The door creaked open.
A wave of musty air and rot spilled into the hallway, thick with the scent of paper, mold, and decay. Kanata Yukimura stepped inside first, his eyes narrowing as he scanned the vast, multi-leveled school library. Shadows stretched long over towering shelves. Dust motes drifted lazily through the slanted beams of dying afternoon light. And among the aisles... movement.
Dozens of them.
Zombies—former students in shredded uniforms and faded armbands—staggered silently between bookshelves, their heads twitching, mouths agape, limbs twitching like broken puppets.
"Don't make a sound," Kanata whispered, his voice barely audible.
Behind him, Mayumi Serizawa gripped a long metal ruler she'd scavenged earlier. Takiya Shino readied her blood-stained bokken. Godou-sensei huddled close, breathing heavily, while Kanami Tsukino clutched her nail-shooter.
"W-We have to go down there?" Kanami whimpered.
"The map said the basement's behind the librarian's desk," Kanata replied. "That emergency exit is our best shot."
They moved like ghosts, hugging the walls, ducking beneath shelves. Every step felt like a scream. One misstep, one squeak, one cough, and the entire undead library would awaken.
Kanami followed Serizawa, her eyes darting left and right. Her knees trembled beneath her. Her shooter—her precious invention—shook in her hands.
Then, with a muffled clank... the trigger mechanism snapped.
Her breath caught. She looked down in horror. The makeshift spring had come loose. The nail chamber rattled empty. The entire thing was useless.
"N-No... No no no!" she whispered, panic rising.
A low groan echoed.
One of the zombies turned, its milky eyes narrowing.
Takiya moved.
Like wind.
Her bokken cracked down on the creature's skull before it could cry out. It slumped with a thud. Another zombie heard it and shuffled toward them.
Takiya grabbed Kanami and pulled her tight against her chest.
"Don't scream, genius. You're gonna get us all killed."
Kanami blushed, smushed against Takiya's battle-worn but oddly warm and firm chest. "I'm sorry! I-I panicked..."
"Fix it later," Takiya whispered. "We're almost there."
They reached the central desk. Kanata knelt, brushing away dust and checking the floor beneath. He pried up a wooden panel—revealing a steep staircase descending into darkness.
"Here," he said.
Godou-sensei flipped through old medical textbooks nearby. Her fingers paused on one marked with faded ink: Viral Outbreaks in Civilian Centers. She pulled another—a sealed government report with redacted lines and a stamp from the Ministry of Health.
"These... These aren't public books," she muttered. "Why are they here...?"
"Sensei," Kanata urged. "Bring them. We can read later."
They descended.
---
The basement was worse than they imagined.
A cave-in had crushed half the room. Rubble, desks, and fallen ceiling panels blocked most of the emergency passage. Mold grew thick across the walls, and stagnant water pooled around their feet.
Kanami gasped. "We're trapped?"
"No," Kanata said, scanning. "There's a crawlspace..."
He pointed. A narrow gap, just wide enough for a small person.
"Kanami, you'll have to crawl through. It might open from the other side."
Her eyes widened. "M-Me?! I... I can't... What if... what if there's one of them?!"
Serizawa touched her arm. "You can do this. We'll be right here."
Kanata added, "You're the lightest. And the smartest. We believe in you."
Kanami nodded shakily, dropping to her knees. She crawled through the debris, heart pounding.
The tunnel was claustrophobic. Each breath tasted like rust and filth. Her hands scraped against brick and broken tile. She kept moving, whispering, "Just a little more..."
Then.
A cold grip.
A hand shot out of the shadows and grabbed her ankle. She screamed.
Kanata dove in.
He didn't hesitate. The rubble tore at his arms as he squeezed through, his bat swinging. He saw the zombie—its torso crushed by debris but still alive, gnawing at the air. He brought his bat down, again and again.
CRACK.
CRUNCH.
The thing stilled.
Kanami sobbed. Kanata held her tight.
"You're okay," he whispered.
But he winced. Blood trickled down his sleeve.
A bite mark.
He hid it fast.
They emerged from the other side, where the final exit door stood sealed with an emergency bolt.
Kanami undid it.
The door groaned open.
Fresh air flooded the basement. They'd made it.
---
Outside, dusk was falling. The air was smoky. Ash drifted from the burning city. Helicopters roared overhead.
Kanata leaned against the wall, catching his breath.
Serizawa stood beside him, silent.
"You act like you want to die," she said suddenly.
Kanata looked up, startled. "What?"
"You're reckless. You threw yourself into the rubble. You keep pushing forward like nothing matters. Like you're already dead."
He didn't answer.
"You know Takeshi wouldn't want that."
His voice cracked. "If I die saving you all... that's a good death."
She grabbed his arm, and her eyes widened.
"You're bleeding... Kanata... Is that..."
He pulled away.
"Don't."
She stepped back. Her voice shook. "You were bitten... weren't you?"
He didn't answer.
Godou-sensei and Takiya emerged from the tunnel. Kanami followed, clutching the books she had managed to save.
The group looked at Kanata.
But no one said anything yet.
Above them, the city burned.
To be continued...