w a r p e d • mcyt highschool au

Chapter 1: Calm Before The Storm

Karl Jacobs was on his way to school.

It was a peaceful, windy spring day, the sky blue and bright above his head. Taking a left, Karl pedaled faster, eager to be early. The zippy green bike responded quickly, accelerating with ease as he leaned forward. Letting out a small breath, Karl smiled and enjoyed the wind whipping against his face, brown hair flying out of his light chocolate eyes. It was a simple feeling, but it made him feel more alive. More calm.

Always calm before a storm.

The bike skittered across the pavement, throwing Karl's balance off. He slipped to the side, the bike following his movement and crashing into the curb. Karl didn't know what happened next; all he saw was a light glaring at him in a field of darkness.

Following the light, he entered another dark room.

Pain. Blood. Screaming.
Thump. Run. They're going to catch you.
Keep up the pace. Blood.
Run. Scream. Hide.
Darkness. Scraping. Wounds.

Karl staggered around, the words swirling around in his head, repeatedly. Getting faster. He tripped, covering his head. The screaming got louder.

Red. Red. Red.

"Hey? Hey! Karl!" A fresh voice popped into his head. Karl's eyes flickered open. His eyes focused before narrowing at a person standing above him.

He recognized him, but like it was a dream. A dream he could remember the existence of, but not the context.

"Is he okay, Bad?" Another voice said. Bad. Karl knew this name. From what?

And then it clicked.

Badboyhalo, his friend. And the guy with him; Skeppy. Karl's friends. He knew that much.

But why was everything fuzzy?

"Karl, thank the muffins you're okay!" Bad exclaimed, helping him up. Karl's brain was still frazzled, as if he had just woken up from a fever dream. However, he allowed Bad to check him over.

"Wha- what happened?" Karl said, a dazed tone lining his voice. Bad frowned.

"Well, we found you lying on the grass here, your bike a few feet away. I don't think anything's broken, does anything hurt?"

"Nope." Karl decided not to tell Bad about his head; it would clear up eventually.

"Huh. Well then, let's get you to school." Bad let Karl pick up his bike. "Can you ride fine?"

"Bad, times ticking," Skeppy warned, pointing to his watch. "Let's help him get on the bike and ride with him."

Bad agreed before mounting his own bike. Karl pedaled a few feet to test his body, then pushed off and felt fine.

"Let's go then." Karl smiled, his head banging as if something was demanding to be released.

Arriving to the school a few minutes later, they leaned their bikes up against the wall of the building. Entering the hallway, people were already gathering. The hallway, a spacious and airy channel, spread at least fifteen feet wide, lockers on each side, lead into a larger lounge-ish area. It was the heart of the school, a dome-like shape with a glass roof. Karl always thought of the school like a mall; but today he could barely keep his thoughts straight.

Sitting down on one of the benches, he glanced up to the second floor- which was open and seen easily by everyone in the dome- and was glad to see it was mostly empty. Skeppy and Bad went off to put their stuff in their lockers as Karl waited for Quackity (his best friend) to show up.

Always late, he was.

He sighed and took out his phone, rubbing his forehead to try and ease the headache. Within the next five minutes, the dome was half full, a basic breeding ground for Juniors and Seniors to chill before the first bell rang.