(Should I make a discord for writers?)
Sin and Bara made their way through the dimly lit corridors of the school, coming to a fork where two hallways stretched out in opposite directions.
Sin pointed down the left hall. "Alright, that way leads to the gym," he said, then nodded to the right. "And over there's the teachers' lounge. How about you check out the gym, and I'll handle the lounge?"
He turned to head off, but Bara grabbed his arm, his voice dripping with alarm. "No way! My hallway is way scarier than yours. What if there's… zombies or something lurking in there?!"
Sin raised an eyebrow. "Zombies? Really?"
Bara crossed his arms, giving a huff. Sin shook his head, exasperated. "Fine, I'll take the gym," he sighed, casting a last glance at his boss before heading down the supposedly "scarier" hallway.
Sin slipped quietly into the empty gym, glancing around. "Nobody's here," he muttered to himself, striding further in. But just then, he noticed the gym teacher standing in the middle of the room, staring blankly at the wall, drooling with a vacant expression.
Sin snapped his fingers a few times in front of the teacher's face, but there was no reaction. "Weird…" he murmured. Without hesitation, he hauled the teacher over to a nearby closet and shoved him inside, locking it. As he dusted off his hands, he muttered, "Alright, something strange is definitely going on."
Suddenly, the school bell blared. "Damn it!" he hissed, his eyes darting around for a hiding spot. Spotting a rope, he swung himself up, kicked open the vent grate, and slid inside just as students began flooding into the gym below.
Settling in the vent, he exhaled in relief. "That was way too close," he whispered, crawling carefully along the narrow duct. After a few turns, he smacked head-first into something solid—Bara's head.
"Ow! What the—" they both grumbled, rubbing their foreheads.
Sin shot Bara an irritated glare. "What the hell are you doing in here?"
Bara winced, rubbing his head. "Same as you. I was in the teachers' lounge, but the bell rang, so I climbed into the vents. What are you doing here?"
"Had to hide, too. But I saw something…odd. A teacher acting like he was mind-controlled," Sin muttered, crawling ahead.
Bara's expression turned serious. "Mind control…you think it's linked to the students going missing?"
Sin nodded, his eyes narrowing. "Only one way to find out."
Sin suddenly felt a sharp bite on his neck. "Ow! The fuck is wrong with you!" he whispered angrily.
"My bad, forgot to take my meds," Bara replied with a manic laugh.
Sin rubbed his neck, then swung his foot back to kick Bara in the face. "Ow! Kick me, motherfucker!" Bara grumbled. They both scowled but kept crawling forward.
After a few moments of crawling, Sin and Bara reached a dead end. "Dammit. Looks like this is it," Sin sighed.
Bara scoffed. "As if." He pushed past Sin, reared back, and punched the vent wall. The metal crumbled away, revealing the cafeteria bustling with students below. They dropped down, hoping their masks would let them blend in for a few minutes.
"Just act casual," Sin muttered to Bara, who nodded. "Of course, casual—Ew!" Bara stopped short, staring in horror at Bloodshot, who was looming over him with glaring, bloodshot eyes.
"Ew? Did I hear that right?" Bloodshot leaned down, his intense gaze fixed on them. Sin quickly covered his reversed eyes with his hand, hoping they'd go unnoticed.
"I said, did I hear that right? I know I have trouble seeing, but…" Bloodshot whistled, and a group clad in black appeared behind him.
Sin leaned in close to Bara, whispering, "That's my old gang, but we always wore purple and black. Guess they ditched the colors."
Bloodshot's hand clamped down on Bara's shoulder. "Hey! I asked you a question! Gonna let your boyfriend do all the talking?" He sneered, pulling Bara closer.
Bara grabbed Bloodshot's wrist in an iron grip, smirking with his tongue out. "Why? Jealous?" He cackled as Bloodshot winced, preparing to lash out.
Before Bloodshot could strike, he suddenly released his hold, and the gang members around him dropped into respectful bows. "Chill out, everyone." Casey stepped through them, a lab coat draped over his shoulders, and Sin's eyes widened—Casey was wearing the same coat he used to wear.
"Who are these guys?" Casey asked casually, eyeing Sin and Bara.
Bloodshot rubbed his wrist, his voice apologetic. "Sorry, Boss. These little twerps showed up and started talking smack."
Casey gave him a light smile. "We don't start fights over words, do we, Bloodshot?" And before Bloodshot could answer, Casey's leg shot out in a blindingly quick roundhouse kick, landing squarely on Bloodshot's chin and sending him sprawling across the floor.
Sin's eyes widened as Casey pressed his foot down on Bloodshot's face. "Our original leader's in juvie right now," Casey muttered, adjusting his coat. "But if he came back and saw us treating people like this? He'd be furious."
As Casey turned to leave, he caught Sin's gaze. "What are you staring at?"
Sin quickly looked down, dropping his voice to a lower tone. "Just the maintenance guy."
A few moments later, Casey was alone in the bathroom, washing his scarred hands. As he glanced up at the mirror, he caught sight of Sin standing about five feet behind him. "Oh, Mr. Maintenance Man," Casey sneered, drying his hands slowly. "What do you want?"
Sin's gaze was distant, hollow. "What happened to you?" he asked quietly.
Casey smirked, turning to face him. "More like, what happened to you, Sin." He stepped closer, pulling Sin's mask up to meet his eyes directly.