Chapter 2: Teacher

"Here we are, Ms. Cruz, Tower 7. All you need to do is put your card here, and the door will open," said Mr. Park.

"Whoa, so it's like a robot door that needs a card to open it," replied Ella.

"Yes, Ms. Cruz, and also, you need your card to open your dorm door," Mr. Park explained.

"Really? Bruh, the school has a technology system. I'm in a place that feels like I'm in the future," Ella said.

Mr. Park and I laughed at my joke. He took my baggage and placed it by the nearby glass door. "Well, Ms. Cruz, I'll get going now." I nodded and said goodbye before he left. After he left, I followed what Mr. Park said; the door opened, and I chuckled.

Next, I went to the elevator and pressed the 7 button. The elevator lifted me up to the 7th floor. "Woah, it's pretty high up here," I said before whistling. The elevator door opened, and I dragged my baggage along the hallway. I made sure to look at the card that had my dorm number written on it until I found it.

But as soon as I looked at the door, I thought, "Oh..." I found it hard to figure out how to use my card on the door that had a passcode. Since I didn't know the code, I wondered if there was another way. I sighed deeply when I heard someone beside me, which startled me. "Goodness!" I shouted. "Oh, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to scare you. I noticed that you were having a hard time with the passcode," she said, and I nodded. "Yeah, it's actually my first time. Do you know how to do it?" I asked awkwardly, and she smiled while nodding at me. "Here, let me show you. Give me your card." I handed her my card, and she took it.

She placed the card on the passcode when there was a red light that seemed to be checking my card. As soon as it was done checking, the light turned green. "Welcome, Ella Cruz! You are roommates with Mia Roberts," the robot said before unlocking the door. The girl whose name is Mia smiled at me and gave my card back. "So your name is Ella, huh?" she grinned.

"And you are Mia. Nice to meet you," I smiled back. "Right back at you," she said before opening the door. "So, you are new here?" Mia asked as she placed some of her groceries on the table. "Yeah, I am," I replied, looking around the dorm. "I never thought that the dorm would look like this; it looks like a condo."

I said in amazement, and Mia chuckled, "Yeah, this was also my reaction when I first saw the dorm. But here, take this. I bought some stuff for you too." Mia gave me a bag of chips, a bag full of makeup, shampoo, a toothbrush, toothpaste, a bag of hair ties, and many more. "Wow... You don't have to... Thank you," I said, smiling at her. "Well, I have to. I bought it because I feel like I'm having a roommate, and I was right. By the way, what year are you?" Mia asked suddenly.

"Oh, I'm in my 4th year." "Ah, I see. Well, too bad we're not the same; I'm in 11th year. I'm from Senior High School," Mia replied. "Oh right, here is your room on the side. Inside, there are your school uniform and your P.E. clothes," Mia added. I went to my room; inside, there were only plain items: a desk, a cabinet, and a bed with two uniforms on it.

I scoffed and then chuckled at what I was seeing. "Oh, I'll be going now; I have activities this morning. Enjoy your stay here," I heard Mia say behind me. I was about to say goodbye when she had already left. I went inside the room and closed the door. I walked towards the window, and to my surprise, it was not just a window, but a sliding glass door. I unlocked the window and looked outside. "Woah, so there's a balcony here!" I went to the railing and looked down. The view was amazing and beautiful because I could see some students down below, and the fresh air was nice too. After enjoying the view, I went back inside.

I started to unpack my things. I put my items on the desk and my clothes in the cabinet. "I think I should buy some school supplies and other things here." My mom gave me Korean money before I came here. I went outside and bought some school supplies and items for my room. After that, I went back to my dorm. I put everything inside my room before leaving. "Since I'm done shopping, what should I do next?" I looked at the TV and decided to turn it on. The TV has many channels, but I chose to watch the news.

Breaking News: A virus called the Z virus has spread to the Philippines. The government has decided that flights coming to the Philippines will be canceled due to the positive cases of the virus that have infected at least 100 people. According to the President of the Philippines, there is still no cure for the virus, but they will do everything to find one.

As I listened to the international news, I couldn't help but feel worried. I got up while the news continued, went to the fridge to get something to drink, grabbed a Sprite, opened it, and then went back to sit on the couch.

Reporter from GMA: "Sir! Are we still safe from this virus?!!"

Reporter from ABS-CBN: "Sir! Will this cure be found before it's too late?!!"

Reporter from TV 5: "Sir, when will the cure be found and released so people can be safe from the virus and have no sense of fear?"

As the reporters waited for the answer from the General Military, Gen. Kang was silent and didn't answer the question. However, after a few seconds of silence, he answered the questions.

Hen. Kang: "I'm sorry, but as of now, there is still no cure for this virus. However, Mr. Cruz and I will do everything we can to find the cure. That's all. Thank you."

Hen. Kang left, and the reporters asked some more questions as he left. I looked at the TV screen with anxiety. "I hope everything will be okay..." I mumbled. I sighed as I covered my face with my palm. I snapped back to reality when the doorbell rang. I went to the door and opened it.

"Hello, are you Ella Cruz?" the man asked. I nodded, "Yes, yes I am. How can I help you?"

"Oh, Ms. Park came to me and said you can't start going to class tomorrow," the man said.

"Ah, I see. Thank you for reminding me," I answered. He smiled and bowed before he left. I closed the door and sighed.

That night...

Mia and I sat at the table eating the dish she had cooked for us. "How is it?" she asked as she chewed her food. "It's delicious! You should be a chef when you graduate from university," I said, making her chuckle. "Well, I'll think about it. Oh, do you want to walk with me? The night is nice," she offered, and of course, I didn't say no. I accepted her offer to go for a night walk.

After eating, Mia and I went out. We went to the store and bought some snacks. After that, she told me there was a pool behind the store. "Wow, this school is something else; it's big!" I said, and Mia chuckled. "Yeah, it is," she replied. We were about to go back when we heard someone's voice.

"Hey, Mia!" Both of us turned our heads to the boy. "Hoseok?" Mia said, mentioning his name with a smile on her face. "Hey, Hoseok, this is my roommate, Ella Cruz. She is from the Philippines, and she's also in 4th year of high school," Mia said as she introduced me to him. Hoseok has shiny hair, a black and white T-shirt, and blue pants. Hoseok looks at me and smiles.

"Hello, I'm Hoseok from Senior High School. I'm in 11th year." he said sill smiling at me, Oh God, his smile is so gorgeous, and it feels like it makes your day and night shine even brighter! well, I can't lie; I adore his smile. He is like sunshine!

"Anyways, what are you girls doing?" - Hoseok

"Ah, we are actually buying some groceries. We're about to head back to our dorm when you called us," - Mia said.

"Oh, I see. Since you guys are already here, do you want to hang out? It's fun!" - Hoseok suggested.

"Oh, it is? Then I'll join! How about you, Ella? Are you coming?" - Mia asked.

Hoseok and Mia both looked at me. I was taken aback because no one had ever invited me to have some fun with them. I placed my hand on the back of my neck and said, "I don't know..." Mia noticed that I was hesitant to take up her offer, so she gave me a smile. "Don't worry, if you feel uncomfortable, you can go back to our dorm and sleep early as well," she said. "Oh! I'll go and stay for a bit... Besides, I have never had fun outside with some teens," I replied. "That's great! Come on, follow me!" Hoseok chuckled as he walked away, and we followed.

At the club...

"What the fuck?" I mumbled, seeing a bunch of students at the club. Some of them were drinking, dancing, and the loud music made it difficult to hear each other's voices. "Ah, we're here. Guys, meet my friend Mia Roberts and her roommate Ella Cruz from the Philippines," Hoseok smiled. "Ah, hello! Come sit with us," the boy with black hair and some streaks of red said. Mia and I looked at each other, and I shrugged before we took our seats. Hoseok sat beside me, and Mia sat on my right.

"Umm, hey," I awkwardly said. I took a glance at each one of them; the five boys were smiling at us, except for the man in the corner who was busy texting and drinking. "I'm Jimin. The man who looks like a cat is Yoongi." "Hey!" Yoongi was pissed off by what Jimin said.

But of course, Jimin ignored him. "The boy over there is our maknae, Jungkook, and he doesn't want to lose when it comes to a game."

"That's me!" Jungkook said as he raised his hand, and Jimin chuckled.

"That's Hoseok; I think you met him," Jimin said.

"Yep, we are," Hoseok nodded.

"Our worldwide handsome, Seokjin!" Jimin exclaimed.

"Hi, beautiful," Seokjin winked at Ella.

I laughed awkwardly and bowed a little at him. "That guy over there is Namjoon." The man named Namjoon seems pretty quiet, and he is just typing on his phone. "Hey, ladies!" I heard a familiar voice from the crowd. I looked up to see Taehyung, who is smiling. He looks at me, and his smile is even wider. "Hi there, we meet again," he said, and I chuckled awkwardly. "Umm, yeah, we are," I said as I got myself a drink from the table. "I'm Kim Taehyung. Can I sit here?" he asked Jimin. "Of course, dude, take a seat," Jimin said, moving so Taehyung could sit beside him.

Everything was so weird and awkward; they started to get some drinks and drunk themselves...

4 hours later...

"Ummm... I think I'll take Mia now; we have to get up tomorrow," I said as I stood up and pulled Mia carefully. However, she was struggling to get up because she was now drunk; I didn't drink anything. Everyone in our seat was drunk. "Alright... Be careful..." Taehyung mumbled under his breath, and I bowed my head. Mia kept falling or struggling to walk. I grunted as she felt heavy in my arms, especially when she was about to fall.

"Here, let me help," a deep voice was heard behind me. I turned my head to see Namjoon standing there. He went to the other side and took Mia's arm and wrapped it around his shoulder. "It will be hard to carry her all the way to your dorm," he said. I was speechless to see him talk; I really thought he was a silent guy... "Ah... Thanks," I said awkwardly.

After halfway to tower 7, we were already inside the building. The whole walk was silent; Namjoon didn't say anything. "Which floor is your room?" he asked suddenly when we got to the elevator. "7th..." I replied, and he pressed the button. We waited patiently until we reached the 7th floor. Namjoon and I dragged Mia out of the elevator until we reached our dorm. "Here it is. Ummm, please open the door for us." I took my card and gave it to Namjoon, and he took it from me as he placed it on the passcode.

"Welcome back, Mia and Ella!" the passcode said cheerfully and unlocked the door. Namjoon gave back my card as he opened the door for me so I could go inside.

I threw Mia on the couch. I turned around to see Namjoon still standing at the door. I went to him and put on a small smile. "Thank you for your help." Namjoon just looked at me and hummed, "Goodnight. Make sure not to be late on your first day of school," he said before leaving. I closed the door and locked it. I turned my head to see Mia sleeping with her mouth open.

Next morning...

Mia had already headed out first since their class was early. I went to get my stuff ready and put on my uniform. I was about to eat my breakfast when my phone rang. "Who could it be?" I looked at the caller ID, and it was Mel. I smiled and answered the call. "Hi, Mel," I said, and I could hear her sigh through the phone. "You won't believe what just happened," she said as she sighed again.

"Why? What happened?" - Ella

"I got bitten by a woman. Mr. Kang told me to stay in this place called quarantine. They said the results will be in two weeks, so I'm staying here for two fucking weeks..!" - Mel

"What?" - Ella

Meanwhile at the Laboratory room...

"Yah! Jeong Ri, wake up in there. This is not the place for sleep!" A junior high school student scolded their friend for sleeping while they were in the middle of cleaning. He tried to shake him awake, but he didn't budge. "Aish, just leave him there! Let's go!" said one of the juniors. Jeong Ri's friend scratched his head as he looked at him and sighed before he left with the other junior students. As the boy was peacefully sleeping...

There was a loud noise from the lab that made him wake up. He opened his eyes gently and then stretched his arms while yawning. He was still a bit sleepy until he noticed he was alone. "Aish, those jerks left me here; they didn't even bother to wake me up," the boy said to himself as he sighed afterward. He stood up, put the chair under the table, and was about to get out when he heard a bang in the lab. He was confused about what it was, so he went inside.

When he opened it, no one was inside. "Hays, I guess that was just my imagination," he scratched his head and was about to turn around when he heard another bang. He looked closely and heard the sound coming from the storage room. "Is someone there?" he asked, but there was no answer. Instead, it kept banging until he heard a faint voice. He went closer and closer; the more he approached the door, the more he heard the faint voice without knowing what was truly inside. He grabbed the doorknob and gently opened it. "No! Stop!" The boy looked behind him and saw a man with wide eyes. "Mr. Kang? What—" his words were cut off.

When the door opens violently and someone jumps on him, making him fall to the ground, without warning, a female student bites him on his neck. "AGRHHHHHH!!!!" he shouts in pain as he tries to push her away; however, it seems she doesn't budge at all. The man immediately runs and grabs the girl, who is growling loudly and trying to escape his grip. The man grunts as he struggles to push her away.

But the girl seems stronger than he is as she pushes him and tries to bite his neck. Before she can do that, the man grabs a pair of scissors that are near the table and stabs her in the neck and then in the head. He pants heavily and looks at the boy, who is backing away until he hits the wall. The boy looks at him in fear as he holds his neck; blood is coming out, and his white uniform is covered in it. He is breathing hard, and his body is trembling at what he has witnessed. "Mr... Mr... Kang...?" the boy calls to him.

"Hey, do you know what happened to Mr. Kang?" - Mia

"I don't know, why?" - Ella

"Well, he has been acting weird these days. He keeps talking to himself. Every day, since I'm near the window, I saw him dragging something like a bag or sack, and it seemed heavy to me. And during his lecture, he smells so bad!" - Mia

"But... I wonder where he went." - Ella

"No one knows, but that teacher is creeping me out. It's better if you stay out of it and stay away from him, especially since you're new here." - Mia

"Sir... Please don't!" The boy was begging Eun-bin, the science teacher, not to tie him up. "I'm sorry, young boy, but I had to do it. For their safety," Mr. Kang said expressionlessly. But I just wondered, why would he hide something that could be dangerous? Who is he? The answer... was not yet found...

To Be Continued...

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