"They can't be serious - we have to go out and fight those things" Benzo was in disbelief.

Taki shrugged. "That's what teacher said. And whatever that voice is."

"That was scary. I'd rather not hear a voice in my head again." Sakura seemed a bit shaken, despite her usual cheery disposition.

"Well, get used to it - something tells me our normal lives are over." Natsuki shouldered her backpack and pushed open the Gym door. She looked back over her shoulder. "What's wrong Taki?"

"Why are we C-team? Why couldn't we pick cool names?"

It was Benzo's turn to shrug. "Dunno. Alphabetical order is probably just easier. Although class 1-B, team C doesn't exactly have a ring to it."

They made their way past frightened looking students holding all sorts of equipment, all heading out into the city to fight. Finally, they reached the equipment room.

Natsuki stopped short. "You've got to be kidding."

It had clearly already been thoroughly picked over. Savy students had grabbed obvious weapons like wooden swords and javelins. A good number of weights and kettlebells were also gone. Had they just looted the place and gone home?

There were still some supplies left though. They found enough football helmets for all of them, which was weird because they didn't have a football team.

"Where did these come from?" Sakura asked.

"Remember that foreign teacher we had a year back? I think he tried to start an American football team." Natsuki fumbled around in a chest of items, most of which seemed useless.

Benzo laughed. "Oh yeah, I remember that. He spent the whole athletic budget on football equipment and got sacked."

"I'm kinda glad he did. This looks like it'll protect us nicely." Taki eyed a pair of shoulder pads.

They all loaded up on what they dubbed necessary. Taki grabbed a baseball bat. Benzo picked up a hockey stick. Sakura found a tennis racket and gave it a hopeful swish. Natsuki frowned and held up a bamboo kendo sword.

Sakura offered a helmet to Natsuki. She shook her head, "I'm good. It's hard for me to see out of those things. It's safer if I just don't."

Armored in shoulder pads, helmets, and wielding the saddest weapons in apocalyptic history, Team C made their way to the edge of the campus to the Mission board.

C - Team: Market District.

"Great," Sakura beamed, "my grandmother's shop is there. Maybe we can have some of those roasted chestnuts she makes."

The team was suddenly reminded just how hungry they were at the reminder of food. No one had eaten since before breakfast - the stress of finding themselves invaded by aliens from outer space had prevented anyone from having much of a lunch.

They walked without incident through the outskirts until they reached the market district. Clearly, the monsters had been here. windows broken, cars dented and crashed. There was blood splashed on the side of the wall of one of the shops. curiously, there were no bodies anywhere.

Suddenly, a monster stepped out around the corner, blood glistening off of its dark rubbery skin. It opened its mouth wide and hissed.

"Holy shit!" Benzo fumbled with his hockey stick, then his helmet. Despite his decent size, it was still a bit too big and jiggled when he swiveled his head. The boy backpedaled, holding up the stick to defend himself.

"Alright, let's go." Taki hardened his resolve and ran up to the monster, hitting it in the face with the baseball bat. Blood and teeth flew through the air. The monster turned back to him and grabbed him by the neck before he could back away. It lifted Taki up and screeched, showering him with drool and blood.

Taki!" Sakura yelled, running to his aid. she smacked the invader in the leg with the tennis racket as hard as she could. The alien thing grunted and turned to her, dropping Taki. It began to advance on the girl, claws splayed.

"Sakura!" Taki yelled before erupting into a fit of coughing. He couldn't move! Before it could swipe a clawed hand at Sakura, Benzo had regained his courage and blocked it with the hockey stick, catching it in the mouth. The beast roared and clamped down on the stick, ripping it from Benzo's grip.

"Fuck youuuuuu," Natsuki yelled as she sailed through the air from behind with a kendo sword. Her stance was wide open, arms high over her head as she brought the bamboo sword thundering down on the monster's scaley head. SPLAT. It was as if there had never been a head - just blood and viscera flying to either side of the creature.

"Okay, that was gross." Benzo flicked a piece of bone from his helmet and adjusted it.

"Let's just keep moving," Natsuki said, flicking the bamboo to get rid of the blood.

Taki pondered as he walked. That was twice now that Natsuki, spry and quick and sardonic as she was, had killed a monster. And quite easily. It just seemed strange. A kendo sword could hurt, sure. Maybe even knock someone out. But would it really splatter something's head like that? That was weird.

"C'mon, Granny's shop is this way." Sakura suddenly ran ahead.

"Sakura, wait up," they ran after her and almost bumped into her when she rounded the corner and stopped dead in her tracks.

"Oh no." The glass sliding door to the little shop was shattered. "No no no no." Forgetting all fear, Sakura rushed into the shop.

Taki pushed ahead, determined to defend his friend should anything happen. Coming in from a bright winter day, the room was very dark. He heard a monstrous roar. "Sakura!" they all cried. Another roar, followed by a whistling sound and a horrifying THUNK.