FOUR: CHAOS UNLEASHED: The Terror at Amber Boarding School

Uma's POV

The chaos spread like wildfire, engulfing the school grounds in an instant. The desperate screams echoed down the hallways, bouncing off the walls and carrying through the open doors and windows of classrooms. The once peaceful, orderly grounds of Amber Boarding School had transformed into a scene of madness—filled with frantic footsteps, screams, and utter confusion.

Behind me, I could hear the pounding of footsteps as students rushed to escape, but the exits were too clogged with panicked bodies, all shoving and pushing to get out. The air was thick with fear, and the unmistakable scent of blood filled my nostrils. David, no, whatever he had become continued his rampage. His once familiar face had morphed into something primal, animalistic, unrecognizable.

I dared to glance back, just in time to see him tear into a teacher who had tried to intervene. The teacher's scream was abruptly cut off as David's teeth sank into his throat, and the man crumpled to the floor like a ragdoll.

"Blood of Jesus!" one of the teachers who witnessed the scene shouted, gripping a cane in his trembling hand, attempting to flog David.

But David wasn't alone. Anderson, Ethan, and Prosper, once familiar faces now stood with vacant eyes, their bodies twitching unnaturally. They were no longer human; they were hunting, moving in jagged, erratic motions like puppets with severed strings.

"What kind of demons are these?" the teacher muttered, his voice shaking as he took a stand. He began praying, casting out and binding the demons.

As he prayed, other students nearby joined in, their voices rising in frantic unity. But instead of warding off the horrors, the noise and shouting only attracted David and his newfound army. They rushed toward the teacher, each of them biting into him with brutal force.

A terrifying silence suddenly fell. Fear gripped our hearts as the chaos outside faded into an eerie stillness.

The once lively corridors of Amber Boarding School were now eerily quiet, save for the low growls and sickening thuds of bodies hitting the floor. Panic spread like wildfire, but not everyone seemed to fully comprehend the horror unfolding. Some students screamed in terror, while others stood frozen, paralyzed by the nightmare they were witnessing.

Outside, on the field, a group of boys who had been playing football paused as they heard the first scream. Initially, they assumed it was just another fight, a common occurrence at the school. But as the screams continued, followed by the sight of David charging at others with an inhuman ferocity, they quickly realized that this was no ordinary school brawl.

"What's going on?" Tunde, one of the football players, asked, his voice laced with disbelief as he turned toward the school building.

"No be David be that? So, he don finally get mind to defend himself? I thought he was weak and helpless," Kola laughed, his tone dismissive.

"If that's David, why is he attacking that girl now? Na, she dey bully am?" Mike asked, observing his behavior, before they saw a group of students running, terror etched on their faces.

The boys were still confused about what was happening, until Loveth, a Junior Secondary School (JSS3) girl, shouted from a distance.

"Run o! Demon don possess David o! He's biting everybody!"

At first, it sounded like a joke to the boys, but when they saw the sheer terror in the eyes of the students running past, Kola grabbed Tunde's arm, his laughter fading. The group of boys quickly joined the growing crowd, their steps quickening in response to the panic around them.

...

Back at the snack shop, a group of girls standing in line turned in confusion as they heard the commotion outside. Initially, it seemed like just another fight gone too far, something all too familiar in the school. But when several students ran past, their eyes wide with fear, a sense of anxiety swept over them.

"Ah ah, wetin dey happen outside?" Amarachi asked, her voice trembling.

"Na the usual thing, na. Maybe Mr. Samson finally caught that Anderson guy and is punishing him for real this time. Everyone wants to witness it and get the gist," Chika replied, barely looking up, unfazed.

"Omo, this line better move faster. I want go hear the gist!" Amarachi signed impatiently. But before she could move, an SSS 1 boy burst into the shop, slamming the door behind him, his friends following suit as they frantically searched for something to barricade the door.

"Come, wetin una dey do?" the shop owner, Mrs. Blessing, asked when she noticed their frantic movements.

"Find anything heavy! Close the door, so they won't get in!" one of the boys shouted.

The girl at the front of the line, her face now pale with fear, asked, "What is happening? You people should talk na!"

"It's David o! David don mad! He's biting people, and anyone he bites go follow am dey bite too!" Keleb, the fair-skinned boy, explained, his voice trembling.

"What nonsense is that?" Mrs. Blessing snapped, annoyed by what she assumed was just another one of their pranks. She didn't believe half of what they were saying.

But the fear in their faces spoke volumes.

"He's not lying, Mrs. Blessing. It's like a demon is controlling them—possessing everyone he bites!" Keleb's voice cracked with desperation.

The room went silent for a moment, and then fear gripped everyone. Some students muttered to themselves, unsure whether to believe them or not.

Then, without warning, a girl, now devoid of humanity came up and began pounding on the glass of the snack shop.

"Jesus!!" the students screamed. Some began to pray, while others shouted for help. A few stood, frozen in place, confused and terrified.

The banging attracted others like her. More students, turned into mindless creatures, began slamming into the glass. After several attempts, the glass shattered, and all hell broke loose.

"You will not consume me! My body is the temple of the Holy Spirit! My God will destroy you demons from the pit of hell!" some of the more prayerful students shouted as they vibrated in fervent prayers. But it did little to stop the onslaught. The infected attacked, killing most of the students as others scrambled to flee.

...

The school we once knew was now overrun by flesh-hungry students, no longer the safe haven it once was. There was nowhere left to run, nowhere left to hide. The infected students had taken over the first and second floors, and now, they were coming for the third.

We were trapped. Our backs were to the wall, and the last floor was all that remained between us and them.

"What are we going to do now? I no wan die here o!" one of the students cried, panic setting in as the sounds of the infected grew closer.

Then, an idea struck me.

"Everyone, get to your classrooms! Lock the doors and windows so they can't get in!" I instructed, and the others scrambled to follow.

We barricaded ourselves in every classroom on the last floor, locking doors and windows with whatever we could find.

But it wasn't enough.

The infected soon found us. Classes with no doors or windows were the first to fall, screams echoing through the halls. The school that was meant to protect us had become a battleground, a warzone where survival was the only law.

God help us all.