THE SECRET AND THE CHAOS

Karl’s pov

Finn pushed me away so fast I almost lost my balance on the floor. He stood up, his face red, quickly pulling up his pants and buckling his belt with trembling hands.

I stayed on my knees for a second, a slow smirk spreading across my face.

I knew it, I thought. He likes men. All that talk, all that hate, and he just melted the second I touched him. I actually have a chance with him.

Finn turned around, heading straight for the door without looking at me.

"Didn't you say you had a bet?" I asked softly, sitting back on my heels. "I guess I'll be needed out there."

Finn stopped right at the door. He didn't turn to face me, but his shoulders were tense. He gave a single, tight nod.

"Follow me," he muttered, his voice raw. "I can't believe this shit. Now my Mustang is gone."

I got up, adjusted my mask, and followed him down the hallway and out the back exit of the club. The cool night air hit us as we stepped into the alley where two of his friends were leaning against a sports car.

The moment they saw Finn, they straightened up.

"Is that the dancer that served you behind you?" Leo asked, smirking.

Finn just nodded, glaring at me out of the corner of his eye like he wanted to strangle me.

Marcus stepped forward. "So, what’s the verdict, dancer? Are we keeping the car or not?"

"I don't understand," I said, tilting my head and putting on my best confused act, pretending I knew nothing about their deal.

"Okay, so we had a bet," Leo explained, waving the car keys in the air. "If he gets hard, we keep the car. If he stays cold, he keeps it."

"Oh," I said softly.

Marcus leaned in a bit closer, squinting at my face under the alley light. "Wait, what's that on your mouth?"

"What?" Leo asked, looking too.

"There's like... white liquid on your lips, man," Marcus said, pointing.

My heart skipped a beat, but I kept my cool. Right.

I looked directly into Finn’s eyes. His ears were bright red, his jaw locked tight in sheer panic. Without breaking eye contact with him, I slowly ran my tongue over my bottom lip, taking the stray drop into my mouth and licking my lips clean.

Finn swallowed hard, his hands clenching into tight fists at his sides.

"Must have been the drink I had inside," I turned to his friends and said smoothly.

"Right," Leo said, shaking his head. "So, did he get turned on or what?"

I glanced at Finn again. His knuckles were white from how hard he was gripping his hands. He was practically holding his breath.

"I guess I need to improve my skills," I sighed, letting out a disappointed chuckle. "Because he didn't get turned on at all. I'm actually pretty disappointed in myself."

Finn’s head snapped toward me, his eyes wide with complete shock and disbelief. I completely ignored his look, keeping my eyes on his friends.

Leo burst out laughing, clapping Finn on the back. "Man! Our boy really doesn't like men! No wonder he thinks Karl is such a freak."

I smiled behind my mask, my chest burning with amusement. Guess we’re both freaks now, Finn.

"Anyways," I said, taking a step back toward the club door. "Have a nice day, y'all."

I slipped back inside before they could say anything else. I walked straight to the staff room, took off my mask, and changed back into my normal clothes—my oversized hoodie and plain glasses.

When I walked back outside a few minutes later, Finn and his friends were already gone. I hailed a cab and gave the driver the address to our campus dorms.

The ride was quiet. When I finally reached our shared room, I unlocked the door and stepped inside. The room was empty. I looked over at Finn’s unmade bed, letting out a quiet laugh.

"He hates me because I like men," I whispered to the empty room, shaking my head. "Only for him to like men too. What a coward you are, Finn. Now that I know the truth, I just have to make you like me."

I reached into my bag and pulled out my small incense burner. I lit the sleep powder I always used—the heavy scent spreading through the room to help my terrible insomnia.

Then, I grabbed a towel and went straight into the bathroom to take a shower.

By the time I turned off the water and stepped back into the bedroom, Finn was sitting at his desk, staring at his laptop.

I hadn't put any clothes on yet—I was completely naked, holding a small towel to dry my hair. I froze for a split second, tempted to cover up, but then I stopped myself.

Instead of grabbing pants, I just wrapped the towel around my wet hair and started walking toward my bed, completely bare.

Finn turned around to say something, but the second his eyes hit me, he shoved his hands over his face.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?!" he yelled, turning his head away. "Walking around butt naked, you freak!"

"I didn't expect you to be home," I said casually, keeping my voice soft. "It's been weeks since you came back to the dorm. Besides, we're both men. There's nothing to be embarrassed about."

"Shut the fuck up and put some pants on!" Finn snapped, his face bright red behind his hands. "I don't want your gay junk all in my face!"

I smirked, but I quickly covered my mouth so he wouldn't see. "Fine, fine."

I walked over to my closet, pulled on a pair of grey sweatpants, and tossed my towel onto the chair.

"Freak," Finn muttered under his breath, standing up and throwing himself onto his bed, turning his back to me.

I climbed into my own bed, pulling the blanket up to my chest. The sleep incense was already filling the room, thick and heavy. By the time I turned on my side to look at him, Finn was already dead to the world, breathing deeply.

I smiled in the dark and closed my eyes, letting the incense pull me under into a deep, dreamless sleep.

The next morning, I woke up first. The room was dim, and Finn was still fast asleep on his side, snoring softly.

My stomach growled, reminding me I hadn't eaten since yesterday afternoon. I quietly slipped out of bed, pulled on my shoes, and unlocked the dorm door to head down to the cafeteria.

I pulled the door open and stepped out into the hallway.

The moment my eyes registered the scene, my body went completely rigid.

"What the hell...?" I whispered.

Blood was everywhere. Red handprints were smeared across the beige walls, and thick pools of dark blood covered the floorboards. Doors down the hall were kicked in or hanging off their hinges.

I took two slow, cautious steps forward, my heart starting to hammer against my ribs.

Then, at the end of the long corridor, a heavy crash echoed.

A group of about twenty students came rounding the corner, sprinting directly toward me. But they weren't running normally. Their limbs were twisting at weird angles, their clothes torn and soaked in dark red.

As they got closer, the light hit them. One girl’s eye was completely gouged out, hanging by a thread, while a guy behind her had half his neck torn open. They were snapping their jaws, making feral, wet snarling sounds as they locked their bloodshot eyes on me.

They weren't human anymore.

"What the fuck..." I choked out, stumbling backward. "Zombies?!"