Mercy Killers

The dead Hollow lay sprawled on the 1st floor tiles, its navy Nishimura Academy blazer torn and bloodied. My bullet hole gaped in its skull. I killed it. My stomach churned. It was a monster, not a person, I told myself. Self-defense, right? Cold sweat rolled down my forehead, stinging my eyes. I glanced around, the Main Building’s hallway dim under flickering fluorescents, lockers smashed like a riot had torn through.

“Nah, nah, nah,” Riku stammered, his face pale. “It can’t be. Maybe it ripped the clothes off a student, yeah, that’s gotta be it.”

“And wore them?” Yui snapped, her voice sharp but shaky. “You expect me to believe this thing’s capable of human behavior? Why the fuck would it care if it’s naked? It’s obviously—”

“A student,” Aya whispered, cutting her off. Her voice was barely audible, but it hit like a sledgehammer. “We’ve been killing students this whole time.”

The air turned heavy. Yui was tweaking out, her eyes darting to shadows that weren’t there, her breath hitching like she was about to crash. Mei clutched her stomach, still green from puking. Riku’s hands shook. Even Sho, usually unflappable, stared at the corpse like it might stand up.

I eased Shion off my back, her weight heavy from her Spec’s mental drain. “Watch her for me, Sho,” I said to Sho. He nodded, eyes still on the Hollow.

I walked to Yui, guiding her into a nearby classroom, its desks overturned, papers scattered like confetti. “Hey, Yui, earth to Yui. Stay with me.”

She muttered, barely coherent. “I killed one.”

“Yui, you didn’t kill anyone,” I said, keeping my voice steady. “Trust me on that.”

She shook her head, eyes wild. “You saw it, Kageyama. The uniform. It was a student. I shot one of them.”

“No, you didn’t,” I said, firmer. “Even in the real world, it’d be self-defense. You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“I KILLED THEM, MIKAELA!” she screamed, her voice breaking. “I TOOK A LIFE! DO YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS?”

I grabbed her shoulders, hard enough to make her wince, forcing her to meet my eyes. “I killed them too, Yui. I put a bullet in one right now and smashed in the face of another in class. But they’re not people anymore—they’re mutated things that want to tear us apart. We had no choice. You can’t blame us for surviving. So snap out of it. If you hesitate, those Hollows won’t wait to rip you to shreds. Understand?”

Tears glistened in her eyes, smudging her makeup. Her body shuddered as she sniffed hard. “A-alright,” she stuttered.

“Good,” I said, turning to leave. “Let’s go meet the others.”

She grabbed my hand, stopping me. Her head was down, voice small. “Hey, can I call you by your name?”

I frowned. “Haven’t you been doing that?”

“I mean your given name, not your family one,” she said, shoulders tensing.

“Sure, I don’t mind,” I said, shrugging.

She looked up, a shaky smile breaking through. “Thanks, Mikaela.”

Hearing my name from her felt… weird. Purposeful, like she wanted it to stick. Shion’s “Mika” had been casual, slipping past me in the chaos, but Yui’s hit different. I brushed it off and walked out.

The group was still shaken, huddled around the corpse. Mei’s eyes were red, Aya’s tear-streaked. Riku’s face had no color. Sho stood guard over Shion, who was still out cold.

“Alright, we gotta keep moving,” I said, my voice steadier than I felt. “We can’t let this slow us down. They’re not humans anymore—they’re Hollows. If we hesitate, thinking they’re students, we’re dead. Let this strengthen our resolve. Whatever they are now, they’re in pain. We’re putting them out of their misery.”

My speech was half-baked, thrown together on the fly, but it worked. Sho’s jaw set, like he’d already decided to move on. Riku’s face gained some color. Mei, still rattled, nodded slowly, getting it. Aya locked eyes with me, her tears dried, staring so hard I had to look away casually, like I didn’t notice. In my peripheral, she glanced at Yui for a split second.

“I guess we keep moving to the storage, then cafeteria,” Sho said, breaking the silence.

I nodded, picking Shion back up. She was still out, even after I’d set her down and grabbed her again. “You’re one hell of a deep sleeper, Shion,” I muttered, adjusting her weight.

Her arms tightened around my neck, just a bit. “I don’t think you killed anyone, Mika,” she murmured, voice soft but clear. Her face stayed blank, breathing even, like she was still asleep.

I froze, her words hitting harder than they should’ve. The way she said “Mika” felt heavier than before, like it carried weight. Did I even hear that right?

“Need help with her?” Sho offered, glancing over.

“Nah, thanks,” I said. “Doubt she’d be happy waking up on someone else’s back.”

He shrugged and kept walking. I sighed, falling in step with the group. Up next: the storage rooms in the East Wing for clothes, then the cafeteria. We had to beat Reina’s crew, or we’d be screwed.

We trudged through the dim B1 tunnels of the East Wing, footsteps echoing off concrete walls slick with condensation. No Hollows yet, which was either a miracle or a setup for something worse. Shion stirred on my back, her breath tickling my neck. “Whoa, how long was I out?” she mumbled, sliding down.

“Thirty, maybe forty-five minutes,” I said, rolling my shoulders. “Some shit went down, so it took a while.”

“We’re at the storage room?” Shion asked, blinking groggily.

I pointed to the right, where a door labeled “Storage Room” loomed in bold letters. “Yep, we’re here.”

Riku pushed it open, fumbling for the light switch. The fluorescents flickered on, bathing the room in harsh white. I was shocked the power even worked down here. Shelves packed with clothes, supplies, and random junk stretched to the ceiling, like a warehouse for rich kids’ castoffs.

“Where do we find stuff our size?” Riku asked, scratching his head.

“Right side’s for girls, left for guys,” I said. “Check the back for our age group.”

They all gave me that how do you know that look again. “I used to come here to grab shit all the time,” I said, shrugging.

“Why, though?” Mei asked, her voice sharp with suspicion.

“Easier than dealing with you lot in class,” I said. “Hiding here beats whatever drama you cook up.”

Some exchanged glances—Shion unfazed, Sho smirking—but Mei just scoffed. “Well, let’s get our clothes and change already,” Sho said, diving into the shelves.

We rummaged, pulling out tracksuits in our sizes. The girls clutched their stacks, shooting us glances. It clicked. “C’mon,” I said, heading for the door. Sho caught on and followed, but Riku—the dumbass—stood there, half-unbuttoning his shirt.

I tried signaling him with my eyes, but he just waved his hands, confused, like what’s the deal? I signaled again, harder. Then he did something even dumber.

“What’s up? Why aren’t you guys changing?” Riku asked, turning to the girls.

Sho facepalmed behind me, and I fought the urge to do the same. Mei’s eyes narrowed. “Pervert.”

Riku’s face went beet red, eyes wide as he realized his screw-up. “I didn’t mean it like that! I just blanked for a second!” he stammered, backing toward the door, shirt flapping.

“I never pegged you for a pervert, Riku,” Shion said, her voice dripping with mock disappointment. “Wanna stare at girls changing out of their uniforms?”

I ducked out, changing into a tracksuit in the hall. Riku stumbled out, shame written all over his face. “You guys shoulda said something,” he muttered.

“Who warns someone about basic manners, bruh?” Sho said, tossing his blazer on the floor.

I smirked, zipping up my tracksuit. A few minutes later, the girls emerged, all in matching navy tracksuits. “Ah, this is so much better,” Yui said, stretching. “I can move without worrying about flashing a certain pervert.” She eyed Riku, who flinched.

“I said I was sorry,” he mumbled.

“Now that we’re suited up, let’s hit the cafeteria,” Sho said.

I nodded, the group falling in line. “Is it just me, or does this feel like we’re gearing up for a boss battle?” Riku said, half-joking.

I sighed. “Way to jinx it, dumbass.”

Yui slaps my arm. “C’mon, you don’t actually believe that. He just said what it felt like.”

“Whatever,” I muttered, shaking my head. Riku already jinxed us once with that lone Hollow. No way it could happen again, right?

Wrong. Dead fucking wrong.

We reached the 1st floor cafeteria, its glass doors shattered, tables overturned like a warzone. Inside, our classmates were fighting for their lives—screams, blood, and Hollows everywhere. Claws slashed, bodies hit the floor, and Specs lit up the chaos: flashes of light, bursts of force, someone’s scream cut short. In the center, lounging on a smashed table like a twisted king, was that gorilla-Hollow from the hallway above. Its massive arms propped it up, red eyes glinting as it watched kids struggle, like it was enjoying the show.