"This is all your fault."
Those were the first bitter words Trina managed to hurl as soon as she recovered from the initial shock. Her voice rang sharp and accusing, immediately drawing the attention of Ella, who had been silently watching through the shattered window, eyes scanning the quiet outside.
The two of them had successfully made it into the room unnoticed, and thankfully, no creatures were patrolling the area where they had taken refuge. For a fleeting moment, they were safe.
"If you hadn't pulled me, I wouldn't have fallen... T-turko wouldn't have ended up like that..." Trina continued, her voice shaky, rough with emotion and grief.
Ella's brows furrowed, a faint crease forming on her forehead, but her lips remained pressed together in silence. She thought about Trina's words carefully. A part of her agreed—it was true, to some extent. But it didn't mean everything that happened was entirely her fault. There were choices. Chaos. Survival. It wasn't that simple.
Still, instead of arguing, instead of defending herself, Ella chose to remain quiet. She turned her gaze back outside; her focus now fixed on searching for Thino.
But of course, Trina didn't take kindly to the silence. The quiet response only seemed to provoke her further. She wasn't looking for peace—she wanted confrontation. She wanted someone to blame.
"You murderer," Trina spat, her voice rising with venom. "You don't even look guilty. How evil can you be? Spike didn't deserve what happened—you did!"
Those words struck deep, igniting something dark in Ella. She slowly turned to face Trina, the silence no longer protecting either of them.
"Are you even human—ouch!"
"You!" Ella snapped, her voice laced with fury. "Who gave you the right to speak to me like that? You talk big, but have you forgotten? I saved your worthless life from those monster!"
"That doesn't change the fact—"
"The fact?" Ella interrupted, taking a step closer. "The fact that you ambushed us first? And yet, we still chose to save your a*s. And now you think you have the right to throw all the blame on me? You seriously think I'd go easy on someone who provoked me? Do I look like I have an unlimited patience?"
Her lips curled into a cold smile, voice growing sharper.
"Well, sorry to disappoint you. I don't give a damn about your expectations. I don't eat that sh*t."
"W-what are you d-doing?" Trina stammered, eyes wide, her voice cracking with fear.
She had noticed Ella moving now—slow, deliberate. And in her hand, gleaming beneath the faint flicker of light, was a cutter. Small, sharp. Dangerous.
"You said I'm not human, right?" Ella said, voice low and sinister. "Then let me show you just how much of a monster I can be."
"N-no! No—hmmpphh! HMPHH!"
Trina's screams were quickly muffled as Ella pressed a hand firmly over her mouth, silencing her. With the other hand, she began slicing through the rope tied tightly around Trina's bruised arms. Her movements were swift, mechanical—void of hesitation.
Once the rope snapped free, Ella shoved Trina back with enough force to put a distance between them.
"From now on," Ella said coldly, her eyes like ice, "don't follow us anymore."
"There you are... Let's—go..."
Just as Thino pushed open the door, his words trailed off. Ella turned her head toward him slowly, her eyes revealing the tension she carried. He noticed the question in his gaze, the silent curiosity about what had just transpired. But instead of offering any explanation, Ella simply walked past him without a word and took off running down the hallway.
Thino stood there, briefly torn—unsure whether to approach Trina, who remained collapsed and trembling on the floor, or to follow after Ella, who was already putting distance between them.
"E-ella, what about that girl?" he called out, his voice catching as he jogged after her.
But when he caught up, the answer she gave him was colder than he expected.
"We made a mistake."
"A m-mistake?" he echoed, uncertain.
"A mistake saving her," Ella replied flatly, not sparing a glance.
Her words made Thino even more curious. Something serious had happened while he was gone, something that left Ella emotionally withdrawn and sharp-edged. But rather than press the issue, he chose to remain silent and trust in her judgment.
"...S-stop."
Thino whispered sharply, extending his arm as a warning to the group behind him. Up ahead, several monsters blocked the corridor that led to their only viable exit.
"O-oh no," Ella breathed, eyes narrowing as she spotted the door that was now inaccessible. "They've blocked the passage."
The three of them stood frozen, the air thick with dread as they stared at the cluster of monsters blocking the only passage forward. Their ragged breathing filled the silence, each of them gripped by the tension of what could happen next. Thino's mind raced. A part of him wanted to do what he had done earlier—charge in head-on, fists clenched, rage fueled—but doubt began to take root. That reckless tactic had barely worked before, and this time wasn't the same. Now, Ella and the other girl were with him. He couldn't risk their lives on a gamble he wasn't sure would succeed.
Worse, the truth gnawed at him—he still didn't fully understand how to take the creatures down efficiently. He hadn't yet figured out a solid weakness or a method that would guarantee survival. Every strike felt like guessing. And what if more of them were lurking just around the corner, waiting to ambush the moment they made a move?
He clenched his fists tightly; jaw locked in frustration. One wrong decision, and it wouldn't just be him paying the price.
But then, a voice broke through the stillness.
"I-I know another way."
The girl's soft voice cut through the tension, and Thino blinked at her. A flicker of relief passed through him. Yes—maybe this was the better option. They couldn't afford unnecessary risks.
Ella, however, was staring at the girl who spoke. Her eyes widened in shock.
'I didn't even notice her!' she thought, stunned. But instead of admitting her lapse, Ella forced herself to nod, pretending she had seen the girl all along.
"T-that's great. Will you guide us there?" she asked quietly.
The girl nodded once in response, then turned and led them away, their footsteps light but urgent as they disappeared into the shadows of the hallway.
Meanwhile, in Light's position...
"How many more minutes, Mr. Mechanic, until this bus is ready to move!?" Light demanded, standing at the front of the under-maintenance vehicle. Around him, several of his companions gripped their makeshift weapons, eyes darting nervously toward the boarded-up windows and creaking walls, knowing full well that the monsters were near—too near.
"Garrrhhhhh!!!"
"Twenty minutes!" Rian shouted back from under the hood, hands moving quickly as he worked beside his boss.
"You hear that, everyone!?" Light barked, voice booming. "Twenty minutes, and we're out of here! Burn that into your heads and fight to live!"
The speech was meant to rally their spirits, but many still feared the noise. Any loud sound could draw the monsters closer—and they knew it.
TING!
TING!
TING!
"Arrrgghhh!!"
The sharp metallic clangs echoed from the ceiling above, where some of their guards fought tooth and nail to hold the creatures at bay.
Come on, don't come through yet… Light thought, gritting his teeth as he stared up at the weak points in the ceiling.
TING!
TING!
TING!
"Aaaahhh!!!"
"Oh no… this might really be where we die..." someone whispered in terror.
The longer they held out, the more ferocious the creature became. Their desperation seeped into the room, infecting the air like a plague. Light could hear the muffled sobs of terrified women and the shallow gasps of men trying not to break. Clawed arms began to pierce through the ceiling.
"Don't lose your focus!" Light shouted. "Don't let them think they've won! These things—they're just another damn obstacle! We've walked through hell every day of our lives, so what's one more pit to stop? This is just another pain in the a*s—and you know what? We always deal with it!"
His words, meant to inspire, belied the fear he carried. Rian and the other mechanics were still working hard to fix the bus, but no one had noticed that a section of the wall behind them had already cracked.
"GARHHH!"
TING—
TING—
TING—
"GAAARRHHHH!!!"
The monsters screamed, echoing against Brian's hammering as he fitted the wheels. Then, suddenly, a clanging sound broke the rhythm—someone had dropped a weapon.
"I—I need to escape..." muttered a stranger, panic gripping his face as he backed away.
"No, don't! Stay by the bus!" someone cried.
"And why should I listen to you!?" the man snapped. "If we don't move now, we're all going to die here!"
"What's wrong with you!? You think there's any other safe place out there? If you step away and they block the exit, you'll never make it back!"
"I don't care—I'm not dying waiting for those useless morons to fix this junk!"
The harsh voice came from none other than the principal—the same man who had argued with Rian earlier.
"You can all stay and be a monster food if you want—ACK!"
BLAG!
His sentence was cut short by a giant slab of stone crashing into him, slamming his body violently between the wall and the big broken pieces of wall. A spray of blood was all that remained, painting the floor red.
THUG—
Heavy footsteps followed the silence. Everyone turned.
Then, the culprit revealed itself.
"Waaaarghhhhaakkk!"
A monster stepped into view—but not like the others. This one had three glowing yellow eyes; its deformed face twisted in a grin of pure malice.
"WAARRRKHHGGHHH!!!!"
Its guttural scream sent a shockwave through the room.
"Aaaahhh!!!" a woman shrieked, startled and paralyzed with fear.
"Tsk!" Light growled. He saw the monster's gaze lock on her. Without hesitation, he prepared to act.
"Aaahh—ghhk!!"
But before Light could move, the scream was cut off. The woman's head was clenched between the monster's jaws—and with a sickening crunch, it chewed through her skull.
Blood sprayed across Light's horrified face.
"H-how come they can fly?" someone gasped—Boss's voice, shaken and breathless, watching as more of them descended.
"Everyone! Get inside!!!" Rian bellowed, snapping them from their trance.
BLAG!!!
A wall finally gave way. Red-eyed monster stormed in with a roar that chilled the soul.
"GAAARRHHKKK!!!!"
The monstrous noise echoed throughout the campus—and it reached the ears of the three fleeing survivors: Ella, Thino, and their new companion.
It even caught the attention of a cheerful young girl collecting eyeballs nearby, along with her silent, brooding partner, who turned to glance toward the chaos behind them.
Meanwhile, in a room where Trina had been left behind…
"Oh? Oh ho ho... I thought no one else survived. But what's with all that noise?" a man grinned darkly as he polished the blade of his axe.
"Maybe there's a party over there, Master! Let's check it out!" chirped one of his companions, busy tinkering with something on the floor.
"There might even be women," said another. "It's not fair that you're the only one with one."
Their so-called master laughed at the comment, smug and pleased.
"Not my fault I'm stronger and better looking than you losers. It's only right I'm blessed. Besides... she and I were fated a long time ago."
He glanced sideways at the girl gasping for breath beside him. Grabbing a fistful of her hair, he yanked her head back to reveal her bruised face.
"Aw!!"
"Isn't that right, Trina?"
He laughed cruelly, already imagining the next terrible things he'd do to the girl he had long fantasized about—someone he could never get close to when Wosker had been around to protect her.