Of our class only a few remained. Early on we felt a certain type of pride, as if we were the most "human" of the bunch, not being willing to bash each other in or do the ol' in-out on their fellow man or woman.

However, that could not be further from the truth.

"Hey, guys." Helen beckoned to us. "I got lunch ready."

This loop, she decided to make turkey and cheese sandwiches with bags of Funyuns and Caprisun pouches.

"Thanks, Hel." I said, digging in.

"It'd be February thirteenth if the days had kept going." Janice said, her eyes fixed firmly on her paper plate.

"Really?" Tim asked. "You've kept track?"

"You haven't?" Janice retorted.

Several of us clearly hadn't. An awkward silence fell.

Helen broke the silence.

"Hey, uh, guys." She cleared her throat. "Today, this loop, can we just promise each other that we're gonna be calm? This cycle, let's all just relax, keep our cool, and be nice to each other, okay? Just... after Clyde, Justin, and Kyle's riot..." Helen cried, ending her speech.

"Yeah, sure." I said along with most of the others.

My brothers, at that time, I truly believed that. I'm sure all of us did. It was supposed to be just a nice, mellow day.

But, my brothers, what you must understand is that the most important thing in a man's life is the present. The current moment triumphs all.

That is how I will try to justify myself, anyway, for really at the end of the day, who cares? There is only my own mind to satiate. I am not standing before a gate with angels, not yet anyway.

Regardless, as if at this time feeling guilt or feeling sorry for myself will help.

Anyway, in that present moment I promised to be good. I promised to do what I needed to do, which effectively was just relax for like twenty for hours.

I don't know what happened, my friends.

It felt as though a primal force, like an instinct of sorts, was pushing me in a particular direction, like an incredibly strong gust of wind.

There were these physical hands on my body gripping my legs and arms and fingers, even gripping the hairs on my head to make me look particularly badass during the action.

The ghostly fingers stretched my eyelids wide opened as they helped me bludgeon Janice. By the time her head was unrecognizable mush the fingers push had much lessened. I threw plenty more blows, my brothers, before stopping due to swallowing down the wrong pipe.

So there I was, doubled over because I swallowed wrong, drenched in blood. I was really belly-coughing, cause it felt like the saliva had gotten far into my lungs.

"Hey, Steve, you okay?" My colleague, Harper asked from outside of my stall.

"Jus- doi- fine." I spurted, finally getting some of the fluid out of my system.

"Yeah, ya sound peachy." Harper said dryly. "See you at the conference, brother, it starts at four."