Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Badump. Badump. Badump.

Trey presses himself further against his bedroom wall. With one hand on the door handle, he raises his other hand to cover his mouth. The moonlight sifts through the curtains, shining dimly on the furniture. Somehow, seeing his neatly made bed sent shivers down his spine.

He wonders if it’s the normalcy of it that scares him. Everything is in its place in his bedroom. His sheets, the flowers sitting prettily in their vase, his clothes folded neatly in his drawers, and, of course, the lovingly dusted framed photo of his family back home. Finally, his phone is charging right next to it.

Maybe, Trey thinks. I’m paranoid. Though, he knows it’s not true. He has plenty of reasons to hold his locked door shut. As he mentally lists them all out, he can’t decide whether or not it’s more ridiculous than terrifying. Riddle using the wrong hand to pour tea, Deuce wanting to try basketball, and even Rook getting tired of hunting down a certain depressed lion.

Creaaaaaaaak.

Knock, knock, knock.

The vibration of the sounds shake the door, sending a feeling to Trey’s hands. The breath hitches in his throat. A bead of sweat rolls down his cheek. My heart feels like it’s gonna leap out of my chest, he thinks. Trey swallows thickly.

“Trey?”

His name is as clear as day.

“You don’t have to be scared.”

His emotions laid on the paper.

“You can come out now.”

A desire for all to see.

Trey remains steadfast, holding his position. He knows that if opens the door, it’ll be his voice that beckons others. Yes, Cater’s voice would be out of its job.

. . .

Trey steps out of his tent. He yawns before rubbing his eyes. “Morning,” he greets. “How’d it go?”

Birds chirp far above the open colosseum. A feather or two drift down to Ruggie, who simply sneezes in response. He wipes his nose. Then, he adjusts his seat on the makeshift chair. “All clear,” Ruggie hums.

“Good morning, Trey. Did you have another nightmare? The bags under your eyes weigh heavily. It’s hard for me to recall a time where they weren’t like that.” Malleus’ gaze flickers to Trey’s. He picks up a water bottle. After shaking it, his eyebrows furrow. “Apologies, I would’ve offered you water, but it seems we’re out.”

Trey sighs. “I can do a supply run if Kalim is still sleeping.”

“No. I’m awake.”

The trio turn their eyes on the Asim heir. His clothes aren’t put together right, his jewelry is nowhere to be seen, and his headband is tied around his wrist. As it has been these past few days, the fire in his eyes seems to have been extinguished. Kalim trudges to Malleus, taking the bottle from him. He unscrews it. “Oasis Maker.”

Water flows freely into the bottle. It stops just in time to avoid flowing over. Kalim screws the lid back on before handing it back to Malleus. “Mal, can you get the fire going? My dorm uniform isn’t holding up very well,” Kalim admits.

Fwoom.

With a small spark, fire returns to the measly pile of wood in the middle of their settlement. Ruggie pulls his chair closer. Kalim settles down on the ground next to it. A small smile spreads across his dirtied face. Trey and Malleus glance at each other.

Trey has siblings. Little ones. If he had to guess what having similar age siblings would be like, he feels confident in saying that this is what it would be like. Ordinarily he wouldn’t view Malleus, Kalim, and Ruggie as his brothers of all the random people to pick, but then again, Trey couldn’t blame himself in this scenario.

Trauma bonding is real, after all.

“Kalim, you slept outside again,” Trey states, crouching next to the younger boy. He takes out a handkerchief and wipes Kalim’s face.

Kalim averts his red eyes. The beastman of the group sighs. “You’re going to catch a cold if you keep doing that,” Ruggie reminds.

“. . .If I get sick, Jamil will have to come take care of me.”

A lull in the conversation.

“Kalim,” Malleus starts slowly. “Jamil Viper is-”

Both Trey and Ruggie shoot the prince a look. Malleus shakes his head, not finishing his sentence. Instead, the prince joins Trey in cleaning Kalim up. The dirtied boy keeps his silence.

Ruggie stands up. “I’ll get breakfast going. We still have enough eggs leftover from our last supply run. Anyone have any requests?”

“Whatever is easiest and uses less resources,” Trey calls.

“That’s what you said last time, too,” Ruggie sighs. “‘kay.” 

. . .

Ten days.

That’s how long Kalim has been writing consistently in a journal. Up until five days ago, he hadn’t been writing very seriously in it. Every night he’d lay awake staring at what pages he’d scrawled words across, and the pages he hadn’t. After a bad nightmare, he’d read the first sentence of the journal over and over again until he fell asleep again.

Jamil got me this journal!

Five words.

Five words with their own individualized special meaning. Mostly a symbol of better times. Livelier times. Easier times with an even more relaxed atmosphere. Honestly, Kalim thinks to himself. I wonder if I’m dead.

It would make sense, yet, Kalim couldn’t help but cling to the idea of life.

. . .

The gates to Night Raven College were officially closed and sealed off five days ago. It all started with an innocent endeavor to get a friend home. In that endeavor, that friend and their monster pal did get to go home. Unfortunately, what goes around, must come around.

No one knew if it was some sort of revenge for all the overblots, but whatever half baked plan it was, it certainly worked. On that same note, no one knew how it happened. The only clue was the sickness that swept across campus after the interdimensional portal closed.

The teachers chalked it up to allergies, or runny noses because of how cold the winter hit them this year. The particularly chaotic students laughed about it being a curse. Others reasoned it was just a ghost playing pranks. The truth continued to waft under their noses.

Then, a fight broke out. A student bit another. It started a chain reaction. Anyone who tried to stop it soon found themselves biting others in a hungered frenzy. Eventually it was discovered those who were gnawed to death came back to life in a form called zombie.

The first reaction was to get off school grounds, but all the teachers had sealed the gate off after leaving. Then, it was to the Dark Mirror. Unfortunately, all those who tried getting there, didn’t get there alive. Its state is still a mystery.

As a result, survivors scattered throughout the school. Now, they’re destined to fight their way out or die trying.

Chapter Text

Trey experimentally swings the baseball bat in his hands a few times. It fumbles out of his hands. He sighs as he picks it up again. “This is a wooden bat, it’ll break on the first use. I don’t think it’ll be helpful. Maybe a sword would be better?”

“No, it wouldn’t. Using a sword requires diligent practice, otherwise you’re only endangering yourself and the people around you.” Malleus rests a hand on the baseball bat. Vines with thorns wrap around the barrel.

“Thanks, Malleus.” Trey nods towards him. It’s been hard for Trey to adjust to hanging around Malleus all the time, considering his social standing. A prince and a baker’s son. Who would’ve thought?

Ruggie pulls Kalim to his feet. “There, I put all the bite proof vests under your camouflage. We don’t have enough material to cover your arms, so try to defend with your gloved hand, okay?” Ruggie smiles.

Kalim nods, managing a weak grin. “Okay.”

The last of the campfire sparks to a halt. In the absence of the crackling blaze, the sound of the crickets and the frogs fill the cold, night air. When the boys breathe, their breaths come out as small clouds of fog. Nonetheless, they press on to the entrance of the colosseum.

Malleus makes sure to enforce their shelter’s magical barrier before they leave. The others silently nod towards the prince, who merely nods back. They walk down the path towards the school. Two Heartslabyul zombie students groan as they, too, get onto the path. However, they’re going the opposite way- Towards Trey’s group.

“Bat,” Ruggie whispers. Trey hands him the makeshift weapon. From there, the beastman sneaks behind the two Heartslabyul zombies. Ruggie goes for the first one. He reaches his hands around to trap the zombie's neck with the bat. In a swift motion, Ruggie snaps the bone.

The first zombie falls when Ruggie releases them. The second Heartslabyul zombie grabs onto Kalim’s hand. “Kal, watch out!” Ruggie whisper yells.

Kalim nearly opens his mouth to scream. Trey slaps a hand over Kalim’s lips. “Shhh,” he shushes him. “Mal, we need an assist.”

Malleus kicks the Heartslabyul zombie’s gut. It releases Kalim’s hand and falls onto it's back. Ruggie takes this chance to stomp the living hell out of the zombie’s face. After a minute or two, Ruggie sighs in relief. He gives a thumbs up.

“Sorry, Kalim. We have to make sure to be quiet so we don’t draw more of the undead,” Trey explains while he takes his hand away from the Asim heir. “You haven’t interacted with them much, so I understand why you still freeze up. Well, to be honest, I’m still scared to the point of freezing, too.”

Kalim shakes his head. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it. It’s our duty to help each other,” Malleus reassures. He pats Kalim’s back. Then, the prince glances at Trey.

Trey awkwardly smiles back. “Yeah, that’s how you comfort someone.”

Malleus puffs out his chest. Ruggie rolls his eyes and keeps dragging the group along the path. It doesn’t take too long before the four of them reach the doors of the main building. They stop to take it all in.

The beastman crosses his arms. “There are people out there other than us. Look, the doors are barricaded now. That wasn’t here yesterday.” He gestures to the wooden bars nailed over the entrance.

“Why would they block it off? Are they trying to contain the outbreak?” Trey shakes his head. “No, if that was the case, we wouldn’t have seen those two zombies earlier.”

“Our only choice now is to infiltrate the dorms,” Malleus decides.

Kalim whips his head towards him. “Really? We can go to Scarabia first, right?”

Malleus’ eyebrows furrow. The other two boys look at each other. After getting nothing but silence in response, Kalim lowers his head. “I guess it wouldn’t make much sense to go there first.”

“Let’s. . .” Ruggie sighs. “Listen. You’re not the only one who has someone they’re worried about. Honestly, I don’t think anyone here is ready to face the dorms yet. If we saw the person dead and walking around, we’d have to-”

Trey clears his throat. “That’s enough, you two. Let’s try the greenhouse.”

Another silence. A mutual understanding passes between all of them. Then, a decaying hand is laid on Kalim’s shoulder.

Chapter Text

Kalim freezes. He slowly turns his head to see another zombie behind him. He desperately glances at his friends, a silent plea in his eyes. Ruggie, in turn, glances at Trey, who nods. Meanwhile, the zombie stays still, keeping its cold hand on Kalim’s shoulder.

Trey creeps around to the zombie’s back. Ruggie reaches into his uniform jacket and pulls out a switchblade. “Here, zombie, zombie,” Ruggie mutters, staying near yet a distance away. The zombie doesn’t respond to the call.

“Ruggie I-”

The zombie glances at Kalim.

Ruggie vigorously shakes his head. He gets closer and offers his free hand to Kalim. Kalim takes it. In a fluid motion, Ruggie yanks Kalim away from the zombie. Then Trey swings the vine covered bat. A sickening crunch echoes upon contact. The zombie falls to the ground, twitching ever so slightly.

The sound of the hit causes all four boys to crouch low to the ground, out of sight. They look around, staying silent. After a few minutes, Ruggie raises his hand to signal it’s safe. They all stand up.

“I don’t want to go too far from the colosseum,” Ruggie starts. He slides his weapon back into his jacket. He adjusts his dress shirt a little. “Let’s go back and try the stables first.”

Malleus frowns. “We’d hardly find any supplies there. It wouldn’t be worth the danger. Have you considered that the undead’s hunger and disease may reach horses, as well?”

The zombie on the ground groans. Trey’s foot hovers above its face. He hesitates. Yet, he stomps all the same. Kalim turns his whole body away from the horrific scene. A shudder runs down his spine.

“On my last run, I thought I saw someone-”

“Alive, Ruggie?”

“ Yes, Malleus, alive.”

Ruggie and Malleus stare at each other. With Ruggie’s physical abilities and Malleus’s magical ones, they’d been doing the most solo runs. They’d know the most between the four of them. Yet since becoming friends, neither of them knew how to back down.

A sigh escapes Trey’s lips. He glances at the boards on the school doors before glancing back at his friends. “We don’t have a lot of options right now. Let’s see if we can help that person Ruggie saw.”

Malleus opens his mouth to speak. Trey quickly intervenes again, “Dead or not, we should at least confirm it ourselves.”

“Yes!” Ruggie cheers before quickly slapping a hand over his mouth.

A tense moment comes to pass again before the boys melt into chuckles. “Alright,” Malleus says, smiling, “Let’s be off.”

With Ruggie in the lead and Trey bringing up the rear, they make their way towards the stables. Thankfully it’s connected to the gym, yet that could also have its own problems. . . Despite that fact, none of them point it out. They lay their trust in each other, knowing it’ll be okay. Even if it wasn’t, they’d find a way. They’d have to.

Chapter Text

As expected, the horses are way beyond saving. They’re barely more than half eaten carcasses now, surrounded by both buzzing flies and the dead. Some of the zombies are still crouched down, shoveling what’s left of the animals in their decaying mouths. Both spit and blood dribble out the side, but the dead only cares about their unsatisfiable hunger.

Kalim holds a hand over his mouth, desperately fighting the urge to retch. He glances at the others, confused that they can stand this. He presses his back against the gym’s wall, trying to hide from both the sight and the godawful stench. He breathes out a near quiet sigh though, realizing it’d be impossible to escape the smell. Kalim pauses for a second before lowering his hand from his mouth. He pulls up his shirt to his nose and sniffs.

“. . .Yeah, good luck getting rid of that smell,” Ruggie chuckles, voice barely above a whisper.

Kalim’s face instinctively scrunches up. He flattens his shirt back to its usual place. “You think there’s a washing machine somewhere?”

Trey sympathetically pats Kalim’s back. Malleus sighs, “I suppose I’m on laundry duty when we return.” Despite his words, the prince smiles, as if he enjoys the thought of it.

The four of them share a nice, quiet laugh again. Kalim is grateful for it.

. . .

“This place has more zombies than I’d expect,” Trey admits. He grips his baseball bat a little tighter when he glances at the wandering horde. He keeps his eyes focused on them.

Malleus nods. “I was right, then.”

“You sure like to brag, don’t you?” Ruggie says, scrunching up his face.

Malleus shrugs, yet a smile stays on his face. “Is it wrong to be so prideful?”

“Ye-”

Trey clears his throat. “Anyway. It’s hard to say that who Ruggie said he saw is still alive or not. We don’t know who they are, so we wouldn’t be able to recognize them, unless. . . Ruggie, do you remember their face? Are they in that crowd?”

Ruggie peers around the corner the four of them have taken to hiding behind. His eyes flicker from decaying face to another while a frown grows deeper on his face. “I only caught a glimpse last time, but I don’t think they’re dead, yet. Looks like we might actually find someone alive.”

“That might be even more dangerous than if they were among the ranks of the undead,” the prince points out. He rubs his chin as he thinks. “Shall I take the lead on this one?”

The three of them continue their discussion while keeping an eye on their surroundings. A glint of something sparkling in the gym’s window draws Kalim’s attention. He pats Trey’s arm, yet keeps his gaze focused upwards. “Can you give me a boost?”

Trey glances at him. He pushes up his cracked glasses. “What for?” He follows Kalim’s eyes. “. . .The window?”

The undead groaning draws closer to their position. Ruggie takes out his switchblade and eliminates the few that get close. He turns to the others. “We gotta go, guys. Unless you wanna be zombie chow.”

“Don’t joke about that,” Trey sighs.

Malleus tries the gym door. The handle doesn’t budge. “Locked.”

Kalim continues to stare at the windows high above the door. “Give me a boost. I’ll open it from the inside.”

The boys stare at him. Kalim doesn’t repeat what he says, nor does his steady stance waver for even the slightest second. He only flinches when blood splatters on his sweater. Ruggie takes his blade out of the zombie’s head. “My bad,” he mumbles, kicking the corpse away.

“At least let me try,” Kalim finally speaks again, dragging his gaze to the others.

“Do you still have that knife?” Ruggie says. “The kitchen knife I mean, when we first saved you?”

Kalim hesitantly nods. He pats his pant pocket. “Right here.”

Trey, now, is helping Ruggie thin out the undead’s numbers. “Hurry. We’ll run out of energy if we keep this up,” Trey urges. He lifts his thumb to swipe away the blood on his glasses.

Without another word, Malleus waves his magic pen. A swirl of wind lifts Kalim to the window. Kalim nearly yelps, but the three of them quickly press a finger to their lips. Kalim covers his mouth and nods.

He climbs onto the window, settling onto the ledge. At this spot, it’s barely reachable from the gym’s bleachers and impossible to get to from the outside. It’s perfect for a moment’s rest and to get a good view at everything.

“Kal!” Ruggie whisper-yells, waving his arm. “We’ll be back!”

Kalim gasps as he realizes the horde has finally stumbled upon his trio of friends. The three of them quickly make their escape. Now, he is completely alone for the first time in a long while.

Chapter Text

The Asim heir turns his eyes to the other side of the window, to the insides of the gym. At least five zombies mill about, some of them adorning their sports uniform and the others their normal one. Even if he doesn’t want to, Kalim realizes that the ones in their normal uniform have the freshest blood on them.

I’m not going to hold them back, Kalim decides. When I see Jamil again, I’m going to show him that I can handle myself. Yet, the thought makes Kalim hesitate. His sweaty palms grip the window’s ledge, refusing to move.

Then, something tugs on his pant’s leg. He’s thankful to Ruggie for the bite-proof armor, but even that wouldn’t stop him from getting mauled. Kalim nods to himself before looking down. He gasps.

“D-Dorm leader? That’s really you, isn’t it?” The Scarabia student sobs out, sniffling. He rubs his eyes.

Kalim instantly glances at the zombies. They turn their heads towards the sound. “I’m glad to see you too. Be careful though, these people are drawn to sound,” Kalim advises, hopping down from the ledge. He joins the student on the bleachers on the highest row. Then, Kalim reaches in his pocket and pulls out a small kitchen knife.

The Scarabia student nods, sniffing again. “I. . . I know.” His words come out raspy and shaky. When the student gazes upon the zombies, he tears his eyes away from the scene. His voice lowers into a whisper, “They used to be my friends.”

Kalim closes his eyes. When the student had called them his friends, it made Kalim realize he called the zombies ‘people’ earlier. Maybe this student is just like him- Refusing to believe the obvious reality. Kalim pushes that feeling aside to try to welcome new, positive thoughts in.

He’s always been confident about his leadership skills, but not so much about his acting. However, the boy in front of him is clearly about to collapse from exhaustion, and he’d risk joining his friends if he does. Kalim decides to muster up all the courage he has to comfort this student and protect him. Kalim opens his eyes again and attempts to remember how his new group of friends would act in this dangerous situation.

The zombies start to lumber towards the bleachers. They fall over each other and the steps, struggling to climb upwards. The sight makes the student gasp and fall onto his butt, desperately crawling away. Kalim on the other hand, stays steady. He pulls out his magic wand in his other hand.

Kalim waves it towards the group. The gem glows bright before a surge of water sweeps the zombies off their uneven feet and onto the gym floor. “ Oasis Maker! ”

“I never thought about using magic…” The student whispers, still on the bleacher floor.

Kalim slides his magic pen into his pocket and now offers his free hand to the student. Although he struggles, Kalim manages to put a smile on his face to try to ease the other boy. “That was scary, huh? Are you okay?”

The student nods vigorously. He grabs Kalim’s hand and pulls himself to his feet. “Thank you, and um, thank you for. . .” The student glances at his undead friends trying to get up (and failing).

No other words are shared about that situation. A mutual understanding passes between the two survivors.

“My friends are outside,” Kalim finally says. “I want to unlock the doors for them. Is there any other, ah, um… People, here?”

The other survivor hesitates. “Yeah, in the storage room.”

Kalim breathes out a shaky sigh, “Then-”

“Alive. They’re alive, I think! We- My friends and I- We locked them there. Before everything, well, happened.”

“. . .What?!” Kalim blinks rapidly. His eyes widened.

The student waves his hands frantically. “Please don’t get the wrong idea! We were just being stupid and-”

Ah , Kalim realizes, these people are bullies.

“Stop. Let’s go help them,” Kalim interrupts, and he wonders how he got so cynical in such a short amount of time. His thoughts drift to his group; Ruggie, Trey, and Malleus. He shakes his head. We’ll see each other again soon. I know we will.

Then, the two carefully descend the bleachers. They step around the slippery zombies who still can’t get up and go further into the gym. With the unnamed student in front, Kalim brings up the rear. For some reason, Kalim can’t stop himself from glancing over his shoulder at the front door.

“Dorm leader, are you okay?”

A bad feeling bubbles up in Kalim’s chest. He presses it down and smiles. “Definitely. Don’t worry, we’ll get through this together!”

“I hope you’re right. . .”

Kalim hopes so, too.

Chapter Text

Ruggie shoves Malleus behind him just in time to avoid a undead beastman’s bite. Taking advantage of the zombie’s head leaning in, biting onto nothing, Ruggie digs his switchblade deep into its skull. Then, Ruggie kicks the corpse away while taking back his weapon. With a thud , the zombie collapses a few feet away.

“Aren’t you supposed to be one of the top five strongest?” Ruggie huffs out, turning his glare onto the tall fae.

The fae frowns. “I’m surprised you’d attempt to find fault in me. I was distracted as I just assisted Kalim in his endeavors. It’s hardly my doing that-”

“H-Hey! I need some help! Guys!” Trey barely manages to yell from a few feet away, collapsed under the weight of a snarling undead. Trey pushes on their shoulders, desperately fighting to keep their mouth away from his face. His bat rolls to Ruggie’s shoes.

Ruggie instantly grabs the bat and runs to his friend’s side. He swings with full force. The bat collides with the undead’s head, splattering both the surrounding area and the survivors with gore. With his other hand, Ruggie stabs another undead lumbering over. “Mal!” Ruggie yells out. “Distraction!”

With a wave or two of his magic pen, Malleus strikes lightning onto the wooden stables. The resounding echo of thunder draws most of the horde’s attention away. Both Trey and Ruggie heave out a sigh of relief. Ruggie crouches next to Trey and offers him his bat. “Might want this back,” the beastman says.

Trey sits up and shoves the zombie’s remains off his body. He takes off his glasses and manages to find a place on his shirt to wipe them off for perhaps the third time that day. He slips them back on before gingerly taking his bat back. “Thanks. I owe you one.”

“Shishi, that’s what I’m counting on.”

Malleus looks around. The trio ended up on the field behind the gym. His eyebrows furrow as he delves deep into thought. The other two stand to their feet and join him. “Recovered, Trey?” Malleus says, though a little absentmindedly.

“Yeah, thank you.” Trey smiles. He joins Malleus in surveying the area. The smile on his face quickly slips into a frown. “We’re out in the open here. Let’s go back.”

Something sparkles in the dirt. Ruggie crouches next to it and pulls it out. He dangles the dirtied watch in front of his face. The hands fall through the cracks of the glass and onto the grass. The beastman sighs again.

“You’re right. We also cannot leave our companion alone for too long,” Malleus agrees.

Trey pats Ruggie’s back. “Ready to go?”

“I guess,” Ruggie mumbles, shoving the watch in his pocket. He stands up, not bothering to dust himself off. He pauses when his eyes naturally goes to the gym’s backside. “Hey. Is that- Is the back door open?”

“I’ll be honest. I kinda forgot about back doors,” Trey admits, before following Ruggie’s gaze. Malleus soon follows suit. A silence falls over the three of them as they all stare at the open back doors of the gym. Then, they slowly glance at each other.

“H-Help meeee!” A loud screech erupts from the tower behind them. Someone bursts onto the balcony of the tower and slams their back against the door, fighting to keep it closed. Sunlight glints off the student’s Octavinelle badge. He gasps when he sets his eyes on the trio below. “Please, please, please! I’ll do anything! Help me!”

Both Malleus and Ruggie seem to completely disregard him in favor of rushing towards the gym. Well Ruggie does, Malleus simply teleports, leaving a cloud of fireflies.

“Hey, meet back at camp!” Trey calls out after them as the duo disappears into the gym. The Heartslabyul vice dorm leader shakes his head and turns to the tower. He yells up at the Octavinelle student, “Don’t worry! We’ll get you out safely!”

Tears and snot well up on the student’s face. “Th-Thank you!!”

Trey slowly approaches the tower, taking a look around. The fencing meant to keep the horses in the field and the natural greenery could be dangerous and hide potential enemies. He adjusts his grip on his baseball bat. He stops before he gets too close to the fence.

“What’s wrong? You’re not giving up, right? Hey- Hey, please- I want to live! I don’t want to die like this! Please! I have a younger brother at home!”

“Woah, woah! Calm down. It’ll be okay. Are you hurt? Are you able to climb down from there?” Trey continues to observe the area. If he jumps, he’ll be able to make it into the bushes. Hm, but there might be someone there. . . I’ll have to clear it out first , he thinks. He pushes up his glasses.

The Octavinelle student shakes his head. “I’m fi-fine-”

A decaying hand punches a hole in the balcony door. It desperately feels around, not carrying about the wooden splinters digging into its palm. A gasp rips out from the student. Now, Trey, too, could hear the incessant undead groaning from inside the small tower.

“What do I do?! It’s Trey, right?! Trey, what do I do?! Hey!” The student pleads, whole body shaking.

Trey whistles at the bushes. “Stay calm! Follow my lead and jump when I say so, okay?”

A zombie with no bottom half heaves itself out of the bushes towards Trey. He stomps on its head as soon as it gets close. The student from above only cries out even more, his sobs drawing in even more undead.

“ Now!”

The student jumps into the greenery. A sickening crunch echoes. It’s nearly drowned out by the sound of the balcony door completely breaking down. Zombies pour out and shove over each other, some even falling onto the ground as well.

However, Trey is faster. He vaults over the fence and knocks the zombies’ heads out like they’re baseballs. Between a break, he uses his free hand to reach into the plants. He grabs onto the student’s forearm and yanks him to his feet.

“Let’s move!” Trey urges. He breaks into a run while keeping a tight grip on the student, not daring to let go. As the two of them head back to the colosseum, Trey only looks back to send one final glance at the gym.

Trey grits his teeth. He looks back onto the path in front of them. Even after all this time, he still didn’t think he was quite the main character type, but he decides to try to have the courage of one. If not for himself, then for his new friends.

He knows he can’t afford to stop now.

Chapter Text

Kalim pushes the Scarabia student behind him. The dorm leader slides his hands into his pocket, fingers brushing against the handle of a kitchen knife. However, he takes his hands out and arms himself with his magic pen instead.

The two of them are cornered by a group of zombies. Thankfully not large enough to be considered a horde, but still quite formidable despite their slow speed. Time and time again, water spews from Kalim’s magic pen. However, they’re still dangerous on the ground, if not more.

“Dorm leader, I. . . I don’t want to hurt them,” the Scarabia student admits quietly, his hand on his own magic pen. Tears well up in his eyes.

Kalim glances at him, gaze softening. “Me either. We’ll-” He clears his throat, steadying his shaking voice. “We’ll be okay. Trust me.”

A piercing scream erupts from the very bottom of the student’s lungs. A hand curls around Kalim’s ankle. He gasps and looks down at their shoes. One of the zombies on the floor has their teeth sunk deeply into the other boy’s ankle. It looks like another zombie is trying to do the same to Kalim.

No. No, I- Don’t do this. Don’t make me do this!

Kalim’s heartbeat speeds up, nearly making his heart pound out of his chest. His breathing gets heavier and heavier. He swiftly aims his magic pen at the zombie’s head. Before he can fully register it, the words are already escaping his mouth, “ Fireball!”

The zombie’s head bursts into flames.

“ Fireball! Fireball! Fireball! Fireball! ” Kalim cries, voice barely clear through the sobs racking his body. Each zombie in his vicinity groans and collapses to the ground, covered in ash and flames. He doesn’t stop until they’re all nothing but real corpses at his feet.

The student behind him lays a hand on his shoulder. Kalim breathes out a shaky sigh when the student does so. He finally glances behind him. “Are yo-” Kalim freezes mid-word, leaving his mouth wide open.

Blood the color close to black oozes out of the corner of the student’s mouth. Tears still flow freely down his face. Snot runs rampant, and it seems like he doesn’t even have the strength to sniffle anymore.

Kalim’s grip on his magic pen loosens.

“Hey, Dorm Leader? Why does. . . Why does it hurt so much?” The student’s grip on Kalim’s shoulder tightens. “You said it’d be okay.”

Ah . It’s been a while. A while since Kalim has seen the process happen so up close and personal. He knows how to make it okay. How to soothe the young boy before him. He’s done this before. Yet, Kalim’s hand doesn’t move. The presence of the magic pen in his hand only becomes all too real. The gem is still warm. It sparks every so often like the flickering gym’s lights.

The Scarabia student smiles weakly. His voice becomes raspier with each word that drops from his cracked lips. “Why aren’t you saying anything?”

Kalim knows the more merciful way. The true method of helping one of the students under his care. His heart continues to pound and breathing only becomes more difficult. With a shaky hand and a loose grip, Kalim lifts his magic pen.

“Yeah,” his voice quivers, “everything will be okay. I promise.”

A sense of relief fills the student. His smile grows a little stronger, and he shows more of his teeth in it. The Scarabia student leans in just a little closer. “I knew I could count on you, Dorm Leader!”

Kalim slowly nods. He takes a deep breath in. The stagnant, foul air nearly sends him into a coughing fit, but he stays strong. If not for the boy in front of him, then for himself. Stopping now would only melt his resolve. He’ll go forward, no matter what.

The student leans in even closer, mouth a little wider.

The Scarabia dorm leader gives him a small, weak smile. Wine colored magical particles swirl around the gem embedded in his magic pen. His grip tightens.

Then, the steel of a switchblade erupts out of the student’s head. It’s yanked out just as fast. The student falls to his knees. With tears still on his face, he looks up at Kalim. Despite the gym lights flickering down on the student, none of the shine reflect in his eyes. A gurgling sound comes from the student’s throat, and his mouth moves as if he’s saying something.

Yet, nothing comes out.

A foot stomps hard on the student’s back. It forces him to flatten himself against the ground. He twitches every so often before stopping completely.

Is this really what they call ‘mercy?’

Chapter Text

Ruggie catches the magic pen before it falls from Kalim’s hand. He tosses it in the air before catching it again so he can offer the non-gem side. He frowns a little at the cooling warmth sensation on the gem. That’s not the only thing he frowns at. “You okay?” The beastman tilts his head slightly as he asks. He looks Kalim up and down, seemingly searching for the answer himself.

“Injured or not, we’ll have to conduct a check up on all of us when we return. If one of us is inflicted, there's no doubt it'd be a dangerous and troublesome matter. Hm? Are you alright, Kalim?” Malleus raises a hand in Kalim’s direction, but quickly recedes it. The look on his friend’s face told it all. Not to mention that obvious handprint on his shoulder. A question for later, the fae notes.

Kalim hesitantly takes his pen back from Ruggie, their hands brushing when they do. “Thanks,” he murmurs, not acknowledging either of their questions. He takes a moment or two to look between the three of them, noticeably looking anywhere but down. “Where’s Trey?”

“He’s back at camp. Let’s get the stuff we can from this place and join ‘em. The gym is weird enough during the day. Imagine seeing it at night. Ugh, no thanks.” Ruggie shakes his head and sighs. The thought sends a particularly chilly shiver down his spine.

“Oho, afraid of the dark, are you?” The fae teases.

Ruggie throws him a look. “No way.”

Malleus cackles, “One of these days, I shall confirm that for myself.”

Ruggie does the ‘I’m watching you’ hand motion towards him.

The tears on Kalim’s face finally dry up. The seriousness of his face sets in, letting his determined grin sparkle a little brighter. “I don’t know about finding food or anything, but I heard that there’s some people in the storage room. Let’s go help them!”

Both Ruggie and Malleus look at Kalim, then at each other, and finally back at Kalim. There’s a lot that the beastman and fae didn’t agree on. In fact, it’s rare to find them in complete sync. Before either of them could voice their obvious disagreement, Kalim intervenes, “I’m going whether you come with me or not.”

True to his word, Kalim spins on his heel and heads towards the storage room. He’s careful to maneuver around the corpses and the water puddles muddled with blood. One of the worst things in the zombie apocalypse is getting blood water in your shoes, which ends up soaking a part of your sock. Stinky AND gross. Plus, it’d makes that awful squeak which is a million times worse on gym floors and other similar textures. Despite those obvious facts, Malleus mentally concludes that Kalim has another reason for being so cautious. Not that he blames him, considering what's happened thus far.

Ruggie’s face scrunches up and his ears flatten against his head. He pinches his nose close, which makes his voice come out nasally, “Ugh, I really smell the stuff now. Hold on, I’m comin’.” He follows Kalim, albeit slowly. He makes increasingly disgusted faces as he proceeds, and grumbles under his breath. In his other hand, Ruggie loosely holds onto his switchblade.

“I shall keep watch, then."

For what feels like the millionth time that day, Ruggie glares at Malleus. “Get over here.”

Malleus simply shrugs and keeps a smile on his face. “As you wish,” he says, but it’s hard to take Ruggie seriously when he sounds like a little kid with a cold. Considering the difference in life span between the two, Ruggie might as well been one. However, an invite is an invite no matter how ridiculous, and who is the fae prince to refuse a good friend? He did refuse Kalim’s initial request though, and the thought makes him chuckle.

A friend’s invite that I have the liberty of saying ‘no’ to. An opportunity I didn’t think I’d experience. What an interesting turn of events.

“I can tell you’re thinking something weird. Stop that,” the beastman huffs, breaking Malleus’s thought chain. As Ruggie talks, his tail swishes in an irritated manner.

“I’m simply glad the day has come where I receive many invites-”

“Yeah, that’s weird. What do you even classify as a ‘invite,’ anyway? ...Scratch that, I don’t wanna know.”

Kalim stops to call out over his shoulder, “Hurry up! They’re waiting for us! Oh, that was close.” He breathes out in relief as he narrowly avoids stepping in a puddle. He gently presses his free hand over his chest in an attempt to calm his racing heart.

While Ruggie groans in exasperation, Malleus can’t help but laugh at Kalim’s antics. It’s clear Kalim isn’t going to explain any more than that to them, and the two have decided just to accept it for now. Besides, they’re sure Kalim needs the distraction, anyway. It couldn't stop Malleus from worrying though, even if he didn't quite show it. This storage room could be like pandora's box, and one of his dear (and only) friends is about to open it.

Malleus wonders if this is how it feels like to be powerless in the face of the unknown.

Chapter Text

“This is a problem,” mutters Trey, shaking his head. He stands on the inside part of the magical barrier, the colosseum entrance. He pushes up his glasses to better see his new companion struggle to join him. Trey crosses his arms and frowns.

The Octavinelle student rubs his head, slightly ruffling his hair. He puffs out his cheeks as he studies the near transparent, magical wall between them. He places his palms against the wall again before knocking on it. With still no progress on entering, he sighs. “Who made this thing, anyway? It’s a brick wall! Nah, not brick, something tougher for sure.”

“Malleus did. We could use my unique spell to rewrite it, but it might tamper with the whole barrier itself. Though, I doubt that my magic will be enough to even dent it. We’ll have to wait for Malleus to get back. It’ll be fine, though. No zombies come this far on campus usually.”

“Usually? So there’s still a chance one could come up and bite me?!”

Trey smiles and reaches through the barrier to pat the student’s back. “Think positively. At least you have solid shelter and friends now.” With dwindling supplies , the vice dorm leader thinks, but has enough sense not to say it out loud. He doesn’t need his new ally to get any ideas. Night Raven College students could be scary when they wanted to be.

He thinks back to Ruggie and Malleus’s usual ruthlessness. Well, maybe that’s a good thing in this weird situation, but it still doesn’t make me feel any better. Trey closes his eyes and shudders. If he hadn’t did what he did back when everything first started, would he be the one that-

“Trey? Uh, I can call you that, right?” The Octavinelle student clears his throat, albeit awkwardly. His words interrupt Trey’s line of thinking, which makes Trey open his eyes again.

“Go ahead,” Trey agrees. He slightly shakes his head, pushing the memory of a certain ginger far back in his mind, as far as it will go. Losing focus here even for a minute could spell disaster not only for him, but his friends, too. He won’t lose another one. Not ever again.

He crosses his arms again, ignoring the pinching feeling as his grip on his arms tighten. “Anyway,” he says, shifting his frown to a smile, “You hungry?”

In that exact moment, the still unnamed student’s stomach rumbles. He laughs awkwardly and nods. “Guess I am. Wow, I kinda forgot about food for a while, since, ya know, I was trying to avoid being food.”

“Haha yeah, I get that. I’ll have to go inside for a while to get it ready, are you gonna be okay out on your own?”

“I think so.”

“Great.”

The sun begins set, falling further and further down the sky. Trey looks up at the mixed pinks, purples, and oranges of the sky. I didn’t think we were out for that long, he thinks, his eyebrows furrowing. “The problems never stop coming.”

The Octavinelle student follows Trey’s gaze, looking up. A widening smile spreads across the student’s face. He takes out a phone and taps on the cracked screen a few times. He frowns. “Seriously? No battery? Can’t have shit out here.”

Trey’s eyes go back to the student’s face. “That’s how it goes in this sorta thing, I guess. Anyway, I’ll be right back. If the others give you any trouble, just call for me, okay?” He waves and goes inside the colosseum.

His new companion waves back, still with a smile on his face. It makes Trey cringe inwardly a little. Though, he’s glad at least someone can smile genuinely in the zombie apocalypse. That aside, it’s time to get started on that ravioli! That is, if they have any. . .

Chapter Text

“Hm? Are they dancing?” Jamil questions as he steps further into the gym. He holds the door open to let Kalim follow him. The vice Housewarden turns his head away, snickering and smiling. He turned his gaze back only to barely contain another chuckle as he watched three first years and the infamous direbeast struggle to stay on beat.

The music stops as an ad plays. One of the first years grumble and closes the app before pressing a button on the side of his phone. “You guys suck at this,” the first year with the phone groans.

Before his companions can voice their complaints, Kalim jogs up to them and interjects, “Can we join, too?” The bright smile on his face widened when they agree, much to Jamil’s obvious dismay. Kalim glances at his friend- his vice Housewarden out of the corner of his eye.

“Seriously? It’ll be funny watching them fail though, so maybe I’ll let it slide. For now, at least,” Jamil mumbles, his frown from before turning ever so slightly upwards. Upon seeing this, a small sense of relief sprouts from Kalim’s heart and washes over him.

‘At least he’ll have fun,’ Kalim thinks, ignoring a gut-wrenching feeling guilt quickly overlapping his relief. He shoves the thoughts and memories of what happened last month into the furthest corner of his head. The only thing he’s worried about is deciding which move to impress these first years!

. . . . . .

Kalim shakes his head. Why did that come to mind? He wonders, subconsciously breathing out a small sigh. He stops before a set of gray doors, stained with sets of bloody handprints. His hands rest on the cold, metal handles but doesn’t open it. Yet.

“Hey, one sec. You said earlier we need to help ‘em, right?” Ruggie slows his light jog to a stop next to him. The beastman’s ears twitch, and his eyes dart from place to place, thoroughly checking the doors. When he spots the handprints, his face scrunches up.

“Yeah! The guy-” Kalim interrupts himself, quickly correcting his words, “-one of the Scarabia students said he locked them in here before all of this.”

Ruggie’s ears flatten against his head again, which is followed by his tail swishing. “They’re probably dead.” He adjusts his grip on his nose, continuing to block the ungodly scent of blood and death.

A small swarm of fireflies appear and buzz about as Malleus joins the two of them. “Locked? How odd, I don’t see any sort of barricade. Hm, but I do recall it needing a key. . . However, this is quite the dangerous situation. Wouldn’t the students have broken through by now, whether it be by force or magical means?”

“Yeah, and there ain’t any food or water in there. It’s just sports equipment. Plus,” Ruggie says, eyeing the crack under the door. “There’s no window or anything. Ugh, we could’ve done that thing where we checked the shadows.”

Kalim glances at Ruggie. “Checked the shadows?”

“The sun is setting, so there oughta be shadows, right? If there’s a window across the door, it would’ve cast a light and some shadows in that crack under the door.”

Sweat gathers on Kalim’s palms. He nods along at Ruggie’s explanation. “That’s really cool!”

Ruggie blinks a few times. He grins. “Right?”

“Hold.”

The two of them direct their gazes at the fae prince. Just that word alone is enough to send them back into serious, survival mode. However, Malleus keeps his silence. His eyes remain trained on the doors. The stillness swiftly fills the stale air. Then, Malleus raises his hand. His hand slowly curls into a fist. He gently knocks on a spot with no handprints.

The sounds of something, rather someone, stumbling around echoes quietly.

CRASH!

All three of them flinch. Instinctively, they lower their bodies. Kalim quickly yanks his hands away from the door, and keeps a grip on his magic pen. They only tense more when the sounds of balls bouncing around fills the broken silence. It’s followed by what seems to be muffled sobs, and groans.

Amidst the noises, there isn’t a single coherent word to be heard.

“H-Hey. . . Are you okay?” Kalim hesitantly calls out, knocking on the door. As soon as the motion is done, he takes his hands back again. Ruggie delicately rests a hand on Kalim’s shoulder to push him behind him. Kalim lets him, and doesn’t move from his spot.

The sounds from inside only grows louder and fiercer, but with a sense of slowness. Much like Malleus and Kalim’s knocks, something bangs on the door from multiple spots. Despite the unhurried banging, the doors shake, as if there isn’t only just one thing causing it.

“. . .Let’s go,” Ruggie whispers, but doesn’t move.

“Wait, what if-”

Not bothering to whisper, Malleus cuts Kalim off, “They’re gone. It’s time to go.”

Kalim bites his lower lip. He turns his head to Malleus with a slight glare. “There’s people in there! We can’t leave them behind!”

“They’re gone,” the fae repeats. The neutral expression on his face doesn’t waver, but the look in his eyes are the same as ever when he meets Kalim’s gaze head on. Kalim could never place the exact emotion behind it, but right now, it looks pretty similar to pity.

For some reason, it strikes a cord in him. Kalim shoves Ruggie aside. The beastman stumbles backwards, but doesn’t fall. He desperately reaches his arms out to Kalim, trying to grab ahold of him. “Are you crazy?!”

Kalim sidesteps Ruggie’s hands. The Scarabia Housewarden firmly presses his own hands on the door again. He immediately tries to open it, yet the Scarabia student from earlier was telling the truth. It’s locked. The burning sensation of tears well up in his eyes, but he ignores it. He also ignores the fact that it’s locked. He keeps trying to open the doors, regardless of the fact that it’s firmly closed shut.

“Kalim, stop! Stop!” Ruggie cries. He quickly shoves his switchblade into his pocket so he can hold onto Kalim’s wrists. However, even that doesn’t deter Kalim’s determination.

Malleus observes them for a few moments. He steps forward. With ease, he lightly pushes Kalim off the door. Malleus puts his left hand on Kalim’s shoulder, and his right hand on Ruggie’s. “It’s time to go,” the fae states again.

With just a thought and some fireflies, the three of them disappear from the gym. Just as the sun lowers itself fully under the horizon, they reappear elsewhere. At the camp in the middle of the colosseum, Kalim falls to his knees, Ruggie stumbles a bit, and Malleus moves his hands away from them.

Trey looks up from his spot next to the campfire. He momentarily stops stirring a pot. “Welco-. . “ He glances between the three of them, looking them each up and down. “Long day, huh?”

“You can say that again!” Ruggie huffs.

Malleus helps Kalim to one of their camping chairs. “It’s strange how days are so swift yet so completely endless,” Malleus agrees, not looking at Trey. “Kalim, you should turn in early tonight.”

Kalim mumbles something that makes Ruggie look over. “That’s enough for one day. Malleus is right, go to bed,” the beastman chimes in, irritation washing over his features.

As Kalim gets up and drags himself to his tent, Trey shakes his head. “You guys can fill me in later, right? Anyway Malleus, can you let the new student in? He’s hanging around the entrance, outside the barrier. Octavinelle uniform, kinda dirty, blond hair. You can’t miss him.”

Malleus nods and smiles. “Of course. I shall be back.” He disappears right after that.

Ruggie collapses onto one of the camping chairs, similarly to how Kalim did earlier. “Wake me up when it’s chow time. Thanks.”

Trey chuckles, “Sure.”

An abandoned colosseum and one more survivor than yesterday. A campfire with crackling embers. Smoke which drifts into the sky and dissipates into the cold air. A dwindling hope and an uncertain future.

The night begins, and Trey continues to stir the pot.

Chapter Text

Trey quickly sits up, waking up in cold sweat. His hyperventilating slows to a stop after a minute. Just a dream, he thinks, and runs a hand through his dirty hair. He draws his knees up, not quite pressed to his chest, and loosely hangs his arms over them.

He breathes out a quiet sigh.

Ziiiip.

His head shoots up. Trey grabs his thorny bat and gets on his knees, ready to swing.

“Hey, it’s just me,” comes Ruggie’s soft voice, but it’s quiet, unsure. He carefully steps inside and zips the tent back up. He raises his hands in mock surrender and gives a small, weak smile.

Trey lowers his bat, setting it aside. He takes his glasses and slides them on. “What’s going on?” He murmurs, mimicking Ruggie’s tone. He sits back down on his grimy sleeping bag.

While keeping his eyes trained on the tent entrance, Ruggie settles next to his friend. He leans closer and his voice gets even quieter, “That new friend of yours was bit—“

Trey yanks the baseball bat back into his grip. All tiredness is gone. Adrenaline pumps through his veins and he starts to move. Ruggie immediately rests a hand on Trey’s wrist and grips tightly.

“Stop!” He whisper yells. “It’s fine! It’s fine.”

“What do you mean ‘it’s fine?!’”

Ruggie manages to get Trey to stop moving. “What I mean is, the guy turned back into his sea form. Dead within a minute without any water.”

There’s a pause as Trey stares at Ruggie. His eyebrows furrow and he brushes the beastman’s hand off his wrist. “Okay, so why are we whispering?”

“Trying not to wake Kalim.”

“…Oh.”

As the realization and severity of what happened sets in, Trey once again sets his bat aside. He takes his glasses off and rubs his temple a few times. It wasn’t often that he was able to save someone, but each time, all of his efforts couldn’t keep them alive.

♤

“Vice Housewarden, behind you!”

♤

The first time is heartbreaking. Over time, when it happens again and again, it gets easier. He wasn’t sure if he should be grateful for that fact or not. To be numb to the scene of death and gore. To be able to ignore how someone is desperately begging for salvation.

He almost sounds like a priest.

Trey can only scoff at his thoughts. Then he sighs, utterly defeated, “…I’m sorry. If I knew—“

Ruggie shakes his head. He reaches over and pats the taller student’s shoulder. No other words are said, nor are they needed. A mutual understanding passes through them.

Trey puts his glasses next to the bat. He covers his face with his hands. Silence fills the air. In the distance, birds squawk overhead. A muffled sob wracks his body. Then another. And another.

The beastman keeps his hand on Trey’s shoulder. He looks away and his lips quiver. Ruggie takes in a shaky breath and hangs his head low. His eyes close.

Zip.

Neither of them look over when the tent entrance unzips instantly. Malleus rests a hand on the tent roof and bends down to peer in. “It’s gone,” he says casually. “The sick one.”

They don’t respond.

Malleus quietly steps in and sits next to Trey. He awkwardly pulls his long legs to his chest and loosely hugs them. He clears his throat. The zipper closes again. He obviously tries not to look at them, but it seems he can’t fight the urge to glance over every so often.

……….

When Kalim wakes up, the stench of fish nearly overwhelms him. He groans, turning over on his side. “Jamil, light the candles please,” he murmurs, frowning and face scrunching. Nothing happens so he groans again, “Jamiiil.”

His tent unzips and a familiar voice reaches his ears, “Sorry, it’s just me. Breakfast is ready.”

Trey steps in and helps the bumbling, yawning Kalim out. He leads the heir to their camping chairs and sits next to him. Ruggie hands them their plates of eggs. Just eggs.

“Thank you,” Trey sniffs, smiling. Although he’s not crying anymore, he’s still fighting his runny nose.

Ruggie can’t hide his sniffles either, or his red eyes. He smiles back nonetheless, and responds with a cheerful, “I’m adding this to what you owe me.”

“Seriously?”

Ruggie cackles at Trey’s response, “That’s another five thaumarks.”

Trey shakes his head and gives a light sigh.

It isn’t long after that when Malleus appears in camp. With a flick of his fingers, the bag floating next to him sets down next to Trey’s tent. “It was a fruitful run,” the prince hums.

Kalim decides to sit on the floor next to the campfire. He sleepily eats his food, his fork moving at a snail’s pace.

“Did you check out what we talked about yesterday?” Trey asks, already finished with his plate. He gets up to set it on their designated dirty dish pile on a tote box. “I’ve been thinking about the school since then. Other places, too.”

Malleus gives a nod and scrunches his face as he recalls, “Yes, I did. However, I couldn’t tell how many of our ghastly classmates remain in the school compared to the living ones. The magical nature of each person conflicts heavily.”

“Uh, not sure I follow,” Ruggie hesitantly chimes in. He adjusts his ripped uniform tie. Then he sits on a different, larger tote box and leans back, resting on his hands.

Malleus glances at Trey, who simply shrugs back and gives an encouraging thumbs up.

“Ah, it’s… Well, there’s a lot of magical energy,” the prince tries awkwardly, “between the living and the dead. Additionally, the school— not simply the building itself but Night Raven College as a whole— is filled with such energy as well.”

“Finding survivors is like finding needles in a haystack,” Trey provides helpfully, to which Ruggie nods.

“‘kay, that makes sense. But what about the other places?”

“I didn’t investigate the dorms as per our discussion, however—“

Kalim loses his grip on his fork and it, thankfully, just drops on his plate. He takes a few moments to actually grab it. “Sorry,” he mumbles between bites.

There’s a pause before Malleus solemnly continues, “I ventured further on campus. The greenhouse is relatively unharmed.”

“Okay, that’s good. To be honest, I was really hoping we’d be able to go,” Trey breathes out a sigh of relief. “There’s plenty of plants there, and we can grow food. Ideally we could move our camp, but—“

“Trey,” Ruggie cuts in, “Let ‘im finish.”

Trey stops. The smile drops from his face and he pushes up his glasses. “Sorry, I got carried away. What else did you find, Malleus?”

There've been a lot of silences this particular morning, but perhaps none so long as this one. Trey and Ruggie have their eyes trained on Malleus, serious and waiting. Malleus on the other hand, can’t seem to meet their gaze.

So, Kalim just speaks up after swallowing down the rest of his food, “What happened to that guy from last night? The one from Octavinelle?”

Malleus perks up. That’s something he can answer! “He-“

“Laugh with me!” Ruggie sits up and SLAPS a hand over his mouth so hard that it nearly echoes around the open colosseum walls.

“Unfortunately, he was injured. He turned,” Trey answers gently, eyeing the confused Malleus, “and Malleus took care of it.”

Kalim frowns and nods. “Ah… Okay.”

The Unique Magic releases. Ruggie rubs his mouth and cheeks. He winces when Malleus sends him a look. The beastman’s ears flatten against his head.

“Malleus, you were saying?” Trey turns to the fae.

“Yes. At the greenhouse, I found—“

BANG!!

Malleus frowns deeply at the second interruption before continuing once more, “—That.”

Trey stares blankly. He sighs and pushes up his glasses. “You’re going to have to give more context.” He folds his arms across his chest.

Tch.

“Wow, I don’t think I’ve ever heard mister prince click his tongue like that,” the beastman comments. His ears then perk up. “Hol’ up. I know that voice. Mal, is that—“

“Indeed.”

Trey can’t help but sigh AGAIN. Normally he’d consider his friends’ abilities and powers a positive. It’s very helpful and it’s aided them greatly thus far. Unfortunately, his friends don’t always reveal what they’ve learned. So the (former) Heartslabyul Vice Housewarden asks, “Will anyone tell me what’s going on?”

Alas! Ruggie runs out before he can even hear the question. Actually, he probably heard, but just didn’t care enough to answer. Malleus drags his feet to follow suit, also not providing any additional information.

“Oookay.” Trey pinches the bridge of his nose. “Guess we’ll find out in a second, huh?”

“…Guess so,” Kalim quietly agrees, putting his dirty plate with the rest.

Chapter Text

Trey hesitates to follow after the two reckless ones of the group. On one hand, he knows they can take care of themselves. On the other, their social skills are severely lacking. Yes, not just Malleus. Ruggie could be hard to get along with— and that fact had only grown truer during this whole fiasco.

So eventually Trey figures he’d just do the dishes with Kalim. Minding his own business sounds like a fantastic idea right now.

“Mind helping me with the dishes?” Trey asks, smiling at the other.

Kalim eyes the dirty dish pile. He pursues his lips and eventually agrees, “Sure. I’ll do my best!”

Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve seen him do dishes before… Oh boy, Trey thinks, and manages to keep his smile going. He pats Kalim on the shoulder. “Sorry if this is rude, but have you done dishes before, Kalim?”

“Er, no… But there’s nothing not worth trying!” Kalim reflects Trey’s smile. He pumps his fist in the air, all sleepiness gone by now. “Let’s do this!”

Trey pushes up his glasses. “That’s the spirit.”

…Two broken plates later, Trey is seriously considering his life choices.

Kalim slowly glances over at Trey with the kind of smile that says ‘Please don’t get mad.’ There’s the handle of a cup in his hand, but no cup. There’s dish soap everywhere, and the dishwashing gloves Kalim is wearing is starting to tear. “I—“

Trey raises his hand. “No, I think… I think that’s enough for today.”

The other boy sighs miserably.

Chapter Text

Leona had supposed helping the Ramshackle residents would pay back his debt to them. Some guilt would lift off his shoulders, and maybe he’d be able to enjoy the idea of having been important to someone. He was right. At least, at first.

It wasn’t the first time he had regretted something. Usually he’d get up, shake it off, and go back to sleep. Maybe dream of it and pace his room for a few minutes after waking up in a cold sweat—

—but this wasn’t the type of regret that he could do that with. If he knew that sending them home would mean this amount of blood, death… Leona wouldn’t have bothered at all.

In fact, he might’ve done something with bigger consequences. Well, if he had the energy. Motivation. Unfortunately, he’s never had a lot of either. Oh well.

The first thing he noticed was the godawful stench. The students in his dorm complained nonstop about it, and even teased each other. Not that he could blame them. Beastmen have very sensitive noses… and ears…

Speaking of ears, the second thing he noticed was the sickening groaning. Then the screaming. Seven above, the screaming—

“H-HEEEELP! ANYBODY! SOMEBODY—“

“AAAAHG—“

The labored breathing, the students’ rapid footsteps as they ran for their lives, the familiar sound of locks clicking—

Throughout it all, Leona didn’t hear Ruggie’s voice once. If it wasn’t for that, Leona wasn’t sure if Savannaclaw would’ve survived.

Not hearing Ruggie made Leona finally take that step out of his room. With power at the tip of his magic pen, he quickly decimated the problems at its source. The mirror to campus couldn’t have been destroyed, so they simply blocked it off with all the furniture they could find.

And yet, despite all of his efforts, Leona didn’t find Ruggie in the dorm. Before service cut out, he sent tons of messages and reread their text history over and over.

—

R. Bucchi

R : out of pepsi :/

You : coke is ok

R : k

R : btw hw is due tmrw

You : whtver

R : this is why ur bein held back bro

You : stfu

.

R : (meme)

You : STOP SENDINF ME THAT

.

R : is there no whimsy in ur life? no joy? …no bitches? (Attached: Picture of Megamind)

You : I’m going to lick your room.

R : LICK???:!:!!:

You : LOCK**

R : LMFAOOOOOOOO

.

You : Are you okay?

You : Ruggie

You : answer your phone mf

(3 missed calls)

You : seriously this isn’t funny

(4 missed calls)

You : …I’ll keep your door locked.

( Read ✔️)

—

The stupid conversations. The errands. Sometimes, he swears he can hear the echo of Ruggie’s annoyed voice in the morning, urging him to actually get up for once . Leona didn’t know how much he relied on his friend Ruggie before this. It almost made him disappointed. How far has he fallen?

Now, current day—

He walks around the dorm. He passes two other patrols armed to the teeth with what they could find. Leona stops them.

“Update?”

“The upper floors are clear.”

“Ground floor clear.”

Leona nods. “Good work. Switch off.”

“Yes Housewarden!” Both patrol leaders say in unison. Relief immediately washes over their features. With a skip in their step, the groups rush back to the main dorm building.

They pass by Jack, who is making his way towards the grumpy lion. There’s dried blood on the edges of his vest, but fresh splatters on his shoes.

Leona glances down at him and hums, “What happened?”

“…It’s tomato.”

“Mm.”

The wolf beastman rubs the back of his neck. “Cooking isn’t going so well,” he admits with a sigh, “and we’re gonna run out of food soon.”

Leona’s face scrunches up. “Tch,” he clicks his tongue. There are already too many people in their makeshift infirmary, and others are way too scared to actually go out there. Also, he can’t exactly send Jack out by himself. He’s just a first year! Which means there isn’t anyone left to send out on a supply run, except…

“Jack, you’re in charge.”

“Wh- Leona-?!”

Leona is already walking towards the barricaded mirror. “I’ll be back,” he says, not stopping. He glances over his shoulder. “Don’t be stupid.”

Jack hesitantly opens his mouth and quietly goes along with it, “…Good luck.”

(Because what else could he say? ‘Don’t die?’ ‘I hope you find Ruggie?’)

And the wolf watches the lion leave, knowing any offered help would be rejected.

…

Leona glances at the wood boards blocking the school’s entrance. A problem for another day , he decides, and makes towards his initial objective. The godawful stench is worse on campus, and it nearly makes him want to tear off his nose.

He steps over a few corpses with their heads bashed in. Leona isn’t even going to look at the gym. For some reason, the smell is even worse in that direction. It’s kind of reminiscent of wet dog, or worse.

Soon enough, Leona makes it to the greenhouse without issue. He barely has one hand on the handle before—

BOOM!

A green ball of fire incinerates something behind him. His hand flies off the handle to reach for his pen. Leona whirls around, backs off from the greenhouse, and points his already warm pen at the source of the sound.

“Consider that my gift to you in these trying times,” says a smooth, irritating voice. A bag floating in the air zips close.

“Oi, you—“

“I wouldn’t bother with the greenhouse,” Malleus says simply and leaves in a puff of fireflies. The bag is gone with him.

Leona grits his teeth. He glances between the fireflies and the greenhouse. “Dammit!” He growls, his grip on his pen tightening. “That lizard…! What’d he do…?!”

However, the beastman doesn’t have any time to dwell on the thought. He can already hear the zombies in the distance, drawn in by the loud explosion. His tail swishes and he glances between the bugs and the building again.

He’s running out of time, and he can’t afford to lead a horde towards Savannaclaw. Leona takes a deep breath in and out. It might not be the right decision, but…

Leona knows what to do, and that’s what matters.

Chapter Text

Minding his own business before all this zombie nonsense was easy. Trey didn’t have to worry about keeping the door locked, or making sure his friends weren't too agitated and causing problems. Besides, he’s sure that his fellow Heartslabyul seniors could probably handle it.

Nowadays, it’s almost always on his shoulders. Sighing is a common occurrence now, along with headaches in all shapes and sizes.

“C’mon, you gotta help out here, Trey! We can’t leave Leona like this!” Ruggie is pleading, tugging Trey to the barrier of their colosseum camp.

When they get there, Trey gently shakes off Ruggie’s grip. He pushes up his glasses and nearly gasps at the sight.

Leona bangs on the barrier, which cracks under his fist. In the distance behind him is a bumbling crowd of zombies. “Open up!” He’s basically yelling, voice uncharacteristically desperate.

“I already did you a favor by getting rid of that ill one sneaking up on you earlier—“

“What the hell?! You’re gonna let me die like this, Draconia?!”

Trey rests a hand on Malleus’s hand, which causes probably the first time the fae has ever flinched. Trey’s grip tightens and through a smile that doesn’t reach his eyes, gritted teeth, he says, “Let him in, Malleus.”

Malleus clears his throat and Leona basically falls forward through the barrier. The cracks in it smooth out like it never had any in the first place.

“Are you two little kids?” Trey huffs out. He releases Malleus and turns to leave. “Let’s go back. Kalim’ll worry if we take too long.”

Leona gives Trey a look that he isn’t sure he wants to interpret right now. Either way, Leona doesn’t complain. He simply sighs out and follows the rest of them. 

A few minutes later, they returned to the wide space of their camp. Leona and Ruggie go off to their own little corner to talk, while Trey stares down Malleus. Kalim is doing the only chore he can do—  the laundry.

“Malleus, what happened out there?”

“I’m not sure what you mean. I’ve explained it all already.”

Trey has to resist the urge to be rude. He takes a breath and looks away for a few seconds. Then he looks back. “You should be…” He pauses, fighting back a scowl. “…more specific when it comes to these things. This is important.”

Malleus, on the other hand, has no problem scowling and glaring in Leona’s direction. “Hardly!” He scoffs, “He is none of our concern. He’s lived this long—“

“Malleus—“

“What?”

Trey lifts his glasses off his face. He cleans the smudges off with the bottom of his shirt. Then he puts them on and pinches the bridge of his nose. He knows his companion isn’t the brightest when it comes to social interaction, but seriously? Seriously? He picks now to be like this?

“I can’t believe you. We can’t AFFORD to act like this! We can’t leave campus and we can’t even get any survivors to our camp without them getting fucking bit somehow and—“ Trey groans and drags his hand down his face. He frowns and his tone grows softer. “Whether or not you liked him before doesn’t matter now, Malleus. Don’t you understand? This is life and death we’re talking about.”

Trey takes Malleus’s silence as a sign to continue, “Listen, we need to work together if we want to find help. I get that you’re agitated, we all are. Just take a step back and—“

Smack.

Malleus lightly hits away Trey’s hand that somehow found its way to the fae’s shoulder. “I did not risk everything for the Child of Man to be scolded like this,” Malleus hisses.

“WE risked everything for them, and look where it got us, Malleus! I’ve seen more blood and guts than I was ever supposed to! People I’ve cared about, helped— GONE!”

“Hmph! Perhaps those people weren’t worthy of living in the first place.”

“How can you even say that? Some of those people were Diasomnia’s students. Don’t you care about what happened to your dorm? To anyone on this campus?”

Malleus opens his mouth to argue against that, but Trey cuts in again, “Do you even care about what happens to us?”

Stunned, the fae’s eyes widened. He takes a small step back. “I…”

“…Am I interrupting something?” Leona asks, walking up. Ruggie is at his side, frowning and fidgeting with his switchblade.

Malleus makes no move to speak. Trey shakes his head and manages a smile. “Nah, you’re good. I’m sorry about Malleus. This whole thing has been tough on all of us.”

Leona crosses his arms. “It’s fine.” He pauses. “So you’re the leader, huh?”

“Ah, well, I wouldn’t say that…”

“Either way, think I can stay until the zombies clear out?”

Trey briefly glances at Malleus, who is now avoiding eye contact. The Heartslabyul vice nods. “Sure, go ahead.”

…..

As the sun sets, the zombie herd is still lingering about. Among the undead are a couple of beastman. The most dangerous type, even for someone as strong as Leona.

Fwoosh.

Malleus slides his pen in his pocket after lighting the fire. It crackles in all shades of green, but otherwise a normal blaze. After a few moments, Malleus waves his hand and the camping chairs rise up in the air. They unfold and gently land around the fire.

“So you’re gonna leave tomorrow?” Trey is saying, carrying a pot and a ladle to the fire. “That’s fine. We only have four tents, though.”

“He can stay in mine,” Ruggie replies, and makes himself comfortable on his camping chair. A yawn escapes his lips.

Leona settles on the ground next to Ruggie’s chair. “I’m fine with whatever. It’s only for one night.”

Swiish!

Water from Kalim’s pen fills the pot to just the right amount. Then the heir sits next to Trey, watching him intently. Trey glances at him and silently demonstrates how to properly cut a carrot. After a few slices, he slides Kalim the board. The Scarabia housewarden hesitantly makes the cuts.

The crackles and groans of the wood on fire fills the air beside the sounds of a knife brushing against the cutting board. The water in the pot is moved so it can start to heat up properly.

Despite the peaceful activities, there’s a thick tension. Ruggie shifts uncomfortably in his seat. “I was thinking of uh, going back with Leona,” he says gingerly, adjusting his already loose uniform tie.

When Kalim finishes cutting his lopsided carrots, Trey takes it and the tools aside. At Ruggie’s words, Trey’s hands freeze. He clears his throat and keeps his hands moving. “Really? I hope his camp isn’t too far.”

“Savannaclaw,” Leona says, crossing his arms. He closes his eyes and sighs slowly, “We’re actually—“

“Ah—“ Kalim’s yelp halts the conversation. The knife he was handing Trey clatters onto the cutting board on the ground. The heir immediately clutches his right hand closer to his chest.

Trey gently reaches over and pulls Kalim’s hands away. He takes a closer look at the cut on Kalim’s finger. “You’ll be fine, it’s shallow,” Trey reassures. He glances in Malleus’s direction. “Throw me the bandages, please, M- Huh? Where did he…?”

“I got it.” Ruggie digs in his pockets and tosses Trey the roll of bandages.

“Caught it, thanks,” Trey says, and proceeds to dress Kalim’s cut. In the back of his mind, a bad feeling nags at him. “Did Malleus leave?”

Leona scrunches up his nose and waves away some fireflies. He sneezes out a, “He disappeared a second ago. Ugh, damn bugs.”

I hope he doesn’t do anything stupid, Trey thinks, expression tightening as he does the same to the bandage, That guy is way too prideful for his own good.

Kalim winces.

“Sorry,” Trey mutters, loosening the bandage. Unfortunately, he can’t do the same for the bad feeling that only grows stronger. After finishing first aid for the Asim heir, Trey sits back and sighs, “I’m… I’m gonna go look for him. Ruggie, can you—“

Ruggie is already getting up and reaching for the cutting board. “On it.”

“Thanks.”

Trey retreats to his tent, gathering what he needs. It doesn’t take him too long and he slings his bag over his shoulders. He slowly turns over his weapon, a wooden bat still reinforced with Malleus’s magic, in his hands a few times.

The crackling fire casts a shadow over his lenses.

Kalim and Ruggie give him the usual send off, telling him to be careful and they’ll see him soon. Leona, however, sits by the empty camping chair and merely watches him. His eyes narrow and his tail swishes.

Trey already knows what Leona’s thinking without him having to say it. Honestly though, Trey couldn’t care less. There’s more important things to worry about than worn out rivalries between lizards and lions.