The reinforced classroom door held—for now—but the sounds from the hallway were worse than any nightmare. Gurgling snarls, wet tearing noises, and the sickening crunch of bone echoed through the walls, making even Kaito's hands tremble as he finished sealing the ventilation grate.
"Everyone quiet," Mika whispered, pressing a finger to her lips. Her pink pigtails were matted with dust and a streak of dark fluid from where a monster had splattered against the window moments before. "They can hear everything."
Hiro gripped his shotgun tighter, the metal cold against his palm. Only two shells left. Through the small gap in the boarded window, he saw it—a creature that used to be a janitor, its face split open in a jagged grin, black blood dripping from elongated teeth. It dragged something that looked like a torn backpack behind it, leaving a thick red trail across the concrete.
Then Kenji screamed.
His eyes were fixed on the classroom door, where a shadow was pressing through the gap beneath it—too many fingers, writhing and reaching. "It's getting in! It's getting in!" he shrieked, scrambling backward and knocking over a desk. The crash rang out like a gunshot.
The door buckled. Wood splintered as claws tore through the surface, sending splinters flying. Ms. Aoki cried out and stumbled—right into the path of a second creature that had smashed through the far window. It lunged, its jaws wide, and Hiro fired.
The blast tore through its chest, sending black and red viscera spraying across the chalkboard. But the impact only enraged it—it staggered forward, still snapping, until Kaito slammed a heavy textbook into its head. It crumpled to the floor, twitching, as dark blood pooled across the tile.
"Move!" Mika yelled, already pulling open the ventilation grate. "The hallway's clear for now—but not for long!"
They scrambled into the tight shaft one by one. Hiro went last, glancing back as more shadows gathered at the broken window. The janitor-creature had gotten inside—it was tearing at the desk Kenji had knocked over, its claws scraping against metal. Then it turned its head, and Hiro saw the janitor's name tag still pinned to its chest: TAKURO.
The crawlspace was hot and dusty, smelling of mold and something acrid like burnt plastic. They could hear monsters moving below them—scuttling across the floors, slamming into doors. A sudden scream from another classroom cut off abruptly, followed by wet, guttural chewing.
Kenji was hyperventilating, his body shaking so hard he nearly got stuck in a narrow bend. "I can't—can't do this," he gasped, tears streaming down his face. "I want my mom!"
A loud bang shook the shaft above them. Dust rained down as something heavy landed on the vent cover. Through the metal slats, they could see a massive eye—pale yellow, with no pupil—staring right at them. Then a long tongue lashed out, slicing through the metal like paper.
"RUN!"
They scrambled forward, hands and knees scraping against rough metal. The tongue followed, snapping and tearing at the vent behind them. Hiro looked back and saw it—another monster, twice the size of the others, its body twisted and fused with pieces of the school's metal lockers. It tore through the grate like it was nothing, and Hiro fired his last shell.
The shot hit it in the eye, making it reel back with a deafening shriek. But it was still coming.
Mika spotted an exit grate ahead—leading to the library. "There!" she yelled, pulling herself up and kicking it open. One by one, they tumbled out into the dark room, slamming the grate shut behind them.
The library was silent—but not empty. Books were scattered everywhere, and dark red smudges covered the floor, leading to a corner where something large and still was hunched over a bookshelf. It didn't move as they crept past, but Hiro could see human fingers tangled in its matted fur.
He leaned against a wall, his legs weak. No shells left. The monster from the vent was already scratching at the grate, metal screaming against metal.
"We can't stay here," Kaito said quietly, his voice tight with fear but still steady. "The main office is just down the hall—but the way is clear only if we move now."
Hiro looked at the others—Mika, ready to run; Kenji, still shaking; Kaito, already mapping their path. Through the library windows, the sky was turning dark, and more monsters were gathering in the courtyard below, their bodies twisted and wrong.
Survive, he thought, picking up a heavy metal bookend from a nearby shelf. We just have to survive a little longer.