Once again, we found ourselves trapped in a room, surrounded by zombies.

Around us were shelves of chemical liquids of all colors: red, blue, purple, yellow, laboratory instruments, and creepy anatomical dummies. On the other side of the door, there were groans and scratching sounds of the undead.

The lab becomes eerie in the dark, especially in the middle of a storm like this.

“What to do now…” – Airi grabbed Yamato's sleeve tightly.

While Katashi and Rin Murasaki were tensely focused on the door, weapons in hand, Akira could only stand there and watch. That's reminded me, I, Katashi, and Rin had all experienced this once, but he hadn't.

Sobbing in a corner of the room, was Miyu's voice.

“It’s all your fault!” – Yamato came up from behind me, aggressively. He grabbed my collar and lifted me up.

“Stop it! Yamato! This is not the time for that!”

Akira interjected, grabbing Yamato's hands that were gripping my collar.

“Don't stop me! It's all because of this girl that we…”

“Stop it!” Airi shouted, but Yamato was so distraught that he ignored her calls.

“I have to throw you to the dead!”

Just then, Katashi's blade was pressed against his neck.

Katashi didn't say a word, but his murderous gaze was enough for Yamato to understand what he was planning to do.

“Tch…” – Yamato let go of me. Katashi immediately retracted his sword.

“We’re all going to die anyway…” – Yamato walked back to Airi, leading the girl to a corner of the room behind the lab benches. Along the way, he even cursed a few times.

Katashi stepped in front of me and stopped. Then he sheathed his sword.

“If I were you, I would have done the same. Go comfort your friend.”

“Uhm.”

I turned back to look at Miyu at the back of the room. She was just culing up there sobbing.

How did it happen?

It was right after we left the fire escape. The first floor with its many complicated corridors appeared before us. In the midst of this storm, the corridor always looked like a scene from a haunted movie, except that the things lurking here were undead human corpses, not ghosts.

It didn't take long for us to be surrounded again, but these zombies weren't as numerous as the ones on the fourth floor earlier, Katashi and Rin were able to take them down and let us move forward. Things wouldn't have turned out this way if I hadn't heard a cry for help coming from the lab. I didn't have to strain my ears to recognize that it was Miyu's voice.

At that momment, I grabbed Katashi's shirt.

“Katashi! It's Miyu!”

He nodded slightly. Perhaps because they were classmates, Katashi was familiar with Miyu's voice. However, Katashi's actions did not seem to indicate that he was ready to go back to save her.

“Katashi! I have to go back there. Miyu is my important friend, I can’t leave her behind!”

I don't know if it's because I've faced this before, but I suddenly became brave. Taking the place we were standing at as the center. The laboratory was located in an area symmetrical to the cafeteria. According to Rin's plan, going to the laboratory would be going in the opposite direction.

Katashi didn't reply and continued with the others. He deliberately ignored my opinion. Katashi always knew what was safest, so it seemed that saving Miyu was impossible at that time.

Okay, since you've decided then… As instinct and my personality always act according to my own will, I turned on my heel and ran back towards the lab.

“Dammit! Damn it! Hana!”

I knew Katashi wouldn't leave me behind, so he had to come back with me. When Katashi came back, the whole group followed. Unfortunately, just as we cleared the zombies around the lab's exit, another large swarm came from the opposite direction, blocking our exit, forcing us to go inside.

And now here we are, inside the lab.

“We're going to die, aren't we, Hana?”

Miyu asked me, pulling my mind back to the present.

I crouched down next to her, at the back of the room.

“No…” I shook my head. I smiled optimistically. Facing death three times in a row these past two days had made me a different person. Whatever happened next, it didn’t matter, the important thing was that we were still alive and breathing right now.

“Wh… why do you think that… Hana?”

“Because there are still people we love out there.”

I turned on the phone screen, then handed it to Miyu. She took my phone. As if by magic, what appeared on the screen stopped Miyu's tears from flowing.

On the screen, was a picture my mom took at the science fair last year. She forgot her camera and had to borrow the camera on my phone. Toru and Yuuki were in the same chemistry lab. She accidentally mixed Alpha and Beta in a flask and it exploded right when the camera caught the image. I was there with my mom and was shocked, but when we realized it was just a harmless explosion, we all breathed a sigh of relief. Miyu and her parents were also at the fair that day to cheer for Yuuki. Toru's accident caused her team to lose the competition, but what happened that day was fun. And I'm sure Miyu remembers that too.

“Thank you… Hana…”

Miyu wiped her tears away with her hand and sniffled. It seemed like the photo had made her feel better.

I looked at the phone screen with Miyu and fond memories came flooding back. We hadn’t done much experimenting since we became high school seniors. It had been a while since we had been exposed to chemicals, and I wasn’t an expert, so I couldn’t remember exactly what to mix with what.

The photo also reminds me of mixing Alpha with Beta will explode, how exciting.

Oh wait a minute…

Alpha and Beta?

Wait, aren't we in a lab?

I stood up, like a hyperactive child, shouting happily.

“Everyone! Let's pack up! I have a way to get out of here!”

The group huddled in the middle of the room to hear my plan. After a while, no one seemed to like it.

“Is that even possible?” – Akira waved his hand.

Katashi didn't react, his expression as if nothing had happened. I guess he didn't even understand what I was saying. Chemistry had never been his thing.

“Whatever! Just get out of here!” – Yamato was impatient.

“Guess there is no other solutions...” – Rin just rested her chin in thought.

“Let's settle on it then!” – We will all follow my plan.

We went around the lab and collected all the Alpha and Beta vials. Then we filled the glass tank at the back of the room with Alpha. We were lucky to have a lot of Alpha but only one Beta vial.

Rin tested mixing Alpha with some Beta extracted in a small test tube in a sink and they actually exploded.

She seemed quite interested in the experiment, then turned to look at me.

“It turns out there's a reason why you're in the top 2 of the school.”

“Oh, thanks for not ignoring me.”

Rin finished washing her hands one last time, and we all took our positions in the hidden corner closest to the exit in the room.

Akira held the doorknob, while Katashi had the Beta solution ready in his hand.

“There is only one chance!”

“Go for it! Katashi!” – I stood across from him at the other end of the room, lightly clasping my hands in front of my chest to support him.

“Ready? I'm opening the door…”

Akira turned the knob of the lab door, and started counting to three.

"One…"

My heart started pounding in my chest again.

"Two…"

Once again facing death, but I was ready.

"Three!"

As soon as Akira's counted to three, the door was flung open. Katashi immediately used all his strength to throw the bottle of Beta liquid towards the glass tank at the end of the room.

I anxiously watched the trajectory of the Beta bottle as it rushed towards the Alpha tank through the air and then, I almost screamed with joy, as the Beta bottle fell exactly right into the center of the Alpha tank.

“Everyone cover your ears!”

A loud explosion shook the room. Glass flew everywhere. All the zombies were attracted by the explosion and diverted their attentions to the exploding glass tank.

The lab in my school was quite large, so it was easier said than done. We nervously hid in a hidden corner watching the zombies pouring in, hoping not to be spotted. When most of the zombies were in the room, they all gathered around the glass tank, none of them were focused on the door, the exit was now clearer than ever.

Right now.

Rin, who was right next to me, reacted quickly and rushed outside. I hurriedly followed her, then followed by Miyu.

At the same time as I went out, another dark shadow also shot past me, it was Katashi.

While the hallway was still empty, we took advantage of the momentum and ran forward.

But it wasn't long before another disaster struck upon us.

With a loud bang, the ceiling above suddenly collapsed on top of Yamato.

Just then, Airi reflexively screamed along with the noise just before, causing all the zombies behind to once again turned their head to us.

“Damn it! What's going on?” – Katashi stopped, gritting his teeth.

We looked up at the collapsed ceiling, and Rin immediately realized the problem.

“The explosion just now also affected the gas pipeline above!”

Right, we didn't expect this, the first floor's ventilation system connects to all the rooms below, including the lab. The explosion just now created a pressure that affected the entire system. Including the gas pipe leading to the cafeteria.

We were running right under that pipe, which was dangerous.

“Come on! There’s not much time! Come on, buddy!” Akira rushed over and lifted the large ceiling rubble off Yamato. Katashi quickly drew his sword and ran over to help. Rin signaled to me, Airi, and Miyu to use the fallen iron bars and ceiling as leverage.

“Help me! Help me!” – Yamato cried out frantically. Tears and snot flowed everywhere.

We quickly got Yamato out, but the zombies were getting closer.

Yamato's left leg was crushed by the ceiling. Akira and Airi put their arms around his shoulders and dragged him across the floor.

Katashi and Rin took the lead, killing the zombies that were lurking in front to clear the way. Miyu and I used the iron bars as weapons.

The blood trail from Yamato's leg dragged across the floor, leaving a long red trail behind him. Because of his wound, we couldn't run anymore. The group's movements slowed down as well.

“I don't want to die! I don't want to die!”

Yamato's constant nagging was shaking our spirits. The footsteps of the undead and the thunder echoing through the hallways were enough to drive us crazy.

“Cut it out, Yamato, you will live, okay?”

I looked back. Akira was trying to reassure Yamato, but the sweat pouring down his face showed that he was just as worried.

And then when a zombie almost touched Yamato, he screamed in panic.

Rin turned back and threw her knife right into the zombie's forehead, killing it instantly. So my front lost another layer of defense.

Without the knife in hand, Rin had to retreat to the middle with me and Miyu.

I was about to give her my iron bar, but Rin refused, saying she would just grab a kitchen knife while passing by the cafeteria.

The zombies were getting closer and closer and at this rate we were getting more and more nervous.

“Or…or should we leave Yamato behind?”

Airi's voice rang out from the end of the line, causing us all to quickly turn around.

At that moment, the person who reacted the most strongly was none other than Yamato.

“Ai… Airi… What are you talking about?”

His face was pale and he was sweating profusely. The zombies who had almost grabbed Yamato had already left him completely stunned. A stream of water spread out on Yamato's crotch. He was so scared that he peed his pants.

Why is that, the moment Airi spoke her mind, I felt a bit relieved.

“Aren’t… aren’t we going to be together forever?”- Yamato’s injured legs curled together, trembling.

“Nonsense!” – Akira looked at it – “We'll all live, okay?”

Ignoring Akira's words, Airi let go of Yamato's hand on her shoulder and looked straight into his eyes as she shouted.

“You said you love me… so try sacrificing yourself for me!”

“You…” – Yamato’s eyes widened. He immediately swung his hand towards Airi and grabbed her collars.

“Fucking bitch! How about you sacrifice yourself for me!”

“Yamato! Stop!” – Akira tried to stop him, but it was too late.

Yamato placed his hand on Airi's chest and pushed her back. His gaze at that moment looked like that of a demon, causing me to immediately back down. Immediately, a zombie grabbed Airi's braid and pulled her back towards him.

Two, three more zombies swarmed in, pinning Airi to the ground, then three, four more. Soon we could no longer see Airi among the zombies, only seeing blood and blood splatter and hearing her screams.

Everything happened so suddenly. We could only watch in shock as Airi was torn apart before our eyes, unable to do anything. They tore her clothes as if they were papers, so was her skins...

Among the zombies, I saw one of them pulling out her small intestine.

“You… you…”

Katashi moved forward to put his sword close to Yamato's neck. He was immediately stopped by Akira.

“Katashi! You too, cut it out!”

We all looked at Yamato, but the fierce look on his face suddenly disappeared, leaving behind a coward who was trembling under Katashi's sword.

“She's dead, staying won't solve anything, are you guys going to continue?”

Now it was Rin's turn to speak. Damn it! Someone just died and how could she still keep her voice so calm?

But there was still some truth in what Rin said. We couldn't stop just because of such a trivial matter. I also looked at Katashi pleadingly. Noticing my gaze, he suppressed his anger and put away his sword, stepping forward.

“I will deal with you later!”

“Right… right… This is our chance…” – Yamato's voice trembled, he didn't seem to regret his actions at all.

We all continued to move forward. I was so lost in thought about Yamato's matter that I forgot about the distance. Before long, the door leading to the cafeteria at the end of the corridor appeared before my eyes.

Entering the cafeteria, Rin asked for the two iron bars that Miyu and I brought to block the door handle as soon as we entered. Katashi rushed forward and killed all the zombies inside. There weren't many of them, so the cafeteria was cleared very quickly. The exit appeared before us.

Akira placed Yamato on a dining table, then quickly pushed a kitchen cabinet to block the door with Katashi. He then sat down on a table, breathing heavily. Katashi staggered back, he was also exhausted. The sword blade stuck straight into the ground was already covered in blood, dripping onto the floor. Like a warrior just returned from the battlefield.

The cafeteria was very spacious and airy, so Katashi told us to take a break.

Rin immediately went into the kitchen to find a new knife as she said, and came out with a white cloth, probably a tablecloth.

Rin took out a bottle from her pocket and dropped some onto a cloth. Then she threw the bandage to Akira, telling him to hold one end.

“Bandage that guy, don't let him get infected.”

Akira quickly nodded and took the cloth to bandage Yamato's leg wound.

“Th… thank you…” – Yamato softly thanked Rin, but she didn’t bother to reply.

“Where did you get that bottle?” – Akira asked while kneeling on one knee to bandage Yamato.

“In the lab, I thought I might need it later so I brought it with me, but I didn't expect it to come in handy so quickly.”

“What is in that bottle?” – I asked Rin.

"Salt."

“…”

While everyone rested and Akira bandaged Yamato, I followed Katashi to the end of the room.

The length of the cafeteria was very large, and it was a long way to go from one end to the other, so Katashi didn't plan to turn back. Instead, he told everyone to rest and wait at the back door of the cafeteria.

We walked past the seemingly endless dining table to the back door. Now was my chance to have some alone time with him. His heels clicked loudly on the polished floor.

Pressing his face against the back window, Katashi cursed angrily.

“Damn, there are more people out there than in here.”

I also leaned in to look closely. In the endless curtain of rain were dense, dim shadows staggering about. Their wheezing and groaning sounds could be heard above the sound of the falling rain.

It would be a tougher ride out there, as we were at a disadvantage in terms of visibility. Having been through so many deathtraps, I always felt like this was my last moment alive.

There may not be another chance. I have to tell him now.

“Hey Katashi…” – I stood awkwardly next to him – “Thanks for saving me again.”

I don't know since when, my cheeks turn hot, every time I'm near him.

“Nothing. Just accidentally saved you.”

He didn't even bother to look at me, still coldly looking outside.

“But why did you save me this morning?”

“…”

“Stop it Katashi!” – I jumped on his chest, pounding him repeatedly.

“Idiot! Idiot Katashi! You’re so stupid even though you’re about to die! If you keep hiding it like this, who will know what you’re thinking? If you die… who will tell me how you feel?”

Katashi stepped back, looked at me with a puzzled look, then suddenly burst out laughing.

He put down the sword, then gently flicked my forehead with his hands.

“I still really hate you…”

I bowed my head in disappointment. So all this time you really hated me that much.

“I really hate you… I hate you so much… The gentle Hana I knew suddenly disappeared and was replaced by that horrible girl who made me want to die…”

Saying this, his voice suddenly dropped, and then he looked at me with gentle eyes.

“But somewhere inside you… there is still the Hana I know… The smart, arrogant girl… but always trying to overcome her selfishness… because she doesn’t want to make others sad. Your apology is the last straw, making me believe that you can still return to the Hana you were before.”

I just bowed my head. For two years, living in a dead end, he was always the one who was wiser than me. As for me, I only looked at myself and never thought about anyone else.

“Are you still trying to complete that game?”

I didn't dare to look up into his eyes, just nodded slightly.

“You're a good girl! Natsuki!”

At this moment, I opened my eyes wide to look at him. Another memory from when we were kids came flooding back to me.

At that time, Katashi didn't have a younger sibling, and I too, was the first child, with no older siblings, so I really wanted to experience the feeling of having an older sibling. We watched an anime on TV about this couple of siblings, the younger sister's name was Natsuki. We loved the anime so much that we role-played the characters together. During kindergarten, I called him Onii-chan, and he called me Natsuki. Until we were in first grade, both of us had younger siblings, so we stopped playing that game.

Interestingly, when Katashi's mother gave birth to his little sister, he insisted on naming her Natsuki. So when he calls me that, I feel like I'm living a part of his little sister.

At this moment, Rin, Miyu, and Akira put their arms around Yamato's shoulders as he limped towards us. There were only six of us, all ready to leave.

“The zombies are starting to break down the door… The kitchen cabinets couldn’t hold it either… let’s go before they flood in.”

Katashi turned to Akira and nodded. I checked on everyone in the group. Even Yamato was eager to leave.

“Then let's go…”

Katashi raised his sword again, pushing the handle to open the door.

The rain from outside was pouring down heavily on our faces, signaling the danger we were about to face. Before us, was a white curtain of rain.

Katashi stepped out first, followed by Rin, then Akira and Yamato, one after another.

I was about to follow, but Miyu from behind grabbed my sleeve.

“Hana… There's something I have to say…”

“What's wrong Miyu?”

“The truth is, yesterday… before the power went out… my mom sent me a text message, saying that she was bitten by dad, and that I shouldn’t come home… until I saw the zombies, I understood what she meant…”

I stood still and watched Miyu cry.

“Hana… If I die… will you take care of Yuuki?”

Miyu's face looked pitiful. If I were in her situation, I would have cried even worse. But now that the biggest obstacle had opened up before us, we couldn't waste any more time.

“What nonsense are you talking about? Let's go!”

With that, I grabbed Miyu's sleeve and pulled her outside.