Chapter 63 – Familiar
"Hm?"
Zane paused, tilting his head at the strange noise that had caught his attention. It was a strange mix of laughter and coughing—muffled, irregular, and oddly offbeat. Instinctively, he followed the sound to a shadowed corner behind the building, a secluded area where no one else seemed to be around.
Leaning against the wall, he peeked around the corner… and there they were.
A small group of candidates, all part of the same intake as him, stood in a loose circle. They were whispering amongst themselves, trying to keep their voices low—but their bodies swayed with a drunken rhythm, betraying their state.
One of them could barely stand, leaning on another for support. Their laughter was drawn out and sluggish, the kind of laughter that didn't sound quite right.
"This is the good stuff, man…"
"It hits late… but it hits hard."
"I swear, the world's spinning. Like I'm on a merry-go-round."
