Wednesday morning, Usagi left for school in advance. Her eyes kept closing on their own will, she hadn't slept much. Around three in the morning, a nightmare had torn sleep away from her. She saw Makoto's death again, and that horrible silence that wouldn't leave her head. And as it had really happened, the body suddenly moved without breaking that silence.
"You abandonned me! You let me die!"
She wanted to explain, to justify herself, but the others began: "We can't count on her!
- She'll abandon us, too!
- She's selfish, crual, she'll sacrifice us like she sacrificed Makoto!
- She's not worthy of being called a warrior, she can't do her job!
- Murderer! Unreliable, selfish traitor!
- If she hadn't been late nothing would have happened!"
While she backed off from their accusations, a flame had surrounded Makoto, devouring her flesh, and the disintegrating body walked, reaching for her with its skeletal arms: "You left me to die!"
She didn't know what would have happened then if she hadn't woken up, but she doubted it would have been agreeable. She didn't fall asleep again, well awaken by worry, guilt and the fear to have more nightmares. And while she was awake, why not getting up early to go to school?

On her way, she met Ami, walking slowly, looking down onto a book. She looked up, greeted her and resumed reading, adjusting her gait to match hers. Soon they walked in the school yard, and noting Usagi hadn't opened her mouth of all the way, Ami placed her signet and closed the book.
"Still feeling miserable about Sunday?
- Don't you?
- Saying no would be lying. But we have other concerns, we still know nothing about the enemy, they can attack anytime and seem to love Juuban.
- You're right, I'll protect you better by eliminating them as soon as possible!
- There's not only us Usagi, remember your mission is to protect humans before anything else. We have our powers, mortals don't.
- We are mortal! It's not fair, why isn't it though guys like in the TV who protect the world?
- Because that kind of people don't exist. Do you know what I mean? Listening to you, we'd think we should give up the fight not to get hurt. We can't think of that, we can't allow ourselves to fear!
- You are cruel, Ami!"
Usagi left her friend there and disappeared between the groups of students starting to gather. All along the first course, she looked forward for the second one, it was a catch up course so her friends didn't have to follow it, she wouldn't have to take notes. She still would have preferred no class at all, and her wish was granted: shortly before the beginning, her communicator rang. It was Rei: "The enemy is in my school, I counted five but there are more. Hurry up, there's already casualties."
The teacher, noticing the ringing, interjected Usagi: "No pager and no cell-phone in my classroom, should I confiscate this device, miss Tsukino?"
Usagi didn't even bother to answer and ran out the class, then the school. The way to Rei's school wasn't very familiar, but she didn't get lost and arrived in the same time as Minako, Ami still missing. From outside, signs of unrest were already visible.
Far from calling herself a connoisseur in the subject of catholic schools, she would have bet it was not normal activity when a nun flied through a window, followed by a rain of glass shards and a sharp fanged, monstrous bipedal werewolf. The two warriors transformed and with only one attack from her tiara, Sailor Moon destroyed the imprudent creature.
Then they walked in. Everything was trashed. A horde of terrified students were running toward the exit and they had to flatten against the wall not to get stomped on. Farther, an unconscious young girl laid in the way. Wishing she had fallen after the passage of the mob, she pushed her out of the way. Many of the door windows were broken, the paint either torn from the walls or blackened by smoke. Shards and chunks of plaster laid around the floor, through school furniture and the occasional drop of blood.
The responsible of this mess strolled at a distance and needless to say he was delighted to see two new victims, lacking the intelligence to realise he was in fact the one in danger. It was an half-man half-lion creature, having of a man only the bottom half of the body actually. Its fire-coloured mane moved by itself as thought it was made of the said element, and its whip-like tail reminded of a heated white iron cable. Its face had this disgraceful evil look of all the current enemies. As it advanced, it opened its mouth, showing impressive fangs, and blew a stream of flames who swept the floor before it. Moon held back a frightened whimper, but Venus wasn't impressed. She stepped in front of Moon and shouted: "Meteor Shower!" The beast was riddled with dozens of light beams, to the point of being cut into pieces, who disappeared before even falling to the ground. Moon caught her by the shoulder and violently pulled, then grabbed her by the collar: "NEVER PUT YOURSELF IN FRONT OF ME!
- But Usagi…
- It's dangerous! I forbid you do that!
- You were frozen, if I had done nothing it would have…
- Please, she said more softly with cries in her voice, don't take riske for me!"
Minako put her hand on her shoulder and probably would have said something when reality spoke first: a blow shook the walls before a shattering glass sound and a high-pitched scream were heard. Their scene ruined, they didn't insist and followed the noise. It was no surprise to find themselves in front of another monster.
A human torso complete with muscular arms topped a snake's body, coiled around a nun, choking her slowly. Usagi didn't hesitate this time and threw her tiara. Its head torn off, the warriors expected to see it disappear, but it pursued its deadly work while another head grew, the one of a snake this time. While it grew bigger, the manly torso inflated, then ruptured and fell in two halves on the floor, leaving the two young women to face a monstrous twenty meters snake. It squeezed the nun until the snapping of bones could be heard, then threw down the motionless body. Then it charged them, its open mouth exposing its poisoned fang. Venus attacked, without exposing herself this time, and while the enemy skilfully avoided each of her light projectiles, Moon activated her sceptre and was ready to finish it off before it could attack again. Him dead, she made sure the nun was alive and sighed. "Is it me or are they getting stronger?
- This one was stronger, it's meaningless. Did you notice there was no female enemy?
- Are you thinking we should hit below the belt?"
Venus shook her head with discouragement, then they pursued their advance in the devastated corridors. Finding Mars would be of certain help, she probably knew more about the logic of this attack, but this school was large and maze-like.
After meeting two enemies, a king of hog who was so stupid it charged into a wall and smashed its own skull, and a ridiculous mouse-headed dwarf who, tall like one hand and too busy running away to pose a threat, enjoyed their clemency, they came to an area where the walls were completely burned and one could smell nothing but smoke. Either their next enemy would be a dragon, either Mars had been there.
Sections of walls were intact, but the traces of fire were frequent enough to form a clear path. Strictly no monster was there, this probably was the work of their ally. No, not exactly, they did see one enemy, in a classroom, but it didn't get their attention: a merman weakly crawled, its gills gaping in vain on its neck. The monsters were really dispatched randomly, well Moon saw no logic behind this.
After a while, they saw a black form cross the way farther away and they went after it. As soon as in shooting range, Venus began her attack but interrupter after two syllables; what she had a moment earlier mistaken for a monster was in fact Sailor Mars, rendered unrecognisable by battles. She hadn't been mutilated or anything, but so much smoke was emitted by her attacks that soot had completely blackened her skin and clothes.
"Mars! Moon called. Is everything fine?
- Yes! I've cleaned up wing C, with the amount of monsters there there mustn't be much more left!
- We killed four and left two run. Do you understand something about this attack?
- They appeared around the classroom, some inside it, but they pick on anyone and any way, they dispersed. There's nothing to understand, the enemy has time to waste!
- I think we'd be better helping people to evacuate rather than just fight, the remaining monsters, the bullets of the police should take care of it. But if some students are still here they're in danger.
- Alright, I'll guide you!"
Hidden in various locals, it was sometimes whole classes who were waiting, fearing the worst. Walking groups of terrified teens and teachers, they did meet a few monsters, but the worst was behind and they took around sixty persons from the danger. Then the authorities showed up and they ran.
"I should go back, said Rei after a while.
- What! Usagi shouted.
- Not in the school, in the yard. They'll count the students to make sure no one is missing, I'd rather be around.
- Ah, okay.
- Ami isn't there? She's usually so assiduous…
- Oh no! I didn't wait for her, she must be there on her own! Maybe she's hurt! Maybe dead! I have to save her! I…
- Usagi, Minako interrupted, if I have the right schedule Ami was in gym class when Rei called, she probably didn't have her communicator with her.
- But what if she had left after class? She she found the message?
- You worry too much. Minako paused then added : Usagi, you should consult a psychiatrist, you're hurting yourself feeling guilty like that."
Usagi denied feeling guilty, it was purely and simply worry, she insisted, but said nothing more before heading back to school.

Chapter 4