The Alternative

Chapter Two

            Dark.

Too dark.

It was much too dark for 8 in the morning.

Yugi had to blink a few extra times just to make sure his eyes were open. Setting his nerves aside, he stumbled out of bed and dragged himself towards the window. With a drawn out yawn, Yugi slowly opened the blinds in anticipation to greet the morning light.

But there was none.

Anxiously the new student scratched his head in confusion, rubbing vigorously at his amethyst eyes to perpetuate clearer vision. Somehow it seemed to grow worse.

"Jonouchi..." he mumbled under his breath, if only because the sound of his friend's name brought him comfort.

A heavy feeling of exhaustion seemed to numb the young gamer's body as his thoughts grew more distressed. A half spin directed him in front of his alarm clock, which was set for 8:30 so him and his friends could get ready and grab breakfast before the students would move in.

That still didn't explain why 8 o'clock appeared as dark as 3 in the morning.

Passing it off as a broken clock, Yugi decided it would be of some benefit to investigate the actual time. He was up anyways.

After a quick stop in the bathroom, Yugi dragged himself into the living room and began eye searching for a more reliable source of time.

I'd hate to have to peek in Honda's room just to soothe my anxiety, Yugi thought as his hope started to diminish. A grumble of his tummy interrupted his thoughts, but only temporality until it reminded him that most stoves have a timer and clock attached.

"That's funny...", Yugi pondered aloud while settling in front of the stove. "It says 8:07..."

Yugi was a lot of things. He was easily shy and not always sure of his decisions. There were times where the tiniest of things could bring him discomfort and cause him to rethink a plan. But one thing he wasn't was stupid. And he was positive that something wasn't right.

"Jonouchi!" He grumbled in annoyance. "A practical joke, is it?" Yugi moaned distastefully. "A prank. Way to welcome back a friend."

It was rather funny how something as amateur as changing all the clocks in a dorm suite could build up such anxiety for Yugi. His wasted adrenaline required some down time before he could pass out in sleep again, so he moseyed his way to the couch and flipped on the TV.

"Good morning everyone, I'm your host, Aimi Sokuro. The fleeting darkness overwhelming Domino city has put citizens in a panic as they wake and attempt to commute to their jobs. What exactly is causing this unpredictable---"

Without another moments hesitation, Yugi flicked off the TV and ran to his friend's room.

"Jonouchi! Wake up!" Yugi stammered while relentlessly knocking on the door. After a minute of failure, the younger flung open the door breathless, shocked to find that complete darkness had permeated within the room.

"Jonouchi?! Are you even in here? I-I can't see!" Yugi stuttered, attempting to suppress a shiver taking over his spine.

Yugi hadn't attempted to turn on a single light throughout the duration of his "morning". His eye sight had already adapted to the darkness, so how could Jonouchi's room expel a whole new level of obscure? Sweaty hands groped the walls in search for a light switch, but nothing was found. In haste to find comfort, Yugi ran over to Honda's room, but was twice as disappointed when he came to find the same situation.