"Was that a dream?" Light said as he opening his eyes.
"The world has been invaded by otherworldly creatures. Survive."
"Survive? … What kind of shit is that?" Light mumbled, trying to make sense of the situation as he struggled to get up. "Ugh, my head is pounding. What… what is this?" Light noticed the dense red liquid on his face and the floor as he tried to stand. To his horror, he realized it was blood drenched on his clothes and face.
"NO! What's happening?!" Light screamed, panic gripping him tightly. As he stumbled through the dark lunchroom, he discovered piles of dead bodies, their faces frozen in terror, a sight that made his stomach churn. "God, no… This can't be real!"
A girl's scream echoed from the girls' bathroom, and Light saw her surrounded by grotesque, grinning creatures. "Are… those goblins?" Light whispered, fear coursing through his veins.
The goblins heard Light's voice and turned towards him, grinning maliciously while brandishing tiny swords. The girl had some minor injuries, as if they'd been toying with her. Light mustered up the courage and tried to fight them.
"You little monsters, leave her alone!" Light shouted, lunging at the goblins. They dodged his attacks effortlessly, slicing him with their small blades, one even embedding itself in his back. Pain seared through his body, and his vision blurred. "I can't die like this… I…"
"What are you doing?" a distorted voice echoed in his head, taunting him. "Stop playing around, Light. Do you want to be a loser for the rest of your life? Or do you want to show them… the darkness within?"
Chuck: (laughs) Look at him, so weak and pathetic.
Mason: (sneers) Yeah, totally useless. I don't even know why he bothers showing up.
Cody: (mocking) Maybe he thinks he'll magically become stronger one day. Dream on, loser.
Light: (whispers) No...
As the voices of his bullies fade away, a new set of voices take their place, the voices of his parents.
Father: (sighs) Such a disgrace, our own son is a complete disappointment.
Mother: (chuckles coldly) Well, at least we can make a new child, someone better than you, Light.
Light: (whispers, getting angrier) No... Stop...
The final voice that emerges is that of Katelyn, the girl he had loved for almost two years.
Katelyn: (laughs) I wasted almost 2 years of my life with a loser like you, Light.
Light sees an imaginary scene where Katelyn looks at Chuck and kisses him passionately.
Katelyn: (smirks) At least now I have a real, strong boyfriend.
As the cruel voices swirl around him, Light's anger and despair continue to grow, knowing that these hurtful thoughts are all in his head, and yet they still feel so real.
The inner turmoil within Light spiraled out of control, and he could no longer hold back his anger. "STOPPP!" he yelled. The shadows from the goblins rushed to him, healing his wounds and empowering him while also stopping them from moving.
"What… did you just do?" the girl said, a mix of awe and fear in her voice.
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Light felt different, powerful. He yanked the tiny sword from his back and slowly inserted it into one of the goblin's back. "One down, three more to go," he said, a wicked smile crossing his face. He looked at another goblin, now shaking in fear. "Don't worry, it'll be painless," he whispered, plunging the knife into its head.
"Hahaha, so this is what power feels like… Hey, you," Light said, turning to the girl with goblin blood on his face. "Do you know Chuck and Katelyn? Are they still alive?"
"I… I don't know about them," the girl stammered, still in horror at Light's change of demeanor. "Last time I saw them, they were holed up in the English classroom. I tried to go, but I got cornered…"
"You're coming with me… once I'm done here," Light said, killing the third goblin. "One left. This is intoxicating. All this time… I can understand why Chuck and his goons bullied me… they had the power to… but now..." He turned to the last goblin, which could only cower in fear. "I will show them…" Light clenched his fist, his voice cold and menacing. "What power really is. Hahaha!" He threw a punch at the goblin's face, shattering its skull and sending it flying next to the girl.
The girl let out a choked scream, her eyes wide with terror. "Th-thank you for saving me… My name is Lily Bracskin," she said, her voice trembling.
"I didn't ask for your name," Light replied coldly. "Let's go."
As they made their way to the classroom, they saw more goblins on the stairway, poking and killing other students. The students' dying screams filled the air, adding to the nightmarish atmosphere.
Lily: "Isn't there another way to go?"
Light: "Unfortunately not. Just stay here. I'll be right back."
As Light took care of the goblins, Lily watched with a mix of terror and fascination. She saw the evil in Light's eyes and the twisted smile on his face as he painted the walls with goblin blood. She questioned what could have happened to him to make him like this, and felt a strange desire to help the person who had saved her life, despite the darkness she saw within him.
Once they reached the barricaded classroom door, a familiar voice called out from behind it.
"Who's there?" the voice asked, trembling with fear.
"Ms. Anderson?" Light responded.
Ms. Anderson: "Light…? My goodness, I thought you were dead… I saw you get trampled… I…"
Light: "So you just left me there?!"
Ms. Anderson: "No, no… I tried to get to you, but there were too many people," she said, her voice filled with dread and guilt.
Lily: "Ma'am, can you please open the door?"
As Ms. Anderson opened the door, the fear in the students' eyes was palpable. Panicked whispers and cries filled the room as they tried to cope with the terrifying situation they found themselves in.
Mason sneered at Light. "You're still alive?" he said, while Chuck, Cody, and Katelyn all glanced at Light, taking note of the goblin blood that covered him.
Cody: "He probably let that girl save him. freaking loser." He scoffed, making fun of Light.
Lily: "Hey, Light is the one who…"
Light interrupted her, trying to hide his true intentions: "Yeah, she saved me."
Katelyn: "Well… at least you're safe…"
Chuck: "Don't worry about that loser. We need to focus on how to get out of here. Just look at what's going on outside."
They all went to the window to see the rest of the city in flames, with monsters roaming the streets and skies.
"Hey, look! There's the army! They could save us," one student said, hope flickering in their voice.
As they waved their arms to get the army's attention, the soldiers noticed them but were met by an unknown force. A hobgoblin in armor, lance in hand, rode a monstrous horse, leading an army of its own. The human soldiers tried to hold them off, their bullets seemingly ineffective against the hobgoblin's forces.
"Keep firing! We can't let them get through!" shouted a desperate soldier as his comrades fell one by one around him.
After the hobgoblin slaughtered the army, it turned its attention to the students, grinning maliciously and making a throat-slitting gesture, indicating they would be next.
Light: "We have to get out of here."
Chuck grabbed Light by the shirt and slammed him against the wall. "You freaking idiot! Didn't you see what just happened? Even if we somehow manage to escape, we still have to get through that monster!"
Light, keeping a level head: "Would you rather just wait here to die?"
Ms. Anderson: "This isn't the time to fight! Light is right; we have to get out of here. We can figure out what to do after we leave this place. There should be another way to leave the school. We can go out through the gym." She tried to muster up the courage, her voice wavering.
Chuck sneered and let go of Light. The students scrambled to find makeshift weapons from school supplies, preparing themselves for the harrowing journey that awaited them within the school's dark corridors.
As the group of students, led by Ms. Anderson and Light, braced themselves to face the unknown horrors lurking in their once-safe school, their determination to survive was evident in each of their faces. Little did they know what truly lay ahead on their perilous escape.