THE LAST BELL

The crimson feast.

“Run! They’re everywhere!” Evelyn screamed as the infected swarmed into the cafeteria.

The room was in chaos. Students screamed, chairs fell over, plates shattered, and blood painted the floor. 

The infected tore into anyone who fell, ripping flesh with sharp teeth. The air smelled of blood, fear, and death.

Sophia’s heart pounded. She grabbed the nearest door handle and pulled it open. 

A cold breeze hit her face—it was the freezer. Without thinking, she rushed inside and pulled the heavy door shut.

Darkness swallowed her. The only sound was her shaky breath. But outside, the horror continued. Screams echoed, bones cracked, and claws scraped against the freezer door.

“Oh no… oh no…” Sophia whispered, pressing her back against the wall. She covered her mouth with trembling hands. 

Blood pooled under the door, sliding across the cold floor. The infected were right there.

Claws dragged slowly against the metal, screeching like nails on a chalkboard.

“Please… don’t find me,” she whispered, tears rolling down her cheeks.

Meanwhile, Evelyn and Rowan ran down the hallway, their footsteps echoing.

“Where is he? Where’s Axel?” Rowan shouted.

“He must be in the basement,” Evelyn replied, panting. “If we don’t find him now, Mason will get to him first!”

They pushed open the heavy basement door. The air grew colder as they descended. The flickering lights made shadows stretch across the walls.

Rowan looked at Evelyn. “You really think Axel can stop Mason?”

“He has to,” Evelyn answered. “If not… we’re all dead.”

On the other side of the school, Ethan faced Damian.

Damian was no longer human. His body was twisted, larger, and stronger. His claws dripped with black blood, and his glowing red eyes burned with hatred.

“You think you can stop me, Ethan?” Damian roared. “I am stronger than ever!”

Ethan raised the glowing sword. “I don’t care how strong you are. You killed too many. This ends now!”

He charged forward. The sword slashed across Damian’s chest. The blade glowed brighter, bursting with white light as it cut into the monster’s flesh. Damian roared in pain, stumbling back.

The sword pulsed in Ethan’s hands. It wanted more.

“Take him down!” Lena cried from behind. “You can do it!”

But Ethan groaned. His arms shook. The sword was heavy—too heavy. Every strike drained his strength. His knees buckled, and sweat poured down his face.

“What’s happening?” Ethan gasped.

Lena’s eyes widened. “The sword… It’s not just fighting. It’s feeding.”

The blade glowed brighter, almost alive. Ethan dropped to one knee. His hand shook, but the sword kept moving on its own, slashing again and again at Damian. Each strike drained Ethan’s life force, but the sword refused to stop.

“Stop… stop!” Ethan begged, but the weapon only burned hotter in his grip.

Deep underground, Mason stood in the center of the dark chamber. Skeletons crawled from the ground, their bones rattling as they surrounded him. He raised his hand, and they bowed like soldiers.

Mason laughed, the sound cold and cruel. “Do you see? I was never infected. That bite was not a curse—it was a ritual.”

Axel, standing across the chamber, shook his head. His chest burned with pain, the mark glowing red. “What are you talking about?”

Mason’s eyes gleamed. “I was chosen, Axel. Chosen as your rival. One ruler, one destroyer. That’s the prophecy. And you know it.”

Axel’s hands trembled. “No… that can’t be true.”

“Look at the mark on your chest,” Mason sneered. “Feel how it burns when I get closer. You and I are bound by fate. Only one of us can lead, and the other must fall.”

Axel staggered, clutching his chest. The burning was unbearable.

Suddenly, Chloe gasped. She had been standing close, watching in fear, but now her arm glowed. The same mark was spreading from Axel’s chest to her skin.

“Axel!” she cried. “What’s happening to me?”

Axel’s eyes widened. “No… no, this isn’t possible.”

The mark twisted across Chloe’s arm like fire under her skin. She fell to her knees, tears streaming down her face.

“Am I cursed too?” she asked in a broken voice.

Mason laughed. “Oh, this is even better than I expected. She’s being claimed by the curse too. Do you see, Axel? You can’t save her. The prophecy binds more than just you.”

Axel reached for her. “Chloe, stay with me. I won’t let it take you!”

She clung to his hand, her body shaking. “Axel… don’t let me turn into one of them…”

Their eyes locked. For a moment, the chaos around them disappeared. It was just the two of them, their bond fighting against the curse.

But Mason’s laughter echoed louder. “You’re too weak to save her. And when she falls, you’ll break. That’s when I’ll win.”

Back upstairs, Sophia shivered inside the freezer. The scratching at the door grew louder. She pressed her hands to her ears, but she couldn’t block out the sound of hungry growls.

“Please… please…” she whispered.

Suddenly, the scratching stopped. Silence filled the freezer. Sophia froze.

“Did they leave?” she whispered to herself.

But then—BANG!

The door shook. She screamed, stumbling back. Another bang. And another. The infected were trying to break in.

Her heart raced. She looked around the freezer, desperate for a weapon, but there was nothing but frozen meat and boxes.

Tears blurred her vision. “Someone help me…”

In the basement, Axel’s chest burned hotter. He fell to his knees, gasping. Chloe tried to hold him up, but the mark kept spreading on her arm.

Mason stepped closer, his shadow stretching across the floor. “This is destiny. One ruler. One destroyer. And you already know who will win.”

Axel gritted his teeth. “I won’t let you win. Not while I still breathe.”

But Chloe’s scream broke his focus. The mark had reached her shoulder now, glowing brighter and brighter. She collapsed against him.

“Axel…” she whispered weakly. “It hurts… so much.”

He held her tightly, his heart breaking. “Stay with me. Please, stay with me.”

Mason raised his hand. The skeletons moved forward, their bones rattling louder, their empty eyes glowing red.

“Say goodbye to her, Axel,” Mason taunted. “The curse is already choosing her. She belongs to me now.”

Axel’s eyes widened in horror. “No… she belongs with me!”

The chamber shook, the mark burning like fire on both of them. Sparks of red light danced in the air.

And then, suddenly, Chloe’s eyes glowed red.

She lifted her head slowly, looking at Axel, her lips trembling.

“Axel… what if the curse is right? What if I am no longer yours?”

The question echoed in the chamber, chilling Axel’s soul.

Was Chloe still herself? Or had the curse claimed her forever?