Hey everyone! Welcome to The Walking Dead: Reprisal. I hope you enjoy the ride. I had a lot of fun writing this story, and I hope the lot of you enjoy it just as much. Now, because I want you all to have maximum comfort and enjoyment, I will give you a few warnings ahead of time:
1. There will be triggering subjects in this story: Violence, Blood, Gore (all that good zombie stuff), but please note that a portion in here is the subject of rape and child abuse and molestation. On that note, please know that I won't get super descriptive/graphic on the subjects of rape, child abuse, etc. (if anything it's mild-moderate, but NEVER severe.) But as the reader i feel you should know regardless that they are there. So if any of those subjects make you feel really uncomfortable or it triggers you, then I wouldn't suggest reading this.
AND THAT IS ALL.
Enjoy, my little darlings. xx
The virus has completely devastated over 150 of the world's major regions and is spreading rapidly. At this point in time we know of only one method of killing the creatures: destroy the brain. Be on the guard of any loved ones who may have recently been in any sort of contact with the infected. And if you find yourself out in a threatening position, please do not hesitate to act.
Again. This is not a test.
This is not a joke. Be on the guard of any loved ones who may have recently been in any sort of contact with the infected.
Stay safe, and God bless…
Chapter 1: The Airport
"Furaito A 2907 ga okurete iru. Wareware wa nani ga okotte iru ka haaku suru made omachikudasai…"
"What'd they say?" Miho asked, her tiny hand gripping onto the hem of her big sister's skirt. Kei looked up at the flight board in worry. Their flight to Japan had been delayed, and no one knew the reason why. Her eyes traveled up and down and read the same thing repeatedly: Delayed. No planes were departing, and none were arriving. Everyone was looking around and asking each other questions, but no one knew the answers. Kei turned to her mother. She was over by her dad, helping him sit their parents down in chairs while they waited.
"Onee-chan," Miho peeped, "What'd they say just now?"
"They said our flight had been delayed, and not to worry," She summarized, looking around as airport employees and security darted around with walkie talkies. Something wasn't right.
"Kei, Miho," Her father spoke sharply, "Come here."
Kei's mother opened up her arms and little Miho rushed over, leaping into them without hesitation. Kei stepped over to her father, getting lead a little ways away from her family so they could talk in private.
"I talked to security," He spoke quietly, "Apparently a couple guys who were infected got on a flight to Europe. They're delaying everything, and they're not letting anyone in or out of the airport."
"Well who would want to go out?" Kei scoffed, "There's tons of those things out there. That's why we're here."
"I know, I know," Her father replied lowly, "But they're not letting anyone get on the planes, Kei. Listen."
She watched her father's eyes wander around the airport. His eyebrows were knitted together in worry.
"Something's very wrong here," He murmured, looking back to his daughter, "We have to leave."
"Leave?" Kei spoke with wide eyes, "B-But what about our things? Our suitcases, we checked them all in alrea—"
"All of that can be replaced, Keiko," He interrupted, "Right now we have to try and leave. Something doesn't feel right."
Kei turned her head and looked over to her mother and Miho. They were playing a clapping game while their grandparents watched with light smiles. She turned back to her father, nodding her head lightly and mustering her courage.
"Where do we go?" She asked, giving him a determined look.
"The summer home," He answered, "It's our best bet for right now. Go, get yours and Miho's bag."
Kei nodded lightly and walked back towards the rest of her family. She picked up Miho's backpack and slipped it on to her shoulders. As she did so, her father walked up to her mother and explained the situation. He told her about how security was closing everyone in, and had no intention of letting any of them out any time soon. Something serious was happening here, and it wasn't good. Kei had grabbed her own bag and shouldered it when the sounds of yells and screams rang out from further ahead. The young girl looked onward and saw others rushing towards them, yelling and shouting in horror. Further back, she could see military men with guns. They pointed it at the crowd and started yelling for everyone to get in line and get in order. Kei rushed over to her mom and took hold of her arm. Her father helped her grandparents up and they started making their way with the crowd, bunching up to the very end of the airport and getting backed into the wall. Rows upon rows of military men and women had their guns pointed directly at the crowd.
"All men come forward!" A solider in front yelled, "I repeat, ALL MEN COME FORWARD."
Many men young and old came forward with their hands up in defense. Her father however, being as little as he was, managed to sneak his way behind Kei. Right at this moment, she was thankful for being taller than him. Women started to whimper and cry, some holding their children tightly as they watched their husbands march up against the other wall. Several of them asked about what was happening, but the questions only fell on deaf ears. The soldiers still kept their guns pointed to the women.
"All women must go to the next concourse!" The soldier in front yelled, "ALL WOMEN MUST GO TO THE NEXT CONCOURSE! NO EXCEPTIONS!"
"Mommy, what's going on?" Miho asked, her voice transforming into a whine.
Kei looked to her mother. She didn't answer, she just hugged her little girl tightly and turned to walk with the crowd of women and children. Kei kept her back close to her father's front, trying her best to block him from the soldiers. Other women started to crowd around him as well, along with other men who were attempting to use their height to their advantage.
"Walkers!" A man screamed, "We've got walkers!"
All the women looked around frantically, their voices raising into frenzied high pitched screams. The soldiers started pushing them with their guns, knocking some onto the floor. Chaos ensued soon after. Within a blink of an eye they were running down the hall like a herd of cattle. Everyone kept saying "forward! Move forward!" and "don't look back!" Miho wailed into her mother's arms and gripped her tightly. Kei gripped onto her mother's hand. She looked around frantically for her father and grandparents, but all she could see were crying women and children running for dear life. She could hear bullets flying rapidly over the sound of her racing heartbeat, the screaming grew louder, and before she knew it, a sudden flash appeared, blinding her instantly.
"KEIKO!"
The girl shot open her eyes and sat up with a gasp. Her heart thumped loudly in her heaving chest. She looked around. She was alone, still alone in this long since abandoned house. She could hear rustling in the woods outside. They were growing restless. They would need food soon.
She laid her head back on the damp pillow and looked up at the dirty ceiling. She tried to close her eyes again, but memories of the airport kept flashing behind her eyelids, and the sounds of blood splattering onto the wooden floor rang in her ear. She opened her eyes again and looked to her right. Her sword laid beside her, ready and awaiting to be carried or used. She stared at her weapon, the sound of it slashing across flesh ringing in her ears. She screwed her eyes shut. She could hear their heads rolling, their lifeless bodies hitting the floor, their hushed whispers of comfort and bidding her goodbye. She turned away from her weapon sharply and sobbed into her damp blankets until dawn.
- x - x - x - x - x -
"Where is she?" Warden Stiles asked out, approaching the office that stood on the other side of the interrogation room. A police man that looked about his early 30's trailed after her with a thick manila folder in his hands.
"She's in the room already," Officer James T. Sandusky announced, "Officials found her in the local cemetery, sitting at her biological parents' grave."
Warden Stiles turned around to look at the officer, her stern brown eyes staring at him with authority.
"And you're sure she's the one that set the fire,"
"She openly admitted it to us," The man answered, "Says that she was putting a stop to them hurting her and her sister."
Warden Stiles turned around and looked into the windowless room. A young girl with long black hair and a round face was sitting at the table. Her big dark eyes were staring intently at the metal table top before looking over to the one-way glass. The warden's eyes tore away and looked to officer Sandusky standing next to her.
"What's her name?" She inquired. Officer Sandusky quickly opened up the file and flipped through the pages, stopping on one yellow sheet with a picture attached to it.
"Keiko Watanabe," He answered, reading off the info inside the file, "Eight years old, came here from Japan with her parents when she was only four. Records show they ran into some money trouble and were on the verge of facing fraud charges. Both of them committed suicide in their home in Camden, New Jersey. She's been dragged around in the system ever since."
"Has she been Psychologically evaluated?" The warden asked. The man continued to flip through the file, reading over the it's contents carefully.
"Last checkup was when she was 5," He answered, "She passed all the tests with flying colors actually."
The warden nodded and looked back to the little girl in the lonely interrogation room. She was still staring in the warden's direction, a deadpan expression plastered on her little face.
"How's the brother?" Stiles asked, watching the little girl closely with squinted eyes.
"Alive," Sandusky answered, looking through the one way mirror as well, "She burned the poor bastard to a crisp. Doctors haven't given word on how bad it is exactly, but judging by what the boys are saying at the hospital, it looks bad."
The middle aged woman chewed on the inside of her lip and furrowed. Keiko's eyes were still on her, looking directly into the glass as if she knew that the woman was on the other side. She showed no signs of trauma, no remorse, there wasn't a single tear rolling down her chubby cheeks.
"There's something really wrong with that kid, Warden," Sandusky warned in an uneasy tone, "She hasn't cried once since we brought her here…"
The Warden looked to the worried Officer before looking back at little Keiko on the other side of the glass. The middle aged woman observed her closely, trying to read this her body language and figure out what her little game was. Only, there was no game. There was just a little girl who was sick of the hurt, and took it upon herself to make it stop.
"She's had that creepy look on her face the entire time," She heard the man next to her say, "It's almost like she's…proud of it…"
The woman watched and furrowed as the eight-year-old suddenly smiled at her.
- x - x - x - x - x -
Kami wa, watashi o mamotte…
(God, protect me)
Kei let out a small "amen" and opened her eyes. She looked up at her family photo on the fireplace mantle. They were outside at a park in Japan, cherry blossom trees surrounding them. Their grandpa had taken the picture, his hand blocked grandma's head a little. Her mother and father were holding little Miho together, kissing her cheeks while Kei herself held up a peace sign and laughed. Those were better times, so much better. If only she could somehow go back to that.
But she couldn't. Not in this life, anyway.
The bells chimed from the doorway. Another victim had stumbled past the trip wire in front. Kei twisted her lips to the side and grabbed her sword from beside her. She got up, looked at the photo, and then turned away to head outside. It was time to take care of the little problem outside her door.
She stepped out onto the porch to find two walkers stumbling about outside the fence. The spikes on the fence had been decorated with the decapitated heads and arms of previous foes, but that didn't stop them from attempting to break through and try to get their next meal. The girl stepped onto the porch and pressed the doorbell, the gate sliding open just barely to let them both through. They hobbled forward and hissed, reaching out with their wrinkled arms and licking their rotted bloody teeth. The young girl pressed the doorbell again and the gate swung shut. She then drew out her katana and leapt off the porch, lunging for the first one and sticking her sword straight into its belly. She pulled it out and swiftly swung it around in an arc, managing to slice off its head in one clean swing.
She kicked the body down and lunged for the next one, this time swinging diagonally and slicing its head off in one go. The two bodies crumpled to the ground with a loud thud, staining the grass dark red with blood. She picked up the heads casually and stuck each one on a spike, smiling lightly at the sound of a long, drawn out howl from the woods. Two wolves darted in and out of the trees, making their way down towards the fence. Both of them leapt over, rushing up towards Kei and growling at the decapitated walkers on the ground. The flared their teeth and snarled at the bodies, their backs arched, as if waiting for the lifeless creatures to get up and move.
"It's alright, it's alright," She soothed, "I took care of it. What'd you guys get?"
The two dogs immediately loosened up and turned towards Kei with excitement, their tails wagging behind them. Ren, a beautiful brown-eyed red wolf with unusually large ears, held a dead rabbit in her mouth. Ame (pronounced ah-may), a strong looking gray wolf with gold eyes had a large tailess squirrel in his mouth. Kei smiled lightly at her companions' finds and pointed to the house. The two wolves darted inside without hesitation and made their way into the kitchen.
Kei skinned and cleaned the animals as best as she could, putting all the entrails in a bowl and setting it out for Ren and Ame to feed on. While they ate, Kei attempted to cook up bits of squirrel and rabbit over a couple canister stoves.
"We're going to have to move again, guys," She spoke, watching as her two companions continued to eat, "More of those things keep closing in, I wouldn't be surprised if we get overrun by the end of the week."
Ren looked up from the bowl and licked her lips, staring at Kei intently as she popped a bit of cooked squirrel meat into her mouth. She dipped her head back down, nudging Ame out of the way to get more food. Kei looked at the two and chuckled lightly. How is that two wolves from the north managed to wander their way around the south? How is it that they found her? They just came out of nowhere. They had managed to avoid walkers, military men burning the forests, starvation, and even the dead cold of winter. Those two weren't ordinary wolves. Wolves avoided humans, these ones went up to her, stuck loyally by her side, defended here wherever they went. They were two blessings in disguise, her guardian angels in this messed up form of hell.
She was alone. All alone in the woods, covered in fresh blood with no food, no water, and only an old sword at hand. She was sitting outside a cave near the creek, crying helplessly into her bloodied hands. She had no plan, no family, and no motivation to live on. What else was there to live for?
She had heard the water gently splash a few feet ahead of her, making her look up from her hands. That's where she saw them. Two wolves with their paws in the water, staring at her contently with their intense eyes. They didn't growl or bare their teeth. They just watched her, and waited. She wiped her eyes and watched as they cautiously made their way up to her. She froze in place as they sniffed and circled around her. When they finally stopped, the gray wolf's face was only inches from her own. They were staring at each other, eye to eye. She sniffled a little and wiped her eyes again, more blood smearing across her face. The grey wolf leaned closer, and that's when the fearful girl shut her eyes. Something warm and wet gently brushed against her eyelid. Something similar brushed up against her cheek. The wolves began to lick her face over and over, cleaning off the blood and tears staining her cheeks.
It was after their strange encounter that the wolves followed her wherever she went. She couldn't understand why, but after witnessing how useful they were, she'd be a fool as to try and send them off. They would lead walkers away with their howls and barks as she ran through the woods. They fought off other unfriendly survivors who'd try to take what's hers or harm her in any way. With their amazing sense of smell they would find food and gas, and also warn her if any walkers were nearby. They weren't just handy tools for survival anymore. They had become her friends and her family, and vice versa.
It was early morning when Kei opened up the front gate and packed up her supplies. She brought all her sleeping stuff out to the H3 Hummer. She had stolen it when her and her family made a dash out of Atlanta. Placed in the back, her family had scavenged for enough medicine to last them a long while, but it was weapons, food, and shelter that she was truly struggling on. She was pretty low on ammo, and she was running out of arrows to use for all those silent kills. None of these houses that she'd been squatting at have any working heaters, and winter was guaranteed to come no matter what.
Still, that didn't stop her from moving, from going place to place until she could find what she was truly looking for.
The young girl got into the car and shut the door with a sigh, turning her head to watch Ren and Ame hop over the fence. The two wolves made their way into the woods, disappearing behind the sea of trees and leaves. She smiled lightly and started her car, backing out and continuing her journey towards Fort Benning.