I had been in America for 5 weeks now. Travelling around the country, touring the kendo and other sword arts schools. The Kendo federation wanted to start branching out to other countries.
I was the first step, as a head practitioner in the arts, and had knowledge in many different styles. As the western English speaking world would see it, I am a samurai. Which is somewhat fact, but not entirely. The samurai followed strict code and practices, which also involved their style.
If the samurai went under many changes due to the modernisation of society, despite the fact that the samurai pretty much disappeared a long time ago. I on the other hand had a very flexible style. My family, the Busujima family, for generations has incorporated various styles into our own. Luckily myself and my daughter are able to perform in a particular style when required, thus allowing us to perform and compete in competitions.
I am a samurai in the sense that I serve under the emperor with a sword. Much like the samurai back in the day. Because of this I have long stopped arguing with and correcting those who say I am, those in other countries just don't seem to be able to comprehend this.
Because of this, it was a logical choice to send me to examine the current state the sword arts were in the United States. It stemmed from a competition being held here, as a sort of tourism stunt. Get people interested so they come to Japan. The interest was not small.
There was enough interest for the federation to see if it could branch out to other countries. My next stop is Australia, a horrid 16 hour flight. I'm not looking forward to it. Yet one upside to all this is that I know English, no need for a translator or to rely on my daughter to translate for me, like on our trip to Australia a few years back.
I studied in secret from her for 8 months to learn the language, I wanted to surprise her with the fact that her 'old' papa could still use his brain for anything other than swords. She was impressed when I revealed it to her. It was a hard language to learn, much more complicated that Japanese. Learning to write and read from left to right and where the lines go horizontally instead of vertical, man it's so confusing at first. The people here say that Japanese is so much harder, but I think it's just because we are trying to learn a language that isn't our native one.
I was nearing the end of my final performance, this was the last one in the United States. In six hours, I was leaving for my flight for Australia.
It happened as I swung my sword down from above my head.
There was an explosion. Its deafening boom shook the building. Glass shattered and dust fell from the ceiling.
Before I could consider what had just happened, another explosion went off. However it was obviously further away, the building didn't shake this time.
Bang.
Pop.
Those were gun shots, I realised.
"What is going on" I said to myself. Many of the onlookers were saying the same thing. I sheathed my sword and stood up, despite the noise I had remained in my stance. That's an entire life of dedication to the way of the sword.
Bang.
More gunshots. "Everyone out of the building, and to the backyard" I yelled, as smoke began to flood into the room. Pooling at the ceiling and steadily moving downwards. The crowd started to move towards the rear exit, all except a group of young boys.
Seems the sounds of an obvious battle had spiked their interest, why must all young people like those sort of things. I can never understand those video games my daughter always plays. To be honest I was slightly intrigued but I knew it was too dangerous to go look. My common sense was a lot better than you not as mature children.
After making sure everyone else had made it out of the darkening room, I ran to the front to try to find the group of 3 boys. They hadn't made it past the front door. Their eyes were wide, and I could see that they were trembling. From fear or excitement was unclear.
Crack.
"Shit that bullet was close, if it cracks its very close to you, and I mean very close. Boys get away from the door now" I yelled as a civilian hummer roared past with a man hanging out shooting down the street. It looked to be an Uzi of some kind, I'm not too good with guns. I can shoot rather well, but general knowledge I'm lost.
The boys didn't move until I grabbed them and threw them backwards. Just in time it seems and the car parked across the street which was on fire, exploded.
Metal shrapnel flew towards us as I shut the door. With a crash and the sound of shattering wood a piece of metal stuck itself into the door, sticking half a meter into the interior of the hallway.
"Shit that was close" I said in my native tongue. From the attitude of my voice the boys probably though I was cussing at them, it probably was directed at them, I was too relieved at the near miss to know what I was even thinking.
"Fucking hell" one of the boys said before laughing cautiously.
"Time to move" I stated, noticing the smoke making its way towards us. "Considering how heavy the smoke is the fire is probably in the next building over. The fire may make its way here shortly so we need to get out" I stated before walking towards the backyard, crouched so I wasn't breathing the smoke in.
The boys followed suit until we made it outside. Almost instantly adults, I assume were their parents started to scold them.
"Does anyone know what is happening?" someone in the group, I couldn't see asked.
"Hold on, ill check on my phone" another answered.
"Busujima sensei, did you see anything?"
"Yeah, a car exploded, a hummer drove past with someone shooting out the passenger window and bullets were flying around as well" I replied.
"It seems a protest on the lack of hospital availability and doctors' clinics recently was going on tonight"
"That's no protest"
"Yeah it says here, that the protest at some point turned into a riot. It has started to spread throughout the city and local gangs are taking the chance to make their moves on opposition's territory"
"Certainly looks like it out there" I added, just as my phone rang. "Yes" I answered.
"Master Busujima, we have received reports of intense rioting and potentially gun shots in your area. Can you confirm this?" the voice asked through the phone.
"Yes, we believe there are a couple of gangs going at it right now" I confirmed the report. "Are you going to come pick me up?"
"Ok, we are coming in armoured car, borrowed from the embassy, our ETA is ten minutes" was the straight forward reply.
"Is it possible to also get another twenty seven people out of here? I don't want to just abandon them in this mess" I requested, as most of the others were watching me. Seems I was the one in charge, I do have the ranking of Japanese Ambassador. Even though I actually am not the actual official ambassador.
"Yes that can be arranged, ETA is now fifteen minutes" was the reply before hanging up. Quite abrupt, but I guess they are rushing to get here.
"Ok, help should be coming in around fifteen minutes" I told the group, relief spreading across their faces.
"Should we go inside to get any stuff left in there?" a woman asked, probably after her handbag or something.
"Yes, but two people at a time, tie some cloth around your face and hold your breath" the smoke looked awfully black.
Thirteen minutes later, everyone had found their belongings and were sitting down out the back, waiting to help to arrive. It shouldn't be too long now. Almost on cue I heard sirens in the distance growing louder as they got closer. All the gun shots which hadn't stopped in all this time, had now ceased.
The group was starting to get nervous, myself included. It strange how that happens, for over ten minutes we had listened to the sounds of explosions, gun shots and cars revving and skidding around. We had pretty much gotten used to it, now that it was silent, it was somewhat eerie.
The sirens stopped out the front of the building, which was now slightly on fire. I heard an engine start revving up and then the spray of water. One minute later a fully armed police man came through the building. His vest said SWAT, a very similar name to the Special Assault Team or SAT in the Japanese police force. If that wasn't a dead give-away the fully automatic machine gun he was wielding also helped.
"Ambassador Busujima we are here for you and the others, please follow me through the house and into the second car. Everyone else get into the bus" the police officer ordered, before moving off through the building.
The building was soaked, and when I got out the front I could see that the fire was more severe than what I first thought. Luckily they had one of those riot control tanks that shoots high pressure water. That might be how they got here if the roads were crowded. New York is a very dense city.
I continued to follow the officer to the second car in the convoy. It was behind the riot APC, it was entirely black with the English letters NYPD in white on its side. My car was all black as well, I don't know what model it is, but it is an all-black SUV with no markings. There was a regular bus behind it and another SUV behind the bus.
They really went all out to get us out of here, despite the ushering of the officers I refused to get into my transport until the bus had been loaded and had begun to leave. I had a sense of responsibility for them, although I shouldn't have. I think it just came around from them listening and doing what I said to do for the last fifteen minutes. It may have been a bad decision, because as I was about to step into the SUV.
Crack.
A bullet flew past my face. The first shot was what started the fire fight. Suddenly bullets rained down on the car from both ends of the street, as if the two rival gangs had decided to team up on the police trying to get, what looked like, a government official out of the area.
I was pushed into the car and the door slammed behind me. The officer that pushed me in remained outside shooting at a motel a couple of buildings down. Revving its engine the bus floored past the convoy, taking the chance to escape while the target was my car. A few pot shots at the bus showed that it had bullet proof windows. It appears it isn't a regular bus, probably for moving civilians out of areas. I wonder how often it needs to be used.
The car I was in took off after it, the officer jumping into the back of the APC and shutting the door behind him. With all the shooting occurring no one was hit, maybe the gangs just wanted us out. And we gladly took that offer and were now flying through the city, until we came to a stop. Face to face with a massive crowd. Slowly shuffling its way towards us.
~Authors note~
G'day readers,
If you have gotten this far, I'd like to thank you for sticking to it. This is the first time I've actually let anyone but family and close friends see my work, so it is a bit nerve wracking to upload it.
The idea behind this story came about when I was fishing on my mates boat, just of the coast of an island that housed a military base, and thought as it was so close to the mainland that it would be a good place to stage a fight back in a zombie apocalypse.
One thing led to another and eventually i had worked out a scenario where Australia is freed from the infection and become the hub for retaking the rest of the world.
I eventually thought of a way to integrate it with one of my more favourite manga, and anime storylines' (yes the actual plot not the 'plot' that it is so famous for) Highschool of the Dead.
Realising to myself that we will probably never see any more of the manga and subsequently the anime, i decided to write this story.
So I hope you will stick with me as I write this. I can't promise to upload regularly as I am a university student and also work so I'm fairly busy. However if this story gets even a single review it will encourage me quite a bit to stick with it.
Anyway that's it from me, so please leave a review if you want, that way I will know if it is worth continuing and I will try to take any tips that people give to me.
~Daff out~