Reaching the school's first-floor entrance, Akira and Kana led the survivors, shaking off the courtyard's pursuing horrors. Akira carried the injured female student over his shoulder, his saw-sword and flamethrower at the ready. Kana gripped her hammer, urging the other two survivors—the male student with a broken mop handle and the female student clutching a branch—to keep pace.
Akira slammed the door shut, barricading it with a desk. The creatures' footsteps faded momentarily. "Temporary safety secured. To the infirmary, now."
Kana caught her breath, nodding. "We can treat injuries there. Everyone, hang in there!"
The female student, trembling, managed a reply. "Yeah… my legs are jelly, but I'll make it."
The male student glanced at their wounded companion. "Is she gonna be okay? The bleeding's bad."
Akira rescanned the injury. "Blood loss at critical levels. Immediate first aid required. We move quickly."
He took the lead, striding down the corridor. The infirmary, next to the library, was just one hallway away.
As they advanced, Akira's sensors pinged again. "New hostiles detected. Multiple entities approaching from ahead."
Kana raised her hammer, glancing back. "From the front now? Are we trapped?"
"Possible. Minimize combat, prioritize breakthrough," Akira said, adjusting his grip on the injured girl and readying his sword.
At the corridor's end, two creatures emerged. One was a liquid-like entity, sloshing like a black puddle, its surface bristling with needle-thin spikes that pierced tiny holes in the floor with every touch. The other was a skeletal frame, its elongated joints creaking, a blazing red flame flickering where its head should be, scorching the air with a low growl.
"Engaging combat!" Akira shouted, charging the liquid creature. His saw-sword slashed through it, black spray hissing as it burned the floor. He fired his flamethrower, flames melting the spikes. The creature shrieked, shrinking, but Akira drove his blade into its core, stilling it.
Kana swung her hammer at the skeletal horror. "I'm not backing down!"
Her strike shattered a joint, bones splintering. The creature's flaming head wavered. It lunged for Akira, but Kana smashed again, crushing the fiery skull. "Got it!"
The male student joined in, jabbing the liquid creature's remains with his mop handle. "I'm helping too!"
The female student hurled her branch, distracting the skeletal beast.
Akira finished the liquid entity with a final sword strike, ending the fight. "Threats neutralized. Ten meters to the infirmary. Resume movement."
He urged the group forward, and they hurried down the hall.
The infirmary door came into view. Kana sprinted ahead, flinging it open. "We're here! Everyone, inside!"
White curtains partitioned the room, with beds and medical supplies neatly arranged. Akira gently laid the injured girl on a bed and began searching for a first aid kit.
A fleeting calm settled over the infirmary, but the night stretched on, far from over.