ONE

"Do it, Kuro, before you miss your shot."

The black-haired, bag-eyed boy stared over the edge of the roof. It gave him a sense of vertigo as he zeroed in down below.

A tiny figure with sports wear and a whistle, waiting for students to get out. In person, though, this was no tiny figure... At all.

"It's almost seven, Serisawa-kun," another voice said.

"Kuro, he gets into the building at seven, always at seven. If you don't do it now, we'll have to wait for another week before we can do this."

"I-I know," Kuro replied.

It wasn't his name, but he was called like that because of his birthmark around his left eye.

He eyed his hands—a balloon the size of a basketball carrying god-knows-what slimed as he pressed it gently. He turned back, and he saw a well-dressed boy with a tight haircut and a gentle expression on his face. This was Serisawa, a... friend? 

Kuro didn't know anymore.

"Y-you said we would do something harmless..." Kuro said, looking at the man at the bottom, a few girls were coming into the school building. If this bomb were to drop now—

"This is harmless," the boy shrugged, "it will take him more than 15 minutes to come to the top of the building while having to deal with that. We'll be long gone. Come on, man, we talked about this!"

"But... he's—"

"He's a tyrant, that's what he is," Serisawa cut him off, ever smiling, "he doesn't understand people like you or me, who can't perform well P.E. stuff."

The mere idea sent a cold shiver. An invisible pressure encroached on his mind, blocking all positive thoughts, all sense of strategic escape or survival instincts. His counterintuition shut off anything. 

There was no escape from this now.

Kuro wondered how he got there, why the hell he couldn't say no in the first place. It had all spiraled out of control, as always.

"Two minutes, Serisawa!" the other voice said.

The pressure made the boy step back involuntarily.

"Maybe if we—"

"KURO"

A firm hand pressed against his back, keeping him at the edge of the roof.

A deep, throbbing voice reminded him why he was there. Why he couldn't say no. 

Shit, he shivered, Don't look... don't look at him now... fight it...

His eyes disobeyed him.

Serisawa's gentle eyes were gone, his pupils had rolled up past the line of sight, and his eyeballs had popped out of their sockets. His face had lost all reflection—all life. A darkness now surrounded him, turning his skin an eerie dark blue. His mouth opened beyond human capability. The lips cracked and dried as if he had been with his mouth open for hours. A moan now joined his breathing.

Some people would've sensed another's impatience. Kuro's eyes could see it all. There was no escape from this vision.

He could not see it, not even unsee it later. He knew the thought, the picture, wouls stay with him for weeks. All because he could not do anything.

He was drying Serisawa up... his stubbornness, his indecisiveness. It was his fault.

Kuro cursed. Why couldn't he say just say no? 

His own breathing gained traction as he couldn't take his eyes off the monstrosity before him. If only he didn't fear it. Why couldn't he cope? This was his fault. He couldn't even pull a prank like this efficiently...

He knew what had to be done to make it go away. It was all in his hands—literally.

"It's now or never, Serisawa-kun!" The other boy yelled.

"KURO... give me..." Serisawa's words cracked, interrupted by choking saliva.

Kuro felt the balloon slipping away as Serisawa lunged for it—he couldn't care less about the balloon. All he cared that this sucked up and dry face now released the stench right in front of him, into his nostrils. Kuro closed his eyes as he panicked and pressed his legs backward. He felt the monster's now two hands opposing him at every turn. He pushed forward with an ounce of strength he didn't know he had.

"GIVE ME!" The face insisted, widening its mouth as Serisawa's hands tried to take the balloon away. His teeth were as close to Kuro's eyes.

"Stop! Get away!" The boy yelled.

"CAN'T... STOP—"

The face pressed on, its eyes gained red veins as his frustration increased. Vapor from its breath touched Kuro's face.

"I-I don't—!"

"YOU..."

Kuro's senses dulled. Vertigo kicked in. His legs started to give in—until one last survival instinct booted up. He used the last ounce of strength he had to push himself to what he perceived was the roof. He didn't know what else to do. It was this or dying at the monster's hands.

Kuro lost all sense of up and down; what he felt was a sturdy surface in his face and back. Face and back, face and back. 

By the time his senses rebooted, his eyes slowly opened to the sound of drowned screams.

"Serisawa...?" He said.

The other boy sat by the edge. Face down, desperately running his fingers across his hair. Panting. Muttering to himself.

Kuro stared at the edge, and a sudden, dreaded realization took over. He slowly dragged himself towards it. Some part of him wanted to peek, the other shouted not to. Never had he felt such a divide in his soul, yet he still dared to look.

As soon as his head showed over the edge, Kuro saw it.

The monster's body lied at the bottom. The horrid visage was still there. Mouth open, eyes white. Lifeless. However Kuro clenched his teeth as he realized it was not the monster—this time it was Serisawa's face.

He recoiled back and stared at the door that led downstairs. Tears wanted to run down, but he wouldn't let them.

"I'm cursed... I'm done for..." He choked as he uttered.

This would stay in his mind for all eternity. Sleep would forsake him forever. His soul was damned for sure.