As they moved through the school's corridors, a scream pierced the air. Descending the stairs, Aurélien spotted a group of survivors surrounded by several undead. One of the survivors was on the verge of being bitten. Kohta reacted swiftly, firing his nail gun and striking the zombie square in the forehead, killing it instantly. Saeko leapt down the stairs and landed in the center of the abominations, swinging her bokken and crushing their skulls with quick, clean movements. Aurélien and Takashi dispatched the ones in front of them, and Rei also joined in. Kohta stayed behind with Saya and Shizuka, taking careful shots with his nail gun. Soon, the stairwell was cleared of zombies.
One of the survivors tried to thank them, but Saeko interrupted—not unkindly."Not so loud. Has anyone been bitten?" she asked in a whisper.
The survivors all shook their heads and said no. Aurélien carefully examined their bodies and saw they were telling the truth. There were no bite marks on them.
"They're clean. No bites," Aurélien confirmed to Saeko, who nodded in gratitude. Takashi then spoke to the survivors."Do you want to come with us? We're leaving," he told them. They quickly agreed.
Aurélien then scouted ahead while the groups spoke. Upon reaching the lobby stairs, he looked through the doors into the parking lot and suppressed a groan of frustration when he saw a large number of them. He started counting but gave up—there were too many.
The group quickly joined him. Takashi's jaw dropped at the sight."Holy shit…" he muttered.
"Yeah, there are too many to fight," Aurélien said calmly as they hid in the lobby stairs. Saya chose that moment to speak.
"What's the point of hiding here? They use their ears, not their eyes!" she declared.
"Then why don't you prove it, Takagi?" Takashi cut in.
"I noticed earlier that the runner-type had some level of intelligence. I'm sure at least some of these can use their eyes," Aurélien recalled. He scanned the surroundings. "Luckily, it doesn't seem like any are in this room," he added.
"So, Takagi might be right about the ones we're seeing out there?" Kohta asked timidly.
"Even if we stay in the school, we won't be able to move if we get attacked," Saeko noted. Looking at the horde, she said, "We need someone to test Takagi's theory, but it'll be very dangerous."
Without a word, Aurélien began descending the stairs before anyone could stop him. At the same time, he sent a mental command via his implant to the droids waiting outside."Soldiers, do you read me?"
One of the droids responded. "What are your orders, my Lord?"
"I need you to draw the attention of the horde in the minibus parking lot!" Aurélien ordered."Roger! Roger!" came the reply.
"Aurélien! Get back here!" Takashi hissed at the older boy, who simply looked back and waved dismissively.
Ignoring further calls, Aurélien slowly made his way toward the undead, staying alert for ambushes. Advancing, he noticed a blood-covered shoe. Picking it up, he hurled it against nearby lockers. The noise drew the zombies, clearing a path for the group.
Outside, the two droids moved into position near the horde. Drawing their swords, they began attacking scattered undead. Though not living beings, the sounds of their combat drew the horde's attention, which started shifting toward them.
One undead charged at high speed at the droid that had just decapitated two others. Sensing the threat, the droid slammed a powerful blow into the attacker's abdomen, sending it flying three meters into the air. Immobilized by inertia, the zombie was easily decapitated before hitting the ground.
Maintaining a safe zone and escape route, the two "butchers" eliminated numerous undead. They completed their mission by holding the horde's attention until recalled.
With the path now clear, the group descended the stairs silently."You've got guts," Takashi whispered to Aurélien, who nodded and wiped sweat from his brow."We're not at the end yet," he replied.
The survivors noticed the horde moving in the opposite direction. They didn't know why but knew to take advantage. Saeko and Aurélien opened the doors and led the group toward the minibuses.
Then, one survivor accidentally banged a metal pole against the staircase railing. The sound echoed over 100 meters.
"Idiot!" Aurélien cursed the boy, panic in his eyes.
"Run!" Takashi shouted.
"You idiots! Why did you yell?!" Takagi screamed. "We could have made it past!" Aurélien silently agreed; the droids had distracted most of the horde, but now the panicked shout alerted them to nearby prey.
"No way! Did you hear that echo?" Takashi yelled defensively.
Part of the horde broke off and charged the group. Thankfully, the path to the minibus was mostly clear with only a few undead.
Aurélien led the group with Saeko and Takashi flanking him. Shizuka, Saya, and Kohta stayed in the middle, and Rei guarded the rear with the other survivors. But then one boy tripped and was immediately swarmed. He tried to fight but was bitten and torn apart.
One girl stopped and screamed: "Takazo!" She ran toward him, but Saya grabbed her arm, trying to pull her back.
"Forget him! It's useless if he's already bitten!" Saya told her.
"Arrgh! Naomi, run!" Takazo yelled. But Naomi ignored him and ran to him. Aurélien could only assume they were lovers.
"Why? I told her it was pointless!" Saya said, incredulous. "Why go back for him?"
"Love is a strange thing; it doesn't follow the rules we set," Aurélien told the pink-haired girl.
"With the world in hell, I'd rather die with someone I love," Shizuka said sadly. Saya looked at the nurse, ready to snap, but Kohta suddenly fired his nail gun, killing a crawling zombie near Saya. She turned to him and yelled:"You filthy nerd! Who gave you the right to interrupt me?!"
"Well, I don't know!" Kohta stammered. Saya blushed and muttered something. Aurélien didn't comment—he was busy clearing zombies near the minibus with Saeko.
"Miss Shizuka! The key!" Takashi shouted as he smashed a zombie's head. Shizuka fumbled with the key but managed to unlock the door. Everyone boarded—except Aurélien, who stayed outside to cover them.
"Get inside! I'll cover you all!" he yelled, stabbing a zombie. Saeko joined him."Let me help!" she said.
Aurélien smiled, and she returned it. They moved as comrades in arms, cutting down the undead threatening the bus. Shizuka turned the key, and the engine roared to life.
"Saeko! Aurélien! Get in!" Takashi called. They boarded, but then a loud shout caught their attention.
"Save us!"
Aurélien looked and saw a group of students and a teacher. He didn't know the students, but he recognized the teacher—Koichi Shido. One of his main teachers, and not one he liked. If the rumors were true, he'd fit right in among Slaanesh's followers. Shido's eyes screamed malevolence, and Aurélien was tempted to let him die.
"Who is that?" Takashi asked."That's Mr. Shido. He teaches Class 3-A," Saeko informed him.
"We're ready to go!" Shizuka called from the driver's seat."Wait!" Takashi replied.
"They're swarming out front! I can't drive through them!" Shizuka cried.
"Then run them over!" Takashi said."If we do that, we might flip over!" Saya argued.
Takashi moved to leave and help the survivors, but Rei stopped him."Don't save him!" she told him."What? Why not?" he asked."We don't need to! We should leave him!" Rei insisted.
Aurélien watched Shido lead survivors to the bus when one tripped and grabbed his ankle."Mr. Shido! My ankle!" the boy pleaded.
Aurélien saw a sick grin spread across Shido's face."Then it's the end for you," he said, kicking the boy in the face and walking off as the student was torn apart. Aurélien's blood ran cold. He gripped his sword, ready to strike down this human snake. But just then, a powerful tremor shook the ground.
Among the horde, many undead were violently shoved aside—sometimes crushed—by a towering monster over three meters tall, a mountain of muscle. Aurélien turned his attention to this new threat. It could easily flip the bus.
While not as fast as runners, the brute was much faster than normal zombies. Aurélien deployed his mechadendrites and charged, summoning his droids to assist.
He leapt with mechanical support, soaring over the abomination and aiming for its head. But the brute blocked the blow with its muscular arms. Gravity reclaimed Aurélien, landing him behind the beast.
Before he could move, it kicked with immense force. Instinctively, Aurélien's left mechadendrite intercepted. The metal frame shattered, and the shockwave sent him flying several meters.
He cursed his weakness. His body wasn't yet suited for such a fight; his martial skill came only from the memories of a Tech-Priest Magos. As the brute approached, the two BX droids broke through the horde and attacked.
Pain, sweat, and fatigue overwhelmed Aurélien. Using his sword cane's scabbard for support, he struggled to stand. If not for the mechadendrite's sacrifice, that kick would've killed him.
Saeko quickly approached Aurélien and helped him back to his feet with the assistance of his mechadendrite. She had fought off the creatures that had tried to overwhelm them, but she too could feel fatigue creeping in, especially after battling three runners. Seeing Aurélien's condition and the brute now being handled by the two new hooded individuals, she decided to assist her comrade in arms back to the minibus, helping him stay upright.
Meanwhile, the brute was struggling against its new opponents. It was very difficult for it to catch them, as they performed acrobatic movements to dodge its attacks. However, at the cost of numerous injuries, it managed to grab one of them just as the droid's sword remained stuck in the creature's shin. With both hands, the brute crushed the droid into spare parts.
This gave an opportunity to the second droid, which was in the creature's blind spot. It leapt onto its shoulders and then onto the brute's massive skull. The brute tried to swat it off, but before it could complete the motion, its opponent's sword was driven deep into its brain. Stiffening, the corpse collapsed to the ground, causing a slight tremor.
Reaching the minibus, Saeko and Aurélien climbed inside, the latter's mechadendrite retreating beneath his coat. The door shut behind them. The horde was getting closer. Saeko helped Aurélien until he was seated on one of the front-row benches, the young man grateful for her support. Sitting on the same bench, she looked out the window at the body of their former threat, trying to spot the two individuals who had supported them.
She quickly found the crushed body of one of them, while the other had vanished. She tried to locate them, but to no avail. As she looked at the mangled body, she expected to see blood and flesh—but instead, she saw mechanical parts and sparks. Was her vision deceiving her? Then, recalling Aurélien's machines, she began to get a vague idea of what it might have been.
The young man beside her was enduring considerable pain. He wasn't certain, but he suspected he might have a broken rib. Turning his head slightly to see the other occupants of the bus, he made the unpleasant discovery that Shido had boarded. Seeing him, Aurélien felt trouble was about to multiply.
As Aurélien came to this grim realization, Takashi shouted at Shizuka to drive, and the nurse started the engine and pressed her foot to the pedal. With a roar, the bus lunged toward the gate.
Aurélien then heard Shizuka muttering, her voice growing louder as she repeated it: "They're not human anymore!" she said like a mantra as she drove through the group of undead.
With a crash and the screech of metal, the bus broke through the school gates and veered onto the road, nearly tipping over from the maneuver. Fortunately, it managed to right itself and roared down the road. On the roof of the bus, the surviving droid clung on for dear life, trying not to be thrown off.