Carnivore

vi) Concurso

SCREAMS AND GASPS WERE THE SYMPHONY OF DISTRESS. Panic and fear were the immediate companions through the confusion that gripped the souls within the Sarayashiki Public High School for The Quirkless and General Public. And as Zinnia felt the hands holding her pinned against the glass windows release her, she knew without a shadow of doubt that something had gone horribly wrong.

The vicious tremors that shook the building had subsided following the sudden explosion, and the windows at Zinnia's back had cracked from the force.

'Wh-what the fuck was that?!' The blonde named Ikari yelped out, eyes practically bulging as her eyes lifted from Zinnia to gaze up at the plumes of black smoke flooding the view outside.

'An explosion?!' Another girl gasped.

Zinnia cast a discrete glance down towards the front courtyard of the school, spotting naught but the wall of smoke that arose from the very ground right before the window.

Even without her glasses, she could see the faint glimpses of blue and red overhead lights of police cars through the smoke.

Premeditated? This was almost certainly the case. She could have missed it with the gang of unpleasant girls hassling her at the time, but she was fairly sure there was no commotion outside before the explosion.

'Alright, alright! Let's get the escape phase of this heist underway, people!' The humming had stopped as a voice called out from the stairwell of the building, alerting the eight girls on the third floor to the approaching forms on the lower level of the school building. 'This is a school, so go for any brats that don't have a teacher with them! Leave the rest to escape, or if they cause too much trouble, kill them off or whatever takes your fancy; they're just quirkless!'

A chorus of voices cheered out in acknowledgement.

'Now get up there and snag some bartering chips!'

The girls standing before Zinnia flinched as more roars of acknowledgement rung out from the stairs, and one had even stumbled back with panic written clear across her face.

Screams and yells of fear shot through the air, mixing with the sounds of smashing glass and pounding footsteps on the wood floors below. The splitting of the air was shrill, harsh against the ears, and Zinnia's blurry gaze could pick up on very little as the smoke outside expanded to block most of the light from filtering in through the windows.

'What are we going to do?!' One of the girls yelped out, rounding on the others as sheer desperation began to take hold. 'There's villains here?!'

Obviously.

'You expect us to know?!' Another snapped.

Zinnia's gaze slowly lifted from the group of girls before her, casting her view discretely across the hallway towards the stairs, paying little heed to the girls arguing shrilly among themselves.

It didn't appear the villains were at their level yet, but that was the only way down. Curse the layout of a pathetic school with only one staircase.

'You! You damn mutant freak!' The closest girl, one appearing to be a ravenette spat as she rounded upon Zinnia, drawing the latter's reluctant attention away from the stairs. 'You're the one with the fucking mutant power! How about you go out there and check out what's going on!'

'No. I don't think so.' Zinnia bluntly declined.

Even in Zinnia's poor vision without her glasses, she could see the utterly appalled looks written across their faces.