Shit.

I can't believe I had lost Matsuda and Motohama the way I did. Saving some random girl was the worst decision we could have made as we could have died or have been injured, but what has been done is irreversible. Motohama and Matsuda are lost out in the quiet city and I'm guiding a girl to our base of operations.

"Where are we going?" The girl had whispered as I peered around the corner of a wall. Three walking sacks of flesh milling about in the street. I clicked my tongue in annoyance and turned to face the girl.

"We're going to Kuoh Academy. It's a stronghold that I've put my heart and soul into building these past two weeks." The girl nodded, her violet eyes shining as tears formed in the corners of them, and I smiled in response, "Everything's going to be alright. Keep your head low and follow me."

I grabbed her small hand and burst out into the street, passing the first thing, dodging a hand that it had thrown out to try and grab me. I snaked past the second by a hair and had passed the third by a mile, a grin on my face.

The sprint back home was always the best part my daily outings, no matter how dangerous or boring it was. It always filled me with adrenaline as there was a sense of urgency once my feet started forming a pattern, even though there usually wasn't anything to worry about.

Two more of those monsters stumbled out from behind a wall, blocking the path. I grit my teeth and pulled out my pocket knife, flipping it open with my thumb, "Stay back for a second." I let go of the girl's hand and charged forward, my knife raised.

I ducked under a clumsy lunge from the first one and threw my knife up into its neck, digging it in as far as I could before I sliced the blade outward, meeting some heavy resistance as the flesh and other bodily insides denied the blade any type of smooth movement.

I let go of the knife when I realised it wouldn't cut through the flesh and turned to the side, raising an arm to grab the next monster by the neck, throwing it to the side as I felt the breath of the first one on my neck. I turned around and grabbed my knife and yanked it out of the neck, closing the knife before I grabbed the monster by the neck and head with both hands.

I twisted the head to one side and grinned in satisfaction as the bones and vertebrae easily snapped without much resistance. I dropped the corpse of the first monster and turned to the face the second one once again, noticing that it was struggling to get to its feet.

I walked over to it and pressed a boot against the back of its head, forcing its cheek to the ground. With as much force as I could muster, I pulled my foot back into the air and slammed it down onto the skull. The grey matter of the skull exploded all over the bitumen, blood exploding all up my leg and all over the road.

I turned to face the girl again, "You better hurry. The three we passed are gaining on you." The girl nodded with wide, teary eyes and jogged up to my side. I glanced at her as I was facing the front, noticing the fear in her eyes, "Don't worry. I'm not going to eat you." The girl looked up at me and then down at the road, her cheeks flushing red.

"The way you fight is cool…but it's also scary at the same time…" I sighed and ran a bloody hand through my hair unconsciously, clicking my tongue in annoyance when I noticed my idiotic action. I glanced down at the girl again before I peeked over my shoulder, seeing the three things we had passed devour the body of their own people.

"I do whatever I need to do to survive." The girl didn't say anything else after that, opting to stare at the ground the whole time with her arms by her side. I, however, shifted the backpack I had on my shoulder every few seconds as it was quite heavy.

I had hit a jackpot this morning while scavenging the local area. The houses around Kuoh were sucked dry of everything we could take, such as televisions, game consoles, board games, food, clothes, underwear and other daily needs that would help us survive, but the outer reaches were stacked full of stuff.

We were thankful that the water and electricity has stayed on for as long as it has, though, as we expected it to go down in the first week. It went to show us what we knew about our new lives as everything we expected was sometimes shot down by things we weren't expecting. An example of that is the water and electricity continuing to run.

But that didn't matter too much. They were an added bonus as everyone valued their lives more than anything. We didn't care if we didn't have water or electricity. As long as we had food and bottle water, we could survive without much of an issue.

"A-are we nearly there?" The girl broke me from my thoughts. I glanced down at her and surveyed our surroundings, noting the oddly empty streets that led up to Kuoh Academy. The streets were usually packed with our damn enemies, so seeing the streets empty for once was concerning but relieving for a change. We'll never know if the front gate will be able to survive a full onslaught, after all.

"We're nearly there. If there are no interruptions, it should only take us a few more minutes. You're going to be safe soon, I promise." The girl nodded and tucked a stray strand of her raven black hair behind her ear, glancing up at me for the umpteenth time that afternoon.

I peered around a wall that would reveal the street that led to the large school, wincing at the sights I saw. It was not very pretty and it was not something I wanted to see as there was a large horde of the things milling around the front gate and fence, my only option of entry. I turned to face the girl, "We're going to have to hide in a house for a while."

I stepped up onto my toes and peered over the fence and into a small yard, immediately noticing the smashed glass of a window and a blood trail on the grass. I glanced at the girl and yanked my walkie talkie from the small satchel on my pocket, flicking it on with a sigh before I pressed down on a button.

Batteries weren't hard to come across, but we really should be valuing them as they'll run out eventually, "Tetsuya, you there?" I let go of the button and waited in anticipation, sighing in relief as a crackling sound came from the black box.

"Loud and clear, Issei. What's the situation?" I peered around the corner once more to make sure the horde hadn't noticed the sound of the walkie talkie, pulling it up to my face.

"A horde is blocking the gate. Anything you guys could do?" A sigh came from the walkie talkie. I popped back into cover and tilted my head to look past the girl, noting any and all escape routes just in case something went wrong.

"Unfortunately, we're out of firecrackers. We ran out two days ago, remember? We've been meaning to use the science lab to figure out how to make more, but most of us are too afraid to do anything dangerous." I sighed and crossed my arms, tapping a foot impatiently.

"I guess I'll have to wait, then. Oh, by the way, can you try and contact Matsuda? We split up trying to save a girl and I haven't had the chance to contact him. I'd appreciate it if you could get back to me if I'm not in the school by that time, as well." I peered around the corner again and glanced down at the other end of the street, clicking my tongue when I noticed that that direction was blocked by a mini-horde as well.

"Will do, my friend. I'll see you later, then!" Tetsuya's voice cut out from the walkie talkie with a sigh. I placed the walkie talkie back into its slot and turned to face the girl, noticing the confusion of her face. I inhaled deeply and pushed myself up against the wall, holding both of my hands at the height of my waist.

"The only safe place is in here. You'll have to use my hand as a boost to climb over." The girl nodded, stepped up to where my hand was and lifted her leg, only to lower it with a blush. I glanced down at her fidgeting hands and noticed the red checker skirt she was wearing for the first time since meeting her.

My mouth formed an 'o' shape as I looked around the immediate area, looking for anything that could be used as a boost. I found nothing, though, and found out that I'd need to climb up the stone wall, sit on the top and pull the girl over.

"I'm climbing over, then. Can you hold this?" I shrugged my backpack off of my shoulders and held it out with a grin, chuckling when the girl nearly dropped it as I let go of it. She glared at me.

"What the hell's in here!?" I turned to face the wall, grabbed the top of it and took a deep breath, preparing to pull myself up onto the wall. I glanced at the girl first, though, my grin still present on my face.

"Oh, you know, a few litres of water and a few kilograms of canned and packeted food." The girl huffed in annoyance and quietly dropped the bag on the ground, still staring up at me. I looked up at the top of the wall and bounced once, twice and then thrice as I mustered all of my strength to get me up the wall.

I succeeded on my first try and grinned as my two weeks of strenuous work had made an effect on my physical strength. I shook the grin off of my face and pivoted my body's position on the wall, holding a hand out expectantly as the girl stared up at me. My grin faltered as she did nothing, "You know you can give me my backpack now, right?" The girl huffed and turned her head, crossing her arms.

"It's too heavy for me to lift." My jaw dropped. I was too surprised to move or notice the fact that one of the monsters had stumbled around the corner, followed by a couple more as I stared down at the girl.

One of them groaned, forcing my head to snap itself in the direction the sound came from, "Hey, umm, ignore my backpack for now, okay? You just need to get over here." The girl looked at the monsters with wide eyes and nodded quickly when she turned to face me, her hand already outstretched.

I grabbed both of them with my own and pulled, trying to not fall off of the wall in whatever direction I would, a pit forming in my stomach. The monsters were becoming awfully close to the girl and I couldn't help but feel a little antsy.

"Come on…" I had muttered, sweat forming on my forehead. I wasn't having much luck with pulling the girl up, and there was no way the girl could use her feet to help her up as the surface of the wall was entirely smooth, not to mention the black pumps she was wearing.

"I'm going to make it, right?" The girl had panic evident in her voice. The monsters were a few meters away and were steadily gaining on us as the seconds passed by. I glanced at the girl, my backpack and then the oncoming horde and furrowed my brow.

I needed to make a decision.

Save the girl? Save myself? Sacrifice the girl and sneakily grab my backpack before I escape?

I shook my head and grit my teeth. This girl was going to live, no matter what. I wouldn't let those inhumane and dark thoughts start to appear in my mind as I wasn't like that. I was never going to let those thoughts consume me as no one deserves to suffer the pain of being eaten alive because of someone's selfish desire.

With one last heave, I pulled her up and over the wall, falling onto my back as the sudden demonstration of my strength that was combined with the weight of the girl had forced me over the wall.

I grunted in pain when the girl landed on top of me and sighed as the sounds of the monsters scratching the wall reached my ears. We were safe for now, but who knows how long it will last? The girl scrambled off of me and sat on her knees, looking down at me with worry in her eyes, "Oh my god, I'm so sorry! Are you okay!?"

I raised a hand and sat up, coughing slightly as I regained the breath that had escaped my chest. Before we said anything, we needed to get inside and into a room on the second storey of the home. The bottom floor was always dangerous as there were a numerous amount of entrances, but the second floor only had one entrance which was the staircase.

The missing weight of my trusty backpack was disappointing and uncomfortable, though, as I pushed myself to my feet with a crack of a vertebrae in my back, "Let's head inside. It's not safe in here." The girl nodded and stood up as well, following behind me as I pulled my pocket knife out of my pocket.

I held it in the air and stepped inside, surveying my surroundings. A broken down door that had blood stains all over it, a corpse that has been eaten beyond any recognition of who the person may have been and a door that was slightly ajar in the direction of the room. The living room was a mess.

I ignored the state of the room in favour of pursuing the staircase, though, as the smell of the decomposing corpse and old blood was overwhelming. I gagged when I had first stepped inside, "Stay close behind me. There's probably a straggler in here." I glanced at the girl and saw her nod, sticking herself to my back.

I slowly walked through the room, all senses aware as my body was tense and ready for action. I glanced at the staircase as it came into sight and smiled, rushing right for it. I jumped over a chair that was on its side and peered up the staircase, sighing when I saw nothing blocking it. We were nearly safe.

The girl screamed as she was tackled to the ground, one of the monsters pinning her in place as it snarled and groaned at her. I turned around and sprinted right for it, attempting to leap over the chair. I hit it with a foot and tripped, landing on my chest and spluttering as I became winded, my knife skidding across the floorboards of the ground. The girl raised her hands and held the monster inches away from her face, screaming for help.

I attempted to push myself to my feet, struggling to breathe. I couldn't quite walk, so I fell onto all fours and crawled towards my knife, clumsily grabbing it as my vision began to dim. I grit my teeth and felt my lungs tighten and strain themselves as I pushed myself to my feet, staggering and falling into the wall as I walked over to where the girl was screaming.

There was banging on the front door, and if I was able to breathe, I would have certainly sworn at our current situation. I stumbled over to the girl, saw that she was slowly being overpowered and grabbed the monster by its filthy black hair, pulling its head back to reveal its bloody face. I grit my teeth, pulled my knife back and jammed it through its forehead, watching it slowly lose all of its movement.

I threw it to the side and collapsed to my knees after I had retrieved my knife, holding my chest. I was surely going to pass out soon if I didn't start breathing again and that would warrant a death wish. The front door splintered once as the monsters beat down on it as hard as they can.

I glanced at the girl, pulled her to her feet and stumbled over to the staircase, pulling her up it as her eyes were wide with fear. I reached the top of the staircase, fell onto my knees once again and let my arms collapse under the weight of my body.

I wasn't going to start breathing, no matter how much I try.

The girl looked down at me with panic spreading across her face, "What do I do!?" She shouted, kneeling down next to me. I rolled onto my back and heard the door splinter once more, my eyes squeezing themselves shut. I pointed to my chest and hit it a few times, feeling my lungs rise once.

The girl hurriedly nod and beat down on my chest, slowly restoring the oxygen to my chest. I stared up at the white ceiling and heard the door splinter once again. The girl continued to hammer down on my chest.

I gasped and spluttered as all of the air returned to my lungs at once, forcing me to cough violently as the door was beaten down by the monsters, "Issei, you doing fine, buddy? I heard some screaming and decided to look down at the streets with my binoculars. All I see are the infected swarming a house. You're making me worried."

I pushed myself to my feet and glanced down at the staircase, continuing my violent coughing fit. The monsters were slowly climbing the staircase one by one, clawing at each other as they were desperate to be the first ones to sink their teeth into us.

I grit my teeth and forced my coughing to stop, slowly breathing, "Follow me!" I burst into the nearest room and grinned when I noticed that it was a bedroom. I slammed the door behind us once the girl ran in after me and hurried over to a large wooden dresser, pulling it over towards the door as it was right up against the wall. It wouldn't budge, "I need some help, princess! We're going to die soon!"

The first undead bashed on the door, forcing the frame to shake and splutter under its force. The girl rushed over to the dresser and helped me to pull it. It was inching closer and closer towards the door, but at the rate we were pushing it, we weren't going to make it in time.

I rushed behind the drawer as we had made a gap and pushed with all of my might, leaving the pulling to the girl. I angled it and pushed it towards the door frame, my body sweating and aching as I forced all of my strength into blocking the door.

I grunted and spluttered, feeling the sweat roll down my forehead. The door splintered again, a large wooden chip flying into the air. I shut my eyes and took a deep breath, preparing to put all of my strength into one final push. The girl stepped to the side as she was starting to become trapped between the door and the dresser

I yelled with as much vigour as I could and forced the dresser into place, gasping for air as the monsters were still bashing the door down with as much force as they could. But we were safe. Even if they did break the door down, the wooden dresser wouldn't allow the monsters to gain entry.

Knowing that we were safe, I slid down the side of the dresser and sighed in relief, my eyes shut. I lazily yanked the walkie talkie from its satchel and raised it to my face, clicking the button down, "Tetsuya, it's me. The girl and I are safe for now."

The walkie talkie crackled to life.

"That's great! You never fail to disappoint, Issei!" I chuckled and lowered my arm, feeling my mind drift away.

"Rest while you can. We're going to escape soon and reach proper safety, so we better be prepared. I might go back for my backpack as well." I heard the sound of fabric rustling on fabric, followed by the creaking of a bed as the undead lost all interest in the door as they could not break it down, slowly wandering away.

I sighed.

We were living in a wonderland that was touched by death and there was never a dull moment.

Welcome to this story, everyone! I hope you enjoyed the first chapter! I put my heart and soul into writing it, so it better be good! I have recently finished a story called Totally Normal, as well, so some of you readers may be coming from there. If so, welcome back!

Did you like/dislike this chapter? Leave a review or a PM that tells me why you did or did not! Did you like/dislike this introduction and/or twist on the DxD universe? Leave a review or a PM that tells me why!

Thanks for reading!