Osamu found himself, for the first time in a long while, using everything his mind could process. Normally, laziness and apathy were his companions, but now, in the middle of the chaos, those attitudes were a luxury he could not afford. Every thought was vital, every decision weighed on his chest like a heavy stone.
As the quintuplets continued to sleep as though the outside world were a nightmare that could not reach their bubble of slumber, Osamu glanced at the young girls lying tranquilly. There was no trace of the desperation spilling out onto the streets of the school, nor the screams of those now fighting for their lives. They were oblivious, in a deep rest, and somehow that terrified him more than anything he had witnessed up to that moment.
Feeling even more helpless, he pulled out his mobile phone. His fingers moved quickly, though his heart pounded fiercely. On the screen, the first contact that appeared was that of Rias Gremory, his childhood friend, the president of the student council, and, up until now, his last link to the known world. He knew she was safe, at least for now. Why did he know that? Because today, somehow, school had been left behind for her, while he remained trapped in this nightmare.
Rias had stayed at home, preparing for the school activity planning, a safe place far from the massacre that had begun. If there was any corner where rules could still exist, it was Rias' home.
Without thinking much, Osamu dialed her number. The phone vibrated several times before the call connected. One... two... three... The sound of the endless call echoed in his ears. Just as he thought she would never pick up, a feminine voice rang through the device, filtered by static, trembling but recognizable.
"Osamu! Are you there?"
Relief flooded his chest as he heard her. He knew Rias was strong, that she had a knack for staying calm even in the darkest moments. But in that instant, just hearing her voice gave him a little spark of hope, something he hadn't felt since the nightmare began.
"Thank God, you're okay, Rias." His voice came out cracked, though he tried to stay firm.
"Osamu, are you at school? Are you okay?" Worry was palpable in every word from Rias, as if she was on the verge of exploding with anxiety. Osamu could hear her rapid breathing on the other end.
"I'm okay for now... I'm in the infirmary." He replied, although his tone couldn't hide the fear burning inside him. He couldn't tell her the whole truth, he couldn't burden her with the weight of what he had seen.
Rias was silent for a brief moment, processing the information. Osamu could hear her breathing heavily, as if trying to think of something beyond words.
"I'm glad you're okay... Are you alone? Is there anyone else with you?"
Osamu looked at the quintuplets, sleeping deeply, oblivious to the nightmare hanging over them. At least there was some peace in that image, even if it were fleeting.
"Yes, I'm with the quintuplets in the infirmary." He said, frowning at the girls. He felt responsible for them now, a new weight adding to his growing despair.
A heavy sigh crossed the call, and Rias spoke with a grave voice.
"Osamu, you should already know... what's happening is like a zombie movie, but it's real. They're not just at school, they're everywhere. And you, like me, can't stay where you are. If you don't move soon, you'll regret it. I'm stuck here at home. I can't go help you."
Osamu gritted his teeth, feeling the pressure mount. Go to her? How could he dare go out, risking more, when the whole world had turned into a deadly trap?
"I know... I know I have to." He said, now with determination rising through the fear. "I'll find a way to get there. I'm sure I'll come up with something. When I get there, I'll be safe with you."
"Yes..." Rias replied with a tone of relief, but something in her voice trembled. "You have to do it, Osamu. You have to get here. I... I can't stay calm until I know you're safe. Do whatever it takes, but don't stay there."
Osamu nodded, feeling the weight of her words. But before he could reply, the call began to fail. The signal became intermittent, as if something was blocking the communication.
"Osamu..." said Rias, her voice now barely audible, distorted by the interference, "...No... cut... sure... cut... soon..."
"Rias... Rias?" Osamu tried to call her attention, but only got more noise.
"Osamu, listen to me!" Rias' voice was distorted, barely audible. "Please, don't... don't..."
The call was cut off abruptly, leaving him in a void of silence. The screen of his phone went dark, and he stared at the device, the feeling of helplessness once again enveloping him. He didn't know exactly what had happened at the end, only hearing the echo of her desperation.
Fear gripped him again. However, now he knew he couldn't wait any longer. The promise of safety at Rias' house had disappeared into the air. The only option left was to face the chaos.
With his phone in hand, Osamu stood up. He was alone. The momentary calm had broken, and with it, the last doubt: now he had to act.
...
Hundreds of miles away, aboard a luxury yacht, two women watched the horizon from the deck, where the chaos of the apocalypse seemed to consume the world. The coast, once full of life, was now a desolate scene, a vast expanse of destruction. The atmosphere was thick with palpable tension, and the silence between them was only interrupted by the roar of the waves.
"My God, this... this looks like something out of those books you read, Robin. Pure horror." said the woman with long orange hair, her voice tense, almost incredulous. Her eyes reflected the fear of what she saw, as if she still couldn't process the magnitude of what was happening.
The other woman, with black hair, remained still, her gaze fixed on the horizon, as if she were trying to see beyond the catastrophe, searching for something that wasn't there.
"Well, it's not a book anymore." replied the woman with a grave tone, tinged with a fatality that only experience could give her. "Now it seems like we're living the same terror."
The woman with orange hair glanced at her, searching for something on her face, some spark of hope, but only found a cold resignation.
"At least we're in the water. Those disgusting creatures won't be able to reach us here." She tried to comfort herself, but she knew it wasn't that simple. The uncertainty still hung over them like a shadow.
"Yes, but we can't stay here forever." The woman with black hair finally broke the silence, her voice carrying a weight both of them understood well. "The refuge the sea gives us won't last forever."
The other woman frowned, looking at the remnants of the world they could still see from afar, like a distant mirage. The sea was vast, but time was not.
"How long do you think we have before the supplies run out?" she asked, fearful but with a pragmatism she couldn't avoid.
"At most a month, I'd say." replied the woman with black hair, her voice as hard as steel. Her words were a sentence, not an estimate.
A shiver ran down both of their spines. In that month, what would remain? What would happen when they no longer had resources? How much longer could they escape the darkness that was consuming the world?
"Well, we'll have to figure out what to do when that time comes." said the woman with orange hair, her tone now more serious, more determined. As if she had finally accepted that they couldn't stay there forever.
The wind began to blow more strongly, carrying with it a whisper that seemed to come from an uncertain future, one in which there were no guarantees. The waves crashed against the yacht with renewed fury, as if the sea itself was warning them that there was no safe refuge, that the clock was still ticking.
As the night fell upon them, the darkness not only enveloped the distant coast but also the future that lay ahead. And for the first time, real fear began to take hold of them. Because they knew, deep down, that the sea, though vast, could also be an unpredictable enemy.