The days leading up to the incident felt like a storm brewing. The signs were growing more obvious: strange behavior in animals, the unsettling presence of the crows at school, and the news reports about glowing-eyed creatures attacking their owners. Ethan knew the clock was ticking, but every day felt like the world around him was sleepwalking toward disaster.

His patience was wearing thin. He was tired of seeing everyone pretend life was normal when he knew the apocalypse was creeping closer. When the incident came, it hit like a flash of lightning.

It started in history class. Ethan sat at his desk, staring out the window. A flock of crows had gathered on the roof again, their black eyes gleaming unnaturally in the sunlight. They didn’t move, even as the wind blew. They just watched.

“Ethan?” Mr. Carter’s voice jolted him out of his thoughts. “Would you care to explain how this connects to the Cold War?”

Ethan blinked, realizing the entire class was staring at him. “Uh, sorry. What was the question?”

Snickers rippled through the room. Jake Cooper, sitting two rows over, leaned back in his chair with a smirk. “Maybe he was busy planning his next anime marathon.”

The class laughed, but Ethan didn’t care. His eyes darted back to the window, the unease in his chest growing. Something wasn’t right.

Then the fire alarm blared.

Students jumped in their seats, startled by the shrill sound. Mr. Carter frowned, waving for everyone to stand. “Alright, let’s go. Single file, everyone.”

Ethan hesitated, his body tense. He didn’t trust this. His instincts screamed at him to stay on high alert. The alarm felt too coincidental.

As they filed into the hallway, the chaos began.

At first, it was subtle: students muttering about something moving near their feet, startled yelps, and then the first scream.

“RATS!” someone shouted, their voice echoing through the corridor.

Dozens of them poured out from vents, cracks in the walls, and the stairwell. They weren’t normal rats. Their eyes glowed faintly, and their movements were unnaturally fast, coordinated. They darted through the crowd, their sharp teeth glinting as they lunged at students.

The hallway erupted into panic. Students screamed, shoving each other in their rush to escape. A girl fell, shrieking as a rat clawed at her leg. Another student tried to kick one away, only to stumble as more swarmed toward him.

Ethan froze for a heartbeat, his chest tightening. This wasn’t just an infestation—this was a sign. The mutation was spreading faster than he expected.

“Everyone, get to the exits!” a teacher shouted, trying to herd the panicked students. But the chaos was too much. The rats were everywhere.

Ethan spotted a broom leaning against a janitor’s cart. Without thinking, he grabbed it and swung it hard at the nearest rat, sending it flying into the lockers with a sickening crack. Its glowing eyes dimmed as it stopped moving.

“They’re dangerous!” Ethan shouted, his voice cutting through the noise. “Get out of here!”

But no one was listening. Another rat lunged at a younger student, its teeth bared. Ethan stepped in, swinging the broom like a bat and smashing the rat against the floor. Blood splattered, and the student scrambled away, sobbing.

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The swarm thickened. Rats poured out of the vents like a living tide, their high-pitched squeaks blending into a deafening chorus. Ethan didn’t stop swinging. Each hit was brutal, sending blood and fur flying. He crushed one rat under his foot as it tried to bite his ankle, then spun to knock another off a girl’s shoulder.

Near the lockers, Sarah Matthews stood frozen, her back pressed against the metal as three rats scurried toward her. Ethan’s heart pounded as he charged, slamming the broom down on one rat and kicking another into the wall. He grabbed the third by its tail and swung it hard, its body smashing against the floor.

“Are you okay?” he asked, panting.

Sarah nodded shakily, her wide eyes fixed on the blood-streaked broom in his hands. “What... what’s happening?”

“Get out of here,” Ethan said sharply. “Now.”

Before she could respond, another wave of rats poured in, their glowing eyes locking onto the students who hadn’t escaped yet. Ethan gritted his teeth, gripping the broom tighter.

One rat launched itself at his chest. He barely managed to knock it away, but its claws tore through his shirt, leaving shallow scratches on his skin. Another darted toward his leg, but he stomped on it, its body crunching under his weight.

Blood spattered his hands and clothes, the metallic tang filling the air. The floor was slick with gore, but Ethan didn’t stop. He couldn’t.

“Graves!” a voice shouted.

Ethan turned to see Ms. Parker, one of the teachers, storming toward him. Her face was pale, but her voice was firm. “What are you doing?! Drop that broom and get outside!”

“They’re mutated!” Ethan snapped, swinging at another rat. “We can’t just run! They’ll keep coming!”

“You’re endangering the other students!” Ms. Parker grabbed his arm, trying to pull him away.

Ethan wrenched free, his frustration boiling over. “I’m trying to save them!”

But Ms. Parker wasn’t listening. “If you don’t stop this right now, you’re going straight to the principal’s office!”

Ethan ignored her, stepping forward to protect a group of students trapped near the stairwell. He grabbed a fire extinguisher off the wall and slammed it into the nearest rat, its body breaking with a sickening crunch.

By now, the school resource officer had arrived, his voice booming over the chaos. “Graves! Put it down, now!”

Ethan turned, his chest heaving, the fire extinguisher dripping with blood. The officer’s hand was on his holstered taser, his expression tense. For a moment, Ethan considered running—but he knew it wouldn’t help.

With a frustrated growl, he dropped the extinguisher and raised his hands.

The principal’s office was silent, save for the faint ticking of the clock on the wall. Ethan sat in the chair across from Principal McCall, his clothes still streaked with blood and grime. His fists clenched in his lap as he stared at the floor.

“Ethan,” McCall began, his voice calm but stern. “Do you want to explain what happened?”

“They were dangerous,” Ethan said flatly. “I was protecting people.”

McCall sighed, leaning back in his chair. “You seriously injured several animals, caused panic among the students, and ignored direct instructions from your teachers. Do you realize how reckless that was?”

“They weren’t just animals!” Ethan snapped, his eyes blazing. “They were mutated! If I hadn’t done something, more people could’ve been hurt!”

McCall frowned. “Mutated? Ethan, this isn’t a sci-fi movie. You’re lucky no one got seriously injured—except the rats. But as it stands, I have no choice but to suspend you for three days.”

Ethan shot to his feet, his frustration boiling over. “You don’t understand. This is just the beginning. If you don’t start preparing now, none of this will matter.”

McCall’s expression hardened. “That’s enough. Go home, Ethan. We’ll discuss this further when you return.”

Ethan stormed out of the office, his fists clenched so tightly his nails dug into his palms. The world didn’t have time for this.

When Ethan got home, Dakota was waiting for him. “What the hell happened at school?” he demanded. “They called Dad.”

Ethan dropped his backpack on the floor, his jaw tight. “I did what I had to do.”

“Yeah? And now you’re suspended!” Dakota shouted, his voice filled with anger and worry. “You’re scaring me, Ethan. What’s going on?”

Ethan hesitated, his mind racing. He couldn’t tell Dakota everything—not yet. But he couldn’t keep brushing him off either.

“You just have to trust me,” Ethan said finally. “Things are going to get worse. I need you to trust me.”

Dakota stared at him, his expression a mix of frustration and fear. “You’re not making any sense, man.”

“I will,” Ethan said quietly. “Soon.”

Time Until Cataclysm: 255 Days, 10 Hours, 22 Minutes.