“Girl, I am so not ready for this pop quiz today,” Jayla complained, sliding into the seat beside Matsui. “I stayed up way too late watching anime last night trying to understand physics.”

Matsui smiled sympathetically as she pulled out her textbook. “I can help you study after school. The concepts get easier with practice.”

“You’re a real one, Matsui,” said Jayla gratefully. “I gotta stop binge-watching shows and actually crack these books.”

Their conversation halted as Reira entered the classroom. Matsui studied her cautiously. The normally boisterous girl had a vacant expression today, shoulders slumped and eyes downcast. She collapsed into her chair without even glancing at the other students.

“She looks pretty down,” Matsui whispered to Jayla. “I wonder if something happened.”

Jayla shrugged. “Maybe she’s just spacing out. I can’t imagine a bully like her having real feelings.”

Before Matsui could reply, the teacher called the class to attention. As physics formulas and terminology filled the whiteboard, Matsui’s focus kept drifting to the sullen girl two rows up. Reira hadn’t insulted or even acknowledged anyone today. It was decidedly out of character.

Exclamations from around the room interrupted Matsui’s musings. Students clustered at the windows, chattering excitedly and pointing outside. Matsui hurried over to see for herself. She gasped.

The sky boiled with dark, heavy clouds. Jagged streaks of purple lightning crawled through the billowing formations. An ominous vortex swirled at the storm’s epicenter, ringed by sickly pulsating light.

Matsui squinted at the small shapes plummeting from the vortex. They seemed to land on the city streets. She struggled to make out any details from this distance. An unsettled feeling churned within her.

“What’s happening?” Jayla asked nervously. Matsui could only shake her head, unease growing. She had seen nothing like those swirling, ominous clouds.

The classroom speaker suddenly cracked to life. “Attention students and staff. A city-wide emergency has been declared. Evacuate the premises immediately in a calm and orderly fashion. This is not a drill.”

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Several students screamed. The teacher tried settling the panicking class before herding everyone into the hall. All around, classroom doors opened to reveal similar chaotic scenes. Matsui felt Jayla grip her hand tightly as they joined the jostling crowd. Teachers shouted instructions, attempting to maintain some flow toward the exits. Another announcement ordered students to find evacuation partners and remain with them.

“Stay close to me, okay?” said Jayla. Matsui nodded, pressing nearer to her friend’s side. She was grateful not to be alone right now. In the churning mass of bodies, she glimpsed Reira being swept along as well, her face still eerily blank.

The evacuation crowd bottlenecked approaching the main entrance, everyone pushing urgently. Matsui heard exclamations from the front, followed by blood-curdling screams. Teachers called for calm, their voices tinged with panic.

Without warning, the doors burst inward off their hinges. Matsui recoiled at the sight of the creatures forcing their way into the school. At first glance, they appeared to be normal people - students, a janitor, a woman in office attire. But then Matsui saw the ripped, blood-soaked clothing, decayed gray flesh, pure white eyes - and the blood smeared around their gaping jaws.

These were walking corpses. Zombies! They must have been those strange shapes dropping from the vortex outside. Matsui’s mind reeled in disbelief even as the nightmarish scene unfolded before her.

With unnatural speed, the zombies attacked the evacuation group, their jaws biting and tearing flesh mercilessly. Blood sprayed as they ripped throats out. The screaming and sobbing around Matsui rose to a fever pitch amidst the carnage. She stood paralyzed, unable to process this hellish reality.

“Run!” Jayla’s voice cut through Matsui’s shock. Before she could react, Jayla yanked her down a side hallway away from the bloodbath. Matsui’s senses returned in time to see Reira close behind them. The three girls sprinted around a corner just as a zombie broke from the feasting horde to pursue them.

They scrambled into an empty classroom, the last one slamming the door shut behind them. Matsui fumbled to lock it with trembling hands before staggering back. A thud against the door made them flinch. Shadows moved behind the frosted glass, but no one tried entering.

The girls stood frozen, ears straining. The screams had faded now, replaced only by savage growls and tearing sounds. Bile rose in Matsui’s throat as she realized the zombies were feasting on the dead... and any stragglers still alive. They had to get out of here.

“What do we do?” she whispered, voice quavering.

Jayla shook her head slowly, face pale. “I don’t know. But we can’t stay here. We need to find a way out.”

Reira’s expression was still eerily numb as she sank against the teacher’s desk. “We’re not getting out,” she said dully. “We’re going to die here...with them.”

The bleak words hung heavy over them. Matsui wanted to protest, but she knew Reira was likely right. The ravenous walking corpses trapped them inside a school. Only a miracle could save them now. She squeezed her eyes shut against escalating tears, praying for an answer before the monsters inevitably broke through the fragile door.