Chapter 1: Mass panic.
Akio and Kyoko were racing their way in to the school to warn the people.
"Petridi-san, I'll ask what I witnessed later. Right now, we have to warn everyone of what we saw." Kyoko said.
"Couldn't have said it better." Akio agreed.
"I'll head to the Principal office to warn him. We'll meet at this staircase." Kyoko said.
"Got it. I'll warn my friends in my classes!" Akio agreed.
Akio ran his way to his classroom. While running, Venom began questioning him.
"We agree we should warn others, but what about ourselves?" He asked.
"Better for us to work in a group than alone. I don't want you getting bitten from them, despite your biology. We don't know if you'll get the infection." Akio warned.
"Good point, nerd. We appreciate your concern." Venom sardonically responded.
Akio's first stop was at class 2A. He suddenly went inside, disrupting the class.
"What is the reason that you're interrupting the class?" A male teacher questioned.
"We don't have time to explain everything, but we have a concerning event that threatens this school. Hayashi-sensei and I witnessed an event that killed two of our teachers here." Akio spoke.
Every student soon stood up, heading to the nearest window to see Akio's confirmation. They saw the two bodies bleeding out in front of the gate.
"What happened back there?" A male student asked.
"I don't know exactly what I saw, but a man was banging the school gate. Those two teachers came with Hayashi-sensei to investigate. Teshima-sensei attempted to stop it using violence, but he was bitten." Akio said.
"Bitten!?" A female student asked in shock.
"Yes, bitten. Soon, he turned into this...zombie... and bit the other teacher on the neck. I wouldn't be lying right now, especially when announcing news like this." Akio said.
Soon, the boy whom witnessed the events from a remote location came in. Before he could speak, Akio interrupted him.
"They're already been briefed of the situation. Get your friends and flee at once!" Akio shouted.
The boy wasted no time to bring two people he knew. One was a guy with gray hair and brown eyes. The other was a girl with long, orangy-brown hair with bangs and two strands sticking out above the rest of her hair. She had reddish-brown eyes with a slender, ample figure. She also had. a small, single ponytail on the back of her head, leaving the rest of her hair long.
"Alright, kouhai. What exactly is going on?" The dark haired boy questioned.
"First, let's introduce ourselves." Akio suggested.
"I'm Komuro Takashi." The dark haired boy introduced.
"I'm Igou Hisashi." The silver haired boy followed.
"I'm Miyamoto Rei." The girl finished.
"Alright then. We are Akio Petridi." Akio followed along.
Takashi and the others were confused due to Akio using the pronoun 'we' instead of 'I'.
"We'll explain later. Right now, we need to move quickly. A mass panic is inevitable.
Soon the PA system began to sound out an announcement.
"Damn, they noticed already." Akio said.
"Everyone, this is the Principal. Vacate your classes and walk calmly outside. There is mass violence happening in the school. I repeat, classes are suspended indefinitely." The Principal said, only for him to be interrupted.
Soon, everyone heard the Principal struggling with Kyoko in the office, grunting as well. Akio realized the undead have swarmed in already.
"Komuro... Take your friends to the rooftop. Hurry!" Akio said, racing his way to the Principal's office.
Takashi couldn't process what Akio said after hearing the PA. Hisashi quickly took lead and guided them upstairs to the roof.
"We'll worry about Akio later. He seemed concerned to heading to the Principal's Office. We'll meet up him later." Hisashi said.
"Alright then." Takashi reluctantly agreed.
He noticed a broom nearby. He quickly went to it and pulled the body of the broom out, leaving the head behind. In the process, he found a wooden baseball bat.
"What are you doing?" Rei questioned.
"You're a practitioner in sÅjutsu. This should act as a replacement." Takashi said.
"I have a black belt in martial arts so I should be fine." Hisashi said.
"Alright, let's go!" Takashi said.
Reaching to the Principal's Office, Akio quickly went inside to find a home of the dead stampeding their way in. Kyoko was trying to get some space between her and the dead.
"Venom! Now's the time for combat!" Akio shouted.
Unknown to him, the undead turned their heads to him. The Symbiote agreed to fight in response, forming sharp weapons in a mass of tentacles. They all rushed to their heads, cleanly slicing them off.
"Thought you never asked, nerd. What about the broad that's here?" Venom asked.
"We'll chat with her later. The more important objective for us is to find a safe spot from these zombies." Akio said.
"Fair point." Venom agreed.
"Also, let's not get hungry with them. I don't know what pathogens they may contain, but it may be dangerous for us to consume." Akio warned.
"Now that you mention it, you're right." Venom realized.
Kyoko was shaken by the sudden appearance of sharp tentacles that impaled the zombies. Akio went to her, which caused the teacher to instinctively flinch.
"Sensei, we cant stay in this room. Pull yourself together." Akio said.
Kyoko snapped from her fear induced trance. Though she had questions of seeing the Symbiote in action, the teacher reluctantly decided to trust Akio, considering he saved her life.
"Where are we going?" Kyoko asked.
"I have to meet with Komuro-sempai. I told him to head to the rooftop. We should hurry there before more of them show up." Akio said.
He took Kyoko's hand and held her up. Though the teacher was still shaken from what she witnessed, the gesture from her student seemed to dissuade her fear.
"Alright, Petridi-san." She agreed.
Takashi, Rei, and Hisashi were on their way to the roof.
"Do you think Petridi-San will be fine?" Rei asked.
"He seemed confident enough. He was the one who told us to get up to the roof." Takashi reasoned.
Heading their way to a suspended hallway, the group noticed a person they recognized. However, he was already a zombie in appearance. The zombified person had black hair and wore a red vest over a white shirt, sweatpants, sandals, and a wedding ring.
"That's Wakisaka... He was our social studies teacher." Rei said.
Soon, the zombified Wakisaka crawled like an animal to Rei. She was shocked of the sudden movement, she fell on the floor.
"Wakisaka-sensei... Stop, please." Rei begged.
The zombie didn't listen for any words. This infuriated Rei, forcing her to attack. She spun her weapon and impaled the zombie in the chest. To her shock, Wakisaka was still moving.
"That's impossible...! I impaled his heart and he's still moving!" Rei said, shocked.
Hisashi quickly held Wakisaka from behind.
"Rei, pull it out while I hold him!" He said.
Rei struggled to pull the makeshift spear out, due to the sharp end getting stuck. She managed to do so, albeit with too much force, knocking herself down on the ground.
"Hisashi! Get away from him! Something is wrong!" Takashi realized.
"Don't worry! I got him." Hisashi reassured.
Hisashi was barely holding Wakisaka back, only to realize how strong the zombie was. The zombie twisted its body to face Hisashi, surprising the boy.
"What the hell!? He's stronger!" He said with surprise.
Against anyone's expectations, Wakisaka twisted his neck and managed to bite on Hisashi's left arm.
"Ahh! My arm!" Hisashi winced.
The zombie managed to bite Hisashi, but not deep enough. Takashi attempted to help Hisashi get free from the zombie's grip by hitting it on the back repeatedly. Rei also stabbed it on the back. Both attempts failed to remove the zombie off Hisashi.
"What!? Why aren't we affecting him?" Rei asked in shock.
"I knew it... He's been dead...! Only, he's a zombie!" Takashi realized.
Soon, Wakisaka managed to bite hard enough to pierce Hisashi's arm in the flesh, causing blood to fly out. Hisashi screamed in pain, feeling his flesh getting torn. Rei tried to help pry the zombie off.
"Takashi, do something!!" She shouted.
Having no choice, Takashi slammed the bat on the zombie's head. Blood sprayed in a frenzy fountain upon impact. Wakisaka's corpse finally let go and collapsed on the ground, dead.
"Is...he dead now?" Rei asked.
"I think so... The blow busted his skull." Takashi confirmed.
Hisashi groaned from the bite wound. It felt painful to him.
"Hisashi, are you okay!?" Rei asked.
"I'll manage. It's just a small flesh wound." Hisashi reassured.
'Somehow, I think that this might get worse...' Takashi thought, foreshadowing what he was thinking.
Several students were screaming as a few of them were being attacked by the zombified students and people arriving outside of the school. The group had to watch in horror the carnage and bloodshed.
"There's no way we can take them all on. We would be overwhelmed." Takashi said.
"That kouhai said to head to the roof. The astral observatory is there as well. Let's head there to see the situation." Hisashi said.
The group made their way to the observatory, getting a decent view of the town. Pandemonium was occurring as sirens from official vehicles were blaring across town. Fires were burning and people screaming echos across the city.
"It was just normal a few hours ago... How could this happen so suddenly...?" Rei asked.
A gust of wind got their attention. The three teens looked up to see military helicopters flying to the city.
"What the...? That's the JSDF...!" Hisashi said.
Rei tried to wave for help, but the helicopters didn't stop to them.
"Why aren't they helping us?" Rei questioned.
"They're already sent to their operations. Even if they spotted us, they already had their orders." Hisashi grimly spoke.
"Even the military is roused to action..." Takashi noticed.
"But how...did this occur so suddenly?" Rei questioned.
"It's just like any post apocalyptic zombie film or game. Once a zombie appears, more will show up in a startling rate. A city like this would be decimated to its very foundation in a matter of seconds." Hisashi said.
"I have to call my father... He works in the police station nearby." Rei said.
"Use my phone. I noticed yours got damaged when we fought Wakisaka." Takashi said.
Rei nodded and dialed her father's phone number.
"Hello!? Rei is that you!?" Rei's father questioned.
"Otou-san! I'm doing okay-" Rei's voice stooped when she heard the next words.
"I can't hear you! There's a large panic going on here!" Her father interrupted.
"Otou-san!" She cried.
"Listen! Go find your mother and evacuate from this city! It's too dangerous..." Rei's father commanded.
Soon the phone got cut off. Rei was feeling devastated that her voice wasn't heard from her father.
"He's a tough person. He'll make it through." Takashi reassured.
"More importantly, the school is already in a panic. Most of the people we know may have become 'them.' The undead are infected with some kind of disease. This is unlike fictional media. We're dealing with the real deal. The only way to put them down for good is destroying their heads. A sharp blow, or anything that could destroy the brain will do." Hisashi spoke analytically.
Several zombies came into view. This surprised the three teens.
"What should we do...?" Rei questioned.
"Up there, at the supply closet. We need to head up those stairs." Hisashi noticed.
"'They' don't appear to be fast, but don't let them get close." Takashi said.
"Yeah, they have insane strength since their brain is no longer limiting their muscular system." Hisashi confirmed.
The three teens rushed to the supply closet. Takashi managed to kill two zombies on the way to the stairs. Rei was soon caught by one of them, pushing the makeshift spear on to her abdomen.
"Rei!" Hisashi noticed.
Hisashi roused into action, taking the baseball bat and killing the zombie by smashing the head.
Akio and Kyoko noticed the mass bloodshed occurring in the school.
"How horrible... Some of the students took their own lives." Akio said with a somber tone.
"How could this happen so suddenly? Everything was normal..." Kyoko questioned.
"It's like a zombie film. Once one of them bites a victim, they multiply like rabbits... Infecting every person they attack till everyone is one of them..." Akio said.
"What should we do then?" Kyoko pondered in a mild panic.
"We should find any survivors. We can't leave them here, knowing they'll be trapped." Akio said.
"Okay then. You haven't answered my questions about your...new abilities yet, Petridi-san." Kyoko reminded.
"That will come in time. For now, let's focus on finding any survivors and finding a spot to rest our thoughts. This is not the right place or time to answer questions." Akio said.
"I agree with your thinking, nerd. Let's go." Venom spoke.
"What was that?" Kyoko asked, hearing the voice.
"That will be the answer to your question. Worry about it later." Akio said.
On the way, Akio and Kyoko managed to find the Infirmary. The school nurse was a blonde haired woman at her early twenties. She was a very tall buxom woman. Her physical features consists of long blonde hair that extends down pass her waist, and hazel eyes. Several bangs of her hair comes down into her face, with two bangs come down at the sides running all the way down while also framing her face. She was shown dressed in a white dress shirt with a brown skirt.
"Marikawa Shizuka! We have to leave this place! It's not safe." Kyoko ordered.
The woman named Shizuka looked ditzy and sleepy. Much to Kyoko's chagrin, she didn't seem aware of the present circumstances.
"What's happening out there?" She asked.
Akio and Kyoko groaned, mentally thinking how ditzy she could be. Venom silently chuckled, finding her ditzy nature comical.
Hours have past and the sun was starting to set. The mass panic was starting to fade into silence. Takashi, Rei, and Hisashi managed to barricade themselves, using heavy tables to create a physical barrier against the zombies.
"We should find a lighter or some matches to make a fire... Otherwise, we won't be able to see them in the dark..." Hisashi said.
Soon, Hisashi began to cough violently. He was vomiting blood. Rei and Takashi noticed the event, shocked of what happened.
"Hisashi! Are you alright!? Takashi, Hisashi is..." Rei said in a panic.
Takashi knew something was wrong ever since his friend got bitten. Soon, Hisashi showed his face appearing paler than usual. His eyes were getting dark circles that seemed black. His already blue veins were starting to turn darker.
"Hisashi? But why...? The bite didn't tear you that harshly. How are you feeling worse...?" Rei said in disbelief.
Hisashi was breathing heavily. He had enough energy to inform the group.
"It's just like any zombie film... If a victim gets bitten, they're dead in a matter of hours..." Hisashi grimly stated.
"Movies are not real...!" Rei said, not believing the current situation.
"Everything is like a movie, but this is reality. Make no mistake of it." Hisashi said.
His breathing was getting shallow. He soon looked at his friend.
"Takashi... Help me..." Hisashi requested.
"What...should I do?" Takashi reluctantly asked.
Hisashi pointed to the edge, directly at the fence.
"Take me to the edge of the roof. If I fall, my head will be destroyed..." Hisashi explained.
Rei gasped, realizing he was planning to commit suicide.
"What are you even saying!?" Rei questioned.
"I don't want to die and become one of 'them'!" Hisashi bellowed.
Soon, he began vomiting copious amounts of blood. Rei begged to God for Hisashi not to die, but her screams were never answered. Hisashi weakly sat up, knowing his time was ending.
"Takashi..." He weakly spoke.
His friend watched with silent remorse as he watched Hisashi dying.
"I want...to die...as a...human..." Hisashi spoke.
Soon, he began vomiting more blood before producing a bloodcurdling scream, clutching his chest. Rei cried as Hisashi kept flailing from the pain of death till his body went limp. She only watched in disbelief as he died in front of her. Takashi closed his eyes in mourning of his friend's death.
"No! This isn't happening...! Why did he have to die!?" Rei sobbed.
Takashi knew his friend would resurrect as a zombie. Steeling his soul, he gripped on the baseball tightly.
"Rei... Get away from him..." Takashi spoke in an emotionless, calm tone.
Rei knew Takashi was going to destroy Takashi's head. She quickly went to the corpse in response.
"No! He won't rise and become one of them! He will remain dead!" Rei said unconvincingly.
Takashi didn't believe her. He kept a steel gaze at Hisashi's body.
"I said, get away from him." Takashi spoke.
Rei refused to leave Hisashi's body away. Soon, she saw Hisashi move.
"Hisashi?" Rei said.
Hisashi made a familiar raspy noise from his mouth. He stood up like a lethargic person. His hair, eyes and skin have turned deathly gray. He was no longer human. Takashi knew this right away.
"See Takashi? He wouldn't die from this...?" Rei said, before looking at Hisashi's current form.
The zombified Hisashi stood up. Takashi brought Rei back as she realized the reality. It made her cry in disbelief.
"This is not happening... It must be a movie or a dream..." Rei said, clearly not believing what she's seeing.
Takashi stood in front of Rei, ready to kill his undead friend.
"This is not a dream... Nor is it a movie... This is reality. I'll admit that I'm still not believing this. However, after everything we witnessed...even if it's reality... IT'S A FUCKED UP WORLD NOW!" Takashi bellowed.
He screamed with vigor and emotion as he raced to Hisashi before swinging the baseball bat on Hisashi's head.
"NO!!!!!" Rei screamed.
Seconds have past since Takashi put his friend out of his misery. Time seemed to move slower, as though hours have elapsed after Hisashi's death. Takashi has an emotionless gaze, though he was silently mourning the loss of his friend. So was Rei, crying for Hisashi.
"Why...? I didn't want Hisashi to be like this..." Rei somberly spoke.
"If I didn't, you would have turned into one of them." Takashi spoke.
"I didn't want you to save me, nor I want to see him like this... I'd rather be bitten by Hisashi and become of them than live like this..." Rei responded, slowly slipping into insanity.
Takashi remained silent, knowing Rei was becoming unreasonable. He merely gave a cold stare.
"What do you know, Takashi? Oh, that's right... You hated him since we were dating and you weren't dating me!" Rei snapped.
Takashi went to Hisashi's corpse and placed a white blanket to cover his head. His soul was now shattered, enduring the heavy weight of his friend's death and his crush for Rei turned to heartbreak. He slowly went to the barricade.
"Where are you going?" Rei questioned.
"Since you don't want me here, I'll be leaving you here so I can fight 'them'. I would die in result, but it's better in your opinion than seeing me alive..." Takashi coldly stated, climbing on the barricade.
"Wait, I take it back Takashi. Don't leave me here alone!" Rei said in desperation.
She clamped into Takashi, desperately holding him back from doing a suicidal act. Takashi was debating whether to continue or rethink his action. He chose to stay.
'From this day... I killed my best friend... Though I held the girl I loved in my arms, my thoughts were asunder, mourning for those I knew.' Takashi narrated in his mind.