The next day, Jean was doing his best to "focus" in Ms. Heather's class, but with her leaning over the desk, writing notes on the board, and her fitted blouse hugging her chest, he found it nearly impossible. He exchanged a knowing glance with Evan, who sat beside him, his mouth slightly open as he stared at her."Dude, it's, like... they're defying gravity," Evan muttered, leaning over to Jean with a smirk.Jean snorted, trying to suppress his laughter. "Shut up, man. She's gonna hear you."Just then, the loudspeaker crackled to life. Principal Stevens' voice came through, sounding unusually tense."All teachers, please lock your doors and close your blinds immediately. This is not a drill. Repeat: lock your doors and close your blinds."The usual hum of chatter in the classroom stilled. Ms. Heather froze mid-sentence, her cheerful expression replaced by a look of confusion and concern. She quickly moved to lock the door and pull down the blinds.Jean shot Evan a look, his heart picking up pace. "Dude, you think it's, like... a shooter?"Evan shrugged, but his face was pale. "I dunno, man. It's gotta be, right?"But something felt off. There was a nervous tension, yes, but the teachers were moving with a strange urgency, like they weren't just locking the doors as a routine. There was real fear in the air.Jean couldn't resist. He leaned over and gently lifted a corner of the blind to peek outside. What he saw made his blood run cold.A figure was stumbling across the school's lawn, looking strangely out of place. Their clothes were tattered, and they walked with an unsteady, jerking gait. Two security guards at the entrance shouted at the figure, but they didn't respond."What the hell?" Jean muttered, feeling Evan lean closer to peek as well.Outside, the guards approached the figure, their voices growing louder. "Hey! This is private property! You can't be here!" One of the guards grabbed the figure's shoulder, trying to turn them around.In one swift, brutal motion, the figure lunged forward and sunk its teeth into the guard's neck. Blood sprayed as the guard's scream echoed, followed by horrified shouts from students and staff who had gathered nearby."Oh, shit!" Jean gasped, nearly dropping the blind.Evan's face had gone pale, his mouth agape. "Is... is he biting him?"The guard fell to the ground, clutching his bleeding neck, while the second guard tried to wrestle the attacker away. But the figure moved with a disturbing strength, swatting the second guard to the ground with ease. The attacker turned, blood dripping from their mouth, eyes vacant and glazed over.In a horrifying, gut-wrenching moment, the guard who'd been bitten began to stir. He got back to his feet, his movements slow and jerky, just like his attacker's. His skin was pale, his eyes unfocused, and blood was still gushing from his neck.Jean and Evan could only stare, frozen in disbelief."What... what the hell is happening?" Jean whispered, his voice barely audible.Ms. Heather noticed their horrified expressions and hurried over, pulling down the blind fully. "Jean, Evan, sit down. Don't look outside, okay?" Her usual cheerful tone was gone, replaced by a trembling edge.The other students began whispering nervously, trying to make sense of the announcement and what little they could hear and see. Chloe, sitting across the room, was tapping away on her phone with a bored expression, as if oblivious to the chaos outside. Brad, sitting next to her, looked annoyed, glancing at the clock as though the whole thing was an inconvenience.Jean sat back down, his heart racing. "Dude, that was like... some Walking Dead shit. They bit him, and he just... got back up."Evan nodded, visibly shaken. "I... I don't know, man. Maybe we're imagining things? Maybe it's like... I dunno, some weird drug thing?""Drugs don't make you bite people and come back from the dead, Evan."Ms. Heather's voice rose over the students' chatter. "Alright, everyone, please stay calm. I'm sure this is just a precaution, and we'll be safe here until it's over."But her face betrayed her words. She looked as terrified as the students felt.In the silence that followed, they heard muffled screams and shouts from the hallway, echoing through the thick walls. Jean's palms were sweaty, his mind racing with a million questions. Could this really be happening?The room fell silent as the sound of shattering glass echoed up from below, carrying with it a sense of dread that settled over everyone like a thick fog. Every student went still, eyes wide as they exchanged terrified glances. The silence stretched, tense and expectant, until Brad, who had been looking bored moments before, stood up and put on a bravado."Man, it's probably just some psycho causing trouble. Bet I could take 'em down if they come up here."Evan rolled his eyes but stayed silent, too rattled to even respond with his usual sarcasm.But then the sound of footsteps echoed down the hall, slow and dragging, each step scraping ominously against the tile. Everyone went quiet, even Brad, as the tension in the room thickened. The footsteps drew closer, slow and shuffling, and then a figure appeared at the doorway, silhouetted in the glass panel.The figure's head tilted oddly, and then, with a sickening crack, they rammed their forehead against the glass of the door, leaving a dark smear as they drew back and slammed into it again.A strangled scream tore from Brad, his bravado vanishing as he scrambled back. "Oh, shit! Oh shit, what the hell is that?!"Jean, who was watching in horror, felt his mind racing, panic clawing at his throat. But something in him took over—a sudden surge of adrenaline and clarity that cut through the fear. Without wasting a second, he grabbed his table, shoving it against the door as the figure outside rammed into it again."Everyone, help me!" Jean shouted, his voice cutting through the panic. "We need to barricade this door, now!"The other students stared in shock, frozen for a moment before the urgency in Jean's voice shook them into action. Evan jumped up first, grabbing his desk and pushing it next to Jean's, adding weight against the door. Others followed, the sounds of chairs scraping and desks clattering filling the room as they piled whatever they could find against the door.Brad, still trembling, stumbled forward, muttering incoherently. "Wh-what is that thing? Why is it banging its head like that?"Jean shot him a glare. "I don't know, man! Just help us keep it out!"Ms. Heather, clearly shaken but determined to protect her students, joined in, shoving a chair against the barricade with trembling hands. "Everyone, stay calm. Just... keep putting things in front of the door. We need to make sure it can't get in."They could hear the figure outside growling, its head hitting the door over and over, each impact louder and more forceful. The small glass panel on the door had cracked, spiderwebbing under the repeated blows. With every slam, the fear in the room grew.Evan, his face pale and sweating, glanced over at Jean, panic clear in his eyes. "Dude... this is like some kind of horror movie. What if there are more of them?""Let's just focus on this one first," Jean replied, gritting his teeth as he shoved another chair against the door. "If we can keep it out, we'll figure out what to do next."Brad, who had finally joined the barricade efforts, was still shaking. "This... this can't be happening. I mean, it's not like... it can't be a zombie, right? That's not real..."The figure outside let out a low, guttural groan that cut through the room, sending chills down everyone's spines. It slammed into the door again, the glass panel now smeared with dark stains, tiny fractures spreading like spiderwebs. The door itself was starting to strain under the impacts, the wood splintering slightly around the lock.Ms. Heather's voice was strained but steady. "Everyone, keep calm. We just need to hold this door until help arrives, okay?"Jean swallowed, nodding. He glanced at the door, hoping, praying, that whatever this thing was, it would only be a matter of time before it broke through.Q: What would you do if you were in the classroom in this situation?