The Teams

Meanwhile, the door continued to tremble under pressure, the vines growing thicker and more aggressive despite their efforts to hold it shut.

"Hey, are you just going to stand there?" Poco called out, turning to Craig. "Or are you going to keep hiding behind a female for protection?"

Craig's eyes widened—Poco had just thrown a direct insult.

"Hiding behind a female?" Craig repeated as he descended the stairs, his voice low. "Don't get too comfortable with me," he added with a tight, angry grin.

Just then, Latifa stepped in. "I'm joining your team, Poco. So does that mean I'm hiding behind you guys now?"

Poco gave her a sharp glare, the tension rising slightly between them. He sighed and turned away.

"Fine, let's go then."

Still, a thought crossed Poco's mind. "Then again, having her on our team might make us stronger."

"Jenny, I hope we see each other safely at the emergency department," he said, waving a hand in farewell as he descended further down the stairs.

Once everyone reached the fifth floor, Jennifer's group split off toward SDO Melia's office.

Craig noticed Guano beside him.

"Mind if I join your crew?" she asked.

"I don't have a problem with that," he responded coldly.

"I was this close to introducing her to my parents," Craig thought, disgusted with himself. "What right do I have to judge a bully like her when I'm worse?"

"If she knew what I had in mind regarding her, she'd flee from me instantly, rather than having a crush on me." he mused, casting a cold glance at Guano.

"But if I want to carve my path away from my parents' criminal activities, I need to redeem my-"

His thoughts were abruptly cut off as he saw a male student open the door to the first floor, only to be met by a monstrous figure.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!"

The students at the front line rushed backward as the monster grabbed the student, snapping off his head and swallowing it whole.

"What..."

Craig's mind reeled as he watched blood gush from the student's decapitated body, the sight evoking traumatic memories of his sister's death at his own hands.

Craig's mind raced as his eyes darted to the student trapped in the monster's grasp.

Suddenly, his vision blurred, and he saw Latifa, Mark, and Poco pushing the monster back while hastily closing the exit door. The creature was momentarily distracted, feasting on the remains of the student in its grip.

But to everyone's shock, the monster's hand pierced through the door grabbing a student's head and pulling it through the door, horror struck every as some screamed.

Meanwhile, back in the classroom, a monster perched on the windowsill, observing the two other creatures in class M-4. Distant screams echoed in the background.

"Ahh... umm... aghhhh?" the monster vocalized as its mouth began to form words.

"Follow them you two."

The monster's ominous tone dragged as it commanded 

"Am sure you two know where they are heading right?" It added with a sudden grin.

Everyone rushed up the stairs toward the second-floor door, while Guano trailed behind Latifa, noticing that Craig's bleeding eyes had finally stopped. Just then, the first-floor door flinched violently as a monster began trailing behind them.

"Everyone, keep your steps light—we don't want to draw more attention," Poco warned.

"Still," he thought, glancing at the shattered windows and the vines crawling through the ruined hallways, "with all this noise, we might get caught anyway. But surviving is what matters, no matter how many of us make it."

As he continued scanning the corridor, his eyes fell on something unusual.

"What's that?" Poco muttered, surprised. In the corner were large cocoons wrapped in vines.

Manning stepped closer to him. "What do you think we should do? Are you sure we should keep carrying him?" he asked, referring to Craig.

Poco gave him a casual smile. "Right now, we're not sure about anything. Besides, most of the stuff online is just a jungle of misinformation."

"You're right. I'm sorry," Manning replied. "But don't get too worked up if things turn out differently."

"Entering there might be risky," Mark whispered to Poco, just as they approached a bathroom door.

"Hey, look—the janitor's closet is open," Rini said, her voice trembling with fear.

"It's big enough," Poco noted, pulling the door wider. "We can squeeze in and regroup there before figuring out our next move."

He urged them all to enter quickly.

The group huddled inside the janitor's closet, with Guano, Poco, and Mark positioned near the door, their eyes fixed on the cocooned figures lining the hallway. Suddenly, the sound of approaching footsteps echoed through the corridor.

"Stay silent," Poco whispered urgently, his hand gripping the door handle from the inside. The others nodded, their faces pale with fear.

Rini's heart pounded in her chest as she crouched among her classmates. "This can't be happening. Am I going to die here?" she thought, trembling.

"Right now, all I care is about my survival forgetting about my parents."

She thought sadly.

"Am sorry Mom, Dad, and Erie!"

She covered her mouth trying not to sob.

Meanwhile, Poco, Mark, and Guano braced themselves, their expressions tense yet determined. Despite their shock and fear, they're still standing strong, Rini noted, drawing a shaky breath. The other students remained eerily silent, each lost in their terror.

The footsteps drew nearer, and then stopped just outside the closet, A low, guttural voice called out,

"Jjj uh"

"J….. ju…. Jul..Juliet,"

"Ahhh… a..are you there?"

Just then the automatic light came on.

"Cooked!"

Jake mumbled under his breath.

Suddenly, a terrified scream beside Jake pierced the tension:

"What's the point? We're going to die here regardless!"