When Marin woke up the next day, she, along with Yui, Shizuka-sensei, and Saya—who were fast asleep the previous night—were quite surprised by the somber mood during breakfast. Rei, Kohta, and Takashi had varying levels of eye bags. Saeko was indifferent as usual, though a keen observer like Saya could easily see the slight shift in behavior.
And then there was Tysone, who seemed to be lost in thought while mechanically chewing food. Twice had Saya waved a hand in front of his eyes, and he didn't react once. However, what really baffled them were the implications of why that was the case.
"Uhm—" Marin paused briefly, fork midway in the air, as if considering whether it was a good idea to ask them about last night. She eventually did, albeit a little timidly. "So... I don't know how to sugarcoat this. I'll get straight to the point. What happened to the four of you last night?" She inquired, eyes darting between the aforementioned people.
Shizuka and Yui also stopped eating to listen in on the answer.
Saya leaned back, arms crossed as she stared at Tysone, who finally had a modicum of reaction.
Takashi set down his fork and cleared his throat. He gave them a brief explanation of the mutant and the ensuing battle, ending with their eventual victory.
Marin gasped, horrified. Shizuka clapped her hands to her mouth. "My goodness..."
Yui sighed deeply. "Thank god you made it out alive."
"How scary!" Shizuka shuddered. "I never heard anything! But I suppose I am a deep sleeper, so I wouldn't notice an earthquake happening in this very apartment!"
"So you guys saved a little girl from being eaten alive?" Saya raised a skeptical brow. "Where is she anyway? Why haven't we seen her?"
"She's sleeping." Rei answered with a sigh. "Probably tired herself out crying and all."
"Hmm." Saya shrugged. "Can't blame her."
"Well." Marin nodded, a small smile forming on her face. "You were very brave last night."
"It was nothing." Takashi brushed it off. "Just helping out a kid in need."
The praise caused a blush to bloom on Kohta's cheeks, who shrunk in his usual blob of cuteness and awkwardness, rubbing the back of his neck.
Marin was inwardly glad that the people she partied with seemed to be kindhearted individuals who truly cared for each other, and extended that goodwill to complete strangers, as well.
At least, most of the members were really easy to get along with. She also came to learn a bit of their dynamics. Shizuka-sensei was the oldest one, though she wasn't exactly reliable outside taking care of wounded individuals. The second oldest was their resident American, Tysone, whom she didn't have many interactions with yet aside from simple introductions.
Apparently he was a college student, though she didn't inquire how he came to be part of the group. But he was the leader, and everyone held him in varying degrees of esteem.
He was really capable, skilled with a weapon and without, and quite a good decision maker. Then there was Saeko, breathtakingly beautiful, and the oldest female among the students. She was the kendo captain of her school, and an absolute menace with the sword. She saw her wield that thing, and it was both awesome and terrifying.
She had the feeling those two were the strongest fighters, perhaps even outclassing some of the soldiers dispatched to combat the undead.
Then there was Saya, who had an ambiguous relationship with Tysone. She was the 'smartest' one of the group, at least if you used IQ tests as metrics of measuring intellect. Takashi was also a very capable fighter, along with Rei.
Kohta was their sharpshooter and incredibly skilled and knowledgeable about any type of rifles or military tactics. Mai and Miku were another duo she didn't have enough time to interact with. They both were friendly enough though.
Noticing their solemn moods, however, she tried changing the topic. "Since we're stuck together for who knows how long, why don't we talk a little bit about our goals or... whatever comes to mind. Anything lighthearted would be good."
Yui nodded eagerly. "That's a good idea!"
Saya scoffed quietly. "Lighthearted, she says."
"I want to hear about the lives of people who went to different schools." Marin commented, smiling softly. "You must have some interesting stories."
"School, huh..." Saeko murmured. "It's sad to think it could end up being something we never see again."
Takashi frowned thoughtfully. "But it doesn't mean our youth has to end."
Marin shook her head. "That's true."
She noticed Tysone shifting ever so slightly, now glancing at the gyaru.
"Might as well entertain the idea." He conceded, finishing off his cup of coffee. "Haven't we all had to make some tough decisions recently?"
Murmurs of agreement followed his statement.
Shizuka perked up suddenly. "Well, for starters... we should talk about something happier. Mai-chan, I've heard that you were a celebrity."
"A celebrity?" Yui echoed, surprised.
Mai, now on the spot, shrugged in defeat. The teasing elbow nudges from Miku didn't help either. "Nothing too impressive. I did some acting and a bit of singing, that's all. But honestly, it doesn't matter now. With all of this mess going on, most of my fans would rather have my blood more than an autograph."
"It still counts." Shizuka insisted gently. "I bet a lot of your fans would be happy to hear how you are doing right now."
"Heh, maybe I'll start uploading on Youtube. Surviving during the apocalypse with Mai." She joked dryly.
Yui clapped excitedly. "That's amazing! What was your life like as an actress and singer?"
"We always wondered that." Miku added.
"Well, let me tell you..." Mai sighed, proceeding to talk about the nature of the job; that she rarely went to school due to her work, she only made some real friends relatively late; she had problems with bullies and rivals until high school.
Marin couldn't help but smile at this glimpse of normality amidst the chaos. She could almost delude herself into thinking everything was okay again.
...
Tysone tried not to let what happened the previous night get to him, but it wasn't easy. The appearance of that zombie made him reevaluate all of his plans moving forward.
After all, how could he trust anything to follow canon anymore?
'That thing likely evolved from eating its own kind.' He theorized, observing the fallen zombie outside the gates. It was still there, unmoving. 'Does this imply that any zombie could potentially become like that thing if they eat their kin? Is this their final form or is there more?'
His fist clenched involuntarily, nails digging into his palm.
How can anyone predict the future if things were evolving at rapid-fire pace?
Was it because of his presence?
He couldn't break down now. He had a responsibility, not only towards himself, but to the rest of the group as well.
Everyone's spirits took a nosedive when they saw the giant zombie lying limp just behind the gate. It was their last day at Rika's place, so they were all taking as many supplies as they could and relocating them to the bus.
"This is... quite freaky." Marin remarked.
"Oh... god..." Saya whispered, pale-faced.
Yui gulped audibly. "That thing gives me chills."
Tysone walked up to Shizuka, who held a hand to her chest in apprehension. "Shizuka-sensei, I'll be taking the Hum-Vee. You follow behind me."
Shizuka startled at first before quickly composing herself. "R-right."
With that settled, he moved onto the next problem; the little girl, Alice and her dog Zeke, whom they rescued last night. She was hugging her pet dog while eyeing him shyly.
Tysone kneeled beside her. "Are you ready to go, Alice?"
She hesitated, fidgeting slightly. Finally, she nodded resolutely. "Yeah!"
He smiled warmly, patting her head affectionately.
Her cheeks turned pink, eyes glittering as she leaned into his touch.
Tysone stood up. "Good. Now get in the bus and stay close to your friends, yeah?"
"Okay!"
Zeke barked happily, tail wagging as it licked Alice's cheek. It wasn't surprising how Alice and Zeke had quickly won everyone's affection.
Shizuka cooed adoringly. "You're a natural with kids~."
"That's cool, but I'd rather be more natural with women." Tysone replied matter-of-factly.
"Hmmm~" Shizuka's eyes narrowed as she smiled widely.
Before Tysone could properly respond to Shizuka's expression, Saya and Mai promptly stepped in like cockblocking phantoms. "We're done with the supplies, Ty." Said Saya. "Can we depart?"
"Yeah. We can leave anytime." Mai continued nonchalantly.
They stared at Tysone with murky, unyielding stares, daring him to challenge their authority on the matter.
It didn't deter him. If anything, he was impressed by their display of teamwork. "Right." Tysone shifted his attention towards Saya and Mai, nodding approvingly. "Get in the bus, then."
The trio now left him to his own devices.
He walked up to the gate and opened it.
Right outside it, the zombie. Tysone sighed tiredly. He'd give the middle finger to whatever godly orchestrated this, but he was scared that same entity would create even more fucked up things as a way of getting revenge on him.
He grabbed a shovel nearby.
Tysone poked the corpse with the tip. Nothing. He dug the spade deeper into its back. Again, no response. It was definitely dead, but there was no such thing as being overly cautious nowadays.
Still, he was curious. This was no normal zombie, and he wanted to know everything about it. Did it have another weakness besides the head?
Who could tell.
Tysone grabbed the tattered remains of the zombie's uniform and finished tearing it apart. As expected, bullet holes riddled its chest, arms, legs, and neck. It didn't seem any different from the average infected except for its larger size. Maybe the only exception was his muscles. Then again, that could still be attributed to the original man being well built even as a human.
Perhaps the best way to gauge its strength would be to hit it in different spots, using increasing force. The sound of his metal shovel slamming against its body made Tysone cringe inwardly. Every subsequent hit gradually increased in power. Surprisingly—or perhaps unsurprisingly—its bones were much harder compared to a regular human's.
'Killing this thing using a javelin would be damn near impossible. Not with this level of durability.'
Right as he was about to leave and board the Hum-Vee, he noticed a peculiarity on the zombie's chest.
A tiny, sparkling black dot. It could've passed off as a mole, except moles weren't shiny nor shimmery.
"What is that?"
Author's Note:
If you're enjoying the story and want to read ahead or support my work, you can check out my P@treon at P@treon.com/LordCampione. But don't worry—all chapters will eventually be public. Just being here and reading means the world to me. Thank you for your time and support.