The System Shouldn't Have Chosen Me

There were others running ahead of them —not just students but shoppers, office workers, and even the homeless alike.

The CBD had been hit hard; many buildings were missing chunks, and even as they ran, glass and metal fell down from above.

They ran into an alleyway, its shade blocking out the red sun, and seemingly drowning out the chaos from the highway.

"Where do you think we should head first? The gun store or supermarket?" Joshua asked still dragging Gray along. This alleyway was right beside a bank and there was screaming coming from inside.

~She's dead too...~ Gray thought to himself, unable to reply. He hadn't even thought to bandage her. Who knows how long she had been bleeding out; trying and failing to beg her students for help.

"I think gun store. We need something to protect ourselves in case we find other groups at the supermarket," Joshua replied to himself. They were approaching the end of the alleyway; it opened up into a large street, with stores lined on either side.

Bodies lay everywhere, trampled and mangled; some still alive. There were cars crashed into buildings, and holes in almost every store window across the street. 

"Looks like people got to these ones before us," Joshua said, staring at a homeless man running away with a flatscreen TV on his back. The roads were filled with dozens of other people running away with loot.

Right as Joshua was about to cross the road, there was a screech.

Gray grabbed him and the two of them stumbled back right as a monster swooped down and plucked a woman from the road. It left a gust of wind in its wake as it flew back into the sky; the woman screaming and flailing as its talons gored into her flesh.

It was the first time he had seen a monster up close. It looked like a pigeon; only it was the size of a car, had rotten-looking scales instead of feathers, and a bone-like beak that oozed black pus. And from the looks of things, that was one of the smaller ones.

"Forget the stores; they're more trouble than their worth," Gray said, scrambling to his feet. He pulled Joshua down in the direction they had come from and took a left towards a convenience store he had seen earlier.

"What do you mean more trouble? Getting supplies is one of the most important things when you're in an apocalypse situation," Joshua shouted. The screams had gotten louder, so it was hard to hear him.

"Yeah, but not at the cost of safety. The first thing everyone thinks about is getting supplies, even the idiots. And if you're planning on going to something like a gun store, you'll meet the craziest kind. Supermarkets aren't much better, too big, attract too many people," Gray shouted back, before pointing at the seven eleven.

"Small stores like this are often overlooked. And it's less likely for you to run into trigger happy idiots," he added.

"That's more like it. Carry me senpai," Joshua laughed.

Gray felt like a loser. Ms. Dikinya's death still consumed his mind. He had been 'chosen as a champion' to guard them, that much was clear. But thus far, he hadn't guarded a single person. 

"Oi, can you slow down, I can't keep up," Joshua shouted. Just then, Gray realized that he had basically been dragging the boy along. He still wasn't used to his new speed.

Just then, there was another screech.

"Fuck, they're everywhere," Gray muttered, looking up at the sky. The birds had begun to swarm the area; four of them circling just overhead. Though luckily, the alleyway was too small for them to swoop in.

~So keep to the narrow alleyways,~ he realized.

Once he reached the store, the two of them tried pushing the doors open, but they wouldn't budge. Just then, something moved near the corner of the counter.

"Open the door!" Joshua shouted, but whoever was in there ignored them.

While Joshua was trying to negotiate with the person behind the counter, Gray took watch, staring at the street across where most of the chaos seemed to be happening. Just like everywhere else, people were running.

He paid close attention to a small group that was wearing his school uniform. It was Jane and her friend; and several others from his class as well. 

Another screech and a bird swooped in, plucking Jane's friend from right beside her. She screamed as she was pulled into the air.

Jane fell to her knees, crying. The other students were either too panicked or didn't care enough to help. She was left alone.

"Gray, a little help over here," Joshua said, now trying to force the door open.

An explosion went off somewhere nearby, followed by even more screaming.

"R-Right," Gray whispered. 

He took a few steps back. "Stand back," he said, before running towards the door; making sure his left shoulder was in front. He slammed against the door, and it jolted back with a loud thud.

He tried again. This time using even more power.

The entire door shook upon impact, bursting open.

"You can't do this!" someone shouted. He was dressed like an employee and looked no older than Gray.

"Sorry, coming through," Joshua said, rushing in.

Gray remained outside. "Hey, I'll be right back, I'm going to help someone," he said.

"Help someone, are you craz-"

But he was already gone. He ran across the street, towards Jane, gesturing for her to come towards him.

Just then, someone bumped into him, and he sent them tumbling in the other direction. He didn't have it as bad, but they had hit his right arm. He fell to the ground in pain, and a moment later someone else bumped into him.

The roads had turned into a marathon track; though at least there weren't many cars. The birds seemed to target those first.

Gray bit his tongue, fighting through the pain as he stood up.

Another screech.

The screaming got louder, and the amount of people running on the road seemed to increase in that instant.

"Jane! You have to move!" he shouted, but he was drowned out by all the noise around him.

She wiped her tears, before looking up; their eyes locking for a moment. He waved his arms as he ran to her.

Time seemed to slow. There was loud flapping above him, followed by a gust of wind. He ducked instinctively, and a massive shadow zipped past.

The monster grabbed Jane by the head and tore off into the air.

『Warning 65% of evacuees have been killed. More deaths will result in lower rewards. A death rate of greater than 90% will result in a penalty.』

Gray felt sick. He took a few steps back, staring at that spot in disbelief; before breaking into a sprint back to the seven-eleven.

~Again,~ he thought to himself, bumping into someone else. The pain was like background noise now. He was trapped in his head, the outside world a blur, muffled.

~I can't do this. You should've given the system to someone else.~

『22 minutes remaining…』