While everyone stood stunned by what was happening, more people poured into the cafeteria. Some were teachers, others students, but they all had one thing in common: they were identical to the boy who had just entered. Madness overflowed their faces and their pupils dited to an inhuman degree.

  Everyone began to panic and tried to flee, but some of them also began to change. They attacked their cssmates as they ran; little by little, desperation took hold of everyone. In the stampedes many fell to the floor and were trampled by their peers. Yet no one stopped to help. Even those who had been ughing and mocking now fled in fear.

  In the middle of that pandemonium there was only one calm person: Kus. Or rather, he forced himself to remain calm. He had to focus and find a way out. Quickly he saw that the kitchen door was open; maybe they could exit through the back.

  After everything started, he quietly moved to Abby and took her hand. She was frightened for a moment but calmed down when she saw him. However, her sister Bridget, not recognizing him, panicked and screamed. “GET AWAY FROM HER!!” Pushing Abby away from Kus, she ran after Bruce and the others. Only after seeing that it was him did she calm down a little. Kus simply looked at her but said nothing, and she did not apologize either.

  Then Bruce approached and spoke to the group. “We have to get out of here.” “But there’s no way out!” “Let’s go through the kitchen; it must have an emergency exit,” Kus said for the first time. The others were surprised to hear him. There was no time to think. “Let’s go!” Bruce shouted, and after a brief hesitation, everyone followed him to the kitchen, Kus included.

  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

  The group consisted of Bruce and Cooper, Bridget and her two friends, Abby and her friend named Ann, and finally Kus. Upon entering the kitchen they realized the lights were off. Only a strange, persistent chewing sound could be heard. The boys began to take out their phones and turn on their fshlights. When they did, they saw the figure of the cook crouched on the floor. She seemed to be eating something.

  One of the boys who had entered after Bruce’s group approached the cook and spoke. “Mrs. Dulce, what are you doing? Follow us, it’s dangerous—d-damn!” He quickly stepped back, and everyone recoiled at what they saw. What Mrs. Dulce was eating were the remains of her assistant. Everyone trembled when they saw it; paleness covered their faces, including Kus’s. But that did not prevent his mind from thinking clearly. Without wasting a second, he headed for the emergency exit dragging Abby with him.

  Bruce only processed it a second after Kus did, then looked at the others and said with difficulty, “We have to get out of here.” No one said otherwise; after all, everyone had only one thing on their mind: leaving this hell. Thus the kids exited that pce without much trouble.

  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

  Although it was already midday, the sky was completely gray. A feeling of misery surrounded the city streets. You could only see people fleeing in every direction; fear filled their faces. When everyone got out and felt a little safer, they immediately took out their phones and called their families.

  “Hi, Mom, are you home? Don’t move, I’m coming over.”“Dad? Dad! Damn! Why is no one answering?”“Yes, Mom, everything is fine; we’re coming there right now.”

  After hanging up the phone, Bridget spoke to Bruce. “My mom says she’s at the police station. Do you want to come with us?” Looking around, he could see the frightened looks of his companions. The truth was he was scared too, but he had to do something or the situation would spiral out of control. Bruce nodded and said, “Sure, my dad’s there too; someone should know what’s going on.”

  Meanwhile Abby looked at Kus and signs to him with a worried face: (Come with us.) But Kus shook his head and replied instead, “I can’t; my dad just called me—he told me he’s waiting for me at home.” Abby looked down disappointed before signing firmly, (Take care and come to the station when you find him.) “I will,” he said. She gave him an encouraging look before turning to follow her sister. Soon the kids disappeared around a corner.

  The soft look left Kus as soon as he turned away. He returned to his usual expressionless, somber countenance. All of this made him think many things; he wasn’t sure how. But if anyone had answers to everything that was happening, it could only be Him. He had the feeling that something even bigger was about to happen.

  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

  After splitting from Bruce and his group, Kus continued walking along the same route he took every day to return home. Along the way he saw many families and people with luggage leaving the city. Panic and fear were written on every face.

  He also saw many people going mad and attacking others; he saw armed gangs in the streets. Shops, houses, and streets were destroyed; he even witnessed acts of cannibalism. Seeing all this, Kus reached a grim conclusion: all societies rely on order to function properly. When order is removed and chaos sets in, any society, no matter how firm, ends up colpsing.

  “AAAGH!” While thinking this, one of those crazed people attacked him. After Kus looked at him, he realized by the clothing that the man must have been a police officer, but he did not hesitate. He grabbed a bar he found on the ground and defended himself. “Aargh!” When he stood directly in front of the attacker, Kus did not hesitate for a moment and drove the bar forcefully into the officer’s head. The officer stumbled forward a bit before colpsing to the side, motionless. No one survives something like that.

  After he stopped moving, Kus took the weapon and the bullets and, without remorse, left the pce. In truth, he didn’t even pause to think that he had killed someone. But he did notice one thing: everything was too quiet. When he stopped and looked around, he saw something that terrified him to the core, for the first time in a very long time. A person who was more beast than man. And it was approaching...