"And if you thought yesterday was cold, brace yourselves—because last night's temperatures shattered previous records for early October. We're looking at an unseasonably frigid week ahead, folks, with lows dipping well below average. Experts say—"
The anchor's voice crackled through the speakers as the classroom TV broadcasted the morning news. A red banner at the bottom of the screen read: [COLDEST OCTOBER IN DECADES?], while cut scenes of a map of the state flashed beside the anchor, with deep blues and purple hues swirling on it.
Students murmured amongst themselves, huddled in their hoodies and puffer jackets. Someone sniffled, while another's desk squeaked as they tried to huddle themselves tightly against the cold.
Near the back of the room, Ava Carter pulled her hoodie tighter around her face as a faint mist of breath escaped from her dry, red lips.
Some thin, whitish dry dew clung to her now loose-hanging black silky hair.
Her sharp, angular face—the kind that made people assume she was more serious than she really was—looked even more intense. Though her usually nourished and moisturized olive skin now felt like it had been drained of water.
Meanwhile, the heater in the classroom rattled and groaned against the cold, as if it would die any minute.
"—meteorologists are still unsure what's causing this sudden drop, but one thing's for sure—"
The TV screen cuts to black with a sharp click.
"Alright, that's enough of that," Mr. Lawson said, placing the remote on the podium as he strode into the classroom. "Let's get seated."
Groans rippled through the room as students slumped back into their chairs. The news had at least been a distraction from the chill.
Ava exhaled, rubbing her hands together. It wasn't even supposed to be this cold yet 'October had barely begun, but the temperature had been dropping all week'. Ava thought.
'It's weird, this cold—it feels heavy, like it's sinking into my bones and clinging there'
"Ugh, is it just me, or is this place freezing?" Riley groaned beside her, burying her face in her folded arms. "I swear, if they don't fix the radiator soon, I'm staging a protest."
Ava smirked. "Yeah, that worked so well for you in the past."
Riley lifted her head just enough to glare at her. "Hey, my 'No Homework on Fridays' petition got twenty-three signatures, okay?"
"Yeah, and absolutely no results."
"Whatever." Riley sat up, shivering. "Seriously, though. It's way colder than last year, right?"
Ava frowned. Riley was right, though she hadn't thought much of it until now.
Mr. Dawson, their homeroom teacher, cleared his throat and said, "Alright, class, focus up. I know it's a little chilly, but—" He paused, frowning at the window.
Ava followed his gaze.
Outside, the sky had gone pale. A strange, murky gray, like dirty snow.
"Ugh!" She hadn't noticed it before, but something about it made her stomach clench.
Mr. Dawson shook his head and continued. "—but that's no excuse to slack off. Let's move on to thermodynamics. Who can tell me—"
But then, suddenly, a sharp cracking noise cut through the air, startling the whole class.
"What the hell was that?" someone muttered.
Ava turned toward the window again. The trees lining the schoolyard were shaking, their branches coated in a thick layer of whitish substance.
'Is it snow?' Ava thought in amazement. That whitish substance looked like snow.
She frowned. That wasn't normal. Although the temperature was low, it wasn't cold enough for ice to freeze on the trees, and there had been no snowfall that morning.
Riley nudged her. "Tell me that's just some freak weather thing."
"Probably," Ava said casually, but the unease in her stomach tightened.
"Okay, get back to your seats," Mr. Dawson said.
Ava turned back and sat down, but as she did, from the corner of her eye, she saw Liam Carter lean back in his chair, arms crossed, staring in her direction.
But that wasn't what felt odd. Ava had a huge crush on Liam, and many times she had stolen glances at him.
So she knew his usual demeanor, but today, he wasn't chatting with his football teammates, nor was he half-asleep like he usually was in class. Instead, he looked... uneasy.
'Why—why is he looking at me?' Ava thought, doubting herself in embarrassment.
But as she tracked his gaze again, he was actually looking at the window.
"Phew." Ava took a breath of regret. 'Yeah, why would the top guy in school—the one every girl wants to be with—even look at me?' She thought, staring at Liam.
'Star quarterback—check. Football team captain—check. Top scores in academics—check. A perfect hot body—check'.
"Is there anything in this world that he doesn't excel in?" Ava whispered softly.
"What? Who?" Riley looked at Ava, confused by her question.
"Ah, nothing."
Dodging Riley's question, she looked back at Liam, but this time, he wasn't looking at the window.
He was looking straight at her.
"Umm..." Embarrassed, Ava's breath hitched. She quickly turned her face forward.
"Ugh, how can I be this stupid?"
Soon, her focus shifted to Mr. Dawson's lecture, until the heater groaned again, sputtering. Then, with a loud CLUNK, it died.
A collective groan filled the room.
"Oh, come on," Riley muttered. "This school is actually the worst."
Mr. Dawson sighed. "I'll call maintenance. In the meantime, focus."
Everyone tried, but now the cold was creeping in even more.
Shivering, Ava tried to keep herself focused while rubbing her arms, but the cold now felt like it was creeping into her bones.
→→ →
By the time lunch rolled around, the whole school was talking about the weather.
"Did you hear?" Riley said, dropping her tray onto the table. "They canceled the football game tonight. Said the field's completely frozen over."
Ava blinked. "But it was fine yesterday."
"Yeah, well, apparently it's not now."
While they chatted, a sudden loud burst of laughter caught Ava's attention from across the cafeteria.
It was Liam and his group, sitting with the usual crowd—football players, cheerleaders, the golden circle of popularity. With a gorgeous blonde girl sitting beside him—Mia Reed, Liam's girlfriend.
Seeing Mia leaning over to Liam made Ava's stomach twist. 'Stop it, Ava', she thought, turning her gaze away.
But before she could, Liam's eyes lifted—straight to her.
Their gazes locked, both frozen for a second, but then Mia touched Liam's arm, jolting him back.
Liam blinked and turned away, breaking the eye contact.
Sigh. Ava exhaled. 'Stop being an idiot', she thought, turning back to her food.
Before she could spiral further, a group of students near the windows started shouting.
"Holy crap, look at that!"
Ava and her group turned in the direction of the shouts.
The courtyard, which had been clear that morning, was now blanketed in white frost. A thick frost creeping up even the windows in jagged patterns, as if something had grown over the glass.
The students nearest the windows pressed their hands against them, talking excitedly.
"This is insane."
"I've never seen ice spread that fast."
"Dude, take a video."
Slowly, Ava reached towards the glass. Her fingertips brushed the surface—it was cold and even sticky.
A bad feeling curled in her stomach, and she immediately withdrew her hand.
Then, suddenly, a loud BANG echoed across the cafeteria.
"Ahhhh!"
A student had slipped near the entrance, their tray scattering across the tile. But that wasn't what made Ava's blood go cold—it was their hand.
The student's hand hung down as if it had no life in it, while the skin looked… wrong. Discolored. Fingers pale blue, veins dark against the skin.
The girl screamed upon seeing the state of her hand. "Ahhh, it—it's cold! My hand!"
Ava's heart pounded with uneasiness and pity, while Riley grabbed her arm. "Okay. That's creepy."
Before Ava could move to help the girl, a low hum vibrated through the air. The cafeteria lights flickered.
Then, in an instant—the power cut out.
A collective hush fell over the students.
Ava's breath caught as the silence stretched. Until—
A high-pitched scream came from outside, terrifying everyone.
Ava turned back toward the window just in time to see something move in the frost—something human-shaped.
"Some—something's not right," Ava whispered low.
And then, the screaming really started.