Time Looped

Screams filled the room, as two of the wolves ripped a person in the back row apart. Many more people were wounded by the flying shards. And amidst it all, everyone remained frozen, as if someone had taken out their batteries.

What are you doing? Don’t freeze up! Will grabbed the nearest object he could reach—someone’s backpack—and threw it at the nearest wolf’s head.

It was an instinctive reaction that only managed to get the creature annoyed, redirecting its attention to the boy. At that precise moment, all chaos broke loose. Everyone’s mind had caught up to reality, as possible as it was, sending shots of fear throughout their entire beings. A wave of panicked yells exploded as everyone scrambled to reach the exit.

Knowing he would be crushed if he remained where he was, Will leaped back. Not wasting a moment, he rushed down the hallway, his mind frantically searching for anything that he could use as a weapon. Since he wasn’t a knight, desks and chairs were out of the question. Backpacks were useless, as he had seen, not to mention they were only good for one hit.

A massive wolf leapt out of the classroom, chasing after the boy. The increasing sound of screams suggested that the remaining three had decided to finish off matters there before they joined it.

Crap! Will didn’t have to look over his shoulder to know that he was being chased. The heavy breath of the beast combined with the sound of claws rattling on concrete was a pretty good indication of where it was.

Doors opened with teachers poking out to find out what was going on. Seeing a massive wolf run by caused most of them to quickly shut them closed again, although there were a few insensible ones who stepped out even more to check if there were more coming behind it.

The main staircase, as misfortune would have it, was over a hundred feet away. Even with the speed the rogue granted him, Will doubted he could reach it before the beast caught up. Thankfully, there were other alternatives. Spending half a dozen loops visiting rooms had given him a very good sense of what was where and, more importantly, how long it took him to reach it.

With the start of class half a minute away, rushing into a classroom was going to create more harm than good. On the other hand, there was one type of room that was supposed to be completely empty—one that the boy was quite familiar with.

“Appear in corners, my ass!” he hissed, leaping to the nearest bathroom door. Opening it took precious seconds, but he managed to make it inside just as the wolf leaped at him.

A mass of gray zoomed by, slamming into the door and tearing it out of its hinges. So much for barricading himself.

Think! Will told himself. He could feel his heart beat all the way to his throat.

There was nothing he could remotely use as a weapon. The janitor hadn’t even forgotten a mop or bucket behind.

The boy took off his backpack and swung it into the nearest mirror. Seeing the mirror’s weak spot allowed him to shatter the glass into large shards. His rogue reactions let him grab one of them before they hit the ground. Just as all the times before, the pain he got from the cut was significant. However, the level of adrenalin in his blood kept him from letting it go. He’d have one go at this, so it had to count.

Low growling accompanied by the skittle of claws grew closer. From the corner of his eye, Will saw the creature emerged in the hallway. Instantly it leaped forward, paws extended.

Time appeared to slow down. The wolf flew through the air as if in slow motion. Will’s actions seemed no faster. Spotting the only safe spot in the vicinity, he fell down, aiming to fill the gap between the wolf and the floor. His rogue’s sight intuitively showed him the weak spot he should go for—the area in the wolf’s abdomen, right beneath the ribcage. Using his quick jab, the boy did just that.

QUICK JAB

Damage increased by 200%

Heart pierced

Fatal wound inflicted

Although lifeless, the monster kept on flying, smashing through all four sinks until it slammed into the wall. Water poured everywhere, mixing with the blood on the floor.

The sound of the first school bell sounded, replacing the decreasing screams in the hallways. The noise told will two things: killing wolves increased the length of the loop; also—there were three more he had to deal with. Quickly standing up, the boy looked for any other shard he could use as a weapon. Since none were suitable, he used his backpack to shatter another mirror. Before doing so, though, he ripped off his shirt, wrapping a piece of cloth round his hand.

LEVEL UP

A message appeared in the remaining two mirrors. It wasn’t in the least expected, but now that it had been given, the boy quickly tapped on the smooth surface of the mirror with his free hand.

No sooner had he done so than it disappeared, replaced by three new ones.

ROGUE’s LEAP

Leap at a significant distance on and off almost any surface.

THROWING ATTACK

Perform ranged attacks by throwing weapons or objects.

EVASION

Evade attacks before they reach you.

The explanations were just as bad as he had gotten to expect, but the skills themselves were perfect for his current situation, especially the second one. Ranged attacks were Will’s forte. Pouring the contents of his backpack on the floor, he quickly gathered as many smaller mirror fragments as he could in the next few, tossing them aside.

Putting on his backpack in front-carry position, he took a few smaller shards and stepped into the corridor. An eerie quiet filled the halls. The screams had subsided, replaced by a low noise of gnawing. Soon enough, a wolf emerged on the far end.

Its maw and paws covered in blood, the creature let out a guttural growl, as if knowing that Will had killed a member of its pack.

Feeling the pressure of its glance, Will took a step back. That proved to be a mistake. Emboldened, the wolf howled, causing a second one to emerge from the biology classroom. It had an even more menacing appearance than the first, blood covering its entire chest.

“It’s just a loop,” the boy whispered to himself. “They’ll be fine.”

“Attention all students!” a panicked voice sounded throughout the hall. “We have been informed of a disturbance on the third floor of the east wing. Please remain in the classrooms for your safety. You are by no means in danger. This is just a precaution.”

By no means in danger? Will thought. There were quite a few who would disagree, himself included.

Slowly, both wolves moved forward, walking side by side. Their eyes remained fixed on the boy, as if measuring him out. The attacks were no longer going to be rushed at a whim.

Come on. Will prepared mentally. The distance was too far for him to hit them if he threw his shards of glass. The adrenaline inside him urged him to rush at them to decrease the distance. However, he knew that would be the wrong move. No matter what his instincts told him, he had to keep calm and let the wolves come to him.

Step by step, the creatures came closer. The water coming from the broken faucets had completely covered the bathroom floor and was now seeping into the corridor.

About thirty feet separated the boy from the wolves. At this distance, he could probably manage two or three throws before they charged and reached him. He still didn’t feel he had the strength to inflict serious damage at this range, but if he delayed much more, he’d do even less.

This was it. Holding his breath, Will concentrated, then sent the first shard of glass flying.

The action was like a firing pistol. Both wolves leaped to the side, avoiding the glass shard, then rushed straight at him without delay.

Suspecting that might happen, the boy grabbed another piece of glass from his backpack and threw it at the head of the leftmost wolf. The projectile split the air, hitting the creature’s eye.

Losing speed, the creature let out a yelp. The other, meanwhile, continued forward, leaping straight at Will.

Several options ran through his mind. He could see the path of the trajectory. It was possible to play it safe and pull back into the bathroom. That would keep him safe for a few moments, but what about later? The better solution was to risk defeating the wolf right here and now, then deal with the wounded one.

Grabbing the long shard from his backpack, Will stood his ground. The wolf opened its jaws, aiming to bite off his shoulder. Before the jaws could snap, though, the boy was no longer there. Taking advantage of the rogue’s evasion ability, he leaped to the side. Avoiding both fangs and claws. A single strike followed just beneath the rib cage.

The beast let out a surprised gurgling sound before hitting the ground five steps behind Will.

That makes two. He turned towards the other wolf. Even wounded, the creature posed a serious threat. The previous attack had managed to injure its left eye, rendering it useless. From what Will vaguely remembered, losing an eye considerably decreased an animal’s fighting abilities. Reverting back to throwing attacks, he grabbed whatever remained in his backpack, one by one, throwing them at the monster.

While all of them hit, they did little to no actual damage. The wolf was careful enough not to get hit in the face again, and its fur was too thick to let the pieces of glass through. If they had been daggers or throwing knives, things might be different, but where would Will find such weapons at school? Now it was time to retreat to the bathroom.

Fortunately for him, there were several large shards he could use. Unfortunately, there was no sign of the wolf following. Although determined to hunt him down, it was smart enough not to come at him leaping. The size different gave it a huge advantage.

“Shit!” Will noticed that his phone was gone. In the commotion, he must have dropped it somewhere. It would have been nice to call Helen for support right now, although she never gave him her phone number. With them being ten minutes apart because of the loops, there never had been a reason to.

A loud growl sounded just outside the corridor. Holding the shard of glass with his cloth wrapped hand, the boy waited.

The only thing he could hear other than his own breath and the thumping of his heard, was the sound of running water splashing to the ground.

Is it waiting for me to come out? He wondered.

That was the last thing anyone would do. Sooner or later, the loop would end, which would be considered a victory on his part. Yet, Will felt it would be barely half a victory at most. He had already killed two wolves and wounded another. Instinctively, he glanced at the mirrors. There were no new messages on them. It seemed that it would take more than one wolf to get him to level two.

“I’m not going out there, so you better give up.” He shouted.

Idiot! He thought as soon as he’d done so. What did he expect to happen? That the wolf would show up and attack just to make a point? Clearly, they had come to a stalemate. Whoever made the first move would likely be the one to lose.

If that’s the way you want it. Will took a deep breath. It was time to try out the last of his new skills—leaping.

The boy counted to ten to relax his breathing and calm down a bit. Then he dashed forward. His shoes made a splashing sound as he ran through the layer of water that had become the bathroom floor.

Aim for the top, he told himself, then leaped.

No sooner had he crossed the threshold than the passive body of the wolf came at him. Jaws open wide, paws in the air. It covered more than the height of the doorway.

Twisting in the air, Will struck in the direction of the wolf’s weak spot. Sadly, the tip of the shard never reached its target.

Restarting eternity.

The boy stood motionless in front of the school building. His pulse was still elevated, but everything else was fine. Both his hands and his shirt were whole.

“Move it, weirdo,” the usual pair of girls said as they passed by.

Will just stared at them as if they were talking in a foreign language. The scene with the wolves was still fresh in his mind. Looking at the calm ignorance that surrounded him, he could only envy everyone outside the loops. None of them would ever know that a whole room of people had been devoured by a pack of mirror wolves. Now he understood why there were so many drawings of wolves on Daniel’s desk.

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

“Yeah…” the boy responded in a distant voice.

“Hey, you ok, bro?”

There was no good way to answer that.

“Just tired… Had nightmares.”

“Oof! Not good, bro! I had this weird dream once. First part was lit, but then…” he shook his head, indicating it was better not to share. At least not without a bit more pestering. “What was your dream about?”

“Wolves…”