Number 7

As they had watched Amy run off, at first Marcus was concerned.

They had approached the humans on hearing their voices, hiding in the bushes to prevent an encounter.

After all, they were monsters.

They couldn't approach humans without any consequences.

However at some point, the girl at their side had disappeared.

And then she had reappeared at the side of the boy.

As the three watched the girl fall further into her own madness, they were filled with a mix of emotions.

But… after seeing the treatment that Arnold had given Gordon, not a single person there had the heart to rush out and stop her.

Even as she delved far beyond the realm of mere insanity, they could do nothing more than watch.

They watched and they waited, witnessing the product of their own creation as she ran loose.

And then, forcing themselves to accept the result, they exited those bushes, approaching the boy who was left alive.

'Whether this is right or wrong... I cannot allow myself to look away.'

'For this is who she has become... no... this is what I made that girl into.'

----

"As far as other people are concerned… we should stay away from them. These bodies we are in... are very annoying. If we approach other people, not only do we have the chance to endanger them because of the ones within us, but we will also likely be viewed as beasts to be destroyed."

Placing her hand on the head of the boy at her side, the woman smiled with a sinister glitter in her eyes.

"That's where this… human comes in. He is our sole link of communication. And since you seem to have accepted us as well.... then I suppose you can also pitch in on that. You said you were weak, no?"

There was a difference.

A difference in the way the woman spoke.

For now… she spoke as if humans were a different species altogether.

And perhaps they were.

"That... is right." Gordon frowned, looking down.

"And you wish to be stronger?"

"I do."

"You wish to be useful?"

"I do."

Firmly nodding, the boy looked to Sylvia, who grinned with an evil delight.

"Then become our link of communication. If you can do that... then you will serve sufficient use."

Taking a deep breath in, Gordon nodded.

'I see... so because they've become like this... even if their bodies don't die... they have weaknesses of their own.'

"I'll do it."

Gordon had never been social.

He had never been good at talking with others, and he was constantly ostracized by those around him.

Even those who didn't bully him still looked down on him.

He had failed at anything and everything, and not a single memory of success could be found within his mind.

Yet even so, right now, as he was faced with these people who had endured such horrors, he couldn't allow that to hold him back.

He wanted to help them.

He wanted to be of use to them.

And if that meant doing the very thing which he feared the most... then so be it.

"Excellent.”, Marcus crowed. “Then... I suppose we should start by trying to find out if there are any more people within this school."

"That's right."

"Ah, but we can't leave a weak human like you alone." Amy said, opening one crazed eye.

"The girl is right,'' Sylvia added. "We should stick together, but if we encounter any people, then the three of us will hide."

Looking back and forth between Shane and Gordon, Sylvia sighed before she straightened up and spoke with authority.

"If we encounter any monsters... then we fight together. However if we encounter any humans... then you two are to act alone… and we will only interfere if necessary."

"And… What if we encounter both?" Amy asked with a gleam in her twitching eyes, having opened both.

With a smile, Sylvia's sharpened teeth showed through the opening in her mouth as she pursed her lips in a grim smile.

"Then we forget about hiding and we slaughter them all."

Fixing her hair into place, the woman stood up with a toothy grin.

"Even if we live in this world where everything has rotted... even if these creatures will eat away at our brains... I'm not going to let that prevent me from obtaining what I want."

The other four stood up quickly, and as he unbuttoned his coat, Marcus, too, prepared for combat.

"I couldn't have said it any better myself.” The black-haired man said with a smirk. “Now then... shall we get going?"

----

Gordon found himself taking the rear, with the three monsters standing at the front.

"If a monster leaps out at us, then it would be best for one of us three to take the bite. If either of you two are bitten, then without a doubt... you will die."

That was what Marcus had said as he explained the plan.

Gordon had been told that even though they were monsters, Marcus and Sylvia still felt pain.

However, after seeing the madness of the young girl who told him he was Amy, he was not so sure about that.

'She... is the strongest out of all of them.'

It was enough to make him want to shrivel up in a ball and cry.

This innocent girl who was no more than 10 years old had lost herself to the point of madness.

Yet that madness made her stronger than anyone else.

It was insanity.

Yet it was enough to make Gordon wonder.

'Can I... become like that too?'

It was enough to fill him with hope. A selfish, mad hope, but hope nonetheless.

The world was gone.

Everything was gone.

It should have been enough to make Gordon want to scream, yet right now he was calm.

No, to say he was calm wouldn't exactly have been right.

He was excited.

He was excited about the possibilities that lay ahead of him.

In this new world where everything had gone to shit, could even a useless, talentless, loser like him become something worth something?

He didn't know.

But even so, he wanted to find out.

'This? This is a second chance.'

'A chance... to finally do something worthy of recognition.'

With a smile, Gordon looked up.

'I can't allow myself to fail.'

----

The hallways of the school were darkened.

Rot was evident throughout the building, spoiled foods giving off an unbearable scent, and a number of structural beams had fallen, blocking off multiple hallways .

Whether it was actually safe to travel through this place was questionable at best, yet if there was anyone left inside, Gordon wanted to be the first to greet them.

If not, they would gain some supplies and get out.

As the others had stated earlier, there was probably nobody here.

The cataclysm happened at 9 PM.

All the students should have been gone, and even the teachers would likely have already left for the day. Even the most diligent among those on sports teams and in various clubs should have already left, therefore the likelihood of anyone remaining was unlikely at best.

'But if that's true...'

Gordon found himself grimacing as he thought about all the other students and teachers.

He had been spared a fate as a zombie because he was in this locked up school at the time, but what about the others?

'Do I... care?'

He found himself filled with a mix of emotions as he thought about these things.

On one hand, he didn't care at all.

Not a single person, student or teacher, had bothered to help him.

It should have been obvious what was going on, yet even despite that...

Nobody helped him. They didn't lift a finger. They just watched.

"Ah... looks like they're at it again."

"Pfft... what a loser."

"Should we go watch?"

"Ehh... I don't want to see something like that."

"Would that even be entertaining?"

"Ah, but then again... Arnold will be there..."

"Ooh... I guess you're right..."

The girls in the class somehow had some sort of obsession with Arnold.

The badass.

The 'cool kid'.

The prettyboy.

"Ahaha... look at that loser. How many times has he been beat up?"

"You'd think he would learn his lesson."

"If he's that weak, why doesn't he TRY to get stronger?"

The boys in the class were no different.

They would snicker at his torment.

Whether it was out of relief that they weren't in such a position, or whether it was because they truly viewed Gordon as pathetic, they didn't bother to hold a hand out to him.

And then, there were the teachers.

How many times had the instructors turned a blind eye to the blatant hierarchy which had formed among the student body?

Gordon's father was a businessman, and a CEO at that.

Yet even so, he received no special treatment.

Why? Gordon had been disowned.

Living on his own, a shoddy property was all his father had given him.

"I was able to climb up to become what I am. Do you expect me to simply hand over everything that I have earned?"

Gordon clenched a fist as he recalled his father’s words, walking through the silent hallways, the footsteps of the five being the only sound to fill his ears.

"If you cannot at least come as far as I did... then why should I bother to call you my son?"

With these words, Gordon had been left completely on his own.

When he was younger, the teachers had protected him.

"How could you do this to Gordon!? I'll have you reported to the principal immediately!!"

"Are you alright, Gordon!? They didn't hurt you, did they!?"

"Expelled! You children are expelled for laying a hand on him!!"

They defended him without even being asked, bending themselves backwards to protect the child.

Yet… this only spurred the hatred between Gordon and his peers.

And after his elementary years of being sheltered, protected, and babied, he was abandoned.

He was left on his own in a jungle of hungry wolves, filled with students whose hatred for Gordon had built up over the years.

"Ah, it's the spoiled brat who relied on his daddy to get out of everything."

"Even though his grades sucked, he was always given priority above everyone else."

"Just because of his father."

The protection stopped.

The second that Gordon had been disowned, no longer did he have a single ounce of influence over others.

The bullying began, and it didn't stop.

Over the course of his middle school and throughout the beginning of his high school, he was left with nothing.

'Yet.... even if they hated me.... even if they gave me those looks....'

As his face wrinkled with concern, Gordon was filled with indecision.

'Can I truly say that I want them to end up... as brainless zombies? Or worse....'

Thinking back to the three who had been killed, Gordon breathed in heavily.

'Like them?'

He didn't feel a thing about those three who had died.

Yet for those who sat by and did nothing - neither helping nor hindering him - could he truly say that he wanted them dead?

Even if they had abandoned him, could he truly say that he wanted such a thing?

Gordon did not know.

He himself understood that the treatment he received in his younger years was beyond unfair.

It was enough to spur hatred towards him, and Gordon knew that.

Yet even knowing it, he had accepted that treatment without question.

'Was I... arrogant?'

'Was it my fault... that everyone hated me?'

"Hey. Why do you look like you're having an existential crisis? We're in the middle of an exploration here. Pay attention."

Slyvia’s cold words brought Gordon back to reality as he snapped forward, nodding quickly.

"Ah... I suppose you're right. Sorry about that. I'll-"

A high pitched scream tore through the air, echoing throughout the hallway, causing the five to halt in their path.

"Don't worry! Just stay behind me!"

The roaring of a zombie and the courageous shout of a man were also heard from the same direction, allowing the five to pinpoint it to an office down the hallway.

"Ah! It sounds like there are people over there. Can we go meet them? Hey, Mr. Marcus, Miss Sylvia, can we meet them? Please? I'll be good!"

Amy seemed to be overly excited as she tugged on the shirts of the two adults, yet they both held out their hands to the girl.

"No."

In perfect synch, they denied her.

"Gordon and Shane. You two go see what's going on. Sylvia, you take care of the child, and make sure she doesn't draw any attention. I will follow from behind. And if there is danger..."

Gripping the fleshy knife at his side, Marcus grinned as he slowly drew it.

"Then I will figure it out on my own.... or die trying."

"Marcus... are you truly alright with that?"

Sylvia grabbed the hand of the girl, looking at the man with concern, to which he merely stepped forward.

"Am I alright with it? Don't forget, Sylvia. I may have a monster in me who may disrupt my plans... but if we ignore that unpredictable factor, then even I can handle a few of the undead. After experiencing death multiple times, I can say for certain that I never want to experience it again. But on the other hand..."

Walking forward, the man's footsteps filled the hall as he waved for the two boys to follow him.

"I have absolutely no intention of allowing such a scenario to occur again."

Eyeing the two, Marcus looked at them with a serious expression.

"If I deem the situation to be too much, then I will run. And if you two do not run with me, then you will find yourselves among the mob of zombies that I will be escaping from. Period."

With nods, the two boys prepared themselves.

Looking to the side of him, Gordon quickly grabbed a piece of a plank - ripping it off to form a long and thin weapon.

"I'm ready."

Holding up his skewer, Shane looked back to his sister with worry.

"Take care of her. Don't let her... do anything crazy."

"I can't guarantee that, but I'll do what I can."

"Bye, brother! I'll see you in a bit!"

These were the words which the girl stated, aimed at her older brother with a smile.

Yet as she said these words, Shane felt something.

A chill.

‘Why… do those words seem so false?’

With a nod, the boy stepped forward along with the other two.

"Then... I'll do my best to make sure I'll see you again."

----

The three rushed forward, heading to the room as quickly as possible.

Gordon took the lead, with Marcus at the back so that he would be able to duck away and hide - and intervene if anything went wrong.

'In there... there are probably some people who went to my school.'

Reaching the door, he saw it.

Inside the room were two people and a horrifying creature.

"Argh!"

The zombie seemed to be wearing the outfit of a janitor, and it charged at the built man who currently stood with a beautiful high school girl standing behind him, quivering in fear.

"Take this, monster!"

Grabbing the keyboard from a nearby desk, the man slammed it on the zombie's head, causing the keys to fly everywhere as the creature reeled back.

"Ugh.... rawr!!"

Gaining it's balance, the creature once more stepped forward - at which the man grabbed the entire desktop.

Lifting it up, the man ripped it out of the socket as he used his bare strength to carry such a thing, heaving it over his head.

"Take this!"

Slam!

With a crashing noise, the entire setup smashed into the zombie, crushing it's skull with a rain of blood and guts as it now lay on the ground, dead.

"Huff.. huff... are you alright?"

"I'm.... alright...."

The girl looked like she was about to cry, however the exasperated man gave her a smile in a heroic manner.

"So long as you're alright, that's fine. Haha... well? Don't you think I resembled Troy Latia for a moment there, just like in his final battle with the horrific monster Oraguth?"

"Do you always have to bring up those Vythguardian myths?"

"History is important, and the Vythguardians had the most interesting lore out of any nation. Even if this world has become completely corrupted... I'd like to carry those legends onward."

"Whatever. Ah."

The two looked over to the door to see two boys - one 12 years of age and the other 14.

Both looked to be beaten up, with their clothes ragged and blood having splattered on both of them.

"Snotnose... and... a kid?", the girl questioned with a confused look on her face.

"Hm? Do you know these two, Stella?", the man asked.

"Nope.", the girl replied immediately.

The man folded his arms as he approached them, looking at them with suspicion.

"Hey. What in Clarica is going on? We fell asleep, and then all of a sudden we woke up and everything was... ruined. I heard some banging on the janitor closet door, and that thing came out when I opened it."

Thinning his eyes, the man spoke cautiously, as if he didn't trust the two who had appeared.

"It would seem that some people have turned into monsters... and now you two boys just randomly appear out of nowhere…"

Approaching them, the man stood above the two, looking down on them with an overwhelming intimidation.

"What are you doing here?"

Gordon let out a gulp, then gazed over to the girl who was still at the back of the office.

'Who is this man?'

'I don't know him... I might have seen him at school before, but I don't particularly remember. He wasn't one of my teachers, after all.'

'But more importantly...'

Gordon was scared.

The man was glaring down at him with an immense stare, and he felt as if his entire being was shrunk down just standing next to him.

"We're here because the world ended. Almost everyone is dead... and we're trying to survive."

Speaking up was Shane, who stood forth without fear.

Even faced with this man who towered above him, he stepped forth without the slightest hint of shrinking back.

'Compared to those monsters... this man is nothing.', the boy thought with a confident expression.

"I see. So it really is true then...."

Looking back to the girl, the man walked over to her and placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Just like the men who were revived as brainless zombies after they were slaughtered by the Host of Lust during the final attack... It looks like the world really has ended. But don't worry. No matter what happens... I will always protect you."

"Ah... thank you."

The girl responded while turning her head away from the man, looking down with concern.

"But more importantly... who is that kid? And why are you here, snotnose? It's late at night, so why would you be on school-"

"The bigger question is, why are you on the school grounds?"

Shane spoke up before Gordon could even say anything as the girl looked to him with haughty confusion.

"That's..."

Looking down once more, the girl's eyes drifted away - however the muscular man turned around immediately to face the boy.

"Why would you need to know such a thing, boy? We were having a study session, since this girl has been failing her history tests recently. I was preparing her to succeed in the real world."

"Ah... I see-"

With a shy expression, Gordon quietly whispered this out, giving into the powerful words of the man - yet even as Gordon gave in, Shane did not.

"That's awfully suspicious. But that's none of my business. What's more important is this. You should know that six months have passed since the night that everyone fell asleep."

As the boy said this, the eyes of the two went wide for a moment, however the teacher stepped forth, nodding his head in denial as he closed his eyes.

"What are you talking about? Six months? A human body can't sleep for six months and still live. Surely-"

"If you don't believe me, then why don't you step outside?"

"Eh? Step outside? What would-"

"Are you supposed to be a teacher? If six months have passed, then it should be summer right?"

As Shane said this, the girl walked over, looking out the window.

She opened it to see the school yard down below, and as she did so she realized.

"It... isn't cold."

"That's right. When we fell asleep, it was December 20th, 2037. Yet today is June 20th, 2038. And the world as we know it... has rotted away."