Whispers of the Unknown

CHAPTER 14

The first light of dawn had yet to fully break the sky when Mike opened his eyes. In the dim darkness of his room, he sat on the edge of his bed for a moment, simply listening to his own breathing. The weight in his body was still there, but he had grown used to it. With a strange calmness that came from waking before any alarm could sound, he slipped on his running shoes, pulled on his hooded tracksuit, and quietly stepped outside.

The air was cool. The wind brushed against his skin, and in the emptiness of the morning streets, the only sound was the echo of his footsteps. Mike began to run. Slowly at first, then faster as he found his rhythm. His heart pounded, his lungs burned; every morning he pushed himself harder than the day before. By the time he finished, he was drenched in sweat, but there was a strange sense of relief on his face.

He returned home and moved straight into his training push-ups, pull-ups, bodyweight exercises… every rep gave him a fragile but undeniable sense of control.

The shower water rolled over his sore muscles, soothing the ache but doing nothing to quiet the storm in his head. He stood before the mirror, droplets sliding down his face. For a moment, he just stared at himself. There was still a strangeness in his eyes, like someone or something else was breathing behind them.

He grabbed his bag, put on his jacket, and hopped onto his motorcycle. The engine roared to life, breaking the silence of the morning. The city was only half awake; a few cars on the road, a few people rushing down the sidewalks. Mike twisted the throttle, and the wind cut against his face.

When he reached the school gates, the engine fell silent. He put his foot down, parked the bike, and exhaled deeply.

And in that moment…

He felt something.

A sensation from deep within, like an unexplainable vibration humming in his chest. He glanced at the school courtyard; ordinary students, an ordinary morning. But… it wasn't. His instincts screamed. Something else was here. Someone else. But they weren't normal.

Mike was just about to focus on the source of that feeling when

— Hey Mike! What are you doing, man?

A hand touched his shoulder. Zack.

Mike snapped out of it, inhaling sharply.

— Ah… Zack. I just… zoned out for a second.

Zack raised an eyebrow.

— Zoned out? You okay, man?

— Yeah, I'm fine. No problem, Mike said, forcing a faint smile. But his mind was still stuck on what he had just felt.

They walked into the classroom together. Inside, everything looked as it always did. Students chatting, some staring out the window, some glued to their phones.

But…

Mike's eyes locked onto someone immediately.

Two rows ahead sat a boy he had never seen before. A sly, crooked smirk spread across his face half amusement, half something darker. He wasn't moving, just sitting there as if waiting for something. Mike narrowed his eyes, focusing on him. His mind whispered, "He's not like the others." He was just about to lock his attention fully when—

— Mike?

The teacher's voice snapped him out of it.

— Come on, take your seat. Class is starting.

Mike drew a breath, reluctantly tearing his gaze away from the stranger and sat down.

The teacher turned to the class.

— Alright, everyone. We have a new student today. I'll let him introduce himself.

The boy stood.

— I'm Ethan. Ethan Serevich.

The moment he said his name, Mike's gaze sharpened again. Ethan met his eyes and gave him a sly, one-sided grin. Mike whispered under his breath:

— You're… one of the ones I felt this morning.

And Ethan, in a voice so low no one else could hear, replied:

— Yes. I'm one of them.

Mike's heartbeat quickened. He knew Ethan was something something supernatural. But what? Was he like Mike? Or something entirely different?

Later that day, at lunch, Zack sat across from him with a curious look on his face.

— So this morning, when you kind of spaced out… are you sure you're okay, man?

Mike lowered his head for a moment, then whispered:

— Listen, Zack… That guy in class—Ethan. He's something too. But I don't know what. Is he like me? Or… something completely different? I can't tell.

Zack blinked.

— Wait, what do you mean? How can you even tell he's not normal?

Mike pressed his palms flat against the table, his fingers digging into the surface.

— I don't know. It's like… something invades your mind. Your body screams at you. You just… feel it. Even if you don't want to.

And then the cafeteria doors swung open.

Ethan walked in. But he wasn't alone.

Behind him were five more people. Each one completely different in appearance, yet all carrying the same thing: confidence. The way they walked, the way the air seemed to shift around them it was commanding, suffocating.

Mike's breathing sped up instantly. His chest tightened as his heart pounded faster and faster. He narrowed his eyes, locking onto the six of them.

— What… are you? he whispered to himself.

Zack noticed right away.

— Hey, hey! Man, calm down. You okay? You're breathing way too fast.

But Mike couldn't look away.

— Those six… they're the same. They're all… something. But I can't figure out what. I know they're not normal, but… how? What exactly are they?

Zack leaned closer, his voice low.

— So you're saying you can feel when someone's supernatural… but you can't tell what they really are?

Mike slowly nodded, his eyes still locked on the group.

— Yeah, Zack. I can feel it. But I can't make sense of it. It's like a noise in your head… it invades you, unsettles you, but never gives you an answer.

And as the six of them fully stepped into the cafeteria, the noise in Mike's head grew louder, heavier.

This wasn't just a school anymore.

Something was beginning.