Thirteen minutes

'The view from the roof gave a sense of perspective that calmed my soul, that made everyday struggles shrink.' As stated by the main character in a novel that Lue read once. She scoffs as she wonders when she will be able to live a life like that. For now, she can only feel aghast about this roof. As the field was engulfed in monsters, she murmured, "We're really jumping down, it feels like suicide".

She turned and rushed to Lorek. The roof was like a beach awash in turquoise waves. It spread over the imperfect surface. She wouldn't say it, but it was a blemish that only added to the beauty. Yet, slippery.

They need to be fast. No matter what, she is determined to pass the test with everyone; she won't let the deaths of her friends be in vain. After all, she was determined to make it back to school and to get answers to this horrible test.

Lorek started taking things out of his bag one by one and placing them on the floor. Beric brought some broken paint cans and some glass bottles with a bit of kerosene in them.

"So," Lue crunches down, "How big a blast can you cause from these?"

"I am not sure about the fire but," he looks Lue in her eyes, "there will be a big explosion."

She took a moment to respond, "Will that be enough?"

"Enough for what?" He adjusts himself comfortably on the floor, putting all the powder substance aside, "What's your plan?"

"Jump down from this terrace and clear the way for the bus," she gestures to a powdered substance. "Is that potassium permanganate?" she asks, as her eyebrows rise.

"Correct," he picks up a bottle from the other side and places it in front of her, "and this is glycerine."

"You will combine this to make an explosion?"

"No, these will just ignite a fire," he opens his bag carefully and pulls out a box. "Look at this," he says, "this is Azidoazide azide. It used to be the most explosive chemical. I don't know who was making this in that lab but this is something pretty dangerous."

Lue smirks.

By the time they discussed the plan and prepared the explosives, others were holding onto the rope tightly. The rope was canary yellow, not softly romantic, but instead an old-fashioned angry neon. Either it was bought a long time ago or it had been used for the dirtiest tasks imaginable. The outside was a sickly greenish brown, with only traces of the original colour shining through like poorly cleaned glitter.

"Pull harder" Eve moved her fingers around the rope readjusting her grip as she shouted, "Come on"

"He is freaking heavy," Kayan shouted while pushing the wall with one of his legs as support. "I told him to lose weight."

Ayaan puts one of his hands on the wall and pulls himself up. Others left the rope on the ground and helped him up. He started untying the curtains in a hurry. The air was thin and his hands were shaking. "Lue," he said slowly, more to himself than to anyone else. "Lue," he said loudly.

Lue came running towards him. "How were things down there?" she looked at the others and gestured at the curtains. "Can you guys tie knots real quick? We need to make a very long rope."

"W-we," he gulped his saliva, "we don't have much time. The corridors are flooded with them. They even entered the lab, that's why I couldn't bring all of them."

"..."

Lue didn't say anything. She knew it better than anyone else. They don't have time.

Although it was still quite early in the morning, the sun was mostly obscured by dark clouds. Its silvery light created an eerie aura. The screams of those beasts echo through the landscape. The creatures banging on the door were attracted by the sound and blood of Hilary and Elisue. The gate can't hold any longer, maybe a few more minutes.

"Come on come on! " Lue said while clapping, "Bring that drum and make sure we fill it"

Everyone started working together. Lue and Eve rolled the drum in the corner and tied their rope around it which was attached to the curtain rope they just made. The drum was filled in no time and they checked if it was heavy enough. They were all set. There was just one problem: the rope wasn't long enough, and it wasn't extending beyond the first floor.

Beric and Lorek poured glycerine into bottles of potassium permanganate and threw the mixture at the cougars on the left side of the building. The chaos began. They were frantic, running here and there. There was barely any sound, but the long grass caught into it as they ran, making the creatures even louder. The path was simple. They will jump down on the right side of the building as there are not many of those beasts. After that, they will take this chaos to their advantage and escape from the field to the bus. That was what they planned.

"Come!" Lue gestured, "Go down! Go Go Go!" she looked down at those creatures, "just like we planned."

Hilary and Elisue decided to leave first as it might take some time. As they hung on to it one by one, they landed on the part that was free of fire and cougars. They gestured at Lue that everything was good.

All of a sudden the door’s hinges creaked and shrieked. The sound resounded in their minds as their faces were hit with a blast of door shreds that carried the metallic scent of blood. It is as sweet as blood and it is as light as air. It is as quiet as music and as cruel as death. Fear is black and it is red. It is a place, a place with no escape and without time. And you haven’t seen the terror yet.

Aelia grabbed the rope to climb down but was suddenly struck by several shards of the door.

All of them looked at the entrance. When the cougars distracted them, Aelia was struck in the head by a shard of a door. Her heart pounded, her head spun and her eyes saw nothing but darkness. Her ears were filled with nothing but the sounds of people and the crying of those monsters she didn't care to hear.

"AELLIIAAAA" Lue shouted as she bent down to grab her hand, "NOOOOO"

As Eve grabbed Lue from behind, "LUE shhh it's okay!" she grabbed her shoulder and turned Lue around to face herself, whispering, "there is danger here, we need you." Her grip on Lue's shoulder became stronger.

"Damn it," Ayaan grabbed his rod. "I will hold them for a while. Make your escape."

Fear was squeamish, Beric thought it is a black fur with red eye creature with knuckles-like teeth crumbling edge of the world. He was quick enough to snap out of the thought as he opened the small kerosene bottle that he found in the lab and threw it on those creatures, "Lorek now!"

Lorek throws a flask at the creatures who broke in as Ayaan jumps on the other side.

As the young girl fell from the school terrace, her eyes closed, her hands clamoured wildly for non-existent helping hands, and her last thoughts were of escaping the horror. As she hurled shut-eyed through the lazy iodine skies toward the damp earth below, it was unexpected, like rain in sector five, and just as harsh.

Everyone ran towards the rope, while Lue and Eve were already climbing down so as not to make others wait. Alisa got separated from them in the chaos and sat above the other drum to avoid getting in sight of those things. Lorek gestured for her to run towards them with all her might. He would hold the creatures back. Alisa slowly crawled down from her place and started moving without making any sort of noise. The wild dog with its burnt face turned towards her. She halted. The dog started sniffing. It came closer and closer to her. She kept her hands on her mouth, trying her best not to make a sound. Small beads of sweat formed on her forehead and slowly began to trickle down her face.

The creature stopped and moved back a few paces. Alisa slowly turned her face towards the others. Now only Lorek and Beric were left. Beric was ready to go down, as their eyes met. She took a deep breath and started running towards them. She was tired, she could feel it. Her legs couldn't take any more. Her muscles were loose, maybe a bit too loose. Despite its crumpled appearance and broken scales, the monster had already fallen victim to decay and was on the verge of decomposition. It took a chance and jumped on Alisa as she was running and caught one of her legs.

"AAAARRRGGHHHHH" She screamed in agony, "GET OFF MEE! GET OF MEE" she cried as she kicked the creature with her other leg. Listening to her screams all the other cougars and wild dogs jumped on her, as she let out her last voice, "Lorek...Help me, it...hur-"