I have no idea where to begin. Right now, I'm sitting in a cheap hotel, penning this in a recently bought notebook in an attempt to keep myself sane. God knows there hasn't been a decent person to talk to since getting here. No, everybody here is fucking crazy.

It would probably make more sense if I started at the beginning. Maybe if I go back through my most recent memories, I can make more sense as to what happened. At the time, I was in the middle of a mental breakdown.

My name is Seth Rogers, a college junior who attends college at Rainer State University. I worked my ass off in high school to get here, as I have a high end job waiting for me in a well known computer company if I can graduate from here. In essence, I have planned out my life since entering high school.

It's just another normal day for me as a student. Of course, normal usually means rushing to and fro my classes, or working hard at my desk if I didn't have anything scheduled for that day.

Unfortunately, Wednesdays are busy for me, as I have four classes crammed back to back. It seems grueling, but I actually enjoy this better. This way, I have longer breaks between class days to get my work done, or just read if I manage to square everything away. Or, hell, sometimes I hang out with the few friends I have.

Right now, I'm sitting in my third class of the day. It's foreign language, which is just simple memorization. Not to toot my own horn here, but that's just plain simple. That's why this is my least favorite class. Heh, that doesn't make much sense when I write it on paper. I suppose it's because if I'm not challenged in a class, I get bored really easily.

This is one of those days.

I sigh and let my face rest on my fist. While not entirely comfortable, this allows me to rest my head without the professor getting on to me. Yeah, I have a college professor that actually cares if someone's not paying attention. It's a damn hassle. I mean, this is college, not high school. It should be entirely our choice whether or not we're good students.

Additionally, in this position my short, wavy black hair falls down and covers the majority of my face, therefore allowing me to close my bright green eyes and attempt to get some sleep. You don't understand; at the time I was completely fried from two back to back tests. Praise the whatever that we were only studying the written language in this class.

The other students in the classroom are a mix of other men and women of various years whose names escape my mind. After all, they are the usual gossiping, over-dramatic people who I can care less about.

I suddenly jerk awake, which causes me to lift my head and look around to see if anyone had noticed. When I determine that no one had, I sigh again. I hate it when a minor dream awakens me like that. Resting my head on my fist again, I tried again to sleep, but find that I can't

I curse to myself, succumbing to that confounded boredom once again. It's times like this that I wish I had a way out. Why can't I ever get those spontaneous bloody noses at a convenient time? Like...now. My head droops. That's just wishful thinking on my part. I had my deviated septim fixed months ago.

My phone buzzes in my pocket, taking me by surprise. Who in their right mind would text me? I roll my eyes and take out the phone, expecting it to be my mother again.

Huh, it's actually not. It's from one of my only friends. Her name is Amaryllis. Her name is quite the mouthful, so everyone calls her Amy for short. Not me, of course. I think her first name is unique, unlike all the other shitty names I see people saddled with. Anyhow, I might as well see what she wants.

You still in class?

My lips curve into a smile, an expression only my friends can cause. Amaryllis is so cute in that she never shortens or abbreviates her words. Odd for text messages, don't you think? Not a single "lol" or even a "brb."

This is a welcome distraction from class, so I quickly tap out a reply on my Iphone and send it to her.

Not for long.

Class ends in twenty minutes, but if Amaryllis is asking me a question like that, she got out of class early and wants to hang out. Technically, I don't have time to hang with her because I have class right after this one. Fuck that, though. I already don't see her enough.

I stand up from my position in the middle of the class room, grabbing my bag and slinging it over my shoulder. I get some annoyed mutters from the other students in my row as I force my way past them, but I could really care less. What do I care if they find some action of mine rude?

As I head towards the door, the professor shoots me an angry glare, because she knows I'm cutting her class early. I return it with one of my own just before leaving the room. Bitch, I'm acing your class. Eat your heart out.

From here, it's just a short walk through a hallway, down some stairs, and out the double doors into the mildly chilly weather. I shiver involuntarily at the change in temperature. I'm telling you, fuck winter.

Just as I expected, Amaryllis is leaning against one of the stone pillars that support an awning that hangs over the front door of the building I just came from. She's as beautiful as always, despite the ice cold expression on her face. What really stands out about her is her hair. It's a glimmering crimson color and hangs lower than her waist. It still wows me every time I see it. Why can't I have hair that shines like that?

She gives a small, almost imperceptible smile as she sees me. I walk past her with a light gesture, and she falls into step beside me. I only have about thirty minutes before my next class, so I'm walking to the science building. We're quiet for a bit, but it's not awkward. This is how things generally go.

"How did your tests go?" Amaryllis finally broke the silence, gazing at me with her baby blue eyes.

"Just fucking great. There was crap on that last test that I've never seen before, and you know how I study," I snap irritably. Such a response may have taken a normal friend aback, but Amaryllis isn't like that. She's as mean and fucked up as I am, which is probably why we're such good friends.

"Perhaps you should have listened in his lecture. I know for a fact that professor uses a lot of material from his oral lectures only," Amaryllis points out, causing me to groan. She's right, but that only makes it worse.

"Can you not patronize me right now?" I ask wryly. A smirk crosses Amaryllis's face.

"What, do you want me to pat your back and say 'I'm sorry, you poor baby?'" she responds sarcastically, speaking the last bit in a bad imitation of my mother's voice.

"Fuck you."

"Dream on, Seth."

"Pah."

That is generally how we act when we're hanging out. Seems abnormal, doesn't it? No, we're just that good of friends. Practically every other word out of our mouths is an insult to one another, and yet we're tighter than siblings.

"What about you? How did your classes go?" I ask her after a moment of silence.

"Nothing worth mentioning. But I did run into Sam on the way out. He tried to start something." Amaryllis replies. That gets my attention. Samson, or Sam for short, is one of Amaryllis's ex-boyfriends. That one in particular was a nasty one, thinking he could 'tame' the wildness that is Amaryllis. Needless to say, that didn't end well for him.

"Oh really?" I say, raising an eyebrow. "I hope you beat the shit out of him."

"I broke his arm," Amaryllis returned, smiling. I quickly form a mental image of that bastard getting his arm broken, and I break out into a twisted grin. I just love it when people like him get what's coming to them.

"Good. Else I might have been tempted to do something to him myself," I grunted, feeling satisfied. Amaryllis raises an eyebrow herself at that statement.

"Oh? Feeling a bit protective of me, are you? You're so sweet, Seth," she quips, smirking. I scoff in derision at that.

"Not on your life. I just can't stand looking at his damn face," I shot back, but I'm obviously lying. I honestly would have torn that guy a new asshole if Amaryllis hadn't badass enough to do it herself.

We fell into silence once more, but it doesn't last long before a horror rock theme starts blaring from my phone. I recognize the caller without looking, since everyone on my contact list has a unique ringtone. I quickly take out my phone and click the answer button.

"What is it, mom?" I ask as patiently as I can. My mother, Elaine Rogers, never calls for purely personal reasons, so I can't just ignore it.

"Hey, son. I know you have class in a bit, but do you have a few minutes to talk?" Elaine's soft voice sounds from the speakers. I sigh a bit. As usual, she's asking nicely, but there's never a choice in the matter. Of course, that didn't stop me from trying.

"Well, I'm with Amaryllis because class let out early. Can it wait until after class?" I respond as politely as possible. You think I'm snarky? You don't ever want to see my mother annoyed.

"Oh, hanging out with Amy? I see how things are." The smug tone in her voice is enough to make me rub my forehead in irritation. "Have you asked her out yet?"

"I would appreciate it if you wouldn't make insinuations. Now what do you want?" I lash out viciously. I fucking hate it when she brings that up.

"I was just calling to tell you about an internship your uncle's company is offering you, down in Chile," Elaine continues on, seemingly ignoring my outburst. She was used to me, I guess. That tends to happen when you live with someone for twenty years. However, this bit of news has me a little excited.

"Really? All the way down in Chile? How would that work?" I inquire, interested. The fact that I'm getting an internship from the company I was aiming to work for one day means that if I do well, a spot in their company is pretty much guaranteed.

"All it takes is a bit of planning. If you tack a few more hours onto your spring semester, you can take a summer off to head down there. They're paying well for your time," my mother explains. The wheels start turning in my head. I technically could skip a summer semester if I took on a larger workload the following semester. It wouldn't be pretty, but I generally have enough free time in my week to accommodate a few more classes.

Also, getting paid is nice. With the amount that company generally pays, I might make enough to attend this year's anime convention here in Rainier city. It's been a long damn time since the last time I went, and I miss going terribly.

"I can do that. Tell them yes for me, all right?" I replied after a long pause.

"Oh, they'll be pleased to hear that. I'm proud of the decision you're making." I can hear the happiness in my mother's voice when she responds. I smile a bit, feeling a little happy at the praise I'm being given. Of course, I'm way too proud to admit that.

"Yeah, that's nice. Can I go now?" I say in a tired voice. I can hear a chuckle from the other end of the phone.

"Yes, go to class now, you insolent child," comes her amused response. I mutter a quick goodbye and hang up, heaving a sigh. Amaryllis, who had been silent the whole time, is looking at me curiously.

"What was that all about?" she asks, tilting her head to one side. You know, if it had been anyone else who asked that question, I would have told them to shove it.

"So apparently I'm going to Chile during the summer for an internship with Internex Electronics," I reply in a rather blunt manner. Screw beating around the bush. Amaryllis looks a bit taken aback by the suddenness of my statement, but she quickly composes herself and gives me a cool nod in response.

"That's very impressive. You'll go far with Internex...though I hope you like eating meat," she remarks. Now that I think about it, she has a point.

"Goddammit, I'm missing my greek salads already." My complaint earns a chuckle from the redhead.

I look out at the science building, where my next class, computer science, is. It's a pretty big building, housing both the math and lab science classes. The building is divided into halves apportioned to each subject. From my point of view, the math portion of the building is on the left. That's my destination.

Amaryllis and I cross the street gingerly after watching for the crazy ass shuttle driver that enjoys speeding down this particular road, before slamming his brakes at the nearby stop. Yeah, I've been in that situation before. It wasn't fun. Bastard is an adrenaline junkie.

We reach the front of the building. To get inside, one had to climb a set of stairs and pass through double doors. Even though it's the middle of the day and the sidewalks are crammed with students, we have no trouble getting through. By that, I mean we pretty much shove everyone out of our way. Yeah, Amaryllis and I can be total pricks sometimes, but I have no qualms about giving back to the world what it's given to me.

"Well, I have to head up to class now," I say ruefully. I really do enjoy these walks with her, on the rare occasion she is free. Of course, I'd die a million times before admitting that to anyone, but this is my diary after all.

Amaryllis nods in understanding. She hesitates, and then takes a step towards me. I watch her come closer in confusion, and I almost cry out in shock as she gives me a hug, her slender arms wrapping around me. I awkwardly reciprocate, completely shocked. Out of all the people I've met, Amaryllis is the last person I'd expect to give out hugs. She's more likely to break your spine than she is to hug you. So how the hell do I respond to this? The only way I know how, of course.

"What's this? Sentiment, from Amaryllis? Don't be getting soft on me," I quip with a devilish grin. Amaryllis's immediate response is to shove me backwards violently, an exasperated look on her face.

"Oh, you asshole," she grunts, though I can tell she doesn't mean it by the amused gleam in her eyes.

"You know you love me."

"Go to class already so I can be rid of you." I watch Amaryllis walk away, my grin lessening into a warm smile.

"Text me if you get a free moment!" I call after her. Instead of a reply, she waves back at me without looking. Good enough, I guess.

Now that she's gone, my smile slips away, forming a thin line that betrayed no emotion; this was the face I wear on a daily basis.

I reach into the side pocket of my bag, withdrawing a set of Japanese imported headphones, produced by Audio Technica. They are made of a smooth wooden lacquer, and are about half the diameter of my palm. They are designed in such a way that the cord will loop around the back of your neck, so that the cups will hang down the front of my chest when I'm not using them.

Slipping them over my ears and plugging them into my phone, I play some of my favorite music, which is generally symphonic metal. Nightwish is a favorite of mine, so I put on one of their songs. As the music fills my head, I'm easily able to tune out the rest of the world. The only sensations passing through my ears are the sounds of piano and guitar mixing together in a glorious solution.

Pushing open the double doors, I walk into the building, shoving my way past the guy who had been trying to get out through the same door. The fucker. If you see me coming, get the hell out of my way, because I'm not budging for you.

My class is on the second floor, so I move through the crowded hallways and into the stairwell. The stairs here are made of metal and concrete, and are about the only finished product in here. There was nothing to hide the water pipes laying bare along the walls, nor anything to cover the multitudes of electrical wires that snake everywhere. You've got to love a school with a limited budget.

My feet click against the hard red floor for a few moments before I begin climbing the stairs to the next floor. Several other people pass me on their way up or down, but I completely ignore them, and they do the same. People could care less about you, especially in a college as large as this one.

After reaching the second floor, it only takes me a few moments to navigate the hallways to my class. I step inside and once again endure the curious looks sent my way by the other students. The professor isn't here yet, but that much is a given. I'm five minutes early, and he doesn't show up until at least five minutes late. I know right? God forbid he take this class as seriously as I do.

My usual seat is right between a guy and his girlfriend, and a dark skinned man whose name I don't care to remember. I'm not friends with any of them. The woman, who is the only female in this class, is a total slut, while the guy is a stereotypical dumb jock who rants about sports to his girl every damn day. Makes me want to shut him up with my fist. There's more to life than sports, you hick.

The guy next to me with the dark skin would have been a tolerable sort, if he didn't feel the need to comment on everything everyone said. I'm not joking. If anyone nearby says something, he'll answer, even if it wasn't addressing him. Even the professor gets sick of his shit sometimes. Bastard makes me want to shove a sock down his throat.

I look up and see the professor walk in, late as usual. Out of courtesy, I pause my music and take off my headphones, letting them hang down my chest. I also slide out my laptop from my bag, as I refuse to use the shitty computers that are included in every computer science classroom.

The professor soon begins his lecture, as we only practice the actual code itself on Mondays or at home. I suppose it is important to learn why some code works as it does, and not just how to use it.

Coding is HARD. So I'm forced to pay attention for most of this class. I find the challenge refreshing, though my enthusiasm is always dampened by this idiots surrounding me. I swear, the more that guy answers the professor's rhetorical questions, the more friendly my sock starts to look.

In the last twenty minutes of class, I get a text from my brother. Adam Rogers recently graduated from this same college with a degree in engineering, and now works in an electrical plant, earning a decent amount of money. I wouldn't say he and I were altogether that close, but I certainly didn't hate the guy. We bonded mostly over anime, when he came into my room one day to see me watching Soul Eater on the big screen. He apparently liked what he saw, as he demanded we watch the series over from the beginning.

Ever since then, we would always get together and watch different animes. Soul Eater, Bleach, Fairy Tail, Code Geass, and other notable titles; we watched them all, each of us losing ourselves in the fantasy, all while enjoying the other's company.

That being said, his text is about a new anime he's interested in watching. Apparently it is an older one we haven't seen yet.

Get this, bro. Eureka Seven. Robots on hoverboards. We gotta do it! xD

Huh. Never heard of it. I'll look it up later and give it a shot, despite how ridiculous Adam's description of it is. It can't be more ridiculous than the ending of Guren Lagann, after all. Though it was awesome, once you set your disbelief in a black hole somewhere.

When class ends, I replace my headphones and walk out of the room, ignoring the darker man as he calls out a goodbye to me. He does that every class. You'd think he'd have learned by now I hate his guts. That aside, I'm composing a reply to Adam. We made a promise never to watch anime unless we are together, so I'm trying to nail down a good time to drive back home to see him.

Of course, I'm so absorbed in my reply, that I just don't see the man standing at the bottom of the stairs. I wish with all of my heart that I had, because then I wouldn't be in the situation I am as I write this.

The man is holding something that pulses a gentle green glow in his hands, but as soon as the glow registers in my mind, I plow right into him. The green glow completely disappears as his hands press on my chest for a second as he falls completely on his back. I fall forward with a cry, thrusting out my forearm just in time to break my fall and absorb the impact, though it hurts like a bitch.

I leap to my feet, removing my headphones as I prepare to shout at this guy for being a dumbass and not getting out of my way. However, his utterly bizarre appearance takes me by surprise.

His skin was a dark grey color, seeming almost ashen in complexion. His possessed a square jaw and an imposing visage, a description I don't give out lightly. His face is framed by trimmed sideburns, but the rest of his long and wild black hair is held back by what looks like...a crown? I'm not even kidding. He's wearing this metal circlet that is adorned with a strange red gem on the front, and spikes on the sides. That's just his damn head. The rest of his clothing is tight fitting and looks almost like a military body suit, and it is colored with a black and grey pattern. He even seems to have what looks like metal gauntlets on each of his hands. Hell, when I see that his boots are metal too, I almost start to believe that this guy is wearing some kind of armor.

Let me just think about that. Um...what? Who the fuck wears clothes like that in a place like this? Does he think he's some kind of big shot? Or worse, is he one of those damned cosplayers that dare to run around assuming they can EVER resemble their favorite anime character?

The man gets up slowly, and suddenly his eyes shoot open and focus an intense glare on me. Holy shit his eyes are fucking red! I can't help but take a step back up the stairs, feeling slightly intimidated by that glare of what seemed to be pure hate.

The man growls, revealing sharpened white teeth, which only serves to freak me out more. Before I can blink, he's in front of me, and pain explodes in my chest as his gauntleted fist barrels into my ribs. I double over, gasping at the sudden agony. The man isn't finished. I can feel his hand on my shirt, and seconds late I'm hanging in the air by that one hand. What kind of strength does this guy have?!

With an enraged grunt, he tosses me into the foyer of the stairwell. At this point, I'm over my shock, and I'm ready to defend myself if I have to. I place my bag aside, along with my headphones. If this guy wants a fight, I'll definitely give him one.

A student walks out of the second floor hallway into the stairwell, but before he can get very far, he is transfixed by my assailant's glare. The student wisely nopes the fuck out of there. When he was gone, the man turned back to me, his expression turning furious.

"That spell was not meant for thee!" the man roars, his deep voice echoing menacingly throughout the stairwell. Wait what? Spell? What the fuck is he talking about? "How dare thou cross me?! Thou shalt pay dearly for this!"

"Look, don't get all pissy just because you didn't fucking move when I was coming down the stairs," I snapped back at him, clutching my ribs where he punched me. I can only hope nothing is broken. He punches hella hard.

The man doesn't look like he's listening. He's walking up the stairs, moving towards me. I raise my hands in preparation. I don't know anything about fighting really, apart from what I've seen in shows or anime, but I do know one thing. Blocking is good.

When the man reaches me, he lifts his hand over his opposite shoulder, almost as if he plans to...oh no you fucking don't.

His hands swings down at an incredible speed in an attempt to backhand me, but I saw it coming. I lift my forearm into prime blocking position, just as his hand reaches me.

By the nine circles of Hell and Lucifer's three fucking mouths, that HURTS! What the hell is his hand MADE of? Sledgehammers? At the very least, I think I managed to block, as the man is now looking at me with interest.

"That spell was not meant for thee," the man repeats calmly, though I can still hear the anger simmering in his voice. "But...perhaps 'tis not a total loss."

"Mind making some sense please? Who the fuck are you, and why are you such an asshole?!" I demand, but he ignores me, instead choosing to walk slowly around me in a circle, his hands clasped behind his back. Was he sizing me up? This is just weird. I think I should get as far away from him as possible. "Uh...what are you doing?"

"Quiet," the man commands me. I blink in surprise, but it only lasts for a second before I snarl at him angrily.

"Fucking...I swear to god, if you don't..."

"QUIET!" the man shouts, and I swear I can feel some kind of pressure around me, as if the air itself was shaking under the sound of his voice. That can't happen, right? No matter how weird it is, my bravado is starting to slip away in the presence of this strange man. I'm beginning to get a little scared.

Finally, the man seems to have seen enough. He gives me a satisfied smile, which just looks fucking creepy with those sharp teeth of his.

"Indeed. Thou will do just fine," he says at last, confusing me even further. He turns the other direction and descends the stairs with purpose in his stride. As he reaches the door to the first floor, that fear that I'm feeling trickles away.

"What the actual fuck?! You're just gonna walk away? Who the hell are you, and what do you mean, 'spell?!'" I scream at him in anger. The man doesn't stop, opening the door and disappearing from view. "Are you kidding me?!"

What the hell was all of that about? I don't even know what to think. I'd say he was just a crazy cosplayer, but I felt how strong he was. Hell, I can still feel my forearm aching from that one simple hit.

"Hey, are you all right?" I turn to see a student that had just entered the stairwell from the second floor. He probably heard me yelling and was wondering if I was crazy or something. I don't feel like explaining myself, so I shoot an angry glare at him.

"Fuck off," is the only response I give him. The edge in my voice is enough to stave him off. He gives me a look of disbelief and then leaves me behind, scoffing at my rudeness.

I can't bring myself to move. I'm still in shock from what just happened. "Okay...it was probably just a normal guy who was trying to stay in character," I rationalize to myself. "The grey skin was just makeup, and he had contacts for the eyes. Yes, that's it. His strength...no no that's not important. He probably works out, unlike me. A flashlight for the glow. Okay."

I'm rambling to myself at this point, trying to keep myself from freaking out. He's normal. He has to be. Everything in life has a rational explanation. I've seen people crazier than him. He's just really into his role. I let out a sigh of relief, accepting my explanation as the truth.

I fumble with my phone, dialing the number of the only person who I can trust to listen to me seriously. I hold the phone to my ear, gulping. The ringing echoes in my ear, and for a moment, I think she's not going to answer.

"Hello? Seth, what's up? Usually you don't call," Amaryllis's concerned voice echoes through the speakers, setting my worries to rest. I take a quick breath.

"I honestly have no idea what the fuck just happened," I admitted. "It's...goddamn I don't know what to think."

"Okay. Just take a deep breath and start from the beginning, okay?" Amaryllis replies calmly. She doesn't make a single smartass joke or remark of some kind, which I'm grateful for. She can tell by the tone of my voice that something is wrong, I guess. I do as she directed, breathing deeply until my heart rate slows down again.

I tell her everything I can about the strange man, including a physical description, as well as the way he spoke, the strange green glow, and how his strength seemed almost unreal. As I talk, I start feeling a little weird. There's this queasy feeling in my stomach, almost as if I had eaten something that didn't agree with me. I ignore it, already knowing that our school's food was shit.

"I won't lie, this all sounds a bit fantastic, but I've known you long enough to know that you wouldn't make up bullshit like this," Amaryllis finally says after I finish explaining my situation to her. I smile a bit, feeling happy that she believed me. "I'm cutting class now. Can you meet me outside the science building?"

"You bet I can. I'll be out in...whoa," I have to stop talking as the queasy feeling in my stomach gives way to nausea. My legs wobble a bit, and I have to use the wall to steady myself.

"Seth? What's the matter?" Amaryllis asked sharply. I'm starting to feel lightheaded. It's difficult to think straight, almost as if a fog is descending over my mind. My thoughts are muddled and indistinct.

"I...I feel really weird..." is the only thing I can say. I feel dizzy now, and I fall to the floor, unable to keep my feet. My phone falls from my hand and skitters across the floor.

"Seth? Are you there? Seth? Shit...hang on, I'm coming!" I can vaguely hear her saying over the phone as my senses dull. I should care a bit more about this situation, but I can't think. I can't even see that well, as my eyelids close and my consciousness fades.

I wake up slowly, and then immediately wish I hadn't. I groan miserably, feeling aches and pains all over my body. My pulse pounds in my head.

I'm really uncomfortable at the moment, which gets me thinking. What the hell was I doing last night, that I'm sleeping on a cold hard floor? "That's the last time I go out drinking with...wait a minute," I mutter to myself, but I stop as I remember exactly what happened last. I had been talking to Amaryllis in the stairwell.

"Agh...shit," I grunt, forcing myself into a sitting position so I can get a better look at my surroundings. Looking around, I realize that I'm still in the science building. How is that possible? Wouldn't someone have called the police if there's a student passed out in the stairwell of a school building?

The next thing I notice is how dark it is. It's so dim in this hallway. The only light comes from my phone, which is a few feet away from me. I must have been left here past closing time. It makes me angry that this school is so shitty that no one even cares that I was possibly hurt. Oh, there's a guy lying in the stairwell? LET'S COMPLETELY IGNORE HIM! Gah, humanity pisses me off so much.

I grab my phone. I need to call Amaryllis. She's probably worried as all hell about me, since I had been in the middle of a call with her when I passed out. Looking at the screen, I'm shocked to discover that there's no service. Why the hell is there no service? This stairwell is where I usually go to make calls in the building because I GET signal here. So what the fuck?

So my phone's useless. Just fucking great. Using the wall for support, I force myself to stand. Now that I'm not looking at my phone, my eyes slowly adjust to the darkness. What I see is so odd, that I don't know how to describe it.

There's...debris everywhere. Shards of metal, pieces of concrete, and a thin film of dirt cover the floor around me. Some of it was even sticking to my clothes, causing me to brush my shirt and pants with my hands to try and get some of it off.

The water pipes look old and rusted, and some of them are even missing. Hell, I think I even see one lying on the bottom of the stairs. The electrical wires are frayed and torn, though to my shock, none of them seem to be live. Speaking of which, I can't even hear the constant hum of the air conditioning. I don't know what to make of this. Did the building lose power? That theory doesn't explain the mess, though.

"What in the hell?" I whisper to myself. If I didn't know better, I'd say that this place had aged a few hundred years...but that would be ridiculous. Is this just some kind of ridiculous prank? "Fuck this, I'm not laughing. I'm going back to my dorm."

Guess there's nothing for me to do except walk back down the stairs. The moment my foot touches the first step, I hear a threatening creaking sound, the kind of sound you'd hear from rusty metal. I ignore it and keep walking, but I don't get very far when the creaking escalates and the entire fucking staircase gives out beneath me.

"HOLY SHIT!" I scream, feeling the metal and concrete stairs crumble away beneath me. Gravity takes hold and I fall down at least a two meter drop. Just before I hit the ground, I feel a tearing sound, and then a thin line of sheer agony shoots across my right side. "OW! Son of a...fuck!" I land right on my tail bone, which hurts like hell.

Looking at my side, I can see that my shirt is torn, and seems to be wet. I press my hand to my side, and then hiss in pain when I touch my skin. I pull my hand away and see blood. "Oh...that's not good. Shit." I look around to see what caused me to get hurt, and eventually I spy a rusted metal spike near where I fell. Some blood...my blood...was on its tip. "You confounded piece of...well, I'm sure glad I had my tetanus shot done recently." I curse at the spike. I'm really glad I had thought to get my shots. An injury like this would have spelled a very painful death otherwise.

I finish tearing off the strip of fabric that the spike had torn, and I wrap it around my side as a makeshift bandage. I tie it really tight in an attempt to stem the bloodflow. It still hurt, but it didn't look that deep. Of course, I can't really see that well.

One quick look tells me that the stairs had completely given way. I was lying in the remains of the steps. This was just ludicrous. Those stairs were concrete and metal. They don't just fucking break.

It's hard to stand, but I manage to do so, wincing at the pain in my side. Now that I'm down here, I can see these odd cylindrical objects littering the ground. I pick one up, examining it under the light of my phone.

I hurl the object away immediately in pure shock. That was a bullet casing! What in the...wait, that means the rest of these objects are bullet casings! What the hell HAPPENED while I was unconscious? I mean, I've heard of school shootouts, but...I didn't expect something like that could happen here. I can't make assumptions. I need to find out what really happened. The second I find someone, I'm going to make them tell me.

My side twinges painfully every time I take a step, so I limp to the door to the first floor hallway, only to find that the previously sturdy metal door was now rusted and dented. Also there's the fact that it has been ripped completely off of its hinges and was now lying in the middle of the hallway.

"What the shit?" I exclaimed in a higher pitch, starting to freak out. I still have no idea what's happening, but I do know I don't want any part of it. I just was to go home, call Amaryllis, and go curl up in a ball and eat ice cream.

I stepped over the broken door, looking in both directions. I can see that the entire building seems to be in the same state as the stairwell. There's debris everywhere, and I can even see power cords hanging from the ceiling, along with thicker cords that I can't quite make out. Curious I step towards one of them and run my hand along it. Hell, if I didn't know better, I'd say I was looking at roots. To like...a tree or something. But that can't be right. This building is four stories tall. There's no trees up there. This must be a thicker power cord, that's all.

If I keep walking this way, I can reach the exit to parking lot and Garlan Road, which loops around to my dorm. Now, I don't want to slip, so I keep my gaze fixed on the floor. I can see many more of those bullet casings. I can't help but shudder when I think of what might have happened to cause such an intense firefight in my school of all places. Fuck, I'm surprised I'm not having a mental breakdown yet.

Just have to open this door, and I'm free. I wrap my hands around the handle and push. Nothing happens. I push again. The door still doesn't budge. "Oh come on...open up you piece of...of..." I complain, but I trail off when I look to see what's blocking the door.

Staring back at me from the other side of the door is a solid wall of dirt and rock. I take a step back, completely speechless. Then another. My jaw falls open, and I start emitting unintelligible sounds, unable to form a coherent response.

"WHAT THE FUCK!?" I scream in a rather girly voice, and...oh...there's the breakdown. I'm now sitting with my back against the wall, my knees pressed up against my chest by my arms, and I'm rocking back and forth. Fuck. No. This can't be happening. How can I be underground? What the hell is going on? Why am I here? Where's Amaryllis? Goddamn it, where's my mother?!

I can't move. I won't move. If I stay here and sit completely still, maybe I'll wake up from this nightmare. I can't be underground. That's not possible. This building is on a higher elevation than the rest of campus. It can't be underground. Because if this is underground, then so is the rest of campus...AH GOD I can't think that way.

"I'm just going to take a deep breath, close my eyes...and when I open them, everything will be back to n...it's not normal," I say to myself, even going through the little eye closing thing...but nothing changed. "GODDAMMIT!"

I reach my hand over without lifting my head, and pinch myself hard on the arm. It hurts like crazy, but it didn't work. The school building still looks like it went through the apocalypse.

My side stings, and I realize I need to get some proper first aid. I shake myself out of my mental funk and stand back up. I'm NOT okay with this, but until I can get to safety, I can put the urge to curl up in a ball and cry in the back of my mind.

I need to go the other way. There's several exits. I just have to find them. There's one further down, but if this one is buried, then that one is likely buried too...ah fuck it I'm going to go check.

The hallway opens out into a larger room that serves to connect the math and science building. The walls are made of glass, but most of it is broken and scattered across the ground. Glass crunches underneath my feet as I slink into the room. I look to my left, through one of the broken glass walls. I remember there being a huge open study area beyond this wall. I can see the remains of it in the form of broken tables and rusty chairs. The hanging televisions are shattered or lying on the ground. There are a set of metal stairs in that area that head to the upper levels of the science wing, but they look corroded to me. No way am I going over there.

The stairs that lead to the lowest exit, where I first entered this building are hopefully made of sturdier material. I make sure to test my full weight on it first. Thankfully, nothing creaks or breaks, so I continue down the stairs.

"That's what I thought," I say to myself, observing that the doors down here are completely blocked off by dirt and rock. In fact, one of the doors is broken, and a huge heap of dirt had cascaded in through the gap. There was no way out down there.

Hm, maybe if I can find a computer that still had power, I could find out what in the hell happened. I think these places have backup generators. Especially for a building that had computer science classes in it. Where the hell would I find one though? They are usually in those little closet things that say electr...this is a dumb idea. I don't have the know how to find one of those, much less start it up.

So that's out. I need to think. What's the smartest thing to do in this situation? Wait! I have an idea. There are cameras in every stairwell. I know where the studio where the staff checks the cameras is. It's on the top floor. Now that I think about it, there's a roof access up there as well. I smile a bit at my idea. Now I can just head up top, check the cameras, and leave through the roof.

I move back towards the stairs to the second floor...only to remember that the stairs are out, and the foyer is too high for me to reach. I need to find another way up. There's no power, so the automatic doors leading into the science wing won't. That bars me off from the other staircases...not that I trust them.

"Fuck, is there any way up?" I curse softly, looking around. Then it hit me. There's an elevator in front of the building's buried front entrance. I might be able to use the maintenance ladder in the shaft to get up a floor or two, depending on where the elevator is.

After a swift run back down the stairs towards the exit, I'm at the elevator that is tucked in a corner between the staircase and the wall. It's usually meant for the handicapped, but this is my only way out.

The doors are shut, and there's no power, so I hook my fingers in the tiny gap between them and pull. It barely budges. Dammit. I have to do this the hard way, don't I? I adjust my stance to give myself as much leverage as possible, and then I try again, this time using as much strength as I can muster.

"Come on..." I grit out between clenched teeth. The doors opened very slowly, giving me a lot of resistance. I grunt in exertion, sweat beading on my brow. Once the gap is large enough, I push myself in there and use my newfound leverage to shove the doors open the rest of the way. I find myself looking at the inside of the elevator car.

"Oh, you've got to be fucking kidding me!"