Beep…Beep…Beep…

The irritating screech of the alarm echoed around the room as the readout showed 5:30am. The young man lying on the bed had already opened his eyes some time earlier, vacantly gazing at the ceiling. Rolling over to his side, he reached out with his hand and smacked the squealing device, returning the room to silence once more. Stretching his limbs before sitting up, he ran his fingers through his ruffled matt of raven hair as his feet hit the floor.

The small apartment he occupied contained only the bed he lay on, a small fridge in the corner and a TV resting on a small table. Rubbing his eyes, he let out a sigh as he stood.

Akio Pointer slowly made his way across the window across the room. Pulling the curtains back, he looked down on the street. The sun had barely begun to crest the hills that surrounded the city yet there were already people on the move. They walked briskly down the sidewalk, making their way to their various places of employment. He stretched his arms above his head once more before beginning his usual routine.

Placing his hands on the floor, he aligned them with his shoulders whilst simultaneously stretching his legs out, adopting a rigid bridge position. Taking a slow inhale through his nose he bent his elbows, lowering his chest to the floor.

The first 25 push ups were done at a slow, steady pace in order to get the blood flowing into his chest and shoulders. The next 25 were done at a faster clip, up and down. Finishing with the exercise, Akio stood once more before placing his hands back down on the floor before firing his feet out behind him. He quickly reversed the movement to stand once more. The final 25 bastards were meant to red line his heart rate, bringing his entire system online.

After finishing the quick routine, he walked over to the small fridge and grabbed a bottle of water from the door. As he spun the cap, he grabbed the remote off the bedside table and switched on the TV, flicking the channel to the morning news. The overtly cheery news anchor on the CMN Global news network greeted him with a warm smile as she reported it was expected to be another hot but clear summer day.

Taking a deep pull from the bottle, he listened as she then moved on to reporting key headlines of the morning. She talked about the recent disappearance of a young couple in the mountainous regions a few kilometres outside of the city. Akio watched as the feed changed to a police officer speaking about how they'd had no luck finding the two missing people and were expanding their search area.

'Shouldn't be going out there if you don't know what you're doing' he thought to himself.

As a small boy, he had developed a sense of adventure and curiosity. He had spent hours exploring the acreage of his childhood home. Wanting to nurture this further, his dad would take him camping in the middle of the bush. In addition to learning so much during those trips about survival and self-reliance, he discovered the pure excitement of exploring the unknown. That desire had never left him and now that he had graduated, going back to a quiet, simple life seemed so…simple.

Having completed his tertiary degree the previous year, Akio had been faced with a choice. He could go home to his small country town, get a nice teaching role in a rural Australian school and retire happy in 40 years. The thought was calming, comforting and completely mundane.

He knew this wasn't for him, he was an adventurer. So, he looked outwards, spending hours researching the various education systems and curriculums around the world. He had looked at every country in search of where he would take his next life step. Despite all the options, he knew there was only one real choice that truly captured his intrigue, his mother's home country.

From the air, the Japanese city appeared just like any other with its central business district, rural housing estates and commercial shopping malls. Over the past four weeks he had found that the people were for the most part polite towards him and willing to offer their assistance in directing him to locations as he slowly got his bearings.

Finishing the water, he crushed the bottle and threw it into the trash can nearby. As he stepped into the apartment's small bathroom he flicked on the light. His dishevelled appearance immediately greeted him via the cabinet mirror.

The oblong face staring back at him reflected both of his parents. His high cheekbones and angled jawline ending in a narrow chin. His most pronounced feature though were his eyes, softly shaped like his mothers with a deep green colour thanks to his father. The crop of hair perched atop his head was matted to one side as dark shadows of stubble covered his cheeks. Akio grimaced, knowing that while he would have liked to skip the next part, it was something that needed to be done to maintain the respect of his peers. Retrieving his shaving kit, he set about his new morning routine.

Back in Australia, he had been more inclined to let his hair grow out a little more, sometimes not shaving for a week. He used to explain that it was because he liked the look of his beard but mostly it was because he was too lazy to continuously care for it. Ultimately it would grow long enough that the agitation to his face would become unbearable, resulting in him shaving it off completely to begin the cycle again.

After applying the thick cream to his face, he ran the heated blade along his cheek. He knew early on that appearance was everything. He needed to be squared away with how he dressed, how he looked so that his young age would not be an issue with his peers. Couple that with the fact he'd taken a job at the High School, he needed to maintain the appropriate professional appearance for the students as well.

Washing the blade out, Akio looked back at his reflection. His cheeks and chin now smoothly glistened as the bathroom light reflected off his wet skin. Rinsing and patting his face dry, he could recognise a few nicks here and there. He cursed as he stripped off and stepped into the shower.

Quickly washing himself down, he finished by turning the hot off and allowing the brisk coldness of the water hit him. He breathed long, slow breaths as he embraced the cold. A moment of discomfort helped to stimulate his mind, waking him completely. to switch on fully.

Drying off, Akio returned to his bedroom wrapped in a towel. The small apartment he now lived was small, only really providing him with a place to sleep and shower. This though, suited him fine. The minimalist life had always been preferred by him anyway.

Changing into a pair of jeans, plain white t shirt and well-worn hiking boots, he retrieved his backpack as well as a black garment bag from the closet. The garment bag contained his intended outfit to wear in class today whilst his backpack contained his swim gear, towel as well as a few other various items.

Glancing at the alarm clock once again, he saw the readout read 5:45am which caused him to smile. He was running well on time. He strapped on his black G-Shock watch before grabbing the mini mag lite and wallet off the bed side table along with his phone, stowing all of them in various pockets.

He then picked up the black metal band. A memento of his father, the four holes slipped over his fingers comfortably to allow him to easily make a fist. Whilst some people frowned upon those who carried weapons, Akio knew that the world wasn't all sunshine and rainbows so he felt safer keeping the knuckles on him. Like his dad had instilled in him years before.

Better to have it and not need it.

Switching off the TV and locking the door, he hustled down the steps and out into the morning air. With how reliable public transport was, he would be at the academy by 6:30. He continued down the street towards the station as the rays of the sun now basked the street in their glow.

Just another beautiful day in Tokonosu city.

Thankyou reader for taking the time out of your day to read my work. I don't consider myself much of a writer. In fact this is my first attempt and writing a story. This idea has been bouncing around in my head the past few years after watching Highschool of the Dead. I found Them described in the story to be very similar to the living dead referenced in the excellent books, "The Zombie Survival Guide" and "World War Z". So, I'm going to try and weave a tale mixing elements of the two stories into something I hope you will find enjoyable.

It goes without saying that aside from any OC's mentioned in this story, I take zero credit for any of the characters, concepts or works from either Daisuke Satō or Max Brooks. They are both skilled story tellers and deserve and you should absolutely check out their creations if you have not already.

I welcome any constructive criticism on my writing as long as it is not mean spirited.

Have a wonderful day wherever you are.