boy in the corner

"So sleepy…"

Rain led the way into the dorm, yawning. The other four in the group trailed closely behind. After finishing dinner, the five split off toward their respective beds. Rain and Zheairn headed to their adjacent bunks.

"I'm so sick of that gross, tasteless science slop they call food," Zheairn grumbled, his face scrunched in disgust as he walked beside Rain.

"Yeah, no kidding…"

Rain reached his bed, sat on the edge, and immediately flopped back, lying flat. He sat up again, turning to Zheairn, who was straightening his bedsheets. Out of the corner of his eye, Rain noticed someone huddled in the corner of the room, knees drawn up, radiating distress.

"Zheairn."

Rain called softly to Zheairn, who turned with a puzzled look. Rain pointed toward the corner where someone sat huddled, clutching their knees. Zheairn, having finished making his bed, followed Rain's gesture. Spotting the boy, he turned back to Rain, his voice tinged with curiosity.

"What's up?"

Rain stood from his bed and approached the boy slowly. Zheairn watched. Rain stopped in front of him, looking down. He noticed the boy was trembling. The boy sat tightly curled, knees hugged close, his face buried in them. Rain crouched, studying him for a moment before gently touching his shoulder and asking,

"Hey, you okay?"

The boy flinched violently, startled. He lifted his head, looking up at Rain with trembling fear. Tears clung to the edges and corners of his eyes, his lips twitching. Rain froze for a moment, then repeated his question.

"You okay?"

The boy didn't respond, just stared at Rain, not a single word escaping his lips. Rain watched him for a moment, then glanced back at Zheairn, who stood observing from the beds. Turning back to the boy, Rain saw he was still staring, unblinking. Rain raised a hand, waving it in front of the boy's face. The boy flinched slightly, staying in place, and shook his head faintly. Rain pressed on, trying again.

"What happened to you?"

The boy stared at Rain as if in a trance, his gaze vacant and drifting. Zheairn approached from behind, placing a hand on Rain's shoulder. Rain looked up, and Zheairn crouched beside him.

"What's wrong with this guy?"

Rain shook his head. He had no idea what was going on either. The boy continued to stare at Rain, still in the same hunched position, showing no sign of moving anytime soon. Rain reached out again, gently tapping the boy's shoulder. The boy stirred slightly, glancing at Rain's hand before meeting his eyes. He let out a faint sigh, then buried his face back into his knees.

"What's his deal…" Zheairn muttered, growing frustrated and mildly annoyed that Rain's questions yielded no answers. He stood, brushing off his pants.

"So, what do we do?"

Rain shook his head at Zheairn, turning his attention back to the boy.

Both Zheairn and Rain tried to communicate, asking questions and talking, but the boy remained unresponsive, sitting silently in the corner, clutching his knees. After some time passed with no indication of a response, Rain turned to Zheairn.

"You should go rest."

Zheairn tilted his head slightly, sighed, and stood up steadily. "Alright, I'm heading to my bunk then."

Rain nodded. Zheairn walked back to his bed, while Rain stayed there, sitting with the boy.

Time passed, and the two remained in the same corner of the room. The boy's lips twitched, as if struggling to say something. Rain, noticing, leaned in closer. The boy lifted his head slightly, his eyes just peeking over his knees.

"Who… are you…"

Rain felt a small wave of relief that the boy had finally spoken.

"I'm Rain."

The boy didn't respond further. He lowered his head again, muttering softly to himself in barely intelligible words.

"Not… cross… red…"

The boy continued muttering to himself, his words barely audible. Rain strained to catch the meaning, but the murmurs were disjointed, too soft to make out clearly.

"What are you mumbling about?"

The boy didn't respond, just kept muttering without reason, sending a slight chill down Rain's spine. Still, Rain was determined to understand what had happened.

A brief silence fell…

"Sam, he…"

The boy seemed about to say something more, and Rain leaned in, eager to hear. But the words came out fragmented, incomplete, as if the boy was reluctant to speak of it. He only offered vague snippets about some event: He… during the break… he did… he's gone now.

This only deepened Rain's curiosity about what had happened. He stood, adjusting his clothes. Since the boy's incoherent speech was more confusing than clarifying, Rain decided to take action, spurred by one phrase: He's gone now.

He walked to the door and stood there. Most of the other kids were already asleep. Rain began counting the students in the room, one by one, from the first bed to the last. The total came up short. He counted again, repeating the process to ensure he hadn't made a mistake. Each time, the number was the same: 45 students. Rain's suspicion grew. If two people had been taken away during the first exam, the room should have had 48 students, down from the original 50. But 45? That was strange. No one could be outside—the dorm door was locked. If someone had gone to the bathroom or received permission to leave for somewhere, a small note would appear on the electronic board next to the door.

Rain turned toward the massive door.

"I need to use the bathroom. Open the door…"

There was a brief pause before the collar's voice responded.

"Acknowledged."

The door slid open slowly. Rain glanced at the empty space beside it, where his name appeared on the electronic board the moment the door cracked open:

1) A5-047-BX | Bathroom | 6:46 PM | Authorized

2) ---

3) ---

Rain stepped out of the dorm and paused just outside the door. The words of the boy in the corner and Gaia's warning about something strange happening here hit his nerves like waves crashing against the shore. It was enough to spark the curiosity and suspicion slowly building within him.

"I'm gonna check something out…" he muttered to himself.

Rain walked down the corridor, moving out of sight from the door. As it slid shut behind him, another name appeared on the electronic board beneath his own:

1. A5-047-BX | Bathroom | 6:46 PM | Authorized

2. A5-004-VX | Bathroom | 6:48 PM | Authorized

3. ---

A mysterious figure stepped out of the dorm. The door closed silently behind them. They followed Rain's path, their footsteps making no sound, no trace of presence at all.

Rain continued slowly down the bare, open corridor. No rooms or doors lined the walls—it was unnervingly empty, almost suspiciously so. He ran his hand along the wall, then pressed his ear against it and gave it a light knock. The sound was solid, dense. He pulled back.

"Indoor Playground… classroom… library… dining hall… dorm… and few others"

He paused, lost in thought, then added,

"With all this space, why are there only these few rooms…?"

Rain pressed on, moving cautiously. Unbeknownst to him, a pair of eyes watched his every move. For the first time, Rain had entered a state of true suspicion.