"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!"
The sudden high-pitched scream erupted from the female students near the window as though something horrible happened outside.
"What the fu…" The male students gasped in shock, taken aback after peeking out of the windows.
With curiosity, Shinji and Shouichi curiously approached the windows.
"What's that?!" Shouichi exclaimed, his eyes widening as he saw the security guard lying in a pool of blood. The rain amplified the horror, making the crimson pool spread more vividly across the ground.
Not one but three men in raincoats strode toward the main building, the building he was currently in. Each step they took deliberate and menacing.
"I~I saw those three men suddenly slit the guard's throat…" The terrified classmate turned to tell her friend, voice trembling with fear.
"What do we do!? Are they heading this way!?" The thunderous gasping and wailing filled the entire classroom, tension and dread hung heavily in the air. It was almost suffocating.
"Shit!" Shouichi cursed under his breath, baring his teeth, as he quickly raced to tap on his phone, fingers trembling.
Calling Akiyama Suzuki, after a minute that felt like an eternity, she didn't pick up. Instead, Shouichi quickly snapped a photo of the dying security guard and sent the message to her. He could only hope if she read the message and came to rescue in time.
"They are entering the building now! I'm scared!" One of the female classmates murmured, her voice terrified. Like wildfire, fear soon spread to every student, loud shriek and muffled chatters reverberated throughout the room.
Exchanging the knowing glance at one another, "Misaki!" "Emi!" Shouichi and Shinji instinctively called out the names of their close juniors. They realised that the two juniors could potentially be in grave danger as their class was located on the first floor.
***
The three drenched rough-looking brutes entered through the gate. Their heavy boots thudded and echoed through the long hallway. The largest one pulled out a sharp knife from his brown trench coat. Their murderous glares swept through the school hallway, seeking for targets. Soon, the massacre began as they lunged cold knives at anyone they had seen. Some students froze in fear, some managed to break out and run. Death came knocking, nonetheless. The splatter of blood painted the walls and floors into crimson canvas. Four students were lying on the linoleum ground, badly injured in a matter of three minutes.
"WHERE THE F*CK IS SAKURAI?!" The big brute shouted in pure rage, his voice echoing like a thunderclap. It was as if he were driven by some demonic force, his eyes blazing with fury. His mouth frothed, resembling those of rabid dogs.
"WE'LL SEARCH THE SECOND FLOOR!" The scarred brute and the muscular brute spoke to the large one loudly, exchanging a nod before climbing the stairs. Their hands were dripping in crimson liquid.
"EEEEK!" A misfortune female student shrieked in terror as she saw the bloody men walking up toward her. She was trembling in fear as her gaze met their murderous eyes, her small body froze like a scared rabbit. Before she could run, she felt a piercing pain in her back followed by the warm liquid spurting out.
"HAHAHAAHAAHAHAHA" The scarred brute laughed maniacally as he stabbed the fleeing girl in the back. The girl instantly fell on face first between the steps, liquid oozing out of her wound, straining her otherwise white school shirt.
"KILL! KILL! KILL!" The muscular one kept chanting, his voice raw and rasp. The madness continued, and they didn't plan to stop until they reached their goal, Sakurai Hiroshi.
***
The petrified students on the first floor huddled inside the classroom, hastily piling tables and chairs against the door in a desperate attempt to block the intruders. The stomping footsteps and frantic screams echoed from the corridor, sending waves of terror through the room. The girls were crying uncontrollably, while some boys grabbed brooms and cleaning supplies, preparing them as weapons of self-defence.
The tall girl, Emi was hugging Misaki tightly as they both were deeply horrified by the outside noises.
"What do~do we do!?" Misaki turned to ask her tall friend, keeping her trembling voice down.
"It'll pass soon, let's keep our heads down." Emi pretended to be tough but in reality, she was scared for her life. Her fingers couldn't stop shaking.
With a sudden loud bang on the sliding door, a hulking brute peeked through the gap, his bloodshot eyes gleaming with malice. His bloodied face twisted into a wide, unsettling grin. High-pitched screams of terror filled the room as the intruder began to tear through the barricade of tables and chairs with ease. While some brave students engaged in a desperate tug of war with the brute, others stood their ground, bracing themselves for a possible fight. On the other hand, the girls huddled together in the far corner, trembling in life-threatening fear.
Bang!
The flying table crashed into the intruder's body from the side causing the large man to sway but he quickly reclaimed his balance and feet rooted the ground.
The large man reflexively turned to the source, the one hurling a table at him. "F*CK YOU! F*CKIN' BRAT!" He screamed and his hoarse voice cracked, seeing a silver-haired boy standing 5 metres apart with a taunting expression on his face.
As the brute directed his attention toward Shinji, but suddenly he noticed another hazy figure in the corner of his eyes.
"Huh?" It was too late, the black-haired boy launched himself in the air and dropped a kick at him, two feet plunged into the face with full momentum. A loud meaty thud echoed thought the hall. The impact sent the large brute slamming onto the wall of stacked tables.
"F*CK!" The murderer muttered, yet his endurance knew no limit as he entered the stage of pure adrenaline. Frantically, the brute sprung to his feet, gripping his knife tightly, and shuffling it around in an attacking pose.
"Shouichi!" Shinji bellowed as he dashed in and performed a high kick, sweeping his long leg like a whip. However, the blow met with air as the brute man ducked masterfully. Without a second to waste, the brute returned the consecutive elbow swing right on Shinji's cheek. The hit connected, the tall boy flew off, forcefully crashing into the wall on the side.
"Damn it!" Shouichi shouted, his eyes widening in shock at the sight of his friend's bloodied head. The once silver hair was now soaked in dark crimson. Shinji was no longer moving, his arms and legs flopped to the sides. Shouichi braced himself, raising his guard as the brute turned and flashed a sinister smile in his direction.
"YOUR TURN TO DIE! HEROIC BRAT!"
The large man rampaged and swung his knife chaotically, but Shouichi managed to dodge and guard his endless swings with his hands.
The boy recalled the practice he had with Ayane and Shinji at the dojo.
Applying the lessons, Shouichi first predicted the trajectory of the blade, and then he either decided to block it or fade away. It had become clear to him that the short knife was much easier to read as the effective length was relatively shorter than a katana.
However, each consecutive blow that he blocked caused his guards to become weaker and weaker over time. At the same time, each dodge depleted his stamina little by little.
"At this rate, my body will give out before the attacker." Shouichi thought as he performed a long backstep. Realising his breathing heavy and ragged, his heart pounding like thunders, he examined his attacker. The brute was contradictory to his exhausted condition as the monstrous beast appeared to be in a relentless frenzy.
"TIRED ALREADY?!" He mocked, lips creasing into a wide smile.
"Tsk! This killer is not a normal human at all, he must be on drugs or something." Shouichi's mind raced, his brown eyes darted to Shinji, still unconscious from the recent blow.
"Oh?!" The brute gasped in mock surprise as he traced Shouichi's line of sight. The man positioned in-between Shouichi and knocked-out Shinji.
Abruptly, the brute turned his back and directed his body, legging swinging forward.
"SHINJI!!!" Shouichi shouted with panic and rushed toward them. Shinji's eyes fluttered open, still dazed and confused. As the monster drew close, knife in hands as he lunged forward, Shinji's purple eyes widened in shock and his hands raised up reflexively.
Stab!