Jean clenched his fists, looking around at his classmates, their faces pale and fear-stricken. He knew what had to be done, but the thought of facing that thing—of fighting it—made his stomach churn."Alright," he said, his voice wavering but determined. "We need weapons. Anything we can use to... to defend ourselves if it gets in."Ethan gave him a panicked look, his voice barely above a whisper. "Weapons? Dude, we're not in some zombie game. How the hell are we supposed to kill something like that?"Ms. Heather's voice trembled, but she nodded, trying to keep her composure. "Jean's right. We need to be ready for anything. Everyone, look around—pens, scissors, desk legs—anything sharp or heavy."A few students began rummaging through their desks and backpacks, grabbing what they could find. One girl pulled out a pair of scissors, clutching them tightly. A boy near the back yanked a metal ruler from his bag, holding it in both hands like a miniature sword.Jean quickly went to work, breaking a leg off one of the wooden chairs and using it as a makeshift spear. He tore off a strip of fabric from his hoodie, wrapping it around one end to give himself a firmer grip. The adrenaline coursing through him made his hands shake, but he forced himself to steady his breathing.He looked around at his classmates, now armed with an assortment of improvised weapons, though most of them were still trembling, clearly terrified. No one wanted to make the first move, to step up and face the horror banging against the door."Alright," Jean said, his voice steadier than he felt. "If that thing gets in, we'll have to take it down. But..." he looked around, realizing everyone was avoiding his gaze, shrinking back at the idea of actually confronting the creature. He felt the weight of responsibility settling on him. "Fine. I'll do it."The others glanced at him, relief mixed with shock in their eyes. No one else wanted the burden of that decision, and Jean felt a surge of frustration at their silence. But he couldn't blame them—he didn't want to do this either.With a deep breath, Jean positioned himself by the door, his makeshift spear in hand. The creature outside let out another low, guttural moan, ramming into the door again, and then, with a final, sickening crack, the glass panel shattered. A bloodied hand forced its way through the opening, grasping and clawing, the nails caked with dirt and blood."Alright... here goes nothing," Jean muttered, gritting his teeth. He glanced at Ethan, who gave him an encouraging nod, though his own face was ashen.The creature stumbled forward, half-falling through the broken door. Its skin was pale, its eyes empty and clouded over, with streaks of dried blood smeared across its face. The creature's mouth hung open, exposing blood-stained teeth. It lunged forward, mindlessly driven by some primal hunger.Jean took a shaky breath, tightening his grip on the spear. With a grunt, he drove the sharp end forward, plunging it into the creature's chest. The impact jolted through his arms, the creature's flesh giving way under the force. But it didn't stop. The thing let out a low, guttural growl, reaching for him with outstretched hands.Jean clenched his teeth, his heart pounding. He pulled the spear back and, with all his strength, drove it into the creature's head, the improvised weapon sinking deep. The creature's body went limp, collapsing onto the floor with a sickening thud, its empty eyes staring into nothingness.The room fell into stunned silence as everyone stared at Jean, shock and fear etched across their faces. Even Ms. Heather, who had been doing her best to stay calm, looked taken aback, her hand covering her mouth.Jean let out a shaky breath, his hands still clutching the bloodied spear. "Alright... it's dead."Ethan took a step back, swallowing hard. "Dude... you actually... you killed it."Jean nodded, trying to process what he'd just done. He'd never even been in a real fight before, and now he'd just killed... something. He didn't know what it was, but it had felt wrong, unnatural, like every horror movie he'd ever seen come to life."We can't stay here," Jean said, his voice rough. "There could be more of them. We need to get out, now."The room burst into action as students hurriedly removed the barricade, pulling chairs and desks away from the door in a frenzy. As soon as the path was clear, everyone made a dash for the door, shoving and pushing in their panic, their fear overriding any sense of order.Jean glanced back, catching sight of Ms. Heather and Ethan waiting by the doorway, the only two who hadn't rushed out with the rest of the class. He hurried over, gripping the makeshift spear tightly."Guess we're sticking together?" Ethan asked, his voice tense but grateful."Yeah," Jean replied, nodding. "Let's go find the others."Ms. Heather looked at them, worry evident in her eyes. "Are you both okay? I... I don't know what's going on, but I won't leave you two behind."Jean forced a small smile. "Thanks, Ms. Heather. Let's move."As they stepped into the hallway, they were met with an eerie silence, broken only by the faint echoes of distant screams and the muffled sounds of chaos elsewhere in the building. The once-familiar school now felt like a nightmare, the shadows deeper, the corners hiding who-knew-what.Q: What would be your DIY weapons?