JAY JAY POV
"Mia, are you sure this is the right way?" I asked, already annoyed.
We'd been walking forever, and we still hadn't reached wherever this stupid map was supposed to take us.
"Miaaa," I said again, louder this time.
"Yes, Jay, we're going the right way," Mia replied, sounding way too confident for someone who got lost in a mall once.
"Be careful," Zen warned. "There might be snakes around here."
"Wow, thanks for the scare, Zen," Sarah said, gripping a stick like she was ready to fight wildlife itself.
"Shh. You'll only get more tired if you keep talking," Leo scolded, walking beside Mia like he was her personal bodyguard.
"We're almost there. Have some patience," Ben muttered from the front.
I nearly cursed when a splash of mud hit my leg. I whipped my head toward Sarah, who was swinging that stupid stick around like she was fighting invisible monsters.
She immediately ducked behind Mia, not even bothering to apologize.
We were officially on our way to Hell University—in the middle of the forest, of all places. The gang loves adventure so here we are
"Jay, how did you even make your parents agree?" Ben asked suddenly
"Oh, right," I said. "Me and Papa made a bet na—if I don't get into trouble for one week, I can do whatever I want for two months."
I shrugged. "When I told them about the trail, they didn't agree at first. Mama made them agree."
Ben snorted. "Figures. Aries called me, you know."
I raised an eyebrow. "For what?"
"He said—and I quote—'Ben, if anything happens to my sister, I will personally break your legs.'"
I burst out laughing. "That sounds like him."
Ben shook his head. "He wasn't joking, Jay. He sounded like he was ready to fly here and drag you home himself."
I smirked. "Good. That means he cares."
Ben gave me a look. "No, that means I'm babysitting you."
I nudged him with my elbow. "Relax, horoscope's paranoia is contagious. I'll be fine."
He sighed, but I caught the tiny smile he tried to hide.
We walked for a few more minutes—long enough for me to start questioning all my life choices—when I suddenly slammed straight into Ben's back.
"Ouch!" My face smacked into him so hard I saw stars. I rubbed my forehead and looked up, ready to yell at him, but then I noticed everyone else had stopped too.
And then I saw why.
My jaw almost hit the forest floor.
Right in front of us stood a massive, old, rusty gate—In the center of the gate, the words HELL UNIVERSITY was written on it and looked like it was done by blood. How Creepy?
"Is this it?" Zen asked, staring at the massive gate like it might bite him.
"Isn't it obvious? Look around," Leo said, rolling his eyes so hard I thought they'd get stuck.
Zen opened his mouth to argue, but—
"What are you kids doing here?" a voice growled.
We all froze.
A man stood behind the gate—tall, pale. His clothes were old, dusty, and he had this… machete hanging from his belt.
I immediately grabbed onto Ben's shirt, partly because the man was creepy, partly because Ben was the closest thing to a human shield.
"Is this Hell University?" Mia asked, her voice way too steady for the situation.
"We're here for a tour," Sarah added, like she was asking for directions to the cafeteria.
A small smirk tugged at the man's lips—slow, unsettling
"I don't want to go anymore. Let's head back," I whispered, already stepping away.
His smirk disappeared instantly.
"Jay, come on, don't be so scared," Mia said, nudging me forward.
"Jay—OMG—the great Jasper Jean Mariano scared?" Sarah gasped dramatically.
I glared at her. "Shut up."
"Come on, there's nothing to be scared of," Leo said, though he kept glancing at the machete on the man's belt.
"Yeah, we'll be fine," Zen added, trying to sound brave
"I think Jay is right, guys. Let's head back," Ben said, stepping closer to me like he was ready to drag me away if needed.
" Come on scary cats, let's go," Zen said—and before we could protest, he shoved both me and Ben through the gate.
The man's smile returned—wider this time, twisted the evil kind
"What the fuck, Zen?!" Ben yelled, stumbling forward.
The other four walked in behind us, laughing like this was some amusement park and not a horror movie opening scene.
I swallowed hard.
"Follow me," the man said, turning his back and walking ahead
I immediately grabbed Sarah's hand. The excitement on her face was glowing—meanwhile, my soul was halfway out of my body.
Why the hell am I scared?
"Sarah, this is a bad idea," I whispered.
"I don't think so," she said, practically bouncing.
Of course she didn't.
The moment we stepped fully inside the university grounds,
I couldn't believe what I was seeing.
Students were scattered everywhere—some talking in hushed voices, some straight‑up crying, and others just… staring at us.
Not normal staring.
Glare‑like‑they‑want‑to-eat-us staring.
Or worse—smirking like they knew something we didn't.
A shiver crawled down my spine.
This is creepy!!
Ben moved closer to me. Mia slowed down. Even Leo stopped joking.
And the man kept walking like this was the most normal place on earth.
"Come on, we will go into the principal's office to get you registered," the man said, already walking ahead.
We all looked at each other, confusion written all over our faces.
"Sorry, sir, but we're not here to study," Ben said, stepping forward. "We're just here for a tour."
The man turned back to us with a smile that absolutely did not match the situation.
"I'm sorry to say," he replied, "but we don't do tours in Hell University. There is only… registering."
My stomach dropped.
Zen, of course, didn't get the memo. "Come on, guys, we can always get out of this university," he said, winking at the girls like this was some cute field trip.
"Zen," Ben hissed, glaring at him.
Zen shrugged. "What? It's true."
The man's smile widened—too wide, too calm, too wrong.
I tightened my grip on Sarah's hand.
"It's fine, Jay. We can always get out, remember?" Sarah reassured me, squeezing back.
I hope so.
This place felt cramped yet somehow too spacious at the same time—like the walls were closing in but the shadows stretched forever. Hell University…
I covered my mouth when I suddenly saw students sprinting across the courtyard.
"What's wrong?" Mia asked, eyes widening.
"Riot. Just ignore it," the man said casually, like he was talking about a weather update.
"Riot? Well, why doesn't anyone seem to be stopping them? And you? Why are you still here?" Leo asked, frowning.
The man shrugged—an actual shrug—and kept walking like this was all perfectly normal.
Soon, we stopped at a door. The man, who had been smiling the entire time, turned to face us.
"All your questions will be answered. Come on."
We stepped inside.
The room was muddy—really muddy. The floor squelched under our shoes, and every step made it worse. It smelled like wet earth and something metallic I couldn't place.
A woman sitting on a swivel chair greeted us with a smile that felt… wrong. She motioned for us to sit.
We sat down.
Tsk. It's dirty here. Don't they know how to clean?
"Good morning, newbies," she said. "I'm Madam Violet, HU's headmistress. Please fill out these forms."
The man handed each of us a paper.
"Ma'am, we're not here to register," Ben said firmly.
Madam Violet smiled—slow, eerie, like she enjoyed saying what came next.
"Once you're inside Hell University, there is no going back."
"Excuse me, Ma'am… what do you mean?" Sarah asked, confused.
"You heard me," Madam Violet repeated. "Once you're in Hell University, there is no going back. We didn't send any invitations for a tour, did we?"
She leaned forward slightly.
"You chose to be here."
Alright. She was pissing me off now.
"You know what? You're a crazy lady. We're going back," I snapped, standing up from my seat.
But before I could take a step, the man shoved me back down into the chair.
"Hey!" I yelled.
Ben, Zen, and Leo shot up instantly, chairs scraping loudly against the muddy floor. All three glared at the man like they were ready to fight him right there.
Ben's jaw clenched. "Don't touch her."
Zen stepped forward. "Try that again."
Leo crossed his arms. "We're not staying here."
Madam Violet just watched us with that same unsettling smile, like this was all part of the entertainment.
"Let's go, guys," Mia said, already standing.
"I already told you," Madam Violet replied, her smile sharpening. "You're all stuck here until you get ranked in the top ten."
My blood boiled.
"What the fuck is your problem, old lady? We don't want to register!"
Her eyes narrowed. "Don't talk to me like that."
Like I cared. I opened my mouth, ready to fire back something ten times worse, but Ben's hand shot out, gripping my arm.
"Jay," he warned quietly.
I clenched my jaw but stayed silent.
Ben stepped forward, voice calm—too calm. "Look, we're going back. Sorry for disturbing you, Madam Violet."
Madam Violet tilted her head, smile returning like she'd been waiting for this moment.
"You can try," she said softly.
A chill ran down my spine.
Zen swallowed. Leo shifted his weight. Mia's eyes darted to the door. Sarah grabbed my sleeve.
"Guys, we can register for now and then call our parents. They'll take us back from this place," Mia suggested.
"Yeah, let's do that," Zen agreed immediately.
"Fine," I muttered, grabbing the pen and filling out the stupid form.
Madam Violet watched us with that unsettling smile. "You kids are trouble. Especially you."
She pointed directly at me.
"Thanks for the compliment," I said sarcastically.
She laughed—soft, eerie, like she enjoyed this way too much. "We have one rule in this university."
"One rule? Woah," Leo said, sounding impressed.
Idiot. That's bad.
"From 7:00 pm to 5:00 am is our freedom night," Madam continued. "Also known as… Bloody Night."
I frowned. "What do you mean?"
Madam Violet leaned back in her chair, her smile stretching wider, almost delighted by our fear.
"Everything is free to do whatever you want," she said. "Bloody Night is the time when killing is legal. So lock your doors. Don't go out during that time frame, because you will die."
My blood rushed straight to my head.
I felt dizzy.
What kind of place is this?
"Are you serious? That's crazy… but it's kinda cool," Ben said.
I whipped my head toward him.
Cool?
Gosh! Don't they know how to be scared? This is NOT the adventure I wanted. This is terrifying.
I want to go home.
"You're just new here," Madam Violet continued. "It's better if you're careful. Not all friends treat you like friends. Never let your guard down… or else… you know what I mean."
Murder is LEGAL?
My GOD.
This is insane.
The man escorted us out of the office and down a long, dim hallway. The air felt heavy, like the walls were watching us.
We finally reached our dorm.
It was a long corridor with eight doors—six open, two locked
"Maybe it's just us six for now," Mia said, trying to sound optimistic.
We stepped inside.
At least we each had our own room.