In an alley way around a corner of a a turn which led to immediate dead end. A young man who appeared to be in his late twenties was squatting with his clenching his mouth tightly, cold sweat was breaking from the forehead of the young man.
That young man was me.
I was coming home after buying something through a short cut that reduced the way to my home considerably. It was an abandoned alley that few people passed by which suited me quite well it was quite peaceful. Or that was generally the case.
But today two gangs seemed to have made this alley their battle ground.
And I was stuck in the middle of this battle. When the violent actions took place, I immediately found a corner to hide.
Fortunately nobody saw me. but unfortunately after my hiding, the battle took full swing in the adjacent street to where I was hiding.
and the corner I hide from led to an immediate dead end.
And after some time, here I was with a face that seemed to remind me a stone, I was frozen cold.
At first as the battle grew in full swing, I thought that it would end with a few punches and kicks.
But now I saw how wrong I was. I can hear the bullets echoing and sound of screaming and a body lying beside me with glaring open eyes was proof that this was far from something peaceful like kicks and punches.
From the moment this person has fallen beside me my body seemed to have turned into a stone.
I was very sure this person was dead. It was my first time seeing or hearing such violence. My insides were screaming to run.
But I couldn't find a way to run, behind me was a dead end with a cold big wall and the two ways that lead anywhere were filled with people going against each others life.
I was pretty sure that if I go out, people out there will not stop to hear my pleas.
And my fate will be same as the person beside me.
'WHAT DO I DO?' He couldn't think of anything he could do. he had his phone but he was too afraid to call the police, in fear of escaping a sound.
The only thing he could hope was that someone passing by call the police or this group shift their fight somewhere else.
THUD
With a single noise all my hope seemed to vanish, as a person fell beside me again, this time alive.
He groaned and vomited blood as he shifted around to get up, He pushed his hands out and got on his knees.
'NO NO NO, DON'T LOOK HERE.' It was dark and I was in a corner beside a trash bin, there was still some hope that he would just participate in his ongoing fight without looking at me.
But....all hope seemed to vanish as after coming to his knees and picking up the sword that seemed to have fallen with him. he suddenly snapped his head towards me.
'I AM DONE FOR!!!' I thought as the only hope seemed to vanish for a while.
The person didn't move. I didn't move.
The person examined closely with shock and confusion in his eyes. But it appeared he was still sane enough as he didn't rushed at me immediately and analyzed me. He was a very handsome man wearing a black suit.
'Maybe?' My hope again seemed to come alive as the person didn't take any action and just seemed to think carefully.
I pleaded with my eyes.
The person seemed to have a look of understanding some time later as his eyes widened.
I didn't knew what he understood, but by his body language it doesn't seem anything negative.
Because the way I was still wearing casual clothes unlike them who were all seemed to have been dressed in formal suits. For a brief moment I thought it was weird, even the men who fell before seemed to be dressed in pretty formal clothes and the man using a sword.
'Sword? Suit? Mafia?'
This thought only lingered for a while as relief washed over me when the man turn around without coming towards me.
But it seemed for naught, as the man turned around he stopped with his eyes open wide as a white light glowed in the corner illuminating it greatly and with it came the sound of the roaring engine.
I looked in horror as a sizeable truck sped past towards the man in black suit, for a while time seemed to have stopped, as i saw the truck, the man inside also wearing suit of different color and look on his face that wanted blood.
But the man in black suit showed inhumane agility as he jumped on the hood of the truck and to its roof in a quick succession.
Then....There was no more.
My body on ground was no more.
After the man in black suit escaped shockingly, the truck sped towards me.
I vividly felt it as the truck slammed into my body and sped into the wall. My spine broke first as my body slammed into wall. Then came the truck as it collided with the wall with me between. sandwiched between truck and wall every bone in my body seemed to break and internal organ crush. But even that seemed to be not enough, as the truck broke through the wall and the other side.
The last thing I remember seeing was the night sky shining with brilliant stars and a moon in the sky as life seemed to sped through my eyes.
'Maybe I should have tried more hard.' That was my last thought as I reflected on my life and darkness overtook me.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Hey! is the orientation place now?"
"I don't know when it will take place."
"Noah."
"The top ten would be on stage."
"Noah?"
"Did you play that game?"
Hmm?
'Wasn't I dead?'
But why was it so loud?
"NOAH?!"
And who was shaking me so violently?
And who was Noah?
'Huh? I don't feel pain?'
I opened my eyes as I realized something was wrong.
My eyes opened to a luxurious hall where colorful balls of fur were dancing left to right.
"..."
I was speechless for a while.
What was this supposed to be?
Suddenly shaking seemed to stop.
'oh, I was shaking not those things.'
And eait, they were not balls but hair of people with different hair colors, wearing something that appeared to be a school uniform and seated in luxurious chairs.
"Oh! you woke up!" The voice sounding male came from my left side after the shaking stopped.
I turned to my left.
There was a handsome young man who didn't appear older than 20 looked at me.
'Foreigner?'
"Who?" After looking at the boy for a while I asked.
The boy looked at me with confusion.
Then answered with a look of understanding.
"I am your roommate."
"...". I live in my own house, and I didn't rent out to anyone, then how was he my roomate?
That was a question, but I asked what came to my mind first.
"Where am I? I asked the person beside me.
He again looked at me with confusion but answered nonetheless.
"Orientation?"
"..." I was again speechless for a while.
I furrowed my brows then thought something.
"Heaven or hell?"
The person seemed to understand something. I didn't knew what.
"Hell!!" The boy said cheerfully.
"..." Why was he so cheerful if this was hell? No, wait hell have orientation too?
I looked around as I saw everywhere I looked all whom I see were all young men and women who appeared no older than 20.
Is becoming young again and attending a school some short of punishment?
Where were demons, lava and torture chambers filled with different equipments to torture?
Here everything was opposite of that, chairs were comfortable, the air was cool, clothes were luxurious and even the hall seemed aesthetically pleasant.
Becoming young, a punishment?
It was different from what I heard hell was.
Such thoughts passed through my mind as I furrowed my brows and tried to make sense of what was happening.
I turned to ask the boy something.
"SILENCE!" But before I could ask, a thundrous voice seemed to echo in the surrounding as I felt my body bend down in a pressure that seemed like ton of weight pressing down on my shoulders. It was lifted as quickly as it came. But it left me in a state of panic.
I slowly sat straight as I looked at the podium where the voice came from, there a young man this time slightly older was standing on the podium. Wearing the same but slightly different uniform.
"What was that?" I turned to my left to again ask the boy what was happening...
But the boy seemed to have lost the sense of surroundings as he looked the person on stage.
"..."
I knew those eyes. They were the eyes of a crazed fan looking at their idol.
I was suddenly worried about my well being.
"I am Ren Alford, I welcome you all to THE STRONGHOLD as the representative of the student council ."
'Ren Alford? The stronghold? Student council?' I seemed to have heard this somewhere.