Interlude Rei

{Rei's general POV}

A normal day, that's what it was supposed to be.

Another day at school, ignoring or bottling up my hate for Shidou, the sack of shit, and spending time with Hisashi. That's what the day should have been.

And then it went to hell.

Takashi coming into our classroom, looking more serious then I'd ever seen him, was a surprise. But I thought he was still jealous. Why wouldn't he be? He had YEARS to get with me, but he blew it. I might've felt a bit bad, but I had to move on. But he hadn't figured out how to do that.

But when he slapped me for calling him out, I was stunned. Takashi wasn't the violent type, I never would've liked him if he was. But then he told us there was a killer on the campus, and that our gym teachers were dying? I had no idea what to do. But Hisashi did. He trusted Takashi, and I'd trust him. So we left our classroom, and made our way through the school... And then that's when hell started.

I tried to call the police, but the line was busy... It was never busy... Unless something went horribly wrong. And god it was horrible. We got 'weapons' and made our way through the school, and eventually, we made it to the pass that connected to the other side of the building, and found our first one of THEM. And that's where I lost some hope.

Impaling it through the heart, and it lived. Hisashi tried to hold it back to help me, but it spun its neck around, and bit him. We killed it... But that was the end of Hisashi. He held out, and we managed to get to the roof... But Hisashi was dying.

I didn't want this. I hated this. And when Hisashi turned and Takashi put him down, I broke.

I cried.

I raged.

I lashed out at the only person I could. And I would've kept lashing out, but Takashi looked like he'd leave. I couldn't survive if he did. If Hisashi died, how was I going to survive? I needed to stay with someone. I needed to survive.

So I chose the only person I could, and that's how it started.

Takashi and I became a duo, and I followed him. He was my only hope, and I'd follow him and work with him to survive. I tried to bury my feelings for this entire situation, and focused on surviving.

That's what mattered. Surviving. Fighting. Not becoming one of THEM. When I was ready, I thought about my parents. They were ok. That's what I told myself to keep going. And even when my dad couldn't figure out I was calling him, I told myself they were ok.

Takashi and I made our way off the roof, and made our way around the school. Hearing someone scream gave us a direction to go, and it gave us a group to be with. I recognized Saya, she was one of Takashi's childhood friends. I knew OF Saeko, but I hadn't interacted with her, a part of my mind whispered I could've if it weren't for Shidou. I shook that off, and looked at the others. There was a boy I never knew, a Kohta Hirano, and he had a 'gun.'

I had no idea how or where he got it, but I didn't mind. Kill THEM, then wonder where the weird thing came from. And then the last person in our group, Marikawa-sensei. She was our school nurse, and I was in no way jealous of her bust. None at all... Maybe a little.

We managed to get a break, and took time off in the faculty room. And then we heard the news. 100,000 casualties... And it hadn't even been a full day. I felt some of the hope I was holding onto wither at the news. But I had to hold out hope. My parents were fine... They had to be. I clung to Takashi a little tighter when my doubts came back, but we'd be ok.

Eventually, we started going towards the parking lot, and we had a plan. We'd take a bus, and leave. Saya told us THEY relied on sound to find us, and Takashi tested it. I was terrified. Takashi was my main pillar. The only connection I had to a life BEFORE THEM, and I was terrified of losing that pillar. But he was fine. He lured them away, and we were fine. We met up with another group of students, and all made it to the doors... And all hell broke loose.

One of the students we saved, caused an echo to go through the school, and we had to run. And run we did... And then we weren't. A howl went through the area, and everything stopped. We all turned towards the source, and we saw it. A wolf. I saw wolves in videos and movies, but when there was a wolf standing on a roof, looking down at us, I felt that those videos couldn't compare.

We saw it, and then we heard Marikawa-sensei call out to it. To him. Silver. The wolf that would give me hope and a new perspective on life.

Silver tore into THEM, and ran towards us. He distracted a good enough amount of THEM for us to get it to the bus faster. And when he joined us, I got to really look at him. He had scars, even 3 big ones that looked amazing. Then I saw his cuts or other wounds healing, put I had no idea if my mind was just playing tricks on me. Though I couldn't think about it, since we heard more students.

And Shidou... He was there, and I hated the fact he was still alive.

One of the only people that probably deserved a violent and gory death was STILL alive? I couldn't believe it. So I begged Takashi to leave him, and Silver responded. I had a wolf I just met, agree with me to leave him to die, and I already loved him. Takashi wanted to help them, so I just let him do it. I wouldn't help, but I wouldn't stop him either. I watched them fight, and when I saw Silver toss one of THEM towards Shidou, I already decided he was going to get as many belly rubs I could give him. Sure he didn't GET Shidou, but it was the thought that counted.

After Shidou and his group got onto the bus, we drove. Marikawa-sensei got us out of the school, and then Saya brought up the 'elephant in the room.' I was tempted to make a 'wolf on the bus' joke to lighten the mood, but Shidou was here, and I was having a hard time not running my spear through his head.

We all watched Silver, how he got out and opened Marikawa-sensei's phone, how he responded to her and showed her the time, how he nuzzled her side, and it was nice. It helped get my mind off of THEM, Hisashi or Shidou. Eventually he answered Saya's questions, threw a jab at Shidou, and gave us something to do. Saya may have complained a lot, but it was the end of the world, she could complain if she wanted too.

The way towards our goal was ok, I was expecting one of THEM to jump out from the shadows, for something to go horribly wrong, but it didn't. None of us really got hurt. We were tired though, so we stopped by a empty home, changed and grabbed some clothes to wear for the night, and went to sleep.

I woke up to some shouting, and I started thinking yesterday was just a bad dream. But when I saw a room I didn't know, a house I didn't know, I came to grips with it. It was the apocalypse, and I lost my boyfriend, maybe my family, and I felt the hope I was holding onto wither again.

And then there was the breakfast... And I felt hope grow and blossom inside of me.

A Werewolf.

A king of Werewolves.

That was the morning another pillar formed inside of me. Maccillian Silver Zaka. The king of Werewolves and our hope of surviving the apocalypse. We heard his story, and when he offered us the chance to become part of his pack, the hope inside of me blazed like a forest fire.

I could do this.

I may have lost almost everything, but I had the chance to get it back. I had the chance to find my parents, and survive. I wasn't going to let that pass me by.

We left the place we stayed at, and started to make our way towards Marikawa-sensei's and Mr. Maccillian's home. And we saw how he fought. THEY meant nothing to him. A bite? He healed from it and kept going. He was grabbed? He ripped the arm off and tore it apart. He was surrounded? He grinned and cut off heads or slashed through them.

He was a beast, he wasn't afraid, and he was thriving. And I knew, I needed that. I had hope, a goal, and the means to get it. For once, since this whole thing started, I felt like I could really smile. That I could hope for tomorrow to be a better day.

We made it to their home, and I was amazed. The place looked like it was worth more then my whole house and everything I had in it. We all broke off from there, and the girls and I went to the bath. I was happy, I didn't have to pretend too to just raise the mood, so I had fun. Feeling Marikawa-sensei's breasts was both uplifting and a great thing. I even saw Saeko and Saya messing around with each other out of the corner of my eye. That bath just alleviated my mood even more.

Then we got the wine... And the 'show' made me hot. It made me think of Takashi, and I had a thought. We might have done something like that by now if he had made a move on me earlier. After that happened, I went to Takashi, and I may or may not have kissed him. I was hot, and I needed something. But he stopped me, I understood why. And it was things like that which made me like him in the first place.

But at the same time, it made me sad. I wanted to be held like Marikawa-sensei was, to feel loved. And I couldn't get it from Hisashi, he was gone. When I reached that thought, it was like a dam broke. I cried again, and even though Takashi didn't want to hear it, he comforted me. I could tell he didn't like being compared too or replacing Hisashi, who would? But he didn't leave me.

That made my old feelings for him burn a little brighter, and I accepted it. I ended up falling asleep in his arms a bit after, and only woke up around the time Mr. Maccillian came back. Then we heard the news. Finding out one of the most influential countries in the world had fallen, terrified me. If they could fall, why not my parents? I was scared.

I had finally had hope, but it might've been snuffed out while I was here, sleeping or getting drunk. So I did something I've never done before. I begged Mr. Maccillian to find them. And he did. His ideology got to me. 'No one left behind.' A pack was a family, and we looked out for family. I couldn't stop myself from hugging the man, I didn't care if I was wearing too little for this to look appropriate.

I watched him leave, and I had hope.

And my hope was well placed. Because more than an hour or so later, he came back. And there was someone with him. My mom. He found her and brought her back to me. And I swore to myself, I'd repay him for all the hope, for the life of my mother, and for giving us the chance to be his pack. I'd repay him for all of it.