Chapter 2: The Price of Survival
The morning after their desperate escape, the survivors discovered that hope was as fickle as their dwindling supplies. For one day, they had managed to scrounge enough food and water—yet the next would bring only hunger. Desperation forced them to split into teams of four, each dispatched to search the ruined corridors and abandoned classrooms for any salvageable resource: food, mobile devices, even a means of escape.
The Desperate Search
In one group, Aoi, Senjiku, Asahi, and Ren moved cautiously through the darkened hallways. Their footsteps echoed along with the distant moans of the undead outside. When they reached a secondary classroom—their planned safe haven—they found the door barricaded by panicked classmates. Without an alternative escape route, tension soared.
Aoi reached for the handle, but before anyone could decide, chaos erupted. As the team struggled to force the door open, a hasty decision split their fate: Asahi and Ren managed to dash into an adjacent room, slamming the door behind them, while Aoi and Senjiku were left behind. In the ensuing melee, the two could not break free. Their desperate cries were swallowed by the relentless groans outside, and in that tragic moment, both Aoi and Senjiku perished.
Asahi's heart shattered as he clutched his head, grief mingling with adrenaline. "Aoi… Senjiku…" he whispered, tears welling even in the dim light, mourning friends lost too soon.
A Horrific Encounter in the Library
Elsewhere, another team—Kuroshin, Daichi, Akira, and Toma—ventured toward the school library in search of supplies. What they found there defied all reason: an alien with an octopus-like face, eerily calm and absorbed in reading a book, sat amid rows of dusty shelves.
For a heartbeat, the intruders froze. Then, with a sudden jerk, the creature snapped its eyes upward. Before they could react, the library doors slammed shut. The alien's voice, distorted and otherworldly, resonated through the room as it declared its grim purpose:
"Your kind is weak. Humanity must be controlled. This chip will make you all obedient servants."
It advanced toward Kuroshin, nearly forcing the chip to his neck. The shock sent terror through the team, but just then—almost as if fate intervened—the door burst open.
The Clash in the Library
Hikaru, Kaito, Hiroshi, and Ryo charged in without hesitation. The ensuing battle was a blur of fists, shattered glass, and elemental fury. The alien retaliated with lightning speed: it pummeled Ryo, flung Kaito across the room, and slammed Hikaru against the wall. Hiroshi, seizing a metal pad from a nearby desk, struck a powerful blow to the creature's face. As Hikaru recovered, he launched a ferocious punch, while Daichi joined in with a forceful kick.
In a final, decisive moment, Kuroshin emerged from the shadows—brandishing an axe—and cleaved through the alien's face. For a fleeting instant, the room fell silent, as if peace had reigned. But that calm shattered when a far more imposing alien appeared, its monstrous form delivering a single, devastating punch that obliterated much of the library. Amid the collapsing structure, survivors scrambled for cover.
A New Power Awakens
The destruction sent tremors through the schoolyard, summoning hordes of zombies with their relentless, hungry moans. As the monstrous alien lunged toward Daichi, an extraordinary energy surged from the heavens—a power bestowed by a benevolent, otherworldly force. The shockwave smashed into the ground, merging with the DNA of every survivor in a sudden, transformative explosion.
The alien's eyes widened in disbelief as this newfound strength coursed through its adversaries. In the chaos, Toma, his hands ignited with a burning, fiery aura, leaped forward and delivered a resounding punch straight to the alien's face.
In that pivotal moment, as the battle waged on and the tide of fate turned, every survivor realized that their struggle was only just beginning—and that the cost of survival might forge powers beyond their wildest dreams.