Isamu went over to the window, the flickering twilight casting long shadows across the room. Below, the dead staggered and growled, their decomposing fingers scraping at the walls and windows with a relentless, grating rhythm. He leaned forward slightly, the cold glass fogging under his breath.
Takumi joined him, peering down at the mass of undead below. The air between them felt heavy, thick with the weight of unspoken fears.
"You think the guys in the cafeteria are holding up okay?" Takumi's voice was quiet, almost hesitant, as though speaking too loudly might attract the dead.
Isamu ran a hand through his disheveled hair, his brow furrowed. "I think so. The gunshot probably startled them a bit, but they should be fine... I was thinking I should go over there and get them."
"Alone?" Takumi's question lingered in the air like a challenge.
Isamu inhaled deeply, his chest rising and falling in the dim light. "Yeah. No use in everyone going. I'll take a bag, restock, get the others here. I should probably go before the sun goes down, then get back here in the morning."
Takumi let out a soft, incredulous chuckle. "How are you gonna leave? Those things are surrounding the entire building."
Isamu turned, scanning the cluttered science lab. His eyes settled on the rows of flasks and test tubes lining the shelves. A small grin tugged at the corner of his lips.
"The flasks. There are a lot of them. We'll use sound to draw them away, and I'll quickly get the f**k outta here. Same thing tomorrow to get back up here. I'll take a few with me."
Takumi crossed his arms, a wry smile breaking through his otherwise concerned expression. "Looks like you thought everything through, huh? Let's get you ready."
The room buzzed with quiet tension as Isamu packed a few flasks into his bag, explaining his plan to the others. The flickering light overhead cast moving shadows on their faces, making the moment feel even more fleeting.
Descending the fire escape, Isamu and Takumi moved with practiced precision. The chill of the evening bit at their skin, the air carrying faint groans from the undead below. Takumi gripped the flasks tightly, his knuckles whitening.
"Here it goes," he whispered, hurling two flasks far into the distance. The glass shattered with a sharp crash, the sound reverberating through the open space. The dead stirred, their lifeless eyes turning toward the noise as they dragged themselves away.
Isamu waited, every cell in his body pumping adrenaline. Then, without hesitation, he climbed down a few steps and jumped off, hitting the ground in a crouch before breaking into a sprint. His footsteps echoed faintly, but the undead remained distracted.
The cafeteria window loomed ahead, its glass smudged but still intact. Isamu knocked briskly, his heart pounding in his chest. Inside, faces turned toward him. Astrid and Denji's eyes lit up with relief, their expressions transforming from worry to joy.
Denji rushed to open the window, the faint squeak of the frame breaking the silence. As soon as Isamu climbed in, he was met with a warm, almost crushing hug. His body stiffened in surprise.
'Denji has never hugged before, has he?'
Denji patted his back firmly. "I'm glad you're okay, man. How are the others doing?"
"Uh, not bad. We found some new peop—" Isamu's words faltered as Astrid stepped forward and kissed him, her arms wrapping tightly around his neck.
His mind raced. 'Okayyy? How long was I gone? They're making it seem like I was dead. They're pretty hopeless, huh.'
Astrid pulled back abruptly, clearing her throat. "Sorry."
Isamu's cheeks flushed, though his expression remained composed. "No, no. It's, uh, it's fine."
'Not really flustered, but it's an easy one to act. And if I was flustered... well, Astrid would be the one to make that possible. Sorry, Yuto—I know I said no distractions, but life is hell right now.'
"So, as I was saying, we found new people—two second years. They helped us make the sign on the roof. We've got the fourth floor mostly secure, and most of the fifth floor too, which has a restroom, so... everything went well, kinda."
Yuto, seated at the counter, listened silently, his faint smile betraying no strong emotion.
Denji, on the other hand, beamed with excitement. "That's great! I can't believe you guys pulled it off—not that I doubted you, of course."
"Did you leave the storage room window open?" Yuto's voice carried across the room, calm but sharp.
Isamu frowned. "You talking to me? Uh, no. Why? Did something happen in there?"
Yuto slid off the counter, his movements fluid but deliberate. "Yeah. One of those things came through and almost killed us."
"F**k. Are you all okay?"
Astrid playfully nudged Denji. "Yeah, thanks to this guy. He killed it."
Denji laughed nervously. "Yeah, well, I got lucky. Yuto's the real hero—he's the one who got the knife and tried to attack it. I just finished the job."
"Tried?"
"Yeah. He slipped on the dead guy's... flesh or something. It was melting off. F**king disgusting."
Isamu's mind flashed back to the undead's sluggish movements. "That's why. I think they're slowing down. They can't even jog, let alone run. Their flesh is dying—they're breaking down. That's a bit of good news, I guess."
Denji's grin widened. "Wait—they're slow? That's great!"
"Yeah, that's how I got here so easily. But the main hall is surrounded—it's gonna be tough to get back tomorrow."
Yuto's skepticism was palpable. "If it's surrounded, how the hell did you get through?"
Isamu shrugged. "Sound distraction. Ran while they weren't away. Though I'm quick—you guys might need to dodge a few swings. It shouldn't be too hard."
Yuto scoffed. "You make it sound like a game. Like we get extra lives or something."
'I'm pretty sure I'd put a few bullets in you if you had extra lives.'
"Sorry, but it's the only option we have to get back to the fourth floor. Don't worry—I'll make the trips to the cafeteria once everyone's there. You just have to do it once."
Denji chuckled nervously. "How about we pack and get some rest? The sun's already down. We should conserve energy."
Isamu nodded, his expression resolute.
Not long after they all grabbed their bags and headed to the storage room, packing all the food and drinks they could fit into it. The room was filled with silence as they shut the lights and one by one took to the floor yet again.