Once the mystery was solved and weapons, information, and the cure for the virus were obtained, Allen's group set out on their return journey. By then, Teshima had finished gathering supplies, and they were just waiting for them.
This situation inevitably led students to search for news on social media and contact their loved ones.
The broken voice of a woman cried over the phone, "Thank heaven you're safe, Saya!"
"Yes, Mom, I'm fine. I managed to get out of the school, I'm with a group of students and teachers on a bus, and the plan is to head there," Saya wiped her tears after finally contacting her mother.
"That's good, honey. I was so worried I'd never hear your voice again. I wanted to go look for you, but the bridge is closed, and no one has the influence to open it."
"Don't worry, we'll find a way to cross."
Saya kept talking for a while before hanging up. Others also contacted their families, but some weren't so lucky. That was the case for Komuro Takashi, whose mother never answered.
Some insisted they should hurry up, but Allen's group refused to leave until the others returned. Takashi, despite his worry for his mother, didn't intend to leave Rei behind either.
Taniuchi, who rarely spoke, shrank into her seat. "It's getting dark."
Saya watched the setting sun. More than two hours had passed since Allen left. If it were anyone else, it would've been inevitable to assume they were already dead. But this was Allen—knowing him, knowing that not even mutant monsters or hordes could stop him—she didn't think that for a second.
Instead, she figured he had been forced to stray from the path or had to go farther than he originally planned.
"In this case, staying on the bus is the best option. We'll take turns keeping watch, and the moment there are any signs of a mutant zombie, we'll slam the accelerator."
Everyone agreed with Saya's reasoning. Being a genius wasn't a lie—her ability to analyze and pick the best course of action could only be surpassed by, Allen's own.
"Mmm, there are very few zombies," murmured Shizuka, sitting in the driver's seat.
"If they're not here, they're somewhere else," commented Hisashi. He felt completely drained and only wanted to sleep a little, but the fear of waking up surrounded by zombies kept him awake.
"Isn't that a good thing?" said Kyoko as she cleaned her glasses.
"It's not," Saya frowned. "Tokyo has 37 million inhabitants divided into 23 densely populated wards. After what we've seen, I assume that 90% of that population are those things."
Teshima, who had been cleaning his axe, lifted his head with a nervous look.
"We're not exaggerating, Takagi-san?"
Shido, though broken in spirit, wasn't dead yet. Upon hearing such naïveté, he sneered, "Teshima-sensei, you're a teacher, you should've already seen the news on your phone. This is far worse."
"What?"
"Takagi-san is being far too optimistic. No, she's being kind. Just look at the percentage of students who survived at Fujimi. If we use that figure as an estimate, on average less than one percent of that number will survive the first day, Hahaha"
"Shut up, Koichi Shido!"
Hirano pointed his nail gun at Shido. The man wanted to laugh at him. Hirano might be a great marksman, but he didn't have the guts to kill a person—or so Shido thought—until he saw Hirano's face.
"Listen, bastard. Aniki told me explicitly that if I saw any suspicious moves from you, I was to shoot without hesitation. Do you think I wouldn't dare?! You were a terrible teacher. You knew I was bullied at school but you never did a damn thing to stop it!" Hirano's eyes turned dangerous. "Shido, if I had to kill one person in this world, I wouldn't mind if it was you!"
"Ah! No! Wait!" Shido shrank into his seat, frightened. He never thought a student like Hirano had this side to him. But he forgot that the end of the world brings out people's true nature, and Kohta Hirano was no exception.
"Calm down, Hirano-kun, he is finished, this is all he can do." Teshima gave a bitter smile. He didn't feel in any position to scold a student. Also, Hirano wasn't one anymore. He was a man forging his own path through the apocalypse with his own strength.
"Tsk." Hirano lowered his nail gun.
The truth was that society itself was collapsing. Everyone had seen the news—zombies everywhere, the police barely holding the line, the world falling into hell. In a world like this, warriors and monsters would emerge from people's hearts.
"Excuse me," Kawamoto raised her hand with her phone.
"You don't have to be so shy," said Shizuka with a laugh.
Kawamoto scratched her cheek. "Something is bothering me. I've noticed for a while now that the news only covers Japan..."
Saya's eyes widened, and she pulled out her phone just like the others. Kawamoto was right—the news only covered Japan. Not only that, but social media and streaming platforms were filled with incidents happening only in Japan, with no mention of the situation abroad.
"That's impossible!" Saya gasped.
No wonder—this wasn't the internet failing, it was the news being deliberately cut off. Someone was purposefully blocking information. But is that even possible? Could anyone actually control the internet?
"This changes things," Kyoko murmured. "Setting aside the scandal it would be to restrict the internet, if this were limited only to Japan, and they were doing this so the rest of the world wouldn't know, it means we need to get out of Japan."
The bus fell silent. Everyone had assumed this was a global-scale disaster. If that were the case, the best response would be to find shelter and stock up on supplies. But if not, then they should leave Japan as soon as possible—because in many movies of this kind, the place where the infection breaks out uncontrollably usually ends up being destroyed.
While the bus sank into uneasy thoughts about the future, a silent march approached in their direction.
The behavior of ordinary zombies was like livestock. It was rare to see them scattered. They usually moved in groups...
So when they appear, they do so in large numbers.
....
...
....
(Ten minutes later)
"We have to go!" shouted Teshima as he swung his axe to decapitate a zombie.
"This is dangerous! If we're surrounded, we're done for!" Takeshi exclaimed, smashing a zombie with his baseball bat.
"But Rei hasn't come back yet!" Hisashi shouted as he tackled a zombie and then bashed its head with a golf club again and again.
"I'm running out of ammo!" Hirano cried nervously. His courage was proportional to his ammunition, and now it was running low.
"Damn it!" Tsunoda screamed before smashing a zombie with a rock. Despite his fear, he forced himself to fight.
"This is shit, just let's go!" Shido screamed as he cowered in his seat. With his injured ankle, running was impossible.
"Shut up!" Saya glared from the bus, biting her fingernail in frustration.
A moment ago, there hadn't been a single zombie. But suddenly they started appearing one after another. It was a small horde of just forty zombies. There weren't any mutant zombies among them, so seeing this, Saya decided to hold their ground. But just a couple of minutes later, it became unsustainable—the zombies kept coming, and soon there were over a hundred.
"We have to go," said Shizuka, placing a hand on the girl's shoulder. "Allen-kun will definitely find us. He's strong, and he has Miyamoto-san and Busujima-san with him."
Saya hesitated for a long moment. Logic told her they should leave, but her heart resisted. Still, she knew if they died here, everything would end.
"Everyone get in, we're leaving—!"
GAAAHHH!
Before they could feel relief, the roar of some creature froze them in place.
From behind the horde appeared a mutated zombie.
It had a massive, unbalanced body with a single overdeveloped arm. Its pale skin was covered in tumors, and it moved hunched over, resembling a humanoid battering ram.
The zombie roared as it spotted them, grabbing a manhole cover with its massive arm. It hurled the iron lid at the bus with terrifying strength and precision.
"This is bad! Everyone down!" Saya shouted.
Unfortunately, not everyone was fast enough. One of Shido's students froze in shock. The manhole cover crashed into the bus, tearing through the windows like paper, slicing the student in half, and splattering blood everywhere.
"AHHH!" Kawamoto screamed as half of the student's torso landed beside her. Everyone was horrified—including Saya, who froze for a moment.
"What are we supposed to do against a monster like that?" Teshima asked helplessly.
"Shizuka-sensei!" Saya shouted, snapping out of her shock.
Nervous, Shizuka jumped into the driver's seat and turned the key, but the bus wouldn't start. She tried again—nothing.
Looking for the problem, she saw the manhole cover jammed deep into the engine.
Shizuka might seem scatterbrained—some would even say ditzy—but in key moments, she could think more clearly than most.
"Takagi-san, we have to go on foot!" she shouted, leaving everyone speechless.
Escape on foot, with a horde behind them and that mutant zombie chasing them?!
Unfortunately, the zombie wouldn't give them time to think. It wouldn't show mercy or patience. Using its massive arm, it charged at the bus like a battering ram.
"Damn it!" Saya felt cornered. "Where are you?!"
As if her cry had been heard, several zombies from the horde suddenly went flying through the air, stunning everyone.
"Saeko..."
"Yes~"
Upon hearing her name, the beautiful girl dashed through the zombies like a phantom, appearing at the right side of the charging mutant.
Everyone saw a metallic flash slashing behind the zombie's knees. It collapsed heavily onto the ground. Filled with rage and bloodlust, it tried to get up, but its shoulder was pinned down by a shoe.
The monster raised its ugly face and roared, only to see—just for an instant—a cold gaze and the metal pipe smashing into its skull.
Everyone was stunned for a moment.
"What are you doing, trying to get yourselves killed?" Allen growled at the group outside, since the zombies were about to overwhelm them.
Takashi snapped out of his daze just before a zombie bit him, but he couldn't avoid it and was shoved against the bus while they tried to bite him.
"Damn it!"
The strength of these zombies was still a deadly threat.
"I'll help you!" shouted Teshima, but before he could act, Rei stepped past him and, with a smooth motion, pierced the zombie's head.
She didn't even need to aim for the eyes anymore.
"Rei?!"
"Do you want to die?" Rei scolded before turning back to the horde and attacking. With a spear, Rei was able to face a dozen zombies on her own.
"Don't stay stunned," Allen said, sending several zombies flying with a spinning kick. "Everyone on the bus, get down now! I'll make an opening so we can get out of here!"
Saeko wasn't even visible, but amidst the horde, head after head was flying. With her katana, the prodigy girl could bring out her skill to the fullest.
"Got it!" Hirano and Kazu obeyed and started clearing the way.
Allen watched the zombies as his eyes glowed slightly red. Then he lunged at them, tearing apart every zombie that stood in front of him.
Saya guided everyone, but Shido, who could barely walk, panicked. Without hesitation, he stretched his hand toward a student.
"Korokami-kun, don't leave me!"
Korokami was a short boy with long hair, a gloomy appearance, natural dark circles under his eyes, and the look of someone treacherous. He had followed Shido, believing he could survive, but now this teacher had no value—he was just a burden.
"Sorry!" Korokami tried to slip past, but Shido didn't let him.
"Either you take me or you stay with me!"
Shido's vicious glare frightened Korokami, who smiled nervously. Besides, the rest of the group had already gotten off the bus—at this rate, he would be left behind with Shido.
"Damn it!" Korokami supported Shido on his shoulder and both advanced trying to catch up with the others, feeling panic.
....
Allen carved a path through the horde with ease. Ever since he was infected, he had felt his already enormous strength increase, and even his fatigue was reduced. But he wasn't stupid—he'd heal himself as soon as he could.
With the return of Allen, Saeko, and Rei, the group regained full strength and managed to break through.
There were many problems along the way—even a girl named Yuki Miku was about to be bitten, but Allen saved her.
She immediately gave him a predatory look, but Allen ignored it.
The regular zombies weren't very fast, so they managed to leave the horde behind.
Half an hour later, they reached the shelter.
"Everyone, get in!" said Allen, opening the reinforced door. One by one, they entered, and in the end even Shido and Korokami arrived, drenched in sweat.
"Oh, you survived?" Allen asked at the door, watching Shido almost collapse.
Shido clenched his teeth but didn't dare challenge Allen and went in silently.
Once in the courtyard, many collapsed to the ground.
"That was close!" Hirano shouted, panting on his back.
"I should've worked harder on getting you in shape..." Teshima said in a disappointed voice.
"Hehe, sorry."
Takashi felt his legs aching, but his attention went to where they were. It was a very large house and didn't seem to belong to an ordinary person.
Allen walked in and headed toward his group, but before he could say a word, Shizuka threw herself at him and hugged him.
"Allen-kun, I missed you so much~"
Shizuka's soft body, combined with her large breasts, made every man envy Allen, but many of the girls also felt jealous of Shizuka.
"I was only gone a couple of hours," Allen laughed.
"That's a lot, sensei was worried, you know?~"
"Isn't that enough, Shizuka-sensei?" Saya huffed with displeasure.
"Marikawa-sensei should learn to keep her distance from gentlemen. Don't you think it's indecent to cling to men like that?" added Kyoko.
"It's fine, I don't cling to other men, only to Allen-kun." Shizuka winked at the beautiful woman. "He's really comfy to hug, you should try it, Kyoko-san~"
Kyoko blushed. Of course, she wanted to, but unlike Shizuka, she actually had a sense of shame.
Teshima approached Allen while coughing. "Allen-kun, what is this place?"
"As you can see, it's a shelter. Pretty safe, at least for the night." Allen turned to the group.
"Okay, everyone listen. Tonight, we'll stay here. Tomorrow, we need to get another vehicle to move around. Women sleep on the third floor, men stay on the first."
Once everything was decided, they went inside, only to see it was quite a decent residence. However, Allen didn't go in.
"Saya, you're in charge. I want to go back for Hayabusa."
Not only that, Allen wanted to look for more supply crates, taking advantage of the fact that everyone would be safe here.
"What? No! That's too dangerous!" Saya clung to Allen's arm.
She knew how much Allen loved that motorcycle, but she didn't want him to leave. Barely half an hour ago, she thought she would never see him again, and now she was scared.
Allen patted Saya's head. "I'll be fine. You know it's not that dangerous for me out there."
"No, in that case, I'll go with you!" Saya clung tighter to Allen. She knew she was being irrational, but she couldn't help it.
"I also plan on joining you~" said Saeko, leaning against the wall.
"No, you need to rest, you've been fighting for hours," Allen replied, shaking his head.
"That applies to you too," Rei also seemed ready to follow him.
"You guys..." Allen shrugged. "Do you realize you're being reckless?"
"Allen-kun, you're the most reckless one~" Shizuka laughed as she stepped through the entrance.
Allen noticed that none of these women planned to let him go and felt powerless.
"You don't expect me to actually take you with me, right?"
"I think that's an excellent idea," said Kyoko, who seemed ready for action, even carrying the flamethrower with her.
Allen was speechless. They had just arrived at a safe place, a place without zombies, and instead of staying sheltered, these girls wanted to go out.
[Better give up. Besides, there's a van not far from here, you can use it to take them with you.]
Allen gave up, looked for the van the system indicated, and started it up, thanks to Rebecca's lessons. Then they headed for the bus.
....
It took them a little longer than expected to get there because they had to make a detour to avoid the horde.
Shizuka parked near the bus they had just left.
Allen stepped out of it, looking at the corpses in the street with no expression.
He walked over to his motorcycle, which had been knocked over by the horde but was generally fine.
"See, I told you it would be quick," Allen said, starting up his motorcycle. "We should head back now."
Allen gave up on the idea of looking for supply crates for now. It was too risky with Saya, Shizuka, and Kyoko around.
The van, driven by Shizuka, pulled up alongside him.
"Allen-kun, how about we go to Rika's house? She has weapons and a military Jeep that would definitely be useful to us~"
"Seriously?" Allen's eyes widened at Shizuka's declaration.
"Shizuka-sensei, who is this friend of yours, and how the hell does she have weapons in Japan?" Rei said in disbelief.
"Hehe~ Rika-chan is amazing~"
The group of girls fell silent.
Allen felt curious about this Rika, so he accepted. "Alright, let's go..."
Shizuka smiled mysteriously. "You won't regret it~"
...
Back at the shelter, Teshima sat on the couch with a cold beer after taking a shower.
"Teshima-sensei, have you seen Rei? I need to talk to her," Hisashi asked, approaching.
"Ah, she left with Allen. They'll be back eventually."
"Huh?!" Hisashi was left stunned.
When they first entered this house, everyone was amazed by the sudden luxury and the chance to rest. Hisashi had rushed into the shower to wash zombie blood off his body and hadn't realized Rei never entered.
"Wait, Shizuka-sensei, Kyoko-sensei, Busujima-senpai, and Takagi-san aren't here either," Hirano said, baffled.
At this point, several male students had overheard the conversation, and they all reached the same conclusion.
"What the hell!" Imamura exclaimed. "Allen went and made himself a harem and left?!"
Kazu joked awkwardly, "He's not going to abandon us, right?"
No one dared to answer that.
====
A/N: Allen is a cunning bastard who took over a shelter just to get rid of the men and keep the beautiful girls for himself.
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