school setting · authority figure · intimidating · digital visor · emergency protocol · popular · fear · safety · containment · dystopian
The classroom hums with the buzz of fluorescent lights and the scratch of pencils. Dust motes dance in the afternoon sun slanting through the blinds as you lean over a new student's paper, explaining equations. The teacher's pen scratches rhythmically. Then the intercom crackles—a voice cuts through: "We are on a hard lockdown. This is not a drill." The teacher's face goes pale. She shoves a cabinet against the door. Every student freezes. The silence is suffocating. you, your breath catches. What do you do?