The morning prayer ended.
Sevryn and his classmates waited for the first-period teacher, chatting restlessly. Whispers filled the school — rumors that Palledania's relationship with Izan was breaking down. Palledania had begun supplying discounted weapons, food, and aid to Fharmos — Izan's rival. Tensions were rising, and Izan was furious.
Everyone knew war was close.
The students were angry. Izan had already attacked once — a jet incident — and simply brushed it off with a weak excuse about "fog." The air was thick with unrest.
The class representative walked in.
"Today, there's a war drill," he announced. "A siren will ring. Get under your desks and cover your ears. It's to prevent hearing damage if actual weapons go off. Also… no game period today."
A collective "boooo-booooo" echoed through the class. No one was happy.
By lunch, the atmosphere had dulled. The bell rang, and then—
🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨
The sirens howled.
Students scrambled under their desks, covering their ears. The sound of jets roared above.
BOOM 💥 BOOM 💥
"Wha—KY…" a kid stammered before another BOOM 💥 cut him off.
Silence.
Even the teacher was frozen.
Then, the class rep — ever the teacher's pet — stood and shouted louder than the siren: "AAAAAAAAAA—"
The class went dead silent. He smirked.
"See the power of our country—"
BOOM 💥
The ground vibrated violently. Everyone felt it. Every organ shook.
Sevryn's mind raced. Are they really testing missiles now?! Wait… no… something's not right...
Then a loud, commanding voice echoed through the school speaker.
"Everyone. Stay. Silent."
The principal.
"Did you all ignore the ear-covering instruction? Fine. You want noise? Now face it."
A second siren activated — twice as loud — forcing everyone to cover their ears. It drowned out the distant explosions, but the vibration still made the desks tremble.
Seconds dragged into minutes. Three of them passed. The siren didn't stop.
Something felt off.
BOOM 💥
This time, the sound was too close. Sevryn knew it now — this wasn't a drill.
He crouched near the back door. A mop beside him struck a nearby CCTV — shattering it. That wasn't random. That was planned.
I have to destroy every camera, Sevryn thought. Only one shows the principal's TV. That one must go.
He knew the blind spots — from past fun with friends. While everyone was frozen under desks, Sevryn slipped out and moved through the corridors. His school was huge. Hallways looped, and every corridor connected to a main one.
Two more cameras, down.
He smashed them.
Now at the stairwell — on the left, the boys' washroom. On the right, a window.
He froze.
30 meters away... Izan and Palledanian soldiers are fighting.
He was certain now.
And the class rep and the boy called "Price"... they weren't just annoying. They were suspicious.
Sevryn entered the boys' washroom. The "Gainator" — a loud, annoying student — was inside.
Without hesitation, Sevryn slammed the mop against his head. He staggered.
Damn, not unconscious?!
The Gainator turned. Sevryn grabbed his head and bashed it into the wall. Blood splattered — but still, he stood.
Now I'm pissed.
Sevryn channeled every ounce of his strength and cracked his skull against the wall again.
This time, he dropped.
Sirens masked the sound. Sevryn's heart was thudding. Dhak-dhuk. Dhak-dhuk.
He stripped the Gainator's clothes and threw them over his own uniform. Luckily, the blood hadn't stained much.
Then, Sevryn noticed: the wall tile had cracked, revealing a loose brick.
He grabbed it. Useful.
As he left, he used the brick to smash another stairwell camera. Then, descended to the lower floor.
But bad luck followed.
Izan soldiers had breached the building.
He panicked — exposed in an open lobby — and ducked into the canteen.
Too late.
A camera caught him.
He destroyed it and quickly tore a cloth from the Gainator's inner shirt, covering his face.
Now fully disguised.
The canteen had three corridors. He smashed two more cameras and sprinted through.
He grabbed a teacher's heavy stick — perfect weapon — and bolted to the principal's office.
Locked.
He broke a window and climbed in.
The principal's TV glowed.
"Breaking: Izan launches attack. 30 km of Palledanian border taken in 20 minutes."
Sevryn didn't hesitate.
CRACK — the stick shattered the TV. It stuck in the frame.
He called the police. Here's what happened:
Police Call Conversation:
Sevryn (whispers): "This is a student at Central High — Izan soldiers are inside the school. It's not a drill."
Police Operator: "…What?! Are you sure?"
Sevryn: "I saw them. They're dressed like Palledanian troops now. Please—"
Police: "Sending this to military command immediately. Hold tight."
Just then, the sirens died.
The principal's voice returned.
"All teachers, count the students. Gather in the assembly hall."
Sevryn panicked.
They'll notice I'm missing.
He bolted through the corridors, retraced his path, and re-entered class from the back.
Quickly ducking under the desk, he wiped saliva near his eyes and punched his nose slightly — enough to water his eyes.
He looked terrified.
His timing was perfect. His friend whispered, "You made it right when the teacher called your name the second time."
The teacher walked up to him.
SLAP.
"Coward," the teacher spat.
The class laughed — except Sevryn's friend, who knew the truth.
They all moved to the assembly hall.
Sevryn froze.
Soldiers — now dressed as Palledanians — stood beside the principal.
"These soldiers will ride with you on your way home," the principal said. "Izan has launched an official attack."
18 buses. 52 soldiers. Three per bus.
Then what was the point of me destroying the CCTV…? Sevryn thought bitterly.
His bus was one of the first to leave. It was filled mostly with his classmates.
As they rode away, he felt a vibration from the school — Palledania's military had finally arrived.
Sevryn stared out the window.
"They'll survive," he muttered. "But… what about us?"