Naruto ghosted into the classroom complex, a grim look on his face. The entrance was a mad crush of bodies. The sliding doors were gone, glass shards littered all over the floor. Even the windows were choked with bodies crushed under the weight of a mad stampede. Bloody handprints were smeared on the walls around the windows - some grasping, others sliding as the owners lost their grip.
Under the pile of bodies, hands kept on grasping, as though trying to claw their way out.
He was tempted to stay back and observe. He still did not know what caused the transition from dead to energetic dead, but he would have to find out soon.
For the first time in a long while, he wished he could make a clone.
Bodies littered the locker area, students who didn't even make it to the door. Here he encountered a pair of zombies, and he noticed something odd.
The second zombie did not recognise him until he killed the first.
An absent punch, and the second zombie was decorating a locker as modern art while he continued on, his mind whirling.
What drew its attention? he thought.
When he got to the first stairwell, he encountered his first challenge. The stairs were absolutely littered with corpses.
There was no way he was going up without stepping on them.
He doubled back to the entrance and tried to go around to the second stairwell.
Same problem.
He might make his way up, but without diffusing this scenario, there was no way he could justify it. Even if he found someone upstairs, there was no getting them out without clearing the stairwell.
He stepped back out.
Some of the grasping hands now led up to heads, still struggling out of the press of bodies, but more focused on biting everything they could reach.
There was something here - something about the bites. But for the life of him, he couldn't quite grasp it.
Alright, he conceded. I'll have to test it later.
He killed the ones under the press that he could reach, plunging his blade into their brains through their eye sockets.
As he stepped out of the classroom block, he contemplated trying the administrative block when a wad of paper hit him from above.
Looking up, he saw a student waving frantically.
It hit him a moment later.
A living student.
After all the carnage, seeing someone waving at him felt surreal.
She ducked her head into the room she was in - that should be the female restroom - then a different person looked out at him.
A teacher this time - Kyoko Hayashi
Kyoko was just a normal person. She did not have the malicious intelligence of Shido, or the manipulative intelligence of Shizuka. She was a normal woman who did normal things and went back to her normal home after work.
She should be dead. Normal wouldn't have been able to survive.
Picking up the paper, he mimed for a pen.
After some searching, Kyoko threw one down at him.
Scribbling a bit, he wrapped the paper around a small stone, and threw it back into the toilet window.
Kyoko's head disappeared inside for a bit, before the paper was thrown back at him.
Five people - two boys, two girls, and Kyoko herself.
He eyed the distance from the window to the ground as he scribbled. They might just be able to make it.
Kyoko shook her head vehemently as she read his note.
What to do?
'Stay there,' he wrote. 'I'll be back.'
The glimpse into Saeko stayed with Shizuka even after they made their way back to the sports complex.
Her extra bag and strength was a godsend, and Shizuka was very happy with what they were able to salvage.
The zombie corpse was a rude wakeup call, and it made her more thorough as she packed, focusing on what would help her manage trauma. The only things she didn't fit in were the full-sized oxygen tanks, and some IV bags. Getting back was uneventful, and Rei and Kohta immediately got to securing the doors behind them as they made their way to Naruto's office.
Saya had set up a central station at Naruto's desk. Their phones were charging, and Naruto's computer was open, showing a mix of CCTV feeds and social media posts - panicked messages, shaky phone footage of bloodied streets. The small television was tuned to a news channel, where a suited anchor was talking urgently, though the words were lost in silence.
She had a note open, and was furiously writing when the four of them came into the room.
"Wait," she said, dropping her pen and standing. "We're keeping the supplies in Mr Maeda's office."
Saeko just raised her eyebrows, but Saya went on to explain, walking to the door, and leading them to the next office while Rei and Kohta entered Naruto's office.
"We decided to use the whole floor," she said. "We can use the excess furniture to build barricades for the entrance, and it gives us access to four restrooms and showers - three, if we do not use the one in Mr Maeda's office."
"Can we really do that?" asked Shizuka, a bit concerned.
"Sure we can," replied Saya, sounding almost unconcerned. "Naruto's office will already be cramped as it is. It would be better for us to have segregated living areas, and Ms Hayashi's and Naruto's are the only ones with working air conditioning."
"Do we have an inventory?" asked Saeko as she dropped the gear bag carefully. Shizuka dropped her own medical bag beside it, and the trio made their way out.
"We're working on it," replied Saya. "With Hirano and Miyamoto on guard duty… Well, I can't do it all alone."
"Well done, Saya," Shizuka said, and meant it. The girl had, in the short time they were here, started on the beginnings of their logistics, and was working on getting information.
"It is only expected," replied Saya, but she's obviously happy.
"What are the issues?" asked Saeko, her mind still focused on business.
Saya sighed.
"Before that, I need you to see what the scope of this thing looks like," she said nervously.
They returned to Naruto's desk, and she handed a notebook to Shizuka, and another to Saeko.
"Those are what I've been able to glean from the news, internet, and calls I've made.
Shizuka read through, horror mounting with every word.
"Is this…"
"As true as I can ascertain," said Saya firmly. "Now, both of you, swap books, and hand them to Kohta and Rei when you're done."
"Finally using my first name, huh," said Kohta.
"By the time this is done, we might as well be close enough to use pet names - if we survive," she replied.
"This is too big," said Saeko, her face scrunched up mildly as she digested what she just read. "What is our most immediate problem?"
"The biggest one is food," she replied. "We have very limited access to food right now, and from the CCTV feeds, getting more will be very dangerous."
"Have you figured out about the zombies?" asked Rei.
"Yes," replied Saya. "They are essentially blind, but react explosively to sound."
"That sounds manageable," said Kohta.
"If it was, the military would not be falling over themselves," said Shizuka. "How do they spread?" she asked, but she was almost certain that she already knew.
"If you're bitten, it's over," was all Saya said in reply.
"That's all?" asked Kohta.
"Don't be naive, Kohta," replied Shizuka. "Do you have any idea how difficult it would be to rip the throat of someone out with your teeth? Or to rip gaping wounds in their forearms? The bite would likely kill you."
"Ms Marikawa is correct," said Saeko, Saya nodding as she spoke. "They are quite strong. It was very nearly a surprise when we encountered one in the clinic.
"What!" exclaimed Rei. "And you left us guarding the door?!"
"It was just the one," replied Saeko. "And I killed it."
"But you might not have been able to!"
"No. I would be able to."
Damn, thought Shizuka as the girls devolved into a petty argument. What a day…
The zombies were attracted to noise.
He'd made for the campus gate after leaving Kyoko and her group. He was trying to close the gates when the final clue fell into his lap.
A JSDF helicopter squad had flown overhead, and the zombies had gone crazy. They raced after the helicopters - after the sound - in a futile attempt to catch prey, completely ignoring him.
As a consequence, a lot of zombies were pressed up against the western wall of the campus, and spread around the field, meandering after the sounds from the helicopter were gone.
Their hearing wasn't exceptional, but it was enough. Combined with their sense of touch, it was all they had left to navigate the world. They couldn't see. Maybe they couldn't smell either. But they could hear. And that was enough to be a problem.
That was when it hit him.
All the zombies had bite wounds.
All the zombies had their head and spinal column intact.
Some of the bites would have been fatal - large gaping wounds torn out of throats.
Others were on forearms and legs - with long bloody smears on their uniform or skin showing how they got away only to later become zombies themselves.
Corpses with broken necks remained corpses.
Corpses with smashed skulls remained corpses.
Thank god for small favours.
There was a possible downside to closing the gates. If anyone else tried to leave, they would already be at the gate before noticing that it was now locked.
But he was still convinced that it was the best choice.
At best, this was a local incident, and locking them would prevent the zombies from escaping before he could call in military support. At worst, this was city-wide, and more zombies could no longer come in from outside.
A win either way.
When he made his way back to the classroom complex, he noticed the stairwell was now clear. Zombies had, in their zest to follow the loud helicopter noises, dislodged the corpses that buried them, betraying their ability to call on surprising strength and speed in short bursts.
He made his way upstairs, scouting the complex.
Scenes of carnage filled the complex.
Blood pooled beneath whiteboards, providing chilling contrast.
Corpses with extensive damage - a girl who was so trampled that her head was basically mush. Apparently, those corpses couldn't become zombies.
It seemed like Kyoko's group was the only one left in it.
He made his way to them, taking the time to descend to the ground floor via the furthest stairwell from them, and ascend to their level via the one closest to them, confirming that they were clear.
He got to the restroom door and tapped it.
Three taps.
A beat.
Two taps.
A beat.
Two taps.
A beat.
Then he waited.
The door opened just enough to see an eye, before opening all the way.
"Naruto!" cried Kyoko.
"Shhh," he replied, looking about to make sure they were clear. He shuffled in and closed the door behind him.
"They're attracted to noise, so keep your voices to whispers," he said quietly.
No one needed to be told who "They" were.
"What do we do?" asked Kyoko.
The rest of her group was in a sorry state. Takashi Komuro and another boy he did not know were seated on the floor, and Momo Kawamoto and Miku Yuuki were seated on the toilet bowl. They were all liberally stained with blood, and the boy had a bandage wrapped around his forearm.
"If you've been bitten, I need to know right now," Naruto replied.
Everyone looked away, and the bandaged boy broke into a coughing fit.
"Everyone who's been bitten turns when they die." he said with finality.
It took a moment for the information to sink in.
Naruto could see it before she even opened her mouth - her entire body was stiff, fists clenched, her breathing uneven. Her eyes lit up in fury. She turned, about to light into him when he lifted his finger to his lips.
She visibly moderated her volume, but her protest still came out harshly.
"You'd better not be saying what I think you're saying, Mr Uzumaki,"
Naruto didn't reply to her, instead fixing his eyes on the boy.
Momo's face was horrified.
Takashi just looked very weary.
Miku… Miku was looking at him strangely.
He barely acknowledged it.
What a fucked up situation, he thought sadly.
"Answer me, Uzumaki," she hissed, grabbing on to his arm.
"Ms Hayashi," the boy spoke, halting her anger. "It's alright."
"NO," Kyoko cried, heedless of her volume. "It is not alright. It is not alright that this man would…"
"He's right, Ms Hayashi,"
"Don't you dare give up," she replied. "We can take you to the hospital."
"Kyoko," Naruto said, stepping close to her as he finally addressed her. He put his arms around her as she broke down.
"It's not fair," she muttered.
He could feel the damp spot on his chest.
"Mr Uzumaki," said the boy.
He looked up at him in response.
"I don't want to become a zombie," he said, his voice small.
Saya pinched the bridge of her nose, exhaling sharply before flipping another page in her notes. Sleep was going to be a problem.
Naruto returned just as the sky was getting dark.
Rei had screamed suddenly and ran from the small kitchen corner, fear in her eyes, and babbling about someone outside. The wall beside the tabletop stove suddenly moved inwards, and Naruto slipped in.
Rei was still annoyed about the whole thing.
Honestly, Saya didn't blame her. She was pretty annoyed too.
Naruto had hurried out and down the stairs, Saya trailing behind him as he opened the barriers at the top and bottom of the stairwell and made his way to the main entrance of the complex.
He opened them, and four people came in, looking absolutely exhausted.
Ms Hayashi was the only teacher in the group, and the other three followed her nearly on autopilot. She signalled the woman who even in this scenario still had her jacket on, and led the group upstairs, not waiting for Naruto.
Ms Marikawa was waiting at the top of the stairs.
Her eyes widened as she took in the group. She nodded to Saya, and quietly took over, whispering with Ms Hayashi as they went.
Meanwhile, Saya waited for Naruto at the stairwell.
He was back in a couple of minutes, gesturing for her to come down.
"All the entrances and exits have these grates," he began without preamble, already walking towards the nearest one. "Both inside and out."
"We've already secured them," she replied.
"That's a bad habit to fall into," he responded. "You need to physically see the barriers locked at least twice a day - and absolutely before going to bed."
She kept silent and followed him as he made a circuit round the ground floor.
"Satisfied?" she asked.
"It'll do for tonight," he replied seriously. "Now, before we go up, what is our biggest challenge right now?"
"It'd have to be food," she replied, sighing. "Papa said that this outbreak is widespread."
"Like the whole of Japan?" he asked incredulously.
"More like the whole world," replied Saya, her voice almost a whisper.
He stood stunned for a moment before making his way back up the stairs. She followed him, quiet, and just a bit depressed. Actually saying it out loud drove home the enormity of what she was trying to do.
What am I even doing?, she wondered. I'm just a high school student!
"Hey," Naruto said.
She looked up at him.
"Well done, Saya."
She felt her cheeks heating up in embarrassment.
"Many people would have broken down," he continued. "It is easy to think that just because you cannot fight, therefore you have to be useless."
"Who said I can't fight?!" she protested.
He ignored her outburst.
"We need all kinds," he continued. "Especially people like you."
He reached out and patted her shoulder, gently prodding her ahead of him while he turned to draw down the grate at the top of the stairwell.
Somehow, he managed to speak to her concern directly.
I'm not like Saeko - or even Rei, she thought. I'm not even like Shizuka, who is an actual doctor. All I can do is to support however I can.
She watched him out of the corner of her eyes as they entered his office.
I may not know what papa sees in him, she thought. But I know why I'll follow him.
Naruto scared her.
Even with the history between them, the man was the still scariest person she knew, or knew of.
If you told anyone that the man was 22 years old, you'd probably be mocked.
Seeing him in school, watching him interact with the students, you would not believe that he was the same person who had nearly killed her at least once that she was aware of.
Who had killed someone that she was aware of…
She'd initially thought he was some kind of Yakuza.
It would have fit.
His missing arm - not that it affected him in any way she could observe.
His hair - that just seemed like it was tailored for that image.
His voice, with its raspy timbre.
It fit into her romantic fictions.
It was also obviously wrong.
His house was very neat. It had stood out to her the first time she was there. She could remember thinking that it was a pleasure to see a clean man.
God, my thoughts are wandering…
She stood absently under the showerhead, allowing the water to run down her hair and head, to the rest of her body.
It was better than thinking about what happened.
I didn't even know his name… and yet…
The cold water was something to focus on. She stayed there until her nipples felt like they would fall off before turning the water off.
She was the last of the females to freshen up. It was ironic that she was here, in her office bathroom.
In this office bathroom.
She suddenly did not want to be in there again.
Who would have thought that her office as the ping pong advisor would come in handy?
I bet he would have, she thought to herself, almost bitterly.
She loved him because he was too good for her.
She hated him because he was too good for her.
God I hate this office… He's why I never come here again…
She stepped into the room.
There were only 3 proper sleeping bags, and all three were here in the room for the females.
Shizuka had one. She had the second one.
Saeko turned down the third.
She probably wants something she can get out of in a hurry.
Miku and Momo wanted somewhere they could sleep together.
And who would blame them?
Saya and Rei took the third one.
Her mind churned as she wore one of the generic tracksuits they scavenged.
Saya…
Saeko…
Shizuka…
Rei…
All young, nubile things.
All competent.
Useful.
And here she was, past 30, washed up, and completely useless in crisis.
It should have been me…
She was the oldest in the group - not that you'd tell watching Naruto.
She was also the most useless.
Even in a hypothetical situation where we restart civilization, she thought, I'm still useless for childbearing…
Saeko was not in the room yet.
Shizuka, Rei and Saya were fast asleep.
Momo sounded like she was comforting Miku and failing.
I should probably step in, she thought.
She hesitated.
Miku probably doesn't think I can do anything useful, she told herself bitterly. At least Momo was small enough to share the bedding with her and give her the comfort of human contact.
As she climbed into the bedding, she had only one thought.
What am I even doing?
It chased her to her dreams.
"Yes father…"
Mr Uzu… Naruto sat across from her while she was on the phone with her father. Even now, he barely seemed tired.
I wonder how long he can go for?
Sparring with Naruto would be an exhilarating experience.
Likely more for me than for him, she thought.
His stamina and footwork probably put him in her father's league. She had not seen him fight, but she did not need to.
He looked like he knew his way around his weapon, whatever it might be.
Like her father, he seemed to be a man of few words.
Maybe there was still that divide between them and him in his mind.
Not that she cared too much about that. After all, his results spoke for him.
Somehow, he went into the infested campus, closed the main gate, found survivors, and brought them back without incident.
And somehow got to the small balcony behind the kitchen area - quietly, without any ladder or rope.
Absurd.
She watched the man watch her, paying the bulk of attention to the sitrep her father was giving, but sparing some thought for the man across from her.
In a way, I am glad, she thought. This whole experience has been exhilarating.
There were four offices in this wing of the floor - Naruto's, Ms Hayashi's, Mr Koichi, and Mr Maeda.
Mr Koichi and Mr Maeda were almost never in these offices. The rooms were basic impersonal things with no form of customisation. Ms Hayashi still visited her office, but less than she used to. Naruto was the only teacher who practically lived there.
The women were sleeping in Ms Hayashi's office - the largest of the four. All the extra furniture from the four rooms after making some barricades were stuffed into Mr Koichi's office. Mr Maeda's office was their store, and the men would sleep in Naruto's office, which doubled as their information centre since it was the only office with a working computer and internet.
It was well and truly dark outside now.
Naruto insisted - and she agreed - that they do not attract any attention by being brightly lit. Fortunately, the controls for the interior and exterior flood lights could be accessed from their wing. He'd turned off the exterior light, leaving the normal security floodlights on, but the entire group balked at turning the interior lights off.
Even her.
No one was interested in sleeping without lights.
Especially now.
So, Naruto had moved the blinds from the two other male offices to his and Ms Hayashi's - those windows opened into the central gym space in any case. He doubled the blinds that were over the windows facing outside, and removed some light fixtures, doing his best to reduce the light that might be seen from outside as much as possible
It would have to be enough.
"Therefore, you need to come up with a plan - fast. Moving is not an option - at least for now," said her father.
"I understand, father," she replied. "We are already making steps in that direction."
"Run these by Saya when she wakes up," her father continued. "Where I am is still classified, but we're working on something."
"Yes, father."
"And Saeko? Well done."
The call ended with a click, and she dropped the phone on the table gently.
"I take it that the city is a no-go for now," asked Naruto.
He'd not said anything about the way she was eyeing him up.
"It is," she replied. "If we went, we'd have to go on foot, and that is just asking to be killed."
"I guessed as much," Naruto sighed, getting to his feet.
"Go and get some sleep," he said. "We have a long day tomorrow."