Her eyes gradually widened as her pupils constricted. Her mind raced, blitzing to understand his strained words.
She rose from her seat slightly, adjusting as she hugged him.
Yet, his words were so random that she couldn't figure out what they meant in such short moments. A vague idea had formed, but she quickly dismissed it. There should be no way for him to know whether they had died or not.
However, that mattered not. She knew him. Albeit that their last meeting or time speaking had been over a year ago, they had been together for a long time, not just in the same class, but as the President and Vice-President of their club - partners. She trusted that she was aware of him well enough to know he was not one to cry easily.
So she asked no questions and simply hugged him, hiding his tears from the bus of survivors, saying nothing of the clutch his hands dug over the clothes on her back and into her skin as he trembled and wept silently.
"Please wait!!!"
The attention of everyone else in the bus was drawn back out. A group of students and a teacher were sprinting their way through the littered zombies.
The teacher, a lanky - 187 cm-tall man in a black pinstriped suit ,was leading the group. He had black hair and dark brown, bespectacled eyes.
"Who's that...?" Takashi asked Saya.
She scowled faintly upon recognising him, "Koichi Shido. The teacher of class 3-A."
Takashi hopped towards the door, declaring, "Hold the door open!"
The car engine hummed in anticipation while many from Takuzo's group gave way to reluctant murmurs and questionings at Takashi's decision.
"Hurry!" He hollered as the first from Shido's group managed to make it in, soon to be followed by the rest.
Shido himself, who had been leading the pack, had fallen back nearly to the end.
Though soon enough.
"We're off!" Shizuka said as she pushed the gas pedal, launching the car forth down the path leading out of the school.
They had just picked up Shido's group.
"To the gate!" Saya said.
"I know!" Shizuka replied as she drifted around a corner in a surprising display of skill.
Yet as she controlled the car, a pack of over four dozen zombies came into view, heading right into them because of the car's noise.
Shizuka's lips were knitted, and she gritted her teeth as she clutched the wheel.
"They're not human..."
"They're not human..."
"They're not humans anymore!"
She floored the pedal, bashing through them and sending them flying while slathering the front of the car in blood.
With a resounding bang, they bust through the school's metal gates, speeding down the road.
"Looks like we made it," Takashi said, seated in a double seat on the left side of the bus. He sat beside Saya, who was by his side near the window.
On the left side were the single seats to the window where Kouta sat.
"Yeah," He replied.
"Thank you for saving us," Shidou stepped to the front of the bus from the back where his seat was and continued, "Are you the leader, Marikawa-sensei?"
"No, Shidou-sensei," She said and shook her head while driving. "We don't have such a thing. We're just survivors."
"Well, that's no good," Shidou said as he sighed and shook his head, "A leader is required for us to survive. One who manages everything."
"You're going to regret saving him," Rei whispered to Takashi from the double seats ahead of him.
"The city!" One of the students from Shido's group said as they left the tree coverings of the school premises.
They came onto a road leading into town with the ocean on their other side. It would have been quite the sight if it were not for the sight of the city that had smoke billowing out from hundreds of places far and wide.
For a couple of eerie, long minutes, many people in the bus sat in grim and haunting silence. The thoughts of many festered over their families and what would become of them from here on.
Within this, Dion and Saeko had settled down. At the very least, he had stopped crying; however, looking out of the window, his gaze was dull and distant. Frighteningly cold even.
A rather tall - 190cm - student with the top of his fade cut blond hair stood.
He looked quite agitated.
"What I'm saying is!" He snarled. "We'll never make it if we keep going like this!"
"First off, why do we have to do whatever you guys planned to do?" He continued. "You all decided to go back to the city without asking us! Couldn't we have just looked for a safe place inside the school? Clear out the dorms or something!"
"He's right! We should find a place to hide, like that convenience store we just passed by," A boy with a mop head of black hair said with a squeak in his voice.
Skreee!!
Everyone jolted forward as Shizuka skreeched the car to a stop by the side of the road.
"Shut up! I can't drive with all that noise back there!" She hollered as she swivelled her body back to look at them.
"What the hell..." The blond, tall guy - Tsunoda, muttered with a scowl.
"What is it that you wish to do?" Saeko asked with a sigh as her arms folded under her bosom.
His arm swiped through the air to stab a finger at Dion.
"I can't stand him!" He continued, "I fucking hate this little bastard!"
Saeko glared faintly here.
"I suggest you hold your tongue," She said firmly as she stood before Tsunoda, "You know nothing of him."
"I don't give a damn," Tsunoda growled, "The sight of him pisses me off,"
Dion himself hadn't even looked at him. He had not even reacted when the bus came to a jerking stop, silently staring into the distance of the chaotic city.
"Not that he's gonna do anything about it. At least now I know he is a bitch raised by a bitch," Tsunoda gloated with a derissive chuckle as he glared to Dion."Ain't that right, pussy?!"
Saeko glared, clutching her weapon as she began to stand, yet a hand gently held her arm. She glanced at him worriedly as he gestured for her to come down.
"Thank you, Saeko-san," Dion mumbled softly.
Thereafter, his visage almost seemed to darken, frosting over into an eerie coldness.
The glimmer of light his eyes previously had had was ggratingand dulled by the sandpaper of the tragedy he was reliving. While at the same time, a malicious sharpness threatened within their depths at Tsunoda's provocation.
"You expecting a treat now for being a good boy?" Tsunoda snarled as he glared slightly down at Dion.
They hardly stood a few inches apart. Yet Dion did not meet Tsunoda's gaze; his eye level was flat, as if he were simply looking straight ahead and Tsunoda was in the way. Leaving Dion glaring so eerily coldly at Tsunoda's nose.
"If you're finished," Dion's voice came out in a low and evenly. "You may grovel."
A violent ferocity sharpened Tsunoda's glare.
"Motherfucker," He blustered.
"!"
Tsunoda's neck muscles barely flinched - moments away from ramming a headbutt into Dion's face - yet, a crisp thwack echoed through the bus as Dion slapped him across the face; Tsunoda lurched to one side, his eyes wide and pupils strangled.
Therein - within moments following the slap - Dion clutched at his lowered shoulders, kneeing him in the chest. His body limped down to the bus walkway as he hurled a mouthful of saliva, coughing as he curled into a ball.
"The next time you curse my mother," Dion glared, "consider your life forfei.,"
"..."
Clap, Clap, Clap!
Shido came from the back, clapping, garnering everyone's attention as they were shocked to grimaces and winces by Dion's quick disposal of Tsunoda. Only Rei and Saeko had faint smiles on their countenances.
"That was an excellent display of violence," Shido continued, "But, hmm... The fact that this conflict happened simply proves what I stated earlier."
"We do need a leader," He gave a smile as he continued while looking at them all with animated gestures with his hands, "Do you now understand? If I were the leader, I would prevent all such unnecessary conflicts,"
All of the students Shido brought along with him stood, clapping, voicing their agreements and admonishing the stunt Yanis just pulled.
Shido turned and gave a bow to them.
"Well, that's that," Looking back to the front, he continued, "It seems I've become the leader,"
Rei jolted to her feet, clutching tight at her weapon tightly with a deep scowl as she rushed out of the door, surprising their group.
"Rei!" Takashi rushed to the door and continued, "What are you doing?"
"Screw him! I can't stand being around that guy!"
"If she's saying that we can't get along, then we'll just have to split," Shidou said with a sigh.
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Takashi growled to him and glared, yet he brushed him off and jumped out to Rei's side, trying to convince her to get back in.