Day 360, 2:00 PM
That fateful day when we lost our dorms, we felt homeless for the first time in a long time. We lost our families and several teammates when the outbreak hit but we always felt like we had a place to go home to and that home was our dorms and now that the dorms were gone, we were all left with an empty void in our hearts.
I told everyone about how we lost Kirishima, Shinsou, Mina, and the rest of the Shiketsu Students at the Clay Bridge to Cthulhu. Tears were shed, mostly for our classmates but only Bakugou and Camie shed tears for the Shiketsu students. When I told everyone about Cthulhu, they badgered me with questions. I told them I wasn't ready yet and that we should all take a moment to recuperate.
And then, when we asked about the whereabouts of Mogami and Tsuburaba, more silent cries filled the air. Those who were there to witness their deaths told them how they died. But they didn't cry over how they died, only that they were dead. They didn't say they died as cowards, only that they died taking at least one League of Villains member with them. Hatsume was especially happy because a baby of hers allowed Mogami to go out with dignity and leave one of the LOV members without a body to give a funeral to.
We lost our homes but we managed to kill at least five League of Villains members so I say that was a win in our book, even if some students had to die to take the villains with them. There were no dry eyes for anyone but I swear, I remember Sero looking at us with hatred in his eyes. Whatever was going through his head involved our presence and it looked like he wasn't going to let go of that pent-up rage anytime soon.
But I didn't care.
We no longer lived a naive nightmare.
I was just glad to be back with my classmates...
... and my dirt bike.
Pulling up to the town they visited many months ago that they were forced to abandon when the horde came through, the students step off the bus one by one and look around the small town. Memories crop up for those who went to this town and memories of survival and terror kick in before they manage to calm themselves down before they could have a heart attack or a panic attack.
Bakugou heads into one of the stores where he rips open the floorboards and removes an opening to reveal the stash he placed all those years ago. "Yes." It was still there, collecting dust, just as supplies should in the apocalypse. He grabs the supplies one by one before hauling them to the others.
"We gotta set up a barricade or something," Kendo suggests. "We gotta get all the roadways leading into this town blocked up."
"Maybe we can use the bus to move some cars," Monoma suggested.
"Let's get to work on it right now. If we're going to be staying here, then we're going to need to set up camp."
"First, let's check to see how many cars have been abandoned then we can set up shop."
Kendo nods and orders the others around.
Meanwhile, Kaminari is standing at his dirtbike, hugging the seat and kissing the handles. "Oh Suzy, I missed you so much." He looks to Jirou beside him. "And I missed you too." He pulls her into a hug. He does the rest to the Kamisquad.
"Holy hell," Mineta smiles, "we missed you man."
"Hell yeah, we did," Kuroiro nods.
"You're not going to leave this time, are ya?" Komori asks pleadingly.
Kaminari shakes his head. "No, I'm not leaving."
Kenta pats him on the back. "You better not; it doesn't make much sense to call this the Kamisquad without you."
After a few hours, they manage to make a barricade blocking all paths leading into the small town by using the bus to move cars. They wanted to use as little of their quirks as possible after the horde that overwhelmed their school and keep things to mundane techniques.
Once all entrances and exits into the town were blocked off, they started a bonfire in the middle of the town where the students set up the camping tents that were packed on the bus ahead of time and did what they could to get warm. Just because it was July didn't mean it didn't get cold at night.
"Hey," Jirou says as he touches Kaminari's shoulder before sitting next to him on a log. "How are you doing?"
Kaminari knows she's referring to Cthulhu. "I'm fine, I'm doing okay." He gestures to Bakugou. "You should ask him though."
"He won't talk to anyone." Jirou gets comfy next to the electric boy. With a little more space left on the log, the rest of the Kamisquad occupies it and the six of them hold their hands over the fire, feeling toasty like a toddler stuffed into a blanket with a nice cup of hot chocolate on Christmas Even in the Arctic Circle.
"This is all your fault," Sero says suddenly. "We should've fucking left you and Kaminari. We never should've brought the two of you back."
Deku looks at him. "Sero, I'm tired, and I don't want to hear-"
"They came back because of you. They were here because of you, don't you see that? As long as you're here, we're still in danger. We already lost like three of our teammates when you left and then when you came back, we lost five more. Eight people. We lost eight people during this escapade alone, the highest number we've lost in a long time. Now we're homeless. Kirishima's dead. Mina's dead. Shinsou's dead. And all of Shiketsu dead."
"Shut up," Kendo sneers. "Shut. Up. Sero."
The tape boy looks at her. "You can't be serious. Guys, we voted for those two-"
"Shut up, Sero. Don't make me tape your fucking mouth shut and I will."
Sero glares at the one-handed girl and silences himself. He was about to say something when Shiozaki put a hand on his shoulder.
"Please," Shiozaki begs, "please don't do this, please."
Sero decides to step down for her sake.
On the other hand, Kendo decides to step up and address everyone in the group. "No one is leaving, not anymore. No one is going anyway, ever."
The students look at her after taking in her stern voice and some of them look terrified while others look shocked and confused but no one dared to speak up.
"Whether this is Deku and Kaminari's fault is irrelevant. The point is this: we're all in this together and from now on, it's either us or them. If we start turning on each other, then we've already lost and the League of Villains won. We can't let that happen. No, I won't let that happen to any of us. Deku and Kaminari are staying and that is final, as is everyone else in this group." She turns to the odd survivor out. "That includes Camie."
Camie stiffens her back before she settles against Bakugou's shoulder and takes his warm touch as a comfort sense.
Kendo continues. "If you can't stop this new rule in place if you can't stand breathing in the same air as your teammates, then by all means, you're more than welcome to go. But if you leave, we will not come after you. Is that understood? Do you all understand this? If you leave, you have to be committed and everyone else, you have to accept that these people don't want to be here." She holds her hand out. "Go on. If anyone doesn't like the new rule, then leave. In case you want to leave in style, I should warn you that there is no door for you to slam on our faces. So, any takers?"
The group goes silent until someone decides to speak up. Unsurprisingly, it was Sero. "We took a vote and-"
"Fuck voting. Fuck democracy. Look where it got us. Democracy can't survive in a fucking zombie apocalypse; we need someone willing to make harsh choices for the group and I'm the only class representative left alive. My classmates elected me to be the leader and that's what I'm trying to be. No more voting, no more democracy, no more anything to divide us. If you're staying, my word is law. My judgment is fucking final, is that understood? Do you all understand what I'm saying?"
The students continue to say nothing and stare at Kendo with wild emotions flowing through their minds.
Kendo looks at her stump and feels herself clenching her missing hand. I lost my hand because I couldn't make a choice in time to let that bacteria-carrying hermit into our home. I couldn't make a choice and I couldn't commit to a choice I made. Because of that, I lost my hand and three of my classmates died because I was too slow to think of something. Maybe they were destined to die anyway but we'll never know because I can't turn back time. I am a one-handed Willy for the rest of my life and it's all my fault. My blood stump of a hand will forever be a reminder of how weak I was as a leader. No more.
Kendo sits down on the log. "We're all we got left... we're family now. We can't turn on each other, we can't."
As I sat down on the log and listened to Kendo's words of determination to the group, announcing that dictatorship ruled over democracy, I couldn't help but feel a little relieved. I felt relieved knowing that things weren't going to be the same because, in the wild, things aren't the same. I felt oddly happy to be under the leadership of a dictator. It felt... good. I felt safe. And most importantly, I felt like for the first time in a long time, order was restored to this chaotic world.
Warping the last person through, Kurogiri closes his warp gate and sets Mustard down on the bed. Moonfish cries in pain as he covers his face in bandages. Meanwhile, Spinner heads into the bathroom to remove the bullet from his back and ass.
Shigaraki stares down at the sight before him. Only five. They went into this thing with nine of them (ten, if one counts Zombie Muscular) and only five of them survived. Big Sis Magne was dead. Mr. Compress was dead. Twice was dead. Giran was dead.
Now, only he, Kurogiri, Spinner, Moonfish, and Mustard's clone remained alive. The victory he was hoping to feel after confronting those UA brats for a rematch never came and Shigaraki was left feeling a stabbing pain in his chest directly in his heart. He put a hand to his heart and hoped that it would stop somehow but the pain got worse.
He let his guard down, underestimated his enemy, and in return, his teammates paid the price. They managed to get two students killed at UA but one was already bitten and decided to go out with a literal bang while the other was shot to death and took his attacker with him to the grave. If it wasn't for Kurogiri warping the others, Mustard and Spinner would've been dead meat. Moonfish had no problem using his bladed teeth to traverse the environment and retreat.
Sitting down in his motel bed, Shigaraki grabs the remaining hangs on his body and holds them closely. His little brother, his stupid little brother stole Father. He held Father hostage and almost destroyed him. Shigaraki was now without his trademark handmask. He could've easily used another one of his hands but he needed Father back. He needed Father back because Father completed him.
He failed. He failed and he never felt so humiliated. He wanted to crawl into a hole and die but if he did, then those who died for him would have died for a lie. Kurogiri, Spinner, Moonfish, and Mustard were all he had left now and he needed to lead them to victory because that is what a leader does.
He remembers the ones of his sensei and how his sensei was so supportive of him. 'Start over', he would tell him, 'start over as many times as you need'.
He got arrogant. He got arrogant after the first fight and he failed. Never again.
I will get Father back and I will kill you, Izuku.
Day 363, 9:00 PM
"Deku," Uraraka tugs at Deku, "Deku, we need you to wake up, now."
Rolling over, Deku wakes up and finds himself in his tent which he was sharing with Bakugou but Bakugou is gone. Uraraka was kneeling before him with a worried look on his face. "Uraraka, what's wrong?"
"Deku, there's an emergency, we need you."
"What?" Deku sits up and pulls the covers off. "What's wrong?"
"Come outside, we need you."
Deku reaches and grabs his knife in the corner of the tent. He steps outside after Uraraka and prepares to fight if necessary before freezing.
His classmates surround the bonfire in the center of the camp and each of the students stares at Deku with wide smiles.
Deku puts his knife down after sensing no threat. "Guys, what's going on? I was trying to get some sleep and-"
Jirou plays a song on her phone that is running on fumes without wifi and using a song she downloaded before the outbreak. She turns the volume up slightly and Deku gasps upon hearing the song.
~Happy Birthday, Congratulations~ the students sing.
"Oh my god," he gasps and covers his mouth, hiding a smile.
~Happy Birthday, with Saluationtions~
~Happy Birthday, May Your Sky Stay blue~
Uraraka and Tsu approach Deku, holding a tray with a large container on top that chefs use when presenting fancy food. Tsu removes the cover to reveal a Hostess cupcake with a match being used as a candle.
"Happy Birthday, Deku, ribbit," Tsu croaks.
Deku makes a wish and blows out the candle before a tear escapes him. Pulling back, he wipes his tears away before another takes its place. "Guys, you remembered my birthday."
"Yeah, and we wanted it to be a surprise," Uraraka explains, "that's why we waited until you were asleep to wake you up."
"You guys." Deku wipes more tears away. "Thank you so much."
"We all deserve to celebrate a birthday, don't we, Deku?"
Deku nods with a closed-lip smile before grabbing the cupcake. Removing the match from the cupcake, he takes a bite. "Thank you guys so much. Seriously, thank you all so much."
"What are friends for, Deku?"
Deku had forgotten what this felt like. For the longest time, Deku didn't really have friends and when he had a birthday party, he didn't invite a lot of people (or he did but they neglected (or chose) not to come) He celebrated his sixteenth birthday two days before the outbreak hit but only a small number of people remembered. Uraraka remembered and she was probably the one who told everyone that today was his birthday.
Seventeen. The green-haired boy is now seventeen.
17, I'm 17. I can't believe it.
As Kaminari stops clapping along with the others, he looks over to Jirou and remembers that her birthday is August 1st. Just two or three more weeks and she should be turning seventeen.
I'm also 17, Kaminari realizes. I'm 17 and I didn't realize it yet. I'm going to remember for Jirou so I can get her something she likes for her birthday. But what should I get her?
He decides to dwell on that later as the students sit down on the logs and say their final words before going to bed.
In their tent, Kaminari shakes Jirou awake. "You know, your birthday should be coming up next."
Jirou looks at him. "Huh, you remembered my birthday?"
"Course, how could I not?"
"What are you going to get me?"
"It'll be a surprise."
"Well, I look forward to seeing what you get me, moron."
"And you're going to love it."
Bakugou shakes Camie from her slumber. As she slowly comes around, Bakugou stares intently at her. "Camie," he begins once he's sure she's listening. "I hate to do this to you but you and I need to have a chat, right now. It's important."
Camie sits up and looks at Bakugou with curious eyes. "Okay."
"Not here in the tent, somewhere private, just you and me."
"Just the two of us?"
"I just got something that needs to be said, that's it. Nothing more, nothing less."
"Promise."
"Promise. Follow me." He helps Camie crawl out of the tent. Then, with the bonfire out, they need to wait for their eyes to adjust before wandering off. They head into one of the stores before taking shelter in the men's room. Once they're secure, Bakugou locks the door.
Camie turns and faces Bakugou with her arms folded across her chest. "So, Bae, what's this about?"
"I wanted to talk to you about your teammates. There was something I needed to get off my chest." Bakugou suddenly goes quiet, so quiet, you could hear a pin dropping from China. Camie kept her mouth shut and waited for Bakugou to say something but she couldn't help but notice the somber look on his face.
Bakugou steadies his breath as he looks at Camie with light reflecting off his eyes like glass. "Camie, I am so sorry. I am so sorry for your teammates."
Camie continues to say nothing and simply lets Bakugou express himself.
"It's my fault they're dead." Bakugou's voice trembles like an ocean on the beach and he forgets to breathe for a second. "I am so sorry. I am so fucking sorry for your loss. I... it's been eating me away for the last three days. I... I can't get their deaths out of my head. It's... it's like it's constantly playing on loop. Seeing the bridge float away, seeing that monster in the distance killing your classmates, my classmates... I can't get the image out of my head."
Camie steps forward but doesn't let her guard down.
"I should've listened to you." He closes his eyes as he tears up. "I should've listened to you when you said not to take the Clay Bridge. I... I thought you were a bunch of fakers and losers for thinking that a sea monster was real and we shouldn't cross the bridge. But... if I had only listened, if I had just had some common sense, your teammates would still be alive." He lowers his head and sobs. "Eijirou, Mina, Shinsou, all of your classmates... it's because of me they're dead. Because I forced them to drive over that bridge.
"I can tell Deku and Kaminari are mad at me for not listening to you but they won't say anything. I don't know what to fucking do. I just... I just... I don't know what to do. What to say? I don't know. I just... I just wanted you to know I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Camie, I'm so sorry you lost your teammates because of me. I'm sorry... I'm sorry... I'm sorry..."
Bakugou is unable to stop the dam from breaking and falls to his knees, sobbing his heart out. Camie bites her lower lip and takes a step forward, her shoulders slumping as the dam inside her breaks as well. Without thinking, she rushes to Bakugou, wraps him in a deep hug, and cries into his shoulder.
"Please," Camie whispers into his shoulder, which muffles her speech a bit but Bakugou still manages to hear. "It's not your fault. You didn't do anything. It's not your fault... you didn't kill my teammates. You didn't kill your friends either."
"I promised Kendo that my entire squad would come back without any casualties and... I fucking failed."
"It's not your fault, bae, I promise. You didn't kill them. It was Cthulhu."
"But... I should've known Cthulhu was there."
"We had no choice but to cross the bridge. If we took too long, the League could've done more damage to your home and probably killed more of your classmates. Please, please, Bakubae, it wasn't your fault."
"I promised that they wouldn't die."
Camie strokes the back of his head. "Bakubae, please, it wasn't your fault. Please, don't blame yourself. The League of Villains... they... they set up the horde and forced us to take the bridge like Deku said. It's their fault our teammates at dead." She hugs him tighter and wipes a tear away. "Please, please don't blame yourself. Please don't."
"Why shouldn't I..."
"I'm still alive. Bakubae, I'm still alive, doesn't that count?"
Bakugou wraps his arms tighter around Camie, afraid that if he let go then she would float away. "I'm sorry..."
"Bakubae, I don't blame you for anything. I don't blame you at all. Please, don't blame yourself." She waits a few seconds before speaking. "You did save me. You gave me a new home. Your classmates, they're my family now. Thank you for taking me to UA to meet them."
Bakugou continues to silently sob into her shoulder.
"I won't die, Bakuebae, I won't die. Not here, not today. Hate to say it but you're going to be stuck with ditzy Camie for the long run."
After a few minutes of crying their eyes out, Bakugou and Camie manage to calm themselves down and sit on the floor, where they look at each other with their faces puffy, red, and stained with tears.
"Camie, I'm not going to be a skeptic anymore. I'm not going to fall for the villains' tricks anymore. The next time I see the League of Villains, I will avenge your classmates."
Camie touches his hand. "Bakubae, don't let revenge consume your mind. Please, don't. You owe it to your teammates to survive because we have an obligation to live for those who died."
Bakugou touches her hand before stroking it. "I won't lose again to the League of Villains. Not without getting a win of some kind. I'll protect you."
Camie gets up and helps Bakugou to his feet. "And I'll protect you too, bae."
Bakugou clicks his tongue. "Tsk, as if I need protecting."
"Sure you do, bae. You could use real protecting."
"Oh please, if anyone needs protecting, it's you."
"Ditto."
"What do you mean ditto?"
"I'm just saying, ditto. I need protecting, yes, but ditto - so do you."
He rolls his eyes. "Keep dreaming, Ms. Illusion. My goal from before was to become the number one hero and surpass All Might. Even if there are no more hero rankings, I'm still going to be the number one hero."
"And I get to be the number one hero's mistress, right?"
"We'll see."
"I'm sure we will, bae, I'm sure we will."
Day 365, 12:02 PM
On a day like this, people wouldn't be celebrating because today was the day when the world went to shit. When people lost everything their lives were ruined. Their hopes, their dreams, their financial situations, any chance of a hopeful future; it was a day that shouldn't be celebrated. But the students of UA were going to celebrate. They weren't going to let a single day be declared the worst day of the year. They were going to celebrate this day not because it was the day the world ended but because being alive to experience this day was a sign of strength, resilience, and determination. Above all else, it meant that they were alive.
Today was July 17... and it's been one year since the outbreak.
Like the countdown on New Year's Eve, Jirou used the clock on her phone to keep track of the time. When they were down to thirty seconds, the students began a countdown.
Five...
Four...
Three...
Two...
One.
12:03 PM
~HAPPY SURVIVOR'S DAY~ the students cheer.
They cheer at the top of their lungs and dance around the bonfire like a bunch of happy campers. Some of the students break dance while others do the cha-cha.
Ahh, I remember celebrating Survivor's Day One with all my classmates. How happy we were to be alive. There were some dry eyes but for others, not so much. We thought about those we lost along the way and how we wished they were still here with us. But for me, as I danced with Jirou, Kenta, Kuroiro, Komori, and Mineta, all I could think to myself was that I was so grateful to be alive.
I'm still grateful to be alive.
Okay then. I know there's more to this story but I'm kinda tired so if you don't mind, I'm going to turn in for the day and then maybe tomorrow, I can finish up the rest of my story, how does that sound?
Sure thing, man.
Thanks for understanding. Well, I'm off to bed; I'll see you soon, Kyouka. As for the rest of you, I'll see you guys for the next three chapters of my days in the outbreak.
Post-Story Character Status
Alive (33): Kaminari, Jirou, Kuroiro, Komori, Mineta, Kenta, Deku, Bakugou, Uraraka, Tsu, Ojiro, Shoji, Sero, Tokoyami, Hakagure, Kendo, Monoma, Shiozaki, Awase, Kaibara, Kodai, Shoda, Pony, Manga, Yanagi, Hatsume, Camie, Shigaraki, Kurogiri, Spinner, Moonfish, Mustard's Clone, Cthulhu.
Dead (56): Kirishima, Mina, Shinsou, Kamakiri, Tsuburaba, Mogami, Shimamura, Kimura, Mora, Shishikirua, GPS, Katana, Tongue-Tied, Grindor, Boyardee, Skydome, 29 Shiketsu Students, Giran, Big Sis Magne, Mr. Compress, Twice, Zombie Muscular, the Forester, the Cowring Survivor, The Elderly Survivor, The Young Woman, Monkey Man, Magic Carpet.
Total Killcount: 56
A/N: Thank you all for your support and I'll see you next year for the next trilogy.