"Tears shed for another person are not a sign of weakness. They are a sign of a pure heart."

― José N. Harris

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The group ran with their lives on the line. Passing by the undead that surrounded them, Nancy shot down any that came near the group with her 9mm pistol. They ran closer to the stairs that lead to the observatory. The undead seemed to be coming in closer. Takashi first passed through the gates and smashed the head of a zombie. Takashi turns his head and saw Nancy aiming her gun at him.

GET DOWN!

BANG!

Nancy screamed as she pulled the trigger.

Takashi froze and felt like his heart stopped as the bullet came closer. Blood spattered on the concrete floor. A corpse fell to the ground with a single hole in its head. Takashi gasped to see the body then turned to Nancy held her gun as smoke came out of the nozzle. "Thanks, Nancy," Takashi spoke with a smile. "No problem," Nancy replied with a smirk. They continued their way up the stairs until Hisashi started to falter and lean against the wall. Takashi quickly ran over to him with Nancy and Rei following behind. "Hisashi, are you okay?" Takashi asked as he pulled Hisashi over his shoulder to help him walk the stairs. With the dead following behind, Rei stopped mid-step to stab one of the corpses in the chest. "Are you nuts!" Nancy yelled once she saw Rei's mistake.

"Say, what?" Rei roared. Until the corpse suddenly grabbed her makeshift weapon with its bloody hands. It snatched it out of her grip and slamming it into her abdomen. Causing the young girl to hit the wall with a painful thud, Rei inhales in pain as the monster made its way towards her. Rei looks up with tears forming in her eyes, the corpse outstretched its bloodied arms, gnawing its blood-stained teeth towards the brunette. "GET AWAY!" Rei screamed just as the corpse began to crawl closer.

Nancy was about to aim before, "Rei!" Hisashi shouts, as he quickly seizing the metal bat, he pushes past the two. The boy hastens down the stairs, and with a swing, Hisashi was able to kill the zombie. Blood and puss splattered all over the wall above Rei's head. The girl looks up to see her boyfriend in front of her. "Hisashi," Rei said as she walked up towards him. "Did you see that? We need to smash their heads to kill them." Hisashi states before he noticed another corpse making its way towards them. Hisashi shoves his shoe into its stomach, causing the zombie to tumble down the stairs, hitting its head on the metal poles covering wires.

"All right love birds this way, quickly!" Nancy yelled as she joined Rei in helping Hisashi up the stairs. Takashi however, looked at the sea of rotting corpses walking towards them. "Damnit..." Takashi muttered as he saw a few of the zombies eating the flesh of dead students.

"WHAT THE FUCKS GOING ON!!!!" Takashi screamed at the top of his lungs.

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Hours passed by for the young group of survivors seemed that those hours were only getting worse. They fortified the observatory but more and more flesh-eating, walking corpses kept on coming and trying if more victims. Nevertheless, the worse is Hisashi's health began to deteriorate, the boy was starting to get pale, his breathing began to shorten. After they got the barricade, Nancy saw that Hisashi was limping and looked to be in pain. Nancy took the liberty of checking the wound on his arm. The sight made her retch. Instead of teeth marks with bits of blood oozing out, it turned into a bloody gaping hole! The teeth marks somehow expanded and are now showing the bone. The blood seeping out made his black sleeve mixed with yellowish puss, tainting the black material with swirls of yellow and red. "What's wrong?" Hisashi asked but, Nancy quickly covered the wound and dismissed the question. Nancy knew what was happening.

She saw it with Takashi when it all began.

Hisashi was dying.

"Rei, Takashi, I need to talk to the both of you," Nancy called as the two teens turned towards her in confusion. Yet, they still went with her, just a little farther away from injured Hisashi. "What is the matter, Nancy?" Takashi asked the ravenette. Nancy took a deep breath in a looked at her friends with a mixture of sadness and regret. "I don't think...Hisashi is going to make it." Nancy answered softly. Both of the teens just stood there, perplexed by what the girl just told them. "W-What are you talking about Nancy?" Rei barked at the dark-haired girl. "It's just like what I said Rei. Hisashi is going to die...and then turn into one of them." Nancy pointed at the hordes of walking corpses.

"NO! YOUR WRONG NANCY! HE'S GONNA BE FINE!" Rei yelled in denial.

Nancy hardens her gaze at the girl's outburst. "Rei lower your voice and calm down," Nancy said with a growl causing the girl to be quite. "I checked his wound is getting worse. It has expanded down to the bone structure like his flesh is decomposing. Not only that, Hisashi is choking up blood, his lungs full of blood." Nancy explained without batting an eye. "Plus, you deny the truth that is right in front of you. When one of those things bites someone, that person will die and become a monster." Nancy said with a grim tone. The tension in the air was so thick it could make you suffocate. "No..." Rei muttered while Takashi just stared at the silent girl. "So it is just like the movies," Hisashi said, everyone looks at him. "You need to learn how to whisper these things if you don't want someone to hear." Hisashi lightly joked as he gasps for air. "It's true, isn't it? One bite, that's all it takes." Hisashi claimed as Nancy clenches her fists.

Rei could not take it anymore and run to the ill boy's side. "No it can't be true, didn't listen. What you see in the movies will never happen." Rei cried while the two teens just stood there and watch. "But it did happen to everyone else. Nancy's right...I'm gonna die." Hisashi admitted accepting his fate. "Takashi, will you help me?" Hisashi asked gaining attention from the dark-haired boy. "Help you with what?" Takashi asked simply. Hisashi weakly lifted his hand and points to the edge of the roof. "Help me over the rail, straight to the ground from here. The impact of the fall should smash my head. It'll save Nancy some bullets, you'll need them..." Hisashi said making everyone gasp at his words. Was he serious?

"What are you saying?" Rei asked in fear.

"I don't want to be one of Them!" Hisashi yelled just before vomiting up blood. Nancy's eyes widened, his condition was getting worse by the second. Never in her whole life has she felt this helpless before, She looks at Takashi to see he froze. His best friend was dying...

"Come on, Takashi, do it for me." Hisashi weakly gasped. Hisashi looked up to Takashi and gave him a weak smile through his deathly pale lips. "I want to stay myself until the end," Hisashi said before he started convulsing and screaming in pain. "Hisashi, let me help you!" Rei cried as she ran to his aid, however, it was too late. All Takashi and Nancy could do are closing their eyes while their friend screamed.

"No, no Hisashi," Rei begged as tears pour down her face.

YOU CAN'T DIE!

After some time passed the screams finally stopped and Hisashi's body lied on the bloody ground. Rei was wailing over the body of her late lover. It seemed like the world stopped moving in that one moment. However, now was not the time to grieve that Nancy knew. "Rei...I'm sorry but you have to move." Nancy said before she racked the slide of her gun. Rei heard the sound before she turned to see Nancy was drawing closer. Rei panicked as she hovered over Hisashi's body. "No!" Rei cried out.

"You can't do that! He's not turning! He's not turning into one of them! Put that thing down!" Rei begged but Nancy's eye's dimmed. "Move." Nancy simply said sending chills down her spine. Quickly, Rei noticed a sudden jolt in Hisashi's body. "Hisashi?" Rei asked as she began to smile with hope. "Look you guys, he's getting up! He's getting better..." Rei mutters as she noticed the boy's behavior. He towered over Rei, the once warm and gentle eyes were gone. Cold, empty hunger is the only thing burning in his eyes. "Hisashi? What's the matter?" Rei asked. Hisashi answered with an inhuman growl. "Hisashi!" Rei cried as she tried to go to him. Yet, Takashi quickly grabbed her by the waist and brought her back. The Hisashi they knew and grew up with is gone. It was now a bloodthirsty monster left inside. "No way. This can't be true. No way." Rei began to cry.

Nancy was about to aim her weapon but Takashi lowered her gun. Nancy looked at Takashi with confusion but quickly realized. This wasn't her kill.

This was Hisashi's final wish...

To have Takashi end his suffering.

"I know you can't believe it. I can't believe it." Takashi said as the monster walked closer to the teens. Rei tears were soaking her cheeks while Nancy's hands began to tremble.

"But it's happening..." Takashi said as he tightens his grip. "Didn't do it." Rei pleaded but it fell deaf to ears.

"IT'S HAPPENING!!!" Takashi roared before he ran towards the corpse and smashed its head in.

NO!!!!!!

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"Why?" Rei asked as she mourns over Hisashi's body. Now covered by a white towel to hide the sicking sight. "He would have bitten you if I didn't do that." Takashi answer simply, but it's not as simple as you think. "I didn't ask anyone to save me!" she growls, "How do you k-know that anyway? What are you? Some kind of expert?" Rei asked refusing to look at the boy. "And I would've been will to get bitten...better to die that way than surviving by doing something like this!" Rei stated. "That's just survivor's guilt talking Rei. You know Hisashi would've wanted you to live, why do you think he asked Takashi to kill him?" Nancy spoke as she moves towards Takashi. "How would you know. You've been gone for a year just to run away." Rei said causing Nancy to glare at her.

"Oh yeah, I know. You must've hated me, am I right? Because Takashi DATED ME!" Rei sneered making the girl's glare darkened. Nancy began to walk away from the group. "Hey, where do you think you are going?" Rei demanded. "It's obvious I'm unwelcomed here. So I'm getting the hell out of here." Nancy growled making the teens gasp. "Nancy wait! You can't take them all on even with a gun!" Takashi said to persuade the girl. But it didn't matter, she began to move some of the chairs away from the barricade. "Hey wait, Nancy," Rei said softly. Nancy was about to get over the wall. Takashi quickly grabbed her by the waist and pulled her into a hug. "No! I lost Hisashi, but I am not losing you!" Takashi yelled as tears fell from his eyes. Nancy was completely shocked by this, she has never seen Takashi cry before. But Nancy didn't push away instead she wrapped her arms around the boy and embraced his warmth.

On the day everything came to an end...

I failed to save a friend. Then I held the boy that I love for the first time in my life.