The car shot out of the ramp of the underground parking lot. On the way up, I and everyone in the car were jolted and swayed as the car ran over the zombies to get out of the underground. I could still feel the sound of flesh being crushed under my seat.

At first glance, the exterior of this vehicle looks like a Humvee, with a white sand-colored off-road shell that makes people mistake it for a military vehicle, but in fact this is an off-road vehicle, with larger wheels and a storage compartment in the back.

The person sitting in the back seat with me and Rin was Hari. The other person in the car, sitting in the driver's seat, was a male student with chestnut-colored hair, Daisuke. Normally, I wouldn't care about his existence, but after constantly running into him and Hari these past few days, I've gradually gotten used to their presence.

These two are always together, are you two lovers?

Both of them were as wet as we were, it seemed they had not been inside for long.

“You… you two what are you doing here?”

I asked Hari.

“We should be asking you that. After taking the two of you and that guy with the Katana back to class, we discussed splitting up and running away. We were planning to go to the garage and get a car to escape from school. Who would have thought that as soon as we started the engine, we saw the two of you running past with flashlights…”

It was the light from my phone that caught their attention. I looked at the Smartphone neatly in my palm. It was this phone that saved me and Rin at the last minute.

“And whose car is this?”

I leaned into the front seat, where Daisuke was driving.

“My older brother's gang often steal cars, I never expected that one time taging along wwith them would be so helpful…”

I looked down and saw that there was no key in the car, only a wire hanging from the front frequency board. Daisuke had actually wired the engine himself and stolen the car.

I can't believe I'm thanking a criminal. But I guess the owner of this car isn't alive to blame us.

I wonder where his brother is, but most likely he's in jail.

“And how did you get down to the underground parking lot safely?”

Rin asked Hari.

“We entered the stadium and followed the line of seats in the stands… There weren't many zombies in the stadium… but why are you asking?”

“Hey… don't tell me you guys…”

I turned to look at Rin, both of our faces must not have looked very good. See, next time if you want to live, follow my plan.

The car sped through a forest of zombies and rushed around the bend. The 500 meters of hell that had been ours nightmare just now was child's play for this car.

“Hey, don't forget we have to pick up Katashi too.”

Rin glanced at me as a reminder. Her eyes were a powerful purple that made me want to shrink. I nodded.

“That Samurai guy was with you guys too? Where is he?”

“In a trash container in front of the gym.”

Rin coldly replied, making Hari confused and not understanding anything.

“Hari! Behind the car!”

Daisuke called out from the front.

"Right …"

Hari leaned over to the trunk and pulled out a green bag. It looked like a gym bag. He had to use force to pull the bag forward and then he automatically sat down with it.

He gasped. That bag must be heavy.

Hari pulled the zipper open, letting us see the stuff inside.

“Here are some junks we collected last night, see if there's anything we can do to help.”

I looked inside, inside were all kinds of sharp metal objects from wrenches to crowbars.

“No thanks…”

Rin didn't even bother looking inside her bag, of course, she had that huge axe.

I rummaged around for a bit and pulled out a flashlight. It looked like there wouldn’t be power and light anytime soon.

“Can I have this.”

"Go ahead."

I saw two iron baseball bats under Hari's seat. It looked like he had taken the best and didn't care about the rest.

When we finished, Hari threw the bag back into the trunk.

There, as we passed the stadium, I asked Daisuke to stop the car, pointing to a dumspter in the distance.

Amidst the sea of zombies and the pouring rain, I could see a green cube-shaped object in the distance, which was Katashi's dumpster.

But it was too hard, there were so many zombies outside, before we could stop they had already swarmed around the car. Katashi's dumpster in the distance was also surrounded by zombies. One of them even jumped onto the roof, scratching wildly at the surface, blocking the lid from above.

I'm afraid Katashi might have suffocated and died in there.

“Guess there’s no way, your friend are as good as dead…”

Daisuke hadn’t even finished speaking when he stepped on the pedal to continue moving, dragging the two zombies clinging to the front of the car under the chassis, sending crushed flesh and bones flying everywhere. The zombies clinging to the sides were also dragged away by the car.

“Daisuke, please, stop!”

“No way, Hana! That guy is dead, okay? If we go back there, we won't be any better off than he was.”

Daisuke continued to accelerate, determined not to stop.

Rin held the axe firmly, intending to push the door handle and jump out.

"Let me go!"

“No!” – Hari grabbed her arm – “It's not worth it.”

I sadly watched the dumspter further and further behind, the distance between us and Katashi grew further and further, and the zombies between us grew thicker and thicker.

The zombies were also densely packed ahead, making it difficult to move forward. It was fortunate that Daisuke had stolen this off-road vehicle, otherwise if we had used Hibiki Sensei’s Jeep as originally planned, we might have been trapped because of zombies flesh under the wheels.

Do I really have to leave Katashi behind?

But just as Daisuke accelerated, Katashi seemed to have heard our movement, he opened the trash can lid and jumped out, pushing the zombies above to one side.

Seeing Katashi behind me made me so happy. I quickly asked Daisuke to stop the car.

“There he is, stop it…”

Daisuke sighed, he obliged me and braked hard, knocking away a few zombies clinging to the body of the car. I grabbed an iron bat from Hari's feet and pushed the door open. Rin couldn't do anything because her door was locked.

“Hey! You…”

Katashi was running towards us while slashing zombies, screaming through the curtain of rain.

“Just drive. I'll catch up.”

“Katashi, run!”

I yelled at him.

“No! Listen to me, Hana! Just keep driving.”

A zombie rushed forward, I swung my stick from the car and knocked half of its face away. When I pulled the stick back, it almost hit Hari in the face.

“Hey! Be careful!”

I glanced at Rin, then relayed Katashi's message to Daisuke. Katashi was only fifty meters behind us, but the space between us was dense with zombies.

“Are you sure?”

“Just start the engine!”

Daisuke didn't hesitate, continuing to step on the pedal to make the car shoot forward, sending more zombies flying in front of him. I slammed the door shut.

“Hari, open the trunk!”

"Alright!"

He lunged for the trunk, kicking it open.

I anxiously looked back through the open trunk door, hoping Katashi would catch up with us.

As soon as he saw the trunk open, Katashi stopped slashing. He sheathed his sword and accelerated, nudging the zombies forward like a bullet through the zombies in the rain. But after only a few steps, he was stopped by a large group of zombies rushing towards him.

The zombies blocked my vision, making it impossible to see Katashi. The zombies were so dense that they formed a solid wall, separating the car from Katashi, preventing him from returning to me. Right now, I felt scared again. My heart was pounding.

And then, like magic, I saw Katashi rolled on the ground, pass through the gap under the zombies' feet, and continue to shoot up. The front of Katashi was now empty, only the shredded corpse of the zombie Daisuke had just run over, the crushed body parts were scattered to both sides, red blood and organs trailed in a long line along the car. Daisuke pulled the gear lever, slowing the car down, closing the distance with Katashi. He gained momentum running on the sea of corpses, then shot like an arrow into the car.

Katashi just dove in, rolled around in the trunk, and slammed his head into the back seat. When he was done, Hari pulled the back door down from above and slammed it shut, closing the trunk. It all happened very quickly.

“Ouch… that hurts!”

Katashi rolled around in the trunk, clutching his head. He looked completely different from the cool Katashi from before, like a kid who had just been hit on the head by an adult.

"Idiot…"

The sound came from Rin, but she didn't turn to look at Katashi, still keeping her cold face looking forward. Forget it, she was worried to death just now, so why pretend.

After calming down, Katashi looked around the car. Sensing something was wrong, he leaned forward in the front seat and asked me.

“Where are the other three? Hana?”

“Akira, where are Miyu and Yamato?”

Rin and I were silent, not saying a word. Katashi quickly understood what was happening, not knowing how to react, so he bowed his head and sighed.

Just then, Daisuke noticed something in the rearview mirror and asked us.

“Is that guy with you guys?”

We all looked back at once.

Through the back window, I saw an unexpected sight.

Yamato was racing towards us, but not on foot like Katashi. He was pedaling hard, dragging a sea of zombies behind him. I even saw him waving his arms for help.

“Can we save him, too?” – Rin asked Katashi.

Yamato had caused us a lot of trouble all the way to the parking lot. But seeing him pedaling his bike after us with his wounded leg, I felt guilty. I didn’t want to say anything, so I just silently waited for Katashi’s decision.

The car sped past the two main buildings of the school and headed towards the front yard. It continued to run over many zombies on the way. The zombies on the school yard were not only students and teachers, but also other reanimated townspeople who had poured in. Yamato continued to follow us. He kept waving his hand from afar. It seemed he was afraid that we wouldn’t notice him from behind.

“Hurry up, Samurai, there are a lot of zombies ahead! We won't be able to save him then.” – Daisuke spoke from the upper seat.

“Alright…” – Katashi sighed – “Open it.”

I was a little surprised, Katashi usually didn't care about anyone. Yamato was one of the thugs who bullied him. I had always thought that Katashi had let Yamato follow him because of Airi, but it seemed that wasn't the case. After Airi died, I simply thought that Katashi continued to bring Yamato along because Akira didn't want to leave him behind or was afraid that he would make a fuss, but in reality, Katashi never had any intention of abandoning Yamato.

“Katashi? Why?” – I asked him – “He killed Airi, right?”

Katashi shook his head.

“Even though he’s not a good guy, we can’t just decide other people’s fates. Yamato is also a living person. You guys saved me just now, so there’s no reason not to save him.”

I nodded. So that was it. No matter what happened in this world, no one could change Katashi. Even if he was an enemy, if he saw the chance, Katashi would still have to save him.

If it weren't for Katashi's nature, I wouldn't be sitting here right now.

“I'm opening!”

Hari kicked the trunk again, causing the door to pop open.

The door had barely opened when Yamato's screech was heard, drowning out the sound of the rain.

“Stop! Stop! Don't leave me here!”

I saw Yamato with tears and snot all over his face. I was afraid he would pee his pants again and it would stink when he got in the car. I looked at Katashi again, a piece of fish bones from the trash was still stuck to his shirt.

“Ugh…” – I quickly covered my nose.

“Stop! Stop!” Yamato screamed. “I haven't been bitten yet! Please, don't leave me here!”

The sound from Yamato's mouth was like a submachine gun. Could you keep it down? Didn't we open the back door for you?

“Sorry buddy, can't stop, you have to jump.”

Hari's words made Yamato pale. While pedaling with that crippled leg, jumping into the car at this distance would be something even a superman would have to give up on.

Daisuke slowed the car down to about three meters away from Yamato. However, once we reached the school's front yard, the zombies that were rushing in front and following behind were still too numerous for us to stop completely and pick him up.

“Stop… my leg hurts… I can't jump!”

“If you don’t jump, I’ll close it…” – Hari grabbed the back door, pretending to close it.

“Wait… just leave it open!” – Yamato panicked – “Damn it, I'll jump, okay?”

The car fiercely crashed through the school gate fence and sped out. Yamato panted as he rode his bike after us, followed by the flood of zombies from the school.

Ahead of us, the road stretched down to the foot of the mountain, winding down steeply. The car was sucked down very quickly, but it was the most favorable condition for Yamato. He was at the back, on the twenty degree slope and positioned on top of the trunk.

“I’m coming!!!”

Yamato closed his eyes and jumped off the bike, using the bike as a springboard with one leg and then shot towards us. Yamato rushed in just like Katashi, except his aim was a bit off so when he entered, only his upper body was in the trunk, his stomach hitting the back of the vehicle.

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

Yamato screamed and was pinned to the floor behind him, his lower body dragged like a rag on the ground.

Hari and Katashi pulled Yamato in from behind and slammed the trunk shut.

The bike fell sideways, tripping a few zombies behind it, then rolled down the slope, skidding across the ground for a while before stopping.

Our Off-roader sped down the winding mountain road. The front wipers were running like crazy. The trees on either side of the road swayed in the rain, threatening to fall and block our path.

As soon as he got into the car, Yamato quickly hugged Hari. Thanking him profusely.

“Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I will never forget this favor in my life!”

"Get off!"

Hari kicked Yamato flying to the other end of the trunk, he frantically rushed into Katashi.

“You guys too… Thank you Katashi! Thank you Hana! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!”

We felt regretful for saving Yamato. Now we couldn't make him shut up even if we wanted to. We could only cover our ears and wait for him to finish 'thanking' us.

I have to say, this guy's has more lifes than a cat. When Yamato left us and ran back to the bike park, I didn't pay attention, thinking that he was eaten by the zombies. Who would have thought that he would have had the brilliant idea of taking a bike and cycling away, then chasing after us. But when we were surrounded by zombies right next to the bike park, even with my brain and Rin's, no one could have thought of that. If we kept Yamato, we could have used his cleverness later.

I looked back at the school in the distance. Finally, on the afternoon of the second day of the pandemic, we were able to leave. I just didn't know what would happen to Hibiki Sensei and the others who stayed behind.

“Can we go back there to save everyone?”

No one answered. It seemed that after everything we had just been through, no matter how much I missed this place, even I had no intention of going back in there.

I sadly said goodbye to the school behind me. The place where I had many unforgettable memories. The place where I lived the life of a princess, our first shelter during the pandemic, where we lost Miyu and Akira, and also where I learned in the final moments that there were still other good hearts inside the people I despised.

In the car now there was Daisuke in the front seat, Rin and I in the back seat, Katashi, Hari and Yamato in the bottom trunk. There were still six people in total.

What an irony. We started out with six people, and now we're still six, but not the original group anymore.

Masayuki Katashi, my friend of two years, was separated from me by an invisible psychological wall.

Murasaki Rin, the eccentric but most attractive girl in school that I never thought I would become friends with.

Yamato, a selfish, cowardly guy, but couldn't deny the fact that he had been following us from the beginning.

Daisuke and Hari, two high school losers who were rejected by me and tried to sexually attack me, have now become friends who always appear when I need them most.

I looked at everyone in the car, afraid that this group wouldn't last much longer. But I also told myself that from now on, I would have to face much greater losses.

The future is ahead? I still have hope.

But the important thing is that right now, we are still breathing, and we are a team. Only by protecting each other, can we continue to survive in this harsh world.

Suddenly, I felt something in my pocket. I had been so busy worrying about life and death that I had not noticed anything in my pocket. Strangely, I took the thing out of my pocket to see.

It was a small gift box the size of a palm, beautifully wrapped with a purple flower attached to the outside.

"This is…?"

The box looked familiar. I had definitely seen it somewhere before.

Where have I seen this before?

I held the gift box up to observe, it was strange. why was this in my pocket.

It was at this moment that Rin, who was beside me, spoke up.

“It was that baby-faced guy, he sneaked it into your pocket while the group was still in the cafeteria.”

“Huh?” – I looked at the gift box in confusion. Then a familiar scene echoed in my memory.

“Hello, I'm Akira from class 3B, nice to meet you.”

“Um… How should I say this… I’ve noticed Hana for a long time now. You’re very beautiful, gentle, and extremely smart… um… I wanted to ask if you’d like to get to know me?”

Akira's embarrassed face appeared before my eyes, making my eyes tremble.

“That's right…” – That idiot.

I held the gift box tightly in my hand, pressed it to my chest and burst into tears. Rin didn't stop me, nor did Katashi. I was screaming louder than Yamato at this point, but no one told me to shut up.

Everyone in the car was silent, even Yamato had to shrink into a corner, head bowed.

Katashi propped his legs up and sat behind the trunk, tiredly looking at the red blood dripping from the sword blade stuck straight into the floor.

Daisuke didn't say a word, just silently drove, focusing on the road ahead.

Although he didn't understand what was happening, Hari was speechless.

All was quiet to let me cry.

“Wh… why did I chase you away… it was all my fault.”

“Why… Why?”

“Why didn't you tell me when you were alive, and then die, making me suffer like this…”

“Why… A kind person like you had to die so that a useless person like me could continue to exist in this world!”

“And why Akira… Why are you so cruel to me.”

“You are also an idiot.” – Rin leaned her hands on the window sill, looking at the rain. She said coldly to me.

My screams still echoed out of the car, echoing in the endless rain. The screams were miserable, heart-wrenching, and as painful as my heart at that moment. No one out there could hear my screams, but I still wanted to scream, so that even if Akira was in heaven, he would hear my screams.

“Akira! I'm Hana! Nice to meet you!”

I finally stopped, letting the sound of the rain continue. Would my words reach Akira's heart?

I dont know.

But your words have touched my heart.

“You're all just idiots.” – Rin muttered.

The car continued to shoot forward, like an arrow on the hillside.