Guest: Todoroki is too OP for the apocalypse; that's why I put him and every other OP quirk user on I-Island but yeah, I'm pretty sure everyone wished that Todoroki and Yaomomo were with them. As for the Taurturus prisoners, we'll just have to wait and see but the Sludge villain, he can get infected. He has a mouth and a pair of eyes and if he gets zombie blood in either, he's toast. And yes, Eri and Overhaul are both still alive and that's all I'll say.

Day 345, 12:00 PM

UA Dorms

We waited a day to make sure no one else caught the bacteria. We sat in silence, mourning our losses before we decided that we should have a funeral. That was the plan but there wasn't much of a body to bury for any of them. Bacteria continue to eat away at their host, even after the host dies, and that's why we could only bury Kamakiri, Shimamura, and Kimiko in small bits and pieces. After everything that happened, I thought nothing would gross me out but I was wrong.

The students back away as Kuroiro and Kaibara wearing PPE toss the remains of the dead students into the six-foot hole they created and sigh heavily, despite still full of energy. They back away and remove their latex gloves and masks before looking at the crowd of students before them.

Monoma steps forward and folds his arms across his chest. "If you ask me, we should burn them. That way, the bacteria can't spread. If we're throwing what's left of them in the ground, then we should burn what's left of them so it can't spread into the ground."

"I don't think bacteria spreads through the ground," the shadow merger argues. "Besides, we already know how it spreads; through tissue. Besides, they're already pitch black so we can't make them anymore black if we burn them."

"But still, we shouldn't take the chance. What if the bacteria spreads into a garden we decide to grow?"

"That's not-"

"Enough." Kendo steps forward, making her voice seem larger than life. She looks over to Monoma and then over to Kuroiro. "We're going to set them on fire. There is no open casket funeral and there's nothing we can do. We don't want this thing spreading so we're going to burn the bodies." She points her left hand at Kuroiro. "Go get some matches and gasoline."

"Deku has all the matches," Kuroiro remembers.

"Then make flames. And fast."

Kuroiro nods before heading inside to remove a jerry can of gasoline. He returns several moments later and douses the grave with gasoline with enough umes to induce the feelings of nausea in the shadow merger. After deciding he's poured enough, he steps away.

Awase gets to work on striking two sticks together. When he finally creates fire about ninety seconds later, he holds up the smaller stick and blows on it a little. Kendo takes the stick and sighs heavily like a smoker puffing out smoke before she flicks it into the makeshift graves.

The graves catch fire in the blink of an eye and the students feel extra warm on this sunny day. They step back as they let the fires do their job and wait patiently with the students being unable to do much but talk to each other.

Kurorio and Komori reunite with a familiar group and the shadow merger speaks first.

"Jirou, Mineta, Kenta, you're back; it's been a while since we last saw you."

Jirou nods. "I know; I was worried you had forgotten about us."

"Aint no way you can be forgotten about, Jirou," Komoi assures. "How was quarantine?"

"Could've been worse."

"I missed my magazine with the big boobies on the covers," Mineta silently sobs.

"And I missed flexing my muscles to the group," Kenta admits. "But I did enjoy the basketball games so not a complete loss."

Kuroiro laughs. "Good to know." He stuffs his hands in his pockets. "At least it's over."

"We're sorry about your friend," Mineta says softly. "We're sorry that you had to put down Kamakiri."

Kuroiro nods. "I did what I had to. And you guys will too so I won't be alone very soon."

"Though I'm sure it's not something he's looking forward to," the mushroom girl inputs, "right, Shihai?"

Kuroiro shrugs. "Who knows? I'm a mystery, even to myself."

Jirou nods. "You know, I'm glad Deku and Kaminari weren't here. Knowing Deku, he would've rushed in headfirst to help that sick guy and got infected himself. And Kaminari, well, I'm sure he would do the same thing."

"How come we didn't? How come we didn't rush headfirst into saving this guy?"

"Don't know. I don't know. But... three of us died."

"And five of us are still alive and unaffected by this physically and emotionally because they're gone."

"Probably the only time I'm glad Deku, Kaminari, Kirishima, Mina, Shinsou, and Pomeranian aren't here."

"It'll be a mess when they get back."

"Yeah."

"If they come back," Kenta corrects. "I don't want to be that guy considering that I'm already the 'big guy' of the group but, Deku, Kaminari, and Bakugou's team might not come back. Maybe they die, maybe they leave permanently, or maybe they get lost."

Jirou turns to him, looking at him like he killed her dog. "Do you really believe that, Kenta? Really?"

"I'm just saying. I hope they come back but I haven't considered the possibility that they won't. So far, everyone who left the group ended up with at least one kid dying, right? Look what happened to us; we didn't even leave our home and some sick guy in the woods came to our doorstep and contaminated us with some kind of virus."

"Bacteria," Komori corrects.

The dragon boy nods. "Bacteria, thank you, mushroom girl."

"No problem, shroom."

"There is one thing I don't get," Mineta begins, "Kendo, Shimamura, and Kimiko all amputated but Kendo is the only one who survived, why?"

Kurorio hesitates. "I read over the textbook again last night to see if I could get some kind of explanation. I did and... it didn't comfort me. Kendo got infected through her hand and amputated her hand almost immediately after. On the other hand, Shimamura and Kimiko both got the infection through their eye and didn't amputate until like sixteen hours later. According to the book, amputation is possible but only under specific circumstances. If you get infected through the hand or foot, the bacteria attacks the body faster and aggressively than it normally would but amputation is possible because the source is at either the foot or the hand. On the other... uh... hand, getting infected on a non-limb area like the eye or stomach is basically a death sentence. Because this bacteria attacks the toes and fingers first, it takes much longer for the bacteria to reach the arms and legs through a non-limb part but it is untreatable. In other words, getting infected through the hand causes symptoms to appear faster but it can be amputated. Getting infected through the eye takes a while for the infection to attack the host but it is untreatable. As I say this term again, in other words..."

"Shimamura and Kimiko were doomed from the very start," Mineta finishes.

Jirou touches Kuroiro's shoulder. "How are you feeling? It couldn't have been easy putting down your classmate."

"I didn't like it." Kuroiro doesn't turn away her touch. "But... seeing him suffer and die slowly was a much worse fate."

"And what about Kendo?"

"Yeah," Mineta nods, "her arm is gone."

"Just her hand," Kuroiro corrects, "her right hand."

As Kendo overhears the conversation, she turns back to the makeshift cremation, holds up her bandaged stump, and looks over it. Subconsciously, she began flexing to see if she could feel her fingers, and strangely, she could. She cringes at the empty feeling before lowering her hand to her side and turning to the group. Though she tries to listen in on the conversations around them, she decides not to dwell on them too much. These people were her friends and some of them were sobbing while others were laughing, probably as a way to boost morale. Yes, they needed a morale in boost right now, especially the support course students.

Kendo walks up to Hatsume and Mogami. She tries to say something but the words get lost in her. She decides to say the one thing she hears characters say in movies. "At least you were with them to the end so they weren't alone."

Hatsume nods without missing a beat. "Yeah, we were."

"I can't believe they're gone," Mogami whispers. "It feels like a bad dream or something. First our friends at UA and now..."

"Yeah," Kendo agrees. "And more of us are going to die. It's not a matter of if but when. This is something none of us can prepare for, no matter how many simulations we run through in our heads."

"Got that right," Mogami sighs with heavy exhaustion.

Tsuburaba steps forward and taps Kuroiro on the shoulder. "Hey, Shihai. How are you feeling? You know, with Kamakiri and everything?"

Kuroiro rolls his eyes. I'm getting asked this question again?! "I'm doing fine. I'm a little shaken up but I'm okay."

"Did Kamakiri have any final words?"

"He wanted me to say goodbye on his behalf. He did not suffer in his final moments."

"I'm still upset you did that," Manga mentions. "We should've talked about this as a group, right?"

Kuroiro shakes his head. "The last time we talked as a group, we kicked Deku and my good friend out of our sanctuary."

"Midoriya deserved it," Sero shouts suddenly.

"Regardless, talking about it and voting would've taken up too much time. I read the books; there was no way to save Kamkairi the second the infection reached the parts of his body that couldn't be amputated."

"Could you have guaranteed it?" Manga presses on.

"I read the book so I know what fucking shit I'm talking about, Manga, and I'm not sorry. My only regret is that I didn't do it sooner. My second regret is that I crashed our car on the drive back. I cost us precious time. Shimamura and Kimiko were a lost cause but if I didn't crash, there might have been time to save Kamakiri. I couldn't save our favorite bug boy but the least I could do was put him out of his misery."

"You shouldn't make decisions like this on your own," Manga points out. "If we start making choices for the group on our own without talking about it, then our group will fall. There will be anarchy and chaos and we'll turn on each other. We can't afford to do that, especially in a time of crisis like this."

"I agree," Kendo says as she steps forward. "We can't be making choices for the group."

Kuroiro looks at his class rep. "I thought you would understand."

"No, we need someone to make choices. We need someone to be willing to make the choices in this group. I agree that Kamakiri should've been put down but Kuroiro should've told us beforehand instead of dropping this information on us like a bomb." Kendo reaches into her pocket and pulls out an item that was carefully wrapped in a washcloth. Opening it, she reveals the remains of her hand. Despite amputating the hand, the severed hand still 'fell' victim to the bacteria and fell apart. "I tried to make the hard choice and kill Kamakiri myself but I hesitated and it cost Kamakiri pain and my hand." She tosses the remains of her hand in the bonfire. "That won't happen again. I can't hesitate; none of us can hesitate when something like this happens. When we make hard choices, we have to jump in with both feet."

She holds up her stump. "Let my stump be a reminder that we have to make hard choices and there will be consequences if we don't follow through."

Kuroiro steps forward so he can whisper something in Kendo's ear. "Hey, I know we're supposed to make hard choices and jump in with both feet but if you're ever feeling too sick to do something, I'll be your... right hand in killing someone."

Kendo flinches and looks at him. "Are you sure? I don't want-"

"I volunteered," he speaks at a normal volume, "didn't I?"

"I guess. But still, are you sure?"

He puts his hand on his heart. "One hundred percent."

Kendo nods. She whispers in his ear this time. "Keep me grounded, be my... 'right hand' when I need you to be."

Kuroiro nods again, whispering, "I will, Kendo."

Day 346, 2:35 PM

Kaminari's House

Waiting for his food to cool down, Deku blows on the ravioli before taking a spoonful. Feeling warmth, despite the temperature outside being warm, he feels his heart heat up in happiness. "Man, I can never go over a nice warm meal."

Kaminari sits down beside him. "Yeah, tell me about it." He takes a forkful of spinach. "I just wish the spinach would actually work like on that one show. You know, the one where the guy eats spinach and gets strong?"

"Popeye?"

"Popeye, yeah, exactly man." He sits up, holds the spinach over the stove fire, and waits patiently. "You know, we could live here in my house if you want, there's nobody here."

"Zombies are starting to migrate out of the city and into the suburbs. If we stay here any longer, then we'll be surrounded by zombies on all sides. It's only a matter of time before we accidentally use our quirks and attract a brainiac."

Kaminari gasps. "Oh yeah. And if there's a beast in the streets, then we're kinda useless against them. I just hope that if there is a beast, it's not the Katsuya beast, er... uh... the hunter beast because he is relentless and can hold a grudge."

"Yeah, that's true." Deku finishes his meal. "We're going to have to leave sooner rather than later."

"I know. But still, can it hurt to stay in our nice, soft, dusty beds for a little while longer?"

Deku shrugs. "I guess not." He stands up and heads to a window. He opens it slightly to toss the can out and shuts the window. He sets up a barricade by planting an overturned table against the window before retreating back to his resting area with his friend.

Kaminari looks over. "You think we'll find other survivors out there?"

Deku nods. "Yeah. In the zombie movies, they always find survivors."

"But's it been a year and the only survivors we've met are... the squatters at UA, the League of Villains, those assholes at Isamu Academy, and... the Bystanders. Of all those groups, only one was nice to us."

"The UA squatters were still hostile to us but they became our friends afterward."

"Yeah, I guess so. But... it's been a year and we've only encountered like four groups of survivors and like three of them were total villains."

"Not all of them are villains. I'm sure we'll find someone who can help us. We have to find someone who is willing to help us. Just the two of us surviving is not an option, especially in a world where death is around every corner."

"You know, we could always go back and... I don't know... join our old group."

"Would they accept us?" Deku pauses and leans against the wall. "The majority voted to kick us out and... it's been about a week or so and we still haven't had any contact with them."

"Five days," the electric boy corrects.

"Right, five days."

"Where would we go if we're not going back? The city is not an option so..."

"I'd take my chances in the words or on the highway, somewhere that is least likely to be crowded. Somewhere where there aren't a lot of zombies. At least in the woods, we can sleep in the trees."

Kaminari laughs. "Awesome, we're going to be tree bunkmates."

"We could find a thick part of the forest to live in. If we're lucky, we can find an area so remote, no zombie or survivor would think to live there."

"So we would be like hermits. I can already picture it: Deku and Kaminari... the Hermit Survivors. We eat twigs for breakfast... slay walkers for lunch... and smoke marshmallows and hot dogs for dinner. How does this sound for a name: The Hermit Squad?"

Deku laughs. "You couldn't have picked a horrible name if you chose Kermit the Frog."

"It's still a possibility; Sesame Street is still popular nowadays."

Deku pauses and looks at him with a look of disbelief. "Kermit the Frog is not from Sesame Street."

"Right. So, Miss Piggy."

"No, Miss Piggy is not from Sesame Street, either."

"Fine, fine, you pick. "

"But why does it have to be someone from Sesame Street?"

"You got me too hyped up on that muppet show so why now?"

Deku laughs. "First of all, you brought up Sesame Street. Second of all, the Muppet show is not Sesame Street or whatever. If you're looking to be a Sesame Street character, then... you can be... Oscar the Grouch."

His eyes widen. "What, why? He's green; can't you be Oscar the Grouch?"

"Fine, you can be Big Bird." He furrows his brows. "The giant yellow bird... what was his name?" He snaps his fingers. "Maybe we can be Bert and Ernie if you're so insistent on Sesame Street."

"I am."

"Okay, I'll be Bert, you'll be Ernie."

"Ernie's the yellow one, right?"

Deku narrows his eyes as he tries to remember. "I'm not sure. Was Bert the yellow one or the orange one?" He shakes his head. "I don't remember."

"Okay, fine."

Deku holds his hand out. "So, here's to the Hermit Squad: Bert and Ernie."

Day 347, 3:10 PM

Deku's House

Kicking the last bedroom door open, Ground Zero groans as he steps into the empty bedroom. No, no sign of Deku and/or Kaminari here. He thought for sure that they would be in here but no, for some reason, that duo decided not to go to Midoriya's old residence. Ground Zero knew Deku's home like the back of his hand, even if the visits were infrequent, and he couldn't believe they weren't there. After doing one final sweep of the place, Ground Zero heads back into the living room to reunite with Red Riot, Pinky, and Reply.

"Masks off," Ground Zero orders as he removes his domino mask. "No need to hide our identities."

The others comply and remove their masks.

"No sign of him?" Kirishima asks.

Bakugou shakes his head. "Of course not, shitty hair."

"So... where else could they be?" Mina asks. "If they're not here, where else could they go?"

"No idea." Bakugou leans on the table. "God, I was hoping that they would be here."

"Hey, don't worry, we'll find them, man," Kirishima assures them. "As long as we don't give up, we'll find them, sooner or later."

Shinsou finally decides to speak up. "Maybe they went to Kaminari's house." He looks over. "Didn't Midoriya say he was forced by the League of Villains to put down his zombified mother?"

Mina looks over. "Oh, yeah. I guess that makes sense. He was still grieving the loss of his mother so he decided not to come back to his place."

"So, we'll just have to look for Kaminari's place," Kirishima realizes. "That sounds easy enough."

"Oh yeah," Bakugou looks at the others, "and who here knows Kaminari's address? Anyone, no?"

None of the survivors speak up or even look at each other and instead stay silent, hoping for an answer to fall into their lap.

"That's what I thought." Bakugou sits on the table. "Even so, it's worth a shot. Let's scavenge what we can and..." He pauses and realizes something. "Wait a sec." He heads into Deku's bedroom and checks the dresser and walls. All Might posters adorn the walls but what he's looking for are family photos. He finds dust on his dresser but he also sees signs that something was taken recently from the dresser. Accessing his memories, he realizes that the picture Deku had of him and his mother on his ninth birthday was missing, and given that there wasn't much dust left in the spot it was missing indicates...

"Deku and Kaminari were here," he realizes. He runs back outside to share this news with the others.

"How can you be sure?" Mina asks. "Maybe the picture got lost?"

"The spot the frame was resting on didn't collect as much dust as the other surfaces here. Besides, why would some raider break in and steal photos? What value do photos have other than memories and nostalgia?"

"Uhh..."

"Exactly my point. Deku and Kaminari did come here and took some memorabilia with them and given that it looks to be very recent, this means they must've just taken them, which means they're close. We just gotta check every house in the suburbs to look for them."

"Without knowing Kaminari's address, we won't have much to narrow it down," Shinso points out.

"True," Kirishima nods. "But Kaminari would walk to school along with Sero sometimes, which means his house is within walking distance of UA High."

"Did he walk the whole way to school or did he take the bus and then walk the rest of the way back?"

"I'm not sure."

"Even so, it's better than nothing," Bakugou reasons. "Come on, we gotta leave now if we want a headstart."

Day 348, 4:00 PM

Middle School

Waking up early in the morning, she couldn't resist taking a shower, even if it was a cold shower. After getting dressed in her clothes for the evening, she skips to the door and heads outside. Around her, survivors glance at her skipping down the paths to the building with the principal's office. The leader of the group would be there and she was curious to see if he had any new missions for her.

When she passes several people, she waves to them.

"Hey everyone, what's the haps for today?"

One of the survivors looks at her with a cigarette in his mouth. "Nothing much, just enjoying a smoke."

"Save some for me when I get back."

"We'll see about it, ditz."

"Thank you." She skips away and is halfway to the principal's office. When she reaches the door, she opens it, allowing two of her classmates to step out. "Good luck dealing with whatever, today."

The classmates acknowledge her but don't say anything.

She steps through and sees her class representative and leader of her survivor group swirling around in a rotating chair with a stern look on his face.

"What's up, fam? So, what's on the agenda today? We going out to KO some zombies?"

"I've already got a team for that; I just send them out to deal with that horde a few blocks away."

"Really, that's totes awesome, BFF. So, what plans do you have for me?"

"You, I'm sending you on a supply run."

"Really, that's sweet. Where do you want me to go?"

"The sushi market just a few blocks from here."

"Oh, you mean that old fish market? Sure thing, bro. Remember back in the olden days when it was lit and everyone was like super excited to get in line to buy fish?"

"Yes, I remember."

"Don't worry, fam, you can count on me. I'm for a 10/10 rating on my supply run stats today so I'll see you soon. Take care." As she heads out the door after grabbing her stuff, she pauses when she hears her name.

"One more thing, Camie, don't forget to wear your mask."

Camie salutes him. "No probs, Shishikura.

Day 349, 8:30 AM

Daycare Center

"No, no," the cowering survivor cries as he falls on his ass and tries to crawl away. "Please, please, don't kill me!"

"Sorry, buddy, but you used up all your lives in this game."

Five fingers touch the cowering survivor's chest and he crumbles to dust.

"There's no restart button for you in this game."

Character Cards

-Shota Matsuhisa (The Cowering Survivor)

Quirk: Irrelevant

Occupation: Speech therapist (Formerly); wandering survivor

Age: 27

Birthday: March 15th

Height: 170cms.

Blood Type: O

Likes: Rubber bands.

Dislikes: Pumpkins.

Other Facts: Addicted to prescription nasal spray.