Inside Jude's apartment
The sun crept shyly through the window, landing softly on Jude's face as he slept.
Jude rolled over, groaning and slapping his hand over his face:
"Ammm... Huh? What time is it now?"
He reached out, feeling for his phone... but it wasn't where he left it.
"Yo... where the hell's my phone?"
He sat up in bed, scanning the room with half-open eyes—no phone.
But he did find something worse.
He glanced at the wall clock. 7:58 AM.
Still processing... and then:
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!
GOD damn it!
I'm late—no, I am already late!!"
He launched himself off the bed, sprinting to the bathroom to take a piss while brushing his teeth at warp speed:
"Grrghhhl—!"
He gargled like a possessed raccoon, watching the clock as if it owed him money.
"Blrrggh!"
His thoughts screamed across the bathroom walls:
"DAMN IT! DAMN IT! damn it! I'm gonna be late! MOVE, JUDE! FASTER!"
"Khhggh—! spit!"
He spat so hard it hit the mirror.
At that point, even the mirror was thinking:
"I should've quit this job years ago."
Jude stumbled out the bathroom and tripped, his hand slamming into a frying pan on the way down. The pan flew into the air in slo-mo... locked onto its target—
"CLANG!"
"AAAH_!"
Jude grabbed his head, still lying on the floor:
"Why the hell is this happening to me?! I literally just woke up!"
He looked at the clock again—8:07 AM.
"AAAAAAAH!"
He jumped up, grabbed his backpack, threw on his pants backwards, cursed, flipped them around, and ran for the door—
But then...
He froze.
His phone was right there, on the floor... by the door.
Jude, confused and stressed beyond logic:
**"Wait... what?
I didn't leave you here...
You were right next to me in bed!
How...?"
Tch. Whatever. Less talking, more running.
"HAAAA_!"
He dashed outside—and slammed into his neighbor, knocking her flat. But he didn't stop.
He glanced back while still sprinting:
"Morning Mrs. Elena! Sorry about that! I'm late!"
Mrs. Elena, rubbing her head with a dizzy sigh, muttered:
"That boy's always dragging trouble behind him... but he's a good kid, I guess."
---
He kept running... and as he rushed toward school, something weird happened. Something that made him question if he was still sane.
Panting:
"Huff... huff... why the hell does this happen every day?! I swear if this keeps up, I'm gonna—"
"HUNGRY!!"
He snapped his head around. Nothing.
"Who the hell just said that...?
Oh great, now I'm hearing voices.
It's the expired junk food, I know it.
No time to deal with this right now. Just sneak into class.
No detention today, please."
He kept running—only to find his friend Dan running beside him.
Jude, eyebrows furrowed:
"Dan? Bro, what the hell are you doing here?"
Dan, panting and yelling:
"What do you think, DUMBASS?! I'm late too!"
Jude, barely catching his breath:
"Huff... huff... yeah, but like—why, blondie?"
Dan, annoyed but honest:
"Alarm clock. Forgot to set it last night. What's your excuse?"
Jude:
"SAME. BRO."
Dan:
"Awesome. Sneak in again and pray Mr. Daniel Russo doesn't catch us... like last time."
Jude:
"AAAAAH!!
Don't even say that demon's name! The man's possessed by punctuality!"
Dan:
"Huff....huff... Yeah well, what time is it now?!"
Jude checks his phone mid-run:
"Time is... DAMN IT!
8:27 AM."
Dan & Jude, in perfect panic harmony:
"AAAAAH_!
Twenty-seven minutes late—we're SO screwed!"
They sprinted like it was Judgment Day, reaching the front gate—
---
Ereth-Kaal, whispering inside Jude's mind:
"Hmm... your friend looks... tasty. Wanna share him later?"
Jude flinched, spinning around. No one was there.
He clutched his head, the voice still echoing:
"What... was that?
Someone whispered in my ear—I swear it.
What the hell is happening to me?!"
Dan cut through his spiral, shouting:
"HEY! Loser!"
Jude snapped back to reality:
"What?!"
Dan:
"We're here, man. We're already thirty minutes late.
Let's sneak in and hope we don't get caught."
Jude:
"Fine, but don't mess it up like last time!"
Dan:
"I messed it up?!
Bro, you tried to sneak in like a ninja with a hernia!"
Jude raised a hand to calm him down:
"Alright, alright! Let's not live in the past.
New day, new chance. Let's just not die today."
"Loser."
Jude froze again.
"W-who said that?"
Dan got nervous, placing a hand on Jude's shoulder:
"Dude... what's going on with you?
You've been pale since I saw you.
You keep lookin' over your shoulder like someone's following you.
Are you... high or something?"
Jude held his head, clearly freaking out:
"I—I don't know what's happening to me!
I keep hearing weird voices since I woke up—whispers—and they're all—"
Dan stepped closer, serious now:
"What? They're all what?
Dude, you're not okay.
We're sticking together the whole day, alright?
I'm not letting you go through this alone.
You live by yourself, no one's watching your back—
If you wanna crash at my place tonight, the door's always open, bro.
Also, my mom's still obsessed with your meatloaf recipe.
Dad's been addicted to it since the last time you came over."
Jude smiled... but then froze again.
He was staring behind Dan... and his face went blank.
Dan blinked and slapped Jude lightly on the cheek.
"Hey, you good?
You're even paler now than you were five seconds ago.
Why does the air feel... hotter all of a sudden?"
A cold, firm hand gripped Dan's shoulder.
It spun him around gently—
Mr. Daniel Russo.
He looked Dan straight in the eye and said calmly:
"Late by..."
He checked his watch.
"...thirty-seven minutes and twenty-nine seconds.
You boys know what that means?"
Dan raised his hand with an awkward smile:
"Uhh... that we're exceptional students?"
Mr. Russo:
"No."
Jude grinned, muttering under his breath:
"Means we're getting a reward for our... excellent discipline...
Haaa_."
Mr. Russo stroked his chin, pretending to think.
Then he said,
"Wrong again. It means detention.
Both of you.
You'll be cleaning the classroom as punishment for your heroic tardiness."
Dan:
"Yeah, but—"
Mr. Russo raised a hand without even looking at him:
"Hush.
Rules are rules, and you broke 'em.
School starts at 8:00 AM. It's 8:39.
So... hustle to class, now."
Jude and Dan flinched like startled cats, then bolted toward the hallway.
Jude, slipping slightly on the freshly mopped floor:
"Told you... dude's possessed by punctuality.
And the sneak-in plan? Dead before arrival."
Dan:
"Yeah, he's terrifyiiiii—"
"SLIP!"
Dan's foot went out from under him like he stepped on butter.
"THUD!"
Dan:
"Ughhh... I'm fine...
but I think my spine's gonna sue me."
He raised his hand dramatically:
"That's the fourth fall in three days.
God damn it!"
Jude burst out laughing, reaching out a hand:
"Pffft HAHAHAH—
Sorry man, but you're...
Hahahaha!"
Dan grabbed his hand with a groan:
"Glad to be your personal comedy show.
But I don't perform for free.
Five bucks for that legendary fall."
Jude wiped a fake tear:
"Yeah, yeah. Five bucks.
Put it in the imaginary debt box."
Dan licked his finger, counted invisible money:
"Okay, that brings your total to... twenty-three bucks and forty-eight cents."
Jude tilted his head:
"Wait...
Wasn't it fifteen yesterday?
Now it's 23.48?
Math's not mathin'. Where's the rest from?"
Dan smirked as he walked ahead:
"I added a late fee.
Daily interest."
Jude:
"Ha. Ha.
If you charged every time someone laughed at you,
you'd be richer than Tony Stark."
Dan:
"Tony Stark?
Did you just compare me to that legend?
Flattered."
Jude:
"Yeah, well...
We're standing here talking like idiots instead of heading to class.
And now I'm explaining why we're late—
which makes me even later—
which means I should slap myself for being dumb."
Dan held his head like he had a migraine:
"Damn it, Jude.
You explain things like a malfunctioning robot!"
He yanked Jude's arm and took off running again.
Jude:
"Your welcome.
I try my best."
---
They finally reached the classroom door...
But of course—there was a problem.
Jude whispered:
"Okay. Plan Alpha: Fake exit."
Dan whispered back:
"Right. But let's nail it this time."
They waited... watching Ms. Maria Delgado, their chemistry teacher.
The second she turned away—
Boom.
They slipped in backwards, acting like they were leaving instead of entering.
Ms. Maria snapped around:
"You two! No one leaves class without permission!
Back to your seats. Now!"
Dan, pretending to be ashamed:
"Sorry, we won't do it again. Back to our seats we go."
He winked at Jude as they sat down and bumped fists.
They focused on literally anything but her voice...
But something was way off with Jude.
---
Jude leaned forward, resting his head on the desk.
Suddenly, his eyes turned pure white—just for a moment—
then shifted back.
But his hunger hit like a train.
He muttered weakly:
"What the hell is happening to me...?"
"hungry..."
Jude:
"Who the hell was that?!
Why am I hearing voices since I woke up?!
This ain't normal!"
"Who ever said anything in this world was normal?"
Jude shot up from his chair.
"WHO SAID THAT?!"
The entire class froze.
Ms. Delgado stopped mid-sentence.
Whispers spread like wildfire:
("Why's he sweating like that?")
("Dude looks like Dracula's cracked-out cousin... but worse.")
("Is he contagious? I ain't sitting near him.")
Dan leaned in and whispered:
"Pssst...
Hey, Jude—what the hell, man?
You're scaring the crap outta everyone here."
Jude turned to Ms. Maria, trying to sound composed:
"Ms. Maria...
Can I go to the bathroom, please?"
She looked at him—his pale face, trembling hands.
"Y-yes, of course. Go ahead. Take your time."
Jude nodded and left quickly.
But the only thing pounding in his brain... was hunger.
He walked by a window and saw a cat.
And without thinking—he licked his lips.
Stared at it like it was lunch.
Then...
"Sniff... sniff..."
What is that delicious smell?!
He followed his nose... straight to the school cafeteria.
And the dumpster.
Inside—raw, rotten meat.
Disgusting.
Yet... his mouth watered.
He grabbed it.
Devoured it.
Like a beast.
His eyes flickered—white to pitch black.
Then back.
Again.
Cafeteria worker yelling from afar:
"Hey!
Kid!
What the hell are you doing?!"
Jude didn't answer.
He kept eating.
Whispering to himself:
"What the hell am I doing...?
Why does this taste...
so good?"
"Ghhhk!"
He gagged.
Clamped a hand over his mouth.
"Mmff—!"
And sprinted to the bathroom.
He crashed into a stall—
fell to his knees—
hugged the toilet—
"HUUUUAAARRRGH!"
"Oh... Fuu... HUUUUAAARRRGH!"
He puked up everything.
Gutted himself from the inside out.
Stumbling to the sink, he washed out his mouth.
Looked up.
And the mirror—
was wrong.
His eyes turned fully white.
Bigger.
Like something drawn by an unhinged artist.
Veins popped under his skin.
His teeth... multiplied. Sharpened. Mutated.
His reflection smiled.
"Hello, Jude."
"AAAAH_!"
Jude screamed and launched backward, slamming into the wall.
His world went black.
---
Whew…
Is Jude the chosen vessel?
Or just another chew toy for the curse?
You'll find out in the next cursed chapter....