Chapter 13: Massacre

After I made my declaration to duel Misaya later today once school is over, I made my way back to the hallways. But something felt off. Something smelled really awful. The stench pierced my nose and almost made me projectile vomit all over the floor.

"It reeks! But it wasn't like this before, I think?" I muttered as I was unsure of myself. For all, I know maybe someone just forgot to flush the toilet after they did their business. No. This 'smell' was far more revolting than even that.

'Then what is it?' I thought to myself as I approached the classroom.

"Haah…haah…haah." My breathing became erratic as I put a hand on my nose to prevent the disgusting smell from going into my nostrils any further. But that smell wouldn't go away. I continued walking very slowly.

One step.

Then another.

And an-

"Eh?" I muttered as I felt a noise coming from the bottom of my shoe. It was a 'crunch' sound. Did I happen to step on a potato chip? I tried lifting my foot up, but it wouldn't budge. What gives? Why am I overreacting like this?!

I admit that I'm scared of fighting Misaya again. It's true that she's stronger than me. I knew that for a long time. Knowing that fact, I still decided to fight her again and again. Why is that different now?!

"Ow." I groaned as I slapped my cheeks to ward off any fear from my body. And with that, I moved my foot off of the ground. Except, nothing was there. I blinked a few times, but nothing appeared out of thin air.

'Did I just imagine that sound? Yeah. I was just a bit afraid. That must be what it w-' I thought to myself until my thoughts were completely cut off as 'something' landed on the floor.

Thump.

It…

Thump. Thump!

…Was…

Thump! Thump! THUMP!

…a…

THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!

…Finger.

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!" I screamed as I fell onto my butt. 'A finger?! Where did it come from?! Who's is it?! Why is it here?! How is it here?!' All of these thoughts flooded throughout my mind. But one question bewildered me the most.

JUST WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!

"Is someone there?! Please help me! I have no idea what's going on! No one is moving or even breathing! Please just open the door!" A voice screamed from the classroom. Not just any classroom, but the one where all of my classmates are in. And that voice belonged to-

"A-Akari. I'm coming right now. Just please stay ca-" I spoke as I approached the classroom one foot at a time, but I was cut off.

"I can't move. I can barely see out of my eyes. How the fuck am I supposed to stay calm?! Just open the door! Please!" Akari screamed from the classroom.

"Just hang in there for a bit longer." I spoke as I used all of my willpower just to move a single step. I had an idea of what was in there. But that all only made me even more scared out of my mind. Are they really all…

"I don't want to die. I don't want to die. I don't want to die. I don't want to die. I don't want to die. I don't want to die. I don't want to die. I don't want to die. I don't want to die. I don't want to die." Akari repeated those words like a chant as I was only five steps away from the door.

Five.

Four.

Three.

Two.

One.

"I-I'm here. I'm opening it." I muttered as I twisted the doorknob. But the door wasn't opening. Was it jammed? I then noticed that my hands were drenched with sweat. I rubbed them on my school uniform until they were dry.

'Creak.' The door made a 'creaking' sound as I opened it. And then…

One person's head was no longer on their neck…in its place was blood. The stench coming from the blood was the same revolting smell as before. Another person's stomach had a hole in it. Another person's neck was slashed open. Another person was missing their eyes. Another person didn't have their arms anymore. Another person's head was bashed open. Another thing was crushed under desks so badly he or she didn't even resemble a person anymore. They were all…

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" I screamed as I collided onto the floor. I then projectile vomited all over the floor. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Except, for Akari, they are all dead. And even Akari was missing her-

"I don't want to die. I don't want to die. I don't want to die. I don't want to die. I don't want to die. I don't want to die. I don't want to die. I don't want to die. I don't want to die. I don't want to die. I don't want to die." Akari kept uttering the same words over and over again like a broken record as she crawled toward me.

Akari was crawling, because her legs were severed from her body.

She looked like something straight out of a horror movie. Except, this was real. All of this blood, guts, meat, it's all real. My eyes couldn't unsee all of the carnage. Twenty-seven people were killed. In some of the most brutal ways, I could imagine.

"I-Is this hell?" I muttered as all I could do was lay on the ground and stare at Akari. Her eyes were leaking with tears. That once confident look was no longer there. In its place was the face of a person who was trying to survive this hell.

But then, she stopped.

"A-Akari. Please. Please, answer me." I muttered as I attempted to stand up as Akari lay on the floor and didn't twitch a single muscle. Until she-

"This is all your fault." Akari muttered in a hoarse voice as she glared daggers at me when suddenly…

Akari's head was smashed open. Not stepped on. It was quite literally smashed open like a watermelon. The contents leaked all over the floor. Blood sprayed onto my face. The blood covered my glasses. I couldn't see anymore.

However, I could still hear. The sound of footsteps stomping on the ground. They drew closer to me. I should get up. No. I had to get up. This 'thing' already killed Akari. And since no one else is alive, I'm next.

'Move. Move. Move. Move. Move. Move. Move. Move. Move. Move. Move. Move. MOVE!' I thought to myself as my body rejected my commands. It was as if I was a machine and the batteries I needed to function were removed. I couldn't move a single muscle.

'I don't want to die. I don't want to die. I don't want to die. I don't want to die. I don't want to die. I don't want to die. I don't want to die. I don't want to die. I don't want to die. I don't want to die. I don't want to die. I don't want to die.' I found myself thinking the exact same thoughts that Akari was saying before she died. Except, my mouth wouldn't even move. Why? Why can't I even do the simplest of t-

All of my thoughts were cut off as I was lifted into the air and thrown like a piece of trash against the glass window.

"Gah!" I groaned in pain as I was pierced in the back with the broken glass shards that were made when I collided against the window. I-Is this it? Am I actually going to die? Maybe I should.

'…More than that, I'm tired of people dying around me. I refuse to just stand still and do nothing! That's why I will protect them!'

I swore that I would protect my classmates, even though I didn't like them, and even hated a few of them. But I couldn't, I refused to do nothing and let them die. Except, I did just that. I failed to destroy the bounded field. I failed to protect my classmates. I couldn't even save Akari.

If only I was quicker, smarter, and stronger, I could have done something for them. But I'm just average. If Onee-chan were here instead of me, she would have easily saved all of them. Onee-chan could have done all of that because she is quicker, smarter, and stronger than me.

But Onee-chan is dead.

'This is all your fault.'

Akari was right. This is all my fault. Everything. My whole life has just been one colossal mistake. No matter what I set out to do, I always fail in the end. So, maybe I should just give up. That way I won't be a disappointment to anyone anymore.

As the 'thing' approached me, I closed my eyes and accepted my fate.

'Thank you. Your words, they have truly saved me. With them, I know what I must do. Thank you so much, Ayaka.'

"Eh?" I gasped as I felt something drip from my head. It wasn't just Akari's blood. It was tears. My tears. 'Why am I crying? I… I don't even know who said this to me. Even still…' I thought to myself as I stood back up and-

'Crack! Crack! Crack!' The glass window cracked even further as the shards pierced my arm. It hurt like hell. But I continued to slam my body against it. The footsteps of the 'thing' were right near me. Even though I know this won't save my dead classmates…

"I REFUSE TO DIE HERE!" I roared at the top of my lungs as I broke through the glass window and leaped out before the 'thing' could catch me. The wind hit me as I fell toward certain doom. Time was of the essence if I wanted to survive this freefall. I couldn't even see right now.

But I knew for a fact, that my upper chest was glowing bright red.

"By my Command Spell, I order you to save me, SABER!" I roared once more as my death was imminent. And then just as I was about to end up like a hunk of meat like all of the dead people above me…a gust of wind enveloped me.

"Ayaka?! Are you alright?!" A certain someone asked me as he held me in his arms. I couldn't see the person in front of me. But I already knew who he was. His name is-

"Sab…er." I spoke as I tried to hold back all of my feelings of sorrow and regret. But then…

"I got you. Everything's going to be alright now, Ayaka." Saber whispered into my ear. The reassuring words of the knight made me clutch onto him as I cried.

"Every…one is dead. I…was so scared that I was next. But you…saved me. Thank you…Saber." I muttered in between sobs.

'BAM!' A loud sound echoed from the school.

"If you want to stay h-" Saber spoke but I interrupted him.

"I'm coming with you. I'm your Master, so I need to start acting like it." I spoke as I rubbed my glasses against my school uniform further staining the latter in the process. I then put them back on.

"Are you sure?" Saber asked.

"I'll be fine, really." I spoke with a forced smile. The truth is that I was far from fine. But I have to at least act like it. There might be people alive up there. If so, I have to do something to save them. And even if everyone is truly dead, then the least I can do is smash that bounded field to pieces.

More than that, there is one person I must defeat no matter what.

"Misaya activated the bounded field on the school. Lancer must have been the one who killed…anyway, I'm going to stop Misaya. So, you deal with Lancer. I know it's not much of a plan b-" I spoke but I was interrupted.

"Got it. Let's stop them before they hurt anyone else." Saber spoke with a confident look as he rushed into the school like a lightning bolt.

"…" I was speechless. I know that Saber is a Servant. But wow, he's fast.

"Ow." I then slapped my cheeks after realizing that I'm wasting precious time by being impressed with Saber. I have to go. Now. I then proceeded to rush to the school's front entrance only to realize that it was locked.

"Jeez! Give me a break!" I yelled as I made my way into the school through the use of the secret entrance.

'BAM!' A loud sound was coming from upstairs as I ran up them. And then…

"ANSUZ!" Misaya yelled as she snapped her fingers.

"…" Without a word, I instinctively leaped out of the way to avoid being killed. Only to notice a skeleton being incinerated instead of me. The skeleton was annihilated as nothing left of it. W-Was Misaya targeting it instead of me?!

"What the hell are you doing?! Get up!" Misaya yelled as she forcefully pulled me up against my will. I then slapped her hand away.

"W-What?! What the hell is your problem?!" Misaya yelled. Is she serious right now?!

"My problem?! YOU activated the bounded field! Do you know how many people are dead because of your grudge against me?!" I snapped back at her. However, I was slapped across the face as a result.

"Are you an idiot?! I did NOT activate this tacky piece of shit! It isn't even mine!" Misaya yelled as I was utterly stunned by her words.

"'Why' what? You're going to have to be more specific-"

Wait. Misaya never admitted to creating the bounded field. Is she actually telling the truth? But that's impossible. If Misaya didn't activate the bounded field, then who did-

"Don't you realize who the 'enemy' is?!" Misaya yelled as I noticed the tip of a sword being raised in the air behind her.

"MISAYA! WATCH OUT!" I yelled at the top of my lungs as I pushed her out of the way without a second thought. However, this only changed the target from Misaya to me. The sword slammed down as my fate was sealed-

However, the sword stopped just as it was about to cut my head open.

"Phew. That was close. Are you trying to make me kill you, Aya-chan?" The voice of the red-haired student, Shinji Isemi, no. The voice of the Servant, Rider spoke those words to me.

"R-Rider." I muttered out of shock as in that moment, I knew who the 'enemy' that Misaya was referring to. Misaya didn't activate the bounded field. Hell, she wasn't even the creator of it. And that means there is only one other person who could have committed this massacre.

It. Was. Rider.