HOTD: A New Dawn

Tysone's stomach churned with acid as his mind raced to catch up with events unfolding around him.

Mai was clinging to Tysone's arm for dear life. She could feel the cold sweat dripping off of him, and her grip tightened even more.

Saya took an unsteady step backwards, but Miku's hand shot out to keep her upright and from losing balance. Tysone didn't delay much longer; he had been preparing for this situation ever since he opened his eyes in this world. "Listen to me very carefully."

Their faces were drained of color and wide-eyed.

"We're getting the hell out of here." Tysone grabbed their hands. "Don't think. Follow my lead, got it? You two." He glanced at Mai and Miku. "Stick close to us. Keep your wits about yourself."

The girls nodded shakily, keeping themselves as close together as they could manage without tripping over each other.

"More importantly, don't question my orders. Your life may very well depend on them. Understood?" When nobody replied, Tysone looked them each in the eye sternly until they each acknowledged his instructions.

It was difficult to maintain composure while people ran for their lives outside of the stadium. There were shouts from both the performers and crew backstage.

"Is this a terrorist attack?"

"I can't believe this." Another person exclaimed. "Why here? Why today?"

Tysone pulled at Saya and Mai's hand, signaling his intention to leave. "No more talking. We have to move before—"

A few shambling, mindless-looking crew members staggered their way into the backstage and began biting everyone they could reach. 'Has the infection always been so fast acting?'

It was a domino effect. One person infected another. The infected would infect two more, who in turn would infect four more.

Blood splattered, filling the place with an agonizing odor. There was a sea of screams all around as a senseless violence erupted from all sides. People began pushing against each other as panic ensued. A frenzy that had quickly escalated.

Tysone cursed.

Tysone cursed.

"Follow me!" He yelled and ran. His mind was buzzing. The others were holding on tightly and desperately tried to avoid getting caught by anyone else or separated in the chaos that had formed.

In a blink, it went from normalcy to insanity.

There were so many people scrambling about as zombies chased after them. The horde increased in numbers with each second, leading to greater chaos.

"Help! Someone help! Pl—!!" A crew member from somewhere shouted before a drooling, unhinged jaw clamped on his neck.

"Where's security? Help! Help!" One woman desperately pushed against a door. The zombie horde had begun to pile behind. "Help me! Open up! Please! Open—gaaah!"

Mai and Saya's stride began to falter from the shock. A tug from Tysone's hand pulled the pair away before they could witness the fate of the woman.

"Keep running!"

"Over there!" Saya, who surprisingly composed herself, pointed at an emergency exit at a side hallway. "That door!"

It was an open lane, and they ran straight for it.

However, as if luck would not have it, a zombie swayed in front of their path. 

The zombie swayed clumsily, its pale eyes locking onto Tysone and the group. Mai and Miku swallowed nervously, whilst Saya wore an uncertain but determined frown. 

Its jaw hung slack, revealing blood-streaked teeth, and its hands jerked toward them as if its body was being pulled on invisible strings.

Tysone didn't hesitate. He released Saya's and Mai's hands, stepping forward to block the creature's path.

"Stay behind me!" He barked. 

From the back pocket of his hoodie, he pulled out a tactical knife he had begun carrying as a precaution months ago. It wasn't ideal, but it would have to do.

The zombie lunged, its movements faster than he anticipated. Tysone ducked low, sidestepping the attack, and brought the blade up in a swift, practiced motion. The knife plunged into the creature's temple with a sickening crunch. For a second, its body spasmed violently before collapsing in a heap at his feet.

The girls stood frozen, horrified at the scene.

"Tysone…" Mai's voice trembled.

"No time for shock." Tysone said, pulling the knife free along with a spurt of infected blood. "This is just the start. Move. Now." 

They stepped over the corpse in a rush. Mai averted her gaze. 

Fortunately, the emergency exit was safe and free of obstacles. Tysone swung the door open and let the girls out first, before slamming it shut. The click of the lock resounded reassuringly, and Tysone quickly looked for something to barricade the entrance, dragging some nearby benches to prop up against it.

"That should buy us some time…" He panted, then looked to the others, checking to see if they had gotten injured. "Are all of you alright? No bites or scratches?" It'd be a monumental failure if any of them were to be turned because of his carelessness.

Mai hugged her body tightly, her shoulders shaking. "I-I'm fine. What about you three?" She managed to muster a response.

Miku and Saya gave a silent nod.

"Good. Keep it that way. We need to keep moving and get to somewhere safe." His gaze turned serious as he surveyed them. They made their way down the stairs.

The arena's screams filled the background, which only spurred the group faster.

Saya, despite the clear horror on her features, remained sharp and focused. "You don't seem that frightened by these events." She commented, observing how calm the man was.

"Neither are you, for that matter."

Miku grumbled, a visible tremble running down the spine. "How can any of you keep your shit together…"

"The bigger the problem, the more important it is to think rationally." Saya stated bluntly, though not without a hint of apprehension creeping into her tone. "Panic leads to more harm than it solves."

The sound of the emergency exit bursting open echoed from above. They turned around and looked up. A small crowd of survivors rushed out, squeezing through the narrow gap with such violence that some of them ended up being pushed over the railings, and plummeted down to the bottom. The height wasn't that big, but they still ended up with severely broken bones and twisted limbs.

The stampede that followed put an end to their suffering.

Mai and Miku flinched. Even Tysone couldn't easily digest the view, but the rush of adrenaline and the impending threat of being eaten alive were more than enough to keep his resolve from breaking.

The zombies had made it out of the exit as well, biting and scratching everyone they could catch up with.

The four of them sprinted as fast as they could, not once turning around to look at the terror unfolding behind. The streets sprawled wide open, with cars crashed and piled on top of each other, some still on fire. 

A zombie outbreak in a city as densely populated as Tokonosu? The infection would only spread faster.

Zombies with police uniforms lurched from all directions, their ashen skin a painful reminder that bullets were useless unless you went for the head.

And this was only the beginning. The number of infected would increase exponentially within just a couple of hours.

A lot of people would die in the first days.

The group ran, with Tysone leading. 

The distant wail of sirens grew fainter as chaos swallowed the city whole. Tysone scanned their surroundings. Every street they turned onto seemed worse than the last—screams, fire, and the relentless shuffle of the undead filled the air. 

"Over here!" He shouted, leading them down a narrow alleyway. The brick walls on either side felt claustrophobic, but they also provided some semblance of cover. At the end of the alley, Tysone spotted a service ladder bolted to the side of a building.

"We'll go up there and regroup." He said, pointing to the ladder.

"Up there?" Miku panted, glancing up at the fire escape. "What if we're trapped?"

"We're already trapped down here." Tysone shot back. "At least up there, we have a better view of the area—and maybe some breathing room."

Saya nodded in agreement. "He's right. We need to get out of the streets before we're surrounded."

Mai hesitated, her gaze flicking between the ladder and the alley's entrance, where the sound of shambling footsteps grew louder. 

Tysone grabbed her hand firmly. 

"Mai, look at me. You trust me, right?"

She blinked up at him, her lips trembling, but eventually nodded. "I do." She grew some resolve. 

"Then climb. Now."

One by one, they ascended the ladder. 

Tysone took the rear, his knife still slick with blood. 

When they reached the rooftop, they all collapsed in exhaustion, breathing heavily. 

The city stretched out before them. Smoke plumes rose in the distance, and the streets below were clogged with panicked civilians and relentless zombies chasing after them.

Mai's eyes widened as she gazed down at the streets, a gasp escaping her. "W-what is happening? This is… it's…" She was at a loss for words. The situation was too unreal for her to grasp.

Saya stared in disbelief at the cityscape, her sweaty face contorted into a grim expression.

"What the hell is happening?" Miku said, her voice cracking as tears started to stream down her face. "What the fuck is happening?! Why is everyone acting like that?! This can't be real... it has to be a nightmare!"

Author's Note:

If you're enjoying the story and want to read ahead or support my work, you can check out my P@treon at [email protected]/LordCampione. But don't worry—all chapters will eventually be public. Just being here and reading means the world to me. Thank you for your time and support