HOTD: Tōshiro Nagi

Prologue: A Stoic Presence

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After finishing his shower, Nagi stepped out and wrapped himself in a fluffy towel. He realized that he was already late for class and headed back into the locker room to change into his school uniform.

The uniform resembled a military-style gakuran, with a black long-sleeved jacket, matching pants, and a plain white t-shirt underneath the jacket. After changing into his uniform, Nagi grabbed his belongings and was about to leave the locker room when he heard the announcement speakers.

A sudden announcement blared through the school speaker, startling Nagi. "This announcement is for all students. An emergency situation is taking place inside the school right now," the man said before taking a deep breath to recover himself. "All students must follow your teacher's instructions and evacuate."

The announcement continued, "I repeat, a violent incident has occurred on the school grounds—" but was abruptly interrupted by growling sounds in the background. Nagi could hear the sound of something falling, and the speaker's voice became distorted. "Argh! Get away from me, get back!" he grunted.

The announcement resumed, "I repeat, a violent incident has occurred on the school grounds—" but suddenly the speaker's voice was drowned out by a piercing scream. The terrified scream created a wave of fear that most young teenagers had never felt before.

The essence of a person begging to be spared before death arrived loomed in their young hearts and invaded their minds. "Help! Heeeeellllpppp!!! Heee—AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!"

For a moment, the entire school was silent, as if no one was actually there. Only the chirping of birds could be heard from the surroundings. But then:

Chaos.

The school was filled with screams and shouts that echoed from every corner. The sounds of desks and chairs being forcibly pushed or thrown could be heard, along with the confirmation of kicking, punching, and something being trampled.

In the midst of the chaos, Nagi grabbed his bow and a quiver of arrows, slinging it over his shoulder. He had a total of 24 arrows, and although he didn't know whether he would need to use them or not, it was better safe than sorry.

The Archery Club was in its own corner of the premises away from the main building and gate, meaning there were fewer people there. Sliding open the door, he was met with the usual silence, if you exclude the screaming from the distance of course.

Nagi stepped outside of the Archery Club and headed towards the outside gym area, his expression stoic as always. However, what he saw was beyond his expectations. The school ground was littered with body parts and puddles of blood. The distant cries for help and the shattering of glass indicated the severity of the situation.

As he walked further, Nagi observed the mangled corpses of students and faculty members, some of which had bite marks, while others were trampled. The blood and entrails smeared across the pavement made the area appear like a scene from a horror movie.

The unsettling sight caused Nagi to widen his eyes in surprise, but he remained composed and continued to navigate through the carnage. He couldn't help but feel confused about what had caused such a massacre.

Nagi's mind raced with possible scenarios that could have caused the chaos he witnessed. However, the most probable one was that it was a zombie outbreak. The idea seemed far-fetched, but it was the only explanation that made sense. Otherwise, why would there be an evacuation when students would be safe in their classrooms?

The bite marks on the corpses' bodies also supported his theory. The bite marks were small and dull, which didn't match any animal that could have caused them. Frowning, Nagi stood up from his crouch and peered farther into the school grounds, trying to find any evidence that could support or disprove his theory.