Chương 25: CHAPTER 25
"Yahhh!" Okada swung his bat with all his strength, smashing it repeatedly into the undead's head until it lay still. The creature's head splattered, leaving him panting.
"Okada! Watch out!" Nishinoya ducked low, swept his leg around, and sent another undead sprawling before it could sink its teeth into Okada's neck. The downed creature groaned briefly before Hisashi crushed it with his metal pipe, ending its movements.
"There's too many! That weapon of yours, Hirano—it attracts more of them," Hisashi said, his tone calm but tense as he fought to keep as many zombies at bay as possible.
"A-ah, I'm sorry," Hirano whimpered, clutching his weapon tightly.
"Don't be—it can't be helped," Hisashi reassured him, glancing around to assess the battlefield.
"M-M-Maybe it would've been better if we'd just stayed on the bus with Shido-sensei!" Marikawa exclaimed, backpedaling to avoid an incoming undead.
"What's that? Didn't you say you hated him?" Takagi smirked, sparing a brief glance her way.
"Well, I don't like him, but I don't like all this walking either..."
"Don't worry, Sensei! I'll carry you!" Okada and Nishinoya blurted out at the same time.
"Oi! Nishinoya! Your leg's hurt! Let me handle it!"
"Huh?! Don't be stupid—my leg's already healed! I could even kick your butt right now!" Nishinoya pulled a face at Okada.
"Huhhh! What did you say, korra~?" Okada retorted, glaring.
"Huhhh! Wanna fight, korra~?" Nishinoya shot back, their faces inches apart, eyes locked.
"It's not the time to be fighting, you delinquent sandwiches!" Takagi shouted, rolling her eyes.
"Sandwich?" Nishinoya tilted his head, confused.
"Delinquent?" Okada also paused, a puzzled look crossing his face.
"Hisashi-san, I'm low on nails!" Hirano shouted, stepping back as the horde pressed forward.
"Then want to try this?" Hisashi offered his steel pipe.
"Err... no thanks. I'm not great with close-range combat..." Hirano shook his head vigorously.
"Then stay back, only shoot when they're close. We'll try to handle as many as we can." Hisashi, Saeko, Nishinoya, and Okada nodded firmly, preparing to fight.
"Kyahhh!!" Marikawa yelped, nearly toppling as she stumbled into Takagi, an undead lunging at her from behind.
"Marikawa-sensei! Takagi-san!" Hirano's nails had run out, and he threw his weapon at the zombie to draw it away from them.
It stumbled, undeterred by Hirano's attempt, as it advanced on the girls. Suddenly, a figure sprang forward, delivering a crushing blow that splintered its skull with one powerful strike.
"Busujima-senpai!" Hirano cried out in relief.
"Right now... the only thing we can do is fight!" Saeko said, her voice resolute. She shook the blood off her wooden sword, then charged forward, slashing through the remaining zombies with swift, calculated movements.
"Oh no! We're getting surrounded!" Okada shouted, panic in his eyes.
"Shit! Arghh!" Nishinoya gritted his teeth, forcing himself to fight through the fatigue. Just as he struck one zombie, it collapsed and went completely still, as if frozen in place.
Everyone around froze, wide-eyed.
"Wh-what the...?" Hisashi muttered, struggling to believe what he'd just witnessed.
One by one, the undead around them dropped, each as if struck by an invisible force. Hirano stepped cautiously toward one of the fallen bodies, examining the head closely. "They've got a mark... like something hit their foreheads..."
"What is it, Hirano?" Hisashi asked, drawing nearer.
"It looks like they were shot, but... I don't see any bullets."
"Hey, this one's got the same mark!" Nishinoya shouted, crouching by another corpse.
"Yeah, and this one too." Okada pointed, holding up another lifeless head.
"It's on all of them—same small hole on the forehead," Saeko said, frowning as she took in the scene.
"Wow... that was a close call!" Marikawa sighed in relief. "Good thing they're all gone..."
"It's not like *you* did anything..." Takagi frowned at her, exasperated.
"But who... why... and how did they do this?" Hisashi murmured, his brow furrowed in confusion as he pondered the strange scene.
Before he could think further, the roar of an engine drew their attention. Takashi came speeding in on his bike, making a sharp turn and skidding into a dramatic stop near them. Rei was perched behind him, looking equally exhausted but relieved.
"Takashi! Rei!" Hisashi exclaimed, his tense expression softening slightly.
"Hisashi!" they both called out, dismounting and approaching the group.
"I heard gunfire so we rush to here, but well~... it didn't sound like real gunfire... But I'm glad you're okay," Takashi muttered, his brows furrowing while looking at Hirano's nail gun.
"Barely," Hisashi chuckled dryly, giving Takashi a weary but grateful nod.
"I'm relieved you're both safe," Saeko said, offering a small smile.
"Same to you, Senpai," Takashi replied, nodding back.
"How about me?" Takagi huffed, glaring at him.
"Y-yeah... glad you're safe too..." Takashi replied awkwardly, forcing a smile.
"Marikawa-sensei!" Rei called out, running over to hug her tightly.
"Ara... Miyamoto-san! What a goincidence!" Marikawa said, hugging her back.
"It's not a 'goincidence,'" Rei whispered, tried to correcting her pronunciation.
Ignoring the small reunion, Takashi pulled Hirano aside, holding out a weapon. "Hirano, I think this might suit you better."
"Huh? ...KOMURO—where did you get this?! A *Smith & Wesson M37 Airweight*? And... bullets too? This is just like the police's gun!"
"Whoa! That's so cool! A police gun... I want one too!" Okada said enviously.
Ignoring the chatter, Hisashi approached Takashi. "Looks like Tokonosu Bridge is closed off too."
"Ha... there's no way to cross, then," Takashi frowned.
"Water level's gone up over time—it'd be impossible to cross at this rate," Takagi said, glancing toward the river.
"Besides that, can we rest? I'm exhausted," Okada groaned, wiping the sweat from his brow.
"Good idea. It's nearly nightfall," Saeko added. "Nishinoya, your house is nearby, isn't it?"
"Yeah... but I live with my brother, so..." Nishinoya trailed off, suddenly sheepish.
"..."The group fell silent until Marikawa intrude in to break the silence.. "Well, I know a place we can use nearby and we can walk there."
"Your boyfriend's house, is it?" Takagi teased, raising an eyebrow.
"WHAT!? Boyfriend!?" Okada and Nishinoya exclaimed simultaneously.
"N-no! It belongs to a friend. She's usually away on business, so she lets me stop by and air it out occasionally."
"Hm, so suspicious..." Okada whispered to Nishinoya.
"Yeah, I bet she even puts on an apron and says, 'Welcome home, darling,'" Nishinoya muttered darkly, sharing a knowing look.
Hisashi raised an eyebrow at his junior. Then sighed, awkwardly listening to their whispers. "Can it fit all of us? I hope Niikaz and Kazu are on their way too."
"yeah! It's a maisonette that is next to the river. It's close to a convenience store too. Oh! And she has a car, too. It looks like a tank, and it's thiiiis~ big!" Marikawa said, spreading her arms wide.
"Quite big, huh?" Okada and Nishinoya's gazes drifted.
"I'd like a shower while there's still power," Takagi said, waving her hair dismissively.
"Oooh, a shower sounds amazing..." Hirano muttered dreamily, while Okada and Nishinoya stared up, clearly imagining things.
"You perverts!" Takagi kicked Hirano, who yelped in pain.
Okada and Nishinoya cowered, muttering to themselves, "Takagi is scary..."
"We'll check it out first," Hisashi said, signaling for Takashi.
"I'll go ahead with Shizuka-sensei on the bike," Takashi said, revving the engine.
"Is that your bike?" Hisashi raised an eyebrow.
"Nah. *Stole* it," Takashi smirked, earning a chuckle from Hisashi.
Once the bike roared out of sight, Hisashi and the others began walking in the same direction. After a while, Rei turned to Hisashi. "By the way, where are Niikaz and Kazu? They wouldn't follow Shido, right?"
"They'll catch up eventually. It's... a long story." Hisashi glanced at the small disc in his hand.
"What's this?" Rei asked, peeking over his shoulder.
"Oh, this? It's... well, it's something I hope will help us all stay connected, even if we're separated."
Rei studied the disc with a raised brow. "Is that some kind of communicator?" her eyes drawn to a small metallic disc he held tightly in his hand.
"Yeah, actually," Hisashi replied, a bit surprised. "After you and Takashi separated from us, Niikaz came up with a plan. Kazu worked on this device to keep us linked, especially in case of... situations like this."
As they continued their conversation, Okada, walking a few steps behind, seemed to have his thoughts far away, his expression tense. Nishinoya noticed the change and nudged him gently.
"Don't worry. Niikaz is strong. Kazu can handle himself."
Okada nodded, a slight smile breaking through his concern. "Yeah, you're right. If anyone can make it through this, it's those two."
Meanwhile, Hirano was still in awe over the police gun Takashi had given him, examining it reverently as he muttered excitedly to himself. Nearby, Saeko's face remained questioned, her thoughts wrapped up in the mystery of the undead from earlier. She replayed the moment in her mind—when, mid-battle, the undead had suddenly dropped, each one with a strange, precise hole in its forehead.
(Who could be responsible for this? And how?) Saeko wondered. (It almost looked like a bullet hole, but there wasn't any sign of shell casings or anything that could explain it.)
Her questions hung in the air, unanswered, as the group moved on.
Meanwhile,
Niikaz watched their retreating forms from a distance.
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