By Shinju Oe
Xenon walked pass the long pathway towards the dorm. He plans on finishing some reports for his scientific thesis. Dr. Enkil advice him NOT to be late.
"You better submit it first thing in the morning, Zilch...or risk getting maimed next time you visit the infirmary..."
Remembering the strawberry-blonde doctor's words gave him goosebumps. I better get this done... He reached the building and stopped to look about first. The campus seem to look as if mist blankets it. Weird... It's sunset...and it's not cold... He didn't bother since he's got more IMPORTANT things to take care of...like saving his skin. Opening the door he found Abaven slumped on his bed opposite his.
"Hey." Abaven greeted not even opening his eyes.
"Ey..." Xenon merely answered and started working on his project. He didn't bother to put on the lights since Abaven is tired, he guessed. He placed his laptop on the desk located in the middle of their room and kept to himself while his room mate babbled. He is used to the daily gibberish.
"You know, Zilch... I have a question." Abaven shifted on the bed so that he's staring at Xenon's back.
"Yeah?" Xenon answered as he tried concentrating on his report and at the same time answer whatever Abaven will be asking.
"What if..." Abaven scratched his hair. "I mean... Look at us. We look the same... What if you're like...a brother from a different mother?"
To this Xenon stopped ticking on his keyboard and turned to Abaven with one brow raised. "I don't even want to know what spurred that fantastic idea in your head..." He said and went back to typing.
"Seriously! I mean...you got nice hair...not as...well...great as mine but..." Abaven sat up. "Your hair's nice."
Xenon rolled his eyes.
"And our faces! Oh god! We're like..." Abaven paused and sighed. "We've got to be brothers, Zilch. Maybe I should see your family..."
"Shut it, Shahe. It's not funny." Xenon barked as he continued to do his report. "Is that your question?! Remind me to say NO when you ask me to answer your stupid questions."
"Sheesh...don't you get it?" Abaven explained further loving to irritate his room mate. It's been ages since he got back sleeping in the dorms. "I'm actually complementing you - saying you look like me is almost like saying...you look as good as me. See?"
Xenon's veins twitched. "Am I supposed to be honored?" He answered still typing.
"Of course!" Abaven exclaimed. "And your attitude's a little off too...like mine! We can actually conquer all the females here in HADES. With our combined strength...we can break all their hearts!"
Xenon turned and glared at Abaven. "I may be a little weird, Shahe. But it's not my intent to hurt women."
"Oh!? Yes, it is..." Abaven grinned while shaking his index finger at Xenon. "I've seen yah break them like Pocky sticks..."
Xenon closed his eyes. Yes...I break their hearts.... He turned back to his laptop. "At least I don't bed them."
"HAH! That's when you're wrong, brother!" Abaven exclaimed.
"Stop calling me brother."
"Bedding them is the BEST part!" Abaven said, now standing on the bed like a priest declaiming in front of his followers. "Women love to be wooed... They blossom with flattery and they want it. THEY WANT IT!"
"Please remind yourself that you're room mate is not a maniac like you." Xenon cut in not stopping his work.
Abaven grabbed him by the collar. "Brother, we're meant to rule HADES."
That's when Xenon smelled his room mate's breath. "You're drunk." He muttered as he released himself from his grasped. Abaven slumped back to his bed. No wonder.... He saved his nearly finished report and went to the nearby frig. He took our a bottled water and handed it to Abaven. "Hey, here..."
Abaven sat up and took the drink. "I...I... I got a problem, brother..."
I said stop calling me that. Xenon wanted to say but the look in Abaven's eyes told him he should listen.
"I'm gonna marry someone I don't love." Abaven continued.
"And that's a problem? You bang women like a rabbit...and marrying is a problem?" Xenon stopped himself. "Ah...yes...it is... You'll be stuck with just one." He suddenly sympathize with understanding that the playboy in front of him really needs MORE THAN ONE cave to stay in. "It is a big problem...when we're talking about THE Abaven Shahe." But there was no laughter.
"You know who I love, right?"
So it's Fallon Altair... Xenon smiled to himself. Well...at least he's got some sense... He's just stupid to flaunt his ego. He was about to go back typing when suddenly, the power went out. It would've been okay...if his laptop has enough battery...but the gadget has only one bar left. He hurriedly saved the file once more and shut down. "Shahe? It's a blackout. It's very unusual..." He wondered what it could be. HADES' facilities are immune to these kinds of glitches. An intruder, perhaps?
"Ah...what date is today?"
"It's the 17th of May." Xenon answered as he slowly takes care of his things. He headed for his bed.
"I see."
"What do you mean by that?" Xenon asked as he sat leaning on the wall and staring at the dark shadow of Abaven who's still slumped on the bed.
"Every 17th of May...this always happens." Abaven mumbled. "Damn it... I forgot. I shouldn't have come here."
Xenon found it weird. He should have known, right? He began wondering what Abaven is talking about. I've been here since my freshmen years... He started remembering. Okay...maybe on my first year here...I wasn't able to spend the 17th of May here since I visited my Aunt... The 2nd year... I also went to finish my travel papers...and... Come to think of it, he really never spent May 17 in the campus. "Why?" He asked the drunk who looks as if he's struggling to stand up.
"We better get out of here, Zilch." Abaven drawled and started standing up.
"For what reason?" Xenon stood up and helped his room mate.
"You heard about the May 17 tragedy here?" Abaven asked. When no answer came, he continued. "My head is hurting...but for your sake, I'll tell you about why we should get our asses out of here before it gets darker... But first, let's start walking back to the garage and get my car."
Xenon agreed but looked back at his laptop. "How about our things?"
"They're not gonna do anything to it." Abaven replied waving at the room mate to give him support. He can barely stand up.
"Who are THEY?" Xenon asked as he supported Abaven and as they walked out of the room. He doesn't really know what to do... And Abaven is giving off a very creepy tone everytime he talks about the gravity of their situation.
Xenon wiped them off. "Argh! Stop it, Shahe! I'll leave you here to rot." He turned to check the classrooms as they pass one taking a short cut to the parking lots. No one is there.
Abaven shook his head slowly. "Ah-ah-ah.... You're gonna need me. I know exactly where they are and when they move..." He made an example as he detached his shadows from him and let them wander around the hallways. "Now...we're heading for the garage."
"Where the heck did you park your car!?"
"Somewhere here, I'm sure." Abaven answered, looking about.
Xenon gritted his teeth. It did not help that he can feel someone or something staring at them. But there's nothing I can see... He blindly look about. A few feet away is but mists and howling sounds and it's almost night time. He knows the pathways thus they arrived on the parking lot. "Where is your car?!"
"I'm sure I parked it here." Abaven pointed directly under him.
Xenon's eyes twitched once more. "I am losing my patience..." He stopped and recalled everything that's been happening since he got back home. He remembered the mists just before he entered the building. Yes, it's not unusual for these things to happen. He has heard so many stories...but really didn't pay much attention. Now he's torn between following this drunk asshole and the very thought that the drunk asshole is setting him up for a good joke.
Abaven aimlessly touched the surroundings and finally stopped. "Oh! Here it is!" He took out his key and opened the car that immediately showed itself. "Come on."
Xenon followed. What the heck am I doing? He asked himself. Sitting in the passenger's seat he began noticing the mist is thickening around them and to this, his heart is somehow racing. Why does the school staff disappear? They are alone. He recalled Dr. Enkil telling him to leave early... Did she leave HADES too?! He asked himself. But...what the... Why?
"Uh-oh."
Xenon was startled at the sudden worry in Abaven's voice. "What?"
"They're coming for us..." Abaven tried starting the car but to no avail. "COME ON!" He repeated the action again and again.
Xenon shut his eyes close. This is a nightmare. This HAS GOT TO BE A NIGHTMARE! Suddenly, the ground began trembling. "SHHHAAAHHHEEE? What the fuck is happening?!"
Abaven did not mind him and continued turning the keys.
Something pushed the car aside...and it moved. "START THE FUCKING CAR!!!" Xenon shouted. He can't see anything. Should have just left him and run our the gates! He watched as Abaven's hands tremble.
"Oh no..."
"Oh no WHAT?!" Xenon looked at where Abaven is pointing. There is NO gas. In that moment, Xenon was prepared to punch the living daylights out of his room mate. "Just tell me now...what the hell is happening?! What are they exactly?"
"They're ghosts...that suck your life out of you. I heard from the headmaster that they can't be controlled and that even verifiers avoid them." Abaven answered still trying to start the care despite knowing it's to no avail. "We got to get out of here...."
Xenon once more checked the perimeter. They were push out of the parking lot all of a sudden. It was a big push...the car flew several feet away and they landed on the huge oak tree before the parking lot's entrance. "I'm OUTTA HERE!" He tried opening the car. The door is stuck. "Hey!" He looked towards his room mate. Abaven is unconscious. "SHIT!" The dizzying position is killing him. The car is upside down. The only thing preventing him from falling is the seat belt. He looked down to see the mists gather at the foot of the tree. "Oh...noooo... No way!" Without warning, the force shattered the glass as it invaded the car.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
Abaven stared at his room mate who suddenly sat up. "No what?"
Xenon blinked. What the fuck... He looked about the room. His room. In the dorm.
"What's wrong with you?" Abaven strode about in the room half naked. He took a shirt from his cabinet and put it on. "Are you okay? You've been shouting stupidity earlier... You should get your head checked..." He took his bag and left saying, "Won't be home tonight... It's May 17th after all... Be sure to lock our door!"
Xenon stared at the closed door. He slowly stood up. Wait a minute... May 17? He looked out the window and saw students walking about. So it was a nightmare... Sheesh! The day went as peaceful as ever. And he hurried back to the dorm to finish a project. It'll be peaceful with Shahe out of the room... He mused as he walked pass the parking lot. He stopped immediately. Wait a minute... He turned back and stared at the familiar Black Aston Martin DB9. He looked up to his dorm and found his room lighted. He turned and slowly noticed the fog gathering... What...the...hell...
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Two days after, the headmaster visited the dorms and found Xenon with really dark rings around his eyes. "Well, well...someone hasn't been sleeping... You should sleep! You've got to gain more height!"
I'm 6'2...I don't need more height... Xenon stared grimly at the happy Woody. "Headmaster...can I ask you a question?"
The headmaster turned and smiled. "Anything."
"What happens every May 17?" Xenon swallowed hard.
The headmaster's eyes were surprised. "Oh!...Nothing much really... Imma tell ya the truth but promise not to tell the others, okay?" He turned and headed for the door, closed it and grinned. "I've thought this up even before that if I ask students to leave the campus, I knew they'd retaliate. So...my little plan is to create this urban legend about the Mist monster...some kind of alien-mutant-gooey with tentacles and slimy bulging eyes... Girls hate those...so I added details. Hahahaha..." He coughed and continued in a much normal voice. "But May 17 is actually the annual schedule for cleaning up pests around the area. Insects...diseases...we fog the whole campus." Woodrow laughed. "You could just imagine their scared faces when I told them. So every May 17th, I don't have a problem shooing you guys away..." He stopped and stared at the young man whose eyes are now slitted. "Seriously, Mr. Zilch... You better get some sleep." He smiled, ruffled the student's hair and left the room.
THE END.
A/N: Hope you guys had fun... And sorry to disappoint you if you're not pleased...hehehehe but I just wanna have PUHHHNNNN~ Domo! Thanks Az-Chun for letting me use, Xenon!
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