Chapter 35 – The Bus to Safety
The air inside the school had grown quieter since the last wave of screams and gunfire. The dead no longer roamed the upper floors, at least not in large numbers. Instead, only the echo of footsteps, the faint groan of the wounded, and the low hum of whispered conversations filled the space.
Saeko walked beside Gaius down another hallway, her sword slick with drying blood. She kept her posture straight, her breathing steady. It wasn't just discipline that made her continue fighting, it was something else. Every time her blade cut through the undead, she felt a strange satisfaction but she also does it for responsibility. She was responsible not only for her own survival, but also for the frightened students who now depended on her and Gaius.
Gaius moved at a pace that was almost impossible to match. His armored bulk pushed through the halls, every swing of his unpowered sword tearing through the dead with ease. Saeko knew he didn't need her help. If he wanted, he could have finished clearing the school far more quickly without her slowing him down. Yet she followed anyway, not willing to stand aside while there was work to be done.
On the lower floors, they found more of the undead, clusters caught on stairwells, a few stragglers wandering near classrooms. Gaius crushed them with precision. His boots thundered against the floor, the weight of his armor making every step sound like final judgment. Saeko's blade whistled through the air in contrast, fast and graceful, cutting down anything he left behind.
By the time they had swept the first and second floors, dozens more survivors had been freed from locked classrooms and storage rooms. Their group was now close to a hundred, students, teachers, and staff gathered in one place, anxious and exhausted.
That was when the true problem became clear.
In the classroom they had secured as a gathering point, the size of the group pressed down on everyone. The room was crowded, the air stuffy from so many people breathing in fear.
Gaius stood near the doorway, silent, watching. His gaze shifted over the sea of tired faces. He saw the weight of despair creeping back into them. Keeping them here was only delaying the inevitable, the school would not hold them forever.
Saeko noticed it too. She gave short, calming instructions, moving from group to group, but even she could not ignore the question in her mind: How do we move them?
If they tried to leave in small cars, the chances of survival would collapse. Too many inexperienced drivers, too many vehicles to protect. The streets outside were already crawling with the dead, and one mistake would mean disaster.
Gaius finally turned without a word and left the room. Saeko, seeing the intent in his stride, let him go. She stayed behind to keep the survivors calm while he searched for an answer.
The first floor was nearly empty now. The stench of blood and decay clung to the walls, the remains of the earlier fight scattered across the hallways. Gaius moved carefully, sword ready. Though most of the dead had been destroyed, he knew better than to assume, though even without it, he can easily crush these mindless moving rotting flesh easily with his strength.
He stepped into the open grounds. The air outside was heavy, but quiet for now. Across the cracked asphalt of the parking area, he saw it: a large yellow school bus, parked neatly as though waiting for the morning bell.
Gaius approached slowly, scanning for movement. No dead lurked nearby. The bus itself was intact, its windows unbroken, its tires firm. When he tried the door, it gave way easily with a creak. He ducked inside, filling the narrow space with his towering frame.
The seats were dusty but serviceable, and the faint smell of old oil lingered in the air. On the dashboard, the key was still in the ignition. Gaius stared at it for a long moment, his expression unreadable behind his helm.
This would work. Not perfectly, there were too many people for one trip, but it was safer than scattering them across small cars. A bus could carry thirty at a time, maybe more if pressed. It would mean three or four trips back and forth, but the risk of loss would be far lower.
Satisfied, he stepped back down and made his way toward the classroom.
When Gaius entered, Saeko met his eyes immediately. He gave a short gesture, asking her to step aside. She followed without hesitation.
In the quieter corner of the hall, he spoke, his voice steady but low.
"There is a bus outside. Large enough to move them in groups. If we try with smaller cars, too many will die."
Saeko nodded, listening closely.
"It will take three, maybe four trips," he continued. "But it is the only way. The school cannot be held for long. We will move them to the Takagi estate. The girl, Saya, claims it is better."
Saeko's expression softened. She had thought the same, that the school was not a long-term refuge. "You're right. The estate is the best choice we have."
Then Saeko turned back toward the classroom.
The room quieted as she stepped inside loudly to take attention of the people inside of the classroom. Survivors looked up, waiting. Saeko raised her voice enough for everyone to hear.
"Listen. We cannot stay here. The building is not safe forever. We will be moving to a stronger base. A school bus will take us in groups to the Takagi estate."
The room stirred at her words. Some students whispered nervously, clutching their phones, while others looked relieved to finally have a direction.
Saeko continued, firm but calm. "We can't move everyone at once. The bus will take groups. Who will go first?"
For a moment, no one moved. Then, three students stood quickly. One of them, voice shaking but clear, said, "My mother is at the Takagi estate. She told me they're letting in refugees. I want to go."
The other two added similar reasons, speaking of family they hoped to reunite with. Their words sparked courage in others. Soon, twenty-five students gathered at the front, ready to be part of the first group.
Saeko nodded to them, then looked at the rest. "The rest of you will wait here until we return. Stay calm. Stay together."
The chosen group moved through the hall in silence, Saeko leading them. The corpses of the undead lay scattered from the earlier battles, bodies sliced apart by her blade, smashed to pulp beneath Gaius's boots. The students walked timidly, their shoes slipping slightly on dried blood. A few gagged at the stench.
Some whispered nervously about Gaius, their eyes flicking to the walls where bullet holes marked his passing. Others kept their eyes firmly on the ground, unwilling to look too closely at the carnage.
At the end of the hall, the sunlight spilled in, and the sight of the waiting bus came into view.
Gaius stood beside it, a towering sentinel of metal and power. The bus was nearly twelve feet tall, and even so, the armored giant reached almost to its roof and his Expressionless face. His presence alone made several of the students falter in their steps.
The memory of what he had done to their teacher, Shido, still lingered in their minds. The brutal finality of it. The raw strength. For some, the image made their stomachs turn.
They walked timidly past him, climbing the steps of the bus one by one. A few trembled as they passed, unable to meet his gaze.
Gaius said nothing. He only stood, silent and watchful, as the first group boarded. His black eyes scanned them.
Saeko followed the last student aboard, her blade resting at her side. She glanced once at Gaius, then back at the frightened but determined faces inside the bus.
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