Chereads / Outbreak Chronicles: Dead Pandemic / Chapter 43 - Passage of the Dead

Chapter 43 - Passage of the Dead

Day 2: 2:00 A.M.

Kirishima High School - Gymnasium: Entrance

Duration of the Night Rage: 5 hours left

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Burnt flesh are scattered in the front door, the smell is quite disturbing and somewhat familiar. You might smell it like some roasted pork but you know that they are former humans and you just burn them to death. The girls pushes the carts one by one after Kyosei cleared all the bodies away from the entrance. He also finished a few stragglers and wanderers around while he is at it.

As the girls passed by on the dead bodies and smell the burnt aroma, they can't help frown and form a disgust. It might smell like food but it is quite bullcrap if you think about it.

Kyosei also cleared away Sendo's dead body. He felt his pulse and he is quite sure that he died being burned. He also checked his skin and discovered nothing in particular that indicated that he got bitten by the dead.

Kyosei made sure that the formation is definitely warded. If an attack came from their six, Nathalie will inform them, Snow will inform him if there is an attack in three and Haruna will inform if there is an attack at nine. Kyosei is in charge on defending the twelve and all of the directions while Cindy is in charge of bringing the duffel bag and a few of the weapons in the bag.

Kyosei is swift and if they go directly to the hallway, they might survivre and prevail. His only problem is the lack of firepower. He is the only one in defense and offense, if an attack are initiated in all directions, it will be really tiresome, troublesome and directional problem.

He will deal with the surrounding undead once more. He also made a few Molotov's Cocktail in case for crowd controls. With limited bullets left, a chipped cleaver and the Molotov's Cocktail in his arsenal, he is hoping to survive.

Okabe and Leo are both grunting in pain as their wounds are affected by their posture in the cart. They only persevere so that they can live further on. The blonde boy is still unconscious and has no obvious signs of waking up.

Making sure that there are no more obstructions, surprise attacks and troublesome foes, the group move forward. The cart is not that heavy due to the help of the wheels. The only problem is that, their movements are slow and they can't move fast. Kyosei hopes that no problems will occur.

...

Day 2: 2:00 A.M.

Kirishima High School - Underground Bunker

Duration of the Night Rage: 5 hours left

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Nanami kept her eyes in the multiple screens as she sips her hot coffee. Kyosei ordered her to keep watch and help him on the way to the library and all the passage to reach the said library. She knows that Kyosei did not plead and instead ordered her, but still, it is quite good that Kyosei started to rely on his comrades more.

She finally fixed the static in the camera near the Gymnasium and the scene where Kyosei and the others are pushing carts containing the others. Fortunately, she noticed that only dead bodies and no visible infected nearby.

Miyuki appeared out from the kitchen after cooking food. Yao Lei permitted them to cook food since he already stockpiled lots of food with him and it might go to spoilage if it isn't consumed. Everyone knows that he is alone and could not finish the stockpiled food for five years. At least, they can eat for now.

"Is everything well?" Miyuki sits beside Nanami as she put the spoon full of food into her mouth.

"Yeah, for now. Though I don't know how long. Everything is quite unpredictable for some time now and only just a few minutes that it is peaceful," Nanami sips her coffee again as she looked once more into the screen.

Miyuki look at the surveillance video transmitted by the hacked CCTV. She quickly recognize who is the one in the video who is leading a new group of survivors.

"That is Kyosei right?! I didn't expect him to bring a ragtag group of survivors along with him!" Miyuki comments as she keep on staring at the screen.

"Mmm, that's him. He encountered a few survivors along the way when we got separated after the Juggernaut attacked," Nanami explained to her.

"Juggernaut? What is that?" Miyuki asked.

"Ah, right you didn't know since you got knocked out earlier. From what we see in its features, it is the undead version of Kaze, only that he became tremendously big like some stone giant. Kyosei fought against it before he forced himself to retreat. He made us retreat too, knowing that it is dangerous. Later on, when we got here and got the time to hack the CCTV cameras, I found the body of the Juggernaut lying without its former brutality in the field. From the looks of it, a grenade explosion might have caused it and only Kyosei might have done that since there are no military forces around the vicinity," Nanami explained.

"I see," Miyuki nodded in understanding and then she stayed silent for a while, looking vacant and lost.

Nanami snapped her fingers in front of Miyuki's face, causing the startled reaction of the latter.

"W-what?"

Nanami frowned at her reaction.

"Your thinking something? You keep having that vacant face if you are lost in thought," Nanami sips her coffee again.

"Sorry, I just thought of my family. I wonder if they are alright, with the undead variants and all of these trouble," Miyuki said with a gloom in her tone.

Nanami also turned gloom. Nanami and Souichi's parents are in Kyoto which is later pronounced as an "extinct" or ghost city as the dead are all around without any sight of human activity. Nanami also hoped her family is alive but she is unsure too. Only his brother might be the last relative she have in the world. With the sudden outbreak, its more unlikely that they didn't survive and became one of the walking corpses. If she gets the chance, she wanted to know if they are still alive at least.

Only time and fate knows, she dropped it and focused on her tasks as she stares at the screen alongside with Miyuki to help Kyosei.

...

Day 2: 2:06 A.M

Kirishima High School - Pathway to Old Building

Duration of the Night Rage: 4 hours and 54 minutes left

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The way to the Old Building is quite peaceful, only a few undead attacked them but Kyosei successfully defended, keeping everyone safe. Cindy looked around her as she observe the mutilated bodies of different individuals. There are severed legs, arms, intestines and other kinds of body parts that are no longer connected to the original body. Nathalie also did look around but felt her stomach turn upside down like she wanted to vomit all of the food she ate that night. Haruna also couldn't bear to look as the former school she used to teach the students became a den of the cannibalistic individuals. Only Snow remained unaffected by the scene since she had her fill on seeing different gruesome scenes in just a day.

Kyosei observed the area and for some reason, the lights are on, letting his companions see the gruesome scenes. Since they are still a bit far and they are in slow pace, Kyosei decided to engage conversation.

"About earlier, I entrusted the revolver to Leo, how come it is Sendo in who is holding the gun, leaving the others injured?" Kyosei asked.

Haruna looked at Kyosei before she decided to talk. As she push the cart slowly towards the destination, she began to retell the events earlier...

Earlier...

Day 2:

1:32 A.M

Kirishima High School - Gymnasium

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Haruna idles around as she looked at her phone many times. Like everyone, she is waiting to see the network signal return so she can contact her parents. Her phone is almost around ten percent battery left. She looked at Leo who is currently busy

trying to know the posture of the proper posture of the gun. She also took a glance towards the others.

Nathalie is trying to wake up her brother but still no reaction. Cindy and Snow are currently resting in the benches. She also give a glance to Sendo who is sleeping. She sighed in disappointment. If Sendo has no personal problem against Kyosei, then he might not be that problematic now.

Once again, she took a glance in her phone. The signal is still not available which is too frustrating. She shook her head, she can't let herself get coped up in this situation. Its quite a headache giver to her.

"I hope mom and dad are okay and are safe in a place where the undead are not going to reach them," Haruna thought.

When she put away her phone, she saw Sendo stand up and approach Leo in sneaking way. Leo has no idea as he is quite focused in the gun aiming in the blank area. Haruna was stunned when Sendo suddenly give a kick towards the hand of Sendo which is trying to get focused in its grip on the gun.

"What?!" Leo was stunned and he didn't get to react in time.

Sendo catches the gun that Leo released after the surprise kick. And quickly aimed at Leo's leg, pulling the trigger, giving a crisp and loud bang as the bullet escaped in its cylinder.

BANG!

As the gunshot echoes throughout the auditorium, blood splash out from the wound and dyeing the brown pants of Leo to reddish brown.

"Leo-sensei!" Okabe was the first to react. He picked up the iron pipe and rushes out towards Sendo.

"Do not interfere!" Sendo grinned and shot another round, hitting the arm of Okabe that holds the iron pipe.

"F*ck!" Okabe held back and pick his weapon up again, ignoring his wound.

"Okabe! No!" Snow shouted.

Okabe did not listen and continues on charging towards Sendo.

"I told you to stop interfering!" Sendo shot another round, successfully hitting the leg of Okabe, causing him to collapse and curl up due to the pain. Pool of blood slowly formed under him.

Sendo grinned and took the rope in the duffel bag that Kyosei left in there and throws it towards Haruna's direction.

"Tie these b*tches up!" Sendo pointed the gunpoint to Haruna, causing the latter to tremble in fear.

"Bastard!" Okabe shouted.

Sendo frowned and rushes to Okabe, kicking his face hard, causing him to fall unconscious.

"Okabe!" Snow shouted as she wanted to rush towards Okabe.

"Don't move or the bullet in this gun will destroy your brain!" Sendo shouted as he grinned.

The Taurus series of the Magnum Revolvers are strong enough to kill a human in a single shot if a vital spot is shot. Okabe and Leo are both injured and if they are lucky, they can be able to recover for a month or more but if they are unlucky, they will be forever crippled and the shot limbs are not going to function anymore.

Cindy, Nathalie and Snow are both tied up by Haruna as Sendo is pointing the gun at the back of her head, causing herself to shudder. Sendo did not pay attention to the other guy who is unconscious as he know that it will take a while before he wake up. After Haruna tied up the three girls, he beckons on Haruna causing her to shudder again.

"St..op this... Sendo!" Leo is trying to stop Sendo but has chance to do so.

Sendo give a lustful look on Haruna as he caress her shoulder and neck slowly. Haruna felt the shivers on her spine as his hand slowly tried to force her. She tried to retaliate but Sendo point the gun once again to her.

"Don't you dare, Haruna," Sendo said with a grin...

...

Day 2: 2:10 A.M

Kirishima High School - Pathway to the Old Building

Duration of the Night Rage: 4 hours and 50 minutes left

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"That's all there is. After that you arrived and you rescued us from him," Haruna said.

Kyosei is silent. It is his fault to begin with. His carelessness caused everything to this. If not for the fact that he leave the gun to Leo, it might not happen to this extent. He sighed as he focus he took a glance on Leo and Okabe.

'I may be a delinquent, but I protect the weak against the strong, but f*ck, I can't even protect these strangers,' Kyosei thought to himself.

The path towards the Old Building is quite spacious and there are not so many trees that obstruct or give them any trouble. Since the lamps are no longer around the pathway, Kyosei pick up a random branch on the road and tie it up with a thick cloth he picked up in the locker earlier in case of cloth problems. Wrapping the tip of the branch, he coated it with gasoline and light it up with the lighter.

They have a small torch to light up their way. The darkness is still around them but much better due to the help of the torch. However, the dead might be attracted to the light which is trouble. Its just a hypothesis that the dead can still see as long as they are in the influence of the Night Rage. Due to this, Kyosei is now in higher vigilance. Even the girls are in high vigilance mode as the dead might leap out of nowhere.

"The school is quite creepy at night," Cindy said as she hugged herself due to the coldness of the night.

Kyosei noticed her as he took a glance at her outfit. Besides the pants that she changed from her skirt, her cheerleader top outfit is still the same. The cheerleader outfits are thin which might be the cause of excessive coldness that she feel.

Kyosei take off his uniform again and cover the shivering shoulders of Cindy.

"You should have changed that thin clothes of yours. I can't afford to care for another person in this dangerous situation. I can't have anyone catch a sickness," Kyosei said in a cold tone.

Despite the cold remark of Kyosei, Cindy blushed and feel jittery for a while. She understand that Kyosei might be cold but he really cares. On the other hand, Kyosei did not think it much special since he really is thinking on how it is a drag if somebody get sick. He is quite oblivious on how Cindy is feeling right now.

Just as he was deep in thought, he suddenly caught a movement ahead of them. He quickly gestured the others to stop for a while.

"What's..." Cindy was about to say something when Kyosei put his finger on her lips.

"Shh, I sense enemies," Kyosei is still calm.

"Is it the undead?" Nathalie asked.

Kyosei shook his head, " No, most likely that they are living humans but I sense a strong killing intent from them. I can feel that they are about a dozen or more."

Everyone zip their lips as they try to look and confirm what Kyosei said. As they focus on the front, they faintly hear a few noises. Kyosei already form his fighting stance and unsheathed the cleaver out.

Soon, they finally see who are the people who are blocking them. Its the delinquents. Kyosei quickly know who are they as he is quite familiar of these thug faces. It is quite clear that he already beaten them up in the past and he can't be wrong because he kept on seeing and beating them in a few months before they finally retreated. They are the lackeys of the second most notorious delinquent in the school.

"What do you all want?" Kyosei is quite calm.

The delinquents did not speak and instead, they have smirks in their faces as they revealed their weapons one by one. Most of them are baseball bats however they are modified and are more deadlier. They have nail spikes, metal shard spikes and even barbed wires. Some even took their knives out and swings it around as they kept their sticky stares towards the girls and the girls where quite aware that the delinquents are already stripping them in their minds.

Kyosei calmly look at the people around. The delinquents did not surround them and they are congested in front, most likely, they didn't dare to lay an ambush on the trees as they might be killed in accident from the undead that sometimes wander about and since it is in Night Rage mode, it is harder to escape. He counted at least twenty delinquents which are all armed. He flicks his cleaver and calmly stares at them.

"Its time to kill," Kyosei's eyes begins to squint as he observed the everyone. He plans to not leave any of these delinquents alive and well. Better eliminate all of them than die later.