The younger ones refused to let go of Aren.
One of them still clung tightly to his waist while another held his arm as if the moment they released him he would disappear again. Their small bodies trembled against him, the fear they had been holding in finally pouring out now that he was here.
Aren didn't rush them.
He simply stayed there, one hand resting gently on their heads while they cried. The tension that had been pressing on his chest since the chaos started slowly eased.
They were alive!!!!
For a while none of them said anything. The room that had once been filled with violence and panic now held only quiet sobs and heavy breathing.
Alero watched the scene from a few steps away.
Seeing Aren standing there felt unreal. Just hours ago she had convinced herself she might never see him again. She had forced herself to stay strong for the younger ones, even when she felt like breaking down.
But now that he was here, all that strength seemed to melt away.
She wiped her eyes again, though more tears followed almost immediately.
"You really came," she said softly.
Aren looked at her.
"Of course I did."
Alero shook her head slightly with a small laugh that still carried exhaustion.
"You have no idea what we went through."
Aren didn't respond right away. Instead he studied her quietly.
Her uniform was dirty and wrinkled. There were faint scratches along her arms and dust smeared across her face. She looked like someone who had been running for hours without rest.
But despite all that she was still standing.
Still protecting the younger ones.
"You did well," Aren said.
Alero blinked at him.
The simple words seemed to hit her harder than anything else. She quickly looked away again, wiping her face before the children noticed she had started crying again.
Behind them, Celine stood silently.
She watched the siblings reunite without interrupting. For the first time since everything happened, the tightness in her chest loosened slightly.
It had been a long day.
She had seen students turn into monsters, watched people panic and trample each other while trying to escape. And then those two boys…
Her gaze drifted briefly toward where they were lying unconscious on the floor.
She quickly looked away again.
Right now she was more focused on the young man standing with the children.
Aren finally stood up fully again after the younger ones calmed down a little.
His expression shifted slightly as his attention returned to the room around them.
"We can't stay here," he said.
The words immediately brought everyone back to reality.
Alero nodded.
"I know."
Celine spoke for the first time in a while.
"The hallways are still dangerous. We've heard movement outside several times already."
Aren glanced toward the door briefly before looking back at them.
"I cleared most of what I saw coming here, but that doesn't mean more won't show up."
The children instinctively moved closer together.
Alero crossed her arms slightly while thinking.
"So where do we go?"
Aren didn't hesitate.
"I still have to find mom."
The moment he said it the room became quiet again.
Alero's expression tightened.
"She should still be at work."
"I know."
Their mother worked at a small hospital across town. If the same chaos that happened here had spread across the city, then the hospital would probably be one of the worst places to be.
Celine slowly spoke.
"You're planning to go out there?"
Aren looked at her.
"Yes."
There was no hesitation in his voice.
Alero sighed quietly.
"That's what I thought you'd say."
She already knew there was no way he would leave their mother behind.
Celine remained silent for a few seconds before speaking again.
"My parents aren't here."
Both siblings looked at her.
"They live in another state," she continued.
"They moved to Rivers State two years ago for work. I stayed here for my teaching position."
Her voice stayed calm but there was a hint of uncertainty behind it.
"With the way things are now, I don't even know if the roads will still be safe enough to travel that far."
Aren studied her quietly.
He still hadn't fully decided what he thought about her. Saving someone didn't automatically mean trusting them.
But before he could respond, Alero spoke first.
"She helped us," she said.
Aren looked at her.
"When everything started going crazy, she was the one who gathered us and got us out of the main building," Alero continued. "If she hadn't been there we probably wouldn't have made it this far."
Celine seemed slightly uncomfortable hearing that but didn't interrupt.
Aren remained quiet for a moment.
Then he nodded once.
"Alright."
Both women looked at him.
"You can come with us," he said to Celine.
"But we move carefully."
Celine exhaled slowly.
"Thank you."
Aren didn't respond to that. Instead he walked toward the door and looked through the small glass panel into the hallway.
The corridor outside was dim and silent.
Broken desks and scattered papers littered the floor. The fluorescent lights above flickered occasionally, casting uneven shadows along the walls.
It looked empty.
But Aren knew better than to trust silence now.
Behind him the others were gathering what little supplies they could find inside the lab. Alero grabbed a small backpack from one of the desks and stuffed a few water bottles and snacks inside.
The younger children stayed close to her.
Celine picked up a metal rod from a broken chair leg.
It wasn't much, but it was better than being unarmed.
Aren watched them briefly.
Then that strange flicker appeared again at the edge of his vision.
The loading bar!!!
It appeared faintly for only a second.
The percentage was almost complete.
Aren frowned slightly before it vanished again.
Whatever this thing was, it clearly wasn't finished yet.
He pushed the thought aside for now.There were more important things to deal with.
After a few minutes the group was ready.
Alero adjusted the backpack over her shoulder and looked at Aren.
"Okay. What's the plan?"
Aren opened the classroom door slowly.
The hallway air smelled stale and metallic.
"First we get out of the school," he said.
His eyes scanned both directions carefully.
"Then we find transportation."
"And after that," he added quietly, "we go find mom."
None of them argued.
Because they all knew the same thing.
The real danger was waiting outside the school gates.