“So, what's the plan?”

Rin leaned against a shelf and waved at Katashi.

He did not answer.

“Hey, Samurai, are you just going to stay in here until they covered up outside?”

Katashi still had his sword in his hands, focused on the door.

“You seem quite brave, but not very smart, huh?”

“Shh!” – Katashi didn't look back, but his actions showed that he didn't seem to be very interested in Rin Murasaki's question.

“Whatever you want.” – Rin shrugged. Her attitude didn't seem to be joking at all.

Rin also ignored Katashi and turned to me.

"Hello there?"

Rin's sharp gaze shot towards me, her facial expression didn't seem threatening, but her eyes exuded an aura of power that made me want to shrink.

“You're Hana Tachibana from class 3A, right? You two just barged in here without any plan?”

That… I should be asking you.

"Actually…"

Not giving me time to answer, Rin immediately looked away, folded her arms and rested her chin in thought. She was really strange, suddenly talking to us and then not even paying attention to the answer.

Is she looking down on me?

I suddenly understood the feeling of those inferior people who tried to talk to me before. Poor inferiors. And now I felt like I was the poor inferior.

As a princess who was pampered since in the womb, being treated like that so suddenly, I just wanted to burst into tears.

I might not look like it but I'm also quite tearful. I can cry just by having my pride touched just a little. But Rin's actions just now were like she had insulted me.

I told myself to hold back. The situation didn't allow me to be childish. After all, she was a level above me.

Speaking of crybaby, my crybaby friend Miyu is still out there. We can't stay in here forever.

I always remembered that Rin Murasaki was not a sociable person. The time I found out that someone had surpassed me, I was determined to go to the next class to see how formidable she was. However, when I looked into class 3C, all I saw was the scene of Rin Murasaki quietly reading a book, there was no crowd around her and she didn't talk to anyone. The light from outside shone in at a forty-five degree angle, although she was wearing the same black shirt, red blazer and short skirt as the other female students, her traditional black hair and captivating deep purple eyes made her look like a goddess quietly shimmering under the sunlight.

It is said that Rin Murasaki has no friends because of her eccentric personality. But she exudes a noble aura even when sitting still. Rin's family must be powerful in society and it seems that the 'commoners' already know their place and do not dare to approach her.

But now she took the initiative to talk to two strangers, me and Katashi.

The atmosphere on the other side of the door began to become strangely quiet, from here I couldn't clearly tell what the situation was like outside.

Thinking for a while, Rin said nothing, suddenly left her position, and went behind the shelves.

She must have just come up with an idea.

“Where are you going?”

It's Katashi's voice.

Rin stepped out from behind the shelf, a roll of paper in her hand. I recognized it immediately, it was A3 size art paper. She answered:

“Wow, you finally talked to me. I thought I was being annoying.”

I started to feel a pang. She just ignored me a moment ago.

I started hearing groans outside in the hallway and felt the movement of a stream of zombies outside.

“Shh!” – Katashi suddenly put his hand over his mouth, signaling us to be quiet.

I know to keep my mouth shut without you having to remind me.

But the footsteps were slow, staggering, growing denser outside the warehouse.

Here they come!

The three of us waited in silence for a moment. I heard pounding on the door, but I didn’t sense an attack. It was probably just some undead accidentally brushing against the door as they moved. It seemed they couldn’t smell the three of us in here.

I held my breath and gripped a shelf, watching the footsteps shuffle past in a line through the crack in the door. I tried not to make a sound, hoping they wouldn't find me in here.

No way. Even though I had only seen the undead once yesterday, I never expected to encounter them so soon. Right now, there was only a warehouse door separating me from those cannibals.

I closed my eyes and started counting in my head, waiting in vain for them to leave.

Ten seconds, twenty seconds, then a minute passed. There were moans, claws scratching the wall, and teeth chattering. It felt like the longest minute of my life.

No matter how many zombie movies I've seen before, and no matter how many times I've seen what happened at school yesterday, nothing could be as terrifying as being this close to them.

A few minutes passed, and the noise died down again. I opened my eyes, still holding my breath, trying to make sure I could no longer see any footsteps under the door. I still couldn’t believe they had gone.

There was still the sound of zombies on the other side, but it didn't seem like a pack like before.

Katashi tapped his sword lightly on the floor. He was closest to the door, his expression as tense as ours.

No response.

Damn it, Katashi, what the hell are you doing?

Outside, the zombies were still groaning, Katashi continued tapping his sword on the floor for a while.

But it seemed like the zombies outside didn't pay any attention to Katashi's sound, there were still groans, footsteps, but nothing was hitting the door.

Only then did Katashi loosen his grip on the katana, breathing a sigh of relief. He temporarily sheathed the sword and walked towards us.

He glanced at Rin.

“They're not paying attention in here for now, if you have any brilliant ideas, and if the plan is feasible, then I'll follow you.”

Seeing Katashi leave his position, Rin and I also relaxed and let go of our tension.

“So you do notice me…”

Rin slightly raised the corner of her lips sarcastically.

“Stop… stop it…” – Katashi blushed.

Wow, Rin Murasaki even dared to make Katashi blush. As a girl, I’m also feel attracted to her.

Rin laid the piece of paper on the ground, spreading it out as far as it would go. It was just a blank white sheet, with nothing written on it.

Then she took out a pen.

Katashi and I stared at the piece of paper on the floor, watching Rin's fidgeting hands.

“Alright, if we just stay here we won't get anywhere, I have a plan, at least it will get us out of this fourth floor…”

“What happened next?” Katashi asked doubtfully.

“You seem to be impatient?” - Rin smiled. “If I can go further, I want to leave this school.”

“Why? Isn't this the safest place?”

Rin stopped and tapped Katashi on the head with a pen.

“You’re really stupid, imagine this school is a box, and the rooms inside are smaller boxes. The zombies surround that box, once they flood into the big box, our living space will shrink to a smaller box. So what will happen once the zombies flood into the smallest box?”

Rin moved the pen to an empty corner of the paper and drew a square box and several smaller boxes inside it to illustrate to Katashi. She explained while scribbling with her pen.

Katashi didn't ask anymore, just imagining it made his face pale and he swallowed his saliva.

“So why did't you get on that helicopter?”

I interrupted the conversation between Rin and Katashi.

She glanced at me.

“I mean… you don't have any friends at school… what keeps you here?”

Rin continued drawing as she answered quietly.

“After all, that helicopter just took us to another box in Tokyo, which doesn't change anything.”

Katashi gave me a strange look.

“Hey… what? I stayed for you guys?”

He didn't reply. It was so confusing, just last night he told me to get out of his life, and this morning he rushed to save me. Could it be that he was a Tsundere?

While we were chatting, with a few strokes of the pen, Rin completed a simple diagram of the four floors of the house.

“Focus here!” Rin placed the tip of her pen on a spot on the map. The diagram was so easy to understand that I immediately knew where she was pointing.

“This is our location…” – Rin circled the square showing the tool storage on the 4th floor.

Then she drew a straight line to the end of the hallway.

“Do you know what this is?”

“Eh… Fire escape?”

“Exactly…” – Rin placed an X on the point showing the emergency stairs at the end of the hallway.

“The zombies just came up through the main staircase, and so did most of the students. I think the main staircase is the most dangerous exit now. As for this emergency staircase, someone might have used it, but if not, this is our chance…”

Cool, she looks like a strategist.

A scream came from outside, it seemed to be coming from the 5th floor, followed by another scream, then two, three more. The three of us stopped for a momment and turned towards the door to listen. It seemed like the zombies got a few people.

Hearing that, I felt a chill down my spine, and immediately moved closer to Katashi.

Rin continued back to her diagram.

“Alright, there's not much time left. Pay attention if you want. I won't say it again.”

Hey, how can you be so calm? Someone just got torned apart. Don't you know what fear is?

Rin didn't mention me in her plans. It seems like she never considered me as part of this group.

There were screams coming from outside the door. There was also the sound of banging on the warehouse door, but that was drowned out by the screams and the sounds of zombies tearing people apart outside. I tried my best to ignore it, focusing on 'teacher' Rin's lecture.

I heard footsteps running past outside the warehouse, but then another screech, which was immediately drowned out by the groans and tearing sounds of zombies. I imagined a student trying to escape through the hallway, surrounded by a swarm of zombies, up to the part when their jaws were at the student’s throat, and I couldn’t imagine it anymore.

Rin left a bunch of Xs outside the hallway. I recognized them immediately as the symbol for the undead.

“Assuming that the group just now has left, then based on the sound, there should be at least this many people left in the hallway…”

I looked at the map and saw that on the opposite side of the hallway, near the main staircase, around a corner there was another emergency staircase. I asked Rin.

“Why did you choose the one at the end of the hallway when there is also an emergency staircase here?”

Obviously the fire escape near the main staircase was closer to us, yet Rin chose a route that stretched the entire width of the building.

“The main staircase is not safe, most of the zombies that come up are concentrated on the two main staircases. Instead of being close, this path is not close to any of the main staircases, so although it is long, it has the advantage of having fewer zombies…”

She didn't look at me, continued.

“If you want to choose the shorter path, you can try it yourself, I won't stop you.”

Katashi ignored my opinion. Once again, it was as if I never existed.

Rin used a pen to immediately mark off the remaining emergency stairs on the map.

“I guess if we choose this route we will encounter at least a dozen zombies. If the route is clear, we can handle it with just a knife each…”

She said it as if she was joking, as if everyone could be as calm as she was. Then I suddenly saw Katashi beside me… Wait, am I the weakest one here?

Rin continued to copy her diagram twice, it seemed like this was the diagram of the 2nd and 3rd floors. Then she quickly completed the diagram of the 1st floor.

More than half of the first floor was the main hall and the teachers' management rooms, the other half was the cafeteria and classrooms, so the diagram was a bit more unique from the others. I noticed the biggest empty space, which was the main hall of the school. Rin mercilessly crossed it out after finishing the drawing.

She quickly drew two simple strokes on the second and third floors and then placed the pen on the back exit of the first floor.

“On the 2nd and 3rd floors, we just run down the main fire escape and we'll be fine…”

I looked at the map, the 2nd and 3rd floors could be easily overlooked since we were in the fire escape, but the final destination was far away in another corner below the 1st floor. Getting to the 1st floor safely was another long story. I remembered the scene yesterday afternoon, on the other side of the glass on the main wall of the 1st floor were hundreds of zombies, overnight, the number of zombies heading here could increase even more than that.

“So what if one of you wants to go back to class?”

Every eyes in the room turned to me.

“Miyu is my good friend, she just saved my life just now… In the chaos just now, there is still a chance that she has returned to class. If there is even a small chance, I hope you two can consider bringing her along.”

I started imagining Miyu's face when she thought about Yuuki. It was similar to my worries about Toru. We had the same worries, so I understood her feelings better than anyone else right now.

Rin didn't answer, she looked at Katashi, waiting.

I clasped my hands in front of my chest, looking at Katashi with pleading eyes.

Katashi sighed.

“Okay, when we get to the third floor, you can wait in the fire escape. I still have an unfinished book in class anyway, I can't just leave it behind.”

Rin seemed dissatisfied with Katashi's answer, she continued.

“If anything goes wrong and we have to split up, meet me at the back door of the first floor cafeteria. For now, let’s get into the emergency exit, we don’t know what the situation is outside yet. Once we get there, we’ll discuss the plan again.”

With that, Rin boldly circled the area showing the fire escape on the fourth floor once more, then didn't draw anything else. She considered her little strategy discussion complete.

Katashi nodded slightly. Even though he didn't show it, I knew that he agreed with Rin's plan. I've never seen him acknowledge someone like this in my life.

At this rate, if she doesn't act quickly, she'll be able to make Katashi fall for her without her knowing.

Can you be a little less cool?

The screams that kept coming from outside were too loud for me to ignore. And then the footsteps and groans outside the door became more and more frequent. It seemed like the zombies from earlier had started to return outside the storage room.

If we don't hurry, they'll come back here.

Rin put down the pen and looked up outside.

“Well, looks like time's up… Staying here another minute and our plan will be in vain.”

She stood up and headed for the door. On her way out, she grabbed a knife from the shelf.

Rin pushed the broom aside, then held the knife in one hand and the doorknob in the other, preparing to push it open.

“You two can stay as long as you want, I'm going.”

Katashi did not hesitate to stand up, draw his sword from its sheath, ready to leave.

I grabbed the back of his shirt.

“Katashi! I'm going with you.”

Katashi didn't look back at me. He paused for a moment, nodded slightly, then continued walking, letting go of my hand that was clutching the back of his shirt.

“Thank you, Katashi.”

I also stood up and walked out the door after him.

Rin said that, but she still didn't open the door right away. She was probably still waiting for Katashi. It seemed like Katashi with his katana was still her safest bet.

The three of us stood close to the door, anxiously looking out. I was right behind Katashi. The footsteps and groans on the other side of the door made me want to stay in here even more.

“Going forward is death, staying back is death, so it is better to go forward.”

The words of a male student in the chaos just now echoed in my head. That's right, I'm a smart kid, in this situation, leaving with Katashi I still has a chance to live, staying would only lead to death. Just like what Rin said. Just like we chose to stay at school last night, if I stay in the storage room now, I'll put myself in a smaller box. And when all the zombies have surrounded the box, there's no way out for me anymore.

I have to live, because my parents and little sister might still be out there.

For a moment, a vision of Tokyo's future flashed before my eyes. Was there still a glimmer of hope that it would come true? I wanted to believe it.

So Katashi, even though I'm scared, I'll go out there with you.

And Rin, I have to live, because even if the world ends, I still have to surpass you.

Rin tightened her grip on the doorknob, we were ready to leave. She turned to ask us one last time.

“Ready? I'm opening!”

Katashi then turned to look at me.

“Don't get bitten again, you clumsy thing.”

Rin started counting. Even though it was only three counts, time slowed down. Everything happened so fast that my mind suddenly became chaotic.

"One…"

I started to panic. Why… why? Katashi. You're saying that to me now? What do you mean by saying that now?

"Two…"

No! Wait! There's one thing I still have to ask Katashi!

"Three!"

A flood of memories was about to flood back into my mind.

Image of a sunset on the hill near home.

The sun set into the distant sea, creating a red streak of light on the horizon.

Bright red blood seeped from my wrist onto the dark green grass.

And Katashi's soulless face.

No! Not now!

With a snap, the door opened to let in the light from outside, pulling my mind back to reality.

I saw the shadows of Katashi and Rin dashing ahead of me.

I reached out and touched his back.

I was scared.

I am confused.

I hesitate.

And can't move.

Only I remained in the room. For a moment. The distance between his back and my hands grew further and further.

No! I can't think right now… suddenly, the fear of being left behind dawned on me, forcing me to leave my position.

“Wait for me! Katashi!”

“Don't leave me again!!!”

I took the momentum and rushed out.

Stepping through the doorway, the scene before my eyes overwhelmed me. One after another, zombies rushed towards us.

Even though it wasn't a dense crowd right now, the number of zombies rushing in from three sides was already making me dizzy.

But it was too late now, I couldn't go back inside.

But Katashi and Rin were not shaken at all, the two quickly caught up with the situation and moved forward, ready to block.

The zombie that was coming from the left had not yet reached me when it was slashed in another direction by Katashi's sword.

I heard Katashi's screams as he swung his sword, cutting the zombies in two pieces, and Rin quickly stabbed a zombie that was charging at her from the side with her knife. The two of them worked together in perfect harmony, as if they had practiced for situations like this.

I timidly followed behind Katashi and Rin.

The only way to kill a zombie is to destroy the brain. Every zombie movie or video game I've ever seen had followed that same rule. And Katashi and Rin have proven it to be true.

It was just that Katashi’s sword was too fierce. The fingers… arms… heads… and other body parts of the undead were cut off and scattered in the air. I couldn’t believe that these were once living people. I also had a fear of blood. If it wasn’t today, I would have passed out without realizing it.

We were still a long way from the emergency stairs. The zombies swarmed ahead, making it impossible to see our destination.

The hallway had only three people alive, me, Katashi, and Rin, the rest were all cannibalistic zombies. Luckily, their movements weren't too flexible and Katashi kept his composure, so he could easily take one down if he wasn't too careless.

Katashi took the left, Rin took the right, together, the two cleared the way forward.

Not as planned. At first, Rin only expected about a dozen zombies, but the zombies who sensed us began to gather in larger numbers, filling the entire hallway on the fourth floor.

Outside the window, the rain was still pouring down fiercely. Thunder and lightning flashed for a moment, allowing me to clearly see the terrifying faces of the zombies around me.

Veined faces covered in blood, some faces were split open as if they had ulcers, their pupils were turned inwards, leaving only the whites of their eyes staring, their mouths were drooling and their bodies were no better. Some had their stomachs ripped open and their intestines were spilling out.

Surely you have seen or heard about Zombies at least once in your life. Just being bitten will cause the victim to be infected with the Virus, die and after a while become one of them, as long as the brain is still active. So there is a zombie who, even though his heart was eaten before transforming, can still stand up and continue to attack us as usual.

And now there is no door between me and them anymore.

The zombies up ahead, weren't just monsters made from strange faces anymore.

There were zombies wearing black shirts, crimson blazers… and you wouldn't have to guess anymore, they were students from my school.

Now, even our weakest relatives have become cannibals.

Thunder flashed again, making my heart skip a beat.

In the crowd of zombies, I saw Meiko and Sayo's faces.

"No no…"

I quickly put my hands over my mouth.

I was really shocked. Scared, panicked. There were so many things happening at once that I couldn't process them quickly.

Since when did they…

I started to remember when Miyu led me out of the classroom. That was also the moment the zombies broke through the defenses in the first floor lobby and poured inside.

To get here, the zombies had to pass through the 3rd floor.

So my classmates have…

Just this morning, I saw Sayo and Meiko in the classroom.

My friends have become one of them. So this would happen to any of my other loved ones too.

I shuddered at the thought of Toru's pained face. As she was torn apart and come back as one of them.

"No no…"

I was both nauseous and scared.

Right now, I just want to break down and cry.

A zombie suddenly rushed at me from behind. I quickly pushed it away.

Oh no. Katashi and Rin can only protect me from the front. I'm at the back, and I don't have any weapons… so there's no barrier between me and the zombies behind me.

The sudden emotion made my mind chaotic, I couldn't control myself anymore.

Right now, I just want to live.

We traveled a short distance away from the storeroom, when a group of zombies quickly surrounded, blocking the door.

I looked back, there is no turning back now, behind me were swarms of bloody faces, cannibalistic demons.

I began to feel dizzy, the groans of the undead became a loud noise like two large speakers placed right next to my ears.

I quickly put my hands over my ears and shook my head vigorously.

I was stunned.

My steps began to falter again.

No! I can't take it anymore! I don't want to be here any second!… I want to get to a safe place quickly.

I suddenly remembered Rin's plan. Let's get to the fire escape at the end of the hallway safely.

The chaos of my emotions made it impossible for me to control my emotions at this moment. I looked towards the end of the corridor in front of me in panic. Behind the swarm of cannibals, was the fire escape.

For a moment, I saw a gap in the zombie herd.

Here! This is my chance. What am I waiting for? If we stay and fight, we might not make it.

I looked at Katashi and Rin in front of me, they were still slowly fighting and protecting themselves as they moved forward. I called out, but they didn't hear me.

Was it because the atmosphere was too noisy or was I so dizzy that I couldn't hear my own voice?

The gap was closing. I couldn’t hold on any longer. Right now, through the closing gap, the fire escape at the far end of the hallway beckoned to me more than anything else in the world.

I tried calling Katashi, but he didn't seem to notice.

Katashi, the exit is right in front of you, what are you doing?

I tried calling Katashi again, but he was so busy killing the zombies ahead that he didn't even pay any attention to me.

The gap got smaller and smaller, to the point where I could barely see it anymore.

Katashi, if you won't listen to me, then I'll have to leave you behind!

I decided to ignore Katashi and Rin and dashed through the sea of zombies.

Until the last minute. Human instinct only allows to save oneself.

“Hana! What are you doing!”

I ran past Katashi and Rin in front.

Just like that, I held my ears tightly, buried my head in my hands, closed my eyes and rushed forward without paying attention to my surroundings. The loud noises in my ears began to fade. I heard moans again… felt hands trying to grab me.

Just when I thought I was about to escape, a zombie blocked my way, forcing me to turn to the side.

But in front of me was another zombie, changing direction, and then changing direction again. I panicked, lost, not knowing where I was running.

At this moment, I didn't think about anything else, nor did I plan any further. As long as I didn't get caught by the undead, I would be fine.

But it was too late, there was a wall looming in front of me.

I turned around, only to find myself surrounded by the faces of bloodthirsty demons in human form.

The zombies coalesced, forming a small radius that narrowed around me.

And the sharp teeth bared, threatening to tear me apart.

It's over... it's all over.

I abandoned my friends, just to rush to my death.

Through the gaps, I saw Katashi hurriedly killing the zombies making his way to me.

“Hana! Wait for me! I'm coming right away!”

His face now looked like he had lost his soul, different from the cold and calm Katashi of the past year. His swordplay was also more clumsy than before, because he was rushing towards me, he missed a few zombies.

So you are worried about me.

But it was too late.

I started to regret my decisions.

If only I had gotten on that helicopter and gone far away from here, I would never have been surrounded like this.

If only I had stayed in the storage room and waited patiently, maybe someone would have come to rescue me?

And if only I hadn't run away… you wouldn't have to worry like this.

The zombies came closer and closer to me, pressing me against the wall.

Until the last second, I had only one wish left unfulfilled.

Tears from the corners of my eyes, rolling down my cheeks.

It's over.

The zombies were swarming in front of me, I could no longer hear him.

Darkness filled the air. Through the gaps between the undead, a small sliver of light was slowly fading.

So my journey will stop here?

There is no way out, I will accept my fate.

But before I die, there's one thing I still have to tell Katashi.

I've kept this to myself, ever since I realized how important you were to me… and how wrong I was.

I put my hands on my chest and tried to scream loudly, so that even from afar he would hear me.

Even if both of us had to die today, before he died, he would hear this wish from the depths of my heart.

“Katashi! I'm sorry!”

The groans of the undead were so loud in front of me that I couldn't even hear what I had just said.

Surely Katashi couldn't hear me either.

I had to use all my strength to scream loudly, louder.

“Katashi! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!”

Once again, the voice of the living dead drowned out my screams. No matter how loud I screamed.

No way.

So until the last second, my call still could not reach him.

So even when I die, I still don't think about him, I just want to express my feelings.

And even if I die, I will forever be just a selfish girl.

The zombies were closing in on me. I began to feel those hideous hands touching my body.

The stench of blood and decay wafted from the mouths of the undead. The fresh flesh of people I once knew was still lodged between their teeth.

And then it will be my turn next.

What a pity, if I don't get torn to pieces, I'll just end up being one of them again.

But what does it feel like to be torn apart? It must be painful.

But nothing can compare to the terrible things I made Katashi endure.

Before my mind went blank. A memory flashed through my mind.

It was that memory that had left me bewildered before leaving the storeroom.

It was a sunset six years ago. The sun had set into the sea in the distance, leaving a red streak across the horizon.

I saw myself from six years ago, sitting on the top of the hill, sobbing, one hand holding my bleeding arm. Fresh blood continued to ooze from the wound on my wrist, dripping onto the green grass where I was sitting.

Katashi rushed towards me from the bottom of the hill. He had a box of bandages in his hand. His face showed a rare anxiety for a middle school student.

Katashi said nothing, he gently walked over and bandaged my wound. His hands did not have the dexterity of a doctor but had the care of a close friend.

“Done… done…” – His voice was a little shaky.

Katashi stepped back a little, allowing me to see the bandaged part of my wrist. We were taught basic bandaging techniques in school, so even though it was a bit clumsy, Katashi's bandages were able to somewhat stop the blood that was continuously flowing from my wrist.

Katashi looked down and waited for my response. His face showed that he was very remorseful for having just done something to me.

That's right, we were in sixth grade at the time, and Katashi was very naughty, always dragging me along with him in his mischievous pranks. That day, Katashi invited me to go to an abandoned port to explore an old warehouse. Rumor had it that my classmates said this place was haunted. When we finally got inside, we discovered that there were no ghosts, but that the warehouse had become the domain of a pack of wild dogs. Unable to explore, Katashi immediately thought of a way to anger the big, ferocious dogs, making them chase us away. Everything that day should have been fun, like an adventure, until I was exhausted and fell behind.

We were chased from the harbor into a dark alley. I saw Katashi's back in the distance, I shouted to him but he was too busy running to notice me. And then when I reached out to grab him, I accidentally tripped and was grabbed by a fierce Malinois and dragged back.

Katashi came back in time to rescue me. He picked up a large piece of wood that was nearby and pushed the stray dogs away. Although it wasn't life-threatening, I had a scratched knee and the Malionis had bitten my arm badly.

I looked at the bright red blood flowing from my wrist in horror. Then I looked at Katashi, sobbing.

Looking at my wound, Katashi's eyes were both regretful and shocked.

And then Katashi took me to the hill near my house to get bandaged. He didn't rush to take me home right away because he was afraid my parents would find out and yell at us.

Looking at the messy bandage on my left wrist, the tears on my cheeks disappeared without me realizing. Instead, a smile appeared on my lips.

“You're really bad at bandaging, Katashi!”

Katashi was surprised by my sudden smile. I looked at my arm, which was bandaged so funny that I forgot the pain and covered my mouth to laugh.

“Hana? You… You're not mad at me anymore?”

“No… not angry anymore…” – I continued to hold my mouth and giggle – “I have to tell Sensei. You did’t listen to the lesson at all.”

Katashi's bandage had apparently stopped the bleeding, but the lines were not in place and were woven together haphazardly, with the final knot being turned upside down.

“Hey… I was listening to the lecture… I was just afraid you would faint from the loss of blood, so I had to bandage it in such a hurry!”

Katashi blushed, I knew he was doing it based on his feelings and not the way Sensei taught him.

But then, he calmed down and breathed a sigh of relief.

“You too… you clumsy thing… don't get bitten again!”

The warm sunset scene disappeared, bringing me back to reality. Before me were the faces of lifeless zombies and the hands of the dead ready to grab me.

“Sorry! Katashi… I got bitten again…”

I closed my eyes and covered my face, preparing to accept my fate.

For a brief moment, just when it seemed like everything was over, I heard heavy footsteps echoing from the end of the hallway.

Did I hear wrong? It wasn't the slow, staggering footsteps of a zombie, but the sound of running shoes.

Moreover, it wasn't just one person's voice. This kind of rushing sound… it was like a group of people.

But I still didn't open my eyes, anyway if someone was coming, they wouldn't be able to save me in time.

Or maybe that was the sound of angels' footsteps coming to see me off to heaven.

There were shouts, bangs, thumps, and the cracking of bones all around me. Strangely enough, not a single undead had touched me yet.

I began to fall into a trance.

And then a loud bang in front of me made me wake up and open my eyes wide.

In front of me, a stream of blood splattered in the air. A zombie with its skull smashed fell sideways in front of me.

Behind the zombie that had just been killed, were two male students in crimson blazers. In their hands were two iron baseball bats stained red with blood from having just struck the zombie's head.

At their feet, there were corpses with their heads smashed.

It wasn't hard for me to recognize these faces. One had a bowlcut and an earring and the other had slightly messy chestnut hair.

How could I forget? These are the two guys who tried to sexually assault me yesterday.

It's Hari and Daisuke.

Behind them, another group of boys rushed out from the emergency exit, aggressively killing the zombies. They held the most common everyday objects in their hands, such as iron pipes, wooden boards, and wrenches, and aimed at the zombies' heads. Although the atmosphere was chaotic, I could see that there were nearly a dozen of them. Those faces. They were all students from my grade. Some of them were even students from my class.

Hari lowered his baseball bat and held out his hand to me.

“Come on! You look miserable!”

From behind, the sounds of people killing zombies and shouting excitedly echoed.

“Get the class president out of here safely!”

“We will all fight to protect Hana!”

I suddenly burst into tears. All these boys, were the ones I had rejected and humiliated. You idiots, at this point, you still think of me?

Hari looked at me, frowning. I was so surprised that I was frozen for a moment.

I reached out and grabbed Hari's waiting hand so he could pull me away.

I looked back. Behind the herd of zombies, Katashi and Rin were still surrounded by the herd of zombies.

“Wait! Wait!” – I pulled Hari's hand away and ran back towards the zombies.

The boys in front had formed an arc of battle formation towards the zombies. Wherever the arc advanced, the zombies fell like bowling pins. I was about to charge at the boys when Daisuke lifted me up from below and ran after Hari.

Thrown over Daisuke's shoulder like a piece of cloth, I reached back to them, but the battle bow and the undead were far behind. And then darkness fell again. I found myself behind the emergency staircase door.

Daisuke paused to catch his breath while I punched him repeatedly on the back, struggling on his shoulder.

“Put me down! Put me down! I have to save Katashi!”

In the darkness, it was just me, Hari, Daisuke, and the stairs ahead. We stopped at a winding staircase. The path ahead was divided into two sides, one leading up and the other down. So they brought me safely into the fire escape.

“Calm down! Calm down! Hana!”

I heard Hari's voice. Daisuke was a man of few words. He just held me tightly on his shoulder.

“Everything okay? Okay?”

Hari leaned close to my face and patted my cheek to calm me down. His serious face made me wonder if this was the villain who tried to rape me last night.

The three of us stayed in the fire escape for a while, and the banging and pounding outside began to die down.

Finally, all that remained was the sound of pouring rain outside the school.

Only then did Daisuke put me down. Immediately, I pushed the door open and ran outside.

The scene that unfolded before my eyes was horrifying, yet magnificent. Eleven victorious school boys stood on a sea of corpses, stretching from one end of the corridor to the other. Because my school's boys were wearing black shirts and red blazers, I couldn't tell much, but the bloodstains on their faces showed how bloody the battle had been.

Scattered at their feet were a herd of recently exterminated zombies. I had been too shocked to see them clearly earlier. Now that I had the chance to see them, there were at least sixty of them. Half of them were students from my school.

I walked through the crowd, looking at the zombies below me. Seeing Meiko and Sayo's bodies made my heart ache. I didn't dare look up, walking and searching below me, my heart pounding. I just hoped that what I was looking for wasn't in this sea of corpses.

And when I stopped because there was a shadow blocking my way, I looked up to see the figure of a student with black hair, a black coat and a sword on his shoulder like a warrior who had just returned from hell. He gave me a warm look, making my heart beat faster.

I thought I had lost you.

“Hana, your apology… It reached me…”