The Courtyard

Akira and Kana rounded the final corner of the passage, stepping into the courtyard. Akira gripped his saw-sword and flamethrower, while Kana steadied her hammer.

The moment the courtyard came into view, Kana gasped. "What…?"

Amid ravaged flowerbeds and toppled benches, a handful of figures battled monstrous creatures. Survivors, fleeing the nightmarish school, had converged here.

Akira reacted instantly. "Survivors detected. Prioritizing rescue. Stay behind me!"

He charged into the fray, Kana close on his heels.

In the courtyard, three students fought desperately. A male student brandished a broken mop handle, jabbing at a bulbous creature with writhing tentacles. A female student swung a branch torn from a shrub, fending off a lanky horror with razor claws. A second male student cowered beneath a fallen bench, hurling stones.

But the monsters outnumbered them, steadily cornering the group.

"Engaging combat!" Akira shouted, swinging his saw-sword at the tentacled creature. The blade shredded its limbs, black ichor spraying. He unleashed his flamethrower, flames consuming the tentacles as the creature shrieked and thrashed.

Akira calmly drove his sword through its core, silencing it.

Kana lunged at the clawed monster, hammer raised. "Akira, I'm in too!"

Her swing shattered a claw, staggering the creature. As it faltered, she smashed it again, bringing it down.

"Got it!" she cheered.

The male student with the mop approached Akira, panting. "Thanks for the save! Thought we were done for!"

"Survival confirmed. Continuing safety protocols," Akira replied, turning to the remaining creatures. His flamethrower roared, sweeping the courtyard in firelight as the monsters collapsed one by one.

The battle ended, silence reclaiming the space.

Kana rushed to the survivors. "You guys okay? Any injuries?"

The male student lowered his branch, catching his breath. "Barely… but she's hurt!"

He pointed to the female student under the bench, curled up in pain. Blood seeped from a deep gash on her leg.

Akira knelt, scanning the wound. "Severe injury detected. Requires immediate first aid. We'll transport her to the infirmary. Assistance needed."

Kana nodded. "Yeah, let's carry her. The infirmary's close from here, right?"

"Correct. Located on the first floor, adjacent to the library. We move now."

Akira hoisted the injured girl onto his shoulder, and Kana urged the others. "Come on, stick with us! We'll get to safety together."

Leaving the courtyard, they led the survivors back toward the school.

But as they entered the passage to the building, Akira's sensors flared. "New hostiles detected. Multiple entities approaching from behind."

Kana glanced back, spotting more creatures crawling from the courtyard's flowerbeds—one a hulking, armored beast, another a grotesque mass of blinking eyes.

"They're coming again! Akira, what's the plan?"

"Evade combat, prioritize infirmary access. Stay behind me."

Carrying the injured girl, Akira broke into a run, Kana spurring the others. "Hurry, everyone! You can keep up, right?"

The female student nodded, and the male student gripped his mop handle. "Yeah, we're good! Let's go!"

The group dashed through the passage, reaching the school's first-floor entrance. The creatures' footsteps thundered closer, but Akira slammed the door shut, barricading it with a nearby desk.

"Temporary safety secured. To the infirmary, now."

With the courtyard rescue complete, Akira and Kana led the survivors toward the infirmary, the night's dangers trailing close behind.