POV: Clarisse Ventura
Location: Second Floor—Hallway outside Grade 11-B
Clarisse Ventura adjusted her eyeglasses as she flipped through the pages of her chemistry notebook. The hall outside Grade 11-B was abuzz with the usual between-class chatter—some students loitered near lockers, others complained about pop quizzes, while a few snuck in earbuds to finish half-watched anime episodes.
She stood next to her best friend, Bianca Lazo, both leaning on the corridor railing that overlooked the ground floor. Below them, students moved in slow, lazy swarms between classrooms. Everything felt normal—annoyingly, blissfully normal.
But Clarisse's stomach had been in knots since morning. It wasn't the quiz. It wasn't the lunch. It was something deeper. Something's wrong. She couldn't explain it.
"Do you think it's true? " she asked suddenly, lowering her voice.
Bianca blinked. "What is it? "
"About that teacher in the other campus… the one they said collapsed during morning flag. I heard Ms. Tolentino whispering it to one of the faculty."
Bianca scoffed. "Rumors. Always start flying before exams. It's probably stress. Or dengue. Again."
Clarisse opened her mouth to argue when a sudden crash echoed from the west wing stairwell.
Everyone turned. Heads poked out of classroom doors. Someone giggled nervously. A teacher, Mr. Salonga, stepped out of his room, clipboard in hand.
"Keep moving, nothing to see here," he said, trying for his usual firm tone, but the edge in his voice betrayed him.
Clarisse narrowed her eyes. "Something's not right."
A heartbeat later, a scream sliced through the air. High-pitched. Horrified. Real.
Then came the sound of thudding feet. Running. More screams. A group of students rounded the corner from the stairwell—pale, breathless, wild-eyed.
"RUN! " a boy shouted. "SOMETHING'S WRONG! HE—HE BIT HER! HE—"
Clarisse and Bianca froze. Behind the crowd came a figure. Shambling. Blood on its uniform. Mouth open. Eyes glassy and void. A janitor's ID swung from its chest, dripping crimson.
Mr. Salonga took a step forward, raising a hand. "Sir? Are you okay? "
The thing lunged.
Chaos erupted.
The hallway exploded into motion. Clarisse grabbed Bianca's arm and yanked her back just as the janitor slammed into Mr. Salonga, dragging him to the floor with a sound that would replay in her nightmares—a wet crunch of bone and torn flesh.
Clarisse ran.
The polished tiles blurred beneath her feet. Shouts and screams crashed against the walls. Doors slammed. Students trampled each other to escape down stairwells. Clarisse didn't dare look back.
Behind her, she heard Bianca sobbing, but her legs kept moving, instinct driving her toward a science lab she remembered having a lock.
They rounded the corner—and nearly collided with a trio of students from 11-A: Kevin Mariano, tall and athletic; Rico Dela Cruz, their class clown; and Mei Santos, a quiet girl who clutched a rosary with shaking fingers.
"What the hell is going on!? " Rico shouted.
"There's—there's something—biting people! " Clarisse gasped.
"Like a rabid dog? "Kevin asked.
"No! A person! "Bianca sobbed.
Mei pointed. "The faculty room—this way! "
They all ran, feet pounding over scattered bags and notebooks. Behind them, the screams grew louder. More joined in. The air now reeked of something foul—like rust and death.
Clarisse's mind spun. She was a top student. A logic-first kind of girl. And yet, nothing in any textbook had prepared her for this.
They reached the science wing. Mei pulled out a staff key—her mother worked in admin, and she sometimes borrowed the keys to help clean up. She fumbled at the lock, fingers trembling, before finally clicking it open.
They dove inside and slammed the door shut behind them.
Breathing hard, Clarisse slumped against the wall. Outside, muffled sounds of panic filled the corridor.
Then, silence.
Heavy. Suffocating. Full of dread.
Kevin pulled a lab cabinet against the door. "We're safe in here for now."
Bianca curled up in a corner, rocking. "This isn't real. This isn't real."
Clarisse closed her eyes and felt the weight of everything crashing in. Whatever had begun outside the school… it was here now. Inside. Infecting people. Killing them. Turning them into—what?
Mei whispered, voice shaking, "I think… I think it's the virus from the news."
Clarisse swallowed. A virus. An outbreak. A pandemic turned nightmare.
Her gaze drifted to the glass window of the lab door. A shadow moved past it. Stumbled. Paused.
She held her breath.
The figure stopped and slowly turned its head. Lifeless eyes stared in. Blood oozed down its chin.
It pressed its hand against the glass.
Clarisse's heart stopped.