One by one, the students in the classroom next to the science lab began to glance up and sniff the air deeply at first, and then quickly cover their noses. Something was going terribly wrong in the science lab, and the smell was beginning to permeate the other classrooms in the hall.
A few brave students exchanged puzzled looks, whispering among themselves as the odor grew stronger, an overwhelming combination of sulfur and something distinctly burnt. The teacher, noticing the commotion, paused her lesson and raised an eyebrow, trying to identify the source of the disturbance.
As the minutes ticked by, the smell intensified, curling its way into their classroom like a mischievous ghost. Concern rippled through the students, and several of them began to feel a tickle in their throats. A few stood up, peering through the door’s small window into the hallway where the science lab was located.
“Should we tell someone?” one girl whispered, her voice barely above a murmur, glancing at her teacher who seemed deep in thought.
The teacher, finally sensing the gravity of the situation, nodded firmly. “Yes, let’s alert the office. This doesn’t seem normal.” She moved toward the door, motioning for a student to accompany her.
As they stepped into the hall, the unsettling smell thickened, making their eyes water. They hurried toward the office, hoping the science lab could be cleared out before things took a turn for the worse.