The world cracked apart in an instant.
A force unlike anything they had ever felt gripped their bodies, yanking them from the stadium and hurling them into oblivion. It wasn't like falling or flying—it was like being ripped out of existence itself. Elio couldn't breathe, couldn't scream, couldn't think. His mind was a blur of white noise and pressure, and then—
Impact.
He slammed into the ground with a force that rattled his bones. A deafening silence followed, then gasps, then panicked cries.
Where the hell am I?
Elio groaned, blinking hard. The world around him swam into focus—except it wasn't the stadium anymore.
They were inside their school.
Or, at least, a version of it.
Lucian staggered to his feet, helping Aria up. "Are we dead? What—"
Before he could finish, a collective gasp swept through the students as they took in their surroundings. The entire school building was intact, but outside the windows—nothing. Just an infinite white void stretching in every direction.
"Where the hell are we?" Ren muttered, his voice unusually tight.
Elio tried to steady his breathing. "This... this isn't possible. We were just in the stadium. How did we—?"
"I don't know, but I'm freaking the hell out," Aria whispered.
Other students began to panic, voices rising, some running to the exits only to find that the doors opened into more of that unbearable whiteness. A few tested stepping outside—only to recoil in pain as a blinding light seared their eyes.
Then, without warning, a sharp electronic chime rang through the air.
A massive digital board materialized in the sky above the school, its black surface flickering to life with glowing red letters.
ROUND 1 - THE ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE BEGINS.
Silence fell.
Then, the screaming began.
Chaos Unleashed
SWITCH
Something was wrong with the bell.
Elio Ren sat in his chair, staring at the clock above the whiteboard, waiting for the final class of the day to end. His fingers lazily tapped against his desk, a steady rhythm against the wood. Three seconds left.
Two.
One.
The bell rang.
But it sounded off—like it was ringing from the bottom of a deep well. The usual sharp chime was stretched, warped, sluggish. It groaned through the speakers in a way that made Elio's skin crawl.
A strange buzzing filled his ears. He blinked, shaking his head, expecting someone to complain or laugh about the weird sound.
But the classroom was silent.
Not just quiet—dead silent.
No chairs scraping. No students chatting. No one packing their bags or stretching like they always did when class ended.
Just nothing.
Elio's fingers curled. A weird sensation crept up his spine, a tightness in his chest, like he had missed something important. He turned to his right, where Ren Nakamura usually sat.
Ren was completely still.
His hands rested on the desk, palms down, his dark eyes locked forward, staring at nothing. His breathing was too slow.
He wasn't blinking.
Elio swallowed. His gut told him to say something—anything—but a strange pressure settled over him, making it hard to even speak.
He looked around the classroom.
That's when he noticed—
No one was moving.
Elio's chest tightened.
Every student in the room sat motionless at their desks. Some had their heads slightly turned, like they had been mid-conversation. Others had their mouths open, as if caught mid-laugh.
But no one moved.
Not a single person breathed.
Elio's heartbeat pounded in his ears. His hands clenched the edge of his desk, knuckles turning white.
Then—
A chair creaked.
The noise shattered the silence like a gunshot.
Elio's head snapped to the left.
Lucian Carter had moved. His hands twitched, his chest rising and falling in quick, shallow breaths. His usual lazy smirk was gone, replaced with something unfamiliar—something uncertain.
"Yo," Lucian muttered. His voice was quiet, but in the stillness of the room, it sounded loud. "Why the hell is everyone—"
Then—
The lights went out.
Total blackness.
Elio's breath caught in his throat.
The entire school was swallowed by darkness in an instant—so sudden, so absolute, it felt unnatural.
The air changed.
It felt thicker, heavier, wrong.
Like something had seeped into the atmosphere, pressing against his skin, crawling into his lungs.
Then—
A sound.
A slow, wet, cracking noise.
Like bones snapping in the dark.
It came from somewhere in the room.
Elio's heartbeat thundered against his ribs. He felt his body tense, every nerve on fire, but he couldn't see anything.
He tried to speak—but his throat locked up.
Then—
A breath.
Right next to his ear.
A sharp exhale.
Something was there.
Then the bell rang again.
The same warped, broken chime.
And the lights flickered back on.
Elio's stomach dropped.
The entire class was gone.
The desks were still there. The bags, notebooks, and books all remained untouched.
But the students were missing.
Elio's blood ran cold. His breathing quickened, his fingers trembling as he gripped his desk.
No one spoke.
No one moved.
Only five people were left in the room.
Elio Ren.Ren Nakamura.Lucian Carter.Aria Vaughn.Noa Williams.
Lucian was already standing, his eyes darting around the classroom, his hands clenched into fists. His breathing was sharp, uneven, like he was trying to force himself to stay calm.
Aria's face was pale, her knuckles white as she gripped the desk. She turned, scanning the room, her expression unreadable—but her shoulders were tense, and her breathing was too controlled.
Noa just stared at the empty seats, her hands pressed against her thighs, her jaw clenched. "This… isn't fucking funny," she muttered, voice shaky. "What the hell is this?"
Elio forced himself to move. He turned to Ren, his gut churning.
Ren was still in his seat, his eyes dark, his face blank. He hadn't said a word.
"Ren," Elio said quietly. His voice felt too loud.
Ren blinked.
Then—
The intercom crackled to life.
A voice spoke through the speakers.
Distorted. Fractured. Not human.
"Welcome, participants."
"The first game will now begin."
A heavy silence settled over them.
Then—
Screams.
Bloodcurdling, inhuman screams.
They echoed from outside the classroom.
Loud. Panicked. Endless.
Lucian moved first, his body reacting on instinct.
He grabbed the classroom door handle—and froze.
His breath hitched. His muscles locked.
Elio saw it.
Through the small window of the door.
Out in the hallway.
A figure was standing there.
Their back hunched.
Their head tilted at a broken angle.
Not breathing.
Not human.
Then—
It turned.
Fast. Too fast.
And its eyes—
Were completely white.
Lucian didn't move.
His body went rigid, his hand frozen on the door handle. His breathing was shallow, barely there.
On the other side of the glass, the thing in the hallway twitched.
Its body was wrong—its arms hung limply at its sides, but its joints seemed loose, unstable. The way it stood, slightly swaying, reminded Elio of something barely held together—like a puppet with its strings tangled.
And its eyes.
Those horrible, milky-white eyes stared straight ahead. Unfocused. Empty.
Then—
Its head snapped toward them.
Fast. Too fast.
Like it had been yanked by something invisible.
Lucian's fingers tightened on the door handle.
A single, low breath escaped his lips.
And that's when the thing moved.
It didn't walk.
It lunged.
One second, it was in the hallway.
The next, its entire body slammed against the door.
BANG.
The force rattled the frame, shaking the glass.
Lucian stumbled back, eyes wide.
Then came the snarling.
A sound so raw, so guttural, it sent a sharp spike of cold terror through Elio's spine.
The thing clawed at the glass, its nails scraping against it, leaving deep streaks.
And then—
It opened its mouth.
Too wide.
Far too wide.
Its jaw cracked as it stretched, revealing a gaping maw of blackened gums and shredded lips, teeth broken and jagged.
Then, it screamed.
Not human.
A noise like a dying animal, choked and filled with rage.
Aria's chair scraped back as she stood, her hand gripping the desk so tight her knuckles went white.
Noa's lips parted, barely breathing.
Ren was still sitting. Still silent.
Elio couldn't think.
His heartbeat slammed against his ribs, his instincts screaming at him to move. To run.
But run where?
Lucian snapped out of it first.
"FUCK THIS," he hissed, backpedaling. "We need to—"
Then—
A second bang.
Elio's breath caught.
More figures were appearing in the hallway.
One. Two. Four. Ten.
More and more, their bodies jerking, twitching, crawling into view.
Some were missing skin.
Some were missing entire limbs.
And all of them had white, empty eyes.
No escape.
No teachers.
No rules.
Just the dead.
And the five of them, trapped inside.
The first window shattered.
Glass exploded as one of the creatures lunged through, its body collapsing onto the floor in a heap of limbs.
It was a girl. Or had been.
Her uniform was soaked in blood, her left arm missing entirely from the elbow down. Her jaw hung loose, unhinged.
Then, she twitched.
And moved.
Fast.
Straight for Noa.
Elio barely processed what happened next.
Noa reacted on instinct. She grabbed the nearest chair and swung.
CRACK.
The chair collided with the girl's head, sending her sprawling backward.
Noa's breath came in ragged gasps.
Then—
The girl's body convulsed.
And she started getting back up.
Noa took a single step back, her face pale.
"That's not—" she choked out. "She's not—"
The girl lunged again.
Faster. Unstoppable.
Her teeth sank into Noa's forearm.
Noa screamed.
A sound so raw, so full of horror, that it sent ice through Elio's veins.
Blood spilled down her wrist, dripping onto the tile.
Lucian moved before anyone else.
He grabbed one of the broken desk legs—jagged, splintered wood—and in one fluid motion, he brought it down on the girl's head.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
With the third impact, something inside her snapped.
And she finally stopped moving.
The room fell dead silent.
Noa staggered back, clutching her bleeding arm, her breaths shaky, uneven.
She was shaking.
Lucian let go of the broken desk leg, his hands covered in blood.
Elio's stomach twisted.
They all knew.
They had all seen enough movies. Read enough stories.
A bite.
A fucking bite.
Noa met their gazes.
Her breath came out in a short, broken laugh.
Then she whispered, "I'm dead, aren't I?"
Noa's blood dripped onto the tiles.
Each drop landed with a quiet, unforgiving sound.
Drip.
Drip.
Drip.
The air felt thick. Heavy. Suffocating.
Elio couldn't stop staring at the wound.
It wasn't just a bite. It was deep. Skin torn. Muscle shredded.
Lucian's jaw tightened. "We have to—"
BANG.
Everyone jumped.
Another body slammed into the glass door.
And then another.
And another.
The hallway outside was a sea of the dead.
Bodies pressed against the windows. Hands clawed at the glass. White, soulless eyes peered inside.
They were trapped.
And Noa was bleeding out.
"We have to lock the doors!" Lucian's voice cut through the silence.
Aria moved first.
She grabbed the heaviest desk she could find, shoving it against the door. Elio followed.
They stacked whatever they could—chairs, cabinets, anything.
Ren just stood there.
His gaze was fixed on Noa.
Expression unreadable.
Aria snapped at him. "Ren! Move your ass!"
He blinked.
And then, finally, he helped.
Elio's breathing was shaky. His arms felt weak.
None of this felt real.
One second, they were in class. The next—
His stomach twisted.
This wasn't a dream.
It was a game.
And Noa had already lost.
Noa sat on the floor, back against the desk.
She was pale. Too pale.
Her breathing was uneven.
She lifted her arm slightly, studying the bite mark.
Then, she laughed. Quiet. Bitter.
"Well," she muttered, "this fucking sucks."
Lucian shot her a look. "Noa—"
"I know," she cut him off. "I know what happens next."
Silence.
It settled like a weight on their shoulders.
Noa knew.
They all knew.
Lucian clenched his jaw. "We're not killing you."
Noa raised a brow. "No? What, you gonna hold my hand while I turn?"
Lucian's fingers curled into fists.
Ren finally spoke. "We don't know if you'll turn."
Noa snorted. "Oh, come on, Ren. We all saw what just happened. She bit me. She bit me." She gave a small, humorless laugh. "Maybe I'll grow fangs and join them."
Nobody laughed.
Not even Aria.
Elio swallowed. His throat was dry.
Noa sighed, tilting her head back. "Y'know, in every zombie movie, there's always some dumbass who thinks a bite doesn't mean anything."
She looked at Lucian. Then Aria. Then Ren.
Her gaze landed on Elio last.
"I'm not gonna be that dumbass."
The pounding on the glass grew louder.
Fingers scraped against the walls.
Shadows moved outside the windows.
They had minutes. Maybe less.
Lucian exhaled sharply. "We are not killing you, Noa."
"Then what's your plan, genius?" Noa shot back. "Wait until I start foaming at the mouth? Let me tear your throat out?"
Lucian's hands shook.
Aria shifted uncomfortably. "We could— we could tie her up."
Noa rolled her eyes. "Yeah, and when I get strong enough to break out? Then what?"
Silence.
No answer.
Because there was no good answer.
Elio's hands were clammy.
His heartbeat thudded in his ears.
No—
Noa was already dead.
Elio felt it before it happened.
The air changed.
Something snapped.
Lucian moved.
No hesitation. No warning.
He grabbed a metal pipe from the broken desk—
And swung.
Straight at Noa's head.
The sound was sickening.
A wet, heavy crack.
Elio flinched.
Noa's body slumped.
Her head lolled to the side.
A single gasp escaped her lips.
And then—
Nothing.
Nobody spoke.
Not for a long, long time.