"What is going on here? Why are you all ganging up on your classmate? Hurry and go back to your seats."
The teacher chose the perfect moment to enter the room. She looked at her students with a disapproving expression. That was enough to make most of the students back down.
Rachael was thankful for the teacher's interference. Because of the teacher's words, students stopped paying attention to Rachael.
The students also had a healthy amount of fear for their teacher. So when she asked them to pay attention to the lesson, the students looked forward.
The class was going super well. And it was starting to make Rachael worried.
Naturally, the world had to prove that Rachael could not have nice things in her life. The second she sat down, the building began to shake.
Even her teacher had no idea what was happening; she continued to be scared.
"Everyone, do not panic. This must be a temporary earthquake we have to endure. No matter what happens, do not leave your seat."
The teacher looked at the students in front of her with a startled expression. Even she tried to make sense of what was happening.
Nothing was coming to Rachael's mind. She could not recall a book or experience telling her what was happening.
Finally, their classroom door slammed open, and another teacher ran past the door. Rachael noticed real fear in the second teacher's eyes.
"A-A dungeon! A dungeon is opening on top of the school. Hurry! We need to get out before we are swallowed inside it."
The teacher yelled, and everyone started shouting and pleading to be saved first. Panic surged throughout the classroom, and everyone tried to be the first out of the door.
"H-Hey, listen to me. Don't run into the corridor. Monsters are…"
The second teacher was not finished speaking when a loud yell reached Rachael's ears. It sounded like the first victim of this dungeon had been decided already.
'What is happening? Why did a dungeon open up in the middle of the school?'
Rachael was not sure what was happening. One minute, it had been an average day, and the next, a dungeon had opened up in her school.
And now, Rachael was stuck trying to figure a way out of here.
'First, I need to relax. The local authorities are informed about a dungeon break one hour after it had been confirmed. By that logic, the local authorities must be on their way to save us.'
Rachael needed to have more confidence in the local authorities. Most were lazy and needed more incentives to help people experiencing poverty. However, they were still connected with public safety.
"Everyone, gather near me. Your former teacher is a lost cause, but I have called the local authorities. They will arrive at the scene any moment now."
The teacher's assurance made many students feel better. Unlike Rachael, these children were still innocent and could feel the charm of believing in a higher power.
That lasted until one of the kids decided to look outside the door. He noticed the giant insect-like monster waving its large claws in the air. The monster looked pissed, and its claws pierced another student's stomach.
Fortunately, the teacher noticed the student in time. A hand forced the student to contain his frightful voice and swallow it back.
"Shhh, don't make a sound. Otherwise, you will lead the monster back to us."
The teacher reminded the kid. He also dragged the kid back into the classroom and watched as the kid heaved heavily.
That was how Rachael knew they were in deep trouble.
"Oh god! We are all going to die! We are all going to die a horrible death."
The kid who had just seen the monster outside the door cried. His eyes flashed with fear, which made Rachael curious. Despite her better judgement, Rachael also took a look outside.
All her classmates and teachers were busy, making it easy for Rachael to slip past their guard.
When she looked outside, the hallway was empty. Their classroom was also located adjacent to the staircase. If they made it to the lower floor's classroom, they could jump out of the window and make it out.
"Excuse me, but the hallway is clear now. I think we get out of here before help arrives."
Rachael theorised, but the teacher looked uncertain.
"Shhh, keep your voice down. Just because we cannot see a monster in the hallway doesn't mean it is not there…"
The teacher complained. His voice was barely loud enough to be heard over the sound of walls cracking.
Another fear was added to their list of problems - the fear of this building collapsing. They needed help as soon as possible.
Usually, a dungeon had a fixed range. But it could also expand if it gained enough power and resources. That was Rachael's biggest fear right now.
*CRASH*
Rachael and everyone else looked up at the crashing noise. The window had broken, and a familiar face stepped into the room.
Rachael remembered this face because she had been paying attention when Luca's underlings had run past her.
"Are you here to save us? Finally, we are saved."
Her teacher trusted this person unconditionally. But Rachael was overcome with an uneasy feeling when she looked at the man before her.
Alarm bells entered her head, and Rachael instantly opened her classroom door. She also jumped halfway out when their 'saviour' approached their teacher. The new man had bloodshot eyes, and his moment did not look lucid.
Luckily for the teacher, another kid noticed this oddity and yelled.
"G-Ghost! Hurry, we need to run."
Finally, their teacher noticed this as well. Their teacher was joyful when he was saved, but it all drained out of his face. Their saviour raised his hand and cracked his fist. It made his claws pop out more than before.
"P-Please, spare me. I swear I did not mean to insult you. Please, spare my life…"
The teacher begged. But he was not even worthy enough to be spared a glance in their saviour's eyes.
The human??? walked past their teacher, and Rachael stood right in the direction. Their eyes met, and Rachael knew that she was a target.
'I need to run.'
Rachael's body moved faster than her brain worked. Before she knew it, she had run past the next corridor and toward the wrong side. Rachael's panic made her run the wrong way and away from her initial destination.
As she had expected - she was the target. The human-skinned monster followed as soon as she ran out of the room.
Rachael's lungs burned after her run. But her body refused to slow down.
Finally, Rachael found herself in front of the other staircase. But the bad news was that she heard many snapping noises from below.
There were a lot of monsters on the lower floor below. Could Rachael make it outside in one piece?
But she did not have a choice in this matter. Rachael braced herself and ran downstairs. The human chasing after Rachael missed her by an inch. It had been a close call.
"Hey, wait! You don't know what you are doing! If you run around like this, you will kill yourself. Instead, let me eat you."
The man yelled back at Rachael, and she felt her heart skip a beat in fear.
'I need to get away.'
Rachael was zoomed in on surviving. She even dodged the monster's claw, reaching for her from her side.
Had Rachael turned back, she would have noticed the monsters dying. The clawed man following after her decimated those who tried to reach for Rachael.
'I need a weapon—the locker room. I need to reach the locker room and grab my bag. It has herbs and other materials which will help me out.'
But the big question was - how to get to the locker room. Just because Rachael had managed to get lucky once did not mean she was lucky.
The sound of footsteps got louder by the second. Rachael held her breath and ducked into the first room she could find.
The name on the doorplate read 'Chemistry Lab'. It was a fancy name for the store.
The government had funded the establishment of a chemistry lab in all schools. But apart from buying a few chemicals and standard equipment, the staff had gobbled up the money.
Rachael felt her heart skip as she looked around and found the smoke machine. It had been donated to their chemistry lab and was their school's pride and joy.
As such, it was only brought out during special occasions. Now was such an occasion.
.........
'Tsk, that stupid child. She managed to escape my claws once more. If this gets back to the other vessels, I will become a laughingstock.'
Rook growled as he followed the delicious scent. It had disappeared while he was busy murdering other demons.
The smell of blood was overpowering. That impacted Rook's senses, and he was left irritated.
He looked down at his watch and noticed how much time had passed. The relief team would be here in about 30 minutes. That was how long he had to catch up with a brat.
"First, you made me destroy my favourite vessel, and now you make me use my card so early. What else would you make me do before I catch you?"
Rook asked, but no one answered him. The red hallway taunted Rook, and he forced his body to move.
The actual owner of this body was a man named Terry. He was also the one who tried to seal Rook before. But Rook's power had been able to overpower Terry for the time being.
*crash*
Rook took one step, and he collapsed. His body hit the floor, and it refused to get back up.
"You little bitch-! How dare you rebel against me? I am the one in control. You have no right to tell me what I can and cannot do in your body."
Rook raged and lashed out at the other consciousness, sharing mental space with him. This was why he heated strong-willed people. They refused to stay down and let him do as he wished.
The actual owner of this body was not afraid of Rook but of his 'young master'.