Highschool of the Dead: Us or Them

by HoTDFan

Three brothers from a military family are transferred to Fujimi Academy one day prior to the Z-Day outbreaks. Just when their lives seem to be getting back on track the world is completely unprepared for the living nightmare that opens up a new chapter in human history. The day humans were put back on the food chain. Rated-M. It is Highschool of the Dead afterall.

2. Chapter 2: Unforeseen Events

Tokonosu City, Japan

One Day Before Z-Day

That evening, Noah found himself unable to sleep. Today had been such a fulfilling experience for him, and yet he found himself just as excited as he had been that morning. He couldn't have possibly imagined his first day at a new school with his brothers going any better than it had.

There were so many things swirling around in Noah's head after all his experiences that kept him wide-awake and eager for the next day to already begin. Would he and his brothers keep getting into fights with any local bullies, maybe become like local heroes for the weaker of their fellow students? Would he have a continuous role in helping Frasier further his relationship with that Saeko girl? Would he somehow actually get to see Marcus work up the confidence to try anything with Miss Shizuka and NOT get in deep as a result? Would Noah one day become an ace in any of his classes when the seasonal test periods would start? Would he and Kohta grow to become full-time best friends? Could he possibly get to spend more time with, and maybe even one day go one step further with, that girl Miku? So many possibilities buzzing around in Noah's head to the point he could hardly stay still in his bed.

At one point, a dim light broke through the darkness, stirring Noah from his plethora of excited musings as he saw Uncle Mark clumsily stumble in before sitting roughly on the edge of Noah's mattress. Even if he couldn't smell it on his breath, Noah could tell Uncle Mark was quite buzzed right now.

"Hey there, little man. What're you doing, looking so bright-eyed and bushy-tailed this hour? Shouldn't you be asleep right now?" Uncle Mark slightly slurred as he supported himself with his hands so he wouldn't crash onto Noah's bed as his head continued to spin.

"Yeah, but I just can't help it, Uncle Mark. I just keep thinking about everything that happened today." Noah replied, still smiling brightly like a kid who couldn't wait for Christmas morning to arrive. Uncle Mark couldn't help but chuckle in amusement at how childlike Noah still was.

"Aah, it sounds like your first day at school went quite well, huh?" Mark asked, unable to resist the urge to feed Noah's enthusiasm as he could tell his youngest nephew was eager to share as much of his experiences as possible.

"Oh, it was amazing, Uncle Mark. This new school is so brilliant! And the fact I already made a friend, AND I get to keep going with Marcus and Frasier just makes it all the better!" Noah explained enthusiastically while trying his best to keep his voice moderately low, knowing full well that his brothers were both sound asleep, and he also didn't want to give Mark a headache in his current condition.

What Noah failed to notice at first was that now Uncle Mark was hanging his head in what could only be described as shame. Of course once Noah noticed how troubled his uncle suddenly looked, he was completely silent, ready to ask what could've possibly been wrong when Uncle Mark suddenly took a deep breath to speak.

"Noah…I'm sorry I wasn't there to pick you up at the harbor last night. I've become so used to it just being me while Frasier and Marcus…well, mostly, take care of themselves. But now that you're here…well, I want to do better. I know I've never really been there for any of you boys since I retired and decided to hang my hat here, and even though I've tried to be here for Frasier and Marcus these last three years, I know I haven't really been putting any effort into it. But you're here now, and dammit, you boys deserve to have a father figure who's able to support you instead of just pushing you to toughen up like Arthur did; and I want to be able to fill that role for the three of you, for real this time. So that's why I promise to dedicate this entire upcoming weekend to you and your brothers, Noah. Maybe we can all go down the beach and see if we can find some pretty girls to whistle at? How's that sound?" Mark spoke in a regretful voice knowing that he owed it to Noah to be more active in his and his brothers' lives while there was still time; desperately wanting to be a better parental figure for all three of the Lawson brothers.

"You don't need to go that far for us, Uncle Mark. But then again, I would love to see how the beaches are around here. We could really use some sun, and they've got to be better than those cold, pebble-strewn stretches we're forced to call beaches back home." Noah said without holding any sort of grudge whatsoever against Mark for his minor negligence, both of them letting off a soft chuckle at Noah's clever little bit of dry humor at the end.

"That sounds like a plan then. I know Marcus will be more than up for it, so all we need now is to convince the walking; talking piss-pot to tag along and we'll be all set. Let's hope this city can handle four Lawson's at once!" Mark then grinned as he tussled Noah's hair, only to slowly rock himself back up and leave before waking up the other two slumbering siblings.

Noah was now smiling to himself even brighter, knowing that life was finally starting to look good again. For once, it actually felt like their family had truly become whole.

Z-Day!

The very next morning felt just the same to the Lawson family as it did for all the other residents of Tokonosu. The skies were a pleasant blue with the occasional white fluffy clouds, the air carried the pleasant scent of the nearby ocean, and the city was filled with the typical sounds of everyone on their daily commute to work.

The only thing that one would've considered odd if they'd paid attention was that at one point in the early morning, all the birds that had come to roost on the rooftops all across the city simultaneously took off, flying in all scattered directions as though in a panic rather than in organized formations as one would expect.

In the meantime, the Lawsons all sat together in their dining room, enjoying the surprisingly decent breakfast Uncle Mark had prepared for them now that his hangover had dissipated. He'd wasted no time bringing up the possibility of the lot of them spending the weekend together as a means of better solidifying their family bond. As he'd expected, Marcus was quick to voice his approval, whereas Frasier was unfortunately just as quiet as Mark had feared he would be.

"So, Noah, I take it you're all ready for your second day?" Uncle Mark asked when he realized Noah was unusually quiet despite being so excited last night about school.

"Oh, you know I am! It's just now that I've gotten some sleep, the aftereffect of just EVERYTHING I got to do yesterday is catching up to me." Noah replied, feeling his body go loose after all that adrenaline had finally dissipated.

"Oh, it sounds like you're going through the settling process, Noah, my lad. Soon the excitement's going to give way to routine and this school will just start feeling like any other. You'll understand how common it is soon enough, trust me." Marcus ribbed Noah as the youngest Lawson couldn't help but feel a bit concerned that Marcus was right. The whole school and the experience itself had been so positive for Noah; he didn't want that magical feeling to fade.

"Oh, by the way, Uncle, thanks to little Noah here, Frasier might finally start making his first move to Saeko soon." Marcus suddenly piped in, catching the attention of everyone at the table as Frasier nearly choked on his toast that Marcus would just out and say that without warning.

"Are you serious?! Oh, it's about bloody time, you big ponce! I knew you had a heart in there somewhere!" Uncle Mark congratulated with a loud, hearty laugh as he slapped Frasier on the back in congratulations as Frasier couldn't help but be embarrassed now that he was the center of attention for this reason above any other.

"Don't make more out of it than it is, okay? I mean, it's not like anything's set in stone…" Frasier tried to brush it all off, while deep down feeling a bit disappointed as he spoke, feeling a bit more than sure that nothing would really happen between him and Saeko even if he did try to make a move.

"Oi, don't count the chickens just yet, alright? You don't know any more how this might work out than the rest of us do. Who knows? You and the bird might just hit it off. And if it ends up going a bit…FURTHER, if you find yourself in need of some 'protection', just say the word." Uncle Mark continued with a sly smirk, actually causing Frasier to bow his head in embarrassment that his uncle was actually trying to offer him any kind of assistance in regards to anything involving his non-existent sex life.

While enjoying watching Uncle Mark give Frasier a hard time, Marcus proceeded to poke at his breakfast in mild boredom, before noticing that Noah was looking over a small piece of paper in his hand in his peripheral vision.

"Hello, what's this you've got here?" Marcus asked in an intentionally loud, attention-grabbing tone as he suddenly snatched the paper right out of Noah's hand, holding it up high at arm's length so Noah couldn't grab it back, while Frasier and Uncle Mark's attention had simultaneously been shifted.

"Hey, Marcus, give it back!" Noah demanded as Marcus kept him in his seat by pushing his head down so he couldn't get up whilst deciding to have a gander at just what could've possibly had his little brothers' attention.

"Well, ho-lee shit! Noah, why didn't you tell me?! Hey, guys, looks like Noah here's got himself a girlfriend!" Marcus announced, causing Noah's face to turn deep red as Frasier and Uncle Mark were both visibly taken aback at this unexpected turn.

"No I don't, she just gave me her phone number after helping her out, that's all!" Noah tried to deny it as Uncle Mark broke into another loud, hearty laugh.

"'That's all', he says! Do you know how many boys your age would kill to be able to get a girl's number on their very first day of school? Even me and your father weren't THAT lucky when we were you boys' age! You're shaping up to be a natural-born Casanova, my boy!" Uncle Mark congratulated as he playfully tussled Noah's hair, as the youngest Lawson couldn't help but feel a smidgen of pride welling up in his chest at the fact that he'd actually managed to beat both his brothers to something.

"Oh, wow, that's not even the half of it! I know this girl! Miku Yuuki! Goddamn, Noah, you lucky dog! Not only did you get a girls' number, but you managed to get the number of one of the hottest and most popular girls in the whole damn school! What's your bloody secret, eh?" Marcus exclaimed in mock jealousy as Noah finally snatched the paper back and shoved it back into his pocket, wishing Marcus would just shut up about it already. If what he was saying was true and word somehow spread, who knew how many enemies Noah would end up making without even knowing it?

"Just be sure to tread carefully, Noah. I've heard some…peculiar things about that girl around the halls." Frasier suddenly piped in, his voice showing no sign of humor but a rather heavy air of warning that left Noah more than a bit concerned.

"Jesus Christ, Frasier, at least let Noah enjoy the feeling for a moment before you try to kill the mood." Marcus snapped, clearly disapproving of what a buzzkill Frasier had decided to be. There was no way it could've been out of some kind of jealousy. Frasier could never be that petty, even Marcus knew that.

"I'm just trying to make sure he makes the right decision, Marcus. Surely you've heard at least some of the same rumors about her that I have." Frasier retorted, not backing down an inch when it came to ensuring Noah's well-being in every way, shape and form.

"Uh, I don't know if you know this, but high school kids tend to run their mouths about each other every year like it's going out of style. Did it ever occur to you that maybe some of the other girls started those rumors out of jealousy that she's so popular? Or maybe some boy started it so he could look cool to his friends?" Marcus immediately fired back, not letting Frasier gain any ground either as he wanted to make sure Noah could actually legitimately enjoy himself instead of constantly being on guard like Frasier.

"Perhaps you're right, but you could just as easily be wrong, Marcus." Frasier spat unexpectedly irritated that his brother was actually talking back to him in terms of what was best for Noah.

"Stop it, both of you!" Noah suddenly interfered, effectively silencing both his brothers while Uncle Mark simply sat back to observe how this was all going to play out.

"I understand what Frasier is trying to say, even if he is coming across as a bit paranoid; and I also understand what Marcus is trying to say, too, even if he may be a bit too lax about it. I appreciate that you're both looking out for me, but this is something I want to be able to face on my own. Maybe these so-called rumors, whatever they may be, are true or maybe they're not, none of us know. I just know that when we talked yesterday, Miku actually seemed really nice; so please let me proceed with this my own way, alright?" Noah explained calmly as both his brothers visibly backed down as they couldn't think of anything to either support or argue against his reasoning.

"Well look at you. Only fourteen and already one of the most mature of us here. Nicely said, Noah." Uncle Mark commented as he laid a hand on his youngest nephew's shoulder, smiling proudly at just how much Noah had already grown up, in a way being much more mature than both his brothers.

"I think this just proved it. You're destined for great things, little man, I just know it." Marcus added, playfully tussling his little brothers' hair, unable to help but feel immensely proud to call Noah his kin.

"I can't say I'm not still concerned…but I trust your judgment, Noah." Frasier said in a low voice that betrayed the almost unnoticeable smile on his face. In a way, this moment had established a much deeper understanding among the brothers than they could've ever expected.

Shortly afterwards, the three quickly finished their breakfast and began their regular trek to Fujimi Academy. The morning air felt crisp, fresh and inviting as they ascended the hill overlooking the city where the school sat proudly.

Fujimi Academy

Just as before, the three brothers soon went their separate ways, and with a much better sense of direction, Noah soon found himself in his first class for the day. His mind was once again solely focused on everything the teacher said and scribbled across the blackboard as the rest of the class remained virtually silent. It continued on this way for the first two periods until Noah's third class.

"Hey, Hisashi; have you seen Takashi anywhere? This is the third time this week he's missed class." a female student soon whispered from behind Noah as she tried to keep her voice relatively low to avoid drawing the teacher's attention.

"No. He hasn't been answering or returning my phone calls either. He's been acting really distant lately and admittedly for good reason. I still feel really bad about what happened, Rei." a male student then replied, no doubt coming from the one known as Hisashi.

"So do I. But things have changed between him and I. You know that it wasn't working out as much as it should've, and Takashi wasn't taking any action to make things between us go smoother. And with everything that's been going on recently…it was just more than I could handle. I am still worried about how he must be taking it, though. I'll check up on him later." the female student now known as Rei replied. Seeing how this was clearly something personal between the two, Noah decided to tune himself out and focus on solving the problems before anyone else could; eager to prove himself to the rest of the class.

Several minutes passed by silently, when the classroom door suddenly slammed wide open, making a few students jump in reaction to it. Everyone suddenly turned their attention towards a male student entering the class; his footsteps more of a dizzy stumble while his chest was inhaling and exhaling rather fast, as if he had just sprinted all the way here.

He was of an average height with standard brown eyes, spiky black hair with a bit of a purple hue, and a slender yet reasonably strong build that would suggest he was quite agile if nothing else. He wore the typical black school uniform with a visibly red T-shirt underneath. But it was the look in his eyes that really caught Noah's attention, seeing how intensely serious they appeared to be. Whatever he was here for, it sure as hell wasn't to attend class.

"Komuro! You couldn't be happy with just skipping my class?" the teacher asked in an irritated groan, annoyed that the class had to be interrupted because of the young mans' lack of judgement. The teen known as Komuro however just ignored the question entirely before approaching Rei.

Rei had long, straight golden-brown hair with bangs and two antenna-like strands sticking out from the top of her head. She also had a small single ponytail on the back of her head, leaving the rest of her hair hanging long. Her legs were noticeably toned, and even in her uniform, she clearly had an impressively curvaceous yet athletic-looking body with a supple, buxom chest to compliment her undeniably healthy figure. Her reddish-brown eyes looked up at Komuro with deep concern as he stood over her now.

"Come with me. We're going to get out of here." he suddenly said whilst tugging on Rei's arm, forcing her to her feet; his voice indicating that something unspeakable was very wrong here; something that had stricken sheer terror into his heart.

"What are you talking about?" Rei questioned with genuine concern in both her voice and body language as she was momentarily too stunned to try and get out of his grasp.

"Dude, Takashi, what are you doing?" Hisashi suddenly intervened as they both knew something clearly had Takashi on edge. His hair was a dark grey and his eyes were the same color as Takashi's.

"Some people just got killed by the front gate. No bullshit." Takashi answered in a hushed whisper as he took a moment to relax and calmly explain himself. If any of the nearby students weren't paying attention to his outburst before, they certainly were now with THAT being said.

"Whoa, hey man, are you serious?" Hisashi then asked somewhat out of disbelief, his eyes wide with shock. An annoyed look formed along Takashi's face as he narrowed his eyes at him.

"Of course. What reason do I have to lie about something like that?" Takashi asked impatiently, clearly not in the mood to get into an argument about whatever could've possibly horrified him so much as to act like this. Hisashi let out a heavy, almost weary sigh as he was hoping this was just some crazy cry for attention.

"Jesus! What's going on? I can never understand what-" Rei suddenly announced in a furious tone before pulling her hand away, her expression turning into one of impatience as she couldn't stand to see Takashi acting so passive aggressive if this really was as serious as he claimed.

*slap*

Before she could finish her sentence though, it was suddenly interrupted by a quick slap to her cheek from Takashi. At first she was silent, but her surprised expression quickly turned into an angry scowl as she glared up at him with a burning intensity in her red eyes; tears now welling in the corners of her eyes as she held her own stinging cheek, feeling it throb a little as her cheek turned a bright red in the shape of Takashi's hand.

"Listen! Just listen to me! There isn't much time before it reaches here too. We need to go now!" Takashi continued to shout, only for Rei and Hisashi to reluctantly follow him out of the class before the teacher could stop them from leaving. Not that he exactly gave it his best effort to prevent it.

"And that's why you don't involve yourself with troublemakers such as Komuro. Does anyone else want to be marked as truant? No? Alright, then let's get back to work." the teacher then questioned while he proceeded to mark all three of their names down for detention and a truant offense.

"Wow, pretty crazy stuff, right Kohta? Kohta?" Noah whispered, only to realize his friend had suddenly vanished from the seat beside him. He then looked around, only to see Kohta's feet at the last second by the lower corner of the door frame. Apparently he had crawled out sometime during the commotion.

Noah however just shrugged his shoulders at the whole situation. He knew that if any of what Takashi said was true, someone would've seen something by now. It was broad daylight in a peaceful metropolis. How could people killing one another in the open not be seen and reported? The next few minutes were uneventful as class continued on without any further incident or outbursts.

Just when it all seemed clear, though, the speakers mounted along the wall began to crackle and buzz. The announcer's voice was drenched with panic as he tried to catch his breath.

"This announcement is for all students. An emergency situation is taking place inside the school right now. All students must follow your teacher's instructions and evacuate. I repeat: An emergency situation is taking place inside the school right now-" the voice behind the mic instructed over the intercom before it made a loud screech that echoed through the entire school, as if the mic had been knocked over the desk and onto the floor.

The entire school was on the edge of their seats as the frantic warning then began to sound like two or more figures in the background were caught in a struggle. A gurgling groan could be heard before the announcers voice came back.

"No! No! Get away from me! Get back... Argh! Help! HHEELLPP! Aaaaahhhh!" was all that could be heard before turning into a blood curling scream, just before the intercom went silent again after a loud *crunch* could be heard. Only this time, it stayed silent. Noah was unknowingly tightly gripping his pencil with intense adrenaline pumping into his heart, until he finally snapped the pencil in two.

[Bear McCreary – The Pulse]

And in that instant, like an entire herd of wild animals being spooked by a predator, almost every single student and teacher at the same time began to flee the facilities in a torrent of panicked screams. The hallways were instantly flooded and stuffed to the point some students unlucky enough to trip were immediately being trampled on; their bones breaking beneath their classmates and teachers' shoes. Screams and yells of terror echoed and raged on for minutes on end as vicious growls and snarls soon came to accompany the madness. Nobody knew anything as to what was going on, other than the fact that staying here was a guaranteed death sentence.

Noah, in a momentary state of petrified fear, however, decided to stay inside his classroom; knowing full well that the halls couldn't possibly accommodate everyone at once. Thinking just in case whoever or whatever was attacking the school decided to come up to his level, he quickly shut and locked the door once he realized he was the only person still in the classroom, and began to quickly barricade it with desks and chairs for additional defense. It was quite clear in his mind the police would've been contacted by now, so he decided to send both Marcus and Frasier a quick and desperate text message to meet him at this very classroom so they could figure out what they were going to do.

'Oh my God, this is insane! There's no way this is happening! Not here! Not in a place like this! There's just no way this can be real!' Noah's mind screamed to itself while trying to desperately rationalize what was going on while somehow finding a way to deny what was clearly really happening.

He then hesitantly walked up to the window to see entire droves of students and teachers running from the school and over the grassy hills a few hundred meters away. At first it seemed they were all gone and would never turn back. At least, that was the case until those same people began to suddenly flee back from that very direction, as if they had just run into a massive ambush that was just waiting for them. Shortly after, Noah could see several new figures slowly stumble up from the hilltop. Numerous students and teachers amid the crowds could be seen tumbling over each other and fighting on the ground. Almost instantly, dark splotches of maroon colored blood splashed all over the lush green grass and granite black asphalt. Noah could've sworn he even witnessed one of the students biting into another students' neck like a vicious lion would to a zebra in Africa.

Noah could feel his stomach begin to twist in reaction to the grisly scene outside. This was a nightmare slowly coming to life before his very eyes. Noah couldn't even tell what this was for, or who was doing it. It just looked like senseless killing to him. He was too far away to be able to properly identify friend from foe amid all the chaos. Both his knees felt wobbly as he could only hope his older brothers were alright, somehow able to stand against this tidal wave of madness. Noah's heart now felt like it was a stubborn anchor refusing to get back up after witnessing the brewing chaos and hearing the horrified, anguished screams. If it looked this bad outside, he could only imagine the hell those trapped inside were facing.

*bang* *bang* *bang*

Noah felt his heart suddenly skip a beat and his whole body jump nearly a foot in the air as he turned out of sheer reflex to see the shadow of someone at the door trying to get in. Whoever it was knocked hard at the door in hopes that Noah would be able to hear it over everyone else's screaming and yelling echoing through the halls.

"Hey! Let me in! Quick!" a male student began to plead in desperation as Noah quickly ran over to help, knowing he couldn't possibly let someone else die because of his own personal fear of whatever the hell was going on outside.

"Alright, hold on! Let me move some of these desks aside!" Noah replied while dragging the desks and chairs apart to make enough room for this stranger to enter his temporary safe haven.

"Hurry up! I don't want to die like this!" the boy pleaded as he began to bang on the door harder; his voice echoing down the hall as the screams of the other students began to steadily decline with each passing second.

Finally, the last desk was moved aside and Noah could finally click the lock off. When he did, the door swung wide open to reveal a boy, most likely fifteen, standing there in the door frame, sweating and panting heavily, completely out of breath.

"Oh my God, thank you...thank you so-AGH!" the boy began to thank between gasps for breath, only to suddenly be tackled into the classroom by two other students. It all happened so fast that Noah had no time to react and instead was knocked over onto his back.

His vision was spinning a little as his head hit the floor fairly hard. When he came back to his senses, he looked up in horror to see the boy he presumably saved screaming in agony as the two students that had tackled him began to sink their teeth into his neck and lower back. Noah's eyes widened; bile beginning to rise in his throat when he could instantly see the two students viciously biting at the other boy had torn entire chunks of his flesh out with their bare teeth.

They both had dark grey skin, both eyes an eggy white coloring that seemed to look off in different directions, as if they were suffering from amblyopia. Fresh blood stained their nails, teeth, and uniforms while they tore apart the boy Noah failed to save; his blood gushing all over the floor and splattering against the wall. By now, the boy was completely motionless, his face frozen in agony and terror, sending a horrified freezing chill through Noah's body as his gaze continuously switched from the dead boys' body to the two eating the flesh from his bones. Soon, the ice cold fear that had consumed Noah gave way to an unexpected burning anger as his focus remained on the two cannibalistic assailants.

"What the fuck ARE you things? Get off of him!" Noah demanded, enraged as he sprung forward and kicked one right in the temple; deep down feeling like he had to do something, despite knowing it was far too late for the poor boy.

To his dismay though, the kick had absolutely no effect on the murderous student. Instead, it just caused the fiend to shift his focus upon Noah now, who was still lying on the floor. A low, ghastly groan escaped from its mouth as it slowly stood up, only to stumble towards the youngest Lawson who desperately began to crawl backwards on his hands and feet. The sound of the students' wheezy groaning made Noah's hair stand on end as his inner voice couldn't help but question why he wasn't moving or doing anything at all. He should've naturally gotten back up to fight tooth and nail to survive this horrific encounter, but the shock and fear made his mind go blank, unable to remember his training now out of sheer terror.

"Stop! This isn't right! I don't want to have to hurt you!" Noah began to explain as the student just kept shuffling closer and closer. A large chunk of his leg had been chewed right through, making it hard to walk normally without an obvious limp.

Knowing he'd feel bad for this later, Noah kicked his leg straight out into the grey skinned boys' chewed up leg, only to watch him suddenly crumple over due to lack of balance. Despite how painful that should've been, the student showed no signs of feeling neither the pain nor any noticeable discomfort at all. Instead, he began to slowly crawl towards Noah with his mouth wide open. A putrid smell of decaying flesh filled the air, causing Noah to nearly gag at the unexpected scent emitting from the grey student's mouth.

Just when it seemed like this abomination was about to make Noah its next victim, a strong pair of hands suddenly wrapped around the back of its neck and by the loop in its pants. Noah watched as the wretched grey skinned student let out a vicious snarl, only to be lifted high up into the air. Right beneath it stood Frasier, with a furious look in his eyes as he then proceeded to launch the grey-skinned student straight into a nearby window.

*crash*

The window shattered as the student plummeted to what was without a doubt their death. Noah remained sitting up against the wall, stunned at how his older brother just murdered another human being like it was nothing.

"Jesus Christ, Frasier! You could've just thrown him over there!" Noah suggested incredulously as he then looked over to see Marcus had put the other grey student in a head lock, struggling to maintain his grip as the student thrashed about to break free.

"Someone get over here and knock this wanker out! He's way stronger than he looks!" Marcus shouted desperately as he had to use all his strength to keep this one from biting him now.

However, the student suddenly stopped struggling and immediately began to make a wretched jerking motion that allowed his head to slowly swerve around past Marcus' headlock, accompanied by the sickening sound of the students' own neck snapping as he moved against the incredible pressure Marcus tried to put on it. His jaws began clamping together over and over as if anticipating Marcus as his next victim.

"What the-?" Marcus muttered in horrified shock as he watched the spine tingling contortion maneuver soon turning into his arm, about to bite into his upper arm as he could only try his best to hold this student down.

*crunch*

Without hesitation or mercy to be had, Frasier grabbed the second student by the head, only to shove it with all his strength into the side of the door frame. Blood almost border lining on being a black paste coated the door frame as the student just as suddenly stopped moving. Marcus let go just in time to watch the figure slump over against the wall. A massive gash in the scalp indicated that the blunt impact had caved in the student's skull. Marcus stepped back as he watched the various fluids leaking out onto the once spotless floors.

[]

"Okay...that was definitely not good." Marcus said, struggling to catch his breath as he then observed that they were the only ones left alive in the room. Not wanting to waste any time, the three of them slowly stepped out into the vacant hallway.

"You…y-you just killed them…l-like it was nothing..." Noah mumbled in shell shock as he stumbled towards them, trembling in raw fear from witnessing his brother mercilessly kill two teenage boys, along with the fact he had just realized all those students and teachers he saw outside were being eaten alive like that poor boy Noah had tried to save only a minute ago.

"Yes and many more will share the same fate if they dare try to even lay a hand on a Lawson. I won't let either of you die here; not like that poor bastard right there." Frasier said in a cold, brutally calculating tone, showing absolutely no hint of any remorse in his actions as he motioned them to now follow his lead.

Noah looked around as he could see the hallway once flooded with students and teachers pushing, shoving, and trampling over one another, accompanied with screams that echoed throughout the entire school, had now been replaced by an eerie silence; random blood stains contrasting the beige interior paint job, and even a shoe someone left behind in their desperation sat alone in the middle of the floor.

"What the hell is going on, Frasier? W-what is happening down there?" Noah asked as his body was visibly trembling all over now. All three brothers stepped forward to observe the athletic courts from another window in the hallway.

"I don't know, Noah. Everything was so quiet and calm just before the announcement. If I had any answers, I'd already have told you." Frasier said as they all witnessed one student running across the courts for her life. She suddenly turned back when realizing more of the grey-skinned people were heading for her. When turning to head back, she was met by more that had approached from another angle. Before she could even considering heading another direction, she was suddenly swarmed and immediately overwhelmed.

Noah and Marcus both looked away and cringed at her screams for help that were swiftly silenced when several sets of teeth began to sink into her soft flesh. Frasier on the other hand cared not for her fate, but rather just observed how these grey-skinned monsters were impressively efficient killing machines, operating without uttering a word to one another. If one could see the look in Frasier's eyes as he watched, it would look almost as if he was studying their behavioral patterns and key ways to distinguish friend from foe. If there was any pity or concern to be had for anyone falling victim to these monsters, it certainly wasn't going to be found from him.

"Oh shit…it's not just happening here. Look, I can see at least four separate smoke trails." Marcus suddenly commented as he pointed out several ash grey columns of smoke rising in the distance. No doubt what this was had not been just exclusive to Fujimi Academy.

"Oh God, I hope Uncle Mark is okay. Fuck, this is terrible! What are we going to do now?" Marcus asked as they quickly checked their surroundings to make sure they weren't about to be flanked or ambushed.

"First thing's first, we'll need to learn more about these freaks and form a plan before we can even consider leaving. This place is one big kill zone and we aren't even armed." Frasier answered as he listed what had to be sorted out first. Clearly this was beyond them simply fleeing as the others had attempted. The blood and strewn body parts that now painted the school grounds stood as testament to how well THAT had worked out for all of them.

"Yeah…yeah, good thinking. I guess it would be too much to hope that this is somewhat covered in your training, Frasier? Cause I seriously don't recall father ever covering anything like THIS when he was training me." Marcus asked nervously; flinching after hearing another student's scream suddenly pierce the air.

"Simulation 32: deep in enemy territory without any proper equipment. Move fast, and avoid drawing any unnecessary attention to yourselves. Stop for nobody." Frasier commanded as he basically recited all that from what his memory recalled from all those years ago.

"Nobody? Not even if we can save them without any risk on our part?" Noah asked, deeply concerned at the callous attitude Frasier was showing.

"Nobody, Noah. We owe them nothing, and they'd most likely do the same to us should the roles be reversed. Besides, my priorities only lie with ensuring the survival of all Lawsons. That's it." Frasier said as Noah and Marcus looked at each other in deep concern at such an outright claim. They weren't used to seeing Frasier act like this; to be so brutally serious and have total disregard towards the potential lives they could save along the way.

"And what if they WOULD help us?" Noah brought up as he was certain Frasier would be able to help anyone they could if he tried. He knew it was possible if they'd all work together. And if those people actually were able to help the Lawsons, then surely that would give Frasier incentive to help them in return. For Noah it made perfect sense.

"Then they're fools. Look, I know it sounds cruel for me to say such things, but that's the price I'm willing to pay in order to remain realistic and stay alive. I advise you two do the same and fast." Frasier replied in a low, calm voice as his eyes kept scanning for any of the grey-skinned assailants; showing that even he was self-aware of his cynical view on this dire situation. Without another word, Frasier began to make his way down the hall, spurring Noah and Marcus to follow suit.

"He can't possibly mean that…right?" Noah softly muttered to Marcus as they walked behind their elder brother as he kept shifting his gaze around the hallways, scoping out any trouble that might be coming their way.

"This situation clearly has him tenser than ever, Noah. Just like us, but I'm sure he won't be nearly as ice-cold when we actually find more survivors. He just can't be." Marcus replied as he tried to instill some faith into Noah that everything was going to be alright with their elder sibling in terms of his sanity and sense of humanity. Although in all honesty, Marcus was also trying to reassure himself of the same thing as well.

They remained completely silent when they began to descend the stairwell; listening for any nearby sounds whilst ready to freeze like human statues if they saw so much as a shadow from another human being. Luckily their sneakers weren't heavy and their footsteps were taken with such precision that one would need to be right next to them in order to hear anything.

"Two more over there! Get away from them, Toshimi!" a male's voice immediately and urgently announced, immediately catching the Lawsons' attention. They swiftly moved in to see three students, one male and two females, with their backs against a rail as four of the grey skinned students approached with their hands reached out and jaws hanging wide open in anticipation. Noah instantly could recognize the two girls being Toshimi and Misuzu from his first class.

The male he didn't recognize stood roughly 6 feet tall and was most likely Frasier's age, given how mature his face appeared. He was definitely European upon noticing his light complexion compared to all the local boys. His curly dark brown hair was well groomed and rather complimented his green eyes. His frame was somewhat average, but he certainly seemed to have a strong determination, seeing how he stood out in front to protect the two girls, armed only with a mere mop he'd picked up from the floor.

"Wait, we have to help them! Let's go!" Noah suggested as he began to move in, only to feel himself being pulled back by Frasier.

"Noah, they aren't worth it. Just keep moving and don't look back." Frasier instructed in a quiet whisper, obviously disapproving the idea of jumping into a fight that wasn't necessary; knowing he had to keep them out of the fight as much as possible to increase their chances of survival.

"Fuck that! There are seven of us and four of those...things. We've got this!" Marcus said eagerly before he and Noah unanimously took off before Frasier could respond and pull them back in time.

"Naive little muppets." Frasier groaned under his breath before taking off like a speeding bullet, charging in with his brothers just in time to body slam three of grey students back a good couple feet before the fiends tumbled over each other from lack of balance. The other male student quickly shoved the mop into the face of the closest one only to push him back into the others piled on the floor; the clearly old mop handle snapping from the force behind his desperate attempt to gain some breathing space.

"Thanks. Now let's get out of here while we can." the male student then suggested as all four of the grey assailants had recovered and began to stumble in for another attack.

"He's right, let's book it!" Marcus responded as all six of the survivors began to head back up the stairs and quickly bolted down the hallway before locking the door to the classroom adjacent to the one Noah was originally hiding in. All four boys quickly erected another barricade as they then waited in frightened anticipation for the four grey students to find them; but as time went on, it was safe to assume they'd gone away in search of someone else to make their next victim.

"Thank you for your help. Most people would've just left us to fend for ourselves. My name is Johann Kessler, by the way. Who are you three?" the male student said between his gasps for breath while trying to recover from the attack, yet still feeling he should at the very least show his gratitude.

"We're the Lawson brothers. I'm Noah, and these are my big brothers Marcus and Frasier. Listen, I hate to ask you this already, but is there anything you can tell us about those freaks out there? Any information at all on what you know about all of this would greatly be appreciated." Noah said before Frasier could say anything that might start trouble, seeing how he didn't even want to help initially.

"It's nice to meet you all. I can only guess what's going on right now. Everything just happened so fast. I don't even know where to start." Johann said with a weary sigh as he felt rather stumped as to how one could even hope to explain this hell on Earth.

"Well, take your time. We aren't leaving until we know what we're up against anyway." Frasier said calmly as he moved to the window and began to observe the grey-skinned people mindlessly wandering outside as if searching for something; as if any normal looking people had either made it out or had all been killed by now.

"Well, I'm sure you've noticed that anybody with that grey skin will attack anyone they can get their hands on. Everybody out there's clawing and eating each other like they've all completely lost their minds…its absolute madness!" Johann attempted to explain as he could hear those horrifying screams and growls echoing in his head.

"I just barely got out of my classroom in time and managed to find my girlfriend, Toshimi, and her best friend, Misuzu, in the library. They were cornered…a-and I had no choice but to…KILL the son of a bitch trying to hurt them. I can still see his skull all caved in…a-and already having this rotting smell that makes me sick just to think about." Johann finished as he then took a deep breath before Toshimi lovingly rubbed his back in hopes of keeping him at ease for the time being.

"Interesting, is there anything else? Anything at all at this point is vital to us." Frasier pressed further as he was hoping there was more to it than what they pretty much already knew about their attackers.

"I'm sorry, but that's all I've got. So I take it the police aren't going to come and resolve this then?" Johann finished, hoping to hear that some sort of police intervention was underway to get them out of here in one piece.

"That's…extremely unlikely to be honest. It seems like it's happening outside of the school grounds as well, so it looks like we're on our own for the time being." Marcus replied as he then motioned towards the window to show the various plumes of smoke rising off in the distance to indicate it was just as chaotic out in the city.

"Ah, that's a shame. Well, maybe if-" Johann began to suggest before Misuzu suddenly started coughing violently. Everyone immediately turned their attention to see her trying to hold it in, only for blood to suddenly spill past her lips.

"Misuzu!" Toshimi cried out in terror as she rushed over to hold her friend while Misuzu's whole body began to tremble as though from a seizure, before she suddenly vomited nothing but blood onto the floor. Both her legs were trembling heavily before finally giving in to her weight. Toshimi could only stand there, feeling her whole body go stiff and cold with horror, her hands trembling violently as she didn't know what was wrong with her dearest friend in the whole wide world.

"What's wrong with her?! Was she hurt earlier?!" Noah asked in a concerned yet panicked tone of voice as they all watched how deathly ill Misuzu had quickly come to look, her skin already turning pale as dark rings began to form around her terrified eyes. Her eyes could barely remain open as she tried desperately to fight off whatever was happening to her body.

This was a losing fight however, as Misuzu continued to cough heavily before her entire body began to shake and thrash on the floor at the unholy amount of pain she was now feeling. The poor young girl then, without any warning signs left, went limp and completely motionless, causing tears to burst from Toshimi's eyes as the rest of the room remained deathly silent at what they had just witnessed.

"No! No, Misuzu, no! Wake up! Please, Misuzu, wake up!" the girl began to beg and plead as she rushed over to her best friends' motionless body, shaking her by the shoulders in a desperate attempt to wake her up, as if to try and convince herself this was nothing but a bad dream and Misuzu would wake back up completely unharmed, unable to accept that she was undoubtedly gone now.

Everyone else was in such shell shock that they could barely bring themselves to move, before Noah finally worked up the courage to step forward, kneeling before Misuzu's body. Deep inside, he was hoping she was merely unconscious, but when he put his fingers to the side of her neck, he could feel his skin get goosebumps as he felt absolutely nothing. Unable to bring himself to say the words, he looked up at Johann and could only bring himself to shake his head, confirming the worst.

"Oh, God…I'm so sorry, Toshimi... she has no pulse. She's gone." Johann expressed sympathetically, his words lined with heavy sadness of his own, before holding her tightly as she continued to weep, knowing at this point that all he could do now was be here to comfort her loss.

"W-what? What do you mean she has no pulse?! What the hell just happened?! She was fine just a few seconds ago, wasn't she?!" Marcus asked in shock to hear that she died so fast without any obvious indications such as heavy blood loss.

"I'm just as confused as you are, Marcus; but there's nothing we can do about it now. For now, let's move her away to the back of the room. They don't need to see this." Frasier suggested before they nodded in agreement and walked over before gently lifting her up only to gently set her down away from the others. Misuzu's body was heavy like a bag or rocks, indicating it truly was over for her. Toshimi continued sobbing heavily with her tear-stained face buried in her hands while Johann sat loyally at her side, gently wrapping his arms around her, holding her close, trying his best to be here for his beloved.

"I'm so sorry, Toshimi-san. I really am." Noah said sympathetically as he stood over them to provide any extra support he could possibly offer to her.

Marcus soon headed over to join them in mourning Toshimi's loss whilst Frasier knelt down to observe Misuzu's motionless corpse. His eyes were quickly scanning over her for any potential clues that could indicate what had caused her rather sudden and unexpected death. Just when he'd given up, he noticed a rather well hidden scratch mark on her left arm that was initially hidden from them by her sleeve. At first he figured it was worth looking into, but he then realized he could still hear Toshimi sobbing rather loudly.

He stormed over to the small gathering, ready to tell her to lower her tone despite the context of their situation, and the fact that her best friend just died before her very eyes, leaving her powerless to do anything about it. As Frasier covered the distance, none of them noticed one of Misuzu's hands begin to suddenly twitch before her chest lightly began to heave up and down again with silent, raspy breaths.

"Be quiet. You'll draw attention to us if you don't keep it down. I know this is hard, but it'll be ten times worse if we're discovered." Frasier said in a soft yet equally cold voice as he motioned them all to keep it down now.

"I-I'm sorry... I-it's just that…s-she was my best friend...she was a-always by m-my side for the longest time...she was-Misuzu?" Toshimi apologized before explaining just how hard this was for her between each gasp for air. At the end, her tone went from immensely sad to confused, as she looked past Frasier to see Misuzu's body was gone.

"Yes, I already know her name, but that doesn't change-" Frasier expressed, unmoved by her words or emotions before she cut him off.

"No! I mean where did she go?!" Toshimi cut in as she motioned them all to look over and realize that her body was no longer lying motionless in the corner of the room.

Suddenly, a soft yet garbled sigh filled the room. They all turned to see Misuzu standing upright, her body slowly shambling forward in their direction as her right foot dragged along the floor, almost as if her body could barely control it. The five survivors looked up at her in total shock to see that her skin had turned a dark grey color just like all the others had, and her once vibrant brown eyes were now that sickly egg-white color with the faded pupils staring off in random directions.

"Misuzu, you're alive! It's me, Toshimi! Are you alright?" Toshimi said as she stood up and began to approach Misuzu, as if she couldn't even see the drastic transformation they all could. It was all too painfully clear to the others that the trauma of losing her best friend had caused her to become delusional and blind to what was really going on.

"Toshimi...get away from her." Johann suddenly interrupted as held her back from taking another step closer to her reanimated friend.

"What are you talking about? She's alive! She's..." Toshimi attempted to explain, only for Misuzu to suddenly lash out in an attempt to grab her. A vicious snarl escaped her lips as her arms were extended out.

"No, no! This can't be happening! She can't be one of them! She just can't!" Toshimi said in despair before Frasier could no longer keep himself from taking command of the situation.

"Well she bloody well is, and there's nothing you can do to stop it!" Frasier said in a firm tone as he suddenly launched his right leg out, kicking Misuzu back to give them some breathing space.

"Stop! Don't hurt her!" Toshimi pleaded as tears flowed down her cheeks. She instinctively cringed each time as she witnessed Frasier relentlessly kicking and punching her best friend back until it finally happened.

The last kick landed with such impact and precision, it launched Misuzu off her feet, and she directly landed her back against an overturned desk. All five survivors felt their eyes widen seconds later.

*squelch*

A sickening piercing noise now interrupted the chaos. Misuzu's body was now sliding down one of the four legs of the desk that had been driven right through her chest. It only took a split second of such a traumatic sight to cause Toshimi's body to go completely limp before finally fainting and collapsing into Johann's arms. The other four students just watched in horrified awe as Misuzu was still moving and clearly not finished just yet.

"Fucking A...she isn't even dead! How is that possible?!" Frasier commented in genuine shock as he was uncertain what to do now. That should've taken anyone out even if they couldn't feel it. Misuzu's body began to slowly rise up in an attempt to pull itself free.

"Frasier...you have to destroy her brain. That's the only way to kill her. Do whatever it takes, just don't get bitten or scratched." Noah finally said in a grim tone as he took a moment to recall how Frasier stopped that student from biting Marcus earlier.

"What? Are you certain about this?" Marcus questioned as Frasier nodded in acknowledgment to what Noah just told him to do, ready to carry out the unthinkable now.

"It has to. It's the only thing that makes sense to me right now. It just does!" Noah said as they both watched their eldest brother raise his foot only to bring it straight down into Misuzu's forehead.

*stomp*

Her head bashed hard against the floor as she let out a low groan. Frasier's foot slammed down several more times, causing blood to ooze out the sides before his last attack caused her head to turn to the side, effectively exposing a softer target for him.

*smash*

Putting all the power in his leg and stomping down directly into Misuzu's temple, a sickening crack echoed through the room before a more squishy noise took its place. Her blood coated the cuffs on his pants and the entirety of his shoes, with the floor now pooling with her dark colored blood. After a few more twitchy and jerky attempts to get free, Misuzu's body went limp again and did not get back up this time; her body once again silent and completely motionless.

While Noah and Marcus turned away from the gruesome scene, they could still hear the messy sounds it made when her head caved in. Misuzu's final expression locked in place as the top half of her skull was now a pile of broken skull fragments and squashed brain matter. Frasier slowly walked away as he knew what to do from now on should this ever happen again.

"So…it IS just like in the movies then. Oh…God help us all." Noah muttered in a horrified whisper as he looked back to see Johann looking over the unconscious Toshimi in his arms.

"What do you mean, Noah?" Frasier asked confusedly, as this was something he'd never even remotely heard of before.

"I mean these things are like zombies. Corpses revived by witchcraft, at least as far as certain religions go. They go around trying to eat anyone they can find, and anyone who's bitten or scratched eventually dies from it and ends up coming back as one of…Them." Noah struggled to explain as his mind was still having trouble accepting that this insane scenario was actually happening before his very eyes.

"Rubbish. That's absolute rubbish, Noah. Clearly it's a bacterial infection of some sort, and it's most likely become an epidemic by now. Perhaps mimicking the features of...zombies, said?" Frasier retorted, unable to believe that superstition had anything to do with this. He was only willing to accept the hard, cold facts as far as explanations for this phenomenon were concerned.

"No, Frasier! This isn't like some kind of super flu or some weird strain of rabies! I swear this has to be the real thing! I felt Misuzu's pulse myself, and I'm telling you right now, she was GONE! It should've been impossible for her to get back up, but we all saw that she did! How else could you possibly explain that, and the fact she ignored getting impaled like it didn't even happen?" Noah argued, letting his previously reserved panic out for a few seconds once he'd realized Frasier was casting his only reasonable theory aside. Just as quickly as it had started, Noah quickly regained his composure as Frasier couldn't rightly argue against THOSE undeniable facts.

"Yeah...well whatever this is really doesn't matter right now. What does matter is that we get out of this school and back to Uncle Mark. We can properly arm ourselves there and perhaps hold down the apartment." Marcus intervened knowing that talking about these monsters' origin would get them nowhere.

"He's right. So what's the plan?" Noah agreed before turning his attention back to Frasier who was once again peering out the window, once again watching the now confirmed walking dead not like the monsters they were, but rather studying them as if they were just another common enemy to bring down with any weakness he could locate.

"Hmm…looks like they completely control the school and are just roaming around now. I think it's best we try to create a diversion, then slip out without having to fight our way out. We'll need as much energy as possible if we want any chance to survive." Frasier observed as he tried to keep an eye out for anything worth bringing up to the others.

"Well, it's a sound plan, but do we have any idea where to even start?" Johann asked as he laid Toshimi comfortably on the floor with his uniform's shirt folded under her head, still looking her over worriedly.

"I have an idea. We could create a powerful launcher, like a sling shot or something along those lines to shatter the windows in one of the other buildings. I could easily put something together if we can access the wood shop class." Noah brought up as he now began to study their environment to see any potential advantages to tip the balance in their favor.

"Good thinking, Noah. But how do we know that will work long enough for us to get out without being seen? Sure, some might go to investigate, but look how many of them there are out there. Clearly these creatures work in packs." Frasier then said as he pointed out a flaw in Noah's strategy, noting the sheer number of them he could see roaming the school grounds alone.

"Have any of you looked into their eyes yet?" Noah asked, silently hoping the theory he'd just come up with was somehow right.

"Yeah, they have a rather dead look to them now that you mention it. What's your point?" Marcus replied as they all recalled how every one of the creatures they'd encountered thus far had milky white eyes that both would actually be fixed looking in all kinds of directions.

"At this point I feel it's a safe bet to say that these...things...'Them', whatever you want to call them, can't actually see us. The eyes never moved once, but the ears certainly did when Misuzu began walking towards us again." Noah explained as he recalled watching and studying her actions like a diligent hawk while Frasier held her off.

"If hearing is how they find you, then this plan just might work after all. A few good broken windows, and pretty much all of the ones on the ground floor will be out of the way within minutes; giving us an opportune path of exit. Proper job, Noah." Marcus complimented as the youngest Lawson could not help but take pride in feeling much more useful to the team now, no longer just a little kid having to rely on his brothers to do everything for him.

"Right. So now here comes the next phase of our plan: gathering all the supplies that Noah will need. Noah, tell us exactly what you need and it will be done." Frasier announced as all three of the older students shifted their focus upon Noah. He was ready though and grabbed a piece of chalk to scribble down his list of demands.

"Looks like parts you'd be using for...a potato launcher?" Marcus commented as Noah finally finished his list; earning an eager nod from his younger brother while Johann and Frasier continued to read on.

"Yes...gathering these items should be no problem at all." Frasier said aloud while nodding his head before trying to think of the best paths to take in order to grab what Noah required.

"Noah, you and I will head for the wood shop class. You grab all the parts while I carry the heavier ones and protect you from whatever we might come across. Marcus and Johann, you two go to the kitchen and gather any potatoes or hard, potato shaped like objects you can scrounge up. Remember; don't try to fight these things beyond one on one. They're much stronger than they look." Frasier began to order as he decided it would be best to move in smaller teams in order to save both time and reduce the likelihood of them being detected.

"What about Toshimi? There's no way I can just leave her all alone and defenseless in this room. She needs me." Johann suddenly brought up in concern as Frasier just scowled at him.

"She'll be fine so long as she keeps quiet and stays in here. All the more reason for us to move faster and get out of here before it gets too dark to even head home." Frasier said as he had no time for someone's feelings to jeopardize the mission, knowing that their time was limited enough as it was.

"I...I can't do that. I'm sorry. I want to help you guys out, but not if it means leaving her alone even for a minute. Anything could happen at this point." Johann explained, conflicted and unable to change his mind on the matter.

"Fine. Noah, you stay here and watch Toshimi. I'll get the parts from the woodshop class myself." Frasier finally sighed as he knew that a compromise was needed; willing to grab the launcher parts himself if it meant Johann could go with Marcus.

"I still don't like not being here personally...but it's better than nothing. Thank you, Frasier. Well, let's get going then." Johann said as they were finally at a reasonable compromise.

With nothing left to be said, Johann and Frasier carefully dismantled the makeshift barricade before they cautiously checked outside the room, only to see it was clear for the time being.

"Be careful, Marcus." Frasier said before the two teams had to split up by the stairwell.

"No, I thought I'd be rather reckless and get myself bitten. But yeah, will do. You be careful too." Marcus replied sarcastically, to which Frasier just rolled his eyes, before Marcus spoke in a more serious tone, well aware of the danger they were currently in.

Marcus and Johann slowly traversed down the stairs and over to a whole different section of the school, looking out at the destruction consuming whatever remaining students left alive there still were while walking over one of the two bridges that connected the three main buildings together.

"It's so quiet now. All the yelling and screaming now reduced to almost nothing spare the occasional cry for help. It's so fucking eerie." Marcus commented as Johann remained completely silent, his mind clearly focused on gathering whatever they could so he could return to Toshimi and they could all get out of this horrible place that much faster.

It wasn't long before they stood before the two large doors that lead into the cafeteria. They didn't even need to be inside to know that the undead were on the other side. The sounds of jaws chomping and ripping up flesh were abundantly clear as it was gut-wrenching just to think about.

"Take off your shoes." Marcus instructed as he already got started on just that, much to Johann's confusion.

"What? Why?" Johann whispered back as he was unsure what the middle Lawson had in mind now.

"If we take our shoes off, we'll be nearly impossible for those things to hear. Even walking quietly, our shoes still make some noise against the surface of these floors. Not our socks, though." Marcus explained before demonstrating by lightly walking back and forth.

"That's not such a bad idea, Marcus. Assuming they can't smell or somehow sense heat." Johann complimented while trying to make it clear that this was still risky and very dangerous.

"Fine, I'll go first then. Just be ready to book it if I'm wrong on this one." Marcus grumbled before volunteering himself to do something only an insane person would even consider doing. Both boys were now holding their own pairs of shoes in each hand, knowing it would be painful to try and walk outside with nothing to protect their feet once they got out of here.

Johann nodded in acknowledgement before they slowly pushed the doors wide open. Both of their eyes widened as their jaws slowly dropped in sheer disgust and terror at the sight that lay before them. Entire piles of dead students and teachers had been dragged to this location. Some were reduced to only mere fragments of clothing and severed limbs, while others were splayed out with their ribcages torn wide open, revealing chewed up organs and cracked bones. Their blood painted the lower half of the room and walls like some sort of twisted alternative artist had a field day with their canvas. Even if one were to overcome the horrific sight, it would still be tough to endure the putrid smell given off. This was truly hell.

However, by the sheer willpower to survive alone, the two remained dead silent. Marcus slowly stepped forward as he said he would while his left hand covered his mouth and nose. He did not dare even breathe to an audible level lest it provoke the various packs of 'Them' that were crowding around the piles of body parts. Johann soon followed close by as his eyes would try to look out for any stains to avoid slipping on. If any of 'Them' caught even the slightest hint that Marcus and Johann were here, it would be over within a matter of seconds. Being completely surrounded and heavily outnumbered only raised the tension as sweat began to pour down their faces from the fear and anxiety. However, the fact they'd come this far into the infested cafeteria clearly showed that these things were incapable of sight. Now all that remained was how 'They' would react to sound and possibly smell.

"He-Help me..." a student suddenly pleaded as he weakly held his hand up, reaching for the two boys as they passed by. He had gaping, bleeding bites all along his legs, arms and shoulders, and he couldn't move from the pile he was lying against. His uniform was stained with his own blood and most likely the blood from the other bodies around him.

Within a few seconds though, three of 'Them' noticed the strained voice and spared no time to pounce on their prey. Marcus and Johann instantly looked away as they could hear it all happening right in front of them. There wasn't even enough energy left for the poor bastard to scream in agonizing pain while being eaten alive.

After careful and steady navigation, the two just barely managed to get themselves behind the counter and into the storage room where all the meal trays and spare food was being kept. The swiveling door slowly closed, giving them enough of a barrier to whisper to one another without the undead monsters behind them being able to hear any of it.

"Keep an eye out for any of 'Them' that might be in here." Johann softly whispered as Marcus nodded in response, still too afraid to even remotely utter a word out, in fear of being detected.

The lights were still on, so within a minute they managed to search the area to see it was completely cleared out, entirely free to explore without any risk of being ambushed from one they might've overlooked or passed by.

"I've got something. I think...yup...oh yeah, I've got exactly what we need." Johann said suddenly as he opened up one of the pantries to see an excess amount of bagged up potatoes.

"Well that was rather quick, but then again I really shouldn't be complaining. Let's get back to the others." Marcus retorted as he helped Johann carry a decent amount of the healthy looking spuds over his shoulder before quickly swiping a small bundle of steel wool from a counter.

"Steel wool. Who knows, it just might come in handy at some point." Marcus quietly explained when he saw the slightly confused glance Johann shot at him.

As he hoisted the sack of potatoes over his shoulder though, Marcus failed to realize that he had swung it too hard.

*crash*

An entire row of dishes had been smacked, and they both watched in terror as a miniature avalanche of plate after plate shattered against the floor. They didn't even want to look outside to see that all of 'Them' in the cafeteria slowly shifted their heads and focus entirely upon their position.

"Oh, shit! We're dead! We're fucking dead!" Marcus muttered in a panic as he and Johann tried to look for another way out of the room, knowing that going out the front wasn't going to happen.

"Up there! The air vents should be just big enough for us to use!" Johann exclaimed as he jumped up onto a counter, only to pry off one of the overhead grates that would be used to keep the kitchen cool. He then tore the fan clean off before seeing enough space for them to use.

"Cmon, c'mon!" Marcus muttered aloud as the first of 'Them' had reached the door, ready to feast on their new prey; their groans and sighs filling the room now.

"Quick, Marcus, take my hand!" Johann instructed as he helped hoist Marcus up just in time to avoid being chomped down on and overwhelmed by the undead.

Both of them desperately struggled to crawl up the vent shaft with their hands and feet while still carrying their potato sack between them, before the shaft finally lead to a horizontal one they could access. Johann slung the only bag they could recover out in front of him as they just lied in place, breathing heavily while attempting to recover from the intense and WAY too close call.

"After that…this had better fucking work." Marcus grumbled as he tried to wipe some of the sweat from his face, still feeling his heart racing way too fast for comfort.

"No kidding. We better keep moving so they don't have to wait on us." Johann agreed before proposing that they continue until their task was finally completed. The sooner they could escape Fujimi Academy, the better.

Meanwhile, Frasier was all alone as he walked through the empty hallways that would take him directly to the wood-shop class. His mind was disciplined and entirely immune to the horrific, gruesome sights he'd come across, as if his training had in fact covered this. There was one thing that did manage to cause a growing concern at the back of his mind though. What had become of Saeko Busujima? At first he could only assume the worst and downplay his sorrow in order to remain focused on what he had to do now.

However, when he came across a slain pack of 'Them' by Miss Marikawa's infirmary, he noticed that all of 'Them' had massive cranial intrusions that matched not only a wooden blunt object, but rather that of a kendo practice sword. He even took a moment to observe the wounds, just to be certain it wasn't his mind being overly optimistic. A faint smile formed along his lips before he left, knowing he had to gather those parts without further delay.

'She's a strong woman, Frasier. She can handle this. She must have killed much more. Yes. That must be what happened.' Frasier thought to himself as his eyes kept scanning the area in case he had to make a quick reaction. Part of him was somewhat glad Noah stayed behind so he would only need to focus on his own personal safety down here. Having Noah here would only slow him down. It was hard to deny how he felt about Saeko the more his mind would try to linger on her as he continued on his way.

Suddenly, one of 'Them' walked from around a corner. Frasier froze in place to see how it would react to him now. His breathing was controlled and tight as his crystal blue eyes locked onto the infected female student. She had numerous bites along her neck and shoulders. Frasier then felt the creature slowly bumping into him; however it had zero reaction to it despite brushing up against a large, fresh meal.

'Do it. Give me a reason.' the eldest Lawson brother growled in the back of his mind as he watched it slowly look up at him, only to suddenly shuffle away as if any interest was lost then and there. A rather disappointed, yet very low, sigh escaped from his lips before he finally made it to the shop class.

The door had been torn clean from its hinges with multiple corpses piled along it. Each one had clearly turned, only for a survivor to effectively put them down. Rather fascinated by the lack of blood, Frasier crouched down only to spot that each one had a nail protruding from their heads.

'A nail gun? Interesting.' Frasier thought to himself as he was quite impressed at the ingenuity of whoever thought of using a nail gun as a weapon against 'Them'.

He stood back up to see various parts had already been used and scrapped to most likely add onto said nail gun. Frasier then looked at the back of the classroom to see multiple parts and components scattered around from other projects.

'Hmm, this should be enough. Better grab some extra parts though, just to be on the safe side.' Frasier thought to himself as he started to place various tubes and devices he knew Noah needed for certain into a book bag he found that someone most likely abandoned when fleeing for their life.

The hairs on the back of his neck began to stand as it felt like he was being watched; his ears paying close attention for any signs of 'Them' approaching on his six. Luckily, he did not make much noise, so his part of the plan turned out to be rather easy thus far.

'I wonder if the chemistry lab is still accessible. We might need some extra stopping power.' Frasier then thought before he began to think of Saeko again. Part of him wanted to find her and ensure that she she'd be safe along with Noah, Marcus and their Uncle Mark. From what he saw at the scene outside the infirmary, her foot prints were marked with blood, which would help set him on the right path to her.

He soon found himself standing at the door to the chemistry lab as he debated what to do next. The door was hung wide open with a large pool of blood smeared on the floor that led into the room; a bloody hand print on the wall beside the lights.

*click*

A bright flash of light filled the class room to reveal a young female teacher with glasses, and reddish-brown hair in a loose ponytail with long strands hanging down in front of each ear. What really caught Frasier's attention though, was the massive chunk of flesh missing from the right side of her neck.

Somewhat curious to test the extension of the hearing of 'Them', he pulled out a hammer from a side pocket in the newly acquired book bag. He set down the massive tube he'd been carrying under his arm before he then began to knock on the side of the wall with his knuckles.

In an instant, her head slowly cocked to the side before she walked over with a severed hand gripped tightly in her hand. Frasier cautiously backed away from the spot as he watched her completely avoid him only to suddenly walk face first into the wall with a low *thud*. Her flesh and blood stained teeth started to making chomping sounds while Frasier began to determine the best spot on the skull to strike.

*thwack* *thwack* *thwack*

With several swings and strikes, he managed to bash in the back of her skull, causing the undead teacher to drop like a bag of rocks; crumpling to the floor and remaining completely motionless as a thick, dark crimson pool of her own blood now added to the excess amount already at the doorway.

The eldest Lawson then took a moment to realize his entire body was basking in the otherwise tense moment; the adrenaline flowing through his veins giving him an almost euphoric feeling. It felt all too good to be so powerful and in control, to finally put all those years of training to use. Best of all, he felt completely natural doing it. Anyone watching would have no trouble seeing that there was no hesitation from his reflexes or any remorse being expressed from his face.

'Not so tough now that I know your weakness.' Frasier thought to himself, keeping the hammer in his right hand as he proceeded further into the classroom, looting the various cupboards and forming a rather sly grin when he found just what he had in mind for Noah's device.

The Safe Room

Roughly twenty minutes had passed since the two teams split up. Frasier was the first to return and see that Toshimi had finally woken up while Noah was watching over her. As Frasier re-entered the room, she looked up at him, but not in contempt or anger at what he did. No, instead she simply had a look that cried out 'Why Misuzu? Why did it have to be my best friend in the whole wide world?'. Frasier remained silent though, feeling it would be pointless to dwell on something that could never be changed.

"Frasier, oh thank God you're okay. You got what we need? Excellent! Start unloading it over there and I can get to work immediately." Noah asked before seeing his oldest brother had not failed to deliver the tools and resources he needed to get cracking on his escape plan.

"Did anything happen while I was gone?" Frasier asked out of brotherly concern, wanting to ensure Noah was alright.

"Yeah, you missed one of the mini-busses come out of nowhere and smash the iron gates off the entrance. It was pretty damn cool, and it actually gives us an easy exit, too." Noah replied, clearly excited that not only were they the only survivors in the school, but also that they'd managed to get a break after all the chaos beforehand.

"Hold on, do you hear something?" Frasier said as they all froze in place as the sound of something rustling against metal could be heard; the sound slowly drawing closer and closer, despite them being unable to see anything.

"Noah…are these things capable of climbing and entering ventilation shafts?" Frasier questioned as he pulled out the hammer from earlier, limbering up his arm as if expecting a fight.

"They shouldn't be...but taking risks isn't exactly a luxury. Get ready." Noah replied nervously as he and Toshimi ended up backed up into a corner while Frasier licked his lips in anticipation, ready to kill again.

"Easy…easy...and there we are. I told you it was this one!" Marcus' voice suddenly said from above, just moments from a grate opening up to reveal both him and Johann slowly dropping out from it with a sack of potatoes in hand.

"Johann!" Toshimi exclaimed in a cheerful voice before rushing over to hold him tight while Marcus looked over to give a thumbs up to Frasier and Noah before holding up what they managed to salvage from the kitchen.

"Steel wool…and I found some sodium chlorate, sugar and a bottle of sulfuric acid in the chemistry lab. I think I've got an idea for all this. Alright, we've got what we need, so let's get to work. The sun will be going down in about two hours. I want this thing operational in one hour max." Frasier instructed as it was quite obvious that traveling in the dark would be near suicide, especially due to how poorly equipped this group was.

As the Lawson brothers gathered around the parts laid out before them, Johann and Toshimi sat together to talk things out in the meantime.

"How are you holding up, Johann? I know this must be so hard for you right now." Toshimi asked as she was looking all over for any signs of damage or injury on Johann.

"Me? It's you we should be worried about, Toshimi. You…you lost your best friend. How are YOU holding up?" Johann responded as he was somewhat surprised to see her no longer crying so soon, especially considering how close she and Misuzu were.

"It's hard, Johann. I-it's so hard. It's like a piece of my soul's been ripped out of my body today. I honestly wish I could've known sooner and kept her safe, but without you coming in earlier, both of us would be long dead. It's not fair that Misuzu had to die the way she did, but clearly there's only one thing to do now, and that's remember her. Survive and never forget." Toshimi explained as she tried to hold back the inevitable tears forming at the corners of her eyes.

"Shh, come here. So long as I'm here, I promise I will keep you safe." Johann vowed as he wrapped his arms around her, soon feeling her arms slide around to grasp onto his back as she nuzzled her face into the crook of his neck, just like she always had when she was sad back when they were little kids. A soft sobbing sound could soon be heard from her as he gently rubbed her back. There's always motivation for man to survive whatever situation he finds himself in. For Johann, it was the girl in his arms.

[30 minutes later]

"So is that it? Does anything else need tuning?" Frasier questioned as the Lawson trio was putting the final touches to their device.

"Nope. This bad girl is ready to rock some cocks." Marcus replied, earning a light chuckle from Noah and a sigh of annoyance from Frasier.

All three stepped back for Johann and Toshimi to look in awe at the sight of what looked like an old fashioned mounted war cannon composed of various everyday items, almost like something pulled straight out of MacGuyver. The barrel was a good seven feet long, and a large tripod held the massive construct in place with a swivel attachment, giving them the ability to turn on demand.

"Oh man, that looks so awesome! Will it really work, though?" Johann questioned as he couldn't help but show great excitement over such a clever design.

"Oh, trust me, it will. I've built much smaller ones back home." Noah replied with great confidence in his voice, remembering a prior summer day all three of them spent launching spuds across an empty field.

"Is there anything else we need to do before we can begin?" Frasier questioned as he needed to be absolutely certain before they made their next move.

"Name. It needs a name." Noah then answered as Marcus nodded in total agreement.

"I vote for Dick Cannon, like Richard Harrison in that kung-fu movie Uncle Mark showed us last April." Marcus suggested with an eager grin on his face.

"No." Frasier grumbled as he shook his head, completely unamused.

"Ass Blaster?" Marcus tried to suggest as a backup, hoping Frasier would let this one slide.

"No." the eldest Lawson grumbled as he stood firm on the name being called virtually anything but that.

"Oh, c'mon! Don't hold my creativity back, you stick in the mud!" Marcus replied as he wanted something really funny, and really not wanting Frasier to chastise his desire for humor now of all times.

"Fine. Just stop wasting time on a bloody name! We don't have long until sundown." Frasier groaned as he realized this was a battle he shouldn't be fighting over with someone the likes of Marcus, who would without a doubt argue over it all day and night.

"Hot Spuds." Marcus then suggested as he got a nod of approval from Noah, and eventually Frasier formed a smile of approval and nodded, seeing how for Marcus that was rather tame.

"Alright, listen up! There are at least fifty of 'Them' outside in plain sight. We want to exit through those broken down gates. Noah and I shall provide over watch with...'Hot Spuds', whilst you three move towards the exit point. Move slowly, and if anything tries to engage you, just run. We'll take care of it. Any questions?" Frasier said as he paced back and forth while the group looked up at him, somewhat inspired by how much control and confidence he was able to instill within them.

"Let's do this." Marcus replied as he and Johann began to escort Toshimi down to the first floor while Noah and Frasier prepared the first launch from the floor above.

"Angle it up a couple of degrees...and...fire!" Frasier announced as Noah grasped the custom trigger on the side.

*thoomp*

The potato cannon shook a little as a single spud rocketed through the sky at high velocity. Both brothers watched as it came down and pegged one of 'Them' wandering around. The momentum and force was so strong that it actually knocked their target down.

"Beautiful. Reload and fire on the windows at the next building." Frasier complimented before ordering Noah to readjust his aim to initiate their escape plan.

*thoomp* *crash*

Moments apart from a second launch, a window had been shattered with little to no resistance. All of the walking corpses that heard it on the ground floor slowly titled their heads in that direction before slowly shuffling towards it. With neither sight nor common sense, the creatures shambled towards the new source of noise, their decrepit jaws hanging as low groans and gasps escaped from them.

"Lovely, looks like it's working. Fire another to make sure 'They' don't lose interest." Frasier commanded Noah as he loaded up a third round.

*thoomp* *crash*

A second window was now shattered as the undead continued their long limp session to investigate the strange yet loud noise that lured them away, despite the fact that it soon became silent again.

"They're on the move. I see a straggler already. Load up a heavier one, but watch your fire." Frasier observed as he handed Noah a potato hollowed out only to be filled up with the hard head of his hammer.

"Roger. Firing now!" Noah replied as he took a moment to aim at one of 'Them' that had heard the ground team fleeing at top speed.

*thoomp*

The undead corpse suddenly stopped pursuing the ground team as its head had been nailed hard with a heavy round. The body swayed back and forth before collapsing to the ground with a hammer head lodged deep into its skull.

"They sure must be enjoying that thing up there. That's the fourth launch in a minute alone." Marcus commented as he moved at a slower pace so Johann and Toshimi could keep up with him.

"They're losing interest again. Load up the 'Irish Rose'." Frasier ordered as he could see a pack of 'Them' making a beeline towards the fleeing survivors. Taking a bit longer to prepare, the wait was more than worth what was about to happen.

*thoomp*

A hollowed out potato filled with nails, steel wool, sodium chlorate, sugar and the small bottle of sulfuric acid, complete with a small lit fuse they'd managed to stick into it, landed against the chest of one of 'Them', only to ignite at that very moment and burst in a tiny contained explosion a second after, sending several bits of shrapnel in a small, contained radius. Flesh was sliced wide open as seven of 'Them' were now filled with a few extra holes before falling over and staying down for good.

Just as it looked like things were in the group's favor, the barricade to the room began to shake as it was clear they had drawn in some attention of their own.

"Noah, start climbing down the side. If you fall, try to land on a bush or something to break the fall. I'll cover you." Frasier instructed as Noah was hesitant to leave his brother alone against an unknown amount of 'Them' banging at their weak barricade.

"You better be right behind me, Frasier." Noah said before he climbed out the window and started to make his decent.

*crash*

Just as he was hanging on the window sill to the second floor, he watched as Frasier spun the spud cannon around only to fire at the first of 'Them'.

"Get a taste of this, you pricks." Frasier announced before gripping the trigger mechanism.

*thoomp*

The last of their ammunition had been spent, but the final one contained more of the sodium chlorate, sugar and a tinier flask of the sulfuric acid. The first of 'Them' was launched straight back from the sheer force as a contained burst echoed across the classroom, sending the other undead in the doorway flying. The recoil caused a piece of the cannon not attached properly to fly back and hit Noah.

Losing his concentration, he suddenly fell down and hit the ground hard. The wind had been completely knocked out of him as he let out a painful gasp for air. Several of 'Them' near the doors trying to now get in the building noticed this, and began to shamble over to him.

"Noah!" Frasier's voice echoed as the youngest Lawson looked up in a daze, taken aback as he watched the nearest of 'Them' instantly get slammed to the ground when Frasier's body dropped down from the second floor window.

"You will not have him!" Frasier cried out, trying to draw the small pack of five away from Noah so he could hopefully make a faster recovery and run. The eldest Lawson stood his ground as he kicked and shoved the undead back in a desperate last stand.

Two of 'Them' jumped onto him as two more had tackled into his legs. To Noah, it was like watching lions overpowering a large wildebeest. He shook his head in disbelief as Frasier was unable to push the undead fiends back, witnessing the unthinkable as his brother was being overwhelmed and dragged down helplessly.

"No...no, Frasier, you can't be..." Noah said in horror as tears filled his eyes, watching his brother sacrificed himself for his survival; a pit of guilt forming in his stomach and throat.

Just at the last second when all hope had been extinguished for the eldest Lawson though, all five of 'Them' suddenly were launched back a couple inches to reveal Frasier standing in a defensive pose with both arms held out separately with a fire burning in his light blue eyes. He then rolled forward and over Noah, locking his arms around so that when he was on his feet, he had Noah in a fireman's carry.

"You're alive?!" Noah exclaimed both overwhelmingly shocked and glad to see that his brother had made it out somehow without being torn to shreds. Upon further inspection though, Noah could see that underneath the shredded uniform sleeve was a thick layer of duct tape wrapped around Frasier's forearms. The clever bastard planned for something like this to happen and had covered both his forearms and shins with the stuff.

"I will never die so long as you two are in danger. I promise you that much, Noah." Frasier replied as his entire body was fueled by adrenaline and the will to survive; his feet pounding against the ground like he was a walking tank. Carefully maneuvering around the undead that appeared to be honing in on them now.

"Go, go, go! Burn rubber, you pillocks!" Frasier roared out at the others who were standing at the gate, waving him over before they were all now caught up and fleeing the outskirts of the school with just barely enough time to spare before the sun began to set in the distance. Roughly an hour remained before the darkness would completely cover the city.

[Johann Johannsson – The Keeper]

Halfway across their journey back to Uncle Mark's apartment, the sun was in its final hour for this tragic day. The various sights and horrors they had all witnessed would not be so easily forgotten. The stench of smoke and death filled the air. A dozen separate funnels of said smoke stained the otherwise beautiful sunset as it had become more than clear the entire city was in an uproar. Screams of the innocent, cries of defenseless victims, and the occasional crackling of gunshots and the wails of firemen, paramedic, and police sirens could be heard for miles around. The police especially were overwhelmed on every front and were spread far too thin to be able to effectively hold any ground from 'Them'.

It was just a beautiful metropolis a mere three hours ago. The questions rang true in all their minds. How could this have happened? Who or what was responsible for this madness and chaos that had been unleashed upon the innocent with nothing to keep it in check? Despite those who could hold their own, far too many people had been infected and added to the exponentially growing hordes of 'Them'. It was hard to tell who was still left now, but the undead appeared to be on the move towards the north, so it was safe to assume that there was still hope that the government had control somewhere.

[]

"It's so quiet now. Do you think Uncle Mark is alright?" Noah commented before speaking to his brothers with deep concern in his voice for their Uncle's safety.

"He can hold his own without question, Noah. Uncle Mark might not be nearly as strong and disciplined as father, but he surely can pack a punch still." Frasier explained, confident that everything would be alright when they arrived.

"And if not?" Noah then followed up as he saw a body bag hanging out the back of a crashed ambulance nearby, squirming around as if trying to get free. No doubt in his mind that it was one of 'Them'.

*ka-pow*

Before anyone could answer, the sound of a gunshot could be heard not too far away from their position.

"That sound...that has to be Uncle Mark. Move it! Double time!" Marcus said as if he recalled it from long ago, before he took off at top speed, prompting the others to follow. He was the closest to Uncle Mark; at this point he was more like a real father to him than Arthur ever was. Losing him would figuratively kill Marcus inside.

Just as they got through into the complex at foot of the steps that would take the group straight up to the Lawson's home the next floor up, a body suddenly rolled down the stairs. A grey skinned man with a business suit rolled down the concrete stairs with a kitchen knife wedged between the eyes. A large chunk of flesh could be seen torn from his back.

"Behind us!" Toshimi announced as Johann instinctively stood between her and the several of 'Them' approaching from all sides.

"Oh, shit! What do we do now?" Noah asked as they all found any exit point being cut off by several of the undead fiends that had been alerted to the gunshot.

[The Dark Knight Theme]

Suddenly, a large figure dropped from the balcony above, landing atop the nearest of 'Them'. He held a combat knife in one hand, only to stab it sideways into the temple of the undead woman's skull he had pinned beneath him. In a single yank of the arm, blood gushed from the fresh wound and dropped from the tip of the blade.

Up stood Uncle Mark, dressed in what looked like his former BDU attire. Black combat boots were wrapped securely around his feet as the rest of his torso was covered by a black ballistic vest, most likely from his glory days given the marks and scuffs it had on it. The Lawson brothers in particular were shocked to see him move so fast and limber especially compared to the laid back Uncle they'd been accustomed to in the prior years.

"C'mon, you pint-sized twats! I've got loads where that came from!" Uncle Mark suddenly announced as he drew out a Glock 17 sidearm using NATO standard 9x19mm cartridges.

With the slight pull of his right index finger, the semi-auto pistol fired off multiple rounds. Toshimi covered her ears and looked away from the violence as the others watched in awe as every shot connected perfectly. The heads of his target's rocked back with pieces of their faces being blown in and out by the close range stopping power of the handgun.

One of 'Them' stumbled forward with his jaws hung wide open, a couple of teeth already falling out as it had both arms reached out for him.

"Hungry, are you? Try this, you skinny twat!" Mark then suggested before ramming his steel blade straight up against the bottom of his undead neighbors' jaw. Before the monster could even consider retaliating, Mark placed the gun to the side of its head and pulled the trigger, causing an excess amount of fresh blood to paint and splatter on the wall beside them.

"Alright, you bunch of muppets. Which one of you is ready to go to the gates of hell and kick the devil himself in the jewels before we tell him to 'fuck off' with all this rubbish?" Uncle Mark said in the most awe-inspiring voice as he held up a cigar only to light it up like an old school action movie hero as the others were stunned in silence by his immense comeback from what was meant to be a long retirement.