Chapter 10: The Oak Tree

Yuki trudged past Reina, both solely focused on their mission, to secure the school gates. The air crackled with unspoken tension. Memories of past schoolyard rivalries beneath a more pressing reality.

Neither spoke, their eyes fixed on the looming school gates, the creak of the gate turning ever so slightly with a gust of wind, a grim reminder of their precarious situation.

"They are fast." Yuki finally broke the silence, her voice flat as she informed the younger girl, "They are strong," she paused, hoping to add some effect, "and they don't feel pain."

The dreaded look on Reina's face was not what she received, if anything, the girl seemed to be more insistent on helping out rather than backing away.

Yuki glanced back at her once more, a flicker of something unreadable crossing her features. Was it surprise? Pity? She quickly schooled her features, returning to her usual stoicism.

The stone paved path leading to the school gate, made of hard metal beams, felt comforting under their feet. Two neat lines of low lying shrubs, once meticulously maintained by the school crew, their even spacing a ghost of the school's former order. Despite the chaos that engulfed the outside world, the school stood tall, its familiar brick structure radiating a sense of stability.

"Look," Yuki said, pointing towards the school gates. Two figures lumbered into view, their movements erratic and grotesque.

"It was empty in the afternoon, but now I see two infected near the gates." She explained as she pointed at the two figures lurking about aimlessly, "don't let them fool you, they are incredibly fast if they catch a whiff of something that interests them." Reina's eyes trembled at the sight of their macabre features, her hands noticeably shaking. By interesting, did Yuki mean her?

"You'll get yourself killed, if you attack like that, scaredy cat."Yuki said bluntly, almost mockingly. Reina bristled at the words, a frustrated growl escaped from the girl's throat, though Reina's eyes held a faint flicker of relief, there was some truth in them.

Complex emotions bubbled in her chest but it wasn't the time just yet. Those things weren't human anymore; they were bloodthirsty predators. "What's the plan then, Senpai?" She inquired, nervously shifting between the two distant figures, it only tightened the grip on her own bokken.

"They are attracted to noise," Yuki pointed out, raising an eyebrow. Perhaps this girl wasn't as useless as she'd assumed initially. "But loud noises are risky. We need a distraction, something that pulls them away without giving away our position," she explained, a hint of grudging respect entering her tone.

Reina pondered this information for a moment. A silent distraction? She glanced around, her eyes landing on the loose gravel used to carpet the pathway to the School building. An idea sparked in her mind.

"I have something in mind," she offered, a hint of cunning replacing whatever fear she'd held in her eyes.

Yuki studied her for a brief moment, her amethyst orbs narrowed as she assessed the distance between them and the infected. It wasn't far, then she nodded curtly, "Fine," she conceded. "Show me what you've got."

Reina merely smiled weakly, taking a handful of the gravel. "Let's start throwing these at the houses nearby," she explained her plan, a whisper.

Contemplating the idea for a second, Yuki nodded her head in agreement, "Sounds good," she added, "Stick together, unless you want to fight both at once." Reina gulped at the thought before glaring back at Yuki.

"You! I-" The younger of the two huffed angrily, walking past her quietly, both now entering the grass field separated by the gravelled path.

Their steps muffled by the grass allowed for greater stealth. Reina took one piece of gravel, and threw it with surprising strength.

It travelled through the air, landing on the metal gate, earning a high pitched tink, forcefully turning the heads of the two grotesque beasts, their movements surprisingly spastic as they swivelled around and charged at the gate.

"Nice aim," Yuki grunted sarcastically, the infected were now closer than before, almost at the entrance of the gate, about to get it.

"Feel free to try then," Reina clicked her tongue, pushing her hand out with the gravel. Yuki grabbed a couple. The first landed on one of the infected creature's head earning a deep growl, it then began sniffing the air eerily, hands bent crookedly, searching for the source of its irritation.

The infected's erratic movements sent shivers down Reina's spine. They were close, too close for comfort. 

"Looks like we have no choice," Yuki declared, her eyes hardening, "we have to lure them in and take them out," Reina widened her eyes, she nodded shakily, the grip on her bokken wavered.

Then almost immediately, the two macabre creatures stared, Reina felt as though if their eyes met, her heart drumming against her chest. 

With a swift movement, Yuki grabbed Reina's arm and yanked her deeper into the tall grass. "Follow me," she commanded, her voice low but urgent.

"Did they see us?!" Reina squeaked at the sudden change in behaviour of the infected, though she followed her Senpai grudgingly. Yuki merely pointed at an Oak tree, one placed by the founder of the school, "They were playing with us," she stated earning a gasp from the younger girl.

They weaved through the grass, every rustle, every snap of a twig sounded like a thunderclap Reina's already pounding heart. From her vantage point, Yuki saw the two infected already hot on their trail, taking time to sniff the air, no doubt drawn by the sound and scent of their fresh prey.

Finally, Yuki came to a halt at the edge of a small clearing dominated by a large oak tree. Its branches, gnarled and twisted, formed a natural canopy overhead. Perfect!

 "Up!" Yuki barked at the girl, pointing towards a thick branch hanging low to the ground. 

Adrenaline surging through her veins, Reina scrambled up the rough bark, her thighs grazed and scratched earning a hiss from the girl. Her bokken clattering onto the floor, instantly picked up by Yuki, who handed it back to the girl when she'd reached the top.

Huffing and puffing, she looked down to see Yuki expertly scaling the tree next to her, the two infected were now lumbering into the clearing, their vacant eyes scanning the surrounding with a predatory glint.

"Distract them," Yuki whispered, reaching a point just below Reina. She held her spear pointed directly downwards.

"Distract them?! How?" Reina squeaked, her voice barely a whisper.

"Just do it!" Yuki hissed, throwing a glance at the approaching infected.

Reina, her heart filled with a desperate mix of fear and defiance, started banging her bokken on the branch a few times. The sound echoed through the clearing, drawing the infected's attention.

They roared in unison, their pale and gored bodies pulsating with a primal hunger. They turned, abandoning all reason, their sights set on the figures perched precariously on the oak tree.

"Great job," Yuki muttered, her eyebrows knitted up on her face.

Now what? Reina thought, fear twisting her stomach into knots. Being stuck in a tree with the infected at the base wasn't exactly her idea of being safe. A cold sweat prickled her skin, and her breath hitched on her throat, their guttural growls echoing off the shrubs.

Across the branch, Yuki's voice broke through the haze of terror. "It's time to end it," she announced, her tone surprisingly calm. Reina whipped her head around, confusion momentarily replacing her fears. But then she saw it, Yuki's amethyst eyes devoid of their  usual stoicism, instead ablaze with something much colder and steely. Her hands tightened their grip around her makeshift spear, the wood offering a comfortable solidarity with its owner.

"Wait! Wait! Wait!" Reina almost sputtered the words, her voice bordering a desperate plea, "We are going to fight them?!" It was a question loaded with fear, a question she hoped Yuki would answer with a reassuring 'no', but one glance at Yuki's unflinching gaze sent a jolt of something fierce through Reina.

It wasn't the time for childish pleas, Yuki was right. Even if she wanted to deny it, this was their new reality, kill or be killed. 

"For how long are you going to keep up like this?" Yuki countered, her voice sharp with a hint of frustration. "This is our new reality, and it's now up to you to decide how you want to live." 

Reina swallowed hard at that, the fear still gnawing at her. If she backed down here, how would she be able to search for her parents? Especially in a city filled with these creatures? She turned to Yuki, her hand balled into a fist, bleeding from the intense force.

"A-Alright!" She said, her voice cracked yet it came with something more primal, it was humanity's greatest ultimatum to itself, Adrenaline, the fight or flight response.

Despite the shaking fear tearing at her heart, Reina akin to a cornered beast would fight to her last breath.

A grim smile played on Yuki's pink lips. The situation would be most ideal with an extra fighter, one that would go to any lengths to preserve her life. The fight for their safety, their lives, was about to begin. They weren't friends, far from it, but in this moment, they were united by a common purpose: survival.