Max stood petrified, his eyes locked on the most horrific sight he had ever seen. A towering, black figure, about six feet tall with glowing white eye sockets, was savagely tearing into a fellow student. Its movements were mechanical, devoid of any sympathy or remorse.
Beside him, Jack, fueled by a mixture of bravery and shock, picked up a broken branch the size of a bat. "We can't just watch this happen!" he exclaimed, charging at the creature with determination etched on his face. He swung hard, aiming for the creature's head.
The branch snapped upon impact, but the creature remained unfazed, its chilling gaze turning towards Jack. Max's heart sank as the entity moved with horrifying speed, lashing out at Jack. In moments, it tore him apart in the same brutal manner as its first victim. The sickening sound of Jack's screams filled the air, a haunting echo of despair.
Max, paralyzed by the scene, felt Mia's hand gripping his. "Max, we need to move, now!" she urged, her voice trembling with fear.
Snapped back to reality, Max nodded, and they turned to run. They dashed across the campus, the sounds of chaos and terror following them. The night was alive with screams, and more shadowy figures emerged, attacking students in a frenzied onslaught.
Max and Mia reached the center of campus, right next to the library. Without a word, they darted inside, the heavy doors offering a momentary barrier from the horrors outside.
Once inside, Mia's strength faltered. She slumped against a bookshelf, her body shaking with uncontrollable sobs. "It's... it's all gone wrong. Jack... everyone..." she managed to say between tears.
Max stood beside her, his own emotions a whirlwind of fear, shock, and grief. "I... I don't understand. What are those things? Why is this happening?" he muttered, more to himself than to Mia.
Mia looked up at Max, her eyes red and swollen. "How did our night turn into this nightmare? We were just students... and now, Jack's gone. They're all... What are we going to do, Max?"
Max slid down next to her, his mind racing for answers that wouldn't come. "I don't know, Mia. I really don't know. But we can't give up. We've got to think of something, find a way to stay safe."
They sat in silence, the library's usual tranquility now a stark contrast to the pandemonium outside. Max's thoughts turned to his parents, his friends, the life he had known just hours ago. The sense of loss was overwhelming, the future uncertain.
Mia grabbed Max's hand, seeking some semblance of comfort in the touch. "Max, promise me we'll try to get out of this. Together," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
Max squeezed her hand in response. "I promise, Mia. We'll find a way. For Jack, for everyone we've lost tonight. We won't let this be the end."
Their pact made, Max and Mia sat huddled in the library, surrounded by books and the ghosts of a world that seemed to have vanished overnight. The night outside grew deeper, the unknown horrors lurking just beyond the doors, but in that moment, they found a flicker of hope in their shared determination to survive.