"Alright, we'll stay here for now, until Ethan comebacks," Thomas declared as he and his team quickly secured the doors of the now-abandoned T2E. The once vibrant classroom had been transformed into a makeshift shelter; desks and chairs were haphazardly arranged, and the windows were barricaded with whatever materials they could scavenge. The air was thick with fear and uncertainty.
A sudden, urgent knock rattled the locked door. "Who's in here? And why's the door locked?" a mysterious voice demanded, its tone both commanding and desperate. Moments later, the plea followed: "Please… open the door! It's coming!" The fragility in that second call set everyone's nerves on edge.
"Oi, sort that window out," Thomas ordered in his distinct British drawl, his voice firm amidst the storm of fear. One of the girls stepped forward, her hands visibly trembling. She approached the barricaded window and pressed her face against the grimy glass. Outside, in the weak light, she saw a boy, not much older than any of them, slumped desperately against the door. His disheveled hair framed a face drained of color, and his eyes were wide with terror. One arm was brutally missing, and a trail of blood marked his side. In a desperate bid for rescue, he was using his head to pound at the door.
"It's a boy… he's hurt bad," she whispered, her voice shaking with dread as she relayed what she had seen.
A murmur of anxious speculation rippled through the group. "What if it's some trick by the aliens?" one boy ventured, his attempt at humor failing to mask deep-seated fear.
Then, as if to underscore their peril, a deep, menacing growl echoed from the distance—a sound that sent chills down everyone's spine and deepened the foreboding that already filled the room.
Thomas looked around at his frightened team, their expressions a mix of panic and desperate hope. The choice before them was stark: risk everything by opening the door and doing what they could to save the dying boy, or remain safely tucked away and let another life fade into despair.
With the growl growing louder and time running short, Thomas felt the weight of the decision pressing down on him. In that charged, silent moment, the answer was clear.
Thomas had to make a decision fast!