Chapter 2 – The First Kill

Arata stood on the rooftop, surveying Shimamoto—the small town he had once called home with his grandfather.

Now, everything was gone.

Streets that once bustled with life were choked with overturned cars, burning debris, and something far worse. Bodies. Dead and dying. Some were being torn apart by those who should have still been human.

The infected fed without mercy.

Memories of his escape with Masahiro, the soldier he had come to call Grandfather, surfaced unbidden. Every time the military had come close to finding him, they had run. Every narrow escape. Every hidden alley. Every quiet night beneath unfamiliar stars while they planned their next move.

Shimamoto had always felt safe.

Now, it was a nightmare.

A low, guttural growl snapped him back to reality.

The rooftop door rattled violently.

Arata turned just in time.

A zombie burst through the doorway, arms flailing, jaws snapping hungrily as it lunged straight for him. Arata moved on instinct alone—stepping aside at the last possible second.

The creature staggered past him.

Over the railing.

It vanished with a shriek and slammed into the street below with a sickening thud.

Arata didn’t look back.

Without sparing a thought for what had just happened, he turned and headed for the stairwell.

The corridor was hell.

Blood smeared the walls. Shattered windows let broken sunlight spill across the floors. Glass crunched beneath his takkies with every step. Screams echoed from distant classrooms—some cutting off far too suddenly.

As Arata approached a corner, a figure staggered into view.

At first, he thought she was still human.

Her school uniform was torn and soaked in blood. One arm hung at an unnatural angle. Her head twitched sharply.

Then her eyes locked onto him.

And she screamed.

The girl charged.

Arata grabbed a nearby broomstick and snapped it in half.

Before he could strike—

THUNK.

An axe split the girl’s skull.

Her body collapsed at Arata’s feet.

Blood spread across the floor.

Slowly, Arata lifted his eyes.

A tall boy stood there gripping the axe with shaking hands, chest heaving.

“You okay?” the boy asked.

Arata stared at him for a moment. “…Yeah.”

The boy exhaled sharply. “Good. I’m Riku Takahashi. Captain of the baseball team.”

“I know,” Arata said calmly. “We’re in the same class. Have been since first year.”

Riku blinked, then managed a nervous smile. “Cool…”

A scream erupted from outside.

They ran.

The parking lot was chaos.

Three girls were trapped near an overturned car. Two zombies were closing in fast.

“We have to help them!” Riku shouted, tightening his grip on the axe.

Arata stared at him.

“Come on!” Riku yelled—and ran.

Riku swung his axe into the first zombie’s head. Bone cracked, and the creature was knocked sideways but didn’t fall. As Riku turned toward the second one, it was already inches from his face.

Arata moved.

He drove the sharpened broomstick straight through the zombie’s skull.

The body dropped instantly.

The first zombie twitched.

Riku finished it with a second brutal swing.

Silence followed.

Arata turned to him.

“Now we’re even,” he said quietly.

Riku stared at him, chest rising and falling fast. “…You’re seriously messed up, you know that?”

The three girls collapsed to their knees, shaking and sobbing.

Not only from fear—

But from realizing the two zombies had once been their friends.

Riku turned to them. “Are you girls okay?”

They nodded through tears.

“Y-Yes… we’re fine,” one of them said. “Those two were our friends… Mina and Shizuka. We were trying to escape the school. Mina tripped… Shizuka went back to help her. We were waiting outside in Takeru-sensei’s car so Shizuka could drive us out…”

Her voice broke.

“When they came out… they tried to eat us…”

Arata wasn’t listening anymore.

He was already inside one of the cars, working beneath the steering column.

Riku stayed with the girls, doing his best to calm them.

“It’s okay… you’re safe now,” he said—though none of them truly believed that.

Suddenly, a shout rang out.

“Riku!”

A boy sprinted toward them.

“Takumi,” Riku said in relief. “You’re okay!”

“Dude, what is going on?!” Takumi demanded, panic carving his face. “People are attacking each other! It’s like a damn horror movie!”

At that moment—

VROOOOM.

A car engine roared to life.

Riku spun around.

Arata sat behind the wheel.

Riku rushed forward and slammed his hands on the hood. “How did you get that started?!”

“I hot-wired it,” Arata replied calmly.

Before anyone could respond—

A wave of growls flooded the parking lot.

Dozens of zombies poured out of the school entrance.

Some tumbled through shattered windows.

Others clawed their way over the fallen.

A horde.

“EVERYONE IN THE CAR!” Riku shouted.

They piled in as Arata slammed his foot down.

The car surged forward.

Zombies were crushed beneath the wheels. Bodies were thrown aside.

Arata didn’t slow down.

“DUDE, HOW DO YOU EVEN KNOW HOW TO DRIVE?!” Takumi screamed from the back seat.

Arata didn’t answer.

He just kept driving.

Smoke swallowed the streets.

Screams echoed behind them.

Riku leaned forward from the passenger seat. “So what now?” he asked quietly. “What happens now?”

Arata stared ahead at the burning city.

The dead were walking.

The world was ending.

“…Now,” he said softly, “we survive.”