The Apocalypse

[Peko]

Kirigiri couldn't stop the gasp of surprise that left her lips, or the way her usually emotionless expression changed into one of complete bewilderment when Kuzuryuu lifted her from the ground. Not only was the action sudden and unexpected, she was also stunned that someone of his size could carry her. She was quite light... but it was still rather impressive. It seemed like he cared more than he let on... Kirigiri was sure some of the others that she'd known in the Academy would've ran off and left her for dead-- if she was too slow, too bad. But Kuzuryuu was going through all of this effort for her... for someone he'd only met recently. It was admirable, if anything.
"Y-you didn't have to..." She managed, her voice choked up as she held onto him as he requested. Her voice was shaking, vibrating as he moved quickly towards the school. "I mean I've... handled injuries worse than this before, I could..." But by now, they were already making great progress towards the school, nearly a yard away from the school's courtyard. And when she finally cast her eyes over herself and down at her legs... she winced, wishing that she didn't. That was really a lot of blood. The sight made the injury feel worse than it did earlier. So instead of furthering her protests, she held onto him a little tighter.

xxxxxxxx

Ibuki grinned eagerly, pink eyes lighting up similarly to the way a child's would in a gigantic candy store. He was about to protest... but it seemed like something made him change his mind. "Wicked! Ibuki's so pumped! We can do some extra special band training while we travel around together until we find instruments to play!" She popped her free hand in the air and did a little jump, quickening her pace. "It's a promise, Komaeda-chan! She's so excited that there aren't even enough explanation points to express her enthusiasm! Such a dilemma!"
She paused after a moment, something picking up in her ears. The sound of shuffling footsteps. She went completely silent to listen closer. It was definitely a zombie. Not a slow or wounded one either... this one must've only just recently been turned. "T-there's one coming, it's behind us." She didn't need to look behind her shoulder to see it coming. "Should we fight it? Or run?" Her voice was urgent and she readied herself to bolt if she needed to.

xxxxxxxx

Peko nodded at Hinata's suggestions. As much as she wanted to move on... perhaps going when it was dark outside would be a bad idea. They'd get up early, use as much daylight as they could to their advantage. If it wasn't for Hinata, she'd probably have worked herself to death by then. She watched the cat eating somberly, wondering for a moment if she could pet it while it was distracted. Too scared to try, instead, she looked up at Hinata when he mentioned that he was tired. She merely nodded her head, pulling the blanket tighter around her slender frame.
"By all means, sleep. You deserve it." Peko replied, eyes softening. For a tool, this sort of exhaustion was something she had to accommodate herself to. But for a human, it must've been difficult to withstand the conditions of this apocalypse. Hinata was really impressive, keeping up with her like this. "I'll keep watch over the house while you're resting."

xxxxxxxx

Mahiru nodded her head. Although some people told her in the past that photography wasn't a very extraordinary talent... that it was plain and simple, she was glad for it now. All of her pictures held memories of happier, warmer days. Of their classmates when they were still alive and hopeful for their futures. She wanted to keep those memories with her... to forget, if only for a little while, that things had turned out so horribly.
"A katana would be better than a knife when it comes to attacking from a distance." She mentioned, holding her forefinger to her chin as she pondered it. It was too bad that most of the weapons were gone... but she supposed this must've been one of the first places that many of the students came to retrieve some weapons when the apocalypse first started. "Less likely to get bitten... We should search around the school as we find more items... it's possible someone may have dropped another weapon too. It'd be best if we both had something nice to protect ourselves with."

 

[Komaeda]

Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu
It was hard for Kuzuryuu to run through the deep snow with Kirigiri in his arms. He hadn't eaten or rested well since the apocalypse had started, so he didn't have a lot of strength left. But the adrenaline in his blood kept him going. He couldn't stop now. They were almost there. Almost at the school yard. Just a few more steps. Kuzuryuu heard Kirigiri complaining, but he ignored her words. He knew that she would complain. Since he met her, he learned that Kirigiri was someone who did not want to be dependent on others. If he asked her if she wanted to be carried, he knew that she would have definitely refused his offer.

Kuzuryuu had no idea if the zombies had actually followed them, or if they were close. All he could hear was his own breath and his heart pounding heavily. By now, they had arrived at the school yard. The entrance of the school building itself was not that far anymore. Just a few more seconds of running. Without lowering his pace, he ran with Kirigiri in his arms, who had stopped complaining by now, straight towards the entrance of the school. When he finally arrived, he stopped right in front of the entrance and carefully put Kirigiri back on the ground. "Are you ready to see what's inside?" he asked, panting heavily, as he made himself ready to open the door. While he spoke, he looked back at the path he just ran, to see how far the zombies were. He could see that a couple of them had followed the two students, but they weren't that close. They had enough time to rest a few seconds before they went in.

Nagito Komaeda
Komaeda smiled when Mioda suggested to train for their band while traveling together. It was a ridiculous idea, of course, since firstly, playing instruments would definitely attract zombies. And secondly, if they actually found some instruments, how were they supposed to bring those with them? He already imagined himself carrying a keyboard around in a zombie apocalypse... Yeah, that wasn't gonna work out. Anyway, Komaeda decided to just keep playing along with the girl. He smiled widely at her, expressing his 'enthusiasm' about her plans. "That sounds like fun Mioda-san! I can't wait to start playing in your band!" he said to her, with an excited voice.

Suddenly, he noticed the girl stopped talking. Komaeda waited, while he looked at her, a bit surprised. To him, everything seemed all silent now, except for the cold wind that was still blowing. He knew what it meant. She must have heard something suspicious that he couldn't hear. A zombie, probably. Komaeda started to look around, but he didn't see it until Mioda pointed out it was behind them. He turned around, and saw the zombie approaching them in the far distance. When the girl asked if they should fight the zombie or run away, he didn't even have to think about the answer. How on earth were they supposed to fight the zombie? They didn't have any weapons, and there was nothing that could be used as a weapon nearby... They were completely powerless. Their only chance to survive was to run. "We should run, I don't think we can fight it..." he answered and waited for Mioda to start running.

Hajime Hinata
"Thank you, Pekoyama." Hinata answered seriously, when Pekoyama gave him permission to continue sleeping and told him that she would watch over the house while he was asleep. He glanced at the kitten on the countertop, still eating. It had been eating for a while now, but it seemed to be still hungry. Which wasn't that surprising, of course. Who knew how long it lived at this house, without it's owners... He sighed at the sight of the eating kitten, but then decided to head towards the bedroom. "Please wake me up when you want to rest, okay?" he asked Pekoyama, and then left the kitchen, into the hallway. When he reached the end of the hallway, he hesitated a little before he opened the door. His eyes fell on the door next to it. The one leading to the girl's bedroom. The idea that he was about to sleep with a zombie on the other side of the wall frightened him a little. Of course, it was already dead, but it still felt strange. After taking a deep breath, he opened the door towards the bedroom of the parents. He slowly walked in and closed the door behind him carefully. Then he slowly walked towards the bed, and sat down on it. After taking a moment to clear his mind, he laid down on the bed and pulled the blanket over his body, slightly wrapping it around him to get warm. Hinata closed his eyes, attempting to fall asleep.

Makoto Naegi
Since Naegi had searched through all of the cabinets on his side of the dojo, he decided to see if Koizumi had found anything useful in the lockers on the other side of the room. With the katana in his hand, he walked back towards Koizumi to see what she had found. "Yeah, we should. I don't think there are anymore weapons here in the dojo, but there's a big chance another student died while carrying a weapon with them..." he answered her suggestion. Naegi sighed and paused for a little. The thought of taking a weapon from a dead student made him feel miserable. To just steal something from a dead body... However, it seemed to be their only option left. There were no more places in the school where weapons were stored, and kitchen knives weren't that useful when fighting against zombies... "So, have you found anything useful?" Naegi then asked the girl. His eyes were directed towards the bag on her shoulders. He had seen that she slid a few items in that bag, but he couldn't see what exactly she had found.

 

[Peko]

Kirigiri felt her breath catch in her throat after she registered how sharp and bitterly cold the air was beginning to feel now that she was standing. Being carried, she felt a little... warmer. And now without that source of heat, she was beginning to feel just how cold it was outside. They never did go to retrieve the jackets like she'd wanted to. But it couldn't be helped. Besides... Hope's Peak stood before them. Although a dreary sight, it would provide them with shelter and resources.

Was she ready? She could easily presume that her father was dead somewhere inside the building. Him and a majority of all of the people in her class. No amount of detective work could ever prepare her for something like this... they were all kids, all high school students. No one deserved this. "No amount of time will make this any easier." She mentioned solemnly, offering him a nod. "Lets go in."

She paused and then added a few more words. "And although I prefer not to be carried around... I appreciate what you did. I could have fallen behind and..." She could've died. But she didn't need to say anymore. She wanted to acknowledge his favor, but she wasn't sure if he would accept any thanks. It was in his nature, as it was in her own. They were both stubborn. With that, she gave him a weary, small smile and nodded to the door.

xxxxxxxx


"Okay!" Ibuki nodded her head, attempting to ignore her fear. It was really icy and dangerous on the ground and running on it seemed a little daunting... but then again, when did that ever stop her? She was all about trying risky, dangerous things like this! "Ready... set... go!" Pumping herself up, she gripped Komaeda's hand tightly in her own and started to run. She would skid and slip a little sometimes-- but with the support of her white-haired companion, she never quite fell completely. She let herself lead, listening closely. She could hear the footsteps of the zombie following and sliding behind, Komaeda's running steps and her own. She listened to the buildings in town that they passed, hoping to recognize whether or not they were safe places for shelter.

"Ibuki thinks we should run into one of these stores!" She mentioned, briefly looking over her shoulder at Komaeda with urgency in her tone. It was risky... but they'd have to chance it.

xxxxxxxx


Peko's ruby gaze followed Hinata as he left the room. She trapped her lower lip with her teeth and stared at the kitten for a moment. Tell him when she wanted to rest... Tools required no rest. She wasn't sure if she'd have it in her to wake him up and allow herself the luxury of rest when bocchan could be anywhere by then. The kitten seemed to sense her staring and looked up at her nervously. Peko turned away, leaving it to eat in peace. She returned into the neighboring room and settled into the chair she sat in earlier, curling her legs underneath her and sinking back. She ran her fingers through her hair, free from their tight, intricate braids, and pondered solutions to this seemingly unsolvable dilemma.

Useless... she had one purpose, one reason to live. And she couldn't be there when he probably needed her most. This was her fault... She should have disregarded his request to pretend that they had no relations prior to attending Hope's Peak and stayed by his side. Her eyes burned a little, filling with tears for the first time in years. She quickly removed her glasses and held her hands up to cover them. It'd been five weeks now... a lot could happen in that amount of time. What if bocchan was... But then, she couldn't think like that. She would search for him until the breathed her last breath. That's all she could do, now. No matter how pathetic it seemed.

xxxxxxxx


Mahiru perked her head to look over when Naegi asked her what she found. "Ah, I found a few bottles of water that were unopened and some miniature towelettes. It'll be simpler than carrying a big towel... a way to keep clean, if any." She mentioned. Cleanliness was incredibly important to her. She managed to keep some soap with her and to keep herself as tidy and healthy as possible. She gritted her teeth and nodded to his earlier statement. "As much as I don't want to steal... I think that's all we can do. We should try and... survive for the others. I don't think they would mind." She narrowed her eyes and looked at the ground solemnly.

With a little more vigor, she gave her head a light shake and her expression turned into one of a more determined nature. "Where to next?"

 

[Komaeda]

Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu
"Whatever, it was nothing." That was all what Kuzuryuu could say when Kirigiri thanked him for carrying her towards the school. Acting like he didn't care, he faced towards the door. He was still panting, but was already a lot calmer than when they arrived at the school entrance. With Kirigiri's words in his mind, that waiting wouldn't make things easier, he opened the entrance door and walked inside. They arrived in the entrance hall of the school. It looked pretty much just like the outside world; empty, decayed and extremely dirty. There was blood all over the floor, and even on the walls... Looking more carefully, Kuzuryuu saw a dead zombie in the corner right of the entrance. When he inspected the dead zombie from a little closer, he could see it used to be a female student. She had long, brown hair, worn in twin braids. It seemed like she hadn't been a zombie for long until she died. "Do you know this girl?" Kuzuryuu asked Kirigiri after looking at the body for a while.

Nagito Komaeda
With his hand being pulled by Mioda, Komaeda ran closely behind her, following her wherever she was going. While running, he looked behind him for a few seconds. The zombie was quite fast, but slipped regularly, causing it to stay at a far distance. Then he heard Mioda's voice, and looked to what was in front of him again, noticing the girl's face was directed towards him, telling him to hide in one of the nearby stores. Komaeda nodded. He completely trusted Mioda's listening skills, and there was not much else nearby they could use to get rid of the zombie... Still holding her hand, he waited for the girl to lead the way towards one of the stores.

Makoto Naegi
Naegi listened carefully when Koizumi told him the things she had found. The bottles of water would certainly be useful. Seeing that they weren't opened yet, they wouldn't have to fill them before leaving. The towelettes weren't really that important to him. Sure, being clean was nice, but Naegi did not see it as a top priority. "Don't worry. Almost everyone already left the school, I'm sure they won't even notice we are using their bottles and towelettes." Naegi answered when the girl told him she didn't really want to steal anything.

Koizumi's next question made Naegi think for a little while. "I think it would be best to search the school as much as possible if we want to find any weapons. At least through the hallways of every floor, and some of the rooms." he answered.

 

[Peko]

Kirigiri inhaled a sharp breath. The smell in the academy was rather foul... it was easily to see, with the blood splattered about, that several of their classmates had perished. When Kuzuryuu asked her his question, she looked over to see whom he was referring to, her heart pounding harshly against her chest. She clenched her gloved hands tightly, looking away almost immediately. Those braids... that outfit... she knew immediately. "Fukawa-san..."
"We're... going to recognize several of the bodies. It... won't be easy. But if there's a chance that we can find survivors in here, it's a risk worth taking. Lets go somewhere else." She spoke through gritted teeth to convince herself, the sudden wave of grief she felt was overwhelming. She turned her back to Kuzuryuu. Fukawa had been in her class... she and several of the others in her class were just beginning to become friends, too. But then, she couldn't let this overwhelm her right now. They'd only just walked inside the building, after all.

xxxxxxxx

Ibuki squinted her eyes as she picked up her pace a little. They were starting to lose the zombie-- but knowing zombies, it would only persistently follow them until they lost it or hid somewhere. And of course, there was always the danger of running into more zombies in town as well. That danger quickly became a reality. There was a car nearby, making banging noises. It'd attracted quite a few zombies-- a big, scary crowd of them. Trapped between one and several, Ibuki lead Komaeda into the nearest store-- one that had three broken windows, but seemed in better shape than most of the other ones in the area. It was too quick to measure whether or not there might have been any zombies hiding inside-- but it was too risky to stay outside. At the very least, they had some shelter and the food they'd found earlier.
When they were both inside, she closed the store's door and pressed her back against it, panting heavily to catch her breath. "Ibuki can't... tell... if it's safe yet. But we can't go back out there either." She admitted, on the verge of tears.

xxxxxxxx

"No, I don't think so either." Mahiru said offhandedly with the wave of her hand. She bit her lower lip, scanning the dojo one last time with her olive eyes, just in case if they were missing anything. No... It seemed that's all they needed. A weapon, water, a means to keep clean or to bandage wounds with the towelettes. A successful trip, it was better than nothing. And she was confident that they'd find a few other essentials as well. Maybe... even some snacks stashed away. Perhaps it would be possible to avoid slaughtering one of the chickens.
"Right... That way we can see if there's anyone left, too." She mentioned, narrowing her eyes in determination. She thought she was the only one... but Naegi's presence reminded her that there still could be more people inside the school. "I don't want to leave anyone behind." She walked towards the entrance of the dojo, checking the hallway for zombies, and then nodded to Naegi when she saw none. "We're clear. Shall we go?"