Man, this sucks, why didn't I fake my sickness to stay at home all day and play video games? What's the point of school when I'll just forget everything after I graduate?
What a total bummer.
Sitting all around me was my classmates; twenty of them in total, but there was only a handful I knew personally.
One of them was a chubby guy by the name Akira, he was a nerd who got bullied a lot, I felt kinda bad for him, but we got along.
Another was a popular girl by the name Hinata, she had over fifteen boyfriends this entire year and now she made another one. You know the word I wanna call her, but I'll refrain.
After them, there was one more person in particular who talked to me more than anyone else, his name was Koji, an extremely lucky Chad who always checked up on me and made sure I was doing okay. Needless to say, he was my favorite.
And then there's Itsuki, an androgynous male that people mistake for a female countless times. He crossdresses and usually sticks to himself, but I did talk to him and try to be friends, however, he's extremely shy.
And now, there's me.
Hi, my name is Keiko, I'm 18, I live with my parents, and I'm a total freaking NEET without a healthy social life.
I spend most of my time playing video games, watching anime, reading manga, and acting like a cringey roleplayer when I'm alone to myself. There was no way in hell people found me attractive at this point.
I looked like a total nerd; my hair was always a mess and I wore glasses because my genetics hate me.
"Oh my god, there's no way Aimi is dating Kaito." Sitting on her desk, surrounded by her group of friends, which was literally every girl in class, was Hinata, who was always the center of attention.
"Yes, it's true! I saw them holding hands yesterday after school." Said one of her blonde friends, eager as ever.
"Why would a guy like him date some ugly bitch like her? He must be blind like Keiko." Said Hinata, mildly annoyed.
Hey, I heard that you asshat! Sometimes I get the urge to punch her face in, I swear.
"It's a shame, I was gonna go after him next after I broke up with my boyfriend, but he's missing out."
"Pfft, you wanted to date Kaito? Girl, you can't have every guy in school."
"I can, and I will." Said Hinata, smirking. "I'm the most important person in this school, everyone loves me."
Like hell you're! If I was a guy, I'd turn you down the instant you try flirting with me to hurt your ego.
"What about you, Keiko? Do you have a man?" One of the girls sitting in front of me turned around, smiling. "You are always quiet, but sometimes the quiet girls end up being the freakiest."
"U-Uhhh..." I gazed to the side, feeling my cheeks turn red. "N-No, I don't!"
Hinata, who was now staring at me, grinned.
"Why would someone like Keiko have a boyfriend, or any friends at all? Look at her, she's too gloomy, doesn't even bother putting make up on."
All the girls around her laughed at her comment as the one sitting in front of me shrugged.
"I was just curious, that's all."
What a freaking jerk. Every day, it's the same old thing; make fun of Keiko, harass Keiko, dive into Keiko's personal life! Does she have anything else better to do than always talk crap about me?!
"Hi, um... Keiko." Walking from behind me was Itsuki who caught my attention by tapping my shoulder.
I jumped, adjusting my glasses to face him.
"O-Oh, um, yes?"
Itsuki was timid as ever, even averting eye contact as he stuttered in his words.
"D-Do you mind sitting with me at lunch?"
"What?!" I blurted out loud before sitting upright. "O-Of course! I don't mind at all!"
He looked at me before smiling.
"R-Really? You don't mind?"
I shook my head at his cuteness.
"No, not at all! Seriously." I spoke more confidently, grinning. "But what brought that on, Itsuki? That's not like you."
He scratched his cheek and looked at the ground as if he was in deep thought.
"I couldn't stand seeing how they treated you... so I wanted to be friends, and maybe hang out." He whispered, keeping his voice low.
"Huh?" His words made my heart skip a beat. "W-Well..." I dropped my voice in a whisper so everyone else wouldn't hear our conversation. "Okay then, we can be friends, I don't mind at all." I said, smiling at him.
How sweet, Itsuki actually cared for me.
But before I could say anything more, a loud bang echoed from somewhere down the hallway.
It wasn't the usual slam of a locker or some guy dropping a chair.
It was way too loud.
Everyone in the room froze for a split second before another bang rang out, and then... screams.
High-pitched, panicked screams from the hallway.
"What the hell was that?" Koji muttered, already standing up.
My heart started beating rapidly in my chest. I couldn't even think straight; my eyes darted toward the door, then to the others. Some of the girls in Hinata's group had already stopped laughing and were nervous as ever.
Soon, there was another loud bang, but it sounded closer this time.
"Oh my god... oh my god..." One of the girls whispered, trembling as she grabbed her friend's sleeve.
Our homeroom teacher, Mr. Sato, ran inside the room and quickly raised his voice.
"Everyone! Get away from the door, get down!"
For once, nobody argued as chairs screeched against the floor before everyone scrambled to hide—some ducked under their desks, others huddled in the corner near the windows.
My legs felt like jelly, but I somehow slid down behind my desk, hugging my knees.
Through the closed door, I could hear the chaos outside.
Running footsteps, shouting, and another gunshot.
And then there was silence, except for the muffled sobbing in our classroom.
My palms were sweaty, and my breathing was so loud it felt like the whole class could hear it.
I glanced at Itsuki, who had crouched next to me, watching his hands shake as he clutched his phone.
Our eyes met with both of us terrified.
"W-We're gonna be okay..." He whispered, though his voice broke.
I wanted to believe him, trust me, I really did, but my gut told me otherwise.
Then came the sound of heavy boots inching closer outside our door.
Whoever it was... they weren't running, they were just walking.
Mr. Sato quietly motioned for everyone to stay down.
He even moved toward the door as silently as possible, pressing his back to the wall beside it.
Even Hinata, the ever-so-confident queen bee, was hunched down behind her desk, covering her mouth with both hands to stop herself from whimpering.
The footsteps stopped right outside our classroom.
And then there was another BANG!
A hole burst through the door's glass window, spraying tiny shards across the floor.
A few of the girls screamed before slapping their own hands over their mouths.
My heart slammed in my chest so hard I thought it might tear through my ribs.
This was real, this was real, this was real!
Someone out there had a gun, and we were trapped inside a classroom.
I felt myself gripping Itsuki's sleeve without realizing it, but he didn't pull away, he started crying.
We just stayed there, frozen, as the handle of the door rattled slowly—like the person outside was testing it, but not before long, a figure stepped inside — tall, shoulders hunched, holding a massive rifle.
The light from the hallway silhouetted him, turning his face into a shadow.
Nobody dared to moved. Even the kids who had been quietly sobbing held their breath.
Mr. Sato was standing beside the door, now raising his hands in a calm, steady motion.
His voice wavered but stayed surprisingly gentle.
"Please... you don't have to do this. J-Just leave the students out of it!"
The figure didn't answer.
He just stood there before walking a single step past the threshold, as if weighing his next move.
"Hey!"
Koji's voice rang out as he stood up before anyone could stop him. He planted himself between the stranger and the rest of us, squaring his shoulders.
"You're not getting any closer."
My heart was in my throat at this point. Koji looked brave, but I could see his hands trembling at his sides.
"Koji—sit down!" Mr. Sato said, reaching out a hand to pull him away, but Koji didn't move.
He was breathing hard, glaring at the person in the doorway.
But before we knew it, the figure stepped closer.
"Stay back!" Koji yelled again, his voice cracking this time.
Mr. Sato stepped in front of him, arms spread wide.
"Please." He said as his tone became firm. "We don't want anyone hurt. Just walk away!"
The figure tilted his head slightly, as though considering their words.
"You don't even remember me... do you?" The person spoke, but no one answered.
The silence in the room even grew heavier.
"I was here, every day, I walked past all of you. And it was like I wasn't even real, you all treated me like trash..."
His fingers tightened on the rifle's grip. The way he said it wasn't a speech; it was more like broken fragments coming out painfully.
Koji didn't flinch, but his voice softened as he slowly approached him.
"Look... whatever you went through—this isn't the way, bro, trust me! This isn't it!"
The person laughed — a short, bitter sound.
"That's what they all said. After the jokes. After the bullying. After they shoved my stuff in the trash!"
He stepped forward again, and the whole class shrank back as one.
Mr. Sato's voice stayed as calm as he could manage.
"Put the weapon down. You're not invisible right now. I see you. We all do! You can stop this before anyone else gets hurt."
For a second, the man's shoulders slumped as if a weight was pressing down on him. But then his grip on the rifle tightened again.
"No... no! I'll kill you all... every last one of you! For all the pain you caused!"
"Eeek!"
"Please god, no!"
"Someone save us!"
Everyone in the classroom started crying.
"I told the teachers, I told the principals, but each time none of you did nothing to help! And when I fought back and stood up for myself... that's the only time you intervened and helped the bully instead of me! I-I'm tired of it!" He frowned, lifting his rifle before—POW!
He shot at Koji, blowing a whole through his chest.
Everyone panicked and stood up from their hiding spots, making a run for it. Mr. Sato tried speaking to him, but he was shot dead as well.
I couldn't think before my survival instincts carried me forward, forcing me to run.
I followed everyone out the second door in an attempt to escape, but he aimed at us... and before we knew it... we were all dropping like flies.
Each one of us was shot in the hallway; bullets bolting through our chests, necks, and even our head.
One by one, everyone died, and I fell in the middle of the corpses; hit in the lungs.
"Aaaghh..." Everyone around me was crying in pain as I laid there in shock, unable to process what was happening.
Everything became black, and my vision grew blurry.
This was happening—this was actually happening.
Am I really gonna die?
"Mom... Dad... I'm sorry..." Closing my eyes, I felt the air leave my lungs as I bled out, falling into the abyss.
Was I... dead?