The Apocalypse

[Peko]

The Apocalypse​

[December 12th | 01:00 PM]

It'd been five weeks now since the infection spread. Her father attempted to lock down the academy to keep the students safe… but to no avail. They broke through… some students escaped into town before they could be attacked. Kyouko Kirigiri was one of the few fortunate survivors. Kirigiri was sitting at the writing desk with her notebook laid open in front of her, squinting to read her handwriting-- a documentation of events thus far. Now, somehow after a series of abrupt and chaotic events, she found herself in the basement of a house she and Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu had found after attempting to fight their way through a particularly large group of zombies together. The house was located in a small neighborhood not too far away from the academy. They were safe for now... but not for long.

She took over night shift, watching over the house while Kuzuryuu slept in the makeshift bed they'd created with pillows and an old quilt. She looked over her shoulder at him, noticing that his breathing pattern had changed. He was awake. "We still have some bread left, if you're hungry." She noted as she clapped her notebook closed and tucked it away. "I suppose we'll have to leave here soon. I checked the kitchen earlier-- whoever lived here must have taken their food with them when they fled. That, or it was stolen before we got here. Needless to say… Food and water should be our priority. And perhaps... we could find some of the remaining survivors as well."

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Ibuki's ears were wonderful. Probably the one reason why she was still alive. She could hear the creatures as they moved towards her, giving her an advance notice when to attack and when to flee. A kind of strategic game of hide and seek. Most of her classmates ran off without her whenever she tried to tag along-- she was noisy and had a short attention span, no one seemed to expect that she would live through this catastrophe-- bringing her along would be suicide. But Komaeda didn't seem to mind her like most others did. So she appreciated his company quite a lot.

She climbed into the back of a truck they came upon while walking through town-- crashed and lying on its' side. She couldn't hear anything moving around inside, so she chanced it. Peering in, she noticed that there were packaged foods and a few bottled waters. It seemed that others must've come by and taken some from the truck as well... Thankfully there was a little left inside for them. "Komaeda-chan! Ibuki thinks it's safe in here!" Her breath puffed out in front of her, voice chiming and happy for the first time in a while. "She doesn't hear any of those creepy crawly creatures either, so we should be fine for a little while! Want some lunch?"

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Peko yanked her sword out of a zombie's head-- the last of a group of five that surrounded them in the street. Red stained the snow beneath it. Right now, there was about an inch of snow blanketing the ground... but snowflakes were starting to fall again, the air getting colder by the minute. She paid no attention to the cold or to her injuries or exhaustion. She couldn't allow herself the luxury of rest until she found Kuzuryuu. However... Her recklessness was most likely going to affect Hinata, whom she partnered up with when they left the school together. She looked over at him, looking him up and down carefully for injury. "Are you all right?"

She had insisted that they cover as much ground as they could to locate other survivors-- it wasn't really that she cared much about suvivors, it was that she wanted to find Kuzuryuu. They'd gotten separated in the wreckage and uneasiness filled her with each day that went by. The only thing that helped her move along was Hinata. His presence actually put her at ease-- strangely, she felt that she could trust him. And now, looking at him, her red gaze softened just slightly. The torn state of his clothes, blood and dirt splotched all over… They both looked awful and beat up. "I… I apologize, Hinata. I keep insisting that we move on without rest. It's reckless." She paused, settling her shinai on her back. "If you're tired, we can try and find a place to rest for a little while."

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The school was in shambles. Mahiru sat in a corner of an empty classroom, holding the sides of her head as she tried to process everything. Death… it was something she couldn't take lightly. She couldn't stop crying or panicking. She was all alone... everyone gone. Dead or they were fortunate enough to escape without getting themselves eaten. Was no one else alive? She often pondered if she was just going to let herself starve to death in the classroom-- far too afraid to leave on her own. She was out of food for two days now and savoring the two bottles of water she had left.

Hearing footsteps and expecting a zombie, she shot up from where she was sitting, shaking hands on the handle of the knife she'd taken from a deceased classmate. Only instead of seeing an undead classmate or teacher, she saw a classmate of hers instead. Alive, not dead. She raised her eyebrows at him, lowering her knife. Her lower lip quivered and suddenly she felt just slightly hopeful. "Y…you could've said something before walking in like that, you know! You really scared me…" She trailed off, not really in the mood to lecture right then. He was in a different class, wasn't he? Good luck, if she remembered it correctly. "Makoto Naegi, is it?"

 

[Komaeda]

Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu
Peko... Where are you? That was the only thought going through Kuzuryuu's mind, while he was laying down on the bed they had created earlier. He hadn't slept for long, as it didn't feel safe enough to be sleeping. The nightmares about recent events had woken him up. A zombie apocalypse... He never thought such things were actually possible. Five weeks ago, he still refused to believe that there was an infection spreading, turning people into zombies. Back then, everything was so different... Five weeks ago he was still going to school, Hope Peak's Academy, with his bodyguard, Peko Pekoyama. And even though life had always been hard for Kuzuryuu, he missed the life he used to have. At least it was ten times better than the situation he was in now... Who could have thought things would turn out like this?

Damnit Peko... I need you... The boy tried his hardest to hold back his tears as he worried over his bodyguard, whom he also considered his best friend. Suddenly, he heard a voice. It was the voice of the girl who kept him company; Kyouko Kirigiri. After Kuzuryuu had been separated with Peko and the rest of his class, he came across Kirigiri and they had decided to team up together. "No thanks." was his answer to Kirigiri's offer. "You can have it. I've had enough." Kuzuryuu tried to sound as indifferent as possible, while his face remained towards the wall, hiding the fact that he was almost crying over Peko. When the girl mentioned they had to leave soon, he got out of the bed and stood up. "Then let's go." he mumbled, his face still not visible for Kirigiri. The sooner they left, the better, he believed. Hiding in the abandoned house wouldn't be of any use, especially if there was no food or water left. Besides, finding Peko was Kuzuryuu's main goal, which wouldn't be achieved if they stayed there.

Nagito Komaeda
When Ibuki Mioda called out for him, saying she had found some food in the truck she was inspecting, Nagito Komaeda slowly approached the truck, his hands inside the pockets of his long, green coat which was in a horrible state. It had cracks all over it and covered in dirt and dried up blood. It took a lot of effort for Komaeda to reach the truck. He could barely lift his feet, let alone walk at an average pace. Everything that has happened to the boy had worn him out a lot. How could Mioda still be so energetic after everything they had to go through? When he finally reached the truck, he also climbed inside the back, and sat down, his back against the side, which was originally the ceiling. Komaeda gave Mioda a soft smile before he focused on the food and began to eat. They hadn't eaten for a long time, so the feeling of food in his mouth made him feel relieved. "Thank you, Mioda-san. Thank you for keeping me company." Komaeda suddenly said after he swallowed his food. "I don't know how you can possibly tolerate someone like me, but I really appreciate your help." He was totally honest about what he said. Without Mioda, he would have been zombie food several times already. Thanks to Mioda's listening skills, they managed to flee or hide in time, before the zombies had noticed them.

Hajime Hinata
Hinata nodded when Pekoyama asked him if he was alright, and examined him carefully. "I'm fine." was his answer. 'Fine' was a kind of strange word to use at that moment, but considering the situation they were in, it could have been a lot worse. Many people had died already, and Hinata nearly started to believe that he and Pekoyama were the only one left. He was glad to have her as his partner, as she was brave, strong and caring. Her sword fighting skills had saved them so many times. If he were alone, he probably wouldn't have survived that long. Of course, he had his intelligence which was proved useful several times, but without a good weapon, Hinata wouldn't be able to defend himself.

"You don't have to apologize. Just like you, I want to find the others the most. If they are still alive..." Finding other people was his top priority, just like Pekoyama's was. Especially his classmates. He missed them. Even Komaeda, whom he disliked after finding out what he was really like. But his hope to ever see them again, alive, was slowly disappearing... There were so many zombies in town, and barely anyone survived, if he had to judge on what he has seen. The chance of his classmates still being alive was getting smaller and smaller each day...

"I suppose we should rest for a bit. I don't know about you, but I'm getting pretty tired." Hinata answered, when Pekoyama suggested to rest for a while. He knew it was not the answer she wanted, but it was probably best if they rested a little. "Let's see if that house over there is safe enough to use as a resting place." Hinata suggested, while he pointed towards the house closest to them.

Makoto Naegi
"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you! You're right, I'm Makoto Naegi." Naegi answered as he nodded his head. The fact that there was actually someone else left in the school building surprised him. He thought everyone else had managed to escape, and he was left behind on his own. Naegi also had been too afraid to go out on his own. The school was like a safe haven to him; even if the zombies were already inside. Out there, he would have to go against zombies on a strange terrain, giving him a huge disadvantage. He didn't know the town very well, he usually stayed in and around the school and when the infection started to spread five weeks ago, he was not able to leave the school at all. But that was not the only reason. In the kitchen, there used to be some food left, until a few days ago. "Do you mind telling me telling me your name?" Naegi asked as he examined the red haired girl. He had seen her a few times before, but never got to know her.

 

[Peko]

Kirigiri flipped her hair over her shoulder, standing from her seat at the desk and flattening her skirt with her gloved hands. "I'll save it, then. In case we need it later." She replied neutrally in return. She supposed they were similar in the matter that they felt they needed to wear strong masks through this ordeal, so she decided against pressing him for information regarding his hinted discomfort. Her violet eyes followed him as he stood, unable to make out his features. "Yes, lets."

She gave a nod, taking the paper bag with the last piece of bread inside and settling it into the black messenger bag she had a few belongings and essential supplies in. She shouldered it and began to walk up the stairs, suspecting that Kuzuryuu would follow her without needing to be told. She stopped in the doorway for a moment, checking the windows towards the back of the house. It was snowing... Dread filled her and her nose scrunched a bit with distaste. The weather seemed to be working against them today. "...Snow."

"Lets check the closets for winter coats. As much as I want to move forward, we best go out there prepared." She mentioned, heels clacking gently against the floorboards as she searched for a closet. She paused after a moment, hearing something moving around from outside the house. She was almost certain... unless her mind was playing tricks on her. Regardless, she decided to speak up, her voice a whisper. The front windows were drawn with curtains, so it was hard to say what might have been in the front yard. "And be cautious. I... think I hear something coming from outside."

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Ibuki hummed, pursing her lips as she sent Komaeda a side glance. She popped one of the dried fruits from a bag of trail mix into her mouth and chewed thoughtfully. When she swallowed, she lifted her arms up over her head and stretched. "You don't haft'a keep thanking Ibuki! She's happy to have Komaeda here too!" Her voice was somewhat stern, but held a sort of genuine charm to it as well. He tended to be self deprecating-- and while sometimes Ibuki would pretend to bask in glory and talk about how amazing her ears were, she'd gotten to the point where she reacted with kindness instead. "We're partners in crime from now on! Gotta keep each other safe."

She grinned after a moment. "Komaeda-chan is like Ibuki's good luck charm!" She mentioned.Everything was still, aside from the sounds of the wind outside hitting the walls of the truck that surrounded them. She shivered a bit, wishing she'd been resourceful enough to bring one of her coats along. Five months ago, it wasn't this cold outside, after all... At the very least, the truck protected them from the wind. And now they had food. So she was content with that.

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Peko was just a little anxious about stopping-- but she knew that if they didn't, she'd eventually shut down and wouldn't be able to do anything. She was already feeling dizzy, the exhaustion and cold catching up with her now when Hinata mentioned a house. Warmth... sleep... How long had it been since they rested? As much as she hated having to give up searching for Kuzuryuu for a while, she knew it'd be the best for her and Hinata both to take a break. She was driving herself mad with worry... She just... had to stop and think.

She looked off in the direction he'd gestured towards before giving a small nod. "Right. You're right. I'll attempt to eliminate any threat inside so we can rest." She agreed. Even if there were a few zombies inside, taking them down was actually rather simple for her. The house seemed deserted, so the threat probably wouldn't be much too large. She began a slightly wobbly walk in that direction, the snow falling faster. White flakes stood out on her black shirt and dampened her hair. The sooner they could find warmth and a place to sit, the better. She'd have to regain her strength if she wanted to have any luck finding Kuzuryuu. She wrapped her arms around herself, eyelids growing a bit heavy.

Almost there...

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Mahiru nodded. Who knew running into a man would ever make her feel this happy? Well, Naegi at least seemed to be decent. He'd apologized and sounded genuine. She let her defenses fall down for a moment, sliding her knife away and rubbing her arm awkwardly. "Mahiru Koizumi. It's nice to meet you." She responded sheepishly. Something as simple as an introduction... It was even strange to hear the sound of someone else's voice by now. She tilted her head curiously at him. "Are... there any other survivors? I didn't want to leave on my own... and it's been days since I've seen anyone at all, to be honest. Undead or alive." The zombies weren't appearing as frequently-- most had either gone out into the city or were already taken down. The school was somewhat safe... but it was running dangerously low on resources. But Mahiru would take starving to death over being eaten alive in town any day.

 

[Komaeda]

Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu
Kuzuryuu followed Kirigiri upstairs, and when they got there, he also looked outside the windows. Kirigiri was right, there was snow covering the outside world. It was just a thin layer, but it was still quite special to him, since it barely ever snowed at his home. Not saying a word, he stared through the window, wondering if Peko was somewhere outside in the falling snow, killing zombies with her amazing fighting skills. And if she was, would she be all alone? Or was she lucky enough to find herself a companion, like him?

When Kirigiri suggested to find some winter coats, he didn't answer, but quietly searched the house, helping to find a closet. He stopped when his partner warned him for the possible danger outside. The only muscles he moved were the ones in his arm; to get out his gun and get ready to attack the zombie that was approaching. Suddenly, the sound of someone moving stopped. Kuzuryuu sneaked towards the windows, and carefully pushed the curtain aside to see what was going on...

A zombie. Not again... Kuzuryuu sighed, then looked back at Kirigiri. "Get ready. It's almost here." he warned her whispering, and continued to keep an eye on the zombie outside, while making sure he wasn't being seen.

Nagito Komaeda
"You really are happy to have me with you? Thank you... I've never heard that in my life before. I really appreciate your kindness." Komaeda answered, with still a soft smile on his face, and then continued eating some of the dried fruit. He felt his energy slowly returning after eating for the first time in several days. How long has it been? He couldn't actually even remember what day it was. Not that it was of any importance, of course. The only thing they cared about at that moment was trying their best to survive.

"Your good luck charm..." Komaeda mumbled softly. It reminded him of why he joined Hope Peak's in the first place. His talent; good luck. It was what he believed in the most. He believed that it was actually his talent which had got him into this situation. For the first time in his life, something interesting was actually happening. Even though the apocalypse had been hard for him and he could barely survive, deep inside he actually enjoyed it. Thinking about all this made Komaeda chuckle softly, trying his best to hold it back. He didn't laugh for long, as he quickly calmed down and let out a deep sigh.

When he focused on Mioda once again, he noticed she was shivering. "Are you cold? You can wear my coat if you want. It's dirty and it smells horribly but it's all I can offer you." he asked the girl, and waited for her answer.

Hajime Hinata
Hinata slowly walked towards the door of the house, trying to stay as quiet as possible. Only the sound of the snow crunching beneath his feet could be heard. The house looked in a pretty good state, the windows, door and walls were all still intact. Most houses in the area were severely damaged thanks to the zombies. Windows were broken, sometimes covered with wooden boards, doors were destroyed, walls had holes in them... But this house looked almost like no zombie had touched it yet.

When he finally got to the door, Hinata placed his hand on the doorknob and turned his face towards Pekoyama. "Are you going in first?" he whispered. A stupid question, but Hinata just wanted to make sure. Letting Pekoyama go first was the only rational thing he could do at the moment. If he went in first, and there was a zombie inside, he definitely would be attacked immediately and then he would be done for.

Makoto Naegi
Mahiru Koizumi... Naegi repeated her name in his head several times to keep it memorized. He almost wanted to say it was a pleasure to meet her, but then he remembered it was not really the right time to say something like that. Instead, he tried to smile at her, but the sad and scared expression on his face made his smile look rather awkward. When the girl asked him a question, the look on Naegi's face changed to something more serious. "I've seen two of the undead, but I believe they left after I hid myself... Other than that..." Naegi had to pause a little, taking a deep breath. "Until a few days ago I've been together with one of my classmates, but... but..." A tear rolled down his cheek. "He died..." Naegi tried to hold his tears back, but failed. "Everyone else seems to be gone..." he finished his answer, sobbing. He wiped of his tears with the sleeve of his hoodie, but they kept returning. Suddenly, the look in his eyes changed. It was the look of determination. "Let's team up. Let's do our best to survive together!"

 

[Peko]

Kirigiri looked towards the door as well-- noticing a closet when she did so… A pair of oversized rubber boots sat in front of it, so it was safe to assume that's where the coats and scarves might have been kept. However, this was the hardly the time to go searching through closets. She wondered whether or not she should grab her gun-- the one that she had been trained to use for self defense as a detective. It was the only thing she had on her to use as a weapon-- running low on her own supply of bullets, she knew that eventually she'd have to use something different to defend herself and give whatever bullets she had left to Kuzuryuu, since he seemed more comfortable with a gun than she did.

She moved quietly towards the door. There was a back entrance, if things got bad enough, they could utilize it to escape. "Do you think you'll be able to handle this one?" She whispered her reply. The zombie was scratching at the door-- since it was already busted, it opened quite easily. Without waiting for Kuzuryuu's reply, she reached for her gun. The zombie staggered inside clumsily-- notably female and wearing a Hope's Peak uniform. The detective's eyes darkened with despair at the sight. Whoever it was, their features were so distorted that she had no idea who it might've been. She was dreading the day that she ran into someone she recognized… her father or Naegi… Attempting to detach herself from her emotions, she fired an abrupt shot that hit the zombie in the shoulder, making it stumble back and fall over. She missed the head… "Dammit."

Instead of staying down after the shot, though, the zombie started to crawl in their direction. Kirigiri backed up and raised her gun once more, gloved hands shaking just a little. She took careful, quiet breaths as she attempted to aim once more. The head was her target. She couldn't afford to miss again-- it'd only waste more bullets. She looked up briefly, out the door, noticing two more trailing in behind. She gulped, training her eyes back on the zombie. "It seems like this one has a few friends. Be careful."

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Ibuki hummed lightly for a little while, pausing occasionally as she ate, watching the snow fall from where they were sitting. If anything, the mangled state of the world was inspiration for creative lyrics. An angry, sad, but somehow hopeful and uplifting death metal album could come out of this experience. A new rise to fame when the survivors overcame this infection and fixed everything that was broken.

Heh… If only that could be true. That was only a silly fantasy that she let herself fall into whenever she was sad-- thinking about Byakuya-chan and all of the others that might have succumbed to the infection. She wasn't sure if her palls were alive or dead… Komaeda was the only one she had. He kept saying that he was glad to have her… while she was honestly grateful to have him. Ibuki needed to talk, she needed to express herself. If she was by herself, who would be there to listen? Who was there to cheer up and entertain if she was by herself? That was her goal... Aside from her ears, she wasn't good at fighting or thinking of clever plans on short notice. Cheering people up was something she was good at... she masked her own sadness with a smile, hoping to share it with everyone there to see. She finished her trail mix and began to drum her fingers on the truck lightly, the sound of it and her chattering teeth creating a tiny beat.

Her eyes widened just slightly when he offered his coat. "Eh? Are you sure? Ibuki would love to wear something with sleeves!" She paused for a moment, tapping her forefinger against her chin. As much as she would have loved the warmth of sleeves, however, the idea of leaving Komaeda to freeze did make her feel a little bad. "But will you be cold?"

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Like Hinata, Peko could tell that this house was noticeably in better condition than others. A stroke of luck, perhaps? But something about the stillness and peacefulness seemed unreal. After her horrible luck… having lost Kuzuryuu, unable to fulfill her role as his bodyguard, the infection spreading further, the cold and the snow-- this seemed so strange. When Hinata asked her if she should go in first, she nodded her head. He was creative and resourceful, but he wasn't quite as much of a fighter as she was. It'd be safest for the both of them for her to go first.

"Yes… It seems safe-- but we shouldn't let our guard down." Peko replied softly, maneuvering around so that she could open the door. She listened carefully before opening it and stepping inside. Everything was so still… so silent. She walked in a few steps, hand readied near her shinai to grab her sword, should she need to make use of it. But nothing happened. Her eyes widened just a little, a look of surprise crossing her features. "It's okay to come inside, Hinata. It seems that… nothing has touched this house. Just be careful." She lowered her hand and walked further inside. There was a sofa and a tiny kitchen area, and then a dark hallway leading to another section of the house. It was rather small in size-- she was certain that if there was a threat, it would've made itself known by then.

She felt a pang of discomfort, though. As much as she probably needed to sleep-- or at least sit down and warm herself-- every moment she rested, only increased the probability that she and Kuzuryuu were getting further and further apart. What purpose did she have without him there? She needed to be by his side, protecting him… Her very existence relied on his safety.

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Mahiru didn't know what to do for a little while, going still as he mentioned the classmate he'd teamed up with… Death. Although she'd seen so much of it, she still wasn't numb to everything going on. And seeing Naegi cry made her own eyes water just a little. She clutched her chest, narrowing her eyes and looking down at her feet to try and disguise it. "I… I'm sorry. About your classmate." That's all she said about the matter, deciding against asking who it was or how they died. She bit down on her lower lip and closed her eyes, feeling a sting of sympathy for him. She wasn't sure what to say or do…

But suddenly, the sound of his voice changed. A total transformation-- one from defeat to determination. There was something so… uplifting and optimistic about his words that she couldn't help but look back up at him. She offered a slightly pathetic smile in return at his proclamation of survival. "All right." She agreed. "I'm… just a photographer. I'm not great with self defense or anything like that… But I'll try my best." She didn't usually trust men this easily... but Naegi seemed so genuine that... she decided she could let herself take this risk. There was no way he would take advantage of her if they had to rely on each other to survive, after all.

She adjusted her camera strap and moved to balance herself on a desk. "And here I thought I was going to starve to death in this classroom…" She trailed off before looking back up at him, hoping that she could show an equivalent amount of determination to his own. "If I'm with you… I think it'd be okay to try and go outside. I was scared to go on my own before… But we just might make it."

 

[Komaeda]

Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu
When the zombie broke down the door and got inside, Kuzuryuu quickly ran towards Kirigiri to protect her, his gun pointed at the creature that was about to attack them. He recognized the school uniform and noticed the zombie was a female. Kuzuryuu tried to see if it was someone he knew, but it had been infected for too long to be recognizable. When Kirigiri shot it in it's shoulder, Kuzuryuu pulled the trigger, waiting for the zombie to get up again so he could shoot it in the head. Instead, the zombie began to crawl towards them. The gangster pointed the gun at the zombie's forehead, ready to fire...

But then he hesitated. What if this girl was someone he knew? Someone from his class? Kuzuryuu took a deep breath as he convinced himself that it did not matter who she was. They couldn't be returned to their normal human state anyway. Killing them was the only way to stop their suffering. Kuzuryuu once again got himself ready to shoot, but then he heard Kirigiri's warning. There were more zombies outside, coming their way... Shit... We need to be quick! He released the trigger, shooting the zombie through it's forehead. It was not a perfect shot as it almost missed, but it was enough to kill it.

As the zombie collapsed, Kuzuryuu grabbed Kirigiri's arm and ran outside, pulling the girl with him. "I don't know about you but I only have a few bullets left. Let's not waste them on these." he told the girl, sounding slightly irritated. He meant that they should run instead of trying to shoot them. Fleeing was something he did not like to do, but it was their best option. Ammo was very hard to find, as it was not allowed to own a gun in their country, so barely anyone actually had one. Also, most people with guns took all their weapons and bullets with them when they left their house. At first, Kuzuryuu had plenty of bullets himself, but they had to kill of so many zombies already...

Nagito Komaeda
Komaeda nodded. "Of course. Don't worry about me, you deserve it more than I do." was his answer. The boy stood up, taking off his coat. Then he slowly walked towards Mioda, and wrapped his coat around the girl carefully. "Does it feel warm enough?" Komaeda asked kindly, while he helped getting Mioda's arms into the coat's sleeves. The cold wind that occasionally blew through the back of the truck they were in, made Komaeda shiver a little. Having given his coat away, he only wore a simple, white t-shirt, which of course wasn't enough to keep him warm. "We should really go and find a coat of your own soon... The cold seems to get worse and worse. How about we check out some of the houses to see if they have any left, after we are done eating and resting here?" Komaeda suggested. They couldn't go on like that. The temperature kept dropping and it began to snow more and more, making the white layer of snow on the ground even thicker.

Hajime Hinata
Hinata let Pekoyama go in first, and waited in front of the door, keeping an eye out of zombies outside. He noticed it stayed awfully quiet inside the house itself. No footsteps other than Pekoyama's, no growling of zombies which he had heard too many times the last weeks, no sounds of falling zombie bodies after their head had been sliced off... Was there really no one else inside than Pekoyama? Not soon after she had entered, Hinata heard her voice. According to the girl, it was safe to come inside. He turned around, stepped inside and closed the door behind him. Not saying a word, the boy followed Pekoyama towards the living room with the sofa. There didn't seem to be any stairs... Were the bedrooms in the other part of the house that the hallway was leading to? Hinata had the urge to go and check it out to see if he was right, but decided it was still dangerous for him to go first. "I want to see what is on the other side of that hallway." Hinata suddenly said, waiting for Pekoyama to enter the hallway first.

Makoto Naegi
"That is okay. I'm no fighter myself either. But I'm sure we will find a way to survive." Naegi spoke, trying to encourage his new partner. Even the situation looked really bad, Naegi still had hope. The boy had the ability to somehow stay optimistic, no matter how bad things were looking. Giving up was not an option for him, he would keep on going no matter what.

He listened to what Koizumi had to say. Her words seemed to also contain a slight amount of determination in them. At least, she seemed a bit more optimistic than when he first entered the classroom. Going outside... It seems to be the only option we have left. Naegi thought to himself. As they had run out of food, leaving the school seemed to be a good plan. "Alright. We can't stay here any longer. I also used to be too afraid to leave the school... It felt so safe to me. But now we have no other choice." he agreed to Koizumi's suggestion. "Are you ready to leave?"

 

[Peko]

Kirigiri didn't answer as Kuzuryuu lead her out of the house, pulling her arm as he charged ahead, out into the snow. The cold air hit her so fast and hard that she couldn't even manage to say anything, swallowing the frosty air when she opened her mouth just slightly. Her eyes stung, but she kept them open, running as fast as she could behind. She felt a zombie grab at her from behind, only managing to yank the ribbon from her hair. The braid she'd pulled her hair back into went free and she only ran faster as a result, leaving the zombie behind to slip and fall on the ice. Eventually, there was quite a lot of distance between them.

Too adrenalized to focus on the cold, she eventually slowed the pace of her running a little, watching Kuzuryuu and the foggy clouds her breath made in the white, chilly air. She waited to catch her breath, looking behind him. The zombies were too slow to catch up-- and although Kirigiri disliked how cold the snow was, the ice was doing a good job of slowing them down.

Comfortable with the distance they'd put between them and the zombies, Kirigiri slowed her pace into a walk, breaths heavy. "They... were all students." She breathed somberly, pulling the ends of her jacket together. "If the zombies that used to be in the school are in town now... I wonder if anyone's using the school for shelter?"

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Ibuki hugged her arms around herself once they were comfortably in the sleeves, letting out a happy sigh at the unfamiliar feeling of warmth. She hummed and nodded her head when he asked if she was warm. How long had it been since she was able to wear something with long sleeves, a blanket... Or even sit in front of a fire? She and Komaeda hadn't had much luck finding shelter, so they constantly moved from once place to the other. "Ibuki owes you one, Komaeda-chan!" She exclaimed happily in a sing-song voice. She swayed from side to side a few times, humming to herself before she realized that he was suggesting they go find a coat for her to wear. That was true... she knew she couldn't wear Komaeda's coat forever. Komaeda, like her, was wearing a shirt with short sleeves underneath and the snow was only getting deeper.

"Eh! But this is super duper serious business! It's only gonna get more slippery and slid-y out there the more we sit in here. It'll be a dangerous adventure!" Ibuki exclaimed dramatically as she brought herself up on her feet, raising her arms in the air. The sleeves of Komaeda's coat flapped a bit, as the sleeves were a little too long for her, covering her hands almost entirely. Only her fingertips could be seen if she held her arms down straight. "... Well, more dangerous than usual, at least. Ibuki is rested! She'll take another bag of trail mix and she'll be ready to go!"

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"It would be wise to see the rest of the house, I suppose." Peko agreed, gesturing for Hinata to follow behind her as she carefully walked through the hall. It was dark... there were no windows. And a foul smell was coming from a nearby closet. She stopped in front of it, holding her hand out for Hinata to wait. She pulled the door open, face becoming pale when the stench worsened. A zombie was inside, writhing around. It seemed that it's legs had both been detached from it's body-- only a torso and arms. "T-to think someone would lock it in here without killing it... Leaving it to suffer like this."

She was appalled, somberly lifting her shinai and bringing her sword down into the zombie's head. It stopped twitching then... she pulled it back out and she closed the closet door. She kept her sword ready, moving further down the hall. There were three other doors, all open. One was a bathroom... The other two bedrooms. One was a room with a queen sized bed and a desk. The other looked to be a little girl's room-- a twin sized bed, pink rosy wallpaper, and stuffed animals all over the bed. There was a dead zombie on the floor of the room, its' blood staining into the white carpet beneath it. She slid her shinai away. "Whoever lived here... they're all gone. It seems that this shouldn't be a threatening place to stay, for the time being. You can rest, Hinata. I am... not quite ready to sit still yet. I think I'll check the kitchen for food and water, if that's all right?"

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Mahiru bit her lip. The school definitely felt like a safe haven, now that the zombie attacks weren't as frequent. But having gone two days without anything to eat, she knew she wouldn't last for very long if she stayed. She held a forefinger to her chin, humming to herself as she pondered whether or not she'd need anything. "Hold on a minute... I haven't been outside in weeks now. We should try and plan ahead just a bit, so we don't screw this up." She mentioned, heading towards one of the windows. She lifted one of the blinds and peered through, noticing the thick blanket of snow that was covering the ground. "We should check some of the empty dorms for heavy coats and scarves, I think. It'd be best if we went out there prepared first. Is there anything else you can think of that we might also need before we try to leave?"

Originally, she would have felt bad stealing. But now... it seemed to be one of the only options. She had originally thought that she would simply go home and bring her winter clothes when the time came, since they were to heavy to pack with her... But now, without them, it seemed like taking something from someone else would be the only way.

 

[Komaeda]

Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu
Holding his partner's wrist, Kuzuryuu pulled her through the snow, adjusting his pace to hers. He heard the zombie close behind them, and when Kirigiri began to run even harder, he did the same. He did not look behind, as he had to focus on what was in front of him. The snow made it dangerous to run, covering small obstacles and holes in the ground. Also, there were parts covered in ice, making it slippery. He eventually heard a crash from behind, but still didn't look back to see what it was. Making sure he was still holding Kirigiri's arm and that she was still running, he assumed it must have been the zombie that was following them.

Not long later he felt Kirigiri was slowing her pace. Kuzuryuu let go of her arm and stopped running. Panting, he first checked if his partner was okay. Then he looked back in the direction where they came from. Zombies were still following them, but they were far away from them. "Did that zombie hurt you?" Kuzuryuu suddenly asked, a serious but slightly worried look on his face. He usually didn't care much about others, but he did not want to lose Kirigiri too. She was the only one he had left...

The school, huh... Kirigiri's words made Kuzuryuu think about the possibility of survivors being there. It was not a bad place to stay during the apocalypse at all. It had enough places to hide and there was enough food to survive for a couple weeks. Kuzuryuu figured the amount of food must have been almost gone by then, though, depending on how many people were eating from it. "I guess we could see if there are. Wandering around these streets aimlessly is just a waste of time anyway." he suggested, assuming that everyone in town must have died or have been turning into a zombie by then. Maybe some of his classmates were still in the school building. Maybe even Peko...

Nagito Komaeda
Komaeda smiled when Mioda let out a happy sigh. He was glad that someone like him could help out. She deserved to be warm more than he did, he believed. Still, finding Mioda her own coat was an important matter to him. Not because he was cold himself, he did not care much about being cold. It was because the blood-stained, dirty old coat shouldn't be worn by someone like Mioda. It was a part of Komaeda himself and therefore just as much garbage as he was, he believed. After travelling with the girl for about a week, he started to look up to her more than anyone else. In his eyes, Mioda was like a princess. Even though she was a bit strange, he admired her beauty, talent, optimism, hope...

"Alright then, let's go Mioda-san." Komaeda said after the girl let him know she was ready to leave. He had rested just a little, but the food had given him a lot of new energy. As preparation, he took a few more bags of trail mix. Since he lend out his coat, he had no pockets left that were big enough to hide them in, so he just held the bags in his hand. Before getting out of the truck, he first took a good look around to see if it was save. The street was entirely empty. Just the fresh blanket of snow, with only remains of their footsteps slightly visible. The rest was still untouched. Carefully, he stepped out of the truck. "Which house do you want to look in first?"

Hajime Hinata
Hinata did as Pekoyama gestured him to do and followed the girl through the hallway. Noticing the strange smell, Hinata looked around to find out where it came from, when Pekoyama had already found the closet. Curious to find out what was inside, he quickly walked towards the closet, but was stopped by Pekoyama holding her hand out, telling him to stay back. When he saw a glimpse of what was inside, he gasped and froze of fear. He heard Pekoyama speaking, but did not pay attention to what she was saying. What are you waiting for? Kill it before it gets us! was all that was going through his mind, not knowing that the zombie was missing it's legs and therefore in no state to attack. When Pekoyama finally killed it with her sword, Hinata let out a relieved sigh. Then he followed the girl towards the end of the hallway, trying to walk around the closet as far as possible.

Following his partner, he also checked out the rooms. A bathroom and two bedrooms, one belonging to a little girl. It made him feel even more uncomfortable. The zombie corpse that was laying on the carpet, seemed to be quite small and slender. It had been infected too long to actually recognize a human in it, but seeing how small it was, it was likely that the body belonged to a child. The horrible thought of it once being a little girl made Hinata shiver...

When Pekoyama offered him the chance to rest, Hinata nodded softly and closed the door of the girl's room. Not saying a word, he went towards the bigger bedroom, which must have been the girl's parents'. He opened the door and entered the room. This room still seemed to be entirely clean. There was no blood, and everything was still in one piece. The boy sat down on the bed and needed a moment to think of everything that has happened that day.

Makoto Naegi
Planning ahead was a good idea, Naegi agreed. Just leaving the school without any preparation would be suicide. Coats and scarves... I hope there are still some left. Naegi thought to himself. Seeing the snow covering the outside world, he agreed that it would be a smart plan to dress warm enough before going into the cold. Is there anything else we need? The boy sighed as he thought of what they should bring along. The most important thing that came up was food, of course, but the school had run out of food a couple days ago already so there was nothing left. Or, maybe...

Naegi sighed and then began to speak. "First of all, we need to find something to store water in. I'm sure there are plenty of bottles around. We can fill them in one of the bathrooms. Also, bringing a weapon would be smart. The kitchen has some knives we could borrow. Then there's another thing... You also haven't eaten in a couple days, right?" He felt sick of what he was about to say, but it was their only chance to eat before they left. "The school isn't exactly out of food yet. The only problem is that the food is still alive..."

 

[Peko]

Kirigiri took her wrist into her hand when Kuzuryuu let go, rubbing lightly where the line of her glove met her skin, making sure that it was properly on. She closed her eyes, running her hands through her hair. She began to pull it back with a spare ribbon she had with her to keep it out of her face. "I am fine." She answered, just a hint of gentleness to her usually stoic tone. She opened her violet eyes, checking him over as well. He was in front of her as they ran-- from what she saw, he seemed to get out unharmed as well... But it couldn't hurt to ask. "I trust you are as well, Kuzuryuu?"

She looked over. The zombies were still on their way... but slipping on ice and getting their feet stuck where bigger patches of snow were left them at a slower pace than usual. If they seemed to be getting too close, it'd be simple for them to get away again. "...Yes." She agreed. The school was large and held several different useful rooms. Through the intense chaos-- several students turning and zombies invading to feast on a bunch of unsuspecting kids, Kirigiri had escaped as soon as she had the chance to. "It won't be as dangerous as it was before... And I believe I could try and access a key from the headmaster's office. It's possible that there are emergency supplies hidden somewhere within the school."

'Could it be that you want to see if that man is...' She stopped her train of thought, turning her head. Hope's Peak Academy could be seen ahead, looming over the town. They'd have to walk for quite a while before they could reach it. "Not just food, water and medical supplies... But possibly ammo as well." A school that harbored so many talents... They needed to be protected. That and with some of the more dangerous talents within the school, there was some reason to take precaution. But then... If the zombies got in, it meant that... he did nothing to help the students. That man was most likely dead... Feeling a little sick to the stomach, she pressed her hand against the back of her neck lightly.

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Ibuki grabbed a few bags of trail mix and put them in one pocket of the jacket, taking a bottle of water in the other. She carefully teetered towards the large, box-like entrance of the busted truck and peered out. Snow continued to fall, gradually coming down harder. Normally, Ibuki really loved the snow. She would make Ibuki sculptures, throw snow at people, try to get her tongue stuck to icicles... But now wasn't playtime. And the snow only made things harder for them.

She lost her train of thought when Komaeda asked which house to go in. Considering the snow was untouched, it seemed that neither zombies or survivors would be found... Though it was possible that they'd run into some in one of the houses. "Lets walk around the houses first! Ibuki will use her mega-fabulous ears to seek out danger!" She directed at both her ears with her sleeve covered hands. With that, she jumped out of the truck and onto the snowy ground, her feet sinking down into the deepening snow with a 'crunch'. "You ready? Ibuki will try to be quick so Komaeda-chan won't have to be cold for long!"

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Peko watched as Hinata walked inside the room, closing the door of the girl's room to give her privacy. She normally didn't give her trust away very easily... But Hinata's presence, somehow, helped her to keep going. His rational mindset kept her sane, to say the least. It kept her from beating herself up over having lost Kuzuryuu. She couldn't find him, having been in the dojo training at the time while he was elsewhere in the building. After searching the school all over for him, she eventually set out into town to find him... and found Hinata instead. 'Bocchan...' She had to keep her head clear... If she allowed herself to think of the possibility that her young master Kuzuryuu had gotten hurt... It wasn't just that she would have failed her life's purpose. The thought of losing him in general, not being able to hear the sound of his voice or see him... was...

She stopped torturing herself with these thoughts, moving down the hall to keep Hinata from glimpsing at her expression. She walked carefully into the kitchen area, opening cabinets. She found sugary, children's cereals, oatmeal, rotten fruit and moldy bread... A few canned vegetables and a bag of rice. She also found energy and protein bars fit for a runner or athlete. And cat food. Her eyes widened just slightly. Animals... fluffy, warm fur... But if a cat was here, it must have hidden from her. She always gave off a rather... fierce impression and most animals would run from her in fear of the shinai she kept on her back.

For the time being, though, she began to take food out of the cabinets, sorting through what she and Hinata could eat and what was too moldy or rotten to healthily eat. As long as she occupied herself doing something useful, she wouldn't have to worry too much over Kuzuryuu... She just knew that she wouldn't be able to rest until she found him. She was exhausted, yes, but... she couldn't rest. She wouldn't allow herself to.

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Mahiru nodded as Naegi spoke. Thank goodness he had some good suggestions... He seemed like a reliable person to have around. She was wary on how well he could protect her-- they most likely were the same when it came to fighting. But hopefully if they were prepared and determined enough... Maybe they'd be able to pull through. If anything, this guy had infectious optimism.

She lifted the knife that she had with her. "I have this one with me... I found it on the ground a few weeks back. But it's also possible that there're more weapons around the school. There's a dojo and the gym, so it's possible we could find longer weapons there too." She paused when he mentioned the possibility of food. Still... alive... he couldn't mean... Her eyes widened just slightly. "O-oh, the chickens, right? It's possible that they're still alive... They could have laid eggs, too, now that I think about it..."

 

[Komaeda]

Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu
Kuzuryuu nodded. "Yes, I'm alright." he answered calmly. His breathing was almost normal again. Kuzuryuu let out a sight, and after making sure the zombies were not too close, he focused on Kirigiri, who agreed to head back to their school. "I doubt they would hide emergency supplies in the headmaster's office. Shouldn't that kind of stuff be accessible to anyone and not just the headmaster? Besides, there is still the infirmary on the first floor of the school. There must be some kind of supplies in there too." Kuzuryuu mentioned. "Also, water shouldn't be that hard to find. I'm pretty sure you can still get it in the bathrooms. And I think there must be some food left somewhere in the school too."

Kuzuryuu paused a little before he continued talking. "The ammo would be a problem, though. Maybe if we come across some dead 'Super High-School Level Idiot-with-gun' or something so we can take their ammo." The boy sighed once again. "Let's just go now. I'm sick of being here in this town." He turned around, his face in the direction of the school. They probably weren't that far from the school, if they walked without pausing, they should be able to get there in about half an hour.

Nagito Komaeda
Komaeda watched Mioda jumping out of the truck while listening to her plan. "Alright then. I'll trust your ears, Mioda-san!" he said with a kind smile on his face and made his way towards a couple of houses nearby. They seemed to be quite damaged, a couple of windows were broken and one house lost it's door. Komaeda walked towards the house without the door. "Do you hear anything in here?" the boy whispered, in case there were any zombies inside. He stood in front of the door and caught a glimpse of a hallway. From what he could see, there was no one inside, but there was a horrible smell of rotten flesh and blood. Not that it really mattered, of course. The only thing they were going to do was see if there were any coats for Mioda and then leave.

Hajime Hinata
After calming his mind down a little, Hinata let himself fall down on his back, laying sideways on the bed, on top of the blanket. He let out a deep sigh, wondering if they could go on like this. Straying around those empty streets, fighting against zombies... Hinata became more and more tired of it each day. And Pekoyama must have been tired of it as well, even though she refused to show it. Now that they had the chance to rest, Hinata planned not to leave until his partner also rested enough. He knew that she was worried about the others as well, but she just had to rest sometime...

How were the others doing, anyway? Hinata closed his eyes, and tried to think about his classmates. However, just one person came up in his mind. It was Komaeda. Would he still be alive? Considering his talent, he probably was. He probably would have 'accidentally' found a place without zombies and with plenty of food and water. That bastard. Trying to remove Komaeda from his thoughts, Hinata rolled over to his side and aggressively grabbed one of the pillows, held it in his arms and pressed it against his chest.

Suddenly, he felt some sort of lump softly pressing against his back. What? Hinata jumped off the bed, threw the pillow back where it belonged and turned his gaze towards the blanket. There indeed was a small lump. Hinata's heart skipped a beat when it suddenly started moving. What was that? With a shaking hand he grabbed the end of the blanket and removed it from the bed. Something that looked like a fluffy, white ball of hair stared at him with giant blue eyes full of shock. Wait... Is that... a cat?

Makoto Naegi
"Yes, that was exactly what I have in mind." Naegi confirmed. "I know it sounds disgusting but it seems like there is no other way to eat before we leave. Yesterday I visited the garden to see if there were any edible fruits left, and the chickens were alright, but I couldn't find any eggs..." the boy answered. "They must feel stressed since no one feeds them anymore." He paused once again before he continued to speak, taking a deep breath. "But let's check for weapons first. I'm not sure if I'm ready to slaughter chickens..."

 

[Peko]

Kirigiri hummed to herself. "I would think so too. However, if we consider the possibility that the headmaster has emergency supplies in storage and was killed before he had the opportunity to distribute them to us, that would explain why the school fell under attack so easily." She paused for a moment, adjusting her jacket when she processed how cold it really was outside. "I cannot say for sure if anyone would really store ammo within the school, though… I might attempt to find a new weapon and give you what I have left if we have no luck in that aspect. You have a better aim than I do, after all."

Her aim earlier could have cost them everything. She let her emotions get in the way… She couldn't afford to do that again. She silently began to follow behind Kuzuryuu when he suggested that they get out of town, observing their surroundings carefully as she walked. There were footprints lightly indented in the snow, making her eyebrows perk up in interest. These weren't dragged footsteps, like one would expect from a zombie. But the falling snow was beginning to fill them, it would be impossible to follow where they might have led. Further ahead she could also smell the undeniable stench of rotting bodies. None were moving… all lying, decapitated by what must have been a bladed weapon. The previously pure white snow was stained with red and brown, footprints and smears.

"Although we may not have luck finding anyone… At least there's evidence that there are more survivors somewhere in this town." She mentioned softly, almost to herself. "We'll have to brace ourselves, though. Without a doubt, the inside of the school is going to be unpleasant... Filled with the bodies of former classmates." She quickened her pace, setting her gaze on Hope's Peak. The large school building stretched so tall that she could see it from where they were standing. On foot it would take a while… She reached down for her gun, making sure it was easily accessible if anything that posed a threat were to approach them. Students meant to be symbols of hope... She wondered just how many people inside that building died.

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Ibuki skipped behind Komaeda, liking the sounds her feet made when they met the snow on the ground. When they found a house without a door, she couldn't help but let a slightly mischievous grin cross her features. "This reminds Ibuki of the time she and one of her friends blasted a door down with a-- oh right!" She paused, pursing her lips. Right, she had to listen! Getting distracted would only make Komaeda colder, and she didn't want him to wait for too long. Plus… that story could go just a little long sometimes. She stood in silence for a few moments, shutting her eyes to avoid getting distracted. She could hear tiny sounds… little scuffing sounds. Like a crawling zombie… Not too threatening, to say the least. "The danger level here is two!" She held up two fingers, tilting her head to the side, treating it like a video game. "Approximately one disabled zombie. Ibuki thinks it's crawling."

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It didn't take long for Peko to sort through the food that was edible and safe enough to eat. She packed as much as she could into the bag they carried and then started to sort through what they could eat before they headed out into town again… Canned carrots-- and perhaps she could find a way to cook the rice as well. It would be nice to eat something warm, considering the weather outside. A chill came over her as she thought about it. The heating system in the house, of course, was broken. She was already on the verge of catching a cold, standing around drenched like she was without a jacket. The kendoka quietly walked into the living room and lifted a navy blue blanket that was left lying on the arm of an overstuffed chair. She draped it over her shoulders, letting out a light sigh of relief at the warmth it offered her.

Although the idea of sleeping suddenly seemed enticing, she felt that it was her responsibility to make sure they weren't attacked as Hinata rested. He most likely needed it more than she did… She was always valued endurance and was prepared for combat-- she spent more time training than she did studying back in her school days... as she was never one to have very many friends or social obligations. After a small amount of mental debate, she let herself sit, pulling the ribbons from her hair and releasing her braids, which were damp after having been flecked with snow. She combed her fingers through her hair, deciding that she'd let it dry before she retied her braids. She glanced down the hallway at a subtle hint of sounds… It seemed as though Hinata was moving around a little. None of these sounds caused for alarm, though, so she decided to let him have his privacy. She sighed, pulling the blanket tighter around her frame as she contemplated the next route they should take when they headed out again.

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Mahiru nodded. "Me neither… But I guess we'll do what we have to do." She agreed with a sigh and the dismissive wave of her hand, attempting to summon whatever courage she had left in her as she picked up her school bag. She kept her bottles of water, soap, and a few other necessities inside. She shouldered it, and then timidly walked towards the front of the classroom, lingering by the door. She checked the hallways, looking both left and right for signs of any zombies. But, fortunately, saw nothing. She gestured urgently for Naegi to come over. "Hurry. There's nothing out there right now. Did you want to check the kitchen for knives first? I have mine right here... in case we need to use it while we're in the hall. The blade is a bit dull... hopefully it'll be enough to protect us from here to the lower floor."

 

[Komaeda]

Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu
Kuzuryuu's eyes fell on the rotting bodies of zombies all over the street. It seemed someone was there before them and killed all those zombies with some short of blade. Ignoring the horrible smell, Kuzuryuu inspected them from a little closer. He noticed that it must have been a longer blade, a sword? Peko, was this your doing? the boy wondered, his eyes widening a little. Had Peko been at this place before them? Not being able to make sure the zombies were really killed by Peko, Kuzuryuu sighed and continued his way towards the school, not saying anything. He tried to forget about it, since the chance was small that it was actually her...

When Kirigiri began to speak, he listened to her words as he walked a little in front of her. "Tsk. I've seen enough horrible things, nothing can surprise me anymore." Kuzuryuu said stubbornly. His eyes were focused on the school building that was even visible from that far. Actually, he was a little afraid of what he would witness there. It might not be that much worse from the streets they've wandered in for days, filled with zombies either 'dead or alive', but seeing their school in shambles, the place were he and his classmates once led a normal school life... Kuzuryuu sighed. "Let's not think about what is waiting for us. First we need to focus on getting there." he said, trying to change the subject. "We need to be careful to not run into anymore zombies."

Nagito Komaeda
Komaeda waited as Mioda was focused on listening. A crawling zombie... They should be able to handle that. "Alright then. I'm going in. Could you wait here for a little?" Komaeda asked Mioda with a smile. He didn't want her to enter the house too. Even though the zombie was crawling, it could be quite dangerous. The last thing he wanted was for Mioda to get hurt or even get dirty. Without waiting for an answer, Komaeda went in. He walked through the empty hallway and opened one of the doors. It led to the living room. There was a couch and a few chairs, surrounding a small table. There was an open kitchen attached to it. Komaeda walked towards the kitchen and checked the fridge to see if there was any food left. None. Someone must have been there before them. A little disappointed, he returned to the hallway.

The only interesting place left was upstairs. Slowly, as he wasn't fully rested yet, he walked up the stairs and found himself in another hallway. There were a couple doors, of which one of them was still open. Komaeda walked towards the open door, and noticed the zombie laying on the floor, probably the one Mioda heard. It had only one leg, so it's only way to move was by crawling. Komaeda looked around quickly. It was a bedroom, and considering the numerous posters of boy bands hanging on the wall, it must have belonged to a teenage girl. Exactly what he was looking for. There must be something in here that would be able to keep Mioda warm...

After he took a quick look around the room, he focused on the zombie again. "Oh hello there, zombie-kun. I hope you don't mind me checking the closet a little?" Komaeda said calmly, with a smile on his face, as he gestured towards the closet on the other side of the bedroom. The zombie, which of course couldn't understand a word he was saying, began to crawl towards him, trying to attack the intruder. Komaeda walked back into the hallway and waited until the zombie, which was even slower than normal zombies, also left the bedroom. Then, he quickly ran into the bedroom again and closed the door. This should give me some time... He walked towards the closet and opened it. There seemed to be plenty of clothes inside, still untouched. Perfect. Komaeda searched through all the clothing. Most of it wasn't warm enough, there were plenty of dresses, t-shirts, skirts... Until his eyes fell on the coat hanging on the inside of the door. It was black, buttoned and a little long. Komaeda quickly grabbed the coat and turned around. The zombie was trying to break down the door, but was too weak to do so. Since the door was no option anymore, Komaeda opened the window, which was on the side of the house. "Mioda-san! I found a coat for you!" he yelled as he hung half out of the window, waiting for Mioda.

Hajime Hinata
Carefully reaching out his arm, Hinata tried to touch the small, furry kitten that was staring at him. "It's okay, I'm not gonna hurt you." he said softly. The kitten sat still and just kept staring at Hinata with those giant eyes, making him a little uncomfortable. Eventually, Hinata managed to touch the kitten's head. The boy sighed from relief. "See, I'm not that scary." While he continued to pet the animal, it quickly began to warm up against him. It began to rub it's head against Hinata's hand, clearly enjoying the attention. Looks like I made a new friend...

Hinata decided to show Pekoyama the kitten. He carefully grabbed it and held it gently against his chest. "I bet Pekoyama will feel a little better when she sees you..." he said, and with the kitten in his arms, he left the bedroom. After searcing for a little, he found Pekoyama. The first thing he noticed was that she had her hair down. He had only seen her without braids once before, so it was quite a strange sight. "Pekoyama." Hinata called her name to get her attention. "I found this cat underneath the blanket."

Makoto Naegi
Naegi followed Koizumi out of the classroom. He nodded when Koizumi suggested to check the kitchen first. "That would be the best option. The kitchen is not that far from here." he answered, then began making his way towards the kitchen. On their way towards the kitchen, there was not a zombie to be seen. Eventually, they arrived in the restaurant. It was a big mess in there, the chairs and tables were all broken and there was blood on the ground. Since Naegi had checked the kitchen daily for food, he knew that it had looked like this for a couple days already, so it was no surprise for him. However, when they entered the kitchen, he saw something that hadn't been there before...

Naegi couldn't believe his eyes. Right in front of him was the lifeless body of a girl he knew really well and cared for so much... "MAIZONO-SAN!" Naegi yelled out as he rushed towards the body. It was covered in blood, especially around the chest, which seemed to have bitten by most likely a zombie. "No, no, no, no! If I only knew you were here all this time, I..." He couldn't bring out any more words, and started crying instead. Even though he had stayed here since the apocalypse started, Naegi had never seen Maizono . He assumed that she, just like most students, had left the school in order to survive...

 

[Peko]

Kirigiri focused her eyes on Kuzuryuu's back. He, like her, seemed to refuse to show his fear. Perhaps he retaliated in an angrier fashion… but he kept her in check, every now and again. Whenever she was feeling negative or hopeless, he brought her back to reality. And… he was right, after all. Maybe she spoken that warning aloud for herself, more so than him. Thoughts of the headmaster and undeserving classmates… dead inside that building… Her face went a little blue at the thought. She gave her head a quick shake, clenching her gloved hands tightly. "You… are correct. We need to focus on moving forward…" She trailed off. She herself had seen some awful things… as a detective, it was only natural for her to approach dead bodies. But no such disaster she had seen before ever wiped out this many people. She knew Kuzuryuu was being affected by it in a similar fashion. They didn't share many details with each other about their pasts, she was with him long enough to know that there was a part of him that was scared too. Maybe he was worried for his family? She was aware that his little sister attended the school, after all…

She shook the thought off. To ask him to confide in her would only bring up sour subjects for them both. She picked up her pace a bit. The sooner they reached the school, the better. This area of town was filled with cars… either parked and left untouched or crashed. She could also hear the subtle sounds of a zombie moving towards them. "Kuzuryuu. Lets' maneuver around the cars as quietly as possible." She suggested, "It's best that we don't use any ammo until we get to the school."

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Ibuki's eyes widened, a dramatic look of fear distorting her features when Komaeda strolled inside by himself. She lingered in the doorway, shaking a little. She was… scared. She didn't like seeing the zombies at all, she didn't have a weapon. Neither did Komaeda, now that she thought about it. Was he crazy!? How could he be so nonchalant about it? And why did he tell her to wait? Worry coursed through her. She timidly stepped inside, standing in the hallway at the front of the house. "Yoohoo? Komaeda-chan?" She called nervously, looking around. She didn't hear him… he must have been upstairs! The ceiling creaked a bit, the sound of the combined thumps of Komaeda's footsteps and the zombie's crawling. There was a steady bang too… something pounding against a door.

And then something coming from outside? Ibuki dashed out of the house, around to one of the windows out front. She stood in the yard, peering up. Snowflakes hit her in the face, but she didn't mind it much. Komaeda was hanging out of the window and she could hear the familiar banging sides from where she was standing "You dummy! Why'd you go alone!?" She pouted, puffing her cheeks up stubbornly as her eyes watered a bit. "You need'ta get out of there before you get yourself killed!"

He could make the jump, probably… But the ground caked with ice like it was, it'd be dangerous. He'd slip or hit his head-- broken bones or major injuries coming as a result. As much as she wanted to be warm, a coat wasn't worth his life! If he was gone, who did she have left? She eyed a tree branch nearby, icicles hanging from the branches. She stood on her tip toes and snapped one off. "I-Ibuki can try and… She can go in and hurt the zombie! Then Komaeda-chan can escape!" She yelled up to him, her voice concerned and worried.

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Peko sighed tiredly when she heard Hinata's approaching footsteps. The longer it took for them to rest, the longer it take them to find any survivors… to find Kuzuryuu… her eyebrows drew together slightly and she spoke in a vaguely irritated tone. "Hinata, you should be resti--" But when she turned her head, her usually emotionless expression twisted into one of shock. "I-Is that…?" Her cheeks heated a bit and she sat still. Fluffy… furry animals. Warm to the touch… Very cute. She had given up trying to raise animals long ago-- her position as a tool came before everything else, and therefore her intense and fierce demeanor as a swordswoman oftentimes scared them away. She would watch the kitties that came to play at the dojo and once tried to raise a sparrow… All to no avail. Of course, just because she'd stopped approaching animals did not mean that she disliked them. She loved animals… they were adorable. But as a child, she had been given a sword to play with rather than stuffed toys. She was not meant to be loving or gentle, of course not.

She stared at the cat, mesmerized for a little while. Silent and staring with a blush on her face, she didn't quite notice how her sudden behavior might make things awkward for Hinata,who was holding the cat in his arms. She folded her hands together tightly in her lap and hung her head low so that her bangs covered her eyes, realizing that she was staring, and attempted to hide her blush. "I-It's… so cute."

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Mahiru didn't even know what to say, her hands shaking and her face taking a bluish tone. Tears sprang at her own eyes. Sayaka Maizono, a popular idol… Mahiru herself enjoyed a few of her songs. She did not know the idol personally… but to see Naegi like this, and to witness such a corpse… She clenched her teeth tightly, letting out a strained gasp as she tried to calm herself down. Why? Why did this have to happen? …She was just a photographer. One of the more common of the students who attended Hope's Peak. She was still living while people who surpassed her in talent were dropping everywhere… she couldn't take it! She was scared... frustrated, confused...

"N-Naegi! You can't do this!" She snapped, trying to break free from those thoughts. "Don't say things like 'if only' like that… It sounds like you're blaming yourself! You and I both know that this… none of this is your fault." Her lip quivered, and perhaps her tone was weaker than normal… but she couldn't help but lecture a little. If she didn't act like herself, she'd never be able to move forward. "I understand you're upset but… T-there was nothing… nothing either of us could have done."

 

[Komaeda]

Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu
He paused for a second when Kirigiri suggested to maneuver around the cars on the street. "... Yeah." That was all he could say. His mind was still focused on Peko. He couldn't forget about the possibility that she had been at this place before. Suddenly, he heard the sounds of a zombie approaching, what made him stop thinking about his bodyguard and focus on what was happening instead. Right, he agreed to use the cars to get past the zombies. Kuzuryuu grabbed Kirigiri's arm again, and pulled her towards one of the cars, and hid himself behind it. Then, he carefully looked from the side to see what was in front of them. No zombie to be found. Just some more cars. The sound of footsteps was no longer there, so Kuzuryuu couldn't figure out where it was coming from. "Where is it?" he whispered to Kirigiri, and waited for a chance to move to another car.

Nagito Komaeda
"Catch!" he yelled to Mioda, while he threw the coat out of the window. He waited to see her putting the coat on, but was distracted by the sudden bang behind him. It was the sound of the door being broken down. Komaeda turned around and saw the one-legged zombie crawling towards him. "Don't worry about me, Mioda-san! You don't have to get yourself dirty for me!" he yelled to the girl who was still waiting outside. He walked towards one of the corners, trying to get the zombie over there, to make a clear path to escape. The zombie followed him towards the corner, so Komaeda could get around the zombie and escape through the hole that was once a door. He ran towards the stairs and went downwards, but was stopped when he suddenly felt something pulling him back on his shirt. It was the zombie.

"I would really appreciate it if you'd let me go, zombie-kun." Komaeda said in an unfitting, calm voice. Then, he tried to continue his way downstairs, causing his shirt to rip open on the front. Komaeda pulled his arms through the sleeves of the shirt to free himself from the zombie's hands. He ran as fast as he could down the stairs and back outside, where Mioda was waiting for him. "I could really use my coat right now, Mioda-san." he said calmly as he wrapped him arms around him to get warm.

Hajime Hinata
Hinata saw Pekoyama's reaction to the kitten he was holding. Was she... blushing? He didn't expect her to react like this at all. All this time they had traveled together, she had barely showed any emotions. Seeing her like that felt so... out of place, Hinata thought. "Uhm..." Do you want to hold it?" Hinata asked a little nervous, unsure on how to react to this. He held the kitten with his hands and reached out his arms towards Pekoyama. "Here." The kitten seemed to feel a little unsure about being handed over towards the other person. He stared to meow out of fear and tried to escape from Hinata's hands, but the boy did not let go.

Makoto Naegi
"I guess you're right..." Naegi said and sighed. He wiped the tears off his face. "But I've lost so many friends already, I just can't take it anymore!" His mood turned from fear to anger. "First I found Ishimaru-kun and Hagakure-kun dead, then Fukawa-san, and then Kuwata-kun died in front of my eyes... And now Maizono-san!" Naegi yelled out and his tears reappeared not soon after. He took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down. Then he walked away from the body and with a shaking hand he grabbed one of the knives hanging on the wall. "Let's go, I don't want to be here anymore." the boy suggested, slightly calmer than before, but still shaking from his sudden outburst. As quick as possible he left the kitchen and headed towards the fifth floor.

 

[Peko]

Kirigiri scanned the scenery with her eyes. There was a bakery, a toy store, and several others. The usual bright, vibrant signs had died down or fallen off completely. Snow covered the hoods of cars and the windows were frosted over. She moved carefully around the car they stood behind, brushing some snow off the hood as gently as possible to avoid making noise as she sent her violet gaze into the town. A maze of cars and snow… Until she noticed a zombie coming from an alleyway across the street. It stopped its' walk, seemingly unsure where they'd gone. There were… five coming behind it. And from what she could see from behind, there were a few bodies stacked up behind. Classmates… She clenched her teeth, face paling considerably. Someone must've tried to make that alley a home for a while and got caught… Feeling a little dizzy, she turned back to Kuzuryuu. "They all seem to be coming from the alleyway ahead." She whispered urgently, eyebrows drawing together as she pointed it out to him. "We need to avoid shooting… it'll only draw attention to us. This town's filled with them."

Sometimes, it really felt as though they were the only two left. All of those people… most likely too scared to go as far as the houses that dotted the outskirts of the town. The houses were safer, if you could make it there. She shook the thought off when she heard a banging sound on one of the windows of the car they were hiding behind. Covered with frost, she could just barely make out the red of blood behind the glass… and a dead hand. A zombie was inside, trying to break out. She gasped gently and this time grabbed Kuzuryuu's arm, leading him to another car nearby.

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Ibuki stared up at him dumbly after she caught the coat, dropping the icicle she had thought to possibly use as a weapon. He moved so quick… he was going to confront that zombie before she could get there! She ran towards the entrance of the house as fast as her feet could carry her-- but just before she could step inside the door, Komaeda was already stepping out. Ibuki's eyes widened at the sight of him-- before figuring out the coat situation, she circled him, checking for injuries. When she didn't see anything too severe, she sighed, sliding out of Komaeda's coat and handing it back to him. She then fit herself into the new coat-- the size just a bit larger than her own. That settled, she frowned at him.

"You can't do that alone anymore! If something happens to you, Ibuki won't have anyone else! Y-you could've died up there! All for a coat! Ibuki would rather have Komaeda-chan than a coat!" She stressed. She was usually used to being on the receiving end of lectures-- but she'd been so scared, waiting outside for him that she didn't know what to do but yell, on the verge of tears. He'd been the only one she saw, the only one that tolerated her. And while he could be a little crazy sometimes, she felt that she'd grown close to him over the time they'd spent together.She couldn't help but feel a little upset that he'd put his life on the line just for a coat. "She'd have to talk to a rock and live the rest of her life hiding in a cardboard box!"

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Peko's eyes widened as he brought the cat closer to her. Its' fur hadn't been groomed in a while, evidently, but it still looked so pure… white and fluffy. Kind of like a cloud. But when she saw the way the cat was attempting to scramble out of Hinata's arms, she was reminded of the cats that would run away at her presence at the dojo… Kuzuryuu never scared animals off… but as soon as she walked nearby, they'd be gone in an instant. Her face fell and she sunk back in the chair, creating some distance between herself and the scared little cat. She fidgeted a little, focusing her gaze on Hinata rather than the cat this time. "I-It'd be better if I didn't. Most animals tend to be quite frightened of me…" Afterwards, though, she offered him one of her crooked, not-really-a-smile sort of smiles. "There's… cat food in the kitchen, though. We should feed it… It probably hasn't eaten in a while."

With that, she drew the ends of the blanket tighter around her shoulders and stood, walking towards the kitchen. It took all of her willpower, not to reach out and pet the cat... She didn't want to scare it away… or make it feel uncomfortable. This was only natural… The idea of feeling that fluffy, warm fur though… her cheeks reddened again at the very thought.

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"R-right…" Mahiru quickly followed Naegi, her heart pounding hard against her chest at his outrage. She had similar feelings about the ordeal… she spent her first days with Hiyoko, Mikan, Ibuki and Satou… but they'd all gotten separated over time. Hiyoko, who usually clung to her side, was gone… Mikan too. Ibuki and Satou disappeared not too soon after, looking for food. And she saw countless other recognizable faces all around the school. "The sooner we're out of here, the better… There might be a few survivors in town, after all." Every corner they turned, there'd be another classmate… another friend. When they were out of town and stopped recognizing the zombies they saw, the easier it would be for them to move on.

 

[Komaeda]

Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu
"Yeah right. Like I was going to shoot them. I told you I don't have much ammo anymore, didn't I?" Kuzuryuu whispered in an irritated tone when Kirigiri told him shooting would draw attention to them. Not long afterwards, he regretted just being rude to her. But too stubborn to apologize, he just sighed and stayed quiet. Trying to see the zombies with his own eyes, he crawled towards Kirigiri, and looked where she was pointing. There they were. The zombie he had just heard until it stopped walking, and a couple of other zombies behind. They had not noticed Kuzuryuu's and Kirigiri's presence yet.

Suddenly, he heard the banging on the car window. His eyes quickly turned towards the window. He could only see the sight of blood, but before he realized what was inside, Kirigiri had already grabbed his arm, pulling him towards another car. When they got there, he once again hid himself behind it, slightly panting from the shock of what just happened. "Was that... A zombie inside the car?!" he asked Kirigiri, trying to whisper, but it sounded a little louder than he intended.

Nagito Komaeda
After being fully checked by his partner, Komaeda received his own coat back. Before putting it on, he took a moment to feel the familiar warmth of his coat against his face. Then, he put it back on, and closed the zipper. It felt good to have his own coat back. It was not just a coat to Komaeda. It was a part of him. Without it, Komaeda felt so... incomplete. "Ah... Thank you, Mioda-san." He paused as he thought about her words. She would rather have Komaeda then a coat... Rather a piece of trash like him... Instead of being warm... "Is that true... Mioda-san? Do you really prefer having me instead of being warm in weather like this?" he asked with a soft, kind voice, and a slightly worried look on his face. "Do you really care about me that much?"

Hajime Hinata
When Pekoyama refused to hold the kitten, Hinata put it back against his chest, looking at the girl with a worried look. "That is... too bad." he answered, and sighed. Then, he followed her towards the kitchen. There he quickly opened the cabinets with his right hand, while he held the kitten with his left. After opening a few of them, he found the cat food. Not bothering to find a bowl to put the food in, he opened the pack and scattered it on the countertop. Since he didn't know much about cats, he had scattered a big amount of the food on it, way too much for the kitten to eat. Then he released the kitten next to it, so it could eat. The kitten, being extremely hungry after it's owners had disappeared, started to eat like it hadn't eaten in years. "You are one hungry cat, huh." Hinata commented as he watched the kitten trying to eat everything as quick as possible.

Makoto Naegi
"Right. I don't want to be in this school any longer." Naegi answered as he walked through the school hallways, fast paced, determined to get out of that place. The rest of their walk towards the dojo on the fifth floor was quiet. Naegi did not say anything. He was too busy thinking about the rest of his classmates, the ones he didn't know if they were alive or dead. Like Kyouko Kirigiri, Byakuya Togami, Celestia Ludenberg, Aoi Asahina or Sakura Oogami... Even though he had no idea where they were, he expected them to be still alive. They were all so smart, or strong... If Naegi himself could still be alive, they probably were, too...

 

[Peko]

Kirigiri took a moment to catch her breath as well, looking away to mask her shock before replacing her wide eyed stare with her usual, stoic expression. He seemed quite startled by it, so she attempted to keep as calm as she could. If they panicked in town, they'd be easy prey. It was a dangerous place, especially now that zombies from inside the school were escaping into the neighborhood they'd stayed in the previous night. She decided against voicing her thoughts, knowing that'd only make him yell or deny his panic. "Indeed it was. From what I could see, it seems that it was restrained by the seatbelt. Either it trapped itself inside before it turned to keep from hurting anyone, or someone else trapped it there. Regardless, we need to move out of this area. That banging is drawing attention to this side of the street."

She pointed ahead at the zombies that began to spill out of the alley, slow, but approaching the car they'd previously hid behind as the banging continued. "See?" She let her gaze dart through the street again, eyes landing on a car stopped in the middle of the road. It looked a little icy… but it also looked like a more promising hiding place. Moans and shambling footsteps were coming louder and beads of sweat began to form on her forehead. She waved her hand for him to follow and began to move. "Come on, lets go this way. We're almost there. We should be quick, they're bound to notice us soon."

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Ibuki felt a light pang in her chest at Komaeda's genuine surprise at her words. It was hard to swallow, that he held his own life so lowly… and that he expected her to treat him as though he was nothing more to her-- something less in value than a coat of all things. She used to brush any comments like that from him off, when she barely knew him... but now that it felt like they were the only two people left, she wanted him to know with all her heart that she considered him a friend... an equal. As she let these feelings of confusion and pity simmer, she then wore one of her brightly constructed smiles again, taking his hand in her own confidently. "Ibuki's ab-so-lutely sure! Explanation point!" She tilted her head to the side and offered him a wink. "She's so sure that she's adding three extra explanation points on the end of this sentence!!!"

She began to walk back towards town, leading him by hand. "Lets go exploring a little, okay Komaeda-chan? We'll try to avoid zombies and enjoy the snow!" She looked up at him, beaming. "Even though Ibuki doesn't totally approve of what you did, she does want to thank you for the coat too! So you can be a part of her band. All right?"

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Peko rummaged through the cabinets to find a dish and then filled it with water, setting it alongside the food that Hinata set out for the cat. She clasped both her hands together and held them under her chin as she watched, almost completely mesmerized as the kitty chewed on its' food and dipped its' head into the water dish. She smiled once again. "It's so fluffy." She held the blanket she wore a bit tighter, finally breaking her eye contact with the cat to look at Hinata. "Most animals tend to run away… its' been like that since I was a young girl. I wanted to find Tanaka one day… and perhaps ask him if he could help me. But I never had the chance."

She left a somber silence after her words and her more stoic expression began to return. She swallowed and chewed a little at her lip. "We should… focus on resting. And on finding more survivors. It bothers me that we have not yet come upon any of our classmates." At the unfamiliar sensation of smiling, she couldn't help but feel a pang. She was entrusted with Kuzuryuu's life… here she was surviving, unknowing whether or not he was still alive or not. Since she was young she was convinced that she had to be his shield. She was supposed to die for him, before him… and yet… She shook the thought off, taking in a deep breath.

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Beginning to close in on the dojo, Mahiru cast her gaze around. There were a few decapitated zombies lying about, but none with clothes or features that she recognized. "I… I remember coming here to take photos once or twice. Sakura-chan, Mukuro-chan, Peko-chan and Akane-chan… I wonder how they are." She'd done a series on women who could fight and managed to take a few shots of those four in action, sparring or otherwise. "They're all so strong. They must be out there, somewhere. There must be… some survivors. Right? There has to be…"

 

[Komaeda]

Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu
"Right." Kuzuryuu nodded when Kirigiri said they had to move away as quickly as possible. He watched the zombies being attracted to the loud banging of the zombie that was stuck in the car. Even though there were even more zombies in the street now, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to escape. If the zombies didn't notice them, of course. But at that moment, they seemed too busy with the banging sound.

In the corner of his eyes, he saw Kirigiri waving her hand and starting to move. Not saying a word, he followed the girl towards the car in the middle of the street. He tried to run as quiet as possible, not to attract any zombies, but still very quick. Once they arrived at their new hiding spot, he hid himself once again and concentrated of what was in front of them. The last part of the street seemed to be empty. There was only one car left for them to use as a hiding place, but he couldn't see any zombies. Kuzuryuu glanced at Kirigiri, waiting for her to decide when to move.

Nagito Komaeda
Komaeda looked confused as the girl grabbed his hand and started to randomly chatter about explanation points, but then a smile appeared on his face. What she was saying didn't make much sense to him, but it cheered him up even though he was still not fully convinced that Mioda really cared for him. There never really was anyone who cared about him, so why would she? Did she only care for him because she was afraid of ending up alone?

Suddenly, the girl began to walk, and as they were still holding hands, he led her lead him, not asking any questions about where they were going. Instead, he listened to everything she had to say. "Part of your band?" Komaeda said surprised. "Ahahaha... I don't think you want me in your band. I'm not as... musically talented as you are." he answered a little nervous, not sure if she was serious about her offer or not.

Hajime Hinata
Hinata watched as the cat was eating and drinking, and then looked at Pekoyama's face. She... was smiling. It was such a strange sight, but it calmed him down. He felt relieved that the cat cheered Pekoyama up a little, even though she didn't get the chance to touch it yet. He listened when she began to speak about Tanaka. Ah right, Gundam Tanaka, the super high-school level animal breeder. He owned a lot of animals and always brought some of his hamsters to school. Those hamsters were trained to do anything at his command, like bringing him small objects or press switches. He was a strange guy, but he didn't seem that bad. Hinata wondered if he was still alive...

"You're right. We should try to rest again, and then continue looking for survivors." Hinata answered after he nodded his head. "But what are we gonna do with the cat? We can't just leave it behind like this, it will eventually run out of food and starve to death..." he then asked. Bringing the cat along would be quite difficult, because they would have to bring the cat food and some water. Plus, how were they gonna carry the kitten? By holding it in their arms all the time, with the risk of the kitten being scared, escaping and run off?

Makoto Naegi
Naegi was surprised when he heard a couple of familiar names. "You've taken pictures if Oogami-san and Ikusaba-san?" he asked. Both of them were his classmates. He had no idea who 'Peko-chan' and 'Akane-chan' where, but he knew that the other two were indeed strong. "Yeah, they are really strong... I'm sure that if we were able to survive, they must have managed to do so too, right? I'm sure Oogami-san would kill those zombies with just one blow... They just can't possibly be dead, right?" When he finished his sentence, they had arrived at the dojo. Naegi entered the room and quickly looked around. A couple of lockers were open, and it looked like there was still something inside of them... Weapons they could use, maybe?

 

[Peko]

Once she heard Kuzuryuu come to a stop behind her, Kirigiri almost mechanically moved again, eyes set on Hope's Peak Academy getting larger and larger as they got closer and closer... However, the next car was surrounded with patches of thick ice and before she even knew what had happened, she'd fallen 'smack' onto the pavement, her knees exploding with a sudden pain. She chomped down as quickly as she could on her lip to keep a whimper from escaping her lips, looking behind her shoulder quickly to see if any zombies had noticed. Most were swarming the car with the banging sound, but there was one that was attempting to limp in their direction now.

Heeled shoes weren't helping her on this ice, it was difficult enough to move as it was without both of her knees stinging. Regardless, though, she used the wheel of the car in front of her to hoist herself back on her feet. She could feel the blood rolling from the gashes in her knees and down her legs, but she didn't bother to check on them. She kept a strong face, attempting to wipe any trace of emotion-- whether it be pain or embarrassment from her features. "They're not going to be fast enough to catch up with us by now. We just need to run!"

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He was smiling, that was good, right? Ibuki's own smile brightened as a result and a bounce became apparent in her step. She listened as he brushed off the prospect of being in her band and she pouted for a moment. "Nonsense! You'd be wonderful, Komaeda-chan! You've already got the look worked out for you with that jacket!" She hummed, tilting her head to the side, colored strands of hair swinging to follow the motion. Although most of the dye was wearing out by now, some of it remained. "Now, it's all a matter of picking an instrument!"

Ibuki clicked her tongue. "Hajime-chan was already on the drums, since the drums are easier to fake." She recalled their conversation once. She wasn't sure if the brunette had been listening to her entirely or not-- his eyes tended to take a sort of spacey glaze whenever she went off on one of her enthusiastic rants. She pursed her lips, wondering where he was. He was one of those people that could get along with everyone, after all. Ibuki felt a light sting in her chest at the thought and she attempted to shake her sadness off. "And guitar is already taken by Ibuki, of course! You look like you'd be good on keyboard! Or bass!"

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Peko nodded her head. "I suppose we could spend the rest of the afternoon here and leave again tonight... or tomorrow morning. I'm thinking it would best to circle the entire town again." The town was dangerous, and she'd already lead Hinata through a few times before. The trips were exhausting, but the chance that she and Kuzuryuu were just barely missing each other was always evident. Running around in circles. It was frustrating, but it was all she could do when it came to searching for him. When the school had first been attacked, she searched the entire school five times over. And then she finally noticed him out in the courtyard from a window. But as fast as she ran to go after him, she never found him afterwards... he was already long gone.

She shook off the thought, considering Hinata's words as she watched the cat, nibbling on its' food. "I am not very skilled at dealing with animals. But... I do not want to leave this cat here to die either." She wrapped her arms around herself, a lost expression finding her features as she pressed her lip into a thin line. "I need to keep my arms open, should I ever need to take down the zombies in our path. Hinata... you could carry it along, if you're willing to take on that responsibility."

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Mahiru nodded. "I just said that, didn't I?" She asked with a reasonable tone, tilting her head to the side. Her cheeks heated a bit at the thought of that photo shoot. It was rather... empowering, to watch girls that could really prove that a woman could be just as strong as a man. "They were really incredible... I could see them out in the streets, saving people...." She paused. "Say, Naegi. You seem trustworthy, so I'll show you some of my photos if we can find shelter at some point."

She smiled and walked ahead into the dojo, listening carefully just in case. The chance that there was a zombie hiding inside seemed low, but that didn't mean that she couldn't be careful. She looked into a few of the lockers. Some of them just had bags with training clothes and simple things like that inside... Water bottles as well-- some unopened plastic ones. She took a few of those. She slid them into the bag she wore over her shoulder. "Having any luck?"

 

[Komaeda]

Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu
When Kirigiri moved forward to the next car, Kuzuryuu followed her a few meters behind. "Kirigiri!" he accidentally yelled out when she fell down. The boy quickly ran towards her, and noticed her knees bleeding. Then he quickly looked back to see if the zombies were not following them, but saw that one was already starting to move into their direction. Kuzuryuu sighed. It wasn't that far until the school anymore... But running with wounds on her knees must be hard for her, he figured. As much as he hated what he was about to do, he just couldn't let her run, wounded like that... After noticing that that one zombie was already getting closer, and a couple more were following, he placed one of his arms under the girl's legs, and the other under her back. Then he lifted her from the ground. "Hold tight." Kuzuryuu warned her, before he began to run with Kirigiri in his arms.

Nagito Komaeda
Komaeda looked at his jacket. The blood and rips certainly made it look like he could fit right into a rock band. But... playing an instrument? He never played an instrument before... How could she expect him to just start playing a keyboard or bass? "Ehehe... I... I don't think I can..." He stopped speaking in the middle of his sentence. What did it even matter? It was not like things would return to what they used to be... At least not any time soon. He suddenly decided to just play along with Mioda. "Ah fine then, I promise you that once all of this is over, I'll play in your band, if that makes you happy." He had no idea that there was a zombie somewhere far behind them, quickly coming closer...

Hajime Hinata
Circle the town once again... How many times have they done that before? But... Hinata figured it was probably the best thing they could do. Maybe they would finally come across any other students. "Let's leave tomorrow morning. I don't think there are any zombies close by, we should use this moment to rest well before we travel through the entire town again." Hinata suggested.

"I guess there's no other way to bring the cat with us..." the boy answered, when Pekoyama suggested that he could carry it around in his arms. "We should also take some of the cat food with us, at least." he mentioned. "Anyway... Is it alright if I continue resting in the bedroom? I'm feeling... really tired at the moment." Hinata suddenly asked Pekoyama. He still hadn't had the chance to sleep...

Makoto Naegi
"Yeah... I really hope we run into at least one of them, so we could team up together. It would feel a lot safer, don't you think?" Naegi answered. "I'd love to see your photos, Koizumi-san." he said when the girl offered to show him her photos. He was now very curious about them, especially since it could be the last time he ever saw those girls...

When Koizumi began to check out the lockers, Naegi searched the other side of the room, where he opened the cabinets one by one. Most of them were empty. It seemed like they weren't the first one to have checked the dojo for weapons. However, when he opened the one on the bottom... "There's a katana in here." He picked up the thin sword and inspected it closer. It seemed to be quite old and the blade didn't look very sharp, but it would certainly be useful. "It's the only weapon that's left... The others must have taken them before us."