The Class That Cried Werewolf

54 - Confronting the Broken Pieces

-Tatsuya's POV-

The world around me spun as I sprinted forward, my breath coming in ragged gasps, my legs burning with each desperate step. The cold rain lashed against my skin, sharp as needles, soaking through my clothes and weighing me down. But I kept going. I had to keep going.

The howling wind and the distant rumble of thunder drowned out the pounding of my feet against the slick pavement. Ahead, just beyond the veil of darkness and rain, two small figures stood motionless beneath the weak, flickering glow of a streetlight-Eri and Kotone.

They weren't running. They weren't even moving.

They just stood there, watching me.

Their hospital gowns clung to their frail forms, the soaked fabric heavy against their small frames. Kotone's fists trembled at her sides, barely visible through the curtain of rain, while Eri gripped the hem of her gown so tightly that her knuckles turned white. Their eyes locked onto mine, wide, unblinking. The rain cascaded down their faces, trailing over their cheeks like silent tears. There was something wrong about the way they stood there, unmoving, their expressions frozen in quiet despair.

My heart slammed against my ribcage, and I pushed my legs faster, desperation burning in my chest. "Eri! Kotone!" My voice felt so weak and useless in the chaos around us, but it was all I had. I shouted again, louder this time, but nothing changed. It was as if ghosts were haunting me, stuck in place by some invisible force.

The air around me thickened-heavy, suffocating. It pressed down on my chest, making it hard to breathe and harder to run. My muscles screamed for rest, but I couldn't stop. I was so close. So close. Just a few more steps and I'd reach them. My hands stretched forward, fingers aching to hold them, to bring them to safety. I was almost there.

Eri's lips parted. Even through the storm, her voice reached me, soft and fragile, yet it cut through the air like a knife. "Please... Please don't go."

The rawness of her plea sent a jolt through my veins. The ground blurred beneath me as I forced my legs to move faster. I stretched out my arm, my fingers trembling as they reached for the girls as if I could will my body to cover the distance in time.

But before I could reach them, before I could pull them into safety, the plague mask snapped shut with a sickening finality, clamping down on them just as my fingers brushed against the air between us. It was as if the world itself had shifted at that moment, the mask's cruel beak sealing them off from me. I saw nothing but the cold metal of that mask, and then... nothing.

A sharp gasp tore from my throat as my body lurched upright. My eyes snapped open, staring blindly into the darkness of my room. My heart pounded so violently I could feel it in my throat, each beat rattling through my bones. Sweat clung to my skin, drenching my tank top, my breath heaving in short, ragged bursts. My hands trembled where they rested on my blankets, still curled into desperate fists.

I swallowed hard, pressing my palms against my eyes. It wasn't real, I told myself. It couldn't have been. But the ache, the sting of losing them, felt far too real. And the worst part? I knew it was only a matter of time before I was too late to save them again.

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The class buzzed around me like a hive of activity, everyone carrying on as if there wasn't anything in the world out of place. The usual chatter filled the air, half of it mindless, the other half filled with excitement or complaints. Meanwhile, I couldn't help but feel detached from it all. The events of the night still weighed heavily on my mind. I hadn't gotten much sleep, and my eyes were starting to feel the strain of it. I rested my head on my arms, letting the hum of conversation be a distant background noise as I waited for the bell to ring, signaling the start of class.