Hello. You can call me Roy. Read, relax, and review.
The sunset was a mixture of pure gold and ember like red. It was a stunning and heartwarming sight to all but the current residents of the camp just bellow. Because with a sunset so beautiful, came a night so tragic. They all cuddled together, around the fire. Puffs of air coming from their open mouths in small clouds of heat.
"O-onee-chan." Tsukasa whispered. Her voice trembling as she held herself tighter to her older twin and constant protector. "D-do you think we'll ever see M-mom or Dad again?" She asked, her voice hoarse, crackling in horrid desperation.
Kagami felt the lump in her throat grow. Her sister was innocent, oblivious, optimistic. There was no way in hell they would see their parents again. If they had made it out of the city there was no way they could ever find each other. Besides... everyone could be dead right now...
"Yeah Tsukasa... I'm sure we will." She whispered. Lying for the benefit of her younger sibling. The lavender haired sweetheart, happy with the reply, nuzzled deeper within her twins side as the two shared a thin blanket against the cold. The campfire was shared by seven. All of which were connected in one way or another. There was Tsukasa and Kagami Hiiragi. Twins who had escaped the overrun school with their friends Miyuki Takara and Konata Izumi. The two of which were sitting with their respective guardians. Sojiro, Konata's father, had immediately come to the school after first seeing one of those... biters. Luckily, with the help of Yui Narumi, who was currently weeping into her uncles shoulder, they had been able to make it through the city.
Of course they had wanted to wait, to see if Yutaka Kobayakawa, sister to Yui and cousin to Konata, had made it. But the cannibalistic freaks had them overrun. There was no way the fragile girl got out alive, they gave up...
And so the family sat with tears in their eyes as they worried for her. The Hiiragi family at least had a chance... But a dear innocent like Yutaka... Frail and alone... There was no plausible way she survived.
They had found Yukari Takara while fleeing the city. The woman had crashed on the side of the road in her haste to escape. Her head was bleeding, her leg was broken. And their was no one to help. Luckily however her daughter, Miyuki, had some medical knowledge. She had planned to become a doctor one day... A dream that seemed so far away now...
So they all sat by the crackling fire. Terrified, cold, and worried. They had eaten a few cans of food for supper, but that was mediocre at best. There was no room for being picky in the land they had found themselves. It had been over a week since they escaped from the school. The winter was approaching rapidly and their food and water was low.
"Everyone." Kagami whispered. Taking charge of the situation, her voice coarse but serious. "Its no secret our food and water is running low... I vote we find a small residential area. And try to loot what we can." She finished. Feeling the eyes of her terrified group on her.
She felt Tsukasa tremble under her, but paid her no heed, instead she held her closer. In a vain attempt at reassurance. "B-but those monsters... Those things... T-their out there!" Yukari shouted, now horridly panicked. Her eyes shooting wide at the thought of confrontation with the drooling moaning creatures. She looked at her daughter in a moment of pure distress, hoping the intelligent girl could reason with her.
Miyuki however, turned her cheek. "Shhhhhhh Takara-san... We have to stay quiet..." Kagami urged to the older woman. "Listen... We need supplies. It's either we stay out here and starve to death, or we try to live. Its risky... But if we wanna survive this thing we have to get used to this." She urged the group. They all were looking at her, their eyes worried scared, and albeit slightly relieved someone was guiding them. The social barriers had been broken, age, gender, social status, none of that mattered. She felt the weight of their trust on her. It was far from overwhelming.
Everyone nodded as, finally, they crowded to the van. Sleeping mushed together, stacked and cramped, it solved the problem of cold... Plus It was the only way they could all sleep safely. There was no way they were risking sleeping outside.
That morning was not one of relaxed awakening. Kagami was always used to getting up early, as such she was the second to awake that day. The first being Miyuki, who sat just outside the van, leaning against it as her eyes scanned their surroundings, the sun was barely up and it seemed quite peaceful. Kagami stepped outside, figuring she could let the others sleep a while longer.
"Hey." The lavender haired girl whispered. Making the pinkette jump with fright as she whipped her head in her direction. "Shhhh it's okay." Kagami mumbled. Stepping onto the grass and taking her place beside their make shift medic. Miyuki's frightened eyes softened at the sight of her. She gave a soft sad smile and looked back to the forest before them.
"How ya holdin up?" She asked. Miyuki looked over at her for a moment, unsure if it was meant to be a joke or if the girl was truly concerned. After seeing the look of sincerity she smiled, it wasn't a big smile but it was a smile none the less.
"Well Kagami-san, I suppose I'm doing finer than most..." She whispered. She had her friends and her mother, Kagami had only herself and a tired terrified sibling she had to mother. "It's you I'm truly concerned for... You're doing so much..." She whispered sadly, referring to the way she had stepped in the other night. She was entirely grateful to Kagami, the girl who had taken charge of the situation. It was her confidence in her decisions that were giving the rest of the group hope.
"...I have to..." Kagami confided, looking back to the van that held her dear twin sister within. "For her." She finished. Hugging her knees to her chest and burying her face within them. "I'm all she has left." She choked out, tears welling up in her eyes as she felt the lump in her throat return. She let the tears fall, something she had yet to let herself do. She felt a pair of soft arms wrap themselves around her in a tight embrace. Kagami eagerly leaned into the comforting hug, now fully sobbing into the tall girls blossom as though she were her mother.
It was enough.
For the moment, Kagami was grateful for no one being awake. For her being able to drop her brave face before a comforting individual. In all truth she missed her Mom, her Dad, and all her sisters, but unlike Tsukasa she didn't have the childlike hope that they were all still alive out their somewhere.
It didn't take long for Kagami to suck it up and start waking up the others. All of which immediately exited the vehicle and stretched their sore limbs. Yukari limped out, groaning with each step as tears threatened to overflow her eyes. There was a makeshift cast on her leg, a poor substitute made of thin tree limbs and duct tape. But it was all they had.
It was outrageously painful. Luckily the gang had a few painkillers in a little bottle. Achieved through Sojiro who had apparently suffered a back injury in his younger years and though now off the meds had never gone about throwing them away. Figuring one day he might need them. She hissed in pain, asking for them as she held out her hand. Which, upon receiving popped eagerly into her mouth, leaning against the van she waited in agony for them to take affect.
The gang pulled out a map, compliments of Yui, and studied it. Trying to figure out exactly where they should scavenge. Kagami felt her face heat up and the hair on the back of her neck stand on end as she felt all eyes glue themselves to her. This was gonna be hard.
They found themselves parked in front of a convenience store. The streets seemed quiet enough... "Okay." Kagami whispered, her voice crackling ever so slightly. "Yui... I need you to go in first. Your the only one with a gun... We don't have any more bullets than what you have so use it only as a last resort." She urged. Each bullet could be one saved for a hasty threat. "Do not go too far in, you don't wanna get cornered..." She urged, thinking up every common sense thing to do in such a situation.
"Once they're in our sights we can come in to help you deal with them." She declared, nodding to Sojiro and Konata. The strongest of their group. Each of them held up a small blunt object they were currently using as a makeshift weapon. For Sojiro it was a small tire iron and for Konata it was a large combat knife, Kagami herself brandished a club like branch.
"Then Miyuki can come in with the bags and we can grab as much as we can, remember what we need: Canned food, water, hygiene products, and anything that can be used as a weapon. If theirs room in the bags we can grab non necessities but absolutely no alcohol. We don't need that. It can only hurt us." She finished, glancing from Sojiro to Yui, who nodded though a little withstanding. With the high danger here there was no room for stupidity brought on by screaming dumb-ass drunks.
"Lets go." She stated. Nudging her head to Yui as a signal to lead. They all piled out of the van, each feeling small traces of adrenaline push its way into their veins. Yui trudged into the store.
Immediately as the bell rang two walkers popped their heads up in interest. They were dripping with blood and puss as they limped towards Yui. One was close and one was far. Yui reacted hesitantly, grabbing her gun by the hilt and bashing its head with the butt of her gun. Kagami and the others rushed in, assured that everything was fine they went for the other, Sojiro making the first move and swinging the tire iron against its face... Everything was safe. They checked down the isles and behind the counter, just to be safe. With relief flooding over them they called Miyuki in.
The group walked about the store, grabbing everything they could find. There wasn't much, but it was a start. There hadn't been much looting yet, and they had a pretty good haul. They would live.
And for Kagami, it was enough.
The only problem she could find was their cargo included mostly junk food. They needed nutrients, especially if they were gonna keep doing such physically demanding tasks. Loading up their loot and filling up the tank they motored off in the distance.
The sun was setting before them once more, they had to find a place to camp soon. As they drove thay passed a rather large, secluded house. Its windows were boarded, sprayed across the face of it were red letters, combining in to words that read: The end is here, repent and be forgiven. Kagami scoffed, her family had been so into religion, it all seemed like a fairytale now. "Stop here, If that house is empty and the locks work it would provide perfect shelter." She commented. Sojiro obeyed solemnly and turned the wheel, pulling the van into the driveway.
The vehicle eased to a stop. "Sojiro, Konata, Yui, Follow me." She commanded.
The four walked into the dark and dusty house. Yui used her policeman's flashlight to shed some light on their path. "Remember.. Don't wander off." Kagami warned. "Sojiro watch the back." They checked through room after room on the bottom floor of the rusty house, making sure that no closet was left unchecked. Slowly, carefully, they eased up the stairs. They hadn't seen anything yet, but that didn't mean nothing was here. Kagami thought
But much to Kagami Hiiragi's dismay there proved no biters left inside the home.
The group ushered out of the home, motioning to the others to come inside.
After the lights had gone out and everyone had passed out a figure left the house and a silhouette walked up to the van. They pulled something out of a bag as they sat on the hood. "I... I couldn't save you..." Yui whispered, thinking of her darling sister as she took a swig from her whiskey. "Y-you should be here... Not me.. Not mee..." She started to sob now, tears falling out of her eyes as she felt her heart tear into tiny tiny peaces at the thought of her sweet little sister.
The girl had never done anything bad to anyone. She remembered the time Yutaka made her a card for her birthday. The cherry haired girl was no more than 5. It was a heart covered with glitter and lace. "It's just for you onee-chan... cause I love you so much and your sooo cool and strong and I know you'll always protect me." She had gushed to her older sister. Blushing slightly as she shuffled her feet. Yui was wailing now as she pulled out her wallet.
There in the leather pocket she pulled out a picture of her darling sibling. The girl she had always tried so hard to protect, to keep innocent and sweet. She had finished nearly half the bottle now. "Yutaka..." She cried. Images of Yutaka's screaming face flooded her mind, the girl being torn apart by bloodthirsty freaks as she cried out. Yui just couldn't take it anymore.
She put the gun in her mouth.
Her pain was obliterated with the pull of a trigger.
Feel free to hate me. I'm laughing about it.