Crash… CRASH… CRASH! Me and Samada are pressing our backs against the heavy steel door leading to the building from the roof where we set up camp.

We may have made a mistake…

We made a fire up here and it seemed like a good idea at first, everyone was kept warm and it gave us light to for the watch. But now we are dealing with the unforeseen problem. I guess fire flickers and moves, which normally isn’t that bad. But I guess there were a couple of reds out there and the smoke and light are enough to draw them too us.

CRASH!

Down below the building is being flooded by a couple of reds and normals. Saeko is prepared with her sword and a few of the others are getting ready as well. Shizuka seems to be fiddling with one of the bags.

“Alright guys looks like we are going to need to make some sort of stand or jump off the side!” We are on top of the first story so its not too high up but high enough if someone landed wrong, they could be in serious trouble. Mental me is throwing up different plan routes in my vision.

Shaking my head to knock the routes from my vision. I feel the door starting to give as the hinges aren’t able to take the damage that the door can.

“Assume a firing position and get ready to shoot at the door. Its going to come down soon!” Hirano and Tanada both have guns ready and pointed. Shizuka is doing a little dance over near the bags as I feel the door finally shift as the hinges break and rather then denting and breaking it slides down under the force.

Moving to the left side Samada jumps to the right. I watch as the first reds hand reaches out from the darkness of the hallway below before flying back as Tanada unloads a buck shot into it sending it flying back down the stairs into the horde below. Saeko and I take positions on either side trying to push back any undead pushing out of the door frame by killing them quickly Hirano and Tanada shoot into the door frame. With abandon, the light from the muzzles lighting the darkness in brief splashes of light. Seeing the faces keep pouring up from below it seems almost endless.

“RUNNING OUT OF AMMO!” Hirano yells I see a flash of pink hair and hear Alice chime in.

“GOT IT!” hearing the sound of a magazine hitting the floor. Before the continuation of rounds being fired.

Shes making herself useful, but I wish she wasn’t in the fight. The other kids are huddled near the edge of the roof away from us.

Tanada is taking careful shots waiting on the reds to appear before shooting them back. The ringing in my ears making it almost impossible to hear anything at this point. The only thing that stops me in my slaughter is the sudden flash of red and purple as I watch Saeko be thrown off the side of the building by a red before it could be put down by Tanada.

I scream but can’t hear it over the gunfire. I watch in slow motion my mental speed forcing me to see her fly back with a look of utter surprise on her face as she is sent off the building. I risk watching her land in a tumble and getting back up before continue my attack to clear the door.

“GOT IT I THINK? UM I HOPE?” I hear a muffled Shizuka speak up in a lull between the gunfire before running over towards the door as Auntie tries to stop her. She seems to be holding something as she trips from Auntie trying to hold her back and it flies in an arc towards the door.

It hits the top step and bounces once twice before crashing and the whole downstairs becomes engulfed in flames. Screams start to come from the remaining undead and people alike that are up here as despite no one being hurt the sudden flash of hot air hitting us sends a shock of pain. Killing the last one still up with us that isnt on fire the reds in the hallway are swinging wildly at the fire around them burning themselves to a crisp in the delay.

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I look over the side of the roof and see Saeko alone holding her shoulder as she is fighting off two reds with a determined look in her eyes. The small sea of undead are still charging into the burning building despite the fight going on between them. Ignoring everyone else here I jump off the roof to help her. I… I care about Saya, I really do. But theres only one person I really love and I can’t see her go down like this…

Wincing as I try to fall correctly, but in my hurry not quite landing right.

“Come to join the party? I know I told you I got the next one, but this is a little much hun” Saeko tries to play it off with a smile, but I can see shes struggling.

Gritting my teeth, I slash out at the one closest to me hacking a chunk out of its shoulder causing its arm to fall limp at its side. But its other to deliver a wide scratch down my forearm in return.

“Gah fuck… Well, you said you wanted our next date to be a bit more exciting!” I catch her slashing into hers as well severing a few of its fingers as it tries to grab for her.

“-hah- -hah- well if we get out of this I’ll be sure to choose what I ask for more carefully next time!” I see her try to stab into its throat and the sword slice through with no resistance meaning it missed the spine sliding all the way up her arm is right next to its mouth letting it take a large bite into her forearm. She screams and I see red.

I slash with all of my strength slamming my sword into the side of the red I’ve been working on knocking it aside and crushing part of its skull I rush forward to help her out. She pulls back falling backwards gripping her forearm with the first look of fear I’ve ever seen on her face as she looks at the wound.

I stab my blade into the eye socket of the one that she was fighting knocking it back. I rush to her side.

“Its going to be okay! Its going to be okay! Just Just take this uh I… I I think its inje-Injected? I I don’t Um here uh” I start fumbling at the small cure I keep in my pocket. She winces in pain as I see a dark throbbing in her arm. I pop off a small cap on the one use needle and stab it into her arm. At the sight of infection. I watch as a blue light pours out from where the needle was injected and floods the rest of her body. The black turns into more of a grey but doesn’t fully go away. I’m worried but it doesn’t seem to be spreading.

Snapping out of it from the sounds of gun fire starting again I look up and see that the rest of the group are still on the roof. People are still in danger… I pick Saeko up and put her inside the bus before hopping on top of it to get to the roof.

“Alright everyone just-just calm down!” I can’t shake the worry from my own voice. I don’t want to be here helping them I want to stay by her side, but I know someone has to be here.

A few zombies are making their way through the flames still on fire attracted to the kids that are screaming out of fear.

I kick them back into the fire with my boot knocking them back. I wince as the pain in my ankle flares up as its licked by flames.

“Take the kids and jump onto the bus and get down. I’ll hold them back until everyone is off!” I Start yelling at the top of my lungs drawing any attention from the ones making their way up the flaming steps my way as the others jump off. The sound of the flames and my yells drawing the ones outside towards the building instead of towards the group. I hold back as many as I can screaming with the all the energy I have. Pushing all my anger into staying upright. I continue for as long as I can.

I don’t know how long I’m there for, I feel my throat burn my voice dull from a scream to a cracking whisper as the smoke and ash chokes me from the fire below. I'd felt it stinging at me the slow build up and soreness build but ignored it until i couldn't. My eyes streaming with tears from a mixture of sadness, sweat and the smoke. I can feel my eyelids heavy pulling down from the blood loss from cuts across my body. My resilience and endurance have been pushing me this far. Stabbing into the next undead that comes up more charcal then body. I stumble looking around with bleary eyes. I don’t see any more coming up. I... I don't think i've been bit? Have I? Try to look at my limbs unable to distinguish the bloody arm from the blurry flesh before I can look further I cough again and the pain in my chest intensifies. I drag my feet one after another using the blade to help me move to the side of the building. I... I have to make sure they are okay. Looking down it seems like everyone is safe there are a couple of worried looks as they see me including Saya with a worried face but... but no Saeko... I take one step, two steps trying to peer to see if Saeko is okay to see if any more undead are nearby. I need to protect everyone... I need... I need to keep fighting. As I finish my third step the darkness at the edge of my vision consumes me and I feel weightless for a few seconds before it finally fades to black.

I hope everyone made it out okay… I... I hope... I hope she will be...