Sprint and Clang of Cymbals

Riley's breaths came in ragged gasps as she stumbled forward, her leg still aching from before. Each step sent a sharp pulse of pain through her calf, slowing her down despite her best efforts. Sweat clung to her skin, mixing with the frost-heavy air that burned her lungs with every inhale.

The other students from the gym group were just ahead of her, their eyes flicking back toward her with thinly veiled frustration. Their gazes said what none of them dared to voice: She's slowing us down.

Even Mia, running beside Riley, glanced toward her with a flicker of worry—though whether it was for Riley or the group's survival, Riley couldn't tell.

But their expressions shifted the moment they spotted Liam and Ava sprinting toward them from the opposite corridor. A ripple of hope crossed their faces, like a dying flame flaring back to life.

"They're alive!" one of the students gasped.

"Liam! Ava!" Mia shouted, her voice half-strangled with surprise and relief.

But even as relief washed over them, Mia's eyes darted between Liam and Ava. For a moment, something unreadable flickered across her face—a faint crease of doubt in her brow, as if wondering what had transpired between the two since they'd last parted.

Then the ground shook—

The Glutton Frostborn thundered around the corner, its blue-veined bulk crashing into view with a bellow that rattled the air. Its frost blade glinted as it carved through the walls, frost and shattered plaster spraying from the impact. The other Frostborn were close behind, claws clicking against tile as their hollow eyes gleamed with icy hunger.

"RUN!" Liam shouted.

They obeyed without hesitation, legs pumping as they fled down the corridor. Riley gritted her teeth and pushed herself harder, but her injured leg betrayed her. Every step felt like knives driving into her muscles, her pace faltering despite her desperation.

"Faster!" one of the boys barked, glancing over his shoulder. "They're gaining on us!"

"I'm—trying!" Riley gasped, frustration and fear clenching in her chest.

Another boy shot her a look—not anger, but the cold pragmatism of someone weighing survival against dead weight. Riley's heart clenched as the thought took root: 'They'd be faster if I wasn't holding them back.'

'If I stayed behind—'

A hand grabbed hers, yanking her forward so hard she stumbled.

"Don't you dare stop!" Ava shouted beside her.

Riley's thoughts scattered like shattered glass as she clung to Ava's grip, her focus snapping back to the present. Ava hooked Riley's arm over her shoulders, half-supporting her as they ran together, their breaths ragged but determined.

"I— I'm slowing you down!" Riley gasped.

"Shut up and run!" Ava barked, her tone leaving no room for argument.

Ahead, Liam glanced back over his shoulder as they bolted around another corner. "We're heading to 11-A!" he shouted. "Third corridor, near the music lab!"

"That's where the girl is?" Mia called back.

"Yeah—just move!" Liam snapped.

They dashed past overturned desks and scattered debris, boots skidding against frost-slick tiles as the Glutton Frostborn barreled after them. Its breath fogged the air in ragged huffs, footsteps crashing down with the weight of a charging bull.

Riley gritted her teeth against the pain in her leg as Ava half-dragged her along. The Frostborn were too close—

'Too close—'

Suddenly, Mia's scream split the air.

Riley's head whipped around just in time to see the Glutton Frostborn swipe its ice blade toward Mia, the jagged edge slicing through the air with lethal speed.

"MIA!" Riley shouted.

Mia stumbled backward against the wall, eyes wide with terror as the Frostborn reared back, preparing to swing again—

"HEY! FROSTBUTT!" Liam shouted.

In one swift motion, he kicked a broken fragment of iron pipe lying on the floor. The metal shard spun through the air and struck the Frostborn's arm with a hollow thunk, embedding itself just below the joint where its ice blade fused with flesh.

The creature reared back with a distorted howl, its icy breath clouding the air in bursts of vapor. Its hollow eyes snapped toward Liam.

"Yeah, that's right, Fatty Frosty! Over here!" Liam taunted, a smirk pulling at the corner of his mouth despite the danger. "What's wrong? Too heavy to keep up? Maybe lay off the frozen pizza, huh?"

The Glutton Frostborn's breath hitched in a ragged growl, and its eyes narrowed with something almost like comprehension—an animal recognizing a threat. It bellowed with fury, the sound vibrating through the walls as frost cracked across the tiles beneath its feet.

Liam's smirk didn't waver. "Come and get me, Frostball."

The Frostborn roared—

And charged.

The Frostborn's roar echoed through the corridors, shaking the frost-rimed walls as it charged straight for Liam.

"Liam!" Ava shouted, but her voice was lost beneath the creature's thunderous steps.

"GO!" Liam yelled back. "Get the others out of here!"

But Mia hesitated, her gaze fixed on Liam as if torn between instinct and emotion. Without thinking, she bolted after him.

"Mia!" Ava grabbed her arm mid-stride, yanking her back. "Stay with Riley and the others! Go to 11-A—tell her 'Ava and Liam' sent you!"

"But—"

"No time! Go!" Ava's eyes burned with urgency, leaving no room for argument.

Before Mia could respond, Ava pivoted and sprinted down the corridor in the opposite direction, her boots slamming against frost-cracked tiles. Heart hammering, she pushed harder, weaving past overturned desks and shattered lockers as the icy air bit at her lungs.

'Please be okay… please be okay'.

As she passed the music room, something metallic caught her eye. She skidded to a halt, breath hitching.

The cymbals—two large iron plates resting on a toppled percussion stand.

Ava snatched them up without hesitation. Their cold weight pressed against her palms as she sprinted onward, the faint clink of metal against metal echoing softly with each step.

When she turned the final corner, her pulse lurched at the sight before her.

Liam was trapped—backed against the corridor's crumbling reeling, where jagged iron bars twisted outward like broken ribs. The Frostborn loomed over him, its frost blade carving deep grooves into the floor with every swipe. Liam ducked and weaved, muscles straining as he narrowly avoided each deadly slash.

"Hey!" Ava screamed. She ran toward them, raising the cymbals high over her head. "HEY! OVER HERE!"

The Frostborn didn't react.

Gritting her teeth, Ava raised both cymbals and clashed them together with all her strength.

CLANG!

The metallic crash split the air like a gunshot, echoing down the corridor with a teeth-jarring resonance.

The Frostborn jerked its head toward her, hollow eyes narrowing as icy breath hissed through its jagged teeth.

"Ava, what the hell are you—?!" Liam started, but she cut him off.

"MOVE!"

Liam lunged sideways as the Frostborn charged at Ava with a thunderous bellow. The ground trembled beneath its weight as shards of frost splintered beneath its feet.

Ava dashed backward, skidding as she rounded a fallen filing cabinet. The Frostborn slashed through it as if it were paper, steel fragments clattering to the floor.

Liam sprinted after them, eyes scanning their surroundings until he spotted the damaged railing behind him. Realization clicked into place—if they could lure the creature toward the broken edge, the fall would at least buy them time, maybe even kill it outright.

"Ava!" he shouted. "Keep it distracted—I've got an idea!"

"Distracted how?!" Ava yelled back, half-laughing from adrenaline.

"Just trust me!"

Without hesitation, she slammed the cymbals together again. The Frostborn's head whipped toward her, eyes glinting with predatory intent.

Liam circled behind the creature, grabbing the second cymbal from Ava's bag as he passed. The makeshift plan was simple but dangerous—each time the creature targeted one of them, the other would use the cymbal to steal its attention, gradually leading it closer to the railing.

Ava clanged her cymbals and darted left. The Frostborn charged after her, frost blade carving icy scars into the walls as it swung wildly. Ava ducked beneath a fallen locker, metal screeching as the creature's blade sliced through the air above her.

"OVER HERE, SNOW GUTS!" Liam banged his cymbal against the wall with a resonant crash. The Frostborn wheeled around, eyes narrowing as it shifted targets.

Step by step, they maneuvered the creature toward the broken edge. Every clash of metal echoed through the corridor, each impact resonating like a war drum.

CLANG!

CLANG!

The Frostborn snarled, its patience wearing thin as it twisted between Liam and Ava, each metallic clash driving it into a greater frenzy. The broken railing loomed just feet behind it now—just a little closer—

Ava banged the cymbals again. The creature flinched, taking a half-step back—

"Almost there…" Liam muttered under his breath, muscles coiled as he waited for the perfect moment.

But the Frostborn's patience finally snapped.

With an ear-splitting roar, it swung its frost blade downward, slashing through the tiles in a shower of ice and debris. Fragments of frost exploded into the air as the creature charged—

Straight for Ava.

"Ava—RUN!" Liam shouted.

She clanged the cymbals as hard as she could, but the Frostborn didn't falter. Its hollow eyes locked onto her with single-minded fury, claws gouging the walls as it barreled forward, heedless of the metal's echoes.

Liam banged his cymbal until his hands stung, but the creature ignored him.

It's not listening anymore.

Ava's pulse pounded in her ears as she stumbled backward, the icy air biting her lungs. The railing was just a few feet behind her—broken, twisted, and hanging over open air three stories above the ground.

If she didn't move—

The Frostborn lunged forward, frost blade gleaming as it reared back to strike—

Ava's breath caught in her throat as time seemed to slow—