"Get in here, you idiot!"
A girl's voice hissed as a pair of hands suddenly grabbed Leo from behind and yanked him into the dark classroom. He was shoved roughly behind an overturned desk, his forehead still bleeding from the fall. He tried to get up using his arm but his whole body felt like clay and he just fell down.
Leo's heart was pounding so hard he could barely breathe. He whipped his head around and saw two girls crouched in the shadows with him.
The one who had pulled him in had bright, colourful dress that stood out even in the dim light. She looked at him with wide but determined eyes. She had curly black hair which was put in braids. She was covered head to toe in various accessories that made her stand out even more.
Before Leo could say anything, the other girl , wearing cracked glasses and holding a pair of scissors like a knife , snapped at her friend.
"Annie, what the hell were you thinking?!" she hissed, voice low and rough. "Why did you pull him in? What if he was one of those things? He could've brought them straight to us!"
Annie gave a small eye-roll even though her hands were shaking. "Relax, Kat. I saw him running from one of those monsters. He had a bat and he wasn't attacking anyone. Plus, he looked scared, not sick. I'm not just gonna let someone die right in front of me."
Kat glared at Annie, clearly not convinced. She didn't trust easily, especially not some random bleeding boy who just got dragged in. "You're too nice for your own good. One day that nice girl bullshit is gonna get us killed."
Leo blinked, still trying to catch his breath. The girl in the colourful dress, Annie… something about her felt vaguely familiar. But right now his brain was too fried to remember properly.
"Uh… thanks for the help?" Leo whispered, wiping blood from his forehead. "I'm Leo."
Annie flashed him a quick, kind smile despite the situation. "I'm Annie. This is Kat. She's new here and… well, she's a little suspicious of everyone."
Kat shot Annie a dirty look but didn't deny it. She stayed quiet, eyes flicking nervously toward the classroom door, clearly not ready to trust Leo yet.
A wet, gurgling moan echoed from the hallway, followed by slow dragging footsteps.
All three of them froze and whipped their heads back to the door.
Annie's voice dropped to a soft whisper, still somehow managing to sound a little optimistic even now. "Okay, we need to stay super quiet for a minute. Those things are getting closer."
Before anyone could reply, frantic footsteps suddenly pounded down the hallway, and it sounded like the footsteps were getting closer to their room.
"Leo! Leo, where are you?!"
It was Jay's voice ; desperate and scared.
Leo's head snapped up. "Jay?"
The classroom door flew open with a loud bang.
Jay and Krystian stumbled inside, both of them badly injured. Jay had a gash on his left arm, blood soaking his sleeve. Krystian was limping heavily and clutching his side, his shirt torn and stained red. They looked exhausted and in pain, but surely not infected.
Jay looked up, audibly gasping when he saw Leo, "Leo! We've been looking for you everywhere."
"Close the door first!" Krystian gasped.
Leo jumped up and slammed the door shut just as Annie and Kat helped pull the two boys behind the desks, out of sight from the small window.
"Krystian! Jay!" Leo whispered, relief flooding through him. "I thought you guys got taken!"
Jay winced as he pressed his hand against his bleeding arm. "One of those things jumped me on the stairs. I smashed its head with the bat, but it got me pretty bad."
Krystian leaned against the desk, breathing hard. "I tried to help him and got tackled. We barely got away. Heard you running and followed the noise."
Kat eyed the two new boys warily, her suspicious nature kicking in hard. She gripped her scissors tighter and stayed silent, clearly not happy about the group suddenly growing from three to five.
"How did you get injured? By it's teeth?" Kat questioned, addressing Krystian and Jay.
Jay shook his head, "No, The one that attacked me had a fucking shovel." Jay winced and dabbed at his wounded arm with his shirt. Kat gave a small grunt but it was clear that she was wary of them.
Annie, on the other hand, gave Jay and Krystian a quick, kind once-over. "You're both bleeding a lot, but it doesn't look like bites. That's good. We can wrap those wounds with some curtain strips if you want."
Jay managed a weak, pained grin. "You're an angel, colourful-dress girl."
Annie chuckled softly, the charming side showing even in the middle of hell. "Flattery won't stop the bleeding, but thanks."
Kat muttered under her breath, "Great. Now we have three loud boys and one overly nice girl. This is how people die in horror movies…"
Annie shook her head at Kat in a good- natured way, "Don't be rude Kat, they're hurt and need help, so we give it to them." She adviced, giving Kat a gentle warning look. Annie turned to Krystian, Jay and Leo, "By the way, I'm Annie and this is my best friend Kat. We already met Leo so..." Annie trailed off waiting for an introduction from Krystian and Jay.
"Oh, I'm Krystian and this is Jay. It's nice to meet you and thank you so much for helping us out." Krystian said, nodding to Jay who gave them a weak wave.
Outside the classroom, another low growl rumbled from the hallway, followed by something slamming into a door nearby.
Leo gripped the desk near him tighter, his hands still shaking. The relief of seeing Jay and Krystian alive was quickly turning back into panic.
Annie looked at the group, her voice smart and steady. "We can't stay here long. This room doesn't lock properly. There's a fire escape on the third floor. It's old and noisy, but it might be our only real chance."
Kat finally spoke again, voice rough and distrustful. "Only if we move smart. I'm not dying because someone makes noise or plays hero."
Leo glanced at his injured friends, then at the two girls he barely knew. Five scared, bleeding teenagers hiding behind desks while monsters roamed the halls.
He swallowed hard.
"Then we move," Leo whispered. "Together. And we stay quiet."
Outside the door, the scratching sounds grew louder and closer.
They were running out of time. Quick.