Saya held her breath, curled up tightly, trying to make herself as small as possible as she hid under the pile of desks and chairs. Dead, if that centipede saw her, she was done, she would be dead for sure.
Thump. Thump.
"God, why is my heart beating so loud? It'll hear me, it'll know I'm here!" Saya squeezed her eyes shut, curling up even tighter, trying to think of something pleasant to slow her heartbeat. But her mind was filled only with the grotesque nightmare outside. She imagined herself becoming part of it—her face sprouting from that writhing mass, her eyes and nose oozing blood, her mouth endlessly moaning in agony.
Before long, the monster moved away. The agonized wails faded into silence, and the rustling of hundreds of limbs scraping against the flesh-covered floor grew distant. Still, Saya didn't dare move. That thing had hundreds of faces—what if it could see from behind as well? She wouldn't take that risk. So she waited, still curled up in the disgusting, rotting flesh.
One minute.
Two minutes.
… Ten minutes.
By now, the hallway had fallen into complete silence. No more sounds, no more movement.
"Maybe… maybe it's really gone." Saya muttered as she crawled out of her hiding spot. Her entire body was covered in blood, reeking, sticky, disgusting, but she was alive. Lucky. But now, Saya had no idea what to do next. Outside, a monster lurked—maybe more than one. And she… she was just a normal teenage girl.
Her heart pounded like a rock band's drum solo, her legs weak, refusing to move. The horror she had witnessed was burned into her memory. Saya didn't have many friends. She was relieved not to see Rei, Komuro, or Hisashi among the faces… but there were still so many she recognized.
One of the faces—Saya remembered—it was the class president. Some other faces looked vaguely familiar: Imamura, Morita, Yuuki Miku… No wonder the hallway was empty. Everyone had already become part of that monster.
Classmates. Upperclassmen. Even teachers. No one had escaped. They were all inside that centipede. No. She couldn't think about that now.
Shaking her head, trying to push those faces out of her mind, Saya gathered all her remaining focus to think about her next move. After a while, two choices became clear: she could stay put and continue hiding, or she could take the risk and try to escape. The first option seemed safe, but thinking it through, Saya realized it wasn't wise, she couldn't stay here forever. Sooner or later, she would be found. Plus, there was no food or water here.
But the second option did not feel any better either. It was even more dangerous. After all, she had no idea what was waiting for her out there, or if she could even escape. This was no longer a choice between life and death—it was simply a choice between dying sooner or later.
Survival was impossible. Saya might be a genius, but she was physically weak. She should have grabbed something—anything—from the crafts room before ending up here. But now? Nothing. No advantages. No weapons. She wasn't like those anime protagonists. She wasn't a time traveler. She couldn't see the future. Death was inevitable.
"I feel disgusting… everything is disgusting…" Saya trembled. She didn't want to go outside. But she couldn't stay in this putrid, rotting nightmare either. She didn't know what to do. She would die. No doubt about it.
"Will I… become part of that thing?" The faces. They groaned in agony. They wept blood. Even in death, they found no peace. She didn't want to end up like that. It was horrifying.
"Hic… hic… It's too scary… Dad, Mom, Komuro, Rei… Someone… anyone… please… save me." Saya sniffled. But no matter how much she prayed, no one came.
"Would dying hurt? Maybe… if I did it myself, it wouldn't be as painful?" Negative thoughts gradually filled her mind.
Dazed, she started searching through the abandoned school bags. Then she found a pair of scissors.
It was strange. Everything else had turned into that grotesque nightmare, yet people's personal belongings remained untouched. But that didn't matter anymore. She pressed her fingers against her neck, feeling for the artery. Here. If she stabbed herself right here hard enough, she would die. No more fear. No more centipede. No more anything... Die early, find peace sooner…
Thud.
The scissors fell to the ground. No… she couldn't do it. It would hurt—a lot. That thought alone made Saya's hands tremble uncontrollably. She tried to stab, but the moment the blade neared her neck, her hand instinctively pulled back.
"Even suicide… I can't even do that… A genius? What a joke. I'm nothing but a pathetic, worthless coward..."
If she didn't have the courage to die, yet also lacked the strength to keep living, then what was she supposed to do?
Curled up in the corner of the room, trembling, Saya sat there like an empty shell, aimlessly letting her eyes wander. Her mind was a storm of useless thoughts, looping over the same question—what should I do? Then, by chance, her gaze landed on the chalkboard. A line of messy white chalk writing stood out before her eyes…