Ali and Sara waited outside the school gates, backpacks slung over their shoulders, trading excited whispers about the upcoming science fair. Penny, clutching her sketchbook, leaned against the old oak tree, lost in a world of swirling pencil lines. The bell’s shrill ring signaled the start of another day, and the halls quickly filled with voices and laughter.
Sara drops her water bottle, eyes wide as she points upward. Ali grabs Penny’s arm, urging her away from the glass doors. The shriek of metal fills the air as the plane veers, clips the gymnasium roof, and crashes into the west wing with a deafening explosion.
Penny coughs, eyes watering, as Ali leads her through the chaos. "We have to find a safe place, maybe under the bleachers," Sara shouts above the noise, grabbing their hands. Sirens wail in the distance, the promise of help both near and impossibly far.
Ali[/@ch_1] spots a trapped classmate, her cries muffled by rubble. The walls creak ominously, glass crunching underfoot.]
"I’m going in – she needs help," Ali declares, determination hardening his face. Penny hesitates, then nods, squeezing Sara’s hand for courage. Together, the three friends brace themselves and step into the smoky corridor.
Ali[/@ch_1] crawls through twisted lockers and fallen beams. Penny calls out, guiding Ali closer to the trapped student.]
"Hold on, I’m almost there!" Ali reassures her, hands trembling as he lifts debris. Sara pushes aside broken chairs, helping free the frightened girl. Tears streak through grime as relief floods the group.
Penny stares at the ruined school, her sketchbook pressed to her chest, and wonders if she’ll ever draw those halls again. "We made it because we stuck together," Sara murmurs, voice barely audible. Ali, arm around his friends, watches as a new dawn glimmers through the rain, promise shimmering on the horizon.
