In the hallways, the sound of someone running echoed.
He was panting from exhaustion.
His eyes were wide open in terror.
He darted through the corridors, turning left and right—
But something else was following him.
Something that walked… slowly.
Step…
by step…
by step…
It was savoring the chase.
It smiled—
and that smile stretched... from ear... to ear.
Its teeth were sharp.
Worse than a crocodile's.
Its eyes were literally empty
The boy found himself cornered.
The door behind him refused to open.
He screamed.
He kicked the iron door—
but it was no use.
He collapsed onto the floor, crying and screaming,
praying to God before death could reach him.
The young man, trembling, pleaded for mercy:
"Please… what do you want from me?! The others died right in front of my eyes!"
"Please, have some mer____"
Before he could finish his sentence,
the creature's smile grew wider.
It raised its hand and plunged its claws into the boy's skull.
Its fingers were like spears,
piercing the skull clean,
separating the head from the body.
The monster raised the head, staring into its lifeless eyes.
Suddenly, a voice came from an external speaker:
(???)
"BRAVO!"
"BRAVO!"
"That's my boy."
"Excellent work, but he's not the one we wanted."
"Dispose of him or play with him as you like. He's no longer useful."
"But remember—after you're done, come back and join the others."
The voice cut off.
The camera zoomed in on the monster.
Its skin was pale,
its body frighteningly thin—
like a walking skeleton wrapped in skin.
Its arms were long,
fingertips sharp like blades.
Its left hand still gripped the boy's head.
It raised it, stared at it again—
Then—
DARK.
---
(Three Months Later)
Location: [West Virginia]
Place: [Vermis Academy]
The sky was heavy with dark clouds—
clouds that mourned for what happened each year inside the academy.
From a distance, a taxi approached the academy's gate.
A young man stepped out with his bags.
The moment he unloaded them, the taxi sped away—
without saying a word.
Our protagonist scratched his head, shrugged, and turned to face the academy's gate—
massive and rusted.
But he didn't care much for how things looked.
Academically, the place had a good reputation.
However—
There were strange rumors.
Rumors that students who entered the academy never returned.
Still, the young man stepped forward and crossed the metal gate.
"Well, this doesn't look good. This place could use a little repair."
"Hmm... where can I find the dorm supervisor to know where my room is?"
He walked toward the administration office to ask about his dorm room.
The receptionist eyed him for a moment and raised his left eyebrow.
"Your papers, Mr... hmm... Liam Carter?"
Liam smiled and pointed to himself.
"Yup, that's me. But can we speed things up a bit? I'm kinda tired from the trip."
The staff handed him a key with a room number.
"Here. Room 666. No disturbances allowed at night. Understood?"
Liam took the key and nodded.
"No worries."
As he walked away, Liam muttered to himself:
"Damn... 666? Seriously?"
"Whatever. It's just a number. What could possibly happen?"
He headed toward the dorm building.
From the outside, it looked like it had survived a fire.
Burn marks still stained the structure from the second floor to the fifth.
But once Liam stepped inside—
Everything changed.
The interior was completely new and clean.
Liam looked around, turning left and right.
"Damn, man."
"Guess what they say is true—don't judge a book by its cover."
"Alright, now where's my room?"
He started searching down the hallways for room 666.
"27? Nope."
"360? Still nope."
"Where the hell is this room?"
Then suddenly—
FWMP!
"Ah___ !"
THUD!
Liam bumped into a girl by accident.
She had been looking at her phone, her hair covering her face.
She stood up and barked at him angrily:
「バカ,前見て歩けよ!」
"Baka, mae mite aruke yo!"
("Idiot, watch where you're going!")
Liam froze.
Not only did he bump into her,
but he didn't understand a single word she said.
He quickly helped her up, rubbing the back of his head.
"Are you okay? Sorry, I didn't see you there."
She pushed his hand away and dusted off her clothes.
"Just be careful next time."
Liam stuttered:
"R-right, sorry again. But... what the hell did you just say? I didn't catch a word."
She crossed her arms and narrowed one eye.
"Clearly, I'm Japanese."
"Do you want me to explain what I said, you... weirdo?"
Liam waved his hands nervously:
"N-nope! No need! I'm good, haha."
"By the way, do you happen to know where room 666 is?"
The girl tilted her head slightly to the
side.
"Yeah, I know where it is."
Then she raised her eyebrow.
"Am I hallucinating, or are they really giving out cursed room numbers?"
Liam furrowed his brow and leaned forward a bit.
"Wait… what's your room number?"
She sighed, pulled out her key, and showed it to him.
"444. A hated number back in Japan.
"Liam raised both eyebrows.
"At least it's not 666—y'know, the devil's number."
"But hey, it's just a room. As long as we can sleep, who cares, right?"
The girl nodded.
"Yeah… I guess."
"Anyway, your room's at the end of the hallway, on the right."
Liam smiled and offered his hand.
"Thanks. Oh, right! I never introduced myself. I'm Liam. Liam Carter.
"She shook his hand.
"Emi Sato. Nice to meet you."
"Alright, I'm off. Later!"
Liam waved goodbye with a smile.
"Emi, huh? Nice name."
"Okay, end of the hall... time to find my room!"
The two walked in opposite directions.
Liam headed toward his room,
and Emi did the same.
But somewhere nearby—
Someone was watching, smiling.
(???)
"Well, well..."
"Looks like the new victims are almost complete."
"Two more, and the game begins."
TO BE CONTINUED...