Perhaps Dodak had underestimated Jisung's persuasiveness. Somehow, Dodak had been convinced to follow Jisung around the town of Seoul. They went to an arcade and played shooter games for who knows how long, with Jisung coming out on top due to his precise aim from his mastery of archery. They then went to two cafes, enjoying the sweet and bitter taste of matcha and the fluffy texture of the cakes.
Now, it was time for Dodak to return to the campus for his work. As the duo walked back to campus, they were constantly hampered by friends and fans of Jisung.
"Han Jisung! You were brilliant in the recent archery contest!"
"Bro, I'm marrying you into the family. I'll introduce you to my sister."
"We should hang out soon. We haven't hung out in ages."
As Jisung was bombarded with requests and conversations, Dodak just stood at the side and sipped on his matcha latte. This was a common occurrence whenever he went out with Jisung. He would be lying if he said he was unbothered.
Dodak went over to Jisung and tapped his shoulder, whispering into his ear.
"I'll leave first. See you around campus."
He saw the alarmed look on Jisung's face and knew that it had worked.
"Guys, I'll talk to you soon, alright. Kinda in a rush."
With that, Jisung had finally been freed from the shackles of conversations. Jisung looked at Dodak with his usual puppy eyes and questioned.
"Why are you in such a hurry anyway? I'm sure your group mates would be understanding if you were just a little late."
"It's quite an important project. It's worth a majority of the grade, plus, most of the code hasn't been started on yet. It'll take a long time to finish."
Jisung replied with a sad sigh as they continued their way back to the campus.
~~~
As they entered the campus square, Dodak took a moment to relish in the beauty of the place. It was luxurious, with a central theme revolving around a futuristic look with elements of greenery. The buildings were all painted in palettes of white, black, and grey, with ocean blue windows allowing for natural light into them. The alleyways were structured such that the wind would flow into the central square, creating a breeze that circled throughout the area. The tables and benches were occupied by students, some hard at work while others were hardly working. Couples had romantic picnics on the grass patches and groups of students had laptops on their laps, busy typing away. In a corner, there was filming going on, with a host interviewing fellow students. The central square was a bustling place.
"You don't have to stay with me all the way. I'm meeting my group mates here."
"You sure?"
"I am. Besides, you attract too much attention. I'll probably not get a single second of silence when you're next to me on campus."
Jisung pouted in response to the unintentional attack.
"I'm joking."
"I know. I'll probably get some studying done around the areas here as well. Text me when you're done."
"Mhm."
Just as Dodak was about to set his laptop down on the empty table, a sudden, powerful gust of wind ruffled his hair into a messy nest. Jisung, who was about to leave, was also stunned by the unexpected event.
"That blast of wind came from nowhere."
As if on cue, the wind continued picking up. The currents became stronger and stronger, and the design of the central square merely amplified their strength. Papers from nearby tables started flying off with the wind, and nicely done hair was ruined. Then, picnic mats and empty baskets started rolling away from their owners. The wind was causing a disruption in the peace of the area.
Dodak watched helplessly as the area descended into chaos. All he could do was clutch on to his laptop.
As Jisung looked around frantically, Dodak realised that his complexion started turning a red hue. He originally thought that it was due to the blood flow from his frantic turning. But when he noticed that the grass had also started turning red, he looked up and realised that the once light blue sky had been tainted with a crimson red.
Dodak's mind wandered back to the encounter with his doppelganger in the alleyway. He had just dismissed it as some sort of hallucination, where he imagined his own face on the other person. He had thought that there was no way in hell there was an actual shape-shifter in the world. The logic just did not add up. But after experiencing yet another supernatural event in less than 12 hours, Dodak did not have to be told twice. He would rather be safe than sorry.
"Jisung, we need to leave now."
To back up his thoughts, the fire alarm started blaring throughout the central square. The flashing red lights combined with the devilish crimson hue of the sky made the central square seem like a battlefield tainted with bloodshed. Perhaps it was a warning.
Following that, the speaker blared out an announcement.
"Warning, this is not a drill. Please seek immediate shelter."
Dodak watched as people started packing up their belongings that were still with them and frantically trying to get away. Some were undisturbed by the whole scene and were more focused on their projects. A couple was still on their picnic mat, lying down as they gazed at the blood-tainted sky.
"Warning, this is not a-"
The P.A. system that was replaying the same announcement got cut off, and Dodak could swear he heard a gut-wrenching scream before it got cut off.
"Dodak, we should go. This isn't safe at all."
Nodding in agreement, they swiftly ran towards the nearest shelter they could find. Jisung pointed towards a lecture theatre on the ground floor of a building across the central square and the duo hurriedly ran across.
As they ran, Dodak started to lag behind. He was panting due to the sprinting, something he had not done in a very long time. Jisung, noticing that he was slowing down, ran back and grabbed Dodak by his hand, pulling him along.
They were about halfway through the square when a bright flash of red glowed in the middle. What started as sparkles gradually exploded into crackles of energy. The energy swirled in a spiral vertically, expanding into what looked like a portal.
Dodak quickly pulled Jisung back from the spiral of energy. It was never wise to go near anything foreign.
Many of the people on the campus were also stunned by the appearance of the foreign portal. They were all staring in shock and anticipation, afraid of what would come out.
"Jisung, there's no time to look at it. Who knows what the hell that thing is?"
Dodak quickly tugged at Jisung's hand and pulled him away, back to where they came from. He scanned his surroundings and found a nearby toilet from which they had come from. That would have to do.
They sprinted over, with Dodak surprisingly taking the lead. Perhaps it was the adrenaline that was fueling his dash, for he knew his normal body would never be able to take it.
"Wait, Dodak. I think something in the air isn't right. I can't breathe. My head hurts."
Jisung held onto a nearby lamppost as he took in deep breaths. His face was pale and beads of sweat dripped from his face. He looked like he had just run a marathon and was about to pass out.
"Jisung, we don't have time to rest here. We need to go. Can you make it to that toilet?"
"I'll try."
Dodak grabbed Jisung's arm and put it around his shoulders, helping the aforementioned get towards safety as fast as possible.
As they stumbled and ran, Dodak could hear screams and cries coming from behind him, but he knew he could not turn around. In his mind, all he repeated was:
Keep going forward. Keep going forward.
Anxiety built up in him. What was behind them? What if it was catching up to them? Would he survive?
When they finally reached the door of the toilet, Dodak hurriedly pushed Jisung in. Before he went in, he took a quick peek back at the central square. The sight before him made his blood curdle.
Little, green, humanoid-looking figures leaped out of the spiral of energy. They had pointed ears and noses that were too big for their faces. Their faces were plastered with devilish smirks as they swung their daggers at the people around the area. They slashed and hacked, and people started falling like dominoes. Some had their faces mauled by slashes, others had their abdomens cut and Dodak could swear that he saw some intestines fall out. As if it was not red enough from the sky, blood sprayed everywhere on the grass and it was coated further with a crimson red. Real bloodshed had begun.
"Dodak, get inside and lock the door! Stop standing outside."
Jisung's call for him made him snap out of his trance. He quickly slipped back into the toilet and slammed the door shut, locking the door behind him.
The duo sat in silence and looked at each other. Neither knew what to do next.
"What just happened? Please tell me this was all just a nightmare."
Jisung's usual glass skin complexion was still pale, but he seemed to have recovered from his shortness of breath.
"I wish it were, Jisung. I don't know what happened either. But today is full of supernatural stuff."
Jisung narrowed his eyebrows at the former.
"When I was going to meet you, some woman pulled me into the alleyway. She said some shit to me and then transformed into me, with my face and all but older and more worn down. He- she-, whatever, they said to be wary of the Council. Perhaps they were talking about this."
"And you didn't feel the need to bring this up? A shape-shifter isn't a normal thing, Dodak. Especially not when it transforms into you."
"I thought I was hallucinating. I know now that I'm not."
The room fell back into silence again. The reality of the entire thing was setting in. School no longer mattered. Societal norms most likely would not matter either. Survival was the only thing that was important right now. They had to survive. He had to survive.
Outside, more grunts and screams echoed. The crisp sound of blades swooshing through the air left little to interpretation. Maniacal laughter resonated, booming down the hallway.
These sounds were drowned out by a sudden slam on the door. A constant knocking on the door followed.
"Please let me in! They're coming! I don't want to die."
Jisung quickly ran over to the door, preparing to unlock it when Dodak grabbed his hand. He shook his head at the man.
"You can't be serious right now Dodak. She needs our help. We can't let her die."
"And what? Let those creatures in? No way."
Jisung tried to wrestle his hand away from Dodak's, but he pushed the former back, causing him to stumble and fall to the floor. Dodak looked down at his hands, surprised by his sudden outburst of strength.
"What the..."
"Please! Help me!"
"Come on Dodak. You can't possibly leave her out there."
Dodak looked at the pleading Jisung, his eyes full of anguish and determination. He looked back at the door and visualised the pleading woman outside, banging on the door desperately and screaming for help.
Part of him wanted to give in and open the door. Yet another part of him knew that opening the door could mean certain death, and he did not want to take that risk.
The pivotal question kept flashing through his mind:
What should he do?