An hour later, Riku faced the three of them, standing near the music room's door with his arms crossed and eyes serious.
"Before we leave this room, I need you all to listen carefully," he said. "I'll handle the fighting, but I can't protect you if we're all panicking or making noise. So I need you to remember a few things, okay?"
The girls sat quietly on the floor, eyes on him, the weight of the situation settling in. Miko nervously wrung her hands together, Ichika was calming herself, and Suzune—still cradled with a bandaged foot—nodded from her seated position.
"First," Riku looked at Ichika. "You'll be walking right behind me. Not because you need to fight or do anything risky, but because I need someone steady who won't panic if things go bad. If I stop, you stop. Got it?"
Ichika gave a small nod. "Okay. I can do that."
"Good." Then he turned to Miko. "You'll stay in the middle, between Ichika and Suzune. Just stay close and stay quiet. I've already put the emergency stuff in your bag—water, bandages, flashlight. Keep it zipped, and don't drop it, no matter what."
Miko swallowed hard but nodded. "Okay."
"If anything happens," Riku continued gently, "don't run. Find cover, hide if you have to, but don't scream. That's the most important thing. Screaming gets us killed."
"I won't," she whispered, eyes downcast.
He gave her a reassuring look before facing Suzune.
"You'll be on my back again," he said. "Don't worry about anything else. Just hold on tight and tap my shoulder if you see or hear something behind us."
Suzune folded her arms. "So I just stay quiet and hang on?"
"Exactly," Riku replied. "That's more than enough."
He looked at the three of them again, making sure he had their full attention.
"Once we're out there, we move quickly and quietly. Don't talk unless you have to. If I say run, you run. If I say stop, you stop. I'll get us out safely—but I need you all to trust me and not freeze up. Can you do that?"
One by one, they each nodded.
"All right," Riku said, glancing at the door. "Let's go."
Riku slowly slid the music room door open, just enough to peek through.
He turned back to the girls. "It's clear for now. Stay close."
Ichika helped Miko stand, and Riku knelt in front of Suzune.
"Ready?" he asked.
She hesitated, then nodded. "Yeah."
With a grunt, he lifted her gently onto his back, her arms wrapping around his neck as she settled into position. Her injured foot dangled carefully behind his side, not putting weight on it.
He led them out into the hallway.
Their footsteps were soft—almost silent—but the tension in the air was heavy, like a string pulled tight. Every creak of the floor beneath their shoes made the girls flinch. The hallway, once just a part of their ordinary school life, now looked like something out of a nightmare.
Blood trailed along the floor, smeared like paint strokes across the tiles. Some of it had dried into crusty patches. Other parts were still fresh and sticky. A severed hand lay in one corner, fingers curled like it had tried to grab something just before death. Miko's hand instinctively flew to her mouth, and Ichika reached back and gave her wrist a squeeze to keep her steady.
The air stank—like rotting meat and rusted metal.
"Don't look down," Riku whispered over his shoulder. "Just keep moving."
They passed shattered windows, overturned lockers, and an abandoned backpack soaked in blood. Once, the group paused at the sound of a distant thud. Everyone froze.
But nothing followed.
Just silence.
They kept going.
Riku kept his eyes sharp, Glock 17 held low but ready. Every step was deliberate, measured. He knew they couldn't afford to sprint, but they couldn't stay exposed either.
Every so often, he'd glance back at Ichika, who nodded slightly to let him know she was fine. Miko was pale but kept up. Suzune's arms were tight around him, but she wasn't panicking.
They were doing better than he expected.
They reached the stairwell, leading to the second floor, they took it and had no encounter and so is the first floor. They descended just fine. And they can finally see the exit.
They reached the front doors.
Riku stopped and looked back. "Stay close," he whispered.
He carefully opened one of the double doors, letting in a gust of night air.
They stepped out into the school courtyard.
The area was partially lit—overhead floodlights from the gym and parking lot cast pools of light across the pavement. Emergency backup lights continued to glow above doorways, flickering a bit but still holding.
Though the night sky loomed above, the school grounds remained visible.
Riku stayed along the walls, keeping to the shadows. The girls followed without a word, doing their best to ignore the blood stains streaking across the concrete. A shattered smartphone lay in a puddle. A few bloodied notebooks were scattered near a bench.
No zombies in sight.
They reached the walkway that led toward the parking lot.
Riku slowed and motioned for them to stop. He crouched, gently setting Suzune down behind a thick column beside the corner wall. Then he inched forward and peered around the edge toward the lot.
His breath caught.
They were there.
Under the bright white glare of the lot's standing lamps, a small group of zombies wandered aimlessly between parked cars. Some bumped into bumpers, others circled slowly, arms twitching. One gnawed on something near the rear of a van—possibly a body. Another stood unnervingly still, eyes glazed, until it jerked its head toward a sound only it could hear.
He grabbed the keyfob out of his pocket and then tapped the unlock button. This way, he'll know what vehicle is assigned to it.
Beep-beep.
A soft chirp echoed from the center of the parking lot. Headlights blinked twice on a black Toyota SUV near the far end—barely fifteen meters from the nearest zombie.
Three of the undead turned their heads, slowly shambling toward the source.
Riku hissed through his teeth and ducked back behind the column.
Ichika crouched beside him, whispering urgently, "Did they hear it?"
"Some did," he said. "But not all. They're still scattered."
He glanced back at Miko and Suzune. Miko's breathing was shaky but silent. Suzune clutched her injured foot and leaned into the concrete, eyes wide and anxious.
Riku thought quickly. He had one magazine left—seventeen rounds. He couldn't afford a gunfight. Not with three girls depending on him. He needed a way to divert the zombies without firing a shot.
And then he noticed something.
To the left of the parking lot, by the PE shed, a janitor's pushcart lay overturned. Scattered among the debris were empty plastic bottles, a mop, and… a steel bucket.
Perfect.
He looked at Ichika. "I'm going to draw them to the far end. When I shout, you grab Miko and run to the SUV. Help Suzune in first, then get in yourselves. Front seat's mine."
Ichika looked nervous, but nodded. "Got it."
Riku carefully crawled along the side wall, using the trimmed hedges for cover. The lights from the lot cast long, twitching shadows, but he stayed low and quiet. He reached the PE shed, grabbed the steel bucket, and threw it—hard—into the far fence.
CLANG-CLANG-CLANG!
The metallic crash echoed across the lot.
All at once, the zombies jerked toward the sound. Four of them began shambling in that direction, abandoning their aimless wandering. Even the one chewing by the van lifted its head.
"Now!" Riku shouted.
Ichika jumped into motion. She helped Miko up, then rushed to Suzune's side and slung the girl's arm over her shoulder. Together, they limped toward the SUV, Miko running ahead to yank the door open.
Riku sprinted in a wide arc, keeping low, moving parallel to the zombies as they lurched toward the fence.
The SUV doors opened. Miko climbed into the backseat first. Ichika helped Suzune inside, then slid in after her, breathing hard.
Riku dashed the final distance, heart pounding. One of the zombies noticed him—too late.
He reached the driver's side, yanked the door open, and slammed it shut just as a nearby zombie slammed into the hood.
"Buckle up!" he shouted.
He pressed down the break and tapped the pushed down his finger on the start button.
The engine roared to life.
Riku shifted into reverse.
With a stomp of the pedal, the SUV jolted backward, throwing the zombie off balance.
Then he spun the wheel, shifted into drive—and floored it.
The tires screeched as they peeled out of the lot. Zombies shrieked and clawed at the car, some even giving chase, but they were too slow. The SUV punched through the parking gate, shattered the barrier, and tore down the school driveway into the night.
Inside, the girls sat breathless—no one spoke for a full thirty seconds.
Then Miko quietly muttered, "We're… out."
Riku exhaled, hands clenched tightly on the wheel.
"Yeah," he said. "We made it."
[Mission completed! Escaping the School Grounds]
[Rewards: 2,000 SP, 1,000 Experience Points.]
"I'm going to check out my stats later," Riku whispered to himself.