It was on a Monday afternoon that it happened. We were all at school, trapped in English class, learning about idioms. I was doodling a little puppy at the far upper-right of my English book, trying my best to keep myself awake during the dull lecture. The air was warm and sticky, despite the a/c being on full blast. It was always hot during summer, albeit in the beginning or near the end. Everything seemed normal.
But then it happened.
Our math teacher tackled the door of our classroom down, wheezing and hissing. Now, I'm not the brightest of students, but I knew something was definitely wrong from not only his behavior, but also from his appearance.
His clothes were torn and shredded. Blood dripped down from his mouth to his neck, and his eyes were a sea of maroon yellow. The worst part was his face – half of it was peeled off, revealing his milk-white skull.
We all stared at him for a moment, shocked and dumbfounded. However, he did not waste any time for staring back. Instead, pounced on our English teacher.
She screeched and attempted to fight him off, kicking and flailing about. A few boys – jocks – stood up from their seats and ran to our teacher's rescue, heaving and pinning down our crazed math teacher. Man, I knew that he was insane with the excess homework and activities he gives, but I never knew he was this deranged.
Our English teacher gets up and leans against the wall, short of breath. "Alright, students. . . Stay there, I'll quickly call the princi-"
She never got to finish her sentence. Our math teacher broke free and lunged at her, scratching at her face with such force that his nails tore through her skin. More students – boys – got up and attempted to pull him off. Our math teacher didn't take this kindly and let out an animalistic scream before tackling one of the boys, sinking his yellow teeth into the poor kid.
At this point, everything has gone too far. I stood up and rammed myself into our opponent, bringing him down to the floor. I then proceeded to sit on him and hold his hands. He struggled in my grip, but I wasn't going to let him go. Oh my gosh, I'm so going to get detention for this.
"Down," I commanded. "Stay down."
"O-Oi, Kousuke-san, are you sure you should be talking like that to a teacher?" one of my classmates ask.
"Pretty sure," I say. "Especially if he's on some rampage. Quick, call the principal. He'll know what to do."
"I'll go," a girl volunteers. "Is it alright, teacher?"
"Yes, but don't go alone. I have a bad feeling that something dangerous lurks beyond the door."
"I'll go with her, then," one of the boys say.
The teacher nods in acknowledgement and the two were off.
Once they exited the room, our teacher approached the boy who was bitten from earlier. I observe the scene, watching as she checks the bite. It was nasty, that's for sure. It definitely looked infected (probably from the bacteria the saliva contained) and was bleeding nonstop.
"That looks bad," our teacher mused. "Kousuke-san, please take him to the nurse. I'll let the boys handle"—she glanced at our math teacher—"him."
I nodded. I was really getting tired of holding him down. Thank goodness my teacher sent me to do the task. Sure, the nurse's office was all the way downstairs, but walking there was much less tiring than holding down someone who was far stronger than you.
I get off once the boys have a firm grip on our math teacher. The girls bring out the duck tape from the teacher's desk and begin to wrap it around our math teacher. Welp, there goes our class' conduct grade. Duck-taping a teacher is not going to look good on your college application. But then again, it's okay if he was out for blood and it was your only choice.
"Come on," I gently urge to the bitten boy. "We need to hurry. Wouldn't want the wound to get any worse, right?"
The boy smiled timidly and nodded. "Yeah."
We both made our way outside, destination in mind. We were on the third floor and there is at least 47 steps leading downstairs with 2 platforms there for us to rest. This should at least take five minutes.
But still, his bite looked really and I wanted to quickly get there. I couldn't stand seeing anyone in such pain. I don't know how deep our math teacher bit, but he must have been deep enough for his teeth to meet bone.
"So, what's your name? I haven't talked to you before." I ask, trying to lighten up the mood.
"It's Ai. Ai Rin." He replied.
"Ah. I see. Nice name. It's very cute." I smile once seeing the light blush on his face. "I'm Seto Kousuke."
"I know who you are," Ai murmurs. "You're very popular, you know."
"Ah, really? I never k-"
We stopped dead in our tracks. The second floor, judging from the sign that says so at the side, was covered with rotting corpses of students and blood. My mouth falls open as questions pop up in my mind. What in the name of deer happened here?
Suddenly, I hear shuffling and an inhuman groan from one of the classrooms. I quickly grab Ai's hand and run downstairs. Something tells me that whatever made that shuffling created the masterpiece of gore back there and I do not intend to meet him or her.
"Quick, in the nurse's office," I whisper once we reach the first floor.
I didn't even spare a glance at him to see if he agreed, I just dragged him on. The nurse's office was right near the exit of the building. A little bit far, but it was a good place to hide. If we needed to run out, the exit was always there.
When we reach the nurse's office, we were greeted by an array of corpses. A girl with long, curly, snow-white hair and crimson eyes stands in the middle, holding a blistered, bloodied stick. She catches our gaze and gasps.
"W-What are you doing standing there for!? Kill him, quick!" She points at Ai, whose eyes widen in surprise.
"Why would I kill him?" I ask. I had no idea what was going on, but I was sure that this girl went through hell. She sounded high-strung and desperate when she speaks again.
"What do you mean 'why'? Isn't it obvious? He's infected! They bit him! I know that bite anywhere. It's the same bite that the school nurse had before turning into them!" She points at the dead bodies with her stick. "Quick, kill him before he kills us!"
"There's no way—"
Ai lets out a scream, cutting me off, and grips onto his injury. "Oh my goodness, it hurts! It hurts much more than earlier!"
"It's starting, quick!" The white-haired girl urges. "Before it's too late!"
"Oh my gosh, Ai," I gently place a hand on the one over his bite. "Let me see. I'll get some disinfectant and bandages, but let me see how bad it is."
Ai bites his lip, reluctantly letting go. It was much more worse than earlier. Blue veins began to bulge out and it was oozing a yellow liquid. "This isn't good. I'll quickly get the supplies needed."
"Why aren't you listening to me?" the girl whined.
"Because what you're saying isn't obviously true," I say as nicely as possible. I have no idea how else to say it, but I hope she wasn't offended. I could tell she's just trying to be nice in her own way.
I go to the medicine cabinet, careful not to step on any of the bodies. There was a ton of them, about twenty. I don't know why they're here or how they became that way, but I don't want to know either. I highly doubt that girl with the stick killed them all, despite having a weapon of sorts. She just seemed too frail and weak to cause the damage that the bodies hold.
I find a bottle of disinfectant in the way back. Okay, now I just need some bandages. Or in this case, a gauze to wrap that big of a wound. "So, was the room like this when you came in?" I ask as I look through the various cabinets and drawers for the gauze. Where could it be?
"No. The nurse was here like always, but some of the infected entered and bit her. My only option was to kill them. And so I did. All of them."
I stop looking and stare at her. She had her gaze fixed in her blood-covered hands, eyes wide with trauma and face pale. It seems as if she's recollecting her memory of what happened. Still, I can't believe someone as small as her can do. . . this.
"I don't like it, though. The responsibility of their death is on me and it doesn't feel good. Especially knowing that you'll cause grief in the hearts of their loved ones." She looks up at Ai. "Now, I'm sorry for doing this, but if he"—she glances at me—"doesn't want to do it, then I must do it. I cannot allow any more people to get infected."
"W-W-Wait, no, please don't!"
But she wasn't listening. She charged at him, bringing her stick up to strike. However, I blocked her path and with one swift motion, swiped the stick out of her hand. "No! We do not kill people!" I hold the stick up, far from her reach.
She tiptoes, jumps, and reaches, but she couldn't get it. "Give it back! Without a weapon, I'll die!"
I was about to say something, but was cut off by Ai's scream. I turn to him, watching as he falls to his knees. He mutters something incoherent under his breath, tears streaming down his cheeks and drool dripping down his neck.
"Ai! Ai, are you okay?" I run to his side, placing a comforting hand on his back.
But when he turns his head to me, I jolt back. His eyes were a maroon yellow, lacking the pupil that rested in the middle. "Holy deer," I mutter.
He growls deeply and jumps onto me. He keeps me down, face looming over mine. I say nothing, unable to find any words to say. What the heck is going on?
He opens his mouth wide to bite me and I close my eyes, not wanting to see the image of his teeth tearing into my skin. But as time passed, I did not feel his teeth sink into my flesh. Instead, I felt a thick liquid fall onto my forehead – something definitely different from Ai's saliva.
Hesitantly, I crack open an eye. A stick had pierced itself through Ai's head. The thick liquid was his blood falling onto my forehead.
The stick retracted and Ai fell onto me, limp and probably dead. "I told you," the white-haired girl said, "you should have killed him."
I stare at her, baffled. "Now, come on," she extends a hand to me. "We need to get going. By now, the whole school is infected."
"How do you know that?" I ask, accepting her offer. She tries to pull me up, but I was far too heavy for her. She tugged and tugged, but I didn't budge. I laugh and get up myself. "Sorry, should've known you were far too small to pull me up."
She smiles timidly and I return it with one of my own. Wiping the blood onto my pant leg, I listen to what she had to say. "Well, you're in the high school level like me, right? I mean, your badge says so. That means the infected went there. They probably bit everyone there by now."
I visibly pale. "No. That can't be. My siblings are there!"
"I'm sorry, but they're probably infected or dead by now."
"No. No! They're not. They're different from other people. Tsubomi can defend herself and I'm pretty sure she'll defend Shuuya, too! We have to get them. Now. Before it's too late!"
"Look, I'm telling you, they're probably dead! There's little chance of survival here. I'm sorry about your loss, but you have to move on. We need to go. Before it's too late for us."
"No." I say it with such firmness that I have to wonder if that was really my voice. "Listen, I know I'm in a tight situation, but I will never ever leave my siblings. Sure, we're not related, but we were raised together like we were. We were always there for each other and it will stay like that. Right now, they need me. And if you don't want to go with me, then that's fine, I'll go alone."
The girl stays quiet for a moment. She stares at me with a blank expression, but I could see the struggle of decision in her eyes.
Finally, after what seems like forever, she sighs. "I can't go alone," she says softly as she walks around the room, seemingly looking for something. "Survival is best with a group, not alone. Being alone means that no one has your back. That's what I've learned from the books I've read. That's why I need you. To watch my back. And in return, I'll watch yours." She stops in front of a glass cabinet and smashes it, picking up a large piece of glass. "But I guess we could afford two more people." She then approaches me and hands the glass to me. "Be careful, it's sharp. Not the ideal weapon, but I can't find anything else. We need to be armed. Now, come on, let's find your siblings."
I glance at the glass in my hand before looking up at the white-haired girl with a newfound confidence. With her and her abilities, I'm sure we'll save my siblings.
"Yeah. Definitely."
. . .
We had exited the nurse's office. Right now, we're knelt down on the stairs, a few steps away from the second floor. The white-haired girl (I should have asked for her name) is gasping for breath, but kept it leveled and quiet. Must not be the athletic type.
She peeked over the wall that covered the stairs. I wanted to look too, but I knew better. Every decision you make is vital and if I make the wrong move – let's say for example, lean in a little too much and we get spotted – we're dead. I need to let the girl handle this.
After a minute or two, she retreated and bit her thumbnail. "There's about 3 infected out in the halls. Most of them are probably in the classrooms."
"So, what are we going to do?" I'm starting to get nervous. The girl does not look so confident about what to do next. She may be skilled in the art of slaying, but you can't always kill. It'll take its toll on you and in the end; you'll be left tired and broken. You need to learn to use the route with less bloodshed.
The white-haired girl takes in a deep breath and pinches the bridge of her nose. "Wait, wait, please, I'm thinking," she murmurs.
I lean back against the wall and wait, a little impatiently. My brother and sister are out there, scared and confused of what's going on. I need to help them, I need to bring them out of their misery, I need to get them out of here. Before it's too late. I can't let my family fall into the hands of those monsters.
"Got it," she says, snapping me out of my thoughts. "It's a long shot, but if it works, we can proceed. I think they're moving in a pattern from what I've observed."
"So. . .?"
"One moves right while the other moves left. While infected 1 is moving right, infected 2 turns; and shortly after infected 1 turns. As for infected 3, its busy munching on some human flesh so it won't notice us. If we could rush up the stairs when infected 2 turns and infected 1 is still moving the few seconds right, we're safe. We don't have to kill."
Smart. I shouldn't have doubted her.
"On my signal, okay?"
I nod in response.
My heart is pounding like the drums in a screamo concert – a fast, hard, loud beating that echoes in my ears. I breathe in and out, trying to slow down my heart. I also open and close my hands. Both my legs and hands have this weird, funny, tingling sensation. Like I just drank two energy drinks and now my body is reacting weirdly. I don't know, but maybe this is a mix between adrenaline and nervousness.
Calm down, Seto, I think. Nothing will go wrong, just follow what she says.
"Now," the white-haired girl violently whispers before darting off. I instantly shoot up and dash to the stairs, my footsteps light and nimble. Good. My body reacted fast. I thought I would be late and ruin everything – what a relief!
We both climb up the steps, but as we reached to the fourth flight of stairs, we were greeted with infected scattered all over it. We stop immediately. Oh my gosh. This isn't good. This is definitely not good.
They spot us and rush at us. The white-haired girl doesn't hesitate to rush at the hoard. I watch as she jabs the stick into their foreheads with such grace that I think of her more as a skilled warrior rather than a student in our plain, old school. She continues on with her killing spree and I just stand there, gaping.
Suddenly, an infected lurches itself from behind her. "Watch out!" I shout. My feet move by themselves without my consent and bring me quickly to infected. My hands, too, seem to have a mind of their own for they bring the piece of glass up and into the infected's head. I pull it out, the clear glass now stained with dark red blood.
The infected from the second floor must have heard my shouting because I could hear footsteps going up the stairs. Soon, we were surrounded by both sides and outnumbered.
"So, this is how I die, huh?" I laugh, though it's strained and bitter.
"Well, look at the bright side. At least we'll die together." The white-haired girl smiles nervously. "We won't have lonely deaths."
I glance at her. Tears have started to form at the side of her eyes and her face contorted with sadness.
"I. . . I don't want to die. . ." she sobs. "Not after going this far."
I frown and pull her close. "It's okay. Like you said, we won't die lonely deaths. "
The hoard of infected began to close in. Our distances were dwindling. Time was running out. With what was left of our time, I asked one last question, "What's your name?"
"Marry Kozakura." She replies, wrapping her hands around me. "Thank you. For being here."
I smile and close my eyes. No, thank you, I think, but will never say. After all, time is up. We were going to die by the hands of these monsters.
"Don't just give up, frog!"
My eyes shoot open and lock on the speaker. It was definitely not Marry – her voice was soft and high, like a tiny bell. This one was. . .
"Shuuya!"
Shuuya charges into the hoard, a cutter in hand. The blade pierced through several of their heads. "Quick, run while they're still distracted! To the girls' bathroom! Tsubomi is there!"
"But what about you?" I ask, worried. Now that I found one of my siblings, I can't just leave them alone, especially in a crowd of the infected.
"I'll catch up! Now, go!"
Before I can protest, Marry grabbed my hand and pulled me through the hoard. I try to tell her to let go, but she's far too stubborn – she won't release me no matter how much I begged. "Stop it! Please, my brother. . . He's. . . We need to help him!"
"No, we have trust in him," she says. "Trust his words and hope. He knows what he's doing. I don't have any more strength to fight back."
"But I have!" I insist. "I can help, you can just–"
"Please, just listen to me! We need the rest of your strength for when we get out of here. We can't waste all of our power here, okay? Just trust him."
My face contorts at the idea of leaving him behind, but I knew I had to trust Marry. She was right. Wasting all of our energy here would be bad, especially when we exit the school and come to face the real world (which is probably a living hell by now). All I can do now is trust Shuuya.
Suddenly, when we were only a few meters from the girls' bathroom, Marry stops and falls to her knees. She was sweating like crazy and her face was blood-rushed.
"Marry! Are you okay?" I kneel down to her side. A look of worry is splayed onto my face as I observe her. She was trembling with exhaustion.
Marry looks up at me with big, scared eyes."My feet. They're really numb. I can't move them."
I let out a small 'tsk' under my breath. "Okay, I'm going to need to carry you. Hope you don't mind."
I don't wait for her reply. I just pick her up and begin to run yet again. She was very light so I didn't have trouble with my speed, but we did slow down just a smidge.
Still, it didn't matter since in the end, we reached the girls' bathroom. We both enter and I close the door, locking it. I then place Marry down to the floor and lean against the door, sliding down to the floor. "Thank you," she says softly.
"No problem," I smile and wink. "Anything for a friend!"
Her eyes widen and for a moment, she is caught in shock. But eventually, the shock disappears and is replaced by a soft smile. "Friend. . ." she muses.
"Kousuke! Is that you?"
I turn to see Tsubomi. She's standing in front of us, a look of worry on her face. Her clothes were torn, her hands were caked in blood, and her hair was a big mess.
I simply nod in response.
"Where's Shuuya?" She asks and then glances at Marry. "And who is she?"
I was about to reply, but I was interrupted by the pounding on the door. "It's me, Kano! Let me in, they're right behind me!"
I scramble up and unlock the door. Shuuya stumbles inside the room and shuts the door behind his back, locking the door once again. "Oh my gosh, guys, remind me never to do something as stupid as that." He laughs at first, but then tears began to form and his laughter begins to die down. "God, I thought I was gonna die right there."
"Look at the bright side," I insist. "Marry and I are alive now, thanks to you. Really, I'm proud that you're my older brother, Shuuya."
Shuuya's eyes widen. He stares at me, taken aback with my words. But after a moment or two, he gathers up the pieces of his thoughts and smiles. "You should be, Kousuke!"
I return the smile. "Yeah."
. . .
"So, everyone, this is Marry." I gesture to Marry, who was twiddling with her thumbs shyly. "She's helped me a lot in surviving this school."
"Good day, everyone," she murmurs.
"A good day to you too, Marry. I'm Kido Tsubomi. I'd like to thank you for taking care of my younger brother."
"Yes, yes~ I'm Kano Shuuya, but you can call me anything you'd like! Don't be afraid to talking to me, too, I really like company!"
Marry nods and glances at me. I don't know why, but she seems different – a much introverted version from the Marry I've come to know. Was she this shy? Have I just not noticed it in the beginning?
"Um, do you want to join our survival group?" she asks.
Shuuya and Tsubomi look at each other and then at Marry.
"Seto and I have formed it ever since we met at the nurse's office. We're going to get out of this school and to my house. It's a good hiding place. It's all the way at the rural area of the town is covered by a dense forest. We can stay there until everything is sorted out. Of course, since it's far, we'll stop by here and there to rest and supply on food."
"Sure thing," Shuuya replied instantly. "As long as our brother is there, we're there. We'll always be by his side to protect him."
I blush. But it isn't what you think! I'm just. . . overwhelmed by his statement. "Shuuya. . ."
He smiles. "Tsubomi agrees too, right?" He then glances at Tsubomi, who nods.
"We're family. We need to stick together." Tsubomi says.
"Alright," Marry nods. She extends a pale hand out and signals us to join in. We all nod and place our hands over hers.
"To the outside world!"
A/N:
Guys, sorry, but I totally forgot to press the 'complete' button when I posted it! This is actually a one-shot. Really sorry! But I am planning to do another zombie AU some day, though I need to think it out.