My Hero Apocalypse | MHO Au

Chapter 1: Selfish Paranoia

CW/TW: This content isn't suited for younger audiences, this series contains descriptive gore and graphic violence.

The cold wind had breezed against Shino's golden hair. He felt a shiver, shaking slightly as he wrapped his arms around himself to gather more body heat. "Gosh, it's so cold," He mutters, his breath showing through the freezing air.

It was cold February morning.

"You should've wore some extra layers, it was on the news how cold it was gonna be today." Blake, a strawberry blond with a pale platinum streak, had remarked smugly in her black puffer jacket and black cargo pants. She pointed her finger upward in a matter-of-fact way, before grabbing a pair of black fluffy gloves from her pockets and hands them to Shino as they continued to walk to school.

"You're never prepared, so I brought a spare of gloves just in case."

"Thanks," All Shino had mustered, he honestly could barely stand her.

As they walked, they were both suddenly aware of the stomps behind them. Shino jumped out of the way, quickly looking backward at who was running at them as Blake carelessly just slightly moved her head to get a look behind her. A tanned boy with a panda hat had bumped into her.

"Hey watch where you're going, weirdo." She quickly snapped at the stranger, giving a burning glance. Shino was still anxious, yet seemed to let out a breath he was holding from anticipation.

"My bad, Blake! I'm just so excited for today" He smiled back, jumping up a little before continuing to run happily to his destination (ahead of them).

"How did he know my name?..." She shivered, creeped out, her eyebrows furrow deep into her forehead making creases.

Shino made an ugly look at her, almost disgusted, before he raised an eyebrow, frustrated with her audacity, "He's in our class? Do you seriously not remember him?..."

"I don't remember unimportant people, especially if they're quirkless."

-

The rest of Shino's day was filled with classes full of laughter and tears. It was the last day of middle school, many people had learned they were accepted to certain hero schools and others learned they were denied.

Shino couldn't care less, as long as he got his license. He didn't want to be a top hero, hell he wasn't even sure he wanted to be a hero. Being a hero meant too much, he knew he couldn't handle it. He knew how corrupted hero life was. He knew the feeling of a life in his hands too well, or at least he thought he did.

He let out a big sigh, a familiar feeling washed over him— before a girl with pink hair had interrupted his sigh.

"What school are you going to, Shino?"

"What's it to you, Rose?"

He couldn't exactly stand Rose either. Although maybe it was unfair of him, the most he knew was that she was friends with Blake— and she often was nosey with drama.

"I mean, I was just curious," She smiled, a hand found its way to his shoulder.

"Um?...," His voice shook, before he shrugged her off. "I don't know," A sigh that lingers, but it was clear she didn't care much, so he didn't put too much effort in actually replying with a decent answer, "what about you?"

"I don't know, haven't decided," She sighed, staring away from him as her attention shifted. Shino catches her staring at Blake, which made his mind drift.

"Blake is going to Monarch, she got recommended." Shino stated, he had an idea that she would like to know. Rose and her were best friends, known each other for one could say: too long.

"Oh really?" her face lightened up, yet she mumbled into a hand on her chin as she leaned onto her desk. A hum settles under her tongue. "No wonder, she is a talented girl," Rose whispered, it was clear she didn't know if he had heard her or not.

Another... deep hum echos, one that isn't from Rose. Shino feels an unsettling fear that seems to boil inside of him, what was it?

A hum that feels from a creeping smile. One so deep, it almost sounds soft— but it's not. He almost wouldn't have caught it. It felt derailing— derealizing.

He was just paranoid, at least, that's what he had convinced himself. Often finding himself too focused on nonsensical things, nonexistent matters. There was no hum.

The uncomfortably quiet silence lingered, and the small conversations of the class didn't seem to go noticed by Shino.

He couldn't notice it, he saw a few kids running through the halls outside his door. Yet— they were kids, and it was likely for them to run in the halls. But, Shino had a deeply wrong and troubled thought.

He shook those thoughts away, those intrusive and destructive in his mind. He knew them all too well; he knew he was being unreasonable and stupid. Everyone in his life had seemed to tell him that.

He almost felt like he was going insane; Blake would occasionally joke that he was mentally ill— which obviously made his overthinking worse. Nevertheless, he ignores it, putting his earphones to blast in before packing up to go home.

Moments had passed before the last bell had finally rung, swinging his bag against his back, he begins to walk out the door, music blaring in his ears.

Then he feels a strong tug on his back, a sharp pain.

He yelps, his earphones falling out as he begins to hear more commotion.

"SHINO!"

Blake had held tightly onto his back, her nails digging into him in fear. He begun to see pools of blood in the halls, startled, he backed away. He finally saw the dead bodies on the floors, and multiple students fighting each other for something he had no idea for. It was right when the bell had rung, right when he chose to ignore.

In a second, Shino was grateful Blake had tug on him to save him— yet some part of him wished she hadn't.

Shalingly, she still held onto Shino, blabbing about "what the hell" was happening, as other students begun panicking, running, or calling someone. Shino had stayed quiet, almost as if frost was covering him.

The teacher ran into the hallway, watching as two students begun wrestling each other— one gnawing at the other's flesh— trying to intervene. Several other students had killed themselves (or it at least looked that way), their bodies lying on the ground, covered in blood. He tried removing the students from each other, yet he had gotten caught in the cross fire.

In the moments of screaming children and adults, Shino didn't seem to hear anything.

The teacher begun ripping apart in front of the class by both the students, the tearing of skin echoing— burning the image inside them all. While the image was still fresh, developing, Rose had closed the door, "Hurry and board the fucking door!"

He couldn't think.

Blake quickly shook Shino, getting his body to go into autopilot to follow whatever everyone else was doing— which was boarding up the door.

Yet the words or tone felt new, something unexpected from the pinkette, all the students had followed through, pushing the desks, tables, chairs, and shelves against the door.

In the organized chaos, a knock had been heard on the door. One sudden and heard beyond the noise.

Then everyone stopped.

A whisper of a cry, "please... please let me in... i'm scared."