Ash's Perspective
Location: Stairs to the 7th Floor
My hands were shaking.
Each step up the staircase felt heavier than the last. My body remembered what my mouth couldn't say — that death was waiting behind Room 707. That even if I screamed the truth, they wouldn't believe me until blood painted the walls again.
"Man," Aki whispered casually beside me, "some guy from 2nd batch said he was making out with his girlfriend in the dark, then heard a weird voice. He freaked out and bolted. Forgot his girlfriend upstairs. Fifth floor. What an ass."
"Caa…n you sta…y qu…iet fo…r a…a mom.ment…" I stammered. My lips were trembling. My skin was cold. My eyes wouldn't focus.
"Bro," Aki stopped. "You okay? You look like you've seen death."
I had.
And I was about to see it again.
Location: In Front of Room 707
"Room 707, yeah, this is the one," Aki confirmed. He looked at the door like it was just another locked pantry. "Let's get this over with."
He reached for the handle, but I shoved my crowbar in first, prying the lock in a panic. My hands were sweating, slipping.
"Let's just get in—"
"Wait!" I yelled.
Too late.
A hand — no, a blade that looked like a hand — shot through the door.
It tore through Aki.
Clean.
Brutal.
Instant.
He was cut in half.
His body split and hit the walls like meat thrown across a butcher's floor.
I didn't look back.
I turned. I ran.
I could hear the squelching. The floor vibrating behind me. It wasn't chasing. No. This one was different.
It was playing.
Like a cat with mice.
I ran down the hall, legs barely holding, lungs failing, but it didn't matter.
A sudden swipe.
My torso was gone.
I flew — my body half of what it was. Landed. Screamed. Screamed like I never had.
"HELP! HELP! HELP! HELP! HELP! HELP! HELP! HELP! HELP!"
The corridor echoed with nothing but my misery.
Nobody came.
I was alone.
I could feel my blood soaking into the wooden floor, warm at first, then cold. My vision blurred.
Was this… the final loop?
I just wanted to live… just once… without dying…
Darkness.
…
…
Ash! Wake up!
I gasped. My lungs finally filled. Tears stung my eyes.
I was lying in a sleeping bag. Alive. Again.
Theo stood above me, worry on his face.
"Someone's gone missing," he said.
Missing. Not dead yet.
I still had time.
Location: Common Hall
People gathered. First batch frantic. Second batch barely awake. It was chaos. Screams filled the air.
"There's a shapeshifter in the building!"
Jun stepped forward to calm the crowd. "There are no shap—"
"There ARE shapeshifters!" I shouted.
The hall went silent.
Everyone turned.
I walked into the middle of the crowd. "They're in Room 707. Three of them."
Jun looked at me. No longer doubting.
It took time, shouting, bargaining, threats, but eventually…
Everyone agreed.
Location: 7th Floor, Room 707
We were armed — crowbars, hammers, even a few guns passed around like candies in a war zone.
Tessa was holding a bat. Silas had a nail-ridden plank. Jace had a revolver. Theo held Lumi's hand.
"Open it," someone whispered.
I stepped forward.
We kicked it open.
And then…
Blood.
Blood sprayed out the doorway like a fountain of death.
Screams.
One man was pulled in. Another shot blindly before being dragged into the shadows.
Three of them. Three shapeshifters. Inhuman. Limbs bending the wrong way. Eyes glowing with hunger. Faces wearing our faces.
I turned.
"RUN!!!" I shouted.
Some listened. Others froze. Some fought.
A woman from 2nd batch swung a hammer — and lost her head. A teenager fired, hit one, but it regenerated.
Chaos.
I sprinted down the hall, dodging bodies and blood. I didn't stop.
Location: Basement Parking
I found the bus driver. Threw the keys at him.
"START IT! Now!" I screamed.
He didn't ask why.
The engine roared to life. Several survivors climbed in. Yuki. Lumi. Jace. Theo. Kai. Ryn. Bram. Tessa. Jun. Maybe ten of us left.
But…
I couldn't leave yet.
I ran back.
Location: Apartment Interior
Blood painted the walls. Arms. Faces. Screams. All over again.
"Ryn?! KAI?!"
I shouted names. I searched rooms.
Then — a hand grabbed my neck.
Pulled me inside.
The door slammed shut.
Darkness again.