Hikari had no idea how this happened. She had been at home, looking for her textbook, when it had happened. She knew Hotaru would be upset with her when she found out…but Hotaru never survived long enough to find out. She didn't know how she ended up with this group, bashing zombies' heads in.

Hikari sliced through the neck of the zombie in front of her, grunting as blood sprayed onto her face. She heard panicked screams from somewhere behind her and turned.

She saw Rei screaming and trying to hold the thing away with the make shift spear. Hikari tried to make her way towards Rei, but Hisashi got to her before she could.

Hisashi grabbed the zombie in a choke hold, effectively immobilizing it as Rei took the spear out of its body.

"Hisashi, get away from him!" Takashi yelled, clearly worried for his friend.

Hisashi smirked and replied, "Don't worry; I can take him."

Hikari furrowed her brows and frowned. "I don't know, Hisashi. I think you should listen to Takashi. Something doesn't feel right."

Rei threw a glare at Hikari. "What, are you saying Hisashi isn't strong enough to handle him?"

Hikari rolled her eyes and opened her mouth to reply when the things head twisted all the way to look at Hisashi. Hisashi put his right hand on its head, trying to keep it away from him.

"What the fuck?! Why is he so strong?!" he yelled, panic evident in his voice.

The zombie opened its mouth wide and bit into Hisashi's arm. Hisashi threw his head to the side and let out a gurgled scream.

"Hey, you! Get the hell away from him!" Takashi yelled as he ran towards them, his bat already poised to swing.

In complete unison, Rei and Hikari yelled in horror, "Hisashi!"

Rei stabbed the zombie with the spear while Hikari tried to pull the thing off of Hisashi.

Rei strained against the strength of the zombie and yelled, "Why? Why isn't he letting go?!"

Hikari grunted and ground her teeth together. Takashi's eyes widened and he took a step back.

"I knew it…He's dead. He's a walking corpse!"

The zombie opened his mouth and a spray of blood showered Hikari and Rei. With a yelp, Hikari fell back as Hisashi screamed in agony.

"Hisashi!" Rei yelled as she took up Hikari's position and tried to pry either one of them away from the other.

Hikari got to her feet and helped Rei. "This isn't working! We need someone with more muscle!" Hikari ground out, grunting as she put all her weight into pulling.

Rei looked over at Takashi and yelled, "Takashi! Help him! Aren't you a man?! Just…Just do something, goddamn it!"

Takashi, shocked out of his reverie, yelled and ran towards them, bringing his bat down on the head of the zombie. With a sickening crack, the zombie stopped moving and fell to the floor.

Hikari wiped the blood off her face and looked at Takashi.

"You okay?" Hikari silently asked Takashi.

Takashi glanced at her before his eyes darted back to the body. His breathing was ragged, as if he had just ran a marathon.

Rei walked up to Hisashi and asked, "Hisashi, are you okay?"

Hisashi gave her a weak smile and replied, "It's just a little wound. Don't worry about it."

Hikari looked at Hisashi's face and, as she opened her mouth, an ear-splitting scream rang out over the roof.

"No! Please don't bite me!" they all looked over and saw a girl being pinned to the floor by a zombie. The zombie bit into her neck with a spray of blood.

Rei covered her mouth and gasped. Hikari blankly stared at the scene they had all just witnessed, her thoughts going to her little sister, Hotaru.

"There's just too many of them." Takashi said, snapping Hikari out of her thoughts.

Hisashi looked at Takashi and said, "Let's go to the roof."

Rei's eyebrow furrowed and she asked, "Roof?"

"We'll hide until we get help." Hisashi elaborated.

Hikari's face lit up with realization. "In the observatory."

They all ran up steps and threw open the door. They ran across the roof and they all gaped or gasped in unison at the sight of the city. Smoke was coming off buildings, cars were trying to leave. The whole entire city was in a state of panic and horror.

"What the fuck? What the fuck is going on?" Takashi asked to know one in specific.

Hikari gazed down at the town and looked away. The only thing she wanted to say was, "That moment you know you're screwed."

"Everything was normal only moments ago!" Rei exclaimed as he stared at the city.

"It can only take a few seconds for shit to hit the fan." Hikari muttered as she stared down at the city.

Suddenly, a strong wind blew around them, along with the whirring of a helicopter. Rei let out a startled scream and stumbled forward. Hisashi grabbed her and held her to his chest. Hikari held down the edges of her skirt, not really caring if she were to fall. Takashi gave her a disapproving look and also grabbed hold of her.

All four looked behind them and saw Blackhawks flying past them.

Hikari's eyes trailed after them as she said incredulously, "Blackhawks?"

"The U.S army?!"

"Wait, it's our SDF. But from where? There shouldn't be a base around here." Hisashi mumbled, his eyes wide.

Rei ran a few feet from Hisashi and she waved her arms in the air, screaming, "Help us!"

"Save your breath." Hisashi said as he watched Rei. "They wouldn't come so far without a valid reason. I'm sure they're her on a special mission. They don't have time to save us." Hisashi pointed to the city and continued, "They're not even doing anything about that."

They all followed his finger and saw the creatures holding up a girl who was thrashing and screaming, "Help! Get away from me! Owwww!"

"It's like an illness…caused by them."

"Them?"

"Those things are like zombies that are out to get us, but this is no game or movie. That's why they don't have a name."

Hikari interjected with, "Well, I call them zombies."

Hisashi and Takashi continued on like they hadn't heard her. "They eat people. Once their prey dies, it joins their party. I don't know why, but the only way to kill them is to smash their heads open."

They all turned and saw that the zombies were closing in around them.

Rei turned to Hisashi and asked, "Then, what should we do?"

"Let's head up to the observatory and blockade the stairs."

Takashi crouched and yelled, "Let's go!"

They all ran after him, smashing heads in on their way. Rei stopped to get one that was trailing behind them, giving a war cry as she stabbed it in the chest.

Takashi turned towards her and yelled, "Idiot!"

Rei turned her head and yelled back, "But…!"

As the thing grabbed the pole, Hikari yelled, "Rei, pay attention!"

Rei's head snapped to the front, but it was too late. The thing had ripped it from her grasp and flung her into the wall. With a gasp, her back impacted with cement and she slid down the wall. As the zombie got closer to her, the more panicked and desperate Rei became.

AS the thing slid to all fours and crawled toward her unimaginable speeds, Rei covered her face with her arms and screamed, "No! Stop!"

Hikari shoved through Hisashi and Takashi, stealing the bat from Takashi's grip as she did.

"Sorry Rei! This is gonna get nasty!" and with that, Hikari swung full force at the thing's head. It hit the bat and the cement wall, a gush of blood coating both the females once more.

"Nukaga-chan!" Rei exclaimed in relief.

Hikari gave Rei a lop-sided smile before she turned to give the bat back to an astonished Takashi. Hikari smirked and knocked his chin up with her hand. Blinking out of his reverie, Takashi gave Hikari a look of awe and surprise.

As Rei made her way up the stairs and to Hisashi, zombies had slowly been creeping up the stairs. Hisashi kicked one in the chest, causing it to tumble back down the stairs.

After finally barricading themselves from the zombies, all four were sitting and waiting. They knew help wouldn't come, but they still waited.

"Why…? Why must this happen?" Rei asked at one point.

Hikari leaned her head against the wall and replied, "There has to be a reason for it."
"Once we figure that out, we can find a solution." Hisashi concluded, sitting not too far from Hikari.

A cloud passed above them, shrouding them in its shadow.

"Check around to see if there's anything like a lighter or matches. We need to find a source if light while the day's still bright. Or else we'll be fighting in the dark-" Hisashi coughed and covered his mouth.

Blood spewed from between his fingers, staining the ground red. Rei stood up and ran to him, grabbing his shoulder and asking, "Hisashi! What's wrong?!"

Hikari watched him with slightly widened eyes, hoping that what she thought was happening to him wasn't true.

Rei looked over her shoulder, and with panic, said, "Takashi, Hisashi's…!"

Takashi stared at Hisashi with wide eyes. He just stood there, saying nothing, only staring. Hikari looked away and stood, moving to stand beside Takashi.

Squeezing his shoulder in an effort to make him look at her, Hikari smiled sadly when their eyes met.

Hisashi's head rose slowly and leaned against the metal bar behind him. Hisashi's breath was ragged and shallow, there was blood on his chin, and he had dark circled under his eyes.

Rei's eyes widened and she asked Hisashi, "Why…? How…? He barely got you. How could you end up like this?"

Hisashi smiled bitterly and said, "Looks like movies aren't so fake, after all. You're fucked the moment they bite you."

Rei clutched his arms and screamed in denial, "That's not true! Movies are just a bunch of bull-"

"Just look around you." Hisashi interrupted. "Takashi, I need your help."

Takashi's head moved to look at Hisashi and he whispered, "With what?"

Hisashi lifted his right hand and pointed over at the metal fence a little ways away from them. "If I fall over there, I'll probably go head first and smash my head…"

Takashi looked at Hisashi and Rei gasped. Hikari closed her eyes and a pained look settled onto her face.

"What are you saying?!" Rei exclaimed, the first to fully comprehend what he had said.

"I don't want to become like them!" Hisashi yelled and quickly threw up blood.

"Hisashi!" Rei yelled while holding supporting him.

"No…! No!" Rei screamed as Hisashi's upper body jerked up and he spewed more blood into the air.

"Takashi, please….I want to leave this world as myself." Hisashi said smiling sadly before spewing more blood.

Takashi furrowed his eyebrows and stared at Hisashi with horrorstricken face. Hisashi threw himself to the floor and writhed in agony, clutching his right side and screaming in pain.

"Hisashi! Why?!" Rei said as she kneeled next to him, trying to comfort him but failing.

Takashi squeezed his eyes closed and then opened them once more, his pain and unwillingness to hurt his friend shown in his hazel eyes.

"No…no! You're not allowed to die!" Rei screamed, her tears finally spilling out of her eyes.

Hikari slowly walked forwards and stopped behind Rei. She knew what she was going to have to do when Takashi finally made up his mind.

Rei dropped her face onto Hisashi's stomach and sobbed. Hikari put a hand on her shoulder and silently grieved. Although she had just met Hisashi, Hikari knew that he was a good person and didn't deserve to die the way he did.

With Takashi's face set with resolve, he gripped his bat and said, "Rei, Nukaga, get back."

Rei lifted herself off of Hisashi's body and looked at Takashi in confusion. Hikari's hand tightened on her shoulder.

"You can't!" Rei said as she tried to cover Hisashi's body with her own.

Hikari tugged Rei's shoulder, but she wouldn't budge. Rei continued to yell, "You can't do that to him! He won't change! He won't become like them! Can't you see that he's special?"

Takashi set his steely gaze on her and repeated, "Get back."

Rei jumped and looked down at Hisashi as she felt him breath. "Hisashi?"

"See, Takashi, Nukaga-chan? Hisashi would never die…." Rei trailed off as Hisashi sat up.

Hisashi stood and loomed over Rei. Hikari yanked Rei back with all her strength, and finally, Rei moved behind her as Hisashi stood there.

"What's the matter?" Rei asked from behind Hikari, not even trying to get close to Hisashi.

Hikari's eyes narrowed and she tightened her grip on the sword she held.

"Hisashi!" Rei yelled as she tried to move to him but Hikari's and Takashi's arms blocked her way.

"No! This can't be happening! It's a dream!" Rei sobbed as she stared at Hisashi.

Takashi dropped his arm and moved towards Hisashi.

"It's pretty unbelievable." Takashi agreed.

Hikari snorted and pushed Rei behind her. "Unbelievable? This is fucking ridiculous."

Rei stared at Takashi with wide eyes and whispered, "Takashi…?"

Hisashi walked forward, making weird sounds as he did. Takashi tightened his grip on the bat and continued, "But…"

"Stop…" Rei whispered her eyes wide with fear.

"We can't wake up from this!" Takashi suddenly exclaimed, letting out a war cry as he ran towards Hisashi.

"No!"