Chapter 1: The Rules of Survival

On the first night of the campus lockdown, our phones all buzzed at once—one of those emergency alerts you can’t ignore, even if you want to.

[Please follow these 25 rules. You may only leave after the school lifts the lockdown in seven days. Any student who leaves early...]

The message was cold and clinical, the kind of bureaucratic tone you get in those tornado drill alerts or fire alarm tests. But this one hit different—heavier, urgent, like a weight dropped in your stomach. I pictured the campus—dark, the hum of flickering fluorescent lights overhead, footsteps echoing down endless linoleum hallways.

1

Everything seemed normal in calculus class, right up until the moment my phone buzzed with a new text:

[1. Do not answer any questions from the teacher.]

[2. If the teacher keeps class late, ignore it. After class, do not stay in the classroom.]

[3. Skipping class is not allowed. Remain quiet in the classroom.]

[4. The library is absolutely safe, but you may only stay for a maximum of two hours at a time. Remain quiet in the library, or you will be punished by the librarian.]

[5. The dorm is absolutely safe, but only from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. the next morning.]

I scrolled down, heart thumping, as the list kept going...

[6. The study lounge is safe, but only for a maximum of one hour at a time. Students can talk to each other, but not everyone in the lounge may be normal.]

[7. If the people inside don’t open the dorm door themselves, no one outside can enter.]

[8. After 11 p.m., there will be dorm inspections. Do not open the door for the inspectors.]

[9. Do not turn off the lights yourself at night; the lights will turn off on their own.]

[10. If you see someone in a tall red hat in the dorm hallway, immediately seek help from the dorm manager. During this time, do not look back.]

I scrolled further, my palms sweating, pulse in my ears...

[11. If you have a problem inside the dorm, look for the dorm manager; if outside, find the resident advisor.]

[12. Do not go to the principal’s office.]

[13. Do not eat the cafeteria’s sloppy joes.]

[14. Stay away from cats on campus, and never feed them, because you can’t choose what part of yourself you feed the cat with.]

[15. There are no dogs at school. Stay away from anyone who sees a dog.]

Five more. I could barely breathe...

[16. Be wary of the student government. There is no one in the student government.]

[17. Do not leave the dorm after midnight; wait until dawn.]

[18. In a dorm that’s been wiped out, do not eat anything inside, nor speak to anyone inside.]

[19. Do not talk to anyone in the bathroom stalls at school.]

[20. Before sleeping, make sure your roommates are all normal. If you notice anything off, say, 'The dog is outside,' and lock out whoever leaves.]

Almost done. My hands shook...

[21. Try your best to keep your roommates safe. It’s hard to survive alone.]

[22. Never eat too much, and don’t be greedy.]

[23. Do not trust others easily.]

[24. Hold out for seven days. After seven days, when the school lifts the lockdown, take bus route 17 and leave.]

[25. Before the school lifts the lockdown, you must not leave campus.]

After reading the message, I looked up, my heart pounding in my throat.

My classmates were all glancing around, wide-eyed, phones clenched in their hands. Clearly, I wasn’t the only one who got the text.

The tension in the room was thick enough to chew. No one dared make a move—everyone’s eyes flicked between their screens and the teacher, pretending to pay attention, but their nervous tapping and shifting in their seats gave them away. Even the A/C sounded too loud.

I was about to whisper something to my roommate, Derek—

[Remain quiet in the classroom.]

I snapped my mouth shut and instead opened our group chat on Messenger, fingers trembling:

Me: Did you guys get the text?

Derek: Yeah, it’s just a prank. I don’t buy it.

Ryan: Would a prank be sent to the whole class? Derek, if you think it’s fake, stand up and yell something. Bet you won’t.

Derek: Get lost.

Marcus: Even if it’s not scientific, there’s a lot in this world science can’t explain. Better safe than sorry.

Tyler sent a dog emoji.

Ben: I second that.

No one in the classroom made a sound.

It felt like everyone was holding their breath, waiting for the other shoe to drop—like that split second before a pop quiz lands on your desk and you know you’re toast.

Suddenly, someone burst out laughing—

Hahahahaha

It came from right in front of me. I looked up. Of course—it was the guy glued to TikTok, probably hadn’t seen the message at all.

His laughter was so wrong, it made my skin crawl.

The teacher paused mid-sentence, then let out a laugh of their own. The teacher’s laugh sounded like Siri trying to fake a chuckle—cold, stilted, wrong.

The way their mouth curled just wasn’t right. Nobody dared speak. Disrespecting the teacher comes at a price.

That old American lesson—the teacher’s glare is punishment enough. Only this time, it felt like the penalty could be much worse. Like, forever worse.

As soon as calculus was over, the boy with TikTok froze. His eyes went blank, and he slowly raised his head—then, to my horror, his body started to float. He just kept rising until he hung, limp, in the middle of the classroom.

Drip.

Something red—blood?—started dripping from him, slow and steady.

My hands went ice-cold. I couldn’t move, couldn’t even blink.

Ah—

A couple of girls screamed—real, full-throated horror-movie screams that made the hairs on my arms stand up.

Their screams echoed off the cinderblock walls, then just cut off, leaving a ringing, terrible silence. It was like the air got sucked right out of the room.

Nobody moved. It was like we’d all agreed, without speaking, to pretend nothing happened—just for a second longer.

The teacher resumed the lecture, as if nothing had happened.

Our dorm group chat went wild:

Derek: What’s going on? Was the text real?

Ryan: I’ve decided, after class I’m going to the library. Never thought my first time in the library would be like this.

Marcus: Then I’ll check out the study lounge, maybe I can dig up some new info.

Me: Boss Marcus, you’re really a hero. The few dog lives in our dorm are all riding on you now.

Marcus: Don’t mention the word ‘dog’ casually.

Tyler: Dude, you can’t see dogs, can you…

Me: Screw you! You’re giving me the creeps. I’ve been next to Derek this whole time, don’t frame me.

Ben: I can vouch for that.

……

Ring—the bell for the end of class sounded.

The calculus teacher seemed not to hear it and started calling on students to answer questions.

[Do not answer any questions from the teacher.]

[If the teacher keeps class late, ignore it. After class, do not stay in the classroom.]

The six of us from the dorm grabbed our stuff and bolted.

When that bell rang, it sounded like freedom—except everyone moved like it was a fire drill, grabbing backpacks and hustling out, sneakers squeaking on the tile.