HOTD: A New Dawn

Kohta was running frantically through the school's winding hallways. His breathing was ragged and panicked. With each step he took, his shoes squeaked loudly against the tiled flooring.

Behind him trailed six infected individuals chasing him down relentlessly.

"Gotta...gotta get outta here...need to get somewhere safe..."

He gasped for air between hurried strides but he never slowed down or stopped for a moment. Though he wondered how long until his untrained lungs could keep up with his frenetic pace, Kohta pressed onward without hesitation.

Turning a corner quickly proved to be his undoing though; within seconds, he slammed right into Shizuka Marikawa's chest as she rounded another corridor leading into the nurse's office.

Her voluptuous breasts absorbed most of the impact but both went sprawling nonetheless—the collision knocking the wind out of them simultaneously.

Kohta groaned, his head spinning from the impact. Shizuka let out a startled yelp as she tried to untangle herself from him. "Huh?" She stammered, blinking in confusion.

There was no time to explain. He grabbed her wrist, scrambling to his feet. "Get up! They're coming!"

A guttural snarl from behind reminded them just how close the infected were.

Shizuka, still dazed, stumbled to her feet. Kohta's mind raced—there had to be something he could use. The nurse's office was just ahead.

He bolted inside, dragging her with him before slamming the door shut. His heart pounded in his ears as the infected slammed against the door seconds later.

"Oh, we're trapped." Shizuka whimpered.

Kohta's eyes darted around the room. Medical supplies, cabinets, a stretcher—nothing useful. Then he spotted it. A metal supply rack, the sturdy kind.

"Help me push this!" He grunted.

Shizuka snapped out of her daze and joined him, pushing the rack against the door just as the hinges groaned under the weight of the undead.

For now, it would hold.

"Hah... that should keep them busy."

"Those poor students... This is the worst day ever." Shizuka murmured sadly before sinking to the floor. Kohta decided to lean against the wall for support instead, allowing himself a moment's respite to catch his breath.

The rack shook again—another collision against the door. The smell of rot wafted through, despite the door being closed. Kohta groaned internally.

'What am I supposed to do?'

He held his head as he collapsed on the floor, grunting softly in annoyance and anxiety.

He didn't sign up for any of this madness. He shouldn't be stuck in some makeshift, tiny safe haven in some obscure part of the campus. He should be having his classes as normal. He should be thinking about ways to take a peek up someone's skirt, not zombies and how to fight back against them.

'Argh, stupid, stupid, stupid...I was lucky just now, I need to do something...' Kohta tried not to panic.

"Hey, are you alright?" Shizuka asked worriedly, noticing him clenching his teeth in frustration.

"I...I can't get used to this. This is insane..."

He forced himself to focus on anything other than those growls outside. 

If he kept thinking negatively, all that would remain is negativity. His life was already a mess; bullies, a weak, overweight constitution, his status as an otaku—none of these made him particularly popular in the school. If anything, it made him a target. 

And now those things outside were trying their damndest to claw their way inside and finish what they started, and he was too helpless to do much. The frustration that had been mounting for so long was threatening to erupt.

Ah, perhaps he really should have visited that famous Rage Room. Maybe he'd have a calmer mind afterward and would be able to deal with whatever came next instead of freaking the fuck out every minute or so.

"Why is this happening?" Kohta's hands clenched tightly.

He let out an agonized sob.

Shizuka's expression softened as she watched Kohta struggle to keep himself together.

She wasn't the best at handling these kinds of situations, but she could see he was reaching his breaking point. She gently placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, it's okay." She said softly. "We're still alive. That's what matters right now."

Kohta swallowed hard, his breath shaky.

He wanted to believe that, but all he could hear was the pounding against the door. The infected weren't giving up. The makeshift barricade wouldn't last forever.

He wiped his eyes with his sleeve and forced himself to think. "We need a way out of here."

Shizuka nodded, glancing around the room. "There's a window, but…" She trailed off, peeking through the blinds. She tilted her head. "Ohh, that's a long drop."

"It's fine... we'll figure something out." Kohta steeled his resolve as he stood up. "We have to—"

A shadow stretched behind them.

Behind a curtain, in one of the beds, a student arose from his slumber, except that his appearance made it clear that he had died once already and that he had just returned from the afterlife as one of the infected.

"Ohh, right. I forgot that a student was still here after getting hurt during class activity." Shizuka muttered, raising a finger to her lips, an absent look in her eyes.

"...What?! You're telling me NOW?!"

...

Meanwhile, on the rooftop, Tysone's group was resting and eating whatever food could be salvaged from their respective backpacks. At present, no immediate threats could be found aside from the odd zombie stumbling around on the lower floors below.

Hisashi was already cold by now.

While Tysone still regretted what he did—his thoughts shifted from 'I should've done something about it, this could have been avoided' to the more practical one, which was, 'it had to be done.'

"I really want to know what's going on…" Takashi said, looking down. He clenched his fists.

"Not like the government will give a shit about anyone still alive anyway..." Saya countered. "Who the heck knows when they'll even decide to interfere and offer their assistance...?"

Rei's eyes widened a fraction, her jaw going slack. "Hey... what do you mean they won't help us?! It's a national catastrophe! How can they just leave us to fend for ourselves?!"

"They likely have their hands tied." Tysone clarified, glancing her way. "The world has to focus on this outbreak before turning their attention towards us. We'll be long dead before they find the time to lend their hand."

"No way..."

Saeko placed a hand on Rei's shoulder. "Take heart, dear friend. For now, let us focus on surviving. It is what Hisashi would have wanted us to do."

A moment passed silently until Rei finally found the strength to stand up.

"Takashi, can I see your phone? I wanna try calling my dad."

Takashi sighed. "I know he's a cop, but how are you gonna contact him when even the police emergency line is busy?" He still handed her his phone.

"He gave me a private number that I'm not supposed to normally use."

Tysone waited patiently.

After the second beep, the line connected.

Everyone inched closer to listen.

"Dad?"

—Hello?

—This phone number... Takashi's?

"Dad?" She held the phone tight against her ear. "Listen, dad. We're at school right now..."

—Hello? Is this Takashi? Rei must've given you this number.

It was painfully obvious that Rei's father couldn't hear them. Static interference broke the line as he kept talking.

—Listen, this whole city is in a state of panic. You need to...

Shots rang out, making everyone flinch.

Whatever he wanted to say got momentarily interrupted.

—You need to get out as soon as possible!

And then the line died out.

Takashi dropped his hands, then balled his hands into fists and slammed them on the floor. "Dammit!"

Rei had a haunted look in her eyes. "He couldn't hear me." Tears slowly began to well up within them. "Dad... he didn't even know that it was me."

Tysone was getting a little irritated with all this pity party. He felt bad for Rei, but staying alive wasn't exactly easy when you kept your emotions running rampant like this. 

Then again, perhaps this was the privilege of being part of the main cast.

As such, he approached the silently weeping Rei. 

"I understand it's a tough time for you all. You're lost, helpless and don't know what to do. Hell, it isn't exactly easy knowing how shitty things have gotten this quickly, but I feel it's important to remain focused. Dwell on your regrets and sorrow and you'll end up wasting away, and die by the end of the week if we aren't careful enough."

It wasn't the best advice ever, but he had to try. He glanced at Rei. "Your father is a cop, Rei. I don't imagine someone of his caliber would go down as easy as the rest of the students. From the sounds of it, he's armed as well. If it brings you comfort, then know that he's definitely out there kicking ass, helping people like yourself, while keeping his eyes out for his daughter at the same time."

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