Night raid

2 Days before Z-day, Night.

A couple of hours have passed since I left Kohta and returned to my apartment, and the sun was out. Meaning, it was time to put plan two into motion.

I was sitting by my desk, with the computer playing a random song. On the desk, the equipment I was going to use for my 'visit' at the school.

"Screwdriver, two belts to wrap the bat around my leg so I don't have to carry it on hand, a half-face mask, gloves and a flashlight. I'll only use the flashlight in case of an emergency though, as it will be a dead give away that there's a person sneaking about."

I got up from the desk and went to the wardrobe taking out a black jacket with an attached hood.

(If this jacket was leather it would look way cooler, but ehh too noisy. My shirt and pants are already black so no need to change them. Wearing army type boots would look cool as well but the soles on them are too hard, my steps will echo from miles away. So I'll stick with the field hunting boots I have as they have softer soles.

Now the guards in the school are probably actual guards and not teachers, don't think guarding the school is on their payroll. Well, maybe they would be if the school was cheap, but it's not, so I better go expecting actual guards. Although, it would be fun to meet Shido in a dark corner...but that scum would never volunteer for guard duty even if there was one.

Now getting in the school grounds will be easy enough, just jump over the fence. Getting in the school building itself, will be more tricky. The doors and windows will probably be locked, so I got to think of another way to get in. For that, I have three possible plans in my head at the moment.

The first is, waiting until a guard unlocks a door and then somehow managing to get in with him.

The second is, checking the nurse office window, betting on Shizuka's clumsiness that she might have left the window unlocked and nobody locked it after her.

The third plan is, to climb to the first floor via the bridge-like structure that links the school buildings together, although there is a chance that the doors there will be locked as well.

Now, I shouldn't go there too soon, the longer the guards do their shift, the bigger the likelihood of them loosening up and making a mistake. There's a reason the saying 'we attack at dawn' exists.)

I decided to take a small break from overthinking my plan and went outside to get something to eat. With the slight hope that some bright idea might come to me while I'm taking a stroll...

Taking .my keys from the desk I leave my apartment complex and head to the nearest convenience store

"It's funny if you think about it, after the outbreak I might start eating better..."

Reaching the store, I got in and bought the most expensive bread the store had to sell.

"I don't think I'll be able to eat tomorrow after the sun will be out, so here's to my last nightly meal me. Don't choke on it." I whisper to myself as i exit the store.

In the end, I returned to my apartment without any great new mind-boggling ideas, so, I started getting ready for my little infiltration... After putting the black jacket on, I shoved the gloves, half mask, extra belts and flashlight in my pant's pockets. No need to get myself arrested for looking like the stereotypical burglar after all. I then sat on the chair to put on the boots. Looking at my computer screen, I noticed the date and time.

1 Day before Z-day.

"Midnight, the last day with no brain munching corpses has begun… Anyway, got to focus on the task at hand… It is going to take me a good thirty minutes to get to the school, so if I leave now I can go and spend some time checking out how the patrols work, or if lady luck will bless me again, find an open window."

I get up from my chair, take the screwdriver and conceal it in my sleeve, then grab the keys and head out.

Before leaving my apartment, I decided to leave my keys under the front mat.

"Too noisy to take them with me, so just in case, better leave them here."

I nod and start making my way towards the school at a slow pace.

(It's not cold out tonight, that's good. I don't want to freeze my ass over while I'm scoping out the school.)

Walking down the dark silent road I start thinking about tomorrow.

(I wonder whether I should try to make contact with Saeko or Saya tomorrow… Because, I got to admit. In the anime, I liked those two the most. Still, even thinking about interacting with them makes me kinda nervous… Huh, no point in thinking about it. I'll worry about it once the sun is up, got to focus on breaking into the school right now.)

While heading towards the school I thought about all the parkour practice I have done and the videos I've seen. Along with all the methods I read up on silent running and muffling movement, I shouldn't have any real trouble avoiding the walking dead.

(Knowing how to vault over a fence or climbing a tall wall will be very helpful, both now and for what is to come. A lot of my physical training was actually leaning towards learning how to do that, rather than building up muscle mass so I could swing things around like a gorilla. As being able to swing efficiently and have more 'escape routes' is far more important than being able to swing around rebars. I just hope that I won't end up face flat on the floor when it counts, don't think I'll be able to muffle 'that' sound.)

Because of my slow walking pace, getting to school actually took almost an hour.

After finally arriving at the front gate, I check the other side, but see nothing. I then move to the front gate doors and give it a push.

(Locked, obviously.)

I then start walking around the school, following the fence while looking for anything that could be used as a blind spot so I don't end up looking like a flag when I'll vault over.

After looking for a while and finding no obvious blind spot, I decided to just jump inside from around the location of the school's equipment shed.

After making my way to the back of the school where the shed was located I take out and wear the gloves and half mask then pull up the jacket's hood.

(Time to go ninja mode.)

I toss the screwdriver to the other side through the gap of the metal bars and grab the top of the fence, jumping and pulling myself up until the top of the wall is at my hips, then hold this position as I try to figure out how to get over the fence without slamming the ground.

(If I vault over I'll end up landing noisily on the other side. Can't do that, I need to get used to being as silent as possible when I'm not in a hurry. So I should just pass my legs over and lower myself.)

And so, I passed my legs over the fence, spinning myself in the process, and with a last look at the streets outside, I lowered my body until my feet touched the ground. Then, I went to a crouching position.

I grabbed the screwdriver and ran behind the shed and looked over at the track, and then across the track at the school's windows, making sure that there weren't any spectators.

(Now the real boss battle begins, first I need to check the bushes to see if my bat is still there. No point doing anything else if the first step is already a bust.)

Still crouching, I moved towards the bushes near the shed. After reaching them, I looked around at where I had hidden the bat earlier.

(Good, it's still here.)

I picked up the bat, took out the two belts from my pocket and used them to wrap the bat on my thigh. Afterward, I headed near the school's wall in order to walk alongside it, so I won't be visible to any guards that were inside the building. Like that, I start heading towards the main entrance.

(No guards so far, hope they don't appear on my face all at once.)

Before reaching the front entrance of the school I move away from the wall at a location with no windows over me, and head towards the nearby trees.

(Got to thank whoever thought that this school needed so many bushes and trees. Half the school is surrounded by greenery. Still no sight of any guards though.)

With the cover of the vegetation, I move to the front entrance of the school and lie down near a bunch of bushes. With my cover making sure that I wouldn't be seen by any passing guards, I started scoping the front entrance of the school and the hallway where my target, the vent, is located at.

(Alright, now I have to wait for a bit, I got to see if any guards pass over the hallway and if any of them will exit the front door or… Well, now that I think about it, if this place has any guards at all.)

And...Twenty minutes passed in total silence...No patrols, no flashlights, no nothing. So, I got up and started moving towards the door. After reaching it, I gave it an experimental push.

(Locked, if the place is really empty then breaking a window is the only way. I'll do that as a last resort though. Even if I'm about seventy percent sure that there are no guards around, better be safe than sorry.)

Screwdriver in hand I start moving towards the nurse office.

After some minutes I reach my target location and check the window, only to find it locked as well.

(Locked. Out of all the things you had to be punctual with Shizuka, this had to be one of them… Well, back of the school and broken window it is then.)

As I start making my way towards the back of the school I spot a flash of light over the corner.

(Holy Shit!)

I dart my head around looking for any possible cover, spotting another patch of greenery. I move away from the window and silently run behind a tree then go to a prone position so I can hide behind the bushes.

The light turns over the corner and illuminates where I was a second ago, slowly making its way across. I also got a good look at the guard while he was passing by. He was a short chubby guy, and while I couldn't make out his facial expression from here, from the way he was dragging his feet, he didn't look very excited to be here.

I decided to follow behind the guard while still staying behind cover. Until we were near the front entrance again, there I saw another flashlight illuminating the dark field.

(A second guard, are they going to change shifts? I'll have to watch them from a distance, being too close while both of them are there could end horribly for me.)

I stopped tailing the guard and took a wider approach. After picking up enough distance to feel comfortable with, I lay down on a sloped hill, to use as cover as I checked on the guards.

From this distance I couldn't make out the second guard's appearance very well other than that he looked average. After the two guards met up and spoke for a bit, the second guard then handed the first one something and started going in the opposite direction from which the second guard arrived from. The first guard then walked to the front door pushed it open and after closing it, he locked it from the inside.

(It seems that there are at least two patrol routes, one inside the school itself and another on the outside perimeter. After finishing their round, the two guards then meet in the front entrance and switch routes, and from I can see, switch keys. )

(Hmm, wait, the door wasn't locked when he went inside...If they don't lock the door while they wait to change routes I could sneak in then. Hmm, there's a slope to my left that continues up to the left side of the building's entrance, and then some. There's also a staircase passing though that slope, for people that want to head on towards the field to my left, that's also the route the second guard actually took. So, I can just go there, then head straight and hide next to the wall of the main building, until the guard exits.)

Putting my plan into action, I walked stealthily to the slope to my left before sitting tight in my new hiding spot. Waiting for the second guard to come to a full circle while also checking for any signs of the first guard passing through the hallway I'll have to be at. After the second guard made a total of two rounds, I saw light coming from the targeted hallway.

(The second guard is making his rounds faster. It has only been twenty minutes, and he is on his second lap. The first guard on the other hand took about twenty minutes to do one lap as I didn't see him when I was waiting here before.)

Five minutes later, A light came out of the main hallway. The first guard strolled up to the front door, unlocked it and headed outside. He then sat on the bench near me, his back turned to the slope. After that he took out his phone, plugging his ears with what seemed to be earbuds.

(I was going to wait until it was his turn to be inside the building again, but this is just too good to pass up.)

I silently got up and started walking straight. Once I closed in to the bench that the guard was sitting on I slowed down and walked past the guard while he was too busy singing along to something I couldn't really understand. Yeah, that's how bad his singing was.

After I passed by the guard I kept looking back every few steps until I reached the wall. What was next was the ten most slow seconds in my life, up until now at least...I made my way to the door while walking sideways, my eyes drilling holes into the guard's head.

(if he raises his head and looks left, I'm toast.)

After reaching the door I opened it and moved backward with my full attention on the guard. Once I was through the door I slowly closed it, all the while making sure that the bat would not accidentally hit anything. The moment the door closed I took a few more steps backward until I could turn around the corner. With the guard out of sight, I turned and walked down the hall to my right, in the direction the guards use when they start their round. With that hurdle out of the way, I started thinking about the vent, especially on how to reach it.

(Usually, there is a chair under the staircase in this hall, probably used by the janitor when he or she is on a break. I'll use that to reach the vent.)

Getting to the staircase, I find no chair, only a broom and a mop along with a bucket.

(Damn it, no chair. But, hmmm, that bucket should be able to give me enough height to at least unscrew the bolts. I just hope it's going to hold my weight.)

I picked up the bucket, making sure it had no water in it, and headed up the stairs. After going to the second floor I started moving faster while keeping my eyes on the entrance downstairs. The guard was still there, sitting on the bench. In other words, the other guard was not there yet. After a couple of minutes of light jogging, I made my way to the vent near my classroom. I took one final look outside to see the guard still sitting there.

(Good I got some time.)

I take the bucket and turn it around then place it on the ground. Afterward, I carefully place my foot on it, trying not to put my weight on the center of the bucket. After a few checks with my foot, making sure that it wouldn't collapse under my weight, I stood up on top of the bucket, the vent now within my arm's reach. So Screwdriver in hand, I start unscrewing the vent's bolts. After taking off the two lower bolts and pocketing them, I unscrew one of the top bolts and then slightly unscrew the fourth, letting the vent come undone, but still hanging on the last bolt.

I then undo the top belt on my leg and take the bat off of my leg to put it inside the vent. I slowly placed the bat, first to limit any noise it might make touching the metal vent. Second, to actually make sure there's enough room for the bat, as it was too dark to actually see inside the vent.

(It would be funny if I did all this only for the vent to end up being shorter in length than the bat. Or worse, if the vent went down vertically and the bat fell in...)

Luckily,no such calamity happened and I was able to put the whole bat inside the vent. So with the bat safely hidden inside the vent now, I placed the vent cover back in its place. I then started to screw in the vent cover. Only to realize halfway through that I really don't want to be busy unscrewing a vent on Z-day. With that in mind I screwed in only one bolt, the one horizontally across the partially unscrewed one, after leaving the two extra bolts inside the vent. That way the vent looked normal, while I could also easily unscrew it on Z-day.

(This should hold it for now and tomorrow, meaning today, will be the only day that it really has to go unnoticed.)

Getting off the bucket, I tightened the belts on my leg. Looking outside I saw that the guard on the front door was gone.

(The second guard should be inside the building now.)

Leaving from the main exit is a bit risky now. I better exit the building from a back window on the first floor.

(I have not seen how this guard does his rounds inside the school. So for all I know is that he walks fast. In any case, I better go to the staircase and wait there. If the guard ends up using the stairs I'm on, I should then be able to hear him or even see him, if so I can just go to a higher floor until he climbs up and leaves, then I can go down the stairs.)

Making my way to the staircase, I go halfway up the third floor and stay there for a few minutes.

(I should actually go up a level and wait on the stairs that lead to the roof if. I don't have to risk the guard coming up behind me that way.)

Plan in mind, I climbed up the stairs until I'm halfway to the roof.

(Ok, this is the third floor, so, if the guard passes here it will be either to check this floor or to go down towards the exit. In both situations I can go down after he leaves and leave from the back side of the school.)

With that, I buckle down and wait, until I could either hear footsteps or see a light from a flashlight.

About ten minutes in, I start hearing tapping on the stairs. I close my eyes and focus on the footsteps. The tapping starts getting progressively stronger...and then, starts to slowly weaken.

(Ok he is leaving. Or he is suddenly walking very silently for some reason.)

I peek over the stair's railing half expecting to see a face staring at me, its eyes wide open and a joker like grin.

(I watched too many horror movies.)

Seeing the stairs empty, I walked down to the third floor to find it empty as well. I then steel myself and start walking down the stairs to the second floor as silently as I could, the bucket under my arm. About halfway towards the second floor, I stop to check whether the guard is near. Finding no one around, I picked up the pace and walked down to the first floor. Reaching the ground floor I crouched down and moved to where I took the bucket from, leaving it back in its original place before heading towards the back of the school.

After reaching a hallway where I could see the fence that led out of the school and no sight of the first guard, I checked the windows. Some of them were actually fused with the frame but some of them could be opened vertically by pushing them.

(My exit is right ahead of me, but I shouldn't start acting sloppy now. I must leave no trace behind, that includes unlocked windows. While there's a good chance that nobody will even realize it, as I said no need to get sloppy now.)

I took a closer look at the window's lock as I kept thinking… And as luck would have it, the lock seemed to have a peculiar look to it.

(An automatically locking mechanism? I need to check this out)

I find the first locked window, unlock it, push the window open, then close it back.

A short 'click' could be heard as the window fitted back into its original place.

(The window can be locked from the outside, nice.)

I unlock the window once more, open it and slide outside. After I got out I closed the window, hearing that satisfying 'click' once again. I then turn around and silently start running towards the fence. Once I was near it I tossed the screwdriver on the other side again, climbed the fence and vaulted over to the other side.

Landing on the other side I take the screwdriver from the ground. I then took off my half mask and removed my hood after I checked my surroundings, then, I broke off into a dead run, sprinting as fast as I could away from the school.

I kept running for about...five minutes? My only target being to avoid people. After finally reaching a distant alleyway, I stop, look back and take a deep breath.

"Ninja mode, off, beep."

I turn around, exit the alley and casually start heading towards my apartment.

(And with that done all that's left to do is… to get ready for tomorrow, oh boy...fun.)

After about thirty minutes, I made it to my apartment.

I pick the keys from under the mat and dust myself off to get rid of some of the dirt I had on me from all the bush hugging, then headed inside and instantly threw all the stuff I was wearing to a bin, then took a bath.

(I still got more clothes to wear and I'll probably be stuck with my school uniform for a while. I could say that I was feeling cold and wore two shirts underneath, but that's about it on clothing.)

After finishing my bath and changing to some new clothes I sit on my chair and turn on the screen of my computer. I look at the time...and give off a heavy sigh.

"Three a.m. I should be able to get four hours of sleep at least."

I let off a yawn, get up from the chair and fall straight on the bed...falling asleep in a matter of seconds...

The computer screen still on, ticking away the minutes to Z-day like a reverse countdown.