Surviving in HOTD

I sat at my desk in Class 2-C, staring out the window. The teacher's voice droned on, a meaningless hum in the background. My mind wandered, as it often did these days.

A folded piece of paper landed on my desk. I didn't need to look to know who it was from. Miku Yuuki. She'd been trying to get my attention since the first day of classes. I unfolded the note:

"Bored? Wanna grab lunch later?"

I glanced over at Miku. She flashed me a coy smile, twirling a strand of her light orange hair around her finger. I gave her a noncommittal shrug and turned back to the window.

Miku was attractive, sure. Smart too. But she was just another face in the crowd. Another person who didn't - couldn't - understand.

How could I explain that this wasn't my first time around? That I'd lived an entire life before this one? The memories were hazy, like a half-remembered dream, but the knowledge, the experience... that stayed with me.

What was the point of it all? To live, die, and do it all over again? Was there some grand purpose I was missing? Or was existence just a cosmic joke, played out over and over with no punchline in sight?

My eyes drifted across the cityscape. Something caught my attention. Smoke. A lot of it, rising in thick plumes from multiple points. And flashing lights. Red and blue, barely visible in the daylight.

Weird.

I scanned the classroom. No one else seemed to have noticed. They were all focused on their textbooks or passing notes or daydreaming. Just another normal day.

But something in my gut told me this wasn't normal. Not at all.

I raised my hand. "Sensei, may I use the restroom?"

The teacher nodded, barely pausing in his lecture. As I stood, Miku's hand shot up.

"Me too, Sensei!"

A ripple of whispers and snickers spread through the class. I caught fragments as I walked to the door.

"...going for the kill..."

"...about time..."

"...poor bastard doesn't stand a chance..."

I stepped into the hallway, Miku close behind. She grabbed my arm as soon as we were out of sight of the classroom.

"So, Kazuki," she purred, "fancy meeting you out here."

I gently but firmly removed her hand. "Miku, I need to check something out. Alone."

Her flirtatious smile faltered. "What? But I thought..."

"Not now," I said, already moving towards the stairs. "Go back to class."

"Kazuki, wait!"

I ignored her, taking the steps two at a time. Whatever was happening in the city, I needed a better view. 

As I climbed, a part of me wondered if this was it. The event that would give my second life meaning. Or just another false start in an endless cycle.

Either way, I was about to find out.

I pushed open the door to the roof, the midday sun momentarily blinding me. As my eyes adjusted, I walked to the edge, gripping the chain-link fence.

The city sprawled out before me, a concrete jungle punctuated by pockets of green. But now, those pockets were marred by pillars of dark smoke. The distant wail of sirens carried on the wind.

"What the hell is going on?" I muttered.

"That's what I'd like to know."

I spun around. Miku stood in the doorway, arms crossed, her earlier flirtatiousness replaced by a hard look.

"I told you to go back to class," I said.

She stepped onto the roof, letting the door swing shut behind her. "And I decided not to listen. Sue me." She walked up to the fence, standing close enough that I could smell her perfume. "Now, what are we looking at?"

I sighed. There was no point in trying to get rid of her now. "See those smoke plumes? And listen. You can hear sirens."

Miku's eyes widened as she took in the scene. 'Holy shit.' She pulled out her phone, fingers flying over the screen. 'I'm checking social media, see if anyone knows what's going on.'

I blinked, surprised. It was a good idea - one I hadn't thought of. 'What're you seeing?'

Her face paled as she scrolled. "It's... it's bad, Kazuki. Really bad. People are talking about attacks, about... about people eating each other."

"What do yo-" but before I could finish, a sudden announcement blared through the school speakers. The voice was male, tense and strained, like he was barely holding it together.

"This announcement is for all the students. An emergency situation is taking place inside the school right now," he said, pausing to take a deep, shaky breath. "All students must follow your teacher's instructions and evacuate."

The announcement continued, the man's voice rising in pitch and urgency. "I repeat, a violent incident has occurred on the school grounds—"

But before he could finish, a series of guttural, inhuman growls ripped through the speakers. It sounded like something out of a horror movie, like some kind of rabid animal. I heard a crash, like something heavy falling over, and the man's voice became distorted, laced with terror.

"Argh! Get away from me, get back!" he screamed, his words almost lost amid the snarling and the chaos.

"Help! Heeeeellllpppp!!! Heee—AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!"

The scream went on and on, rising in pitch and intensity until it didn't even sound human anymore. And then, with a sickening, wet crunch... it cut off.

Miku's face had drained of all color. Her mouth hung open, eyes wide with shock. I felt my own heart hammering against my ribs, a cold sweat breaking out across my skin.

"What... what the fuck was that?" Miku whispered, her voice barely audible.

I swallowed hard, forcing down the rising panic. "We need to get out of this school. Now."

I yanked open the roof door and bolted down the stairs, taking them three at a time. Miku stumbled after me, struggling to keep up.

"Kazuki, wait!" she called out, her voice echoing in the stairwell.

But I couldn't wait. Every instinct screamed at me to run, to get as far away from this place as possible. As we hit the Fourth floor, I burst through the door into the hallway.

Chaos. Pure, unadulterated chaos.

The corridor was packed with students, all pushing and shoving in a frantic attempt to escape. Screams and shouts filled the air, punctuated by the sound of slamming doors and breaking glass.

"Move! Get out of my way!"

"Where are the teachers?"

"Oh god, oh god, oh god..."

I felt Miku grab onto the back of my shirt, her fingers twisting in the fabric. "Kazuki, what do we do?"

I scanned the hallway, looking for an opening, a way out. But there was no clear path through the mass of panicked bodies. And then I spotted it – the janitor's closet, its door slightly ajar.

I grabbed Miku's hand, ignoring her startled yelp, and shouldered my way through the crowd. A few elbows caught me in the ribs, but I gritted my teeth and pressed on.

We reached the closet, and I shoved Miku inside before following her in and slamming the door shut. I fumbled for the lock in the dim light, finally managing to click it into place.

The small space reeked of cleaning chemicals and musty mops. Miku and I stood pressed together, our ragged breathing loud in the confined area.

"What now?" Miku asked, her voice trembling.

"Call for help," I said. "Use your phone. Call 119."

Miku nodded, pulling out her phone with shaking hands. She dialed and put it on speaker. We waited, the rings seeming to go on forever.

"All lines are currently busy. Please try your call again later."

Miku tried again. And again. Each time, the same automated message.

"Fuck!" she hissed, slamming her fist against a nearby shelf. A bottle of cleaning fluid toppled over, clattering to the floor.

I leaned back against the door, closing my eyes for a moment. The sounds from outside were muffled but still audible – screams, running footsteps, and something else. Something that made my skin crawl.

Growls. Low, guttural growls, like the ones we'd heard over the speakers.

"Kazuki," Miku whispered, her voice tight with fear. "What's happening?"

I opened my eyes, meeting her terrified gaze in the dim light. "I don't know," I admitted. "But whatever it is, it's bad. Really bad."

Miku slid down the wall, hugging her knees to her chest. "We're going to die, aren't we?"

I crouched down next to her, my mind racing. This wasn't how it was supposed to go. My second chance at life, and it was going to end here? In a janitor's closet, cowering in fear?

No. I refused to accept that.

"We're not going to die," I said, surprising myself with the conviction in my voice. "We're going to survive this, whatever it is."

Miku looked up at me, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. "How can you be so sure?"

I wasn't sure. Not at all. But I couldn't tell her that. Instead, I forced a grim smile. "Because we don't have any other choice."

A sudden bang on the door made us both jump. Something – someone? – was out there, trying to get in.

"Hey!" a voice called out. "Is anyone in there? Let me in!"

I hesitated, my hand hovering over the lock. It could be another student, someone who needed help. Or it could be...

The growling grew louder, closer. The person outside the door let out a strangled cry.

"Please! Oh god, they're coming! Let me—"

The voice cut off abruptly, replaced by a wet, gurgling sound. Something heavy thudded against the door, and then... silence.

Miku clapped a hand over her mouth, stifling a sob. I wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close.

"We need to stay quiet," I whispered into her ear. "Whatever's out there, we can't let it know we're in here."

Miku nodded, burying her face in my chest. I felt her tears soaking through my shirt, but I didn't move. We sat there, frozen, listening to the sounds of carnage outside our fragile sanctuary.

Minutes passed, or maybe hours. Time seemed to lose all meaning in that tiny closet. The noises outside gradually died down, replaced by an eerie silence that was almost worse.

"What do we do now?" Miku asked, her voice hoarse.

I took a deep breath, trying to clear my head. We couldn't stay here forever. Sooner or later, we'd need food, water. And we needed to figure out what the hell was going on.

"We need information," I said slowly. "And weapons. Something to defend ourselves with."

Miku pulled away, wiping her eyes. "Weapons? Like what?"

I scanned the shelves around us. Mops, brooms, bottles of cleaning fluid... not much to work with, but better than nothing.

"Grab that mop," I said, pointing. "We can break off the head, use the handle as a staff."

As Miku worked on the mop, I picked up a heavy bottle of bleach. It wasn't much, but it could maybe blind an attacker if I needed to.

"Kazuki," Miku said softly. "Before we go out there... I need to know something."

I turned to her, raising an eyebrow. "What?"

"How are you so calm?" she asked. "Everyone else was panicking, but you... it's like you've done this before."

I froze, my mind racing. How could I explain? "I... I've always been good in a crisis," I said finally. It wasn't exactly a lie, but it wasn't the whole truth either.

Miku studied me for a long moment, then nodded. "Well, I'm glad you're here. I don't think I could do this alone."

"Ready?" I asked, my hand on the doorknob.

Miku gripped her makeshift staff tighter and nodded. "As I'll ever be."