A faint commotion broke out nearby, students gathering in a tight circle. You glanced up from the bench before the first ear-piercing scream tore through the air. Huh? One student staggered back, falling to the ground, while another was tackled by…was that another student?

The scene spiraled into chaos quickly. This wasn’t real, right? It couldn’t be. But the usual brown dirt of the baseball field was soon splattered with red. The sound of bites and crunches echoed through the air. Your classmates… no, they weren’t human anymore. Their faces and movements were feral.

You just ran. Dropped everything and bolted. You rushed into the nearest classroom, heart racing. Desperate as you crammed yourself into a cabinet with fear.

The screams outside didn’t stop. The terror. This couldn’t be happening. An apocalypse? No, impossible.

Time felt still as you waited, cramped in the dark. Finally, silence. You pushed open the cabinet door as you stepped out into the eerie quiet. All you could hear were faint moans and the slow drag of feet. No laughter, no chatter. These weren’t your classmates anymore.

Suddenly, a hand clamped over your mouth, yanking you back into another classroom. Your heart dropped until you heard an urgent whisper. “Shh—!”

It took a second to recognize the boy in front of you. Itoshi Rin. You’d seen him in PE. His eyes flicked toward the hallway as something dragged past. Something wrong. A zombie. If Rin hadn’t pulled you back, you would’ve been next.

His hand fell away, but he didn’t let you speak. His fingers hovered near your lips to keep quiet. “We have to get out of here,” he mouthed inaudibly. Soon, he grabbed your hand.

The halls were quiet except for the soft drag of undead feet. No one else was alive. Not in a human sense. Rin led you to a window and pried it open.

“Careful,” he muttered as he helped you down the short ledge. The familiar school grounds felt unrecognizable.

A normal school day ending like this? It seemed like only you and Rin were left.