Andrew's hand shook as he ran it through his disheveled hair, his face pale and eyes wide with horror. The room fell silent, each of us absorbing the shock reflected in his expression. The others asked about what he'd seen, but Andrew answered in a low voice. I couldn't hear what he said. But whatever Andrew told them, the same shock was shared with the others, causing a chant of mumbled conversation.
The little ruckus gathered curiosity across the room; some had their eyes on Mark as he headed outside. I watched with them as I grew curious.
Whatever Mark saw, it could be serious. And Mark wasn't someone who would get shocked or scared that easily. But he looked almost the same either way. As my gaze followed him out, the white walls slid upon my sight, now preventing me from observing him as he exited. I decided to follow him out. I found him in the open lobby, peering down at the school grounds, and when I finally approached him, I reluctantly placed a hand on the back of his shoulder.
His reaction to what he saw on the phone was worrying. I wanted to know, so I stood next to him and asked, "What's up?"
His jaw dropped, his eyes blinking in rapid, subtle pulses and jittering from side to side.
Screams cut through the air like jagged knives, their raw terror reaching me as students fled across the grass, their cries mingling with the thundering roars. Finally, I looked down and saw a student tripped, crashing to the ground with a thud. Before he could rise, a girl pounced, pinning him down with ferocious strength. Her teeth sank into his neck, red liquid spilling into the mud in a vile display. The boy writhed beneath her, his body contorting in agony. As she tore into his flesh, the girl's face became a macabre mask of crimson. Her mouth gaped open, streaked with blood, eyes wide with a disturbing hunger.
Blood? The word alone sent a shiver down my spine, my hand instinctively clutching at my stomach. The thought of my impending period mingling with the chaos below filled me with a sense of unease, a silent plea for a moment's reprieve amidst the growing dread. My breath hitched, and I felt my heart race as the gruesome scene below unfolded. I could hardly process the sight of students tearing each other apart.
As a puddle of blood expanded across the lawn, leaking out of the bite on the boy's neck, he squirmed. Then he rose from the ground, like the bite was nothing. Like, it didn't hurt at all.
No. This can't be real. It can't be.
My eyes slowly shifted to the people around me, the sheer terror etched on their faces, was contagious; I could have shown the same face.
"Help! Help me!" A bloody face limped through the crowd, one foot was twisted, making it hard for him to walk. He held up a hand lacking a couple of fingers. Blood gushed from his right shoulder, his eyes turning white, and veins protruding from his neck.
He was in pain. He looked like he was suffering. He was asking for help, but his appearance only repelled those near him. He cried once more; his tears ran down his face, blending with the blood on his neck.
Then he spasmed.
Fell on the floor, curled up, mouth opened. But there was no sign of breathing. Still holding his maimed arm, the sudden moment caused a chant of gasps from everybody
He's dead, I thought within. Panic threatened to overwhelm me the longer I stared into his lifeless eyes.
Is everyone gonna end up like him? No. I don't want to die. My head shook in disbelief.
"What on earth is happening?" Andrew muttered as he looked by the door, the other classmates behind him, his phone still in his hand. What they saw on Andrew's phone. It was this. The drug craze really found its way to this place.
I let out a sharp sigh, padding towards Andrew and snatching his phone. A live stream was played.
Fire devoured every skyscraper in the city. Cars crashed into each other like tanks. A woman's cry echoed as she held her dead baby, her eyes bleeding with red tears. Sirens across the streets sang in chorus. People either ran or hurled themselves into one another. Snarling sounds. Roars of people who became wild. The stream was shaky. The person behind the video caught his own rapid breathing with broken gasps.
He captured another person. One with tousled hair, blood dripping from her face to her sunflower dress. She faced the camera and roared in a shrill. Then she limped towards the streamer. A terrified scream. The aggressive woman swayed her hand, and then the live stream ended.
Oh no. 
It's been everywhere. It's been-
A loud roar reverberated across the lobby. It was like a shock that struck me almost to death.
The once-dead body on the floor rose. His posture wasn't sturdy. Arms were weak, hanging on his sides, and some liquid greenish pus dropped from his cheekbone. His eyes, though all white, stared at me in fury. Then he came, rushing toward me.
Oh, no!
He's coming for me!
My breath caught, frozen in my throat as I stood paralyzed. Every instinct screamed to run, but my limbs felt leaden, my body rooted in place by sheer terror.
Move, idiot!
I stood there like I was made of ice.
Terrified, I watched the once-dead person charge at me while his mouth gaped. The skin on his cheeks tore apart like paper. His arms drew forward, ready to grab my neck. Don't kill me-is what I prayed for.
Mark's shove sent the undead hurtling into the wall with a sickening thud. His muscles tensed, his face set in a grim line as he roared, 'Get in the rooms, now!' His voice cut through the chaos like a lifeline.
As Mark's words echoed, I felt my jaw drop, still processing what was going to happen-what was supposed to happen. The sight of the body colliding with the wall left a haunting imprint on my mind and on the wall itself.
I was pushed back inside the room, then I heard Mark yell again, "I said, get in the rooms!"
The same snarl echoed again, but there was more of it than one. Many snarls. Roars. The ones from the ground.
Mark slammed the front door shut just as the creature crashed into it, the impact reverberating through the wooden surface.
The other door in the last row of seats was open, however, where more students came stampeding in. And behind them, another bitten person came and hurled the last person out of the crowd. Then there came another. Then another. Then another. Until the last person left behind the surging crowd was whom I recognized. I double-checked. It could be her.
I squinted my eyes and peered through the faces of the students entering. Behind them was a tall brunette; tears drew a trail off her makeup.
Lenore's face was ashen, her breaths coming in rapid, shallow gasps. Tears streaked down her cheeks, mingling with the grime and blood. Her lips moved as if in prayer, hoping for an end to the chaos.
"Lenore!" The cry ripped from my throat. My body snapped into action. "Lenore!"
I pushed through the stampede, hand outstretched. Our eyes met, and her face lit up with recognition. She fought her way through the crowd and grasped my hand. I pulled hard, but a misstep sent me crashing to the ground.
I crashed to the floor, Lenore landing heavily on me. I scrambled and wrenched her off, and bolted forthe door, slamming it shut with force. As I spun around, the world tilted, my breath coming in ragged gasps. My legs gave way, collapsing beneath me as I crumpled to the floor, exhausted and trembling.