Katya Edition: Second Edition

Third Corpse: The Escape ②

❝People drift apart all the time. It's life and I accept that. You should too.❞

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Third Corpse | The Escape Part Ⅱ

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[Z-day | Apr. 14 | 15:14hrs]

Awkward silences were practically an art form in our makeshift group. Everyone either hated someone else or shared some awkward experience with another in the room.

The only person exempt from that was Shizuka which is why she was the person who eventually initiated conversation.

"What do we do now?" She asked in puzzlement.

We were in the Faculty Room now, none of us willing to stand around in the hall and talk and risk getting cornered. Once was good enough for me.

Saya took over the conversation then, "Our top priority has to be getting out of here," she said seriously, looking each of us over. "We have to assume that everyone in the school either got out, died or turned which leaves us at a numbers disadvantage if we stay. You've seen how easy it is to get cornered in an enclosed space like this but out in the open we have more escape routes and stand a better chance at surviving."

"But but...shouldn't we just sit tight and wait for the Special Defense Force to rescue us?" Yamada spoke up from beside me timidly.

Saya's eyes narrowed on him in agitation and she opened her mouth, no doubt to deliver some scathing remark then her eyes flickered over to me and she paused. She blew out a breath and muttered tightly, "This is a national crisis. The SDF would have already been called to action and given the nature of this crisis, I'd bet anything that they were ill-prepared to handle it." She cupped her chin in thought, "An evacuation would be impossible to effect so soon in this type of situation so we're on our own from here on out."

"But surely the police--" Rei's hopeful words were cut off harshly by Saya.

"Are you naturally this dense?" Saya snapped at her, "If the Special Defense Force isn't prepared for something like this, what makes you think regular prefectural police will be?!"

"Did you really have to say it like that?" Takashi protested, holding Rei close when she seemed close to tears. I looked away from them, feeling slightly ill.

"How am I supposed to say it?!" Saya snapped, "Am I supposed to put on my kid gloves and pull punches now? Get real!"

To say she was worked up would be an understatement. Saya was losing her cool and I had a sneaking suspicion of why that was. If I knew Saya like I thought I did then breaking down in front of everyone earlier had wounded her pride.

Deciding to ignore the odd satisfaction I got from seeing her worked up, I chose to spare her for now, clearing my throat and speaking up, "Who cares about the authorities? We need to save our own asses so what's the plan, Takagi? How do we get out of here?"

Her surprise showed on her face but Saya had the good sense to not dwell on the fact that I was willingly talking to her. Instead she tugged at one pink pigtail thoughtfully and said, "We could continue sticking to the less popular areas of the school until we get outside but after that...well, a big group like this will only slow us down."

"What about if we had a vehicle?" Shizuka asked from near a window, "Like that one?" She pointed through the window and we all joined her to see what she was talking about.

"That's perfect, Shizuka," I told her, impressed by her thinking. The vehicle she'd chosen was the event tour bus for whenever the school had some big event or trip.