He felt his pulse slow from the brisk walk. The catwalk beside the building overlooks the rest of the campus from the front gate to the city below.
Takashi sighed in disappointment. It was much harder than he thought. Fitting in, it was as if he was hiding from the angry townspeople of Yharnam. His body cooled from the noon breeze. He had been here in this spot for a few periods already, even skipping lunch. People came by and noticed him, some teachers scolded him, and other students gossip.
They had noticed something off about him.
Aside from the physical growth, his demeanor was calm and even aloof. All of these were behaviors that were replicated before the dream as best as they could.
Even still, his instant avoidance of others was surely noticeable. Even his best friend and ex-girlfriend recognize him right away. Saya chased after him but relented once the bell rang, being the honor roll student she is, the young lady returned to class.
"Maybe...it's better if I go back home..." Takashi laments, leaning over the railing. The young man could easily scale the walls of the front gate and no one would notice, after all his teachers would mark him absent this day. He was confident that he could outrun any possibly aggressive teachers.
Being a delinquent seemed tempting...
"You are always here." A voice called behind him. Looking back towards the top of the steps was a young lady he had known the longest besides his ex.
"Saya...why are you here?"
"Isn't it obvious stupid? Coming here to remind you of your useless moping. You're so pathetic."
Takashi didn't argue. His gaze meets hers. Her attitude towards him was somewhat justified since she still believes that he is hung up on Rei still.
"Heartbroken over a silly promise? The thought of her in another's arms, that being your "best friend" makes you regret your choices?"
Takashi merely waited for her rant on his failed love life. Once she was done, he spoke up.
"I made my share of mistakes and Rei made her choice. There is nothing else to it. I am over it already Saya."
"As if I would believe that. Just yesterday you were in the same spot moping on and on about your little promise girl."
"Things change, while I still care for Rei if she is happy with Hisashi, who am I to deny that? Besides, last night, I had a lot of time to think."
"You? Thinking? How rich, and I am a goddess of Japan. What could you possibly be using your lazy brain for?"
"For what matters... the family that I have now. A future I need to think about, instead of just mindlessly going on in the present."
"Pray tell, what does your future look like?"
"I might go to the JSDF, seems like a possible option to me," Takashi answers truthfully.
To be fair, Saya didn't take Takashi as an ambitious individual or driven. So it didn't come as a surprise to either of them that she just laughed out loud. "Really? Military? Well if you are smart enough to see it as an option then you are not as stupid as you lead on."
"It's not about incompetence, I have skills that can be useful."
"Oh like what? How to pitch a softball? Bat a home run? Or even strike out the other team? The only skills I have seen you do are only related to sports." Saya points out.
Takashi just took the mockery, despite it all. She was right about him, the guy he was before the hunt was nothing short of a disappointment to remember.
Instead of getting angry, he stood upright and looked at her with determination founded on his experiences.
"It's not too late for me. I can and will change Saya."
Said the girl looking in surprise at this declaration. Slowly her facial expressions morph into a smirk. She knew something happened, for better or worse, it helped her longest friend.
"Well, I will hold you to it. See you in class Takashi." Saya gave a smile of appraisal before walking up those steps. Thus leaving him alone in solitude.
With a deep breath, Takashi was about to follow her before he heard an echo.
Rattle...
It was a thud sound against metal. Looking down toward ground level. He saw a figure by the front gates. With curiosity getting the better of him, he heads down a few flights to get a better look.
The sounds he made were small. Another trait he inherited from the dream.
Once he reached the ground floor, he took some steps to the front gate. The figure was still trying to reach inward. Takashi silently stopped a few feet away, the smell attacking his nasal senses.
"No..." Takashi for a moment believed to be his father but the difference was that the scent of death was stronger than ever. Shaking his head, he got a good look at the figure, he was a tall man, lanky compared to his father's broad build.
"Who are you?" Takashi looks with suspicion, his body telling him danger is just beyond that gate.
"Raugh..." The man groaned out. His attention is now on the teen. His presence made the stranger more aggravated. He bumped his boy against the gate which made more noise.
"Stop! You're hurting yourself!" Takashi shouted at the man but the stranger respond in kind. He seemed angry. His jaw revealed decayed gums and rotted teeth. His eyes were focused on him but his pupils greyed out, similar you see in people with blindness.
"Raugh!" His body collided with the metal gates, the metal seemed to give a low moan as it echoed across the campus.
His arms flailing in the direction of Takashi. The teen felt himself getting more and more uncomfortable. What was going on with this man? Instinctively, he pulled out his cell, which he was supposed to put away in his locker, and dialed the emergency number.
"We are sorry, all lines are busy, please try again..." Takashi hang up and tried again.
"We are sorry, all lines are busy..."
Again!
"We sorry..."
Takashi shook his head. Something wasn't right. This whole situation wasn't right.
"Kuromo! What the hell are you doing out here?! Why aren't you in class?!" A male voice yelled from behind. Takashi turns around to see one of his teachers, Teshima along with Kyoko, another teacher.
Takashi didn't respond as his male teacher came by and put his arm through the bars.
"Who the hell are you, you son of a bitch?! This is private grounds!"
"Teshima, calm down no need to get violent." Kyoko pleads with worry. Takashi was just staring at the sight, the stranger sick, but he wasn't responding in any matter.
Thud...
A sound of soft contact hitting the ground caught his attention, looking down at the source, Takashi felt his eyes widen...
Five fingers fell and roll underneath the gate...
"Sensei! Get away from him!" Takashi charged toward the altercation.
"Takashi what are you..." His teacher didn't finish his thought as the stranger bite down at the arm.
"Argh!" Teshima fell to the ground at the sudden pain in his arm. Takashi arrive too late before he could kick the man's head. He put enough force to send the stranger back to the ground, the head received a caved-in wound. He was unresponsive...
Kyoko rushed towards Teshima's side. She was worried and could tell that the man became unresponsive.
Takashi looked at his fallen teacher, his body waiting. Things were going to get worse, this instinct he developed over a prolonged period in the dream never failed him.
"Oh thank goodness Teshima, your okay I..."
Those instincts didn't fail him now.
Before the male teacher grabs Kyoko, Takashi grabs Teshima by the collar and throws him against the gate.
Shock and fear plagued the woman who was about to be assaulted by her colleague.
"Hayashi-Sensei, go to the office and report an emergency," Takashi ordered, the old him was long dead in the dream.
"Kuromo?" She looks at the teen with fear before looking back at the man who was thrown.
"Raugh..." Teshima, or what's left of him, stood upright. Takashi felt his body go into motion. The hunter within was awaking once again.
Getting into a comfortable stance he developed, Takashi raised his fists.
One bite...that's all it would take to kill him.
Within him, he recognized the stakes all too well. Any hit and every hit would be the killing blow, in the dream, he could come back over and over again. He would not test that thesis in the waking world...
Teshima charged at Takashi, he threw his hands to grasp him. The teen saw this telegraph motion, he dealt with things faster.
He threw a right hook, a left jab, and a kick. All aimed at the face. He was careful to not strike teeth. Teshima was moved back by the force but unfazed by the damage.
Takashi delivered several blows to the torso, head, and legs. He broke his teacher's bones with each unrestrained hit.
He had to give credit, Teshima was a person who kept himself in relative shape, but it wouldn't be enough to catch Takashi.
Finally, the teen sent a kick, knocking the man down before he immediately stomped on his face.
After several stomps, Takashi relented, his shoes covered in blood along with his uniform pants.
"Ah!" A blood-curdling scream entered his ears as he looked at his female teacher.
"Sensei..." Takashi raised his hands trying to quell Kyoko's fear. She, on her knees, covered her mouth. Tears dropped from her eyes.
"Murderer." She whispered.
Takashi was unfazed, removing his shoe from the blood and brains of his teacher, he walked cautiously and slowly.
"Sensei... I need you to calm down. I know what you saw is traumatic, but you need to listen." He approached her calmly enough to not make her flee.
Kneeling to her level, Takashi grasps both of her shoulders.
"Murderer...Monster."
"Yes...I am." Takashi accepted her perspective and opinion of him. He merely waited a few moments before she stopped, still in shock, but at the very least not freaking out.
"I need you to go to the main office and get help involved. The emergency line doesn't work on my cell phone. Can you do that?"
She nods. Takashi nods back before helping her stand up.
The woman had her make-up ruined from the crying. Nevertheless, aside from witnessing a killing, she was relatively unharmed. Takashi felt relief hit his body knowing that she wasn't harmed. Soon the relief felt empowered.
His mother was right, those skills he developed were still present. Even more so now, he didn't break a sweat. Looking back at his teacher's corpse.
"Forgive me..." Takashi bows before looking back to see Hayashi-Sensei retreated to the office.
A few more steps toward the school, Takashi was about to pull out his phone to contact his parents before the speakers went live.
"Everyone... There has been an incident at the school. Stay in your rooms until further notice... Oh no..."
Takashi pitied the poor man who was now pleading for his life as some came into the radio room and attacked him. His screams echoed across the campus.
It was then all hell broke loose...
The screams of students can be heard as they ran from their current classrooms.
Takashi hurried after his teacher. She would be caught in the chaos.
"Hayashi-Sensei!" He shouted, he looked around as students ran past him, some shoved him. He moved in the opposite current.
Luckily, she wasn't far. She immediately went inside the nurse's office. With a sigh of relief, Takashi made his way upstairs, Saya, Rei, and Hisashi were upstairs.
He felt himself run and leap past many other panicked students. It wouldn't take long, occasionally, he would come across others who were infected with the same illness. He pushed them against the wall and kicked their heads open, killing them in the process.
It was a scourge. "Damnit!" Takashi cursed as he got to his destination. The floor was less occupied by others, but he lacked a weapon.
He blinked at his locker, he remembered he left a baseball bat in case he went to the batting cages after school. Getting his locker open, he obtained his bat, it was in decent condition. Strong enough to bash skulls in.
Closing the locker, he went into the classroom. Everyone except for two had left. Hisashi and Rei. The pair were huddled together, trying to get a grasp on the situation.
"Guys!" Takashi called out. He approached the two.
"Takashi! What's going on!"
"An infection. Teshima died at the front gates and came back..."
"Came back? What do you mean, you are not making any sense!?" Rei cries, panicking.
"We need to leave the school." Takashi insisted.
"Everyone else is. It's too dangerous, let's go to the roof and get a better viewpoint of the situation." Hisashi argued. Rei immediately followed his idea. Takashi, with nothing else, followed along.
Before leaving the classroom, Takashi looked inside. Saya was gone. Fist clenched tight, he went off along with the pair. He had to have faith in the bright girl.
Once they obtained a weapon for Rei in a nearby locker for the janitor. A makeshift spear from a broken mop.
"Hisashi, you need a weapon." Takashi grabs a nearby broomstick and breaks off the brush end, he offers it to Hisashi.
"Don't worry, I got a black belt in Karate." Hisashi refused. Takashi narrowed his eyes and shoved the weapon into his chest.
"This isn't a sanctioned match or a street fight. This is life or death, one bite on you and it's over." Takashi glared at Hisashi, the teen was about to refute back before his best friend continued.
"Teshima turned when going against these things unarmed. So if you want to test your martial arts on opponents who don't feel pain or fear, then, by all means, die a terrible death. Cause this is my first and last warning to you and Rei." Takashi looked between the couple.
Hisashi still resolved, pushes the broomstick back at Takashi.
"Thanks for the advice, but I will take my chances." Hisashi turns away with Rei glaring at Takashi.
"Unlike you, Hisashi put effort into his practice. He knows what he is doing."
Does he though? Takashi shook his head and followed along. Not liking where this was heading, he stayed with the pair to back them up.
Heading outside, the three encountered a familiar teacher.
"That's Wakisaka-Sensei, what's wrong with him." Rei and Hisashi stood still at the undead teacher. Takashi followed with one hand welding a bat and the other holding the broomstick.
"Raugh..." He moan and growled at the living teenagers.
Takashi felt a shift, something was wrong. Looking back on where they came from. He notices more and more undead coming.
"How?! There weren't many on the same floor just now." Hisashi looked behind as well with an unnerved look.
Rei took charge of their teacher, and with a battle cry, she stabbed him in the chest.
"What? Why is he still alive?!"
"The head! You have to hit the head!" Takashi yelled as he charged at the incoming group behind him.
"Hisashi cover Rei! I can deal with this!" Takashi ordered as he took down the first of five undead students with a single strike to the temple.
Brain and blood hit the other undead. They were unfazed and kept approaching him.
Dashing to the side, Takashi stabs the sharp edge of the broomstick through the eye socket of his former classmates. Two down.
Three and four came close, and he backstep in response. Letting go of the broomstick, Takashi two-handed his bat and readied the swing. The sound was loud as the bat bashed through three and four's skulls. The former fell off the railing and below. Takashi charged at the five with a vengeance. Bringing his bat to an overhead position, Takashi killed the last one instantly.
The sight was a behold. During the short exchange, Hisashi had assisted Rei with Wakisaka-Sensei to little avail. Eventually, Hisashi planned on suffocating the teacher with a rear-neck hold.
He was strong, Hisashi had him in position for Rei to stand him in the face. That is until he saw Takashi fight.
In all their years together, Takashi was an athlete potential with his lithe build and love for sports. However, what Hisashi saw was not his best friend.
The cold nature is not restrained by fear or anger. He killed their former classmates with ease and skill that even Hisashi couldn't match.
That was not Takashi. Not the one he knew...
Hisashi's distraction let his guard down once his sensei moved in his hold. To his surprise and terror, the teacher managed to twist his neck with impossible strength that even a young athlete man couldn't stop the undead teacher.
In one swift moment, Hisashi felt his bicep get bitten, he knew he had fucked up...
"Argh!" Takashi looked back in horror. Rei screamed as she tried to pull off the teacher who was now eating the flesh off of Hisashi.
Takashi's world slowed down. Anger, Sadness, and Despair. They all meld together as he sprinted and went in for the kill.
Rei was about to shout for Takashi to help but once she turned, he was already behind her with his bat ready.
In one moment, blood splattered the floor and a body fell. Takashi looked callused at the wound in his friend's arm.
"Hisashi. How's your arm?" Rei tenderly touches the limb. Hisashi flinched.
"It's just a scratch. Bastard bit me." Hisashi shrugged off the pain and dreaded feeling.
Takashi had looked at the wound before turning his back to face the rooftop. "Still want to continue? You might bleed out."
"I will be fine. Let's get going."
The rest of the walk was only filled with Hisashi talking to Rei about the situation. Takashi didn't want to be a part of it. He gave the lovers their moments together. Hisashi was filling Rei with optimism that Takashi couldn't ever do pre-dream and post-dream.
Hisashi was that guy. He is special, people liked him for his charisma, skills, and even good personality. Last year, he took their school team to the championship and won. He is talented. That was when Rei went after Hisashi once she dumped him, Takashi wasn't mad, sure he was sad but he didn't blame her. It was like she said to him a year ago...
"I wouldn't understand," Takashi whispered to himself as he looked at the two together. Walking in front of him, the two found time to jest and chuckle at each other's jokes despite the situation.
Once, he wished to be like Hisashi, calm, charismatic, and cool. Now, with things he has seen and done. It was not right for him to wish for that...
The trio made it to the rooftop, after a few helicopters passed by, noted the JSDF. They weren't there to rescue. As the choppers flew into the depths of the city, Takashi turned back to find that the trio wasn't the only one who had the idea to escape to the rooftops. Only that they were all undead.
The last stretch of the storage room was blurry. Takashi took charge this time, he made sure most of the undead would come in his path. Rei and even more so Hisashi labored in breathing just trying to keep up with their third member.
Blood and bodies flew through the air. Takashi had dealt with most that came their way. He was focused, unrestrained, and stoic.
Rei and Hisashi, with amazement and surprise, rushed as best as they could. But they both saw firsthand how different Takashi was compared to yesterday.
Takashi, while had a love for baseball and a lean build, he wasn't athletic. Rei and Hisashi could easily outcompete him in any form of competition of physical prowess and ability. Now that they are seeing their friend firsthand dealing with the horde, they weren't so sure.
By the time they reached the storage room, the majority of the undead were killed. Despite running through the thick of it and massacring their former classmates, Takashi wasn't fatigued or showing signs of exertion.
They got up the stairs with little trouble and barricaded themselves...
It was afternoon now. Close to an hour had passed, and Hisashi's condition got worse. When offered water, he accepted it but he gagged and vomit his meals and blood on the floor.
Rei had been tending to him ever since. Takashi stayed by himself, holding his cell, trying to contact his parents...
All attempts went to voicemail...
He thought of his father's condition and behavior. Though he was a bit early in the morning, he didn't show extreme symptoms of vomiting blood. Only pale skin. He had assumed his father would be undead or dead by now. His mother, he was sure. Even with the knowledge, that she was once a hunter had calmed his nerves, she hasn't been fighting for years. Takashi steeled his nerves before heading back to the lovers.
"Takashi..." Hisashi moaned, he slacked against the railing. His eyes lazily focused on him. The skin was pale and showed darkened veins. Rei was by his side, she had been crying out of worry and denial.
"Hisashi, Rei. It's not safe here. We only have so much water. Help... doesn't look like it will come." Takashi explained. Rei took exception to this.
"Fuck you Takashi. Help will come and we will be saved. Just hang on Hisashi. You're not going to die." Rei's anger switch to denial was saddening.
"Takashi...you were right...I should have listened to you. Fuck...this hurts. It hurts so much..."
Both Takashi and Rei were silent when they heard his next words.
"Takashi...kill me. Please...I don't want to be like them. Please."
Rei looked at him with terror. "No! What are you saying?! Why do you want to be killed?! You're going to be okay!"
"Okay."
Rei looked with betrayal at Takashi. She saw him gripping the baseball bat tightly with a firm resolve. He approached closer.
With a swift move, Rei grabbed the makeshift spear and attack Takashi. What she didn't expect was for him to deflect the weapon and grabbed it.
"No...stay away from him Takashi! You won't hurt him! I will kill you before you do!"
For once, Takashi was angry.
He gripped harder at the spear. His strength was enough to make it start moaning as wood gave in. In one motion he threw the weapon and the girl away from the two boys.
Hisashi looked with that same amazement from before despite the impending end.
"Any last wishes?" Takashi asks as he gripped the bat and two-handed it.
Hisashi nodded as Rei looked with hurt and terror.
"Takashi...take care of Rei. For me..." Hisashi felt his eyes water as he begged his best friend for his lover's wellbeing.
Both Rei and Hisashi waited. The former finally stood nursing a bruised torso. They looked at the man who would decide to deliver on that request.
Sighing, Takashi looked with remorse and pain. "I will do my best, Hisashi."
He hovered the bat overhead.
His dying friend smiled. "Thanks, man. You are my best friend." Hisashi suddenly clutches his chest before screaming in agony. He cough out blood and howled Takashi's name.
Rei screamed at Takashi to stop, begging him to spare Hisashi.
Both their cries for him...
It dulled out...
Takashi made his move...
Then all cries ceased...
Rei was catatonic, tears left her eyes as Takashi got a nearby rag and placed it over her late lover's head. He stood standing. The bastard...
"Why...why..."
"If he came back he would have harmed you."
"How would you know?! Are you an expert?! Maybe...it would have been better to die and survive a place like this."
"Hisashi wouldn't have wanted you to die."
"Of course not...it's not him...but you...how can you do that to him...with such a normal attitude. Oh, wait...I know. You took the chance to kill him because he was dating me!" Rei finished her accusation with a pained expression of smugness.
Takashi silently took her pain. He looked away and walked.
"Hey wait where are you going!" Rei angrily questioned, stopping Takashi.
"I caused you pain. I should leave and kill the rest of them on the roof." He walks to the barricade, it was once quiet, now busy with the undead. The cries of both lovers had attracted much of them through their noise.
Undoing the tape on the desks, Takashi ignored the footsteps of his ex-girlfriend approaching.
"You can't take them all by yourself... Hey, wait Takashi..." Rei pleaded to try to get the teen to stop.
Takashi climbed on top of one of the desks before reaching over...
"Wait!" Rei grabbed his arm, thus causing the young man to look back at her.
"I didn't mean it. I didn't mean it. So please...don't leave me."
At that moment, for the second time, everything turned out. The horrible groans of the undead, the carnage of the city, even Rei's hiccups from her breakdown.
Takashi stepped down from the table barricade and embraced his former lover. His expression is stoic. He didn't make a sound, he merely held Rei.
Though he didn't feel anything for this woman. He wasn't going to abandon her, it was a promise of his late best friend, and this promise, Takashi would fulfill to the best of his ability...
The day everything came to an end, Takashi killed his best friend, and comforted his ex-girlfriend...
He had hoped there wouldn't be many more emotional moments like this in the future...
He wasn't sure if he could take it...
Next Chapter: Rally the Dead