Allen's group hurried through the school's corridors.
"Wait, is it really necessary to go this fast?" asked Kyoko. Though scared, Kyoko noted zombies weren't supposed to be fast. Also, her heels made jogging uncomfortable.
"I'm not worried about the zombies, Kyoko," Allen replied.
Saya smiled proudly. "Sensei, didn't you hear what Allen said? Panic will likely break out soon. If that happens, a thousand students will try to storm out of the school in a stampede."
As a teacher, Kyoko fully understood the implications. There have even been cases where people died in human stampedes. In the worst-case scenario, they'd be trapped between students and zombies.
The only reason no one inside the school had noticed any of this yet was that Fujimi had very strict rules regarding phones.
Phones were banned during school hours. Of course, emergency calls were still available, but since real emergencies were rare in peaceful Japan, most students silenced notifications on their own.
Many students' phones were flooded with missed calls and messages, unnoticed.
"Still, something like this wouldn't go unnoticed," Allen said, narrowing his eyes, "Some students must have already realized what's happening..."
"Then why hasn't anything happened yet?" asked Kyoko, confused. The world was ending and nobody was reacting.
"That's simple," Saya said, adjusting her glasses and puffing her chest with pride. "If you got a message saying there were zombies on the streets, or suddenly saw news about the apocalypse, would you believe it? For starters, we live in the age of social media. People make up anything just for likes and views."
Allen turned toward Saya with a slight smile. "That's a very good deduction—as expected of you."
"Of course, I'm a genius," Saya muttered, blushing and looking away to hide her embarrassment.
Allen chuckled under his breath, and Kyoko also smiled. It gave them a small moment of relief in the middle of constant tension.
"By the way, Allen... shouldn't we be escaping?" Saya asked. She could understand all of Allen's actions, but she saw no reason for them to enter the building. Shouldn't they be looking to get out?
"I have people I need to find..."
Allen didn't explain further, because his mind was already elsewhere.
Technically, Allen had only arrived here two days ago, despite having existed in this world for two years, so most of his acquaintances weren't that close to him. Still, he wasn't so heartless—at the very least, he wanted to lend a hand to those who had some sort of connection with him.
That included the nurse who always worried about him, Shizuka Marikawa, the girl he had treated like an ATM and felt guilty about—Rei Miyamoto—and of course, the stalker who was strangely a pleasant girl and, ironically, might not even need his help, Saeko Busujima.
On the surface, these actions might look noble, but his Chat looked at him with disdain. They could already guess who Allen really wanted to help, and no matter how much he tried to play the noble card, everyone wanted to ask the same question: If they weren't beautiful women, would you still help them?
Even without seeing the Chat, Allen knew that's what they'd be saying. He wanted to defend himself—maybe the Allen more influenced by Void wouldn't bother if they weren't beautiful women, but this Allen wasn't that cruel. Didn't they see that at the entrance, he didn't just save Kyoko and Saya, but also Teshima?
Of course, being the womanizing bastard he was, nobody would believe him.
Allen cleared his throat when he noticed Saya's accusing look. She knew Allen had some connection with Saeko and Rei since she'd seen them together, and she could also guess who Allen wanted to save. However, she held back from commenting and just pouted.
....
Soon, they arrived at the infirmary, which shifted the mood. Inside, they saw Shizuka arranging medicine with the help of a boy who looked exhausted from moving boxes.
"Allen-kun~" Shizuka, upon seeing Allen again, walked over and hugged him.
"Huh?!" Saya reacted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on and pointed at the nurse. "What are you doing, Shizuka-sensei?!"
"Marikawa-sensei, hugging a student like that is inappropriate," Kyoko said, adjusting her glasses with irritation—but there was a hint of jealousy in her tone.
"Hmm? Ah, that's true. I shouldn't, hehe~" Shizuka replied. Still, she made no effort to let go of Allen.
"I'm flattered," Allen smiled at Shizuka with a deep look that made her shiver, but soon his expression turned serious. "However, there's no time for that, Shizuka..."
Seeing Allen's serious gaze, the usually absentminded woman was jolted into alertness.
"What happened, Allen-kun?" Shizuka asked in a serious tone, surprising everyone. None of them had ever seen her act like this before.
"A serious incident has occurred, and I decided to come see you because I felt that if I didn't, something would happen to you."
From the moment he met her, Allen knew Shizuka was dangerously careless. Even if a group of zombies appeared, she'd probably stay in her carefree mode.
"Were you worried about me, hehe?"
Bitch! Thought the two women behind Allen. They had believed Shizuka was just an airhead, but it seemed that beneath that fluffiness was a sly fox.
Hearing Shizuka's sweet tone, Allen felt strange. This woman was hard to understand, but there was no time for that, so he turned to the male student.
"You want to come too?" Allen asked the boy still holding a box.
"M-me?!"
The student was a short-haired boy with black hair and glasses. He had been in shock ever since Allen walked in.
"Yes, you. What's your name?"
Shizuka giggled, still with her arms around Allen's neck. "Hehe, he's very nice. He helps me from time to time. His name is... hm? What was it again?"
The guy nearly burst into tears. His name was Kazu Ishii, and he'd been assisting in the infirmary for over a year, yet Shizuka still couldn't remember his name—and apparently didn't even know he technically worked there.
Allen, of course, had seen the tag above Kazu's head, but he didn't mention it because it would've been strange to know the boy's name out of nowhere, right?
However, Allen didn't notice Kyoko giving him a strange look. After all, this boy was her classmate. Of course, Allen had the excuse of amnesia, but neither Kazu nor Kyoko knew that.
Poor Kazu, Allen's classmate for two years, looked crestfallen. Not only did Shizuka not remember him, but even Allen—who saw him every day (when he didn't skip class)—hadn't recognized him.
"I'm Kazu Ishii from Class 3-A, Walker-kun..." Kazu said, defeated.
Allen realized his mistake and coughed. "Sorry, Zaku. I'm bad with faces. And you know, you don't need to use my last name or suffixes—just call me Allen."
Allen didn't mind Japanese honorifics, but since he wasn't used to them, he preferred not to have them used on him whenever possible. That's why he usually called people by their first names, even if it was considered disrespectful in Japan.
"Alright, Allen... san."
"Well, it's something," Allen replied with a half-smile. "By the way, Shizuka, are you ever going to let go?"
"Hehe, just a little longer~"
"Shizuka-sensei, let go of him already!"
"Marikawa-sensei, this is highly inappropriate!"
Kazu's jaw dropped in shock. Was he really watching a harem shuraba play out in real life?!
Allen shook his head, ignoring the quarrel, and looked at Kazu. "Pack a box with all the antibiotics, bandages, alcohol, gauze—basically every piece of medical equipment and medicine necessary for treating wounds."
Kazu flinched but immediately obeyed, almost on instinct. Shizuka wanted to ask why, but upon seeing Allen's serious look, she didn't. Instead, she finally let go of him and went to help Kazu.
Allen nodded. He had a good eye for people. Maybe he didn't know Kazu well, but something told him this was a guy worth helping. And he was right—because in the original story, Kazu defended Shizuka from zombies, even though she didn't even remember his name. In the end, he was bitten and died, but he did it with honor.
....
At the same time, Takashi Komuro, who had witnessed the bus crash, entered his classroom while everyone stared at him in shock.
The classroom was already tense and on alert. It was obvious, since everyone had heard the crash, but because no alarm had gone off, the teachers kept the students in their classrooms.
"Komuro-kun?" the teacher said, stunned by Takashi's sudden entrance.
Ignoring the teacher, Takashi grabbed Rei's hand and tried to pull her away.
"We need to go!"
"Huh?! What are you saying, Takashi? And let go, you're hurting me!"
Rei felt that Takashi was acting strangely. Though less close lately, Rei still considered Takashi a friend and sensed something was wrong. But instead of explaining, he tried to drag her away.
"I'll explain later, but we have to go!"
Takashi, in a volatile state of mind, raised his hand as if to slap Rei, but it was stopped by another hand.
"Takashi."
It was Hisashi, Takashi's best friend, who stood up. He knew him well and believed Takashi wouldn't act like this unless there was a serious reason.
Hisashi was a calm young man, taller than Takashi, with dark gray hair and brown eyes.
Takashi seemed to regain his senses and looked him in the eyes. "You have to believe me!"
"Alright," Hisashi said, then turned to Rei. "We need to leave."
"What do you think you're doing? Do you want to get in trouble?!"
As expected, the teacher wasn't going to stay in shock forever and immediately scolded them. But Takashi didn't listen—his mind was in survival mode. And since Hisashi had decided to side with him, he also ignored the teacher.
"Let's go!"
"I'm not going..." Rei said, leaving both boys stunned.
Since the three of them were childhood friends, Takashi thought there was some unspoken understanding between them. But when he looked at Rei, her expression was cold.
"Takashi, I can forgive you for many things, but right now you have disappointed me. You show up without explaining anything, try to drag me away by force, almost hit me, and expect me to follow you obediently?!"
Tears in her eyes, Rei grabbed her bag and stormed out.
"Wait, Rei!" Takashi shouted in panic.
"Rei!" Hisashi called out, but she ignored them both.
At that moment, the intercom came on.
"All students and teachers, an incident has occurred at the main entrance. Please evacuate calmly through the back exit and—"
The transmission was cut off.
In the hallway, Rei, who had her phone in hand with Allen's number ready to call, froze in place.
Allen narrowed his eyes while the girls and Kazu went silent.
Saeko, who was in the Kendo club dojo, stood up and grabbed her bokken.
No one expected what they were about to hear.
"AH!… WAIT!… GET AWAY!… NO!… NOOOOO!… AHHHHHH…!"
The broadcast cut off with agonized screams, guttural roars, and the sound of tearing flesh.
The entire school froze.
Everyone except Allen, who took Shizuka's phone from her desk and sent two messages—one to Saeko and the other to Rei.
Rei, checking her phone, received the notification.
– Rei, stay away from the hallways. A stampede of people is coming! –
Rei reacted instantly and entered the empty music room.
Seconds later, classroom doors burst open and students rushed out in panic. Shoves, punches, kicks, frantic screams, and curses filled the air. One boy fell and was trampled to death, a girl was struck and tumbled down the stairs, and a teacher shoved a student who then crashed through a window.
It was chaos.
Everyone was desperate to escape the school, not realizing the entrance was the most dangerous place. The fastest ones—the first to reach the entrance—were met by a horde of fifty zombies. The mass of students pressed forward, unable to retreat. They fell into the zombies' jaws, devoured mercilessly.
It was a massacre. Hundreds of students crammed on the stairs and at the entrance, only to be bitten, killed, and soon turned into more monsters themselves.
The terrifying screams of the students attracted even more zombies roaming the streets, making escape impossible. Those who tried found only death.
Only ten minutes passed. Just ten.
Many students tried to run back upstairs, but it was useless. Soon the zombie population outnumbered the students, chasing them down everywhere.
Saya clung to Allen, trembling at the screams of despair and suffering. Kyoko collapsed to her knees, covering her ears. Surprisingly, Shizuka didn't panic; she stepped closer to Allen, placing her hand on his shoulder as if waiting for him to give orders.
Allen looked down at Shizuka's phone in his hand.
Saeko – I got your message. Heading to the infirmary from the Kendo club.
Rei – I locked myself in the music room. I'm scared.
Allen – Saeko, I'll meet you on the way to the music room.
Allen – Stay there. I'll come for you as soon as I can. Don't let anyone in, Rei.
Allen steadied himself, and when he spoke, everyone's attention turned to him. "For now… there's nothing we can do."
As long as there were hysterical students out there, Allen couldn't move. Otherwise, they'd be forced into direct confrontation. In an apocalypse, survival depends heavily on each individual. Otherwise, why is it that billions perish while only hundreds of thousands survive? From the very beginning, those who cannot adapt are doomed, and Allen didn't have the power to change that—not right now.
The girls understood. None of them complained. Who could possibly stop that crazed mob?
….
Ten minutes later…
The screams had subsided enough that they were no longer deafening.
Allen observed his group. Kyoko had traded her high heels for uwabaki and was clutching a broomstick to defend herself. Saya had two thick magazines—Allen's suggestion, since zombies always went for bites; in case of danger, give them something else to bite. Kazu carried a coat rack, visibly terrified.
Shizuka had a bag with a first aid kit. Carrying the box wasn't realistic, so they decided to leave it behind—or so they thought, without noticing that the box with carefully measured supplies had already disappeared.
Allen smiled. "Stay behind me…"
In the end, all this preparation was just to calm their hearts. Allen planned to handle everything himself—not because they couldn't fight, but because maybe it wouldn't even be necessary.
"Don't wander too far…"
Allen smiled faintly. His hands were wrapped in bandages, his muscles tense, as if they'd been asleep until now. He didn't know how durable his skin was at this moment, but it was better not to take chances. After all, one cut from a zombie bone could mean Game Over.
When he opened the door, a zombie lunged at him.
The others gasped, but only for an instant. Allen smirked, grabbed the zombie's head, and smashed it against the wall, turning its skull into red pulp.
"Well…" Allen looked at ten zombies down the hall—some chewing on human limbs, others pounding on a door trying to get inside. "Looks like there's a party here…"
Kazu tightened his grip on the coat rack and took a step forward. Allen, seeing this from the corner of his eye, nodded in approval but placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Don't worry, there are only ten"
Everyone stared at Allen in disbelief. In this situation, no one would say "only ten" about monsters that had just feasted on teachers and students.
But Allen gave no explanation and no time to react. He simply dashed forward into the zombies.
The first one, he punched so hard that its neck snapped. The second he kicked straight out the window. The third lunged, but Allen dodged to the left, slipped behind it, and in one fluid motion, he broke its neck. The fourth, fifth, and sixth he wiped out with a single spinning kick that sent them flying down the hallway. The seventh, crawling toward him, Allen grabbed him by the shirt and tossed him out the window. The eighth managed to grab Allen by the clothes.
"Allen!"
"Allen-kun!"
"Allen-san!"
Everyone panicked, but Allen seized the zombie by the throat and lifted it with one hand.
"Interesting," Allen muttered. "They're abnormally strong—likely because their limiter's gone.
Allen hurled the zombie out the window like trash.
"But…" Allen muttered, eyeing the tenth zombie—it was a tall, heavyset teacher, though not quite on Teshima's level. Allen clenched his fist, gathered all his strength, and punched his head. The force shattered the head in a gruesome spray.
Everyone was left speechless—especially Shizuka. She knew more about biology than anyone there, and it wasn't humanly possible for a head to explode from a punch. Not even professional boxers could do that.
In less than five seconds, all the zombies had been annihilated without resistance.
Allen turned to the others. "We need to hurry…"
Everyone nodded without hesitation.
Even after confirming his strength, Allen didn't feel at ease. He knew his past self's warnings weren't to be taken lightly. Which meant… danger awaited him ahead. Danger that even he might struggle against.
A danger that could even kill him.
===
A/N: It seems like a standard zombie apocalypse, but the question is: how does Lucifer plan for this to pose a threat to Allen? 👀
If you want to read more, there are up to ten chapters ahead on Patreon.
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