WHEN DEATH SKIPPED A SOUL: LIFELESS

CHAPTER 04 : HOPE

THEY ALL quietly and intensely listen to Roes explanation from the start of meeting Sir Bessemor until she reached here.

They were all struck down from realization that Dr. Ferrel, their Academy Doctor has known about this or even way before it started. And the fact that they all share the same idea that the black box may contain the antidote for this virus.

"Did you try to open this?" Connan asked in curiosity

"I didn't have time." Roes replied.

"Wait, is it okay to open this thing up?" Mila asked "What if it got contaminated?"

"Well something is for sure, inside this thing is the most precious thing that we upheld, having our last hope to save humanity." Jin concluded applying his own perspective.

"Well, we ain't sure if it's the real thing." Troy commented amidst the optimistic atmosphere

"It is! Right Roes?" Mila turned to her seeing her best friend sat up having the indifferent aura

"Well, I'm not sure. She didn't mentioned anything." Roes responded directly

"Well you must have any clues? Anything weird about her, going in some secret places? Experimenting? Documentation?" Cannon anticipated

Roes thought about all of the time she worked on the clinic but remembered nothing of importance,"The documents I was always tasked to handle were just all related to this school or to this area. Nothing weird at all, and the clinic was too small to have some secret places." She replied bluntly

"You're just lazy on observing don't ya, I bet you don't even read those documents." Mila sighed

Roes blinked in agreement.

"Well it doesn't matter, but it brought us a bit of light in this hopeless situation!" Jin lightened up the mood "She said that there are people currently waiting outside for this, meaning Dr. Ferrel already contacted them yesterday or just today about the completion of this antidote and they were expecting this. They may help us get out of here!"

"But if they were waiting, why don't they just get it here, they may even help and save all the survivers here." Troy exclaimed

"Yeah it can be like that." Mila agreed

"Well, it must be matters of priority. Our lives or their lives. Just like that." Cannon grievously responded.

"But it's the antidote we're talking about!---" Jin was cut off when suddenly the school broadcasting speaker started to buzz all around the school.

The transformed students who were mindless and lifeless caught it's attention even the evolved hideous monsters lurking in the place.

It was long minutes of buzz until someone spoke. "Good day students! Aren't we quite busy today?"

They recognized the voice immediately.

"Hey, hey. Is that the headmaster?" Troy exclaimed in delight.

"Sshh!" Mila shushed as they cling to another hope

"Our country is experiencing an immense destructive crisis and now, I feared it reached our woods and our Academy." The Headmaster managed to get to the broadcasting room amidst the crowd of the dead walks chasing him, now he's locked up in the room, courageously speaking through the speakers.

"I don't have much time and with no longer ado, I am here to speak to those who are hiding, fighting and everyone else who are brave enough to keep their lives."

"...military units are already here."

Mila exclaimed in joy.

"Hey, hey don't tell me it's actually the military who are waiting for this?" Jin in a joyful tone pointing to the black box.

"But, to avoid further casualties, the military units will standby at the Academy's first gate and they will no longer take a step forward here , meaning..."

"...you will all need enough courage to take the path towards the first gate. Survivors are what they need."

"Seriously?!" Troy exclaimed

Cannon bit his thumb as he rationalize things, Jin became unusually quiet.

"Is that even acceptable?" Mila irritably uttered as Roes took a glimpse on the black box.

"They will leave at sunset and only those who are able to come UNINFECTED will be saved."

"...I know it's hard but good luck and long live my dear students..." after a short buzz the speaker turned off.

They all sat in silence as they slowly figured out what are those last words are for. It was grievous, it didn't even inspired them.

"So the headmaster accepted his fate?" Connan asked losing his cool

"You heard those several growls on the background right?" Mila burst in silent tears

"He's still alive." Jin said

"Yes but it's only a matter of time the door breaks off from their rampage." Troy responded as he imagined

"And the broadcasting room is far away from the first gate compared to us, the room is in the west building---second floor which hold the most students. And naturally, an 85 year old would just give up." Jin sadly stated

Mila hiccuped from her silent cry as the complicated emotions was cycled into her today.

"Can we even survive?" tears were flowing down on her cheeks

"We can. I know." Jin courageously said

"We have the antidote after all. It's not something we can threw off even if we lose hope."

"Well, what's the use of it if we are all just gonna die on the process?" Connan responded

"Hey Class rep, you're pulling off too much negativity in your body." Troy remarked

"We need a definite plan for this like locating some safe routes, tools and team formation." Mila started as she brushes off her tears

"Well yeah we need to."

"Okay so listen up peeps because it's too dark here I can't write anything, I'll only explain my ideas while listening earlier." Jin stood up as he beams with hope.

"It's an operation for survival."

"You're quite the flexible one aren't you Jin." Troy commented

"Well we can't do anything right now but to keep on fighting." he exclaimed

"I don't know what your thinking but the first gate is about 6 kilometers away." Connan stated "And there's no way we can use any vehicle right now."

They all shut in silence.

"I haven't walked the first gate from here myself." Mila crossed arms as she pondered of what to do

"Well, it may have been the same for all of us. The Academy provided standby vehicles for any urgent business going outside." Connan stated.

The Holshire Woods is preserved for its magnificence and history that's why they took the construction in the center enabling the trees to live and still sustain it's habitat.

"Hey Roes remember all your 'adventures' when we were in our first year here?" Mila turned to her

Roes turned to look at her and remembered that she had broken all the curfews before and tried to reach the gate by means of walking inside the woods then through that, the biggest incident happened here.

"If you mean how did I get out last time, it was through the unsecured door in the west side of the woods but I think they closed it up for good." Roes responded remembering all her rebellious stage before which are way too embarrassing now.

"Well I still can't believe you survived the rage of the west." Troy exclaimed

"West had the wildest animals in the woods some were almost extinct and some are immensely rare. I noticed that illegal hunting is still active around the other areas of the Holshire." Jin said pondering.

Since the Academy was built, the areas of the Holshire Woods has cut into three. The east, west and the big south. East and west were separated by the concrete road from the highway towards the Academy, then the bigger south behind the Academy. The Academy has pretensed "An Academy in the Center of the dark woods" but it's not actually the very center, the Holshire Wood is way more bigger and dangerous in further south.

Troy took some thought and said "We'll try the east side then."

"What do you mean?" Connan asked

"East is safer and in our relative position, we're already in the east."