Training begins tomorrow."
"…Training?"
"Yes. 5 a.m."
"5 WHAT?!"
Amit laughed softly.
"Oh. And one more thing."
He pointed ahead.
"More of them are coming."
"You talk too much," he said flatly.
I froze.
"It's like you've never had anyone to talk to before."
That hit deeper than expected.
I looked away as students passed by, laughing. Normal lives. Normal conversations.
"…Maybe I haven't," I said quietly.
"I was always around people…
but never really there."
Silence followed.
A man in the crowd froze.
His smile twisted—wrong.
A soft laugh… then louder.
People turned.
His laughter cracked as he clawed at his head.