'Gabriela, behind you!'

Catherine's voice boomed again, this time more urgently. Gabriela instantly turned her head, and her eyes widened. In the faint shadows, she saw a figure standing far behind her, at the end of the corridor leading to the gate. The figure was wearing a black jacket, and his face was hidden under a helmet. The man stood still, but his aura was intimidating, like he was watching Gabriela's every move.

Gabriela felt her blood rushing. 'What do I do, Catherine?!' she whispered frantically.

However, Catherine did not answer. Gabriela realised that she had to act quickly. Without thinking, she decided not to run towards the gate.

Instead, she turned towards the main building, hoping to hide in one of the rooms or find another exit.

His footsteps were hurried, the echoing sound of his boots filling the empty corridor. When she looked back, the man was nowhere to be seen. But Gabriela knew he was still following her. Heavy footsteps sounded closer, bouncing off the corridor walls.

The sound seemed to follow the rhythm of Gabriela's steps, making her hair stand on end.

Gabriela finally arrived at the teacher's lounge where the door was slightly ajar. She pushed the door open slowly and entered, trying to calm her ragged breathing. The light in the room was dim, lit only by a desk lamp in the corner.

Gabriela hid herself behind the large table in the centre of the room, hoping the figure wouldn't find her.

A few seconds seemed like hours. The sound of the man's footsteps grew closer, then stopped outside the door. Gabriela held her breath, trying to regulate her heartbeat that was so fast it was almost painful. She heard the door to the room open slowly, the hinges creaking horribly.

'Catherine, help me...' Gabriela whispered almost silently, but there was no response. She was alone.

The man's footsteps could be heard entering the room, slowly but surely. Gabriela didn't dare move, just closed her eyes and prayed silently. The man's shadow was visible on the floor, getting closer to the table where Gabriela was hiding.

When the man was only a few steps away from the table, a sound suddenly echoed in the room, like the sound of a large object falling from the bookshelf in the corner. The man paused for a moment, then turned towards the sound.

Gabriela did not waste this opportunity. She came out of hiding and ran with all her might towards the back door of the room.

With her breath catching, she kept running without looking back. She finally got out of the school building and ran towards the security post.

Gabriela finally made it to the security post, but it seemed that the security guard was performing the maghrib service. She felt there was nowhere else to hide but there. Trying to calm her ragged breathing, Gabriela peeked out from behind the door of the post, hoping that the figure following her would not come any closer.

'Catherine, are you still here?' she whispered in a trembling voice.

'Yes, I'm here,' Catherine's voice replied, sounding calm but firm. 'That figure hasn't left yet. He's still looking for you.'

Gabriela closed her eyes, trying to subdue her fears. She knew that waiting at the security post might only give her a short time to think clearly, but she had no other choice.

'What should I do now?' she muttered, more to herself than to Catherine.

After several minutes that felt like hours, Gabriela heard the familiar sound of a motorbike.

Gabriela immediately pressed herself against the wall, clutching her pounding chest. However, before the figure could get any closer, she heard the sound of the security phone ringing loudly, probably a call from someone.

'Answer the phone... call for help,' Catherine whispered urgently.

Gabriela nodded weakly, but just as she was about to pick up the phone, the roar of a motorbike came from behind. Gabriela turned her head in panic, just as the roar of the motorbike was getting closer. The man on the motorbike was too close, his face covered by a helmet, and a baseball bat in his hand. Without warning, the man slammed the bat into Gabriela.

Reflexively, Gabriela raised her left hand to deflect. Bruakkk! The impact crashed into the bone of her arm, sending her tumbling to the side.

Gabriela screamed in pain, a sharp pain radiating from her arm that felt like it was broken. She clutched her bruised and swollen left arm, tears welling up in her eyes, mixed with fear and excruciating pain.

The man manoeuvred his motorbike closer again, as if to make sure his attack was successful. Gabriela, with what strength she had left, crawled away towards the slightly open school gate. 'Catherine! Help me!' she screamed desperately, hoping for a miracle in the midst of this terrible situation.

The mysterious man got off his motorbike with a calm yet menacing gesture, the baseball bat still in his hand. He approached Gabriela who was lying on the ground, unable to move with a badly injured arm. Gabriela tried to drag her body away, but the man just smiled coldly behind his helmet.

Catherine, who could only watch, looked agitated and shouted desperately. 'I can't do anything! I'm sorry, Gabriela!'

Gabriela closed her eyes, preparing to receive the final blow as the man raised the baseball bat high. Her breath caught, and despair filled her mind. However, just before the bat struck her, there was the sound of quick steps accompanied by a loud shout.

'Stop!'

A shadow shot out from the front, like a scene from an action film. With incredible speed, someone flew over and slammed a kick right into the man's helmet. Bruakkk! The kick was powerful enough to send the mysterious man flying backwards several metres, until he fell to the pavement with the motorbike in tow.

Gabriela opened her eyes slowly, panting, to see her saviour standing tall in front of her. It was a young man of athletic build, wearing a black jacket and jeans, his face partially covered by a black mask. His piercing eyes conveyed both courage and composure.

'Are you okay?' asked the young man without turning his head, keeping his eyes on the mysterious man who was now lying on the ground, looking in pain.

Gabriela, still surprised, could only nod slowly. 'S-who are you?' she asked in a trembling voice.

The young man finally turned his head slightly, revealing a look full of conviction. 'Someone who can't stand to see others oppressed,' he replied briefly, before returning his gaze to the mysterious man who was slowly getting up with his staff.

'You picked the wrong time,' the young man said, his voice cold and threatening. 'If you want to settle this, I'm here. But if you have any brains, you'd better leave now.'

Gabriela stared at the young man in confusion, trying to remember his face. When the young man glanced back at her, Gabriela's eyes rounded.

"You're... Shiro? Arina's friend? ' she asked in a trembling voice.

Shiro smiled a little behind his mask, though his eyes remained wary of the mysterious man. "Glad you still remember me, Gabriela. But, this doesn't seem like the right time for a reunion."

The mysterious man staggered to his feet, visibly angry at being attacked so suddenly. He raised his baseball bat again, preparing to strike Shiro. However, Shiro remained calm. With quick movements, he moved forward and dodged the bat's swings with agility, like someone who had been trained. Once again, Shiro kicked the man in the stomach, knocking him back down.