Silence swallowed the room, thick and suffocating. At first, the only sound was the nervous rustling of clothes and the erratic thump of a desk as someone's knee bounced uncontrollably. Fear spread through the students like a virus, quick and invisible.
"What's happening?" a girl near the back cried, her voice cracking and desperate.
"Is this like, a terrorist attack?" someone whispered.
"No way, look at the sky!" another said, pressing closer to the glass.
Around them, a few students started to cry—quiet sniffles that grew into soft, panicked sobs. Others whispered anxiously:
"This isn't real, right?"
"My mom's not answering. I texted her like three times."
"What if it's the end of the world?"
Caan's heart hammered in his chest. Ignoring the teacher's trembling command to stay away from the windows, he drifted toward the glass, drawn by a mix of dread and curiosity.
"Please, everyone, stay away from the windows!" the teacher called, voice more pleading than commanding.
"Yeah, right, like that's gonna help us," muttered a boy in a varsity jacket.
Outside, the world looked unchanged—until it didn't.
A thin crack shimmered in the air above the parking lot, like a hairline fracture in the sky itself. Caan's eyes widened, breath caught in his throat.
The classroom seemed to freeze. The usual school noises—chatter, scraping chairs, a distant bell—faded into an unnatural silence as everyone sensed something had shifted. Slowly, other students joined Caan at the window.
"No way… is that a tornado?"
"Dude, tornadoes aren't purple."
"Shut up! Look—it's getting bigger!"
Light bled from the rift's jagged edge, painting the asphalt with colors no one had ever seen before.
Someone cursed, voice shaking.
"F—ck, f—ck, f—ck, what is that… I think we're going to die," one of the boys stammered.
"Will you just shut up?" a girl snapped, hugging her backpack tight. "You're freaking everyone out!"
The teacher, who just moments before tried to act in control, stared out the window in disbelief. "This… this can't be happening," he muttered, hands trembling.
Time seemed to resume, but everything felt warped.
The rift widened, big enough for shadows to appear within its swirling core.
From the rift, figures stepped out—human, but only just. They were too tall, their skin almost luminous and pale beneath armor that glinted with strange symbols. Their movements were smooth, unhurried, yet every step carried the weight of something not of this world.
The class pressed back from the window as one of the warriors locked eyes with them through the glass. The being lifted a hand and pointed—directly at their classroom.
"Did he just… did he just point at us?"
"Oh my god, I think they see us!"
"Are they coming here? Are they going to kill us?"
A few more of the newcomers followed the gesture, then broke into a sudden, inhuman sprint. Their speed was a blur, covering the distance to the building in seconds.
A wave of panic crashed over the class.
"RUN! We need to get out!" someone yelled.
"We need to go—NOW," the class president gasped, eyes wild with terror.
The teacher finally found his voice. "We… we'll make our way to the back of the school and escape into the woods. Stay close. Move quickly, and be quiet!"
A cacophony of voices followed:
"Should we call the cops?"
"They already know! The sirens!"
"Stick together, guys. Don't push!"
The class surged into the hallway, shoving and stumbling in a frantic line. Behind them, faint screams echoed—chilling, animal sounds of fear and pain.
"Did you guys hear that? I know I'm not the only one who heard that," Jack panted, pushing through the crowd and nearly knocking Caan into a locker.
Caan nearly snapped back but stopped himself.
Wouldn't mind him dying, he thought bitterly, then shook his head, ashamed. Even if someone had hurt him, he wasn't the kind of person to wish for their death. Not really.
As the group turned right, then left, then right again—huffing, puffing, shoes squeaking on the floor—panic boiled over:
"Wait, where's Jamie?"
"Just keep going! Don't stop!"
"What if they catch us?"
They finally glimpsed the exit ahead, the hope of escape burning just out of reach.