High School of the Dead + One

「Seven Dead」

–xxx–

I look down and cuss. The concrete had literally ripped my leggings to shreds. The thick scar running along my thigh is pronounced, like they're spiting me. Compared to it, the older, thinner scars are barely visible.

"—the hell?" Takashi breathes.

"Guys, now isn't the time to be staring off into spa—" Rei's eyes widen as she turns to us, the sentence dying in her throat. "Yuki, those are..."

"Watch out!" Saeko shouts, knocking another dead student out of the way. "Seriously, guys, don't you understand the mayhem we're in?"

That snaps them out of it.

Takashi rips his eyes away from my legs and turns to the horde of Them limping our way.

"There're too many," Kohta says, echoing the dismay I feel.

Takashi clenches his hands around his metal bat and charges ahead of us. With a powerful swing, he takes out one of Them, sending it flying to the side. When he brings his bat back down, blood smears along the concrete.

"Forget talking," he barks, readying himself as another comes. "Just run!"

Saeko runs up to catch him, both of them bashing in the faces of as many undead students as they can. Rei and I are closely behind, fighting together to take care of the ones they miss. Without any of us realizing it, one of the survivors they had saved, a boy with a towel draped around his neck, is surrounded. As he swings, one grabs hold of the ends of the towel, biting into his arm.

"Takuzo!" a girl with dark, shoulder-length hair shouts.

"Naomi, run!" the boy, Takuzo, shouts as the small horde encases him.

I turn around to see what's going on just in time to see Naomi try to run to him. Takagi, however, grabs her wrist to keep her back.

"Just forget him!" she shouts. "Once you're bitten, it's pointless!"

The girl gives Takagi a look of helplessness, but it's marred by a strong resolve. Tears fall down as she shakes her head, yanks her hand away from Takagi, and turns to the already-dead Takuzo.

"Wait a minute!" Takagi tries to reason. "You heard me, didn't you? He's not going to make it! Why are you going back to him?"

Shizuka backs up, a look of horrific understanding etched into her features. "I understand," she mumbles. "If the entire world turned into this, I'd rather die with the person I love too..."

Takagi turns to her with a glare. "What kind of doctor are you?" she growls.

"Look out!" Kohta shouts, nailing another man-eating student that tries to attack Takagi.

"What?" she responds, almost clueless.

"Don't you worry, Takagi," Kohta says, standing in front of her like a bodyguard.

"You rude little nerd!" she screams. "How dare you interrupt me when I'm talking! Why would you do that?"

I roll my eyes, taking out a zombie that tries to take a piece out of my side.

"I don't know..." he says, puzzled. Then he turns to her with a sweet, innocent smile. "Because I really like the sound of your voice."

Her eyes widen as she jumps back, cheeks heating up.

More of Them are crowding around us, and I take it as a sign to get moving. With a quick turn of my heel, I rush towards Takashi and Ms. Shizuka. Saeko, who had gone to tease Takagi and Kohta, is now beside me, helping me fend off the monsters.