Osamu desperately searched for something useful inside the infirmary. He had already gathered the essentials: pills, bandages, syrups… everything he knew would become scarce in the very near future. But he still needed something more. Something he could use as a weapon.
And then he saw it.
Ethyl alcohol. A nearly full bottle rested on one of the upper shelves. A smile formed on his face. If he knew how to use it correctly, that could become a deadly tool. Ethyl alcohol was highly flammable. And in this new world, every advantage counted.
Silence was beginning to settle outside. The groans were becoming fewer and farther between.
That, in a way, was a good sign… though it could also mean the zombies no longer had any victims to chase. A dangerous calm.
As he kept rummaging through drawers, Osamu came across something unexpected: scalpels. They were carefully stored next to some scissors. The latter didn't surprise him — they were common instruments. But scalpels…That wasn't something you'd expect to find in a school infirmary.
—"What the hell…?" —he muttered, taking one between his fingers—. "Who would bring this here...? Well, whoever it was... thanks, I guess. This might save my life."
—"Oh, really? Well, you're welcome," —a female voice replied from right behind him, playful and calm at the same time.
Osamu felt a chill run down his spine. His body reacted before his mind did, quickly turning to face the speaker.
There she was.
A figure he knew all too well.
Shizuka-san.
The school nurse. Blonde hair, calm eyes… and a serene look that didn't match the chaos outside.
—"Shizuka-san…?" —Osamu said, a knot forming in his throat.
—"My, Osamu-kun~ I see you're okay! Thank God," —she answered with a radiant smile before pulling him into a tight hug—. "Are you hurt anywhere? Are you alright?"
—"N-no… I'm fine. For now," —he replied, a bit nervous—. "But… where did you come from? I've been here for a while and didn't see you."
—"Ah, well…" —she pointed to a metal door at the back of the room—. "I was in there."
Osamu frowned. That was the small vault where they kept sensitive medical supplies.
—"Really? I thought no one was inside. It was locked…"
—"Of course, I always lock it. Sometimes I sleep in there when I'm on night duty," —she said casually, pulling a small set of keys from her pocket.
—"I see…" —Osamu sighed.
Then he looked her in the eye, more seriously.
—"I guess you already know what's happening outside, right, Shizuka?"
She let out a small giggle, as if the question was too simple to take seriously.
—"Of course I do, Osamu-kun."
Osamu blinked, baffled by how calm she sounded. Seriously, what was with her?
—"Aren't you scared, Shizuka-san?"
—"Scared?" —she repeated, placing a finger on her chin as if pondering—. "And why should I be?"
—"I mean… of dying? Of being caught and eaten alive by zombies?"
—"Hmm…" —Shizuka sighed gently—. "It's not like I could do much about it, you know? I'm not exactly athletic. So why worry about something I can't avoid?"
Osamu fell silent. He couldn't exactly argue with that logic. Shizuka clearly knew her own physical limits, and believing she was alone, she had simply… accepted her fate. It was as absurd as it was unsettling.
—"Well, at the very least… you could've locked the infirmary door, you know?" —he said with a hint of reproach.
Though, come to think of it, if she had locked it, he wouldn't have been able to get in. And he might be dead now.
—"I actually thought it was already locked," —she said while twirling her keys—. "The quintuplets were asleep, so I assumed one of them locked it. I just wanted to stop hearing those horrible noises outside… so I locked myself in and went to sleep."
Osamu looked at her like he was trying to solve an impossible puzzle. Sleeping… during a zombie apocalypse? This woman had nerves of steel. Or she was just insane.
—"Anyway…" —he sighed, rubbing his face—. "We need to wake the quintuplets, explain the situation, and get out of here as soon as possible. The zombies could find our location any moment. And if that happens… well, that'll be our inevitable end."
He swallowed hard. Just thinking about it made his stomach twist.
—"But… how the hell am I supposed to explain this to them without making them panic…"
...
—"And that's the current situation," —Osamu said with a resigned sigh, standing before the five girls with identical faces.
The calm in their expressions instantly shattered, replaced by pure terror.
—"Z-zombie apocalypse…?" —Nino murmured, going pale.
—"We're trapped here…?" —Itsuki looked around in growing panic.
—"Are we going to be eaten alive…?" —Miku said in a trembling voice, clutching her sweater tightly.
—"Eh? How… how did this all happen so suddenly…?" —Ichika asked, unable to process it.
—"It can't be… Kuroda-kun, are you saying… Uesugi-san might be a zombie now…?" —Yotsuba said, eyes wide.
The questions poured in one after another. Some of them burst into tears, others fell into total silence, as if the world around them was collapsing. And Osamu couldn't blame them. After all, they were just high school girls. They had lived privileged, carefree lives, far removed from any scenario like this.
"I wish I could tell them to calm down…" Osamu thought, looking at the distraught faces before him, "but it'd be unfair to ask that of them right now."
—"I understand that you're scared… I really do," —he finally said in a firm yet calm voice—. "But at the very least, please keep your voices down. We're trapped here, and night is approaching. If we want to survive… we need to prepare to leave."
—"Leave…? Leave to what? To die eaten by zombies? No way!" —Nino protested, hugging herself.
—"Yeah… Wouldn't it be better to stay here and wait for someone to rescue us…?" —Itsuki asked, a glimmer of hope in her eyes.
Osamu shook his head.
—"Rescue…? In a zone like this, one of the most infested, they've probably already written us off. We can't count on help coming. Our best option… is to escape."
The girls exchanged nervous glances.
—"Like I told you earlier," —he continued—, "we'll wait until nightfall. When the sky gets dark enough, we'll exit through the window. Shizuka-san and I found a rope, and the walls next to the windows have ledges we can use to climb down. It won't be easy… but it's not impossible."
—"And then what? Run for our lives?" —Miku said in a low voice, filled with anguish—. "If that's the case… you'll be the only one to survive. Maybe Yotsuba too."
—"No," —Osamu shook his head immediately—. "We're not going to run aimlessly. Shizuka-san has a minivan near the building. I've been watching the route from here. The good thing is, these zombies rely more on sound than sight. If we move quietly… we can reach the vehicle undetected."
—"And after that?" —Ichika asked, still in disbelief—. "Where would we go?"
—"I have a place in mind," —Osamu replied confidently—. "A safe shelter, one no one else has gone to yet. So… please, trust me."
Silence.
The quintuplets looked at each other, still trembling, but something in Osamu's voice —firm, determined, real— sparked a hint of hope in them.
Sometimes, even in the midst of chaos, all it takes… is someone who says "follow me."
Shizuka watched the quintuplets with a faint smile, as if her mind was already calculating the risks.
—"Then it's official," —she said, calmly crossing her arms—. "Starting tonight… we begin our escape."
A light breeze slipped through the half-open window, carrying with it the distant echo of a groan.
Everyone held their breath.
Osamu tightened his grip on the bottle of ethyl alcohol. He knew the worst was yet to come. But he also knew something else:
He was no longer alone.
And in this world…That could be a blessing.
Or a curse.