Unsolicited School

Unwanted Upcoming

Mullet

Knowing oneself means acknowledging one's actions.

Don Juan, Hotline Miami

Mullet's brain begins to dizzy, and his stomach starts to very sore as someone punched him hard. His eyeballs were straightforward to the shadow person, but his fear made his sight aimless like a vertigo person.

"What?... What will happen in the next two days?" Mullet asked without realizing what he just said. His voice was weak, like a person who regrets committing a homicide.

"It's an uncalculated prediction, but this is will happen," said the man before he continues, "First, a person will be taken away by someone in your community. Maybe you can be dismissive about this, but then you'll realize if it's not. Second, you will be involved, no matter how fast you run. And three, it will happen continuously in obscure times."

Mullet falls to his knees. He doesn't know what the man said about it. But whether he liked it or not, he had to believe him. He kept silent as he has no idea what to say, and his stomach hurt. Even more, it feels like his guts were shaken inside, then corroded by his gastric acid. Mullet can feel the excruciating pain inside his body as he was stabbed by the man's explanations.

Again, Mullet asked the man without realizing what he was saying, "Who are you? And who am I?"

"Me?" that shadow man smugged, then snickered before continues, "I am the person who reads your storybook. And I also will help you to rewrite it,"

"What do you mean?!"

"Maybe you can call me your oracle,"

Oracle?

"And you... are the aware character. You have the eyes while everyone's blind,"

…

"But don't worry," the man relieves him, "I also reading someone's storybook. He also has the same eyes as you,"

"So… what should I do?" Mullet asked desperately.

"All you had to do, is find the way out. But this time, you need to seek someone's help. They're The people you don't expect," the man answered.

"Wha… what?" Mullet muttered.

"I think this is enough for today. Now leave me alone. Get back to your room,"

The shadow man stood up and left Mullet alone in the dreadful light.

"Hey, wait!" Mullet called him. But he didn't answer. It feels like he was far away from him.

The strange light shined again behind him. It headed back to the gaming room upstairs. Mullet sits alone with a howling wind, stood up, and walked upstairs. The room behind him vanished, along with the strange light he passed. The door in front of him opened, leads him back to the gaming room. That room is still dark like before, only the soulless TV with the AHS console still on.

He sits down and holding the controller. This time, the Adventurer Man was covered in blood and holding a knife. The NPCs and the enemies on-screen were killed, most of them stabbed, and their throat was slit brutally. Mullet concludes if the Adventurer Man did that. The city background of the game is burned and destroyed, akin to a post-apocalyptic. Fire and the hellish crimson sky of the background made a perfect hell in the game.

Suddenly, Mullet jumped back and shocked as an unknown red logo showed up in the background. His heartbeat pounds faster as he looked at the scary error of the game. He tried to press the button again but to no avail.

Suddenly a text appeared in front of the pentagram, which it reads:

YOU SHOULDN'T PLAYED THE

JUNE, 6 1986 BUILD

Mullet gasped. He cannot speak any words or even move a muscle. It feels like someone sewn his mouth and stuffed him with cement. Petrified him like a chiseled statue.

While he's still unmoving, a strange sound called him repeatedly.

"Onii-san? Onii-san. Hey, Onii-san. Onii-san! HEY!"

The call became louder and louder as someone snapped him to death. But he still can't move and speak a single word. The howling winds became louder, and his eyes became hazier.

"Shiratori!"

Mullet almost falls from his sitting balance. The dark atmosphere shifted quickly in a swipe to the bright sunset. He can finally move all of his muscles, and the stitches on his mouth disappeared magically. He can open or close his mouth freely. He was shocked that his cousin, Ranko roared at him. Her voice is screechy. He had never heard his cousin calls him by his last name or even shouts at him like before. It was the first time in his life.

"What is wrong with you?! I called you 5 times and you didn't listen!"

Mullet didn't rejoinder her question first. He was still scared and his mind still roaming about the shadow person's words.

"HEY!"

Mullet jumped away from the controller as his cousin snapped again. He finally regained the room situation and answered her.

"Sorry! I was just-" Mullet bite his tongue to prevent other words from coming out. She will not believe me if I tell her this.

"Are you under the influence right now?" Ranko asked sarcastically.

"Wha? No!"

"Then why are you look like using a d**g?"

"Hey! What do you think of me?!" Mullet pouted.

"Yeah, whatever. Let's go downstairs. I cooked the Linner for three of us," said Ranko while her hand on the door frame and wearing a black-purple apron stained by sauce in the front.

"Yeah, let's go," Mullet agreed. He switched off the AHS and the TV. He unplugged the console wires before he put them back into the drawer. The TV now shows the dead-black color with a blurry reflection of the room, where the lamp forms a white oval for the TV.

He walked out of the gaming room and closed the door. The stairway is now lightened by white lamps. Mullet still felt the strange light from the stairway back in that game accident. Where it emitted along the stairs. He walked down the stairs to the dining room, where Hiro and Ranko already sit there.

"Sit down, now," said Hiro. His intonation is different while staring at his little brother.

Mullet obeyed and sat down on the vacant chair. Nobody is talking before they're eating their Linner. Ranko, who was initially upset, became worried about him. She never saw his cousin behave like that before.

"Makoto, I want to talk with you after we eat," Hiro warned.

The food on the table became bitter as the atmosphere got worse. The 3 different expressions written on their face can be seen at each other.

After they enjoyed their tasteless feast, Hiro and Mullet stayed at the dining table. Meanwhile, Ranko stood up and took their dirty dishes away.

"I will leave you guys and wash these dishes. Call me if you need anything," Ranko messaged.

She took all the dishes in one stack and carried them all to the sink. Where the dirty dishes will be purified into their mint condition. Her body language changed slightly from sunny to heavy rain.

As his cousin went to the kitchen, Hiro starts speaking at Mullet.

"I don't wanna talk about this, but you really made me infuriated," Hiro stared at his little brother. His gaze was enough to let someone prove himself/herself was wrong. He doesn't need to be emotional or even loud. In other words, Hiro gives the I'm not mad, but disappointed stare to make someone cried. This is one reason why Hiro is so respected by his friends and also his lecturer.

"You have been weird for three days. I heard you welcomed yourself to hell in the bathroom, and I saw you being paranoid the next day. And I see you act weird again today. But this is the peak of it. Explain to me," Hiro scolded mildly. His mouth opened slightly like a half-broken latch.

"Look, you're not gonna believe me," Mullet ensured him if what he saw before can't be seen by others. Including Hiro.

"Just tell me. Maybe I can solve your problem,"

"Well…" Mullet cleared his throat before continuing - knowing that he had to snitch, "Three days ago, I saw someone behind me in the bathroom. I saved a girl from killing herself, but everyone didn't remember it. They think it was fake,"

Mullet silenced before he continues explaining, "and about today, I played a game in her room. But somehow, I dragged into somewhere, and you guys are gone!"

After he finished his explanation, the dining room filled with silence for a moment. Waiting for Hiro's reaction.

"Listen. I don't know what happens to you. But I know you're not hallucinating. No! Don't say any words right now. But I want you to answer honestly. Did you hurt someone lately?" His question made Mullet confused.

"Wh... What?"

"Did you hurt someone lately, Makoto?" Hiro repeated his question.

Mullet remembered when he fought with the bullies 4 days ago. He explained what caused him to fight, "Yes, I had a fight four days ago. A friend of mine got bullied. When I tried to tell them, they dragged me in. I had no choice, and I had to fight them,"

"Oh, about that fight huh?" Hiro recalled the same question he asked before.

"Yeah. You still remembered that, right?"

Hiro nodded.

"After the fight, the bully named Hideki wanted us to meet him-"

"Us?" Hiro cuts Mullet's explanation.

"Yeah. Me and the kid in that banana car," Mullet rejoindered without mentioning his name.

"Oh. That car,"

"Anyway. After the fight, Hideki wants us to meet him on the school roof. But when we met him, he was possessed. He asked us to leave. I don't know where to, and we realized if the time skipped quickly. The minutes feel like hours," Before Mullet tries to continue, Hiro lifted his eyebrows and stopped him, and tell him what's the cause.

"Alright, that's enough. You know what? I think someone tried to do something to you. But I can't sure it's from Hideki."

"What do you mean?" Mullet confused.

"Maybe it's someone. How many people you fought?" Hiro asked.

"Five vs two,"

"Exactly. In my theory, a person won't possess himself to threaten his target. It's too risky for such witchcraft," Hiro explained.

"You mean, this all was black magic, and Hideki was just an intermediary?" Mullet concluded.

"Yes. Hideki probably just an intermediary to threaten you and your friend. I could guess if he and his friends are just a bully, not much," Hiro continued his theory.

"Then… who was trying to hit us?"

"I don't know," Hiro shrugged, "But I give you one tip. Did you remember about the black magic accident that I told you about before?"

"Wait," Mullet halted him. He recalled Hiro's story about the black magic accident where he gets the answer about the culprit, "Did you mean the culprit has a very strong supernatural power to take control of anyone to get rid of us? But he can be stabbed to death easily when you planned it right on coincidence?"

"Correct," Hiro answered him in one word. The silence filled the atmosphere as Mullet and his big brother shocked with their own answer.

"You're really a smartypants like usual. That's what I proud of you. But I can't help you with this case. I'm afraid my aid will make it worse, sorry," Hiro smiled and stroked his little brother's head, appreciating him before he had to leave him alone in the woods.

"It's okay. I'm sorry for being weird lately. But thanks for the advice," Mullet thanked him and left his brother alone in the dining room.

He walked to the living room. Where Ranko is currently sitting on the couch and watching the news on the TV. Her black-green medium hair rests on it. She looked at Mullet, who halted by the TV show.

"So, what did he say?" She asked.

"Well, he warned me not to hallucinate again," Mullet answered shortly.

Ranko doesn't satisfied with the answer. Her eyeballs showed him the dissatisfaction with the incomplete explanation, "then what happens… if you keep hallucinating?"

Mullet felt annoyed with her curiosity, "He will teach me a lesson, then brainwashed me,"

"Whoa, that's a worth shot," Ranko gasped. Her mouth dropped like a broken latch, then she continues, "But you know, even though Hiro nii-san has a terrifying gaze, he has a golden heart like you, Onii-san,"

"Haha… I know. And thank you for telling me that," Mullet snickered and thanked her.

"But one thing that I loved from him is that he has a father figure. Even though he would be upset with our mistakes, he always loyal and spent his time with us. He also the person who helped us find our part-time jobs, tho," Ranko praised him with Hiro's facts.

Mullet snickered as he agrees. But then he realized if she has a part-time job, "Wait, d'you have a part-time?"

"Yeah" She grinned, "I work as a bookstore cashier. Don't you know?"

"Where?"

"Kurteen. Next to my school", she answered, "Unlike you, who had to resign and find another part-time job because of an expired contract. Hehe,"

"Hey, I'm resigned because of him, okay?" Mullet grouched, "Whatever, I'm going to my room and reading. If you need anything else, just come and tell me,"

"Oh yeah, the spare futon is in the wardrobe if you're asking," Ranko halted him as he about to go upstairs.

"Yea, thanks,"

Mullet leaves Ranko alone in the living room. Her eyes refocused back to the TV show, and her muscles lazed out like a fat person. The clock that hung neatly on the wall shows 16:40.

Mullet walked into his room, where he and his brother will sleep there. The fresh air inside the room greets him as he didn't come into his cousin's home for more than a month. The room is spotless, apart from the dust inside, which is still new as Ranko cleaned the room yesterday. There are some of her belongings still in that room. Such as books, novels, a photo album, a radio, and a small tower AC if the room's too hot.

Mullet walked to the tower AC and turned it on. The power button pressed by him made a BEEP sound, then a sweep of the wind came out and swept Mullet's face in a breeze. Oh yeah… cold air, baby.

The wind immediately becomes stronger and shivers Mullet's face. His satisfaction was replaced with numbness as the wind becomes colder. Whoa! Too cold!

He pressed the minus keystone to lower the breeze of the AC. The bars on the temperature indicator start depleting like a battery as the minus button is pressed three times until there's only one bar on it. Dude, this one's ok.

Mullet walked to his camo backpack and put out his laptop and a novel titled Escape that he bought at the Kurteen back when he and the g**g hanged out in the Glory Mall. The plastic cover isn't still ripped off as he doesn't have time to read it. Mullet took the laptop and stacked it with the novel on the top. The way he carried them is similar to he brought his lunch tray.

He walked to the wooden desk and put the book on it, then he pulls out the chair and sits down. He saved the laptop inside the right drawer as he will use it later. The right drawer is empty, while the left drawer is partially filled with Ranko's stuff untouched by her for a week.

After he saved his laptop, he moved both of his hands to the novel and inspected it. The transparent plastic wrap reflects his funny face like a weird mirror. The barcode sticker behind the book is crudely attached.

He used his left index finger to tear the plastic cover of that novel like a cat's claw. The ripping sound as he knifed the plastic relaxed him like an ASMR. He crumbled the plastic wrap and threw it into the recycling bin next to the desk. Mullet opened the book and palpated the paper inside. The texture of the novel book paper comforts him like touching a tissue. After the palpating session, he opened the first page, where the title greets him. And thus, he begins reading until the time reaches 20:00.

After Mullet ate the dinner cooked by his cousin, he walked back to his room and prepared the futon for him and his brother. But he didn't want to sleep yet as he remembered if he needs to finish his homework about typing a 700-word essay about the cold war. He quickly opens his laptop and starts typing. The ticking sound of the keyboard synchronized with Mullet's fingers as they moved around the buttons. Three minutes later, he took an intermission by walking downstairs and eats his microwaved omurice. The tasty aroma of the food replenished Mullet's energy from his 50 minutes of typing.

Mullet finally finished his essay. His weary expression can be seen on his face, and the ticking sound of the keyboard stopped. Hiro finally can sleep without any disturbance. Mullet flexed his body by raising his hands and yawning before turning off the laptop by moving its cursor to the off button. He looked at the watch on his phone. It's 22:30. Which it's time for people to sleep.

Mullet put his novel and the laptop back into his backpack, changed his clothes, and turned off the lights. The room went dark. Only the beautiful moonlight shone on his room. Hiro grunted as he was surprised by the lights that suddenly went out.

"Gosh, darn it, Makoto,"

Mullet didn't reply to him. He pulled the blanket and lie down on the futon. He can't sleep because of the shadow man's prediction that haunts him. His mind raced about the shadow person's words.

"First, a person will be taken away by someone in your community. Maybe you can be dismissive about this, but then you'll realize if it's not. Second, you will be involved, no matter how fast you run. And three, it will happen continuously in obscure times."

Those words echoed inside of Mullet's brain like an earworm. It repeats every time he thinks about it and makes him harder to sleep. He laid on the other side of the bed and ensured he doesn't lay on the wrong side. The softness of the futon focused his thinking until he comes up with three hypotheses.

First, I will be involved in the death of a student/teacher in the school because I kill them. This incident will repeat in obscure times until I go crazy and kill myself.

Second, I will be killed by someone in the school. Probably it was one of the students or the teachers. But somehow, I came back to life and killed again. Does that mean I live in hell?

Or third, I will be involved in the death of a student/teacher in the school because he/she got killed by another student. I got involved because I managed to apprehend him/her before he/she hurt/killed more students and teachers. But somehow, I felt dismissive about this. Until this incident happens again.

God, what should I do? Which one is correct?

While Mullet was racing his mind about the hypotheses, he realized one thing from the shadow person's words before.

"I also reading someone's storybook. He also has eyes like you,"

"All you had to do, is find the way out. But this time, you need to seek someone's help. They're The people you don't expect,"

Mullet realized if he's not the only one who was trapped inside. But there is one crucial thing that he should know. Should I ask him for help because he got dragged too? But who's got involved anyway?

But Mullet believes if the people he asked are reliable and unexpected. Because he knows if he asked the wrong person, it would end up his life. This might be suicidal, but I had to.

Day 8

"Unlike before, we have an unwanted surprise for this week. Today will be very sunny, the blue sky will accompany us for the rest of the day. Today's temperature will be above the average, but not as high as last year. And for the next day, the weather will be mostly cloudy until Wednesday. Where it will be light rain for 24 hours straight,"

The weather forecast from the TV withstands Mullet as he was about to leave the house. His big brother, Hiro still sitting on the couch in his casual outfit. He still had plenty of time before going to college. Mullet, who has heard the forecast, said goodbye to him.

Monday. It comes again without being requested by anyone, the green flag of the workdays for everyone. Mullet, who already walked away from his house, began to think about the shadow person's message and his three hypotheses. Today is the moment of truth for him. Was this going to happen, or was it just a coincidence and that person just his nightmare to let him socialize with the students?

Mullet arrived at the bus stop. He saw Robbie, who looks worried. His hands covered his face in half. Robbie let his eyes uncovered to check the circumstances around him. Mullet thought if he is afraid of something, that will happen. But what is it?

7:00. The bus finally arrived. The students walked into that white-blue bus as usual. The empty seats greet them as they come inside. As usual, Robbie and Mullet take the rear seat. The bus atmosphere always cold like usual. But not for Robbie, who looked paranoid as he recalled his nightmare two days ago in Ruri's house.

To be continued… *Insert Roundabout song here*

Authors Note

And that's all for chapter 9. The next chapter will be worse than before.

I already write the points of the next 2 chapters. Still, I will continue this chapter anyway. What will Robbie and Mullet see in the next chapter?

And as usual, please review. Any Constructive Criticism and advice are welcomed.

See you in the next chapter and Thanks for reading