The next morning,

  John yawned, still worn out from the night before—he’d barely gotten a wink of sleep.

  Most of the other students looked just as haggard. It wasn’t just the lack of rest; the real weight was the crippling fear gnawing at their hearts.

  For nearly all of them, it was the first time they’d ever laid eyes on a corpse, let alone lived through a supernatural incident like this.

  Anyone who’d managed to sleep that night had nerves of steel, plain and simple.

  “John, d’you think this thing with us is gonna blow up online?”

  James leaned over from his bunk, his voice low. They’d scrolled through countless weird, unexplained incidents on the internet their whole lives—never in a million years did they think they’d end up as the main characters in one.

  “Depends if anyone posted footage of it,” John shrugged. “But with how many supernatural stuff’s popping up online these days? Ours’ll probably be just another drop in the bucket.”

  Tom shrugged indifferently. “Who cares? Just glad we’re alive.”

  “Are you sure we’re gonna stay that way?”

  A flicker of terror still lingered in James’s eyes.

  The words sent a cold chill down everyone’s spine.

  None of them believed they were safe just because they’d left that dorm building. The Embroidered Shoe Incident was proof enough of that.

  You might think it’s gone… but it could be right beside you this whole time.

  “Chin up,” John said, shrugging again. “C’mon, there were dozens of us in that dorm. Odds are it won’t single you out.”

  Classic him—better you than me.

  “Fair point.” Tom nodded, letting out a shaky breath of relief, if only for the moment.

  “Any of you know who the dead kid was?”

  Another roommate wandered over, joining their huddle.

  Everyone shook their heads. The panic had been so thick last night, no one’d had the guts to look the corpse in the face.

  John had, though. He’d even stared at him for a minute—came close to taking a photo, honestly. Problem was, he didn’t recognize the guy at all.

  “I asked around,” James said, glancing over his shoulder to make sure no one else was listening. “It’s Jack from Class 3.

  “His roommates said he never left their dorm. Not once. And the door never so much as creaked open the whole night.”

  That one sentence sealed it for them. This was definitely supernatural.

  “I’m going home to study for a while,” Tom said, his face pale with fear. “Stay here another second, and I might end up dead before I even know what hit me.”

  “What about the rest of you?”

  “Me too. I called my parents last night—they’re picking me up this morning.”

  “John? You staying or heading home?”

  William turned to him, his eyes wide with uncertainty.

  “Me? I’m outta here too.” John had no desire to stick around the dorms either.

  If that thing did decide to target him, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to survive it.

  “Perfect. Let’s head home together.”

  “???”

  John’s mouth twitched. “Wait. Don’t you have your own house to go to?”

  “Nope.” William’s gaze was unwavering—he’d clearly made up his mind to leech onto John for safety.

  “Dude. Two guys crashing together? That’s gonna tank my reputation.” John sighed.

  “My parents send me three grand a month for living expenses. I can’t even spend it all…”

  “Shut up. You’re coming with me.”

  “???”

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  William’s jaw dropped. “Bro, I thought you hated when people hand you free money?”

  “This isn’t free money,” John said with a straight face, feigning seriousness. “This is protection. A little protection fee’s only fair, right?”

  “……”

  William shook his head frantically. “Totally fair. 100%.”

  By then, the students were filing out of the gym, all heading for their classrooms—not to study, of course.

  Only a complete lunatic would hit the books after what they’d been through.

  They all planned to corner their teachers the second they got there, beg for permission to go home.

  This school was no longer a place to learn—it was a death trap.

  And for once, the school didn’t stop them. No one wanted to be held responsible if another student died.

  By noon, John and William were hauling armfuls of bags and boxes into John’s house on the outskirts of town.

  “Bro, I told my parents I’m crashing with you for a while to study,” William said, flopping onto the couch with a contented groan. “Figured I could even tutor you a little, y’know?”

  “Save it.” John rolled his eyes.

  And just like that, the two settled into a hermit’s life at John’s place.

  They still had no clue what the rules were for these supernatural incidents, but common sense said laying low and staying inside meant a much lower chance of running into one.

  Unless they were incredibly unlucky.

  A week passed in the blink of an eye.

  Miraculously, none of the students who’d been in that dorm building the night of the murder had run into any more trouble. It meant none of them had been marked by a ghost.

  Online, though? Supernatural incidents were popping up left and right—so many that the authorities could barely keep them under wraps anymore.

  As the horror spread, panic gripped the entire country.

  Wild rumors swirled: some claimed the government itself had been taken over by vengeful spirits, that’s why they’d stayed silent for so long.

  But at exactly twelve noon that day, a message from the official government channels blared across every screen in the nation— and it sent shockwaves through the entire population.

  “John! C’mere! The government just put out a statement!”

  William was hunched over his laptop, his voice urgent as he called John over.

  John was by his side in an instant, curiosity lighting up his eyes.

  The two leaned in, reading every word intently.

  After a long minute, they locked eyes— and fell silent.

  The government had finally acknowledged the unusual changes sweeping the world. They urged everyone to work and study from home as much as possible, and strictly warned against going out after dark.

  Second, they told the public not to panic, that government agencies were working around the clock to handle all the strange incidents cropping up.

  And third? They released a special emergency hotline— for anyone who found themselves face-to-face with a supernatural event to call for help.

  “Bro… what now?” William asked, breaking the silence.

  “Looks like this is a lot more serious than we thought.” John stroked his chin, his eyes thoughtful.

  The statement was vague, downplaying the danger— but it said everything they needed to know. The supernatural stuff wasn’t going away anytime soon. If it was, the government never would’ve bothered with an official announcement at all.

  “We keep laying low. For now.” John’s gaze drifted to a vial of rooster blood on the counter, then back to William. “Do me a favor— ask around, see if anyone in Blackwater’s been possessed by evil spirits lately.”

  Vengeful ghosts killed. But the weaker spirits, the ones he’d run into before? They didn’t seem to want to take lives— just drive people insane.

  His plan was simple: use those feeble spirits to barter with the Face Ghost for potions, slowly building up his strength.

  He wasn’t afraid of ghosts— but he wasn’t stupid enough to go looking for the violent, deadly ones. Not when he wasn’t sure he could beat them.

  “So the supernatural’s really breaking out all over the world… the government can’t even stop it?”

  He’d thought the authorities would clamp down on this stuff fast, snuff it out before it spread. Then he could go back to his normal life, and just hunt down weak spirits in his free time— for cash, and for potions.

  But it looked like his little fantasy was dead in the water.

  John was still lost in thought when William’s phone rang, shattering the quiet.

  “Hello? Ms. Wilson…”

  William listened for a minute, then hung up, turning to John with a grim expression.

  “The school wants us back.”

  “Back? For what— class?!” John stared at him, dumbfounded.

  “Said it’s an important announcement. Everyone has to come in.”

  “Has to?” John’s brow furrowed. “You think this is coming from the government?”

  The school would never risk bringing everyone back after what happened— not if they had a choice. Too much liability if another student died. This had to be an order from above.

  “You wanna go?”

  “Might as well.” John stood up, grabbing his jacket. “If the school’s calling us back, they must’ve had professionals take care of the ghost in the dorm building.”

  “Alright.” William nodded, following John without a second thought— he’d made John his personal safety blanket.

  That afternoon, the two left the house and headed straight for Blackwater Town High School.

  The school, which had been a ghost town for a week, was bustling again— but the mood was nothing like normal. Every single student had a look of unease etched into their face, fear hanging in the air like a thick fog.

  Ms. Wilson, their homeroom teacher, was already in the classroom, looking exhausted and worn thin. Her eyes kept drifting to an empty desk in the room, a flicker of grief in her gaze.

  One by one, the students of Senior Class 1 filed in— all except one. The desk in the third row sat empty.

  The dorm ghost might’ve been dealt with… but that student had fallen victim to another supernatural incident.

  “Ryan won’t be with us today,” Ms. Wilson said, her voice thick with sorrow.

  A hush fell over the classroom. Everyone’s hearts sank, the unspoken truth hanging heavy between them.

  He’d been taken by the supernatural.

  In that moment, death felt closer than ever— close enough to touch.

  “I called you all back today because the higher-ups have assigned a new teacher to speak with you,” Ms. Wilson continued, forcing her voice steady.

  “A teacher?”

  Muttered complaints rippled through the room.

  Who the hell could focus on a teacher’s lecture right now? Not when their lives were on the line.

  “Please welcome Mr. Harold!”

  The class clapped, half-heartedly, their minds still on the empty desk and the fear gnawing at them.

  The classroom door swung open, and a man stepped inside. He was dressed in a crisp suit, his build broad and muscular, and his eyes sharp as lightning— when his gaze swept the room, every student sat up straight, their spines going rigid, an involuntary reaction to his intense presence.

  “Everyone. My name is Harold. I’m with the Department of Education,” he said, his voice deep and firm, cutting through the murmur of the room.

  “And today, I’m here to teach you a lesson.

  “A lesson about the unusual changes our world’s been facing lately.”