This door loomed over everyone with an air of intimidation I believe its creators intended and had–in the opinion of my lurching heart and trembling body–succeeded. Its harsh red-velvet colour didn't help either. But amidst all the unease that gushed within was a sense of expectancy associated with this discovery. My fingers itched to turn the giant, metal handle that came with the door.

   So that's exactly what I did, the coldness of the handle sending shivers down my spine when I came into contact with it. To my not-so-surprise but disappointment all the same, the door didn't budge.

   I resorted to the only thing that crossed my mind and was on me at that moment.

   Upon switching my Yunie laser gun to concentration mode and aiming the laser shot at the door's deadbolt, the latter sliced into two after a while.

   I turned the handle again, feeling a sense of pride when the door didn't resist like before.

"Let's be on guard once we walk through this door, guys." Dorian whispered. "There's no telling what's on the other side."

   I faced him and Rav, causing them to stop behind me.

"Why, what's wrong?" Dorian asked.

"Like you said, we don't know what we'll find when we walk through this door," I remarked, "What if this is a trap or something? It won't be the best idea for us to go in all at once if it is."

"So you're saying we should go in one by one?"

"Kind of..."

   I went on to explain that I could go first while he and Rav came in after I gave them the go-ahead that nothing is amiss. Dorian couldn't come in alone since he was holding the Neuroskel and unarmed like the rest of us.

"And what if it really is a trap?" Rav queried.

   I gnawed at my lower lip. Just because I brought it up didn't really mean I had an answer to that. So I simply said, "If you feel like I'm taking too long in giving the signal, you and Dorian should just come in."

   Taking their silent nods as the end of this discussion, I whirled to face the door once more, making sure to maintain my regular breathing patterns as I gripped its handle. The same was not possible for my heart though, so as I stepped into the other side, I could only pray this treacherous organ didn't burst from beating so much.

   I was enveloped with darkness once the door closed shut behind me. Time did nothing to make my sight adjust to this new, pitch black environment. I decided the safest thing for me to do was to keep walking forward with my hands held out. At least the possible trap I wasn't able to see would be felt beforehand.

   But that proved useless when my torso bumped into something with force. As I doubled over in surprise and pain, my hands brushed the source.

   It had a coldness and hardness akin to metal. The obnoxious clang that reached my ears when I rapped my knuckles against it affirmed my guess.

   Standing up straight, I made my hands explore further. I concluded from the never-ending, horizontal pole-like metal resting on short, vertical, equally pole-like metals, that what I'd hit was a bannister.

   Wasn't sure what to do with this news, but i supposed this was better than noth–

   The unexpected stream of light that burst out of nowhere brought a loud yelp out of me as I rushed to shield my stinging eyes. Black dots clouded my sight even though my hands didn't leave my eyes until after a while.

   I gripped the bannister (I knew it!) in front of me while waiting for the dizziness that engulfed me to pass. Eventually, my line of vision cleared up and I wasn't seeing everything in twos anymore.

   What I did see over the bannister, on the floor several feet beneath me, however, caused every symptom to come rushing back with an intensity harsh enough to cripple me to my knees. The fall I experienced did nothing to deter my eyes at the sight below, every passing moment turning them wetter whereas my mouth was drought-stricken.

   I was stuck between feelings of relief and terror as I stared down at the student population of Zavlon all around, clad in red jumpsuits and assuming the stillness of robots as their empty eyes gazed at nothing in particular.

   Still a crumpled mess on my floor, I searched for the faces I longed to see.

   There she was. Talise. I mean, yes, she'd almost choked me to death but I just couldn't help myself. The desire to hug and let her know that her sacrifice was not in vain plagued me now than it ever had.

   And how could I miss Minji not too far from my best friend? And yes, I was aware she'd done some choking as well and that her cousin was a psychotic pawn.

   I was even somewhat excited to see Viola again (Rav's choker, I know, I know).

   As messed up as seeing all this was, I was glad that the Neuroskel hadn't led us to a trap like we'd feared. That alone strengthened me into standing up.

   I pondered between giving Dorian and Rav a signal or merely opening the door for them to come in. When I couldn't think of any way of signalling them that didn't involve weird animal sounds, I decided to go with opening the door.

   I proceeded to turn around when an external force did so for me, pushing my back into the bannister and entrapping me between the latter and the force I recognised to be none other than our principal.

   His hand clamped over my mouth before a scream could escape. The reckless squirms I gave were futile to his iron grip over me. With Speck pushing me back harder every time I resisted, my awareness of how high where we were from the floor beneath was stronger than ever. I tried to focus on any other thing that didn't trigger my fear of falling.

   Unfortunately for me, Speck's maniacal face was that any other thing.

"And to think I actually wanted you on my side," he sneered. "I finally get what you've been showing me all along. You were never worthy to be my partner." His glare travelled over my shoulder to those below. "You're not even worthy to be one of them."

   That was when his fisted hand uncurled to unveil a syringe filled with a colourless substance no one had to tell me was harmful or worse.

   Despite my waning energy, I didn't stop doing all I could to prevent Speck from plunging the needle into my neck like he intended.

   Hadn't enough time passed for Rav and Dorian to get in here already? Or being choked and about to be stabbed to my probable death made a person exaggerate the time that flew?

   Whatever the case was, it didn't change the fact that it was getting harder and harder to ward Speck off. I couldn't keep defending myself. I had to switch to offence if I wanted to breathe well again and not get injected.

   But how was I supposed to do that when I could barely move under his suffocating grasp?

"I was going to paint you as a hero to your mother, you know," Speck said. "But now, I'll personally let her know that she raised a pathetic, spineless weakling with no vision, right before I jam a placement gun into her head!"

   I only heard his words about the placement gun and my mother. I was surprised that although he'd just voiced the many nightmares I'd had about that, I didn't recoil from terror. What came to memory instead was the gun Dorian had held to his head.

   And the role that gun played which couldn't be more beneficial to me at this very moment.

   Going limp under Speck's arms, I waited until his concentration on my neck became undivided. Then I pressed my heel on the laser gunshot wound Dorian inflicted on him with all my might. His hold on me, like clockwork, weakened as he expressed his agony in deafening yells.

   Not sparing him a second to recover, I punched him in the gut and gave his chest a violent shove. He fell to the ground with a satisfying thud.

   My actions and position didn't stop him from relenting though. I traced the direction of his crawl and focus to the syringe that escaped his hand when I attacked– it was only a few feet away. I beat him to the chase, swiping the needle away and headed toward the bannister to throw it away.

   I didn't get very far. Speck used his good leg to trip me and was on me the second I hit the ground. I didn't put up much of a fight, only doing the bare minimum long enough for me to get a good view and aim on his neck. Without hesitating, I plunged the syringe into his neck, emptying into it as much of the syringe's contents as I could till he pulled away.

   This time, it was me that was on him. I grabbed him by the collar and slammed my adrenaline-powered fist into his injection spot twice, then his face once.

   That last blow knocked Speck unconscious.

    I recalled again what he said about Mum and scoffed at his current state. "The hell you will."

   I'm about to go to get Dorian and Rav and I see the devils themselves, gaping at me with loose jaws.

"If you," Rav, still staring, dug his elbow into Dorian's rib. "don't kiss her right now, so help me Dorian, I will."

   Dorian shot me a look which indicated he was only half-apologetic for Rav's words.

"Where were you guys?!" I scowled at them.

"Marry me." Rav. Again.

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