Gabe stepped back into the classroom, gun still in hand. He didn't raise it. Didn't lower it either. Just let the weight hang there, steady.
The hallway behind him was quiet again.
But not the safe kind of quiet.
Not the after-the-storm kind.
More like something holding its breath before striking again.
He turned to face the room.
Four pairs of eyes were fixed on him.
No one was screaming. Not yet. But something had definitely broken.
Chika stood against the far wall, frozen mid-step, hands fisted in her skirt.
Miku hadn't moved from her seat. She stared straight ahead like she'd just remembered how to forget everything.
Itsuki stood halfway between her desk and her bag, unsure which one she needed more.
Marin looked… awake. Not panicked. But alert in a way she hadn't been before. Her eyes darted from Gabe to the window. Then to the door.
No one said anything.
Gabe crouched and unzipped the utility pack beside the broken cabinet.
[Cache Accessed – Utility Bag #2]
[Contents: 1x compact drone, 2x med injector, 1x ballistic headlamp, 1x energy bar (240 cal)]
He took the drone and clipped it silently to his belt.
Below them, another door slammed.
Another scream followed. Then… something heavier. Slower.
Furniture being shoved. Or bodies.
Then nothing.
"I should call someone," Itsuki said softly. Nobody responded. "Like… the police? Or the staff—?"Her voice cracked on the second word.
Gabe didn't look up. "They're not coming."
Miku turned toward him. "How would you know that?"
He didn't answer.
From the hallway—running.
Not stomping.
Not dragging.
Shoes on tile.
A clean rhythm.
Then— The door slammed open.
Someone darted in, twisted the lock behind her, flipped the latch, and turned. Her stance dropped instinctively, eyes sharp.
A girl. Third-year. Tall. Composed.
Black hair tied back.
A wooden bokken in one hand.
A red smear on her jacket sleeve—not hers.
She wasn't out of breath.
She wasn't bleeding.
She wasn't panicking.
She was already analyzing.
Her gaze swept the room. Landed on Gabe—on the drawn weapon still loose in his hand.
She didn't flinch.
"You," she said.
Gabe blinked once. "What?"
"You're calm," she replied.
"Not many people are right now."
ID: Confirmed – Busujima, Saeko
Vitals: Normal
Condition: Uninjured
Threat Aptitude: ELITE
No one in the room spoke.
Marin leaned in toward Miku. "Who—?"
"She's the kendo captain," Miku whispered.
Saeko turned from Gabe and scanned the rest of the group, brief but deliberate. Her stance didn't break. She wasn't checking for survivors—she was gauging liabilities.
"I came from the second floor," she said. "North hall. Six infected. Maybe seven."
Chika's voice trembled. "You fought them?"
Saeko nodded. "Only one of them bled."
She glanced down at her bokken. The wooden shaft had faint dents along the middle. One end was streaked dark.
"They're clumsy," she added. "But quick, if you turn your back."
Something hit the hallway side of the door. Hard.
A heavy thump. Then another.
The window cracked slightly near the hinge.
The glass didn't break.
Saeko exhaled—short, measured. She didn't look away from the door, but her voice lowered.
"They're getting inside."
Gabe didn't move. "I know."
"We don't have long."
"I know that too."
Another slam.
Chika flinched. Miku grabbed the edge of her chair.
Itsuki finally stepped back from her bag. She wasn't going anywhere.
Saeko looked at the group again. Then at Gabe.
"Do you have a plan?"
"Two," he said. "Maybe three. Depends what door they break next."
Her eyes narrowed just slightly. Not doubt. Just focus.
"Good."
She stepped away from the door, still keeping her back to the wall.
"You lead," she said.
The door cracked.
Not fully. But close.
The glass in the top panel spiderwebbed outward. The metal latch bent visibly inward.
Gabe didn't hesitate.
He dropped to a crouch, pulled open the corner cabinet, and yanked out the matte black duffel without ceremony.
[Cache Accessed – Supply #3]
M4 Carbine (Short Barrel, Suppressed)
[Attachments: Holo Optic, Tactical Light, Foregrip]
[Ammo Loaded: 5.56mm x30]
(AN: Utility Cache #1 – Second floor, near the art room closetCache #2 – Rooftop, hidden beneath the water tanks. Utility Bag #2 – Classroom, near the cabinet by the window (already accessed) Supply Cache #3 – Classroom, in the corner cabinet accessed in Chapter 5 for weapons)
He racked the first round in with a single motion and shouldered the weapon. The weight settled against him like it belonged there.
The others barely had time to process it.
Miku flinched at the sound of the bolt sliding forward. Marin looked between the gun and the door. Itsuki was frozen. Chika crouched beside her desk, fingers tight around her wrist.
The door shuddered again.
This time, a dent appeared near the lock.
[Door Integrity: 8%]
Gabe stepped forward and grabbed the desk closest to the door. He flipped it upright with one hand and planted it flat against the frame.
Then another. Then another.
In five seconds, the entryway was barricaded with three layers of steel-legged wood.
"Move when I say," he told them.
That was all.
He turned to Saeko. "When I push, you close the door behind us."
She gave a single nod.
The glass cracked again.
Then—flesh. A hand, grey and twitching, punched through the frame with a sickening jerk. Bone showed at the knuckle. Fingers clawed blindly.
Gabe didn't flinch.
He stepped up, shouldered the carbine—
Pfthhpfthhpfthh—
Three suppressed shots. Clean.
The hand spasmed once, then dropped.
The next body slammed the door harder. Another shape moved behind it—shoulders jerking, head twitching against the glass.
Gabe lowered his weapon slightly and checked the side hallway window.
Clear.
He turned to the girls. "We're moving. Don't look back. Stay in the center."
"W-what if they're in the halls—" Chika started.
"I'll clear the way."
Gabe didn't wait for permission.
He turned, dropped his weight into the desks, and drove his shoulder into the barricade. It popped loose with a single shove.
Then—he kicked the door open.
It swung outward, slamming into something soft.
A figure stumbled backward. Grey skin. Torn blazer. Mouth open.
Gabe didn't hesitate.
One step forward—
He drove the butt of the rifle into its face with a crack of bone. Then fired once at the second infected lurching up from behind.
Pfthhh—
Down.
He didn't slow down.
"Go," he snapped.
Marin moved first, pulling Miku behind her. Itsuki and Chika followed, eyes wide, steps awkward but fast.
Saeko kept to the rear, bokken raised—but she didn't swing.
She didn't need to.
Every time something moved near the edge of the hall—
Pfthhh—
A flash of light. A burst of sound and Gabe was already on to the next.
By the time they reached the stairwell, there were four bodies on the floor.
All headshots.
No hesitation. No noise.
Just control.