"Hey! Wake up."

The janitor nudged my shoulder.

I realized I had been asleep, jolting upright, looking bewildered.

He chuckled.

"Let's go, it's time to leave the school."

I listened to him, somewhat unable to believe my ears.

"What did you say?"

I asked, glancing at the clock, it was one minute past twelve.

"Hurry, time is running out."

He said, taking a drag of his cigarette and went to open the door directly.

I jumped out of bed to stop him, afraid that there might be something sinister lurking outside the door, but I was too late.

At the moment he opened the door, I saw, was it already dawn?

Just for a second.

The darkness dispersed, light shining through.

I, somehow, felt like crying.

"Let's go."

He walked ahead.

I hesitated for a moment, then followed behind him.

The campus was still deserted, but the eerie cold atmosphere had been completely dispelled by the sunlight.

Truly magical.

As I saw the main gate, I felt a surge of excitement.

I was about to escape!

Finally!

By the gate, the old man in the guard room trembled as he peered at me, his cold gaze sending shivers down my spine.

"Tsk, useless, another one trying to run away, come and register your exit."

His murky eyes scanned me, like a snake eyeing its prey.

He handed me the register.

A pen was clipped on top.

I picked up the pen, the register only had information of five people.

Class, time of exit, name.

One of the names was smudged in red ink, illegible.

I furrowed my brows, swiftly wrote down the class and time of exit, but when it came to writing the name, I paused.

"What's wrong? Can't write your name?"

The guard's small eyes gleamed with malice and greed, his thin tongue licking his lips.

Ignoring him, I just felt something was off.

What was off?

Was it the janitor's sorrowful weary gaze, or this guard's greed?

I scrutinized the register, then looked up at the guard, "Who am I?"

The guard paused, "How would I know who you are? Just write!"

He said, his sparse white hair turning red, his eyes whites slowly darkening, his body starting to show signs of livor mortis.

Even the sky began to darken.

The wind picked up.

I even saw faceless ghosts and headless spirits reappear.

They stood beside the janitor, gazing at me greedily, their eyes filled with longing.

I lowered my gaze, and in the name section, I wrote down the name: Duty Student.

Here were janitors, teachers, security guards, but usually, offices have nameplates.

Janitor: Who, who, who.

Teacher: Who, who, who.

Security guard: Who, who, who.

But they had none, just one identity.

And, the final rule: [Don't let them realize you don't belong to them].

I initially thought this rule was useless.

But as I looked at this register, I realized, they already knew I didn't belong to them, so how would they "realize" it?

The moment I registered my "name," wasn't that being "realized"?

These ghosts had no names, only identities.

So, [I am the Duty Student], this wasn't just a rule, it was also a piece of information.

This was my true "name."

And the janitor's presence was the most terrifying part.

He made me relax, made me think everything was truly ending.

For someone who had finally escaped a dire situation and found hope with the janitor, who would think so much?

Most likely, they would quickly fill out the form and run.

But little did they know, the moment they wrote their name, they could never escape again.

As for this ink blot, it must be from the person who wrote their name correctly before.

"Here, is this okay?"

I handed over the register.

The guard glared at me fiercely for a long time, finally, reluctantly pressed the door open button.

I turned and walked away.

"Good luck to you."

The janitor's voice carried a hint of amusement as he tossed a box to me.

I caught it, finding it was his cigarettes, with only two left inside.

Odd.

He watched me, waved at me, the cigarette tip glowing red in the darkness.

Quite infuriating.

But, thanks for that compassion that didn't match his demeanor.

I nodded, stepping out of the school gate.

Instantly, it felt like time and space were being torn apart.