HISASHI'S FALL

All three of them bolted out of the classroom building. Rei was at the front and the two guys were at her side watching for weird people and movements.

Rei stopped suddenly. A few meters from her stood a bloody human or rather, something that was once a human.

"Isn't that Wakisaka, the modern Japanese teacher?" She asked in fear.

"Be careful, he's…" Before Takashi finished speaking, the once-was-teacher bolted towards her.

"What? Stay away!" She aimlessly flung the broken stick Hisashi had given her to keep the man away from her.

"Stab him. Don't hold back and give it all you've got." Hisashi advised her with a shout which motivated her.

The undead teacher rushed at Rei, regardless of the stick and she had to block his approach by holding the stick horizontally with her two hands. But the man was stronger. He pushed her back and the wind blew her skirt up, revealing her underwear.

With firm resolve, she pushed him back and ran towards him. "Do not underestimate the spear martial arts club."

She swiftly stabbed into his chest, where his heart rested but it didn't matter to this undead which she quickly noticed. With weird movements, he threw her to the floor and approached her to get a bite in.

She held the stick in his chest and pushed as hard as she could.

"This is insane! I stabbed his heart so why is he still moving?!" She was terrified.

Hisashi appeared and wrapped his arms around the teacher's neck from behind.

"Rei, pull it out now!" Hisashi yelled and she responded almost immediately.

"Hisashi, get away from him!" Takashi shouted.

"Don't worry, I can take him…" Hisashi's words stopped.

The man was twisting his head so it would face Hisashi who was behind him.

"What the? Why is he so strong?" Hisashi tried to hold his head to stop it from turning but it didn't work.

The man bit Hisashi's arm.

Takashi ran to the man and with his bat, he continued to hit the man. Rei stabbed the man with her stick but he didn't flinch at all.

"I knew it. He's dead… He's dead but still moving!" Takashi let out a sentence with terror in his voice.

The man's teeth finally penetrated Hisashi's arm and blood gushed out in all directions.

Hisashi yelled in pain.

Rei dropped her stick and ran to him, trying to get the teacher off her boyfriend's arm.

Seeing no change at all, she turned to Takashi. "Takashi help him! You're a man, aren't you? Do something!" She yelled at him.

With frustration, Takashi held his bat and rushed at the teacher. With deadly force, he flogged the teacher's head. Blood splashed everywhere and the teacher dropped dead.

Takashi walked back a step, breathing like a tired dog.

"Hisashi, are you alright?" Rei asked.

With pain, he replied. "He just ripped a small piece of my flesh out. No big deal."

Then a female student's scream sounded from somewhere not too far.

"Stop it! Don't bite me." She pleaded with the man on top of her but he bit her anyway. Blood poured and she lay there dead.

Takashi walked closer. "We can't afford to deal with a bunch of them like that."

"The rooftop," Hisashi suggested. "We should barricade ourselves until help arrives.

They all ran to the rooftop. The scene that greeted them was even more gruesome.

Cars, buildings, and power lines were on fire all around the city. The whole city, as far as they could see, was up in smoke.

"What is that? What's going on?" Takashi asked.

"It was normal until just a minute ago!" Rei answered, her voice tinged with fear.

Then a huge gust of wind blew from behind, causing Rei's skirt to fly up exposing her underwear. Hisashi, who was close to her, quickly protected her from the wind. They all turned to look upward at the sound of fast rotating blades.

Four helicopters flew past them.

"A black hawk? The American Military?" Takashi asked.

"No, that's the Self-Defense Force." Hisashi answered.

Takashi asked. "Where did they come from? There's no base around here."

"Help me!" Rei yelled, waving her hands widely.

"That's not going to work. There's no way the Self-Defense Force would fly all this way for nothing. They must have some kind of special mission. They're not worried about rescuing us." Hisashi explained to both of them.

All around the school, in classrooms, in hallways, in staircases, and even in the fields, students were getting eaten and beaten.

One of them who had lost it jumped out of the window and committed suicide.

"This is like a disease caused by Them." Hisashi spoke again.

"Them?" Takashi asked.

"Corpses are attacking people but this isn't a game or movie. That's why it's Them. They eat people, and the ones who get bitten would die and resurrect as one of Them. I don't know why, but smashing their head is the only way to get rid of Them." While Hisashi was explaining to the other two, other undead approached them.

"What do we do?" Rei asked.

"Let's go up the stairs and block it." Hisashi suggested.

"Let's go." Takashi was the one in front so he ran first.

They all ran towards the stair, smashing and stabbing those in their paths.

Rei got cornered and fell on the stairs. Before she could get bitten, Hisashi grabbed Takashi's bat and smashed the head of the undead, saving Rei.

"Why? Why is this happening?" Rei asked.

"I don't know why, but there has to be a reason. If we figure out the cause, we can solve it." Hisashi explained.

Hisashi coughed up blood while talking.

"Takashi, Hisashi is…" Rei was lost for words.

"It was just a small bite. Why is this happening?" Rei asked.

"That means this is like the movies. Once you're bitten, it's over." Takashi replied with a frustrated and tired voice.

"That can't be true. What you see in movies never happens." Rei tried to retort.

"But it did happen to everyone else," Takashi answered her.

Losing his voice, Hisashi spoke. "Takashi, will you help me?"

Takashi replied. "With what?"

Hisashi slowly raised his hand and pointed at the balcony frame. "Straight to the ground from there. The impact from the fall should smash my head."

Then reality dawned on the other two. He wanted to kill himself.

"What are you talking about?!" Rei's voice sounded.

"I don't want to be one of Them!" Hisashi shouted at her and vomited a mouthful of blood and coughed without stopping.

Takashi stood there without moving, devoid of words and thoughts.