HOTD: A New Dawn

{ This is a thank you bonus chapter for finally getting more than 100 stones for atleast one of my stories, thank you so much for this support }

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Tysone ensured that the door leading to the rooftop was locked properly before he heaved a sigh of relief. He didn't know how infested the building they were in was, but the more layers between him and those things, the better. "No, Miku. This is very real."

The girl in question was in a delicate condition. 

Her entire face had lost its color. Mai wasn't that far behind. Her face looked ashen, and her grip was tight around Tysone, who she clung to for support. "W-What's going on with those people?" 

Tysone eyed her for a moment as he gazed out in the distance. "I don't know, but whatever it is, it seems to be highly contagious." 

"A virus of some sort, perhaps." Saya mulled it over. "The only virus I could think of that'd trigger such aggressive behavior is the rabies virus... but I've never heard of any rabies mutation capable of doing something like this so quickly." 

"Really?" Miku asked, wondering if it was all just temporary before someone as smart as Saya found a vaccine to get them all out of this mess.

Saya frowned. "Rabies is a zoonotic virus. It spreads through saliva, usually by bites, but the incubation period for humans is weeks to months. This… this infection is happening in minutes. It's almost impossible to reconcile with what we know about virology." She paused. "This is either some sort of poorly-veiled culling by the government or a terrorist attack."

Miku's eyes widened in horror at the implication of such an attack.

"Either way, we need to keep moving and find somewhere safe, away from populated areas." Tysone suggested, looking down at the streets below. The zombies were still staggering aimlessly, their attention focused on anything that made noise.

"Wait, shouldn't we wait for reinforcements? Surely, the military should have been made aware of what's going on!" Miku said as she slumped against the ledge. "It's their job, isn't it?! T-They'll definitely come looking for us! We should stay here and wait!"

Even Mai looked unsure of the future in Mai's hopeful statement. After all, if the police were helpless, who could say what the army would be capable of achieving against such a terrifyingly infectious pathogen?

Saya was the first to stand up, brushing off the dust from her skirt. "We should move quickly before it gets too dark. Staying on the rooftop is out of the question, it'll expose us to any infected people lurking around the area. Not to mention that we lack supplies to survive here long enough for the army to clear out the streets." She paused, turning to look at Miku, "I know it seems like a safe bet to wait, but we should really get somewhere safe while the sun is still out. The infected are much harder to see when it's dark. Not to mention, they seem attracted by sound, and with all the noises around us, it won't be long until they're all drawn here."

Tysone was inwardly surprised by Saya's cold judgement and logic in such a circumstance, it stood to contrast with the fear on Miku's pale face and the gnawing uncertainty in Mai's. 

"So..." Saya crossed her arms and looked at Tysone. "Where do we go from here?"

He pondered for a second. "Optimally, my place. But we might as well drop by your school first since it's on the way."

She frowned. "It'd be too risky to go inside, and we have no supplies to waste on searching a place like that. Why even suggest such an option?"

Tysone's face grew serious. "Because we need supplies and gear. You can bet that your school will have at least a handful of things to help us get to our next destination." Besides, there were a couple of students with high potential there. Black Label might have already been mobilized; he needed an equal or stronger force. "It's our best shot. Trust me." 

The frown on Saya's face smoothed into a look of acceptance. "Alright. You have yet to give me a reason not to trust you."

"Good." He smiled, then looked at the others. "We're going. Stay close. We need to be ready to make a break for it if things go south." 

He leaned over the roof's edge and scanned the perimeter.

Down below, several of the infected roamed around, occasionally bumping into each other.

A far-off scream ended up being loud enough to attract the attention of the zombies. Whoever that voice belonged to would soon find themselves with hungry guests. Bad for them. Good for Tysone.

He looked away. "The road's clear. Let's take advantage of it before it starts getting crowded again."

But before he could step anywhere, a hand grasped his shirt from behind, tugging on it lightly. He glanced over his shoulder, meeting Miku's hesitant gaze. "Are you sure? W-What if something happens along the way? Or if there's more of them back there?"

Despite the fact that she was a pain, Tysone felt the urge to comfort her. Miku's fear was perfectly understandable, after all, considering that this kind of situation wasn't meant for those who lacked the nerves to live through it. "Am I that unreliable to you, Miku?"

"N-No! That's not it, I… just—I don't think we'll make it." She admitted, averting her eyes. "You guys might, but… I can barely keep up... What if I slow you down? What if something bad happens and one of you dies because of me…?"

Tysone let out a heavy sigh. "Shut the fuck up and focus." His harsh words startled her into silence, drawing looks from the other girls.

"There's no guarantee that you or anyone else is going to live long enough in this environment. No one. If I was planning on throwing you aside for the sake of saving my ass, I would've left you back at the concert. All I want from you is to listen and follow. Can you manage that?"

She fell silent, only giving a timid nod after a brief pause.

"Then we're settled. Let's go."

With that, he descended the rusty ladder. He was the first to step down to the ground, the others trailing shortly after. Once they had reached the street level, the group moved together, cautiously approaching Fujimi High School.

Their pace remained quick, but they stayed close together as they navigated past abandoned vehicles littering the road.

By now, it had become painfully apparent to Tysone that the zombie virus was spreading throughout the population with unparalleled speed. They walked through streets that were littered with bodies. Some were corpses, torn apart by bullets. Others still twitched and writhed unnaturally. And yet others moved with a relentless hunger, seeking out uninfected victims. The smell of iron was nauseating.

"This is horrible…" Miku mumbled with a pained grimace. "So much death everywhere… everywhere!"

But Mai stayed silent.

Unlike Miku, who seemed to be reaching her mental limits, she was still able to function under stress thanks to Tysone's encouraging and firm hand. Though she appeared shaken by recent events, Mai didn't lose focus entirely, even while surrounded by the corpses of strangers and acquaintances alike.

"Almost there..." She murmured.

"Yeah…"

As soon as they reached Fujimi High, Tysone wasted no time rushing towards the gate.

Surprisingly, it was still closed, although one panel had fallen down due to some sort of impact.

As Mai peeked inside, her eyes widened in surprise: "T-Ty! Look!"

Would the story unfold differently?

"Stay alert." Tysone warned, grabbing his knife once more. He lifted the gate's iron panel with surprising ease, setting it aside. After making sure there was enough space for the girls to crawl underneath, he motioned them through. "Hurry."

One by one, they slipped past the iron gate and entered the school premises.

Tysone emerged last.

Screams of pain erupted across the campus as the undead attacked any living soul unlucky enough to stumble upon their path. A girl tried to run away, but the strong grip of the infected kept dragging her closer to her assailants, who mercilessly ripped her apart in a matter of seconds.

Blood sprayed everywhere in the process of being consumed alive. The pristine white walls of the academy were stained red with every second that ticked onward.

"Over here!" Saya led them through a courtyard towards the main building. On the way, they stumbled across several bodies lying lifelessly on the grass, their throats slashed open. It wouldn't be long until they arose as well.

Tysone hurried the girls to avoid staring for too long. Distractions weren't allowed.

Just as expected, once they entered the main structure, the atmosphere became heavier and filled with dread. The interior reeked of rotting flesh mixed with stale air.

"It stinks…" Mai said with disgust evident in her tone.

"It must have been caused by the dead bodies everywhere." Saya answered, walking ahead without hesitation. Despite having witnessed plenty of corpses outside earlier, she didn't appear very bothered by their presence indoors.

"Let's go the gym, Saya." Tysone said. "We need something we can use to defend ourselves better than just pocket knives."

She glanced back briefly before nodding in confirmation. "Right. Follow me."

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