A few minutes had passed. The horde seemed to have calmed down, although the flames continued devouring the infirmary, spreading uncontrollably to other rooms. There was no doubt: it was only a matter of time before the entire school burned down to ashes.
"Girls, it's time to move," Osamu murmured, his tone grave and restrained.
The five nodded in silence. Maybe they were still obeying the strict instruction not to speak… or maybe it was fear keeping them quiet. Either way, the silence played in their favor this time.
Osamu began to move forward with careful steps toward the parking lot, where the old minivan belonging to Nurse Shizuka waited. The explosion he had triggered minutes earlier had two clear objectives: first, to lure all nearby zombies to a fixed point, drawing them away from the vehicle; second, to incinerate as many infected as possible in the process. It may not have changed the fate of those who were being turned at that very moment, but it was the best he could do with the resources at hand.
The small group kept moving. They could already see the silhouette of the minivan through the smoke and shadows. The quintuplets' eyes lit up at the sight, as if that vehicle was their last hope in a collapsing world. They would have run if it were up to them, but Osamu knew better: any wrong move could mean death.
"From now on, we'll move faster. Don't get separated from me," he instructed in a low voice, quickening his pace.
They reached the van without incident. With the keys in hand, Osamu opted to unlock the door manually. He could've done it with a click, but the electronic beep would've given away their position.
When he finally released the locks, the girls began climbing in one by one. Everything seemed to be going perfectly… too perfectly.
And just then, as if the universe had heard his thoughts, a guttural growl broke the air. A zombie came limping from behind Itsuki, the last one climbing in.
Grrghhh…
"S-stay away…" Itsuki muttered, holding back a scream that could very well have cost them their lives.
Osamu reacted instantly. With his improvised spear, he struck with surgical precision, driving it into the infected's temple. But to his surprise, it didn't fall. Even with the weapon embedded in its head, it kept moving, staggering and growling with renewed strength.
The sound was enough. In the distance, a symphony of growls answered the call. Osamu looked up and felt a knot in his stomach.
"Shizuka-san, start the engine! Now!" he ordered as he drew a knife and swiftly severed the zombie's head, which finally collapsed lifelessly.
"So you have to completely destroy the head… or separate it from the body," he thought, panting.
He jumped into the minivan and looked into the rearview mirror. An entire horde of zombies was running in their direction, as if hell itself had given them wings.
A chill ran down his spine.
"Marikawa-san, please move now!" Miku screamed, overtaken by panic as the silhouettes of the undead grew larger by the second.
The minivan's engine roared to life, and the headlights cut through the darkness like blades. Shizuka Marikawa pressed the accelerator, and the vehicle jolted before starting to move. In the passenger seat, Osamu had already slammed the sliding door shut, eyes tense on the mirrors.
"Keep it straight and don't stop for anything!" he told Shizuka, his voice low but firm.
"I'll try…" the nurse whispered, her trembling hands gripping the steering wheel.
The tires screeched as they turned out of the parking lot. At least half a dozen zombies were already running after the vehicle, and two more had latched onto the rear bumper.
Itsuki, her heart still in her throat, looked out the back window in growing panic.
"There's one on the roof! And another hanging on the side!"
"Keep the wheel straight!" Osamu ordered, and without hesitation leaned out his window.
With the improvised spear in his hands, he waited for the zombie crawling along the side to get close enough. When the rotting face appeared at the edge of the window, Osamu thrust with all his strength, burying the metal tip directly into its temple.
It wasn't enough. The zombie growled, writhing like a rabid animal.
"Tch…!" Osamu gritted his teeth, twisted the spear, and with a second push managed to dislodge the body, which tumbled onto the asphalt.
At the same time, he felt a dull thud on the roof.
"Keep driving!" he shouted to Shizuka, while pushing half his body out the passenger-side window.
From that position, he aimed upward and, with an upward thrust, managed to push the zombie that had climbed onto the minivan. It wasn't a lethal strike, but it was enough to throw it off balance and make it fall behind the vehicle, where it was trampled by the pursuing zombies.
"No more on the outside!" Osamu reported as he climbed back into the vehicle, panting. His gaze immediately locked onto the side mirror—. "But we've got company."
A horde, larger than the last, turned the corner of the main building, dragging feet and unleashing inhuman howls.
"Marikawa-san, faster!" Nino yelled, her eyes full of panic.
"I'm going as fast as I can!" Shizuka shot back, steering around the remains of a fallen post.
Smoke from the burning school was starting to fill the air, covering everything with a thick stench of flesh and melted plastic. The flames, now consuming the second floor, cast orange flashes over the tense faces inside the minivan.
"We need to find a place to hide… and fast," Ichika said in a faint voice.
"We're not hiding just anywhere," Osamu replied firmly, his eyes fixed on the rearview mirror as the growls faded into the distance—. "Marikawa-san, go down the path behind the sports shed. When you see the old fallen sign, turn left. We're heading to the eastern mountains."
"The mountains?" Ichika asked, confused.
"There's a house up there. Big, safe, with generators and storage," Osamu explained, pausing just a moment—. "It's Rias' mansion."
The name dropped like a stone in the middle of the silence.
"Rias… Gremory?" Nino said, eyes widening in surprise.
"The student council president?" Miku murmured, looking at her sisters—. "The same Rias Gremory who rejected the love letter from the soccer club captain… in front of the whole courtyard?"
"And still made it look classy?" Yotsuba added, a mix of awe and admiration in her voice.
"The same one," Osamu confirmed, never taking his eyes off the road—. "She's my childhood friend. Last time we spoke, she said her family had reinforced the mansion with private security measures. If anyone still has control over their property, it's her."
"Wow! So the quiet guy from second year has ties to the school's royalty?" Ichika teased, though her voice carried a trace of relief she couldn't hide.
"They're not ties. Just… someone I trust," Osamu replied, more serious than he intended.
The vehicle continued down the rural road, rattled by potholes and shrouded in the mist rising from the scorched fields. The sky, blackened by smoke, seemed to foreshadow something even darker.
In the distance rose the hills... and between them, the memory of a promise made hours before.
Rias was waiting for them.
Or so Osamu wanted to believe.