Evolution
This collection of stories is a sequel, of sorts, to the collection Blood Sun Rising.
Towers
The zombies are getting smarter, and stronger.
"Well, this is a hell of a way for a woman in her mid-thirties to enjoy herself," said Saya Takagi, as she tore along the empty highway on the motorbike.
But she could not deny that she was having a good time. This was the first time in years that she had been able to get away from Tomo and her responsibilities there. And much as she loved Kohta and their children – although Nozomi was currently exploring the mainland – she was glad to be on her own for a while. And she liked riding the bike. Yes, it used up precious fuel but she had never been particularly enthusiastic about horses, nor they about her. And the bike was, putting it simply, fun.
She smiled when she thought that there had been a time when she had hardly known what fun was. Pre-Outbreak, life had been one long strain. Much as she regretted the loss of the old world, and the ninety-nine-point-nine per cent of its inhabitants, she enjoyed life as it was now. Since Sheroda, the zombies had become much less of an existence-threatening problem, although there was still a need to be wary. So she always had her trusty Luger whenever she was away from Maresato farm, and at the moment she had a Mac-10 machine gun in the bike's saddlebag as well as her usual supplies.
She was travelling northwards, heading towards Depot 361, on the eastern coast. She had never been there before, although there was regular radio contact. She wanted to take a look at their hydroelectric power plant, to see if the technology could be used elsewhere. In the southern part of the country, she had built 34 windmills – she did not particularly like to think of them as 'saya-mills', as most people called them – to generate power, as well as several mobile kits for places like the American aircraft carrier, which was slowly being stripped for material and supplies. But she was always on the lookout for new ideas, knowing that their best chance of survival was diversity of supply.
She had recently passed through the city of Takasaki, deserted and largely ruined. She came to a sign pointing towards the next city, Maebashi. She had not heard of anyone who had been there, but there was no sign of any zombie activity. So she rode on, and in a little while was passing through the outskirts of the town. The freeway became impassable so she switched to ground-level streets.
The town seemed empty. Along the road, a number of buildings had been destroyed.
No, she thought, stopping for a closer look. Not destroyed. More like … pulled apart. Exterior walls and interior fittings alike had been removed.
"Odd," she said to herself. She rode on.
She came to a little park. She stopped. There was a pile of … stuff. Everything from chunks of plaster to furniture to toys. A pile ten metres high. It looked as if it had been there for several years, at least.
A kilometre further on, in an intersection, there was another pile, larger than the first. But this one looked more selective: mainly bricks, tiles, planks and pipes. She checked that there were no zombies around, and then got off the bike for a closer look.
The structure was surprisingly sturdy. The material was not piled up at random: the pieces had been selected and put together, like a jigsaw puzzle.
She walked around it, wondered about its origin and purpose. Her first thought was that it had been built by survivors as a lookout tower, but the location and design were all wrong. She took out her digital camera and snapped a few pictures.
She got back onto the bike and continued on her way – slowly. In a few minutes, she came to a two-storey business building. Three of its walls had been removed, and it looked as if the internal wiring and cables had been taken out. So had a range of structural supports. She could see the marks on the road where girders and metal bars had been dragged away.
Carefully, she began to follow the tracks, pushing the bike. In a while, she began to hear the sounds of metal banging on metal, and well as the shuffling, scraping noise of zombies. She hid the bike in some bushes and crept forward, Luger drawn. She peeked around the corner of a near-ruined wall.
They had taken a building entirely apart, so only the foundation remained. In the middle of the concrete bed, a tower was rising. Even unfinished, it was twice the size of the one in the intersection, the sides reinforced by girders lashed into place with wires and cables.
"Fuck me," whispered Saya to herself. "They're … building." And the fact that it had been sited on a foundation seemed to be significant. It was as if the zombies were claiming a once-human space for their own.
She took a series of photographs. There must have been over a hundred zombies working, some bringing material and others adding it to the structure. There was one standing to the side. It appeared to be directing the others. A leader. It was wearing a red checked jacket.
"And that," said Saya, "is bad news. Really bad."
She turned to go. But as she did so, she dislodged a loose brick from the wall. It fell to the ground.
One of the zombies that had been dragging a girder towards the structure turned. It saw her. It immediately let out a howl, pointing at her.
Saya glanced at the leader. It, too, saw her. It gave a bark and gestured at the other zombies. A dozen of them started coming at her.
She ran for the bike. She reached it ten metres ahead of the zombies and gunned the engine into life. And then she was off.
But the zombies didn't stop. They kept running after her. She glanced back at them.
Fuck, she thought in amazement. They're gaining.
She pushed the bike to its full speed, watching the pursuers in the mirror. Most of them fell away but three continued after her.
She reached an open road and zoomed along it.
In a few minutes, she stopped, bringing the bike to a halt. She looked back – and gasped in surprise. One of the zombies was still running after her. Fifty metres away.
Fuck me, she thought. It's been running at eighty kilometres an hour for five kilometres. And it's still coming.
She drew the Luger and aimed carefully. When the zombie was twenty metres away she fired.
She hit it in the head and it went down.
But then it was up again. She knew she had hit it, she could see the bullet wound in its skull. She fired again, and saw the splash of black blood from its temple. This time, it didn't even fall, although it slowed in its charge.
She fired again, and then again, and then again. It was only four metres away now, and staggering.
Finally, it hit the ground and stayed there.
To be sure, she took out the Mac-10 and put a volley of shots into it.
Carefully, she walked over to it – but stayed out of reach.
"You," she said to it, "are a really big problem."
She looked back down the road. Five zombies were running towards her.
She got back on the bike and sped away.
A few hours later, a good two hundred kilometres from Maebashi, she stopped for the night at one of the buildings marked as 'safe' on her map – that is, a building with sturdy walls and lockable doors. As she prepared a meal for herself, she wondered about what she had seen.
Clearly, the evolution of the zombies had not stopped. A few, at least, had increased in strength, speed, and toughness. It was a good bet that the rest would soon develop similar capabilities.
But it was the growth in their mental capacities that really worried her. She had no idea what the structures they were building meant, but that they were capable of building them at all, and that the level of sophistication markedly increased with each one, was a great concern. It showed that they could co-operate towards a specific, abstract purpose. And they had leadership, which was perhaps the most critical threat of all.
For several years after Sheroda, she and the other survivors who lived in Tomo had thought that perhaps all the zombies in Japan had been destroyed. Alice's travels around the country had revealed that that was not the case, although it seemed that the zombies had given up trying to exterminate the surviving humans and had decided to stay in the major cities. The human campaigns in Nagoya and a few other places had shown that cities could be won back, although Saya felt there were limits as to how much humans could do, given their relatively small numbers and their limited stock of weapons.
So a Cold War-type situation had developed, with the zombies staying in the big cities and the humans staying in the rural areas and towns.
Saya had always thought that eventually, across the space of several generations, the humans would again build towards a complex, technologically-advanced society. But that was based on the assumption that the zombies would stay more or less the same. She could see, in the light of the day's experience, that that assumption had no real foundation; it was something she and everyone else had believed because they had wanted to believe it rather than because there was any solid evidence for it.
But if the zombies continued to physically and mentally evolve … what then?
It pointed towards a deeply worrying possibility.
"Eventually," she said aloud to the empty room, "they're going to beat us."
END
War
Some old friends of Alice have become pawns in a larger game.
"So how are you enjoying your learning year, Sachiko?" said Alice Maresato.
"Well, I wasn't expecting a trip to take supplies to a town of zombies to be part of it," said Sachiko Hirano.
Huyu Tzasi laughed. "Nevertheless, the idea of kids living for a year in another settlement after they finish their formal schooling is a good one," he said. "Nozomi and Rise and some of the others spent some time in Nagoya and Mulitenko, and some of our young people are at Tomo or Kaga. Broadens the mind, gives you new skills, that sort of thing. Pre-Outbreak, there were places called universities for that. But when I went, I spent most of my time learning how to drink beer, as I recall."
Sachiko and Alice both laughed.
The three of them were riding to the village of Rest, where there was a group of non-belligerent zombies living. Since first making contact with them, Alice had visited Rest a number of times.
"I'm not sure that coloured balls and marbles count as supplies," said Alice. "But they seem to like them. Several years ago, when Chizu and I first gave them some balls, they just held them, or passed them around. Last time, six months ago, they had devised a game involving hitting a ball into a box with a piece of wood."
"Huh," said Sachiko. "Zombie hockey."
"Something like that," said Alice. "But let me remind you that most of what we know about zombies – which I admit is still not a great deal – comes from this group."
"In any case," said Huyu, "they are still zombies. So don't turn your back on them, and keep a gun very handy."
"With the safety off," said Alice.
They crested a hill and saw Rest before them.
Alice reined her horse to a stop. Huyu and Sachiko followed suit.
"Something's wrong," she said.
"How do you know?" said Sachiko.
"Take it as given," said Huyu.
The three of them drew their guns. They rode forward – slowly.
It was only a few minutes before they came across the first decapitated body. The second one was a couple of meters away. The rest were scattered around the village, some in the dilapidated buildings.
Alice approached one of the bodies, lying on its chest. Carefully, she turned it over. It was Shiro. In his hand, he was clutching a red rubber ball. It was something that Alice had given him.
"Goddamn," she said softly.
"Who did this?" said Sachiko. "Survivors, people who didn't know that these ones weren't dangerous?"
"No," said Huyu, who was studying the ground. "These tracks weren't made by people. And look at the wounds on their bodies. Humans would have cut the heads off. But these were, well, it looks more as if they were … torn … off. Not just killing them. More like … making a statement."
"Zombies," said Sachiko. "Aggressive ones. Maybe they didn't like the idea of some of their kind going off to live separately, learning to live with humans."
"I owe them a decent end," said Alice. "They helped me once when I needed it. They deserve better than to be left to the flies."
They carried the bodies into one of the buildings, and laid them out with as much dignity as possible. Then they stacked branches and wood around the building. Finally, they set it alight, and it became a funeral pyre for Shiro and the others.
"What does this mean?" said Sachiko, as they watched the fire.
"It means," said Alice, "that the zombies have discovered how to make war on their own."
END
Tech
If you have to go to a gunfight, go loaded.
"What do you think they're doing in there?" said Saya.
"I'm sure it's not what you think," said Hirano. "If it was, they wouldn't have any machinery. Just a sleeping bag."
"Humph," said Saya.
They were standing in the kitchen of Maresato farm, looking out the window at the barn. Sachiko, recently returned from a stay in Nagoya and elsewhere, and Mukato, who was from Nagoya but was currently doing part of his 'away' year in Tomo, had curtained off a section of the barn, and had put up a sign saying 'NO ENTRY'. The two of them, who were both about seventeen, had been seen carrying pieces of salvaged machinery and various bags in, and spent a lot of their time there after they had finished their chores. They had rigged up a power line from the farmhouse to the barn, and occasionally there were peculiar sounds.
Saya was, in fact, more curious than concerned. But mainly she simply did not like the idea of something happening without her knowing exactly what. When she had asked them about the mysterious goings-on, they had replied along the lines of 'you'll find out' or 'we'll tell you when we're finished'.
As they watched, Sachiko and Mukato came out of the barn and walked up to the farmhouse. They came into the kitchen.
"Momma, Dad, we've got something to show you," said Sachiko. She opened her hand to reveal what she was holding.
It was a shotgun cartridge.
"Uh, well, that's … well, it's a cartridge," said Saya.
Hirano took it from Sachiko and examined it. "Outstanding," he said. "Absolutely outstanding."
"Uh, just what is outstanding about it?" said Saya.
"We made it," said Mukato.
"Six gauge, right?" said Hirano. "You've tested it?"
Mukato nodded.
"Hold on," said Saya. "What do you mean: 'you made it'?"
"We made it," repeated Mukato. "From scratch."
"Well, not exactly from scratch," said Sachiko. "The casing is salvage but we made the black powder and the shot, which is mainly metal fragments. So far, we've made twenty of them. Took us a while to get the powder mix right, but we have a formula now. It's just saltpeter, charcoal and sulphur, which are all easily available. There were some useful books in the Nagoya library that gave us a start."
"Really?" said Saya. "That's … quite something." She took it from Hirano and looked closely at it.
"Come and see our workshop," said Mukato.
The four of them went to the barn, and Sachiko and Mukato explained the pressing machine and other equipment. They also showed them an array of molds.
"These are for bullet heads," said Sachiko. "But we haven't worked out a way to melt metal into a liquid that can be poured yet."
"Reika Arimake might be able to help you with that," said Hirano. "She has a kiln for her pots. She can probably help you build something that will give you enough heat."
Mukato explained the testing procedures they had devised. The early tests had been done by tying a shotgun to a post and pulling the trigger with a long cord – just in case the whole gun exploded.
"Auntie Alice once said that no-one was making any more bullets," said Sachiko. "And that was going to be a real problem if the zombies in Tokyo decide to move on us. So we thought we would take this on as a project."
"Very good work, and good initiative," said Hirano.
"But you could have told us," said Saya. "I could have helped you."
"Uh, Momma, you tend to take things over, and we wanted to do this ourselves," said Sachiko.
Saya opened her mouth to reply but before she could speak Hirano said: "We are very proud of you, both of you. Aren't we, Saya?"
"Mmm, yes, very proud," mumbled Saya.
"Of course, you realise that now you have shown some technical skills you'll have to keep going," said Hirano to Sachiko and Mukato. "Say, we're going to the factory in a few days, maybe you'd like to join us and see if there's anything there that sparks some ideas."
"Humph," said Saya. She turned and walked back to the farmhouse.
"What, is she pissed at us?" said Mukato to Hirano.
"Not at all," said Hirano. "She's just being Saya. Wait a second."
In a few moments, Saya returned, carrying something. It was one of her two laptop computers. She handed it to the two young people.
Knowing its value, they simply stared at it. When they took it from her, they held it as if it was made of the finest crystal.
"If you're going into the tech business, you're going to need this," she said. "It's yours, although it's got my windmill designs and some other stuff on it. Maybe you can take a look at them and see if there's any ways to improve them. I'll expect you to come up with something by the time we get to the factory."
"Uh, alright," said Mukato.
"In the meantime," said Hirano, "twenty shells isn't going to do a whole lot of good if it comes to a fight. Aim for a hundred – that is, a hundred more – by the end of the week. Teach Isamu and Kaito to use your machine so you can work in shifts, and draw up a plan for the organised salvage of casings. Rei and Ben can help you with that. And ride over to Reika's place and get her help on designs for a furnace. Shotgun cartridges are very good but we will also need bullets. I suggest you focus on seven-mil, it's the type used most often."
"You'll need a random testing system," added Saya. "Factor that into your production schedule. And don't forget you have to work around your usual list of chores."
Sachiko and Mukato looked at each other. "Now we've done it," said Sachiko.
END
Tanker
The younger generation is, it seems, doing just fine.
Saya Takagi was sitting on the porch of the Maresato farmhouse, at a table. She was supposed to be working on designs for an irrigation system for one of the large farms near Julito but was, instead, watching Hirano, Isamu, Kaito and Miu working in the rice field. Not for the first time, she marvelled at how easily he had fun with them, even while teaching them things they needed to know. She loved her children, but she knew that she lacked Hirano's inherent warmth and empathy. She sighed.
Further away, Hanam and Daiki, two of the children of Rei and Benaro, were working in one of the vegetable gardens, with Sora, from Mulitenko, who was doing her 'away' year at Maresato. Since Rei had stepped down as leader of Kaga Town several months ago, she and Benaro had spent much of their time at Maresato, although for the past few weeks Rei had been in Nagoya, playing a leading role in the campaign to take the city back from the zombies.
She looked around the compound of buildings clustered about the farm. Shizuka was at the little clinic, and Shun was at the school. Sachiko and Mukato were in their workshop in the barn, developing their production line for the manufacture of bullets and shotgun cartridges.
From the top of the hill, there was the sound of a horn. Saya saw a large truck, a petrol tanker, come into view. The driver sounded the horn again.
Saya signalled to Hirano, and he and the three children walked to the end of the driveway, where the tanker was heading.
The big truck wheezed to a halt. From the high cabin, Rei emerged, jumping down and shaking everyone's hands. She was wearing grimy work clothes and a big smile.
"So," she said. "What do you think of my new wheels?"
Hirano laughed. "I didn't know you could drive one of these things," he said. "Looks like you've had a few scrapes." He pointed to the front of the truck, where there was obvious evidence of contact with other vehicles.
"A few days ago, I couldn't," said Rei. "And since it started out in the middle of a traffic jam of abandoned vehicles in Nagoya, I think I did pretty well to get it out at all."
"You certainly did," said Hirano. "Is this from the area controlled by the zombies?"
"Formerly controlled," said Rei. "We're pretty sure we've cleared them all out now, including the subways, although it's taken much longer than we'd planned. No casualties, although some close calls. There were a couple more petrol stations and other supplies, and this thing. I had to replace the circuits and recharge the batteries, but, hey, it's not like we've never done that before, is it? I thought I would bring it along to top up the tank here and at Kaga. Everyone must be running on fumes by now."
"Very good, we can certainly use it," said Saya.
"So the Nagoya campaign is complete?" said Hirano. "That's pretty big news."
Rei nodded. "A step on the road back," she said. "And your flamethrowers were extremely useful, Saya. Oh, and Chizu discovered a cache of working laptop computers in a subway storage unit. Once the property of the Nagoya Transit System. I have one for you in the truck, Saya, your others must be pretty well done by now. One for Shizuka as well."
Shizuka came up to them. She hugged Rei, and then said: "Is Kazuki alright? And the other kids?"
"Yes, they're all fine, and they did very well in the fighting," said Rei. Hanam and Daiki came running up and hugged their mother.
The group moved into the farmhouse and sat at the kitchen table for tea. Rei told them about the campaign to defeat the remaining zombies in Nagoya, and then listed the supplies that had consequently become available.
"The tactics we had designed worked pretty well but the subways turned out to be a real problem," said Rei. "Before we cleared them, there was a danger that they would flank us – they're getting very smart. Tunnels, subways, and underground maintenance things are going to be a real problem if we try and clear the big cities. I have to say that I don't know if it can be done."
"We have some news ourselves on the supply side," said Hirano. "The kids are making bullets. And shotgun cartridges. Doing very well, too."
Rei raised an eyebrow. "That's good to hear," she said. "We were careful with ammunition in Nagoya but there's only so far you can cut it back without risking lives. Has their stuff been tested?"
"Yes, I've helped them set up a random test protocol, and so far they have a very good success rate," said Saya. "They've produced over a thousand bullets and two hundred cartridges in a couple of weeks. Of course, it depends on recycling casings, but there are plenty of those lying around, if you know where to look."
"Outstanding," said Rei.
"I hope it doesn't come to a fight again," said Saya. "But if it does, we want to be ready."
It was evening, after dinner. Rei and Saya were sitting together on the porch, enjoying the dusk and watching the various teenagers play a game in the front yard. Hirano was acting as an umpire but everyone seemed happy enough to make up the rules as they went along.
"At heart, he's the biggest kid of all of them," said Saya, laughing as her husband went down under a pile of youthful energy.
"Just how many people are here at Maresato, at the moment?" said Rei.
"There's a list somewhere, but off the top of my head I have no idea," said Saya. "As for adults: Kohta, me, Shizuka, and Shun. Reika was here until yesterday, helping Sachiko and Mukato build a forge. As for kids: three of mine, two of yours, Alice's son Takeo. And Mukato from Nagoya and Sora from Mulitenko, doing their away time here. Sora is training to help Shizuka in the clinic. I have the feeling there's one or two others around, too. The teenagers seem happy to move from one community to another, going wherever help is needed for harvesting or building, working for supplies or a few Hiranotes. I'm never sure how many people are going to be here for any given meal but Kohta always seems to know. Mainly, he just makes big pots of food and everyone digs in. And they all have sleeping bags, and seem happy to bed down in any available corner."
"They seem to be a pretty tough, pretty innovative bunch," said Rei. "Which is probably what they need to be. Funny, when we were teenagers – before the Outbreak, I mean – everything had to be exactly right. I remember getting myself into a stew because my parents said I couldn't go on a date until I finished my homework. I locked myself in my room, which when I think about it was a pretty silly solution. Now it's all about make do, put up with it, enjoy what you have, and turn your hand to whatever job needs to be done."
Saya laughed. "When I think how much time I spent thinking about clothes, shoes, and hair colour, I almost have to laugh," she said. She looked again at the young people in the yard, now playing an improvised game of soccer. "We've done alright with them, I think, under the circumstances," she said.
Rei nodded. "Yes," she said. "I believe we have."
END
Carrier
There are tools for the future that are needed.
"I didn't expect it to be so … well, so fucking huge," said Saya.
Rei laughed. "Yeah, the Americans certainly liked to do things on a large scale," she said, as she steered the little motor-boat up to the side of the carrier, to where a rope ladder descended from an open deck on the rust-streaked side of the ship. She moored the boat to the transport barges tied to the ship hull and they climbed up the ladder. They were greeted by various members of the salvage crews at work.
"Lot of useful stuff here," said Rei, as she guided her friend through the ship. "There was a lot of fuel and an armoury, and there are miles and miles of cable of every type. We've got a couple of saya-mills rigged up on the deck to give us lights and power for the equipment. Of course, you have to get used to living at an angle of 11 degrees."
The floor was, indeed, tilted, reflecting the fact that the USN Forrestal was stuck fast on the shallow ocean floor, only a few hundred metres from the eastern shoreline of Japan, not far from Tokonusu. Some of the steel plates on the underside had already started to buckle, and several of the lowest-level compartments had flooded. But much of the ship was in surprisingly good condition, despite the battles that had taken place and its months of drifting.
"You said that you wanted me to look at one of the planes that Ben is trying to get working," said Saya. "Do you mean one of the jet fighters? He flew one before the Outbreak, as I recall."
"No, their electrical systems are too corroded for replacement or repair," said Rei. "But there is a propeller transport plane that looks promising, a C2 Grumman Greyhound. We've been charging up the batteries and replacing parts but we could really use your help on the wiring. Our little trainer isn't going to last much longer, I'm afraid. We've repaired it so many times that I think it's held together with duct tape and paperclips."
"If we can get one working, can Ben get it off the deck at this angle?"
"He says he can, if the wind is right. He's a very good pilot."
"Well, I'll do what I can, but no promises," said Saya. "Not like I have any experience with planes. And I'll have a look in the captain's office, see if I can find a ship's manifest of supplies. That would help us with the salvage. If my high-school English is up to it."
Rei laughed. Then she led the way to the captain's office.
It was two weeks later. Saya, Rei, and the members of the salvage crew were on the carrier's flight deck, watching as Benaro tested the engines of the twin-engine Greyhound transport plane.
As planned, he took the engines to full stationary power, until the roar filled the air. Through the cabin window, he gave them a salute and a wave, and the plane began to move.
Saya saw Rei wave back, but she could tell that her jaw was clenched and her fingers crossed so tightly they were turning white. Benaro had insisted on making the take-off alone, a sign that the exercise was not without considerable danger. There was not only the problem of the tilt of the deck but the question of whether their repair work had been effective. There was no way to really know, except by trying it.
The plane began to pick up speed as it roared along the deck. "Come on come on come on," Rei was muttering.
The wheels left the deck at the end of the ship, and then there was a sickening moment when the plane dipped down, as if it was going to crash into the sea. But it pulled up, clawing at the air. And then it was flying, soaring into a circle around the carrier. Everyone on the deck cheered.
Rei heaved a sigh of relief. She pulled on a radio headset, and handed one to Saya.
"Nice going, sweetie," Rei said to Benaro. "You had me worried there for a second."
"Glad I don't have to try landing there," said Benaro.
"Where are you going?" said Saya.
"The airstrip at Kaga is big enough to take this plane, and we've informed the people there about it," said Benaro. "It's designed for short take-offs and landings, so it can set down at Maresato or Nagoya or even a stretch of straight highway. Thanks for the assist with the re-wiring and batteries, Saya."
"You can take me up for a ride in it sometime," said Saya.
Benaro laughed, and then turned the plane towards Kaga.
Rei turned to Saya, and pointed at the trainer, at the other end of the deck.
"I told Benaro I would fly back to Maresato and meet him there later," she said. "Want a lift?"
Saya looked a bit dubious, remembering what Rei had said about the little plane.
"It's as safe as anything can be, these days," said Rei.
"Well, okay," said Saya. "Just let me collect some things." She vanished, and returned a few minutes later carrying a case of documents and folders.
The two of them got into the little plane and before long were heading towards Maresato.
"So what's the story with all that paper?" said Rei.
"Something I hope we're never going to need," said Saya.
END
Weapon
The undead have evolved to a very dangerous stage.
Saya, Hirano, Rei and Benaro were clustered around the computer screen, scrutinising the latest aerial photographs taken by Benaro from the C2 plane – now called Ryukyu, with an image of the Serpent Eagle painted on the side – using the built-in digital camera. The photographs were of the city of Maebashi, which Saya had been in several months before.
"I know you said that there were some towers there but I couldn't see them," said Benaro.
"No, here they are," said Rei, pointing. "What's left of them, anyway."
The towers had been smashed, and were now little more than piles of rubble. They were surrounded by bodies – zombie bodies.
"From what I saw of them, they were pretty solid," said Saya. "What could have taken them down like this?"
"I don't think they were just pulled down by other zombies," said Hirano. "Look at how the wreckage spreads out over the ground. Like there was a big impact from one side. But as for what could have done that, I have no idea."
Saya enlarged one part of the image, focusing on one of the bodies. It was the zombie she had seen, the leader, still wearing the check jacket. Even with the roughness of the image, they could see that there was something protruding from his skull. It appeared to be a spear.
"Hmm," said Hirano.
There were several towers, or what was left of them, in one of the images. Saya began to draw lines, based on the spread of the rubble.
"Interesting," she said after a while. "They all lead back to the same point, more or less, a bit less than a kilometre away. There's a hill overlooking the town, from the east, about there."
"East," said Rei. "East of Maebashi is Tokyo."
Benaro was staring at the dead zombies. "So now they have started to kill each other," he said. "But … how?"
"Let me see the most recent photos of Tokyo," said Hirano. Benaro brought them up on the screen, and Hirano studied them. "Look at this," he said. He pointed to several of the freeways, one leading west and one north. They were strangely empty of cars. On closer examination, it was possible to see why: the wrecks had been pushed over the side. By the zombies.
Hirano sat back, lost in thought. "I think," he said finally, "that the zombies have built a trebuchet."
"A what?" said Rei.
"A trebuchet," said Hirano. "Sort of a catapult, invented during the Middle Ages in Europe, designed to bring down castles and things. It uses a counterweight system to throw a boulder or something like it. The super-weapon of its time. The downside is that they're big things, and not easy to move. But then the zombies have got nothing but time and muscle."
"Fuck," said Saya. "At this rate, they'll be ahead of us within a decade, in technology and everything else."
"But why would one group of zombies kill another group?" said Benaro. "I could accept that they might have a dispute with the ones at Rest, but if the group that did this came from Tokyo, what would they have against the ones in Maebashi?"
"Maybe they're consolidating their territory," said Rei. "The ones in Tokyo. Taking out the competition. Establishing themselves as the baddest tribe on the block."
"That's as good a theory as any," said Hirano. "Tribes, eh? Yeah, that makes sense."
"So if they've taken to killing each other, that's good for us, isn't it?" said Benaro. "Fewer of them against us if we have to fight."
"Maybe," said Rei. "Saya said that she saw several hundred zombies in Maebashi, but there's only fifty or sixty bodies here. So maybe the survivors joined up with the Tokyo tribe."
"After an offer they couldn't refuse, probably," said Saya.
"Plenty of empires built that way," said Hirano. "It's a real worry. And so is the fact that they have worked out how to build a complex, long-range weapon."
"They've turned into a smart bunch," said Benaro.
"They don't need to all be smart," said Saya. "Just one."
"One way or another," said Rei, "we need to find out more about what is happening in Tokyo."
"That," said Saya, "is a bad idea whose time has come."
END
Tokyo
A radical proposal – very radical.
Hirano looked around the table of the Maresato farmhouse. Saya was next to him, and there was Rei and Benaro, Alice and Huyu, Keizo Busujima, Shizuka and Shun, Yuudai, and Tiraro Rigazo of Depot 361. And Nozomi Hirano, as well.
"Thank you all for coming," he said. "I wish it was just a social occasion, but we need to discuss an emerging issue.
"We had all hoped that the zombie threat was over, but new developments have made some of us think otherwise. As we know, at the time of the Outbreak the zombies were blind, slow, and pretty dumb. But within weeks they had developed sight and had become much faster, and had learned to co-operate, even use basic weapons. The Battle of Sheroda showed how much they had evolved.
"And even though there have not been any major attacks for many years, the zombies have continued to evolve. How far, we don't exactly know." He turned to Saya.
Saya opened her laptop computer, called up several images, and passed it around the group. It showed the towers that the zombies had built in Maebashi.
"There was one, it looked several years old, which was basically just a pile of stuff. The second one was put together from selected material. The third one is a planned, designed construction. And there is a leader. That's him in the checked jacket.
"At least some of them have become much stronger. One of them almost kept pace with a motorbike for several kilometres, and when I shot him it took five bullets in the head to kill him."
Hirano turned to Nozomi. "Nozomi, I believe this connects with what you saw in Shanghai," he said.
"Pretty much," said Nozomi. "After a couple of years of unsuccessful attacks on the human settlement, the zombies had stopped trying, apparently. But then a leader appeared, and they started attacking again, tougher and more organised. They built a platform to get across a blown bridge, and holding them off was a close-run thing. Hotaru Tatagi killed the leader, and described her as one tough mother."
"So you are saying, Hirano," said Rigazo, "that you expect the zombies to at some point attack again, is that it?"
"It's a possibility we cannot afford to ignore, and based on the China experience, I would rate it higher than a possibility," he said. "We have destroyed all the bridges between here and there but if they want to find a way they will."
"Do we know how many are left?" said Yuudai.
"We estimate that in Tokyo alone there are over 650,000," said Saya. "God knows how many in the north-east. Assuming a 1-in-20 figure, perhaps 400,000 in Iwaki and Sendai. Sendai could be worse, since it seems to have been the starting point. Of course, there might be none at all, like in Kyoto and Osaka, but we shouldn't assume that. Some of the photos we have of Tokyo show huge numbers of them."
"And we think they have developed a large-range weapon," said Hirano. "A trebuchet, something capable or hurling a boulder a kilometre. It's big. They cleared some of the freeways so they can move it, I think. They used it against the zombies in Maebashi. Killed a lot of them, absorbed the survivors into their own tribe." He called up the images of the ruined towers in Maebashi, surrounded by zombie bodies, and passed the computer around again.
Yuudai said: "So if just the ones in Tokyo decide to move south, are chances would be … ?"
"Zero," said Hirano. "Our latest survey put the number of humans at about 5000, spread around the country. But of course many of those are very young. And our stock of weapons is not great. We are manufacturing more bullets and shotgun cartridges but it's a relatively slow process."
Everyone around the table was silent, considering the magnitude of the problem.
Saya was the first to speak. "I have a proposal," she said. "It's … pretty radical."
Everyone looked at her.
"Nuke Tokyo," she said.
"Uh, what?" said Hirano.
"Nuke Tokyo," she repeated. "With a nuke."
"You mean … an actual nuclear bomb?" said Shizuka.
"I do," said Saya. "I mentioned that it was radical, right?"
"Hold it," said Nozomi. "Explain to the young person: what are you talking about?"
"A nuclear bomb," said Hirano, "is an extremely powerful explosive. As in, capable of levelling a city in one bang. Two were used by the Americans to end the Pacific War, in 1945. After that, a number of countries developed them, but they were considered too awful and too dangerous to use. Several were apparently used soon after the Outbreak, but we don't really know why. They exploded high up in the air, and caused the EMP that fried all the electronic circuits."
"Saya," said Keizo, "I know you are very smart. But I do not think that even you are capable of building an atomic bomb. For one thing, it would need material we simply do not have."
"We do not need to build one," said Saya. "There are several on the American aircraft carrier, according to the papers I collected from there, and I believe they are still be in working order. They are considerably larger than the ones used to destroy Hiroshima and Nagasaki. There are safeguards but with enough time – several weeks – and some technical assistance I think I could get past those. They are warheads, not loaded into missiles, but the missiles that the ship carries would be completely useless by now. So we would have to come up with another means of delivery. It would not be easy but should be possible."
"So you've thought about this," said Shun.
"Thought about the practical feasibility, yes," said Saya. "Doesn't mean I like it."
"A nuke," mused Shizuka. "A goddamn fucking nuke."
"And here is me thinking that human beings had left all that shit behind us," said Shun.
"It would be nice to think so," said Saya. "But we may be looking at the real possibility of extinction."
"Uh, I hate to be the one to raise this," said Yuudai. "A question is: do we have, how can I put it, the right to do something like this? To do our best to exterminate them?"
"They're zombies," said Rei. "They're already dead."
Yuudai turned the laptop around to display the picture of a tower that the zombies had built.
"Once upon a time, I would have agreed with you in a moment," he said. "Now, I am not so sure. They show awareness, organisation, and even a sort of creativity. Maybe they're not brainless creatures any more."
"This idea," said Saya, "has not escaped me. On the other side of the ledger is the likelihood that the zombies will continue to evolve. Until they win."
Everyone was silent again.
"After all the years we've spent building things up again," said Shizuka softly. "And now it could all be washed away."
Rei, as resolute as ever, stood up. "I propose three things," she said. "First, we get as much information about the Tokyo situation as we can from the air, with regular flyovers. Second, that we set up a monitoring post, maybe a couple of people with a radio, on a rotating watch, not far from Tokyo, so we can get some warning if they decide to move this way. Third, that Saya and whoever she wants to help her further explore the means of salvaging a working nuclear bomb from the ship, and to start thinking about how to deliver it. Saya, I suggest you enlist Satsuki Kiromiri, she reads English and is good on the computer side."
Everyone around the table nodded reluctant assent.
"And may God have mercy on our souls," said Saya.
END
Exploration
A close-up look reveals that the clock is ticking.
"So you two drew the short straws," said Rise to Alice and Hotaru.
"What is this straws thing?" said Lian.
"It happens when there's a shit job that has to be done and you make the mistake of putting your hand up to scratch your nose at the wrong time," said Alice.
The four of them were in the building usually known as the Observatory, located on the top of a steep hill looking over Tokyo. Once, it had been a lookout for tourists; now, it was used by the humans to monitor the zombies in the city. This month, Rise and Lian were in the observation role. Alice and Hotaru had stayed there overnight. The two of them were on their way to explore Tokyo, to try and get a better understanding of what the zombies were doing.
"Seen much of our undead friends?" said Alice, nodding towards the city as they finished the morning meal.
"Yes and no," said Rise. "We see them moving around a lot, but of course we can't see much at night. Two weeks ago, a big column of them moved north. Came back a few days ago. I think it was a war party, going out for a rumble with one of the other zombie tribes. They each had a weapon, a piece of metal, like a sword or spear. That's new, previously they seemed to use whatever they picked up, and sometimes they didn't have anything. So someone is getting them organised."
"Have you seen those big weapons that Hirano thinks they have?" said Alice.
"No, and there was no sign in the latest round of Benaro's snaps. But there's plenty of places they could be hidden."
"Any sign of them moving south?" said Hotaru.
"No," said Rise. "But there's plenty of them, that's for sure. They spend most of their time, day and night, dismantling the city and building these damn towers."
"We've counted 46 of them," said Lian. "The tallest is as big as a ten-storey building."
"Whoa," said Alice. She looked through the telescope as Lian directed. She whistled. "Saya was certainly right about them continuing to evolve," she said. "Makes you wonder where it's going to end."
"Nowhere good, I think," said Lian.
Alice and Hotaru were moving carefully along a freeway choked with abandoned cars, stopping often to check the path ahead for zombies.
"Big city," said Hotaru.
"Yes, and I wish we knew had some better information on it," said Alice. "But there are no known survivors from Tokyo. Shun saw it soon after the Outbreak and said the whole place seemed to be on fire. And from what we've seen most of the old buildings, the wooden ones, were destroyed, either by fire or fighting. But there were plenty of concrete ones and other things that didn't burn." She took out the map they had, which had been overlaid by a drawing done by Saya, using on the aerial photographs. Some other information had been added by Rise and Lian, based on what they had seen from the Observatory. "According to this, the main concentration of them is another five kilometres. It used to be the city centre but most of it has been levelled by the zombies," she said.
They checked their weapons. They were both well-armed, with a good supply of new bullets, but they were aware that the number of zombies was so large that if it came to a fight they would not have much chance. If the zombies had become as fast and tough as Saya had said, even trying to run would be useless.
They crept forward. The parts of the freeway began to multiply into a confusion of routes and levels.
Hotaru stopped, and studied the area ahead of them through her binoculars. She pointed.
Alice looked. It was the machine Hirano had described. Or, rather, three of them. Each was six metres tall, a structure of beams and cables, mounted on platforms which themselves were supported by what appeared to be the salvaged wheels of trucks. They were under a raised part of the freeway.
"That explains why Benaro couldn't locate them," said Alice, taking a camera with a long-range lens from her pack and snapping photographs. "With those things, if it comes to a fight, they wouldn't even have to come within gunshot range. They could just sit back and pound us to dust if they wanted to. Guess they've learned from the battles there have been so far."
"That fact that they're hidden means the zombies understand the idea of aerial surveillance," said Hotaru. "And they know we have an interest. Alice, have you ever thought about how things look from the zombies' side? We're constantly watching them, and if they were in some sort of hive-mind contact with the tribe in Nagoya they would know that we killed them all there. From their perspective, it might look like we are the belligerent ones."
Alice considered. "Perhaps," she said. "When we saw first the zombie army move on Maresato, many years ago, Hirano mentioned that maybe they wanted payback because we had killed so many of them in Tokonusu and elsewhere. It's possible, but you'd have to discuss it with the non-aggressive zombies in Rest. Oh, no, you can't, because they're dead. Entirely dead."
Hotaru nodded. "The bottom line is that we just can't live together," she said. "That was a lesson from China, I think. The ones at Rest were important to you, weren't they?"
"They helped me when I needed help," said Alice. "I was always wary around them but to tell the truth I never felt any sense of danger. I was very sorry, and very angry, that they died the way they did. Deliberately dishonoured and left to rot. If there was ever a chance of humans and zombies sharing the planet, it died at Rest."
She looked around. Picking their way through the labyrinth of wrecked cars, they were making only slow progress. It was already early afternoon, and they had no intention of staying in the city overnight. She looked up at a tall building, not far away, standing on its own.
Hotaru knew what she was thinking. "From the top of that we could see the whole city," she said. "But if we get trapped there, it's game over."
"I know," said Alice. "But we are here to observe, aren't we?"
So they set off. They found an open door to the building and went up through the internal stairwell.
After thirty flights of steps, they emerged on the flat roof of the building. It offered a sweeping view of Tokyo, or what was left of it.
There were zombie towers, dozens of them, some still under construction. Alice and Hotaru, with binoculars, began to study the area around the largest one. A line of zombies was hanging onto the side, passing more material upwards. At the top, more tied it into place.
A hundred metres away from the tower was a small group of them, apparently giving directions. In the centre of the group was one that had once been a teenager. He had a black scarf wound around his neck.
"The Boss," said Hotaru.
"Not much more than a kid," said Alice. "Which means nothing at all, I know."
They began to survey the rest of the city.
"Uh oh," said Alice, pointing.
In the distance, there was a crew of zombies on a freeway. They were lifting cars up and throwing them over the side. It was a slow process, and there were many cars ahead of them. But they were making progress.
"Clearance operation," said Hotaru.
"Yes," said Alice. "And that freeway leads south."
END
Gojira
An ambiguous name for an unambiguous device.
"However, you cut it, this is an odd place for something capable of making a very large dent in the world," said Hirano. "Will you be finished soon? Because I, you know, have to make dinner."
Saya and Satsuki Kiromiri had an array of electronic equipment, wiring and papers spread over the kitchen table of Maresato farm. The warhead, a polished metal cylinder about a metre long, sat at one end of the table.
Saya looked up. "Sorry, honey, this is taking longer than we expected," she said. "We've got the firing mechanism set up, I think, but connecting the timer to it is being a bitch." She glanced at her two youngest children, Kaito and Miu, standing next to their father, watching their mother work. "Uh, I mean, turning out to be harder than we thought," she said.
Hirano frowned. "Well, I guess we can come up with an alternative for dinner," he said. "How about a barbecue, kids?"
"Yay!" said Kaito and Miu together.
Hirano hustled them out, as much to give Saya and Satsuki a chance to work in peace as anything else.
Satsuki sighed. "Pity there aren't many guys like that around," she said.
"He drives me crazy sometimes but I would find it difficult to live without him," said Saya. "And not just because he does the cooking. I assume that you haven't found anyone to keep you warm at night?"
"I live in hope," said Satsuki. "Okay, let's try this thing." She set the timer and turned the key. There was a flash of sparks and then a puff of blue smoke.
"Well, that was disappointing," said Saya.
"At least the warhead didn't explode," said Satsuki, with a little laugh. "That would make a huge hole and a toxic cloud the size of Okinawa."
They set back to work, knowing that they were on deadline. Alice and Hotaru had reported their findings from their reconnaissance mission to Tokyo a few days ago; since then, their efforts on the warhead had taken on a new urgency.
In a while, Hirano and Kaito entered, carrying bowls of barbecued food for them.
Hirano put his hand on the warhead. He was surprised to find that it was warm. "Hey, this thing isn't about to go off, is it?" he said.
Saya laughed. "At the moment, it's not connected to anything, so it's only dangerous if you drop it on your foot," she said. "That warmth is decaying photons. Nothing to worry about. The radioactive material in it is actually set off by a small conventional explosion that rams the parts of it together. What we have to do is find a way to make that initial explosion happen when we want it. The warhead is designed to connect to a missile that does that, as far as I can tell from the papers. We have had to MacGyver a solution. And then we have to connect that to a timer, so there's the opportunity to get away before it goes off. A long way away."
"What's it called?" said Kaito.
Saya and Satsuki looked at each other. "He's right," said Satsuki. "It's gotta have a name."
"How about … Gojira?" said Hirano.
"What's a gojira?" said Kaito.
Saya laughed. "Gojira was a creature in old science-fiction movies," she said to her son. "Really old, they were ancient when your dad and I were young. Gojira was a sort of monster, created by nuclear radioactivity. It was like a really big lizard, but it stood up like a person. In the first movie, if I remember it right, it destroyed Tokyo. But then in the later movies it became a friend of humans, sort of, and saved them from other monsters."
"All things considered, that sounds like a very good name," said Satsuki. "Suitably ambiguous."
"Then Gojira it is," said Saya.
END
Terminal
A last gambit, a final sacrifice.
"I've never liked flying," said Saya.
"Don't worry about it," said Alice. "We'll probably get killed by zombies, so the return flight is somewhat moot."
"Why can't we just drop it out?" said Kemi. "With one of those things, what do you call them, parachutes or something. And then fly away. Fast."
"We considered it," said Saya. "But the patched-together firing mechanism wouldn't survive an impact. Neither would the timer. The whole thing is by-passed like a Christmas tree, so it won't take too many bumps."
"So unless we want to be vapourised along with the zombies, this is the only alternative," said Hirano.
They were strapped into seats in the Ryukyu, itself sitting on the road near the Maresato farm. In the middle of the cargo space was a military-style jeep; the warhead was strapped in the back, with the jumble of wires and devices added by Saya and Satsuki. The word Gojira was painted on the side. The timer mechanism was controlled by a key, which Saya carried on a cord around her neck.
"Momma," said Nozomi, "I wish you'd stayed at home. You've done your part in building the damn thing."
"If something goes wrong, there has to be someone to fix it," said Saya. "Which means me."
"But – " Sachiko started.
"Your mother's mind is made up," said Hirano. "So that's it."
Together with the jeep, there were three motorbikes in the hold. Aside from Saya, Hirano, Nozomi, Sachiko and Kemi, there was Alice, Kazuki, and Hotaru. Benaro and Rei were on the plane's flight deck. Everyone was heavily armed, and everyone was aware of the odds against them.
Rei emerged and began to check that the equipment was secure.
"I don't mean to rush you," said Hirano, "but time is an issue here. Remember what the message from Rise and Lian said."
Everyone knew what the most radio recent transmission from the Observatory had been. The freeway is nearly clear. One more day, maybe.
That had been yesterday.
"I know," said Rei. "We're just waiting for the fuel tanks to be filled. Takes a while with a manual pump, but Shun and Sora are doing their best."
At that moment, Benaro's voice crackled over the loudspeaker. "Air Ryukyu about to get under way," he said. "Next stop, Mareno Airport, Tokyo."
Rei looked around at the group. "If anyone has any doubts about coming on this little jaunt," she said, "this is the last chance to get off."
No-one moved or spoke. Rei pushed the button to close the ramp at the back of the plane. She went back to the flight deck, and the engines started up.
"I've never been in a plane before," said Kemi. "It's exciting. But I also feel kind of sick."
"What do we know about this Mareno place?" said Sachiko. "Why there?"
"Not much choice," said Alice, as the plane began to move. "The other airport in Tokyo was completely destroyed, and at Mareno there is only one serviceable runway, and it's further from the terminal than we would like. But there are no clear streets or open spaces in the city that we could see."
"Is the airport in the middle of the zombie area?" said Nozomi. "We want the bomb to take out all them, don't we?"
"The specific location doesn't matter much," said Saya. "After this, there simply won't be a Tokyo."
The wheels left the ground. Saya clutched Hirano's hand.
"Whee!" said Sachiko. Saya shot him a 'shut up' glance.
"At least we have the element of surprise," said Alice. "All we have to do is drive off the plane when it lands, find a place to stash the bomb somewhere in the airport terminal, set the timer, and fly back home. The zombies will be radioactive dust before they know what's happening."
"Uh, you don't really believe that it will be that easy, do you?" said Hirano.
"Of course not," said Alice.
"Huh," said Hotaru.
"It's a nice plan, anyway, Dad," said Sachiko.
"Just unlikely to survive an encounter with reality," said Alice.
They flew on.
After a while, Benaro's voice came over the loudspeaker again. "We're coming up on the outskirts of Tokyo," he said.
Hirano looked out the window. They were passing over a mid-sized building. On the roof, there was a small group of zombies. Looking up at them.
"Er, about that element of surprise thing … " he said.
"We should assume that if one of them knows something, they all know it," said Hotaru.
"All 650,000 of them," said Kazuki.
"You know, that figure is really just a guess," said Saya.
"What, you think there might not be that many?" said Kemi.
"Uh, no, that's not really what I mean," said Saya.
Nozomi laughed.
"It's not funny," said Kemi.
"Actually, it is," said Kazuki.
"But you have to look at it the right way," said Hotaru.
They heard the wheels come down.
Rei's voice came over the loudspeaker. "Actually, the airstrip looks like it's got a few potholes," she said. "So it might be a bit rough getting down. Possibly, 'potholes' isn't the right word. 'Few' might also be incorrect."
"Wonderful," said Saya.
"Hirano, after we get down, how long do you think we will have before they're on us?" said Nozomi.
"On the most optimistic side, perhaps five minutes," said Hirano.
"And on the less optimistic side?"
"Thirty seconds."
Rei's voice: "Hold on!"
The plane touched the ground – and then swerved savagely. It left the ground for a few seconds – and then thumped down again. It bounced once, and there was a stomach-churning dip, and then they were skidding along the tarmac. The engines whined as Ben struggled to bring the Ryukyu to a halt.
"Well, that wasn't so hard, now, was it?" said Nozomi.
"I think I bit my tongue," said Kemi.
Hirano was already out of his seat, lowering the ramp. Saya was checking the warhead; it looked like it had not suffered any damage. Hirano and Saya got into the jeep, and Alice, Hotaru and Nozomi mounted the bikes.
Rei and Benaro appeared. "Sorry about that," said Benaro. "But it was easier than what taking off is going to be."
"Something to look forward to, then," said Kazuki.
Rei was checking her machine gun. "So now, Sachiko," she said, "we find out how good your bullets are."
"Did we mention that our lives and the lives of everyone else depend on them?" said Kemi. "No pressure, though, Sach."
"Humph," said Sachiko.
The ramp hit the ground. The jeep, flanked by the three bikes, roared out, heading for the terminal.
Rei, Benaro, Kazuki, Sachiko and Kemi took up defensive positions around the plane, quickly assembling the chain-link metal fence – Saya's design – they had brought with them. There was already a troop of zombies, maybe fifty, running towards them. Further away, more were emerging from buildings.
"Well, this is going to be fun," said Kemi.
The jeep, with Hirano driving, made it to the relative safety of the terminal. But as he rounded a corner, they saw a troop of zombies coming at them. The Boss was in the lead.
There was a burst of machine-gun fire: Nozomi. It made the zombies hesitate, but they did not retreat.
Hirano turned into an alley that led to a paved courtyard area. Alice went out in front of the jeep. She gestured to Hirano, pointing at something. It was the shopping mall that was part of the terminal complex. Hirano gave her a thumbs-up sign.
The jeep was twenty metres from the glass doors of the mall when Hirano heard the vehicle drive over something. Ahead, there was a flicker of movement.
"Down!" shouted Saya. They both dived under the dashboard.
A trap. A metal cable sprang up in front of them. It sheered the windscreen of the jeep away, creating a shower of glass.
The jeep started to careen sideways. Hirano, back in the driving seat, fought to control it, but it was too late. With a crash, the vehicle skidded into a concrete wall. The engine sputtered out.
"Saya, are you okay?" said Hirano.
"I'm alright," she said. "Not my first crash. My, uh, fourth, I think." She checked the warhead. Miraculously, it was undamaged.
But the jeep wouldn't start again. Alice, Nozomi, and Hotaru pulled up beside them.
"Forget the jeep," said Alice. "You'll have to carry the bomb. We'll find a place for it inside."
Together, Hirano and Saya got the warhead from the jeep and started for the mall. Hotaru fired a volley of bullets at the glass doors, and they shattered. Then she turned back to the task of holding back the zombies.
Rei triggered the flamethrower, and a gust of fire surged into the zombies. They fell back, but there were more coming up behind them. On the other side of the plane, she heard the other flamethrower, in Kazuki's hands, burst into life. Kemi, Sachiko and Benaro were using their machine guns to deadly effect, concentrating their fire first one way, then another.
For the moment, their efforts, and their improvised barricade, was holding the zombies back. But … for how long?
Hirano and Saya, carrying the warhead, staggered into the atrium area of the mall. Alice, Nozomi and Hotaru rode up beside them and dismounted.
"Do the key thing and let's get out of here," said Alice. "You can ride on the back."
"We need to put it somewhere where they won't be able to find it and disable it," said Saya. She pointed to a nearby store. "In there," she said.
"Okay, but make it quick," said Alice. "That big troop with the Boss guy is only a few minutes away."
At that moment, there was the noise of glass shattering – from above. A dozen zombies came leaping down through the atrium ceiling. They carried improvised swords and spears.
As one, the five humans hefted their guns and fired. But the zombies were tough. Most of them kept coming even after absorbing a series of bullets. Two of them leaped at Hirano, and he went down, still firing. Another zombie slashed at the warhead with his spear. Saya shot him in the head with her Luger, at point-blank range, and it fell back, dead.
But now another four zombies were coming at them, from the other end of the mall.
There was another sound. Another motorbike came smashing through a glass wall, behind the zombies. There was a blur of blades, and the four zombies fell, decapitated. The bike streaked along the mall walkway, smashing into the other zombies. There was a whirlwind of bullets and sword thrusts.
Suddenly, all the zombies were dead.
"Hi," said Rise, as he got off the bike. "I'm sure you remember Lian. Say, you didn't think you could keep us out of this, did you? We saw you from the Observatory and thought we'd drop by."
"Hello," said Lian, as she sheathed her dao sword.
"Little help over here, eh?" came a muffled voice. It was Hirano, lying under two dead – and large – zombies. Rise, Nozomi and Lian pulled them off and helped him up.
They hauled the warhead into the store. Saya examined it.
"The timer is finished," she said, holding up the broken mechanism. "The detonator is damaged but I can fix it." She pulled a butterfly knife from her belt, cut some wires, and spliced several more together.
"So that means that someone will have to stay here and set it off," said Hirano. "And that would be me."
Saya stared at him. "No," she said.
"Yes," he said.
"If you stay, so do I," said Saya.
Hirano glanced at Rise, standing behind Saya. Rise nodded.
And then Hirano hit her. On the jaw. One punch.
She fell backwards, unconscious. Rise caught her and lowered to the ground.
Hirano took the key from around her neck. He kissed her gently on the forehead. "Sorry, my sweet," said Hirano. "But this is how it has to be."
"Why does it have to be?" said Lian.
"Because," said Hirano, "I am already dead." He opened his jacket. The others saw that he had been bitten on the shoulder.
"Get out of here," he said. "Back to the plane. It will take the zombies a while to find me and after that I'll hold them off for as long as I can."
"Dad – " said Nozomi.
"Go," said Hirano.
Nozomi stared at him. Then she handed him her machine gun.
Rise lifted Saya and they got her onto the back of his bike, so he could hold her on. Lian went behind Hotaru.
There was a troop of zombies boiling along the mall walkway.
"Straight through?" said Rise.
"Straight through," said Alice. She hefted her gun.
Rei's flamethrower ran dry. She tossed it aside, unslung her machine gun and began to fire at the surrounding horde.
There was the sound of engines from across the tarmac. Four motorbikes were coming towards them.
"Funny, I was sure there was only three," said Sachiko, beside Rei.
Kemi lifted her binoculars. "Huh," she said. "Wouldn't you know it. Rise. Just can't keep that guy away from a party."
"Benaro, get the engines started!" shouted Rei to her husband. "They can ride straight up the ramp as we taxi!"
Benaro started for the plane. He was at the bottom of the ramp when a spear came whistling through the air. It hit him in the side. He cried out in pain and fell.
Rei ran to him. She pulled the spear out and began to drag him aboard.
"Looks like you are going to have to solo on this one," he said to her, grimacing in pain.
"I suppose you know that I haven't taken off in this plane before," she said.
"Good time to learn," he said. "Have a little faith in yourself, honey." Then, with another grimace, he passed out.
She called out to Kemi and Sachiko. "Come on!" she shouted. "We're leaving! Kemi, strap Benaro into a seat! Sachiko, I need you with me!"
She ran to the flight deck, strapped herself into the pilot seat, and started the engines. The plane began to move. "Sachiko," said Rei, "when I tell you, pull the throttles – those levers there – back as hard as you can, and hold them there."
"Er, sure," said Sachiko, strapping herself into the co-pilot position. "Uh, what's that?" She pointed into the sky in front of them.
A massive rock was spiraling towards them.
"Fuck!" said Rei. "The zombies are using the trebuchet thing!"
She swerved the plane, and the boulder smashed into the ground behind them. She looked ahead, and with a shock saw that there was not much runway space between them and the terminal. On the other side of the terminal, there was a line of tall buildings.
"Going to be close," she said.
Kemi, in the hold of the plane, had got Benaro into a seat and had put an emergency bandage from the first-aid kit on his wound to stop the bleeding. Now she was gesturing for the others to ride straight up the ramp.
With the binoculars, she looked behind them. There was another vehicle coming. It was the jeep. And it held a half-dozen zombies. One of them, standing up in the back, wore a black scarf.
Hirano rammed another clip into the machine gun, hacking down the zombies as they tried to come through the door of the store. His shoulder was in agony, like blades of ice radiating from the wound. His head felt as if it was on fire, a thousand voices screaming in his skull. Another posse of zombies charged the door. He fired, and they fell back.
For the first time, he looked around, and realised what sort of store it was.
An upmarket shoe store.
"Of course," he said to himself. "It would have to be."
Alice came up first, then Rise with Saya.
Nozomi was about to come up when the plane swerved wildly. Another boulder crashed down.
Rei swerved again, narrowly missing a yawning hole in the tarmac. The plane was almost at take-off speed.
Nozomi came up the ramp, and then Hotaru and Lian. The plane hit a massive bump, throwing Hotaru and Lian off the bike. They rolled to the end of the hold, and the bike went spinning back to the tarmac. Hotaru's machine gun fell to the floor.
"Got 'em all!" shouted Kemi to Rei. "Get us out of here!"
And then the jeep with the zombies roared up the ramp.
"Now!" said Rei.
Sachiko hauled on the throttles.
The plane lurched into the air – and then back to the tarmac. The engines screamed.
"Come on, you son of a bitch!" shouted Rei.
Rise decapitated one zombie but another one forced him back, swinging a metal spear. Rise took a blow on the side of the head and for a moment everything went black. And then he saw Alice put her machine gun to the head of the zombie and fire. She swiveled, and took out another one with a burst.
Lian swung her heavy sword. The blade smashed into a zombie's chest, and it staggered backwards, tumbling down the ramp. And then Hotaru had her Makarov pistols drawn and was firing. Another one down.
Kemi, unarmed now, found herself face-to-face with the Boss. Hotaru's machine gun was at his feet. Slowly, deliberately, he reached down and picked it up. He pointed it at the others.
Kemi threw herself at him, punching, trying to force him back, down the ramp, trying to stop him from using the gun. But he was much stronger, and he wrapped her in a vicious embrace. He leaned forward to bite her but she managed to pull his scarf away. She wrapped it around his head, covering his eyes. She whacked her forehead into his face. Blinded, he let go of her and staggered backwards.
Kemi kicked out. The Boss fell backwards, down the ramp and onto the tarmac. In a moment, he was left behind.
The last zombie, a big one, had Nozomi by the throat. It had lifted her off her feet and was squeezing the life from her.
But then a hand came over its shoulder and the blade of a butterfly knife slid across its throat. It collapsed in a gush of black blood.
"So now," said Saya, "will someone tell me what the fuck is going on!?"
The plane bounced into the air and immediately began to yaw sideways. Rei was turning it, aiming for a gap in the buildings.
The jeep tumbled down the ramp and away. Kemi began to slide out, but Rise grabbed hold of her and pulled her to safety. Hotaru pushed the button and the ramp began to close. The plane soared through the gap – by a few inches on either side. It leveled out.
"Rei, punch it!" shouted Alice. "Everyone, strap in!"
Hirano's machine guns were both empty, and his pistol was down to its last bullet. He turned to the warhead. Zombies were in the store, now. One was almost standing over him, peering at the geometric symbol on the side of the bomb, and the word Gojira. Strangely, they were no longer attacking, perhaps because they knew that he would soon be one of them.
Hirano felt almost paralysed by the cold. The roaring in his head was growing ever louder. But suddenly there were other voices, clear and familiar.
"Hiya, buddy," said Takashi.
"And don't worry about her," said Saeko. "You'll see her again. In time."
Hirano smiled. "Saya," he said as he turned the key. "I – "
The Boss looked back at the terminal, realising what was about to happen.
"No," he said.
The Ryukyu had passed the Observatory when the shockwave hit. The plane lurched and bucked in the superheated air, flung around like a cork in a storm, but somehow Rei kept control. And then, suddenly, they were flying through a clear sky.
Rei turned the plane so they could look back.
There was a mountain of white fire where Tokyo had once been.
And in the plane there was a deathly silence, broken only by the sound of Saya crying.
Coda
Saya was sitting in her office, going through the latest batch of exam papers.
There was a knock at the door, and a student, perhaps sixteen, came in.
"Principal," he said. "I believe you wanted to see me. Did I do badly on the test?"
Saya smiled. "No, not at all," she said. "In fact, I was very impressed with your essay, and I understand that your teacher was, too. I wanted to tell you that, and to give you a book that you might find interesting, based on what you wrote in your essay. It's a very old story, one of the first ever told. It's about … well, you'll find out. Myself, I think it's about friendship. And courage."
She handed him a battered copy of The Epic of Gilgamesh.
The boy took it with a respectful bow.
"You're the youngest son of Rise Komuro and Lian Xi, aren't you?" said Saya.
"Yes, I am," said the boy. "You know them?"
"I do," said Saya. "As it happens, I was there when your father was born."
The boy looked a bit surprised, but he bowed again, and thanked her for the book.
After he had left, Saya sat for a while, thinking. She felt old, tired, but she always enjoyed speaking with students. She smiled when she remembered that her first school had had only eleven kids.
She leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes.
And then she was walking down a hallway, towards a door. Funny, she didn't feel tired any more. She felt … like she hadn't felt in years. She looked at her hair. It was no longer grey. It was, in fact, pink.
The door at the end of the hallway opened.
"Hello, my darling," said Kohta.
END AND AMEN