Chapter 1 Barricade of Ink and Blood

before you read this one, read prologue-the beginning of the end. but annnywayyyy . . first chapter published, hoooraayy. enjoy, its her finding her class and stuff

I didn’t know what I was supposed to feel. Fear? Anger? Zayden was already
moving�"calm, calculating. I hated that about him. I hated that I still trusted him.
“We need to move,” he said. “Now.” He slipped toward the door, careful to stay out
of sight. As he approached, he leaned just enough to peek through the narrow
window�"eyes scanning. Then he signaled for me to follow.
“We need to go to class,” I murmured, holding onto the idea like it meant
something. “Then we’ll be safe.”
Zayden didn’t answer. He just kept staring through the glass. I moved in beside
him, trying to catch whatever had his attention. All I saw was a flicker�"something fast,
low to the ground. A shadow, maybe. It was gone before I could be sure.
“Fine,” He muttered, “but I'll take you to class.” He moved away from the door,
grabbing the sharpest thing near him. An exacto knife.
“I can handle myself,” I hissed, “besides, who can protect me better than me?”
Zayden didn’t argue. He just handed me the knife. “Then don’t hesitate,” he said. “If it
comes for you, you strike first.”
I took the blade. It felt too light. Too small. Like it wouldn’t matter. But it was
something. And right now, something was better than nothing.
We slipped into the hallway. It was colder now. The kind of cold that didn’t belong
in June. The lights buzzed overhead, flickering like they were trying to warn us.
“Which class?” Zayden asked.
I hesitated. Did it even matter?
“English,” I said finally. “Room 214.”
“Go,” He said, pointing at the door. “Quickly.”
I went for the door, looking out the window for any signs of danger. Here we go,
get to class and everything will be ok. I thought, fear running through my veins as if
injected into my bloodstream.
I slipped out of the room, my heart thumping, this place didn’t look like school, it
looked like a f*****g warzone.
Posters were ripped, lockers hung open, some dented, others smeared with
something dark. The floor was littered with papers, backpacks, and shattered glass. I took a
breath I hadn’t realized I had been holding. I looked around, no one, the halls weredeserted. I walked to the stairs, too scared to make a noise. I ran up the stairs, to classroom
214.
I sighed when I heard that there was a movie playing. I knocked slowly, hoping
someone would answer to get me out of this silent and horrifying hallway. Through the
small window on the door, I saw Aries�"brown hair, brown eyes, and a varsity jacket that
was worn at the cuffs.
He held up his hand to the window, fingers curled into a fist�"ready to throw down
in a silent game of rock-paper-scissors. I groaned. I banged against the door, ‘Let me in
you a*****e’ I mouthed.
He shook his fist, I groaned.
Aries tapped the window, setting the rhythm. I followed instinctively. Rock. Paper.
Scissors. Shoot. He laid down paper. I went with scissors. Yes! I thought. He groaned, but
reluctantly let me in.
Finally, I thought. Relieved to finally be out of that hallway, and to be in a
classroom, safe. “Please take a seat Ms. Evens.” Ms. Garcia said, her eyes watching the door. I
cringed when I heard my last name, Sage Evens, not a good combination. But she knew
something was wrong, you could see it in her eyes. Fear.
The intercom crackled.
Attention teachers and students, please remain in your classrooms and barricade the
door. We are unable to leave the school, and there is an active threat in the school. By any means
necessary, use anything accessible to protect your lives. Please don’t be al-
He was cut off by the sound of gurgling, and his warning was replaced by a ringing
silence. S**t, s**t, s**t, my worst fears had been confirmed, we were trapped in a deadly trap,
with no survival rate. We were not safe. My only means of self defense was the x-acto knife that
still rested in my hands.
The class started to panic, slowly growing louder. “Stay calm” I hissed, “You don’t want
to alert them that we are here.” The murmurs faded, but there was suddenly a thud at the door.
The handle rattled, it was locked. I breathed a sigh of relief.
“Please let me in” A small voice cried, “they’re coming” the voice was begging and full
of fear now. “Help! Help me!” I couldn’t take it any more, I knew that voice, and I couldn’t leave
them out there. No matter what a teacher says.
I quickly opened the door, looking for her red hair and her vibrant pink shirt. But I
quickly realized it was a mistake opening the door. Standing there, was a tall young man, with
flowing brown hair, his eyes black with inky tears streaking his face.
He lunged forward, but I ducked to the right. Narrowly missing an attack. The students in
the class shrieked in fear, either shrinking in fear or frozen, too terrified to move. I turned to facethe teacher, he was starting to regain his composure, his grin still on his face. It stretched too far,
too wrong.
He locked eyes with me.
And lunged again.
My heart pounding, and my body started to feel heavy. I continued to dodge, until I
remembered the x-acto knife in my pocket. He was now on all fours, his eyes emotionless. As he
lunged once again, I ducked onto my knees, allowing him to fly over me.
Before giving another thought, I shot my arm up, and the x-acto knife pierced his tender
skin on his neck. Blood spurted out of his neck, spraying me, I moved out of the way before his
body had a chance to collapse on top of me.
Holy s**t that was f*****g scary.
As I stood up, still breathing hard. But I saw one emotion on his face as blood pooled
around him. Pure shock, as if he didn’t expect to be defeated. That's when I noticed Ms.Garcia,
she was standing, but her eyes were the color of the night, with black tears streaming down her
face.
“Good job” She praised, but it wasn’t her voice. It was something else.
Something colder.
The sound slithered through the air like frost over glass�"raspy, hollow, and ancient.
Each syllable scraped like claws against stone, as if the words had been dragged from a forgotten
tomb. It carried no warmth, no pride�"just a chilling echo that made the hairs on my arms rise
“Without you dear Evens,” It said, “We would have never gotten this classroom full of
youthful hosts.”
“Hosts?” I echoed, too shocked to form full sentences. She reached for her tipped over
desk, and pulled out what I assumed was a box cutter. She slowly walked toward me, my fear
rising higher and higher with each step she took.
“Run,” she whispered into my ear.
I froze.
Her breath was cold against my skin, like winter exhaling through a cracked window. I
looked up at her face�"those eyes still leaking raven-colored tears, thick and unnatural, trailing
down her cheeks like ink bleeding through paper.
Her grin was wide. Too wide.It stretched past what was human, past what was sane. Lips pulled taut, teeth exposed like
a predator mid-feast. And behind that smile, something watched me. Something ancient.
Something cruel.
It wasn’t her voice that had spoken.
It wasn’t her smile that greeted me.
It was something else.
And it wanted me to run.
Not to escape.
But to chase.
But if I left, all the students here would die, or become hosts for these… monsters.
I remember, Ms. Garcia was telling us about morse code. She was explaining how it was
woven into the book we were reading. Something about hidden messages, survival, and the
power of silence. She said we had to learn it�"not just memorize the dots and dashes, but
understand the rhythm, the urgency behind it.
I can still hear the way she tapped her fingers on the desk, mimicking the code. Some of
us laughed, others rolled our eyes, but she didn’t flinch. “You never know when you’ll need to
say something without speaking,” she said. At the time, it felt like just another quirky lesson.
But now, it felt needed, important. Needed, for if they heard, they would live for maybe
even a second longer. At least they lived.
.-. ..- -. / -. --- .--
R-U-N N-O-W, I tapped this on the wall repeatedly, hoping they heard. With that, I
turned, and ran out of the classroom. I heard the screams of those who chose not to listen, and the
footsteps of those who followed.
A couple of days had passed, and I continued to look for any signs of other survivors. I
walked the hallways, some safe, others I dare not to go through. Hunger began to rise.
“Sage, wait up,” a voice called.
I turned, still breathless, heart pounding like a war drum. From the shadows emerged a
girl�"dark brown wavy hair, with striking emerald green eyes. Her boots thudded softly against
the tile, each step deliberate, confident.Victoria.
She looked like she’d walked out of a dream and into a nightmare, her deep brown hair seems wild and untamed. Her eyes were striking emerald, but there was something wild behind
them�"like she’d seen too much and stopped pretending it scared her.
“You’re not dead,” she said, voice flat. “Good. We need you.”
I blinked. “Need me for what?”
She didn’t answer. Just turned, her hair catching the light like a warning flare.
“To meet the others.”
We entered the classroom. Around fifteen kids were here, scattered across desks
and corners. The floor was littered with broken supplies�"branches, scissors, rulers, chair
legs�"anything that could be turned into a weapon.
The air was warm, but tense. Fear hung over everything.
On the board, someone had written out roles:
Lookout �" Juno, Artemis
Runner �" Niko, Apollo
Medic �" Azzie
Defenders �" Theo, Riley, Cam, Aries, Amber, Daniel, Morrigan, Belladona
Recorder �" Arthur
Arthur was scribbling in a notebook, barely glancing up. Azzie was tending to someone’s
arm. The rest watched us, guarded but silent.
This wasn’t a classroom anymore.
It was survival.
“Hail Sage Evens,” Victoria bellowed, “Lord of the SouthWings!”
Cheers erupted across the classroom�"loud, defiant, almost joyful. I shot Victoria a glare,
hoping she’d realize this wasn’t the time for theatrics. But she just smiled, proud and unbothered.
What is the f**k is going on?
I looked around. The kids weren’t laughing�"they were serious. Their eyes held
something fragile but fierce: hope. Somehow, my name had become a banner they could rally
behind. Sage Evens. Leader. Protector.