The Ripple Before the Storm

Something was off.

It started small — too small for anyone else to notice.

But I felt it.

The air didn't feel right.

People seemed louder, more impatient, more… nervous.

Even teachers who used to drone on now paused more often, like they'd forgotten what they were saying.

And the presence?

Still there.

But closer.

---

I walked to class as usual.

Same campus. Same tired faces.

But the sky was darker than it should've been, even though it was morning.

Crows sat on electric wires — too many of them.

I counted as I walked.

One line had two hundred.

Exactly.

They stared down at people like they were waiting for something.

Some of them cawed. Most just watched.

---

Later that day, something happened in class.

It was during a boring lecture. Half the room was half-asleep.

And then one girl stood up suddenly — someone I didn't even know.

She looked around like she didn't recognize the room.

Then she whispered something.

I couldn't hear it.

But the next second, she screamed.

"It's burning! The sky—! It's—"

Then she collapsed.

The class panicked. Some ran over. Others pulled out their phones.

The teacher froze. I didn't move.

Because I felt it again.

That pressure. That presence.

Stronger than before. Like it was… focused.

---

I kept quiet about it.

Later that evening, I stood on the roof of the dorm building, just watching the sky.

Nothing strange. No fire. No screams.

But the wind felt heavy. And cold.

Even though it wasn't supposed to be.

For a second — just a second — I thought I saw something flash in the clouds.

A thin white line. Almost like a cut in the sky.

But when I blinked, it was gone.

Maybe I imagined it.

Or maybe I didn't.

---

That night, while lying in bed, I stared at the ceiling.

I couldn't sleep.

The silence wasn't peaceful.

It felt like something was holding its breath.

I didn't know what was coming.

But I knew something was.

Not a test.

Not an exam.

Something much bigger.

---

Even in the dark, with my eyes closed — I

could feel it.

Something was getting closer.

---

> Next: Chapter 14 – The 0-Hour Whisper