Time Looped

“Choose!” the girl shouted, slamming the maw of a giant wolf with a thirty-pound dumbbell.

The crunch of shattered bone mixed with a yelp, as the monster pulled back.

“Just pick one! It doesn’t matter which.”

“Don’t rush me!” the boy snapped. “We’ve never gotten this far before. If I can figure this out, we might—"

“There isn’t time!”

The girl made a high summersault in the air, landing on the monster’s spine.

KNIGHT’s BASH

Damage increased by 500%

Bone shattered

Fatal Wound Inflicted

The crimson glow faded from the beast’s eyes as it let out its final breath. The smell of ozone filled the air. The black fur covering the monster faded away becoming transparent.

“It’s one of these two,” the boy said, eyes darting between two subway columns. “I’m sure this time. All I have to do is—"

Four arrows split the air, piercing the girl’s chest. There was a dull sound after which patches of blood emerged through the white blouse round the shafts that were sticking out.

“Ely?”

The boy turned in her direction, but it was already too late. The strength leaving her, she collapsed on the giant monster corpse.

“No!” The boy rolled to the other side of the nearest column. He couldn’t see the archer, but knew he was there, preparing for another shot. There’d only be one chance to get out of this. All he had to do was make the right choice.

One out of two options. There was a fifty-fifty chance to get it right. Not the best odds, but he wasn’t going to get anything better.

Stretching out, the boy touched the mirrored metal surface of the column. Scratches spread from his fingers causing the metal to twist.

“Come on, come on!” the boy whispered, tensely looking around.

Meanwhile, the scars formed words.

Congratulations, ROGUE! You have made progress.

Restarting eternity.

“Damn it!” the boy shouted. He had been so close and yet so far away. He had wasted months, severed friendships all for this one chance! Now he had to start everything from the beginning and he didn’t think he had the strength for it.

Another dull thump sounded. Looking down, the boy saw the tip of an arrow sticking through his chest.

Restart impossible! You have broken eternity.

“Shit…” the boy coughed as he collapsed on the floor. This was one outcome he hadn’t imagined.

DANIEL KEEN, your slot has been vacated.

Awaiting new participant…

* * *

News of the death was all over social media. Theories ranged from stress induced heart attack to outright suicide. According to friends and family, Daniel was a kind and quiet boy who studied diligently and never got into any sort of trouble. Described as slightly introverted he tended to spend a lot of his time online, as did most children his age, playing games or looking at college options. There were no money problems or bullying, as far as they were aware, making his death utterly unexpected. Schoolmates, though, presented a very different picture. According to them, Daniel was highly aggressive, missed more classes than he attended, and never gave a damn about studying. Witnesses claimed that he’d gotten into several fights, both in and out of school and on one occasion had even busted up the school’s toilets.

Faced with these two completely different accounts, the local authorities and the school itself had conducted a discreet investigation. The findings were never made public, but a brief announcement explained the case away as an undiagnosed medical condition. The vice-principal of Enigma Arts and Science High School, made a public address, requesting that the matter be put to rest for the sake of the family. That only caused the rumors to grow.

“A reminder to all students,” an announcement echoed through the halls and classrooms. “We remind you to take care of your physical and mental health. There is no shame in seeking help. The school counselor’s door is open at all times. With mid-terms approaching, we think that—"

What a load of crap, Will said to himself.

The school didn’t give a damn about the state of its students. It was all about appearance. Daniel and several others had caused problems for months and yet all the complaints had gone unheard. At least three people in Will’s class had gone to the principal’s office only to be warned not to spread baseless accusations.

With lots of time till the start of class, Will went to the restroom. It was the smelliest place after the gym, but at least it was one of the places that was empty before second period. Due to the Daniel incident the school had introduced a new measure, referred to as “bathroom checks,” in their desire to show they were taking matters seriously. In response, the children had stopped going there unless they really had to.

“Hello, boredom,” Will said staring at his own reflection in the mirror.

For a place that was supposedly smashed up, the room was in perfect condition. He had no idea who had started the rumor, but it had spread so fast that it had become part of school lore. Maybe he should just smash them and get done with it? That would make things a bit more interesting.

Clenching a fist, Will struck at his reflection. Inner doubt caused him to stop half an inch from the polished surface, keeping the mirror intact.

“You’re lucky I don’t need the hassle.” He lowered his hand. “Next time, though.”

He made another faux strike, pushing the limit just a bit more. The aim was to stop the moment his knuckles came into contact with the mirror. Yet, no sooner had he touched it that cracks shot out in all directions like a spiderweb.

Shit! Will jumped back.

“This can’t be real.” Such a weak punch shouldn’t have done anything. He had literally touched the mirror… and yet he was staring at the result right now.

There was nothing stopping him from rushing out. With class about to start, no one was going to notice the mess before second period. What was more he didn’t have any wounds on his fist. As long as he denied it, there wouldn’t be anything linking him to this.

The sound of crunching glass came from the mirror. Afraid it might shatter to pieces, Will placed both hands against it, in an attempt to keep it in place. The crunching grew louder. However, instead of falling off, the pieces held together. Before Will’s very eyes, the cracks retreated from the edges, moving back to the original point of impact. After a few seconds, a single dot remained.

What the hell? Slowly, he took his hands off the glass surface.

Welcome to eternity! We hope you enjoy your stay.

Words formed within the mirror. Will closed his eyes and opened them up again, as if hoping that he was experiencing some form of hallucination. Alas, the message was still there.

You have discovered THE ROGUE (number 4).

Use additional mirrors to find out more. Good luck!

The bathroom door briskly swung open.

“Stone!” A large man in a gym uniform stood at the door. He was the stereotypical coach as well as the less stereotypical history teacher. “I warned you about this!”

“It wasn’t my fault!” Will said instinctively. “It was like this when I found—" he stopped. The letters on the mirror had vanished.

“No skipping class! I’ve gotten tons of complaints about you!”

That was an outright lie. For one thing, Will hadn’t been late once. All that the coach wanted to do was make sure no one was doing anything funny in the bathroom. It was one heck of a way to do a “bathroom check” but at least it got Will’s mind off the recent scene.

“Sorry, Coach.” He glanced at the sink, then the mirror once more just to make sure. “I’m heading to class now.”

“Definitely.” The large man stepped to the side, letting him get into the hallway. “I better not catch you hiding here again.”

Asshole. Will put his earbuds on then went to the art classroom. Several minutes remained till start of class. Yet, most of his schoolmates were absent as was the teacher.

The room stank of cleaning detergent even with all the windows open. Whatever janitorial was using it had the strength to knockout a herd of elephants. One of these days it wouldn’t be surprising if the floor gave in dropping everyone into the basement.

Holding his breath, Will went to his desk in the back of the room. The smell was marginally better there. At least he didn’t risk tearing up.

Turning in the direction of the windows, Will’s glance fell on Daniel’s desk. Even after a week it remained unoccupied and by the looks of it uncleaned. With the amount of scribbles and drawings the whole thing was better off thrown away. The last few weeks Daniel had gotten into the habit of using it as a canvas.

“Think anyone will sit here?” Alex asked leaning over. Known as the class goofball, he never let things such as school warnings and class boundaries keep him from speaking his mind. Some said they were the reason he did so. “I heard he had volunteered for some new study drug,” he added in a whisper. “The heavy shit that lets you function with half an hour sleep per day.”

“Not all of us can be naturally annoying twenty-four seven.”

“Think about it! His fam didn’t know because of the NDAs. And the cops wouldn’t dare meddle to avoid a lawsuit.” He looked about the room then continued in a hushed voice. “I bet they didn’t even search his desk.”

“They did,” Will said unapologetically.

“Yeah, sure, they glanced at it. I mean really searched. If I were in his shoes, I’d used some gum to stick my stash beneath the desk.”

“Yep. Absolutely.” Will turned up the volume of his music. He knew from experience that arguing would only encourage Alex to keep on going. The only thing he really wanted right now was for this day to be over so he could go home and do anything else.

“Hey, don’t be salty.” Alex kept at it. “Maybe it isn’t the desk, but I bet he’s hidden something somewhere. He always had cash on him. Like who uses cash? It’s sus as hell.”

He had a point there. Other than Will’s grandparents, Daniel was the only person who had a roll of paper money. It had seemed just weird enough to be cool, but it did pose certain questions.

With less than a minute till the start of class, the rest of his classmates were pouring in. Everyone brought with them a general dislike of art as well as their personal brand of gossip. As the classroom filled up so did the level of noise. The door remained open even after the bell had sounded—being forced in with the stench of chemicals could be considered cruel and unusual punishment.

“Aaart!” a brown-haired jock shouted as he walked in. He was followed by five others, almost as noisy.

“Catch you after class,” Alex whispered, instinctively slinking away to the front row.

The normal chatter quickly subsided, replaced by the noise of the newly arrived group. They weren’t particularly disliked, at least not more than the average jock. Then again, they were smart enough not to openly cross the line.

“What’s up, Stoner?” The noisy one sat next to Will. “Ready for some art.”

“Yep.” Will did his best to casually ignore him, reaching for his backpack.

A quick punch sent it flying through the classroom, ending up on the floor right beneath the windows.

“Careful, Stoner,” the other grinned. “Better not mess up everyone else’s day.”

Will blinked. That had never happened before. It wasn’t that bullying didn’t exist in Enigma high, it’s just that he’d never been targeted so openly by someone with whom he’d never had any problems in the past. The jock’s name was Jace and the two had passively known each other for the last two years. Both of them were good at sports. In another life, Will might have even joined him on the football team.

“What’s your prob?” Will tensed up, expecting an escalation.

The other shook his head, still laughing, then went to join the rest of his group. There was a moment’s silence filled with whispers. Most of the people were discussing what had happened, while simultaneously pretending not to.

Is it because of the cops? Will wondered. The locker searches would explain a lot, though not why the jocks were suddenly targeting him.

Remaining on guard, Will stood up, then cautiously started gathering his things from the floor. The books had remained in the backpack, thankfully, though a lot of the smaller items hadn’t. His phone had also found its way beneath Daniel’s desk.

Picking it up with a sigh, Will then went on to gather the rest of his things, while his classmates pretended not to notice. Silently, he placed all his possessions, broken or not, into his backpack. Now all he had to do was get back to his seat before the teacher arrived and pretend that nothing had happened. Would it help, though? Looking at the jocks, they were already glaring at him, ready for round two. If it were just one of them, he could take him on, but an entire pack at once.

Gritting his teeth, he took a step towards his desk, then stopped.

“I’ve had enough!” he said. It had been a really shitty morning. The best thing he could do was refuse to have anything to do with it. To a degree, Will was surprised at himself. He’d often thought of leaving everything behind, consequences be damned, and going home. This was the first time he’d actually found the courage to do it.

Before the dazzled gaze of everyone, he walked out of the corridor, slamming the door behind him.

“Stone!” the school coach yelled at him. “Get back here!”

Will didn’t pay any attention, heading directly towards the main entrance. His parents wouldn’t be pleased at this. He could hear the inevitable shouting even now. Still, he didn’t feel they could do anything much. Besides, that was a problem for another time.

With a frown, Will stepped out into the open. The moment he crossed the threshold, a message appeared in front of him, as if something had clawed out the words in reality itself.

Restarting eternity.

A blink of the eye later, Will found himself standing in front of the main entrance. The only issue was that the school had moved to be in front.

“Hey, Will!” Alex rushed up to him. “Heard ‘bout the muffins?”

Muffins? Will stared at him. He was having a deja vus. They’d had the same conversation upon arriving at school ten minutes ago.

“What?”

“Some boujie foreign stuff. Everyone’s talking about it. Want me to get you one?”

Will just stood there unsure how to react. If this was a prank it was a scarily good one. Pushing past Alex, he entered the hall and waited. After a few minutes an announcement sounded.

“A reminder to all students. We remind you to take care of your physical and mental health. There is no shame in seeking help. The school counselor’s door is open at all times…"