Call of the sirens (2)

"All students! To the shelter, NOW!" A teacher's urgent voice pierced through the hallway, sending confused and scared students scrambling downstairs.

"MICHAEL, MOVE!" The teacher's frantic tone snapped Michael out of his daze as he peered out the classroom window. Nodding in response, Michael joined the throng of students, his mind reeling with shock and fear.

As they hurried towards safety, Michael couldn't shake the surreal sight he had just witnessed. Loud sirens blared across the sky, their ominous wail echoing in his ears. And then, through the window, he saw them—waves of unidentified creatures, resembling ants but monstrously large, swarming over the distant giant wall known as the Great Barrier.

"Were those ants!?" Michael's thoughts raced as he recalled the scene from the old Michael's memories. The Great Barrier, once a distant backdrop, now loomed ominously in his mind.

"Remain here!" The teacher's command snapped Michael back to reality as they reached the shelter, a massive room in the academy's basement. With a heavy thud, the teacher secured the thick steel door, sealing them inside.

As the tremors of distant artillery reverberated through the walls, Michael's mind whirled with questions. "Monsters in this world?" he muttered to himself, bewildered by the revelation.

Turning his attention to the other students, Michael listened intently as they shared their fears and uncertainties. One freshman, named Killua, trembled with terror while another attempted to reassure him with accounts of past events.

"The last Sirens Call was over 50 years ago," the student recounted. "The great barrier was breached by an insectoid species of mutants, but they barely managed to reach the city before the military wiped them out."

Intrigued and alarmed by the revelation, Michael resolved to learn more about this mysterious threat. But for now, his priority was clear—he needed to find his sister and ensure her safety amid the chaos.

"LISA!" He yelled as he searched around the shelter and asked any freshman he saw about her, but none seemed to have seen her anywhere.

"Where the hell is she!" He kept looking around for over 30 minutes but he couldn't find her anywhere. "Did she even get in?!" This revelation sent waves of panic and fear into Michael's heart as he ran towards the teacher standing by the shelter's door.

"Teacher!" Michael called out, "I can't find my sister anywhere"

The Teacher was named John, he had a rough beard and broad shoulders, Michael recognized him as the PE Teacher.

"She must be in here somewhere, just look for her," He said, shooing Michael away.

"What do you think I've been doing for the past 30 minutes, I looked everywhere in here and she is nowhere to be found" Michael yelled. Although Lisa was the old Michael's sister, not his, after assimilating with the body and memories of the old Michael slowly he started seeing his new family as his own, feeling what the old Michael felt, and this time, he was panicking.

"Kid, this is not the time for this, you must have missed her, keep looking" John again dismissed Michael's worry.

This pissed Michael off even more, but he didn't speak another word to the man, because he knew that no matter how big the guy was, he was also afraid, which made convincing him to open the door harder.

With a glare, Michael walked away, heading into the crowd of students. He, of course, wasn't about to give up that easy. He looked around the place and finally found what he was looking for.

People have different psychological reactions to their emotions. When mad some would yell and scream, some would stay quiet, and some creepy ones would smile.

Some students, overwhelmed by fear, exhibited classic fight-or-flight responses. Their hands trembled, and their breaths came in shallow, rapid gasps as adrenaline surged through their veins. These individuals sought solace in the safety of the shelter, their eyes darting nervously at every sound, every shadow as if expecting danger to burst through the walls at any moment.

Others, consumed by anger, wore their emotions like a volatile cloak. Their faces contorted with rage, lips curling into snarls as they lashed out verbally or physically at those around them. These individuals, unable to process their fear, channeled their heightened emotions into aggression, seeking control in a chaotic situation.

In contrast, amidst the turmoil, a few students exhibited a remarkable sense of resilience. Their expressions, though tinged with apprehension, held a steely resolve, a determination to weather the storm no matter the cost. These individuals, drawing upon inner strength and fortitude, served as beacons of hope amidst the darkness, inspiring others to stand firm in the face of adversity.

"Stop crying we're safe here" A student was seething in anger, barely holding himself back from blowing up at a girl not too far away from him. She was crying her eyes out while her girlfriends were trying to calm her down.

"Hey man, calm down" Another boy spoke up and walked towards the girl while eying the angry student. "There's no need for all that" He said.

'Sorry guys, but I have to' Michael thought before walking towards the angry student. "Hey, she's annoying the shit out of me too" Michael said in a low voice.

"Right? We're safe in the shelter but that bitch keeps wailing and crying like it's the end of the world" The student spoke to Michael.

"Not only is she noisy, but a wanna-be tough guy is now trying to play the hero" Michael said. "I fucking hate people like that. He's probably pretending, trying to look like the good guy to get with one of the girls"

"Fucking bitch" The student clenched his fist. "Using me to look good, what a fucking tool!"

"Ignore him, he's just some random cockroach" Michael said before starting to walk away. 'Please work' He thought. He was never a manipulator, but he knew a few things about psychology.

For example, never tell someone what to do, because he'll do the opposite. Lead him gently and let him get the idea himself, that's when he'll act.

"WILL YOU SHUT THE FUCK UP ALREADY??" And like magic, the student blew up again, but his eyes were not focused on the girl, he was looking at the other boy instead.

'He's probably waiting for the other guy to react' Michael thought, and indeed, in the next second, the other guy spoke. "Calm down, she's just scared, why are you yelling!"

"MIND YOUR OWN FUCKING BUSINESS!"

"What did you say?"

"You heard me, bitch!"

'Here we go' Michael smiled and started to walk towards the shelter door. On his way there he heard more yelling and screaming before other people started to try to calm the situation down, of course, it wouldn't be that easy.

As Michael got closer to the shelter door, the teacher, John, passed by as he headed towards the noise with an angry expression. "These damn kids!" Michael heard him mutter under his breath.

"Like a fly to a pile of .." Michael chuckled as he approached the door and started turning the handle.

"What are you doing?!"