HOTD: A New Dawn

Tysone looked at Shizuka.

"We need to get out of here ASAP, there's a parking lot not far from here. You know how to drive, right?"

Shizuka put a finger against her chin, eyes unfocused.

"...I suppose."

'Damn, you forgot?'

"Alright then, grab all the medical stuff and whatever can come handy, we're leaving."

"Y-Yes... I'm almost done."

Saeko and Saya stood guard by the entrance to give them time. Meanwhile, Mai went ahead with Miku, wiping the zombie blood out of her stick with a piece of cloth.

Shizuka tapped a finger against her chin. "The keys are in the staff room. We should get them, if possible."

Tysone wasn't surprised. "That's fine. Just lead us there."

...

Shizuka led them through the halls as quickly and quietly as possible. The eerie silence unnerved them, and every corner they turned seemed to hold an ambush or hidden horror waiting.

The hallways seemed endless as they navigated through the maze of rooms, occasionally passing the corpse of a fallen classmate.

According to one of Saya's experiments, they learned that the zombies couldn't see or feel, as they didn't react when things were thrown at them. They only reacted whenever one made noise and attracted their attention.

On the bright side, it allowed them to stealthily get rid of zombies who blocked their way, as was seen when Saeko swatted away a zombie and the latter didn't even realize what had happened.

It was kind of fun watching the Kendo Captain bonking zombies on the head, causing them to stumble around in confusion while trying to locate the source of the disturbance. However, while the stragglers were easy to dispose of, when they stumbled upon a much bigger group, that's when things became a problem.

From the front and from the back. As quiet as they tried to be, it was simply impossible for nine people to make zero noise, especially when moving constantly without a pause. Eventually, a group of zombies heard them and made their approach.

Saya held onto her bat, backing away with sweat running down her brows, but remained collected. She put herself against the wall, to avoid being flanked. Tysone made the first move, followed by Saeko, Takashi, and Rei.

In the blink of an eye, four infected were taken out.

However, the numbers were still stacked in the undead's favor. Things only worsened when an additional group came into view, stumbling toward their direction. As skilled as Saeko and Tysone were, they were preoccupied with their own fights and couldn't afford to split their focus.

Even Mai and Miku had taken arms and were fighting alongside the rest. Of course, they weren't killing machines like Saeko, or even capable like Tysone, but they were pulling their weight regardless.

As for Saya...

A zombie must've sensed her fear and weakness, somehow. Whatever it was, a lone infected had split away from the main group and began staggering toward her direction. Frozen with fright, Saya found herself rooted to the spot, unable to react.

"No..."

She backed further away, until her back touched the wall. Behind her was a window, and she didn't even think of jumping through it.

"S-stay away!"

Her hands trembled, her bat feeling unusually heavy as if it were made of lead. 

This wasn't the same as throwing stuff at them from afar; this was a full-on confrontation, and her composure shattered like brittle glass under the pressure.

The zombie charged forward, its maw opening up.

"NO!"

Saya gripped the bat hard with both hands and swung it like a baseball player. She didn't even dare to look, which could've resulted in a fatal mistake if luck wasn't on her side. Fortunately, it was, and the bat hit the zombie dead center in the head.

Its skull was cracked open, and a generous serving of blood gushed out from the wound right on her face and uniform.

Saya's grip loosened, the bat clattering on the floor as her breathing came in sharp gasps. She couldn't stop shaking and sweating—every nerve ending in her body felt alive. 

She wanted to vomit, to scream, to cry, but the zombies kept approaching.

"N-No..."

She didn't know if she had the strength to keep going...

Two more zombies, seeing such a pitiful target, approached Saya, groaning hungrily.

She squeezed her eyes shut, her hands covering her ears as she sank to the floor, tears welling up in her eyes. Her lungs constricted, making it hard to breathe.

Those horrible creatures were coming to eat her. There was no escape now.

"Get up, Saya. It's unbecoming of my partner in crime to succumb to such cowardice."

The sound of flesh and bone being pierced reached her ears. Blood and brain matter sprayed all over her. Saya dared to open her eyes and was shocked by what she saw.

The zombies' skulls had been impaled by the javelin Tysone wielded as a weapon, skewering them through the heads like shish kebab. With a swift movement, he knocked them off his weapon and let them fall lifeless on the floor.

Then, his attention returned to Saya.

"We don't have the time for you to freeze like that. The zombies may have lost most of their functions, but they're still dangerous."

"T-Ty..."

"Hurry up, Saya!"

He held his hand out, to which Saya barely managed to grasp.

He grabbed her forearm firmly and yanked her up. She didn't have time to stumble into a proper balance that she found herself running through the path Tysone and Saeko created. Her shoes fought to gain purchase on the bloody tiles.

Meanwhile, Tysone planted himself in front of an advancing zombie, whose limbs lashed out wildly. His javelin whipped upward, plunging the blade deep into its skull. Tysone and Saya ran through the drizzle of blood left behind by its crushed head, splattering them further.

Saeko, at the forefront, whacked two more stumbling zombies on the head, smoothly finishing them off, and led the group into an adjacent classroom.

"Let's rest here for now." Tysone said as he, Takashi, and Kohta shut the door and barricaded it with anything heavy enough to withstand a bunch of rabid, undead bumping into it.

Kohta wiped the back of his hand over his lips. Sweat glinted on his brow, his glasses perched slightly askew on his nose. "Are we safe here?"

"Safe enough." Tysone said, slightly casual about it. Their fighting force was strong enough that, even if the zombies managed to get through the door, they'd be easily dealt with. "I guess this is as good a time as any to introduce ourselves. I'll start first, though many of you already know me. I'm Tysone, from the US. I'm quite a bit older than you all, but feel free to speak to me casually."

After Tysone, the rest took turns to introduce themselves.

"Wait... are you Mai Sakurajima?" Kohta finally recognized. His hands trembled slightly.

Mai nodded, a weak smile on her face. What good did her celebrity status do in front of the scourge of the dead?

"Waaah! I can't believe it!" Kohta almost squealed in joy. He held his hands, and rubbed them like a fan. "Oh gosh, I've watched almost all your works."

Mai smiled at him kindly. 

Saya, who stood quite a distance away from the group, snapped. "Why are you all so soft?!" She trembled, her voice cracking. "People are dead, the city is in chaos, yet you're still..."

'Making new friends, huh...' Tysone closed his eyes. It was inevitable. In fact, he was surprised Saya held on for so long. But it was good for her. It had to happen, sooner or later. 

"Yet you're still..."

Saya hiccuped, tears overwhelming her. She was horrified; her mind still playing back the memory of her close brush with death. That gnarly maw, the rotten teeth, the saliva. The stink of decay. 

"Saya..." Saeko was about to intervene, but Tysone beat her to it. He sighed. "It's enough."

Saya's trembling did not cease, in fact, the moment she turned to meet herself in the mirror, tears flooded from her eyes. Her uniform was stained red with blood and brain matter. She looked nothing like her usual refined self, but someone utterly grotesque; like some deranged murderer, or one of the undead.

From someone that had been so composed and proud, someone who rarely showed vulnerability.

Saya felt like a pathetic, small, little thing—she didn't deserve to be standing in the presence of people. How could they look at her the same way after all this time?

Everyone slowly approached, to show solidarity.

Takashi and Saeko closed in, staring at Saya with a sad, haunted look. Mai and Miku both came to place a reassuring hand on her shoulders, but it did little to appease her shaking. 

"Look at how dirty I am…" Saya said, almost to herself. She turned back around, meeting everyone's eyes, one by one.

The entire scene was pitifully tragic.

Until…

Saya broke down crying, right into Tysone's chest.

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