Zara jumped as the loud thud hit the janitor closet door.
She clutched Liam's shirt tightly. "Did you hear that?"
Another noise. Louder this time — shouting. Then footsteps. Then… screaming?
Liam leaned closer to the door. "What the hell is happening out there?"
They stood frozen, holding their breath. The noise kept growing — thudding feet, slamming lockers, frantic voices. Something was happening.
Zara reached for the door handle. "Don't open it yet," Liam whispered.
But she already had.
The door creaked open slowly, and they peered into the hallway, bracing for… something.
And then—
A rush of students.
Sprinting down the hall, some laughing, some shouting. A girl yelled, "He's here! He's here! Omg move!!"
Another screamed, "Is that him?! IT'S ACTUALLY HIM!!"
Zara blinked. "What the—?"
Phones were out. Cameras flashing. Girls squealing. A small crowd pushing through the hallway.
Zara stepped out fully now, staring. At the center of the chaos: a guy in a hoodie with sunglasses and a tiny security team.
A celebrity.
Apparently.
"Is that Jace Roman?" Liam squinted. "The one from that weird Netflix show?"
Zara gave him a look. "That weird Netflix show made you cry, don't lie."
He smirked. "Okay, maybe once."
The bell rang.
Just like that — the crowd dispersed. Students drifted off, giddy and breathless. Class resumed like nothing happened.
⸻
Later that day
Zara sat in Biology, half-listening, half-texting Ava under the table. Mr. Winston was rambling about cell reproduction, which felt ironic considering she and Liam were almost making out in a janitor's closet earlier.
Liam sat behind her now, gently tapping her shoe with his. She glanced back, rolling her eyes with a tiny smile.
"Focus," she mouthed.
He winked.
Everything felt normal again. Just regular school chaos. Gossip. Doodles in notebooks. The sound of chalk on the board.
She didn't even remember what the panic had felt like earlier. It seemed silly now.
⸻
The Next Day
Zara woke up humming happily.
She picked out her favorite hoodie,wore her ironed uniform,this time she took her time to dress well even though she was an hour late,she lip-glossed her smile, and left the house with the kind of bounce in her step only teenagers with fresh drama and a secret boyfriend could have.
At school, Liam met her at the gate, hair messy, sleepy-eyed, stupidly handsome. "Hey."
She smacked his chest lightly. "You're always late."
"You love it," he said.
And she did.
The morning passed in a blur of class chatter, whispered insults, and way-too-loud locker slams. She laughed too hard at Ava's jokes. Shared snacks she wasn't supposed to. Drew a tiny heart on Liam's arm in pen with her legs on top of his lap.
Then it happened again.
That sound.
Rushing footsteps.
Zara looked up from her notebook.
At first, nobody cared. A few students turned toward the hallway, bored.
"It's probably that Jace guy again or another celebrity," someone muttered.
Everyone relaxed.
Until they heard the banging.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
It wasn't coming from the hallway this time.
It was the classroom door.
"HELP ME! PLEASE!" someone screamed from outside.
Everyone froze.
"Open the door!" the voice cracked, desperate. "She bit me! She BIT ME!!"
The room went silent.
Zara stood slowly, walking to the door with Liam right behind her, both wondering what was going on. Not that worried yet as they thought it might be a fight.
Through the narrow window, they saw a boy — he was crying, pounding on the glass.
Behind him… a girl.
Her mouth and shirt were soaked in blood.
And her eyes—
They weren't human anymore.
⸻