Chapter 1

Tokonosu City, Japan. 12/21/12. 6:15 am. Z-Day.

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP blared the alarm clock. A hand shot out from underneath the messy fortress of blankets at breakneck speed and smashed the snooze button. Rolling out of bed, a boy lumbered sleepily towards the bathroom. This was all part of the morning routine for Jonas Blane. Wake up, brush teeth, shower, get dressed, grab backpack, skip breakfast, go to school. Wash, rinse, repeat. When he was changed and ready to go, he began the long walk down the hallway to the top of the stairs.

Once there, his mom called out "Make sure to eat breakfast or something!"

"I won't" he muttered under his breath.

Pulling open a drawer, Jonas pulled out his keys, absentmindedly spinning them around his finger as he entered the garage. He swung his leg over his Ducati and inserted the key. The sound of the engine filled the garage as the Superbike roared to life, the sound drowning out all others. Pausing only to put his helmet on, he sped out of the garage.

Ellie giggled as Sean pulled her into the Athletic shed behind the gym. It was a well known spot where couples performed less...academic activities. They began to kiss passionately and she felt the world melt away. Her mind only registered one thing. Sean. She needed him more than she needed air, she craved him. He was hers, forever. His kisses trailed down her neck and he gave her a gentle bite. She giggled again, blushing. His hands began to pull her in a little too roughly, his bites becoming increasingly frantic.

"Sean, slow down. That hurts! SEAN!" she complained.

He made no indication that he had heard her, puller her closer still, his hands locking her firmly in place. Frightened, she tried to withdraw. He grunted harshly, a guttural sound as his nails dug into her back, blocking her escape.

"Sean, you're hurting me. Stop!" Ellie yelled

She screamed as his next bite tore through the sinew of her neck, her blood spraying out in a gushing fountain as his teeth sliced through her jugular. Her next scream was transformed into an incoherent gurgle that was drowned out by his moans as his teeth dug deeper and deeper…

As he was pulling into the school parking lot, Jonas heard sirens blaring obnoxiously behind him as 3 police cruisers sped by, hastily weaving in and out of traffic. He shook his head and parked in his allotted spot. Jonas looked around and sighed. He had been at Rakunan senior high school for about 4 months now and hated everything about it. It was a school predominantly filled with the sons and the daughters of the rich and powerful. These students seemed to believe their parent's power had transcended into them and acted accordingly.

Pompous, spoiled brats, he thought.

He turned around to begin the walk to first period when he overheard two girls whispering, their heads together.

"I don't know! He just bit me! I rolled down the window to give him some money and he bit me in the hand!" complained one of the girls, holding up her poorly bandaged hand for her friend to see.

"That's so weird! You should go to the nurse, what if it gets infected?" replied the second girl as she examined the makeshift bandage.

The bitten girl snorted "Infected? With what? He may have been homeless, but I don't think he was thaaaaat dirty, but anyway, did you hear about the girl from our third period? She-"

Jonas lost interest. He continued walking, attempting to drown out the sound of all the pointless chatter surrounding him. A group of girls eyed him warily as he walked by. He had already earned a reputation for being an "asshole" and people treated him as such. He didn't really feel the need to please everyone, so he didn't. It was as simple as that. A high pitched scream rent the air, cutting through the buzz in the courtyard. Every head turned towards the unnatural sound as the din died down. Jonas felt a chill run down his spine and began to walk towards the sound, interested. The rest of the students followed close behind. The air was silent as they walked around the gym, trying to pinpoint the exact source of the sound. A loud thump from the athletic shed caused everyone to jump. Jonas approached the doors cautiously, beckoning another student to come help him. Together, Jonas and the blonde haired boy of about 14 slowly opened the double doors.

Peering inside, the blonde boy said "Hello? Who's in-"

His words were cut off as a pair of hands grabbed him from the darkness, pulling him towards their owner's gaping mouth. From the darkness, there was a sickening crunch followed by a pained yell as the two struggled. Surprised, Jonas fell backwards with a shout as a second person, a blonde girl with ashen skin, stumbled out of the shed, moaning as she reached towards him. Behind him, the students that had gathered held their breath, not understanding the situation. Jonas rolled to his feet quickly, taking a defensive stance.

"What the hell? Are you OK? Someone call the nurse!" he yelled back to the students, noting the blood pouring from her neck.

He eyed the girl closely and took a step back without realizing it, disgusted by what he saw. Her neck was completely shredded, the blood ran down from the gaping wound and soaked her entire shirt. Her eyes looked milky, glazed over. She looked in his general direction with unseeing eyes and snarled, launching herself towards the sound of his voice. Acting quickly, he smashed his fist into her face, breaking her nose with a crunch. She staggered backwards and gnashed her teeth. Unfazed she ran at him again and Jonas dove out of the way. Her hands caught the nearest student in the crowd and she dug her face into his arm, tearing out a huge chunk of his arm. All hell broke loose. Screams filled the air as the student scattered, running for the nearest buildings. Jonas looked at the entrance of the shed and watched in horror as the blonde boy and the thing that had grabbed him stalked out of the shed. Without hesitation, they were on the boy from the crowd, tearing into him as he whimpered, well past screaming as one of his lungs was being torn out from underneath his ribcage. Jonas remembered the training his father gave him, assessing the situation and the strength of his opponents. He looked at the 3 students munching on their peer and grimaced when one turned its head towards him, raw flesh dangling from its mouth.

Run or die, he thought grimly.

Jonas ran like hell.