Morgan staggered backward, her legs shaking.
"This isn't real," she whispered.
But it was.
All around her, chaos erupted. Students screamed. Some dropped to their knees, praying loudly. Others ran blindly, crashing into walls and doors.
A girl grabbed Morgan's arm. "Help me!"
Before Morgan could respond, the girl smiled—peaceful, calm—and vanished.
Morgan yanked her arm free and ran.
Down the stairs.
Past classrooms.
Through screams that sounded less human with every second.
She felt like she was trapped inside a nightmare she couldn't wake up from.
"Morgan!"
She turned sharply.
Laura ran toward her, tears streaming down her face. Eva and Queen followed closely behind.
"Morgan, thank God!" Laura cried.
"What is happening?" Eva asked, her voice trembling.
"They're disappearing," Morgan said. "People are just… turning to dust."
Queen nodded frantically. "We saw it too. At the canteen."
Laura swallowed hard. "Let it not be what I think it is."
"What?" Morgan asked.
Laura whispered, "The end of the world."
The words hit Morgan like a slap.
"No," Eva said quickly. "Stop it. This is some kind of mass panic."
Just then, a loud crash shook the building. Smoke rose near the school gate.
Another group of students vanished smiling.
Morgan felt sick.
"I'm going home," she said suddenly.
"What?" Queen asked.
"I need to see my mum," Morgan replied. "I can't stay here."
They hesitated.
Morgan looked back at the school one last time.
Bremin High no longer felt like a school.
It felt like a graveyard.
She turned and ran toward the exit.
Toward home.