The room was quiet.
Too quiet.
Except for the heavy breathing, the muffled sniffles, and the sound of Zara's heartbeat thudding in her ears.
They'd pushed every desk and chair against the door, but it didn't feel like enough. Nothing felt like enough anymore.
Liam sat beside her, back against the wall, his hoodie streaked with dust and dried sweat. His eyes were locked on the door, like he was memorizing the way it creaked every now and then.
"You okay?" he asked softly.
Zara nodded. "Not really."
He gave a short, breathless laugh. "Me neither."
She looked at him — really looked at him. His jaw was clenched, but his hand was shaking slightly where it rested near his knee.
They were all scared. But somehow, Liam still felt like the safest place in this entire nightmare.
"Earlier, when you said we needed to leave… were you serious?" she whispered.
He turned his head to her. "Completely."
"There are things out there," she said. "People who were… human. Teachers. Students. You saw what they did."
"I know," he said. "But staying here, waiting for that door to break down? That's not safety. That's a countdown."
Zara swallowed. "Where would we even go?"
"There's a storage room in the music block. Reinforced door. Double locks. And I'm pretty sure no one even knows it exists besides the janitor and me."
"Why you?" she asked.
He smiled faintly. "Because I got caught making out there last term."
Zara let out a surprised laugh. "Wow."
He shrugged. "Not my proudest moment, but hey, might save our lives."
They both went quiet for a second.
Then Zara said, "What if we don't make it?"
Liam leaned in, his voice lower. "Z, we're going to. I'll get you out. I swear."
She looked into his eyes, and for a moment, the world outside didn't exist.
"I'm scared," she whispered.
He reached out and cupped her cheek gently. "Me too."
Then, he kissed her.
Not rushed. Not desperate. Just soft, and real. Like it might be their last.
⸻
A voice snapped them out of it.
"Oh my GOD," Ava groaned dramatically. "If the apocalypse wasn't enough, now I have to deal with you two making out while I'm emotionally unwell?"
Zara broke into a small smile, pulling back.
Liam rolled his eyes. "Nice to see you're still alive and annoying."
"I'm coping through sarcasm," Ava said, flopping down next to them. "Also, fun update: Ryan peed in a water bottle because he was too scared to walk to the back of the room."
"Thanks for sharing," Zara said.
"I'm just saying," Ava continued, lowering her voice, "this classroom is not it. So if you two have some brilliant escape plan, I'm in."
Liam looked at her. "You'll come with us?"
"I'm not dying here surrounded by sweaty teenage boys and a girl who's been humming Taylor Swift for the last two hours," Ava said. "I'd rather get eaten on the move."
Zara laughed a little. Even in chaos, Ava was still Ava.
Liam pulled out a rough sketch of the school map he'd drawn on a paper earlier. "We make a run during the next wave of noise. Everyone's too busy reacting. While they're panicking… we slip out."
Zara and Ava leaned in.
"This is insane," Ava said. "But it might just work" she added
"No? We can't just leave the rest here" Zara said
"They won't agree to come with us" Liam whispered softly
"Then let's ask them and talk to them about it, we need to stick together in this kind of situation and get help not just for our selves but for everyone" Zara said fiercely
"Listen up everyone" she said trying to get everyone's attention
"Guys we need to leave this place." "We need an escape plan"
"No. They are literal human eating humans out there we are safe here and Im not leaving this class" one of the student in the class said
"Yes,we are not leaving this place i don't want to die or turn into one of those things." Another added
"Staying here won't do us any good,there's no food no water no phone for communication, we could even die here." Zara said trying to convince them
"She is right" Ryan stood up supporting Zara's idea of escaping.
"We need to get out of here,find survivors if possible and get help!!. All in the team of escaping raise your hands".
6 out of 11 of them rose their hands up.
"Okay, looks like we've got some people willing to come with us" Liam nodded.
"Alright. We move at the next distraction."
He turned toward the blocked door.
"Get ready. This might be our only chance."
And from the hallway, faintly—
a scream pierced the silence.