The Ominous Silent Night

"Careful," Liam said in a low voice.

His breath was warm against Ava's ear, a stark contrast to the freezing air surrounding them. A strange shiver ran down her spine, not from fear but from something else entirely.

Her heart pounded wildly in her chest, a frantic rhythm she couldn't control.

But the moment shattered—

A violent BANG!

The Frostborns slammed against the barricade, their relentless attacks snapping Ava back to reality.

Her grip tightened around the nearest bench, pushing against it with all her remaining strength. The barricade trembled. It was coming apart.

Even with Liam pressing his weight against it, the structure shook violently, as if the very walls around them were trembling under the force of the undead.

Mark suddenly stepped in, rushing beside Ava. He braced his shoulders against the barricade, using both hands to press down and stabilize it.

"Move over," he muttered, then looked between her and Liam. He flashed them a quick grin, as if they weren't moments away from being torn apart.

Liam returned the look with a cold, emotionless stare.

But even with the three of them pushing with all their might, the barricade wasn't holding.

The Frostborns—dozens of them—kept hammering against it.

CRACK!

A chair snapped in half, breaking off from the barricade's top. It was going to collapse.

"Shit," Ava gasped, pressing harder.

Just then, Riley and Elise rushed in, throwing their weight against the barricade.

"Don't you dare let go!" Riley yelled through gritted teeth, her arms shaking.

Vin followed right after, his entire body pressing against the desks. He let out a sharp exhale, the tension clear on his face.

Mia hesitated only a second before stepping in. Then Ilsa.

Even Jason and Eli—who had caused this entire damn mess—pushed against the barricade, their faces pale with terror.

All of them, together, were holding back the relentless force of death.

But the Frostborns kept pounding.

BAM. BAM. BAM.

Each impact sent a shockwave through their bones, vibrating deep in their chests. The force of the attacks rattled their skulls, making their arms ache and their knees nearly buckle.

Every second felt like an eternity.

Every breath was labored.

The feeling of helplessness crept in.

If even one more Frostborn joined the attack—

They were done for.

Thirty minutes passed.

It felt like hours.

Ava's arms were numb. Her muscles burned. Her head pounded.

Her breath came in short, desperate gasps, but she couldn't stop. None of them could.

The Frostborns never tired. They didn't stop.

Not until everything in their path was dead.

But then—

Silence.

A sudden, heavy stillness fell over the room.

The relentless pounding ceased.

No more screeching.

No more inhuman wails of hunger.

Just… quiet.

Ava felt her pulse roaring in her ears, but she heard Elise whisper in the hush, "Are they… gone?"

Ilsa, Jason, and Eli were the first to react. Their arms, stiff from holding the barricade for so long, gave out.

The three of them collapsed to the floor, panting heavily, their bodies trembling.

"Phew… thank God they're gone," Ilsa muttered between gasps, rubbing her sore arms.

Mark, still bracing against the barricade, shot her an incredulous stare.

"Yeah, sure," he said dryly. "Let's thank God after we make sure they're actually gone."

He glanced at Liam, who was still standing firm, his hands clenched into fists.

Liam nodded, scanning the barricade. No movement. No sounds.

Ava, exhausted, leaned against the nearest desk, feeling her heartbeat slowly return to normal.

She let out a slow breath. It was over.

For now.

But the moment of relief didn't last.

Ava felt eyes on her.

When she looked up, she saw it—

Everyone was staring at her.

Not just staring. Glaring.

Jason and Eli—still slumped on the floor—exchanged a look before Eli pointed a finger straight at her.

"This is her fault," Eli said, voice sharp and accusing. "We wouldn't have even had to go outside if she had just given us the crowbar."

The room fell dead silent.

Mark, Liam, Riley, and Elise froze.

Ilsa and Jason, however, didn't look entirely opposed to Eli's words.

The weight of the accusation hung in the air, thick and suffocating.

Ava's eyes narrowed.

"You're blaming me?" she said, her voice low and cold.

Eli pushed himself up to a half-sitting position. "Yeah, I am. You could've given us the crowbar. But you didn't. You let us go out there, and now we almost died."

Mark looked at him with disbelief, as if this person before him had lost his mind.

Liam's jaw clenched.

Before anyone could speak, Riley snapped.

"Oh, shut up!" she yelled, stepping toward Eli, her voice boiling with anger.

"Don't act like you two didn't bring this on yourselves! We literally told you not to go out there!" She said waving her hand, as the bracelet on her wrist—one she always wore—shifted slightly as she moved.

Vin, still silent, noticed.

His gaze flickered to the bracelet for only a second before he looked up at Riley's face.

There was a brief pause.

Then, for the first time, Vin's expression shifted.

Gone was his usual, carefree sarcasm.

His face darkened.

His eyes, sharp and calculating, held a seriousness that none of them had ever seen before.

Then, he spoke.

"Riley's right."

His tone was firm.

Undeniable.

Something about his voice—the way he said it—made the tension in the room shift.

Even Eli and Jason hesitated, their anger wavering for just a moment.

Mark let out a dry chuckle, shaking his head in disbelief. "Wow," he muttered, his voice laced with sarcasm. "What a group."

Liam and Mia both shot him a cold stare, but before Mark could say anything else, Ilsa spoke up.

"Hey, Mister, why are you commenting?" she snapped, her expression irritated.

Mark only raised an eyebrow at her, but he didn't bother responding.

Eli and Jason, for once, didn't have anything to say either.

The room hung in tense silence until Ava, her fists clenching at her sides, let out a sharp breath.

"Can you stop that?" she said, her voice colder than before.

She inhaled deeply, gathering her thoughts before continuing, "Instead of blaming each other, maybe we should focus on what actually matters—how to survive. If they come back, I don't think we'll be able to hold them off again."

Liam glanced at her, and for the first time in a while, a small smirk played at the corner of his lips. He gave her a short nod of approval.

Mia, however, wasn't as amused. Her eyes flickered to Liam's reaction before shifting to Ava, her gaze dark and unreadable. There was no trace of her usual soft and vulnerable expression—just cold observation.

But Ava ignored it.

She turned her focus to the barricade, stepping forward with determination.

Riley, Elise, and Mark followed right behind her.

Liam adjusted his grip on his crowbar before moving to join them. "We need to reinforce it," he stated, glancing at the structure. "That thing was seconds away from collapsing."

Mark nodded. "Yeah. If we set the benches tighter at the bottom, it'll hold better. The chairs on top are too loose—they'll get knocked over easily."

Liam studied him for a moment but eventually gave a brief nod in agreement.

The two of them climbed onto the furniture to peer over the barricade, cautiously scanning the outside through the cracks between the desks and chairs.

The hallway was eerily silent.

No movement. No signs of Frostborn.

Just shadows stretching across the floor under the dim, dying moonlight.

Liam exhaled. "Clear."

Mark gave a short nod, and together they climbed down. The moment their feet hit the ground, everyone got to work.

They moved quickly, securing every loose part of the barricade.

Liam and Mark took the lead, pressing the benches into place and using whatever scraps of cloth they could find to tie pieces together.

Ava and Riley worked on wedging the chairs tighter, ensuring they wouldn't topple under pressure.

Elise, now fully recovered from her injury, worked more actively than before, stacking furniture with sharp precision.

Vin, despite his injuries, helped as much as he could—though his movements were noticeably slower. He wasn't as focused as usual. His eyes kept drifting toward Riley.

Or rather, the bracelet on her wrist.

For a while, he simply stared, as if lost in thought. Something about it unsettled him.

Ilsa, Jason, and Eli?

They did nothing.

Ilsa sat cross-legged near the wall, arms folded, watching the others work. Jason and Eli stayed put, making no attempt to help.

Mia, despite being uninjured, contributed even less than Vin. She moved a few chairs, adjusted a desk, and then stepped back, her presence more of a formality than actual help.

But no one had the energy to argue about it.

It took them almost an hour, but when they finally secured the barricade, it was much sturdier than before.

They even stacked extra benches on the sides like steps, making it easier to climb up and check outside if needed.

The room's only door was now fully blocked, the furniture packed so tightly that even a dozen Frostborn would struggle to break through.

Ava exhaled, stepping back to examine their work.

"That should hold."

Mark cracked his neck, shaking out his tired arms. "Let's hope so."

Liam nodded, brushing dust off his shirt. "At least now we have a better chance if they come back."

With the barricade secure, they finally allowed themselves to breathe.

For now.

As the last traces of daylight disappeared, the air inside the classroom turned noticeably colder.

The night had fully settled.

Ava stood near the window, her eyes drawn to the sky outside.

Riley, Elise, and Mark were near her, casually chatting—but Ava's focus remained elsewhere.

The moon was bigger than usual. Bright. Its light cast long, silver streaks over the ruins of the city.

But something felt… off.

The stars, though large, seemed dim.

As if something in the sky had swallowed their usual glow.

Ava shivered.

Maybe it was just the cold air creeping into the room.

Or maybe it was something else entirely.

Behind her, Vin sat near the window, his gaze still flickering toward Riley. His fingers tapped against his knee in a slow, restless rhythm.

The silence stretched.

It had been over an hour since night fell.

No attacks.

No screeches in the distance.

Just… silence.

And somehow, that felt even more ominous.