"Life is really unpredictable."
One moment, you're staring at the homeroom clock, counting the minutes before the bell rings so you can finally enjoy a weekend doing nothing.
The next, you hear bang, bang — gunshots — followed by people screaming and running through the hallways as a school shooting unfolds in your own school.
Apparently, the quiet kid who always got bullied by those assholes that thought they were the coolest had finally had enough. He decided to exercise his Second Amendment rights and brought a firearm to school — to teach everyone a lesson about what happens when you end up on the quiet kid's list.
Can't really blame the guy. Every time I saw that teacher who was obviously sleeping with the class slut — letting her pass while making my life hell with piles of useless homework — I wanted to shoot him too.
Well… that's what I thought, but—
Bang.
When I saw the man lying there, a pool of blood spreading beneath him, it hit me how easily people die — and that I might be next.
The guy didn't even hesitate. As those assholes begged for mercy, he shot them one by one, over and over again. Then he stopped. For a brief moment, I thought I might survive. It seemed like, after watching those guys slowly bleed out, he'd finally found some kind of closure.
But then, as if he'd completely lost his mind, he started shooting wildly all over the classroom. My classmates and I hid behind our desks in the back, but it was useless — turns out, school desks aren't bulletproof.
I got hit four times: once in the chest, twice in my right leg, and once in the abdomen. Everything burned with pain. I couldn't breathe. My vision blurred, my body went limp. I could feel it… I was going to die.
"Ghhh…" I gasped, suddenly able to breathe again.
Cough, cough. I coughed so violently it felt like I was about to hack up my lungs. My vision was still hazy, my body aching all over, but my mind was becoming clearer.
"I'm alive," I thought. But how? Did the police come in time? Was I saved?
I tried to control my breathing — coughing too much would only make the wounds worse. I wasn't a medical student, but I knew basic first aid and human anatomy — after all, I'd watched enough TikTok videos. I moved as little as possible, closing my eyes and feeling with my mind where I was hurt.
Strangely, I didn't feel any pain in my legs. My chest and abdomen hurt, but it was weird — like ants crawling under my skin. I had the urge to scratch the wounds but stopped myself. Yeah, that wouldn't be a good idea.
Trying to distract myself, I thought back to what had just happened. I really thought I was going to die — and for what? I didn't even do anything to that guy. Sure, I never helped him when he got bullied, but what could I have done? If I spoke up, I'd be next. And it's not like I was the only one who stayed silent.
Still… it was all because of those assholes. If they hadn't bullied him, none of this would've happened. I tried to pin all the blame on them — but I couldn't. It felt so pathetic I almost wanted to vomit.
Wait. I was about to vomit. My eyes widened; ignoring the pain, I turned to the side and threw up violently.
Vvvvvvvooooorgh. Waaahhh.
Afterward, I stayed bent over, my entire body burning like fire. I took deep breaths and blinked repeatedly as my vision slowly cleared.
Then… huh?
The lights were off — or maybe just very dim. Wait, where was I? There were no beds, no chairs, no curtains — nothing that looked like a hospital.
The surface beneath me was hard, like stone. As my eyes adjusted, I glanced at my vomit — and froze.
It was red.
Looking closer, I noticed something mixed in with the blood. I leaned forward, and my stomach dropped — there were pieces of flesh in it.
I jerked back instinctively, my hand landing on something cold. When I looked down, my blood ran cold — it was a head.
Its eyes bulged out of their sockets, and its skin was a sickly green. I stumbled back, only to see another one lying right in front of me.
My mind blanked. I couldn't understand what was happening. Fear — real, primal fear — hit me harder than anything before. My heart was pounding out of my chest. I wanted to run, but my legs wouldn't move. I just… couldn't.
Then, suddenly — a sharp pain shot through my skull. I clutched my head and screamed hoarsely.
Pain. Unimaginable pain.
It felt like someone had heated a metal rod and shoved it straight through my ear into my brain, stirring it like soup. Along with the agony came flashes — countless unfamiliar memories flooding through my mind.
Unfamiliar people. Unfamiliar places.
A woman with long green hair and gentle, loving eyes.
A young man with crimson hair and a cold, handsome face.
A burly man in his fifties laughing heartily.
And another, a middle-aged man with crimson hair and eyes filled with disappointment.
Then — a reflection. A young man with crimson hair, green eyes, and a mischievous grin.
I fell to my knees as my consciousness slipped away. One last thought echoed through my mind before everything went dark:
Asher Crimson.