BAAAAANNGG!!
The sound of the gun echoed throughout the classroom. Ilyas fired a gun directly at the monster's head.
The monster slumped on the floor, in pain. Before the monster could get up, Ilyas shot it repeatedly until it died.
The students, including Aira, were shocked and speechless after witnessing the event.
Before they could process the situation, the sound of the gunshot and the monster's roar attracted the other monsters outside the classroom.
The monsters began moving towards Class 5-A to prey on the people inside.
Ammar and the boy guarding the entrance, tried to hold the door shut against the monsters' assault.
"Aaarrgghh! I can't hold this door much longer!" Ammar's voice was filled with strength and desperation as he pressed with all his might against the door, which was being slammed by the monsters.
His hands were firmly planted on the door's surface, his entire body straining to maintain his grip. His face reddened, sweat dripped down, and his body began to sway, as if each second was pushing him closer to losing his hold.
Ilyas approached Ammar and suggested doing something that left Ammar shocked and in disbelief.
"Let them in."
"What?!"
"Are you crazy! This is not the time to become a hero or something. Even though you have a gun, that doesn't mean you can kill all the monster outside!" Kamal replied.
Ammar refused to open the door. Kamal asked why Ilyas wanted the entrance to be opened.
"If you don't want to end up as minced meat, open that door now."
Ammar, who could no longer hold the door, just surrendered after hearing Ilyas' request.
He let go of the door, allowing the creatures to swarm inside.
Ilyas took out another gun from his pocket and began killing all of the monsters that arrived.
All of the people who saw Ilyas kill every single monster that entered were left speechless and in amazement.
As far as they knew, Ilyas was a quiet person who only slept in class. Aira, Kamal, and Ammar, who had been friends with Ilyas for a long time, also knew that Ilyas disliked violence because he believed that violence only led to trouble and inconvenience.
Finally, all the monsters near Class 5-A were killed. The students felt relieved and thanked Ilyas. Kamal and Ammar, still confused, asked Ilyas.
"Ilyas. When did you know how to use a gun?" Kamal asked.
"I used to watch my dad practice with a pistol. I just copied what I saw."
"And… why did you bring the gun to school?" Ammar continued, asking another question.
"Safety First," Ilyas replied.
"You dared to kill all these monsters? Aren't all these monsters used to be humans?"
"If you all still consider these monsters as humans, you won't survive a single day in this world."
Everyone there could only reflect on Ilyas's words. Ilyas looked outside the classroom.
He could still see many monsters roaming around the school grounds, but that was enough for Ilyas to execute his plan.
Ilyas gathered everyone in the class to tell them something.
He suggested that everyone in the class immediately leave the school through the school gate.
At first, they were all hesitant to leave the school and even afraid to leave the classroom because there were still many monsters roaming around the school.
"If you can leave here, go ahead. You have a gun. We don't have anything we can use as a weapon." said a student, his voice filled with disagreement and a hint of sarcasm.
Because of that, more and more students began to disagree with Ilyas's plan.
"Ha… Ok… Here's the thing. I'll give you all a choice. Either follow my plan…"
"… That is we go out from this school, search for the help and save all the people that survive…"
"... Or, just sit here, survive with limited food supplies, and die of starvation or be killed by all the monsters outside that can find our location at any time, any minute." Ilyas mocked the cowardly students.
Hearing that made them all think about their fate. In the end, the majority agreed to follow Ilyas's plan.
Another reason is that Ilyas brought a gun, and is capable of killing the monster easily, which made them try to muster the courage to leave the school.
Ilyas called Kamal and Ammar to tell them something.
"Ammar, during the journey, guide everyone to move safely to the school gate. Prioritize the female students and those who are injured."
"Ok."
"Kamal, if you can, take a few people—whether teachers or students—and search for useful items like medicine and food."
"Got it."
"Wait. Why are you asking me to take care of this group? Don't you have two guns?"
Ammar asked, confused as to why Ilyas wasn't the one looking after the group.
"I won't be going with you during the journey out of the school. I'll be the bait so you all can get to the school gate safely..."
"… Once you all reach the school gate, raise your hands as a sign that you've reached the gate safely."
Hearing that, Kamal and Ammar disagreed with Ilyas's plan.
"Are you serious, Ilyas? This is a suicide plan!"
"Don't worry. I can handle all these monsters. You saw how I took down all those monsters earlier..."
"... Don't tell Aira about this. Otherwise, she'll oppose this idea," Ilyas said, with a calm and confident tone, trying to reassure his two friends.
His face was calm, and his hand was placed on his friend's shoulder, signaling that he would handle the situation.
Ilyas's voice showed no tension, clearly indicating that he knew what needed to be done and that they didn't need to worry.
He also added a small reminder to keep it a secret, with a hint of humor, wanting to reassure his friends that everything would be fine.
Kamal and Ammar nodded, signaling their agreement to carry out Ilyas's crazy idea, even though they felt reluctant to make Ilyas the bait.
Before they moved, Ammar and a few male teachers and students took broomsticks and long rulers, sharpening the ends to turn them into weapons.
Ilyas instructed them to wait in the classroom for 5 minutes while he went out to clear the way for them to reach the school gate.
After 5 minutes had passed, they began to move separately. Ammar's group headed towards the school gate, while Kamal's group searched for useful items.
Kamal's group searched for useful items in four different places: the sports storage room, the counseling room, the infirmary, and the school's cooperative shop.
They briefly encountered a few monsters, but Ilyas quickly killed the monsters and rushed off to another location.
After successfully getting the useful items, Kamal's group moved towards the school gate and reunited with Ammar's group, who had safely reached the gate.
Aira, who hadn't seen Ilyas throughout the journey, asked Lilia.
"Lilia, did you see Ilyas earlier?"
"No, I don't see him. Try asking Kamal and Ammar. I saw Ilyas, Kamal, and Ammar talking about something earlier," Lilia replied.
Aira approached Kamal and Ammar with a uneasy feeling.
"Kamal, Ammar, where's Ilyas?"
Kamal and Ammar looked at Aira with sad expressions, their eyes filled with tears, as if bearing a heavy burden of having to tell something unavoidable.
Both of them raised their hands, signaling that they had reached the school gate. From a distance, Ilyas saw the signal and got ready, holding a microphone in his hand.
Kamal told Aira something,
"Aira, just hope that Ilyas can make it out of the school safely."
"What?"
"HEY YOU BASTARD. I'M UP HERE. YOUR DINNER IS SERVE AT YOUR DINING TABLE. IF YOU HUNGRY, CATCH ME IF YOU CAN, YOU FUCKING PIECE OF SHIT, MOTHERFUCKER!"
Ilyas's voice echoed throughout the school, drawing the monsters closer to him. Unbeknownst to the monsters, Ilyas had already placed several explosives he made in various spots around the school.
Aira, who knew Ilyas's real plan of using himself as bait, tried to enter the school grounds to help Ilyas. However, Lilia quickly stopped Aira from entering the school.
"YOU TWO ARE HIS FRIENDS! WHY DIDN'T YOU STOP HIS CRAZY IDEA! WHAT KIND OF FRIENDS ARE YOU TWO?!" Aira snapped, her voice loud and full of anger, her tone rising as if she had lost all patience.
Her face was red, eyes filled with tears, full of anger. Her hands were clenched so tightly that they tore a bit of skin, showing how disappointed and angry she was with Kamal and Ammar.
Her brows were furrowed, her lips pressed tightly together, as if she couldn't hold back the overwhelming emotions.
Very word that came out seemed to be shot with intense emotion, showing deep disappointment in their actions.
Kamal and Ammar could only remain silent, listening to Aira scold them. However, they decided to continue moving south, as per Ilyas's instructions.