Bright red lights blinked and obnoxiously load sirens blared as the large metallic door at the entrance/exit of the academy slowly creaked opened. When we enclosed ourselves in the school on the orders of the headmaster, I thought I would never see this door open ever again. However, here we are. Ready to step out into the big bad world, not exactly knowing the horrors that potentially await us. To say I wasn't scared would be a complete lie, however we've prepared and planned for this exact scenario… The only problem is that myself and Mukuro are the only ones that remember.
I started making my way out of the academy, albeit slowly due to my stomach wound. The entrance to the main building of the campus sat on top of a small hill which allowed me to survey the street below. The iron mesh fence that encircled the perimeter of the campus was in pieces, with some sections of it completely torn down. Past that was the main road with abandoned cars littering each lane. The buildings on the far side of the road seemed to be in poor condition as well with most of THE WINDOWS being smashed and some parts of the walls crumbled.
"Jesus Christ…" Muttered Oowada as he made his way down the incline.
"You and your sis caused all this shit?" Leon asked Mukuro.
She glanced over to him but didn't say a word as she abruptly sped off down the trail. Leon, meanwhile, just watched her carry on down the path before shrugging and following the rest of the herd. Realizing that I was being left behind, I caught up with them at the wrought iron gates of Hope Peak's entrance.
After squeezing my way through the bent bars of the gate, I reconvened with the rest of the group in the middle of the street nearby a burnt out car.
"This is completely insane..." Asahina murmured while taking in her surroundings.
"Agreed" Said Oogami, her expression holding its usual stoicism.
As my companions descended into frantic chatter, I vaguely noticed the small frame of Fujisaki wander down the street.
"What the hell are we gonna do?" Questioned Leon in an anxious tone.
"Game over man! Game over!" Hagakure wailed.
"Everyone stay calm!" Boomed Ishimaru, vying for the attention of the restless group. "We just need to keep our heads and devise a plan of action"
"I already have one planned" Said Togami as he pushed his glasses further up his nose.
"Brilliant!" Shouted Ishimaru. "What do you have planned?"
"Return to my family's Headquarters and start to rebuild Japan in the Togami image" The heir voiced with confidence.
"Where is this Headquarters?" Inquired Oogami. "Is it far?"
"What makes you think that you're invited?" Responded Togami. "I have no need for assistance from you absolute plebeians"
"Run that one by me again, motherfucker" Oowada angrily cracked his knuckles as he approached the Heir.
"I said I do not need assistance from you plebeians such as yourself" Retorted Togami. "Or is your simple mind not able to grasp basic vocabulary"
"Oh, you just fucked up big time pretty boy"
The biker gang leader raised a fist but was held back by the combined effort of Ishimaru, Hiro and myself.
"Calm down Oowada, please!" I cried desperately while trying my best to hold him back.
"Listen to your classmate!" Ishimaru shouted.
The biker backed off slightly but still gave the heir a glare that made me scared and I wasn't even on the receiving end of it. Togami, on the other hand, showed no signs of worry whatsoever as he snorted derisively before turning on his heels to walk away.
"Togami, listen. It's really not safe to go alone" I said, trying to reason with him. "Please stay with the rest of the group"
"Why should I?"
"Because if its anywhere near as bad or worse than it was before we sealed ourselves in, then you're going to want to stay with us" I answered. "Also, I know how far away the Togami HQ is from here. You won't make that alone"
"Oh really? I think you underestimate me" Togami said with his usual pomposity.
"I don't. No one would make it. Trust me, I know" I insisted, raising my voice slightly.
"I-urm… I'm sorry to interrupt but where is Fujisaki?" Maizono asked while looking around.
"It appears that Ms. Fujisaki has gone incognito" Yamada pulled his arm up to shelter his eyes from the sun as he swiveled around.
I peered down the road that I thought I saw him go down and, low and behold, he was down at the other end of the street. He was staring down one of the avenues, his little frame as still as a statue.
"Over there" Kirigiri said while pointing a gloved finger.
"Urmmm… What is she doing?" Wondered Maizono.
"Oi! Fujisaki!" Shouted Oowada. "Jeez, what is that chick doing?"
I jogged over to the petite programmer slowly, not trying to aggravate my wound. He was still gazing down the avenue when I got to him. I followed his gaze and nearly fainted at the sight.
Suited bodies littered the street, some with bullet holes peppering their bodies while others had long slash marks across them. There was spatters of blood all across the street; on the walls of buildings, on nearby cars, on the road. The feted stench of death choked at my lungs, causing me to gag so violently that I had to hold onto a lamp-post for support.
The rest of the group had now as well, their expressions soon turning into ones of pure horror. Even the likes of Celes and Togami looked upon the scene with disgust.
"Wha-… What?" Wheezed Ishimaru, red eyes bulging and face growing sickly pale.
"So much blood…" Fukuwa said woozily, struggling to keep her consciousness.
"So many people… Dead…Never coming back" Fujisaki said, tears starting to well in his usually cheerful eyes.
Kirigiri was hunched over one of the bodies, fiercely inspecting the wounds.
"Rigor mortis has set in" She noted as she tried moving one of the limbs. "The body is relatively intact though. Best guess… Perhaps a day or two"
"How can she just do that without so much as blinking?" Hina whispered to catatonic, distant Maizono.
I kneeled down next to the detective as she stared at the body in thought, light purple irises darting around sporadically.
"The question remains… Who did this and how?" Kirigiri mused with leathered hands cupping her chin.
"Junko's handiwork. No doubt about it" Said Mukuro as she walked up to us.
I nodded to the Minigun that hung dormant at the gates of the academy.
"And I Suppose that explains the bullet holes" I corroborated.
"Suppose so…" The detective murmured. "How about these claw marks?"
"Monokuma's" Mukuro answered.
Leon let out a nervy chuckle.
"What? That furry dude from the academy? Somehow I doubt it"
"A monokuma outfitted for combat. Imagine the monokuma you met but on steriods" Mukuro said, grimacing slightly.
I turned back to the body and something small caught my eye. A tiny, glistening badge hung from the lapel of the dead man's suit jacket. Kirigiri had apparently noticed it too because she took the badge and held it up to the light.
"Future…" She muttered.
"Huh? What's that mean?" Hiro said while scratching his stubble.
"These guys are Future Foundation…" The soldier whispered.
"And who are these people?" Celes asked.
"One of the main resistance groups. Junko didn't share much information with me. I would do mainly just leg work for her and she would plan and mastermind everything so she never really kept me in the loop, but I vaguely remember her mentioning how the Future Foundation was 'a massive pain in her butt'"
"Looks like they got their arses kicked" Oowada grumbled.
"Yeah, like jeez, they didn't even bring any weapons" Leon said, scratching his chin.
"They were most likely armed. Junko probably got rid of the weapons..." Mukuro turned to the security camera that was pointed towards the group. "Wouldn't want us having an unfair start would you, sis?"
"I-Is this some sort of game to her?!" Fujisaki cried out.
"Yes and no" Mukuro answered in a quiet tone. "Less of that now… We should really get going before Junko loses her patience with us"
"Though it displeases me to agree with the traitor, I do believe that we have outstayed our welcome"
I gave an affirmative nod.
"We can plan what we are going to do tomorrow once we find some sort of shelter"
With that said, I turned on my heels and started walking away from the academy with my classmates in tow. As we strolled away, I looked over my shoulder at the academy. A shining ray of hope in an otherwise destroyed city. I whispered a small apology. To the Hope's peak students that didn't make it, to Kyouko's father and to Junko. I don't know what compelled me to apologize but I felt like it needed to be said. With head held high, I turned back to the long road in front of me and kept on marching.