IN THE END
CHAPTER 1: No Rest For The Weary
Shintoko Third Elementary School
At long last, the crew had finally managed to get a grasp of safety within the confines of the school. A breather chapter was most welcome and for the first, in what seemed like a long time, genuine smiles were plastered on their faces.
Except for Takashi's.
He couldn't find the time to smile even if they were in their safe haven along with his friend and loved ones. Ever since they entered the school, the strange feeling of death followed him around. There was something completely wrong with being happy in a situation like that. His gut signaled him that it wasn't the end of their hardships, yet another part of him told him to stay put and let the crew enjoy for a while.
Oh he would relax, if he only knew where his mother was.
It still very much bothered him that his mom was nowhere to be seen. He knew she was inside the school, maybe helping with the packing of the supplies or attending to someone in need of first-aid, but again, his gut told him otherwise.
The motley crew of zombie slayers was situated in the principal's office, where he was kind enough to lend to them, seeing that he too was busy preparing for the evacuation. They were living the life (no pun intended), even for just a moment, and savored the full "refugee starter kit" and sat back, not bothered with any duty, just yet.
A restless Takashi circled around the room, while the others took their time to regain their strength. His fidgety behavior hadn't gone unnoticed as the swordswoman's eyes followed him around the room with a curious and worried gaze hidden in her calm façade.
Soon, even Rei noticed. But not with the caring eye that Saeko held. Hers was more of a slight annoyance mixed-in with concern, probably due to the slight motion sickness of his figure doing an almost uncountable set of loops around the room. It was a domino effect from there as they all shifted their weary gazes to the troubled man. As if on cue, a dumbfounded Takashi met their stares and comically shrunk down.
Regaining his composure, standing brave and tall, he cleared his throat with bravado and opened his mouth.
"You guys stay here and rest. I'm going to go look for my mom."
His mind was already set on that. The moment they walked in the school, he didn't even hear a mention of his mother's name. At least Rei was reunited with her parents. Hooray for her. She's got nothing to worry about anymore while his filial piety was left unresolved. The young man would see that it would be accomplished.
His declaration was met with half-hesitant and bushed nods. His mouth went slightly agape at the lack of support or clear answers. Even Rei, who was moments ago hugging him tightly at the thought of reuniting with her parents, was silent. He would've sighed out in disappointment, but Saeko had to plant the idea in his head that sighing "is not admirable for young men" so he didn't. It was understandable; they all had the right to retreat into their own happy places, no need to drag them along.
But he wanted Rei to at least look like she wanted to go with him. Shrugging off the unnecessary thought, he grabbed his Benneli M4 by the foot of the couch where a sleeping Kohta and Alice lay. Sparing them one last glance, as if giving them a choice if they wanted to search with him, he opened the door and was prepared to walk out.
"I'll go with you, Takashi." A gentle voice appeared behind him.
It was the beautiful Saeko Busujima, katana in hand and armed with the gentle smile that always made its magic work on him. It was a nice change of pace; and her company was surely welcome, having to have grown closer with her and even sharing an intimate moment or two. At least she cared, unlike other people.
Rei was peeved at her actions, getting all red and flustered with indignation at seeing Takashi return her smile with an equally warm one. She started to see a pinkish aura surrounded the two like those romance manga. Her eyes twitched and she acted like a jealous girlfriend, clawing the edges of her seat tightly, almost ripping off the fabric from the seat covers.
The antennae girl was about to protest until…
"Thanks, Saeko. Let's go."
Boom. That was another thing that vexed her to near-death: the first name basis between the two. How close were they? What happened between the two? Were they intimate? Her honey brown eyes widened at the speculation and filled her up with raged fueled jealousy. Use honorifics, damnit! As if the zombie apocalypse wasn't enough, some girl was starting to get cozy in who she perceived as her man.
But then again, Takashi, hadn't given her a reply to her proposal back at the Takagi Estate.
"I'll contact you guys on the radio if anything happens."
"Don't take too long." Saya said while adjusting her glasses by the bridge "We still need to talk about contingency plans."
"Okay. But, Saya" he held up his palm "We're safe for now, you can relax for a while. That goes to every one of you. That's an order."
The pink-haired girl simply nodded and continued to stare out of the window.
Before exiting the room he glanced back at Rei plainly and motioned towards Saeko to follow him. That plain stare meant a lot more to her than she let on. She felt a slight sting of regret seeing Saeko accompany him.
Kiriko, though, observed his calm and commanding presence, taking note of how easily he managed to grab a handle on the moment.
"My-he has really grown into a fine young lad."
"He sure did."
"Tell me… Who's that girl that accompanied him?"
"Oh…" she tightly clenched her fists, causing the knuckles to crunch "Her."
\\\
As you would expect from a school-turned-evacuation center, the hallways were chaotically busy with both the police and the staff carrying around with boxes of supplies and weapons. It was like they've just gone back to the land of the living. Even though five days just passed since the initial outbreak, the time they spent in the blood-drenched streets of Tokonosu felt like a lifetime.
The sight of healthy, normal looking human faces was just a sight that was missed thoroughly.
Speaking of healthy human beings, Takashi cast a small sideways glance at the beautiful woman beside him as they walked together down the lively hall. Whereas Saeko, looked around the area attentively for his mother based on the description he gave, Takashi focused solely on her for the entire time they walked. He had been thinking a lot about how she was willing to risk her life for something that she didn't have any stake in.
In many ways, Saeko was a woman born in the wrong century. A person of her caliber would've certainly fit in the feudal era of Japan, with her unmatched skills and domestic qualities that befit of the pure Japanese maiden. She was strong, caring, elegant, loyal, polite, beautiful and all of the other synonyms that was associated with yamato nadeshiko.
It was endearing, to say the least. Her bushido code was really a charming and noble thing. Somehow, she still managed to hold on to that even when they had abandoned everything else, even their old lives, after the world fell apart. That in itself fueled his strong admiration and affection towards the swordswoman.
Takashi found himself comparing her very often to Rei.
Shoving away the rose-tinted glasses, her sadist side was really something else. Behind that elegant smile of hers, was a bloodlust that could make a vampire blush. Yet he still found it even less unsettling than he initially thought; probably due to the fact that he too was coasting on moral horizon, something that they both can relate to.
He decided to nevertheless accept her for who she was in the face of death. At first he admitted that he did it to survive, he only regretted using her like that. It was a dick move on his part, one that he thoroughly admitted. He took in a mental note not to reveal that to Saeko in fear of losing their relationship, if there ever was one, and would just make it up to her.
"Takashi?"
The soft voice wrenched him away from his thoughts and he realized that he was already a few steps behind her.
"Are you okay?" she asked. He swore that he saw a cute pout on her lips. Another thing that fascinated was her mysterious personality. Saeko wasn't showy with her emotions and it boggled his mind on what she thought of him when they were together. His mind lingered on and on and on…
"Takashi!"
He saw a pair of blue eyes.
They were in front of him.
And they were very close.
In the time he spent thinking, Saeko sneaked up on him and nearly closed the distance between them. He thought about how tall and statuesque she was. He… Stop! Stop! Stop! Takashi shook his head and cleared it out. His mind was wandering again.
A gloved hand found its way to the crook of his neck while the thumb brushed his cheek gently "Are you okay?" worry was clear in her voice and the faintest of blushes crawled up her cheeks.
He looked at her, touched by the familiarity and sincerity of the gesture. At first, his mouth hung open slightly, but then it curved into a warm, reassuring smile.
"Yeah." He said, almost like a whisper. Takashi looked at her directly, without blinking and raised his hand up to place over the one that's been caressing his face.
"We'll find her, okay?" she moved the hand down to his shoulder and squeezed firmly.
He nodded in approval "Let's go." And so they continued walking, intent on finding his mother.
Saeko noticed the smile forming on his lips "What are you smiling on about?
"I was just wondering how I'd introduce you to her."
That came out of nowhere. Introduce her how? Saeko felt a sudden urge to panic whether or not out of joy or nervousness. He wanted to introduce her. Woooooh~
The way he said it made her felt she like was meeting the in-laws for the first time. Not that they were dating or…or married! She tried to hide the red tint on her by looking away and kept her gaze fixed downwards. It was too fast, she thought. Saeko tried her best to keep calm and collected, but she was awkwardly giggling inside.
"You can introduce me any way you want." She blurted out rather meekly "I'm rather quite excited." Which was a very obvious thing on her part.
Seeing her enthusiasm, he couldn't help but smile even more "I'm glad that you'd liked to meet her."
She moved in closer to his side and leaned on him, snaking her arm around his. The contact sent pleasant shivers coursing through him. She looked up, her blue eyes glistening with rapt affection. "I'd love to."
He blushed a deep shade of crimson. They indeed looked like a couple and it only dawned on him just then.
Saeko wanted to get even.
"Listen, if we find your mother and you're going to introduce me to her. I'm going to have to introduce you to my father if ever we get the chance to see him." she stuck her tongue out playfully. "Alone time" with Takashi was the only time she allowed herself to get flustered and act like a normal girl. So might as well, savor it.
"F-father?" the feeling of dread was a thing that was unfamiliar with him, but to meet her father, the great "Busujima-dono", who was the mentor of the deadly woman who was currently clinging to him and Souichiro Takagi! He started forming images in his mind, picturing the guy as a ripped hardcore, strict, gruff, crotchety old man.
He was up to the challenge "Deal."
It didn't bother them that they unintentionally acted like they were a couple, in fact they liked it. They were comfortable that way.
"I hope he approves of me." Takashi followed it up with a grin.
She squeezed his arm tighter, inadvertently pressing her breast against him. "Don't worry. I know he will."
\\\
"Alright! Everybody load up those supply boxes. When the JSDF arrive I don't want any trouble!"
Tadashi Miyamoto was at the school's open field, leading the other refugees until rescue arrived. Though his wife and daughter protested and that he should at least stay with them for a while, he could not let go of the responsibility of a public servant. A man's gotta do what a man's gotta do. He tapped on his comm that was attached to his ear.
"Toshiro, how does it look from up there?"
On the school's rooftop, a bespectacled, raven haired man, in a SWAT gear, looked through the scope of his sniper rifle. They were all boxed inside the school, all of the exits were piling up with them Them.
"Not good, Miyamoto-san; they're swarming the school at every corner."
"Keep me posted." He turned off the comm and then turned it on again, seemingly forgetting something "Oh and might as well get Fuji over there, we might have to set up landing zones on the roof."
"On it, boss."
With the trademark static, the sniper disconnected. He tapped the comm again for yet another update.
"Shimizu, any word on the med-supply team volunteers?"
"None yet, sir. There is still no contact with them."
"Goddamnit. Alright, if they're not back here in thirty minutes-"
"Miyamoto-san!" a petite bespectacled woman called out to him as she clumsily ran, looking like a little girl in the process.
"Miss Kondo, what is it?" he noticed the heaving woman in a short supply of breath "It's okay; take your time."
"The JSDF will be here in 30 minutes."
\\\
The one thing that was a necessity in surviving in the new world was silence. The one thing that pissed off Saya Takagi, was the lack of it.
Muffled shouts and other loud noises assaulted the room. The crew let it slide for a while. Until the arguing got louder and louder. Takagi was at her wit's end and so were Kiriko and Rei. It didn't matter to the nurse, the kid and the gun-nut though, since they were all napping peacefully.
"What the hell is going on back there?!" Takagi bolted up from her chair and slammed her fist on the wall and left a small crater on it. The sound reverberated around the room and it caused poor Hirano to jump, broken from his slumber; he swore that he could see smoke coming off of Takagi's fist.
"S-Saya…"
The noise dissipated for a second, before the clamoring maxed out.
"Damn it!" an angry Saya walked towards the door, intending to unleash the "Takagi Fury" on the noisy refugees.
"Saya!" A strong hand grabbed her arm. It was none other than Hirano. The look on his face screamed a seriousness that she found attractive. It was enough to stop to her in her tracks. "Let them be. There's no use if you go over there."
Takagi eased down a bit and sighed in defeat.
"Conflict is the last thing we want right now." Hirano loosened his grip on her arm "Also, our leader told us specifically to relax."
"Saya-chaaaan listen to Kohta-chan." The little munchkin requested in a stupor like tone, fresh from her nap while sleepily rubbing her eye.
With the little girl coming into the fray, she didn't resist any further and just slumped on the wall, adjusting her glasses and looking down on the ground.
"Sorry. It's just that I… can't find the will to relax at a time like this." Her head felt heavy and her shoulders carried an unnatural weight to them "Everything is just… going too smoothly. Like it's too good to be true."
She was right. Deep down they all knew that something was going to happen eventually. It overridden their sense of peace no matter how hard they tried. Whether it was PTSD or just plain paranoia, the strange feeling of death that Takashi felt earlier, was starting to follow them too.
"It's alright. All we can do now is hope for the best. If something happens, we'll find a way out of it. We always do." Kohta flashed her a smirk and gave her the thumbs up. "We have to try and stay positive now. Can't let any bad vibes get attracted now."
"I find your optimism disturbing." Saya replied in half-hearted tone coupled with a blush.
"I told you he was bitten!"
That single sentence was all it took to put them on alert. The crew tensed up as they shouts started to turn into panicked screams.
"Stay away from me!"
They looked at each other, with faces the screamed 'oh shit.' They the mother-daughter duo slowly stood up and grabbed their weapons. Shizuka just awoken, only to hear the screams and chaos happening in the other room.
"S-stop! Don't!"
They were right. They were fucking right, again; as if they were never allowed to have a semblance of normalcy.
Takagi was already on the edge and felt a familiar tingle of excitement and dread "Kohta, better get on the radio."
Soon, not only could they hear panic on the other side of the room, but also outside of the door.
They could handle it. But without the Takashi and Saeko around, shit just got real.
\\\
A right hook landed on one of the teacher's face.
"What the fuck do you mean that she's still out there?!"
An aggravated Takashi walked sinisterly towards the downed man with Saeko barely able to hold him back.
"Takashi, stop!"
"Let go of me!" he violently shook her off and grabbed the man by the collar and held him up.
Once they reached the main field where most of the faculty and staff along the police were, they asked around, only to find out that his mother was part of the team that went outside the school to grab supplies.
To say that Komuro was mad would be an understatement.
All the shit they went through to find their parents. All the sacrifices they made and all the worry they experienced was all for naught. His mother was still out there and he couldn't do a damn thing about it.
It was the first time that Saeko ever witnessed him tiptoeing on the line between sane and psychotic. It was like there was a dark aura that suddenly enveloped them, filled with a killing intent.
"Komuro-kun! Please, Stop!" the teacher pleaded. "We didn't-"
"You sent her out there! You fucking sent her out there!" he angrily shouted through gritted teeth while tears of rage burst out of his eyes.
BANG!
A single gunshot was fired up into the air.
"She volunteered, Takashi Komuro." Tadashi revealed as he walked towards the young man.
"…What?"
"We lost contact with them an hour ago."
His eyes widened and he let go of the teacher, dropping him on the floor. The teacher scurried away in fear. The realization that he almost beat someone to death using his fists was even more unsettling, yes he was starting to grow accustomed to all the death surrounding him, but he did it because he had to. He almost succumbed to his animalistic urges in a place where it was not allowed.
SMACK!
A fist connected to his face and he flew backwards.
"Takashi!" Saeko screamed out as she ran to his aid, kneeling beside him and holding him up.
"Komuro, I have no ill-will towards you…" Tadashi turned around and walked away "But if you start a ruckus again in this compound, I will not hesitate to throw you out."
The rain started to grow stronger. Takashi allowed the water clean out the blood dripping down the side of his lips. He stood up without saying a word, much to Saeko's worry.
"Takashi?"
He walked, not even sparing her a glance "I'm gonna go after her."
"What?" and then she saw him headed towards the front gate teeming with Them.
He wasn't lying; Saeko knew as much and ran after Takashi, grabbing hold of him by the shoulders. "What the hell are you doing?!"
"She's still out there. I gotta go find her." His voice shockingly calm, but it contrasted to his strength that even Saeko had a hard time stopping. "Please let me go."
"Takashi stop this now! We don't even know if she's still alive damn it!" she had enough and wrapped the broken man in an embrace. It stopped him effectively and he seemed to calm down.
He hung his head low in defeat and pried himself away from her grasp. It hurt her to see him like that. The only thing she wanted to do was to comfort him and be by his side. But it wasn't the time to get all sentimental; she had to be strong in his place.
"Are you trying to get yourself killed, idiot? Look! They are swarming all over the place and you want to go out there and risk everything we fought for?"
"As far as I know, the reason why we're all here was to find my mom." His tone was cold and sarcastic.
Saeko didn't want to play the antagonist. It hurt her to see him like that. The only thing she wanted to do was to comfort him and be by his side. But he was being too reckless for his own good.
She angrily grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and pulled him close "Haven't you learned anything? Risks like these are not something that a leader would do without proper planning."
To him though, he started to lose a little bit of respect for the swordswoman "But she's my mother!"
"Well, yeah! She is! But I doubt that she'd want her only son to look for her and die instead of living on with his life!"
He didn't know what to say. The young man broke down then and there. But no matter how hard he tried, tears didn't come out. It felt as if the world conspired to not let him get what he wanted. It was unfair and it was fucked-up.
Saeko released him after seeing his broken visage "Takashi, I made a promise that I'll live for your sake and that I'll protect you. That means protecting you, even from yourself."
Her warm reassurance was cut-off by the loud noise of helicopter blades chopping through the air. It was too late for him now. He'd never get to see her again.
He looked up, sporting a very bitter and defeated smile. "They're here." The way he stared at the sky, was like he was begging for forgiveness from the heavens. He let the rain substitute his tears and they slid down his face as if they were the real thing. "Let's go, Saeko."
"Takashi!"
Rei's panicked voice through the radio drowned out any noise. It knocked him back to reality and he quickly reached for the walkie-talkie in his pant pocket.
"Rei, what's going on?"
Static…
And then he heard a gunshot. His eyes widened, starting to develop a clear picture on what's happening.
"Rei! Fuck! Talk to me!" he gripped the radio tighter.
"Takashi! They're in here!"
"Shit… Listen, Rei, get to the rooftop. The rescue's already here. Get moving now!"
"What the hell are you talking about? we're not leaving you- Takagi get down!" she was cut off with loud gunshots. "Komuro! Senpai! Get back here now! There's too many of them!"
"Hirano? Hirano! Get to the fucking rooftop NOW! That's an order!"
~Ain't No Rest For The Wicked- Cage The Elephant~
The signal got cut up abruptly. His arm dropped limply while it still held the radio and stifled a sigh.
I was walking down the street,
When out the corner of my eye
I saw a pretty little thing approaching me.
She said "I've never seen a man
Who looks so all alone,
Could you use a little company?
He looked around- everything started to turn into slow motion; the rain pelting against his skin, the helicopters arriving in droves, the dead bastards clawing at the gate, the police officers scrambling to get the supplies.
"This is great." He continued to survey the area, a manic grin forming on his lips. "This is fucking great." Sounding strangely earnest and trying his damndest hard to convince himself that he could live with it. Saeko looked at him, worried that his sanity was starting to slip.
If you can pay the right price
Your evening will be nice,
And you can go and send me on my way."
I said "You're such a sweet young thing
Why you do this to yourself?"
She looked at me and this is what she said:
Truly, there was no rest for the weary. The calm and controlled atmosphere of the evacuation shifted into a panic as the officers started to find out what was happening inside the school. He started chuckling, much to Saeko's fear of confirmation. "This just keeps getting better by the minute." They were close, very close. Yet somehow, it was turning into a modern day odyssey, with a higher force stopping them from reaching safety whatever it takes.
"Oh, there ain't no rest for the wicked,
Money don't grow on trees.
I got bills to pay,
I got mouths to feed,
There ain't nothing in this world for free.
I know I can't slow down,
I can't hold back,
Though you know, I wish I could.
No there ain't no rest for the wicked,
Until we close our eyes for good".
His smile started to slowly morph into a grimace, and then into a scowl bursting with pent up rage.
"FUCK!"
He screamed at the heavens with indignation. It was all too much for the man to take in one day. Takashi racked the bolt of his auto-shotgun and looked over to Saeko with a grim expression.
"Let's go!"
To be continued…
A/N: So this was supposed to be a re-write of my story "SAFE ZONE" and this was originally how I envisioned it. I am really sorry for my indecisive nature. I will incorporate all the content from the chapters of the previous story, albeit re-written and submit them when the timelines of story are right.
thank you for giving this a chance and reviews are pretty much welcome! let me know what you think :))