Chapter 2: Rotten From the Top

The moon hung high in the sky, cold and distant, casting silver light over the ruined city.

Kai sat near the edge of the rooftop, arms draped over his knees, staring out into the dark.

The city used to be alive.

Neon signs, car headlights, streetlamps—there was always something glowing, always some hum of life beneath it all.

Now?

The skyline was nothing but jagged black shapes, buildings stripped bare by time and disaster. The streets were empty, save for the occasional movement of something half-dead lurking in the shadows.

The only light left was the moon.

A lonely, pale thing, watching over a world that no longer made sense.

Kai exhaled, feeling the cold bite into his skin. His fingers curled around the hilt of his kendo stick, the worn leather warm against his palm. Something about tonight felt… heavier.

Maybe it was just the silence.

Maybe it was something else.

Then—footsteps.

Voices.

The rooftop door groaned open, and Kai barely moved as a group of soldiers stepped out, their boots clunking against the concrete. They didn't notice him at first, too caught up in their own conversation.

Normally, he wouldn't care.

The soldiers used the rooftop all the time to smoke, complain about their shifts, and talk about things they weren't supposed to say out loud. Just background noise.

But tonight…

Tonight, something was different.

"—Did you see the new batch?" one of them muttered, shaking out a cigarette and lighting it with a flick of his lighter.

"Yeah," another one said, exhaling a slow stream of smoke. "Fucking waste of resources."

Kai frowned slightly, his grip tightening.

A third soldier scoffed. "They're just kids. What did you expect?"

A short silence, then a laugh.

"You think they're gonna last?"

"Hell no."

"Bet they don't even make it a month."

Kai's eyes flickered.

They were talking about the new arrivals.

A few students had been transferred here last week from another safe zone. Most of them were younger—middle schoolers, maybe freshmen. He remembered seeing them when they arrived.

Scared.

Confused.

Clutching whatever little they had left.

"They're not gonna waste food on useless mouths," one of the soldiers continued. "You saw what happened to the last group."

Someone snorted.

"They're just gonna let 'em starve out?"

"Wouldn't be the first time."

Kai felt something cold crawl down his spine.

His nails dug into his palms, hard enough that he barely noticed when the skin broke. He could feel the sting of fresh blood, but it didn't matter.

The soldiers kept talking, their voices low, their words razor-sharp.

"It's not like we can keep feeding 'em," one of them said. "Rations are already tight."

"Then why the hell did they bring them here?"

The first soldier scoffed. "You know why. The general likes 'em fresh."

Kai's breath stilled.

The other soldiers went quiet for a second.

Then one of them chuckled. "You ever seen it?"

"Nah, and I don't wanna. I just know they stop eating the normal food first."

The first soldier took a slow drag of his cigarette. "That's when you know."

Kai's pulse hammered in his ears.

The general.

He had always been a distant figure, a shadow behind orders, someone they rarely saw but always felt. People whispered about him, about how cold he was, how ruthless.

But this?

This was something else.

A slow horror crept up his spine, settling deep in his gut.

They weren't just starving the weak.

They were eating them.

The realization sat heavy in his chest, a weight pressing down against his ribs. His crimson eyes flickered in the moonlight, glowing faintly as he stared at the men in front of him.

They laughed like this was normal.

Like this was just another conversation.

Like they weren't talking about real people.

Kai forced himself to breathe slowly, evenly.

This was nothing new.

He had seen what happened to the weak.

This wasn't a school anymore.

This was survival of the fittest—a glorified cage where the strong decided who mattered and who didn't.

And the people in charge?

They were worse than the monsters outside.

No—worse.

Zombies didn't have a choice.

These bastards did.

Kai let his eyes drift back to the city, his mind buzzing, his nails still biting into his skin.

The world was different now.

The rules were different now.

And if these soldiers thought they could play god, deciding who lived and who didn't…

They were going to learn something real soon.

Monsters don't always rot.

Some of them wear uniforms.

Some of them carry guns.

And some of them?

Some of them are just kids with nothing left to lose.

Kai didn't move until the soldiers left.

Didn't even blink as the last one flicked his cigarette and stepped back inside.

Then, slowly, he opened his hand, blood dripping down his fingers onto the cold concrete.

He didn't wipe it away.

Didn't look away.

Because this?

This was just another reminder.

Another reason.

The world beyond the walls wasn't safe.

But neither was the world inside them.

And he was done waiting.