Zein's Point of View
I was restless, so I left the dorm. I needed the bite of the evening air to settle my nerves. My friends know—they know everything. The weight of that shared secret felt like a noose tightening around all six of our necks.
As I walked through the corridors, I passed other students. Some were huddled in corners, sobbing; others were holding each other as if they were already ghosts. The upcoming "Bloody Week" had stripped away the last of their hope.
"I don't want to die yet..."
"There's nothing we can do."
"They really are monsters."
I sat on a bench, exhaling slowly. Next to me sat a woman staring blankly into the distance. She looked hollowed out, her presence as thin as a shadow.
"Heartless," she whispered suddenly. I turned to her. Half of her face was obscured by matted black hair. "They are worse than monsters." She finally looked at me, her eyes piercing. "And you... you are just like them. Heartless."
Before I could defend myself, she grabbed my arm with surprising strength and dragged me behind an abandoned classroom.
"You!" she hissed, pointing a trembling finger at me. "You could stop this... but you're afraid. You're weak."
"You're wrong," I snapped, pulling my arm away. "I'm a powerless secretary. I can't stop the Admins."
She let out a manic, jagged laugh. "Why him? Why did he choose you? I thought you were like Samantha, but I was wrong."
"Samantha?" My heart skipped. "Why does everyone keep calling me that? Who is she?"
"Sam was a newbie once. One of the 'Three Idiots' who came here years ago. But unlike you, she actually fought for us."
Suddenly, the woman shrieked, clutching her head in agony. She collapsed to her knees, panting as if she were drowning. I reached out to help, but she shoved me back. Her eyes were so bloodshot they looked like they were leaking crimson.
"I won't be around much longer," she wheezed. "The formula they injected into me... it's spreading. I was just a human tester for their imperfect science."
They were using students as lab rats for the resurrection formula. The cruelty of this place truly had no bottom.
"Do you know where the laboratory is?" I asked desperately.
She stiffened, her gaze hardening. "Don't go looking for them unless you want to end up like me. Go away, Zein. Just go away!"
She pushed me again, her desperation turning into a frantic sort of rage. I realized I wouldn't get anything more from her. I turned to leave, only to run straight into Nicky.
"I warned you," Nicky said, her voice like ice. "Stay away from Alvarez. Stop being his puppet."
"What do you care, Nicky?" I walked past her, not waiting for an answer. My head was spinning.
By the afternoon, I was back in the cafeteria for my punishment. The place was a ghost town. I began picking up discarded bottles, my mind miles away, thinking of the "human tester" and my friends.
"Still slow, I see."
I didn't even look up. I knew that voice. Ace Craige was leaning against a table, watching me with that clinical, judgmental gaze. I ignored him, scrubbing the marble with more force than necessary.
"What's bothering you?" he asked. I kept my mouth shut.
Between the Bloody Week, my friends' discovery, the laboratory, and Nicky's warnings, I didn't have the energy to trade barbs with the Supremo. Suddenly, he reached down and snatched the rag out of my hand.
"Are you alright? Answer me."
I went to grab another rag, but he snatched that one too.
"Hey! What is your problem?" I snapped, finally looking at him. "I'm tired, Ace. I just want to finish this so I can go sleep. Stop interfering."
I felt like I was on the verge of collapsing. My eyes were heavy, and my limbs felt like lead. To my absolute shock, Ace didn't snap back. He frowned, looked at the rag, and then... he started wiping the table.
My jaw hit the floor. The cold, heartless Supremo was cleaning?
"I can do it myself," I stammered, reaching for the rag. He ignored me, moving to the next table with efficient, sharp movements.
"This is the last time," he said, not looking at me. "No more cleaning after today. Your punishment is over."
I didn't know what he'd eaten to make him act like this, but I wasn't going to argue. With the two of us working, we finished in record time.
The sun was setting as we walked back toward the dorms. The silence between us wasn't as suffocating as usual.
"Thanks," I said softly as we approached the entrance.
"I don't need your thanks," he muttered, his gaze fixed on the road. "Just... don't do it again."
"Don't do what? Walk slow?"
"No," he said, averting his eyes. "Don't do what you did earlier. Don't ignore me when I'm talking to you."
I blinked. Was he actually bothered by my silence? "Ace, I was just tired—"
"It's an order from the SSG President," he interrupted, regaining his authoritative tone, though he still wouldn't look at me. "When I speak to you, you respond immediately. Are we clear?"
I stared at him for a second, a small, involuntary smile tugging at my lips. He was so incredibly dramatic. "Yes, President. Crystal clear."
He looked at me then, and for the briefest flash of a second, his stoic mask broke. He flicked my forehead—not hard, but enough to make me yelp.
"Good."
And then, he smiled. It wasn't a smirk or a cold grin. It was a real, genuine smile. Ace Craige, the demon of the SSG, actually looked human.
"Sleep well, Zein," he said, turning to walk away. "I have a lot of work for you tomorrow."
I stood there, touching my forehead, watching him disappear into the shadows. My heart gave a strange little flutter that I decided to ignore. I had a week of slaughter to survive; I didn't have time for whatever that was.