THE LAST BELL

The forsaken library

The stairs creaked under Axel and Chloe’s feet as they walked deeper into the darkness. The air grew colder, and the sound of dripping water echoed off the stone walls.

“Axel… where do you think this leads?” Chloe whispered, her voice shaking.

“I don’t know,” Axel said, holding the torch higher. “But if the curse started here in Ravenswood, then maybe the answer is down here.”

The stairs finally ended, and they stepped into a wide chamber. Chloe gasped, her eyes wide.

It was a library.

Shelves stretched from floor to ceiling, filled with books that looked older than the school itself. Dust floated in the air like tiny ghosts. The smell of old paper and smoke clung to their clothes.

“Wow…” Chloe whispered. “I didn’t even know this was under Ravenswood.”

Axel slowly walked to the nearest shelf. The books were cracked and dry, some pages half-burned. Strange symbols were drawn on the covers—moons, wolves, and shapes that looked like people turning into monsters.

“Look at this,” Axel said, pulling one book out. He blew off the dust, but before he could open it, the book burst into flames.

Chloe screamed and stepped back. The fire was bright, but it didn’t burn Axel’s hand. Instead, glowing words appeared on his skin, moving across his arm like they were alive.

“Axel!” Chloe grabbed his wrist. “What’s happening to you?”

He looked at the glowing mark, heart racing. “I don’t know… but it feels like… like the curse is inside me.”

Chloe’s eyes filled with fear. “You’re saying… you’re part of the curse?”

Before Axel could answer, a deep rumble echoed above them, shaking the ground.

Upstairs, Evelyn stormed into the courtyard where Rowan stood, watching the red moon bleed across the sky.

“Rowan!” Evelyn shouted. “Enough of your secrets. Tell me the truth!”

Rowan’s jaw tightened. “This isn’t the time.”

“It is the time,” Evelyn snapped. “People are dying! The infected are breaking through the doors. If you know something about this curse, tell me now!”

Rowan closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them, pain and guilt swirled inside.

“The curse wasn’t just placed on the school,” Rowan said slowly. “It was sealed into its very foundation… by the founders themselves. And the seal can only be broken…”

“By what?” Evelyn demanded, gripping his arm.

“By a sacrifice,” Rowan said, his voice heavy. “Someone must give their life to end it.”

Evelyn’s heart dropped. “You mean… one of us has to die?”

Before Rowan could answer, a loud crash came from the main hall. The doors were splintering. The infected were inside.

In the gym, Ethan and Lena huddled behind overturned bleachers. The sound of fists and claws pounded against the doors. The wood cracked.

“They’re going to break through,” Lena whispered, holding Ethan’s hand tightly. “We’re trapped.”

Ethan scanned the room, desperate. Then his eyes caught something—a sword hanging in a glass case on the wall. The blade shimmered strangely under the red moonlight that streamed through the broken windows.

“That sword…” Ethan muttered. He ran across the gym, grabbed a chair, and smashed the glass. The sound rang like a bell.

“Ethan, hurry!” Lena cried.

He grabbed the sword. The moment his hand touched the hilt, the blade glowed bright blue, cutting through the darkness of the gym. The pounding outside grew louder, as if the infected could sense the weapon.

Lena’s eyes widened. “That’s not a normal sword.”

Ethan tightened his grip. “Then maybe it can help us survive.”

The doors finally broke, and the infected began pouring inside.

Back in the library, Axel clutched his burning arm. The glowing words burned brighter, and a low whisper filled the room.

“Do you hear that?” Chloe asked, her voice trembling.

Axel nodded. The whispers grew louder, turning into chanting. It came from behind the shelves, from shadows that moved even without light.

“Axel…” Chloe’s voice cracked. She pointed to the far corner.

A figure stood there.

It was tall, its body twisted like smoke, its face hidden in the shadows. Its eyes glowed faintly red, and when it spoke, Axel felt the sound deep in his bones.

“Axel…” the figure hissed. “We have been waiting for you.”

Chloe grabbed Axel’s arm. “It knows your name… how does it know your name?”

Axel’s mouth went dry. “I… I don’t know.”

The figure stepped closer. Books fell off the shelves as it moved, though its body never touched them.

“You are the key,” the shadow said. “You are the blood of the curse.”

Axel’s knees weakened. “The blood… of the curse?”

Chloe shook her head in disbelief. “That’s impossible. You weren’t even born when the curse began.”

The figure’s laugh was cold. “And yet… we knew you before you were born.”

Above them, Evelyn and Rowan ran into the gym just as Ethan swung the glowing sword at the first infected. The blade cut through the creature in one clean strike, the body falling in two.

The infected hissed and backed away for a moment, but more crowded the doorway.

“What is that?” Evelyn shouted, pointing to the sword.

“I don’t know!” Ethan yelled back. “But it works!”

Rowan’s eyes widened when he saw the glow. “That sword… It was forged by the founders. It was meant to protect us if the seal ever broke.”

Evelyn’s heart sank. “But if Axel is part of the curse… what does that mean for him?”

In the library, Axel and Chloe stood frozen as the shadow stretched its hand toward him. The mark on Axel’s arm blazed with heat, and he fell to his knees.

Chloe knelt beside him, tears in her eyes. “Axel, fight it! Don’t let it take you!”

“I can’t…” Axel groaned. His whole body shook.

The shadow bent low, whispering close to his ear. “Only a sacrifice can end this… and you were born for that purpose.”

Chloe’s eyes widened. “No! He’s not dying for this!” She stood and put herself between Axel and the shadow. “Take me instead!”

The shadow tilted its head. “Brave… but foolish. His blood is the key, not yours.”

Axel forced himself to stand, even though his legs trembled. He looked at Chloe, his voice breaking. “Chloe… if this is true… then maybe I really am the sacrifice.”

Chloe’s tears fell as she shook her head. “No. Don’t say that. There has to be another way.”

The shadow’s red eyes glowed brighter. “There is no other way. The curse was written in blood… and only blood can end it.”

Axel clenched his fists, torn between fear and determination. He could feel Chloe’s hand on his, warm and desperate.

“Axel,” Chloe whispered. “If you die… what happens to me? Don’t leave me.”

For a moment, the chanting grew louder, and the shadow reached closer. The mark on Axel’s arm burned like fire, and voices filled his head.

He whispered back to Chloe, his voice barely audible.

“What if… they’re right? What if I were born to die for this curse?”

Was Axel truly destined to be the sacrifice, or could there be another secret hidden in the Forsaken Library that would save him?