Fifth Floor
Ash's Perspective
The metal of the shotgun was warm in my hands as I stepped forward, boots crunching against the dusty floor of the corridor. And there he was.
Me.
Or rather—it.
The shapeshifter had taken my form.
His smile twisted unnaturally, like a mask barely stretched over madness.
"Do you think you can kill me?" he asked, voice mocking.
I didn't blink. "Just tell me—when did you enter the building?"
He tilted his head. Confused.
"Why aren't you afraid of me?" he hissed, scratching his forehead with clawed fingers until the skin peeled. "It's driving me CRAZY."
"Just answer the question."
He grinned. "When your bus arrived… I was already there. Lurking beneath it. Hiding in plain sight. I waited. Watched. And when a boy came down alone… I struck. Perfect timing."
I fired.
BOOM! BOOM!
The first blast tore into him.
The second missed.
Before I could retreat, his rubber-like arm slashed through the air—and through my flesh.
My arm hit the ground with a sickening thud. Blood sprayed the walls.
The shapeshifter didn't stop talking. "You know, I got some of Theo's memories… when I ate part of his brain."
He laughed.
My vision blurred.
"You know what's funny?" he continued. "Jace's parents? He knew they were dead. Cut in half. Right in the house. Theo saw it first—he stopped Jace from going inside. Told him to stay in the car."
My breath caught.
"But Jace… already knew. He sat there pretending, for Lumi. For Theo. For you all."
I dropped to my knees.
A thousand knives stabbed my mind.
So Jace… was carrying all that alone?
Tears rolled down my cheeks.
I picked up the shotgun again.
The shapeshifter scoffed. "What now? Gonna shoot me?"
"No."
I placed the barrel under my chin.
My back rested against the wall.
My body was losing blood fast anyway.
"Goodbye," I whispered.
Bang.
Darkness.
Pain.
And that voice again—sickening, gleeful.
"You're so BORING to watch. Want a suggestion?"
"Kill everyone. Use your gift. End the whole damn world."
"HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA—"
Rebirth
My eyes snapped open.
I gasped, clutching my chest.
A mirror across from me showed my reflection—about a third of my hair had turned white. My eyes… dead. No shine. No life. Just weight.
The smell of diesel filled the air.
I looked around. The bus?
Everyone was asleep.
"We've arrived," the bus driver called.
Jace and Kai's grandfather stepped out first. The others began to stir. I didn't wait. I ran.
"Senior! Are you okay?" Yuki called after me.
"Yeah," I lied.
I needed to move fast.
I reached the iron gate where Silas stood, Tessa beside him.
"I'm Silas, and this is my granddaughter, Tessa," he said.
I nodded. "Ash. And there's something you need to know."
I leaned in close.
"There's a shapeshifter. Under the bus."
Instant tension. Silas's eyes narrowed. Tessa stiffened. The others—Theo, Kai, Jace, Ryn—who had just joined us, immediately turned to face the bus.
No one said a word.
But their expressions hardened.
They believed me.
Because this time… I wasn't broken.
This time… I knew what to do.