As the sun disappeared from the horizon, I looked down from the roof. The field was filled with hundreds of those students, who continued to wander while giving out a constant agonizing moan.

I turned over to Kurumi, who had curled herself up close to the corner with a shovel beside her and a body covered up with a white sheet. We had remained up here for about 2 hours. Survival was possible, but only for the short term.

I looked at Sakura, one hand on her phone while the other rubbed over Yuki’s back as she rested her head over the railing, sobbing. Yuuri placed her hand over Yuki’s shoulder, attempting to help Sakura comfort Yuki while she continued to try to contact help to no avail.

Sakura walked away from Yuki, her phone planted close to her ears as she waited. After a few seconds, Sakura lowered her phone out of frustration, prompting me to approach her as she stuffed her phone back into her pockets.

“We can’t risk staying on this roof for too long. The weather won’t be in our favor…”

“This should all blow over tomorrow, right?” Sakura whispered to me.

“Much of the Self Defence Force is overseas and I have a good feeling whatever is happening is international"

“What are you inferring, Tanaka-kun?”

“This’ll last more than a few days. My best bet is for a few weeks until somebody comes over and rescues us"

“Are you sure we could hold out that long? Especially regarding some of the girls like Yuki-chan"

I looked over at Yuki, her hands covering her eyes as she continued her sobbing.

“We’ll make it"

A quiet ringtone came from Yuki, making us look over at her. Yuki quickly reached for her phone in her pocket, placing it close to her ear.

“Mom!” Yuki shouted in joyful relief as she jumped up and down with the phone.

Sakura ran over to Yuki, and I followed suit.

“Yes, Mom! I’m alright! I’m at the school rooftop with a few other students with me"

We all looked at each other as Yuki listened through the phone, her face still in joyful excitement, almost ignorant of the threat still close to us.

“Where are you? Is Dad safe?”

Yuuri and Sakura stood close to Yuki, their faces equally worried.

“Mom… slow down. I can’t hear anything"

I stepped towards the group, hearing a crackling sound through the call’s speakers, followed by something inaudible. As I stood close to Yuuri, a sudden scream came through the call, followed by a disconnect.

“Mom? Mom!” Yuki looked at her phone, ignorant of her hands trembling. She looked up at Sakura, who had her hands over her mouth in shock after hearing the scream.

“If you don’t mind asking, where are they?” I asked,

“Shinmachi Local Park”

“They should be under military protection. Don’t worry about it"

A sudden sonic boom made us flinch down, with multiple large figures flying over us at breakneck speed. Staring at the figures, with the green dot illuminating its presence, they flew off into the horizon, disappearing through the plume of smoke.

“Speak of the devil-”

A second boom made us flinch again, as a fiery explosion filled the outskirts of the city in almost complete unison, lighting up the sky with another wave of napalm and destruction across the streets.

“Oh my…” Sakura muttered.

I turned over to Yuki, who stared at the city with a sense of shock over it, before dropping the phone onto the ground. I hadn’t seen Yuki look like this at all, almost as if her usual upbeat nature had been suppressed.

“Where did that hit?” Yuuri pointed at the explosion.

“Shinmachi…” Sakura mumbled.

“Great…" I muttered to myself.

Turning over at Yuki, I noticed her hands shaking while lowering her phone. Her legs started to tremble to the point where she fell on the ground in shock, her eyes starting to fill with tears.

Sakura ran over to Yuki, rubbing her hand over Yuki’s back in the hopes that she wouldn’t break down. Yet, through the facade of a strong face she had, I could tell Sakura was just as distraught as Yuki.

Looking around the rooftop, almost everyone had that same feeling of dread and confusion among them. I could tell I wasn’t immune to it. Not a single message came on my phone, so the fate of my parents, my relatives, and everyone I genuinely cared for, remained almost unknown.

It was like last time.

With the only realistic and likely conclusion being that they’ve suffered a similar fate to them, I couldn’t accept it.

“I’ll be back…” I muttered to Sakura, to which she responded with a nod.

Going around the small stairway, I stood in front of the rows of solar panels aimed toward the sky, staring into the field on my own.

I placed my hands over my face, clenching my hair in silent frustration. Staring up at the sky, a gunship in the distance, visible by the fire below him, fired a sudden salvo of rockets onto a nearby block.

With the sound of an explosion echoing across the school, I took advantage of it, backing away from the railing.

“Dammit!” I kicked onto the railing, causing its hinges to fall off and the piece flying onto the ground.

I sidestepped over to a nearby rail, this time resting my shoulder to place my hands over my face, covering the outburst I’ve been trying to hold back ever since my arrival on the rooftop.

Reminiscing on how the day played out, I came to a shocking realization; all of those hints, all of those messages indicating that the world was turning mad by the second, even how this school was designed.

It was painfully obvious. And yet, I did nothing about it. I’ve always been confident in my judgment and decisions, yet I’ve kept my guard down for too long.

Banging on the railing again, I walked towards the garden, returning to my usual composed face to not make the others worry. I had to decide for once, and with the stakes as high as ever, it seemed as if we’d end up just like them.

I approached Sakura who sat next to Yuki in the hopes of comforting her. Looking up at me, she stood up.

“I think it's best to say we should get off this rooftop”

“How will we get in? The front door’s not an option"

“Wait here"

I walked over towards the body placed near the garden shed, lifting the white sheet over the body. Even though he had died an hour ago, the smell was starting to set in. I grabbed onto its lifeless hand, shoving its thumb onto the home screen as it turned on.

I turned on the music player, maximizing its volume. As I made a crude knot over the phone, I sent it down towards the ground floor as it blasted a melody that could even be heard from up here.

After lowering it as much as possible, I slowly hovered it close to one of the windows. As it got close, I swung the rope around, causing it to move like a metronome. I released my hand over the rope as the phone got close to the window.

The sound of groans and banging across the locker instantly stopped, with the faint sound of the symphony playing across the hallways.

“Ebisuzawa-san, can you help me clear out the third floor?”

Kurumi gave me a glare in response.

“Never mind then… May I borrow your shovel?”

She glared at me again.

I turned over to the rest of the group, who seemed to have scattered around the roof all looking tired.

Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

“Stay here. I won’t take a while"

“Wait Ryu-kun. You can’t just straight up leave the roof. There’s probably way more scattered across the school” Sakura responded.

“Don’t worry about it Sakura-sensei, the sound seems to attract them like flies. Worst case scenario, we’re merely back at square one"

“No! I can’t let you risk yourself. The roof is already our only hope here. We can sleep at night and think it out tomorrow”

“With all due respect Sakura-sensei, do you want to risk sleeping out here? With all the cold and the possibility of rain?”

“... Fine. But don’t risk yourself"

“Don’t worry"

She nodded in response, before placing her hand on Yuki’s back as she huddled up at the corner sobbing.

I slowly pushed the locker away from the door, before entering the staircase with little issue. A few shards of glass were in my way yet I managed to navigate through them without alerting the infected.

It seemed surreal to be in the school at night. The classrooms are empty, entering an area where you usually come during the day, and completely silent. Yet it wasn’t the time to admire it.

The hallway was merely dimmed by the distant orange light, while I continued down the hallway. I hugged close to the walls, slowly peeking over the door before making a quick run to the next set of walls.

A student emerged from the stairs, his back slouched down. He turned over to me, before approaching me with both hands trying to reach for me.

As he slowly entered the moonlight, I held my hand over my mouth in shock. His face was disfigured while his eyes bulged out as if it was something out of a horror movie now placed to wreak havoc. A true monster in the flesh.

With the student getting closer, I grabbed onto his right arm, pushing him straight onto the wall. As he struggled against my grab, I lifted my right foot, kicking him away the moment I released my hold.

The student was sent back before he then continued his chase, having both arms fruitlessly reach for me as if he hadn't learned his mistake.

As he lurched forward towards me, I sidestepped over, before thrusting my left foot into his side. He landed close to the window, shattering it. The student seemed to have stopped with his attack.

I gripped his neck, placing him close to the window. With my blazer and my height advantage, it was as if I was fighting a child.

Is this… murder? I thought to myself as I pushed him closer to the window.

The tide of thoughts couldn’t override the overarching thought I had. However, as I looked up, both hands were trying to reach for my hair out of desperation. I pressed both hands over his chest, shoving him over the window. I then heard a splat.

I stood there in complete silence, contemplating my actions. Even if it was murder, was it justified? Was there a way to subdue him without killing him?

Perhaps that was the best option I could take, for now.

I walked down the stairs, taking advantage of the distant music to conceal my loud fight against a student.

As I reached the Home Economics Kitchen, I reached for a kitchen knife. It felt weird, wielding such a weapon like this, yet at this point, I had to ignore it.

Walking back up the stairs with my knife, I started to think about the music player. It had only a few songs, so how long would it take until the music ended?

As I looked over towards the hallway, I noticed a group of infected now coming out of the classroom. It seems I’ve received my answer. It was now or never. I gripped my knife, feigning a few moves.

I walked over, slowly garnering the attention of the students who stood in front of me.

A sudden movement from the entrance of the stairs caught my attention, with the figure so eerily similar yet indistinguishable at the same time. However, after a sudden stare, the growl of a student retained my attention.

I reached for my knife, thrusting it towards a student’s head hesitantly. As the student growled in response, I lurched my knife towards its neck. The student made a loud gurgle before its entire body stopped almost instantly. As I looked over with a feeling of remorse, another growl came to my side.

After managing to pull the knife out from the wound, I backed away from the body. I could easily take him down using my usual style. Yet, I found it difficult to risk each attack or else I’d suffer the same fate as Kurumi’s boyfriend.

As a student approached me at his usual slow pace, I tapped both of his hands away, before sending a kick towards its jaw. It backed away for a moment.

I grabbed onto his arm, spinning over to the student beside him before colliding both onto the ground. As I released the person, I immediately dove straight into the knife, thrusting it out of the body.

Blood spattered on my face as I blinked rapidly. I noticed one of the infected fell over to the ground. A dark figure stood behind a few infected students, her figure almost indistinguishable in the dark despite the shovel and the twin tails.

As the students turned around, she swung her shovel, knocking each one out before stabbing them straight in the head. Gripping onto my knife, I thrust it towards the kneecap of one of the infected students, before repeatedly bashing him straight in the gut in the hopes that it’d fall. I then pulled the knife out, sending it towards its neck.

As I turned over to my right, the distinct figure of Kurumi captured my sight. She had dropped her shovel after managing to take down the last infected, completely out of breath and almost unable to stand up.

“I thought you’d be smart enough to not punch them,” Kurumi muttered as she dug her shovel into one of the student’s heads, hesitating her final blow for a moment.

“Seriously?”

“Yeah I know, not the time now"

“Anytime is the right time for me as long as we’re not handling a bunch of them"

“Heh…”

A figure emerged behind Kurumi, making me raise my knife.

“Step aside"

Kurumi stepped over, swinging her shovel at a speed I couldn’t even comprehend.

“How are you so good with a shovel Ebisuzawa-san?"

“I don’t know…"

“Martial arts?”

“Yep…”

“Lucky…”

“You don’t happen to know if there’s anyone else left?”

“If there was, it wouldn't be much of an issue for us"

“Anyways, Pres, I’ll get some barricades around the stairs. Can you scavenge around the classrooms and look for some lamps?”

“Sure…”

“Alrighty… I’ll be back Ryu-kun”

“Can you also get the rest of the students down to the class?”

“Yea sure"

A thought suddenly rushed into my head as we started to part ways.

“Ebisuzawa-san, can I say something real quick?”

“Hm?”

“This may seem a bit late for this, but I’m sorry for your loss"

There was an awkward moment of silence, before being broken by Kurumi giving a nod.

“... Thanks Ryu-kun"

It was now or never anyway. Telling that tomorrow or the day after would seem awkward.

“By the way, the office is reserved if you are considering living there for the night"

She smiled, giving out a nod before we went our separate ways.

I scanned the nearby rooms. What became of the second-year classrooms looked like something out of a straight-up massacre. I grabbed onto each table, sliding it over onto the nearby stairs before setting it up.

After a moment of setting up barricades, I made my approach to the reference room where a distinct light reflected across the obscured glass. The distant sound of Sakura’s soft voice followed by a sob could be heard from the hallway. I knocked on the door.

“Excuse me, can I talk with Sakura-sensei for a moment?” I asked in my friendliest voice to avoid breaking the mood inside.

“Coming over, please give me a moment,” Sakura-sensei responded in a friendly voice.

A soft yet indistinguishable whisper came from the room, followed by a small shuffle. The door slid open as Sakura exited, with a soft sob being heard from the inside. I nonetheless kept silent for the time being.

“Did you manage to get a hold of anyone on the phone, Sakura-sensei?”

Sakura shrugged her shoulders.

“Alright. Our best chance is to stay in this school. Thanks to the guys who outfitted this school, we can probably last for a few months. Me and Kurumi are planning to clear out the second floor after Lunch, so I’m hoping that you’ll hold down the fort for us in the meantime”

“Alright. What are you planning to do in the case that we have to stay put in this school and wait for someone to rescue us?”

“I still haven’t thought out the long-term goals, although I kinda have a rough idea of it. I’ll report back to you on it"

I kind of lied. It was easy to plan it out but I didn’t want to boast about it to a teacher.

“By the way, Sakura-sensei?”

“Yes, Ryu-kun?” She turned over.

“Are you aware that the school has an emergency manual for a scenario like this?”

“Uh… no. I haven’t seen any emergency manuals” Sakura looked away for a brief second, her tone completely nervous.

“Odd. I thought the school would have something like that"

A brief silence followed. Sakura had nothing to say, again.

“Alright, I’ll see you tomorrow sensei”

“Good night Tanaka-kun” Sakura responded with her usual friendly tone coming back into the light, “Come over to this room if you have an emergency”

I knew there had to be something of interest, as a school should be equipped with a manual if they were boasting a garden and a bunch of solar panels.

The convenience seemed unreal. But Sakura is still quite new to teaching, so I’ll cut her some slack.

I entered a nearby classroom, its appearance being way different than what I used to remember. Tables were slashed and flipped, large holes across windows, and blood splattered across the board. The moment I stepped in, a foul odor set in, causing me to withdraw out of the room for a moment. It was the same for almost the entire school.

Let’s see what I could do.

By the time it was 9 PM, I was finished setting up a line of crudely made barricades. A square wall of tables kept together by mere rope. It wasn’t the best I could do, but it's good enough.

I continued my scan through each room, managing to find a couch in the meeting room which I dragged into my room. Despite the compact space, I managed to fit the couch in.

It wasn’t the best bed I could find, but it's good enough.

There wasn’t much I could do for now other than sleep and observe the students who have surrounded this school. However, knowing that they can spread whatever virus or infection through bites pushed me to check my drawers.

Upon opening my drawer, I found a pile of items stacked almost conveniently for me. Gloves, beanies, a roll of tape, the list kept going.

Perfect.

I took one quick scan on my phone. 9:04 PM. As I looked down at my phone, the usual news feed that I used to look through had been stuck, with only a few mere ‘recent’ articles during 5:23 PM. I started to settle with the thoughts creeping from the back of my mind.

Our world has changed. And honestly, I still can’t comprehend it to this day.