Thank you everyone for your patience. I know I take a lot of time making these chapters, so I hope you enjoy this one. I don't like long Authors Notes, so I'll end it here. Criticisms are welcome.
Guys, they're making everyone leave. I wanted to stay and wait for you all, but CEDA won't allow it. They're sending us to the Main Ceremony Hall. We're leaving the school by an Atlas Bullhead.
I heard rumors about people suddenly going crazy but nobody from CEDA would acknowledge them. I saw them take a couple of students too, but I don't know why. I don't want to leave you guys behind, I'm really scared.
If I don't see you in the Ceremony Hall, then I hope you find this letter.
Ren/Nora – Find Jaune and someone from Team RWBY and get to the Ceremony Hall. Ren, please keep Nora in line, and Nora please listen to Ren and try not to get yourselves into trouble.
Jaune – Please find Ren and Nora, or someone from Team RWBY and get over here! Use your judgment and get here safely! I'll be alright, I promise, just please don't do anything stupid.
Be safe!
-Pyrrha
Jaune sat down, still staring at the letter in horror.
"People going crazy?" Cardin questioned, "That's a fucking understatement."
"B-But…" Velvet tried to speak, "That would mean...CEDA knew something...They took students."
Jaune covered his mouth, pinching his cheekbones to subdue the stress.
'Don't get anxious. Don't get anxious,' he thought, 'They're fine. They all must be fine. She's fine.'
This was Pyrrha Nikos after all, the most skilled Huntress in training in her entire class, she can take care of herself.
'Yeah...She's probably on one of the bullheads,' Jaune thought.
Ren should also be fine as well. He's an intelligent young man and a very skilled Huntsman in training. And Nora...Well, there's no way she would separate from Ren. Jaune remembered the day CEDA arrived at Beacon, Nora almost went crazy at the thought of leaving Ren's side, even when they were testing everyone for the flu. It caused a lot of trouble for CEDA.
'No doubt they're together,' Jaune thought, 'But where are they?'
"Oh my god," Jaune looked at Ruby, "No...Yang!"
Having been in the same thought processes as him, Ruby stood up from her chair.
"My sister!" Ruby cried, "MY TEAM!"
She looked at Jaune.
"We have to go to the Ceremony Hall!"
"Screw that!" Cardin said, "At this point let's just get the hell out of here!"
"No way!" Ruby said, "I have to find my team!"
Jaune placed the letter on the table.
"We all do, Ruby," Jaune said, motioning Cardin to stop talking, "But...I don't know how we can make it with these weapons."
"A-And clothes!" Velvet added.
Ruby blinked, realizing the pistols that they had and the clothes they wore.
Despite this, she tightened her hold of her gun are adjusted her uniform.
"We can do it!" Ruby insisted, "It's closer than the weapons lockers! We can go there first, and then to our weapons!"
She looked at everyone.
"If there's anyone out there that needs our help, then it's our jobs as Huntsmen and Huntresses to be there. No matter what's going against us."
She reloaded her gun.
"I going to find my team, they need my help."
"Good, go then," Cardin said, "I'm not going anywhere with you losers."
Ruby faltered, spinning to the bully who sat in rebellion.
"You're all out of your fucking minds," he accused, looking at Jaune, "Next thing I know you're all gonna kill me in my sleep."
Ruby and Velvet could not speak, stunned by the bully's claim. But then the memory of what had just occurred moments ago rushed back. Their eyes went to Jaune as well.
He looked down. The insult to his friends still bothered him greatly, but Jaune's anger had completely died out. If what happened at the staircase were in any other context, he definitely would have gotten hit with the butt end of trouble. He could already hear Professor Goodwitch chastising him about gun safety, being a poor leader, and her punishment onto him. And Jaune couldn't imagine how worried Pyrrha would have been about his mental health.
'Can't even imagine the questions my leadership will be put into,' he thought to himself, 'What kind of leader does something like that?'
Despite the horrible thing Cardin had said, and how admittedly good punching him felt, Jaune never had the intention to hurt him.
"Cardin," Jaune said, "I know I went too far, and-…"
Jaune stopped himself as Cardin suddenly pointed his gun at him.
His eyes widened.
Velvet gapped in horror.
"NO!" Ruby yelled, prepping her gun.
But before she could aim it.
*click*
Cardin fired the empty gun.
The girl's hearts almost burst from their chests. Ruby shook herself, now overcome with anger.
"What's wrong with you?!" she screamed.
"Now we're even, asshole!" Cardin shouted, shifting to Ruby, "What? You want some too shrimp?!"
He pointed the gun at Ruby.
"Hey!"
*click* *click*
"Stop it!" Ruby screamed, "You're not supposed to use a gun that way!"
Cardin chuckled at her reaction.
"Oh so what," Cardin dismissed, "It's empty, here watch."
He pointed the gun at Velvet.
She recoiled back.
"CARDIN!" Ruby yelled.
*click* *click* *click* *click* *click* *click* *click* *click*
*WHAM*
"*AUCK*"
Cardin fell back into his seat.
He released the gun to grasp his throbbing shin, allowing Ruby to grab it.
"I said stop!" she yelled, "You're so dumb!"
"Dumb?! I'm not dumb you twerp!" Cardin yelled back, "The gun is empty! I wasn't going to hurt anybody!"
"I don't care!" Ruby said while checking the gun, "You don't just fire a weapon at someone just because it's empty!"
She approached Cardin.
"Rule number TWO of gun safety, Cardin," she shoved her hand with the number two to his face, "Treat ALL firearms as if they're loaded!"
She pouted and rapidly pointed at the empty gun for emphasis.
Cardin shoved her hand off his face.
"And what? Arc gets a free pass?"
Ruby paused at that statement. She looked at Jaune, who looked back at the ground in shame.
Velvet looked on with the most uncomfortable feelings her shy features could show.
Cardin rolled his eyes.
"Whatever," Cardin said, "I knew you were all out to get me."
He got up from the chair and snatched the gun back from Ruby.
"Hey!"
"Oh put a sock in it," Cardin said, loading his gun, "It's loaded now, by the way. Now we can all go out and die together."
He began walking away from the others.
"Maybe that rope thing will strangle us all to death," he said as he approached the metal door.
The anger Ruby felt left her, prompted by the memory of that surprised attack when they tried to enter the dorm hall. She recalled the tightness of whatever latched on to her, and the shock of it all having even occurred in the first place.
"Y-Yeah," Velvet spoke, trying to brush past the discomfort, "Did anyone see what that was?"
"Well I didn't see a fucking thing," Cardin said from afar.
Jaune tried to mask his feelings, interested in diving into the mystery.
"R-Ruby?" Jaune spoke, struggling to compose himself "Do you see what that was?"
Ruby noticed the young blonde man's shakiness but decided to not address it.
She nodded "no".
Jaune returned to his thoughts, the feelings from before having been overwritten by this unknown foe that almost dragged Ruby away.
He looked at Velvet.
"How about you?" he asked her.
Velvet's face morphed from uncertainty.
"I...I don't know," Velvet said, "E-Everything happened so fast, I...I can't remember."
She saw the discomfort on Jaune's face as he returned to his thoughts. Ruby tried to calm herself down, but the fear in her eyes told her she was still thinking about her team.
Velvet can't put into words how she felt. At moments like this, she would turn to her leader, and best friend, Coco.
She was a serious fashionista and one tough customer. Nobody messed with nor dared to start a fight with her. She was smart and very talented, and very, very cool. Yet past this hard, confident exterior, she was one of the sweetest people she could ever know.
'What would she do in this situation…' Velvet thought.
She slowed her breathing to calm herself. What's important right now was to not panic. If she panics, then she will lose herself and get hurt.
With every technique she learned from her time at Beacon, she allowed her heart to slow down and her temples to loosen. The sweat behind her ears began to dry, and her breathing slowly regained control.
With one final breath, Velvet was able to think clearly once more. She replayed the events of what had occurred outside the Cypress Dorm Hall.
'Alright,' she thought, 'I was trying to open the door...and Ruby was attacked…...wait a minute.'
Velvet's ears perked up.
She recalled something the moment before Ruby was attacked.
"I-I heard a cough," Velvet shared.
Everyone turned to her.
"What?" Jaune asked.
But the sudden attention made Velvet blush heavily.
"I-I...I heard a…...a cough."
…
…
…
"Just now?" Jaune asked cluelessly.
"N-No!"
"God damn it!" Cardin yelled, "Who the hell cares, it's probably a zombie."
"Stop calling them zombies!" Ruby yelled.
"Oh shut up!" Cardin yelled back, "That's what they are!"
He opened the blinds by the door.
"Look at them," he pointed to the window.
Everyone went to him to see students and civilians, Humans and Faunas, scattered across the campus. Some were mindlessly walking, while others stood still. Jaune couldn't help but stare at a female Faunas student. Her head was against the wall, and every so often she would puke out viscous black bile. Jaune looked away before his cheeks turned green.
"They walk like zombies, they talk like zombies, they act like zombies," Cardin said condescendingly, "So what does that make them, shrimp?"
Ruby's face grew red.
"Cardin stop," Jaune said, "They aren't zombies."
He looked back at the girl. She had stopped vomiting but her apparent exhaustion kept her leaning on the wall.
"They're just...infected."
Cardin raised his eyebrow.
"Well yeah, which turned them into zombies."
"STOP!" Ruby yelled, making Cardin laugh.
"Let's just get out of here," Jaune said, returning to the letter on the table.
Inside the table drawer was a marker and some tape. He took the marker, folded the paper, and wrote on it.
Lie Ren and Nora Valkyrie
I'm with Ruby, Velvet Scarlatina, and Cardin (He was with us, still a jerk)
Don't worry about me, we're going to Vytal, so listen to Pyrrha's instructions.
And yes, I know what I'm doing is stupid, if you find Pyrrha, tell her I'm sorry.
Stay safe guys! I'm sorry I can't be there with you.
-Jaune
"Please be alright," Jaune said to himself.
"J-Jaune…"
Jaune turned to see Velvet right next to him. She shyly scratched the back of her head, masking the volume of her voice so only he would hear her.
"I-I think the cough is...important…."
Jaune stared into her worried eyes. He wasn't an idiot, despite Cardin's comment he intended to adhere to the Faunas' warning. Now was the perfect opportunity to get some more details.
"What exactly did you hear, Velvet?" he asked.
She began tapping her index fingers.
"...Um…" Velvet tried to recall, "It…It sounded like…"
She tried to find the words.
"Like...someone that...s-smokes a lot of cigarettes…" Velvet said, "T-The breathing was hoarse...a-and there was a lot of coughing...L-Like they couldn't breathe right."
…
…
…
...
...
"...Really?" Jaune asked, confused.
His reaction caused Velvet to blush harder.
"W-Well that's fine actually," Jaune said, trying to calm the shy girl, "You did good, thank you for telling me this."
He couldn't imagine the connection between the rope thing and a chain smoker, but some information was better than nothing.
He got closer to Velvet
"When we get out there," he said, "I'm going to need you to keep your ears open. That thing might still be out there, alright?"
"O-Okay," Velvet nodded, "I'll stay alert."
"Are you losers done with whatever you're doing over there," Cardin called, "Let's just get the hell out of here!"
Velvet looked down to the floor while Jaune sighed in slight frustration.
He grabbed the tape, placed a strip on the folded letter, and placed it on the emergency staircase door they came from.
Jaune placed his heartfelt hand on the letter as he thinks about his teammates. If they didn't evacuate, then they would find this letter. Still, he wanted to stay. He wanted to wait for his team to arrive. And he certainly didn't want to leave them behind. But Jaune didn't have a choice.
He released the letter and prompts Velvet to follow him to the metal front entrance.
Grouped up, everyone held their pistols at the ready.
"Alright, let's get out of here," Jaune said, "Stick together, no one separate for any reason!"
"Got it."
"R-Right."
"Whatever."
Jaune placed his hard on the door handle but found himself pausing at the exit. He turned around at the note he left on the wall. His heart ached for his team, and he couldn't imagine how Ruby felt for hers.
'They're fine,' Jaune told himself, 'They have to be.'
Jaune felt the weight of his pistol in his right hand and took a deep breath.
"Okay," said Jaune, "We make a straight bee-line to the CCTS-Tower, and get to the armory and locker room."
Everyone adjusted their school uniforms and stood behind Jaune.
"On a count of three."
Cardin breathed out a shaky breath.
"One."
Velvet gripped her pistol with both hands.
"Two."
Ruby cocked her pistol, ready to shoot at a moment's notice.
"Three!"
Jaune opened the door.
Everyone raised their pistols.
FLEEEH
REEAAH
Two infected rushed them.
*POW*
*POW*
*POW*
*POW*
*POW*
*POW*
And both were killed.
FEEAASH
UUUAAAAAGH
HUEEEEAH
REEAAAAAGH
The commotion had attracted four more infected.
"Shit!" Cardin cursed, pointing his pistol at the approaching group.
*POW*
*POW*
*POW*
*POW*
*POW*
*POW*
They shot down the last infected, whose chest burst open.
Jaune took a moment to gaze at the injury and saw no more infected around the area.
They ran forward.
Velvet grew nervous. Without the screams of the infected, the campus fell still. She can see the infected from afar. Having not noticed the team of Huntsmen and Huntresses in training, they mindlessly wandered the property.
But this scene greatly bothered Ruby, who had also looked in the same direction as Velvet. She had never seen a large number of people behave in such a way. With their pale skin, their dead eyes, and staggering, mindless walking, she couldn't help but compare them to Grimm.
The thought itself appalled her.
"Oh my god."
Ruby turned to Jaune, who had just stopped along with the others. She wondered why, but when she looked ahead, she understood.
Her mind went blank, fearful of counting all the bodies on the ground. The blood had long since dried, and the lifeless husks showed bullet wounds that tore into their flesh like minced meat.
Looking up ahead, she saw the damaged culprits of this slaughter.
The group slowly approached the scene, avoiding the red splattered pavement as much as possible.
Three destroyed Atlas escort bots were left in this wake of blood and mutilation.
"Man," Jaune said, "They didn't stand a chance."
"Shit..." Cardin cursed, "So much for 'advanced successors' I kept hearing about."
He would have spoken further if he hadn't noticed the weapons on the floor.
"Oh, sweet!" he exclaimed.
Three Atlas-Grade Machine guns laid still by the bots.
Cardin knelt down.
"Now we're talking!"
He grabbed the gun.
*squish*
"AUGH!"
He released the gun.
"What the?!"
His hand was covered in green.
"Oh...God!" he shook his hand, "What is this?!
He took a whiff.
"Oh fuck that stinks!"
He tried to wipe it off, but it stained his pants.
"Oh, you gotta be kidding me!"
"*pfffffft*"
Cardin whipped his head to Ruby and Velvet.
"Oh," Cardin exclaimed, "You freaks think this is funny?!"
Ruby looked at him with her heavily amused face.
"No," she lied.
Velvet's lowered her body forward, closing her eyes as she struggled to keep her smiling mouth shut.
"Oh okay," Cardin approached Ruby, "Here, have a whiff."
"Huh?"
He tried to shove his hand into her face.
"HEY!"
She ducked under it.
"Get away from me!" she yelled, "That's gross!"
"Oh, what's wrong shrimp?!" Cardin smiled, "It's not funny anymore?!"
He looked at Velvet.
"Here why don't you have a whiff!"
Velvet's eyes widened.
She dodged Cardin's swipe, causing her to painfully trip onto the Atlas bots.
"Hah!" Cardin laughed.
"Hey!" Jaune yelled, "Cardin!"
"What?" Cardin yelled back, "She started it."
He pointed at the downed rabbit Faunus.
"And her too!"
He pointed at Ruby.
"You're such a jerk!" she said, going around the bully to get to Velvet.
"Oh give me a break," Cardin said, "It was just a fricken joke."
He successfully wiped off his hand on the ground and approached the gun once more, leaving the rest of the team alone.
Jaune held his hand to her.
"You okay Velvet?" he said.
"Y-Yeah," she said, grabbing Jaune's hand and lifting herself back up.
"Velvet," Ruby looked at her worriedly, "We'll keep backing you up but you really have to defend yourself!"
"I-It's fine," Velvet said shyly, straightening out her uniform, "I don't think it'll do anything…"
Jaune scrunched his eyebrows, worried for the Faunus girl. This was very similar to his first semester at Beacon, where he would foolishly keep Cardin's bullying to himself instead of seeking help from his friends. He could see that Velvet's reasoning was different, yet he couldn't help but relate to her the same way.
It didn't feel good, but it was best to respect her wishes. Jaune looked at Ruby, her worried face matching his. This must have been what it felt like for Pyrrha when she couldn't help him.
He looked at Velvet again, but she had paused.
Looking at the back of her arm, she saw the same green substance that was coated on Cardin's hand.
Ruby blinked, whipping her head towards Cardin.
"Cardin!" she yelled, "You're so gross!"
"What?!" he yelled back, "I stopped already!"
"Look what you did to Velvet's arm!"
"Huh?" Cardin approached them, "What?"
He looked at her arm.
"Oh come on," he dismissed, "I didn't even touch her!"
"Don't lie you jerk!"
"I'm not lying!"
As they bickered, Velvet looked around her until her eyes laid back at the downed escort bots.
"Uh...J-Jaune," she called.
Catching his attention, he approached Velvet, who was pointing at the downed escort bots.
Upon closer inspection, Jaune was able to see more of the green substance coating parts of the bots.
"Oh my god," Jaune said in disgust, "What is that?"
Velvet looked at the back of her arm again, scooping a bit of the substance with her finger.
It wasn't too thick, but it was enough to stick onto someone.
She rubbed it between her finger and thumb.
It was pretty chunky.
She smelled it, and immediately recoiled back.
"Ugh."
She shook the green substance off her fingers.
"It's vomit," she confirmed, "They're covered in vomit."
Velvet finished shaking the vomit off her finger and noticed the looks everyone gave her.
Jaune's eyes were wide with shock.
Ruby tried to cover her mouth and green cheeks.
Cardin's mouth was slightly open.
"Did you really touch that?" he asked.
Velvet began to shy away from the attention.
"Uh..y-yeah," she said, "I mean...I-It's off…"
She lifted her hand, causing him to step away.
"Okay don't shove that in my face!" he begged, "I was seriously kidding, honest!"
Ruby and Jaune looked amused by his reaction.
They shifted back to the bots.
"Um…" Ruby scrunched her nose, "Why are they covered in puke?"
"I...I don't know," Jaune answered.
"Who cares!" Cardin called from afar, "Can we leave now!"
Jaune, Ruby, and Velvet looked at each other in agreement.
Ruby picked up the second machine gun, leaving Jaune and Velvet with the third one.
"Okay…" Jaune looked at Velvet, "I...I think you should take it."
Velvet looked at Jaune.
"N-No!" Velvet refused, "You should take it."
"I-I think I'll be fine," Jaune lied, "I'll just stick close to you guys."
"Hey losers!"
They both turned to Cardin.
"There's another one over there."
He pointed by the path's edge, seeing another machine gun in the grass.
"O-Oh thank goodness!" Velvet noticed, "I-I'll get that one then!"
She went for the machine gun before Jaune could volunteer instead.
Cardin rolled his eyes.
"You're welcome," he said, sarcastically.
Velvet approached the last gun, but before she could, she noticed the paved ground.
Tilting her head, she noticed the scratch marks on the ground. It didn't look like claw marks or something a weapon could do. It looked like something heavy was dragged in this direction.
She looked where the scratch marks went.
In the distance, she could barely make out what looked like another damaged Atlas escort bot.
"Huh?"
Was it dragged all the way out there?
And from the looks of it, it was also coated in vomit.
Unnerved, Velvet took a deep breath and grabbed the machine gun.
She looked back at the far away bot. The small number of bodies around the area surprised her, making her think about how that rope thing dragged Ruby away from them...
"Are we all good," Jaune called, interrupting Velvet's thoughts.
"Y-Yeah," she said, returning back to the group.
"I'm ready," Ruby said.
"Let's just go," Cardin said.
Velvet took one more glance at the downed Atlas bot, far into the grass, and continued forward with the group.
They made a right turn, briskly moving past the study halls and making their way towards the information offices.
The path was clear of bodies, yet Velvet was staying alert to any sounds of coughing or hacking.
She had not heard anything of the sort, but her ears perked up from what was ahead.
"There's more in front!" Jaune yelled.
Velvet looked to see the approaching infected.
Her face hardened.
HEEEEAAAH
AAAAEEEGH
FEEAAHH
UUEEAAH
GAAEESH
In fits of extreme rage, the small horde rushed them.
With machine guns in their hands, they all took aim.
*BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRT*
The small horde fell.
The team of Huntsmen and Huntresses continued forward, seeing the many infected heads turn in their direction.
FUUUEEH
UUEEEGH
BLAAAGH
RRRRRGH
UUURRGH
YEEEEEG
OOOOGH
CHAAAGH
The infected sprinted.
*BRRRRRRRRRRRT* *BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRT* *BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRT*
Jaune's gun stopped firing.
"CRAP!" Jaune look out his clip, "RELOADING!"
But the cacophony of rapid-fire bullets drowned out his voice.
UUEEEAH
EEAAAFH
GAAAAEGH
Three infected rushed at Jaune.
He stumbled to insert the next magazine.
GAAAAAAAAEEEEEGH
The infected launched at him.
*click*
But Jaune inserted his magazine.
*BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRT*
Jaune killed the infected student, his left arm having ripped from his chest.
EEAAAAAAGH
*BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRT*
Jaune killed the infected civilian, her legs having torn from her hip.
He shifted to the last infected.
A civilian Faunus woman.
*BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRT*
Jaune blasted her chest open.
Like smashing a watermelon.
Her blood rushed out.
And she collapsed.
He lowered his gun.
The team had ceased fire.
The horde had died out.
The silence deafened their ears once more.
But with their adrenaline risen, Jaune led everyone forward.
Yet the carnage he wrought was still on his mind.
"Monty Oum, they tear apart like paper," Jaune exclaimed, "Doesn't aura stop that?"
"It's supposed to," Ruby confirmed, "But they're really strong, I don't get it."
She remembered the infected man attacking her back in Cardin's dorm. The memory briefly brought back the phantom pain from her chest and head.
"M-Maybe it's the virus?" Velvet guessed, "But...No...I-I don't know how that would be possible."
Jaune and Ruby hummed in agreement.
"Geez guys," Cardin groaned, "Have any of you seen a single zombie movie? Of course it's the virus."
They all looked at Cardin, confused.
"...The virus makes them stronger?" Ruby asked, unconvinced.
"Yep," Cardin said, starting to get cocky with knowledge, "I saw this in a documentary once, when you get infected with the zombie virus-"
"There's a documentary on this?" Jaune interrupted.
"Yeah there is, get a clue Arc," Cardin chastised, "Anyway, when you get infected with the virus, you no longer feel pain, so that makes you stronger."
…
…
…
"...I don't get it," Ruby said.
Cardin's arrogance fell.
"What?"
"Uh...How does not feeling pain make you stronger?" Jaune asked, confused.
"Wha-...Don't question me!" Cardin yelled, "It makes perfect sense..."
…
…
…
Cardin thought about it for a bit.
"Y-Yeah it makes perfect sense!"
Jaune and Ruby raised their eyebrows.
"W-Wait," everyone looked at Velvet, "I think...I get it."
She remembered learning in her biology class about how the Human and Fauna nervous system responds to pain, which was likely what Cardin was trying to get at.
Essentially, pain is meant to protect the body from harm. So if a Human or Fauna engages in harmful activities, like placing their hand in fire, they would feel pain. The pain would make them stop, so they stop. If they didn't feel pain, they would keep their hand in the fire, destroying their hand.
'That would also apply to bullets then,' Velvet thought.
She also considered when a Human or Fauna exerts themselves too much. If they lift something that's too heavy, they feel pain, which should make them stop. But in this case, if they do not feel pain, then there isn't anything that's telling them to stop.
If what Cardin is saying is actually true, that the infected don't feel pain, then their strength would be at the fullest extent of what is capable of a Human and Fauna without an unlocked aura.
They can probably lift a boulder if they wanted. They'll break every bone in their bodies, but it would feel like nothing.
Velvet can't imagine the pain they would be in. Perhaps it was this rage they had that blocked the pain. Like they were blinded by it.
It made perfect sense to her, so she better tell the others.
"They don't...n-necessarily get stronger," Velvet said, "I-I think...if they d-don't feel pain...It's like...n-nothing is telling them to stop...you know?"
…
…
…
…
…
…
"Oh wait, now I get it," said Jaune, who clearly did not get it.
"Y-Yeah, I understand too," Ruby said, also not getting it.
Cardin laughed hysterically, making Velvet blush heavily.
If only she didn't get so shy so easily, she could have explained it better.
'Damn it,' Velvet chastised herself, 'Why didn't I say it better.'
Her embarrassment was tenfold, she couldn't imagine letting this down.
huuueeagh *cough* *cough*
Her ear twitched.
She looked to her left.
It was the same sound from before.
The same hoarse breath and coughs she heard just before Ruby was attacked.
Jaune noticed Velvet's shift in behavior.
"Velvet?"
"I heard it again."
Jaune blinked.
"That sound you mentioned?"
"Yeah."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
Jaune turned to the others.
"Guy's, quiet!" he ordered, "Something's following us."
Ruby and Cardin stopped arguing.
"What?" Cardin asked.
"Just quiet!" Jaune said, looking in the direction Velvet was watching.
"Do you see it?"
"No...I don't," Velvet said, "Sorry."
"It's fine," Jaune said, turning to everyone else, "C'mon, let's get out of here before more show up."
They continued along the path, now halfway towards the Ceremony Hall.
The infected were sparse, but nobody took it for granted.
"I hate how quiet it is," Cardin complained, eyeing the distant infected.
Ruby observed them as well, noting how silent they are when they're not agitated.
"Hey Jaune," she called, "Y-You know, if we forget the infected, Blake would like the quiet."
Jaune chuckled.
Ruby was glad that her attempt at humor worked, but the feeling quickly disappeared.
'What was that!?' she thought, 'Don't make jokes like that!'
With every shot that killed each civilian and fellow student, Ruby never noticed how quickly she was becoming numb to it. It felt like they were no longer killing Humans or Faunas.
Ruby shuddered at the thought, making the joke feel worse.
'Geez, what's wrong with me?!' she berated herself.
She pulled out her scroll to see the time.
'4:43...I'd be late for Professor Port's class,' she thought, 'Weiss would be yelling at me right now.'
They had to be okay. Weiss, Blake, and Yang.
"I can see the Ceremony Hall!" Jaune called.
Ruby looked ahead and also saw the building.
A wave of anticipation, fueled by her desire to find her friends, caused her to run slightly faster than the others.
Jaune noticed that she was beginning to run ahead of the group.
"Ruby," he called, "Don't-"
FVVOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH
Jaune, Velvet, and Cardin covered their eyes as a flurry of rose petals clouded their vision.
"What the hell!" Cardin yelled.
"Ruby!" Jaune yelled, rushing to the entrance.
Velvet followed suit.
"Fuck me, man!" Cardin cussed to himself, running with them as well.
He was getting really annoyed by this. The shrimp was the jumpiest of the bunch. In a moment's notice, she'll run with her rose pedals and abandon the team. It made Cardin wonder why she hadn't run off already. She had every opportunity to use her semblance to get herself out of a horde, yet she stayed with the team at all time.
'Why doesn't she just beat it?' Cardin thought.
They had caught up to Ruby, who tried to pull at the metal gates that blocked the entrance.
"Guys!" Ruby called, "Help me out over here!"
They came to her aid, moving past the police barricades and damaged Atlas escort bots.
They all pulled at the gate, but it didn't budge.
"What the hell!" Jaune complained, "This thing isn't budging!"
The gate felt like it was made from reinforced iron. It was made so even Huntsmen and Huntresses would have difficulty breaking it. At least without some sort of weapon.
He released the gate, prompting everyone else to as well.
"It's not fucking moving," Cardin said.
"No! We have to open it!" Ruby said, rushing to the other side of the gate to get it to collapse.
But then she saw the reason why it won't.
"Oh no!" she cried, "It's soldered to the wall!"
Everyone rushed to Ruby to see that the metal gates were indeed soldered together, preventing anyone from entering the building.
"Man," Jaune said, "They must not want anyone going in."
"W-What now?" Velvet asked.
"What now?!" Cardin exclaimed, "Now, we forget about this building and go around it once we get our weapons!"
"No!" Ruby yelled, "We find a way in."
Ruby looked at the soldered gate again, trying to see if anything part of it was weak enough to break.
She turned to Cardin.
"Aren't you supposed to be strong?" Ruby asked.
"Wha…" Cardin grew annoyed, "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Don't you have a semblance or something that can tear this off?"
"…"
"Well?"
For the briefest of a moment, Cardin looked highly uncomfortable. But he managed to mask this with his anger.
"I don't have to do anything for you, shrimp."
"Wait," Jaune interjected, "You can pull that off?"
"Stay out of this, blondie."
"Don't dodge the question," Ruby said, "Answer him."
"What? What do you want me to do?"
"Use your semblance, and open the gate!"
"No!"
"What?!" Jaune exclaimed.
He, Ruby, and Velvet swarmed Cardin.
"W-Why not?!" Velvet asked, the shock of his answer blurring her shyness, "If you have that type of semblance then you should use it!"
"W-W-Why should I?!" Cardin responded, backing away from everyone.
"Because we want to know where our teams are," Jaune responded, "You can find your team too!"
"I-I don't care about my team."
Cardin's back was against the wall.
"How could you not care about your team, you jerk!" Ruby screamed, "Just open the gate!"
"…"
"Open the fricken gate, you jerk!"
"I CAN'T, ALRIGHT!" Cardin answered back.
Ruby calmed down immediately.
"What?" Ruby said.
"I can't use my semblance!" Cardin yelled, "You happy now?!"
…
…
…
"What do you mean?" Jaune asked.
"I…"
Cardin looked away.
"I...can't control it," he said quietly.
Velvet blinked.
"W-Why didn't you just say so?"
"Oh I bet you'd loved for me to say that, wouldn't you?!" Cardin yelled back.
"Don't yell at her," Ruby got in between the two, "It's not her fault that you can't control your-.…"
Ruby stopped herself, briefly glancing at Jaune, who himself cannot use whatever his semblance was.
"...Just forget it," she said, "We're going to have to think of another way to get in."
"Great," Cardin groaned, "So stupid."
"M-Maybe there's something in the weapons lockers?" Velvet suggested.
"There could be," Jaune said, "We'll just have to stick to the plan and go from the CCTS-Tower."
"...Alright," Ruby relented, "Then let's get going."
Cardin huffed.
"Whoop-dee-doo."
They gathered together.
"Alright," Jaune said, "You all know the drill?"
"Yep"
"Y-Yeah"
"Let's get on with this."
"Good, let's go for it!"
They moved to the CCTS-Tower.
Anxious but hopeful, the team of Huntsmen and Huntresses in training rushed forward through the administrative offices to get across.
The staff noticed them.
UEEEAH
EEAAAAGH
REEAAAK
UUEAEAH
*BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRT*
They fired their machine guns as they continued running to the tower.
Velvet looked at the bodies of the staff, realizing that the virus didn't spare the professors and janitors. She was scared for her team, for Coco, but the infected surrounding the school remained at the forefront of her fears.
*cough* *cough*
Velvet turned her head.
'What was that?'
A tall figure had hidden behind a wall.
"Velvet, what's wrong?" asked Jaune.
"I-I thought I saw someone hid behind over there."
She pointed at the wall, far inside the building.
Nobody saw any movement.
"Are your eyes seeing things alright?" Cardin asked, "I don't see anything."
"I...I think we should just get to the tower," Ruby said, looking at the sparse, distant infected from afar.
"Yeah…" Jaune agreed, "Let's get out of here."
They continued to the CCTS Tower, shooting down the stray infected that threatened to rip them to pieces.
Jaune remembered previously being in the tower.
In the midst of the Vytal Festival preparations, he remembered hearing about the virus from an article Pyrrha read. He normally doesn't keep track of such things, being too focused with school and her training. Not to mention, at the time, nobody took it that seriously. Jaune thought his aura would handle the flu, and everyone else had the same belief, so the day went on like any other day in Beacon Academy.
Two days later, everyone was gathered in the multipurpose room, mixed between students from all academies as well as frazzled civilians. No one knew what was going on, and CEDA never told anyone about the true nature of the flu.
They were escorted to the CCTS-Tower to be screened and, if necessary, quarantined. Nobody on his team was infected, and before they could find their way to their room, the large groups of civilians began freaking out, desperate to find a safe place to shelter in.
It was this chaos, and his own negligence, that caused his team to separate.
Jaune thought about the note Pyrrha left. She had somehow made it back to the dorm room. The shame he felt for allowing his team to separate weighed heavily on him. Had they been together, maybe they could have found Team RWBY and anyone else in need. They could have left with CEDA together as a team.
But unfortunately, that was not the case. Just like Ruby, Jaune desperately hoped his team was safe. Especially Pyrrha.
"Hey guys!" Ruby called, "Look over there."
"Huh?"
Jaune, Velvet, and Cardin looked in the direction Ruby pointed. They had reached the CCTS-Tower, and were just about to approach the entrance.
Just like Jaune remembered, the building entrance was covered by a large tent with a CEDA logo on it. He noticed the brand new blood stains on the sides, likely revealing the fate of the CEDA personnel stationed there.
He looked to the others.
"Let's go in-"
*CRASH*
He whipped back to the tent.
"What was that?!" Cardin said.
The rustling from inside grew louder.
"Oh no!" Ruby raised her gun.
"More of them!" Velvet yelled.
EEAAAGH
EEAAACK
AAEEEGH
BLEEEEAH
UUUUAAAH
YAABAA
REEEAAA
A group of infected in hazmat suits rushed out of the tent.
Everyone quickly raised their guns.
*BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRTT*
And disposed of the infected.
Their hazmat suits squealed as they deflated.
With them dead, Jaune was able to see the logo on its sleeve.
"Oh my god!" he exclaimed, "They're from CEDA!"
"Well..." Cardin gulped, "I guess those suits didn't protect them from bites…"
"W-Was it bites?" Velvet asked, "T-Their suits weren't broken before we shot at them."
"Oh god," Ruby cried, "What kind of virus is this?"
Cardin whipped the sweat off his forehead.
*COUGH* *COUGH*
Everyone turned around.
"Fuck!" Cardin yelped, "What was that?!"
He looked at his magazine.
"Shit," Cardin cursed, "I think I'm out."
"Me too," Jaune said, dropping his gun and retrieving his pistol.
"I'm still good," Ruby said.
"Me too," Velvet said.
They looked around the grass and trees across the campus grounds.
Their guns were at the ready.
"Velvet," Ruby called, "Is that the sound?"
"Yeah."
"Get inside the tent," Jaune ordered.
They backed into the tent, with Velvet seeing movement from behind a tree.
She zipped the tent shut.
"Is that a zombie?" Cardin wondered.
Ruby looked at him indignantly.
"Stop calling them that!"
"Are you really doing this now, brat!"
"Guys, shut up!" Jaune ordered.
They listened outside, but all they heard was the sound of the wind hitting the tent.
Jaune relaxed. If they stayed quiet enough, then the infected wouldn't notice they were inside the tent.
"I think we're good," he said, "Let's see what's inside."
They walked around the belt stanchions and make their way through the metal detectors, passing by the boxes filled with infrared thermometers.
They opened the entrance to the CCTS-Tower.
Looking across the empty entranceway, they walked through the mess of trash and paper to the next entry point.
They were met with the communications room, illuminated by the bright red screens from each computer monitor.
"Shit," Cardin cursed, "The tower really is down."
"I guess there's no way to call for help in here," Ruby concluded.
Jaune exhaled a defeated breath, having already assumed that the tower was indeed down. He would have been able to call his teammates had their situation been the opposite.
He looked around the Tower.
In the middle of the building was a table scattered with miscellaneous documents and empty folders.
Some of the tables held broken computer monitors and trash.
Blood dripped off one of the desks, revealing a fourth CEDA member lying face down on the computer screen.
Ruby froze in place.
It was a Faunas man, but the blood-soaked head revealed only one horse ear. The back of his skull caved in, and his blank eyes were what's left of the man's chewed-up face. The color of his skin was not pale from infection, but from blood loss. It allowed Ruby to come to a terrible conclusion.
The man was not infected, he was killed.
Velvet covered her mouth. Tears formed in her eyes for the poor Faunas man.
Jaune looked on, his heart pounding the longer he looked.
"Fuuuck…" was all Cardin could breathe out.
He looked away from the body to see what was to his left. He saw three filing cabinets, as well as a standing whiteboard in the middle.
Wishing the body of the Faunas man to leave his mind, he opted to look at the whiteboard.
Pictures of civilians and students were taped on the sides, all of which were classified as infected in red marker. Cardin saw students he recognized in some of his classes. The chills running down his spine would be something he would remember for a long time.
On the other side of the whiteboard, he looked at one photo of a civilian. Upon closer inspection, the civilian was not what he appeared to be.
"Oh what the?!" Cardin exclaimed, "What the fuck is this?!"
He caught everyone's attention.
"What?" Jaune called in curiosity.
"Monty Oum, see for yourself," Cardin said, holding out the photo to Jaune.
He grabbed the photo and took a look.
"Talk about fat," Cardin commented.
Jaune lowered the photo, allowing Velvet and Ruby to see.
The photo showed the standing form of a morbidly obese civilian man. His skin was covered in glossy green cysts, his left eye and chin had bulbous tumors, and his stomach looked like it was ready to burst.
The man was, without a doubt, grossly infected.
"Hey wait," Ruby called, "I think there's something written on the back."
Jaune flipped the photo.
"Boomer," Jaune read.
"Boomer?" Velvet repeated.
Cardin started laughing.
"Boomer?!" he repeated, "It's probably a nickname!"
"That's...really mean," Ruby pointed out.
"I know!" Cardin continued to laugh as he walked to the leftmost cabinet.
He opened the first one.
The second one.
The third one.
Finally, the fourth one.
His laughter died out.
"Shit, they took everything," he complained.
"Hold on," Jaune said, "I found a map in this one!"
"Really?"
Cardin approached the table everyone was gathering around.
Jaune unfolded the large map and placed it on the computer table closest to them.
"Holy crap," Jaune blurted out.
Within the city of Vale, multiple locations were marked as either quarantine or evacuation sights. Multiple routes were pointed out in red marker. Yet, despite the guidance to the evacuation sights, a giant red "X" was hastily drawn on each one of them.
"T-That can't be right," Velvet said, "Then...the whole city…"
"It's gone," Cardin said, "Oh my fucking god, it's all gone."
He left the table and began pacing around the room.
"No, this isn't right," Ruby denied, "What happened to CEDA? T-The Huntsmen and Huntresses?!"
She turned to everyone.
"They should have done something by now, right?"
"I-I don't know," Jaune said, "But I guess we really do have to get to Vytal."
"You gotta be kidding me," Cardin said, "We're so fucking dead."
"Stop saying that!" Ruby said.
"Oh screw you twerp!"
"G-Guy's," Velvet tried to speak, "I-If we follow through with the plan. W-We can do it!"
Cardin was about to speak his mind to the Faunas girl, but his eyes glanced over at the dead Faunas man now next to him.
He looked back at the Faunas rabbit, who cowered by his gaze.
"...Whatever," he said, "This is fucking crazy."
"We made it this far," Ruby said, "The locker room is just by the Amphitheater!"
"Ruby's right," Jaune said, "We're at the halfway mark."
Cardin shook himself.
"Fuck," he cursed, "Let's get this over with."
He reloaded his pistol.
Jaune turned to Velvet.
"You alright?"
"Y-Yeah," Velvet said, surprised she didn't receive the end of Cardin's rants.
"Alright," Jaune saw the second exit on the other side of the wall, "I think that exit will face us straight towards the Amphitheater."
"Yeah!" Ruby said, sticking next to Jaune, "Let's do this!"
"Right," Velvet grouped up with Jaune and Ruby.
"Shit," Cardin gathered himself towards the group.
They opened the door and made a beeline towards the amphitheater.
Everyone can see the building in the distance, as well as the small amount of infected in their way.
They spotted the team.
"Here they come!" Velvet yelled.
FUUEEEEE
UUUUUAAAAH
AAAEEEEEGH
IIEEEEEEEGH
Jaune and Cardin took out their pistols.
*POW*
*POW*
*POW*
*POW*
*POW*
*POW*
*POW*
*POW*
And took down the approaching infected.
"Thanks, guys," Ruby said, not having to use her machine gun ammo.
*breeeeeerrb*
Ruby stopped herself.
*brrrerrreerrrb*
Everyone stopped moving.
"What the hell is that?" Cardin asked.
Velvet listened to the sound as it got closer.
It was a bright, piercing tone that verberated her eardrums. But the sounds also had moments where it sounded dull and weak.
*brrrrb* *brrrrb* *brrrrb*
The sound felt familiar, almost like horrible music. It went from erroneous to sonorous
at random. It was definitely an instrument, and Velvet had an idea of what kind of instrument can make such a wide range of noises.
"I-I think that's a...trumpet," she said.
She wasn't a music expert, but the noise did sound like an instrument.
*brreeerrb* *berrerrb*
Everyone prepared their guns as the trumpet sound grew closer.
*brreeerrb* *berrERRB*
Jaune could see a silhouette in the distance.
It staggered far more than the infected they came across.
It seemed to be in a constant state of imbalance, its legs desperately keeping its body upright.
*brrrr-erb* *brreeEEeeereEeErb*
It drew closer to the team, having noticed their presence but slowly staggering forward.
From the uniform it wore, the young man was a student. He had dark, sickly skin, and wore a dark, bloody fedora and broken sunglasses.
He stumbled over to the team of huntsmen and huntresses in training.
*BREERB* *BREEEEEREEEEB*
The trumpet sounds were getting louder, and the team could finally see the reason.
"Oh my god…"
Ruby covered her mouth as she saw the trumpet lodged into the young man's throat.
*BREEREEEEB* *BRREEEEB*
Mucus and blood flew out the end with every powerful breath.
"God damn," Cardin said, "What the fuck…"
Velvet looked at the others.
"I-I think...we should just-"
*BREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE-*
*FWOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*
The burst of air launched them back.
The loud soundwave whipped their heads back.
They all painfully crashed to the floor.
Velvet covered her ears.
The ringing pounded her eardrums.
Her vision was blurred.
She squinted her eyes, barely making out the downed Ruby, the struggling Jaune, the pained Cardin, and the large pool of red where the trumpet boy's head once was.
She partially released the tension from her ears, barely making out a prolonged sound in the background.
She placed her hand on the ground to stand and felt it softly rumble.
Her eyes widened as her vision slowly came back.
Slightly unbalanced, she went for the partially conscious Ruby.
"Ruby!" she screamed, her voice barely visible to her own ears.
She shook her, but her daze didn't leave.
"RUBY!" Her hearing almost returned.
The rumbling grew louder.
Her heart was pounding.
Her sweat left the back of her neck.
She heard Jaune yelling.
Cardin screaming.
But Ruby laid in pain.
Velvet did the only thing she can think of.
*SLAP*
"AAGH"
Ruby's daze was broken.
"RUBY!" Velvet screamed.
"OH MY FUCKING GOD!"
Cardin opened fire.
Jaune joined him.
His every shot filled with his screams.
Velvet picked Ruby up.
She looked all around.
YEEBAAA
YEEAAGH
UEEAAAH
UUEEEGG
FEEAAAH
EEAAAGH
EEAAACK
AAEEEGH
FEEAAAGH
UEEAAAAGH
OOOAAAGH
EEEEEEEEGH
UUUUAAAAGH
WEEEEEEGH
OOOOIIGH
UUUAAAAEEEGH
OOOAAAGH
UUUUUOOOGH
EEAAAAGH
UUEEAAAGH
OOOAAEEEGH
AAAAAAAGH
UUUUUUUGH
OOOOAAAGH
EEEEAAAGH
FEEEEEEESH
OOAAAASSSH
EEEEEEEOOOGH
SAAAAAAAAH
YAAAAAH
IIEAAAAAH
GAAAEEH
YEEAAGH
UEEAAAH
UUEEEGG
FEEAAAH
EEAAAGH
EEAAACK
AAEEEGH
FEEAAAGH
UEEAAAAGH
OOOAAAGH
EEEEEEEEGH
UUUUAAAAGH
WEEEEEEGH
OOOOIIGH
UUUAAAAEEEGH
OOOAAAGH
Surrounded on all corners.
Nobody could think.
Rationale was gone.
There was no plan.
Everyone ran for their lives.
Jaune and Cardin fired without aim.
Ruby and Velvet sprayed with reckless abandon.
*POW*
*POW*
*POW*
*POW*
*POW*
*POW*
*POW*
*BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRT*
*POW*
*POW*
*POW*
*POW*
*POW*
*BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRT*
*POW*
*POW*
*POW*
*POW*
*POW*
*POW*
*POW*
*POW*
Cardin's face held no bravery.
Jaune's screams hurt his vocal cords.
Ruby's tears were masked by the blood.
Velvet's shyness was forgotten completely.
They barely noticed the distance they traveled.
The lecture halls were right by their side.
"IN THERE!" Jaune screamed.
They rushed towards the lecture hall.
HEEEEEEEEAAAGH
Velvet's eye's widened.
She turned around.
Her brain ran a million miles per second.
A tall, slim man made himself visible.
Donning a grey shirt and torn jeans, the civilian man leaned back.
Velvet saw his tumored face and neck, and the array of tentacles escaping each crater.
*SLOOOOOOOOP*
But what left his mouth was not a tentacle.
*SHWAP*
"AACK"
The man's tongue bonded to Jaune.
"WHAT THE HE-AAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"
The tongue pulled him away.
"NO!" Ruby turned around, "JAUNE!"
"WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT THING!?" Cardin screamed.
The horde noticed the vulnerable leader.
"CRAP!" Ruby cursed.
She and Velvet took out their machine gun.
*BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRT*
She approached closer to the horde.
The horde drew closer to them.
But more drew to Jaune.
"HELP HIM!" Ruby begged.
"OH FUCK!"
Cardin reluctantly followed Ruby and Velvet.
Not wishing to be alone.
Jaune screamed as the bullets whizzed past him.
Narrowly killing any infected that got close.
The tongue man screamed.
His tongue is tugged faster.
While the horde prevented it from detaching.
"JUST DIE!" Ruby screamed.
*POW*
*POW*
*POW*
*BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRT*
*POW*
*POW*
*BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRT*
*POW*
*POW*
*POW*
The team missed their marks.
Killing the infected, but not the tongue man.
Jaune reached the end.
The tongue man pounding his head.
And the horde of infected clawing at his uniform.
"NOOO!"
*FWOOOOOOOOOOSH*
A flurry of rose petals rushed to Jaune.
Knocking over students and civilians.
She stopped short of the attacking horde.
The inertia of her semblance forced the wind to stagger them.
Ruby shot at the horde, now focused on her.
*BRRRRRRRRRRRRT-*
*click*
*click*
*click*
*click*
*click*
*click*
*click*
Her eyes widened.
She took out her pistol.
EEAAGH
She dodged a swipe.
*POW*
*POW*
*POW*
*POW*
*POW*
Ruby killed the student.
*SMACK*
Ruby's head staggered forward.
She turned around.
*POW*
*POW*
*POW*
*POW*
The woman's head exploded.
FEEEEAGH
UEEAGH
*BAM*
Ruby was tackled to the ground.
*POW*
*POW*
*POW*
*POW*
*POW*
*POW*
But the students were killed before they could continue.
She pointed her pistol behind.
*POW*
*POW*
*POW*
*POW*
*POW*
*POW*
*POW*
*POW*
Killed two more civilians.
The horde slightly thinned.
She can see the tongue man.
And the battered Jaune.
But more filled the void.
They rant to her.
Yet Ruby only saw her best friend.
Ruby took aim, as the horde grew closer.
The tongue man was in her sights.
"RUBY!" she heard from behind.
The horde was on top of her.
Ruby took her shot.
*POW*
*POW*
*POW*
*POW*
Before the horde clouded her vision, she saw the tongue man explode.
FEEAGH
*WHAM*
Ruby's head shook.
She dropped her gun.
She screamed.
Her body was mercilessly beaten.
Blood pooled in her mouth.
She couldn't hold her head.
Ruby's vision quickly began to turn black.
*BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRT*
*POW*
*POW*
*POW*
*BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRT*
*POW*
*POW*
The pain was horrible.
But the beating stopped.
"RUBY!"
Velvet lifted her into her arms.
"CARDIN, GET JAUNE!"
"FUCK!"
Forgetting his anger for Faunus, he entered the smoke.
"*cough* cough* GOD, WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS?!"
Coughing his lungs out, he carried Jaune on his shoulder.
WEEEEEEGH
OOOOIIGH
UUUAAAAEEEGH
OOOAAAGH
UUUUUOOOGH
EEAAAAGH
UUEEAAAGH
OOOAAEEEGH
AAAAAAAGH
UUUUUUUGH
OOOOAAAGH
EEEEAAAGH
FEEEEEEESH
OOAAAASSSH
EEEEEEEOOOGH
They both ran to the lecture halls.
Cardin and Velvet aimlessly shot behind them.
They entered the lecture hall.
Velvet kicked the door shut.
The infected thrashed the doors.
The wooden frame bent and tore.
"Oh my fucking god," Cardin quivered.
They ran down the halls.
Each lecture hall door was closed.
The blinds covered whatever was inside.
They both stopped at an intersection, with stairs in front of them.
"Alright bunny," Cardin spoke, "Have been in this building before?"
"Yeah," Velvet spoke clearly, "I think there's a little sky bridge on the fourth floor."
It would take them closer to the amphitheater.
And closer to the locker rooms.
"Shit," Cardin rushed ahead, "Then let's hurry the fuck up!"
*CRASH*
The wood tore through.
Velvet and Cardin looked back for less than a second before rushing towards the stairs ahead of them.
Velvet heard the lecture room doors begin to break.
They rushed all the way to the second floor.
The weight of Jaune and Ruby began to drag them down.
The infected in the hallway had noticed them.
The Huntsman and Huntress in training rushed to get to the third floor.
The infected from the second floor were hot on their tails.
"GOD DAMN IT!" Cardin screamed.
They brought their weapons out.
*POW*
*POW*
*POW*
*BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRT*
*POW*
*POW*
*BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRT-*
*click*
*click*
*click*
*click*
Velvet's eyes widened at the empty gun.
FEEAGH
She threw the gun at the approaching student.
*WHAM*
The student fell back.
Velvet tried to grab her pistol.
FEEAAAAA-
*POW*
*POW*
But the infected was shot down by Cardin.
"HURRY THE FUCK UP!" he yelled.
Velvet took out her pistol.
They ran up to the third floor.
Jaune began to stir.
His aura had almost healed him.
Cardin noticed this.
"WAKE THE FUCK UP ARC!"
He unloaded the blonde leader to the ground.
Jaune winced, awaken from the sudden drop.
"GET UP!"
Jaune couldn't get up.
"FUCK!"
He turned to the struggling Velvet.
To the stirring Ruby
To the approaching infected.
And the open classroom door.
They had to hide somewhere.
"Monty Oum!"
Cardin pulled out his gun and grabbed Jaune's leg from the ground.
*POW*
*POW*
*POW*
*POW*
He dragged Jaune towards the open classroom.
Velvet struggled to follow him.
"W-WAIT!"
Cardin stopped halfway to the classroom.
He looked at Velvet.
Then to the classroom.
"H-HELP!"
The infected were getting closer.
Velvet was too slow.
She collapsed to her knee.
"HURRY THE FUCK UP!" he screamed.
She grunted, struggling to get back up.
The infected were almost on top of her.
Cardin gritted his teeth.
With a pounding heart, his foot motioned towards the classroom.
*POW*
*POW*
*POW*
Cardin turned back around.
Jaune Arc, still on the ground, began firing his pistol at the infected.
*POW*
*POW*
*POW*
*POW*
*POW*
*POW*
*POW*
*POW*
"R-Ruby!"
He released himself from Cardin's hold.
"Velvet!"
He quickly picked himself up.
*POW*
*POW*
*POW*
*POW*
*POW*
*POW*
He rushed to Velvet, taking Ruby off her hands.
With newfound vigor, fueled by adrenaline, he rushed back to the classroom with Ruby in his arms.
Velvet ran with him, covering him and Ruby.
*POW*
*POW*
*POW*
*POW*
*POW*
*POW*
*POW*
*POW*
*POW*
"COME ON!" Cardin screamed, refusing to leave the room.
Jaune, Ruby, and Velvet entered the room, allowing Cardin to shut it.
The infected pounded on the door.
Cardin quickly pushed the teacher's desk to the door.
The weight of it was enough to hold the door shut.
As the door bent with every infected punch, the desk was barely keeping place.
Cardin turned around, seeing that Ruby's aura had healed her enough, while Jaune was completely healed.
"We...We have to get out of here!" Jaune said.
"We need our weapons!" Ruby said.
"I-If we get across the sky bridge, we'll be in front of the weapons locker room," Velvet confirmed.
"If we leave this room, we're going to be zombie chow."
The door began to break.
"I don't think we have a choice!" Jaune said.
Ruby looked around.
She looked out the window and saw that the ledge was big enough to shimmy to the next room.
"Guys!" Ruby opened the window.
"Again with this?!" Cardin yelled.
"JUST GO!"
Ruby shifted out the window, standing on the ledge.
Everyone followed suit as the infected broke the door further.
Jaune, who was the last one out, shut the window close.
"Alright," Ruby tried not to look down, "This way!"
*CRASH*
They heard the door from the classroom break open.
The loud skidding of the desk vibrated the glass of the closed window.
They continued skidding along, hearing the large group of infected rush through the doorway.
They were close to the next window.
Ruby looked inside, seeing nobody inside.
"This one looks-"
*SMASH*
RAAAAAGH
A hand pulled at Ruby's shirt.
Velvet took out her pistol.
*POW*
Ruby almost lost her balance.
She ended up looking down.
Her eardrums hummed at the large cacophony of wailing infected, demanding her to fall into their hands.
Staff members, professors, students, and civilians alike, human and fauna, looked at her like a rabid wolf to a gazelle. They mindlessly climbed over one another, unaffected by their injured ankles and wrists.
Ruby forced herself to look up towards the dark red sky.
Then back to the window.
This time, it was truly empty.
"O-Okay," she tried to speak, "It's...It's empty now."
She used her pistol to break the leftover glass and climbed through.
She looked at her attacker and saw the weak form of another female student.
From the uniform she wore, she was from Shade Academy. Her pale, sickly skin showed signs of a tan, and her purple hair, fashioned to the left side of her head, soaked in the large amount of blood that left her arm. Ruby saw the girl's abdomen as well, seeing the broken staff that was still gutted into the girl'ss stomach. The infected student weakly groaned in rage, her efforts to get back up caused her to lose more blood.
Ruby looked around the room.
Two more infected students, both female, were seen dead by the entrance. Their only identifiable features were the long, red hair from one and the curled, black hair from the other. The dry pool of blood came from their abdomens as well.
She looked back at the bleeding student and saw that she had already died from her injuries.
Ruby wanted to cry.
"Ruby?" Velvet called.
"I've seen them before," She said, "They're a team."
She closed her eyes, but the tears broke through.
Jaune and Cardin entered the classroom, seeing the scene before them.
"Damn," Cardin said, "I've seen them around."
He approached them.
"*Tsk*, All high and mighty because they came from Shade."
He turned around to speak some more, but he noticed a pool of blood behind the teacher's desk.
He approached it and saw that the pool had long since dried.
Looking at the source, Cardin saw the last student.
He had a list of things he wanted to say prior.
Things to say to dismiss their deaths and move on.
But as he saw the blood soaked into the girl's dirty blonde hair.
Her dead eyes, sad and tear-dried.
Her slit neck, opened wide.
And the broken spearhead, clutched into her dead hands.
What could he possibly say to remove himself from this scene?
"I…" he tried to speak, "I think we should go..."
"Yeah," Jaune agreed, "Let's get across that bridge, I think the horde died out."
The noise from outside the halls did grow silent.
He motioned Ruby away from the bodies, with the help of Velvet.
Cardin was already at the door.
They all opened it and looked around.
The infected in the halls were back to their aimless behavior, walking around the hall with no destination in mind.
The entrance to the sky bridge was open and free from the infected.
Everyone took out their pistols, determined to make it across the bridge.
"Alright, you all ready?"
"Yeah."
"Y-Yeah."
"Let's get out of here."
Jaune turned to Cardin.
He noticed the young blonde's harsh glare.
The bully's eyes shifted uncomfortably at Ruby and Velvet, who did not notice Jaune's glare.
"Alright," he said in a low voice, "Work. Together."
The order was for everyone, but Cardin knew it was personal.
Jaune looked away and left the room first. Ruby and Velvet followed suit, and Cardin left last.
They rushed past the dazed infected and made their way to the sky bridge.
Two infected on the bridge noticed them.
FUUEEGH
EEAAGH
*POW*
*POW*
*POW*
*POW*
*POW*
*POW*
And were immediately taken down.
The sun had almost set, causing the lamp-posts from outside to flicker on.
"We better hurry!" Ruby said.
They made it across the bridge and ran towards the stairs.
"We're right in front of the locker room, right Velvet?" Jaune asked.
"Yeah," she said, "Just about."
"Just about?" Cardin interjected, "What do you mean 'just about'"
"I-It's just a little bit of a distance away."
"God damn it!"
"Stop it Cardin," Ruby said, "We're almost there."
"Well we'd have gotten there faster if it weren't for that trumpet guy," Cardin said, "And whatever the hell that smoker guy was."
Jaune turned to Cardin.
"Smoker guy?"
"That tongue freak," Cardin said, "It exploded in smoke. Smelled like cigarettes. I don't even know how that's possible!"
Jaune remembered the attack, but could barely recall the man blowing up into smoke. All he could remember was his pounding head and his bleeding wounds.
"Maybe it was a Fauna?" Ruby said.
"I-I don't think so," Velvet said, "I didn't see any animal traits on him."
"What? His tongue isn't enough?" Cardin said, "Could be like a...lizard tongue."
"C-Chameleon."
"Huh?!"
"Forget it!" Jaune said, "Let's just get to the locker room!"
They rushed to the exit of the building, shooting down any stray infected in their way.
They made it to the exit.
"Look!"
Ruby saw the building that held the locker room.
"Oh thank god!" Cardin said, "Let's hurry up!"
The horde from earlier had dispersed greatly, leaving a small horde by the building they were previously in.
They sprinted to the building, staying together and giving no more chances of an ambush.
The surrounding group of infected took notice.
REEAH
EEEAAAGH
UUAAAGH
EEUUGH
RAAGH
YAAGH
UUUAAY
Grouped together, they raised their pistols.
*POW*
*POW*
*POW*
*POW*
*POW*
*POW*
*POW*
*POW*
*POW*
*POW*
"Come on!" Jaune cried, killing off the last infected.
They had just made it to the front entrance.
"Velvet! You're ID"
She took out her student ID and scanned it.
*Ding*
"Oh thank god!" Cardin said.
They all rushed through the metal door and shut it closed.
Taking heavy breaths, the team of Huntsmen and Huntresses in training collapsed to the ground. Their pounding hearts began to calm down and the sweat on their bodies had dried up. The room was free of the infected. No one seemed to have sheltered inside the building. Everyone tried to catch their breaths.
Ruby lifted her tired head and widened in relief and glee.
The lockers were untouched, housing the weapons and clothes of hundreds of students. Everyone swelled with hope, knowing the hell they'd gone through to get here. Ruby smiled, a sense of comfort overwhelmed her, knowing her Crescent Rose was within reach.
"Guys," she said, standing up slowly, "We...We made it!"
She ran ahead of everyone, eager to get her weapon. Jaune had never been happier to see the locker rooms, following suit with Ruby.
Velvet's smile had never been wider, following them to get her weapon.
"I can't believe we're alive," Cardin said, finally joining them as well.
As everyone split up to their respective lockers, Jaune began to feel his plan coming to fruition. This will be the edge they're going to need to survive this nightmare.
