Canteen: 12:27 PM
The smell of spicy momos and synthetic ketchup clung heavy in the air. Laughter and echoing shouts rolled through the canteen, students yelling across tables, trays clanging as workers moved back and forth with hot plates.
Ayush sat with his tray untouched, swirling his noodles without really seeing them. His mind kept replaying last night's warning.
"This is not a drill."
Across from him, Kartik was stealing fries from Sanaa's plate while Ananya laughed about a prank she pulled on her brother. Tanya and Riya bickered over the new uniform design.
Suraj leaned closer. "Bro, did you hear? A girl from Class 10 collapsed this morning. Some say it was a seizure, others say she was... foaming at the mouth?"
Ayush didn't answer. His mind was stuck on Discord, the B.S.A., the suppressed news.
A sudden, distant thud from the corridor broke through the noise.
Ayush's eyes snapped to the door. Kartik paused, fry midair. A few nearby students looked up but went back to eating.
Then another thud—louder, closer.
This time, even the teachers sitting at the supervising table turned. A lunch lady glanced toward the corridor, spatula frozen in mid-stir. The guard at the canteen entrance took a cautious step forward, hand near his baton.
A hush spread across the tables.
Entry of the Infected
Suddenly—BANG!
The canteen doors slammed open.
A girl stumbled in, her uniform drenched in blood, hair stuck to her pale face. One foot dragged behind her, toes twisted unnaturally.
For a heartbeat, the entire canteen froze.
A teacher stood, shouting, "Hey! You! Stop right—"
She let out a guttural, animal-like scream. Without warning, she leapt onto a boy standing for water and bit deep into his neck.
Blood sprayed across tables.
Shrieks filled the air.
Chaos Unleashed
"Run! Everyone out! Now!" a teacher shouted, pushing students toward the exits.
Chairs flew, trays crashed to the ground. Students trampled each other in panic. One girl slipped on ketchup and was crushed under a pile of fleeing feet.
The lunch staff screamed and sprinted toward the kitchen exit. One worker frantically slammed the emergency shutter button on the service window before being pulled back by an infected boy who had staggered in from the hallway.
The guard swung his baton at another infected student—until he was grabbed from behind and torn down.
Teachers tried forming human chains, grabbing arms and shouting, "This way! Move! Faster!" But students clawed past them, blind with terror.
Amid the chaos, Suraj yelled, "Lucky! Shivam! Over here!"
Ayush saw Lucky shove a tray at an infected student, Shivam limping after him with a cut on his shin. Kartik grabbed Sanaa's arm and shouted for her to move.
Ayush seized Ananya's wrist. Her hand was ice cold.
"Back door! We have to go—NOW!"
The Hallway — Close Calls
They burst into the corridor, hearts hammering. Infected students poured from other classrooms, blood smearing the floor tiles.
Shivam stumbled when an infected girl grabbed his sleeve, tearing it almost off before Kartik yanked him free. Lucky took a punch to the jaw as he shoved another infected away, blood streaming from his lip.
Ayush held Ananya tight, weaving past overturned chairs and crumpled bodies. Ananya stumbled once, nearly falling into an infected's grasp before Ayush caught her.
Death of Ravi
They turned a corner sharply—and froze.
"Guys! Please—wait!"
Ravi. The quiet, responsible class monitor. He limped toward them, a deep bite on his forearm. Tears streaked down his dirt-smudged face.
"Don't leave me! They… they bit me… please!"
Ayush hesitated. Kartik took a step forward, eyes wide with disbelief.
"Pull him in! We can still help him!" Kartik screamed.
"No… no…" Suraj said hoarsely, shaking his head. "He's turning. Look at his eyes!"
Ananya sobbed. "Please! We can't leave him like this!"
Ravi collapsed to his knees. His breathing turned shallow. Then—stillness.
A single breath passed. Then two.
His spine arched sharply backward, a horrible crack echoing. Fingers curled like claws.
Then he rose—eyes now glowing red, saliva dripping from his mouth.
A twisted snarl erupted from him.
Ananya screamed, stumbling back into Ayush's arms. Kartik stood frozen, tears streaming down his cheeks.
Ayush grabbed Kartik's shoulder, shaking him hard. "He's gone! We have to GO!"
Temporary Refuge — Science Lab
They dove into a chemistry lab. Ayush spotted a heavy metal cart near the door and threw it against the handle, panting as he pushed it to jam the entrance.
Inside, flickering emergency lights cast the room in eerie red glows. Broken glass crunched under their shoes.
Lucky leaned against a sink, blood smearing his sleeve. Shivam dropped to the floor, shaking violently. Sanaa curled in a corner, hands over her ears.
Ananya slid to the floor near a cabinet, her whole body shivering. She sobbed loudly now, each breath catching painfully.
Kartik punched a table, skin splitting on his knuckles, then collapsed to his knees.
"Ravi…" he choked out, voice barely a whisper.
Ayush stood still, his gaze sweeping over them all.
We're breaking already.
Ayush's Inner Conflict — The B.S.A.
Ayush slipped his phone from his pocket, shielding it from view.
Uncrowned King: "Status?"
He typed, hands shaking.
"Ravi gone. Infection spreading faster than predicted. Secured lab for now. Team doesn't know about B.S.A."
Uncrowned King: "Understood. Avoid all infected. Trust no one bitten. Extraction window closing fast. Pinefield fallback still open. Hold your line."
Ayush stared at the screen, feeling the weight of five years of secret planning crashing down on him.
We were supposed to be ready. But no one is ever truly ready for this.
Decision to Move — The AV Room
Minutes later, pounding echoed outside. The infected had reached their door, slamming against it with furious strength.
Cracks spread along the glass panel.
Ayush scanned the room — no solid exit, no escape route, chemicals leaking from shattered containers.
"We can't stay!" he hissed. "AV room! It has steel doors and fewer windows!"
Kartik looked up, eyes hollow. "We'll never make it…"
"We have to try!" Ayush shouted, dragging him up. Ananya wiped her face, breathing hard, then forced herself to stand. Sanaa took Lucky's hand, trembling.
Rushing to the AV Room
They burst out, stumbling over debris. The hallway smelled of iron and smoke.
Ayush led, pushing forward.
An infected lunged at Ananya; she screamed, but Ayush shoved it off with all his strength. Shivam swung a broken mop handle, narrowly missing another's face.
They ran, each step echoing like a death sentence.
Finally—the AV Room.
Ayush flung the door open, ushering them inside. He checked behind, then slammed it shut, locking the steel bolt with trembling hands.
The Quiet Before the Siege
Inside, darkness and shallow breaths swallowed them.
A single screen flickered, casting their terrified faces in pale light.
Outside, snarls and pounding fists echoed, like a wave about to crash through.
Ayush sank into a corner, mind spinning.
He felt their eyes on him, silent questions hanging in the heavy air.
But no one asked. Not yet.
He looked at the door, at their shaking hands and blood-smeared clothes.
You planned for this, didn't you, B.S.A.?You promised we'd be ready.
Then where the hell are you?