Desperate Allies

The floor was a gaping wound, spewing dust and screeches from the B1 level below. Hollows thrashed down there, claws scraping concrete like nails on a chalkboard. Riku’s grip on my arm was the only thing keeping me from becoming their next meal, my legs dangling over the edge where my shadow hammer had caved in the tiles.

“Guess I shoulda seen that coming,” I muttered, my throat raw. Blood crusted my nose from overusing Shadow Manipulation. The West Wing’s flickering vending machine lights barely gave me enough shadows to work with.

Riku, braced against the wall, grunted as he pulled. “Goddamn, Mikaela, you’re heavier than you look.”

“Maybe ‘cause you’re using your weak-ass arm to pull a dude up,” I shot back, forcing a grin despite the ache in my bones.

“I should just let you go,” he said, but his hand tightened, knuckles white.

I glanced down. The Hollows were leaping, their grotesque, formless bodies snapping maws, trying to snag my legs. “Hurry up and get me up, please. I really don’t wanna be chow for the things clawing at me ten seconds ago.”

“Wow, Mika, that was reckless and stupid, but you pulled it off,” Shion said, grabbing my other arm to help Riku. Her eyes were glassy, her Spec—Perception Acceleration—draining her hard.

“Greatest ideas always have the most risks,” I said, smirking. She rolled her eyes, but I caught a flicker of something—respect, maybe.

They yanked me onto solid ground, and I collapsed, rolling my shoulders and cracking my neck. “Fucking hell, I’m tired.” My head throbbed like a drum, shadows still buzzing under my skin. Pushing platforms, walls, spikes, and that hammer had me teetering on the edge of a blackout.

“You and me both, dude,” Sho groaned, sprawled on the floor, chest heaving. “Think I pulled a muscle or something.” His Momentum Engine had turned him into a human rocket, but blitzing us down the hallway left him wrecked.

“Maybe we take a breather before the storage room,” Riku said, leaning against the wall, cradling his scraped hand from dragging it for his Gravity Shift.

I stretched, joints screaming. “Yeah, maybe, but I wanna hit the cafeteria before the others. Ms. Hoshino’s smart—she’ll go there first for food. I’d rather not starve in this apocalypse.”

Riku frowned, catching his breath. “Come on, she’s not heartless enough to take everything, knowing we’re out here.”

I smirked, bitter. “Yeah, but Reina? Jin? Kenta? They’d leave us to choke on dust. Hell, I don’t think Kasumi likes me much either.”

Riku’s eyes widened. “Oh, crap, you’re right. Those assholes might clean out the cafeteria and leave us screwed.” He sprang up, wincing but ready.

“Then we gotta move,” I said, stepping forward. The hallway stretched ahead, dim and littered with overturned desks, the vending machines casting sickly yellow glows.

A screech from below stopped us cold. I spun, heart pounding, and saw a Hollow scaling the wall from B1, claws sinking into plaster like it was butter. I raised my hand, shadows sluggish from exhaustion, but before I could form anything, a sharp crack split the air. The Hollow’s head exploded in a spray of black gore, its body sliding back into the hole.

We turned. Aya, Yui, and Mei stood at the hallway’s end, shadows dancing across their faces. Yui held a pistol in a perfect two-handed stance, barrel still smoking. Her left hand dropped to her hip, casual as if she hadn’t just popped a monster’s skull.

“Holy shit,” Sho said, still on the floor. “Where the fuck did you get a gun, Yui?”

She lowered the pistol, letting it hang by her side. “First, no thanks? Rude. Second, it’s not a real gun—it’s a training pistol that shoots rubber bullets. Third, you think I can handle real recoil? And lastly, it came from Aya.”

Sho’s face was a mask of confusion. I glanced at the hole, replaying the shot. That headshot was too clean for a “training” gun, especially in this lighting.

“Thanks for the save, Yui,” I said, keeping my voice even. “But how’d you get a training pistol that shoots rubber? And that stance looked pro-level, like you’ve fired a real gun. You nailed a moving target’s head in shit lighting—either you’re stupid lucky, or you’ve got experience. And… the gun came from Aya?”

Silence. Everyone’s eyes locked on me. Aya clutched her sketchpad, pencil twitching, shifting like she’d been caught stealing.

“What?” I shrugged. “I listen well.”

Yui shook her head, smirking. “It’s kinda creepy you deduced I’ve got gun experience from that, Kageyama.”

Aya fidgeted beside her, and I clocked the sketchpad. It clicked—her Spec drew the pistol, made it real enough to fire. Yui skipped my last question to hide Aya’s Spec, but too late. I’d already pieced it together.

“What do you guys want?” Shion asked, arms crossed, her voice sharp.

Mei scoffed, tossing her hair. “Ungrateful much? We just saved your not-so-pretty mug from being Hollow chow.”

Shion’s eyes narrowed. “We’d have been fine without you.”

Mei chuckled, venomous. “Clearly. Should’ve let it maul your face.”

Shion’s fist clenched. “You still didn’t answer my question.”

Riku stepped in, hands up. “Alright, calm down, let’s not throw down right here.”

“Shut it, creep,” Mei snapped.

Yui facepalmed. “Here we go again.”

“What’s your stress?” Aya asked Yui, frowning.

“Nothing, girl, just keep doing you,” Yui said, waving her off. “Anyway, we’re here ‘cause Aya wanted to follow you guys. I tagged along, and Mei… well, she’s Mei.”

I narrowed my eyes, locking onto Aya. She squirmed under my gaze, like I was a Hollow sizing her up. “Why?” I asked, echoing Riku’s skepticism. “Extra hands are nice, but why us? It’s every man for himself out here.”

Aya took a deep breath, steadying herself. “You guys seem to know what you’re doing. Plus, Reina’s out of sorts. I’d rather stick with a team that’s got it together mentally.”

Cold as hell. Since when was Aya this calculating? Her usual bubbly teasing was gone, replaced by something sharp. Interesting.

Sho sat up, wincing. “Weren’t you tight with Reina’s crew? Sucking up to each other, having a swell time?”

Mei scoffed. Yui smirked. Aya stepped forward, unfazed. “After you left, Ms. Hoshino led us to the storage rooms in the East Wing—something about changing clothes. But Reina was insufferable, demanding everyone circle her like she’s the queen. It was suffocating. So, I bailed with Yui and Mei.”

I perked up, catching Sho’s eye. “Wait, they’re heading to the storage rooms on the other side?” I asked.

Aya nodded. “Yeah, then the cafeteria.”

I shared a look with Shion, Riku, and Sho. Reina’s crew beating us to supplies was bad news. “Well, that didn’t take long,” I sighed. “We gotta move.”

Mei stepped aside as I started walking. “Moving where?”

I glanced back, watching Sho dust himself off. “Storage rooms. Doubt you wanna stay in that uniform long,” I said, nodding at her torn skirt. “Then the cafeteria for food.”

Shion pushed past Mei, falling into step beside me. She stumbled, legs wobbling. I caught her arm. “You good?”

She shook her head, eyes unfocused. “Used my Spec too much. Vision’s blurry.”

“How long you been running it?” I asked, leaning her against the wall.

“Since we left the classroom, I think,” she mumbled.

Her Spec burned mental stamina like gasoline. No wonder she was fading. “Alright, hop on,” I said, crouching. “I’ll carry you for a bit.”

She hesitated, glancing at the others moving ahead. “Come on, they’re leaving us,” I urged.

Shion climbed onto my back, arms looping around my shoulders. Her breath was warm on my neck, carrying a faint lavender scent—shampoo, probably. “Thanks, Mika,” she whispered. “You did good for the team.”

I snorted, hiding a grin. “Yeah, don’t get used to it.”

Aya’s voice cut through. “You coming, Kageyama, or what? Hollows could hit any second.” Her tone was sharp, urgent, but something else flickered in her eyes.

I tilted my head. “Yeah, yeah, I’m coming.” The West Wing’s hallway loomed ahead, vending machines casting eerie glows. Reina’s crew was out there, and the East Wing storage rooms weren’t gonna wait.

Our footsteps echoed down the narrow hallway of the Main Building’s first floor, the sound bouncing off cracked tiles and busted lockers. It was weird—despite all the noise we were making, no Hollows came sniffing. Maybe they were licking their wounds after the floor collapse, or maybe we were just lucky. Shion was out cold on my back, her breath soft against my neck, still wiped from overusing her Spec. The lavender scent of her shampoo was the only thing keeping me grounded as my own Spec left my head throbbing and my nose crusted with blood.

“How’d you guys even know where to find us?” Riku asked, his voice low as he glanced at Yui.

She sighed, twirling the pistol in her hand before tucking it away. “Wasn’t that hard. After we ditched Reina’s group, we headed your way. Then we heard Hollows tearing down a hallway. Followed the noise, and bam, there you were.”

Made sense. If they couldn’t find us after that ruckus, I’d be more suspicious. “Anyway, forget that,” Yui said, pushing up to Riku with a grin that caught him off guard. “How’d you make the whole floor cave in like that? That was crazy.”

Riku rubbed the back of his neck, stammering like a kid caught cheating on a test. “Uh, well, it was my Spec and Mikaela’s that did it, really. Not that big a deal.”

I shook my head. Dude was hopeless around girls.

“Seriously, that’s wild,” Yui pressed, eyes glinting. “What are your Specs that let you do stuff like that?”

I glanced at Aya and Mei walking side by side. Their faces gave nothing away, but Yui’s question bugged me. She dodged my jab about Aya’s Spec earlier, and now she’s fishing for ours? Shady.

“Well, mine’s Gravity Shift,” Riku said, oblivious. “Lets me increase the weight of anything I touch.”

Sho slowed his pace, falling in beside me. “This idiot’s just blabbing confidential info,” he muttered. “Don’t you find it weird how Yui skipped your question about the gun coming from Aya? Gotta be tied to her Spec, but she’s not spilling.”

“Yeah,” I said, keeping my voice low. “Riku doesn’t even know my Spec exactly—he’s just seen it in action. But he’s smart enough to keep his mouth shut.”

As if on cue, Yui turned to me, smirking. “So, what about Kageyama’s Spec?”

“Oh, you’re gonna have to ask him,” Riku said, shrugging. “I don’t really know what his is, to be honest.”

I smirked. Nice one, Riku. Yui’s grin faltered, and she pivoted to me, walking backwards to hold eye contact. “So, what is it, Kageyama? What’s your Specification?”

Aya and Mei turned too, like they thought I’d crack under their stares. “If you wanted to know my Spec so bad, you shoulda just asked me straight up,” I said.

“I was interested in both your Specs,” Yui shot back, not missing a beat, her eyes locked on mine.

I stopped, nodding toward the stairwell beside us. “We’re going down. That’s where the cafeteria and storage rooms are.”

Everyone started descending, but Mei piped up, her voice sharp. “You didn’t answer, Kageyama. What’s your Spec?”

“What’s yours?” I shot back.

“What? I’m not telling you that,” she snapped.

“So why should I tell you mine?” I said, raising an eyebrow.

“Because I told you to, now out with it,” Mei demanded, hands on hips.

“Jeez, you really are a spoiled brat,” I said, my voice dripping with disdain.

“Excuse me, what did you just say to me?” Mei stopped dead on the stairwell’s landing, glaring at me. Everyone froze, even Shion stirring slightly on my back.

I met her stare, unflinching. “You heard me, Mei. Forgotten where we are? This ain’t the outside world. We’re in a school cut off from reality, surrounded by classmates, a teacher, and a shit-ton of monsters that wanna rip your throat out. Your family name means jack here. You and I are equals in this hellhole. If you want something, you gotta offer something of equal value. So, Mei Tanaka, if you want my Spec, cough up yours. All of yours.” I shifted my gaze to Yui and Aya. “Well, except Aya. I already know hers.”

Aya whipped around, shock plastered on her face. “What? How?”

“It was obvious,” I said, shrugging. “Specs tie to our personalities, right? And you're a Talented Drawer, and Yui said the gun came from you. Pretty clear you draw shit to life.”

Sho nodded, like it clicked for him. Aya muttered, “Talented drawer?” and looked away, cheeks flushing.

Yui stepped forward, unfazed. “Well, cat’s out of the bag. Mine’s Adrenaline Surge. I can boost my strength and speed in stacks, but the more I stack, the shorter it lasts.”

I dragged my eyes to Mei, who shriveled under my stare. “Mine is—” she started.

“Whoa, a Hollow!” Sho cut in.

We’d hit the Ground Floor landing. A single Hollow stood there, staggering like a drunk, its formless body swaying. Unlike the hordes we’d faced, this one was alone. That felt… wrong.

Yui stepped forward. “Aya, gun me.”

“Why’s this one by itself?” Sho asked, frowning.

“Who cares, just kill it,” Riku said, tensing.

“Or maybe we capture it, poke at it a bit,” Yui said, smirking.

Realization hit me like a freight train. “Kill it now!” I shouted.

They all stared, like I’d lost it. “Calm down, Kageyama, it’s just one Hollow,” Yui said. “It can barely do shit.”

The Hollow turned, its eyes locking onto us—red, glowing, wrong. “If you don’t kill that thing right now, it’s gonna—”

A piercing screech cut me off, so loud it felt like needles in my ears. I lunged forward, snatching the pistol from Yui with Shion still on my back, and fired a rubber bullet between the Hollow’s eyes. Black gore splattered, and it collapsed, the screech dying.

“Fuck,” I muttered, feeling warm blood trickle from my ears. Not again.

“What the hell was that?” Mei asked, voice shaking.

I pointed at a nearby classroom, its door ajar. “Everyone in there, quick.”

They hesitated, then moved. “Go to the wall under the window and get low,” I added.

Sho, Riku, Aya, and Yui crouched by the window, but Mei stood, defiant. “What the hell are you on about, Kageyama? Why’re you acting like a drill sergeant?”

“Tanaka, if you don’t get down, we’re all dead,” I said, not looking at her, my eyes scanning the hallway.

Something in my voice must’ve hit, because she dropped, muttering, “What’s going on?”

I crouched with them, Shion’s weight steady on my back. “In every zombie flick I’ve seen, they move in groups, like a hive mind. One sees something, the others follow. It’s human nature too—see something interesting, you look. That’s why Hollows stick together. But a lone one? It’s a lookout, meant to alert the herd.”

The ground shook, footsteps thundering like a stampede. The hallway flooded with Hollows—screeching, clawing, piling over each other. We pressed against the wall, praying they wouldn’t spot us. The chaos lasted ten minutes, then faded.

“I-I think we’re good now, right?” Riku whispered, barely moving.

“Wait,” I said, pressing my hand to the floor. Shadows swallowed my fingers, feeding me vibes from the darkness. “Something’s out there. Something big.”

Heavy, slow thumps echoed down the hallway. I glanced at the window and nearly choked. A gorilla-shaped Hollow trudged past, its arms thick as tree trunks, dragging on the floor. Its head turned, and I ducked, heart pounding. It sniffed the air, each huff like a bellows.

I looked at the others. Aya and Mei looked ready to cry, eyes wide with terror. Yui was hyperventilating, clutching her knees. Riku was frozen, not even blinking, like he’d gone into shock. Sho was… meditating? Eyes closed, breathing steady, forcing calm. Me? I was sweating bullets, blood mixing with the sweat, Shion still blissfully asleep on my back.

The sniffing stopped. The thumps faded. I pressed my hand to the floor again, feeling the shadows. Nothing. I nodded. “It’s gone.”

Everyone exhaled, a collective release of terror. “What the fuck was that?” Sho whispered, opening his eyes.

“Don’t know, but it’s gone,” I said. “Let’s move.”

We crept out of the classroom, the hallway eerily quiet. I stepped over the dead Hollow I’d shot, noticing the pistol was gone—probably dissolved, meaning Aya’s drawings had a time limit. Then something caught my eye, freezing my blood. “G-Guys, you might wanna see this.”

They huddled around the corpse, gasping. Aya started crying, soft sobs. Mei retched, vomiting on the tiles.

“Is that… our school uniform?” Riku whispered, voice hollow.

Torn and bloodied, the Hollow’s body was wrapped in the unmistakable navy blazer of Nishimura Academy.