss Sukomi.
"You guys are peeing and shitting in here?" - Dan.
"You can go out and try?" - Miss Sumoki.
"Yeah, Sure. We have been to worse." - Dan
Dan moves towards the room exit, and just as he approaches the gate, Lucas walks in front of the gate. Dan freezes and takes a step back.
Lucas stands around 6 feet tall, with a fair complexion and medium-length black hair. His neck is broken, and his head rests on his right shoulder, forming an eerie smile. He gazes into the room for several minutes before departing. As soon as he leaves, Melnik exits the room and observes Lucas walking along the corridor, peering into the rooms. It appears he is on a hunt to either harm or convert individuals. There is no one else in the corridor except for him.
"How long is the corridor and on which floor are we?" - Melnik.
"Each floor houses approximately 15 classrooms and 2 toilets, making it quite extensive. We currently occupy the third floor, and there are a total of four floors in this building, with ours being the topmost floor." - Miss Sukomi.
"Anyone tried to kill him yet?" - Droit.
"No! People sometimes attempt to sneak out to the cafeteria but never return; if someone does, they return in the form of the Monster. Before Mr. Lucas, it was a student, and before him, it was our Principal." - Miss Sukomi.
"Hmm, And why is he not entering this room?" - Droit.
"That we don't know." - Miss Sukomi.
"Melnik, let's head out and see what we can do. At least let's get some food for the children." - Droit.
"Yes, but let me go out by myself first. I'll check a few things and get back." - Melnik.
"No, Didn't you hear her? No one comes back. I'll go with you. Dan you stay here and protect these people if something happens." - Droit.
"These people are safe. I am coming with you guys." - Dan.
"No! It's risky." - Melnik.
"Dude, I can't leave you guys alone. What if something happens out there? you might need my help" - Dan.
"Believe me I don't think you can be of much help here." - Melnik.
Dan approaches Melnik and discreetly mentions that he needs to use the restroom but can't go in front of Miss Sumoki and Daisy. Melnik looks at him sternly and then nods, allowing Dan to accompany them.
They inquire with Sukomi about the cafeteria and then proceed to head down. The cafeteria is located on the ground floor.
"We need to kill the monster and save everyone." - Droit.
"Yeah, let's kill him. But can we stop at the toilet first?" - Dan.
They make their way toward the toilet located at the end of the corridor. Just beside the toilet, there is a stairwell leading downstairs. Upon entering the toilet, they cautiously check to see if it's empty. To their horror, they find lifeless bodies strewn all around, each with a hole in the chest. Unable to hold it any longer, Dan starts urinating. Meanwhile, Droit and Melnik examine the bodies.
"It seems like the Monster likes the heart." - Melnik.
"Hmm, Is he eating them?" - Droit.
"I don't know, but according to Sukomi, if there is only one Monster at a time, that means that all these people were the Monster once." - Melnik.
"Check their necks." - Dorit.
They examine everyone's necks, finding that each one has a broken neck, confirming the validity of their theory. Melnik and Droit stand face to face, deep in conversation about the situation. Suddenly, Melnik abruptly halts mid-sentence. With his right hand, he intercepts the Monster who has his hand inside Melnik from behind, just moments away from extracting his heart. Four of the Monster's fingers are lodged inside Melnik when he stops him. Melnik swiftly removes the Monster's fingers and hurls him towards a toilet seat.
As a result, Melnik begins to bleed and fades quickly. Without hesitation, Droit and Dan seize Melnik and dash out of the restroom. Dan promptly locks the restroom door behind them before they proceed down the stairs toward the ground floor.
When they reach the first floor, a loud crash echoes through the building, indicating that the Monster has broken through the gate. They decide to take cover in a room on the first floor and wait for the Monster to pass. They enter the first room from the stairs.
However, the Monster arrives before they can take cover in the room. Dan boldly gestures at the Monster with his finger, thinking the Monster can't enter the classrooms. The Monster grins in response. Meanwhile, Droit directs his attention to the back of the room and notices a pile there. He approaches it and discovers a heap of lifeless bodies. In alarm, Droit shouts, "Get away from the gate!" just as the Monster steps into the room without any difficulty.
Dan quickly retreats to join Droit and Melnik, who are at the rear of the classroom. The Monster gets closer, extending one hand towards the trio. Melnik is almost healed but still can't walk on his own. Droit grabs a table and throws it at the Monster, but it doesn't stop him. Droit tries to run at the Monster to headbutt it, but Melnik stops him. With difficulty, Melnik walks toward the Monster. The Monster grabs Melnik's left hand and breaks it, but Melnik punches the Monster's face with his right hand without hesitation, sending it into the wall. However, Melnik is also unable to move. Droit and Dan pick him up and leave the room.
"They head to the ground floor. According to Sukomi, the cafeteria should be the last room on the ground floor. They are doing their best to reach the end of the corridor, but the Monster is closing in on them, and tension is mounting within all three. While running, Droit notices that the last room and the room to his right both have square papers pasted on the wall."
"Hey What is that paper thing on the wall of the Cafeteria?" - Droit
"How the hell should I know?" - Dan
"Right now, please just focus on getting into the room and finding something to hold down the gates. He is almost behind us." - Melnik
Droit picks up the pace, and they enter the cafeteria. Dan and Droit place Melnik on a table and rush back to the gate to close it. The Monster is right there, frowning and staring at them. Droit and Dan stand their ground, and the Monster doesn't come inside.
"He can't come in." - Droit.
"Yeah, but why?" - Dan.
"I think I know but I need to verify something first. Let's wait for him to leave." - Droit.
After the Monster leaves, Droit steps outside and examines the paper pasted on the wall. It bears a strange symbol resembling a letter from Urdu or Hindi. Droit scans the adjacent rooms, searching for the same symbol to check if more people are inside or not. The next symbol leads to the science lab on the same floor. Droit enters and is met with a gruesome sight—blood spattered all over the place, with a large sigil at the room's center. On the right side of the room, there's a table with peculiar ingredients, a black book, and a notepad.
Droit reaches the table and picks up the notepad. The notepad belongs to someone named Raj. It serves as a journal, containing information about what is happening at this school.
July 24th
Abhay has gone mad with his newfound book and is talking about becoming immortal for real. I don't generally write things down, but I am afraid something can go wrong, and these notes can help.
Abhay found this book a week back — well, not exactly found it. He claims that the devil himself gave it to him and told him that he could achieve immortality with it.
July 25th
Abhay invited me to the science lab at night to give me proof that the book works. Without thinking much, I agreed to meet him. That was my first mistake. It was around 8 PM. He created a sigil on the floor with the blood of a rabbit. I puked when I saw the dead body of the rabbit on the ground. I yelled at Abhay for what he had done. Just as I was about to get out of the room, he started chanting random mantras from the book, and the room lit up red. The blood started glowing, and from the sigil came a demon. He was about 2 feet tall with two horns on his forehead. Just as he arrived, he asked us if we wanted to sell him our souls. Abhay denied it and sent him back. He did all that like it was nothing. I was shocked. I asked him to burn that book, but he denied it and started talking about becoming immortal with it. He asked me to join him and help him with the ritual. I denied it, but soon I understood that he was going to do it with or without me. I can't let him do this alone. Someone needs to tell the world what happened here. I accepted his proposal, and he told me that he would be doing the ritual on the night of the 26th and gave me several items to bring with me.
This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.
July 26
The first thing I did today was to go down to the police station and update them on everything. They all laughed at me and kicked me out. Next, I went to the school principal, but Abhay was the school topper and the head of the science club. The principal, too, told me to stop looking into his affairs and did not believe me. I tried to bring in other school friends with me, but something was off. It was like they didn't care. I think Abhay has done something to them. There is no other option left; I have to attend tonight's ceremony. I was scared, and I didn't know what to do anymore, so I went to a temple near my home. I sat there for about an hour until the priest noticed me and asked if I was worried about my exams. I told him that I feared something bad was about to happen, and I couldn't do anything to stop it. He looked at me carefully, drew an OM on a plain white paper, gave it to me, and told me to chant it whenever I fell powerless in the face of evil. I took the paper and put it in my shirt's pocket. On the way to the school, I kept chanting OM.
The school was over, and everybody went home. I stayed for sports, and Abhay was alone in the science lab, supposedly preparing for the science fest, or so he told everyone. Hopefully, we will come out of all this safely. Let's see what will happen tonight.
The journal ends here.
"That's the last of it. So, that monster came out from hell. That means Raj and Abhay could be alive." - Droit.
Droit glanced at the paper on the wall, noticing the OM symbol—the same one the Priest gave to Raj. "So, that symbol really works," Droit mumbled to himself. He returned to the cafeteria and shared the school events with Dan and Melnik.
"If what you are saying is correct than that means that we can cage the Monster." - Melnik.
"Yup, Let's do it." - Dan.
"So, what is the plan?" - Droit
"Before the plan, tell me this, is the book still there in the lab?" - Melnik.
"Yes." - Droit.
"Let's get that first, we can't let anyone else get their hands on it." - Melnik.
They go to the lab, and Melnik gazes upon the book. Droit looks at Melnik's face while he is walking toward the book.
"You know this book?" - Droit.
"Yes. I do." - Melnik answers.
"Why? What have you done? or Alnik?" - Droit.
"Nothing myself or Alnik. You could say it has done some badthings to us." - Melnik.
"So you know how it works? Maybe you can help fix this school using this book?" - Droit.
"No, I am not going to use this book and neither will both of you. We will destroy it once we get the chance." - Melnik.
"What happened?" - Droit.
"May be some other time. Let's get out of here first." - Melnik.
"Okay, so I have a plan." - Dan.
They both look at him.
"First we will prepare a new symbol, we can take stuff to prepare it from the. cafeteria then, Droit and I will go find the Monster and let him chase us toward the room next to this lab. Melnik will stand inside the room waiting for the Monster to come chasing after us. We will run past that room and just as the Monster will try to pass it Melnik will draw its attention towards him. Seeing Melnik alone in the room the Monster will enter the room and just then we will paste the Symbol on the outer wall of the room. Sorted!" - Dan.
"Umm, What about me? I am still inside the room with the Monster." - Melnik said with a tensed smile.
"Bro, you are safe you can heal. Just try not to be caught by him and run out." - Dan.
Melnik tries to get out of this plan and says "Okay, but let's see what Droit has to say about this."
They both look at Droit and he just Nods in affirmation. And gives a thumbs up to Melnik with a wink and smile.
Melnik curses both of them saying that they are the worst people he has ever known.
"I can heal, but that doesn't mean I don't feel pain, Assholes!" says Melnik as he walks into the room, accepting the plan.
They both head to the first floor where the Monster is roaming. Droit calls him out, and he starts to run behind them. They make their way to the ground floor and wait for about 5 seconds for the Monster to catch up, then they start running again toward the end of the corridor. They pass the science lab and the room where Melnik is located, reaching the end. There is nothing behind them except the wall, with the cafeteria on their left side.
The Monster reaches out for them and arrives at the room where Melnik is located. Melnik shouts from the room, but the Monster ignores him and continues chasing them. They both panic and rush into the cafeteria. From inside the cafeteria, they attempt to communicate with the Monster through gestures, indicating where to go for fresh prey. After some time, the Monster comprehends their signals and enters Melnik's room.
As the Monster enters the room, they quickly exit the cafeteria and successfully affix the symbol to the room's wall. Inside the room, they witness Melnik fighting for his life, having been thrown into the wall. From outside the room, Dan yells at the Monster to divert its attention away from Melnik. When the Monster turns to look at Dan, Melnik seizes the opportunity and makes a desperate dash for his life, running while leaning forward to ensure his head remains below the Monster's waist. He manages to run past the Monster, but just as he is about to exit the room, the Monster grabs his right leg. Dan and Droit reach Melnik from outside and pull him out, but in the process, Melnik's leg gets torn apart.
"Will it grow back?" Dan asks.
"I am never following any plan of yours in the future," Melnik responds.
"So, it won't?" Dan asks with a worried expression.
"It will, but it hurts so bad," Melnik explains.
"Ohh, that's cool then!" Dan replies.
"I would really like you to meet Alnik sometime," says Melnik with a sweet smile.
"Who is he? Sure, I would love to meet him," Dan responds.
"Believe me, you don't want to meet Alnik," warns Droit.
"Umm, okay, if you say soo," says Dan.
The Monster is caught!
After that, they all went to the cafeteria to rest and for Melnik to regrow his leg. Dan and Melnik were arguing over something trivial, and Droit stood there, smiling, thinking that this might be the first time he was actually happy here. They were getting along, and it seemed like they all could make it out of there.
"Do you guys wanna eat something? I can whip something up," Droit said to stop them from arguing.
"Yes, please!" they both reply.
Droit moves behind the counter and begins washing some vegetables. Suddenly, Miss Sukomi's voice echoes through the corridor. "Stop, Jason! Don't go in there," she yells. Dan emerges from the cafeteria and spots a small child, no older than four, entering the room where the Monster is sealed. Miss Sukomi rushes towards the child from the stairway. Without hesitation, Dan chases after him, entering the room and snatching the child away from the Monster just as it reaches out, piercing Dan's back and grabbing his heart. In pain, Dan throws the child out of the room and cries out. Droit and Melnik rush to the front of the room, only to find Dan standing there, facing them, with the Monster behind him. Droit watches as the life drains from Dan's eyes. The Monster pulls out Dan's heart and begins to devour it. Droit attempts to rush at the Monster to strike it, but Melnik holds him down. Droit cries out in agony, and even Melnik sheds a tear. Droit continues to yell, "Let me go! I'll kill this monster! Dan! Dan! No! No!"
After consuming the heart, the Monster suddenly starts shaking and dies. Droit stops yelling for a moment and asks Melnik to release him. Melnik remains fixated on the Monster, trying to comprehend what just transpired. Suddenly, Dan's lifeless body rises from the ground, his skin color changing, his neck breaking, and his head detaching from his body while still connected by the skin. Dan is slowly transforming into the Monster. Droit begins to lose his senses; it's all too much to bear. Just two days earlier, they had lost Russ, and now Dan. Dan opens his eyes, his head on his shoulder, an eerie smile forming on his face as he stands there, gazing at them. It becomes apparent that Dan is gone, and the Monster now stands in his place. This is what has been happening to everyone at the school—they all transform into the Monster one by one, and now it is Dan's turn.
Droit continues to cry, with Melnik still holding him tightly. Gazing at Melnik, Droit utters, "I was wrong. We can't escape from here. Dan is gone, Russ is gone. Please, do something, bring them back! I can't endure this any longer."
Melnik instructs Droit to remain down as he retrieves the Book from his coat.
"What are you doing?" Droit inquires.
"Checking what just happened," Melnik responds.
Melnik meticulously goes through the Book, page by page, and then offers an explanation.
"One becomes immortal by removing their own heart. However, there is another condition: the removed heart must be kept safe from any harm or being devoured by the demons who seem to have a taste for hearts. Once an immortal's heart is gone, they transform into a dull husk of senselessness, driven solely by the desire to reclaim their heart. If this senseless being retrieves and consumes its heart, it can return to being a mortal. But if it consumes any heart other than its own, it will perish," Melnik explains.
"So, the Monster is merely searching for its lost heart. That's incredibly tragic," Miss Sukomi observes.
"Yes, but there's more to it. You become immortal when you take out your own heart, but in this case, the Monster is removing and consuming hearts. This means that if an immortal extracts the heart of another person, they can also attain immortality," Melnik elaborates.
"So, that means Dan can't be killed? We couldn't even save him from his misery?" Droit asks with a tearful voice.
"Droit, stand up! We need to go," Melnik insists.
"Just leave me, I can't go on anymore. Please, go back to your flat," Droit pleads.
"Don't be foolish. Stand up. We can still save Dan. I have a plan," Melnik says with relief.
"How?" Droit asks, hope flickering in his eyes.
"We'll retrieve his heart and make him consume it. It should return him to normal," Melnik explains.
"The Monster ate his heart! Are you blind?" Droit exclaims.
"I know someone who can help us with that. Stand up, come with me," Melnik urges.
Melnik then instructs Miss Sukomi to gather everyone and accompany them to their new hideout, The Cathedral.
Droit slowly stands up, casting one last glance at Dan. A tear rolls down his cheek. "I swear to you, I will save you. I will come back with your heart or die trying," he vows as another tear falls from his eye.
Droit helps Melnik walk, supporting his injured leg.
"We still need a key to get out of here," Droit reminds.
Turning to Miss Sukomi, Melnik asks, "Who has the keys to the doors?"
"The Janitor has them. It should be on him," Miss Sukomi replies.
"Could you please find him and let us know?" Melnik requests.
Miss Sukomi leaves to search for the Janitor on all the floors. After 10 minutes, she returns. Melnik's injuries have healed during this time. She informs them of the Janitor's location, and they all head there. Droit checks the Janitor's pockets and finds a whole collection of keys.
"Umm, which one is for your class?" Droit asks.
"Umm, give them to me, I'll check," Miss Sukomi replies. She selects a key and hands it to Droit.
"Alright, let's get out of here," says Melnik, and they all head towards the classroom.