Isamu reached down, rummaging through his bag until he found what he was looking for. He pulled out a slightly crumpled joint, then slipped a lighter from his pocket and flicked it, the small flame briefly illuminating his face.
"That's not allowed in the school if I remember correctly," Mr. Kazuki said picking up his glasses beside him.
Isamu smirked, lighting the joint and taking a deep and long drag. "I'd say the situation calls for an exception," he replied, exhaling a plume of smoke that drifted slowly toward the ceiling.
Yuto stirred nearby, rubbing his eyes as he woke. He looked at Isamu, squinting. "Should you be smoking if you're on the volleyball team? Don't you need good lungs for sports?"
Isamu shrugged, leaning back against the table. "I don't smoke that much. Only when I'm really, really stressed." He took a brief pause, taking a look around the quiet cafeteria. "And let's just say… my stress levels have risen a considerable amount."
Yuto chuckled, standing and stretching his arms, joints cracking in the quiet as he glanced around at the group.
They all gathered at the lunch tables, eating stale bread and drinking glasses of milk scavenged from the cafeteria. The atmosphere was tense, but a small sense of relief hung over them after surviving the night.
"You know," Takumi said, tearing off a piece of bread. "Now that I think about it, we're kinda lucky you signaled us with a flashlight last night."
"Signaled?" Astrid tilted her head, raising her glass. "We didn't signal anyone."
Isamu pointed to one of the kitchen windows. "There were repeating flashes coming from that window."
"Ohhh, that," Yuto's face lit up in realization. "Actually, we were testing the zombies to see if they would respond to light. I don't think they can see, their eyes are all gray."
"And what was their response?" asked Isamu curiously putting down his glass.
Mr. Kazuki answered, his tone filled with relief. "They can't see. We're pretty sure of it, almost certain."
Isamu smiled, taking a sip from his glass. "Good. Then we've actually got a chance."
"A chance?" Yuto asked, looking curious.
"I want to go to the roof of the main hall and make a large S.O.S. sign," Isamu said, his tone calm but determined. "If any helicopters pass by, they might spot it. And we'd get a better view up there to plan our next move."
Mr. Kazuki wiped crumbs from his mouth and chugged the last of his milk, frowning slightly. "Not a bad plan. But how do we even get up there with those… things… everywhere?"
Isamu explained his idea, gesturing with his hands as he went on. "We'd use the fire escape to get as high as possible. Two of us could go to the roof while a third person sneaks into our classroom to grab a phone. They'd meet up with us on the roof after."
Kazuki listened thoughtfully, nodding along.
"That's a good plan but it's easier said than done," Yuto biting his lip in concentration. "I think we need to test if we can kill those things. If we can we could slowly clear out some rooms close to the roof we could stay in for a while until help arrives."
The group exchanged glances, a new tension settling over them. They all nodded in agreement, and Mr. Kazuki volunteered to be the one to conduct the test.
Isamu slipped off his jacket and handed it to Kazuki, who draped it over his arms for extra protection. Then he took a knife from the kitchen drawer, gripping the handle tightly as he walked toward one of the small windows near the barricaded door. He looked around and saw one zombie walking around not far from him, a chunky janitor of the school.
Kazuki swallowed nervously, his knuckles white on the kitchen knife and sweat trickling down his forehead. "Someone pass me a book or something I can throw or something."
Denji pulled a book from his bag and handed it over, a small smile tugging at his lips. "Aim for the head."
Taking a deep breath, Kazuki leaned out the window and dropped the book. The zombie's head jerked toward the sound, its lifeless eyes unfocused as it staggered toward the window. As it drew near, Kazuki raised the knife, heart pounding, and swung it down hard. The knife sank into the zombie's skull, the flesh, soft and yielding, almost unsettling. The creature collapsed, blood flowing slowly onto the ground.
Kazuki pulled back, exhaling with relief. "It's dead."
The group relaxed slightly, exchanging looks of grim satisfaction."Well, that's good news I guess," Isamu replied as he walked over to the window wearing his white sleeveless shirt.
'Is it like the movies then? Just aim for the head,'
He looked down at the dead zombie janitor and saw keys strapped to his waist.
"We should grab those keys later—they might help us get into locked rooms if we need supplies."
Isamu placed his hands in his pockets, the joint dangling from his lips as he began pacing, humming softly as he considered the next steps. The smell of smoke drifted through the room, mixing with the stale cafeteria air.
Astrid sat next to Denji, glancing at Isamu with a small smile. "He still won't talk to me," she chuckled softly, her voice tinged with resignation.
Denji chuckled as well. "Yeah, he doesn't talk much these days, to be honest. But don't give up on him, he'll come around. He wasn't coming to practice at some point, so I started dragging him there myself. He'll fold if you try hard enough."
Meanwhile, Yuto walked up to Isamu and started walking around with him. "Hey Isamu, you and Astrid are dating, right?"
Isamu blew a puff of smoke, rolling his eyes. 'Seriously? He's thinking about sh*t like that at a time like this.'
"Nope."
Yuto raised an eyebrow, confused. "Really? I could've sworn I saw you two making out in class one day a few weeks ago. That's weird."
Isamu huffed, throwing the joint into a trash can near the counter. "Don't you think we have more pressing matters right now, like f**king brain-eating maniacs outside? Look if you really wanna know, we dated, yeah. But we're not together now. You don't need my blessing if you want to ask her out or something. Right now, distractions like that are the least of my worries. Use that brain of yours to get us out of here, and heck—I'll be your girlfriend if it helps." He shoved his hands in his pockets, walking ahead without a backward glance.
Yuto walked over to Takumi chuckling and sat next to him on the metal counter. "Your buddy Isamu sure is grumpy."
Takumi shrugged, smirking. "Yeah, he always looks like he's got the weight of the world on his shoulders. Pretty depressing to talk to, honestly."
Nearby, Kazuki sat against the wall, removing his glasses and cleaning them on his shirt. He looked up as Isamu walked by. "Hey, Isamu. Can we talk?"
Isamu stopped, nodding. "Sure. What's up?"
Kazuki's face grew serious. "Last night, in the dark… you said, 'he's dead, or one of them.' Who were you talking about?"
Isamu looked down, his jaw tight. "Sato Kobayashi. He was on the volleyball team. When we were running, he twisted his ankle or something. I tried carrying him, but… one of those things got him. Bit him on his leg. So I… I left him behind."
Kazuki put a hand on Isamu's shoulder, his voice steady and his head down. "I hope you're not blaming yourself. This situation is… f**ked and that's an understatement. Your instincts kicked and ran, that's what any of us would do. It's not your fault."
'Yeah. And if anyone else puts me at risk, I'd do it again without a second thought. If I die, it'll be on my own terms—not because I got eaten or turned into one of them. This isn't some movie where the hero saves everyone. The hero doesn't make it in this kind of story, I don't care what the mangas and movies say...
I'm not a hero.'