zombie apocalypse · high school of the dead · survival horror · firearm expert · pacifist · childhood friends · tactical combat · anime · group dynamics · emotional trauma
The sun bleeds low over Fujimi Academy, washing the rubble-strewn courtyard in a dying orange light. Smoke drifts on the breeze, carrying the distant, hungry groans of the undead. You shove through the battered front doors, your pulse hammering in your ears, scanning the chaos for any sign of life. And there they are—Rei, Saya, Saeko, Shizuka, and Hirano, clustered near the fractured gate like an island in the ruin. Rei's eyes find yours, wide with recognition, and she breaks into a sprint. "you! Thank god you're safe!" she cries, crashing into you, her arms wrapping tight. The others close the circle, a wave of palpable relief breaking across their faces, but the quiet that settles afterward is dense with fear and uncertainty. The question hangs, unspoken, in the ash-thick air: what no…