Lily's POV

I tapped my pencil against the desk, staring blankly at the blackboard as the teacher droned on. The air in the classroom was heavy with heat, the slow whir of the ceiling fan doing little to help. My eyes flickered to the window, sunlight streaming in, making everything outside look peaceful.

Then, the world exploded.

The blast rattled the walls, sending a shockwave through my chest. A deafening boom swallowed the screams around me, and before I could react, the windows shattered, glass flying like deadly rain. My ears rang, drowning out the chaos, but my body moved on instinct—I dropped to the floor, pressing my hands over my head as dust and debris rained down.

Then came the shouting.

Rough, angry voices. Boots stomping across the floor.

I lifted my head slightly, blinking through the dust, my heart hammering against my ribs. Men—armed, masked, ruthless—poured into the classroom. Guns in their hands. One of them fired a warning shot into the air, and the screams turned into desperate, choked sobs.

"Move!" one of them barked causing us all to tremble.

A girl made a run for the door. A single gunshot rang out, and she crumpled to the ground. Dead.

A scream built in my throat, but I swallowed it down, forcing myself to stay still. My breath came in quick, panicked gasps. Around me, my classmates trembled, some sobbing, some frozen in shock. A strong hand clamped onto my arm, yanking me up.

"Don't fight," a voice growled near my ear.

I didn't fight. There was no point, I just witnessed someone die before me and unless I wanted to be another victim, I had to obey and listen to them.

I let them drag me. I let them pull me from my classroom, past the lifeless body of my classmate. My feet stumbled over fallen desks, my shoes slipping against broken glass.

Outside, more of them waited. Seven of us, girls of different ages in my school, were shoved together. Someone cried out, begging, pleading, but a sharp slap silenced her. My hands shook as they tied a rough cloth over my eyes, plunging me into darkness.

A van door slid open. One by one, we were thrown inside, landing in a tangled heap of trembling limbs. The air smelled of sweat, fear, and something metallic—blood.

The door slammed shut then, the van moved and we were gone.