Ms. Imada and the uninjured police officer made the teenagers dinner with some food they found in the cafeteria. Midoriya offered to help, she was willing to do anything that wouldn't allow her to talk to the other students, but they said they were fine and sent her on her way. She eventually decided to wash her face and hair, as well as change into the only other pair of clothes she had, which was her gym uniform. The school hadn't given their winter gym uniforms yet, so Midoriya shook from the cold that nipped at her legs and arms from the short sleeves and shorts.

She sat on the bathroom stall, trying to dial her mother. She knew the signal was out and there was no chance she could really contact her, but she'd like to pretend she could. She wanted to hear her mother's voice, to know if she was okay and well, and on her way to pick her up. She didn't want to be stranded with people she didn't know. She knew she had no choice in the matter and that staying with them would probably be better than staying alone, but she still wanted her mother's reassurance in the matter.

She wiped away her tears, sniffling as she gripped her knees. She didn't want to cry in front of everyone. They already thought she was weak, she didn't need them using this against her too. Her mind was swirling around the death she witnessed, the blood, how eerily close that man came to turning Katsuki into one of them. It still shook her, made her bones shiver as she rewatched that parent getting shot in the head over and over again. She didn't understand how that could be a reality, how that wasn't a dream, and how there were dozens of dead people just laying in front of the school rotting away.

She tried to shake the thoughts out of her head, to stop the tears that were running down her cheek a mile a minute. She couldn't keep thinking like that, not unless she wanted her mind to drift to worst-case scenarios. She didn't want to think about how her mom could be dead. She didn't want to think of every possible way her mother could have died, and how she wasn't there to help her mother whatsoever.

It was hard. Her mind was too good at scaring her, but she managed to push it away long enough to eat dinner. It wasn't much, just vegetable soup with a roll of bread. She wasn't really hungry, she was surprised she could even finish the whole plate. She thanked the officer and Ms. Imada for the food before heading over to her cot. She looked at her phone again, watching as a red battery flashed across her screen. She couldn't pretend anymore, and it was killing her.

She looked outside, trying to decide if it was worth trying to find her mother or not. Usually, she'd take the metro home, and that was a thirty-minute ride over the city, twenty without all the extra stops. If she tried to walk home through the city it would take hours, maybe even half a day, and that wasn't even including walking through her neighborhood. She just didn't know if her mom was home, or if that entire journey would be worth it for an empty house.

She didn't think she'd make it far anyway. Those sick people who were attacking the healthy would get her, and she'd turn into one of them. If that was how it worked, and she assumed it was. She watched a woman turn right before her eyes, seeming docile before striking on a child and taking their life. It was scary watching someone switch so suddenly. It was scary just being around them really. If one were to attack her, she'd just freeze on the spot and let it happen. She doesn't like hurting people, dead or alive. Striking on them would only make her feel guilty, it would be her weakness when it came to survival.

Katsuki sat across from her, handing her his phone without glancing. She looked at it for a long while, trying to figure out what he was doing. Then he started growling and shoved it into her lap.

"K-Kacchan," she said, trying to understand if she was supposed to be scared or confused. His phone lit up, his battery reading half full. He had unlocked it and left it unlocked when he threw it onto her lap.

"Stop looking depressed, damn it. Use my phone," he said, laying on his bed and turning away from her. "And don't even think about leaving Deku. I swear if you take a step out of this gym I will kill you." In true Katsuki fashion, he couldn't do anything kindly without following it with a threat.

Midoriya thanked him, received another insult in response, then started to mess with his phone. She decided against snooping, she doubted that would make Katsuki happy. Instead, she continued to ring her mother, feeling guilty once his battery was a quarter full. Was he not trying to contact his parents? Had he already given up on them?

"U-Uh, Kacchan. Have you, uh, talked to your parents yet?" She stuttered, pulling a piece of hair behind her ears. She brought her knees up to her chest as she waited for a response. It had been so long since they'd had a normal conversion, or as normal as it got with Katsuki. She wanted to talk to him, to forget about the world for a moment and focus on just him.

"No," he said gruffly after a moment of silence. Midoriya wasn't sure if she imagined it or not, but it sounded like he had some worry in his words. She started to feel bad. Maybe he was trying to contact his parents beforehand and was doing no better than her. She had taken precious battery life away from him and wouldn't be able to give it back because none of them had a charger.

"I-I'm sorry," she stuttered, handing him back his phone. "There's still some battery left if you want to try." He titled his head in her direction, scowling at her before taking his phone back. He didn't snatch it, and his hands lingered on hers a bit longer than they should have. Warmth flowed through her fingers and her cheeks reddened, reacting to the touch.

She didn't want to acknowledge it, but she noticed the other girls looking at her. They looked annoyed like she was running her mouth a mile a minute and not letting any of them talk. They looked between her and Katsuki, then promptly leaned in towards one another and started whispering. Though this was a normal occurrence for Midoriya, she still felt left out.

"Ignore them," Katsuki said. "When they let us out and we have to survive out there, their asses would be the first to go." Midoriya looked back at him, understanding the sad reality of his words. The world isn't safe anymore, and it surely wasn't changing for gossip spilling girls. This illness, whatever it was, was killing people at a fast rate and changing them into something they shouldn't be.

"It doesn't bother me," she lied because she was always trying to be strong in front of Katsuki. She wanted to prove herself, make herself worthy of his friendship again. She never understood how she lost it, but she fully intended on getting it back somehow.

"Whatever," he muttered back, finally turning toward her. His face looked dark, covered in shadows as he leaned over his knees. "Just, stay away from that dark-haired freak."

"Huh?" she asked, looking at Hitomi's friend. She didn't look like she was a freak, but she did look like she was hiding her emotions. Her smile wasn't wide enough and her eyes didn't hold enough interest to actually be that engaging in a conversation. Though, she did seem to take interest in tormenting her.

"She just doesn't fucking sit right with me," he murmured, keeping his eyes away from the girl in question. Midoriya decided it would be best not to stare, she didn't want to draw attention to them.

"I'll be careful, Kacchan," she said. "Are you okay?"

"The fuck you ask me?" he snapped back, seeming to withdraw himself from her. She immediately regretted being so vague with her question. She wasn't sure how his pride handled the question, but she was asking if he was injured. She was still worried if the man bit him, but she doubted he did because he wasn't falling into a fever.

"I-I was just worried the man bit you," she stuttered. "I'm sorry if I insulted you."

"I don't need your pity," he snarled, then he turned away from her, done with the conversation. She felt like hiding in a wall and scolding herself for her inability to please him. She knew it was pathetic, trying to save their relationship was near impossible, but she wanted to try because he might be all she had left. If it came down to it, she'd follow him to the end of the world. He was built for things like this, and she wasn't. It would be stupid of her to think she'd belong anywhere else, not that she really ever belonged by his side.

She laid down on her own cot, closing her eyes as she tried to ignore the tears. She'd make it through this, and when all of it died down and she was in her mother's arms again she'd be okay. But for now, all she could do was wait.


Midoriya barely slept. The entire night she laid in her cot, listening to the AC blare above them as the rest slept. She didn't understand how the other could sleep so easily in such a predicament. Midoriya couldn't stop thinking about the worst thing possible, all of which ended in her death.

Midoriya was walking around the school before the sun rose. She tiptoed her way out of the gym and into the hallway. Her appetite seemed to return to her, the small amount of food they gave her last night no longer feeling satiating. She was hoping to find a vending machine, or maybe go into the teacher lounge upstairs for a snack. Apparently, the kitchen refrigerator was locked, and what they could find that was in there were the potatoes and bread. She wanted something else, but if she couldn't find anything she'd have to accept the bland food.

The hallways were empty and hollow, devoid of any life as Midoriya walked through them. Midoriya shook and grabbed at her arms. It was cold, much colder than the shorts and t-shirt she was wearing could handle. She'd look for warmer clothes in the main office later, but right then her stomach was asking for her attention.

She paused, then she came by the front entrance of the school. To get to the teacher's lounge and cafeteria she would have to cross. She didn't know what she'd see, but she knew there would be a lot of blood. Too much blood and people who looked like Nakura dead and spread out all in front of the school.

"Shitty Deku."

Midoriya jumped and turned around. Katsuki had his hands in his pants, a soft yet intimidating scowl displayed on his face. He was annoyed.

"I didn't mean to wake you," Midoriya said, bowing apologetically. She heard a grumble from Katsuki as he took a step closer to her. Instinctually, she took a step back. Now he looked disappointed.

"You didn't tell anyone you were leaving," he said. "You really think your ass is strong enough to walk around here alone?" Midoriya looked at the ground. Of course, he thought she was weak.

"The school is safe," she mumbled out. "The glass is strong and the doors are locked. I just wanted to go to the cafeteria anyway. I'm hungry." He took another step closer to her, and she took another step back. Both of them gasped when they heard banging at the door. Mindoriya's stomach dropped.

A student from their high school stood there, looking grotesque and inhuman. There was a large gaping hole in the leg that still gushed out blood which covered her white socks and brown shoes. Her black uniform was torn and tattered, the arms of her top barely managing to cover anything up. She clawed at the window, mouth snapping open and shut a minute like she was already munching on their flesh. Her groans and gurgles were so unsettling it made Midoriya shiver. Suddenly she was more nauseous than hungry.

Katsuki stood in front of her, broad shoulders blocking her view of the monster. He had a dark look over his face too, "Let's go."

"Where?" Midoriya managed to say. She tried really hard not to look behind her at the girl scratching at the glass. Katsuki looked back at her.

"You said you were hungry," he replied. Midoriya almost smiled at his concern. "I don't want to listen to your dumbass complain for the next few hours because of your stupid ass stomach." Her smile dropped. Guess that was too much to hope for.

"To be honest I'm not hungry anymore," she told him. He cursed as he swung around to look at her, annoyance clearly laid upon his face. She looked away, too scared to meet his eyes.

"Are you fucking kidding me! It's dangerous to walk these halls and you wanna play dumb games like that?"

"It's okay. The others need to eat too," she reminded him. "We'll get the rest of what was in the cafeteria. You said there wasn't a lot right." Katsuki glared at her then spun on his heel, walking ahead of her like he always did. He didn't respond, and that bothered Midoriya. Sometimes she just needed him to be compliant. "Kacchan–"

"Look," he bared out. He was already in the cafeteria, and he was looking over the counter. There was food, but just enough to last the small group the next few days. "The fridge is locked, but I doubt there's any more in there." He pointed outside the window. "The food truck is right there." The truck was just beyond the school gate. Midoriya moaned. So close.

"Why didn't they bring the food in?" she asked. Katsuki pointed to the side of the truck. She gasped. The delivery guy lay on the ground gutted and mauled by the monsters outside. He hadn't even managed to make it to the gate.

"Eat what you want now before we take it to the others, shitty Deku," Katsuki said. "The teacher might ration it." Midoriya frowned at that. That would be selfish. What if others need it more than her.

"I can wait," she said. "Let's take this to the others, save them the trip." Katsuki made a face she couldn't describe looking around the cafeteria for a box. Midoriya organized what she could see from behind the counter. Fruits and bread can go in one box, and cans and rice can go in the other. They have to eat the bread and fruits before they even touch the canned goods, otherwise, the food would go bad. "I hope help can get here soon. There isn't a lot of food left." Once again Katsuki didn't respond. Midoriya sighed in disappointment, waiting for Katsuki to bring the boxes.

He eventually found three, but they only really needed two. They filled it with all the food and began making the way back to the others. Both flinched when they passed the front of the school, but neither would dare look at the horror that lay outside the school. Both silently entered the gymnasium. Everyone was awake by then, and all of them looked worried.

"Where did you two wander off too," Ms. Imada scolded. They placed the boxes on the floor. Midoriya looked down, ashamed. Bakugou looked indifferent to the woman's scolding.

"We got the food out the cafeteria," was all Katsuki said as he made his way back to his cot. The others watched miserably. Even he couldn't pretend to be okay.

"Midoriya, why was it just you two?" Hitomi asked. "Why didn't you ask for our help?" Midoriya didn't want to admit that she didn't really like anyone in the room, so she gave Hitomi the best smile she could.

"It was just me at first. I didn't want to wake any of you up. Kacchan followed me," she explained. Hitomi's face twitched when she said Bakugou's nickname.

"Kacchan?" Hitomi mimicked. "I've never heard anyone call him that." Midoriya tried not to be offended by it.

"I'm starving," Tsubasa said. He reached in to grab an apple then froze. "Is this all we have?" Midoriya nodded. Everyone began to look grim.

"It's fine. As long as we ration we should be able to hold out until help comes," she explained calmly. Aoi scoffed.

"Who put you in charge, Deku?" Aoi said. "I'm not sure if you noticed, but barely any of us will have enough food to have a full meal for the next few days. I know you need to lose a few pounds, but if I lose anymore I'm going to evaporate." The other students snickered at Aoi's claim.

"Aoi you know that's not nice," Ms. Imada said. "And besides, she's right. We don't have the luxury of eating as much as we want to right now. We have to eat smart until help arrives."

"And what about until then?" Hitomi's friend asked. "Our phones don't work and we don't have a spare set of clothes. What are we gonna do?" Ms. Imada began to think. Midoriya remained silent. She already had answers to all those questions, but the girl seemed adamant about her remaining silent.

"You can use the school showers to clean up, and the lost and found for clothing. There's nothing we can do about our phones for right now, but we can listen to the radio for news," the teacher decided. The girls didn't seem pleased with that response.

"But Nakura's still down there," Aoi said. "What if she attacks us?"

"Use the boys' stalls."

Silence.

Midoriya's face started to turn red. Were they allowed to even do that? It seemed like an invasion of privacy on both ends. Wasn't the boy's bathroom disgusting? What if the other guys needed to take a shower too? They'd be naked! Midoriya slapped her cheeks. Now was not the time.

"She might be gone," she said. "The gym teacher went down there, remember?"

"What if she's not," Hitomi argued back. "Did you even see what those things out there were doing? They were trying to eat people." Midoriya's eyes widened. So that was what all those bite marks were about.

"Still, we have to shower. We're already starting to smell," Hitomi's friend said. It probably didn't help that the day before all of them were playing dodgeball. B.O would take over the room soon if none of them washed.

"Let's just look," Midoriya said. "We don't have to go in, just peak." The other girls looked at her like she was crazy.

"That's stupid. If we get attacked then what do we do? There's only so much we can do with the first aid kit," Hitomi said. "I thought you were smart."

"It's either that or we shower in the sinks in the bathroom. It's your call," she said. "We risk nothing by just looking." The room went quiet. The two officers in the corner just looked over, seemingly unaffected by the argument. Ms. Imada looked torn between looking and not going. Bakugou had sat up in his bed, but he didn't say anything. His gaze was fixed on Midoriya as if trying to figure her out.

"I'll go look down," the injured officer said. "If it's just one then we'll be fine. The girls should have their own bathroom to clean up in."

"What are you gonna do to her?" Bakuogou asked. Everyone turned to him. "They said she's turned. She's not coming up here. You're gonna make sure of that." Midoriya wasn't sure if the others caught it, but his eyes drifted to the officer's pistol.

"Of course," the officer replied. He looked at his comrade, motioning towards the radio they had taken with them.

"I'm coming with you," Katsuki said. The officer seemed hesitant, but he nodded his head.

"Me too," Midoriya chimed in.

"No."

"No?" she repeated. Katsuki put his hands in his pocket and looked to the ground. She knew he wouldn't be repeating himself.

"Go if you want. I don't fucking care," he mumbled, but it seemed forced. She watched as both the officer and Katsuki walked past her. The others didn't seem to be following them, and for a moment Midoriya thought she was crazy for wanting to follow.

"This is stupid," she heard Hitomi mumble. The others went to the other side of the gym to eat, but Midoriya stayed where she was. She knew it wasn't stupid. She knew that they needed to know what was happening. She wanted to pretend like the officer and Bakugou wouldn't die if they went down there, but they could. Who would she be to not be down there to help? Would she be a reason why they were gone? It was gnawing away at her consciousness, and she couldn't stop herself as her feet carried her towards the girl's locker room.


Bakugou hated his mouth. He specifically hated that he had almost let it be clear that he cared for Midoriya a lot more than he let on. The idea of letting her go down to the girl's locker room with that dead thing that could kill her boiled his blood.

He hated that she had gone off by herself to get the food for the rest. He hated that she was hiding the fact that she was disturbed by what was going on, that she was willing to go down there alone and sacrifice her life just so others could shower. She was too selfless, too heroic for her own good, and he hated it.

He only volunteered to go in hopes of figuring out how to kill one of the infected. He had seen so many go down in front of the school before they were locked in, but he didn't see how. They were shot, yes, but many were still standing after a lot of bullets. His theory was the brain. Each time one went down, it was because they were shot in the head. If that was all it took to take one of those things down, then it should be a piece of cake.

Of course, he didn't expect the officer to let him get close to the infected. He just hoped that his theory could be proven in case something were to go wrong because the moment something went wrong he was taking Midoriya and they were running until they couldn't anymore.

"She was in the bathroom when she attacked me," Midoriya said. Katsuki turned around. He hadn't heard her coming down.

"Good to know," the officer said, drawing his gun. Bakuogu made sure to stay a good distance from him, and he unconsciously put an arm out to protect Midoriya. He felt her gaze on him. He couldn't bring himself to meet her jade eyes.

They entered the locker room in a single file line. The officer had his gun drawn as he carefully looked around the locker room. Katsuki was scanning the room himself, noting that the white walls and blue lockers looked the same as the boy's locker room. There was only silence and the humming of the AC, no ground or gurgles from the dead. He saw Midoriya looking around confused before she pointed to the bathroom.

The bathrooms were attached to the locker rooms from the inside and had a separate light switch, so it was dark from where they stood. Slowly, Katsuki began to inch towards the bathroom. The officer was looking in the showers, completely oblivious to the two teens heading into the dark abyss. Once Katsuki reached the door, he looked for the light switch.

"Dammit," he mumbled under his breath. "Got it." He flicked the switch.

Nothing.

Midoriya gasped. The lights went out in the locker room. Katsuki immediately grabbed onto her wrist, his other hand reaching out to find the locker room switch. Where was it?

"ARRGGHH!" he heard. Midoriya's hand slid into his and she squeezed it. He could hear her nervous breathing, and he was starting to match hers. Where was that light switch?

A single beam of light passed by them before a shot could be heard from the showers. The sound rang in the room. Midoriya's grip was tight in his hand, her arm shaking in fear as they looked towards the officer. There was a moment of them all just breathing, trying to process what was happening, and then there was yelling.

"Behind you!"

"Kacchan!"

A hand gripped at his shoulder, spinning him around. He couldn't see much, but he could hear the gurgling right next to his ear. He placed his forearm against the attacker's neck, resisting the constant push the attacker gave. Something slimy slid down his cheek, and it smelled metallic.

"The flashlight," he heard Midoriya yell. The beam of light flew across the room past them into a corner. She ran to chase it.

Bakugou pushed more against the attacker, finding enough strength to throw the enemy to the ground. The light was shining on him now and he could see the enemy. It was Nakura, and she looked horrible. Her eyes started to swell and bloat from decay. The blood-stained around her mouth was no longer red, but brown and crusty. She snapped and snarled at Katsuki, trying desperately to bite at his wrist.

Bakugou took the flashlight from Midoriya, raising it high above his head and down onto Nakura's skull. She didn't seem fazed as she continued to claw at Katsuki. He repeated the action over and over until the light turned red and Nakura had stopped moving. He could hear Midoriya stepping away from him and he could feel the officer's eyes on him judgingly. He didn't care at the moment, all he cared for was making sure Nakura wasn't moving anymore.

"K-Kacchan," she said. "There were two."

"You said the teacher came down here right," Katsuki said. "The officer got him." He heard Midoriya run over to the man.

"Are you okay?" Midoriya asked the officer as she kneeled towards him. Bakugou flickered the light over to them, ignoring the way they both seemed to flinch at it. "That's a nasty bite."

"Mmm," the officer said, seemingly lost in thought. Bakugou walked over to them, his steps uneven and unbalanced. His heart was racing in his chest as his brain started to process what he did.

As Midoirya started to poke at the man's injury, he turned the light over to the teacher. He froze, eyes widening at the sight of him. Bite marks. So many bite marks.

Not now, he thought as panic started to invade his senses. The officer said it was contagious. Does this mean since he got bit, he would turn into one of them too?

"Let's go upstairs to clean that bite," Midoriya said, helping the man stand. They walked towards the door and up the stairs, both noticeably wary of Bakugou. He didn't blame them, he was disgusted with himself too, but it wasn't like he had a choice.

The lights were off in the gym, the only thing providing light was the windows. There was no light in the hallway from what Katsuki could see, so he could only assume one thing.

"Power's out," Tsubasa said once they entered. "What happened down there? We heard a gunshot"

"There were two infected down there," the officer said. "I got bit by one." Nobody said anything at first. Most probably remembered what the officer said about being bitten.

"What happened to the light?" Hitomi asked. Katsuki remained silent.

"We had to use it to defend ourselves," Midoirya said. "We can forget about the showers. I doubt we can use them with the power out." She led the officer to one of the cots, careful to make sure he didn't lay on his injured arm. Bakugou turned the flashlight off and sulked in the corner. The others swarmed around the officer.

He was worried about what to do from there. It was only day two, and everything was looking grim. Hopefully, they'll hear from help on the radio, but until then they need to think about how they'd get water until help arrives. They could maybe get a few drinks from the vending machine, but that could only last for so long. He had a feeling they'd be stranded at the school for a lot longer than a few days, and by the looks of it, food and water supplies were going to dwindle quickly between the eleven of them– no, ten of them. The officer was going to die soon.

God only knows how they'd handle that.