HOTD - American Adventures

by Darkpenn

Twenty-three years after the Outbreak, a distant land, strange and dangerous, is waiting to be explored.

HOTD: American Adventures

Twenty-three years after the Outbreak, a distant land, strange and dangerous, is waiting to be explored.

---

Contact

The Ryukyu rolled to a halt. Rei Miyamato and the delegation she led – Benaro Tatagi, Alice Maresato, Sachiko Hirano and Satsuki Kiromiri – walked down the ramp at the back of the plane. They were greeted by a group of men and women, some in battered civilian clothes and some in patched-together military uniforms.

"Welcome to the United States," said one of the men in uniform, in English. "Such as it is."

"On behalf of the people of Japan – such as it is – we are pleased to be here," said Rei, in the same language. "It's good to see you again, Ensign Fraser. It's been, what, thirty years since I bumped into you on the Forrestal."

The man smiled. "It hasn't been Ensign for a long while," he said. "Call me Jim, or James if you prefer. Let me say we were very pleased to get your radio transmission a while ago. Good to know that you are doing well in Japan."

"Well enough, at least," said Rei.

They were at the airport of the small US city of Columbia, on the Pacific coast. It was home to about a thousand people, making it the largest human city in North America.

"The airport is effectively the centre of the population for the city," said Fraser, as he led them towards one of the administration buildings. "That's not because we have any planes – yours is the first one to land here since the Collapse – but because it had the most open space for crops and cattle."

Fraser introduced a grey-haired woman. "This is Anne Kowalski, who is Mayor of Columbia," said Fraser. Kowalski shook hands all round.

Satsuki, who could speak English, translated for the rest of the Japanese party. They went into a building and the two groups seated themselves around a large table. Water and small plates of food were offered to the Japanese.

"Do you have power, electricity?" said Sachiko to Kowalski, via Satsuki.

"No, just oil lanterns and candles," said Kowalski. "Aside from that, only an emergency generator, which is connected to the radio equipment."

"Then perhaps you would accept these documents, as a goodwill gift," said Sachiko. She took a sheath of drawings and plans from the large folder she carried. "We have developed wind turbines that are fairly easy to build and are pretty efficient at generating electricity," she said. "There are about a hundred operating in Japan. We would be pleased to provide any assistance in their construction that we can."

Fraser and Kowalski examined the plans. "These are very good, very interesting," said Fraser. "I think we can build one of these. Where did the plans come from?"

"My mother drew them up," said Sachiko. "In fact, many people call them saya-mills, after her. She is very good on technology. In the years since the Outbreak, she has been extremely valuable. She has slowed down quite a lot since her husband, my father, was killed some years ago, when we destroyed the Tokyo tribe, but is still very smart. She was sorry she could not come on this trip, but she has many responsibilities running our major school."

"Are your zombies smarter than they used to be?" said Sachiko.

"Oh yeah," said Fraser. "Our only advantage is that they don't seem to like mountains much, and we're surrounded by mountains. But they still launch small attacks now and then, mainly in the summer months."

"This used to be a big military base not far from here, so we have had enough weapons, and a stock of petrol," said Kowalski. "You said on the radio that there was an EMP in Japan in the early days of the Outbreak which destroyed most your electronics. How have you managed that?"

"The southern parts of the country were not affected, and we learned how to repair some vehicles and other machines," said Rei. "We have become pretty good at raising horses. And the Forrestal was a big asset, although there's not much of it left. That's where we got the radio equipment that we used to contact you. The plane comes from there, too."

"Ah, I thought it looked familiar," said Fraser.

"How are your food supplies?" said Alice.

"We make it, but sometimes only just," said Kowalski. "Last year, we had a bad season – we call it the Shortage – and it almost sent us under. We survived through strict rationing, and it was touch-and-go there for a while. We lost some people who were already sick."

Rei said: "In the interests of goodwill, we hope you will accept some things we have brought with us. Rice, mainly. Only a few bags, but we hope that it can be the start of a trading relationship of some sort."

"Rice!" said Fraser. "That would be great!"

"But I don't know what we might have to trade," said Kowalski.

"We'll think of something," said Alice. "Our various communities in Japan are very active traders. We have found that it gives us a reason to keep looking forward."

"We have a boat – sail and supplementary engine – that could make the trip between Japan and here, probably carry quite a bit of stuff," said Rei. "It's called the Mikazuki. It used to be a commercial fishing boat, but we've used it explore the outer islands, and it's pretty tough. It could make it here and back, I think. My adopted son Rise has said he would be interested in that."

"That's good," said Fraser. "We have a few boats for fishing, but nothing capable of making the trip. The launch from the Forrestal broke up about five years ago."

"Are you sure you have killed all the zombies in Japan?" said Kowalski.

"The Tokyo tribe, as we called them, had destroyed or absorbed many of the other tribes," said Rei. "They were about to march on us when we destroyed Tokyo with one of the nuclear weapons from the Forrestal. Since then, we have cleared the northern islands of Hokkaido and Sakhalin. Taking Sakhalin was important, because it gave us an oil production facility and a refinery."

"It is three years since we have seen any zombies in Japan," added Alice. "And there have been no cases of people turning since then, either. But we remain on guard. It only takes one."

"You destroyed the Tokyo tribe with a nuke?" said Fraser. "Getting that to work must have taken some clever mechanics."

"Yes, it did," said Satsuki. "Have you had cases of people turning without being bitten?"

"Unfortunately, yes," said Kowalski. "A case every, I guess, five or six months. Nothing we can do but put them down as painlessly as possible. At least we've learned to recognise the signs and act quickly."

After a while, Kowalski and Fraser took the Japanese on a tour of the settlement. The group stopped to watch the Americans re-fuel the Ryukyu. The plane had been fitted with long-range tanks in order to reach North America – another Saya Takagi design.

Much of the land in and around the Columbia airport had been converted to farmland, with wheat, corn, canola, and cattle. But it was obviously hard going. There were no working vehicles and no electricity, and the crops were watered by people carrying buckets or pumping water through rusty pipes by hand. A number of them had racking coughs and open sores. Everything seemed to be old, patched-up, dating from before the Outbreak.

"I guess this is what a post-Outbreak world looks like without Saya, Shizuka, and a couple of other key people," said Satsuki to the others, in Japanese.

"Mayor Kowalski," said Sachiko, through Satsuki. "In Tomo we have had some success in developing irrigation systems using power from saya-mills – uh, I mean windmills. I have some plans on a computer that I brought with me, if you would like to take a look."

"A computer?" said Kowalski. "You have working computers?"

"Some," said Sachiko. "The one I have belonged to my mother."

"If you can tell us how to make something better than what we have now, we would certainly appreciate it," said Fraser.

They came to a hangar. There were several propeller-driven planes there, although obviously they were in a decrepit condition. Sachiko stared at them.

"Okay, Sachiko, you may as well tell us what you're thinking," said Alice, with a sigh.

"I'm thinking about taking off the propellers and using them for windmills," said Sachiko. "The aerodynamic issues are much the same."

Satsuki gave a little laugh. She translated.

"Goddamn," said Fraser. "Why didn't we think of that?"

"Daughter of Saya Takagi," said Alice, nodding at Sachiko. "A talent for cantankerous innovation runs in the family."

---

The delegation stayed at Columbia for a week. Rei and Benaro mapped some of the surrounding area from the air, and Sachiko and Fraser set up three windmills.

On the night before they were going to depart, they were invited to dinner with the Mayor, Fraser and a number of other Americans.

"We cannot thank you enough for your help," said Kowalski.

"We hope that this is the start of a good relationship," said Rei. "With so few humans left, we have to work together, maximise our opportunities and assets."

"I am thinking," said Sachiko, "that I would like to stay for a while. Fine-tune the windmills, try and connect them to a battery system, contribute however else I can. I'll tell Momma the next time we're in radio contact."

Rei nodded. "That sounds good," she said. "Do you think you can learn enough English to get by?"

"Guess I'll have to," said Sachiko.

"I'll leave my Japanese-English dictionary and phrase book with you," said Satsuki.

"And maybe we can learn some Japanese from you," said Fraser.

One of the Americans, a young man, spoke up. "In that case, perhaps one of us should go back to Japan with you," he said. "I would like to go. Sort of an exchange program."

The Mayor said: "This is my son, John Kowalski. Yes, take him with you … please." She laughed. "And don't say you weren't warned."

Rei laughed as well. "Sure," she said. "John, do you know anything about machines, operating them and fixing them?"

"Not really."

"Can you ride a horse?" said Alice.

"Not successfully."

"Sail a boat?" said Satsuki.

"Never tried."

"Well, what can you do?" said Benaro.

"I'm willing to take a shot at anything," said John.

"You'll be fine," said Sachiko.

END

---

Mikazuki

Rise guided the Mikazuki up to the jetty, where a little group of people waited. He stepped off the boat, to be greeted by Mayor Kowalski, James Fraser – both of whom he had spoken to by radio, with Satsuki doing her best to translate, but not met – and several others. Sachiko Hirano was also there, and she hugged him warmly.

"After 46 days, good to get off that boat," said Kazuki, as he and Hotaru tied the boat to the jetty bollards.

"But it means that we are the first people to sail across the Pacific," said Shizuka.

"A Chinese fleet did it in 1421," said Lian. "Discovered America."

Rise, Kazuki, Hotaru, Satsuki and Shizuka all looked at her with a mixture of bemusement and puzzlement.

She shrugged. "As everyone knows," she said. "Look it up."

Rise turned to the greeting party. "It is very good to be here," he said, via Sachiko. "As I said when we spoke, we have goods to trade, and I hope this will be the start of a new and fruitful relationship."

"What do you have?" said Fraser.

"After talking with Rei and the others who were here a while ago," said Shizuka, "we loaded up the boat with pumpkins, melons, salted venison, and seeds. Lot of seeds. Oh, and rice wine. Be careful of that, it bites."

"And honey," said Kazuki. "In really nice pots."

"Honey! And wine!" cried Kowalski. "My friends, you are … very … welcome."

---

It was four days later. Shizuka and Satsuki were in the little hut that served as the community's infirmary, with an elderly man called Simpson. They had spent the day giving medical check-ups to anyone who wanted them, with Shizuka doing what she could with the supplies from her battered medical kit.

"There's no need to call me doctor," said Shizuka to Simpson. "I was just a school nurse before the Outbreak. Since then, all I've done is read some books and do whatever looks like it might work. And deliver babies. Lot of babies."

"Well, it beats me," said Simpson. "My entire medical experience was six months of training as a medical orderly in the army, decades ago. And most of our drugs ran out a long time back. This is all we have left. If there is anything here you think you can use, you're welcome to it." He opened a cupboard to reveal the infirmary's rather pathetic stock of supplies.

Shizuka picked up a familiar-looking bag of liquid. She asked Simpson what the label said, and he told her, through Satsuki. It was Rabies Antigen.

"This," said Shizuka.

There was a knock at the door; an American, maybe eighteen, looking for Simpson. "Doc, it's my brother," said the young man. "He's … he's turning, I think. He's in a coma. We've tied him down but … "

Simpson sighed. He opened the drawer of the desk and took out a pistol.

Shizuka put her hand on his arm. "Please let me try something," she said.

Simpson looked at her. "There's nothing that can be done," he said.

"Then there is nothing to lose by letting me try," she said.

Simpson looked at the young man. He nodded.

Running, they followed the young man to the room he shared with his brother, in one of the airport outbuildings.

A man, fitfully unconscious, was tied securely to a metal chair.

"I've done experiments on zombie blood that we collected, and I think that the zombie virus is related to rabies," said Shizuka, through Satsuki. "I've mixed rabies antigen with zombie blood and it seems to defeat the virus. I can't say I know how, and we haven't got very far with our experiments, but it shows promise." She took a syringe from her kit and filled it with the antigen, and injected it into the man's arm. It took a quarter of the liquid in the bag.

"Now what?" said Simpson.

"Now, we wait," said Shizuka. "In a half-hour, if there is no change, I will give him another injection."

Long minutes passed. The man, Dean, stopped his movement, aside from shallow, laboured breathing.

"How long since it started?" said Shizuka to the people gathered around.

"Maybe ten minutes before you arrived," said the Sam, the young man. "So it's maybe fifteen minutes now."

"To the best of my knowledge, twenty minutes is about as long as it has ever taken," said Shizuka. Simpson nodded agreement.

Another five minutes passed. Another five.

Shizuka checked her watch. It was coming up to thirty minutes since the man began to turn.

"So … what?" said Sam.

"So … maybe … there is a chance," said Shizuka. "I'm not making any promises. We've never done this before, never even tried it. But … maybe."

Shizuka administered a second injection.

---

It was the next morning. Shizuka was sitting in a chair on the other side of the room to the unconscious man, the empty antigen bag in one hand and her Remington pistol in the other.

Simpson, Satsuki and Sam came in.

"You've been here the whole time?" said Simpson. "Awake all night?"

"I got a couple of hours of sleep," she lied.

Sam stared at his brother. "Hell, he looks a whole lot better," he said.

"Yes, temperature is more or less normal, skin colour is about what it should be, eyes apparently normal, heartbeat normal," said Shizuka. "In fact, I think he's not in a coma any more. I think he's asleep."

At that moment, Dean began to stir. He gave a groan, and opened his eyes. Shizuka leaned over him, and put her hand on his forehead to check his temperature. He looked up at her, and said something in English.

Satsuki laughed. "He wants to know," she said in Japanese, "if he is in Heaven."

Shizuka smiled. "No," she said. "Washington State."

---

"A remarkable achievement," said Kowalski to Shizuka, via Satsuki. "This is the first time that we have had any sort of victory over the zombie virus."

"I'll consider it a victory when I really know what is involved," said Shizuka, sipping her rice wine. "But for the moment, it's one more life, and I guess that's important."

"So people become zombies due to a virus, and that virus is related to the rabies virus," said Simpson. "Does that mean it can be reversed?"

"Personally, I doubt that a zombie can be made human," said Shizuka. "Even with conventional rabies, treatment had to be fast. Once the virus is entrenched in the system, that's it. Still, if you can find a way to capture a zombie alive and pump huge amounts of rabies antigen into it, it would be interesting to see what happens. Remember that we don't even know what keeps them alive, when by all rights they should be dead. Completely dead."

Kowalski nodded. "I wish that there were some scientists or something that survived the Collapse," she said. "Someone with some expertise. I know the government tried to find a biological solution in the first days, but there just wasn't time."

"In Japan, the initial government response, once the scale of the Outbreak was recognised, was to gather everyone up, whether they wanted it or not, and put them in camps with military forces around them," said Shizuka. "Didn't work, obviously. My friend Reika, who was a military officer, says that large concentrations of humans attract zombies somehow.

"Anyway, that strategy meant that whole towns and cities, and most of the countryside, were emptied. The human survivors have been able to use the towns for supplies, but everyone realises that if we're going to survive long-term we have to learn to grow our own food, develop renewable energy, that sort of thing. Re-build from the bottom up."

"I don't think we're at that stage yet," said Kowalski. "Still trying to make sure that there's enough for everyone to eat. How many people in Japan?"

"According to our last survey, slightly over eight thousand, about two-thirds of them were born after the Outbreak. Sometimes I feel like I've delivered every damn baby in the country. I haven't, of course. Quite a few, though. The first one I delivered was my friend Saya's. That was during a zombie battle. I delivered Rise and Hotaru, too."

"Funny, we haven't had many babies born here," said Simpson. "Some, but not many. I guess people don't feel so optimistic about the future."

Satsuki broke in. "How much of North America has been explored?" she said to Kowalski.

"Very little," said Kowalski. "We have no vehicles or horses, so we haven't been able to get far, and really we've been focused on surviving here. Why do you ask?"

"I have a feeling that some of the young people, ours and yours, are wanting to see what's out there."

"There are worse ideas," said Simpson.

"I can say from experience," said Shizuka, "that once they start looking at the horizon, there's no point trying to stop them."

Kowalski grunted agreement. "Well, someone's got to do it," she said.

END

---

Island

The group had been at Columbia for a week. Rise was speaking to the other Japanese, including Sachiko.

"I thought that we might take the boat along the coast for a while," he said. "Maybe to Canada. What used to be Canada. See what's there."

"Sure," said Sachiko. "When Rei and Benaro were here, they did some mapping of the area from the air. They saw a big island just north of the border. Vancouver Island, according to the old maps. Might be worth checking out. If you're going exploring, I think there's a couple of Americans who would want to be in that."

"It's a good idea," said Shizuka. "But maybe I'll take a pass on it. I'm getting a bit old for adventures, I think. And there's things I would like to do here, like getting a supply of natural medicines from plants and herbs going."

"I think I'll stay here too," said Satsuki. "Sachiko has learned enough English to do any translation that's necessary, and I can help Shizuka."

The next day, as they were preparing the boat for departure when three young Americans, two men and a woman, came along the jetty. The men were carrying rifles.

"We heard you're going north," said one of the men, the older. "We'd like to come."

"Hey, aren't you the guy that nearly turned?" said Sachiko.

"Got better, thanks to that babe of a doctor you brought with you," said the older of the pair. "God, she is built like a – "

"That babe is the mother of this fellow here," said Sachiko, gesturing to Kazuki.

"Oh," said the man. "Anyway, my name's Dean, and this is my brother Sam."

"Been on a boat before?" said Rise, via Sachiko.

"Not one this size, but we're strong enough and we're willing to learn," said Sam.

"You're in," said Lian.

"What about you?" said Sachiko to the young woman.

"Jill," said the woman, as Sachiko translated for the others. "I live on the other side of town. My parents were Canadian, so I speak the language."

The Japanese stared at her.

"It's a joke," she said.

"I like her," said Hotaru.

"She's pretty young," said Rise.

"Old enough," Jill said. "And I'd really like to get out of here."

"Do you have a gun?" said Hotaru.

Jill shook her head.

Hotaru took a Glock pistol – her back-up weapon – from her boot and handed it to her.

"You can borrow this," she said. "I'll show you how to use it if you don't know. I have others, including a sniper rifle, if you prefer something like that."

She took it. "What will you use?" she said.

Hotaru pulled her two Makarov pistols from the holsters behind her back.

"Whoa," said Sam.

"Girl's gotta have a decent gun," said Sachiko. "Or two."

---

They had been able to fill the fuel tanks from the supply at Columbia but there was plenty of wind along the coast. They didn't mind moving slowly; it provided the opportunity for the Japanese to teach the Americans how to sail, and for Hotaru to teach Jill to shoot. And for them to learn some basics of each other's language.

It took them four days of sailing before Vancouver Island came into sight. Jill pulled an ancient book of maps from her pack.

"According to this, the passage between the island and the mainland is called Juan be Fuca Strait," she said. "There were a couple of bridges connecting the island to the mainland at various places but I remember my dad telling me they were all destroyed."

As they sailed up the passage, they saw the city of Vancouver in the distance. It was not much more than a collection of wreckage and ruins. They sailed on.

It was the next morning when they saw it: a thin column of smoke in the distance, on the island.

"That's domestic," said Rise, surveying the area with the binoculars. "There's too many trees for me to see anything, but I would say that it's from a settlement, or maybe a campfire." He pointed towards a little beach. "We can go ashore there," he said. "And see what we can see."

They anchored the boat in the shallows and waded ashore, and made their way towards the smoke.

"Do you know anything about this area?" said Sachiko to Jill as they walked.

"My parents told me a little," she replied. "They trekked south from Canada through this area in the early days of the Collapse, and reached the Columbia settlement. They once told me that they thought they might be the only Canadians still alive. But maybe there are some here. The zombies don't like crossing water, apparently, so maybe an island would be safe."

"Maybe," said Sachiko. "But we've explored most of the islands around Japan, including those that had had people before, and didn't find any survivors. We've never really been able to establish if zombies can cross water. Lian says that in China the main human settlement survived because it was protected by a river. On the other hand, we have heard stories of zombies that had no trouble with water, and in the early days they got from the island of Honshu – the main island of Japan – to Hokkaido – that's the island in the north – without crossing the bridge or going through the tunnel. We've never seen any of them swim, but since they don't have to breathe maybe they could just walk along the bottom."

Rise, in the lead, suddenly held up his hand.

"I can smell something," he said.

"So can I," said Hotaru. "It's … horses. This way, I think."

They walked on, and soon reached a cleared area. They could see a large farm, with a number of buildings. Smoke was coming from the chimney of the biggest. A couple of people were moving about in a crop field. There was an enclosure with a herd of horses.

From the edge of the forest, they watched the scene for a while.

"The people aren't carrying weapons," said Kazuki. "And the farm looks like it's doing alright. Maybe we should go and say hello."

"Yes, but not all of us," said Rise. "Sachiko and Jill, who can talk to them. And Hotaru, in case of trouble. Weapons slung but in reach. If everything is alright, signal to us."

So in a few minutes Sachiko, Jill and Hotaru were walking towards the farm. When they were a hundred metres away from the nearest building, they called out.

Two people working in a field turned and looked at them. They stared for a long moment. Then they turned and ran towards the farmhouse. In a few minutes, a half-dozen people appeared, two carrying shotguns.

"Hiya, eh," said Jill.

"Wow, she really does speak Canadian," whispered Sachiko to Hotaru.

"Hi, you too," said one of the men, an older man. He had a shotgun and was pointing it generally at them, but not, Hotaru thought, in a particularly threatening way. "You're not from around here, you two at least," he said, gesturing at Sachiko and Hotaru.

"They're visitors from Japan," said Jill. "I'm from a settlement a bit south of here, at Columbia."

"You bring anyone else, eh?" said another man.

"There are some more in our party," said Sachiko.

"How many?"

"Enough. How many people are here?"

The man with the shotgun stared at them. "About forty," he said. "We didn't know if there was anyone else still alive, anywhere. Haven't seen anyone for … God knows how long."

"We don't know them," said the other man. "We should take their weapons." He moved towards them.

And then Hotaru's guns were pointing at him.

"Or not," he said, stepping back.

After a long moment, Hotaru re-holstered her guns.

"She's … prickly," said Sachiko to the Canadians, in English.

The man with the shotgun lowered it. "Well, I guess that's okay," he said. "I'm MacLean. I'm what passes for the person in charge here. I suppose I should say you're welcome, and it's good to see you. Sorry, I've forgotten how to say things like that. Been a while."

Sachiko gestured for the others to come from the forest. When Rise and the others joined them, she introduced everyone.

"We were just having some breakfast," said MacLean. "You're welcome to join us. Pancakes. With maple syrup."

"What's that?" said Lian.

"It's … Canadian," said Jill.

---

It was several hours later. MacLean and Tremblay – the second-in-charge, the man who had earlier met Sachiko, Jill and Hotaru – were taking Rise and the others on a tour of the farm.

"Yes, the zombies reached here in the early stages of the – what do you call it, anyway?" MacLean was saying, as Sachiko did her best to translate.

"The Outbreak," said Rise.

"The Catastrophe," said Lian.

"The Collapse," said Sam.

"Huh," said Maclean. "We usually just say When Everything Went to Hell."

"Very Canadian," said Jill.

"Anyway, we don't know if they came over one of the bridges or someone here turned, and then infected others. There weren't many, and we eventually managed to kill them. Some of us went to Vancouver for news, and the whole place was falling apart. We figured the best thing we could do was get back here, destroy the bridges, eh? We had some boats but they were all destroyed in the early fighting. So we've effectively been stuck here. But that's not too bad, safe anyway. And we've been able to grow enough food to get by, even do alright most of the time. There are about forty people here, on this farm, another forty spread around the island."

"Your pancakes are very good," said Lian.

Rise explained the situation in Japan, and Jill, Sam and Dean told MacLean and Tremblay about Columbia.

"We have a boat not far from here," said Rise. "We could take some of your people to Columbia if you want to establish contact with them."

MacLean nodded. "Not knowing anything about the rest of the world has been very difficult," he said. "Thinking we might be the last, eh?"

They stopped by the horse enclosure.

"This used to be a horse farm," said MacLean. "My farm, in fact. The herd has bred up, and they can be ridden. We use them to hunt sometimes. Plenty of deer in the forest."

MacLean opened the gate and they went in. Rise went up to one of the horses and patted it on the flank.

Sachiko saw that Jill was hanging back. She looked rather worried.

"You've never ridden a horse before?" said Sachiko.

"Never even seen one," said Jill. "Some pictures. They're … pretty big. And … do they bite?"

Sachiko laughed. "Not really," she said. "Well, maybe riding is something we can teach you."

The Canadians produced two saddles and put them onto a pair of horses. At MacLean's invitation, Rise and Lian mounted. They made a couple of circuits of the enclosure and returned.

"Good horses," said Rise, as they dismounted. "Bigger than the ones we have in Japan, but I can tell a good horse when I see one."

"If you want to do some exploring of the mainland, you are welcome to them," said MacLean. "As I said, we have more than we can use, and I can't say I like slaughtering them, for meat or just to keep the numbers down."

"That would be great," said Rise. "The boat is big enough to take some across the strait, and then we can travel south from there, back to Columbia."

"Well, you've given us enough," said MacLean. "More than enough."

"What have we given you?" said Lian.

"Hope," said MacLean. "That's worth some horses, eh?"

---

In the early dusk, Sachiko, Hotaru and Jill were sitting on the fence of the horse enclosure, watching Kazuki saddle one of the horses.

A little group of young women came up to them. "Goddamn beautiful, eh?" said one of them.

"The horse?" said Hotaru, in English.

"No!" said the woman, with a laugh. "The guy! Are all Japanese men that pretty?"

"Yes," said Sachiko.

"Does he have, you know, anyone special?" said another woman, watching as Kazuki mounted the horse and rode a circuit of the enclosure.

"I believe so," said Sachiko.

"What a shame!" said the woman. "Is she, you know, a long way away?"

"Not really," said Sachiko.

Kazuki rode up to them. He held out an arm to Jill. "How about trying your first ride, on the back?" he said to her.

"Er … uh … I don't know about that … " she said.

"I will!" said one of the Canadian women.

"Ah, I guess … I'll give it a try," said Jill.

She climbed up behind Kazuki, putting her arms around him. They trotted around.

One of the Canadian women let out a long, envious sigh. "I'd be happy to try a ride with him," she said to her friends.

Kazuki and Jill came back to them and Kazuki helped Jill down. "Very good, imoutosama," he said. "We'll be able to make a rider of you."

He wheeled the horse and galloped off.

"Huh," said Jill, climbing back onto the fence. "Uh, what did he call me?"

"Imoutosama," said Hotaru.

"Respected little sister," said Sachiko.

"Huh," said Jill again. "How about that."

END

---

Imoutosama

Sachiko, Hotaru and Jill stepped off the boat and started heading for the building that Kowalski used as her mayoral office. Kazuki and Sam were unloading the goods sent by the Vancouver Island community to Columbia. Rise, Lian, Dean, and three people from the island were making the journey by land, with twenty horses from the MacLean farm.

The three women had not gone far when they saw two large, older men coming towards them. They did not look friendly.

"Uh-oh," said Jill.

"Hey!" shouted one of the men, looking at Jill. "Where'd you disappear to, bitch? Get your ass back home where you belong!"

"Relatives?" said Sachiko to Jill.

"No," said Jill. "Two guys I used to live with. The Jones brothers. They're the reason I wanted to go with you."

"Live with?" said Sachiko. "How come?"

"My parents died last year, in the Shortage, and I had to have somewhere to live. So … them. Pretty common in Columbia. You do what you have to do for food and a roof."

"What did you do for them?" said Sachiko.

"Cooked. Cleaned. Other stuff."

"What other stuff?" said Hotaru, in English.

"What do you think?" said Jill.

The two men were in front of them now. They stopped, glowering.

"I don't want to go back," said Jill to them.

"And when did what you want ever matter?" growled one of the men. He suddenly punched her, on the chin, so hard she fell to the ground.

"That was a bad idea," said Sachiko to them. She helped Jill up. Jill rubbed her jaw.

"Stay out of it!" snarled one of the men. "It's none of your fucking business!"

"Is now," said Hotaru. She stepped between the brothers and Jill.

One of the men reached out to shove her aside. She pushed his hand away.

"You clearly don't know who you're fucking with," said Sachiko to the men. "But I expect you will find out."

The man punched at Hotaru. She casually stepped out of the path of the blow, and grabbed the man's arm. She swivelled, using his own momentum to bring him to his knees. With her other hand, she punched out, hitting the man on the shoulder. There was a crack, and the man screamed in pain.

The other man began to reach for the pistol in his belt. But before he could touch it he found himself looking down the barrel of a Makarov.

"I will shoot you now," said Hotaru, in English. "And then the other one."

"I warned you," said Sachiko, softly.

"Hotaru!" said a voice. Shizuka Marikawa came up to them, with Satsuki and Mayor Kowalski. "You, uh, probably shouldn't kill them," she said, in Japanese.

Hotaru looked at her. "I guarantee that they will then be no further problem," she said, in the same language.

"Maybe, but we are, after all, guests here," said Shizuka.

"If you're saying what I think you're saying," broke in Kowalski, "I might say that I really don't have any difficulty with you putting a bullet in these guys. They've been trouble for years."

"Perhaps only a major wound," said Hotaru to Shizuka.

"No," said Shizuka.

"A flesh wound, then," said Hotaru. "And that is my final offer."

"What the hell is she saying?" said the man looking down the barrel.

"That she really doesn't like you," said Sachiko, in English. "They are debating whether to kill you or merely cripple you." She looked at Jill, and said: "Since it is this woman who has been wronged, I believe it is she who should decide what to do with you."

"Kill the bastards," said Jill.

Hotaru cocked the gun. The man gave a gasp. The other man was still sobbing in pain.

"No, maybe not," said Jill.

Hotaru said something in Japanese.

"She says that it would be no trouble, and that you should make up your mind," translated Sachiko.

"I suppose I don't really want them dead," said Jill.

Hotaru sighed.

Then she moved her gun slightly. And fired.

There was a spurt of blood – from the man's ear. He cried out in pain and surprise.

"You are lucky," said Sachiko, "that she is a good shot." She took the man's pistol from him and handed it to Kowalski.

Kazuki and Sam, carrying bags of vegetables on their shoulders, came up, pushing their way through the little crowd that had formed to watch the show.

Kazuki looked at the two men, and then at Hotaru. Hotaru shrugged, and holstered her gun.

Sachiko said to Kowlaski: "We made contact with a group on Vancouver Island. They are sending some representatives by land, with the rest of our people. They have horses as well."

"Great!" said Kowalski. "Come to my office and give me a full report."

Kowalski, Sachiko, Hotaru, Jill, Kazuki and Sam headed towards Kowalski's office.

Shizuka and Satsuki looked at the brothers. Shizuka sighed. "Oh, don't be such a baby," she said to the man with the injured shoulder, who was still on his knees. "It's only dislocated. Here, I'll put it back into place. Now, this is going to hurt." She took hold of the man's arm, put her knee on his shoulder, and wrenched. The man screamed in pain, but the arm popped back into its socket.

A ripple of applause ran around the crowd.

Shizuka turned to the other man. She inspected his ear, which was still gushing blood. "I really should stitch that," she said, as Satsuki translated, "but to tell the truth I can't be bothered. It will stop bleeding in a while. Probably. If not, then you'll be remembered as the first person to bleed to death from being shot in the ear."

---

It was evening. The group, with Kowalski, was sitting at one of the tables in the communal kitchen.

"Tell me again how a ninety-pound girl took down two big guys," said Sam.

"You've already heard it three times," said Sachiko.

"But it never gets old," said Sam.

"While I appreciate what you did," said Jill, "I have to say that I don't really understand why."

"We protect our own," said Hotaru.

"I should apologise for the Jones brothers," said Kowalski. "Living here can be pretty tough, and that always gives rise to some thugs."

"We're familiar with the type," said Satsuki. "Too familiar."

"There were many in Japan in the period immediately after the Outbreak. My mother killed one, according to the family story," said Sachiko.

"So did mine," said Kazuki.

Kowalski, Sam, Dean and Jill all looked at Shizuka.

"Funny story," she said. "Ends with me throwing up."

"Huh," said Kowalski. "Tell me, when do you think your friends will arrive?"

"Six, seven days, maybe a bit more, depending on the territory," said Kazuki. "Then we will take some of the horses and ride east, maybe. Explore."

"East of here is the Rocky Mountains," said Kowalski. "Difficult to cross. Maybe you should go south, head towards California, and then cut east from there."

Kazuki nodded. "South, and then east, it is," he said.

END

---

Sacramento

"What," said Jill, "is the Japanese word for 'very, very painful'?"

"Kutsuu," said Hotaru.

"Then my ass is kutsuu," said Jill. "How come I'm the only one who has blisters on my blisters?"

"You're not," said Dean. "Just the only one to complain about it."

"We've been riding since we were born," said Sachiko. "Makes a difference."

They were travelling along a road that had once been a highway, although it was now overgrown at the sides. Occasionally, they passed wrecked cars. Several of them contained bodies – now decomposed past the point of smell, but hardly pretty to look at.

"There's a plant around here that I can use to make an ointment for the three of you," said Kazuki. "Should take the sting out. But you will have to put it on your butts yourselves."

"Hey, Jill, you want to try a mutual arrangement?" said Sam to Jill, laughing.

"In your dreams, loser," she said, with a smile.

"Have you guys named your horses yet?" said Sachiko.

"Thunder," said Sam.

"I'm going with Brutus," said Dean.

"Uh, you know it's a mare, right?" said Sachiko. "How about you, Jill?"

"MacLean called this horse a piebald," she said. "So maybe something like that."

"Pi," said Lian. "Like the geometry symbol."

They all stared at her. "The what?" said Sam.

"Pi," said Lian, "is the sign for a mathematical number used to calculate the circumference and area of a circle. It was discovered by a Chinese mathematician two thousand years ago. Pi is also the Chinese word for lion, so if the horse is brave it would be a good choice."

"If you say so," said Sam.

"Pi it is, then," said Jill.

They had been on the road for ten days since leaving Columbia. As Kowalski had suggested, that had struck out south, aiming to turn east after the mountain range petered out. They each had a horse, and there were three extra ones, both for rotation and to carry their supplies.

"So you use horses in Japan a lot, then?" said Dean.

"We do," said Sachiko. "For a long time, before we took back Sakhalin from the zombies, the supply of petrol was limited. And the EMP had taken out most of the vehicles in the country anyway. But even vehicles that weren't affected by the EMP or were repaired eventually break down. We've got a lot of motorbikes, which are easier to maintain and lighter on the petrol. But for most people it's horses and wagons. Does the job."

"We explored a bit of Russia and China on horseback a few years ago," said Kazuki. "Met Lian. Ran into some zombies."

At the head of the little column, Rise pulled his horse to a halt. He pointed at a sign. "What does that say?" he said to Dean.

"Sacramento, nine miles," Dean read. He pulled a map out of his saddlebag. It had written notes on the side. "Used to be the capital of the state of California, according to this. I don't really know what that means."

Rise nodded, and looked around. "Well, this looks like a good place for a break," he said. "There's a stream over there. There might be some rabbits or deer in the forest."

They rode down to the stream and dismounted, the three Americans breathing sighs of relief.

"I'll collect some of that plant and get started on the ointment," said Kazuki, after they had watered the horses.

"Sure, but take Hotaru with you for security, since we don't know the territory," said Rise. "Dean, you and I will scout around, see if we can catch anything. The others, stay with the horses, fill the canteens, get a fire going."

Jill said that she would go with Kazuki and Hotaru to act as carrier, and the three of them set off on foot. They followed the stream for a half-mile, collecting particular leaves and roots as they went.

Then they heard a noise. It was human. A constant, sobbing wail.

They followed the sound and eventually came to a clearing, where there was a dilapidated little house.

"Up there," said Hotaru, pointing to a low hill.

At the top of the hill, there was a row of graves. Next to the row was a woman kneeling – it was her who was wailing – in filthy clothes. And a boy, perhaps eleven, standing with a shovel. One grave had only just been filled; the dirt on the boy's shovel was still fresh.

When the woman saw them, she cried out in surprise.

"Are you – are you – angels?" she said.

"No, I'm Canadian," said Jill. "And my friends here are Japanese."

The woman stared at them uncomprehendingly. Then she stood up and grabbed the boy by the arm. She came up to them and pushed him at them.

"Take him!" she said. "Take him with you! I can't – I can't look after him any more."

Hotaru looked into the woman's eyes. Nobody home.

Then the woman turned and ran into the forest. In a moment, she was gone. It was as if the trees had swallowed her up.

"Well, that was … well, I don't really know what it was," said Jill.

They looked at the boy. "We can't just leave him," said Kazuki. "Son, do you want to come with us? There are others in our party, not far away."

The boy stared at them.

"I'm Jill, and this is Kazuki, and this is Hotaru," said Jill. "What's your name?"

The boy continued to stare. Then he turned and went into the little house. He came back a few moments later. He was wearing a leather jacket several sizes too big for him and had an axe in a holster at his belt.

"I guess that means he's packed and ready to go," said Jill.

They started back to the others. Hotaru walked beside the boy. She took a strip of dried meat from her pocket and handed it to him. He took it, and ate.

After a while, Hotaru said softly, in Japanese: "You don't talk much. That's good, as far as I'm concerned. But if you want to talk to me, you can. Sometime."

When they reached the others, they found that Rise and Dean had caught a brace of rabbits, and Lian was roasting them over the fire.

Rise looked at the boy. "Huh," he said.

"He doesn't talk," said Jill. "Or maybe can't. But he understands. Understands English, I mean."

"Well, we have to call him something," said Dean.

"Ren," suggested Lian.

"The Chinese word for axe-blade," said Rise. "Ren. Seems appropriate." He looked at the boy. The boy shrugged.

"Why a Chinese name?" said Dean. "He's, well, not Chinese."

Sachiko laughed. "I guess language is getting a bit mixed up for us anyway," she said. "I think we're all speaking in bits and pieces of everything. And Rise and Lian have their private mash-up, of course."

Ren was looking at the horses. "Do you know how to ride?" said Jill to Ren. "If not, join the club."

"You can have that one," said Rise, pointing to one of the supply horses. "We'll distribute the load with the others."

Lian broke a piece of roasted rabbit from the carcass and handed it to the boy. He took it and ate it, with relish.

"I'm guessing that he hasn't had a whole lot to eat lately," said Sachiko.

"We'll camp here for the night," said Rise. "Tomorrow, we'll take a look at Sacramento."

"So now we are nine," said Lian.

---

They rode slowly along what appeared to be the main street of Sacramento.

"Funny, this area looks almost untouched, but the part we just came through was absolutely smashed," said Dean.

They stopped at a police station and went in. Some of them went to look for weapons and ammunition, and the others started looking for maps and other supplies. They met back at the front office.

Hotaru's group had found a stock of guns, pistols and a couple of shotguns.

"Glock seven-millimetre," she said, handing them to those who needed them. "My mother's favourite. My parents taught me to shoot with a Glock."

"Family activity, eh?" said Jill.

"Hotaru's mother," said Kazuki, "is Rei Miyamato. One of the Seven."

"The Seven?" said Sam.

"Many people think that Japan survived the Outbreak because of the Seven," said Rise. "Hotaru's mother, my parents – that is, my birth parents, Sachiko's parents, Shizuka Marikawa, who you've met, and Alice Maresato, who was only nine or so at the time of the Outbreak but ended up mapping the survivor settlements of the country in what we call the Period of Recovery."

"Alice also wrote down all the stories of the Seven," said Lian. "It's become a sort of legend. I think it holds people together."

"We'd like to hear it sometime," said Sam. "We don't have much in the way of stories since the Collapse. Life in Columbia was mostly about trying to get enough to eat, trying to survive."

"Since this part of the city seems to be fairly undamaged, I wouldn't mind raiding a store, getting some more clothes and boots," said Jill, as they walked into the street. "All I own is what you see. And I think Ren could do with some new things. Clean, at least."

"Okay, but stay with Hotaru and Kaz," said Rise. He pointed to a large building, with an elaborate dome, on a hill. "The rest of us will try and get up there, it should provide a good view of the whole town."

Dean was studying a map from the police station. "According to this, that is the State Capitol Building," he said. "Which means nothing at all to me."

Jill, Ren, Kazuki and Hotaru found a department store, more or less intact, not far away. Jill and Hotaru began to inspect a rack of shirts.

"How about this one?" said Jill to Hotaru, holding one against herself. "Or do you think it shows too much cleavage? Or is that a good thing?"

"I do not know that word," said Hotaru.

"Cleavage," said Jill. "You know." She pointed to hers and said: "This. Men like it. Not sure why, but they do."

"Oh," said Hotaru. "Perhaps I am not the one to ask, since I do not really care. Kazuki has never mentioned it."

"Uh, why would Kazuki mention it, or not mention it?"

"Well, he is my … the Japanese word is koibito. We do the clouds and rain, although we have not had the chance lately. And we like each other as well."

"Do the what?"

Hotaru demonstrated with a particular gesture.

"Oh, I get it," said Jill. "Koibito, eh? We say boyfriend. Funny, I've seen the two of you for weeks and I didn't know you were … together."

Hotaru shrugged.

"He's … really attractive, you know," said Jill.

"I know," said Hotaru. "And I do not think I am. Not tall, much muscle, hair not good. And I shoot things."

"Huh," said Jill. "You think he really cares about all that?"

"He is my koibito," said Hotaru. "Which must mean no."

Kazuki walked up to them; he had been in the section of the store that had sold books. "If you have found what you want, we should join the others," he said. "But where is Ren?" They called out, and Ren came from the section of the store he had been in. He was carrying something, and he handed it to Jill.

It was a cushion.

"Thank god!" said Jill. She took a couple of shirts for herself and a few for Ren, some trousers for him, and some solid hiking boots for herself. "Do you want a new jacket?" she said to Ren. "That one doesn't really fit you."

He shook his head. Jill put the clothes into a bag from the store and they went out.

And then they saw them.

There was a pack of dogs coming up the street. It was a large pack, maybe thirty. They were growling. Looked hungry.

The pack broke into a run, coming at them. Kazuki glanced at the horses, tied to a pole on the other side of the street. Their rifles were there. Too far, he thought quickly. We stand here.

Hotaru, Kazuki and Jill drew their pistols and began to fire. But the dogs, moving fast, were difficult targets, and paid no attention to their losses.

The pistols clicked on empty. Hotaru drew her hunting knife as Kazuki ejected the spent clip from his gun and reached into his pack for another. There were five dogs left.

Ren jumped in front of the others, his axe in his hand. He lifted his arm, as if offering it to the lead dog. The dog latched onto it. Ren swung the axe, slicing into the exposed throat of the dog. The animal fell, dead.

There was another coming at him from the other side. In a moment, Ren had switched his axe to his other hand, and lifted his other arm towards the dog. The dog again leapt at the arm, and again Ren dispatched it with a single blow of the axe.

"I think he has done this before," said Kazuki, as he rammed the clip into his gun.

One dog leaped at Hotaru, but she dodged, and sliced it open with the knife, collarbone to hip.

Kazuki fired twice, and the two final dogs went down.

"Whoa," said Jill. "That was … unexpected."

Kazuki turned to Ren. "Outstanding work," he said to him. "But is your arm alright? Were you bitten?"

Ren showed them his jacket. For the first time, the others realised that the sleeves were reinforced with extra layers of leather and rows of metal studs.

"Yeah, staying with that is probably a good idea," said Jill.

"The dogs were not surprised to see us," said Hotaru.

"Which means they have seen humans before," said Kazuki. "And attacked them."

"Maybe not humans," said Hotaru.

---

Rise, Lian, Sachiko, Sam and Dean walked up the steps of the Capitol building. Close up, they could see that it was not in good shape. It appeared that the building had not been damaged by fighting, but time and invasive vegetation had taken their toll.

At the top of the steps was a heavy metal door. They managed to open it, and entered the large atrium area. They began to climb a flight of steps that wound around the inside of the building, leading to an observation deck around the dome.

Dean suddenly stopped. "Ouch," he said, touching his forehead. "Geez, I just got a really bad headache."

"Can you make it, or do you want to stop?" said Rise.

"Uh, I'm alright … er, at least I think so – " said Dean.

"This headache," said Lian. "Describe it."

"Describe it? Well, to tell the truth it sounds like someone … shouting … inside my head," said Dean.

Lian drew her dao sword from the sheath that she wore on her back.

"Hey, it's just a headache, no need to start thinking about putting him out of his misery," said Sam.

"That is not what I am thinking of," said Lian. "Quiet, everyone. Listen."

They heard it. A faint, rasping, murmur. Growing louder.

"Not good," said Sachiko, unslinging her shotgun and checking the clip.

The noise was coming from beneath them, down the staircase.

"There!" said Lian, pointing.

A troop of zombies, twenty or more, emerged from rooms off the atrium and started running up the staircase towards them. The murmur of zombies began to come from rooms above them as well.

"Not a good place for a fight," said Rise. "They can come at us from too many sides. So the only way is … up."

They began to run up the staircase.

"I don't like the idea of being trapped up there," said Sachiko.

"Neither do I," said Rise. "But I don't see any alternatives."

Ahead of them, a group of five zombies came out of a room onto the staircase. They charged at them.

"Sachiko, Lian, we'll take these ones!" said Rise, drawing the Anishi blade. "Sam, Dean, cover our rear!"

Sachiko's shotgun boomed, taking out three of the zombies. Lian and Rise swung their swords, and the other two zombies went over the railing. Sam and Dean fired their rifles into the crowd of zombies coming up behind them. And then they were all running for the observation deck.

There was no door, but there was a heavy table with a display of historical items. They upended it and used it to block the doorway.

"That's not going to hold them for long," said Sachiko, as she reloaded.

They looked around. The open observation deck did, indeed, provide a panoramic view of the city. And what they could see was more zombies coming towards the Capitol building.

"Guess they all want a piece of us," said Rise.

"So those are zombies, eh?" said Sam. "We've never seen any before, Dean and I."

"Are they all you thought they would be?" said Sachiko.

"Well, they're ugly," said Sam. "I didn't think they would be so fast."

"And they're strong," said Rise. "If they get a hold of you, it's pretty hard to get away. Unless you have a sword, of course."

"Dean," said Lian, pointing at something, a sort of locker, attached to the wall. "What does this writing say?"

"Fire hose," read Dean. He pulled the locker open, revealing a heavy hose wound around a wheel.

The zombies were beginning to push the table aside.

"Dean, when I say, pull the table back," said Rise. "Everyone else, concentrate fire. We can't let even one of them through."

Rise, Lian, Sachiko and Sam lined up, shoulder-to-shoulder, guns at the ready. Dean stood ready to pull the makeshift barricade back.

"Now!" said Rise.

Their fire smashed into the zombies, driving them back. A dozen or more went down, but there were more behind them.

Dean pushed the table back to fill the doorway.

"That will make them think about it, but it doesn't change much," said Sam.

Rise was looking over the edge of the deck. There had once been an emergency ladder leading down the side of the building, but the part that had led to the dome had rusted away.

"Sam," he said. "How long is that fire hose?"

Sam read the writing on the locker. "Twenty metres, it says," said Sam.

Lian joined Rise, surveying the gap. "Might make it," she said to him. "Maybe."

They tore the hose from its mount and tied one end to the railing, a structure which itself was not in good condition. They threw the other end down the side of the dome. It fell short of the start of the ladder by about a metre-and-a-half.

"Okay," said Rise. "I'll go first, and when I reach the end – if it holds – I'll try and grab the ladder. Then you guys can climb over me."

"I should go," said Sachiko. "I'm the lightest."

"Which doesn't actually matter," said Lian.

But Sachiko, handing her shotgun to Rise, was already climbing down the hose.

"They're coming through again!" said Dean, at the barricade. Rise, Lian and Sam took up their firing positions.

"This is where we could really use a flamethrower," said Rise.

"What's a flamethrower?" said Sam.

"A sort of gun that shoots fire," said Lian. "It was invented by – "

"Don't tell me!" said Dean, with a laugh. "A Chinese scientist, right?"

"No, I was going to say Saya Takagi," said Lian. "Sachiko's mother."

The table fell aside and the zombies charged. The four humans hacked them down, but three got through. Rise and Lian ran forward with their swords, and the heads of the three zombies left their bodies.

"Wow," said Dean, as he re-loaded. "Those things really are handy. Have to get one."

"Takes four or five years to learn," said Lian.

Rise ran to the edge of the deck and looked over. Sachiko had made it to the end of the hose, and had put her feet on the top rung of the ladder. She was pushing at it, checking it for strength. It moved when she pushed.

"Not great, but staying here is not an option," said Rise.

Sam and Dean had put the table over the doorway again but it was not going to do much to stop another attack.

"Sam, you first, then Dean, then you, Lian," said Rise. "We don't know what's at the bottom, so make sure you re-load now."

Sam went down. He reached Sachiko.

"Is it always like this with you people?" he said. "Last-minute escapes down shaky ladders?"

"Pretty much," said Sachiko. "Hey, mind where you put your feet. Ouch, not there. And don't think you're going to cop a feel out of this."

"Aww, you're taking all the fun out of it," said Sam, as he clambered over her. He made the ladder and started down. It shook under his weight, but held. Dean started down the hose, and then Lian.

Rise reached Sachiko. He climbed over her to the top of the ladder, and then helped her climb over him onto the ladder. They reached the others at the bottom.

They were in a paved alley that ran behind the Capitol Building. They knew that there were plenty of other zombies around.

"Stay quiet, and they might not find us," whispered Rise.

At that moment, the ladder finally fell off its decayed supports and crashed to the ground with a metallic clatter.

"Or not," said Sam.

A troop of zombies appeared at one end of the alley. They began to come at them.

"Back, the other way, run," said Rise.

But then another group of zombies appeared at the other end, cutting them off.

"O – kay," said Dean, checking the clip of his rifle.

But the zombies were not looking at them. They were looking along the street at something.

Rise glanced back at the other troop of zombies. They had stopped. They appeared to be listening.

Then both groups of zombies turned and ran. Carefully, Rise and the others moved to the end of the alley and looked into the street.

A pack of wild dogs swept past, pursuing the zombies. As the group watched, the zombies ran for the cover of buildings, running in and closing doors behind them. But three of them were not fast enough. The dogs fell on them, and began to tear them to pieces.

"Yuk," said Sam. "I'm not sure that even zombies deserve that."

There was a shout from along the street. Kazuki and the others, looking for them. Rise shouted back in reply.

Kazuki, Hotaru, Jill and Ren rode up to them. They were leading all the horses. Rise and the others quickly mounted.

"Thanks for the pick-up," said Rise, as they made for the edge of the city.

"Zombies have never shown any interest in horses, but we thought the dogs might go for them, if they couldn't get enough zombies," said Kazuki. "By the way, Ren is pretty good as a dog-fighter, with that axe of his."

"Did you see anything of the city from the dome?" said Jill. "Any sign of survivors?"

"Only zombies," said Sachiko. "Lots of zombies. I think we can mark Sacramento down as a Z-town."

"And let them fight the dogs for it," said Sam.

---

When they were a safe distance from Sacramento, going east, they stopped to camp.

"Interesting that you should get a headache just before the zombies appeared," said Rise to Dean. "Maybe it's got something to do with you being saved from turning, with Shizuka's anti-rabies medicine. Connects to the zombie hive-mind thing."

"You think that he's still got a bit of the virus in him?" said Sam. "Like an allergy? To zombies?"

"Makes as much sense as anything else," said Sachiko. "Could be useful, anyway."

"It isn't you that gets the pain," said Dean. "Anyway, at least now we've seen that there is something the zombies are afraid of."

Rise nodded. "Yes, it's possible that the dogs change the equation," he said. "Alice had a dog that always barked when zombies were around, she said it had saved their asses quite a few times. We'd seen packs of dogs that had gone wild in cities in Japan, but I'd never heard of them attacking zombies. Still, I guess they've got to eat."

"Maybe dogs and zombies just don't like each other," said Sachiko. "There are species that are enemies in nature, according to a book I read."

"I know that people used to keep dogs as pets," said Dean. "There aren't any dogs in Columbia, and I didn't see any on Vancouver Island. But perhaps we can catch some, tame them, train them to help us against zombies."

"Worth a try," said Rise.

Kazuki pulled something from his pack. It was a book, one he had got from the store in Sacramento. It was in English, but it had a picture of an old Chinese-style ship on the front. He handed it to Dean. "What does this say?" he said.

Dean looked at the title. "How the Chinese Discovered America in 1421," he read.

"Told you," said Lian.

END

---

The Breakfast Incident

"Damn, this is beautiful," said Sam, as they rode along the track. Around them were sweeping vistas of mountains, trees, and cerulean skies.

"According to my map," said Dean, "this is Yosemite National Park. Whatever a National Park is."

"I'm guessing that even before the Collapse there weren't many people here," said Jill. "Which is not a bad thing."

The trail led them to a row of little huts in a clearing – 'hiking huts', according to the sign. They were simple but serviceable – and, amazingly, they had real beds. There was a river of clear water close by, large enough for bathing.

"We should go a few miles further on, find a place to pitch our tents," said Rise.

Everyone stared at him.

"Don't you know a joke when you hear one?" he said.

"It's a good thing you said that, because I was just about to shoot you," said Jill.

"Well, I guess if no-one has a sense of humour, it's a sign we could all use some time alone," said Rise.

"Alone, together," said Hotaru, looking at Kazuki.

Hotaru was brushing her hair, looking at herself in the mirror. It seemed to her that no matter how much she brushed it, however she arranged it, it didn't look any better.

She looked at her … what was the English word Jill had used … cleavage, that was it. There was not a great deal of it. She doubted that the little that was there could be displayed to any real advantage. She thought, not for the first time, that she had her father's muscular build on her mother's light frame. She had never been particularly pleased with the combination.

She looked at Kazuki, who was lying on the bed, repairing a shirt. Compared to her, he had inherited the best from each of his parents: his father's chiselled features and impressive height, his mother's perfect skin and chestnut-coloured eyes.

"Kazuki," she said. "Jill is attractive, isn't she?"

"Meh," said Kazuki.

"And so is Lian, right?"

"Again, meh," said Kazuki. "Don't get me wrong, I like both of them, but … attractive? Maybe. I don't really know, and don't really care."

"And you are attractive too."

"So people keep telling me. Never really seen it, myself."

"Your mother is very lovely."

"That's what everyone says. To me, she's just my mum. Tells really bad jokes and can't cook. She once burned water, trying to boil it. She's smart, but a ditz."

"Huh. And do you think I am attractive?"

"Oh yes. Very much. Do you remember the first time we kissed, in Shanghai, as you were going off to hunt the zombie Blue?"

"Yes."

"Did you know that I had been watching you for weeks, months, even before we left Japan? Trying to find a way to speak to you, just the two of us? And trying to work up the nerve, as well."

Hotaru started in surprise. "I … I never dreamed … if I'd known … " she stammered.

"Did you realise that I nearly always rode behind you? So I could watch you from the back. The way you sway when you're riding. The way you hold your shoulders. And your two guns, in the holsters at your waist, above your pretty butt. Very sexy."

Hotaru stared at him. "I thought … you only liked me because I can kill zombies," she said.

"Uh, no, that's not it. Got nothing to do with it. I appreciate your skill and courage, of course, but … that's not it."

She smiled. Then she pulled off her shirt, showing her bare breasts. "Is this it?" she said.

Kazuki moved over on the bed, making room for her. "If you'll join me," he said, "I would love to discuss it further."

Hotaru awoke to the smell of fish frying, from outside. It smelled very good.

Next to her, Kazuki was asleep. For a few moments, she stared at him. He … was … so … fucking … beautiful.

She sighed, and rolled out of bed. She found some clothes from around the room and pulled them on, and left the little hut.

Ren was frying a number of fish over a campfire. "Hi," said Hotaru. "Where did these come from?"

He gestured towards the river.

"You have many talents," said Hotaru.

He smiled, and handed her one of the cooked fish, on a stick. He pointed to a tray of fresh berries, waiting to be eaten.

Jill came up to them, obviously drawn by the delicious aroma. Ren handed her a fish, and the two women sat down on a log together.

"You look … different," said Jill to Hotaru. "Hey! I know what it is! You got laid!"

"Uh, does that mean the clouds and rain?" said Hotaru.

"Oh yeah," said Jill.

"In that case, yes," said Hotaru. "Several times. Including about a half-hour ago."

"Well, that's great!" said Jill. "So Kazuki is as good-looking when he is undressed?"

"He is my first and only koibito," said Hotaru. "So I cannot compare. But yes, I think he is. Better."

"Which is saying a lot," said Jill.

Lian came up and sat down beside them. Ren handed her a fish.

"How did you find the bed?" said Jill to her.

"It was near the window," said Lian, a bit surprised at the question.

"No, I mean, did you like it, after not having one for a long while?" said Jill.

"We could not sleep in it," said Lian. "Too soft. Not used to it. We slept on the floor. But where you sleep is not important, if it is with the right person."

"Clouds?" said Hotaru.

"And rain."

Jill laughed. "That is such a stupid expression," she said.

Sam appeared. "Hi," he said. "What are you talking about?"

"Sex," said Jill.

Sam started. "Uh, okay," he said. "Can anyone contribute to this?"

"Sorry, girls only," said Jill.

"Damn," said Sam. Ren handed him a fish.

Jill looked around at the stunning countryside. "Great scenery, no zombies, no dogs, what could possibly go wrong?" she said.

At that moment, there was a deep growl from the treeline. A massive, black-furred creature lumbered out of the forest and started towards them.

Hotaru reached for her guns – which, she suddenly realised, were in the hut, somewhere under the pile of hastily discarded clothes. She saw that Jill, Lian and Sam were without weapons as well.

"What the fuck is that thing?" said Jill. The creature was only ten metres away now. It had claws, and teeth, and muscle – a lot of muscle. It was moving slowly, but they could tell it could move fast if it wanted to.

Ren lifted his axe.

"Really don't think that's going to do it," said Sam.

But Ren, rather than confronting the creature, was pulling them away, back from the campfire. They followed his lead – not running, but retreating, walking backwards, keeping their eyes on the creature.

The creature reached the campfire. It sniffed at the cooked fish. And then it began to eat them.

The four of them breathed a sigh of relief.

"Guess it just wanted breakfast," said Jill.

The creature finished the cooked fish and then started on the raw ones. After that, it ate the berries.

When everything was gone, it looked at them and snorted. It stood up on its hind legs and gave a growl. It must have been three metres tall. Then it turned and lumbered back into the forest.

"Wow," said Sam.

Rise came out of a hut and joined them. He yawned.

"What's happening, guys?" he said. "What's for breakfast?"

They stared at him.

"What?" he said.

END

---

Hot Springs

"Now this is a great American invention," said Lian.

The four women were luxuriating in a hot pool, something they had encountered in Yosemite National Park. It was a week since what they generally called The Breakfast Incident. As they travelled through the park, they had seen more of the big creatures, but the creatures had not bothered the humans and the humans had certainly not bothered them.

"I don't think it's an invention," said Sachiko. "I think it's just here naturally."

"Oh," said Lian.

"Hey, Hotaru, those are some pretty cool scars you've got there," said Jill.

"Thank you," said Hotaru. "This one is where the zombie Blue slashed me. This one is from a fight with a zombie in the Second Sakhalin Campaign. I got this burn when I was too close to a flamethrower unit in a battle in Nagoya. This one – "

"Okay, that's enough, I've got the picture," said Jill. "All I can show is saddlesores. Feels like I've been on that horse forever."

"It is 63 days since we left Columbia," said Lian. "I have been keeping track. We will have to start back soon if we are going to reach there before winter."

"When will you return to Japan?" said Jill.

"We wouldn't try to cross the ocean until we can be sure of good weather," said Lian. "So we would wait until spring. Would you like to accompany us, Jill? Rise suggested that I should make the offer to you. You would be welcome."

Jill raised an eyebrow. "Well, I haven't thought about it," she said. "I guess I don't have any reason to stay in Columbia, and at least two good reasons to leave. So maybe I will."

"And maybe I will stay," said Sachiko.

The other three looked at her. "For personal reasons," she added.

"Sounds like a man is involved," said Jill.

"Well, I kind of … like … James Fraser. We worked together getting the saya-mills up and running. And then some other things. The problem was that we couldn't get much time alone, between his responsibilities and everyone wanting me to solve some problem or other. So I really don't know if he is interested in me."

"Tell him," said Hotaru. "Without delay. It is very likely that he feels the same but cannot find a way to say it. Men are like that."

They looked at her. They had never heard her say anything even remotely connected with personal relationships before.

"Trust me in this," said Hotaru.

"It sounds like pretty good advice," said Jill.

"There is a difference in ages," said Sachiko.

"Which was not a problem for Rei and Benaro, or Reika and Naobi," said Lian.

Sachiko considered. "True," she said. "Alright then, I'll do something about it when we get back. Not sure what that might be, though. I've never, er, dated before. How do you start something like this?"

The others exchanged glances.

"Rise and I met on a battlefield," said Lian. "Then we showed each other our swords. Not really a date."

"My first kiss with Kazuki was when I was about to go on a hunting mission," said Hotaru. "So perhaps not useful as a lesson."

They looked at Jill.

"What makes you think I would know!?" she said. "Whoring is not the same as dating, you know!"

"Some help you guys turned out to be," said Sachiko, laughing.

"Don't worry," said Jill, with a sigh. "We'll think of something."

---

Rise, Kazuki, Dean, Sam and Ren were in another pool, not far away. Sam kept glancing in the direction of the pool where the women were.

Rise laughed. "You know," he said, "I chose this pool so the girls could have some privacy."

"But there are four attractive, naked women there!" said Sam. "Three of them available!"

Rise laughed again. "Two," he said. "Only two of them are available. If you are counting Sachiko and Jill."

"Huh?" said Sam.

"Hotaru is Kazuki's girlfriend," said Rise.

"Really?" said Sam. "I didn't know that. Huh. You know, Kaz, I would have thought you would have had someone … prettier. No offence meant to either you or her. It's just that … well … you would have your pick, wouldn't you?"

"Funny, she said something like that a little while ago," said Kazuki. "I do not understand why. I feel very fortunate that she has chosen me to be my partner. I am not sure she believes me when I tell her she is beautiful."

"Well, women can be odd that way," said Dean.

"You think!?" said Rise.

"My dad once told me that things used to be different between men and women," said Dean. "Before the Collapse, women were expected to raise the kids, men were expected to work to … well, he said 'to bring home the bacon', and I don't really know what that means. But now, everyone works, or fights, or both."

Rise nodded, and said: "In Japan, after the Outbreak, there were more women than men who survived. Saya Takagi thought it was maybe because men were drafted into the army to fight the zombies, and so more were killed. One way or another, there was an imbalance. Saya also said that pre-Outbreak, the ideal Japanese woman was meant to be sort of submissive, just waiting for someone to marry her so she could become a housewife. Obviously, that wasn't going to work after the Outbreak. These days, women are more than ready to make the first move when it comes to starting something."

"Hotaru kissed me," said Kazuki. "The first time."

"How does she reach, when you do that?" said Sam.

"I lean forward. You know, I am hoping that she will want to begin a family soon."

The others were silent, trying to imagine what the offspring of Hotaru and Kazuki would be like.

"Well, that would be good," said Rise eventually.

Dean was looking at the mountains and land around them. "This is a good place," he said.

"It is certainly beautiful," said Rise.

"It is, but what I mean is that it might be a good place for a settlement," said Dean. "The soil is good, there is water, there are fish and deer. And there are mountains, which the zombies don't like. And wolves."

"Wolves?" said Kazuki.

"Those things you can hear howling at night," said Rise. "Lian explained it to me. They're like big dogs, but wild – naturally wild, I mean, not like the ones in the cities. But I think as long as they make that noise the zombies won't come near the place. So I'm thinking that when we get back to Columbia I might see if there are people who want to come here, set up a farm. Thirty, forty people maybe. That would take some of the pressure off the food production in Columbia as well. Life there can be pretty tough. Kowalski does her best, but there's always a hanging-on feeling. Might be a bit easier here."

"I'll be in that," said Sam. "I can think of a lot of people who'd like to give it a shot."

Ren put up his hand, and then pointed to himself.

"A fresh start," said Rise. "Sounds like a plan."

"Yeah," said Dean. "You've gotta have a plan."

END

---

Sanctuary

The group was heading north, heading back towards Columbia. Aside from Ren and his mother, they had not encountered any survivors. The towns they had surveyed were inhabited only by zombies and wild dogs.

They were travelling along a road littered with abandoned cars and human remains. They came to a building which seemed to be in fairly good shape. Rather oddly, there was an old-style wooden wagon outside it. There was a sign over the door. "Historical Museum," Sam read.

They went in, and found themselves in a room with a range of items in glass-topped cabinets. In one of them was a sword. Sam looked at a sign on the cabinet. "This sabre belonged to Colonel William Stockton, who brought his family to this area following the Civil War, after serving as a Cavalry Officer on the Union side. Outside this building is a replica of the wagon that he and his family used on the journey," he read.

"That is a really cool sword," said Dean, looking in the cabinet.

"Well, you said you wanted one," said Rise. "So I guess it's yours. You know, my grandfather, a man who knows a lot about swords, once told me that some swords are meant to find certain people. Maybe this one has been waiting for you."

"Then it's been waiting a long time," said Dean.

"They are patient," said Lian.

Dean smiled. "Maybe you're right," he said. "Uh, let me see, is there a catch on the lid or something – "

Ren lifted his axe and smashed the glass top. He took the sword and its sheath out and handed them to Dean.

"I guess that works too," said Dean. He inspected the weapon. The blade was slightly curved, and was delicately engraved.

"It is not sharp," said Lian. "I can fix that."

Jill and Sachiko came in from the adjoining room, which had been a little restaurant. They were carrying several red-and-silver cans.

"This is drink, I think," said Jill. "There's boxes of them in the other room. Bottles of water, too."

Sam took one of the cans and, after taking a few moments working out how to open it, took a swig. He sputtered. "Fuck, that's awful," he said. He took another swig. And then another.

"I thought you said it was awful," said Jill.

"Well, it is," said Sam, as he finished the can. "There's more of them, you say?"

Hotaru, who had been checking the outside area, came in. "Something you should see," she said. She led them outside, and pointed to a sign. It was not one of the usual road signs, but one that had obviously been painted by hand. It was weather-beaten and rusted, but still legible. There was an arrow pointing west.

"Stockton County Sanctuary, one mile," read Dean.

"What does that word 'sanctuary' mean?" said Lian.

"Hmm," said Dean. "I remember my dad using it. He said that in the early days of the Collapse the government tried to set up zombie-free areas. They were called sanctuaries. He didn't know if that idea worked."

"Something similar was tried in Japan," said Sachiko. "Not successful."

"We should check it out, anyway," said Rise. "We'll rest here for a while, gather whatever supplies we can, and then see if there is anything to find."

They were standing on the top of a hill, looking into a valley. A quarter-mile away, in the middle of a valley, was a cluster of houses and buildings, surrounded by a high concrete wall. And on the outer side of the wall were zombies. Maybe a hundred or more. Some were standing still, some were slowly walking around the perimeter. Every now and then, one of them would push against the wall, as if testing it.

"I'd say that Stockton County Sanctuary was once a little town or village," said Rise, surveying the area with the binoculars. "At least their wall has stood up."

"Not totally," said Kazuki. He pointed to a point in the wall, a metre wide, where the concrete had been replaced, from the inside, by bricks and timber.

"So there must be people there," said Sachiko. "Don't see any movement, though."

"Dean, do you have a headache?" said Lian.

"Bit of a twinge, yeah," said Dean. "Not like before. Must be because they're further away."

They started back towards the horses. Suddenly, there was a rustle in the bushes.

"A zombie?" whispered Jill, raising her shotgun.

"Don't think so," said Dean.

A little girl crawled out of the bushes. She was maybe seven. She stared at them in a mix of fear and bewilderment.

"Hey, don't worry, kid," said Jill. "We're good guys. Not zombies."

"Uh, it's possible that we don't look much like good guys," said Sam.

Rise looked around at the group. Yes, it was true that they all looked on the dangerous side: not exactly clean and well-groomed, patched-together clothes, an array of guns and weapons. Probably pretty scary, to a little girl – especially one who looked as if the world had dealt her a pretty lousy hand.

"Where did you come from?" said Sachiko. She took a step towards the girl. The girl began to back away.

"Okay, maybe I'll just stay here then," said Sachiko, stepping back.

Ren handed his axe to Rise. Then he knelt down and shuffled towards the girl. He took something small from his pocket and held it out to her. It was a glass marble.

The girl took it and looked at it. She had obviously never seen anything like it. Then she began to hand it back to Ren. But instead of taking it, he gently closed her fingers around it, in a gesture that said: you keep it.

"Jane," said the girl. "I'm Jane."

"His name is Ren, but he doesn't talk," said Jill. "I'm Jill. Would you like something to eat?"

The girl nodded. Jill took a bottle of water and several pieces of dried meat from her pack. The girl took them; clearly, she was not far the edge of malnutrition.

"Where are you from?" said Jill. "How did you get here?"

"Tunnel," said the girl. "There." She pointed back into the bushes.

There was a tunnel, less than a metre wide, heading towards the Sanctuary. The entrance was hidden, all but invisible.

"I'll take you through," said Jane. "To home."

"Not all of us," said Rise to the group. "Just me, Jill, Sam, and Ren. The others stay with the horses, and if Dean says that he can feel zombies getting close you get the hell out of here."

Everyone nodded. Jane started down the tunnel. It was absolutely dark, and obviously a long way to crawl. It was too narrow for them to even wear their packs: instead, they dragged them behind.

"How often do you do this?" said Rise to Jane.

"Every day," said the girl. "To get food. Berries and things."

"She does this every day?" said Sam. "Fuck."

After what seemed to Rise and the others like a claustrophobic eternity, they eventually emerged into a small chamber. Jane banged on a metal door in the ceiling of the chamber: a coded knock, Rise noticed.

The door opened, and they climbed up a ladder. And found themselves in a dilapidated living room.

There was a woman there. She was in a wheelchair. She looked at them in amazement.

"Who the fuck are you!?" she said.

"Long story," said Rise. "We saw the village from a hill nearby, and if you need some help, we'll do what we can."

"Is there anyone else here?" said Jill.

The woman pointed towards two children, younger than Jane. "Fran and Billy," she said. "I'm Eleanor."

Jill introduced the group. "I'm guessing that you might need some food," she said, taking supplies from her pack. "We're happy to share what we have." The others took supplies – dried meat, gathered fruit, bottles of water – from their packs and put them on the table.

The children stared at the little pile. They stared as if they had never seen so much food before. Maybe they haven't, thought Rise, and it's not even much.

As they ate, Rise asked Eleanor about the situation in the village.

"We first came here when the Collapse happened," she said. "Me and my brothers, some friends, other people. I was pretty young then, and not in this chair. There were maybe fifty people here at the start. We had supplies and guns, and we set up some vegetable gardens, and we had a well. The zombies came but we thought we could just wait them out. Thought they would just rot. But they didn't. They just kept hammering on the wall. We killed a lot of them from the towers on the wall but more kept coming. The only way we could get out was through the emergency tunnel. When our food supplies started getting low some of our people went out to search for more, but they didn't come back.

"We had the gardens, and some animals, but most times we only just scraped by. And then, a while ago – I guess it was a year – the zombies managed to tear a hole in the wall. We fought as best we could, and we killed most of them. I took a spear in the back, and when I woke up everyone but the kids – I had hidden them in the tunnel chamber – was dead, including my partner. The zombies were gone. I couldn't walk, but I managed to build this thing."

For the first time, Rise looked at the wheelchair. It was not, he realised, a proper wheelchair, but an ordinary kitchen chair with makeshift wheels attached.

"I repaired the hole in the wall as best I could, me and the kids, and it's held," Eleanor continued. "We found that most of the gardens had been destroyed in the fighting, just a bit was left. For a while, I thought the zombies had gone for good, but a few months ago they came back. Been there ever since. We've been holding on, but I don't know how much longer we can last."

"So you, in a patched-together wheelchair, re-built the wall, buried the bodies of everyone you knew, and have been holding things together for months, with three little kids?" said Sam.

Eleanor considered. "I never really looked at it like that," she said. "You just do what you have to do."

"One tough mother," muttered Sam.

"Come with us," said Jill. "We're on our way back to a settlement up north, Columbia. It's not great but way better than here."

Eleanor stared at them. "I wouldn't be able to make it," she said. "But you should take the kids."

"Fuck that," said Sam. "You're getting out of here if I have to carry you on my back the whole way."

"Actually, we have horses," said Rise.

"What's a horses?" said Jane.

"You'll find out," said Jill. "Say, I just thought of something. That wagon, at that museum place. You think it still works?"

"Worth trying," said Rise. "Jill, you think you can go through the tunnel again, get to the others, go back to the museum and get that wagon? Maybe Sachiko can work out a way to hitch a couple of the horses to it."

"Can't say I like the idea of that tunnel again," said Jill. "But, hell, if Jane here does it every day I can't really say no, can I?"

"Go," said Rise, and Jill climbed down into the chamber.

"You know," said Sam, "the zombies are probably going to know when this place is empty. They can tell. They'll come after us. It's what they do."

Rise nodded. "They're pretty smart," he said. "We'll just have to move as fast as we can."

"Uh, I can't make it through the tunnel," said Eleanor. "I've tried."

"Then we'll rig some sort of stretcher," said Sam. "Pull it, Rise and me. Should work, but won't be much for comfort."

"Comfort?" said Eleanor. "What's that?"

Rise gave a little laugh. "The kids might want to gather whatever they want to take with them, as long as it will fit through the tunnel," he said. "Now, let's get started on this stretcher."

They found an old ladder, and wrapped sheets and blankets around it. As they were helping Eleanor onto the stretcher, she looked at the chair. "I've really learned to hate this thing," she said. "But now I think I'm going to miss it."

"All things considered, a pretty good response to an awful situation," said Rise. "You'll get on well with one of our crew, I think. She has a knack for clever solutions too."

"Let's just hope that the others are waiting for us at the end," said Sam, as they entered the tunnel. Ren and the children were already on their way, with what was left of their supplies.

The two men had rigged ropes which went around their shoulders.

"At least," said Sam, "we can't take a wrong turn or anything."

Eleanor laughed. It sounded like something she hadn't done for a long time. "Gotta like a man who looks on the bright side," she said.

It was a nightmare of muscle-cracking strain, as the stretcher scraped along.

"Why," said Eleanor to Sam, who was closer to her, "are you doing all this?"

"A good woman is worth making an effort for," grunted Sam.

"Huh," said Eleanor.

Finally, they reached the open air. Rise and Sam pulled the ropes off themselves and fell to the ground, gasping.

"We should go now," said Lian, leaning over Rise.

"My girlfriend, goddess of the generous spirit," said Rise.

"She's right," said Kazuki.

Lian helped Rise to his feet, and Dean helped Sam.

The Stockton wagon was there. Sachiko was still working on repairs, and on the arrangement to harness two of the horses.

Rise made some hurried introductions.

"Uh, where exactly are you people from?" said Eleanor, as they lifted the stretcher onto the back of the wagon.

"We're a sort of Japanese-American-Chinese-Canadian bunch," said Jill. "You'll get used to it."

"Sachiko, you drive, since you've handled wagons in Japan," said Rise. "Sam, sit next to her so you can learn how to do it."

"I want to ride with him," said Jane, pointing to Ren.

Rise realised that she was still clutching the glass marble. He glanced at Eleanor, and at Ren, who both nodded. He lifted the little girl onto the horse, behind Ren. "Looks like you've got a sister," said Rise to him. Ren shrugged, but smiled.

"The wagon is held together with spit and string," said Sachiko, as she climbed onto the buckboard. "It's not going to take much in the way of speed."

"Our undead friends will be after us soon," said Rise. "So we'll just have to do what we can."

Lian handed the Stockton sword to Dean. He looked at it. "Wow," he said. "It's sharp enough to shave with, now."

"Yes, you should shave," said Lian.

They set off at a trot. Night was falling.

They rode through most of the night, stopping to rest and eat just before dawn.

Sam took a plate of food to Eleanor, Fran and Billy in the wagon. He was surprised to find the children wide awake and staring at everything around them, even in the darkness.

"I thought they'd be asleep," he said to Eleanor.

"This is all new to them," she said. "They've lived all their lives in the Sanctuary, aside from the area near the tunnel entrance. I've tried to teach them things from books, but it's not much good when your world has a wall around it. So being here is exciting for them, and scary as well." She nodded at Jane, sitting with Ren at the campfire. "She seems to like him," she said.

"Yeah, and he deserves a friend too, I think," said Sam. "I'm not sure what happened to him but I don't think it could have been good. So he doesn't speak. Handy guy to have around, though."

"So what happens when we get to Columbia?" said Eleanor. "Not like I can do much, in the way of work."

Sam gave a shrug, and a smile. "Don't worry about it," he said.

---

Rise was studying a map as they rode. "Okay, by now we should be far enough away from Sanctuary to feel a bit safer," he said. He turned to Dean, riding next to him, and showed him the map. "What's the name of this little town, up ahead?" he said.

"Moose," read Dean. "Huh, funny name."

"We must be in Oregon, then," said Eleanor, from the wagon.

"Hmm," said Rise. "Anyway, Moose might be a place to stop, rest the horses, see if there's any supplies, maybe see if we can hunt something."

He glanced at Dean. Dean was looking around, at the horizon.

"Anything?" said Rise to him.

Dean looked around again. "No, I guess not," he said.

There was, in fact, not much left of Moose: much of it had been burned to the ground, and the buildings that were left were decayed and overgrown. The treeline had, over the years, crept markedly closer.

They came to an intersection on the edge of the town. It was quiet. They stopped.

"I'm not so sure about this," said Dean. "Doesn't feel right."

"I'll scout," said Hotaru. "Ride to the other end of town and back." She took her rifle from its holster on her saddle and set off at a gallop. She turned a corner and in a moment was out of sight.

"Uh … " said Dean, touching his forehead.

"Okay, that's it, we're out of here," said Rise. "Even if Hotaru doesn't see anything. We go back and find another road."

Sachiko began to turn the wagon.

From the other end of the town came the sound of shots. First two, and then, a few seconds later, a volley.

There was a howl. And then dozens of zombies burst from the trees. More came racing from the buildings that lined the street. If the humans had entered the town, the trap would have been sprung, and there would have been no escape. As it was, the little group of survivors were surrounded, but the zombies were still several hundred metres away.

"Horseback or foot?" said Sam.

"Foot," said Rise, dismounting. "If they scatter us we'll have no chance. We have to stand here, concentrate our fire. Make them come to us."

"They'll go for the wagon," said Dean. "That's what they're really after. Eleanor and the kids."

"Well, they're not going to have them," said Sam.

"Hotaru – " said Jill.

" – can take care of herself," said Kazuki.

They were all dismounted now. They slapped the horses away.

Rise handed a Glock pistol and two clips to Ren, flipping the safety off. "Take this," he said. "You have to aim – "

Ren took the pistol and held up his hand, saying: I know. I've got it.

"Maybe a hundred, you think?" said Sachiko. "Hundred and twenty, maybe?"

"About that," said Rise. "Lock and load, my friends."

---

Hotaru had reached the other end of town. She wheeled her horse to a halt and looked around.

If I was setting an ambush, she thought, I would put people in … that building. That one there. That would cut off an escape path. The cork for the bottle.

She lifted her rifle and fired twice at one of the few windows in the building that still had glass.

A troop of zombies came charging out of the building. Hotaru tried to turn, but then they had reached her. Two of them grabbed at the horse. Panicked, it reared, and Hotaru was thrown off. She landed with a bone-crunching thump, her rifle flying from her hand.

Still lying on the ground, she drew her Makarovs, and shot the two closest zombies. She tried to get to her feet, but a bolt of pain shot through her leg. She managed to get up but she knew that without mobility her chances of survival were dramatically reduced.

"Goddamn it," she said to herself, hefting her guns to face the charging zombies.

---

"Mow 'em," said Rise.

With their backs to the wagon, everyone fired. And fired.

"Shotguns, re-load!" shouted Rise. "Rifles, pistols, cover! Reverse in fifteen seconds!"

Thirty zombies had gone down, but they were closer on every side now.

"Not sure we have enough ammunition for this," said Sam, as he re-loaded.

"Fortunately, we have swords," said Lian. "Three. And an axe."

"I thought you said it took four or five years to learn how to use a sword," said Dean.

"You will not have that long," said Lian.

Under the concentrated fire, the zombie attack wavered for a moment.

"Give me a gun!" shouted Eleanor. In the back of the wagon, she had raised herself into a sitting position.

"Here!" said Jill, throwing her shotgun to Eleanor. "And I'm going for Hotaru! She would have been back by now if she could!" She whistled, and Pi came trotting up to her. She was on his back in a moment. Then she was on her way, barging through the throng of zombies and drawing her Glock.

"Here they come again!" said Dean.

---

Hotaru had killed another three zombies but they were encircling her now, and she could not do much more than hobble. Not much longer, she said to herself. Save the last bullet.

Then there was the sound of hooves.

Jill was leaning down as she galloped, extending her arm.

The zombies were only a few metres away, now.

Hotaru made her decision. She holstered her guns and reached up.

"Gotcha!"

And then Hotaru was off her feet, hanging on to Jill's arm, and they were through the circle of zombies.

Jill brought the horse to a halt fifty metres away, and let Hotaru down to the ground. The zombies were racing towards them but they had a few seconds. "Climb up," she said.

"I can't," said Hotaru. "My leg is hurt."

Jill dismounted, helped Hotaru put her good leg into the stirrup, and then helped her climb onto the back.

"Whoa, you're heavier than I thought you would be," said Jill.

"Two," said Hotaru.

"Huh?" said Jill, as she climbed into the saddle.

"I do not know the word," said Hotaru. "But … baby."

---

"I'm empty!" said Sam.

"Here!" said Dean, throwing his brother a clip. "Last one!"

"I'm out too," said Rise. He drew the Anishi sword. He heard Lian's gun click on empty. And then Ren's.

"So now, blades," said Lian.

"Right," said Dean, drawing the sabre.

Ren took his axe from its holster.

"I believe," said Lian, "that there is an English phrase that is suitable now. Roll and rock."

"That's rock'n'roll," said Sam.

"Ah," said Lian. "Then we rock'n'roll."

Twenty zombies had survived the storm of fire. Still too many, thought Rise, as he took the head from one.

And then there was a fusillade of bullets tearing into the troop of zombies. Rise risked a glance along the street. It was Jill on Pi, with Hotaru on the back, smashing into the throng, shooting left and right.

Suddenly, the zombies were undecided about what to do, whether to press their attack or turn to face the new threat. In their moment of confusion, Rise, Lian, Dean and Ren charged into them, with steel.

And then … silence, aside from the sound of them all panting for breath.

"Zombies, zero, humans, 120!" cried Sam. "Or thereabouts."

Kazuki helped Hotaru from the horse.

"I have something to tell you," said Hotaru to him.

Lian put her arms around Rise and kissed him passionately.

But then one zombie struggled to his feet. He held a metal spear. He charged at Rise and Lian.

"Look out!" shouted Ren. He threw himself at Rise and Lian, knocking them aside. And the zombie spear rammed into his chest.

Dean swung the sabre, and the zombie went down – for good, this time.

They ran to Ren. Blood was already pumping from the wound.

He looked around at his friends.

"Thank you," he gasped.

Then he was gone.

END

---

Return

"I was thinking about some designs for a new wheelchair," said Sachiko to Eleanor. "Between the two of us, I think we can make something that will do the job from things that are available in Columbia. Or maybe we can find a real one."

"That would be very good," said Eleanor. "And anything for Hotaru?"

Hotaru was sitting next to Eleanor in the wagon, her leg in a makeshift splint.

"A stick," said Sachiko, with a laugh.

"What I would prefer," said Hotaru, "is a cure for morning sickness."

"You will just have to put up with it for a while," said Eleanor. "But it's worthwhile, in the end." She gestured to the three kids: Fran and Billy in the wagon, Jane riding with Sam.

"Well, maybe my mum can come up with something from her herbal box of tricks," said Kazuki, riding next to the wagon. "We'll find out. The main gate of Columbia is just up ahead."

Jill had ridden ahead to tell Kowalski and the others they were coming. As Rise and the group approached the gate, they saw Kowalski, Fraser, Shizuka and Satsuki gathered there.

"Oh my," muttered Sachiko. "There's James, and I haven't even thought about what I'm going to say to him." She started to fiddle with her hair.

The group stopped and dismounted. Kazuki helped Hotaru out of the wagon.

"It's good to see you again," said Kowalski. "And I see you've gathered some new friends. What else did you find?"

"Not many people, but a place that would be good for a new settlement," said Dean. "If anyone wants to join me."

"And me," said Sam.

"And me," said Eleanor. "With the kids."

Everyone in the group looked at her. "Sorry, didn't mean to surprise you," she said. "I hope that it's alright."

"It's fine," said Sam. "Better than fine. Absolutely excellent."

Jill nudged Sachiko. She nodded towards Fraser.

"Uh, hello," mumbled Sachiko. "It's good to see you again, James."

"And you too," said Fraser.

"Oh, for crying out loud!" said Jill. "Look, Fraser, Sachiko likes you a lot and she would like to know if you're interested in her. Got that?"

"You should be interested," added Hotaru.

Fraser started a bit. "Uh, well, er … perhaps, Sachiko, we can discuss it … well, maybe we could take a walk together … "

"There you go," said Jill. "Not so hard, was it?"

Shizuka hugged Kazuki and Hotaru.

"Mum," said Kazuki. "We – "

"I know," said Shizuka. "I can see the glow from a mile away."

As they made their way to Kowalski's office, Rise said: "We would like to stay here for the winter, and then head back to Japan. Sachiko says she wants to stay here, and Jill says she wants to come with us. Until that time, we will make ourselves useful in any way we can."

"Sure," said Kowalski. "In fact, we are already seeing the first signs of winter. It's going to be a long one. But it will pass. Eventually, there will be a spring."

"Yes," said Rise. "There always will be."

END AND AMEN