Isamu carefully lowered the ladder, his hands gripping the cool metal as it extended with a faint rattle. He glanced down, seeing Takumi and Mr. Kazuki waiting below, their faces tense but determined.
He began climbing up, feeling each creak of the ladder under his weight, though it was quiet enough to keep them unnoticed by the dead outside the window, pressing their lifeless faces to the glass.
After reaching the third floor, Mr. Kazuki took a deep breath, his expression filled with resolve.
"I guess this is where we split. You kids watch your backs, okay?"
Takumi and Isamu gave him a slight nod before their continued ascend. Mr. Kazuki slid the third-floor window open, but a low, guttural growl met his ears. His heart skipped a beat.
Meanwhile, Takumi and Isamu reached the fire escape's end on the fifth floor, only to find the ladder stopping just shy of the roof. Isamu threw his head back with a groan. "Are you f**king kidding me? On the last floor?"
Takumi shook his head, scanning the roof. "No use complaining. You knew this could happen… We can't climb up since the edges are pointing out—we'd slip."
Isamu narrowed his eyes, inching closer to the fifth-floor window, though the curtains obscured his view. "Looks like we'll have to go in through here."
The window protested with a series of sharp squeaks as they slid it open, but the room beyond appeared empty. Isamu scanned it cautiously, then jumped in, Takumi following close behind. Mops and brooms filled the room along with other cleaning equipments, the room reeked of beach and dust.
Isamu put his hands on the metal and slowly opened the door. He took another look around, counting up to three zombies stumbling around in the hallway, closing the door back up with a soft sigh.
"There's three of them out there. The stairs to the roof are to the right. The door to the stairwell looks old, though—it might make a sound. We'll have to move quick."
Takumi closed his eyes for a brief moment, steadying himself before Isamu opened the door back up again. They quietly moved to door, the zombies on the other side of the corridor, oblivious for the time being.
Isamu turned the handle, his heart thudding loudly. 'Please don't make a sound.' He turned the handle, and to his relief, the door opened without a peep. They stepped through, shutting it behind them as they exhaled, almost in sync.
"That was stressful," Takumi muttered, chuckling softly.
"Yeah," Isamu agreed, his voice tight.
Suddenly, a loud growl echoed from the staircase above. With a deafening crash, a zombie barreled through the stairwell door just as they turned to dodge it. Its clumsy attack drew more undead down the stairs, and the ones in the hallway started shambling toward them.
Without a second thought, Isamu and Takumi sprinted down the hall, adrenaline surging as they dropped into a slide, sweeping the legs of two zombies blocking their path. They scrambled back up and charged down the stairs to the fourth floor, narrowly escaping.
Only one zombie lingered here—a former security guard, recognizable by his now-bloody uniform. He swung at them wildly as they darted past, his motions slow and clumsy. They barreled into an open classroom, sliding the door shut behind them and pressing their backs against it, bracing against the furious pounding as the undead pressed up against the door.
Sweat slicked their faces as they locked eyes, both breathing heavily, sharing a grim sense of resignation. 'Did I really have to die with this guy?' Isamu thought bitterly. 'He's probably thinking the same thing.'
Gradually, the banging faded, replaced by slow, shuffling footsteps moving away. Isamu cautiously peeked through the door's glass panel, seeing the zombies amble down the hall.
"I think we're good for now," he whispered, relief thick in his voice.
They turned, taking in the room—a science lab. The shelves were cluttered with dusty glass beakers and burners, and the air was heavy with the scent of old chemicals. Suddenly, a figure popped up from behind a table, startling both of them. Isamu's hand tightened on his knife, but he stopped himself just in time, realizing it was only a girl. Her long black hair draped over one shoulder, her wide brown eyes reflecting fear.
"Who the f**k are you guys?" she hissed, glancing nervously toward the hallway.
'Another survivor,' Isamu thought, already calculating. 'Could be a problem with food supplies.'
"We're third years," he said, nodding to Takumi. "I'm Isamu, and this is Takumi. How long have you been here?"
"Why does that f**king matter?" she snapped, her voice tinged with bitterness. "After the noise you guys just made, we're never getting out of here."
Great, an annoying problem at that, Isamu thought as he watched her pull out a high chair, sitting on it casually, her foot nudging the edge of the table. She started spinning slowly, looking more resigned than afraid.
Takumi and Isamu exchanged a glance, then sank onto chairs across from her. Isamu set his bag down and rolled his shoulders, the weight of exhaustion settling in. "Do you know if there are any other survivors?"
She kept spinning, nonchalant. "Yup. There are two guys over there." She pointed to a classroom across the hall. Takumi and Isamu looked through the glass, spotting two figures waving at them from behind the safety of the door. One was tall and chunky, with short, spiky hair, while the other was shorter and skinny with a shaved head.
'And I thought she was a problem?' Isamu mused, eyeing the larger boy. 'Fatso over there could eat through our supplies in a week, maybe less if he's a stress eater.'
Takumi rolled his eyes and turned back to the girl. "What's your name?"
"Haruka," she replied, her voice flat.
Meanwhile, back on the third floor, Mr. Kazuki lay flat under the teacher's desk, hidden from the undead shuffling around the room. He inched forward, eyes on a stapler lying on the floor. Slowly, he reached out, grabbed it, and tossed it toward the hallway.
The sound caught the zombies' attention, and they staggered toward the door. Kazuki waited, heart racing, until they had left, then crept out and shut the door behind them, breathing a sigh of relief.
Wiping sweat from his brow, he moved to the desk drawers, finally finding his confiscated phone. His relief was short-lived as he pressed the power button, only to see the dreaded no-battery icon flash.
"Are you f**king kidding me?" he muttered, frustration simmering. He rifled through the drawer for a charging cable, but found nothing. After a brief pause, he grabbed a handful of other students' phones and shoved them into his bag, thinking they might be useful.
Back in the science lab, Isamu raised an eyebrow. "Wait, so you've been pissing through th—"
"Let's not repeat it," Haruka interrupted with a shy smirk, her tone sharp.
'Sanitation is low on the priority list,' Isamu thought. 'But we still don't know if the smell attracts the zombies. Maybe we'll find out.'
Haruka's eyes lit up in recognition as she looked at them. "Wait, aren't you two on the volleyball team?"
Takumi blinked in surprise. "Uh… yeah."
"That's so cool! You guys were amazing last year. Made it to nationals and everything. Don't you have, like, a genius setter named… uh…" She squinted, clearly struggling to recall.
"Isamu," he said dryly. "I told you my name like ten seconds ago."
'What is she, f**king retarded?' Isamu thought, unimpressed. She didn't seem too affected by the chaos around them, almost as if she'd given up.
"Oh, right. My bad," she chuckled and continued spinning again.
Isamu scoffed and turned around.
He noticed the chunky kid in the other class was limping, he frowned. "What's up with that guy? Why's he walking like that?"
She sighed. "You mean Hiroto? He got bit by those things like two days ago on his way here."