"!!"A jolt of shock surged through his body, rendering him motionless as he gaped at the ongoing chaos that was occurring on the school field down below.
"GROWL!!" Loud eerie growls echoed from various directions, emanating from what appeared to be the transformed figures of his fellow students.
They no longer resembled humans; not with their red-blinking eyes and strange gray-black veins coursing across their bodies. However, what struck Haru the hardest was their frenzied and bloodthirsty attacks on other students, killing and devouring them with terrifying speed.
"AHHH!!!"
"HELP ME!!!"
"P-Please!! Ahh!!!"
"It bit me!! It bit me!!!"
"F*** OFF!!!"
"D-DON'T LEAVE ME!!"
Panic gripped amongst the students, causing them to scatter in all directions, their frantic screams reverberating throughout the school. Yet, in the midst of the chaos, some still struggled and fought in desperation.
But in the face of overwhelming numbers of bloodthirsty monster, nothing seemed to work.
In the end, they were bitten and eaten alive by the same people whom they considered friends or schoolmates.
There were nothing but loud growls echoing everywhere and desperate wails of the students. The once lively school field had turned into a bloody battleground, with death being everywhere his eyes could see.
"The F*** is going on!?!" Seeing the abrupt chaos as if some sort of apocalypse had started, Haru shouted as his heart pumped aloud.
To someone, who enjoyed spending their time in peace and away from worries of the future, the scene in front of him was a literal hell with no hope of escape.
'No... no...!!' He wanted to deny as to whatever was happening, yet the hell presented before him was too vivid.
'That thing!!' His thoughts then went towards the blue hologram screen that popped in front of him earlier and warned him. He couldn't shake the feeling that the screen was somehow linked to what was happening.
Boom! Suddenly, a startling loud blast occurred from far away that caught his attention in panic.
'N-No, this can't be happening!!' Haru despaired, his mind reeling in shock as to what he just saw.
In the distance, where center of Shibuya City lay, a massive fire erupted, sending up a towering column of smoke into the sky which became visible even ten miles away.
'D-Dad!!!' He screamed internally, a surge of fear and panic engulfing him as he realized the huge explosion could be in the vicinity of his father's office in Shibuya City.
"Damn it!!" Haru quickly retrieved his mobile and dialed his father's number.
The call went.
But, to his distress, no answer came from the other end.
"Come on!! Pick up!!" His voice sounded urgent, laced with panic as he attempted to call once again, but to his dismay, the result remained unchanged.
"Shit!!!"
After removing his phone from silent mode incase his father called back, Haru knew he couldn't afford to waste any more time there. Therefore, he quickly leaped down onto the terrace floor to reunite with his friends and Sensei, knowing that they could fall in danger with the presence of man-eating monsters.
"!!" But as he landed, his eyes fell over a silhouette at the corner of the terrace.
"Oi!!! Miami!! Are you alright!?" He called out, rushing to her side as he found her lying unconscious on the terrace.
"Hey!! Wake up!!" Haru pleaded, squatting near her, his concern and worry evident in his eyes.
But the second he touched her back, a low growl reached his ears, sending a chill down his spine.
"M-Miami?" His voice quivered, observing her body twitching uncontrollably.
"P-Please... t-tell me you are joking with me...right?" His words trembled as he slowly withdrew his arm, inching away from her.
'No... S-She wouldn't become like them!!'
His body instinctively made a distance between them but his mind was not ready to accept what was happening to her despite inwardly knowing or understanding that she might be becoming like those being he saw on the field.
"Growl" Again, a low, strange growl emitted from her as she suddenly stopped twitching and slowly rose to her feet.
'Please... Please... Please...' His mind desperately denied the possibility, hoping for a better outcome.
But the moment Miami turned toward him, his heart and hopes were shattered.
Her once beautiful and charming face was gone, replaced by eyes that blinked red and strange, dark veins that coursed all over her body, signaling that she had become an unknown being - a Zombie.
"Miami--"
"GROWL!!!!"
Seeing Haru standing in front of her, stunned in disbelief because of her transformation, she jumped straight toward him at an astonishing speed.
"!!!" Her sudden action took him out of his shock state, but it was a little too late.
With an incredible strength that she never had before, Miami easily pushed Haru down and attempted to bite him with her bloodied mouth.
"Growl! Growl!"
"Miami!! Please!!" In a desperate attempt to defend himself, Haru somehow managed to keep Miami at arm's length, preventing her from sinking her teeth into his flesh.
'How did she become this strong!!!' As Haru struggled to keep Miami at bay, he couldn't shake the shock from realizing her newfound strength.
Despite him being stronger than his classmates, he found himself nearing his limits as he grappled to fend off her threatening teeth and relentless force.
'I have no other choice!!!!'
"HA!!" As a last resort, Haru summoned all his remaining strength and thrust his legs forward, delivering a forceful kick that sent her body tumbling backward.
Hurriedly, Haru scrambled to his feet and dashed toward the wall to seize an old wooden stool which he knew was laying there unused.
Originally, his plan was to escape from the terrace, but in the midst of pushing her away, she had fallen in the direction of the only exit, eliminating his chance of escape.
"Growl..." It didn't take more than a few seconds for her to swiftly rise and leap toward him with alarming speed.
Fortunately, he had armed himself with the stool with which he halted her approach and maintained a safe distance of a meter between them.
"Miami!! P-Please stop!!" he desperately pleaded, even though he knew it was futile to reason with her.
But he couldn't just give up on her that easily.
She was one of his close friends, who had agreed to play the role of his girlfriend for his selfish reasons without asking for anything in return.
Despite their usual banter, teasing and occasional arguments, they cared for one another deep down. That was why it hurt him deeply to witness her in a state where she wasn't herself anymore.
"Growl!!"
But, no matter what Haru attempted to communicate or reason, nothing seemed to get through to her. Instead, it only escalated her bloodlust as she relentlessly attempted to sink her teeth into him.
'It's not working!! I can't hold on much longer!!' Unlike her, Haru was just an ordinary human, and his strength was fading as the time went on.
'D-Do I have no other choice?' Haru despaired, contemplating what fate might befall her if he were to take an offensive stance.
Just the thought of harming someone he cared for deeply filled his heart with anguish.
Nevertheless, he felt like he had no other option if he wanted to live.
That was the beginning of the harsh reality that just started for him.
"I am sorry..." Haru uttered with a heavy heart, fully aware of what he was about to do.
Using his leg, he once again pushed her away, but this time, he did not attempt to flee.
"HAAAAA!!!!!" he shouted aloud as he raised the stool high up and brought it down with all his might onto Miami's head as her body was still unsteady.
Bang! The stool immediately came in contact with her head and sent her straight on the ground with her neck bent in the opposite direction.
Immediately, her body dropped onto the ground.
This time, there was no movement from her as she lay still, her body at an eerie peace.
"Ha Ha Ha..." Haru gasped, dropping to the floor not in exhaustion but in remorse, guilt, and a flood of negative emotions that overwhelmed his mind.
'I-I killed her...' He couldn't believe his eyes as he observed her motionless body.
Memories and moments he had shared with her flooded his mind, breaking him further.
"Why... Why... Why..." His hands trembled involuntarily as he gazed at her lifeless form, consumed by agony.
As Haru clenched his head in agony and despair of killing someone important to him, a small, strange white orb emerged from her body and swiftly moved towards him.
"!!" Haru instinctively attempted to block it, but it passed through his hand and entered his body.
[You killed a Level 1 Zombie! 1 EXP gained!]
Suddenly, that same hologram screen appeared before him, displaying various messages.
[ERROR!! The system has not been downloaded yet!!]
[Since the system is still initializing, it will accumulate the EXP!!]
[Please wait...]
"You!!" Haru's heart filled with rage as he yelled at the screen, "What the hell are you!? WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO US!?"
But just like before, the moment it displayed the message, it vanished without a trace.
"AAAAAAHHHHHH!!!"
As Haru cried out in agony, his emotional turmoil overshadowed his perception, causing him to overlook a significant change in the screen-panel. Unlike its initial appearance in a shade of blue, this time it gleamed in a striking golden hue.
Bzz! Bzz! Bzz!
Bzz! Bzz! Bzz!
Suddenly, his phone started ringing, pulling him out of his negative emotions.
"Eh!? Aki!?"
Haru quickly answered the call from his stepsister, asking anxiously, "Aki! Where the hell are you? A-Are you alright!?"
His heart was pounding in his chest.
After losing Miami, he couldn't bear the thought of something worse happening to Aki. It was true that he had been a jerk to her in the past for a reason, but with the things happening around and after what happened with Miami, he couldn't bear to lose another person, whom he hold dear deep within his heart.
"Haru!? Thank goodness you're safe! I-I'm okay for now. But things are getting bad!" Aki's voice sounded relieved yet worried.
"Where are you? Are you still in the class?" Haru urgently inquired, not wanting to leave her alone in danger.
"No! I am in the Chemistry lab—"
"Eh? Hello? AKI!?" Haru's heart raced as her voice abruptly cut off.
He immediately called her again, only to find that his phone had no signal available.
"Damn it! Why now!?" he exclaimed in frustration.