_Transmigrated into a different reality

Danny's breath grew heavy, and cold sweat dripped down his slim face as he stood before the five bullies.

It had been the semi-final of the annual talent hunt program at school two days ago, and Danny, the perennial target of everyone's mockery, had surprised everyone by defeating the five most popular dancers with his natural dance talent.

Now, these bullies had cornered him, claiming that they needed to "teach him a lesson" because they couldn't accept their defeat.

Jon, the leader of the group, sneered at Danny and ordered his two lackeys, "Pour the chemical on his face. Let's see how he shows up to dance tomorrow with a burnt face!"

Danny had already been beaten to a pulp, rendering him unable to escape or call for help. He could only kneel there, his hands held up high by two of the boys, while another approached him with a vial filled with a lethal acid.

The sound of the approaching footsteps reverberated in Danny's ears, growing louder and more ominous until the boy reached him. Suddenly, Danny's head was yanked up by one of the boys, and then the inevitable happened. The first droplet of the sludgy liquid from the vial hit his face, causing searing pain that jolted him awake.

He screamed in agony as the rest of the acid cascaded onto his face, tearing at his flesh and burning intensely. The pain was unbearable, and Danny found himself wishing for his eyes to be gouged out just to escape the torment.

Fuelled by his cries, his attackers grew more vicious, pouring the remaining contents of the vial onto Danny's whitish face before callously dropping the canister, allowing him to writhe on the floor in despair.

The anguish overwhelmed him. He desperately longed for the pain to end as he rolled from one spot on the floor to another, his screams reaching a fever pitch.

The burning sensation intensified, and he could feel his face being ripped apart. His brain and consciousness started to fade away, slipping further into a realm of darkness.

If hell truly burned like this, Danny thought, even Lucifer would choose to mop the floors of paradise than endure such excruciating agony.

As the excruciating pain consumed him and his screams filled the empty basement, Danny realized that he was alone, abandoned in this desolate place.

The boys had deliberately brought him to the basement late at night when everyone, including the janitors, had already left the school. The security guard, if he was still on duty, was probably asleep with drool on his face.

Help wouldn't come for him, and Danny was acutely aware of this cruel reality. His brain, perhaps seeking refuge from the overwhelming torment, shut down abruptly, plunging him into unconsciousness.

.

"Wake up, idiot!" a whispered voice pierced through the darkness, accompanied by faint slaps on his cheeks.

Danny fought against the heaviness of his eyelids, slowly forcing them open. A blonde girl sat above him, delivering more slaps to his face.

"Arrrgh," he groaned, clutching his throbbing head. "Did I just dream all of that?" he questioned, hoping against hope that it had all been a horrific nightmare.

"No, Danny, you didn't dream it. Now get up before they break through the door again," the blonde girl, a stranger to him, warned urgently.

Danny's body ached, and his legs felt weak as he struggled to stand. He surveyed the room, his eyes scanning the surroundings, until they landed on trails of blood and a lifeless body sprawled on the floor. His scream of terror echoed through the room.

"Holy shit! What is this?!" he roared, his panic gripping him to the core.

Reacting swiftly, the blonde girl ran towards him, her hands clasping over his mouth, stifling his scream.

"Are you insane?!" she growled. "You'll attract more attention shouting like that. What's wrong with you?"

Danny finally had a chance to observe her. Her blonde hair was disheveled, hastily bundled up into an updo. She wore a short tank suit with a white crop top underneath, a crop top stained with red and rusty marks.

Blood stains!

How had he gone from being attacked by Jon and his gang to finding himself trapped in a room with a blood-soaked killer? Danny shook off the girl's hands, stepping back with a mixture of fear and suspicion.

"Did you kill them? Are you going to kill me too?" he asked, his voice quivering.

The girl's indifference towards the lifeless body confirmed Danny's worst fears about her being a cold-blooded murderer.

"Enough with your nonsense, Danny. We need to block that door before more of them come," she said, throwing her hands up listlessly before moving towards the door.

Damn it!

Danny couldn't allow her to lock him inside with her, potentially meeting the same fate as the person lying on the floor, whose face he couldn't clearly see.

The victim's skin appeared scorched, and the way the blood seemed to merge with their flesh unnerved him. It was as though they had been burned alive before being killed, a chilling scene reminiscent of horror movies.

Convinced that the girl was a psychotic cannibal who would burn him before decapitating him and feasting on his flesh, Danny's survival instinct kicked in.

Ignoring the throbbing pain in his leg, he charged at her, catching her off-guard, and forcefully flung open the broken door, creating a wide enough opening to escape.

As he dashed out into the corridor, Danny was abruptly halted by what he discovered. The building was enveloped in darkness—utterly dark. But that wasn't the only disconcerting aspect. The walls were marked with streaks of blood, and most of the railings were broken. A flickering bulb on the ceiling added an eerie touch to the already gloomy atmosphere.

Danny couldn't help but wonder about the place he had stumbled upon. What had led him to this nightmarish setting? He hurried down the corridor, his heart pounding in his chest.

Suddenly, a faint sound reached Danny's ears. A wave of relief washed over him at the realization that he wasn't alone. Another living person was in the building, and perhaps they were running from the same terror he had encountered.

The sound emanated from a nearby room, vibrating like a growl. Danny couldn't tell if the person inside was in pain, but the thought crossed his mind that there could be another killer or that the girl he had encountered had accomplices.

Should he run from them? What was he supposed to do?

Despite the darkness that impeded his vision, Danny resolved not to abandon a person in need. Leaving someone behind to die wasn't an option for him.

He steeled himself for the unknown, determined to save whoever was trapped in that room. If the situation became overwhelming, he would flee for his own safety.

With cautious steps, Danny approached the door, trying to minimize any noise. He made progress until he accidentally stepped on something, which he soon discovered was a severed head.

"Ahhh!" he screamed involuntarily, taking a step back. But he couldn't escape what his eyes beheld—the rest of the dismembered body and dark worms slithering out of it.

Danny's initial impulse was to stomp on the worms before they crawled up his boots but that was when the door of two rooms including the one he was about to go into to save the victim that was inside burst open.

Growling, twisting, and running to him were two people. A man dressed in a bodyguard suit and a girl in a party gown with both of their attires dark from something he presumed was dried blood.

Worst, they had the same charred effect on their skins. He could not see well but when the bulb blinks, he would catch a glimpse of them until he won't.

Who runs like a defect and snarls with their teeth hitting one another loudly?

Was he supposed to run from them or— what in the world was he supposed to do?

Damn the darkness, he could barely see.

His heart thumping harder than ever, “Who are you, people?!” he chose to holler.