I woke up to something pushing on my leg. Panicking, I reached into my drawer and pulled out a small letter opener. I lunged with my free hand, and grabbed what felt like an arm.

"What the Hell, Kaito?"

The voice sounded familiar, but the sleep kept my eyes shut. As I wielded my letter opener, I finally managed to open my eyes.

I looked into the furious eyes of my childhood friend, Saya Takagi. She reached up with her hand, and slapped me.

"What the Hell is wrong with you? What were you going to do, huh? Stab me?" She screamed at me.

I look at her through sleepy eyes. "How did you even get in here?"

"You left the door unlocked again. Or was it your roommate this time?" She smacked me across the face again. "Oh, that's right. You don't have a roommate!"

I dragged myself to my feet, and stood looming over the angry girl. Realizing I still had the letter opener, I tossed it back in my drawer.

"Kaito, I thought you of all people would have a better self defense plan than a letter opener." Takagi said, sitting on the end of my bed. Her face was still red from anger.

"Well, it's not like I can sneak a gun in here or something, Takagi. I'd be expelled in a heartbeat." I said to her, picking up various clothes from around my room

"Well, your dad being in the Self Defense Force, I'm sure you could find something better than a letter opener." She said, reaching for the once wielded weapon.

"Well next time you try to sneak in, can you at least state that you're here?" I said in a sarcastic tone, slipping on my v neck.

"Kaito, I've known you for thirteen years." She said, still looking at the letter opener. "I'm sure you could handle me barging in on you in your boxers."

"Yea yea." I said, grabbing my shoes from next to the door.

Takagi walked over to where I was standing, looked me up and down, and then kissed me on the cheek.

"Don't think I'm going soft on you. You owe me after trying to kill me over there." She tapped me on the cheek twice, opened the door, and left.

"Sometimes I wonder about her," I thought out loud.

I checked my rucksack for my laptop. Being a computer technology major, I almost always had it with me. I laid the bag on the table, grabbing my shoes. I sat down in my chair, staring at the shoes. They were old high top converse from America that I bought from my trip to the Blackwater USA. Tying the worn laces, I remembered the month long trip. My friend Kohta Hirano had come with. Both of us being gun fanatics, I would have been surprised if Hirano hadn't come along.

The bell for sixth class rang. Shit. Well, no point in showing up now. My teacher, Mr. Kamara, had a heart as cold as an ice cube. He's had me removed from class almost every day since classes started a couple weeks ago. But since I had one of the highest GPAs in the school, he couldn't get rid of me.

I stood up, going to the closet to grab a jacket. Putting on the jacket, I remembered I had something in the pocket. I reached into the left pocket, and pulled out a small pendant, something I had planned on giving to an old friend, Rei Miyamoto. It was something I got from a Maori warrior on a trip to New Zealand. It was a Roimata Tear Drop, the Maori symbol for strength, power, pride and independence.

I turned the blue stone in my hand, still pondering if I could work up the nerve to finally give it to her. I slipped it back in my pocket, the feeling leaving along with the pendants presence. I closed the closet door, turning to the door to grab my hat. A simple grey baseball cap with "Blackwater USA" printed on the back. Grabbing my rucksack, I slid the hat into one of the pockets. I left the room, locking the door behind me.

I decided to skip classes, knowing I was late already and not wanting to put up with flak I'd get from Mr. Kamara. I had to walk through the classroom buildings anyway, there being no doors outside in the dorms. I was at the base of the stairs, looking around.

"Kaito!" a familiar voice said. I turned around to see my best friend, Kenta Matsumoto.

"Kenta! I haven't seen you since classes started, how's it been going?" I asked, happy to see the giant I called my friend.

"Well, for starters things haven't been going smoothly with that teacher, Mr. Kamara." He said, scratching the back of his head. "He just caught me talking to Takagi in the halls."

"No way, really? What about Takagi?" I asked, trying not to laugh.

"He let her go like always," Kenta said, checking his watch. "I wonder about her sometimes. But hey, I have to be at the detention room before 12:45, so I'll catch you later." He lumbered past me, ducking to get through the doors to the offices.

"Yea, meet me at my dorm after classes, maybe we can catch up?" I suggested to him, but I got no answer. He just waved, and kept walking. I laughed, thinking of how Takagi got out of this one, but I pushed it out of my mind. I went through the opposite doors, into the courtyard.

I took a deep breath, taking in the smell of the cherry blossoms that were blooming. I pulled the cap out of my rucksack, and slid it on. It was a bit loose, but it was a hot day, and I didn't mind. I heard a scream from the right, near the front gate. My head snapped up, looking for the sound. I couldn't see the gate from where I was, so I ran. It was a decent run down the path, and I almost tripped when I saw what was happening at the gate.

I looked up to see one of the gyms teachers reach up, grab Mrs. Kiyomizo, and take a bite out of her neck. Her scream was beyond ear splitting, making me flinch. I saw movement in the buildings above, and saw Takashi Komuro, a rival more than a friend. He looked down at me, and then ran inside, leaving me to look after the situation in front of me. The other two gym teachers who were there had left. I didn't know what to do, I stood dumb struck.

The gym teacher stood up, bloody at the mouth. That's Mr. Tojima, what the Hell is he doing, I asked myself. I looked over at the gate, seeing a man, on his knees, bloody at the mouth.

"What the fuck happened here," I said in a loud voice. As if on command, Mr. Tojima screamed, not a scream like Mrs. Kiyomizos, but more of a roar. It sounded angry, almost enraged. He started running towards me, his right arm outstretched like he was trying to grab me.

"What's your problem?" I asked, stepping back slowly. What am I going to do, kick his head off?

He kept running, blood flying out of his mouth. As he got closer, the details became more and more grotesque. His eyes were glazed over, pupils white. His skin had turned a sickly grey color, his face flush.

"I'm warning you, Mr. Tojima," I said weakly, not knowing what to do. He lunged at me, almost grabbing my jacket. I grabbed his wrist with my left hand, and shot my right hand into his ribcage, vaulting him over me. He hit the ground hard, and I heard a crack when his feet bounced off the ground. I looked at his legs, and his left foot was backwards, obviously broken.

I let go of him, but right as I let go, he screamed, the rage still strong. He grabbed my right pant leg, to which I raised my left foot, and brought it down over the bloody limb. The break was clean, and I ground the arm into the concrete. The teacher roared at me again, this time jumping to his feet. I noticed he was walking on his broken foot as if it was nothing. I tripped over my own feet, scaring the crap out of myself. I landed flat on my back, and in no time, Mr. Tojima had pinned me to the ground.

I grabbed his head with my right hand, trying to keep him from biting me. He was stong, almost impossibly strong for a man his size. I looked for a way to disable him, and found one. I thrust my knee up, striking him right in his manhood. When he acted as if nothing had happened, I really started freaking out.

Holy fuck! If he can't feel that, he's either Duke Nukem or he doesn't even have a pair! I thought, trying to scramble out from underneath the heavy man. He screamed at me again, blood plastering my face. I kept replaying movements from my Krav Maga training, and I finally thought of one. I jammed my thumb into Mr. Tojimas eye, blood pouring like a fountain down my sleeve.

His head reared back, almost the complete opposite of what I expected. I clenched my fist, and trust it right into his throat. He instantly backed off, and I scrambled to my feet, almost tripping over my rucksack. He was on his knees, scratching at the swelling throat. He started tearing the skin off, blood gushing everywhere. My stomach churned, and I turned away from it. What I saw nearly made me wet myself.

Mrs. Kiyomizo, the woman I saw fall dead less than five minutes ago, was getting to her feet. She too was covered in blood, the bite still bleeding freely. I heard heavy panting, and turned to see that Mr. Tojima had torn his entire throat off, down to the windpipes. Blood was gushing out of his body, pooling quickly. His head started to roll foreward, and I raised my foot, and kicked the obviously not living teacher on his back.

I walked over and stood next to his chest. He was still breathing. How the fuck is this guy still alive? I raised my foot, and brought it down right above his nose. He flinched and screamed, blood hitting my face. I raised my foot once again, this time breaking the nose, jamming it into the brain. The body shuttered, and then lay limp.

I looked back and saw Mrs. Kiyomizo, or whatever it was, turning slowly towards me. I didn't stick around to see if she was as strong as Mr. Tojima. I noticed my hat was gone finding it in the blood puddle that was a teacher. I started running towards the school, shaking the blood off my hat as best I could. Slipping the hat back on, it was slightly damp, but it didn't bother me much.

I got to the courtyard, and stopped. Slowly turning to see an open gate, more of the grey skinned people were released into the grounds. There weren't very many, little more than a dozen. But they moved fast, attacking other students. I turned and ran for the lobby. Well, everything starts somewhere, right?

When I opened the doors, I was welcomed by a scream. I looked up and saw the attendant cowering behind her desk. I was about to ask her what was happening at the gate, when the intercom screeched to life.

"This announcement is for all the students. An emergency situation is taking place inside the school right now. All students must follow your teacher's instructions and evacuate. I repeat . .."

I was frozen in place, my breathing shuttered and raspy. So . . . So there really is something happening . . .

I ran for the classrooms, not knowing what I planned on doing. I bounded up the stairs, almost tripping myself. I ran down the hallway, looking into the empty classrooms. I ran around one of the corners, not thinking anything of it. But when I looked up, I saw someone swinging something, and then black.

Knocked unconscious, real nice Kaito.