HOTD: A New Dawn

Kohta blushed. "Y-you don't need to worry, I can focus." He smiled. "Nail gun. I'll see what I can do."

And that's exactly what he did, the moment they reached the shop class, armed to the teeth and clearing the area, he went to work, examining the tools and picking those which would fit his needs.

As the group secured the area, Kohta wasted no time diving into his work. His eyes gleamed behind his glasses as he scanned the tools available—air compressors, steel tubing, coils of wire. His fingers twitched with excitement. This was his element.

Saya crossed her arms, watching skeptically. "I still don't get how you're going to turn a bunch of random junk into a functioning weapon."

Kohta didn't even glance up. "It's simple, really. A nail gun operates using compressed air or electromagnetic propulsion. I just need to modify it for manual triggering, increase the pressure, and—" He paused, holding up a nail. A maniac smile stretched his lips, and his glasses gleamed, hiding his gaze. "Boom. Instant zombie slayer."

Shizuka clapped her hands together, beaming. "Ooooh~! That sounds way cooler than a massage chair!"

Tysone chuckled. "That remains to be seen. Just focus, Hirano. We'll cover you."

As Kohta began assembling parts with impressive precision, Rei and Takashi stood guard by the door, weapons ready. The distant groans of zombies echoed out in the hallway. Tysone stood at the window, looking at the mass of walking corpses below.

Miku approached him from the back, arms crossed. "Seeing that from here kinda puts things in a better light, huh..." She trailed off, glancing outside. How many zombies had they killed by now? Yet one look outside and there were even more undead shambling around. The city looked nothing like before anymore.

"And this is merely a high school. Busier city centers will have many more. Think how bad it could be out there..." Tysone pointed at the vast sea of wandering corpses, shuffling, moaning, snarling... "No wonder they can't put the situation under control."

'I can't even spot a single living human out there...' Miku bit her lip . 'God, this is messed up...'

Tysone continued. "This shit might as well be worldwide already, if the world leaders were having a meeting on an aircraft, not the White House."

"Do you think my parents are alive?" Miku found herself asking. She didn't know how she'd feel if they were actually dead—well, undead. She hated them, but at the same time they were the only remaining link to her old life.

Tysone glanced at her, arching one eyebrow. "Do you really care?"

She rubbed her left arm. "I don't know... I guess. I wouldn't wish such a fate for anyone..."

"Would you bring them in here, knowing that they're a time-bomb that might blow up if we so much as breathe wrong in their direction?" He patted her shoulder lightly as he turned around. "Whatever happens, it's on them. Don't let that guilt eat away at you, we don't have the time, nor resources to deal with a third-party emotional baggage. I say just leave them be."

'Maybe, if we're lucky, they'll stumble upon us as zombies and we can put them out of their misery. That'd probably serve as a good stepping stone for her growth.'

"Hey... I never asked." Miku stopped him in his tracks. "What about you? I mean, your family..."

Tysone didn't say anything for a moment. Then. "They're in the States. I've sent them a message earlier, if they're alive, they'll reply. Otherwise, there's not much I can do. Either way, they should be fine as long as they barricade themselves securely."

Miku was left a little shocked at his declaration. Did he feel no sympathy or sorrow? It was almost as if he were speaking about strangers—then again, what did she know about his family? Maybe they didn't get along well?

Miku sighed. "Yeah, maybe..."

She couldn't shake off that thought. Just what type of man did Tysone represent? An indifferent brute, a cynical leader, or just a cold realist?

Kohta let out a victorious laugh. "Done!" He lifted the modified nail gun, now bulkier and reinforced, with a makeshift sight attached to the top. He pressed the trigger, sending a nail flying into a wooden beam across the room with a thunk.

Saya raised an eyebrow. "Okay. That was… mildly impressive."

Kohta adjusted his glasses with a smug smirk. "Mildly? Pfft. Just wait until I'm popping zombie heads with this beauty."

Takashi peered out the doorway, his grip tightening on his bat. "Then let's not waste any more time. The longer we stay, the higher the risk."

…

Next and final stop: the staff room.

Thanks to Kohta's nail gun, clearing the halls became so much easier. A nail to the head, and the threat was gone. Naturally, Kohta's confidence with that gun in his hand skyrocketed to the high heavens. With each kill, his smile became a bit bigger. And whenever he wasn't in combat mode, he'd return to his blob-of-awkwardness self.

Tysone advised him to save his ammunition, though. To use it only during critical moments, as the amount of nails they managed to find wouldn't last forever. Thankfully, the combination of Tysone, Saeko, Takashi and Rei was more than enough to take care of most threats.

As such, they made it to the staff room, the last safe haven before the parking lot. Once the zombies inside were dealt with, Shizuka rushed forward.

"There. The keys are right here!"

"Hurry it up." Tysone spoke. 

"Got them!" Shizuka chimed triumphantly, her chest jiggling.

Her shirt strained to contain their bounce.

'Damn anime physics.'

Tysone merely sighed before turning around and making his way out. "Let's go. No time to waste."

With the keys acquired, the group stormed out of the school premises and headed toward the parking lot. Getting there wasn't a smooth ride. Zombies had long since heard their not so quiet approach. Some of the students that had been fighting the horde off had also made quite the ruckus.

"Run." Tysone said, being the first to engage the incoming horde. His javelin skewered a shambling zombie. He continued moving, not having time to finish it off—not that needed to as Saeko seemingly teleported behind him, her hair fluttering like a curtain behind her.

Her bokken swung down on its skull with crushing force.

A zombie lunged for the distracted Saeko, but she didn't even turn around to intercept it. Tysone launched the bloodied tip of his spear through its head, ripped it back out, and used the momentum to slam the butt of his javelin down onto another.

Not far from them, Rei and Takashi cleaved their way through the zombies with athleticism that belied raw physical prowess.

Kohta sniped the zombies down with his nail gun as he ran. He took care of the stragglers that somehow made it past the first two lines of defense, aka Tysone, Saeko, Takashi and Rei.

Mai and Miku were a squad of their own as they relied mainly on their nimble movements to dodge around zombies while hacking into them with their respective weapons. They didn't have Tysone's strength or Saeko's unmatched swordsmanship, but they handled themselves pretty well.

Then again, they didn't have to deal with multiple targets at once.

As for Shizuka and Saya, they were running somewhere in the middle of the formation. Shizuka wasn't a fighter, and Saya had yet to find her own footing in close-ranged fights. Regardless, thanks to the heavy hitters in the frontline, they managed to make it through unharmed.

The bus was right in front of them.

"Shizuka, the key!" Takashi yelled as he busted a zombie's head.

The group cleared a path for Shizuka.

The nurse immediately opened the door. Tysone halfway expected her to fumble with the key like a cartoon character, but she had no problem unlocking the door. Everyone filed inside orderly except for Tysone, Saeko, and Takashi. Shizuka dashed for the driver's seat.

Kohta slid a window open, aiming his nail gun outward in a theatrical fashion. "Target? Check. Public safety? Check. Ready to rock 'n roll!"

Saya was having none of his shit. "Oh hurry up and shoot them already!"

Shizuka inserted the key into the ignition, and the vehicle roared to life. "Ah, this isn't like my car!" She sweatdropped. "Umh... the gas, the brake, the clutch..."

Mai stared at Shizuka in disbelief. "You've got to be kidding me..."

Outside, Tysone, Saeko and Takashi made short work of the zombies, allowing everyone to settle inside. "Come on, get inside!" Tysone yelled. The vehicle starting was their cue to end the skirmish.

It didn't matter how much or how well they fought, there seemed to be no end to it. 

Tysone, after confirming that Saeko and Takashi had quickly scrambled aboard the bus, also made his way in. He was about to close the door when—

"Help us!"

A voice cried out, rapidly approaching.

Tysone looked ahead, squinting. It was a group of seven, running while being chased by an uncountable number of zombies. They were mostly students, with only of them being suited up in a sleazy attire.

"Who's that?" Takashi asked.

"That is Shido, he teaches 3-A." Saeko replied, making Tysone frown. He had almost forgotten about that bastard.

Rei's eyes widened, trembling in rage. "Shido..."

Author's Note:

If you're enjoying the story and want to read ahead or support my work, you can check out my P@treon at [email protected]/LordCampione. But don't worry—all chapters will eventually be public. Just being here and reading means the world to me. Thank you for your time and support.