The moaning grew louder. Guttural. Wet. The kind of sound that no human should ever make.
Kanata Yukimura stood at the rooftop's edge, his body trembling not from fear—but from exhaustion. Blood soaked his shirt, sticky and hot under the sun. His side throbbed from a gash, but he didn't stop moving.
Across the roof, the flood had started.
Dozens—no, hundreds—of students and teachers who used to smile, flirt, lecture… now lumbered forward with blank eyes, broken limbs, and open jaws.
"Shit," Kanata muttered, gripping the aluminum baseball bat tighter.
Behind him, Kanami Tsukino gasped as she helped steady Godou-sensei, the voluptuous MILF homeroom teacher who had barely survived a disgusting zombie assault earlier.
"We can't hold this rooftop!" Kanami cried, her voice cracking. "Kanata, what do we do?!"
Kanata glanced to his side. Takiya Shino, his senior from the kendo club, was still calm, her eyes sharp and fearless despite the gore-stained blade in her hands.
"We fall back," Kanata snapped. "Takiya-senpai, take Kanami and Godou-sensei back down. Try to barricade on the second floor!"
Takiya nodded once. "Understood."
Kanami hesitated. "W-What about you?"
"I'll hold the line."
"No!" Kanami grabbed his arm. "You'll die up here!"
"I won't," he lied, and forced a crooked smile. "I'm too pissed off to die."
Takiya pulled Kanami along, Godou limping between them. The girls disappeared into the stairwell just as another wave of zombies smashed through the far door.
Kanata turned.
Only three remained now on the roof.
Him.
Mayumi Serizawa.
And…
Takeshi Kamuro.
The moans grew into a chorus of horror. Their backs against the roof fence, the three stood in a crude triangle.
Kanata glanced at Takeshi—his best friend, his traitor. The one who had stolen Serizawa's heart just hours after she'd dumped him.
Takeshi looked shaken, but not broken. "Kanata! The water tank!"
"I see it!" Kanata dashed toward the tall silver drum. Near it was a rusted maintenance pipe and a spigot.
If they could blast it open, the pressure might knock back some of the undead long enough to escape.
As he jammed a steel rod against the bolt, he shouted, "Serizawa! Takeshi! Cover me!"
A scream behind him.
Kanata turned.
A zombie had grabbed Takeshi's ankle. He swung and knocked it away, but another came from behind.
Teeth sank deep into Takeshi's neck.
CHOMP.
Blood sprayed like a geyser. Takeshi cried out, collapsing into Serizawa's arms.
"NO!" she screamed.
Kanata gritted his teeth. He yanked the bolt free.
BOOM!
A geyser of water exploded from the pipe, blasting across the rooftop. Zombies tumbled like ragdolls.
"GO!" Kanata shouted. "RUN TO THE OTHER SIDE!"
But Serizawa didn't move.
She clutched Takeshi, her eyes wide and wet with panic. "He's… he's bitten… no, no, no!"
Takeshi's eyes were already changing. His breathing ragged. But even through the blood pouring from his mouth—he managed to look at Kanata.
"…Kanata," he croaked.
Kanata froze.
"…Please… take care of her. Serizawa. She's… she's stubborn as hell, but she needs someone who won't leave her. I know I don't deserve it, but… promise me."
Kanata stared.
The boy who betrayed him.
The boy who had laughed with him, fought with him, cried with him.
Was dying.
"Promise me," Takeshi choked, eyes already clouding.
Kanata stepped forward slowly.
He said nothing.
But he picked up the bat.
Serizawa looked up. "Kanata…?"
He stood over Takeshi now. The zombie virus had already taken root. One eye had gone gray. His teeth began to gnash.
Serizawa's arms trembled. "Don't—don't hurt him—"
Kanata raised the bat.
Takeshi let out a growl.
Kanata whispered, "…I'll protect her."
CRACK.
The bat came down.
The skull shattered.
Blood, brains, and bone exploded in every direction.
Serizawa screamed.
Kanata didn't flinch.
He stood there, bat dripping, hands clenched.
His voice was quiet but cold:
"Today I killed my best friend…"
"…and swore to protect the girl I love."
Serizawa's eyes widened.
Then she began to sob, covering her mouth as the last remnants of Takeshi twitched and went still.
Kanata didn't look at her.
Instead, he turned toward the stairwell door—and the sound of more zombies slamming into it from below.
He grabbed a heavy steel bench nearby. "Help me move this! We block the stairs now!"
Serizawa, numb and broken, crawled over and helped lift.
Together, they slammed it into place, propping it against the stairwell door.
"Kanata…" she whispered.
"I don't want to hear it," he muttered, still staring at the blood pooling on the roof. "Save your tears. You'll need them for later."
Serizawa said nothing more.
The sun beat down overhead.
The dead groaned beneath.
And Kanata Yukimura… now marked by grief, betrayal, and the first of many kills… stood silent.
One friend gone.
One promise made.
The apocalypse had truly begun.
---
To be continued