"...Okay, Leone!"
A voice calling his name woke him from his deep sleep.
Leone frowned as soon as he opened his eyes. It was because his sleep had been interrupted for a long time, and because he had someone he didn't like to see right in front of him.
"What. Why."
"What, why? Is that the only thing you can say?"
The eyes of the person looking down at you while standing with your arms crossed are full of contempt. It is a gaze that looks down on others. Specifically, it is a gaze that ranks people based on their background.
Sometimes I feel like gouging out my own eyes. Maybe quite often.
"Then what do you say? Monster cubs outside the outside, even though they are rich or empty years?"
"Hey, you're an empty-headed b*tch?"
"He asked me that again. Do you want to get sworn at one more time, or do you have fat on your ear holes?"
"This damn bitch..."
He uncrosses his arms and raises his hands.
Far from being frightened, Leone got up from his chair and stuck his face in, glaring at the other person's face from a close distance.
"You can hit it. You're good at that kind of thing."
"If you say that, do you think I can't do it?"
It was quite funny to see him pretending to be strong but his eyelids tremble.
Until recently, she was the queen of the school. It seems like only yesterday that she trusted her father and acted as if she was in control, but now she cowers at even the slightest threats.
Soon a deep sigh came from next to me.
"Take it easy, Leone. You too, Claire."
"What did I do! You saw it all, how he treated me!"
"Okay, so please, stop. What are you trying to do by causing trouble among us?"
Peterson, whose horn-rimmed glasses matched him so well that it seemed as if they were the main body, calmed the two down. It was a promised flow. Even Claire took a step back as if she had no choice.
It seemed ridiculous to Leone, trying to preserve his position while the school was in shambles. But there was nothing wrong with what Peterson said.
The more I scratched, the more I lost.
"So what happened?"
"Are you asking because you don't know? You guys...."
"I didn't ask you. Peterson, tell me."
This is not to spite you, but to objectively assess the situation.
I wouldn't bet my parents who passed away a long time ago, but really.
"It's a food problem. Leone, they say you've been stealing it."
"who?"
"I can't tell you that. I just had the information."
Ha, Leone laughed in vain.
"I've never heard of it before. I've never had anything like that. If anything, I would have received less."
"Hmm. I don't believe it either. But it's a sensitive issue. Can you prove it to me?"
"How do you want me to prove it? Show me my shit? Will that work?"
"I bet you're some kind of low-class bitch!"
Claire, who was babbling, ignored him and stared at Peterson. While he was trying to be neutral while criticizing Claire, the arrow was still pointing this way. It was obvious politics.
I couldn't help but think about this every time.
'Should I just throw it all away?'
I really wondered if these guys were any help in surviving. They weren't going to fight monsters. It was just so disgusting how they were just playing faction games with each other's sons and daughters.
But thoughts always remained thoughts.
'It is necessary.'
As it turned out, Leone ended up leading a faction, but that wasn't all. The group was somehow maintained thanks to the more talented guys leading the less talented guys.
Their labor is valuable.
I wonder if it will ever get to the point where I have to reduce my mouth.
"...At least as far as I know, it's clean."
"But just in case, could you please check again?"
"If it's just confirmation, then I understand."
"Thank you for saying so."
Peterson smiled.
A more annoying and unpleasant person than Claire, who always picks a fight with him. After the two of them finished their business and left the classroom, Leone let out a small sigh.
"Ha, I don't like it."
March 15, 2047.
It's been a week since I was isolated at school.
* * *
Boom, boom!
"Oh, really! It's crazy at night!"
"Claire, shh! Keep your voice down."
"I don't like it anymore. When is father coming home…."
"Just hold on a little longer. There's not much left."
Claire was crouching in the corner of the classroom, shivering. Peterson, who was trying to comfort her, looked equally haggard. Tape was stuck all over his glasses.
thud!
The vibrations continued to rise from downstairs. Leone looked outside through the gap in the curtains of the window. There were shadows wandering around the wide playground.
Two years ago, a disease swept across the continent.
When exposed to pollution, symptoms appear where gray crystals grow all over the body. When it passes the 'crystallization' stage and reaches the final stage, it completely loses its intelligence and becomes violent.
The target could be a human or an animal. Even cases of monsters being mutated were occasionally observed. It was a very fatal disease to human society.
The mutants created in this way are called parasites.
Parasites spawn other parasites. When one appears, the contamination index of the surrounding area increases, increasing the likelihood of an outbreak. Like dominoes.
So many cities across the continent are collapsing one after another.
The Mayfield School, a boarding school, was already in a state of isolation when teachers noticed it. Fortunately, the shutters installed last year were working perfectly.
'I think that's the end now.'
The number of parasites outside is increasing. They are banging their heads against the door whenever they get a chance. Not only Claire, but Leone is also suffering from neurosis.
'Outbreaks within schools are also increasing…'
There is no hope if things continue like this. As time goes by, the contamination level will only increase. Claire seems to be hoping for rescue, but Leone has long since given up hope.
In the end, he had to survive on his own.
However, it was not something that could be solved with just a mindset. Incidents broke out every day. External problems were already burdensome, but internal problems were surfacing to make matters worse.
"Leone. It's already been ten days since the teachers who went to request rescue haven't returned. I hate to say this, but honestly, phew. I'm not feeling hopeful."
"Everyone else is like that. They're just pretending not to know."
"But isn't it not the time for that now?"
Colin, the PE teacher who was left at school, pressed the spot between my eyebrows. The frown around his eyes grew darker day by day. But today, there seemed to be an unknown light in his eyes.
"I have something to tell you in secret. Listen without telling anyone."
Too gloomy to be called hope. Something bordering on madness.
"As you know, spellcasters are less affected by pollution than normal people. And there are only two spellcasters left in the school. Leone, you and me."
"What are you trying to say?"
"We are the ones who represent this group. Shouldn't we be treated as such in order to survive? Isn't it difficult to distribute goods equally like we do now?"
These were not words that should have come out of the mouth of a teacher.
A look of disgust appeared on Leone's face as he looked at Colin. Colin also noticed him and sighed, but did not change his statement.
"Think about it. Unless rescue comes, the situation will only get worse."
widely.
Colin patted Leone on the shoulder and left. For a while, Leone couldn't move in the empty classroom. Colin's cheerful voice coming from the hallway was disgusting.
And three days later, a parasite appeared on campus.
"Where the hell did these kids crawl in here from!"
"AAAAAH! Le, Leone. Help me…!"
Kwajik!
Leone hit Parasite in the head with a baseball bat. It was a weapon he had brought from the gym's supply room right after the incident. In his experience, it was easier to handle and more effective than a sword.
It wasn't the first time I'd been in combat. I'd gone into the dormitory to get food. Every time I'd had to swing my weapon, and just like now, I'd have to get covered in blood.
This was the reason why a working student without parents was able to establish his position.
"What are you doing, you idiots! Throw a chair!"
An ordinary body strengthening spell.
It was an ability that was intuitively helpful because it was ordinary. She could run faster than ordinary people and swing the bat strongly.
After a fierce battle, seven parasites were killed. However, the damage was as great as the achievement. Naturally, those who took the lead in fighting were killed or injured.
Colin was among the dead. He went too far to strengthen his position, and was killed by having his throat eaten. He killed three of them by himself, so it wasn't a dog's death.
At least he remained a heroic teacher.
"Leone. It looks like the basement has been breached."
"…Let's push the lockers and make a barricade. We have to be quieter from now on."
The limit is nearing.
The wounded died one by one because they could not receive proper treatment. Some of them suddenly disappeared somewhere before they died, and then returned as parasites.
Leone became accustomed to the task of hitting his classmates on the head.
There wasn't a single sane person. They were all mentally ill. Claire screamed under her blankets, and Peterson, who only had a mouth, became increasingly silent.
Leone couldn't sleep.
There were complex reasons. When I fell asleep, I felt like parasites would break the barricades or shutters, and my classmates would commit suicide or cause trouble.
The survivors gathered together and discussed a plan.
"I can't stand this. I have no choice but to escape from here."
"How? Is there a way?"
"Mr. Colin has a car. I found the keys, so I think I can use it."
"How many people can ride it? And where are you going to go in the first place?"
"...Stop nitpicking, dammit! If you don't like it, then just get out of here!"
It was a very unproductive discussion.
Leone closed his ears as the only thing that was repeated was empty talk. Listening to the nonsense of those who were out of their minds only made his head hurt.
Fortunately, contrary to what we had feared, the food situation was quite good. After the disaster two years ago, the school had stockpiled large quantities of long-term food such as canned goods.
In addition, the mouth automatically shrank.
Sometimes, there were students who would quietly leave the classroom without anyone noticing. They were not injured or sick. Once they left, they never came back.
The students, as if they had promised, did not bring up the topic of him.
Leone sometimes had auditory hallucinations. There was a pop, a pop, a sound of something exploding. Whenever that happened, a strange light would flash through her eyes in the mirror, just like Colin had once.
And, and… … .
Boom!
That day, I woke up to a heavy noise. Only after I came to my senses did I realize that I had dozed off. I looked around and saw that there were many students who were sleeping.
"Wake up the person next to you. There's a noise downstairs."
Leone looked outside with sullen eyes. Then he swallowed his curse. The parasite had broken through the main gate and was entering the school.
The shutter, which was like the last bastion, was shattered.
"…Get ready to fight. I think the main gate has been breached."
"Ahhhhhhh…! I don't want this, I don't want this anymore. Daddy…."
I glanced at Claire, who was crouching and biting her nails, and clicked my tongue. She was a useless girl to the end. But now I didn't even feel like swearing, so I silently picked up the bat and got up on my butt.
I went out into the hallway.
There were less than ten people following behind. No, I thought that was a lot. As I turned my head, the early evening moon rising outside the window suddenly caught my eye.
A hollow laugh escaped.
"If I had known this would happen, I would have cracked that kid's head open first."
"Do you want to go back and wake up now?"
"I want to do it too. He put a lock on my glasses before."
I didn't turn back, even though I was giggling. I heard the sound of the chairs and desks piled up below collapsing. It was a noise that would have caused all the nearby parasites to gather.
The stench and the sound of footsteps gradually came closer.
The students waited on the central staircase on the second floor. The obstacles that had been built in advance were quite sturdy. Soon, three parasites, their entire bodies covered in crystals, came up the stairs.
"Take them one by one!"
He dealt with the parasites that were coming over the obstacles one by one. Perhaps because of his experience, he had no trouble dealing with three of them. However, Leone knew deep down that
This is just a drop in the bucket.
- Kyaaaaah!
The roar and the smell of blood drew the parasites. Dozens of parasites rushed in at once. A flailing arm grabbed a boy's leg and dragged him down.
"Let go of it, let go of it… Aaaah!"
The blood spurting everywhere was particularly red. The moral judgment that he should help was quickly dismissed from his mind. Leone shouted as he immediately stepped back from the stairs.
"Get out into the hallway!"
The parasites who passed the stairs safely chased the students.
They ran down the hallway, staggering as if they were going to fall over. A pack of parasites was rushing towards them like a pack of wolves, hunting for their prey.
"Leone, Leone! What do we do now?"
"Ugh, ugh! Why did I come to a school like this, you piece of shit…."
As the distance narrowed, my heart started beating faster.
There was a buzzing sound like an insect flapping its wings in my ears. Although I had imagined death countless times before, when it actually came, I felt suffocated.
The stench numbed my nose. My vision became blurry and tears welled up in my eyes.
"Bogs."
Leone grabbed the bat with all his might. More than fear, he felt a sense of injustice and anger. He was annoyed that he had to become food for a monster even though he had lived so fiercely.
She kicked the ground. At the horde of parasites.
It was a moment when a strange sense of liberation rose from my chest.
Kwajik!
There was a figure who broke the glass window and came into the hallway. Leone's eyes widened. The man's shadow was long and stretched out in the dim moonlight.
Immediately afterwards, a minigun appeared in the man's hand.
-Drrrrr!
The parasites were swept away in an instant. As the ammunition belt shortened, bullets were emitted at high speed. After a brief moment of gunfire, dozens of parasites were all thrown to the ground.
"...어?"
Leone let go of the bat without realizing it. As he stood there dumbfounded, the man slowly turned around. His dry, dark brown eyes stared straight at Leone.
"You're alive. You had a hard time."