Predawn light filtering through grimy windows roused Reira from a restless sleep. Blearily rubbing her eyes, she glanced over to see Matsui and Jayla still passed out atop the ragged gym mats. Reira's own body screamed in protest as she forced herself upright. They had taken a pounding yesterday against that ghostly psychopath.

Reira shuddered, remembering the sadistic creature towering over a gravely injured Matsui. The monster toyed with them like insects. She angrily wiped away the tears that came unbidden with that recollection. Crying over defeat would get them nowhere. She had to stay strong.

Stepping carefully over her slumbering friends, Reira slipped into the hall in search of a bathroom. The fluorescent lights overhead flickered erratically, casting the scuffed lockers and abandoned classrooms into unsettling shadow. She kept alert for any threats as she walked.

Finding a restroom, Reira braced herself before pushing the door open. Only a lingering silence greeted her. Moving quickly to the sinks, she washed days of grime from her face and arms, not minding the cool water. She already felt revived from the refreshing ritual.

As Reira patted her skin dry with scratchy paper towels, a faint giggling arose from nearby. She froze, listening intently. The unnerving laughter seemed to drift from the bathroom stalls behind her. But that should be impossible... right?

Heart thudding, Reira crept over to the stalls one by one, gently nudging doors open, ready to ignite flames with her free hand. But each toilet stood vacant, with no further sounds emerging.

Reira shook her head, laughing uneasily. Lack of sleep was getting to her - she was imagining ghostly children now. Chuckling at her foolishness, Reira turned to head back out.

She barely made it two steps before a small body crashed into her from behind. Reira hit the tile hard, momentarily stunned as clammy hands grasped at her face. Twisting around frantically, she came face to face with a pint-sized zombie child. Its cherubic features peeled back to reveal snapping teeth.

Revulsion flooded her. Reira grappled fiercely with the undead urchin, fighting to avoid its gnashing jaws. Fetid breath washed over her as they rolled across the filthy floor tiles. This thing might be tiny, but it was supernaturally strong.

As those ravenous teeth inched dangerously close to her throat, Reira spotted the toilet from the corner of her eye. With a desperate cry, she forced the creature's head into the bowl. Sitting up, she slammed the heavy lid closed repeatedly onto its skull until only mushy, crunching sounds remained.

Reira collapsed back, gagging for air. How had a zombie kid ended up in here? Renewed giggling from multiple sources answered her question. More of them waited in here somewhere.

Stumbling to her feet, Reira fled the bathroom, not stopping until she burst back into their makeshift camp. She had to warn the others immediately.

*****

Matsui jerked awake to the classroom door, crashing open. Scrambling up, she ignited frost across her palms instinctively. But it was only a gasping Reira who staggered inside, covered in muck.

"We're not alone here," Reira wheezed, bracing her hands on her knees. "Something attacked me in the bathroom. Sounded like little kids." She spat on the floor bitterly. "But it sure as hell wasn't human."

Matsui's eyes widened. She turned to Dorki who had awoken as well. "Can you sense anything nearby?" The creature's ears twitched as he focused intently. His fur suddenly bristled.

"Dark energy stirs in this structure. Prepare for confrontation immediately!" Dorki's's warning galvanized the girls into action. Grabbing their weapons, they stood back-to-back, scanning the shadowy room as eerie giggles arose.

Matsui's heart seized at the haunting chorus surrounding them. How had these unknown entities gotten so close without notice? They had let their guard down, and now hell was upon them.

With a crash, ventilation covers dislodged overhead. Matsui craned her head to see tiny undead forms spilling out into the classroom, gnashing and grasping. Revulsion gripped her at the sight of the zombie children unleashed.

Leaping atop desks to gain higher ground, Matsui blasted icy spears at the advancing horror. But these juvenile zombies moved with unnatural speed and dexterity, evading her blows. Fighting them would be like handling furious gremlins.

Nearby, Reira seemed to pretend to scold her attackers, batting them away with fiery bursts from her staff while shouting. "No biting in class!" she admonished one before slamming it into the chalkboard. Matsui almost laughed at her deranged teacher roleplay.

On the other side, Jayla hurled toys and debris, distracting the tiny zombies briefly to pick them off with lightning strikes. Their diminished mental faculties at least gave the girls an advantage in maneuverability.

A sharp cry drew Matsui's gaze across the room, where two undead children clutched at Dorki, grasping and poking at him like a plaything. With a furious shout, Matsui skewered both ghouls, shattering them into smoking piles. Dorki gave profuse thanks as she pulled him to safety atop her desk.

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But more shrieking forms spilled in from the hallway, flooding the classroom. "The window, now!" Matsui yelled. They had to escape the enclosed death trap. She blew out the glass with an icy blast before leaping out into the open air.

Landing hard on the pavement below, Matsui whirled to find the zombie children already pouring from the broken window, surrounding them quickly. Giggling and gnashing their bloodied teeth, the nightmarish students closed in.

Matsui backed against her friends, icy magic surging desperately. But the elementary playground offered no advantages against these tiny terrors. She said a silent prayer, hoping their powers proved enough to withstand the juvenile swarm. The creatures lunged as one, murderous glee twisting their cherub features. Matsui braced for impact, determined to give no quarter. The four unlikely comrades would face this nightmare together, as they somehow always had.

The swarm of undead children rushed forward like a single ravenous tide. Matsui braced herself, prepared to freeze them all solid if needed to buy precious seconds. She wouldn't fall to pint-sized zombies without a fight.

"Looks like it's recess, ya little hellions!" Reira shouted, letting her fury fuel her power. A whirling vortex of flame erupted from her staff, scattering the homicidal horde. The girls didn't hesitate, making a break towards the school's play equipment.

Reaching the swings first, Matsui leaped on and kicked off hard, rapidly gaining momentum. Each full arc brought another satisfying crunch as her boots connected with zombie heads, sending bodies flying limply. But plenty more clambered over the expanding pile of corpses.

Nearby, Jayla had scaled the monkey bars, clinging upside down to deliver crushing kicks before dropping back to safety out of reach. She picked off any climbers with precision lightning strikes. "Wish this counted for P.E. credits!" she called over with a strained grin.

From the slide, Reira cackled almost maniacally as she rode the slippery slope again and again, crushing enemies below under her thick boots with each pass. She then mounted a spring frog, using her fiery staff like a lance to skewer the shrieking monsters.

Before long, the girls fought their way to the central rope pyramid. Climbing up, they finally gained high ground over the advancing horde. But Matsui knew they were all running on fumes now. This refuge wouldn't last long.

As if reading her mind, Dorki said, "The cafeteria appears clear of threats. We should shelter there to recover." Looking where he gestured, Matsui spotted the building's entrance.

"Make for the doors on my signal!" she yelled to the others. The undead kids were attempting to scale the ropes now, some hanging from each other haphazardly. "Go, now!"

The girls slid down the back of the pyramid, hitting the ground in synchronized rolls before sprinting the short distance to slam through the cafeteria's double doors. They crashed over chairs and tables, forming a makeshift barricade before the tiny hands could follow them into the dingy interior.

"That was way too close for comfort," Reira panted, shoulders sagging against the overturned furniture. Matsui wanted to collapse as well, but they still weren't safe. The repetitive thudding against the doors was reminder enough.

No sooner had she opened her mouth to suggest their next move than shambling footsteps sounded from the shadowy kitchen. Matsui swallowed hard, raising her staff alongside the others to face this new threat head-on. She was so, so tired of fighting... but it never ended.

A hulking rotten figure lumbered into view, a stained apron hanging over a food-encrusted dress. The zombie lunch lady eyed them, foggy eyes brightening as it sensed fresh meat. With surprising speed, the corpulent corpse rushed towards them, a lethal ladle raised high. They had no choice left but to battle onward.

The hulking lunch lady zombie came barreling forth with surprising speed, a grimy ladle brandished high. Matsui dove behind an overturned table just as the makeshift weapon whooshed past, denting the wall where her head had been.

Nearby, Reira rolled to avoid a swing. "Back off, your food sucks!" she yelled, blasting flames at the beast. But her weary attacks barely singed the grease-stained apron shrouding the corpse.

Grabbing a dented saucepan, Jayla hurled it at the creature's head. The resounding clang barely fazed it. The lunch lady zombie responded by seizing a massive pot from the counter. Grinning horribly, it lobbed globs of fetid slop at the girls.

The noxious projectiles exploded on impact, splashing across the floor and eating rapidly through solid surfaces. "Acid muck, watch out!" Matsui cried, raising a frozen shield against the barrage. But the potent sludge quickly melted through her ice.

Driven back by the onslaught, the girls retreated into the kitchen. Matsui grabbed a meat cleaver from the counter, hacking at their pursuer's apron strings. But the blade merely wedged deep into iron-like flesh.

Reira attempted to bludgeon the zombie with a frying pan. Jayla threw knives that pinged uselessly away. The frenzied assault hardly slowed the lumbering lunch lady as it cornered them against industrial stoves.

Matsui's heart dropped as the hulk caught a fleeing Jayla in a massive hand, forcing her head toward the active meat grinder. Before Matsui could react, boiling water streamed over the struggling girl, making the zombie recoil with an airless shriek.

"Get the hell off her!" Reira lowered the steaming kettle, eyes blazing. Matsui seized on the fleeting advantage. "This way, hurry!" She led them toward the large walk-in freezer, icy magic surging in her hands. If she could just get the creature contained…

The zombie took Reira's bait, following them into the icy room. Matsui quickly shoved it farther inside before slamming the thick door closed. She sealed the openings with ice for good measure.

Cranking the temperature gauge down to the maximum, Matsui slumped against the door with the others. The muffled pounding soon quieted entirely. After several minutes, she steeled herself and shifted the frozen door open.

A massive ice statue stood rigid inside, ladle permanently raised. Testing a theory, Matsui kicked one frozen leg hard. The brittle body instantly collapsed into clattering chunks. Finally, the battle was over.

Emerging exhausted from the ruins, Jayla gave a weak laugh. "Don't know about you guys, but I could go for some breakfast after that."

Despite everything, Matsui managed a weary smile at her indestructible friend. No foe could extinguish Jayla's fiery spirit. Together, they had conquered yet again, against all odds. And now, finally, Matsui sensed a glimmer of blessed sunlight piercing the darkness.