The Ninth Lesson

Prologue: Alex

Alex rubbed his eyes groggily, the taste of sweat and drool making him grimace as he stumbled out of bed. It felt like a rude awakening from a college student's usual late-night routine. With slicked-back blond hair and black square glasses perched on his face, he looked the part of a young adult navigating life after high school. The banging on the door was loud enough to wake the whole neighborhood. BANG BANG BANG. With a shiver, he went downstairs, the stairs creaking beneath his bulky yet skinny frame. The air reeked like a skunk had made itself at home in the garbage can. Peeking outside, the night was so dark it felt like it could swallow him whole, the moon casting creepy shadows over everything.

"Um, hello?" Alex called out nervously, but his voice just echoed back at him. He noticed a small envelope on the doorstep, white against the dark wood. Clad in his school jersey, he hesitated before grabbing it and retreating to the couch. Before he could open he heard a sound. "Who's there?" He said looking around the dark house. Nothing. He slowly opens the envelope and grabs the paper inside. The paper inside had only two words: "Behind you." Before he could even turn around, darkness engulfed him as something hard and cold crashed into his head.