Selene stepped out of the classroom slowly, letting the door close behind her with a soft click. The hallway outside felt quiet, cooler like the air itself had loosened its grip on her.
But her hands were still shaking uncontrollably .She stared at the hallway walls, trying to steady her breathing.
"Selene!",Her head turned at the sound of Mira's voice.
Mira was already walking toward her, followed closely by Ethan, Oliver, Charles, and Noah. Their footsteps echoed lightly against the floor as they approached, all of them wearing the same look of concern mixed with confusion.
"Hey," Mira said gently, stopping right in front of her. "What happened in there?"
Selene forced a small smile, though it didn't quite reach her eyes. "I'm fine, I just felt a little dizzy".
Ethan studied her face carefully, his brows slightly furrowed. "You've been saying that a lot lately"
"I know", Selene replied. "But it's nothing serious."
Charles let out a short breath, clearly unconvinced. "You looked like your about to collapsed".
"I didn't" ,Selene said, though her voice sounded weaker than she intended.
Oliver tilted his head slightly. "You were really pale".
Noah nodded beside him. "And you were just… staring at space."
Selene looked down at the floor, her fingers curling into the fabric of her sleeve. "I said I'm fine",The words came out sharper this time."So don't worry".
The group went quiet for a moment.
Mira stepped a little closer, lowering her voice. "Selene… you're trembling".
Selene pulled her arm back slightly, as if realizing it herself. "I didn't notice".
Ethan exhaled softly. "You should sit down and rest".
"I don't need to sit", Selene replied, though she didn't move.
Another silence settled between them, heavier this time.
"Did something happen back there?", Charles asked more carefully.
Selene hesitated to answer as if afraid doing so will invoke an unknown consequences.
"…No", she said after a moment. "Nothing happened, I just got dizzy".
Mira didn't look convinced, but she didn't push further. "You really should tell us if something's wrong".
Selene gave a small nod, though she didn't fully agree.
"I'll be fine", she said quietly.
She turned slightly, intending to walk away, but her feet felt slow, almost reluctant to move.
"Selene", Ethan called gently.
She stopped.
"If you need anything… we're here".
For a second, Selene didn't respond.Then she nodded once. "I know".
As she stepped away from them, the sound of their voices faded into the background. The hallway stretched ahead, long and empty in places, filled with the distant hum of other students.
Selene walked slowly, her thoughts drifting.
Her grip tightened slightly on the corner of her uniform skirt.
"It started that day", she murmured under her breath.
The memory came back without warning.
They had gone to the outskirts of the city that afternoon.It had been Ethan's idea her boyfriend at first.
"Come on", he had said with a grin. "It's just an abandoned church. How scary can it be?"
Mira had laughed nervously."That's exactly how horror movies start".
Charles had shrugged. "Still it sounds interesting".
Noah had agreed. "Yeah… I've heard about that place".
Selene had been quiet, but curious.The rumors were what caught her attention.
Stories about the "Wings of Grace" an old church built in the late 1800s, now abandoned and left to decay. People said it had been closed after something disturbing happened there.
The story everyone whispered about was the priest.They said he had stood in front of his congregation one Sunday… and began to harm himself by peeling his skin in a slow, deliberate way.
No one understood why.Some claimed he looked calm. Others said he seemed controlled as if he was following someones order. They say that it's something unseen, that guided his movements.
By the time it ended, he had bled to death in front of everyone. After that, the church was abandoned.No one wanted to return to the church due to the incident
Except them.
The structure itself had been massive.
Tall stone walls, cracked arches, faded stained glass windows that filtered the moonlight into dull, broken colors. The inside smelled of dust and age, like time had settled and never left.
"Wow!", Oliver had said, looking around. "This place is huge!".
"Yeah", Mira had replied quietly. "And kind of creepy".
Ethan had moved closer to Selene without thinking, as if instinctively protective. "Stay with me".
Selene had nodded.
At first, everything felt normal, too normal.Until she noticed something along one of the church walls. A small, almost hidden door, barely visible unless you were looking closely.
"Hey", she had whispered.
No one heard her at first.They were spread out, exploring, talking, laughing.
Selene felt drawn to the door.Step by step, she moved closer.Her hand rested lightly on the surface of the door before she pushed it open.
Inside was a small, decayed room.The air was still and quiet. At least at first, then she saw it. A slight movement in the corner, a shadow of a small and subtle creature.Gone almost as soon as she noticed it.
"Hello?", she had called softly.
There was no response, then a sudden noise behind her.She turned quickly, a rat had knocked over an old book.Selene exhaled, relieved, though her heart was still racing slightly.
She approached the book and picked it up, it felt old in her hands.The cover was dark red, worn, as if it had absorbed something over time. At the center was an eye symbol, detailed and unsettling.There was no title, no name, just the symbol.
Curiosity took over, she opened it. The pages were filled with strange markings and unknown language she couldn't understand. The symbols seemed to move, it felt alive.
And then
A sudden burst of light shot out from the book.Straight into her eyes, pain exploded through her vision.She screamed.
"Selene!"
Footsteps rushed toward her.
"Selene, what happened?", Ethan's voice called out nervously.
She tried to open her eyes, even though it hurt.Just a small gap, through the light, shee saw it. A figure standing inside the room, wearing a priest garments.Its skin was gone, peeling of it's body And yet it smiled slowly, unnaturally.As if it had been waiting for her to look.
Selene collapsed.
A glowing mark of an eye suddenly appeared on her wrist yet no one seemed to notice it.
Back in the present, she stopped walking.
Her breath had become uneven again.
She closed her eyes briefly, trying to push the memory away.
She then looked down on her wrist where the mark of an eye suddenly appeared. Above the mark is a countdown. Starting that day the countdown is 30 days. The current countdown is 5 days left. No one seemed to see this marking and countdown except for me.
"...And because of that day", she whispered to herself, "they all started appearing".
The whispers, the movements.The things no one else seemed to see. Selene opened her eyes again and continued walking.
But deep down, she already knew something worse is coming after the countdown is finished.