“Prez, they’re gaining on us!”
“Don’t look back! We’re almost there!”
“God damn it, I could really do without this rollercoaster of bullcrap!”
The two boys ran as fast as they could, the monsters hot on their trails. More and more were appearing from the buildings as they were popping out from shadows. Howling and roaring they hounded them relentlessly, snarling and slashing from a distance. They were getting closer and closer, with it being only a matter of time before they catch up.
“Only 10 meters left! Turn a right in the next corner!” Juntaro announced to them as they continued running with all their strength.
“Hideyoshi, to the right!” Kenjirou directed, relaying the message given to him.
“Got it!”
Immediately the two made a sharp turn and dashed into an alley way. The monsters that were chasing them crashed into each other and scrabbled to follow but were caught stuck. They screamed and clawed at each other in frustration but they could not all fit at once through the narrow passage.
“Ha! Dumb creatures!” Takuya laughed in triumph as the monsters shrieked in rage from behind them, their targets just barely escaping their grasp.
As the two continue running through the alley they eventually spotted a shining door from a distance.
“We’re going to make it! We’re almost there!”
Kenjirou held on to Ryuuko tightly as they were finally about to reach their destination. But just as they were getting close, the ground burst apart and a monster leapt out in front of him, claws fully bared and ready.
“Shi-” Kenjirou exclaimed as the blade-like talons raked across his face and sent him flying backwards. The surprise attack caused him to drop the girl as she tumbled on the ground, still unconscious.
“Prez-GAH!” Takuya cried out as he was suddenly tackled and thrown against a wall with monstrous force.
CRACK
The sickening sound of bones shattering could be heard as he fell to the ground in pain. Although he was wearing protection underneath his uniform, there was no doubt he broke a rib or two.
“Damn you!”
Immediately getting up, he pulled out his knives as he dashed towards the monsters and furiously tore his blades into their bodies. Despite every little movement hurting like crazy, he was still quick and precise with his attacks all landing in vital areas that brought down the monsters in a single stab. But each one that made contact broke immediately after, forcing him to quickly run through his weapons. Discarding the broken handles, he brought out a taser and shocked an incoming beast that rushed towards him.
“Prez! Get a hold of yourself!”
Kenjirou tried his best to shake off the surprise attack as blood gushed from his face. He couldn’t see out of his right eye but he quickly pulled himself together, spitting out the blood in his mouth. Not far from him, Takuya was desperately fighting off a pack of monsters.
“Hideyoshi!”
“Kenjirou, the girl…!” Juntaro screamed at him.
He immediately turned his head to Ryuuko. She was lying on the ground as another pack of monsters had surrounded her body, readying themselves to strike.
“Dammit!”
Rushing towards her with his fist clutched in anger, he plunged his brass knuckles into their skulls, smashing and crushing them with all his strength. However, the monsters were faster than him as their sharp fangs and claws tore across his body. One leapt on his back and dug into his shoulder blades, before he hurled it onto the ground and crushed it under his foot.
Despite not feeling any of their attacks, he was still being pushed back considerably. The monsters were inhumanly strong, and each attack came with great force. His eye caught the sight of one of them as they pounced on Ryuuko’s sleeping body, fangs bared and readied to finish her off.
“No!”
Takuya tackled the monster, barely intercepting it as he plunged his last knife into its skull.
“Prez, there’s too many of them! We can’t hold them off for much longer, what do we do?”
Kenjirou quickly secured Ryuuko and tried to think. They were horribly outnumbered, and time was running out. Yet they were so close.
“Kenjirou, throw me!” Juntaro called out from his phone.
“What?”
“I can rig your phone to explode. Do it now!”
He nodded his head and threw his phone towards the charging monsters.
“Get down!” He immediately grabbed Takuya and dove for cover.
KABOOM
An earth-shattering explosion shook the area. The two boys coughed as they brushed off the dust and rubble. The alley way was devastated, the explosion having collapsed the surrounding buildings and blocked the narrow entrance.
“Did that do it?” Takuya asked, as he struggled for breath. But as the dust cleared, they could still see figures slowly coming towards them.
“Crap…”
The sounds of growling and snarling could be heard around them as even more monsters suddenly arrived at their location following the explosion. They were barely even fazed as they leapt out of the rubbles, some jumping down from the roofs.
The two boys were completely surrounded.
“Hey senpai, don’t suppose you can do that again?” He questioned as he pulled out his phone.
“I wish I could but I don’t have another terminal to jump into. You throw me, and I’m good as dead.” Juntaro responded.
“Haha… so this is it then? Damn…” Out of weapons, he quickly grabbed a metal pipe from the ground and took a stance.
Kenjirou held on to Ryuuko tightly. They were so close yet…
“Dammit.” He bit his lips so hard it started to bleed. It was all because of him. What are they to do? What can they do?
“Hideyoshi, take the girl and make a run for it.” Kenjirou finally commanded as he gently laid Ryuuko on the ground and cracked his knuckles. “I’ll hold them off as long as I can.”
“What!? Are you insane, I can’t do tha-“
“DO NOT ARGUE WITH ME!”
Steadying himself as he adjusted his glasses, he turned to Takuya.
“Please, just this once, listen to me.” Kenjirou pleaded.
Upon seeing the begging eyes of the club president, Takuya gritted his teeth.
“I refuse!” He protested. “You might be the president of the club, but I only take order from one person. And her order was very clear; that I watch over you no matter what!”
“You-!”
“He’s right Kenjirou. What would we say to her when we see her again if we told her we let you run off, trying to be a hero? Think of poor us god dammit.”
“Haha, senpai actually saying something that make sense for once.” Takuya laughed wryly before taking resuming his firm stance. “Besides, I doubt I could make it far with her in my arms. I’m not as freakishly huge or strong as you are, Prez.”
Kenjirou did not know what to say. He was filled with anger. Why are they always like this? And why did they have to bring her up? Damn these two…
“You guys…are god damn idiots.” He finally manages to choke out. He was infuriated yet deep down he felt slightly relieved.
“I can still explode the phone again if I have too. You saw how well I did. I’m sure I can find somewhere to jump to before it detonates.” Juntaro happily stated, but his voice trembled with fear.
“So you were just being a scaredy-cat? I expected nothing less from you, senpai.” Takuya laughed. His voice was also shaking, as was his legs, but he held on tightly to the metal pipe.
“Oh, shut up.”
Kenjirou gave a heavy sigh. There was no use talking to these two morons. He just didn’t have the charisma she had.
“Mayu…, I’m sorry.” He whispered softly as he turns to face the approaching monsters.
–
Watching from a distance on the roof of a building, Alma was mildly amused.
“These boys, they’re idiots through and through. But…”
The grin on Alma’s face widen.
“They’re not bad. They can be used. Now then Takatora Ryuuko; show me what you can do.” Alma said as they snapped their fingers.
SNAP
–
“AAAHHH!” Ryuuko suddenly shrieked.
“Wh-what’s going on?!”
The boys watched as she wriggled and squirmed, clutching her right shoulder in pain.
“Her vitals are suddenly shooting up! Something…something is happening!” Juntaro warned.
Ryuuko screamed in agony as suddenly tentacles burst out from the stump of her right arm. The boys watched in horror as the tentacles coiled and enlarged.
“What… WHAT IS THI-GAH!”
The tentacles suddenly rushed towards the three and tore into them.
“It’s-it’s injecting something into the phone! It’s reaching me!” Juntaro screamed.
“Hideyoshi! Mitsuhide!”
The three were helplessly lifted off the ground into the air, as something began to pump into them. Feelings of unimaginable pain ran through their entire bodies, from the tip of their fingers to their toes. Even Kenjirou and Juntaro felt it, as if their blood was being rerouted and replaced with something utterly vile.
Their screams echoed throughout the ruins, shattering the ghastly silence with the sounds of unbridled anguish and terror.
Then, everything went quiet. As their bodies went limp, the tentacles threw them down to the ground with a hard smash and retreated back into Ryuuko’s body.
The boys laid on the ground, twitching in pain. The monsters, having cautiously watching the events unfold, began to move towards them. They closed in for the kill when suddenly, as if possessed, the bodies of the boys started to slowly get up.
In the distance, a terrifying laugh of mockery could be heard from the dark and desolated world.
