ACT 3: IN THE GRIP OF DESPAIR
Chapter 4: Fresh meat
Day 10
Tartarus Keep
20:30
Main Hall
It was official. Had we been dealing with the English instead of mindless flesh-eaters, we would have been overrun by now. Why? Because it took us a full ten minutes to get in gear and ready to move out. All things considered, given the absurdity of the situation and the fact we had no rehearsal prior to this, the amount of time was quite impressive.
The plan was that four of us, Rin, Fitzgerald, El Viento, and myself, would enter the dungeon to rescue Hokuto before a horrid fate befell him. Minako and Kai volunteered to tag along, despite the former's intense distaste for both dungeons and zombies, but Rin convinced them to stay in the library as backups. I agree with the Ultimate Policewoman on this. It was dark down there and we had no idea how many foes we would have to deal with - Tatsuya wasn't able to ascertain their number, though there should be dozens of them at least. The more people in the vanguard, the more likely someone would get lost or trip and get hurt. Worst case scenario, someone could get bitten and turn into a member of the undead. At one point, economies of scale (such as watching each other's back) would cease and be replaced by diseconomies of scale (such as more backs needing to be watched). While the casualty rate would decline the more people we had in the strike team, having more people would eventually increase the likelihood of at least one person not making it back in one piece. In other words, limiting the size of the strike team was vital to success.
For weapons, Rin and I each grabbed a mace from the warehouse. Both of us were proficient in using blunt tools from our training, though it was never with the intention to kill or cause permanent brain damage like we were about to now. Despite the availability of swords and axes that could decapitate a zombie's head with a single swipe, we decided against using those as neither of us was comfortable wielding them and the possibility of friendly blows, especially in the dark, was significant. On top of that, these weapons could easily get embedded in zombie bodies or even walls and furniture, further limiting their effectiveness. El Viento would fight with her bare hands. Mexican luchador didn't seem to make as much use of weapons compared to American professional wrestling, not that these weapons were anything but props anyway. As for Fitzgerald, we have authorized him to have his gun loaded and ready just for this occasion. The gun was to be used in the most desperate situation and not as his primary means of self-defense - its noise would likely attract more zombies and the number of bullets was limited. Fitzgerald also carried an icepick, an unseemly but effective weapon for penetrating zombie skulls through the eye sockets or from beneath the chin.
To prevent zombie bites, the four of us also wrapped thin magazines around our arms and legs like plate armor on a knight. These would not stop any conventional weapon but would be sufficient in absorbing the teeth and helping us avoid infection.
With all preparations made, it was time to move out.
"Remember our plan," said Rin. "This is a rescue mission. We go in fast, extract the VIP, and get the hell out of there."
"Since when is Hokuto a Very Important Person?" asked Eliza mockingly.
"Very Irresponsible Person would be a better term to describe him," said Hijiri. "I have never met someone as reckless as he is."
"Maybe he deserves the title boldest and most foolish one among us more than I do," El Viento laughed.
"He's only doing this for the s-s-s-sake of all of us," Tatsuya argued. I rarely saw the fellow becoming so defensive. Did he really trust Hokuto that much, despite all his achievements so far? "He was f-f-finding a way out."
"Which he should have told the rest of us," said Kai, shaking her head. "This guy is going to get us all killed, one way or another, isn't he?"
"Doesn't mean we shouldn't save him," I replied. For all the disagreements we had, there was still safety in number. Besides, after seeing what happened to Kazuki, I couldn't bear the thought of anyone else devoured by these unnatural abominations.
"True in that," Yume agreed.
"Amelda-kun, how is your hand?" Minako asked.
I took a look at the palm where Hijiri had stabbed earlier, clenching and opening it. At this point, I had almost forgotten about it. For the last week or so, I had been applying the herbal medicine Minako gave me, and that seemed to have worked out well. Truth to be told, it still stang a little, but I would not let this get in the way. "It's fine now. Thanks."
"You sure?" asked Fitzgerald.
"Positively," I replied.
"Let's cut the chit chat for later," El Viento urged. "We've got a miner to save here. And we need to move out now."
"One last thing," said Fitzgerlad grimly to those that stay behind. "If we do not come back, or if the zombies get here before us, don't hesitate to close and seal this pathway."
"But we cannot just leave you like that," Minako protested.
"Maybe going in there isn't such a good idea," said Inu shakily. "Maybe we should think of another way."
"Don't worry," said El Viento confidently. "I have no intention of dying there. In fact, I am going to kick some serious undead butts."
Fitzgerald nodded. "That's the spirits."
"I have sworn to protect the lives of others," Rin stated. "And I will give my own to fulfill that oath."
"It's a risk we'll take," I explained. Normally, I would be reserved when it came to this, but a combination of peer expectations of a person with martial art background like myself, the bravado of my teammates, and the feeling of empowerment after being hopeless for so long invigorated me. "We'll get back in one piece, along with Hokuto. I promise."
Minako and Inu relented and wished us safety.
"Be safe," said Kai.
"Onward, heroes of justice," Yume proclaimed. "Onward, to death or eternal glory."
Dungeon
This place had the stench of somewhere that had not been touched for a long time. The air was very dry and dusty, reeking of decay. It was also dark and creepy, definitely not the place I would ever want to find myself in had it not been for the emergency. The glowsticks we brought could barely lit up several meters, so we had to stick closely together and watch our steps cautiously. The dim light could also a good thing, however, because we didn't want to be spotted from afar by the zombies. The goggles used by Kazuki to slay Ahikihiko was now worn by Fitzgerald. With a gun in hand, he needed the extra precision more than others, plus he was also less concerned about the stigma related to this item.
For the very least, we moved with a purpose rather than just wandering blindly. Though we had no map of this place - Hokuto had the only copy - Tatsuya was able to brief us on the layout and where he last saw Hokuto. We would have brought the fellow with us had he not been so injured. Still, his talent as the Ultimate Delivery Boy shone and he gave us quite a detailed, if not livid account of the directions that we needed to follow. As we moved out, we deliberately left a trace of glowsticks in our wake. This was the breadcrumb trail that would lead us back to safety.
As we turned a corner, we finally encountered the zombies. Seeing them reminded me of my first encounter with Inori where El Viento and I almost removed her head out of mistaking her for a zombie. These, however, were the real thing. Tatsuya had not been kidding. These were definitely undead. Some shambled while others crawled on the floor. They were all emaciated, with skin and barely any flesh left on their bones. To my horror, many of them bore signs of injuries ranging from lacerations and burn marks to intestine spilling out of their open bellies and the absence of body parts, but they were not the kind caused by survivors unsuccessfully trying to dispatch zombies or zombies successfully mauling survivors. Sure, the decay might have exacerbated these, but their origins were unmistakable: they were systematically and deliberately inflicted. Given the dark history of Tartarus Keep as well as the zombified king and queen we encountered earlier, there was no doubt these living dead were former victims of cruel and sustained tortures prior to and likely after their demise.
According to Tatsuya, the zombies were dormant for the most part and harmless unless triggered by something. For this reason, Hokuto had been able to make several trips into the dungeon, enough to draw a map of it, without getting immediately torn to shreds. Perhaps this was why he didn't tell us - we would have tried to stop him had we known his perilous ventures. He took a great risk in doing so. This time, however, luck was not on his side and something must have happened to cause the zombies to be so riled up.
There were about twenty zombies in the immediate vicinity, the ones I could count under the dim light. There could be more in the darkness. We pondered an alternative path but decided against it out of fear of getting lost. This was Tatsuya's first time in the dungeon, so he could only draw up one way for us.
Which left us with but one option left: we fight our way through.
"Ready for this?" asked Rin.
"Ever ready," El Viento confirmed.
"Remember, aim for the head," said Fitzgerald. "That's most likely going to kill them."
"Will do," I echoed. "There are quite a few of them, though. We need to spread the pressure or they will just run over us with their mass of bodies."
"Leave it to me," El Viento assured.
With that, we charged, El Viento taking the lead and absorbing most of the impact. The first rank of zombies was brought down before they could react, our maces and fists whacking their heads. I had never felt such a thrill in my life. As I smashed aside undead after undead, the adrenaline rush hit me, the litany of combat singing in my ears. This was not the first time I had been forced to defend myself since my arrival in Tartarus Keep. Unlike the previous skirmishes with my classmates which I still regretted partaking, I was prepared and fully intent on inflicting the maximum amount of damage on my opponents this time around.
The zombies were more George Romeo's Dawn of the Dead original than Zach Snyder's Dawn of the Dead remake. Unlike the undead children in Kazuki's executions, these were slow and weak, which was to be expected given the deterioration of the bodies. While didn't seem affected by pain and recovered from concussion much quicker than most normal humans would, their frail bodies put up little resistance, and the weapons, as real as the ones employed by medieval warriors, concaved their skulls and inflicting damage on the brain within with ease. Still, the undead horde fought back with abandonment once realizing they were under attack and appeared to be functioning in unison as if controlled by some higher intelligence such as a hive mind. The zombies reached out with their claws and teeth but were quickly swept aside before my mace found their faces or the sides of their heads.
I did not feel sorry for them as I struck them down - they weren't human anymore and even if they were, this was tantamount to putting them out of their misery. I had slain countless zombies in the video games I played, so the experience wasn't exactly novel. Moreover, they brought ruination upon Kazuki. While I didn't agree with his viewpoint that murdering was the only solution to freeing our loved ones, the manner of his death was inexcusably gruesome. In a way, this was the delivery of righteous retribution.
To my left and right, my classmates were performing admirably. Never had I questioned Rin's fighting capability, and seeing how she effortlessly pummeled those living dead at a rate one and a half times faster than mine, I was grimly reminded of the atrocities she committed on her living victims. Still, her strength and courage were appreciated under the circumstance.
Despite refraining from using his guns, Fitzgerald proved far deadlier than I thought. His method was extremely gung-ho from my perspective as he would have to hold back a zombie with one hand before thrusting the icepick into their weak spots. Yet, his movements were both swift and economical, always deflecting the zombie charge in some way while maintaining a healthy one-strike-one-kill ratio. Along with his intelligence, I could understand what Fitzgerald brought that Kazuki had wanted to off him first in the Mutual Killing Game.
Meanwhile, El Viento was tanking the retaliation. With only her hands wrapped in thick gloves, she held back six or seven zombies at a time. She couldn't avoid bites altogether, but a layer of books and her own muscular build render them ineffectual. Each blow from her was almost as powerful as a hit from a mace and zombies were flying in opposite directions.
Within minutes, all zombies around us had been defeated, either dead (permanently) or incapacitated.
"Is everybody okay?" asked Rin.
"I'm fine," I called out.
"No bites here," said Fitzgerald. "El Viento?"
"Too EZ," replied the Ultimate Luchador. She was the core of this assault. Without her, the tide of rotten meat crashing against us would have knocked us over with their sheer weight before we could defeat them all. "This is nothing. I've seen worse."
"Don't get overconfident," I advised. "Zombies aren't the hardest of foes, but one tiny misstep can cost you your life."
Fitzgerald curled his lips. "You are just saying that because you have the lowest body count, don't you?"
"You were counting?" asked Rin.
"Yes," Fitzgerald admitted. "And no doubt mister Ultimate Accountant here does too."
"It doesn't matter," I replied angrily. I knew he was saying that to entice me to fight with more ferocity. Unlike the others who seemed to prioritize aggression, my approach was a balance between offense and risk. I would not extend myself further to get a higher kill count just to satisfy my ego. Despite besting Rin during the gassing, I was aware I was the most vulnerable on the team. "We are not having a competition here. Let's just focus on the objective. Get Hokuto out without any casualty."
"Amelda is right," said Rin, smashing a zombie head that still moved. "We must remain in constant vigilance. Now, let's move on to find Hokuto."
Fitzgerald smirked. "Yeah, whatever."
More zombies were in our way and we took care of them all. These provided barely any challenge. Nevertheless, we could not confirm whether they were dead - it was too dark to tell and we were in a hurry. The only course of action we took was to watch our steps and avoid these creatures as much as we could. To ensure there is enough light for our operation, we tossed the glowing sticks around freely, bathing the whole dungeon in translucent light.
We eventually reached a group of undead crowding in front of a door, trying to bring it down by ramming their fists and heads into it. That must be where Hokuto was hiding. A few of the undead were on the floor with the skulls smashed open. The Ultimate Miner seemed to have the bright idea of putting his pickaxe into their weak spot as well.
Wasting no time at all, we dispatched the mob of zombies surrounding the door. As the last of the undead was de-animated, Rin knocked.
"Hokuto, are you in there?" asked the Ultimate Policewoman.
"Rin, is that you?" came Hokuto's voice from behind the door.
"Who else?" said Rin, annoyed. "Amelda, El Viento, and Fitzgerald are here too. We're here to save your ass, so open up."
"Give me a moment," said Hokuto.
I heard the sound of things getting shuffled around behind the door. One minute later, the door opened and Hokuto stepped out, dirtied and disheveled and without his usual jacket.
"You came for me," exclaimed the Ultimate Miner jubilantly.
While we were all happy that he was safe, we could not forget it was he who put himself in this position. So all of us responded with a stern face.
"Well, well, well, so who's the damsel in distress?" Fitzgerald sniggered.
"Of course we do," Rin scolded. "It's my job to ensure your safety, no matter how irrational or irritating you are."
"Let's get out of there before more of those things show up," I urged.
"Can you walk?" asked El Viento. "Are you injured, Hokuto?"
"Me? I'm fine," Hokuto stated. Aside from the lack of his jacket and the overall state of hygiene, he looked as good as ever. "I need your help with her."
He pointed at an unconscious girl behind him. The girl was in her twenties like the rest of us. Her blond hair was very long and messy. She looked quite thin from malnutrition and her skin extremely pale but still would have been in much better shape than the zombies we encountered. She was barefooted and wore little - most of her clothes had been reduced to rags at this point. Hokuto draped his torn jacket over her body to keep her warm. Even with that, we could see that her body was bleeding from many wounds which Hokuto seemed to have patched most of them up, though he still appeared to lack the means to disinfect them. Despite the sorry state she was in, she was still very much alive. We were all surprised to see another living soul in this castle.
"Who is that?" asked El Viento.
"Judging from her appearance, she is European," said Fitzgerald. "Her appearance before being trapped here might have been beautiful and well-taken care of. She must have been a member of high society." I was amazed he could deduce all of that from one look at her.
"A former dweller of Tartarus Keep?" I suggested.
"Perhaps not," said Fitzgerald. "Her uniform indicates she is from Hope's Peak Academy. Since we are all from Hope's Peak Academy and none of us has any connection to this place, I don't see the possibility of her living here to be high."
"How do you know she's from Hope's Peak?" asked Hokuto. "Her clothes are completely torn. I don't see any emblem."
"The design appears similar," Fitzgerald explained phlegmatically. "What? Do you think I would not do proper research on the school I was able to study?"
El Viento shot him a wary look. "Even on the girls' uniform?"
"Let's talk about this later," I cut in. "She's clearly hurt. We need to get her out of here and give her some treatment."
"Right," Rin agreed.
"Not so fast," said Fitzgerald, shaking his head. He approached the strange girl and unwrapped the fabric on her thigh which Hokuto had applied hastily to stem the bleeding. As the Ultimate Miner, Hokuto probably knew first-aid, but still lacked the tool to treat so many injuries. As Fitzgerald did, red blood oozed out and the girl deliriously winced in pain. I was about to tell him off when I saw the unmistakable shape of the wound underneath it. "Those are bite marks."
"She's been bitten," El Viento breathed. "By the zombies."
My heart sank. It seemed we were too late. "What do we do with her?" I asked.
"She's infected," said Rin. "Let's put her out of her misery."
As she lifted her mace, Hokuto stepped in to stop her.
"Wait," he pleaded. "Don't kill her yet. She might not turn into one of them."
"How do you know?" I asked him.
"How do you know that bites turn people into zombies?" Hokuto shot back.
I pondered. As embarrassing as it was to admit, I didn't expect this question and saw the transmission via bites as a given fact. Truthfully, I had not witnessed how these creatures reproduced. However, I considered myself an expert on them thanks to the movies I watched and the video games I played. Likewise, Rin and El Viento seemed taken back by Hokuto's argument.
"Common knowledge," El Viento replied. Rin and I murmured in approval.
"Ashley was a zombie, wasn't she?" Hokuto pointed out. "She died and got back up, and then Eliza chowed down on her. Has anything happened to Eliza?"
"No, not at all," I admitted. I thought about putting Eliza in quarantine or at least keeping an eye out for her as well, just like what we did with the entire botanical garden following the first trial. However, due to a combination of morale issues and Eliza's inevitable uncooperativeness to the idea, I had remained silent on the matter. So far, I had not been made to regret that decision.
"I see, so their flesh and blood might not be tainted," Fitzgerald mused. "Perhaps that applies to drool as well."
"Precisely," said Hokuto. "These zombies were created by chemical, or alchemical, means - I don't know. I'm just saying, there is a possibility she will not turn, and by putting her down, you would not only commit murder but also destroy our chance of getting out of this place."
"She might know something we don't," I suggested. "Perhaps the layout of this dungeon."
"Very well," Rin conceded. "We believe in you. But let's be careful when handling her. If she turns, I want her brain on the floor before she bites anyone. Copy?"
"Fine by me," said Fitzgerald nonchalantly.
Hokuto would carry the strange girl still cloaked in his jacket. Our way out would be slower, as a result. While El Viento would suffer no mobility from the cargo, she was the lynchpin of our combat tactic against the undead and a tank we could not afford to relegate to another role.
At first, we were confident that our mission had been successful and the way back would be a walk in the part. Our hope was dented once we heard a blood-curdling howl coming from the darkness.
"What the hell is that?" I asked.
"Hokuto?" Rin turned to the Ultimate Miner expectantly.
"I don't know," Hokuto replied, his face paling. "I never heard that before."
As we stood dumbfounded, the girl he carried begin to regain some degree of consciousness. "It's...coming," she said weakly with half an eye open.
"What's coming?" Rin pressed.
"Cerberus," the girl replied.
To our utter shock, the creature that emerged from the shadow into where it was lit by the glowing sticks we dropped earlier was the stuff of legend. It stood at a meter and a half tall but was at least three meters in length and one in width, a giant dog with three heads: Doberman on its left, Husky at the center, and the third one was horribly flayed and deformed to the point I couldn't recognize which breed it once belonged to. It was apparent that whoever used to inhabit this castle was as cruel to animals as they were to humans, truly the despicable anathema to all living beings. If Minako had been here, she would have fumed with rage at the sight.
The creature stared hungrily at the six of us with its three pairs of eyes. The mouths bared their razor-sharp teeth and dribbled drool onto the floor. The Cerberus looked quite underfed with its ribs visible on its thorax. If I were to guess, the creature likely had been surviving in this dungeon on a diet of zombies for a long time. And I would be honest when I said these zombies weren't even fit as emergency ration during an apocalypse. The Cerberus was probably elated at the possibility of finally getting some fresh meat.
"Don't make any sudden move," said Rin.
"Such pain," El Viento murmured. Her face whitened with sorrow. "I can only imagine how much pain it has gone through. Whoever did this must pay."
"What a twisted creature," Hokuto seethed. "What the hell is going on here."
"Quiet, both of you," Fitzgerald ordered.
"Can you shoot it?" I asked.
"Probably," Fitzgerald replied. "But unless those heads are unable to independently function, which I highly doubt, I would not be able to dispatch all three before it gets to us."
"Let's not take the risk," said Rin. "Maybe we can avoid it."
The creature continued to stare at us with its fang bared instead of charging. Even in its emaciated state, it was unlikely we would be able to outrun this thing. Besides, it probably knew this dungeon better than us. Our only way was to rely on the assumption the Cerberus, as monstrous as it was, still retained some canine instincts. That meant tips to avoid wolf attack might apply.
"Move slowly," Rin advised.
"And don't break your eye contact," said Fitzgerald.
"Fuck this shit," Hokuto swore as softly as he could. "Fuck everything in this fucking castle."
"Release your rage after we get out of here, please," I told him. My heart was pounding outside my chest, but I kept my composure.
Luckily, the Cerberus didn't block our escape path. As the five of us - Hokuto still carried the strange girl who was shivering with her eyes shut - cautiously backed off to the exit, the Cerberus maintained its stance. There was a corner just right there. If we could get behind it without triggering the Cerberus, we should be safe.
Unfortunately, fate didn't smile on us. A mob of zombie which had been infesting a different section of the dungeon shambled into view. Unlike the Cerberus, these monstrosities wasted no time making a beeline for the livings. While they were no faster than a normal person walking, we could not outrun them while maintaining the same posture with the Cerberus.
"Oh shit," El Viento cried out.
"Brace!" Rin shouted.
We moved into formation like before, with El Viento the tip of the spear while Rin and myself took up her flanks. Fitzgerald readied his revolver - the Cerberus was his only concern for now. The zombies ignored the Cerberus and crashed into us. Like before, we repelled them without much of an issue. Then, as we feared, the Cerberus let out a blood-curdling howl and sprang towards us. It was fast.
Fitzgerald fired, putting a bullet into the Dobberman head. The effect was obvious as the abhorrent creature lost its balance and veered to the right. Even then, it was still heading straight for us and I doubted even El Viento would be able to hold off such a great mass. Without any order, we split, each of us diving in a different direction. Fitzgerald, to my surprise, was slower than the rest, perhaps wanting to take another shot. The Cerberus knocked him sideways, the revolver slipping from his grasp and flying into the area unlit by the glowing sticks.
"It's every person for themselves," I shouted and backed myself into a corner. This tactic was risky: while I would not have to worry about getting hit in the back, the maneuver limited my ability to escape should I get overrun. Fortunately, the zombies were nowhere as numerous or as densely packed as what we saw in the first encounter. As I fought for life, all the Krav Maga training I had, plus my heightened alert since Hijiri tried to murder me, kicked in, turning me into a zombie slayer I never imagined I could be. Yet, as I smashed aside one zombie after another while evading their jaws and fingers, I also found myself faster and stronger than I thought, presumably from the practice I took but forgot due to memory loss.
"Hold your position," Rin cried. She too was fighting as hard as she could, unleashing the full desperate power of the Blue Devil upon the undead. Back to back with her was El Viento. Both of them made an effective duo. "We need to neutralize all hostile. There is no way to outrun them."
"Hokuto, we need you," El Viento pleaded.
"Right," Hokuto acceded. He laid down the girl he had been carrying and drew his pickaxe. The Ultimate Miner was no slouch in melee, as proven by the zombie corpses he was responsible for before our arrival. With the flashlight on his helmet providing him a better vision, and his already familiarity with working in the darkness, the fellow was more than ready for this. Hokuto planted his pickaxe into the skull of an onrushing zombie, stopping it in its track. Another was swiped by his elbow. As the zombie recovered, Hokuto pulled back his weapon, swung, and impaled it through its temple.
Fitzgerald, however, wasn't doing so well. The Cerberus, down with two heads, had turned its attention to him. Fitzgerald waded through the zombies, knocking some off their feet and even scoring a kill or two with precise hits, but most of his attention was dedicated to finding his gun. He tossed out more glowsticks to illuminate the area where his gun flew into and scrambled as soon as he found it. The Cerberus, however, was not going to let that happen so easily.
Fitzgerald got to the gun before the creature to him. He turned around and fired, this time decommissioning the flayed head.
With one head operational, the creature was clearly in a great deal of pain. It growled and wobbled unsteadily on its feet, no longer as dangerous as it was. Pools made of drool and blood began to form beneath it. But it was not over yet. In a stroke of determination, the Cerberus jumped at Fitzgerald.
Fitzgerald fired.
The shot hit the monstrosity in the chest, not enough to stop it.
The Cerberus got on top of the Ultimate Private Detective.
"AAARRRRRGGHHHHH!" Fitzgerald screamed as the creature's jaws sank into his right arm which he brought up to defend himself. While the books covering it could stop a zombie bite, they could not against a monster of this size and ferocity. Braving the pain, Fitzgerald pounded the creature on the side of its head to no avail.
"Get off him!" I cried and rushed towards Fitzgerlad. As I couldn't hit the Husky head directly and I doubted any attack into an already defunct head would help, I rammed the creature with the tip of the mace.
Fortunately, the Cerberus leaped back at the blow, releasing Fitzgerald in the process. The Ultimate Private Detective was not in a good shape at all and was bleeding profusely from his hand. I considered he was lucky. Had all three heads been functional, Fitzgerald would have been torn to ribbons. Crawling and scrambling frantically, he was reaching for his gun again.
The Cerberus turned and its eyes met mine. Under the extremely dim light, we stared at each other. Its eyes were dark black and filled with animalistic hatred. Mine was a combination of fear and determination.
The next moment, it lunged at me with the force of a speeding car. I was too slow to get out of the way.
As its body rammed into mine, pain flowed across my body, overwhelming my senses.
I passed out.
21:30
Dungeon
It was finally over. Not that I was dead, though, but the ordeal had finally ended.
"Amelda, are you alright?" I heard Rin calling me.
"I think so," I replied groggily. I quickly checked my body for any injury and was relieved to find none. Though the impact knocked me unconscious, I didn't feel like I was hurt in any place either.
As I came to, the fight had concluded in our favor. All zombies in the vicinity had been dispatched, their bodies knee-deep in some places. All of my teammates had survived, including Fitzgerald who was bleeding profusely, barely conscious and being patched up by Hokuto. While I was happy to see the enemy defeated and all my friends alive, the fact I had been out cold despite the lack of injury unsettled me - was my brain so weak that a blow like that could incapacitate me? I remembered El Viento had momentarily knocked me out earlier today. Back then, I had taken it with a grain of salt while admiring her strength. Now, I wasn't so sure anymore.
"Let's get out of here," said Rin. "Before that thing comes back."
"Where did it go?" I asked. As I glanced around, there was no sign of the Cerberus. Granted, the light from the glowsticks was weak and many sections of the dungeon were still as dark as ink.
"I don't know," said El Viento. "I think I saw a flash of red light. Next thing I knew, it was gone."
"Red light?" I asked. "The glowsticks we brought produced only yellow and green lights."
"Well, I didn't see it," stated Rin. "Did you, Hokuto?"
"No," said the Ultimate Miner. "I was too busy defending myself and her." He indicated the strange girl who was staring in disbelief at the pile of zombie corpses. Though she had been spared from the fighting, her wounds were getting worse, leaving clear trails of blood beneath her. One moment later, she suddenly dropped. Hokuto rushed in to support her.
"Could the Cerberus be attracted by it?" I suggested. "The red light?"
"I don't know," said El Viento. "When I saw it going after Fitzgerald, I tried to get to him. But when I got there, he was injured and you were unconscious. The thing was gone by then."
"It might not be gone yet," Hokuto remarked, still clutching onto the new girl. I half-expected her to die and become a zombie right about now, but that didn't happen. "It might be hiding in the shadow right now, waiting for an opening to strike."
"Then let's get out of here," I declared. There was also the fact the chance of Fitzgerald or the new girl bleeding out or getting infected would only increase the longer we stayed here.
"Go!" Rin cried.
Without delay, we sprinted straight out of the dungeon, Hokuto carrying the girl and El Viento having Fitzgerald slung on her shoulder. The glowsticks we left behind earlier guided our way back.
21:30
Library
Within minutes we reached the exit where Minako, Yume, Inu, Kai, Inori, Eliza, Hijiri, and Tatsuya were waiting for us with anticipation written all over their faces. A loud cheer came from Minako and Yume as we came through and the entrance was immediately sealed off.
"You've made it!" Yume whooped. He reached out and gave me, Hokuto, and El Viento big warm hugs. "I know I can count on you."
"And here I was devising a way to hold a funeral for you guys," said Eliza jokingly. "I guess that won't be necessary."
"Your brainstorming effort might not go to waste," Hijiri grimly pointed out to Fitzgerald and the strange girl. Both of them were unconscious by now, their breathing labored and their faces pale from the loss of blood. Despite referring to the potential death of someone she knew and respected, the Ultimate Geisha betrayed little emotion other than her usual disgust towards blood. "We have two casualties here."
"Fitzgerald-kun is hurt," Minako gasped. "What happened?"
"Oh, God," Kai exclaimed. "Is he going to be alright?"
"And who is she?" asked Inu shakily. The fellow didn't seem appreciative of the prospect of a new member in our group.
"Long story," I told them. "Now's not the time. We need to treat them."
"Do we even have the facility?" asked El Viento.
"There are medicine and equipment in the storage room," I pointed out. They were enough to treat scissor wounds inflicted by Hijiri on my hand and several places on Tatsuya's bodies, but the injuries sustained by both Fitzgerald and the girl were on a concerningly greater magnitude of severity. With Inori already executed and Rin and Minako only comfortable with light wounds, I wondered if we even possess the skills to treat them.
"God in heaven, they look like hell," Eliza breathed. "Does anyone here have a medical degree?"
"Maybe Fitzgerald does," said Yume. "He has some niche skills."
"Well, it doesn't look like he can help," Inu stated.
"Anyone else?" Rin asked.
"I do!" exclaimed Monokuma.
"Monokuma, never thought I would be glad to see you," said Kai. Out of all my classmates, she appeared the most worried. While Kai kept a low profile for herself so far, except in the previous trial where she had a chance to shine, I thought Fitzgerald had a thing for her - he was the one treating her feet after the second motivation, after all. Then again, she was also unappreciative of Fitzgerald's deception with his firearm back then. "Please. You've got to help them."
"That was very irresponsible of you, my faithful servant," Monokuma droned on. "You went ahead and put yourself at risk. What was your little human brain thinking? Imagine all my hard works put into devising the most excruciating executions for you guys only to use on a zombie in the end. Unacceptable."
"I'm sorry, it was foolish of me," Hokuto begged. "It was my fault. Punish me all you want, but they need not suffer for my shortcomings." I was taken aback by his submissive attitude. Then again, Hokuto had gotten into trouble with Monokuma in the past and nearly been punished as a result.
"And why should I help?" asked Monokuma, sneering at our distress. "What obligation do I have that involves this?"
"Well, you have provided us with food so far," said Yume.
"And shelter," Inu added.
"Any many facilities we can appreciate," Eliza went on. "So we thought you were committed to keeping us alive as long as the Mutual Killing Game permits."
"And since Fitzgerald and this girl weren't injured as part of the Mutual Killing Game," said Hijiri, "it is only right that you help them."
"We are your ever-loyal subjects, aren't we?" I stated. As much I hated to admit, for all the horrors he inflicted upon us, Monokuma was our best hope for Fitzgerald and this new girl right now. "Isn't it the responsibility of a great overlord to oversee the well-being of those under his rule?"
"We technically didn't break any rule," said Minako.
"Yeah," Tatsuya added. "You said you were a g-g-generous overlord, right? P-p-please help them."
"Awwww, your kind words almost bring tears to my eyes," said Monokuma, feigning happiness.
"Cut the crap, Monokuma," Rin grunted. "What do you want us to do next? Prostrate ourselves and kiss your damned paws?"
"Ewwwww, no thanks," Monokuma sneered. "I won't let my precious paws be defiled by your peasants' lips. Anyway, I will help you bastards, this time. But don't take my kind heart for granted. Kindness is something in short supply around here."
With that, four soldiers in Monokuma outfits stormed in. I called them "soldiers" because of the weapons they carried. They didn't behave like members of a modern conventional army, though. For once, they didn't seem to regard any of us other than the two bleeding on the floor. Wordlessly, they put Fitzgerald and the new girl onto stretchers and headed out to the residential area. They came and went so quickly that we were all speechless, though I was also certain none of us wished to distract them from their life-saving duty.
"Where are you taking them?" asked Inu.
"Is there an infirmary somewhere?" Minako inquired.
"None of your concern," Monokuma spat. "Just know that you will see them again soon. And don't even ask whether any of you can go with them. That area is off-limit to you bastards for the time being." He said the time being. I wondered if the clinic would be available should we survive the next murder-investigation-trial.
"Are they going to be alright?" asked Kai worriedly.
"Rest assured," replied Monokuma. "I have the best doctors at my disposal." Of that, I had no doubt.
"We'll trust you on this, then," said Hokuto.
Monokuma nodded and wrapped his arms in front of him. He gave us a dreadful stare with his red eyes glowing a malevolent crimson, as he addressed us with a grimmer voice. "On a more serious note, I do not want this incident to repeat itself ever again. This is the Mutual Killing Game here, and I have an audience to appease. The fewer meaningless offscreen deaths, the better it is for the rating." Again, he mentioned it as if we were being watched by a large number of people enough to form a consensus. Conversely, I could not help but feel it was a damn shame that none of the actions in the dungeon was recorded - they would make a decent action-horror B-movie. "If I catch any of you bastards inside that dungeon again, you will rue the day you were born, copy?"
"Yes, my lord," all of us, aside from El Viento and Rin, said in unison.
With that, Monokuma left. The conversation was brisk, but I could felt how tense he was - hell, all of us were on our toes by the most recent development. Monokuma was uncertain about the dungeon as much as we did. It was a weakness we all shared. Hokuto was determined to turn it to our advantage, but that hadn't turned out so well.
"There goes," Yume remarked. "Let's hope Fitzgerald is alright. And that girl, too. I can't stand the sight of another death."
"Do you think we can t-t-trust Monokuma?" asked Tatsuya. "I k-k-know I shouldn't question, but... what he did earlier..."
"What other option do you think we have?" Hijiri snapped.
"Monokuma is our only hope," said Minako. "I hate to admit it, but those injuries are beyond my capability. They are also infected. We can't just patch them up."
"I only know first aid," Rin said in an unusual conceding voice. "Without proper medical treatment at a clinic or equivalent facility, they would surely die or lose a few limbs."
"None of us here can even perform an amputation," I firmly stated. "None of our talents is supportive of that, and we are not a pirate crew. Cutting off infected limbs would be an extremely messy business." Not to mention we didn't have the proper tools for it. Medieval weapons did not make good surgical equipment.
"I don't like it one bit," El Viento grunted. "For all I know, Monokuma might be doing all those weird experiments on him." And for all I knew, she could be right. Monokuma mutated some of the plants in the botany garden, and, while he might not be responsible for the horde in the dungeon, he certainly had the means to create zombies.
"Still better than leave him to die," said Eliza grimly, "or perform the surgery ourselves, which would lead to the same result."
"Wait, Fitzgerald's wounds," Yume mentioned. "They look like teeth marks. Was Fitzgerald bitten by a zombie?" At this point, his eyes widened in trepidation. "Golly, do you think he will...?"
"No, he was bitten by a dog down there," I told him, avoiding the description of three heads out of fear the crime against nature would incite Minako. "A very big dog. But not a zombie dog. I didn't see any foam, so it probably didn't have rabies."
"The girl was bitten by zombies, though," said Rin. "However, given Eliza ate Ashley and didn't turn, we will give her the benefit of the doubt that the disease is transmitted in traditional manners." The nod to the second murder caused Eliza to grimace. Still, Hokuto's reasoning was accepted and calmed down the others.
"Let's pray for both of them to pull through," said Minako, closing her eyes. She then dropped to her knees and clasped her hands together. "After so many have fallen, I can't bear the thought of anyone else. Mother Earth, I beseech thee, please save them both."
There was a moment of pause.
"I'm sorry, guys," Hokuto finally confessed. "Blame me all you want. I deserve it."
"Oh, now you finally admit," said Hijiri sarcastically.
"I'm a nuisance to you all," the Ultimate Miner went on, looking downtrodden. "I just want to help, but my efforts have caused more harm than good."
"Admitting your guilt is good, though," said Eliza snarkily.
"Hokuto, d-d-don't say that," said Tatsuya. "You t-t-too, Hijiri, Eliza."
"I don't blame you for this," said El Viento. "You did lead us into a life-and-death situation, again. And Fitzgerald is all messed up because of that. But without you, that girl would have died alone down there. A life is saved thanks to you. I will say you showed bravery back then."
"And, frankly, without you, we wouldn't have had the chance to fight off a horde of zombies," I told him, smiling. While I still had my reservation about Hokuto's tendency to put us into harm's way, I also thought the whole venture wasn't a total bust. "If anything, it felt great being able to fight back."
"That must have been pretty cool, barring Fitzgerald's getting hurt, of course," said Yume, lightening up the mood with one of his fantastical tales. "You guys are like heroes of legend. Armed with fiery soul and steel heart, you plunge straight into darkness's territory and battled its minions to rescue the princess."
El Viento chuckled. Telling a cool story to accommodate the match was part of professional wrestling, after all. "It's nice that you think that way. But yes, it felt great. I felt like myself again. I felt in control, a situation where my talent could make a difference. For a moment there, I was no longer helpless waiting for something bad to happen in the Mutual Killing Game."
"Don't be too harsh on yourself, Hokuto," said Rin. "Each of us has our own way to contribute. Don't let anyone judge you for that." Somehow, that didn't feel right hearing from a notorious torturer and abuser of human rights. "But seriously, that bear is right. Don't get too reckless or it's the end for you and probably us as well."
Hokuto smiled in relief. Tears began to flow from his eyes - I guessed the Ultimate Miner wasn't as hard as diamond, after all. "Well, thanks. For saving me. And for your forgiveness."
At this point, we had a little group hug to reaffirm our commitment to each other - even Hijri didn't abstain from it. This was a tender moment where we all could get together before Monokuma tore us apart again with his next motive.
"What about the girl?" asked Kai. "Who is she?"
"We don't know," said Rin.
"Given the state of her clothes, I would say she had been in the dungeon for quite a while," said Hijiri.
"How does she eat, then?" asked Yume.
"I don't know," Rin replied.
"How did she end up down, there," asked Minako. "Was she abducted like us?"
"But Monokuma doesn't know about the dungeon," said Inu. "Do you think she was captured by the previous owners of Tartarus Keep?"
"Maybe we can know more about her when we get the chance to talk to her," said Rin, frustrated. "Bombarding me with questions won't help."
"That is if Monokuma allows," I notified. We didn't discuss the stranger girl with Monokuma, but he seemed to have no problem helping her anyway. "She's not part of the Mutual Killing Game, is she?"
"But Fitzgerald said she is, or was, a student at Hope's Peak Academy just like us," said Hokuto.
Tatsuya looked like he was having a headache. "Urgh! So many q-q-questions we want to answer."
"Let's ignore her for now," I suggested. "And focus on what variables we can determine or estimate."
"What about the briefing?" Inu raised. He referred to Rin's original plan to hold a meeting where she would discuss her findings. Obviously, saving Hokuto must take precedence, so we postponed it. With Fitzgerald currently unavailable, and he had been working with Rin to prepare for the meeting, I doubted we could go on at this point.
"Yeah, that," said Yume. "You said our strength and knowledge would increase because of it, didn't you, Rin? Should we still carry on?"
"I think I can present without Fitzgerald," said Rin. "And we won't need to confer much to him afterward. He and I already discussed as much as we could. However, I probably wouldn't be able to cover all points, and you guys would get bored very soon."
"We were just fighting for our lives moments ago," I said. My head was still aching from earlier when the Cerberus threw me off my feet. That I passed out immediately after that without even knowing how I landed bothered me greatly. "Maybe we should take it easy for a while. If anything, Monokuma hasn't given us a motive for the Mutual Killing Game yet."
"We've been through a lot, especially you three," Kai agreed, gesturing to El Viento, Rin, and me. "Perhaps we should call it a day?"
"It's also almost Night-Time," said Hijiri.
"Let's do it tomorrow morning then," Rin conceded. "At breakfast. Absenteeism will not be tolerated. The information is very important and extensive."
"More important than that poem by Hagakure?" asked Inu.
"Infinitely so," said Rin. "I want its dissemination and discussion to be formal and thorough. Still, time is short and I wish to be able to cover it in one go. I will spend the night finishing the preparation of the materials. You guys are free to dismiss."
"I will also give a full account of my findings down there, as well as how I came to find her," Hokuto promised.
"We'll have your word on that," Eliza affirmed.
With that, our group dispersed. We were one person fewer, but if all things went well, then that would mean one person more for us. The incident was exciting while it lasted, but the consequences were something we must be ready to handle, whether great or ill. For now, all we could do was wait, and pray.
"O Mighty God," I muttered my own Jewish prayer under my breath. "May You have mercy to those two for Your compassion is infinite. May You bless them with health and strength just as You have blessed Abraham, Issac, and Jacob. May You grant them complete healing, and do so with speed."
Dungeon
Within the dimly lit dungeon, the zombie formerly known as Atsuki Yuri had hit the jackpot.
In her past life, she was a student at Hope's Peak Academy, one of the most desirable positions for any person in Japan. She knew her school because the fact had been imprinted into her brain and persisted well after her untimely demise. She didn't remember her talent, but it had to do with martial art, perhaps judo or karate. She was still dressed in her dogi, though it was tattered beyond recognition at this point.
It didn't matter. Neither status nor strength was sufficient to save her.
She remembered being dragged to a place called Tartarus Keep. She remembered the horrific tortures she was subjected to, which saw all of her limbs twisted in different directions as if she were a Barbie doll and one-third of her tongue missing. She remembered her sisters and parents were subjected to the same thing as she watched in hopelessness.
She didn't remember how she died. It just happened at some point. She didn't remember who her which ones among living dead denizens of this dungeon were her family.
She knew only hunger from her captivity. The hunger had only gotten worse once she was dead - the pain of death made her hungry. It made her crave for flesh and brainz of the livings. Her last meal was a tunnel rat, and that was two weeks ago. The hunger was growing worse and worse. She was in a constant state of hunger, and so, she despaired.
When the livings came, they were boisterous and they brought down a number of her undead companions. Atsuki herself had taken a fist blow to the face that knocked her five meters back into the wall. When she came round, the livings were gone, and with them, the prospect of a good meal. All her undead mates were either de-animated or in no condition to move around. Atsuki was stronger than the bunch - she was the Ultimate in some martial art, after all.
Then, as if the gods had blessed her even if she was no longer in her mortal coil, a good meal came at last.
The big dog.
The monstrosity was all over the place: bits of it staining the wall, bits of it dripping from the ceiling, and bits of it splattered across the floor. There was blood, innards, and plenty of fresh meat. The big dog had hunted her kind for months. Now, it was neither living nor living dead, simply very dead.
It was her meal. The devourer had become the dinner to its prey.
And so, with a dreary moan that was meant to be a prayer to her Shinto gods, Atsuki chomped down as hard as she could with whatever jaw and teeth she had left.
Author's Note: Oh year! I did it. Despite an exam, I managed to crack this chapter out just in time.
With this chapter, the story will take on a new direction in which the detective element will be supplemented by horror and action elements. I hope this will make it stand out a bit more among the other Danganronpa SYOC around here. Don't worry, the fight scenes and scary bits will not supersede the main theme which is still mystery-solving.
One thing I decided to do a bit differently in portraying the characters is that their talents are more focused on. In Danganronpa, the talents are mainly for identification and personality rather than plot advancement, and about half the cast didn't really use their talent to either contribute to the group or execute the murder. Here, the talents are depicted almost like superpowers where the characters do not simply have the title from Hope's Peak Academy, but also the prerequisites to obtain and hold up their talents (such as physical strengths or knowledge or particular sets of skills). I hope you guys enjoy this depiction.
Next time will be the motive and murder chapter. Stay tuned.