Day 5
The sun rose again, birds chirping in the early morning. Another morning with the growls of the dead playing like music in the background. Isamu sat up rubbing his eyes, yawning and looking around. He was the only one awake, he checked the back of his waistband, the gun was still there.
Isamu woke with a start, blinking groggily as he rubbed his face.
His body ached from another night spent on the cold, hard floor. Around him, the others remained sprawled on their makeshift sleeping mats, their faces slack with exhaustion. He reached instinctively to the back of his waistband, where the gun still sat. The cold weight of it was both a comfort and a burden.
'What the hell was I thinking? Sleeping with this thing strapped behind me? Could've shot my own ass off.'
He sighed, shaking his head as he got to his feet. Stretching, he winced as his stiff joints cracked. Quietly, he moved to the kitchen sink, the faucet squeaking as he turned it on. The splash of cold water on his face jolted him awake, washing away some of the fatigue.
Behind him, Astrid stirred, slowly waking up, sitting upright and squinting sleepily. "Hey, Isamu. What are you doing up do early?"
"It's not early," he replied, nodding toward the dusty window. "The sun's already up. We need to eat and head out. The food won't last much longer, not with the two extras we've got now."
Astrid chuckled a bit, brushing her hair back from her face. "Right. The new second years. How did they survive up there?"
Isamu huffed, leaning against the counter. "Barely. Another day and the girl probably would've died of dehydration. The guys had some water, though. Lucky for them."
She frowned, tilting her head. "Guys? I thought there were only two of them."
Isamu froze, glancing at her. 'Ahhh, she'll figure it out sooner or later I guess.'
"Yeah. There are only two now. But there were three at first. One of them was bitten. It took a while for him to turn. When he did—on the roof—I had to… I shot him."
Her eyes widened, sleep falling away in an instant. "Oh my God. Are you okay?"
Isamu nodded slowly. "Yeah, yeah. I just didn't wanna do it you know. He came at me and it was almost like a reflex."
'Like his reflex was to eat the first thing he saw, which as a zombie is not ideal for us. Oh well, the past is in the past.'
For a moment, silence settled between them. Then Astrid stood and walked over, wrapping her arms around him from behind. The hug was sudden, almost out of character for her.
'This isn't like her, being clingy,' Isamu thought. 'But I guess everyone deals with this nightmare differently.'
The others began to stir soon after. Denji yawned loudly, while Yuto sat up, rubbing his eyes. As the group gathered their belongings and secured their bags, they spoke in hushed tones. Soon, they were ready to leave.
As they left, they tied the cafeteria door shut with a thin blue hand towel— a light protection but better than nothing he thought.
They began to silently walk the campus as the dead crawled around near them, low groans drifting through the air. It was an easy and uneventful journey until they came upon the main hall.
The group ducked behind a tree not far from the horde, their breathing shallow.
Isamu pulled a flask from his bag. The sun caught its reflective surface for a moment before he threw it with a practiced motion. The flask clattered loudly against the far wall, drawing the zombies toward the sound like moths to a flame.
As the path cleared, they hurried to the fire escape ladder. One by one, they climbed, their movements quick but careful.
"That went better than expected," Denji whispered, a shaky smile crossing his face.
Isamu exhaled, wiping sweat from his brow. "Yeah. I think the worst is behind us."
The fragile calm was shattered as a piercing scream echoed through the hallways—a girl's voice, shrill and desperate.
"What the f**k was that?" Yuto whispered, his voice trembling.
Isamu glanced toward the sound, his body tensing. "I think someone's here."
Denji peered through a window into a classroom. "The room looks empty. They must've gone toward the noise. Should we… help her?"
Isamu hesitated. 'We should focus on surviving. But I already know where this is going.'
He gave a slight nod. "You two go up to the fourth floor," he said. "Everyone's there. It'll be safer."
Astrid scowled, her gaze sharp. "I'm not going without you."
He sighed. "Don't worry, I'll be fine." He forced a small smile, but the tension in his voice was unmistakable.
Reluctantly, Astrid followed Yuto up the stairs, glancing back once. "Be careful," she said softly.
Yuto gave them a nod as well.
Sliding through the window into a bloodstained classroom, Isamu and Denji were greeted by a scene of chaos. Desks and chairs lay overturned, smeared with dark, dried streaks. The metallic stench of death was suffocating.
"Damn," Denji muttered, his voice low. "Some sh*t went down here."
Isamu nodded, moving toward the hallway. He peered out and spotted a cluster of zombies huddled around the door to the principal's office. Their ragged groans echoed in the empty hall.
"She's in there," he said. "That's why they're all gathered around."
Denji swallowed, his hands trembling. "How do we get her out?"
'A better question is "Why?", risking ourselves for someone just because went to the same high school. How are people still thinking like this?'
Isamu pulled another flask from his bag. "I'll draw them away again, but the door's probably locked. And i doubt she'll open up at a time like this. You might have to kick it open."
Denji nodded, steeling himself. "Got it."
Isamu threw the flask, the clatter pulling the zombies away from the door. Moving quickly, they approached the office. The handle wouldn't budge.
With a deep breath, Denji stepped back and kicked the door.
It flew open with a deafening crash, and the two slipped inside, slamming the door shut behind them. They put a chair against the handle and turned around with a sharp exhale. ...
They were terrified to see their principal frozen in place as he seemed to be trying to force himself on a girl. Principal Tanaka's gray suit pants down, the girls cloth torn, her green eyes squinting, bloodshot and tearful with her short dark hair all messy.
Isamu's eyes instantly widened, his head tilting to the side. "What the f**k?!"