After School

2.44 Carter

September 17, 1946: After School

Yuta was a strange boy, Carter recalled thinking when he first met him.

The first time he saw Yuta was during homeroom on the first day of school when he had to introduce himself to the class. His voice was soft-spoken and he carried himself as if he was shouldering a heavy burden. In hindsight, Carter figured what that burden was.

It was difficult to get his attention under the mop of black hair that dominated his narrow face, back then. Carter never met an introverted person like Yuta before, so perhaps that was what was strange about him. Nevertheless, the new kid looked so lost, that Carter had the urge to redirect his path. It was just the type of person Carter was.

He was conflicted as to whether that was a good decision. On one hand, it brought him closer to Yuta early on. On the other, if their paths had not crossed, Yuta would not be in this situation Carter had brought onto him. He wasn't marked in the beginning after all. If Carter had not dragged Yuta into solving that paranormal mystery, he would not be too injured to speak right now.

Still, even if their paths had not crossed in an alternate universe, Carter felt as though one way or another, their fates were connected. One way or another, they would end up here, in the middle of the obliterated pool room, with too many broken ribs to count and a two-hundred-year-old monster chasing after them.

From behind him, Josh locked the pool room door with the keys they retrieved earlier. Everyone except Carter and Yuta dropped to the ground, tired and grumbling with pain. Carter gently placed Yuta on the wooden bench, slowly peeling off his arms that were wrapped around his shoulder. Yuta squeaked and grimaced with anguish as his bruised body shifted. Carter forcibly suppressed his tears, as seeing Yuta in this condition was difficult to watch.

"No!" Yuta grunted after Carter released him. "D-Don't leave me!" he cried, wincing as blood from his forehead dripped into his eyes.

"I'm right here, Yuta," Carter softly said, sitting beside him on the bench. He wrapped his arms around Yuta and squeezed him reassuringly, only to earn a cry from Yuta. "Oh, sorry! Did that hurt?" Carter asked, his expression contorted with concern.

Yuta timidly nodded and lifted his bruised forearms in the air, ensuring that it would not touch any object for fear of worsening the pain. His shoulders were hunched together as if he was trying to disappear inside himself. Carter sighed with remorse and he stared into Yuta's shattered eyes. The black orbs were glazed over, deprived of its usual warmth. They were ragged stones that freely expressed his hardened soul, without a shiny surface to conceal the pain within.

Carter was curious to know what torture Mr. Stevenson put him through. Whatever it was, it changed Yuta more than the revelation of their teacher's betrayal. Carter noticed the lack of life in his eyes, and he knew it was not entirely because of the extreme injuries he sustained. Yuta looked as if he had survived a war, and perhaps he had.

In simpler terms, Yuta was emotionless. He returned to his old state, back when he was the new kid hiding his burdens, except now it was amplified to a scary extent. Carter longed to feel Yuta's soft lips pressed against his and stare into his exuberant eyes again, just as they were a few hours prior. He knew that would never happen again because now he had the emotion of hardened concrete, his facial muscles just as stiff. There was no anger, no sadness, no joy or resentment. Just nothing. Absolutely nothing.

"What are we going to do about the injuries?" Ronald asked, cutting Carter's thoughts as he brought Jimmy's corpse towards the group.

Carter sighed and nodded, rubbing the temples of his aching forehead. "Everyone who is severely injured, sit on this bench," Carter ordered, standing up to make room for the others.