Even though the zombies guarding the stairwell had been drawn away by the commotion in the corridor, the sound of Kitahara Sosuke and Kasumigaoka Utaha rushing downstairs still attracted others.
Two zombies reacted immediately. Their stiff bodies scraped against the walls, long nails dripping with blood. Hollow eyes locked on Sosuke as they howled and lunged.
Sosuke could already smell the stench wafting from their gaping mouths.
"Didn't even bother brushing your teeth. How long's it been and you already smell this bad?"
He gritted his teeth and gripped his bat tight, swinging it in a wide arc.
The first zombie's skull caved in with a wet crunch, and dark, viscous blood sprayed into the air, splattering all over Sosuke's clothes. He didn't flinch. The second collapsed just seconds later.
Two clean kills in the blink of an eye.
He didn't care about the foul blood sticking to him. As long as there were no open wounds, he wouldn't be infected. Blood on his clothes was nothing.
They flew down the stairs and rounded the corner to the first floor.
The exit was just ahead less than ten meters away.
They were only a few breaths from salvation.
But what they saw stopped them cold.
Even Sosuke, hardened by his memories of the apocalypse, felt a surge of grief at the sight.
Blood soaked the floor like spilled paint. Bodies lay strewn across the lobby, mangled and broken. At least a dozen of them. Dozens of zombies hunched over the corpses, feasting in eerie silence. The wet, gluttonous sounds of chewing filled the space with a kind of madness.
Teachers. Classmates. People they once knew had all turned into monsters wrapped in human skin, devouring colleagues, friends, lovers without a shred of recognition or remorse.
The air reeked of rot and metal. The blood smell was so thick it burned the nose.
Sosuke estimated over thirty zombies in sight. The corridor was nothing but torn flesh and gore. The lobby was bathed in red.
Just a few meters ahead of them, two zombies one male, one female were hunched over a bloated corpse. The female had already buried her head deep inside the man's stomach.
But then something changed.
The female zombie's movements slowed. Her dull gray eyes locked onto Sosuke and Utaha. The male beside her also noticed something and lifted his head. The moment he saw Sosuke, he lunged forward.
Utaha froze in terror, instinctively gripping the umbrella in her hand.
Sosuke didn't hesitate. He raised his bat and brought it down hard.
Two heads burst like overripe fruit.
"Kitahara, there's too many. I can't make it," Utaha's voice trembled, on the verge of tears. "You should run. Just leave me."
"Don't be stupid. We're already this close. The exit's right there. Don't give up now."
For once, Sosuke didn't have the heart to tease her. If he was going to protect her, he would do it all the way.
He scanned the lobby, eyes sharp, brain racing to find a solution.
But before he could act, a stampede of footsteps echoed behind them followed by a girl's shrill scream.
"Goddamn it. I hate pig teammates the most."
Sosuke's expression darkened. If murder was legal, he'd kill them on the spot.
But there was no time to think about it.
The zombies in the lobby had now noticed the ruckus from the stairwell. One by one, they raised their heads and began shuffling toward the noise.
"Get the hell out of the way."
A panicked male student barreled down the stairs. Seeing a girl blocking his path, he didn't hesitate he shoved her aside.
Utaha had her full attention on the lobby and didn't expect to be pushed. She lost her balance and stumbled forward.
If she fell, she'd land right in the horde. It would be over in seconds. Even someone as composed as Utaha couldn't handle that kind of horror.
Sosuke hadn't expected it either.
But his body, honed by years of training, reacted on instinct.
He lunged forward and grabbed her arm, pulling her hard into his chest. The two of them crashed into the wall, tumbling together.
Sosuke had strong footing. Though he'd taken the brunt of the impact, he didn't fall.
Utaha collapsed into his arms, and for a brief second, he felt how soft she was under the uniform. Her chest pressed against his plush and full.
But there was no time to enjoy that.
"You son of a bitch."
A flash of rage passed through Sosuke's eyes. His expression turned savage. Still holding Utaha, he lashed out.
His foot hooked the boy's ankle just as he passed.
The boy tumbled down the stairs, crashing hard onto the lobby floor. He clutched his leg, howling in pain. "My leg. My leg's broken."
The nearest zombies pounced instantly.
Blood splattered across the floor. The boy flailed, trying to push them off, but more came, tearing into his arms, his chest.
His screams turned into gurgles.
By the time Sosuke looked again, the boy's mouth was already filling with blood. He was beyond saving.
Sosuke had already pulled Utaha behind him. His eyes shifted to the stairs behind, where more students were running down.
If they wanted to cause trouble, he was ready to cut them down on the spot.
Four figures rushed past, holding makeshift weapons wooden rods and chair legs.
Sosuke dropped into a combat stance.
But they didn't even glance his way.
They sprinted past him, never once looking down at their fallen classmate. All four made a mad dash for the front door.
"Kitahara… thank you. If you hadn't grabbed me just now…"
Utaha's voice was faint, her face pale as a sheet. She clutched her chest, heart still racing. The thought of what could have happened made her dizzy.
Sosuke shook his head. "Don't thank me. If that idiot hadn't tried to shove you into the horde to save his own ass, I wouldn't have done anything."
Utaha nodded silently.
She'd seen Sosuke trip the boy. She didn't think he was wrong.
If Sosuke hadn't pulled her back, she would've been the one torn apart.
Now, looking at his slim but steady back, she felt something strange well up in her chest.
As long as he was standing in front of her, even if the sky collapsed, he'd hold it up.
For the first time, Kasumigaoka Utaha truly understood the weight of those words.
Sosuke took a deep breath. The stench of blood filled his lungs, his nerves on fire, every cell in his body coming alive.
Ahead of them were over a dozen zombies.
His gaze turned feral.
"We're going to run now."