Max's eyes shot open. The alarm clock blared loudly in his ear, and he tried to kiss the covers again, but the constant, insistent sound left him no choice. As he reached for the alarm, he heard his mother's familiar voice from the kitchen: "Max! Hurry, get up, school's about to start!" Her voice sounded a little more urgent, like the third time it's called. "I'm calling you three times now!"
Max blinked, groaned, and slowly sat up, his head still heavy from the night. He couldn't quite believe the day had already begun. He shook himself, trying to shake off the lethargy, and then half-slipped into his clothes to be ready as quickly as possible.
He quickly got dressed without thinking about it, grabbed his backpack, and rushed down the stairs. Just as he ran past the kitchen door, his mother opened it and stuck her head through the doorframe. "Max, hurry up! You don't have much time left!" Her voice was serious, yet calm. They seemed to know the scenario inside and out. "Come on, the bus isn't waiting!"
Max nodded frantically and shoved another roll into his mouth as he rushed back upstairs to brush his teeth. In his haste, he turned on his toothbrush, thinking only about the bus and how close everything was. The minutes flew by as, with a quick glance at his watch, he brushed his teeth in record time.
Almost out the front door, as he took the last few steps outside, he heard his mother's voice calling after him from far behind: "Max, you forgot your lunch!"
He barely turned around, but simply called over his shoulder, "Thanks, Mom!" and continued running toward the bus. His heart rate was racing as he quickly began his final sprint. Time was running out.
Max ran down the street as the bus began to slowly roll forward. The engine roared, and the bus driver glanced at him as he approached with a final sprint.
"I have to make this," Max thought frantically, feeling his adrenaline surge. His legs, as he took the last step and almost burned the bus, reached a jump. With a flying leap, he landed on the bottom step of the door, which squeaked open.
The bus driver looked at him with a grinning, "Well, that was close," but Max had no time for small talk. "Thanks," he gasped, and climbed in.
"Phew, just made it," he mumbled as he quickly walked down the aisle and sat down in one of the empty seats. The other kids on the bus had noticed him, and one of his friends was grinning.
"You're always the last minute, Max," he said, leaning back.
"Yeah, you don't always have to stress too soon," Max replied with a crooked smile as he slumped into his seat.
The familiar sounds of the bus, the rumble of the tires on the streets, and the occasional chatter of his classmates allowed Max to relax for a moment. He stared out the window as the houses and trees passed by. The day had officially begun, and it seemed like everything was going to be normal—a perfectly ordinary school day. But, somewhere deep inside, Max had the feeling something was about to change. Something he couldn't yet grasp.
He looked at his watch and realized he had more than enough time. The bus drove smoothly through the familiar streets as he leaned his head against the window, thinking about the day ahead.
Max leaned deep into his seat and stared out the window. The familiar streets passed him by, the bus rumbled over the uneven pavement, and for a moment, everything seemed fine. The morning's stress was quickly forgotten, and thoughts of school slowly returned to the forefront. But that strange feeling that something was different remained in his stomach.
Lukas sat next to him, breaking the silence. "Max, have you heard about the old clinic?"
Max blinked and looked at him. "The old clinic? What happened there?" He asked, uh, really without showing any interest.
Lukas leaned forward a little, about to share a secret. "I heard people disappeared there, a few days ago. And nobody knows what's really going on. Some people even talk about ghosts or something else haunting it."
Max snorted. "Come on, Lukas, you don't really believe in that nonsense. The place has been abandoned for years. Nobody goes in there voluntarily."
"Yes, but that's exactly why," Lukas replied with a mischievous grin. "What if we check this out? One last thrill before you leave here. Imagine it, this is the adventure we need."
Max looked at him skeptically. "You're crazy," he said, but the thought stuck. It was crazy—and that's exactly what made it so tempting. The old clinic had always been a place full of rumors, stories, and darkness. But the thought of experiencing something there suddenly made the whole day seem less boring.
"Come on, Max. It would be the perfect final adventure," Lukas urged, and the other friends, who were now listening, nodded in agreement.
Max sank back into his seat and thought. What did he have to lose? Time was running out, he'd be moving away soon, and this last moment with his friends, even if he was a little crazy, would be a memory he wouldn't soon forget.
"Fine," Max finally said. "But it's your fault if it goes wrong."
Lukas grinned. "Deal! Then we just have to figure out how to get in there in the first place."
The rest of the journey passed in a blur of flickering thoughts and the incessant conversations of the other students. Max tried to focus on the upcoming school day, but his thoughts kept returning to the old clinic. It was the kind of place everyone talked about but no one actually went into. And now he was standing there, about to demystify this myth with his friends.
"Do you have any idea how we can get in there?" Max asked as the bus approached the school.
Lukas shrugged. "We'll just have to take a look. There's sure to be a place where we can sneak in. Maybe through a back entrance or something."
"And if we get caught?" Max could practically imagine the thrill.
"Then we'll just say we just wanted to look at the ruins. Who cares about a few kids wandering around?" Lukas grinned. "No risk, nothing's going to happen."
Max nodded, even though he had the feeling they were hatching a dangerous plan. But what could he say? Lukas had a knack for getting him involved in such ideas again and again. It was as if he was pushing the whole group a little further, until the boundaries were no longer so clear.
The bus stopped in front of the school, and the students streamed in all directions. Max got off and walked with Lukas toward the entrance doors, which were already populated by other classmates. But his thoughts were elsewhere. The clinic. The old, run-down place everyone had avoided was now the plan that would accompany him throughout the day.
"Let's meet after school, okay?" said Lukas as they climbed the stairs. "I'll call the others, and then we'll go."
"Sure," replied Max. "I just need to talk to my mom, but I can manage."
The two walked past their classmates, who were gathered in groups, and Max tried to get the thought of the clinic out of his head. But it was difficult. What if they really did find something? Something no one could explain? A mysterious place that had been shrouded in darkness for years?
He shook his head. "It'll just be an adventure," he murmured quietly to calm himself. But the excitement in his stomach told him it might be more than that.
Class today was somehow different for Max. While he was actually trying to follow the teacher's explanations, his attention had long since shifted to something else—something much more exciting. The clinic. The adventure that awaited him. Every sound, every glance out the window immersed him even more in the idea that he was about to become part of something big and unknown. Math class was, as always, dry and boring. The numbers on the board blurred before his eyes.
"Max!" Ms. Weber suddenly called out, standing directly in front of him, her finger pointed at the problem on the sheet. "Are you even listening to me?"
Max blinked, and the moment brought him back to reality. He had no idea what she wanted from him. The room was silent, all eyes on him. "Uh, yeah?" he answered, not really knowing what she was talking about.
"What's the answer to this problem?" she asked, as the class sat back patiently and waited.
Max stared at the blackboard, at the numbers, and for a moment, he didn't care. All he could think about was the dilapidated building, the dark hallways, and the possible secrets he was about to discover.
"Max!" Ms. Weber called again, this time with a sharp tone in her voice. "Are you finally coming out of your thoughts?"
"Thirty...?" Max mumbled, struggling for a quick answer. Ms. Weber stared at him in shock before rolling her eyes. "That's completely wrong. Outrageous. If you have so little respect for the classroom, you'd better go straight to the principal."
Max saw the angry faces of his classmates, all of whom were now looking at him. A few started to giggle, but that didn't bother him. It didn't matter anymore. The class was far away, the clinic, his friends, the adventure... that was all that mattered. "Okay..." he said, simply adding nothing more to the situation.
"You can go now, Max," said Ms. Weber, gesturing toward the door. "And don't be so disrespectful to me again."
Max stood up, a strange feeling in his stomach. "Sure," he said as he walked out of the classroom. The others' gazes followed him, but he didn't care. The world of adventure that awaited him today took center stage. The principal wouldn't be able to hurt him either, he knew that.
In the principal's office, where he was supposed to serve an hour of detention, Max stared at the clock. It was already 4:00 p.m. when he left the room. Too late for the rest of the day, but he knew his friends were already waiting for him. He quickly went home, thinking of his mother, who was in the kitchen.
"Mom, I'm going to study with the others today," Max said as he entered the room. She just nodded. "Okay, Max. But please be on time. I want you back by eight."
"Yes, Mom," he replied before closing the door behind him and stepping back out into the darkness.
He could hardly contain his excitement. Lukas and the others would soon arrive at his house, and then they would really leave. The day was much later than he could have ever imagined, but that couldn't slow him down now. He'd long since felt that this moment would turn his entire reality upside down.
Max arrived at the meeting point just in time. Lukas and the others were already standing there, excited as always, waiting for him to show up. He was glad to finally be back with them, because the rest of the day had felt like an eternity to him. School was simply unimportant now, and the whole thing with Mrs. Weber even more so.
"You're late, Max," said Lukas, grinning. "What have you done?"
Max plopped down on the floor next to him. "Mrs. Weber caught me again," he replied, rolling his eyes. "She told me in front of the whole class that I should go to the principal. Unbelievable."
"How stupid," laughed Jonas, who was standing next to Lukas. "She really has no idea how to deal with students. She's completely overwhelmed."
"Yes, she's fat and stupid," said Tobias, who rarely said much, but whenever he did, it was spot on. "She has no idea what she's talking about. Who understands math from that woman?"
Max snorted and shook his head. "Really, as if she'd never get a proper answer. But I've got it behind me now. There's something much more important today. The hospital. Do you have everything with you?"
"Sure," said Lukas, who now seemed genuinely excited. "This is going to be epic. It's not just about the hospital, but about everything we find there. And the best part is, we're all together."
"And Mrs. Weber?" Jonas asked again as they slowly started walking. "We still need to talk about school. She really has no idea."
"Let's not talk about her anymore," said Max, furrowing his eyebrows. "We have more important things to do."
"Right," said Lukas, "we still have plenty of time to focus on the adventure. It'll be fun."
They continued walking together, the conversations revolving around their math teacher for a while, but Max wasn't thinking much about it anymore. All he could think about was the hospital and what they would find there. That was the only thing that mattered. School was over, the world outside was much more exciting. And Max knew that today would remain in his memory like no other.