Surviving in HOTD

I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself after what had just happened with Kazu. The weight of the situation pressed down on me, but I knew I couldn't afford to dwell on it. Not now.

"Saeko, Miku," I said, turning to them. "Could you check if the coast is clear? We need to make sure we're safe here for the moment."

They nodded and moved towards the door, weapons at the ready. As they stepped out into the hallway, I turned my attention to the blonde woman who'd been cowering in the corner.

"Hey there," I said, keeping my voice soft and calm. "I'm Kazuki Sorato. Are you alright?"

She blinked at me, her large eyes still wide with fear. "I... I think so? I'm Shizuka Marikawa, the school nurse."

I nodded, taking a step closer. "Do you mind if I check you for any injuries?"

Shizuka shook her head, her long blonde hair swaying with the motion. "Oh, no, I don't mind at all. But I'm pretty sure I'm not hurt. Just a little shaken up, you know?"

As she spoke, I gave her a quick once-over, looking for any signs of bites or scratches. Despite the chaos around us, she seemed physically unharmed. Her clothes were a bit disheveled, but there was no blood or visible injuries.

"You seem okay," I said, relaxing slightly. "That's good. We need to stick together if we're going to survive this."

Shizuka nodded enthusiastically. "Oh, yes! Teamwork is so important. I always tell my students that when they come in with sports injuries."

I blinked, taken aback by her sudden shift in mood. It was like she'd forgotten the horror surrounding us for a moment.

Before I could respond, Miku poked her head back into the room. "Coast is clear," she reported. "But we should probably move soon. No telling how long it'll stay that way."

I nodded, then turned back to Shizuka. "Did you manage to grab any medical supplies before... everything happened?"

Shizuka's face brightened even more, a sunny smile spreading across her lips. "I packed a whole bag full of bandages and antiseptic and all sorts of things. I always like to be prepared, you know?"

She held up a large, bulging duffel bag, looking very pleased with herself.

"Good job," I said, managing a small smile. "That's perfect, Shizuka. You may have just saved our lives."

She beamed at the praise. "Oh, it was nothing! I'm just glad I could help."

Saeko, who had been silently observing our interaction, stepped forward. "Marikawa-sensei, do you have access to a car? We need to get away from the school as quickly as possible."

Shizuka nodded eagerly, her ample chest bouncing with the motion. "Oh, yes! All the faculty members have their vehicle keys in the office. I'm sure we could find something there that would work."

I felt a glimmer of hope at her words. "That's great, Shizuka. Really great. So, where is this faculty office? Is it close by?"

"Oh, it's not far at all! Just on the other side of the campus, past the gymnasium."

My heart sank. "The... the other side of the campus?"

She nodded, looking quite pleased with herself. "That's right! It's a bit of a walk, but it's such a lovely day for it, don't you think?"

I exchanged glances with Saeko and Miku, seeing my own disbelief mirrored in their expressions. Shizuka seemed to be operating on a completely different wavelength from the rest of us.

"Shizuka," I said slowly, trying to find the right words. "You do understand what's happening, right? The danger we're in?"

Her smile faltered for a moment, a flicker of fear passing through her eyes. But then it was gone, replaced by that same sunny disposition. "Oh, of course! It's all very scary. But we're all together now, so everything will be okay!"

I opened my mouth to argue, to explain just how not okay things were, but Saeko placed a hand on my arm, shaking her head slightly.

"We should get moving," she said quietly. "We can explain things to Marikawa-sensei as we go."

I nodded, realizing she was right. We didn't have time to stand around debating.

"Alright," I said, addressing the group. "Here's the plan. We make our way to the faculty office, grab some car keys, and get the hell out of here. Saeko, you take point. Miku, you're on rear guard. Shizuka, you stay between us. I'll cover the sides."

They all nodded, even Shizuka, though she looked more like she was agreeing to a fun group outing than a life-or-death escape.

As we moved towards the door, I caught Miku's arm. "Keep an eye on Shizuka," I murmured. "She seems... a bit out of it."

Miku nodded, her eyes serious. "Yeah, I noticed. Don't worry, I've got her."

We stepped out into the hallway, the eerie silence broken only by our footsteps and Shizuka's occasional humming. 

The corridors stretched ahead, dark and quiet. Too quiet. Saeko led us forward, her wooden sword at the ready. Each step echoed against the walls despite our best efforts.

A classroom door creaked open. A zombie stumbled out, its jaw hanging loose, exposing blackened teeth. Saeko struck without hesitation, her wooden sword cracking against its shoulder. The thing spun, slamming into the wall.

"Keep moving," she said, already stepping past it.

I followed her lead, driving my mop handle into another zombie's chest. It staggered back, giving us the space we needed.

"Why aren't you killing them?" Shizuka whispered behind me, her voice tight with panic.

I glanced back. Her eyes were wide, darting between the fallen zombies. "Can't waste the energy," I said. "Might need it later."

"Precisely," Saeko said, her eyes locked on the path ahead. "Choose your battles carefully."

The faculty office wing appeared at the end of the hall. My chest tightened. Desks and chairs blocked the entrance, piled high against the door. And from inside - groans. Shuffling footsteps.

"Shit," I muttered.

Saeko stopped, raising her sword. "They're in there."

"No," Shizuka said. "No no no. The keys... we need those keys."

I turned to her. "Is there another way in? Anything?"

She pressed her hands against her temples, eyes squeezed shut. "The... the fire escape. It leads right to the faculty lounge."

"Outside?" Miku asked. "Are you crazy?"

"Got a better idea?" I said.

No one spoke. 

"Right then. Fire escape it is."

We backtracked through the halls, past the zombies we'd knocked down. Some were starting to get up again. I smashed the nearest window with my mop handle, glass tinkling to the ground.

"Ladies first," I said.

Shizuka climbed through awkwardly, her skirt catching on the broken glass. I steadied her as she wobbled on the metal grating. Saeko followed smoothly, then Miku. I came last, the cool air hitting my face.

The fire escape groaned under our weight. Below, the courtyard lay empty except for a few still bodies. We crept upward, metal steps clanging softly with each step.

The second floor was dark. Somewhere in the shadows, zombies shuffled and moaned. We moved carefully, pressing against walls, checking corners.

A loud clatter made us freeze. Shizuka had tripped, sprawling forward.

"Sorry!" she squeaked. "These heels-"

"Shh!" Saeko knelt beside her, grabbed her skirt, and tore it up the side.

Shizuka's hands flew to her mouth. "Are you insane?" she hissed. "This is Christian Dior!"

"Your clothes or your life?" Saeko's voice was ice.

"Both matter!" Shizuka's lower lip trembled.

"We don't have time for this," I murmured. "Shizuka, I know it sucks, but Saeko's right. We need to be able to move fast, and that tight skirt wasn't doing you any favors."

Shizuka's pout deepened, but after a long, tense moment, she sighed in resignation. "Fine," she muttered. "But I'll have you know, those were limited edition."

Miku snorted, examining the torn designer skirt. "Please, that's from the 2011 fall collection. The 2014 line had much better stitching and fabric quality. Trust me, we did you a favor."

Saeko's jaw tightened, but before she could respond, gunshots cracked through the air. Three sharp reports, followed by the wet impact of a body hitting tile.

"Faculty room," Saeko whispered, already moving.

A scream pierced the silence - raw, primal. Human.

We ran, our footsteps thundering against the floor. The screaming continued, rising higher until it hurt to listen. Then came another sound - a mechanical whine that set my teeth on edge.

"I CAN'T TAKE THIS ANYMORE!" The voice broke on the last word. "SOMEONE PLEASE!"

I rounded the corner and stopped dead. A girl knelt on the floor, pink hair matted with blood splatter. She gripped a power drill in both hands, driving it into a corpse's skull. Over and over. Dark fluid sprayed across her uniform.

To her right, a heavyset kid fumbled with a nail gun, dropping nails as he tried to reload. Two more infected shuffled toward a couple backed against the wall - a woman with her hair in a ponytail and a guy who looked ready to throw down.

"Saeko, left zombie. Miku, guard Shizuka. I'll get right side. Shizuka, stay back." The words tumbled out as I charged forward.

I moved towards the guy with the baseball bat as Saeko darted left. The infected lunged for him, but he was ready. His bat connected with its jaw in a spray of rotted flesh. The thing staggered but didn't fall.

"Duck!" I shouted, already swinging my mop handle.

He dropped low. My strike caught the zombie in the temple, sending it sprawling. The guy didn't hesitate - he brought his bat down hard on its skull. Once. Twice. The wet crunch of bone echoed through the hallway.

Saeko reached the orange-haired girl in three fluid steps. Her wooden sword whistled through the air, taking the infected's head clean off its shoulders. The body crumpled, twitching.

Behind us, I heard Miku curse. A zombie had broken away from the group, shambling towards Shizuka. Miku stepped forward, driving her weapon deep into its eye socket. It dropped like a stone.

Then... silence. Except for the high-pitched whine of the drill.

The pink-haired girl knelt there, still pressing the trigger. Her chest heaved with rapid, shallow breaths. Blood and darker things stained her uniform, her hands, her face. Her eyes were wide, unfocused, seeing something far beyond the corpse at her feet.

I approached slowly, careful to stay in her line of sight. When I reached her, I gently wiped a smear of blood from her cheek. She jerked back, her eyes snapping to mine.

"Hey," I said, keeping my voice low and steady. "It's okay. You're safe now. We're not going to hurt you."

Her grip on the drill loosened slightly. "I... I killed it. I killed it. I killed-"

"What's your name?"

She swallowed hard. "S-Saya. Saya Takagi."

"I'm Kazuki Sorato." I gestured to the others. "That's Shizuka Marikawa, our school nurse. Miku Yuuki. And Saeko Busujima."

"I know who they are," Saya said, her voice shaky but gaining strength. "I'm not an idiot."

"Never said you were." I offered her my hand. "We're going to get through this, Saya. Together. Okay?"

She stared at my hand for a long moment. Then, slowly, she nodded and took it. Her fingers dug into my skin as I helped her up, like she was afraid I'd vanish if she let go.

I turned to the others. "The faculty office. We should get inside, rest for a minute. Figure out what's next."

The heavy-set kid cleared his throat. "Um, I'm Kohta Hirano. And that's-"

"Look, we can do proper introductions inside. Right now we're too exposed out here."

We filed into the faculty office, a ragtag band of survivors seeking shelter from the storm. Saya made a beeline for the bathroom, her shoulders shaking with silent sobs. The rest of us gathered in the main room, an awkward silence settling over us like a heavy blanket. 

Shizuka broke the silence first. "Well, since we're all going to be relying on each other, we should probably introduce ourselves properly." She gestured to herself with a shaky smile. "I'm Shizuka Marikawa, the school nurse. Though I guess that doesn't mean much anymore, does it?"

I sank into the worn leather couch, my muscles aching from the constant tension. "Kazuki Sorato," I said, running a hand through my hair. "Second year, Class 2-B."

The cushion next to me dipped as Miku settled in, her thigh pressing against mine. She shot me a coy smile, either oblivious to or deliberately ignoring the concept of personal space. "Miku Yuuki, also Class 2-B."

Saeko stood by the window, her wooden sword still ready. "Saeko Busujima," she said, her eyes scanning the courtyard below. "Third year. Captain of the Kendo Club." 

The girl with the ponytail leaned against a desk, her arms crossed. She'd been watching the exchange with sharp eyes, particularly the way Miku had claimed her spot next to me. "Rei Miyamoto," she said. "Class 2-B. I'm in the Sojutsu Club." She paused, then added, "Was in the Sojutsu Club. I guess that doesn't matter anymore."

"Takashi Komuro," the guy with the baseball bat said. He stood near Rei, his stance protective even if he didn't realize it. "Class 2-B." 

The heavy-set kid adjusted his glasses. "Um, like I said before, I'm Kohta Hirano. Class 2-B." He fiddled with his nail gun. 

The bathroom door opened. Saya emerged, her face freshly washed but her eyes still red. She'd tried to clean the blood from her uniform without much success.

"What did I miss?" she asked, her voice steady despite everything.

"Just introductions," I said. "You okay?"

She shot me a glare. "Of course I'm okay. I'm not some helpless little girl who needs-" She stopped, took a breath. "I mean... yes. I'm fine. Thank you."

Miku snorted softly beside me. I felt her shift, preparing to say something that would undoubtedly make things worse. I pressed my leg against hers in warning. She glanced at me, rolled her eyes, but stayed quiet.

I glanced around the room, my eyes landing on a flat-screen TV mounted on the wall. "Hey, maybe we can get some news," I said, reaching for the remote.

The screen flickered to life, and I quickly lowered the volume, mindful of attracting any unwanted attention.

A haggard-looking newscaster appeared, her hair disheveled and makeup smeared. Behind her, chaos reigned. Police cars formed a haphazard barricade, their lights casting eerie shadows across smoke-filled streets. Two body bags lay on the ground, motionless.

"—authorized to use lethal force," the reporter was saying, her words tumbling out. "The situation has escalated beyond containment. The dead are rising, and the city is in complete—"

She broke off with a yelp. One of the body bags twitched, then began to move. The police raised their weapons, shouting inaudibly over the din of screams and gunfire.

The bag split open. A figure lurched upright, its face a mess of torn flesh and exposed bone, eyes milky and vacant.

Gunshots rang out. The creature jerked as bullets tore through it, but it didn't fall. It staggered forward, arms outstretched towards the nearest officer.

The camera jolted wildly. Over the cacophony, the reporter's voice rose, high-pitched and terrified.

"No! Stay away! Oh God, they're coming! They're—"

Her words dissolved into a scream. The camera spun, catching glimpses of grasping hands, gnashing teeth, and a wave of shambling bodies surging forward.

With a sickening crunch and a burst of static, the feed cut out. The screen went dark, then displayed: 

"Technical Difficulties - Please Stand By."