Chapter 3: Survivors

Chapter 3: Survivors

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(A/N: Is that a Power Stone I'm sensing? You should leave it here for safekeeping. Don't worry, I'll take good care of it.)

Word Count: 2473

~1 Hour Later~

Suddenly, the blaring sound of the fire alarm echoed through the halls of the school. Nagi jolted awake, the adrenaline from his recent encounter still pumping through his veins. He looked around, still disoriented, before realizing the source of the noise.

Yawning in a lazy manner, he got up from the couch and walked towards the door, his cleaver still in hand. Upon opening the door, the sound of the alarm grew louder, and Nagi noticed that there was no sight or smell of smoke. Visit no(v)eLb(i)n.com for the best novel reading experience

The zombies had already cleared out of the area, leaving behind only lifeless corpses and blood stains that desecrated the empty halls. Nagi closed the door and stretched before entering the bathroom to wash his hands and face.

He rummaged through the food bag, grabbing a granola bar and some grapes to snack on. Looking out the window, he noticed the sun had set, and he had no intention of staying in a zombie-infested school for the night. As he surveyed the outside, he spotted a trail of running water coming from the building's rooftop.

'Someone must be up there,' Nagi thought, popping a grape in his mouth. 'There's an emergency fire hose in the storage room. It's likely they're using it to either gain attention or push the horde back.'

Returning to the couch, Nagi sat down and concentrated, listening intently for any sign of human activity in the vicinity. After a few moments of silence, he heard a muffled sound coming from a distance.

Nagi paused, his ears perked up, trying to identify the source of the noise. A few moments later, he heard it again: a dull "thud" that echoed through the quiet school. Opening his full eyes, he stuffed the rest of the grapes in his mouth like a chipmunk and prepared his gear.

'If I'm correct, then that weapon could possibly be a high-quality makeshift gun. The sound it makes resembles that of a staple gun, and if someone is using it repeatedly to kill zombies, they must be talented in using weapons and are not scared of killing off the undead,' Nagi thought to himself.

However, he sighed at the thought of having to interact with another person, muttering to himself, "Though, talking to people is a pain sometimes." After finishing his food, he strapped his quiver over his back and picked up his bow.

Unfortunately, he had failed to retrieve all of his arrows, so he only had twelve left from the original twenty he had procured at the beginning of the apocalypse. Nagi also grabbed his blade and cleaver, slipping the blade through his belt loops and holding the cleaver in his right hand, while keeping his bow hung around his torso.

After stashing his food bag under the tables, Nagi covered it up with numerous rolling chairs and a blanket he found lying around the room. Once satisfied with his handiwork, he carefully opened the door and peered outside.

Observing nothing but the lifeless corpses, severed limbs, and bloodstains, Nagi exited the room and shut the door behind him. He then proceeded towards the noise he had heard earlier, which seemed to be coming from a location only two or three corridors down the hall - likely close to the faculty room.

As he made his way towards the source of the noise, Nagi pondered how he should handle the situation once he arrived. Should he put on a smile and be optimistic, or perhaps cry in joy? He quickly dismissed these thoughts, realizing that his only motivation for seeking out the person was pure curiosity.

Nagi knew that surviving in this world alone had its limitations, but he also didn't want to be grouped with incompetent teenagers who let their emotions and hormones cloud their judgment. They would only be liabilities and eventually meet a pathetic demise, which was not worth Nagi's time or effort.

"KYAAAAAAAAAAA!!!"

"If you're done with introductions and outbursts, you can follow me if you'd like. I've secured the faculty room and am planning to escape the school. I'm not going to pretend to be someone I'm not for you all so if you dislike my attitude then deal with it. This will only be temporary until we get into the city," Nagi informed the group, as he strode past them, making his way to the faculty room.

As Nagi walked down the corridor towards the faculty room, the group stayed behind staring at his back, each with their own expressions and thoughts. Takashi was the first to speak up.

"I don't like him," he said, drawing the attention of the others who listened intently. Realizing they were waiting for him to elaborate, he continued, "His intentions seem selfish, and he clearly doesn't care about others. He even called Saya's breakdown 'annoying'."

Nodding in agreement, Rei added, "I agree. However, he has a plan to escape the school and also knows a safe place within the school. Don't you think it's safer to be grouped with him? Besides, he also saved me earlier. If he was truly uncaring, he would have left me to die just then."

Takashi was feeling a sense of betrayal. While he acknowledged that Nagi was their best chance to escape the school and stay safe, he didn't want Rei to be around him. Seeing Rei agree with him but also defend Nagi created a sense of conflict within Takashi.

As Takashi dealt with his internal conflict, Shizuka chimed in, "Although I disagree with what he commented, he seems to mean well, don't you think? Why would he invite us to his base if he didn't?"

"I believe we should go," Saya suddenly announced. Everyone turned a bit wide-eyed as she was the victim of Nagi's comment.

"While I dislike his personality and comment, he was right. What I did was a bit annoying. Having a breakdown when I should be focused on surviving and escaping this place. Truly pathetic, huh?" She said in a slight depreciating tone.

Saeko nodded in agreement, her smile slight. "She's right," she said. "As of right now, we don't know much about the situation outside or inside the school. And Nagi seems confident. He may know even more than us. It would be beneficial for us to follow him for now."

After agreeing to follow Nagi, the group left the area and proceeded down the corridor. As they walked, their nerves began to mount as they noticed the eerie silence around them. Saya spoke up, "Where could Nagi have gone? He hasn't been gone for that long, has he?"

Rei, however, remained vigilant and pointed out the unsettling lack of noise. "You should be more concerned with the lack of noise," she warned. "I don't hear any groans or moans of 'them' anywhere nearby."

"I agree," Saeko commented, her tone serious. "Those things are scattered throughout the school, and it's alarming that we haven't heard or seen any signs of them. It could mean that they've left the building or are grouped elsewhere within the school."

As they turned the corner, an unsettling sight greeted them - the aftermath of Nagi's escape to the faculty room. Even for those who had already witnessed the horrors of the zombie apocalypse, the sheer amount of gore was almost too much to bear.

The walls and floors were stained crimson with blood, and in some places, there were even pools of it scattered around. The remains of severed limbs and decapitated heads of zombies littered the area, making it seem like a battlefield of the undead.

Saya and Shizuka, who were usually light-hearted, couldn't help but feel nauseous at the sight. Their stomachs churned as they took in the gruesome scene before them. The others were also disturbed, with the exception of Saeko, who appeared to be flushed and excited. It made her wonder if Nagi was the one who caused all of this.

"Are you just going to stand there or are you going to come in?" a voice suddenly asked. The group quickly turned towards the direction of the voice and realized it was Nagi standing near the entrance of the faculty room. In a stuttering voice, Kohta asked, "Were you the cause of all this?"

It was a question that had been on everyone's mind since they had stumbled upon the gruesome scene. Nagi examined their expressions for a few moments before finally speaking. The anticipation in the air was palpable.

"Who knows?" he answered, his tone emotionless.

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