The school was wrapped in silence, the kind that only midnight could bring. The clock's hands pointed to 2 a.m.
Footsteps echoed through the corridors of New Moon Town High School.
Clack, clack.
Steady, precise, like the ticking of a metronome.
A tall figure moved through the shadows. Silver hair glinted faintly under the dim emergency lights, swaying with each step. He wore a black uniform, crisp and unyielding.
His name was Akira. A humanoid robot, the school's nighttime security guard.
Though his appearance was strikingly human, his eyes held a coldness, a void where emotion might have lived.
His job was simple: patrol the building, neutralize any intruders, and maintain order until dawn.
But tonight was different.
Akira's keen sensors picked up a faint noise.
Scratch, scratch.
Something clawing, scraping, somewhere in the dark.
He paused, tilting his head slightly to pinpoint the sound.
Near the staff room.
His movements mechanical, he headed toward it. As he approached the door, he noticed something odd.
Dark, reddish liquid dotted the floor.
Not blood.
It was viscous, oily, unnatural.
"Anomaly detected. Initiating investigation," he said, his voice low and flat, devoid of inflection.
He opened the staff room door.
What stood inside was no human.
A grotesque creature, its long arms dangling limply, its face half-melted, as if sculpted from nightmares. Its body was coated in black sludge, and a dripping liquid from its maw hissed as it burned the floor.
Their eyes met. It let out a shrill, guttural scream and lunged at him.
"Neutralizing threat," Akira said.
His hand moved in a blur, a small blade springing from his forearm.
A single slash.
The creature's head sailed through the air, its body crumpling to the ground. Black liquid splattered, smoking as it dissolved into the floor.
Akira recorded the encounter with clinical precision and resumed his patrol.
But the night was far from over.
From deeper within the school, near the library, another sound reached him.
A voice. A cry for help.
Human.
His system reacted instantly, and he quickened his pace.
The library door was ajar when he arrived. Peering inside, he saw her—a girl, long hair spilling over her school uniform. She crouched behind a bookshelf, trembling.
"Someone… please help…" Her voice was frail, soaked with tears.
As Akira approached, she looked up, startled.
"Who are you?"
"Night security, Akira. I'm here to ensure your safety. Explain the situation."
She steadied her breathing, her words tumbling out. "I was studying late… I was about to leave when I heard weird noises. I got scared and hid. I want to get out, but I'm too afraid to move."
Akira nodded, his face impassive. "Understood. I will escort you to the school gate. Move quickly."
But before they could act, the library window shattered with a crash.
Glass shards rained down as something forced its way inside.
A monstrous spider-like creature, its eight legs bristling with sharp spines. Green venom dripped from its jaws.
The girl screamed. Akira stepped in front of her.
"Stay back. I'll handle it."
His arm moved again, the blade snapping into place.
As the spider lunged, Akira leaped, cleaving its head in one clean strike. Green fluid sprayed, but not a drop marred his pristine uniform.
He turned to the girl. "It's safe. We're moving."
She nodded, dazed, and followed close behind him.
Together, they navigated the darkened halls, heading for the exit.
But Akira's sensors still hummed with warnings.