The moment the countdown screen rescheduled itself to 12:00 AM, a horrifying collision echoed from outside the school.
Then another.
And another.
The sounds of crashing vehicles reverberated through the school corridors. The stench of something burning spread through the air. Some cars were already on fire.
And then—
The lights flickered… and the entire school lost power.
Complete darkness.
For a few seconds, no one spoke.
Only the sound of breathing.
Breaking the silence, Raza spoke up—his voice shaky, but forced loud:
Raza: "Guys… this isn't some prank, right? I mean… no one's shooting an Insta reel or something? If you are, please—just stop now."
The moment he finished, a tense murmur swept through the classroom.
Everyone looked at each other—hoping, desperately, that Raza was right.
But no one laughed.
No jokes followed.
Just then, Ranjeet appeared at the classroom doorway—a senior from the next section. His face was just as terrified.
Ranjeet: "Is… everything okay in here?"
Kero took a deep breath.
Then replied quietly—
Kero: "What do you think?"
Ranjeet fell silent.
At that moment, chaos erupted in the corridor.
Dozens of students were running toward the exit gate.
Everyone had the same thought—
Home.
Panic had completely taken over the school. In the stampede, some students fell, others got hurt. No one stopped to help anyone.
Kero's group—Raza, Himanshu, Manoj, and Suhana—reached the exit gate along with Ranjeet.
The gate was shut.
Locked.
Manoj slammed his shoulder against it.
Manoj: "Open it! Come on!"
No watchman.
No sign of the keys.
That's when Kero froze.
Something clicked in his mind.
Without saying a word, he suddenly turned and sprinted back into the school.
Himanshu followed instantly.
Manoj and Suhana ran after them.
Raza hesitated for a second—then clenched his teeth.
Raza: "I'm not dying alone."
And he ran too.
Kero began checking classrooms—
One room.
Then another.
Labs.
Staff room.
Office.
Everywhere—only darkness and silence.
No teachers.
No professors.
No principal.
Just the echo of their footsteps.
When the others finally caught up, Kero's face had gone even paler.
He spoke—his voice trembling slightly:
Kero: "There's no one in the school.
No teachers.
No professors.
No principal.
No staff."
No one replied.
From far away, the sound of the city burning reached them.
And above them all… that invisible countdown—now controlling their lives.
Hour Two was over.
And this was only the beginning.
AUTHOR'S NOTE
Why was the exit gate locked?
Where did the watchman go?
And most importantly—
why did only the teachers and staff disappear?