Careful not to trip on all the debris that lay on the floor, I got to the foyer and jumped over the counter sliding along it, thinking I looked like a parkour expert in the execution of the leap.

I pushed the door to the kitchenette but it was stuck, so I crouched slightly and used my shoulder to ram it. The shaking must have made something fall down behind it, I thought as I pushed against it again with all my might. This time whatever was blocking the way moved and slid across the floor as the door opened. I put my head around the corner and saw that the gym teacher Mr Margoyles was laying on his back on the floor behind it.

“Mr Margoyles! Are you okay?” I exclaimed in fright as I pushed through the doorway and into the kitchen area. I quickly knelt down beside him and shook his shoulders gently.

“Mr Margoyles? Can you hear me?” I looked at his face. His eyes were wide open and his tongue hung awkwardly from out of the side of his partially open mouth. I felt his cheek with the back of my hand and his skin was cold and pale. There was a blue tinge around his mouth and I put my head on his chest listening for a heartbeat. There was none.

Mr Margoyles was dead.

Stunned, I fell back onto the floor beside him. Taking a deep breath, I reached forward and closed his eyes with my fingertips.

“Ariah?! I heard the others calling. Where are you?! We need to move!”

Jumping up I hastily looked for the small kitchenette fridge and located it over the other side of the room. I ran over to it, throwing open its door causing it to fall forward tipping out containers and water bottles from the shelves. Mr Margoyles' lunch container fell on the floor beside me and I quickly looked back at him realising that he wouldn’t be needing it anymore.

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

Seeing a kit bag on a table in the corner, I reached for it, shaking all the contents out of it onto the floor. I quickly scooped up the water bottles and containers of food, ramming them into the bag.

There was a vending machine near the window, with food and beverages inside it. Looking around the room for something to break the glass panel with, I saw a chair by the table. I grabbed it and using all my strength, I lifted it above my head, bringing it down on the panel. The glass smashed on contact and the vending machine wobbled and started spewing out packets and plastic bottles.

Using what Reese had shown me, I wrapped my hand in my sweatshirt and broke the rest of the glass around the edges of the panel and reached in grabbing as much food as I could. I filled up the kit bag to overflowing and then flung it over my shoulder. It was heavy but in my survival state I didn’t feel it weighing on me.

I stepped over Mr Margoyles, giving him one last look.

“Rest in peace, Mr Margoyles. Thanks for being a great teacher.” I murmured tears filling my eyes, I wiped them away with the back of my hand and left the kitchenette.

I put the bag up on the counter and went to jump back over it, as I did so a loud rumbling started and the room around me shook. I looked across the foyer and saw the others motioning for me to hurry up.

At that moment the roof between us caved in and blocked the doorway back to the gym. With the force of the trembling, I fell backwards off the counter top onto the floor, the kit bag fell down on top of my stomach, knocking the wind out of me.

As I groaned, I looked up just as a beam came down from the ceiling above me.

“Oh no!” I cried as I put my hands up to cover my face.