The room had thinned out, but the air still buzzed with leftover energy.
The bell had rung a few minutes ago, but not everyone had bothered to leave.
Some stayed. Some pretended they had a reason to.
Most were just delaying the walk into the heat.
Miku stayed at her desk, pulling her earbuds out like she'd forgotten she was wearing them. Her phone was still unlocked, screen showing a paused Sengoku drama soundtrack.
Itsuki had her notebook open, still frowning at the board, hand scribbling mechanical strokes like she'd missed an equation and was punishing herself for it.
Nino leaned near the open window, bag on her shoulder, arms crossed. Her eyes flicked toward the hallway, then back inside. She looked like she wanted someone else to leave first.
Chika had stopped pretending to do work. She was now trying to fold a paper crane using just her knuckles and teeth. The paper was already damp. Every time it crumpled, she growled like it personally insulted her.
And Marin—
She was asleep.
Slouched over her desk, cheek in her arms, faint snore leaking out. Her hair spilled across her sleeve in tangled waves, one leg off to the side like she'd halfway slid off her chair mid-dream.
Gabe stood by the window.
Not watching. Scanning.
[Infection Proximity: 100m → 92m]
[Zone: Campus Outer Wall]
The sun stretched long shadows across the blacktop. It slanted off the courtyard flagpole, made the fence lines glow orange. Dust floated where nobody could see it.
There was motion.
One figure.
Not fast.
Limping.
Twitching between steps like its joints weren't talking to each other anymore. A red smear trailed behind its right shoe.
Gabe didn't react. Just shifted his weight to his left foot and leaned forward slightly.
[Alert: Confirmed Contact – Entity Has Breached Gate Radius]
[Proximity: 84m → 71m]
[Warning: Hostile Within 75m]
Still no screaming.
Still no sirens.
From behind him, someone laughed about discount milk bread. A chair creaked. The overhead lights buzzed like they always did when the AC gave up.
Gabe's eyes moved to the side exit.
North stairwell → fire escape → jump the back fence
→ Family Mart lot
→ Vehicle summon
System Access: Locked
Vehicle Deploy: Unavailable until Combat Active
He let out a slow breath, jaw tense.
Marin snorted in her sleep.
He turned slightly.
She mumbled something like "no more stiletto heels…", then curled her fingers under her cheek and stilled again.
Outside, another one appeared.
Different.
Faster. Sharper.
Its arms jittered like a glitchy frame skip, stepping sideways across the gym path before correcting. It tilted its head sharply—unnatural, like someone flicked a switch.
It had found the open gate.
[Proximity: 71m → 58m]
[Drone: Standby – Manual Access Available]
[Kill Count: 0]
Inside the room, the mood hadn't changed.
Just quieter.
Like the air thickened without warning.
Nino finally pushed off from the wall and made for the door. She paused halfway, threw a sidelong glance at Gabe.
He didn't meet it.
She rolled her eyes and muttered something under her breath—maybe "weirdo," maybe "whatever"—and left.
The others stayed.
And the numbers ticked down.
The sunlight was starting to dim—not by time, but by mood. It came through the windows like it had second thoughts, like it didn't want to shine on what came next.
Gabe didn't move. He stood where he'd been for the last ten minutes—at the far end of the classroom, behind a cracked windowpane, one hand in his pocket, the other resting at his side like it might need to move quickly.
[Infection Proximity: 54m → 42m]
The second figure crossed the courtyard now.
A student.
Female.
Short brown hair, striped sleeves, loose gait. Her phone was in her hand, earphones in, walking with that slight bob of someone who didn't know the world had already changed.
Name: UNKNOWNStatus: ALIVEWarning: Imminent Hostile Contact
She didn't see it.
Gabe's fingers curled slightly against the window frame. His eyes narrowed. No one else in the classroom seemed to notice her out there.
Marin shifted in her sleep.
Nino's seat was empty.
Miku stared absently down at her textbook, not flipping pages.
Then a voice outside.
Faint.
Muffled by the glass.
"Yo, you okay?" the girl called. She slowed, took a step forward. "You're—oh my god, are you hurt?"
Gabe could just barely make out the scene from his vantage point—between branches, across railing, through sun-glare.
She was talking to someone slumped near the stairs by the bicycle rack.
He wasn't moving.
She crouched to check.
Gabe's eyes stopped blinking.
[Proximity: 41m → 33m][Hostile Detection: Confirmed][Response Authorization: Pending…]
The drone feed wasn't even active. This was raw line-of-sight.
Then—
The figure on the ground lurched.
Not like someone waking up.
Like something jerking into a loop it wasn't designed for.
Its back spasmed. Its legs snapped rigid. The head rolled to the side—and then back toward her.
She didn't scream right away.
There was just this beat of confusion. A second where she leaned back and laughed, like he was playing some kind of joke.
Then it grabbed her wrist.
And the scream broke the air.
It wasn't a loud scream. Not theatrical. Just sharp. Choked. Like a warning being stolen halfway out of her mouth.
The infected man lunged upward, too fast. Jaw unhinged. His teeth clamped down not on her neck, but on the side of her shoulder, dragging her sideways into the bike rack.
Metal clattered.
Gabe saw her drop the phone.
She didn't get up.
[ALERT: First Infection Witnessed on Campus Grounds][Kill Count: 0][System Combat Status: ENGAGED][Weapon Tree: UNLOCKED][Inventory: ACCESS GRANTED]
A new line appeared in the corner of Gabe's vision—blue text on a thin gray bar.
[Welcome, Operator: Gabriel dela Cruz]
He blinked once.
The light on the screen sharpened, targeting icons flickering to life. A translucent radial interface hovered beside his peripheral view, showing outlines of weapon silhouettes.
Pistol – Lock-in Ready.Suppressor – Compatible.Standard Ammo (9mm) – x60.Combat Knife – Folded, Tier 1.Deployable Drone – 1Quick Deploy: [YES/NO]
He didn't touch anything yet.
Just stared.
Outside, the infected didn't stop feeding. Another figure was crossing the path now—drawn by the sound. Faster than the last. Limbs flailing, barefoot, jaw already opening.
[Proximity: 33m → 25m]
Someone else in the classroom finally stood up.
"Hey… did you guys hear that?"
Miku glanced toward the window.
Itsuki lowered her pen.
Chika gave up on her paper crane.
And Marin—
Still asleep.