CHAPTER 2: CLOSER

He glanced at his palm, noticing blood on it, his nose was bleeding.

"H-how is this even possible?" he murmured, his voice shaky

He panicked and rushed outside of his room and saw his mom watching television.

 "Hey Mark, dinner is ready," she called. Confused, he couldn't understand why his mom was still up. 

Glancing at the clock, he saw it was only 8:30 in the evening.

 "W-what the fuck?" he thought to himself, his heart racing. It didn't make sense 

He hurried to the bathroom to wash the blood off his face. As he stared into the mirror, dazed and confused, he wondered aloud, "Am I dying?" 

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he stepped out of the bathroom. "Mom, I'm going to get some fresh air outside," he told her.

He stepped outside of their house, a cold, refreshing gust of wind hit him. Walking down the street, he couldn't shake off the feeling of his strange dream; it hardly felt like a dream at all.

He reached the bench near the plaza,and sat down.

silence. 

After a minute of silence, he was startled when someone whispered in his ear, "Looking for a place to nap, huh?" 

He jumped.

"D-damn it, don't scare me like that."

It was Chloe. She sat beside him, eyes downcast.

"What are you doing here in the middle of the night?" she asked.

Mark tries to act like there's nothing was wrong

"Just wanted some peace and fresh air. What about you"

Her smile fades away.

"Same… M-My parents are fighting again. I needed to get out."

Her words flattered Mark's heart. Mark wasn't expecting that kind of honesty

"H-Hey… how about some ice cream? My treat," Mark offered, forcing a smile.

Chloe smiled back

"I can't refuse that!"

They headed to a nearby convenience store, walking quietly, talking about some random things. The store was empty as they picked out the popsicles.

"Hmmm… this is better than usual Mark" chloe's said between bite

Mark smiled at her.

"I know right? Maybe it's just the company"

Time passed unnoticed. It's getting late at night

"I should head back" Chloe said, smiling at Mark again "Thanks, Mark. ice cream really helped"

"Anytime, be careful" Mark said while smiling at Chloe.

As he walked home alone, he sense something's off

His vision flickering

Uncanny, glitches.

A burning sensation shifted in his right eye, unnatural and the air getting heavier

Mark pressed a hand against it and stumbled forward. His walk is getting faster to the point that he runs away.

"Almost there, just go home. Just go home" he muttered

Reaching the green gate, his fear deepened into his bones.

His mom approached from the porch

"Mark… you're supposed to sleep"

Her voice was off. Unfamiliar. Hollow.

"M-mom?"

Red smoke appeared everywhere on the porch. A unfamiliar, distorted voice boomed:

"SLEEP, SLEEP, SLEEP ,SLEEP"

 Panic surged through him. He screamed

 Black.

 Then.

 "MARK! WHY ARE YOU SCREAMING AT MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT"

 He's awake, reality slammed back into him. He was standing in the living room, his mom are furious

 "You're screaming in the middle of the night! Are you nuts?"

Mark felt confused and could only apologize to his mom. He headed back to his room and sat on his bed, unable to think about anything other than what was happening to him. "I must not sleep this time," Mark decided, determined to stay awake through the night.

 He picked up his phone and scrolled aimlessly through social media, desperately for distraction. Time slips until 3:00 a.m. 

Notebook and pen in hand, he began to write his journal.

"It feels weird and strange. I cannot handle this—never will. Am I going crazy? This isn't normal anymore. Red smoke, a scary-looking man, an empty void, and restless dreams—this is insane. I don't know if this will ever stop; maybe, just maybe, tomorrow it won't show up again. I just hope for peace, a life free from this torment. It feels like I'm trapped in a psychological horror game, but worse. Even my mom thinks I'm insane with these never-ending dreams—I hate it." Mark wrote in his journal.

As more hours went by, Mark remained awake, writing, scribbling, and muttering to himself. His eyes grew tired, and he knew he needed sleep, but he refused to give in.

 Time slipped away unnoticed until his alarm rang at 5:00 a.m. He had lost track of time, consumed by his scribbles and drawings of strange figures and shapes.

He stared at one of his sketches. The figure he had drawn looked exactly like the girl from his dream—uncanny, with piercing eyes.

Mark stood up, appearing tired and lacking sleep.

He got ready, putting on his uniform and gathering his school supplies.

 As he opened his bedroom door, his mind felt blank, making it difficult for him to walk straight.

From the kitchen, the familiar aroma of garlic filled the air. His mom was already cooking.

He opened the bathroom door—it was spotless. He took a quick shower and dressed for the day.

"Hey Mark, you're early today. Eat your breakfast," his mom said.

"I can't, Mom. We have an early project today," Mark replied.

He waved goodbye and started walking toward the train station.

Mark arrived at the train station and took a seat. The train was speeding along, filled with many unfamiliar faces.

After some time, he reached Burgos National High School. The bustling atmosphere was nothing new to him. In the hallway, he spotted Chloe, Den, and Carl, but he chose not to talk to them. Mark's goal for the day was simply to get through it without falling asleep.

As he walked, a poster on the bulletin board caught his eye. It was an announcement for the Writers Club, stating that they were looking for new members. Mark stood there for a moment, contemplating whether he should join. "Nah, I'm not good enough to join," he muttered to himself.

"Ho ho, don't hold back! Come on, join us!" called a voice from beside him.

Mark glanced over and saw a girl with amber-red hair and thin glasses.

"Y-you're from Section A, right? The number one in school?" he asked.

"Ugh, I hate that title," she replied, looking annoyed.

"I-I mean…sorry," Mark said, worried that he had offended her.

"Ho ho, just messing with you! I'm Katrina, nice to meet you," she said.

Mark introduced himself, and he and Katrina had a brief conversation about the writers' club.

Afterward, Mark headed to his subject room for art class. As he approached the door, he noticed only his classmates, including Mikaela. He was surprised to see that Ms. Cruz was still absent.

Mark approached Mikaela. "Hey Mika, is she still gone?"

Mikaela responded, "Oh, Ms. Cruz? Yeah, the principal said she's out of town."

Mark replied, "Alright! So no more activities in art, hehe." He chuckled with excitement at the thought of a free class.

"Hey Mark, don't forget our plot notes on Sunday, alright?" Mikaela reminded him, referencing their novel, *Blooming Rose*.

"Got it! We'll finish it in a month, hehe," Mark said, forcing a smile despite having clearly forgotten about their meeting on Sunday.

Time passed, and the bell rang at 11 a.m., signaling lunchtime. Mark walked through the hallway when he heard someone call out to him from behind.

It was a familiar voice—Katrina's. "Hey, hey! Have you made up your mind, Mark?"

Mark was surprised that the top student in the class was speaking to him. "Well… I guess," he replied, his expression uncertain.

"Great! I'll meet you at room 301 after class, alright?" she said.

Mark continued walking until he reached the cafeteria. As he walked toward the entrance, he spotted Chloe and others there.

"Hey, sleepyhead! Over here!" Chloe shouted.

Mark sat down beside them, looking downcast and tired.

"What's up with that gloomy face, dude?" Carl asked, and both Chloe and Den echoed the same question.

"W-what do you mean, haha?" Mark forced a laugh, but his friends didn't seem convinced by his fake smile.

"Whatever, man. I hope you're doing alright," Carl said.

The four of them continued to eat their lunch.

While eating, Chloe mentioned that a transfer student would arrive at school tomorrow. "Dudes, did you hear that the new student is coming to school tomorrow?" she said.

"Is it a girl?" Rhein asked excitedly.

"Sadly, yes, and I heard that she will be in the same classroom as you, Mark," Chloe replied.

Mark didn't seem to be paying attention; he was zoning out, staring through the window.

"Hey, Mark, are you listening?" Chloe shouted at him.

"Y-yeah, yeah, I heard you. It's just that it was kind of rainy yesterday," Mark said, wearing a confused expression.

"What the fu—" Den and Rhein burst out laughing, while Chloe looked both confused and furious.

Time passed, and the four of them returned to their homeroom at 1:00 p.m. As Mark approached the classroom door, he saw Ms. Lopez, their homeroom teacher for 12-Dexterity.

Mark sat down at his desk and listened as Ms. Lopez made an announcement. "Good afternoon, class. Tomorrow morning, the transfer student from abroad will arrive in our section. She is from Singapore, so please be polite to her and treat her like one of your classmates," Ms. Lopez said.

Mark glanced at his classmates; they seemed thrilled and happy for no apparent reason.

Mark muttered to himself, "Transfer student, huh..."