Shadow of Death (SOD)

Chapter 56

The exam ended as normally as it could.

The final paper for the students was done and dusted.

The whole school erupted into positive chaos.

All the seniors were jubilating like they had won a lottery.

Screams of joy.

Hugs of celebration.

And dances of victory echoed and swarmed throughout the school.

The seniors were so infectious in their jubilation that even the juniors found themselves joining in the celebration.

The entire school was now unbearably loud, to the point that even the teachers couldn’t stop them.

Rick, with the help of a fellow classmate and a junior, had sneaked into the announcement room after sending the staff away with a fake emergency.

Quickly plugging his phone into the speakers, he sent loud music blaring through the speakers all around the school.

"Yayyyyyy!"

The seniors in the halls screamed in unison and began dancing.

They crowded the entire place.

Movements flowed into one another as they danced like there was no tomorrow.

Rick was still grinning where he stood, having become the school’s unofficial DJ.

He switched from one song to another seamlessly, keeping the celebration alive.

Asher was found in the hall.

But he didn’t join in the madness.

He stayed away, pressing his back against the locker while smiling at the antics of his classmates.

His arms were folded across his chest as he watched them all vibe, sing along, and even dance like people who had won the lottery.

’Ahh.... Feels good. Haha!’

He chuckled inwardly.

His foot tapped against the ground in rhythm with the beat coming from the speakers.

It was almost as though the songs were trying to pull him into their embrace.

As if they were playing on his mind, urging him to at least join in the madness.

Asher shook his head, refusing to dance along.

But the more he tried to ignore it, the more infectious and alluring the song playing became.

’Huh?!’

He blinked a few times as something suddenly crossed his mind.

’...Thi-This song? Wh-Where have I heard it from?’

He closed his eyes, trying his hardest to recall where he had heard the song before.

It sounded familiar.

Like a piece of music he had heard not too long ago.

Faint wisps of smoke flashed through his mind.

His memories were hazy and blurry, buried beneath something he couldn’t quite reach.

Forcing through the increasing headache, he suddenly saw a family of four inside a car, with the stereo playing a strange, new song that almost sounded identical to what he was listening to now.

’Who-Who are those?’

The family’s faces became blurry in his mind, obscured beneath the same strange fog.

The more he tried to see who they were, the harder it became.

Asher was determined to find out the truth.

Clenching his teeth as hard as he could, he pressed his eyes tighter together.

One hand pressed against his temples while the other squeezed into a fist so tightly that his knuckles slowly turned white.

’Come on...’

He pushed harder.

Slowly, the fog inside his mind began to clear.

The haze covering the faces of the family in his memory started receding little by little.

’...Almost there.’

He was getting closer.

Closer to finally seeing the faces.

Closer to understanding who they were.

When—

"Hahaha!"

A loud burst of laughter erupted throughout the hall as the song suddenly stopped.

Then—

**Thunk—!**

Asher was struck hard in the shoulder.

His concentration shattered instantly.

His eyes snapped open.

Rick was running alongside the others he had sneaked into the announcement room with.

Due to not looking where they were headed, they had accidentally barged into Asher, who wasn’t even standing in their way to begin with.

The teacher chasing them suddenly paused.

He clicked his tongue before turning away, apparently leaving the kids to enjoy themselves.

"That was a good one, guys!"

Rick grinned.

He high-fived the others before quickly walking toward Asher, who was still completely out of it.

"What’s wrong with you?"

Asher blinked a few times before shaking his head.

"Nothing. I just have a headache."

The boy replied quietly.

But his mind continued churning.

The strange memory.

The family.

The song.

The faces he almost managed to see.

Something about them felt important.

Yet the harder he tried to remember, the more elusive the memory became.

Rick’s face scrunched up in concern.

"Huh? Didn’t sleep well last night? Damn. Should I take you to the nurse?"

Asher shook his head.

The more Rick spoke, the more distracted he became.

His mind was still caught on the strange memory that had surfaced moments ago. The family. The car. The song playing through the stereo. Those blurry faces he had almost managed to see.

Something about it bothered him.

Something about it felt important.

"I will be fine. I just have to go rest my head at home." Asher replied with a sigh as he turned around and opened his locker.

He had already cleared his locker the day before.

Yet strangely, he didn’t recall actually doing that with his own hands.

His eyes lingered on the empty space for a moment.

He couldn’t remember when he’d taken everything out.

He couldn’t remember doing it at all.

Still, he pushed the thought aside.

Anyway, he grabbed his backpack.

"Oh, come on. Why are you leaving so soon? Don’t you want to vibe with your classmates one last time? We aren’t seeing them again after today, hope you know." Rick clicked his tongue with an annoyed look on his face.

Asher looked back at the students dancing for a few moments.

The hall was still filled with laughter, music, and the excited voices of students celebrating the end of their high school lives.

His gaze drifted—scanning each and every corner of the hall.

The lockers.

The staircase that led upward to the different classrooms.

The marble flooring that was so shiny that it could reveal one’s reflection.

Everything looked normal.

Too normal.

"Wasn’t even close to anybody except you to begin with. I will be fine." Asher replied as he slung the backpack over his shoulder.

Reaching for his tie, he loosened it, allowing the thing to hang loosely around his neck.

Rick sighed.

He turned around and pulled his locker open before grabbing the remaining books left inside it.

"Come on then, party pooper. Let’s go home together."

Asher cocked a brow.

"Huh? Don’t you need to vibe some more? The party is just starting."

Rick shook his head.

"Can’t enjoy it without you here."

He thought for a few seconds, then added,

"... Besides, there will surely be a Valedictorian session party in a week. I will attend that."

Asher stared at his friend for a few seconds before shrugging.

"You really need to get yourself a girlfriend." He chuckled silently.

"Don’t worry, I will get one when I get to the university."

".... I will get one when I get to the university."

Asher and Rick uttered in sync, as if they had planned the words already.

Rick blinked.

For a brief moment, neither of them said anything.

"How do you know that?"

Asher’s mind spun as he thought back to the words.

For some reason, the words had just rolled down his tongue without much thought.

It was the exact same thing that had happened earlier.

First, he had somehow known what Rick was about to say about the girl.

Then the teacher had repeated the exact words he had muttered.

And now this.

Three times.

It couldn’t be a coincidence.

"I don’t know." Asher replied with a subtle shrug.

Something was wrong.

He could feel it.

Otherwise, how was he able to predict all these events so accurately?

The thought lingered in his mind as he stared at Rick.

Yet no answer came.

Rick stared at his friend for a few seconds, then shook his head and grabbed his arm.

"Come on, let’s go."

And with that, they were seen walking away from the lively chaos that was happening all around the school.

Behind them, the celebration continued.

But Asher couldn’t shake the strange feeling settling inside his chest.

Something was wrong with this place.

And, somehow, he felt like he was slowly beginning to remember why.

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