The classroom door rattled in its frame as something slammed against it from the hall—thump, thump, THUMP. Hiro Tanaka still held his shotgun, fingers tight on the grip, but he hadn't drawn it yet. His cyan hair was plastered to his forehead with sweat, and his eyes darted between the door, the trembling teacher, and the other students huddled around the room.
"Please… please hold," Ms. Aoki whispered, pressing her back against the wall beside the lock. She was in her late twenties, usually calm and patient—but now her hands shook as she fumbled with a heavy desk, dragging it to brace the entrance.
A girl with bright pink pigtails pushed her way through the crowd, her voice sharp despite the fear in her eyes. "Stop just cowering! We need to board up the windows too!" This was Mika Suzuki, the school's track team captain—fast on her feet and even quicker to take charge. She'd never spoken to Hiro before, but now she grabbed a stack of textbooks and started piling them against the glass.
"Let me help."
The voice came from a tall boy in the back, adjusting his thick-rimmed glasses. Kaito Sato was known as the class genius—he spent most of his time tinkering with gadgets or reading science journals. He knelt by the door, pulling a small toolkit from his pocket. "The lock's weak. I can reinforce it with some parts from my calculator and the desk hinges."
Across the room, Kenji and his friends were still huddled together. "What about us?" Kenji snapped, his bravado fading into a shaky whine. "We can't just sit here!"
Before anyone could respond, the window Mika was working on suddenly shattered. A long, clawed limb shot through the gap, swiping at her legs. She dove out of the way just in time, landing hard on the floor.
Hiro acted without thinking. He pulled the shotgun from his bag, racking the slide with a loud click. "Get back!" he shouted—his voice hoarse from disuse. He aimed at the creature's arm and pulled the trigger. The blast echoed through the room, sending splinters and dark fluid flying. The limb jerked back, and a guttural shriek rang out from the courtyard.
Everyone stared at him—some with fear, some with relief. Kaito's eyes widened as he finished reinforcing the door. "You… you knew how to use that?"
Hiro's hands were shaking, but he kept the weapon raised. "My uncle taught me… before he died."
Mika pushed herself up, brushing glass from her uniform. "There's more of them out there—I saw at least three near the gym. We can't stay here forever." She glanced at Kaito. "Any ideas on how we can get to the main office? They'll have a radio and emergency supplies."
Kaito nodded, pulling out his phone (though the screen showed no signal). "The ventilation system connects to every wing. It's tight, but we could crawl through it. But first… we need to make sure this room is secure."
As they worked to bar the remaining windows and block every possible entry point, Hiro felt something he hadn't in years—a flicker of purpose. He wasn't just the quiet kid getting bullied anymore. In this locked-down school full of monsters, he might be the one who could keep them all alive.
But how long can we hold on? he wondered, glancing at the door as distant screams echoed through the hallways.