I have no idea what I am doing.

She's nervous, I can tell by the look on her face. But she's not making a run for it, which is good. If she ran, I'm not sure I'd be able to keep her safe.

She's walking close to me. I like to think it's because she trusts me, but her eyes are trained on the ground and I can tell she's focusing on matching our pace. I didn't realize how small Mari was. She barely reaches my shoulder in height and she seems pretty thin. What do humans eat? I wonder if that's why her and her pack went out.

We're almost out of the city when we spot a group of Akuma. Akuma are relentless corpses. I'm not entirely sure where the word came from, probably from the world before. Some say they were the ones who started this whole mess.

N says he heard that they were the first affected and they bit innocent people merely to build an army of the dead. To be honest, I don't think they can help it. It's almost as if something or someone is controlling their movement. I like to think there is still hope for them, but what do I know.

Nevertheless, we do our best to stay as far away as we can from Akuma.

I glance at Mari. I wonder if humans can tell the difference between corpses and Akuma. I do my best to position myself in a more protective stance, shielding her from the Akuma's sight as we pass by.

I'm just glad I was able to cover up her scent.

It's nearly dusk when we approach the rotting campus. Most of the pack branches off. N glances at me and then at Mari. If his facial muscles still worked properly I know he'd be giving us a smirk. He thinks I turned her for…reasons. He's done that before.

But I'm not N. I like to think I'm still a gentleman. I could never turn someone as beautiful as Mari.

But apparently I can lead her to her apparent death. It's only now that I realize I took Mari back home. Where hundreds of corpses roam freely.

I can't hide her scent forever. Eventually my wounds will reach the point where the stench won't be strong enough.

What. The. Actual. Hell. Am. I. Doing.

I glance down at Mari. She has strange look on her face, almost as if she recognizes the campus. Maybe she was a student here before. Maybe we both were, maybe that's why she looked so familiar.

Deep down I knew that couldn't be true.

I've run into hundreds of corpses and my fair share of humans and not a single one has ever sparked something the way she has. Mari's different. I have to do whatever it takes to protect her.

That's when I think to take Mari to my music room. By now, most corpses know that I have claimed that area for myself. Sure, they wander by here and there but I'm almost always alone. She'd be as safe as she could be there.

"C-come. Safe." I try to give her a comforting smile to ease her nerves.

I don't even know if I can smile.

Once we reach the music room, Mari is shaking.

"D-don't. W-worry." I stare at her. "Won't. Eat."

She stares back. She's stopped shaking. Mari straightens her stance, appearing more confident.

"What are you?"

I break eye contact.

"I could kill you right now."

I want to say, 'Ouch. Wow. I save your life and you can't even say thank you?' but instead I manage a shrug. She's right. She could. Lord knows I couldn't even try to harm her.

Suddenly I recall a discovery I made earlier in the music room. I shuffle toward a closet in the corner. I can feel her eyes on me. She pivots as I move, refusing to have her back toward me. Smart girl.

I manage to grip the door handle enough to pull the closet door open. The closet contains small, extremely worn out pillows. I guess the music students would place these on their seats when they'd practice for long periods of time. On the shelf there is a thin gray blanket. I don't know what they used it for in a music room, but I was thankful they had it.

I grabbed some pillows and tossed them on the floor. After I grabbed the blanket off of the shelf, I closed the closet.

"You've got to be kidding me." Mari must be thinking the same thing N was. I raise my hand, shaking my head no in a panicked manor.

"F-for you. Humans." I pause trying to gather the words for a coherent sentence. "Humans sleep."

Her gaze softens. I stretch out my arm, offering her the blanket.

Slowly, she walks over and accepts the peace offering. I study her movements as she cautiously rearranges the pillows closer together. The moon is out now, peeking through the small windows that can't open. She then lies on top of the pillows and spreads the blanket over herself. Her eyes glare into my own.

I get it. She wants to be alone.

I head toward the hallway, closing the door behind me. I lean up against the door, sinking down slowly to sit against it was no other way in or out of the music room besides the door. I could keep her safe this way.

I reach into my pocket and pull out a little bit more of the brain from earlier.

—

Suddenly I'm riding a bike. It must be summer. How nice it would be to actually feel the warm sun on my skin.

"Catch me if you can, slowpokes!" a voice calls out, I know it's Mari's. She zooms passed me. Her pig tails flying behind her. She's giggling.

"Oh girl, I know you didn't just say that." It was the same sassy voice from earlier.

"Don't tell me you're scared, Alya." The voice comes from me, but it isn't my voice. It's Nate's.

A girl with dark skin, ombre'd red hair and glasses makes her way into my peripheral vision. Must be Alya.

"Don't tell me you're just going to let Mari win!" She sasses back.

I don't know if I did. Before I can respond, the vision changes.

I'm now on a park bench. Mari's next to me.

"I lost someone I care about Nathanial." She wipes a tear from her eye.

"We've all been there." I say as I put an arm around her, pulling her close.

"I saw it happen."

"Aw, Mari…." I try to comfort her.

"There were too many corpses for him to fight off. He was trying to protect me. He was good at that. I let him down. I couldn't protect that stupid cat." She was sobbing.

Nate's mind wonders why she'd be this upset over losing her pet at this point, but he doesn't say anything. Whoever this stupid cat was had a special place in her hurting heart.

—

I realize that's why she is so skeptical of me. A corpse took away someone she loved.