~ Chapter 29: Signs of despair

[Kardian’s point of view]

The whole school was a mess. The windows at the ground floor were barricaded with school desks and other pieces of furniture, most likely nailed or glued to the walls with something. There were traces of blood all over the place: on the walls, on the windows, on the ground and even on the trees that were planted in the courtyard.

Despite all of this, I could still remember like it was yesterday the peaceful times when everyone looked forward to their promising future on this planet. During class time, the neighborhood cat sometimes came around and napped near the gate. During breaks, the students were laughing innocently in their own little groups gathered around the benches. On the other side, in the grass, there was always a group of kids playing ball, while not far from them, near the big tall tree, the robot enthusiasts could usually be found discussing ideas and plans focused around their hobby. Up on the rooftop was usually a place where those in the third years would always gather to eat lunch.

The memories of those peaceful times flowed back to me, and in a way, they made me hope that maybe, just maybe these precious souls were not lost in the madness of this new world. A part of me hoped that the tragedy of Planet 6 would not repeat itself here, but at the same time, this hope made me ignore the signs of destruction that this new age had brought.

“This place doesn’t even look like it was once a survivor camp... rather it looks abandoned and creepy.” Nataly commented as she looked to her right.

When I followed her gaze, I saw the corpse of a woman who was half-eaten by the Nano-Z and then left there to rot in the sun. Although her head was bashed in, she was still recognizable. It was Adelina Yortan, the teacher in charge of the Economy class for the second years. She was a proud woman who always loved to dress in a suit, which was now ruined and beyond recognition. The look of terror on her face remained frozen in time, while in my memories, she always carried a subtle and cute smile. If you took your time to get to know her, you would come to find out that she was in fact a sweet and caring woman, a bit of a scaredy cat too.

“She was raped...” Nataly remarked.

“What?” the shock I received from her words was undeniable.

My memories of her could not pain the reason for why such a horrible fate had befallen her. On the contrary, I would stand to believe that her character and nature would make those around her cherish and protect her.

“She has scratches and bruises on her body prior to her death. I’ve seen similar marks on the women who were caught on the battlefields by lustful soldiers. Civilians who didn’t manage to evacuate in time were the ones mostly affected by this.” Nataly replied.

I looked again at Adelina’s body and noticed the bruises and scratches she mentioned. It was also now that I came to realize that she was not wearing any sort of underwear, and it did not seem as though the Nano-Z ripped it off of her. She was like this before she died.

“She must have become infected and then was killed by the survivors...” Nataly concluded.

“Most likely she was bitten and then tossed out of the building. The nearby Nano-Z then attacked her and abandoned her after she turned. Because her body was too heavily injured, she didn’t move far from the spot where she was captured, then the survivors killed her after they came out.” Xerya gave her own analysis of what came to be.

“That’s... horrible...” I said as I looked away.

My heart was in pain because I once knew her. A year ago, I could never have imagined that she would end up like this, if anything, I would have thought that she had the highest chances of survival out of the two of us. Well, technically, I was bitten long before she was, so in a way, I was right, but to see her like this... it was not something I could mentally prepare myself for.

“Maybe during the first month of the outbreak, this place didn’t look like this. Maybe it was a safe haven for many, but as time went by and lawlessness took hold, it became what it is now. Looking at it from the outside, I don’t think this place is made to withstand hordes, sooner or later, it will fall.” Nataly said and Xerya agreed with her.

“Let’s get inside and see what’s up with the survivors...” I said in the end as I took a step forward.

The front doors were completely sealed up and probably barricaded too, so I went around to the service door, which the staff used when they needed to go in and out of the school when it was closed. I didn’t have the key with me, but it was probably guarded by the survivors anyway.

“I detect 393 survivors within this building alone. 14 Nano-Z can be found in the basement, and 2 can be found in a room on the second floor.” Xerya gave us the results of her scans.

“Why are they keeping them alive?” Nataly wondered.

“Who knows?” I replied before I knocked on the door.

“...”

There was no reply, so I knocked again.

“The humans who were here a few moments ago have already left the area.” Xerya told us.

“They fled?” I raised an eyebrow in surprise.

“Maybe they didn’t... maybe...” Nataly furrowed her brow.

“Maybe what?” I asked as I looked back at her.

Looking into my eyes, she replied “Maybe this is an ambush.”

For some reason, her words sounded terrible, and I wanted to make a rude retort, but I stopped myself and shook my head. It was entirely plausible for them to treat us as enemies or possible raiders, but... I didn’t want to believe it.

“Stay sharp.” I told the two before pressing on the door handle.

With a click, the door opened and then we went inside. We held tight on our melee weapons, ready to use them. There were clear signs of someone having been here just moments ago. Two cups of water and an unfinished game of cards could be seen on a table not far from us. A jacket was on one of the chairs, it was ripped in several places and stained with blood, but on the back, you could read: The Exiles.

“That’s one of the groups those two mentioned.” Nataly pointed out.

I nodded and furrowed my brow. So far, the part of the story about the survivors in the school splitting up into three distinct groups seemed to be true. The thought that these might be the names of their respective jobs within this camp did cross my mind, but I rejected it almost immediately. It was too strange for them to go out of their way to give them such weird names.

Cautiously, we moved past the guard post by the door and entered the main hallway. Before the outbreak, at this time of day, this place would have been swarming with students who were coming and going to classes, teachers who were on a break in the hallways, two janitor robots who were cleaning up the place, and several drones that were flying around displaying several holographic posters. However, now, what welcomed us was a scene ripped straight out of a horror movie.

To our right were the barricaded main doors, where various pieces of furniture had been stacked up to make sure that nothing could get through. To our left, there was a pile of dead bodies that were already in the middle of rotting, some even in a high stage of putrefaction. A cross made out of two pieces of wood and tied to a metal pole was stabbed through this mountain of dead bodies and on top of it was the head of Zachery Storeright, the Physical Education teacher. Even if he was barely recognizable, it did not seem as though he had turned into a Nano-Z prior to his death.

Then, from this pile of rotting corpses all the way to the door barricade, you could see a path of human entrails that were splattered all over the place just like you would see in a Mutated Nano-Z’s lair. The thing was, that this place had no such monsters lurking around. This altar of death was made by the survivors... as a way to fool both humans and monsters alike.

“I would have hurled already if it wasn’t for you, Xerya...” I said in a low voice as I stared at that mountain of flesh.

“You’re welcome.”

“This is sick. Did raiders come here before we did?” Nataly asked.

“I don’t think so... I don’t think either the door or that guard post would have been standing if they did. I remember this former survivor camp that I found after it was attacked by raiders, and while it was covered with the bodies of dead people, the doors were left wide open like an invitation to an art gallery... a very gory and disturbing art gallery.” I pointed out.

“Then, are they the one who are turning into raiders?” she asked.

“I hope not.” I replied as I furrowed my brow and then looked away from that bloody monument.

It was painful for me to think that those kids turned into such brutal monsters, but at the same time, more and more evidence pointed out in that direction. The only thing stopping me was my own stubbornness, my own desire for a small ray of hope.

“Should we head deeper into the school or just wait here? The guards who were there probably went to bring someone back, and this thing here doesn’t inspire me with warm and peace-loving thoughts.” Nataly said as she looked up at Mr. Storeright’s head that was impaled on that cross.

“Let’s move, but... Wait, Xerya, can’t you just tell us their position?” I asked her after I remembered that she technically had a scanner for exactly these sorts of situations.

“I was wondering when you were going to ask?”

“Probably never if I didn’t remember.” I told her with a wry smile.

“That sounds... troublesome.” she said, and Nataly shook her head. This small detail also slipped through her mind. “There are currently 34 human beings that are gathering and positioning themselves 28 meters ahead.”

“In the Atrium?” I furrowed my brow and then I thought back at how the school was designed.

It sorts of made sense to wait for us there.

Once you went past the main entrance, which was now a barricade, you would have two staff areas to the left and right for various purposes, including security and recreation. They were off-limits to the students unless it was for specific school-related purposes. Once you went past this area, you had an atrium with a small fountain in the middle. The corridor to the left was for the first-year students, the corridor to the right was for the second-year students, and the second floor was left for those in the third and fourth year, leaving the third floor entirely for club rooms, where they could all mingle and mix together.

Behind the school was the sports ground, where we had a running circuit, in the middle of which there was a football terrain that could also be used for soccer. There was a field tennis area as well as a basketball one. We also had a gymnasium all the way in the back that also had a scene for both drama and musical performances.

Out of all these places, the atrium was the one that connected all the areas and was the perfect place to ambush someone.

“What should we do?” Nataly asked after hearing Xerya’s report.

Looking back at her, I then asked “I’m thinking of going forward... I still don’t think... or don’t want to believe that they turned bad... and... Honestly, I don’t want to think that I failed again.” I shook my head as memories of the past came back to haunt me.

“Xerya, can you see if they have guns?” Nataly asked.

“I cannot detect weaponry at this point.” she replied.

“Well, my brain cage can survive a shot from a sniper rifle, but I would rather not take any chances. What do you think?” she asked as she looked at me.

I wasn’t paying attention to what she said, so I didn’t answer.

With my eyes focused on the ground, I was remembering the time when I was back on Earth, when I was a teacher at the 24th Local High School. I was still an assistant back then because it would take another year before I could start to teach, however, in the time I was there, I got attached to the kids in the 12th B group. They were in their last year, and I sort of convinced them to try to aspire for more. One of them wanted to go to the University and become an engineer who fixed flyers. It was a good and modest dream, however, four months before graduating, he stopped coming to school.

When I went to his house to find out what happened, I was met with the grieving faces of his parents. Apparently, he was part of a gang since the 11th grade and on the day when he went missing... there was a turf war. Angioli was killed during the first battle. During the next two months, more and more kids went missing and the others were convinced by their parents to give up dreaming of reaching for higher grounds. It wasn’t ‘good’ for them was what they told me.

When I got my teacher degree, I thought that things would change, but the slums of Earth made all of my efforts to be met with an absolute failure. I did not want to think that... after everything I did, everything I told them... these kids would all end up the same, dead in an alleyway or recruited by the gangs that owned the streets.

“Let’s go...” I said as I stepped forward.

“Wait, did you hear what I just said? What if they have guns?” Nataly asked and I stopped.

Looking back at her, I replied “If they have guns... and threaten us, we’ll just have to play along until we find a way to escape... Worse comes to worst...” I looked down at my right hand, where the Conqueror Implant was installed. “We’ll treat them like raiders.” I said, but I was still too afraid to make my thoughts clear.

“In that case… shall we put on a little show for them?” Nataly showed me a playful smile, and I raised an eyebrow.