he classroom buzzed with quiet conversations and laughter.
Corvin Duff sat in the back corner, pretending to read his notebook. In reality, he wasn't reading anything. His eyes stared at the same page for several minutes.
Across the room, a group of boys laughed loudly. At the center of that group sat Marlin Thorn.
Marlin was the kind of student everyone knew. Popular. Confident. Untouchable.
And the reason Corvin hated coming to school.
"Hey, Duff!"
Corvin didn't look up.
A paper ball hit the side of his head.
More laughter followed.
"You deaf or something?" one of the boys mocked.
Another leaned back in his chair.
"Maybe he's too busy counting how much money his family doesn't have."
The group burst into laughter again.
Corvin kept staring at his notebook.
He had learned something important over the past few years.
Ignoring them didn't stop the bullying.
But reacting only made it worse.
Marlin leaned forward with a grin.
"You know," he said loudly enough for the whole class to hear, "I heard Corvin's house barely has electricity."
"That true?" someone asked.
"Maybe that's why his clothes always look like trash."
More laughter.
Corvin's fingers tightened around his pen.
For a moment, he imagined standing up. Imagined walking across the classroom. Imagined finally making them stop.
But he didn't move.
Because he knew what would happen.
Teachers wouldn't believe him.
Students wouldn't support him.
And Marlin Thorn would walk away without consequences—just like always.
The bell rang and Class ended.
Everyone started leaving the room.
Corvin stayed seated for a few seconds longer.
His chest felt tight.
Something inside him had finally snapped.
⸻
That evening, Corvin stood alone in his house.
The silence felt heavy.
He walked slowly into his father's room.
Inside the closet was a long case.
Corvin opened it.
A hunting rifle rested inside.
His father used it for hunting trips outside the city.
Corvin stared at the weapon for a long time.
Then he opened a drawer nearby.
One.
Two.
Three.
Four.
Only four.
His hands trembled slightly as he picked them up.
Four bullets.
Four targets.
It felt simple.
Too simple.
But at that moment, Corvin didn't care about anything else.
Not consequences.
Not the future.
Not even himself.
He loaded the bullets into the rifle.
Tomorrow, he would bring it to school.
And everything would finally end.
⸻
The next morning, Corvin arrived at school earlier than usual.
The rifle was hidden inside a long sports bag.
No one paid attention to him.
No one ever did.
Students walked through the halls as usual. Some laughed. Others complained about homework.
Everything looked normal.
But for Corvin, nothing felt normal anymore.
He walked slowly toward the bathroom.
His heart pounded louder with every step.
Just a little longer.
Then everything would change.
But before he could reach the door, a loud announcement suddenly echoed through the school speakers.
"Attention students and staff. Please remain calm and stay inside your classrooms. Lock the doors immediately."
Confused murmurs spread through the hallway.
Corvin froze.
The announcement continued.
"We have reports of armed intruders inside the school building. Teachers must secure their classrooms. Students should stay inside and not open the doors for anyone."
The hallway erupted into panic.
Students ran toward classrooms.
Teachers shouted instructions.
Phones buzzed as messages spread across class group chats.
Corvin slowly took out his phone.
A message appeared in the class group chat.
"Five armed people broke into the school."
His mind went blank.
Five armed intruders.
For the first time that day, Corvin forgot about Marlin Thorn.
Because now something much worse had arrived.
And somewhere inside the building…
Five dangerous men were walking through the halls.
The school hallways, which had been loud only minutes ago, were now strangely silent.
Most students had already rushed into their classrooms after hearing the emergency announcement. Teachers quickly locked the doors and pushed desks against them.
Corvin Duff stood alone near the staircase.
His sports bag hung over his shoulder, the hidden rifle inside feeling heavier than ever.
Five armed intruders…
He read the message again on his phone.
The class group chat was exploding with messages.
"Is this real?"
"My teacher locked the door!"
"Someone said they saw them near the gym!"
Corvin slowly lowered his phone.
His original plan—his revenge against Marlin Thorn—suddenly felt meaningless.
Now there were real killers inside the school.
And strangely enough, Corvin didn't feel the panic the other students felt.
Instead, he felt something else.
A strange emptiness.
Maybe it doesn't matter anymore, he thought.
He slowly walked down the hallway, trying to stay quiet.
Suddenly, he heard voices.
Corvin quickly stepped back and hid behind the staircase.
Three men walked into the hallway.
All of them wore dark clothing and carried weapons.
They didn't look like ordinary criminals. The way they moved, the way they held their guns… they looked experienced
"Damn it," one of them muttered. "The classrooms are locked."
Another one kicked a door in frustration.
"Try breaking it."
The first man shook his head.
"These doors are reinforced. We'll waste time."
The third man leaned against the wall.
"We should regroup with the others."
Corvin's heart began pounding.
Three…
He slowly pulled the rifle from his bag.
His hands were shaking.
He had never fired a gun at a person before.
He raised the rifle and aimed from behind the stairs.
The men continued talking, unaware that someone was watching them.
"If we can't open the classrooms," one of them said, "then we find another"
A gunshot echoed through the hallway.
The first man collapsed instantly.
The other two froze in shock.
Corvin's ears rang.
He hadn't even realized he pulled the trigger.
His breathing became fast and uneven.
I did it…
But suddenly his finger slipped.
Another shot fired accidentally.
The second bullet flew across the hallway.
By pure luck, it struck the fallen intruder again.
The remaining man immediately jumped behind a wall for cover.
"Who's there?!" he shouted.
Corvin's hands trembled violently.
He had two bullets left.
But his mind was completely blank.
Footsteps approached carefully.
The man's voice grew colder.
"I know where you are."
The intruder stepped around the corner, aiming his weapon.
"Drop it and raise your hands!"
Corvin froze.
Slowly… he lifted his hands.
The rifle fell to the floor.
The man studied him for a moment.
Just a student.
A scared kid.
"Damn idiot…" the intruder muttered.
He walked forward and suddenly struck Corvin in the head.
Pain exploded through Corvin's skull.
The world spun.
Darkness swallowed him.
⸻
When Corvin woke up, everything felt heavy.
His head throbbed painfully.
He realized his hands were cuffed to a pipe under the stairs.
His vision slowly cleared.
Two men were standing nearby.
One of them looked at the body lying on the floor.
"You're lucky," the man said to his partner.
"If that kid wasn't terrified, he might have killed both of you."
The other man shrugged.
"Doesn't matter. Our target is Marlin Thorn."
The first man nodded.
"Yeah. The boss paid us well for this job."
Corvin's eyes widened slightly.
Marlin…?
So that was their target.
Another mafia group had sent them to kill him.
The men pulled out a phone.
"Call the others," one said.
"We lost one man. We need a new plan."
They typed a message and waited.
A moment later, a reply came.
"Meet at the second hallway."
The two men began walking away.
Corvin quickly closed his eyes and pretended to still be unconscious.
Footsteps faded.
Silence returned.
Corvin slowly opened his eyes.
His wrists hurt from the metal cuffs.
He tried to move.
Nothing.
He was stuck.
Minutes passed.
Then suddenly…
"Hey…"
A quiet voice whispered.
Corvin turned his head.
A nervous-looking boy stood nearby.
His hands were shaking.
"Are… are you okay?"
Corvin stared at him.
The boy looked terrified.
"My eye hurts…" Corvin said quietly.
The boy noticed the bruise forming around his eye.
"Don't worry," Corvin continued. "Just calm down… and help me get out of these."
The boy nodded nervously.
He tried pulling the cuffs.
They didn't move.
Then the boy looked at the dead intruder on the floor.
An idea appeared in his eyes.
He carefully picked up the fallen weapon from the man.
Corvin watched silently.
The boy aimed carefully at the handcuffs.
BANG.
The metal snapped.
Corvin rubbed his wrists as he stood up.
"Thanks."
The boy swallowed nervously.
"What's your name?" Corvin asked.
"M-Miles…"
The boy hesitated.
"Miles Harwood."
Corvin nodded.
"My name is Corvin Duff."
Miles looked around the hallway.
"So… what do we do now?"
Corvin looked at the weapons on the ground.
Then he looked toward the empty hallway.
His eyes became serious.
"We survive."