Motive Gone Wrong (Danganronpa V3)

Chapter 4: Not Alone...

Shuichi realises he's going to be stuck in a storeroom for a while...
Art by mooota_a
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The storeroom was dark. Cramped. A strange stuffy musty smell hung heavily in the air around him. The same sort of aroma that greeted you upon walking into an old people's home. Shuichi had to get out of here as soon as possible so he could meet up with Kaito and Maki and make sure they're ok. But he had no chance of escaping alive if those creatures were still anywhere near the exit. Which meant right now his only choice of action was to stay in the storeroom and wait for the zombies to move on.

Shuichi could see the metal-barred shelves which lined the right wall. Each holding stacks of disarrayed bottles which would send anyone OCD into a state of unease. He peered through the darkness to catch a glimpse of what they contained but only managed to catch the washed out, half ripped labels. He could only guess they were something dangerous, something which definitely not should be on the shelves in a school for the gifted.

The other side of the storeroom was filled with equipment for various sports. Tennis rackets, basketballs and sticks hockey sticks lent against the wall unevenly. Shuichi gulped down all the emotions he had buried away inside of him when he saw the small, half empty bag of shot puts. He also caught sight of a strange looking invention next to this; a baseball bat, one which had old, rusty nails sticking from it and was covered in... blood.

Strangely, the blood was still fresh. Still bright without out a hint of drying up anytime soon.

Shuichi turned on his heel to the other corner of the room to see the 'thing' in the corner. A bed of some sorts. More like something a young inexperienced bird when making its first nest. Parcel fillings like bubble wrap and polystyrene lined the floor creating a matrice. The pillow was a plastic bag which had been filled with.... was that book pages? And finally, a dirty, manky towel was twisted right at the end of the 'bed', confirming it had been used. But by who?

There was a sound of something smashing behind him. He jumped and whipped around, finding that one of the many bottles had slipped and shattered across the dusty floor. It's neon pink contents guaranteed to stain. He made a dash for the door but stopped when touching the lock. There was no chance he would be able to leave with the current situation outside. Even if there was a poltergeist or demon in the room which him, it would still beat being out there.

Suddenly, he felt two clammy hands gripped onto his neck in one swift motion. Next came the eerie sensation as every hair on his body stood up on end. Shuichi didn't dare turn around, he didn't dare move. All he could do was freeze in place while gulping down the saliva which had built up in his mouth.

"Guess whooooo?" Came the over-enthusiastic, unforgettable voice behind him. Shuichi swiftly turned around to become face to face with the Ultimate Supreme Leader himself.

"K-Kokichi?"

"What? Did you think I was going to kill you??? Well, too bad! But... I might consider it later." He smirked.

Kokichi wasn't exactly who he had been looking for, but he was glad to see a familiar face again, even if it was one of someone who couldn't yet be trusted.

"We've been looking for you."

"Awwwww, a detective like you really went out of his way to find little ol' me??" Kokichi was wearing a big grin which covered practically half his face, way too big of a grin to be wearing during a zombie apocalypse. "I'm flattered!"

"Have you seen Gonta? I know he was with you when we all got separated." Shuichi changed the subject matter to the person which everyone back at base really wanted to see. He knew for a fact that almost everyone loved the big bug catcher and were worried about his safety.