Blood Sun Rising, a highschool of the dead fanfic

Bloob Sun Rising consolidates all of the HOTD Darkpenn stories. The first collection, The Chronicle of Takashi Komuro, begins where the television series ends and concludes with the Battle of Sheroda. The stories of the second collection, To The Death, My Love, interleave in the Chronicle at various points. The third series, The Travels and Travails of Alice Maresato, follows the To The Death collection. The fourth series, After Sheroda: Building Anew, deals with the Period of Recovery. The fifth series, New World, deals with the adventures of the sons and daughters of the original seven HITD characters as they explore outside Japan.

The Chronicle of Takashi Komuro

Dead and the City

Tired of running from the undead, the group decides to hit back. But when zombies are concerned, the best-laid plans …

Z+8

" … pain in the ass!" said Takashi, hefting the shotgun onto his shoulder. He looked around. Rei, next to him, was … smiling. She lifted her Super Match as well.

"Lock and load," said Hirano, climbing onto the Humvee roof and taking up his usual firing position. "Pain in the ass … my ass! Alice, keep the clips coming, please, in case there's another wave of them."

"Will do!" said Alice, diving towards the ammunition bag in the back of the Humvee.

"Lock and load."

"Humph," said Saya. "There's only a dozen or so." She pulled the Luger her mother had given her out of its holster and climbed up onto the Humvee roof. "Hirano, take the three on the right, and the two in those trees. Takashi, the three on the left, and watch out for that big one. Rei, covering fire and our rear. Miss Marikawa, keep the engine running. Saeko – "

Saeko was already moving towards the group in the centre, drawing her sword. She took out one of the zombies on the run, slicing it at the neck, and smashed another with a looping kick. It fell to the ground but reached out and grabbed her ankle. She cut its arm off in a single stroke. She turned to face another, but then its head exploded: from Rei.

"Probably not necessary, I know," shouted Rei to her, "but better to be safe than bit."

Takashi's shotgun blasted three times, and Hirano's automatic rifle took out the ones on his side. Saeko continued to slash and stab.

Then suddenly all was quiet. Saeko shook the dismembered arm from her ankle. Then she calmly checked the other zombies lying on the ground, decapitating several with her sword. Just to be sure.

"Easy peasy Japanesey," said Saya.

Hirano glanced up. Then he froze, realising that he was looking straight up Saya's skirt. The man who had just shot five zombies went red with embarrassment. "Uh, Takagi … " he said.

"Don't call me that!" said Saya, looking down at him. "And why have you turned that colour? Oh, I see."

"So … so do I," stammered Hirano. His glasses turned opaque.

Saya giggled, and then put on her stern face. "Humph," she said again, and then jumped down. "We should keep going, the noise will attract others."

There was already movement at the end of the street. The group got into the Humvee and Miss Marikawa turned the vehicle away from the advancing zombies. They drove on.

"Where am I going?" said Miss Marikawa.

"We should get out of the EMP area as fast as possible," said Saya.

"First, we need bullets, food, water, and petrol," said Hirano.

"There might still be other survivors," said Rei. "Our priority should be to try and contact them."

"I don't like the sound of the engine," said Miss Marikawa. "The mechanic at Saya's house said he didn't have time to completely repair it."

"Do you know how to fix it if it breaks down?" said Rei.

"Of course not," said Miss Marikawa. "I never even opened the hood on my little Mazda."

"Saya, could you?" said Rei.

"Why on earth should I be able to fix it?" said Saya.

"Because you're a genius," said Rei.

"Not at fixing engines," snapped Saya. "My family has mechanics and drivers for that. Had."

"Any chance of finding another vehicle?" said Hirano.

"Not in the EMP area," said Saya. "They'll all be fried."

"Still don't know where I'm going," said Miss Marikawa.

"There is another matter," said Saeko softly. "We need a leader. One of us has to make decisions and the rest agree to follow."

Everyone looked at her. They knew she was right. They all knew that they had no plan and no direction. They were simply driving along in a vehicle that would soon break down, trying to stay alive. Sure, they could beat a dozen or so zombies, but there were many more of them in the city, and they were all hungry.

"I vote Takashi!" squealed Alice.

"I agree," said Saeko.

"Me?" said Takashi. "Why me!? I can't do anything like that! I don't know how to be a leader! I wasn't even class captain in school!"

"Which now counts for absolutely nothing," said Saya.

"What about Saeko?" said Takashi. "She's the best fighter."

"No," said Saeko. "The sharpest blade does not always make the wisest general."

"Then Saya!" said Takashi. "She's the smartest, and she really took control back there."

"Yes, I am the smartest," said Saya. "But the only time I tried to lead anything … well, it didn't work out. And that was just a volleyball team. People just don't like to follow me, I guess. I vote for you, Takashi."

"Takashi it is," said Hirano.

"Then where to?" said Miss Marikawa.

Takashi suddenly felt overwhelmed. "Um … er, all your ideas are good – " he stammered.

"What's that up ahead?" said Miss Marikawa, pointing to a plume of smoke rising up in front of them. As they crested a hill, they saw it: two buses blocked most of the street. One was burned out but still smoking. The other seemed to be moving slowly. With a shock, the group realised that it was being pushed by a gang on zombies. In a few moments, they would have it in a position that would completely block the road.

"Can they do that?" said Saya in surprise. "They're brain-dead … aren't they?"

"Apparently not," said Saeko.

"Miss Marikawa, stop and turn around," said Takashi. "We'll find another way past."

Miss Marikawa put her foot on the brake. Nothing happened. She tried the handbrake. Nothing. The engine began to groan, and then scream. "Uh-oh," she said.

There was still a space between the two buses. Zombies were climbing onto the roofs.

"Go for the gap!" said Takashi. "Saeko, get on top and take any of them that try and jump on! Hirano, stop any that try and grab us as we pass! Everyone else, strap in if you can! Rei, hold on to Alice!"

"Not much room," said Miss Marikawa.

"Not much choice," said Takashi.

Miss Marikawa put her foot down. Smoke started to come from under the hood. Now they were plummeting down the hill, Miss Marikawa struggling to keep control.

Fifty metres.

Twenty.

Ten.

"Fuck!" shouted Miss Marikawa.

They smashed through, pushing the buses aside. The Humvee swayed on its wheels, tottering, almost out of control. Miss Marikawa fought the wheel. There was a thump on the roof, and then another. One zombie vanished under the vehicle, but a second managed to climb onto the hood. It punched through the windscreen and reached for Miss Marikawa, grabbing one of her breasts. She screamed.

Hirano rushed forward and rammed the barrel of his gun into the zombie's head, and fired. There was an explosion of black blood over the remainder of the windscreen. At the same time, a headless zombie fell off the roof, and then another one: Saeko's work.

The Humvee careened along the road, swerving from side to side as Miss Marikawa tried to see where she was going. The smoking engine finally burst into flames, and their speed dropped. The vehicle glanced off a streetlight pole, and then ran headfirst into another, coming to a grinding halt. Takashi saw, for a moment, Saeko flying through the air as she was flung from the Humvee roof.

"Everyone still alive?" called Takashi. There was a series of groans, but everyone was, indeed, still alive. They managed to clamber out, Hirano lifting Alice to the ground. She was still carrying her smiley-face backpack and she held Zeke inside her jacket.

"Sorry about that," said Miss Marikawa, looking at the wreck of the Humvee.

"No need to apologise," said Rei. "It was great driving, under the circumstances."

"Company on the way," said Hirano, pointing at the gang of zombies moving towards them. He hefted his guns and his bag of ammunition.

Saeko limped up to them, still holding her sword. She was bleeding from a deep gash on her leg, the result of being thrown against a fire hydrant. Her kendo-based agility had saved her from anything worse but she was clearly hurt.

Petrol was leaking from the Humvee and spreading across the road. There was no time to salvage anything more from the wreck. Miss Marikawa had her medical kit, and she quickly applied an emergency bandage and tourniquet to Saeko's injury. "There," said Miss Marikawa. "That should stop the bleeding for the moment but it won't last long."

"Let's go," said Takashi. "This way."

"Just a moment," said Saeko. She hobbled over to the pool of petrol and unsheathed one of her swords. She scraped the blade over the concrete, creating a shower of sparks. The petrol burst into flame, creating a barrier between the zombies and the survivor group. Several of the zombies simply walked into it, catching fire before falling to the ground.

"Holy shit!" said Hirano. "They go up like paper!"

Takashi led them along the road, looking for a place of refuge. Miss Marikawa and Hirano helped Saeko as best they could. Night was starting to fall. In the darkness, they would be vulnerable.

Finally, Takashi stopped.

"Here," he said, looking up.

They were standing in front of a small shopping mall. The glass doors were shattered. It was dark inside.

"Alice," said Takashi. "Give me Zeke."

Rather reluctantly, Alice handed the little dog to Takashi. Takashi scratched its ears and then walked up to the doors. He put Zeke on the ground. The pup had a sniff around but didn't start barking, as it usually did when there were zombies close.

"I think we can go in," said Takashi to the others. "But be ready for trouble, just in case Zeke didn't get the idea."

They moved slowly. The place was a mess but seemed to be empty. There was a central area in the mall, with heavy security doors on both sides and a staircase with a sturdy door that could be locked. There was some light from the atrium ceiling. It was as safe as anywhere.

The pressure off, they sagged down onto the seats in the court.

After a while, Alice got up and looked at the map of the mall. She squealed with delight. "There's a bookstore, Uncle Kohta!" she said. "Will you please buy me a Spongebob Squarepants book?"

"Uh, yeah, sure," said Hirano, looking at the map. "There's a sporting equipment store here. They might have shells. I could use some more."

"Get on it," said Takashi. "See what sort of maps you can find as well, we might have to walk for a while. And, uh, take Alice to the bookstore, okay?"

"We'll need lights," said Rei.

"I have some candles in my pack," said Alice. "And some matches too."

Miss Marikawa put up her hand. "I need to clean and stitch Saeko's leg. If there's a pharmacy around here, I should get some anti-biotics for her," she said.

"Do that, and I'll stay here with Saeko, keep an eye out for trouble," he said. He handed Miss Marikawa his revolver. She took it, although she seemed unclear about what to do with it. "Rei and Saya, see if you can find some sort of market, collect as much food and water as you can. Everyone, back here in fifteen minutes."

As everyone went off to their tasks, Takashi sat down beside Saeko. He heaved a sigh of near-exhaustion.

"Not bad for someone who said they didn't know how to be a leader," said Saeko.

"I … really, I don't … I'm not sure why they would pick me. I don't have any sense of responsibility. I've always dealt with problems by running away from them. On my own."

Saeko smiled. "You know the good thing about Armageddon?" she said. "It means a chance to start again."

Takashi shrugged. "We can't stay here for long," he said. "And on foot … well, there's an awful lot of them. And it will be a while before you're able to walk properly. And I'm worried about the way those zombies used that bus as a roadblock. Maybe they're getting smarter. One way or another, eventually we'll need to find somewhere safe. And we need to find a way to get there."

"You think that might help?" said Saeko. She pointed to a sign. It said: MALL SHUTTLE BUS, LEAVES EVERY HOUR. BASEMENT CAR PARK.

Their meal was noodles and canned food cooked over a camp stove and lit by candles.

"There's something that we might be able to use," said Takashi. "A mini-bus in the basement, the type that's built to carry about twenty people. I guess the mall operators used it to collect customers from the local area, that sort of thing. I've tried to start it but it doesn't work. The electrical circuits are fried. Hirano, Saya, if you fiddle around with it do you think you could get it working, maybe replace the broken parts?"

Hirano and Saya looked at each other and then at Takashi. "I doubt it," said Hirano.

"No," said Saya.

"Get a book," put in Alice.

"What?" said Saya.

"A book," repeated Alice. "I went to the bookstore and they have plenty of books there. On cars. There was a big poster about a book on repairing cars."

"Worth a try," said Hirano.

They took turns keeping watch through the night. They had sleeping bags, and were gathered in the forecourt, around a single candle.

Hirano and Saya had finished their watch, to be replaced by Rei and Takashi. Hirano settled into his sleeping bag and closed his eyes. He was dozing off when someone started shaking him.

It was Saya. "Hirano!" she whispered.

"Is it trouble?" he whispered back, reaching for his gun.

"No," she whispered. "Well, there's the whole end-of-the-world zombie thing, of course. But no, no trouble."

"Then what do you want?"

"Move over. I want to get in."

"Uh, why? Don't you have your own?"

In the darkness, he could feel her staring at him.

"Hirano, are you stupid?"

"You keep telling me that I am."

"Well, maybe I was … oh, just move over, can't you?"

"Why are we whispering?"

"Because I don't want the others to hear."

"Hear what? And why not?"

She made a 'grrr' sound.

He moved over. She slid in beside him. With a shock, he realised that she was fairly close to naked. Oddly, and despite the fact that it was dark, she was still wearing her glasses.

"Do you know what to do?" she whispered.

"N … no," he whispered.

"Why aren't I surprised. Fortunately, I know. You're lucky I'm a genius."

"So you keep telling me."

Rei, on watch at the security door, saw the movement in the shadows.

"Well, well," she said to herself. "How about that."

It was the next day, and no sign of zombies – yet. Saya and Hirano were in the basement garage. They had several car repair books and manuals spread out in front of them. They had found a locker of undamaged parts, and they had already managed to remove several fried components from the bus engine.

"So, let's see, this is the magneto – " said Hirano.

Suddenly, Saya leaned over and kissed him. Hirano blushed.

"Thank you," she said.

"For what?" he said.

"Moron," she said. Then she kissed him again. Their glasses clicked together.

"I think we can do it," said Hirano, wiping his oily hands on a rag. He and Saya were speaking to the group. "Another couple of hours, I think. Does that sound about right to you, Saya?"

Saya looked as if she had been dreaming. "What?" she said. "Oh, yeah, of course, whatever you say, Kohta."

They all looked at her.

"Uh-huh," said Miss Marikawa.

"Uh-huh," said Rei.

Saeko smiled her inscrutable smile.

"What?" said Takashi. "Is there something going on?"

"Uh – " said Hirano.

"No," said Saya.

Takashi looked dubious. "Anyway," he said. "We have to start thinking about the future. We can't just hide and run forever. But I don't know if we'll be able to get out of the city, there are simply too many of them. I think we have to try and even up the numbers."

"You mean, take out a lot at once?" said Rei.

"Yes," said Takashi. "It's a big risk, bringing them together, but I think it's our only chance."

He unfolded a map of the city, and proceeded to outline his plan.

They were all silent for a while, considering the odds and the options.

"I'm sick of running away from these putrid things," said Rei eventually. "Let's go for it."

"Rock and roll!" cried Hirano.

"I agree," said Saeko. "Cry havoc, and let slip the dogs of war."

Everyone crossed their fingers as Miss Marikawa turned the ignition key. The engine spluttered and stuttered but eventually rumbled into life. Hirano breathed a visible sigh of relief.

They began to load the equipment they had salvaged from the mall into the bus.

It was a large park, laid out in a spoke-and-hub pattern of paths leading to a low, classical-style fountain in the middle. They were studying it from the roof of a nearby building.

"I don't like having to look in so many directions," said Hirano. "But I guess if we want them to come from everywhere there isn't much choice."

"We'll have to hold the first waves until we get all of them into the open," said Takashi. "You, me, Saeko and Rei."

"I'm not as fast as I was, with this wound," said Saeko. "But I can do what you want."

"We'll hold," said Rei.

Miss Marikawa, Saya and Alice found that the pump at the petrol station was electrical, and was fried. But they located a manual pump, which they used to fill as many barrels as the bus could carry.

They were standing at the fountain. Takashi looked at the old-fashioned, non-electrical watch he had taken from the mall store. He turned to Hirano, Saeko and Rei.

"It's time," he said.

"Uh, you think she'll be alright?" said Hirano. "Saya, I mean. She … she is very important to me."

"You'll be back in each other's arms within the hour," said Rei.

"Wh … what!?" spluttered Hirano. "You … you know!?"

"Saya is walking around with a dazed expression, alternating with a big smile," said Rei. "So yes, we know."

"I didn't," said Takashi.

"Men never do," said Saeko.

"Well … congratulations, Hirano!" said Takashi. He pumped Hirano's hand. Rei and Saeko rolled their eyes.

"Let's not forget that we are about to be engaged in a battle that is likely to see us all dead quite soon," said Saeko. She pointed to the edge of the park, where zombies had already started to lumber towards them.

Takashi nodded. "Hit it," he said.

Sitting on the low wall of the fountain was the fire alarm they had taken from the mall, connected to a set of batteries as a power source. Rei took a deep breath, and then flipped the switch.

With an ear-splitting noise, the bell began to clang. All over the city, zombies turned towards the sound.

"There it goes," said Saya, in the bus with Alice and Miss Marikawa, in a side-street not far away. "Now, dead quiet and keep the doors closed, and if we're lucky they'll walk right past us."

"And if we're not lucky?" said Miss Marikawa.

Hirano and Rei began firing as soon as the first ranks of zombies were in range. They fell, but others replaced them. They were advancing, attracted by the noise, faster than Hirano and Rei could shoot them.

Takashi glanced at Saeko, next to him. In a minute or so, the zombies would be in range of Takashi's shotgun. Then it would be Saeko's sword.

Saeko bowed her head slightly, and her dark hair fell gently across her face.

"Saeko," said Takashi. "I think that my heart will eventually belong to Rei. But I have to say that you are truly beautiful."

She smiled. "I know," she said.

"Uh, which part?"

"I believe," said Saeko, "that it is time for us to fight."

"Oh, right, zombies, yeah," he said. He aimed his gun and began to fire.

Saeko unsheathed her sword and threw the scabbard aside. She stared at the advancing throng. Then she struck the blade into the ground. She stripped off her shirt, revealing her lace purple bra. She ripped her skirt along the seam, showing her leg to the hip.

"What's that for?" said Rei between shots.

"If I'm going to depart this life, I'm going to do it on my own terms," replied Saeko. "No holding back." Then she picked up her sword and turned towards the zombies. "Come and get it, motherfuckers," she said.

Long lines of zombies had passed the bus, heading towards the park, but now there were only a few.

Saya, Alice and Miss Marikawa let out their breath. Miss Marikawa looked at the dashboard clock. "Let's go," she said.

She started the bus and gunned the engine. A few zombies turned towards the bus. Miss Marikawa swerved and ran them over. Then they were speeding towards the park.

There was a road going around the perimeter of the park. Miss Marikawa took it, and opened the door. Saya took the lid off the first barrel and tilted it, so that petrol gushed out and onto the road. When that was empty she pushed it out and rolled up the second.

When they had gone completely around the park, leaving a trail of petrol behind them, they turned inwards, criss-crossing the paths and the grass. Whichever way they turned, there were zombies.

"So many," muttered Miss Marikawa. "Hundreds of them. Thousands."

"Did you ever hear the legend of the 300 Spartans?" said Hirano, ramming in another magazine. "They held back the entire Persian army."

"Didn't they all die?" said Rei.

"Yes, but as last stands go it was a classic," said Hirano.

The lead zombies were now only ten metres away, and there were many, many more behind them. The alarm had fallen silent but now the zombies were close enough to sense their prey.

As he re-loaded, Takashi could not resist a glance at Saeko. Even injured, she was cutting a bloody swathe through the ranks, a near-naked angel of deadly grace.

"That's it," said Hirano. "Out of bullets." He picked up the baseball bat he had taken from the mall sports store.

"Me too," said Rei. She checked the bayonet on her rifle.

"And these are my last," said Takashi. He fired his final shots, and then turned the gun to use it as a club. "So now it's hand-to-hand."

"Bring it," said Rei.

"That's all of it!" said Saya, as the last barrel, empty, tumbled out of the bus. Miss Marikawa brought the bus to a stop, a little way from the petrol-soaked road. She and Saya jumped out. Several zombies started to come towards them. Saya drew her Luger.

"Throw the flare!" she said to Miss Marikawa.

Miss Marikawa had two signal flares from the sporting goods store. She broke the top from one; it began to spark, and then developed a red flame. She threw it, and it landed on the road. But the flame did not ignite the petrol.

The zombies were close now. Saya knew that she was not a good shot, but she held the gun with both hands and aimed carefully. One went down, and then another, and then another.

Miss Marikawa broke the other flare, which burned blue. "This one has got to work," she muttered. "Please please please!" She threw it, and it landed on the petrol-soaked grass. It spluttered, flamed, burned … and then went out.

Saya fired and fired. Miss Marikawa drew the revolver from her pocket and shot a zombie that was only a metre away. They could see their friends in the centre of the park, fighting for their lives.

"We have to do … something!" said Saya.

"I have matches," said Alice, from the step of the bus. "Here, in my pack. For the candles."

"Matches!" cried Saya. "Alice, you have to get to the petrol, just over there, and light it."

"I'm not supposed to play with fire," said Alice. "Daddy told me."

"Just do it!" shouted Saya, as she brought down another zombie.

Alice started to cry.

"Saya, you're not helping!" said Miss Marikawa. She shot another zombie at point-blank range. "Alice, I'm sure your daddy wouldn't mind this time. You must be a brave girl. And it would really help your Uncle Kohta and Rei and the others."

Alice wiped her tears away. "Alright," she said.

Saya pushed another clip into the pistol. "This is my last one," she said. "After that … "

Alice ran to the stain of petrol and, kneeling, pulled off her backpack. She found the matches. She tried to strike one, but it broke. So did the second. The third …

Saeko, Takashi, Rei and Hirano were fighting back-to-back now, surrounded. Even Saeko was near exhaustion, her injured leg draining energy from her.

"I'm sorry I got you into this," said Takashi. "Guess we should have simply run, after all."

"No," said Saeko.

"Wouldn't have it any other way," said Hirano.

"And if we have to go down, I'm glad that we go down fighting, Takashi," said Rei.

Then, over the moaning of the undead, came another sound: a dull roar, growing louder, like an approaching storm.

A sheet of blue flame came sweeping across the park, consuming zombies as it went.

And now it was going to consume them, as well.

"The fountain!" shouted Takashi. "Get under the water and stay there for as long as you can!"

They ran for the fountain and dived.

The water was only a metre deep but it offered some protection. Looking up at the surface, Takashi saw it turn red, then black, and then slowly return to the colour of the sky. When he could hold his breath no longer, he surfaced. The others came up at the same time.

The fire had passed, leaving just traces of smoke. There were no zombies to be seen, just charred bodies and piles of ash. The four of them, with Saeko still holding her sword, climbed out of the fountain.

The bus came bumping across the blackened grass towards them, stopping a few meters away. Saya jumped out and ran to Hirano. She leaped into his arms and kissed him passionately. "Kohta!" she gasped. "I was so frightened! I thought I was going to lose you, after just finding you!"

Then she realised that everyone was watching. She turned crimson.

"It's alright," said Hirano. "They know."

"Oh," said Saya. "Well, in that case – " She kissed him again, even more passionately.

"Nick of time," said Takashi to Miss Marikawa.

"It was Alice who saved the day," said Miss Marikawa.

"Yes, it was me," said Alice, beaming.

"Outstanding work, Alice," said Saeko. "You are a true hero."

"So what's next?" said Rei to Takashi, as they drove slowly through the empty streets.

"Next?" said Takashi. "I suppose that next we find a place to build a home. Try and find out what's left of the world, and see what we can make of it. We'll just have to do our best. Stay together, care for each other."

"That," said Saeko, "sounds like a future worth living for."

END

Dead and the Better Zombie

The undead are becoming more dangerous, which means very bad news for Takashi and his friends.

Z+13

Saeko and Saya had filled their packs with bottled water, canned goods and gas cylinders – enough supplies for a few days, at least – and were starting on their way back to the hotel that the group had moved into. They all knew that it was not going to be their permanent home but for the moment it offered a place to rest and the chance to re-group, re-supply, and consider their options.

It was several days since the battle at the park, where they had destroyed thousands of the undead. But they were not taking any chances. There might be some zombies that had escaped the carnage, or perhaps some had wandered over from across the river.

"I need to get something else," said Saya.

"We have everything that was on the list," replied Saeko.

"This isn't on the list," said Saya. "This is … personal. I have to go to a pharmacy. I can go by myself. I would prefer to, really."

"We should stay together," said Saeko. "What is it you need?"

"It's, uh, well … okay, it's condoms, alright? There, I've said it."

Saeko gave a little smile, which is about as much humour as she ever showed. "I did notice that you and Hirano are sharing a room," she said.

"Well, I got a few from Miss Marikawa, but now I – we – need some more."

"How many is 'a few'?"

"Ten. Quite a lot, really, for just a couple of days." Saya giggled. "It's really good," she said. "It took him a little while to get the hang of it but now … really good."

Saeko smiled again.

So they went to a pharmacy they had passed previously. Saya was loading boxes of condoms into her pack when they heard a noise – a scraping, metallic noise. And then the sound of shuffling, dragging footsteps.

Saeko touched a finger to her lips: without knowing how many zombies there were, silence was their best strategy. Without a sound, she pulled her sword, still sheathed, from her belt. Saya, equally silently, drew her Luger from her shoulder holster and eased the safety off.

There were three zombies, two women and a man. The man – or the creature that once been a man – was dragging an iron bar, which was making the noise. The three of them appeared at the end of the aisle; Saeko and Saya were at the far end, ten metres away. They held their breath.

The zombies continued to shuffle past. Then one of them stopped. She turned her head towards Saeko and Saya. She … looked at them!

Fuck! thought Saeko. They can see us!

The zombie growled. Then all three started to come down the aisle. And not just in the usual shambling zombie gait; they were almost running.

Saeko drew her sword and ran forward. She took out the first one, one of the women, in a single decapitating blow. She stabbed out at the second, her sword piercing the zombie's chest.

The zombie howled in something that might have been pain. Then she grasped the blade and pulled it, drawing Saeko closer towards her. With her other hand, she reached out.

Saeko slashed upwards. The zombie's fingers fell away, and the blade continued its course until the body fell almost in two.

One left, the man. Saeko swung her sword … and the zombie lifted the iron bar to block it.

Fuck! she thought again. They're getting fast.

There was a single shot, and the zombie fell back, a Luger bullet in its head.

Saeko looked at the body. Its eyes were still open. They were not the blind, empty eyes that she had seen before. Now, there were pupils. Cloudy, but there. She checked the other two. The same.

Saya came running up.

"Thank you," said Saeko.

"What the hell was that?" gasped Saya.

"How long has it been?" said Rei. She and Takashi were in the hotel garage, working to replace the fried parts of a motorbike. They had found a helpful book in a nearby store: Bike Repair for Dummies.

"Uh, let me think, it's, uh, thirteen days," said Takashi. "Which would make today the eighteenth of the month."

"Thirteen days," mused Rei. "Feels like much longer. The eighteenth. Do you realise that if we were still in school we would be having a geometry exam today?"

"I'm glad I missed it, I'm terrible at geometry," said Takashi. "Let's try this thing."

He turned the key, and the bike stuttered into life. He gunned the engine to full power, and then, satisfied, turned it off.

"We can use this for scouting, easier than the bus and faster than foot," he said. "We can weld a rack onto the back of the bus and carry it that way. Did you see the hole that Hirano cut into the roof, with a hatch that can be closed? There's a ladder so we can climb up, and a stand for his favourite big gun. And he put some extra bars on the front, as well. He's turning into a very useful guy."

"I sometimes think that Hirano is enjoying himself, through all this," said Rei. "Especially sharing a bed with Saya. Who would have imagined that, a fortnight ago?"

There was a knock at the security door. Two groups of three knocks: Saeko and Saya, back from their supply run. Rei unbolted the door and let them in.

"We have a problem," said Saeko.

"This links up, I think, with what we saw at the barricade," said Takashi, as the group considered Saeko's and Saya's news. They were sitting on the hotel patio balcony, on the second floor, overlooking the city. "They're … well, I suppose the word is 'evolving'."

"Getting smarter, faster, and tougher," said Saeko.

"Judging from their eyes, I would say that their vision is probably sort of fuzzy," said Saya. "But it might get better. We should assume so, since at the start of the Outbreak they seemed completely blind."

"You know, I had always hoped that their bodies would just sort of rot away," said Miss Marikawa. "They're dead, after all."

"The implication of this," said Saya, "is that we can't just wait them out. Our big advantage so far has been that they were slow and stupid. In small groups, we could out-fight them. If they keep getting stronger, pretty soon that might not be the case."

"I just want things to go back to normal!" wailed Miss Marikawa.

"This is normal now," said Rei. "There's no going back."

Miss Marikawa began to cry, in a series of heart-wrenching sobs. The others could do nothing but watch. She was, after all, crying for all of them.

Then Saeko said: "Shut up."

"Let her cry," said Takashi. "There's a lot to cry for."

"Shut up because I hear something," said Saeko.

Miss Marikawa stopped her sobbing.

"I can hear … something … too," said Hirano. "Is it … gunfire?"

It was: sporadic shooting, coming from the direction of the river. They rushed to the balcony rail. Hirano pulled a sniper-scope from his pocket. Alice ran off, and then came back with a pair of binoculars, which she handed to Takashi.

"There!" said Hirano. "On the river, at the bridge!"

"Got it," said Takashi. "A boat."

"Survivors," said Rei softly. "So we aren't the only ones."

"They're in a heap of trouble, by the look of things," said Takashi.

"Let's go," said Saeko.

The boat was a cruiser, the sort meant to take tourists on scenic trips along a river. Now it was wedged between the bank and one of the bridge's concrete support pillars, pushed there by the current. There were zombies trying to climb onto the boat from the bank, and others were coming down from the bridge. There were two people with rifles on the deck, shooting as fast as they could. But it was not going to be fast enough. And they looked like they were running out of ammunition.

Miss Marikawa drove the bus along the road that ran to the bridge, Takashi on the bike in the lead, with Saeko on the back. They were two hundred metres from the boat when the road was blocked by abandoned cars. The bike could squeeze through, but not the bus. Miss Marikawa brought the vehicle to a halt.

Takashi pulled up alongside. "Miss Marikawa, you and Alice stay with the bus," he said. "We can't afford to risk it. Keep watch along the road in case any of them try and get behind us, and start shooting if you need to."

She nodded. She held up the pump-action shotgun that Hirano had found for her.

Rei, Saya and Hirano got out.

"You'd better go, and we'll get there as fast as we can," said Rei to Takashi and Saeko. They were all armed, courtesy of an abandoned police station.

There was a grassy strip that ran alongside the river. Takashi turned onto it. As they neared the horde of zombies, Saeko drew her sword.

"Straight on, and faster," she said.

One zombie down, two, three, four, and suddenly they were in a crowd of them. The zombies realised the danger and turned. Then Saeko was off the bike and slashing her way through.

Takashi drew his Mauser automatic pistol but suddenly realised there were no targets left. "Guess her leg got better," he said to himself.

The boat was only ten metres away. Saeko dispatched the last zombie, and she and Takashi ran over.

"Good afternoon," said Takashi to the two astonished people on the deck.

"Who the fuck are you?" said one of them, a young woman.

"Not zombies, and at the moment that's all you need to know," said Takashi.

The two people cast dubious looks at each other.

"Perhaps this is not the time for formal introductions," said Saeko. She pointed to more zombies coming along the bank, and to those climbing down from the bridge. Then a shot rang out and the head of the closest zombie exploded.

"That'll be Hirano," said Takashi. He looked back, and saw Hirano and the others approaching on foot, Hirano's sniper rifle still smoking.

Rei ran up. "Good afternoon," she said to the two people on the deck. "Come with us if you want to live. You know, I've always wanted to say that."

"There's, uh, more of us," said the woman. "On the lower deck."

"How many?" said Takashi.

"Twelve, all up."

"Then it's a good thing we have a bus. Gather everyone together and let's go. Hirano, give us some covering fire."

Hirano switched his gun to automatic mode and let loose a burst at the zombies climbing from the bridge. Two were hit and fell. Amazingly, the rest retreated and took cover behind the concrete wall of the bridge.

Hirano grunted. "Never seen them do that before," he said.

The team began to help the others off the boat.

They were back at the hotel. The new arrivals were in bad shape: hungry, dehydrated and exhausted. There were three families: five adults, three older people and four children. They had been living on dry biscuits and river water for days, so they were grateful for the hot food and tea that Miss Marikawa provided. And they were grateful for the soft hotel beds and clean sheets.

The two people who had been on deck were Aki and her younger brother Tsuga. Aki was in charge of the group.

Takashi and the others were on the balcony when Aki entered. Her hair was damp and she had fresh clothes from Miss Marikawa.

"I was starting to think that I'd never be clean again," she said. "Where does the water come from?"

"There's a tank on the roof," said Takashi. "The filter isn't operating so you can't drink it, but it's good enough for a shower."

"How come everything electrical has stopped working?" she asked.

"There was an electro-magnetic pulse from a nuclear explosion," said Saya. "We don't know the back story but the bottom line is that every chip and circuit in the area got fried. We've managed to repair some vehicles but everything else – lights, phones, computers, automatic doors – is useless. Even elevators, which is why we're not on a higher floor of this place. We don't know how large the affected area is but it must be pretty big."

"Well, that explains why the boat engine stopped," said Aki. "We come from a town upriver, near the mountains, and when the Outbreak happened we got onto the boat because we thought it would be the safest place. We thought we could maybe get to the coast, find some help. We went ashore a couple of times, got some food and fuel but lost some people. Then the engine went out and after that we were just drifting. Until today. Thanks for the rescue, by the way." She looked at them. "You are a strange bunch," she said.

For the first time in a long while, Takashi looked at his group of friends. Yes, he thought, we are a strange bunch. A samurai, a gun otaku, a kid, a genius, a princess, and a bubblehead whose bra size is bigger than her IQ – but who can drive and fight like hell when she has to. And me, struggling to hold myself and everyone else together.

"We get by," he said.

"You're all so young," said Aki.

"Quite a lot older than we were two weeks ago," said Rei.

"How many zombies have you seen?" said Saya.

"For a long time, along the river, we didn't see any," said Aki. "Then, a few days ago, we started seeing more of them, and they started walking along the river bank. A couple of them jumped off a bridge onto the boat. It's almost as if … well, it's almost like they were watching us. Hunting us."

"Hmm," said Saeko.

"We think they're getting smarter," said Rei. "There are some signs that they are learning to work together."

"We've killed quite a few," said Aki. "Maybe thirty."

Hirano and Saeko glanced at each other. Hirano grinned.

"Well, how many have you killed?" said Aki to them.

"627," said Saeko.

"593," said Hirano. "Not counting the ones that were incinerated at the park, of course."

"Of course," said Saeko. "That was a group effort."

"What about the park?" said Aki.

Briefly, Takashi recounted the battle, and explained why it meant that there were only a few hundred zombies in the city, rather than thousands.

Aki looked astonished. "Wow," she said. "I had no idea that you were so … pro-active."

"Yeah, but in the end it's only a holding action," said Takashi. "We think that eventually we'll have to get out of the city. But to where, that's another question. Hard to know where would be safe. We've seen zombies push down iron gates and get through army barricades."

"And some of the human survivors we came across, well, if people are desperate enough they can be almost as bad as the zombies," said Rei. "You have to be careful who you link up with. Maybe staying in small, mobile groups is a better idea."

"There is also the question of supplies," said Hirano. "Eventually, all the bottled water and canned food and petrol will be used up. And the bullets, too. Even if we get out of the EMP area, there's no guarantee that things will be much better."

"As you see, Aki, we have talked about future options quite a lot," said Takashi. "But not yet come to a conclusion."

"And now there is the problem of better zombies," put in Saeko.

"Aki, what do you think your group will want to do?" asked Rei. "Stay with us, or continue on your boat? We might be able to fix it for you."

"I'll have to discuss it with everyone, but I think that we will probably want to continue to the coast. My people aren't really designed for combat."

Takashi looked at Hirano and Saya. Hirano sighed. "Yeah, I know," he said. "I'll find a book on boat engines."

The next day Hirano and Saya took the motorbike to the boat to check the damage: Saya driving with Hirano on the back, holding on for dear life. They were surprised to find that there were no zombies about.

"I guess when they realised there was nothing to eat they moved on," said Hirano.

"Maybe," said Saya. "But somehow I doubt it."

They inspected the boat. As far as they could tell, the only thing wrong with it was the electrical system that controlled the engine and rudder. They decided they could replace the damaged parts; it would probably not be more difficult than repairing the bus. They ensured that the boat was securely tied up so it would not be carried away by the current and started back to the hotel.

They were halfway there when they encountered four zombies. They were standing in a dark alley. Saya stopped the bike and took out her Luger. Hirano hefted his gun. There was no doubt that the zombies could see them. They waited for the attack.

But it didn't come. One of the zombies growled and hissed at them. Then all four began to shuffle further back into the shadows.

"I think … I think they're scared of us," said Hirano. "They're retreating, like the ones on the bridge."

Saya turned on the bike's light and they went down the alley – slowly. They saw the zombies shuffle through a doorway.

"Let's go after them," said Hirano, getting off the bike.

"No," said Saya. "It's a trap." She picked up a piece of brick and threw it through the doorway, along the ground. Immediately, on the other side of the entrance, a huge chunk of plaster crashed down.

"Son of a bitch!" cried Hirano. "How did you know?"

"I am, as you will recall, a genius," she said. "Come on, let's get back."

"Hmm," said Takashi, after Saya and Hirano had finished their story. "I think we should advance our plans to get out of the city. Once Aki and her people are on their way, we should leave too. How is our supply situation?"

"We have as much as we can carry," said Rei. "We'll start taking supplies to the boat tomorrow, and when that's done we'll pack the bus with our own stuff. Which way will we be going?"

"The EMP blast was north-west of here, so I believe we should go south-east," said Takashi. "That direction will take us away from the EMP area. If we can get past the border, maybe we can find a working radio and see if there are any other groups of survivors. We should aim for the Tomo area. It's fairly rural, according to the maps, so maybe there won't be too many zombies there."

"Tomo!" cried Alice. "My grandpa and grandma have a farm there! I was there for holidays last year! They grow apples and potatoes, and they have goats and a cow."

Takashi looked at her. "Do you think you could find your way there again?" he said.

"I … I suppose so," she said, a bit taken aback.

"Then that's our destination," he said. "One more thing. If someone works on the boat engine, there must be someone else standing guard. Okay?"

"After what we saw today, damn right okay," said Saya.

Saya and Hirano were lying in bed together.

"Kohta," she said. "Do you ever cry about the past?"

"No," said Hirano.

"Me neither," she said. "But I was very moved when I saw Miss Marikawa crying. Sometimes I feel guilty that I don't miss things more. Even my parents, who sacrificed themselves for me in the end. I think that if I could cry, even once, it would be better. It would mean I could let go of things. But now at least I have you."

"Well, I promised your father that I would keep you safe."

"I don't think he meant that we should start sleeping together," she said with a laugh.

"He was one of the few adults to ask me to do something serious and important," said Hirano. "All my life, everyone has seen as a fat nerd."

"Well, you are a bit on the chubby side." Then she pulled the sheet back and took a closer look. "Hmm," she said. "Kohta, have you lost weight?"

"Yes, I think I have. No candy bars or chips. And a lot more exercise. Running from zombies is good for you, apparently. So long as you don't get caught."

"And you seem to be taller. I'm not sure that's possible."

"I stand up straight now. I sort of hunched before. I suppose I had some idea of being a small target."

"Huh. And how many zombies did you say you'd killed?"

"593. Quite a lot, really."

"I didn't know you were counting."

"When you only do one thing well, you keep track."

"I can think of at least one other thing you do well. Kiss me, hero."

It took them three days to fix and prepare the boat. During that time they saw no zombies, something which Saya described as 'a bit disturbing'. They had taken supplies of food, water, fuel and weapons salvaged from around the city to the boat, and re-stocking was almost complete. After some decent food and rest, the refugees were in much better shape as well.

"You know," said Hirano to Takashi, as they put the housing back onto the repaired engine, "after we finish here, I would like to do a personal errand. It's Saya's birthday tomorrow, and I would like to get her something. But I don't know what. Maybe you can suggest something, since you know more about women then I do."

"No man knows anything at all about women," said Takashi, as the two of them jumped onto the bank. "I have no idea what Saya would like. She might not even know it's her birthday. We've all had a lot on our minds, obviously."

"Oh, she knows. She mentioned it. In a roundabout way. That's how I know."

"Uh-huh. In that case, you have to get her something."

"I was thinking of a gun."

"Er, no. Not a gun. I think she would want something romantic. There's a row of ritzy stores in the next block, so you can get anything you want. Take Miss Marikawa with you, she'll be better at this than me. Look, here she is now."

As they watched, the bus, with Miss Marikawa and Alice, pulled up. Aki's party got out of the bus and onto the boat and began to make final preparations. Takashi watched as Hirano spoke to Miss Marikawa and Alice. Miss Marikawa laughed, and then the three of them began to walk up the street to the stores.

Rei, who had also been on the bus, came over to Takashi. "The bus is loaded and ready for us to go," she said. "Saya and Saeko are at the hotel, we can pick them up on the way."

"Sure," said Takashi. Then he stopped. "So, at the moment we're all in the different places, right? You and me here, Hirano, Miss Marikawa and Alice are a couple of streets away, and the others back at the hotel."

"Yes, that's right. So?"

"So, we're strongest when we're together."

"True, but we haven't seen any zombies for days."

"Exactly." He called to Aki on the boat. "Get into the middle of the river, away from the bank and the bridge!" he shouted.

Aki looked a bit puzzled but she untied the mooring line, started the engine and began to move the boat.

Takashi began to run to the bike, Rei following.

Saeko and Saya were standing on the hotel balcony. Saya had a suitcase of 'personal stuff'; Saeko had her two swords, the Murata blade and the sword from the temple.

"I know we've only been here a few days but I'll kind of miss this place," said Saya. "And I'll miss having a decent bed to sleep in. Of course, they say that any place you lay your head is a good place if it's with the right person – "

She realised that Saeko wasn't listening. She was looking down at the streets around them.

"What is it?" said Saya.

"Something," murmured Saeko. He started to unsheathe one of the swords, just a finger-span of metal. "Something – "

It happened fast. Streams of zombies came pouring out of nearby buildings, moving quickly. Some came towards the hotel, and others ran towards the river. There were hundreds, maybe more. Some of them carried iron bars and other makeshift weapons.

"Fuck!" said Saya. "Do you think we can make it down to the street before they get here?"

"No," said Saeko.

They had gone to a jewellery store and a perfume store, and now they were in a shop that sold fancy bedroom things. Miss Marikawa had not been very useful as a gift adviser, and Hirano had not seen anything that seemed right.

"Maybe a nice set of silk sheets," Miss Marikawa said, picking up a luxurious-looking package.

"Do women like sheets?" said Hirano.

"Oh yes, especially to …er, not sleep on."

"After today, we might not have a bed for a while," Hirano pointed out.

"I didn't think of that. Maybe some perfume then."

"We've already been to the perfume store, and we couldn't find anything Saya-ish."

"It's not about the finding," said Miss Marikawa. "It's about the shopping. Well, perhaps I'll just keep these for myself." She began to stuff the sheets into her pack.

Alice giggled. Then she stopped. "What's that noise?" she said.

Hirano unslung his gun and released the safety. "Where?" he said.

"There," said Alice, pointing to the front of the store.

Three zombies came crashing through the glass windows. Hirano, warned, fired immediately, and all three went down. But more came bursting through the door.

"Up here!" said Alice, pointing to a flight of stairs. It was the only way.

"Go!" said Hirano. "I'll cover!"

They ran.

On the bike, Takashi and Rei saw the mob of zombies advancing along the street. He came to a stop and began to turn.

"What have you got?" he said.

"Automatic pistol with a twelve-shot magazine, one extra clip. You?"

"Just my Mauser, ten shots. So I would say we are short by about, oh, three hundred bullets."

"At least."

The zombies were blocking the road to the hotel. Rei pointed to a small alley, and Takashi turned the bike down it. It was eerily quiet.

"Look out!" shouted Rei. Takashi took the bike down and they slid along for several metres. A huge steel beam, suspended by chains, came sweeping along the length of the alley at waist-height, missing them by the width of a hand.

"Holy shit!" said Takashi. Bleeding from grazes but otherwise unhurt, they struggled to get up and right the bike.

A horde of zombies came running along the alley from the street. Rei drew her gun. Takashi pushed the foot-lever to re-start the bike.

R-r-r-r. Then nothing.

"Whatever you're going to do, do it fast!" said Rei, as she began to shoot.

The hotel had reinforced doors but they were not enough to halt the suicidal force of the zombie attack. The undead creatures smashed their way through and into the ground-level foyer. They began to charge up the stairs.

On the second floor, Saeko and Saya could hear them coming. There were glass doors that separated the balcony area from the rest of the floor but they would not last long.

"Two minutes until they find us, maybe less," said Saeko.

"So what do we do now?" said Saya.

Saeko drew her swords. "We die," she said. "With honour, I hope."

"Fuck that," said Saya. She looked over the balcony and onto the street below. "Look, nearly all of them have gone in. If we can get down we might be alright. But it's too far to jump, and there no way to climb down."

Then she saw it. A flagpole, sticking out near-horizontally, still displaying the flag of the hotel chain. And the flag was held in place by ropes.

"I have an idea," she said.

Rei was on her second clip. Her fire had slowed the zombies but not stopped them.

Takashi tried to start the bike again. Nothing. "Third time lucky," he whispered to himself. He heard Rei's gun click on empty. He crossed his fingers and rammed the lever down again.

And the engine roared into life.

"Let's go!" he said. She jumped on and they were moving.

There were three zombies at the far end, probably the ones that had operated the beam trap. Rei pulled Takashi's gun out of its holster and fired, leaning over his shoulder. Three down. Then they were out of the alley and heading back to the hotel.

The zombies had followed them up the stairs. Now Hirano, Miss Marikawa and Alice were on the flat roof of the store.

Hirano pulled a big pistol out of a pocket of the military-style jacket that he wore over his school blazer. He handed it to Miss Marikawa. Then he took a little pistol – his weapon of last resort – out of another pocket and handed it to Alice. "Do you know how to use this?" he said to her.

"I used to shoot zombies in video games," said Alice.

"Much the same thing," said Hirano.

There was a wooden door at the top of the staircase, but it was already starting to give way.

"Get ready," said Hirano.

"I can lower you down a bit, onto that ledge near the pole," said Saya, "and then you can throw a rope back to me and I'll climb down. Then we can use the ropes to get to the ground."

"Uh, maybe you should go down first," said Saeko.

"Won't work," said Saya. "I'm not tall enough to reach the ropes."

Saeko looked dubious. "I … don't like heights very much," she said. "Not at all, really."

"Huh. So you can kill 627 zombies but climbing out there is too much for you."

"Basically, yes."

"Well, grow a pair, girl."

There was the sound of zombies advancing along the corridor. A lot of zombies. Roaring and moaning and crying out for blood and flesh.

Saeko re-sheathed her swords. "Tell me more about this plan of yours," she said.

The zombies came bursting through the wooden door. Hirano began to fire; over his own gun he heard the bang-bang of the big pistol and the pop-pop of the little one. He wondered how many bullets he had left. Not enough, he thought.

Saya was not strong, and she felt as if her muscles were cracking as she lowered Saeko. She was lying on the rough concrete floor of the balcony. This is going to give my boobs a gravel rash, she thought suddenly. Maybe Hirano will kiss them better. Then she almost laughed at her own absurdity.

"Just a little more," said Saeko. "A little more."

She reached the ledge. It was only a few inches wide, but firm enough. And now she could reach the flagpole. She let go of Saya's hand and tried not to look down.

A huge zombie was coming up behind Saya, she could hear him. She rolled and pulled out her Luger in one motion, and shot. The zombie's head exploded.

Saeko could feel her heart pounding as she stretched for the ropes. One … more … inch. And then she had them. She pulled them towards her and started tying them together. She could hear Saya shooting above.

"Done!" she called up.

"I can't climb down!" shouted Saya. "They'll be on me as soon as I try!"

"Then jump! I'll catch you!"

"You'll … what!?"

"Grow a pair!" shouted Saeko.

Damn that woman, thought Saya. She put her Luger into its holster and climbed onto the balcony wall. She looked down, past Saeko. Actually, the ground was a lot further away than she had thought it would be.

A zombie hand grabbed one of her long ponytails.

She jumped – and yelped in pain as a chunk of hair was yanked out of her scalp.

And then Saeko somehow caught her, swung her in, and they were both standing on the ledge.

"Hold on to this," said Saeko, with a degree of calmness that seemed extremely inappropriate. She handed Saya a loop of rope. The other end was wound around the flagpole.

They launched themselves into space.

Takashi and Rei pulled up in front of the hotel. "You think they got out?" said Rei. "Where do you think they might be?"

"I think that Saeko and Saya are two people that zombies don't want to fuck with," said Takashi, although he was not sure they could have survived such a massive attack.

Then three zombies came out of the hotel, and started towards them.

Rei still had the Mauser in her hand. She raised it and pulled the trigger.

Click.

"Damn," she said. The three zombies continued to advance.

Then, seemingly out of nowhere, Saeko and Saya swept to the ground, letting go of the rope at a run. In a moment, Saya had taken out her Luger and shot the middle zombie between the eyes. Saeko had both swords out and, sliding forwards, decapitated the other two in a single graceful movement.

"Hi," said Saya.

"We've come to save you," said Rei.

"This is not a good place for banter," said Saeko. "Where are the others?"

"Shopping," said Takashi.

"Uh, did you say shopping?" said Saya. "Er, where, exactly?"

"To find Hirano, follow the sound of gunfire," said Saeko.

The first wave of zombies had been decimated by the concentrated fire but a second wave was readying themselves for an attack.

They've begun to develop a sense of tactics, thought Hirano. They don't just walk into your sights anymore.

"Hey, up there!" came a voice from the lane that ran behind the store. Rei. "Need any help?"

"Welcome to the party!" shouted Hirano back. He turned to Miss Marikawa and Alice. "Got any ideas on how to get down?" he said.

"We can jump, and they can catch us in the sheets," said Alice. "I did that at school once, in a fire drill. There were firemen, and they had a big round thing that they held and you jumped into."

"Nice plan," said Hirano. "Except that we don't have any sheets."

"Miss Marikawa has some in her pack, from the store," said Alice.

"Oh, so I do," said Miss Marikawa. She pulled the package out of her pack and threw it down.

"What the hell is this?" said Rei, as she tore the package open.

"I've got it," said Saya. "Everyone grab a corner, and double it up for strength."

When they were in position, they called up. Fortunately, the zombies had not found them – yet.

On the roof, a gang of zombies came storming through the doorway. Hirano fired, mowing them down. "Alice, you first!" he said.

Alice jumped. She fell squarely into the sheets. Rei helped her out, and then they readied themselves for Miss Marikawa.

"Not so sure about this," said Rei. "She's heavier than Alice."

"She probably bounces," said Saya.

"We're going to find out," said Takashi. "Here she comes!"

Miss Marikawa, her skirt billowing out around her waist, landed with a sound like a gentle sigh.

"Come on, Hirano!" shouted Takashi.

On the roof, Takashi's gun finally gave out. He looked at the advancing zombies.

"I have to be on my way," he said to them. "But I can't leave without giving you something to remember me by." He took two grenades from his pockets, pulled the pins, and rolled them towards the zombies. "Goodbye, and fuck you," he said. Then he went over the edge. The grenades exploded as he hit the sheet. He quickly untangled himself.

"Bus?" said Rei.

"Definitely," said Takashi.

"Most of the zombies are still in the hotel, I think, but as soon as they realise we aren't there they'll be after us," said Saya as they ran.

"Oh, I left a surprise, just in case," said Hirano.

At that moment, a zombie shuffled into a particular room of the hotel. It tripped a wire, which led to another wire, which led to –

Even from several blocks away, the explosion made the earth shake.

"Hirano," said Takashi, "I'm glad you're on our side."

"Probably not as glad as I am," said Saya.

Hirano looked at her. "You seem … sort of … lopsided," he said.

"I'm trying a new look," she said.

They reached the bus without further trouble, and found it untouched. Aki's boat was still anchored in the centre of the river, unharmed. She and Tsuga and the others waved when they saw them.

For several kilometres, the road ran alongside the river, and the bus and the boat stayed together for that distance. Eventually, the road turned away, heading south. Miss Marikawa stopped the bus, and they all got out to watch the boat disappear around a bend. The city was behind them now, and there was no sign of zombies.

They gave Aki and the others a final wave. Alice was watching through the binoculars. She suddenly gave a little yelp. "There, at the back!" she said, handing the binoculars to Takashi. Hirano lifted his gun so he could look through the telescopic sight.

At the stern of the boat, a rope trailed in the water. Holding on to it were four zombies. As Takashi and Hirano watched, the zombies began to pull themselves along the rope towards the boat.

Saya took the binoculars from Takashi. "Kohta, can you hit them from here?" she said.

"Too far," said Hirano softly.

"But you can try!"

"Too far," repeated Hirano.

"Aki and the others have got weapons," said Rei. "Maybe they can – "

"Maybe," said Takashi. "Let's hope so."

It was the next day. After several hours of driving through the country, Miss Marikawa had stopped so they could stretch their legs.

While Takashi and Rei re-fueled the bus, Hirano and Saya walked to a small grove of trees.

"I'm sorry," he said, "but yesterday there just wasn't the time to get you a real birthday present. I looked at diamonds, and perfume, and lace, but there just didn't seem to be anything appropriate. Not for you. You are very special. To me."

She smiled. "Silly, I don't want diamonds or perfume or anything else," she said. "I just want you." She kissed him on the cheek.

"All I have is this," he said. "I've been carrying it with me for a long time, years and years, long before all this happened."

He took a small object from his pocket. It was dog-eared from many readings, the leather cover faded and cracked. It was a book of poetry. He handed it to Saya.

She took it and held it tenderly. "I have received many expensive gifts in my life," she said. "But nothing as valuable as this."

Then, finally, she began to cry.

END

Interlude: The Happy Few

Odd revelations, strange flotation devices, and an unusual haircut.

[Author Note: This short story follows the story Dead and the Better Zombie, and takes place while the group are on the road to Tomo.]

Z+16

They had been driving through the countryside for several days. Eventually, Takashi told Miss Marikawa to stop by a little river.

"We could all do with a wash, I think," he said to the group. "You guys go and have a swim, and I'll take the first lookout."

So Takashi, with the binoculars and a rifle, climbed up to the roof of the bus. The others ran down the little embankment to the river. Saeko was the first one to strip off her clothes and dive in.

Eventually, she got out and sat on the bank. She could see Hirano and Saya further along, laughing and splashing together. Miss Marikawa was doing a lazy backstroke across the river, and Alice was paddling at the edge with Zeke. Rei came out of the water and sat down next to Saeko. They were both naked.

"Good to get out of those clothes," said Rei. "The movies never mention the BO problem."

Saeko nodded. After a while, she said: "When you're fighting zombies, do you ever get really … aroused?"

Rei gave a little gasp. "Thank god for that," she said. "I thought I was the only one it happened to. Actually, just after it is the worst."

"Yes, sometimes," said Saeko. "There are times when I think I will not be able to stand it."

"You?" said Rei. "But you're the strongest one of us."

Saeko shook her head. "Not at all," she said. "Yes, the art of kendo is about self-discipline and control. My instructors told me that. They did not tell me how wet I would get when I was fighting. I suppose they did not anticipate that zombies would be a problem."

Rei sighed. "For me, the thing is that my nipples get really hard," she said. "Although there is also an issue lower down. Do you think that Saya knows how lucky she is, to have someone? There might be only two men left in the world, and she has one of them."

"Saya is … Saya," said Saeko.

Rei sighed again. "You're right about that," she said. "Tell me, do you, uh, do it a lot? To yourself, I mean."

"A great deal. Ever since the world ended."

"Me too. Funny, I didn't do it that much before. Did you have many lovers?"

"A few. Looking back, I do not think I appreciated them. I would certainly appreciate it now."

"Mmm."

"But you have Takashi."

"No, I don't. I'm not sure how much a grade-school pinky-swear counts under the present circumstances."

"Hmm," said Saeko. "Perhaps not. I am starting to resign myself to the possibility that I might never be with a man again. It is not a good prospect. I seriously considered Tsuga, Aki's brother, but the opportunity did not arise."

"Then what we have to do," said Rei, "is find some more survivors. So you can get your ass nailed. Well, I had better go and take the watch from Takashi, so he can have a dip. Probably, the only reason he's sitting up there is so we can watch us swim naked. Hence the binoculars."

Saeko smiled. "Do not be too hard on him," she said. "He feels the weight of leadership very heavily. I believe he worries all the time. About us. Perhaps you should offer him some oral sex."

"Perhaps you should."

"Do not think that I have not thought about it. But I have a good deal of respect for you, and for him. So: no. He is for you, I think, and you are for him, childhood pledges or no."

The two of them started to dress.

Saya and Hirano came up. Saya was wearing Hirano's white school shirt, and her damp body had turned it transparent in critical places.

"Saeko," said Saya, "will you do something for me?"

"Does it involve sex?" said Rei.

"Pardon?" said Saya.

"Nothing," said Rei. "We were just … talking … about … things." She gave a little laugh, and then started back to the bus.

"Holy crap," muttered Hirano. He was looking at Miss Marikawa, floating on her back in the middle of the river. She was naked. "Are those things real?"

"From the feel of them, yes," said Saya. "I assume that they stop her from sinking."

Hirano started. "I don't know if I want to hear that story or not," he said.

"What can I do for you, Saya?" said Saeko.

"You remember that I lost one of my ponytails back at the hotel, when a zombie grabbed it? Well, it looks silly with just one. And I've had my hair like this since I was little. Time for a change, I think. So can you cut the other one off, with your sword? We don't have any scissors or anything."

Saeko picked up her sword. "This," she said, "is a Murata Katana. Meiji era. A work of art. It is not a hairdressing implement."

"Told you," murmured Hirano.

"But it is true," continued Saeko, "that at present you look rather unbalanced. Turn around."

Saya did so.

Swish swish swish.

"Wow," said Hirano. "You look great, Saya. I mean, you looked great before. But now you look … also great. And grown-up. Not that you didn't look grown-up before. Er, I mean … "

He was saved by the arrival of Takashi. He took a look at Miss Marikawa. "Holy crap," he said. "Are those things real?"

"We have established that they are," said Saeko. "Takashi, did Rei say anything to you?"

"Uh, no, nothing special. Why do you ask?"

"Just wondering."

Takashi undressed to his underclothes and dived into the river.

"Real or not, they're impressive," said Hirano, still looking at Miss Marikawa.

"Down, boy," said Saya. "Save it for me. Saeko, what did you think Rei would say to Takashi?"

"We had been discussing the issue of sexual arousal and the killing of zombies."

"Oh, that happens to you too, eh?"

"Indeed. And Rei as well."

Hirano looked from one of them to the other and back again. "Women," he muttered, "are strange. On the other hand, it explains a few things."

Saya nodded towards Miss Marikawa. "You think it happens to her?" she said to Saeko.

"Maybe you should ask."

"Mmm … no. Well, I guess every family has to have a bimbo somewhere along the line."

"Perhaps. But perhaps we should not under-estimate her. I have a feeling that she will prove her worth before this is through."

As they watched, Miss Marikawa swam into the shallows and stood up. Water cascaded down her voluptuous body. She waved to them.

"Humph," said Saya.

"Is that what we are?" said Hirano. "A family?"

"Guess so," said Saya.

" 'We few, we happy few, we band of brothers'," said Saeko.

" 'For he that sheds his blood with me shall be my brother'," finished Hirano.

Saeko nodded. She looked around: at Takashi, at Rei, at Alice, at Miss Marikawa, at Hirano and Saya. We few. We band of brothers.

She had never been more content.

END

Dead and the Road Home

There are new dangers to be overcome, acts of courage from an unlikely source, and also remarkable news for the group.

Z+23

After driving for several days, they stopped at an empty barn. There was a stream nearby where they could wash and replenish their supply of water, and the barn was large enough to hide the bus. There were piles of hay where they could lay out their sleeping bags, and the barn doors were sturdy enough to keep roaming zombies out. Nevertheless, they set a guard of rolling watches, as they usually did.

Takashi had finished his watch, handing over to Hirano, and settled into his bag to sleep.

He was awoken when he was kicked viciously in the stomach. He cried out in surprise and pain … and then found himself looking down the barrel of a rifle.

"Don't move," said the man with the gun.

He looked around. There were three men in the barn: the one standing over Takashi, one holding a machine gun, and – this was the worst – one holding Alice in front of him, with a knife at her throat.

Rei, Saya and Saeko were on their knees with their hands behind their heads. Hirano, unconscious, was lying in front of them, blood oozing from a gash on his forehead. Rei had a massive bruise on one side of her face.

"Get out of the bag and on your knees," said the man with the machine gun, who seemed to be in charge.

"What's it going to be, don't move or get out of the bag?" said Takashi.

The man with the rifle hit him across the face with the butt of the weapon. The impact rolled him out of the bag.

"On your knees," said the man with the machine gun. "Or … " he gestured towards the man holding Alice.

Not much choice. He did it, and put his hands behind his head. He glanced at Hirano.

"Don't blame him too much," said the sergeant. "He was on the lookout for zombies, not us, and he put up a helluva fight for a little guy."

Takashi caught Saeko's eye. She glanced to the corner, where her sword rested against a haybale. It was a long way away. He tried to answer silently: no. Not yet.

He saw that the men were wearing uniforms, and the one with the machine gun had three stripes on his arm. The uniforms were bloody, filthy, and torn. "You military?" said Takashi.

"Were," said the sergeant. "When there was still a military, before everything went to shit. We were in First Platoon, Third Division, the once-proud Japanese Self-Defence Force. That was – fuck, was it only four weeks ago? Now all we've got is these guns. So we'll be taking your vehicle, your supplies, your weapons – "

"And your women," said the man with the rifle. "Maybe not her," he said, pointing to Saeko. "She looks like trouble. So it will be a bullet in the neck for her, and for you, and for the little guy. So you don't try and follow us."

"And we'll take this one too, just for fun," said the man holding Alice.

"What's going on?" said a sleepy voice. It was Miss Marikawa. She crawled out of her sleeping bag and into the circle of light cast by the lanterns. She looked around.

"Ah, another one," said the sergeant. "And a pretty one, by the look of things."

Miss Marikawa stood up. "Whoa," she said. "Some real men. I was just having a really sexy dream about … well, real men. Haven't even seen any for … ages and ages and ages, it feels like."

She walked up to the man with the rifle. She let out a long sigh.

Slowly, she undid the top button of her shirt. Then the next one. Then she breathed a deep breath, and the next button popped open by itself, revealing her double-E bra and voluptuous curves. The man with the rifle stared.

"Want a closer look?" said Miss Marikawa.

"Hey!" said the man holding Alice. "Why him?"

"Don't worry, I've got enough for all of you, with plenty left for a second round," said Miss Marikawa huskily. "Whatever … you … want."

The man with the rifle leaned forward to get a better view.

She heaved another sigh, making her breasts rise.

The man leaned forward again.

And then Miss Marikawa put her arms around his head and pulled him into her cleavage. He gave a muffled shout of surprise and dropped the rifle.

"Now!" shouted Takashi.

Alice sank her teeth into the arm of the man holding her. He yelped in pain and released his grip on her.

Rei was off her knees and moving. She snatched Alice out of the man's grasp and rolled away as Saya lunged for Hirano. She reached for the pocket where he kept his last-resort pistol.

Takashi threw himself at the sergeant as Saeko went for her sword. The sergeant was much larger than Takashi and managed to push him aside, but it had given Saeko the seconds she needed. She reached the sword and unsheathed it as the sergeant fired a burst at her.

A bullet hit her as she threw the sword. It shot across the space between them like a flash of lightning and hit the sergeant in the chest. The machine gun fell from his hand.

Saya could see the soldier fumbling with his own gun. She found the pistol. There was no time to take it out of Hirano's pocket; she fired directly through the fabric, twice, three times. The man went down.

Miss Marikawa let the man she was holding go. He staggered backwards, gasping for air. Takashi scrambled to pick up the machine gun, but then realised there was no need.

There was a scalpel sticking out of the man's neck. Something important must have been cut: blood was gushing. He tried to pull it away but it broke in his hand.

"You can die now, fucker," said Miss Marikawa.

The man sank to his knees. Miss Marikawa punched him across the face. He collapsed.

The sergeant was still alive, lying in a spreading pool of blood. Saya walked over to him. She was holding Hirano's pistol.

He looked up at her. "Don't," he gasped. "We're all human, aren't we?"

"You beat up my boyfriend," she said. "So screw you."

Then she shot him in the head.

Miss Marikawa was tearing Saeko's clothes away so she could see the wound. It was in her abdomen. "God," she said. "It's really bad." She felt Saeko's back, looking for an exit wound. There wasn't one.

"Fuck, that hurts," groaned Saeko.

Takashi brought her sword and put it into her hand.

"Did we get all of them?" she said.

"Three down," said Takashi.

"Is Alice alright? Hirano?"

Takashi nodded.

Rei appeared with Miss Marikawa's medical kit. Miss Marikawa took out an emergency pressure-patch and put it over the wound, trying desperately to stop the bleeding.

"That was quite an act, Miss Marikawa," Saeko rasped.

"Honey," said Miss Marikawa, "I learned a long time ago that if your tits are good enough, you don't really need anything else."

Saeko coughed, which made her convulse in pain.

"I've been ready to die for my whole life," she said, "but now I don't want to go. Don't want to leave all of you. Not now."

"You're not going to die," said Miss Marikawa. "Not if I can help it."

But Saeko had passed out.

Hirano regained consciousness a few minutes later, and they explained the situation to him. He was groggy but otherwise okay, aside from a massive headache and a multitude of bruises. Miss Marikawa gave him some painkillers from her kit but her mind was clearly on Saeko.

"The problem," she said to the others, "is that the bullet is still in her, and I think she's bleeding internally, probably from a severed artery. She'll die in a matter of hours."

"Which means," said Saya, "that you have to cut her open, take the bullet out, and stop the bleeding."

"I … I can't do that," said Miss Marikawa. "I don't know how. She needs a hospital and a real doctor."

"Neither of which are even remotely possible," said Rei.

"But I'm just a school nurse!" said Miss Marikawa. "And just a temporary one! Mostly, all I do is hand out headache tablets and contraceptives!"

"You're all we have – all Saeko has," said Saya.

"But even if I knew what to do, I don't have the right equipment," said Miss Marikawa. "I don't even have a scalpel. I only had one, and I just used it to … er, kill that guy. Now it's broken. There isn't anything else sharp enough."

"There's Saeko's sword," said Alice. "That's really sharp."

"I'm betting the longer we debate about it, the worse it is for Saeko," said Takashi.

"We all think you can do it," said Alice.

Miss Marikawa drew a deep breath. "Okay, I'll try," she said. "Takashi, you and Rei put together some bales to make a table. Saya, clean the sword as well as you can, and put the blade into boiling water. Hirano, maybe you should take those bodies outside, they're really dirty and that can't be good for her. I'll need someone to help me – you, Saya. Alice, get the other lanterns, I'll need plenty of light."

Everyone set about their tasks. Miss Marikawa studied the contents of her medical kit, which she had supplemented with other supplies collected during their stay in the city.

"Fuck me sideways," she said to herself. "Killing a person is much easier than saving one."

Miss Marikawa had given Saeko sedation from the kit but now, poised to begin, she hesitated.

"What's the problem?" said Saya, who was standing next to her, holding Saeko's carefully-cleaned sword.

"I need something for sterilisation," she said. "Water won't do. I don't have anything in the kit."

"Try some of this," said Hirano. "One of the soldiers had it." He handed her a bottle half-full of brandy.

"Just what I need," said Miss Marikawa. She took a large swig.

"Uh, I mean for sterilisation," said Hirano.

"What? Oh yeah, it will work for that too," said Miss Marikawa. She poured some over the area. "Saya, cut here, where the entry hole is, make it about four inches long and half an inch deep."

Carefully, Saya did so. There was a sudden gush of blood, but after it was wiped away the flow became only a trickle. "What's next?" Saya said.

"Next," said Miss Marikawa, "I put my hand in and grab the bullet. Except I don't think I can. I think I'll puke if I do."

"Miss Marikawa," said Alice. "Please try."

Miss Marikawa sighed. She pulled a surgical glove from the kit on, and then put her hand into the wound, slowly working her way forward. After long seconds, she said: "I think … yes, that's it, I think. Now if I can just get my fingers … there." Slowly, she pulled her hand back. With an odd-sounding pop!, it came out. She opened her bloody hand … and there was the bullet. "Somebody take this, and take this glove off me and put another on, Saya, thanks. Now I have to stitch up the artery. I could feel where it was. There didn't seem to be anything else ruptured or broken."

Carefully, she teased the damaged artery out of the wound. Half-severed, it was gushing blood, but she stopped that with a little clamp from her kit. Then she sewed the break together. When she removed the clip there was no leakage of blood. She gently guided the artery back to its place. Finally, she closed the wound.

"That's it, I think," she said. "Now I have to – " she ran outside, and the others heard her vomiting.

They looked at each other. "Maybe courage is facing down a horde of zombies," said Takashi, "and maybe it's facing something you don't think you can do and doing it anyway."

Saeko opened her eyes. It was the next day.

She tried to move but a spasm of pain shot through her. She groaned. She heard Rei shout: "Miss Marikawa, she's awake!"

In a moment Miss Marikawa was leaning over her. She put two fingers on Saeko's neck.

"How's her pulse?" said Rei, appearing at her side with Alice and Hirano.

"I have no idea," said Miss Marikawa. "It's just something that I saw people do on television. But I'm guessing that the fact she's alive means that, well, she's alive. Saeko, how do you feel?"

"Like I've been shot."

"Well, yes, you would, wouldn't you? Can you move?"

"No."

"Good, don't try. I suppose that's right."

"Saeko, you should have seen her," said Alice. "She pulled the bullet out and sewed you up and everything. Then she was sick."

"So now I have two scars," said Saeko weakly. "Thank you, Shizuka. How long have I been out?"

"About ten hours," said Hirano.

"So we've been here nearly a full day," said Saeko. "We should move soon."

Takashi walked up. "No, we shouldn't," he said. "You've got an artery freshly sewn up inside, you know. We'll stay here at least another couple of days and then we'll think about leaving. No rush."

"But – "

"I once said that I would be responsible for you," said Takashi. "And I meant it."

"But – "

"You stay right where you are," said Miss Marikawa. "Doctor's orders."

Saeko looked up at her. "Are you a doctor?" she said.

"Guess so," said Miss Marikawa. "And doctor says that you should get some more rest."

"Alright," said Saeko. She closed her eyes and slept.

Takashi, Rei, Hirano, Saya, Alice and Miss Marikawa were sharing a meal.

"It might be a bit dangerous to not be on the move," he said, "but – "

"But nothing," said Saya. "We'll stay right here until she's strong enough to travel."

"Long as it takes," said Hirano.

"If there's trouble, we'll deal with it when it happens," said Rei.

Takashi looked at Alice and Miss Marikawa, who nodded agreement.

"Here's something," said Hirano. He pulled a ragged kitbag forward. "This is what our visitors left behind. There are some more guns but to tell the truth nothing as good as what we already have. And then there is this. It isn't very good news." He unfolded a military map. "As far as I can make out, these black marks were army positions. These red crosses show when a position was over-run by zombies, there's a date and the number of soldiers fighting. Then the army would pull back and set up new positions, but with fewer soldiers. Then those would be over-run. And so on."

"Judging from this, and from what those guys told us, it's likely that by now there are no military forces left," said Takashi. "Which means no safe place for large populations."

"My conclusion too," said Hirano.

"There might be some," said Rei. "Navy ships at sea, maybe. Bases on islands. The zombies can't swim, can they?"

"I wouldn't bet on that," said Saya. "And we don't even know how the infection starts. Maybe it's just a certain proportion of people who are affected and start turning without being bitten. We saw at the school how quickly one zombie can spread it through hundreds of people. The last news broadcasts said that the infection was all over the world. I doubt that the military in other countries would have done much better than ours."

"So maybe the only survivors are small groups who were lucky," said Rei.

"And smart," said Saya.

"And could shoot straight," said Hirano. "But if we could make it this far, there must be others who could too."

Takashi was studying the map. "It looks to me like most of the zombies are in the cities and towns," he said. "That's where the main battles have been, anyway. Maybe staying in rural areas is our best bet."

"Does that mean that we can go to Grandma's and Grandpa's farm?" said Alice.

"Yes," said Takashi. "It does."

It was four days before Saeko could walk unaided. Miss Marikawa gave her antibiotics and monitored her for signs of infection from the makeshift surgery but found nothing. There was no sign of zombies or marauding survivors in the area.

Alice remembered that her grandparents lived near a village called Sheroda. It was marked on one of their maps, and they decided to head for it.

It took them several days to reach Sheroda. They arrived in mid-morning. They stopped some distance away and observed it for an hour from the top of a hill. There was no sign of life, or of zombies. It was not the first empty village they had seen.

"It looks creepy, all quiet like that," said Alice. "There used to be people and cars and everything."

"Saya, you and Hirano take the bike and ride down the main street," said Takashi. "Stay in the centre and be prepared for a fast getaway. The noise should bring out any zombies and should also alert any survivors. If the place is really empty, try and find some petrol, we could use some more."

Saya and Hirano set off, Saya driving as usual. Takashi and the others watched from the hilltop.

Saya and Hirano rode slowly along the main road, Hirano holding his gun at the ready. At the end of the street was a petrol station that doubled as a mini-market. They stopped near it. Empty, deathly silence.

"Whatever happened here, I think we missed it," said Hirano. "Which is not necessarily a bad thing."

Saya waved to the others that it was clear. Miss Marikawa drove the bus down and they began to re-fill the tank, using the manual pump that they carried.

Rei, Saya and Saeko collected supplies from the shop attached to the petrol station. Canned and packaged food, bottled water and, Takashi saw, tampons. Well, I guess that's a necessity, he thought.

"And here is something for you two," said Saya to the two men. She handed them each a packet of razors. "Shave," she ordered. "We're going visiting, and you're letting down the team."

"Uh, okay," said Hirano.

Takashi laughed. He turned to Alice. "Alice," he said, "can you remember the way to the farm from here?"

"I think so," said Alice. "You go along this road and then at a big tree you turn onto a dirt track."

They followed Alice's directions, and a half-hour later pulled up at the gate. The farmhouse was two hundred metres away, up a little rise.

"Now we're here, how do you intend to play it?" said Rei to Takashi in a whisper. "If the people are dead or turned, we probably shouldn't let Alice see it."

Takashi nodded, thinking. "Rei, you and I will go up on foot," he said eventually. "Alice stays here until we know the situation. Hirano, you know what to do."

Rei put a pistol into her belt, at the back so it could not easily be seen. They walked to the farmhouse and stood on the porch.

"Now what?" said Rei.

Takashi knocked on the door. Rei put her hand on her gun, ready to draw.

The door opened, and they were faced by an old man. He had a double-barrelled shotgun levelled at them.

"Grandfather Maresato?" said Takashi. Suddenly, he was glad he had shaved.

The old man started. "Yes," he said. "Who are you?"

"We are friends of your grand-daughter Alice," said Rei. "We have brought her to you."

The old man started again. Slowly, he lowered the gun.

"I'm not a fool, so don't take me for one," he said. "My wife has you covered from the window."

"And don't take us for fools either," said Takashi. "One of my friends has a sniper rifle on her right now."

The old man stared at them. Then his face broke into a smile. "Son, if you've lived this long you must be doing something right!" he said. "You're a man after my own heart!"

An old woman appeared next to him, also carrying a shotgun. "Did you say you had Alice?" she said. "And is her father also with you?"

"He … didn't make it," said Takashi.

The old woman gave a little cry. After a moment, Grandfather Maresato said: "Call your friends over, son. And you can take your hand off that gun behind your back now, girl."

Takashi waved for Miss Marikawa to bring the bus up. As soon as the bus had stopped, Alice leaped out and ran to her grandparents, hugging them and crying with joy.

"Come and have some tea, all of you," said Grandmother Maresato.

Over tea they exchanged stories. Grandfather and Grandmother Maresato had not left the farm since the Outbreak. They had plenty of food stockpiled and there was more in their large garden, and they had water from a well and a nearby stream.

A week after the outbreak, the army had tried to get them to go to a 'protected military facility' but they had refused to leave their farm. After the EMP burst disabled their car they could not leave even if they had wanted to.

They had been attacked by small groups of zombies twice, near the start, but had managed to kill them all. A few days ago, two marauders had come to the door and they had met a similar fate. Grandfather Maresato and Grandmother Maresato, clearly, were not people to be under-estimated.

Alice recounted the group's adventures. Then, quite suddenly, she fell asleep on the couch.

"And now that you have brought her back to us," said Grandfather Maresato, "will you be leaving?"

The six of them looked at each other. "Grandfather, grandmother," said Saeko in a tone of formal respect, "we are ourselves seeking a place of refuge from the current troubles of the world."

"So you can stay!" cried Grandmother Maresato, clapping her hands. "That is wonderful!" She looked at Saya. "And we are especially pleased that you will stay with us, dear," she said, "given your condition."

"Uh, what condition is that?" said Hirano.

Saya looked around at them. "I am pregnant," she said.

"What!?" said Rei. "H … how?"

"The usual way," said Saya.

"I thought you were taking precautions," said Miss Marikawa.

"We did, but not the first time," said Saya. "And not the second, either. And now I think of it, not the third and fourth, as well. And there were some other times when … well, you know."

Saeko laughed. Odd, thought Takashi, I've never heard her laugh before.

"Is this a matter for congratulations?" said Rei to Saya.

Saya looked at Hirano. "Is it?" she said to him.

"Yes," he said. "Very much yes."

Saya gave a sigh of relief. "To tell the truth, I didn't know how you would feel," she said. "But I am very happy about it. Very, very happy. I love you, Kohta, and I hope you love me."

"Oh yes," he said. "With all my heart."

"You picked a strange time for it," said Rei. "But it's great news, the best news possible."

"This calls for saki!" said Grandfather Maresato.

Saeko, Rei and Takashi were sitting on the farmhouse porch, enjoying the cool evening air. "Hard to imagine Saya as a mother," Takashi said. "Or Hirano as a father, for that matter. But they're off to a good start, I guess."

"A fresh start for all of us, perhaps," said Saeko. "In the midst of all this suffering and darkness, young love and new life. Maybe this is a sign that there is hope, after all."

"Maybe it is," said Takashi.

"No maybe about it," said Rei.

END

The Promise

One thing ends, one thing begins, and pieces of the past point to a new future

Z+54

It was a month after they had arrived at the Maresato farm. Much had changed.

Hirano and Takashi had repaired the Maresato's car, and also their tractor, using parts from the garage at Sheroda and a larger town a bit further away. They had repaired a truck, and they had used the truck to bring a generator and a large tank of petrol to the farm. They had also salvaged two caravans, since the farmhouse was not large enough to comfortably accommodate them all. Saya and Hirano took one, and Saeko took the other.

Grandfather and Grandmother Maresato were delighted to have them at the farm: not just to have their grand-daughter with them but because of the better security and the extra hands. Grandfather Maresato enjoyed showing Hirano how to milk the cow, and Grandmother Maresato fussed over Saya, trying to teach her to cook – 'something every mother should know', she said. Saya did not prove to be a particularly good cook – her genius, apparently, did not extend to the kitchen – but Hirano ate everything she produced and pronounced it to be wonderful.

Rei was standing on the porch. She was watching Saeko, silhouetted against the setting sun, working through her kendo exercises. Her wound had fully healed, and now she did these exercises every evening, showing her usual self-discipline and strength.

Grandmother Maresato came up beside her. "She is beautiful, that one," said the old woman.

"I have always admired her," said Rei. "And she saved all our asses more times than I can count."

"A warrior," said Grandmother Maresato. "Necessary in times like this. But lonely. Needs a man."

"So she has said."

"Needs a particular man. And he needs her as well, although he probably does not know it. Men do not know much about these matters."

Saeko finished her training routine. She knelt, in the formal position of the samurai, before the setting sun. She bowed her head.

"Then why doesn't she do something about it?" said Rei. "Why doesn't he?"

Grandmother Maresato shook her head. "Because of you," she said.

"Me? How so? Just because Takashi and I played together when we were little kids?"

"Made promise," said Grandmother Maresato. "Only you can take it back."

"Huh. Is that how it works?"

"Sometimes."

Rei considered this. Hirano came out to the porch.

"Dinner is ready," he said. "Saya made it."

"Oh dear," said Grandmother Maresato.

"Please eat it and say you like it," said Hirano. "Even if you don't." He bowed and then went back inside.

"I wish I had someone who loved me that much," said Rei.

"Perhaps, one day, you will," said Grandmother Maresato. "The world has a way of bringing things to you, sometimes when you least expect them. Sometimes they seem to just fall out of the sky."

"Maybe," said Rei. "I hope so."

Later in the evening, Rei went to Takashi's room. He was studying maps of the region, as he often did.

"Planning a holiday?" she said.

"More like a reconnaissance mission," he said. "To neighbouring farms and things. See what's there. See if we can find anyone else."

"Who would go?"

"You and me, maybe."

"Perhaps you and Saeko should do it."

He looked away. "I sometimes find it … difficult … to spend time with Saeko," he said.

"What, you don't like her?"

"Just the opposite."

Rei said nothing for a long time. Then she said: "Do you remember the pinky-swear?" she said.

Takashi nodded.

"So do I," said Rei. "I remember it well enough to say that it no longer matters. I release you from your promise. And I'm telling you that if you don't go to Saeko right now I'm going to punch you."

Takashi looked at her.

"What, do I have to drag you to her caravan and throw you in?" said Rei.

"You think she wants … ?"

"I know it."

Takashi was silent, thinking. Then he threw the maps aside. He was at the door of the room when he stopped. Over his shoulder he said: "Thank you, Rei."

Rei smiled, a little sadly. "Go get her, tiger," she said.

Z+81

Rei, Saya, Hirano and Alice were working in the garden. Takashi and Saeko had been gone on their latest reconnaissance trip for several days.

" – I wish that Grandmother Maresato would stop her fussing," Saya was saying. "I'm not due for months yet. Sometimes I think she forgets how many zombies I killed."

"Maybe she's just looking forward to being a grandmother again, sort of," said Hirano. "So will you be a big sister, Alice?"

But Alice wasn't listening. She was looking at the sky.

"Plane," she said. She pointed.

It was a small, single-propeller plane, high-up, circling. As they watched, it lost altitude. It seemed to be searching for a place to land.

"Good or bad?" said Rei.

"Find out," said Saya.

Their guns were never far away. Hirano picked up his automatic rifle from the edge of the garden and Saya checked the Luger that was always on her shoulder. Rei, who usually carried a pistol in a holster at the back of her belt, pulled it out and checked the clip. They began to walk to the dusty road that led up to the farmhouse, where it looked like the plane was going to land.

Grandfather Maresato, Grandmother Maresato, and Miss Marikawa had come out of the house and were standing on the porch, watching the plane.

"Alice, stay with your grandparents," said Saya. "Grandfather, keep your shotgun handy."

The plane landed, bouncing to a halt not far from them. It had an Air Force insignia on the side but the plane itself was old. A young-ish man in a battered uniform climbed out.

"Hello," said Hirano. "I'm sure you will understand if I tell you to put your hands up, please."

The pilot, not seeming surprised, did so.

"I am Captain Benaro Tatagi of the Japanese Self Defence Air Force, not that there's much left of it," he said. "I'm doing a flyover of the area, looking for survivors. I saw your vehicles."

"Have you found many others?" said Saya.

"Some," he said. "Mainly in places like this. There's a few hundred people in the base that I come from, Kaga Base."

"Seen any zombies?" said Hirano.

"They mainly stay in the cities and towns," said Tatagi. "But there are some small groups wandering about."

"This doesn't look like a standard Air Force plane," said Saya.

"No, well, it's one of the few planes of any type that we have left. I used to fly a jet fighter, but now this is my baby. It used to be a trainer. It was out of the EMP area, so it survived."

"Why are you looking for people?" said Saya. "Do you plan to take them to this base of yours?"

"No, of course not. People can come if they want, but they don't have to. If they're doing alright on their own, they may as well stay put. But knowing there are other survivors is itself a pretty important thing. Uh, can I put my hands down now?"

"What?" said Hirano. "Oh, hands, right, put them down."

Rei gave a little laugh.

Tatagi looked at Rei, seeing her for the first time. Then he started to stare at her.

After a long while, he said: "You're … her."

"Pardon me?" said Rei.

Tatagi reached into the cabin of the plane and pulled out a piece of paper that had been attached to the instrument panel.

It was a photograph, a bit faded. It was of Rei. On the back of a motorbike, behind Takashi. Riding across a bridge. She was looking up at the camera and smiling, waving, her hair flying.

"You were the pilot who took this photo?" she said.

"Yes," he said. "Like I said, I used to fly a jet."

"And you kept it? All this time?"

"I kept it," he said, "because I thought you were the most beautiful woman I had ever seen."

Sometimes they seem to just fall out of the sky.

"Captain," said Rei, "perhaps you would like to have some lunch with us."

"Yes," he said. "I think I would like that."

"I thought you were the most beautiful woman I had ever seen."

END

Kaga Base: 'Holding On'

Seven months after the Outbreak, remnants of humanity are managing to survive – just.

[Author's Note: This story takes place six months after the story The Promise; and about six months after the group reached the Maresato farm.]

Z+219

"So this," said Saya, "is the wonderful Kaga Base that Tatagi has told us so much about. Humph."

Takashi stopped the convertible at the main gate. There was a long fence, layers of barbed wire held in place by concrete poles. The gate itself was just a swinging boom but Takashi saw that there was a barricade of barbed wire that could be lifted into place. There was a wide ditch on the outer side of the fence, and raised wooden platforms on the inner side.

Two men in battered JSDF uniforms came up to them.

"Hello," one of them said, in a surprisingly un-military way. "Don't think I've seen you before."

Takashi was a little taken aback. "We've been asked to come by Major Arimake," he said. He pulled out the letter, really a polite invitation, and handed it to the guard. The letter had been delivered by Tatagi on one of his regular visits to Maresato farm.

"Ah, she told us to expect you," said the guard, reading the letter. "Pull in over there, near that building. That's the Major's office. You can leave your weapons here if you like," he said.

"We don't like," said Saya.

The other guard looked at the sword held by Saeko. "May I see that?" he said.

"No," said Saeko.

"Oh. Right. Well, through you go then."

Takashi did as directed, and they got out, with Hirano helping Saya, who was now seven months pregnant. A blond, middle-aged woman came out of the office and over to them. She was wearing a uniform that seemed to be patched together out of other uniforms, and her long hair partly obscured a web of scars on one side of her face.

"I'm Major Arimake," she said. "I'm in command here, more or less. It's good to finally meet you. You're famous, you know."

"Famous?" said Hirano. "What for?"

"For … surviving," she said. "Benaro has passed on the tales of your exploits, and people love to hear them. You give them hope, in a word. A sense that there might be a future.

"I was just going to the kitchen to get some lunch. Perhaps you would like to join me, and I can give you the tour on the way."

"I would like to find out more about your fence," said Hirano, as they walked. "It doesn't seem strong enough to keep zombies out."

"Actually, barbed wire is what we've found to be the most effective," she said. "Zombies can climb over or knock down a wall but they just get tangled up in the wire. You probably saw the ditch, which also slows them down. If there was enough to them they could probably get it down but we put shooters on the platforms if there is an attack. And the wire means that we can use flamethrowers as well, which are pretty effective. But you know about using fire against them, of course."

"We do," said Takashi. "Have you had many attacks?"

"At the start, yes, but nothing for several months now. Benaro's plane helps us to spot any, as well as keeping us in touch with outlying groups of survivors. It's a big asset, that little plane."

They arrived at the building that served as the base kitchen. They were served meals – not very large ones – and sat down at a long table. The major looked at the weapons that the group carried.

"I am sure you will understand if we want to keep these with us," said Takashi. "The last time we met soldiers, they were not so polite."

"Yes, I heard about that," said Arimake. "It was not uncommon, in that period right after the military collapsed, for soldiers to do that. On behalf of the JSDF, I apologise, not that that means much."

"You seem to be doing alright here," said Hirano.

"We're making it, but sometimes only just," said Arimake. "This used to be an Air Force training base, although it had been closed for several years. And it's pretty small, by military standards. After the Outbreak, the military didn't think of using it as one of the collection and defence points. Their idea, you see, was to get as many civilians as possible together and then have large numbers of military units to defend them.

"That didn't work. It only took one zombie to get through to have the whole thing fall apart. I went through that three times. Then everything just sort of collapsed, and there was no command structure or communications. I'd served at Kaga Base earlier in my career, so I gathered whoever was left and we came here. It was outside the EMP zone, as well. Other survivors joined us later. We have located some other groups, in isolated farms and houses. And then of course there are the groups that you have found, Takashi. Benaro gave me the maps that you drew up and he has made some flying visits. I'm trying to draw up a list of people and places. We know the locations of over a thousand people, all told."

"How many people do you have here?" said Hirano.

"341," said Arimake. "With that number of people, food is a constant problem. Our stocks from before are starting to get low, and we've salvaged pretty well everything possible from the surrounding area. We're trying to grow some food, and that's working, but I'm afraid that one problem is going to tip us over the edge. And of course, we don't have electricity. We have a generator but we want to keep the petrol for the plane and our vehicles."

"We have a windmill," said Hirano. "We generate power that way. We found an abandoned factory that made them. It was outside the EMP area. It was in pieces, with a lot of other stuff, but we have one going now, and a battery system too. Been going for a month now."

Arimake looked astonished. "Who worked out how to do that?" she said.

"I did," said Saya.

"Can you show us how to get one working, maybe hook it up to our generator?" said Arimake.

"Maybe," said Saya.

They finished their meal and started to walk around the base. It was slow going: people kept coming up to them to shake their hands and slap them on the back.

"I'm worried about having so many people in the one place," said Arimake. "We have several Armoured Personnel Carriers and other vehicles, and plenty of guns, but what keeps me awake at night is the prospect of one zombie getting through the wire."

"Maybe the answer is to disperse people," said Takashi. "You know, in the area around us there are quite a few abandoned farms and houses. Some of them have still got whatever they had before, chickens or cows or whatever. We've brought some animals to our place but now we have all we can use. Maybe some of your people would like to move into those farms and try and get them operating. If they can generate a surplus of food, that might help you with your supply problem."

"And we have someone who can provide medical services to people nearby," said Hirano. "She'd love to do it. She's just learned to ride a horse."

Arimake considered. "Certainly, there are people here who would like to try something like that," she said. "And I like the idea of spreading out our people a bit more. The Maresato farm is about two hundred kilometres away, right?"

"A bit less."

Arimake nodded, thinking. "Feasible," she said. "I'll start asking for volunteers. Will you take responsibility for getting them organised in your area?"

Takashi grimaced. "If the need arises," he said. "Rei would be better. I've got enough responsibilities already, and soon I'm going to have some more. "

"Really?" said Saya.

"Yes," said Saeko.

"What are you talking about?" said Hirano.

"I'll explain later, dear," said Saya.

They continued to look around. "You've got a lot of interesting things here," said Hirano to Arimake. "Say, you wouldn't happen to have a priest, would you?"

"A priest? As it happens, we do. Why do you ask?"

"Just … wondering," said Hirano. Saya poked him in the ribs.

It was the next morning. After spending the night at Kaga Base, the four of them were in the car, driving home.

As they rounded a bend, a shaft of sunlight broke through the clouds and lit up the hills.

"Looks like it's going to be a good day," said Saeko.

END

Dead and the Last Show

Takashi and his friends thought that they had left trouble behind. But trouble comes looking for them.

[Author's note: This story mainly takes place sixteen months after the story Kaga Base: 'Holding On', and about two years after the Outbreak. It concludes The Chronicles of Takashi Komuro.]

Z+728

Saya walked up the hill towards Saeko. She was standing like a statue, her hand on her sword, looking north. Looking towards Tokonusu City, once their home, over the horizon. The sun was close to setting.

"The kids are being fed by their dads," said Saya, as she came up next to her friend. "And Grandmother, of course."

"That's good," said Saeko softly, without moving.

She drew her blade from its scabbard a little. Then she let it slide back.

"What is it?" said Saya. Instinctively, her hand went to her Luger.

"Something," Saeko murmured. "Something."

"The last time you said that, it meant trouble," said Saya.

Saeko was silent. Then she turned and started to walk back to the farmhouse, leaving Saya staring at the horizon.

Saeko stopped and said over her shoulder: "A storm is coming." Then she walked away.

"Well," said Saya to herself, "that can't be good."

Takashi readily admitted that he did not understand Saeko. At times, such as when she was playing with their son Rise – now nearly eight months old – she seemed very much like any other woman, if an extremely beautiful one. At other times – when she was deep in a kendo routine or bent over a page of calligraphy, for example – she seemed to exist in another world, an untouchable universe of the sword and the soul.

He sometimes wondered if she was happy here, growing vegetables and chasing chickens. She was, after all, a warrior, a perfect machine for doing what she did when she had a blade in her hand. Would she, he wondered, be happier if they were driving from one end of the country to the other, killing zombies as they went and not giving a thought to next season's crop? Did the cottage taking shape a hundred metres from the farmhouse, the house that would be a home for their family, really matter to her? Did he, Takashi? Did Rise? Or did her heart really belong only to bushido?

He looked around at the Maresato farm compound. Saya's windmill swished away, charging batteries for the farms and houses nearby. There were three similar windmills at Kaga Base: he smiled when he remembered that the people there referred to them as 'saya-mills'.

The garden around the Maresato farm – expanded from one to three fields – was filled with vegetables. Hirano's first crop of rice would be ready soon. The number of goats and chickens had become so large that they had begun to send animals to Kaga Base with boxes of vegetables and eggs.

And then there was Saya's schoolhouse – not much more than a large prefabricated shed, but she was immensely pleased with it and with her eleven students, including Alice. The building was a few hundred metres from the farmhouse, a distance that had worried Takashi at first. But Saya always had her Luger, and had installed a warning bell. Alice – now eleven years old but, like the rest of his friends, much older – was extremely capable, and was always armed.

He was proud of it all, and of his role in it. There was no other word. And he loved Saeko. So what did it matter if she did not love him in the same way he loved her? It was enough.

He heard the buzz of Tatagi's plane, which had Rei on board. It was coming in to land. He signalled Saeko, who was working at the other end of the garden. The two of them started towards the dirt road that doubled as a landing strip.

The plane bounced to a halt and Rei jumped out, Tatagi close behind. Rei was wearing an expression that Takashi had not seen for a long time.

"How many?" said Saeko.

"All of them," said Rei.

Rei opened the laptop computer and connected the digital camera to it. "We took these photos a few hours ago," she said as the images came up on the screen. She unfolded a map across the table. "Here, and here, north of Sheroda and coming south."

"It … can't be," said Hirano. "There can't be that many."

The formation was huge, so large it hardly fitted into the aerial photographs.

This wasn't a band of wandering zombies. This was an advancing army. They were, by and large, following the road, in a long column. They were moving slowly but with a sense of purpose and cohesion.

"That's why we haven't seen any for so long," said Saya, who had come up from the schoolhouse. "They were massing. They must have come from all over the country."

"But how can they be so organised?" said Tatagi. "I thought they were mainly just instinctive. Smarter than they were at the start, yeah, but not capable of this sort of thing."

"I have sometimes thought," said Saya, "that the virus, if that's what it is, creates some sort of collective consciousness. A hive mind, like bees or ants, something like that. We really don't know much about them, and no-one has ever been able to get close enough to find out. No-one who's come back, anyway. It would explain how they seem to be able to communicate even though they don't seem able to talk in any meaningful way."

"And there is this," said Rei. "We took these shots behind the formation. This is the area they had passed through."

This set of photographs showed ruined and smashed buildings, dead animals, everything destroyed. It was as if the army of zombies was intent on wiping out every trace of human presence.

"This isn't just war," said Takashi. "This is genocide."

"Let me see the pictures of the main body again," said Saya. "Can you enlarge it, this area here? More? Good. Now look at this." She pointed.

Many of the zombies carried weapons: metal bars and clubs, mainly. But a few had guns.

"That is very bad," said Hirano.

"Er, maybe they don't know how to use them," said Tatagi. "Maybe they think they're just sticks or something."

"Dangerous assumption," said Saya. "Rei, are the time codes on all these photos right?" Rei nodded. Saya began to take measurements and scribble calculations.

"Are they heading to Kaga Base?" said Tatagi.

"Sort of," said Hirano, looking at the map. "If they planned to go there directly, they would probably have gone along this road here, see. But they didn't. They'll get there eventually on the road they're on but they must have something else on their hive-y mind."

"They're coming for us," said Saeko.

Everyone looked at her. She shrugged.

"Well, I guess we have killed an awful lot of them," said Hirano. "And now they want payback."

"What will happen when they get to Kaga Base?" said Tatagi. "It's got defences."

"They'll roll right over the top of it," said Takashi.

"But … we have a fence! And a ditch!"

"Yeah, that will work," said Takashi.

"Uh, have you ever actually fought zombies?" said Hirano.

"Well, I've dropped bombs on them from a jet fighter."

"Nothing … closer?"

"Er, no."

"Then trust us on this, honey," said Rei.

"I have some numbers," announced Saya. "Based on what we can see about their rate of movement, they will reach Sheroda village in about twenty hours. Maresato farm, five hours after that. Kaga Base, a week from now, maybe a bit longer."

"So there is time to evacuate Kaga Base," said Takashi. "To where, I don't know. I think this army will just keep going to the sea, destroying everything in their path."

"And we have enough time to get everyone from the Maresato area out as well," said Tatagi.

"Hmm," said Saya.

"Uh, what does 'hmm' mean?" said Tatagi.

There was the sound of a dog barking from the porch. Zeke.

The five of them were up and running in a moment, Tatagi trailing. At the door, Hirano stopped at the gun rack. "Tatagi, what have you got?" he said.

"Er, nothing on me at the moment," said Tatagi.

"Take this," said Hirano, handing him a shotgun. "And this." A Glock pistol. "And this." A machete. Then he was gone, a big gun in his hands.

Tatagi stumbled through the door onto the porch … and then stopped in amazement.

There was a battle going on in the front yard. Twenty zombies, at least, and more were running up from the road. Somehow, they had got over the wire.

Alice was not the oldest student in the class but she knew the others looked to her in times of crisis, especially when Saya was not there. So when she heard Zeke barking, she was the first to the window, and the first to see three zombies running towards the school. She couldn't see what was going on at the farmhouse but she could hear the sounds of battle.

"Everybody out," she said, taking her little Remington out of her pocket. "This way. Stay quiet."

She lifted the escape hatch built into the floor and directed the other children through. Then she went down, closing the hatch behind her.

Above, in the classroom, she could hear zombies moving around. And then, as the children huddled together in the crawlspace, one zombie walked right past. Then he turned and walked back. Looking for them. They could only see his feet but he looked like a big one.

The little ones are breathing too loud, Alice thought. They're going to find us.

The tower with the warning bell was not far away. She turned to the oldest student, Maki.

"I'm going for the bell," she whispered. "They'll follow me. You take the others to the Kiramo farm over the hill. Run all the way and don't look back." She hesitated. Then she handed Maki the pistol. She flipped the safety off. "Take this," she said. "Just in case. If it comes to it, aim for the head. Double tap to be sure."

She watched the zombie's feet until he was as far away as possible. Then she wriggled out of the crawlspace and made a break for the bell. "Hey!" she shouted to the zombie. "Over here!"

The zombie started after her, and the other two came bursting out of the schoolhouse.

She made it to the belltower. She grasped the rope and pulled it, once, twice. The bell clanged. Then she started running, down the hill, away from the farmhouse.

She glanced back. The three zombies were coming after her. They were fast. And big. And gaining.

What's that sound? she thought. Like thunder.

Saeko was in the middle, taking out one after the other. Rei and Takashi were standing back to back, firing and firing and covering each other when one of them stopped to reload. Saya was standing on the steps, taking careful aim at the zombies as they ran up the hill, with Hirano next to her, shooting at any zombie that he could hit.

Saeko was knocked down by one of the zombies wielding an iron pole. Hirano ran to her, blasting his way. He helped her up – and then she whirled into the next group of zombies.

Tatagi saw one running towards him. He hefted the shotgun and fired, hitting the zombie in the chest. The zombie was knocked back by the blast – but in a moment continued his charge. Then its skull suddenly exploded. Rei.

"You need to shoot them in the head, sweetheart," she called. Then she turned back to her own fight. Grandfather Maresato and Grandmother Maresato appeared beside him. They each had shotguns, and they began shooting. "Some fun, eh?" said the old man. "But don't miss, son."

Saya saw one zombie run past them and towards the back of the farmhouse. Nozomi, she thought. My child.

She ran back through the house. Nozomi was standing in the kitchen, a little shaky on her toddler legs. Saya reached her just as the zombie burst through the back door. She pushed Nozomi behind her. She lifted the Luger and pulled the trigger. It was empty. And she had already used her back-up clips.

The zombie paused. It looked first at her, and then at Nozomi, and then at Saya again. It snarled, bearing its rotten teeth.

Saya picked up a frypan, the only thing in reach. It was not much of a weapon, she knew. She stared at the zombie. "You will not have her," she said. "You … will … not."

"Hey, asshole," said a voice from behind the zombie. It turned – and then an axe smashed into its temple. It sagged to the floor.

"Hi," said Miss Marikawa. Alice, standing next to her, simply smiled. "So once again I've rescued you from certain death in the final moment, Saya," said Miss Marikawa.

"No, actually I think this is the first time," said Saya.

"I can't remember any others," added Alice. The three of them looked at each other. Then they laughed.

"Oh, there's still a fight going on," said Saya. She scooped up Nozomi and they ran into the back yard.

"I'm going to help the others," Miss Marikawa said. In a second she was up on her horse and riding towards the battle, pulling a rifle from a saddle holster.

When the horse charged into their midst, Miss Marikawa alternating between shooting her rifle and using it as a club, the zombie attack broke. The last one went down to Saeko's sword. It was over.

"An advance scouting party?" said Rei. "Seemed a bit big for that."

"More likely a sudden attack group," said Takashi. "Or maybe they just wanted it more than the others. Miss Marikawa, thanks for the last-minute swoop."

"And she picked me up like a sack of potatoes when there were three of them after me," said Alice. "One moment I'm running along, minding my own business, and next I'm on the back of a horse. All the other kids got away, Saya, they're at the Kiramo farm."

"Er, does this sort of thing happen often?" said Tatagi.

"Often enough," said Saeko.

"Got a bit worried when you went down for a second there," said Takashi to her.

"On my own, it is only possible to defeat nine at any given time," she said.

"How do you know that?" said Tatagi.

The others looked at him. Hirano gave a little laugh.

"And what happens if you face ten?" said Tatagi.

"Then I lose," said Saeko. "If I am fighting alone."

"Where is Rise?" said Takashi.

"Having his afternoon nap," said Saeko.

"No he isn't," said Grandmother Maresato. She came out of the house, carrying the baby boy, who appeared to have just woken. "He slept through the whole thing. And I think he wants a feed now."

Saeko handed her sword to Takashi and took Rise. She sat down on one of the chairs on the porch, opened her shirt, and began to feed her son.

"By the way," said Saya to Tatagi, " 'hmm' means that we are going to stand and fight. No matter what."

"But there are thousands of them," he said. "Tens of thousands. More."

"No matter what," said Saya.

"You know, the way that they're coming along this road to Sheroda might work for us," said Takashi, looking at the map. "Here, the town has a natural choke point, a cliff on one side and the river on other. And the town itself will make it hard for them. They'll have to bunch up and slow down. Their numbers won't count for as much. We've seen them retreat before. If we can take out a lot of them, make it too expensive for them, maybe that will be enough."

"I can't believe you're talking about fighting them," said Tatagi. "There are too many."

"If we run," said Saeko, "they will follow us. Wherever we go."

"And they'll tear down everything that we've built, brick by brick," said Hirano. "You saw the photos of what they left behind. Not much."

"And I also saw the photos of the size of the army. You should be starting to evacuate people, not drawing up a plan for a suicide stand."

"Grandfather and Grandmother Maresato are already driving around to the nearby farms and houses and spreading the word," said Saya. "Telling everyone to get to Kaga Base. And then they will go themselves."

"What about those people further away?"

"That's your job," said Takashi. "You have to get back to Arimake and tell her about the situation, and then get to as many of the outlying people as you can."

"We would appreciate it," said Saya, "if you could take Nozomi and Rise with you to Kaga Base in the plane. Take them to Arimake. She will keep them as safe as possible."

"And Alice?"

"Staying," said Alice. She looked around the circle of her friends. "But I will need another gun."

"I may be able to help you with that," said Hirano.

Takashi gave a little laugh. "Okay," he said. "You know, Alice, you've been nothing but trouble ever since that first night I met you. When you peed down my back."

"Yes, nothing but trouble," said Alice.

Tatagi looked at Rei. "Rei, will you come with me?" he said.

She shook her head sadly. "Ben, you know I love you," she said. "But my place is here. To make our stand. And to give you as much time as possible for the evacuation. And to die with my friends, if it comes to that. But let's hope it doesn't come to that."

"Yes," said Saeko. "Let's hope."

Rei was fiddling with the top button of her shirt. "Saya, Saeko, how long will it take you to get Nozomi and Rise ready to go?" she said.

"Ten, fifteen minutes," said Saya.

"No," said Saeko. "Thirty minutes, at least."

"What?" said Saya. She looked at Saeko, and then at Rei. "Oh, right, yeah, thirty minutes at least. More like forty, really."

"At least," said Saeko.

Rei looked at them. She smiled. "Right," she said. She took Tatagi by the hand and led him to her room, peeling off her clothes as she went.

Takashi smiled as he watched them go. "After we have seen the children off, we should try and get some rest. But we should post a guard watch," he said.

"Rest is important," said Saeko, "but I would very much like to have sex as well. Very much."

"Me too," said Saya. "Really, really good sex."

"Great!" said Hirano to her. "Uh, you mean with me, right?"

She looked at him with a mixture of exasperation and affection.

"You are such a dork, otaku," she said.

"But that's why you love me, right?"

She considered. "Maybe," she said.

Miss Marikawa laughed. "So this is the way the world ends, not with a whimper but with a bang," she said. "Well, looks like it will be Alice and me for the first watch."

Saya rolled off the bed and began to pull her clothes back on. "I didn't much like having to send Nozomi off but she'll be safer there than here," she said.

Hirano, already dressed, nodded. He reached under the bed and slid a large crate out, and threw the lid open.

It was full of guns. A lot of guns. Big guns. And something else: bricks of something that looked like modelling clay.

"C4, America's best invention after pizza," he said.

"Where did you get all this stuff?" said Saya.

"Salvaged most of the guns. Got the C4 from the supply guy at Kaga Base. Traded him a cow and two chickens for it."

"So for months I've been sleeping with a trunkful of plastic explosive under the bed? You didn't think to mention this?"

"Don't worry, it's reasonably safe. It needs an electronic detonator, which is this thing here. It came with the package. Radio control and everything."

"Humph," said Saya.

Hirano was dragging the crate out of the caravan and towards the car.

"I don't think the Americans invented pizza!" she called after him. "And what the hell does 'reasonably safe' mean!?"

The seven of them were standing at the northern end of Sheroda village. Yes, the village was a good place for defence: rolling hills that turned into a cliff on one side, a fast-flowing river on the other, and the main road narrowed as it went through the village itself.

Hirano was still taking guns out of the back of the convertible. He heaved out a particularly big gun and a massive box of bullets.

"This beauty is a chain gun," he said. "Found it on top of an abandoned tank. Heavy mother, and the main problem is that it goes through the bullets really fast, so it won't last long. But it's guaranteed to kill almost anything, even if it's already dead."

"Hey, what's this?" said Rei.

"That," said Hirano, "is a rocket-propelled grenade, known in the trade as an RPG. You just put it on your shoulder and pull that little trigger. It'll make a pretty big bang. But I only have one of them."

"I like it," said Rei.

"It's yours," said Hirano.

They continued to select weapons from Hirano's collection. Except Saeko, who had her two swords and needed nothing else.

They made their plans and their preparations, checking positions and confirming escape routes. Suddenly, there was nothing left to do but wait.

Takashi went up to Miss Marikawa. "I never thanked you for saving Saeko," he said.

"It was a pleasure," she said. "Except the puking part, of course."

Takashi laughed. "Something I've always wondered about," he said. "Are … they … you know, real?"

"Every bouncy ounce is pure woman," she said.

"Yeah, that's what I thought," he said.

He turned to Hirano, who was holding his chain gun at the ready. He had two other weapons slung across his shoulders, and his pockets bulged with ammunition and other equipment.

"Hey, save some of them for the rest of us," Takashi said.

"No promises," said Hirano. They knocked knuckles.

Rei was next. "You have always been the wisest of us," he said. "You have been our rock."

Rei grasped him by the shirtfront, pulled him to her, and kissed him. It was a long, hard, passionate kiss.

"Whoa," muttered Saya to Saeko, next to her.

"I'm cool with it," said Saeko.

Rei finally released Takashi and stepped back. Takashi turned to Saya.

"If you think I'm going to do that, forget it," said Saya.

Takashi smiled. "I would hardly expect it," he said. "Saya, we couldn't have got this far without you. You really are a genius."

"I know," she said.

Alice came up to him. "Voting for you as leader was the best thing I ever did," she said.

He ruffled her hair. "And I never forgave you for it," he said. "Take care of yourself, sweetheart."

Saeko. She and Takashi looked at each other for a long time. They were silent. There was nothing more they could say. Not now. Not here.

Takashi walked away from them, down the road a little way.

"Well, all that was odd," said Miss Marikawa.

"Haven't you ever heard a man say goodbye before?" said Rei.

"Oh," said Miss Marikawa.

"Saya," said Hirano, "if we live through this, do you know what we should do? Get married."

"Hmm," said Saya. "Maybe. I'll think about it. You probably shouldn't hold your breath, though. I'm really just in it for the sex."

Then the ground under their feet began to tremble.

The column came into sight.

"My god," said Saya. "My fucking fucking god."

"All of them," said Rei. "It must be every goddamn zombie in Japan."

"Then the upside," said Hirano, "is that if we kill them all, we get our country back."

Saeko adjusted the swords at her belt.

The lead pack of zombies broke into a run. They began to snarl, and growl, and roar.

Hirano hefted his big gun. "Let's rock!" he shouted. The gun began to spout flame. Smoking cartridges spiralled through the air. The others chimed in.

The first line of zombies went down, chewed to pieces. So did the second. But the zombies kept coming, howling for blood now.

The chain gun clicked on empty.

"Second stage!" shouted Takashi.

Rei and Saya went to the right flank near the cliff, Takashi to the left near the river. Alice, sniper rifle in hand and carrying a satchel of grenades, went for the highest roof in the village. Miss Marikawa mounted her horse and wheeled it into a narrow lane behind the first row of shops.

Saeko simply vanished.

Hirano dropped the chain gun and pulled up his next weapon. He backed up, firing as he went. The zombies split into groups.

Takashi ran into a garage at the end of an alley. His convertible was there. "Dammit, I really liked this car," he muttered to himself.

A crowd of zombies came racing down the alley.

The car already had the accelerator braced with a bar and the steering wheel tied into position. Takashi turned it on and released the brake. The car roared away from him and down the alley. It ploughed into the zombies, smashing them down. Then it crashed into the next group, and then the next. And then the grenades and the cans of petrol went up.

Saya ran down a side-street, Luger drawn, a hundred-strong troop of zombies in pursuit. She stopped and turned. She lifted the gun, aimed carefully, and took out the first rank. Then she ran again, leading the zombies up the street and towards the edge of the village.

She turned into a little open area. Rei was there, kneeling with the RPG on her shoulder. Saya ran past her.

The zombies came around the corner. Rei aimed. The lead zombie, a big one, gave a hideous howl.

Then Rei jerked the RPG upwards and fired. The rocket streaked over the heads of the zombies.

The big zombie looked at her. Its decayed lips curled into an evil smile, as if it was saying: you missed.

"I didn't miss," said Rei.

The rocket smashed into the face of the cliff and exploded. With a rumble, rocks began to fall. Then the whole cliff-face began to come down, burying the zombies under tons of rock.

Rei threw the RPG frame aside. She and Saya ran, hoping to stay ahead of the rolling boulders.

Alice was shooting and throwing grenades as fast as she could, trying to hold back the tide. She saw a group of zombies running up the lane which led to a ladder to the roof. It was too far for grenades – but then she saw Miss Marikawa riding along the lane directly for them, shooting with one hand and swinging a club with the other.

A group of zombies smashed their way into a large, empty building, looking for a way through. There was a woman standing before them.

Saeko took a quick count. Nine.

She smiled.

Hirano emptied the weapon; the zombies were almost on him. He turned and ran, pulling out the detonator. There was a series of buttons. He pushed the first one, and the buildings on either side of the street went up. The wave of zombies went up with them.

The shockwave of the blast knocked him down but he was up again in a moment. He reloaded, and prepared for the next assault.

The zombies were flooding into the village now. The group of humans fell back and met at the little park in the middle of the town, as they had planned. Miss Marikawa ran up. "They knocked me off Buttercup," she said. "I got them all but I couldn't get back to her."

"You went to war on a horse called Buttercup?" said Saya.

"What's wrong with Buttercup?" said Miss Marikawa.

"Er, nothing, nothing," said Takashi. "Hirano, where are the next set of charges?"

"In those buildings, just at the entry to the park. It would be good if we can get them to bunch up, so we can take out as many as we can."

"Do they have to come this way?" said Takashi. "Is the right flank covered?"

"They'll be able to get through eventually but they're certainly slowed down there," said Rei.

"Then concentrate your fire on that street," Takashi directed.

They fired. And fired. And fired.

The zombies were climbing over bodies. Wave after wave went down.

"Hirano, now!" said Takashi.

Second button.

The blasts took out hundreds of them. The wave behind began to hesitate and fall back.

It was a small victory but it had come at a tactical cost. A group of zombies had got behind them, and were blocking their retreat. They had clubs and bars.

Saeko drew her already-bloody swords. She counted.

Damn, she thought. Ten.

But she charged into them, slashing left and right. One down, two, three. "Go past!" she shouted to her friends.

Four, five. In her mind's eye, she could see how the next four would fall. But the ninth would leave her out of position, unable to strike at the tenth.

She saw Takashi and the others get to the relative safety of the street on the either side of the park.

The temple sword sliced into the neck of the eighth and the Murata blade impaled the head of the ninth. But now her back was to the last one. From the corner of her eye, she saw him raise a massive iron bar.

Then someone leaped onto his back. Rei. The zombie howled, trying to fling her off. But then she had her pistol at his temple. She fired as he swung her into a tree.

Saeko helped her up. Rei's shoulder looked broken.

"Thank you," said Saeko.

"Couldn't let you do all the hand-to-hand heroics, could I?" said Rei, grimacing in pain.

Their last redoubt was the southern end of the town, where a brace of abandoned cars offered some cover. The seven of them made for it, firing as they went.

A trio of zombies broke from the pack and made for Saya, trailing behind the others as she reloaded. She turned and fired her Luger. One down. Then the second. The third, carrying a club, took a bullet in the neck but knocked her to the ground. It raised the club.

Hirano came running forward. His gun was out of bullets and there was no time to unsling the second. He threw the empty gun aside and drew his machete. He swung, but the zombie dodged and struck out, catching Hirano on the hip. He staggered back, dropping the machete. He fell.

Saya rolled, snatched up the machete, and stabbed the zombie in the foot. It howled. She struggled to her knees and thrust upwards. The blade sliced into the zombie's neck. It fell back, dead, the machete still in its throat.

She ran to Hirano. "What would you do without me?" he said to her, with a groan.

"Technically, I think I saved you," she said. "But I suppose we can call it even." She tried to drag him to the others but she was not strong enough to move him. "Takashi!" she shouted. "Help!"

Takashi ran to them, shooting to keep the zombies back. He reached them and hoisted Hirano up. Hirano cried out in pain. Takashi handed his shotgun to Saya, and she fired while they scrambled to the cars.

They made it but the group was in bad shape. Rei with a broken shoulder, Hirano hardly able to move his legs, all of them near exhaustion and running low on ammunition. And the zombies were readying another attack.

"The last set of charges is on the petrol station," said Hirano. "That should give them a very nasty surprise. Here, Saya, you take the detonator … oh no – "

"Oh no what?" said Saya.

"It must have come out of my pocket when that one hit me," he said. He managed to raise himself into a sitting position and looked back. "There it is, over there!"

A wave of zombies was coming forward, roaring, past the petrol station.

Alice ran forward towards the detonator. But two zombies were coming that way as well. As she neared the detonator, one made a grab for her. She dived, sliding through his legs. The other raised a club to hit her – and then fell back with a bullet from Miss Marikawa's rifle in his head.

Alice reached the detonator, still sliding on the gravel. She scooped it up, and pushed the button.

The petrol station went up in a massive gout of flame, incinerating a hundred zombies in a second. And another hundred a few moments later.

The zombie near Alice went down, courtesy of Miss Marikawa, and Alice ran back to the others.

"Outstanding," said Saeko to her as she threw herself down next to them.

"That will hold them, but not for long," said Takashi. He took a clip out of his pocket and rammed it into his Mauser pistol. It was his last one.

"Well, I'm not going anywhere," said Saya.

"Not me," said Miss Marikawa, digging tablets out of her pocket and giving them to Rei and Hirano.

Saeko was carefully wiping blood from her swords.

"I can shoot with my left hand," said Rei. "I think."

"Prop me up and tie a gun to my arm," said Hirano. "A big one would be nice."

Alice checked her sniper rifle. "Fuck 'em all," she said.

"Well, you're all going to have your chance," said Takashi.

Then a shadow passed over them, and a burst of machine-gun fire from above.

It was Tatagi's plane. He was firing out the window, and then he threw a string of grenades. The plane flew the length of the town, and then turned and came back, swooping low.

From within the throng of zombies there was a volley of gunshots. The little plane seemed to stagger for a moment in mid-air, and then smoke started to come from the engine. It stuttered, stopped and then started again. It flew off in the direction of the Maresato farm, wobbling through the air.

"Hope he makes it down safely," said Saya.

"He's a good pilot," said Rei.

"And a brave man," said Hirano.

"He just couldn't take out enough of them," said Takashi. He looked around at the circle of faces. "My friends, it has been an honour," he said.

"The honour," said Hirano, "has been ours."

Takashi smiled. He raised his gun. "Get ready. This will be it, I think."

Then the ground began to shake again. But this was not the sound of thousands of zombie feet. This was the drumming of heavy engines.

An Armoured Personnel Carrier came careening around the corner behind them. Major Arimake was in the turret, behind a heavy machine gun. She saluted them as she roared past. Behind her was another APC, and then another, and then another, and several trucks, and they were all packed with soldiers from Kaga Base.

At the same time, over the hill on the other side of the village came a line of trucks and cars. From the vehicles spilled a wave of people, mainly civilians. Most of them had guns but some had only axes and clubs. They ran down the slope and smashed into the flank of the zombie army.

The APCs ploughed into the front of the mass, firing as they went. Zombies fell in waves. But there were many, many more.

Takashi, Saeko, Saya, Alice and Miss Marikawa came out from behind the cars. It's everyone, thought Takashi. But is it enough? Will it be enough?

From the zombie formation, a shot rang out.

Takashi cried out and staggered backwards. He fell, blood spreading over his chest.

Immediately, Miss Marikawa was by his side, trying to put pressure on the wound to stop the bleeding. Saeko knelt down. She looked at Miss Marikawa.

Miss Marikawa shook her head.

He reached out for Saeko's hand. She took it. He looked up at her and did his best to smile. "Always, my love," he said. Then his eyes closed.

Takashi Komuro was dead.

Saeko stood up. She turned towards the battle, a hundred metres away. The war was balanced on the scales. She drew her swords.

Over her shoulder, she said to Rei: "Look after Rise."

"I will," said Rei.

She stared up at the sky for a long moment. Then she gave a cry of primal savagery and charged into the fray.

Miss Marikawa looked at Saya and Alice. "Well," she said, "what are we waiting for!?"

They drew their guns and ran after Saeko.

Z+1277

In the soft light of early dusk, Hirano and Saya walked slowly up the hill. Hirano still limped, and used a cane for assistance. They reached the two grave markers at the top.

"You know," said Saya, "this is where she first told me that a storm was coming. I remember that I had my old Luger. It's because of the two of them, I think, that I don't have to carry it now."

Hirano nodded. "It's nice up here," he said. "A nice view for them."

They looked back towards the farmhouse. In the front yard, Nozomi and Rise were laughing and running around as toddlers do, Alice and Zeke chasing them. Rei and Tatagi were trying to keep some sort of order in the game, but obviously they knew it was just part of the fun. As Saya and Hirano watched, Miss Marikawa and her partner came out of the house, carrying plates of food for the picnic meal. Grandfather and Grandmother Maresato sat in porch chairs, pleased to see the people that they loved enjoying themselves.

Hirano took his wife's hand. "Some things are worth fighting for," he said. "Some things are worth dying for."

"Yes," said Saya. "Some things are."

"Some things are worth fighting for. Some things are worth dying for."

END AND AMEN

To The Death, My Love:

Stories of the Seven

Z minus 1 – Saeko's story

After doubts and delays, Saeko takes a romantic plunge – but her timing is lousy

[Author's Note: This story takes place the night before the day on which the first zombie comes to the gate of Fujimi High School.]

As usual, it was after midnight when Saeko Busujima returned to her apartment from work. She did not mind the hours, and the job was not difficult. All she had to do, she reflected, was serve saki and beer to businessmen while she was wearing her underwear. The bar had a strict 'look but not touch' policy, although she often received quiet offers from customers. She always politely turned them down, but she admitted to herself that she did not mind the attention, and that she liked to be looked at.

And, of course, the money was good. Unlike many of the students at Fujimi High School, she did not come from a wealthy family. There were school fees, the rent on her apartment, and kendo tournaments that often required travel. And university next year would be expensive as well.

She turned on the television, hitting the mute button as she did so. She activated her computer and poured herself a drink: whisky, her preference. She told herself that she would have only the one tonight, but the next thought was that that probably would not happen. She usually ended up having at least three. Yes, tomorrow was a school day, but she had become very adept at hiding hangovers. It was school: how much could happen?

The world news on TV seemed to be more chaotic than usual: military forces doing things in developing countries, riots or something in North America and Europe. Ho-hum.

Her computer beeped: email. It was, of course, Akhiro: no-one else ever sent her emails.

The message said: Hello, Saeko. Thank you for the picture.

She had been corresponding with Akhiro for nearly six months now, after meeting him at a kendo tournament. She had been matched against him in the second round, and had beaten him without much difficulty. He had taken defeat with grace, realising that he was simply not in her class. She had been surprised when, later, he had asked her for coffee; she had been more surprised that she had agreed. Most surprising of all, she had given him her email address when he had asked her for it. Generally, she did not do that sort of thing. But this time she had, and she did not really know why. So there had been a trickle of messages back and forth, always initiated by him.

A month ago, he had asked if she would send him a picture of herself. Eventually, she did: her official school photo, with the long skirt she usually wore as part of the uniform. It was the least sexy picture she could possibly imagine, chosen for just that reason.

She typed: It is not as if you have never seen me before.

- Hard to get a good image of someone when they are beating you about the head. I still find it hard to believe you are in high school yet knocked the crap out of me.

You are not the first to think that I am older than I am. Perhaps it is because I am tall. I will be going to university next year.

- What will you be studying?

Shakespeare.

- ?

Henry V, Julius Caesar, Macbeth, The Tempest. You know, Shakespeare.

- Does tragedy make you happy?

She considered. Then she typed back: I am not generally a happy person. Yet to find my place in the world, perhaps.

She poured herself another drink. She glanced at the television: there was a news article about some sort of crisis in the north of Japan. Police and soldiers had been called out to keep order, apparently.

Another message appeared: Are you still working at the burger place you mentioned?

She typed back: Girl's gotta pay the rent.

She wondered why she had lied about her job to Akhiro. She drained her glass and re-filled it.

You like him, she said to herself. Admit it, moron. You only met him briefly but you think about him when you're in bed alone. So grow a pair.

She typed: I have been thinking about what you asked me a while ago.

- About a date? A proper date?

Yes. I would like to do that. I can meet you tomorrow, early evening.

She suggested a place and a specific time. He agreed.

- Will you be wearing your school uniform? Or your kendo outfit? (A joke.)

No, and not my work clothes either. You will have to accept me as I am.

- I will be pleased to do so. See you then.

They both signed off.

She sat looking at the blank screen, sipping whisky. Well, she thought. How about that. Samurai girl has a date.

On the television, talking heads were talking, animatedly but silently. Someone from the government was saying something. She turned it off.

"Tomorrow," she said aloud, "is going to be an important day."

END

Z Day – Shizuka's Story

Life is not exactly as good as it might be, reflects the school nurse. But it's going to get a whole lot worse

[This story takes place a few hours before the first zombie comes to the gate of the school.]

"Whoa is me," said Shizuka Marikawa. "No, wait, I think that's supposed to be 'Woe is me'. Or something."

Fortunately, no-one heard. This was not surprising, since she was sitting alone in her little Mazda, in the parking garage of her apartment building. The issue she was considering was whether she should go to work at the Fujimi High School today. She sighed.

Her head hurt. That was, she thought, entirely understandable, since she had had a few drinks of peppermint schnapps the night before. Perhaps a few more than a few. She had not really meant to, but she had been invited out by a couple of girlfriends, and that had led to a bar, and that had led to the peppermint schnapps. There had been a man involved somewhere along the way, she seemed to recall, but to tell the truth that part was a little hazy. As was much of the evening. Peppermint schnapps will do that.

Which did not resolve the question of whether she should go to work. On the negative side, the traffic looked really bad. She had looked out her apartment window a few minutes ago, and there seemed to be traffic jams and roadblocks everywhere. There had been a lot of police cars and ambulances all over the place, and that had been going on all night. Which had not helped the hangover in any way whatsoever.

The thought of police reminded her that she should not, in fact, even be driving. It was a secret, but her licence had been suspended a month ago. Presumably, this was because she kept hitting things: no people or animals, but poles, parked cars, rubbish bins, that sort of stuff. So if she was pulled over by a policeman, she would have to hope that it was one who could be charmed. Fortunately, she had worked out how to lean out of a car window at exactly the right angle to display her … assets. And how many buttons had to be undone. Two buttons were adequate for most situations, although three were sometimes necessary. But there was always the possibility of a lady cop. For some reason, they seemed to hate her on sight.

Still on the negatives, she had to attend a performance review with the school principal soon. That was not good. She was, after all, only a temporary employee. She was doing a night course to upgrade her qualifications but, well, some of the classes just weren't that interesting. Like the one on delivering babies, for example. Now how could that ever be useful? So she had done something else that evening, she forgot what, something with Rika maybe.

She had a bad feeling that the review would not go well. Sure, the students seemed to like her – there was a constant stream of them, especially boys, to her office – but some of their parents seemed to not be so impressed. Maybe it was because she was willing to hand out various types of contraceptives without asking too many questions. Well, gosh, it was a high school, after all. But the bottom line was that she might be looking for another job by the end of the week.

Another negative: her head hurt. No, wait, she'd already mentioned that one.

Now, the positives. Were there any? Well, the job paid well, and most of the time she enjoyed it. Getting paid was important, since her credit cards were pretty well maxed out.

One of the main reasons for the parlous cash flow situation was something she was wearing right now. It was a really nice Dior skirt. She had been sensible when buying it: it had been marked down. By five per cent. Sure, that meant that it was only outlandishly expensive, compared to ludicrously expensive, but five per cent was five per cent. And, yes, the skirt was so tight it was difficult to walk in, but it gave a really nice shape to her butt, which was important for someone who was, how could she put it, on the top-heavy side.

Another positive: during class hours, her office was seldom busy. If she stayed home, she wouldn't be able to get any sleep, what with all the sirens and everything. At the school, she could put her head down on her desk and have a nice little rest. Oh, and aspirin from the medicine cabinet as well. Quite a lot of aspirin, possibly.

Okay, that sounded like a deciding factor. She would go to work and take it easy. She started the car and pulled out of the garage, narrowly missing a mailbox that, she was sure, hadn't been there yesterday. So maybe the situation was not totally woeful. It should be, at least, a quiet day.

END

Z Day – Saya's story

Saya thinks that it might be a good day, for once. She is wrong

[Author's Note: This story takes shortly before the first zombie comes to the gate of Fujimi High School.]

The chauffer opened the door of the limousine for Saya. She climbed in, to be greeted by a Mozart adagio.

"Fuck it," she said to herself. She tried to remember the name of the chauffer, but it escaped her. There were so many people working at the Takagi mansion, she could hardly be expected to remember them all. Or, indeed, any of them. She took a CD out of her schoolbag and passed it over the seat to the chauffer. "Please play this instead of Amadeus," she said.

" 'The Akeboshi Rockets'," read the chauffer. "I hardly think that your mother would approve, Lady Saya."

"I'm totally sure she would not," said Saya. "Just put it on. And please don't call me that."

"As you like, Miss Takagi."

Saya sighed. I hate my life, she thought.

At least the chauffer put the CD on, although his air of marked reluctance spoiled any enjoyment she might have otherwise got from it. As they left the grounds, she took out her computer and called up the schedule for the day. Classes: Advanced Maths, Accelerated Scientific Methodologies, Advanced Studies in … something or other. High Level Whatever.

She sighed again. At least there were no sporting activities today. That was good. Not great, but good. No sport meant no repetition of that unpleasant incident over who was running the goddamn volleyball team.

She closed the Class schedule and called up Social Plan. Lunch with the second- and third-wealthiest girls in the school. Not particularly appetising, but necessary if she was to stay abreast of the school gossip. If she was lucky they could get a balcony table, so they could watch the boys' football team practising. That might make up for the lunch company.

After school, a visit to the local mall. She enjoyed that, mainly because she could walk there rather than having to go in the limo. She couldn't see why so many of the people at school liked riding in the limo, when she thought to make the offer to them. It was really just a well-padded branch of the family prison, with wheels.

Ah, here was something positive at the mall. Hairdresser appointment. Always good. And then she could go to the designer shoe shop nearby, where they served her champagne without worrying that she was under the legal drinking age. Champagne was good, it stopped her from worrying about … things. She wondered vaguely if there was a way to get the hairdresser to serve it as well.

There seemed to be a lot of traffic jams today, and a peculiarly high number of vehicles with sirens going somewhere or other, but eventually the school came into sight. "Please turn into the next side-street and stop," she said to the chauffer.

"But we are not there yet," he said.

"Just do it," said Saya. "I would like to walk the last couple of blocks." So no-one will see me arriving in this thing, she thought.

"Very well … Lady Saya," said the chauffer.

She let it pass, just glad to get out. As she walked through the gates, she saw the usual things. That stupid chubby guy who was in some of her classes, Hitano or Hirona or something, was getting bullied again. Well, nothing to do with her. There was Komuro, who she had known since kindergarten, standing on the balcony of a stairwell. She had seen him moping around there before. She remembered a piece of gossip that Rei – what was her second name? Miyomata? Miyamoto? anyway, the girl with the weird hair that stood up like a pair of antennae – had dated him for a while but was now with … some other guy. Komuro was probably feeling sorry for himself over it. I'll go up there and tell him he's being more stupid than usual, she thought.

All in all, the day was shaping up as mostly a pile of crap. She would go to the first class of the day, because that subject wasn't as totally boring as the others. Maybe she would cut the next couple. Maybe all of them. It was not like she needed to go; she had learned the work weeks ago. And what could they do, expel her? Ha, that would give her parents a surprise, if they noticed.

It sounded like a plan. She was good at planning. She would tell Komuro how stupid he was, and then go to Maths, and then would take the rest of the day off. Go to the mall or somewhere. Take a bus – a bus! – to the boutique district, perhaps. Drink some champagne. Maybe a lot of champagne. Maybe she would talk to someone she hadn't talked to before. Maybe buy another Rockets CD, since she had left the one she had in the limo.

Maybe today would be the day when she would finally make it over the fence. And speaking of fences, there seemed to be some sort of commotion at the school's front gate. Well, nothing to do with her.

"This is going to be a good day," she said to herself.

END

Saeko and the Long Goodbye

Saeko finds that what really matters is what we take with us, and what we leave behind, and what we keep in the secret places of our heart.

[Author's Note: This story takes place when the group is staying at the Takagi family mansion; specifically, within the time period of Episode 11.]

In a secluded corner of the garden of the mansion, Saeko removed the sword that Saya's father had given her from its sheath and examined it closely. It was truly beautiful. She tried a series of practice moves with it. It felt as if it belonged in her hand, or perhaps her hand belonged to the blade. She returned it to its scabbard.

She looked up at the sky. Clouds were gathering: rain was on the way.

"Hello, Saeko," said a voice. Saya. "Not doing the kimono thing anymore?"

"Please thank your mother for the loan of it," said Saeko. "But it is not appropriate for what I have in mind. I am planning an excursion. To my apartment. It is not far from here. I have told Takashi I would be going."

"I'll have some of the staff drive you."

"Thank you, but I would prefer to go on my own. I will not be gone for long."

Saya nodded. "Sure, I get that," she said. They went to the gate and Saya directed the guards to allow Saeko to pass through.

Saeko walked through the empty streets, carrying the Murata blade. She wondered why she was going to the apartment. There was not really anything there that was important to her. There was a cabinet full of meaningless trophies. Some clothes: also meaningless. Not much else.

Perhaps it's a matter of bidding farewell to the past, she thought. A way of accepting that everything you thought you were, everything you thought you knew, was built on sand.

She turned into the street where she had lived; the building with her apartment was at the end. She stopped.

"Well, that's one way of saying it," she said to herself.

The building was no longer there. It was just a burned-out frame and a pile of smoking ashes.

"Don't move, girlie," said a voice from behind her. She felt the barrel of a pistol on the back of her neck.

She had heard that voice before. She had heard those words.

She remembered. It had been night.

"Drop the sword," said the man.

She wondered if she could move quickly enough. But the gun was pressed against her skin, and it was very likely that the man holding it knew how to use it.

She put the sword down.

"Now put your hands behind you," he said. "And don't think that I care whether you're alive or dead when I get you down on your back."

She did so. He bound her wrists with a plastic tie. He pushed her into an alley that ran off the street.

"Turn around," he said.

She did, to face him.

"You're a pretty one," he said.

"As you have already told me," she said.

"What, we've met before?"

Saeko said nothing.

"What's your name, girlie?"

"You would be afraid to hear it," said Saeko.

He peered into her face.

"You," he said at last.

"Yes," she said. "The girl who beat you. With a stick. Tell me: how did that story go down in jail? Did everybody laugh?"

He pressed the barrel of the pistol onto her chest. Then he moved it down so it was between her breasts.

"Oh, I will enjoy this," he said. "And if you behave yourself, maybe I won't feed you to the zombies afterwards. Maybe I'll keep you. Maybe."

He put a finger to her lips.

She opened her mouth – just a little. She let her tongue run across his finger.

"So you're one of the ones who likes it rough," he said.

"Find out," she said softly.

He put it into her mouth. She smiled.

And then she bit. Hard.

He yelped in pain and jumped back.

There was the taste of blood in her mouth. "What's the matter?" she said. "Not rough enough?"

She kicked out, a looping kick that knocked him down. But with her hands tied behind her she could not get enough force into it to do much damage.

She ran – back to the street, to where her sword lay. She knew she would only have a few moments.

It began to rain, heavy and cold.

She threw herself down and brought her legs up to her chest. With an effort, she managed to get her hands under them. Thank god for kendo exercises, she said to herself. She was still cuffed but at least now her hands were in front of her. She took the sword out of its sheath as the man came running out of the alley, gun in hand.

Then he stopped, fear and surprise frozen on his face. He was looking past Saeko, along the street.

She glanced behind her.

There was a group of zombies, a dozen or more, coming for them.

"Run," she said to the man.

They ran back into the alley. But another group of zombies appeared at the end, cutting them off.

The man raised the gun and shot one of them. It went down – but there were many others.

"That isn't really going to help, unless you have a lot more bullets," said Saeko.

She looked around. There was a large dumpster rubbish bin, the type on wheels.

"Help me with this," she said. The two of them pushed the bin to block the alley. It would give them a few moments, but no more. The zombies were already trying to shove it aside, and the first group was advancing along the alley.

Saeko put the sword on the ground, blade upwards, holding it in position with her foot. She ran the plastic tie binding her hands over it. It fell away. She stood up, sword in hand.

And found the man pointing the gun at her chest again.

"Go ahead," she said. "Finish what you started. Here, I'll make it easy for you."

She stepped forward so the gun was pressing into her breast. She closed her eyes.

She heard a shot. But felt nothing. She opened her eyes.

The man had shot one of the zombies advancing on them.

The zombies were only a few metres away now. She lifted her sword and swung. One down, two, then three. The man shot another one.

Suddenly, there was a gap in the throng.

"Come on!" she said.

They ran through the opening. They made it – just. Saeko scooped up the sheath of her sword, and the two of them ran along the street through the soaking rain, the zombies following.

They turned a corner and ran up another street. They stopped, panting for breath.

Suddenly, a zombie lurched at them out of the shadows. The man tried to turn his gun but there was not enough time, the zombie was on him. Saeko slashed out, and the zombie's head left its shoulders.

"Fuck it," said the man.

He had been bitten on the hand.

"Hold out your arm," said Saeko.

He did.

In a single motion of her sword, she cut it off, just above the elbow. The man cried out in pain. There was a gush of blood over the wet pavement. The man slumped against a wall.

Saeko took the scarf from around her neck. She wrapped it around the wound, screwing it tight to act as a tourniquet and a bandage.

"Will that stop me turning?" gasped the man.

"Maybe," said Saeko. "Maybe not."

There was the low moaning of zombies from along the street, advancing towards them.

"You have lost too much blood to be able to run," said Saeko. "They will reach you soon. I cannot fight them all. And even if I could, I do not believe that you are worth fighting for. Under other circumstances, I would kill you myself. Gladly. But you have a gun, and I suggest you use it."

The man stared at her.

"Who the fuck are you!?" he said.

"I am Saeko Busujima," said Saeko. "I kill things. And I enjoy it."

What's past is prologue, she thought. I am a creature of the brave new world, now. This is what I was trained for. This is what I was born for. I am the darkness made flesh.

The rain had turned her clothes transparent. There was nothing left to hide. She sheathed the Murata blade.

She looked down at the man. There was no more to say. She turned and walked away.

The man, sitting against the wall in a spreading pool of his own blood, watched the zombies approach.

He put the gun to his head and pulled the trigger.

Click.

"Damn," he said.

And then they were on him.

Saya was at the gate when Saeko arrived. They walked to the mansion together.

"Did you do what you wanted to do?" said Saya.

"Yes," said Saeko. "I said goodbye."

END

Saya's Really Expensive Shoes

On a shopping trip with Hirano, Saya finds more than she bargained for.

[Author's Note: This story takes place while the group is in the city, at the mall; that is, within the time period of the story Dead and the City. Specifically, it takes place shortly before the story Close Encounters of the Sleeping Bag Kind.]

"I don't know if this is such a good idea, Saya," said Hirano.

"Of course it is, since I thought of it," said Saya. "This might be my last chance for some serious retail before we leave the city. Anyway, there doesn't seem to be any of them around."

"Still, I don't think it's a good idea to be wandering around by ourselves, without telling the others where we were going."

"Oh, I told Takashi we were going to look for more gas cylinders for the stove."

"And yet here we are in the boutique district." He looked around. Designer shops as far as the eye could see. At least the area was relatively untouched, by the look of things. Some other parts of the city were not much more than ruin and rubble.

He sighed. He did not really know why he was here, but on the other hand he would go with Saya pretty well anywhere that she wanted to go. He hefted the automatic rifle that he had liberated from the abandoned police station near the mall.

"Versace," read Saya, as they walked down the street. "Gucci. Prada."

"Those are people, right?" said Hirano.

She stared at him. "You really are hyper-challenged in normal things, aren't you?" she said.

"No! Well, sometimes. Yes, I suppose I am. Are we looking for anything in particular?"

"Yes, and here it is. Welcome to paradise."

It was a shoe store. An extremely expensive shoe store.

"This is absolutely wonderful!" said Saya as they went in. "I have the whole place to myself. Oh, these are really cute." She took a pair of turquoise pumps from the display case. She sat down and tried them on. Then she looked at the price tag. "Humph," she said.

"What, too expensive?" said Hirano.

"Not expensive enough," said Saya.

"Huh?"

"You really don't get it, do you?"

"Obviously not."

She tried on another pair. And another. And another. And so on.

"You know," said Hirano. "None of these are very practical in our current circumstances. A solid pair of boots would be better. You really need something you can run in. As in, away from zombies."

"Jimmy Choos?"

"Can you run in them?"

"Not really. You know, this whole shopping thing was much more fun when there were lots of salespeople around to suck up to you. Serving champagne and stuff. What do you think of these?"

"They're lovely."

"And what about these ones?"

"Also lovely."

"And these?"

"Yes, lovely."

"You really don't know, do you?"

"No. On the other hand, do you care anything at all about my opinion?"

"Of course not. I was just being polite. Although why, I don't know."

Then she saw them. Manblo Blahnik. Three-inch heels. Hand-tooled. Red as a ruby on fire. With a charming little strap. "Oh god," she said, reverentially taking them out of the cabinet.

"I don't see a price tag on them," said Hirano.

"If you have to look at the price, you can't afford them," said Saya. She put them on. "Trust me, these are ludicrously, amazingly, outlandishly expensive. Oh, these will impress everyone."

"Uh, there might be only seven people left in the world," said Hirano. "I doubt Saeko would care, she doesn't strike me as a shoe person. Alice is only eight or so. And I would be impressed with you if you were naked. Er, I mean, if your feet were naked. Bare. If you had bare feet, I mean. Wearing nothing … on your feet."

She stared at him. "Three point seven billion men in the world and you happen to be one of the last two," she muttered. "How come you survived when all those really cute boys on the football team got killed?"

"Because I … uh, do you hear something?"

From the street, just outside the store, there came a low moaning. Zombies. They began to pound on the glass windows.

"Run!" said Hirano. "That way, into the back!"

They ran into the back of the store. They heard the glass give way.

"Good thing we both have guns," said Hirano. He looked around: they were in a small store-room. He closed the door, but it was not much more than a plywood partition and would not last long when the zombies went to work on it.

"Uh, about that," said Saya. "I … don't."

"What!? You didn't come prepared for this?"

"I thought we were going shopping for shoes! I didn't think zombies liked shoes! Anyway, you've got a gun. You can shoot them."

"There's a lot of them."

"But you have a lot of bullets, don't you?"

"Er … well, just the one clip."

"Huh. Didn't come prepared, eh?"

"Okay, so the moral of the story is that you should always carry your Luger and I should always carry extra clips. There has to be another way out."

There was no other door to the room. They could hear the zombies shuffling about in the next room, looking for them. They would find them before long.

Hirano turned to the wall at the back. It was plasterboard.

"Through here," he said.

"That's a wall," said Saya.

"Yes, but I can shoot a hole in it. Enough to weaken it, anyway. Of course, as soon as I do the zombies will hear it and come pouring in."

At that moment, a zombie began to bang on the door to the storeroom.

"Do it," said Saya.

Hirano took aim and then fired a burst, vertically up the wall. There was a shower of plaster.

A zombie hand came smashing through the door.

Hirano ran at the wall. He crashed through, landing in a heap on the other side.

Saya stepped through the hole, trying to avoid the plaster and dust swirling through the air.

"Well, don't just lie there," she said. "We should be moving along."

Hirano got up. They were in a hallway. There was a door at the end. They went through it, and found themselves in the alley that ran behind the store.

Hirano ran to the corner and peered around it, into the street. Then he realised that Saya was not next to him. He looked back; she was still coming along the alley. She couldn't run in the Manblo Blahnik shoes. She had left her other shoes in the store, which was now infested with zombies.

"Take those damn things off!" he said.

"No," she said. "They're really nice, and really expensive, and I'm not leaving them behind."

"You really think they're worth dying for?"

"Hmm," she said, thinking about it. "Hmm."

"Look, here's our situation," he said. "There's zombies on the street, zombies over there and there, and zombies coming up behind us. That's a lot of zombies."

Saya looked around. "So here's what we do," she said. "We go into that Dolce store across the street, the two-storey one. There's a fire escape at the side, leading to that laneway over there, you see it? That laneway leads away from the street, so there probably won't be any zombies there."

Hirano nodded. "Yeah, that might work," he said. "Very good tactics."

"Well, I am a genius," said Saya.

"But we still need to get across the road. That means running pretty fast."

Saya sighed. Reluctantly, she took off the shoes. "Okay, I guess I can carry them for a while," she said.

The zombies were starting to come through the hole in the wall and into the alley.

"We'll go together," he said. "Get ready – "

"Wait a second," she said.

"What is it!?" he said.

She grabbed him by the shirt, pulled him to her, and kissed him. "For luck," she said.

He was a bit dazed. "Uh, yeah, right, for luck," he said.

Then he just stood there, looking at her.

"What, you've never been kissed before?" she said.

"No, not really," he said.

She rolled her eyes. "Well, we should go," she said. "And, you know, avoid the zombies."

"Oh, right. The zombies."

They ran for the Dolce store.

The zombies in the street immediately heard them and started after them, but they made it to the store. They closed the door behind them and pushed a cabinet up against it.

Then they looked around. There were four zombies in the store with them. They were all wearing tags saying D&G.

"Oh, they work here," said Saya. "Or they did, when they were alive, at least."

Hirano unslung his automatic rifle and fired. Three of them went down. Then the gun clicked on empty.

Hirano took it by the barrel and swung it but the last zombie caught it and wrenched it out of his hands.

"Uh-oh," said Saya. "That can't be good."

The zombie heard, and started for her.

"No!" shouted Hirano. "Over here!" he ran to the other side of the store and banged on a cabinet. "Here, over here!"

The zombie turned away from Saya and began to advance on Hirano.

"Saya, run!" called Hirano. "Go, you can make it!"

Now Hirano was cornered and defenceless. The zombie reached out for him.

"Hey, moron," said Saya from behind the zombie. It turned again – and Hirano saw Saya hit it with something. It fell backwards, dead.

One of the Manblo Blahnik shoes was on the zombie's face, the stiletto heel in its eye.

"Wow," said Hirano. "Death by fashion item. Pretty cool." He bent over to extract the shoe from the zombie.

"Uh, I don't think I want it now," said Saya. She tossed the other one onto the zombie. "Hirano, you were going to sacrifice yourself for me."

"Well, er … " He turned red. "And you sacrificed your really expensive shoes for me," he said.

They looked at each other for a long moment.

Zombies were starting to hammer on the door.

They found a staircase at the back of the store and ran up to the second storey, and then to the window which led onto the fire escape. They went down the metal ladder to the laneway – and then stopped.

The laneway was covered in broken glass.

Without a word, Hirano swept Saya into his arms.

"Oh my," she said, putting her arm around his neck. "You're stronger than you look."

He carried her until there was no more glass. By the time he put her down, there were no zombies in sight.

When they entered the group's camp at the mall, they saw Takashi. "Did you find any gas cylinders?" he said to Saya.

"No," she said. "But I think that maybe I found something more important."

END

Close Encounters of the Sleeping Bag Kind

It had to happen, didn't it?

[Author's Note: This story takes place while the group is in the city, at the mall; specifically, during the night following the story Saya's Really Expensive Shoes.]

Hirano, having finished his watch, settled into his sleeping bag and closed his eyes. He was dozing off when someone started shaking him.

It was Saya. "Hirano!" she whispered.

"Is it trouble?" he whispered back, reaching for his gun.

"No," she whispered. "Well, there's the whole end-of-the-world zombie thing, of course. But no, no trouble."

"Then what do you want?"

"Move over. I want to get in."

"Uh, why? Don't you have your own?"

In the darkness, he could feel her staring at him.

"Hirano, are you stupid?"

"You keep telling me that I am."

"Well, maybe I was … uh, just move over, can't you?"

"Why are we whispering?"

"Because I don't want the others to hear," said Saya.

"Hear what? And why not?"

She made a 'grrr' sound.

So he moved over. She slid into the sleeping bag beside him. With a shock, he realised that she was fairly close to naked. Oddly, and despite the fact that it was dark, she was still wearing her glasses.

"Do you know what to do?" she whispered.

"N … no," he whispered.

"Why aren't I surprised. Fortunately, I know. You're lucky I'm a genius."

"So you keep telling me."

"Hirano, I want to make clear that this is entirely a one-off situation driven by the present circumstances. The zombie thing, I mean. Now take your clothes off."

It wasn't easy in a sleeping bag, with another person there, but he managed to take off his shirt and trousers.

"And the rest," she said.

"You haven't."

With a sigh, and with an effort, she wriggled out of her pants and bra and put them next to the sleeping bag. Hirano also managed to take his underclothes off.

"So," she said. "Now we are both naked and next to each other in a sleeping bag."

"Uh, you still have your glasses on," he said.

"What? Oh, so I do." She took them off and placed them on her underclothes.

"Aren't we supposed to kiss?" said Hirano.

"Yes, I suppose so," said Saya. She kissed him on the cheek. Then she kissed him on the lips. And then again, for longer.

"You're supposed to kiss me back," she said.

"Er … "

"Oh, for … here, like this." She showed him … sort of. Then she put her hand on his chest, and moved it down until she found what she was looking for.

"Whoa," she said in surprise. She ducked inside the bag. Then one hand came out. "Give me that torch," she said.

He handed her the torch that was beside the sleeping bag. It went down and clicked on. "Whoa," she said again. She popped up.

"Is that … alright?" he said.

"Uh, yes. That's fine. Actually, a bit more than fine. I don't have all that much experience, but from what I've seen before, that's … more than fine."

"How much experience do you have?"

"Some. Several. I know what goes where."

"Even I know that. In theory."

"Then let's move to the practice." She put her hand on him again. "Oh my," she said.

She showed him where he should his hands on her. She started to kiss him again – passionately this time. Then she moved so she was where she wanted to be, and started to do what she wanted to do.

"I want to reiterate," she said after a while, "that this is … unhh … just the one time … oh, that's, yes that's … that's very … mmm – "

She gritted her teeth. She kissed him hard on the lips to stop herself from crying out. After what seemed like a long while, she sagged down against him.

Hirano was gasping. "Is it … is it always like that?" he said.

"No," she said. "In fact, when I've done it with other guys it … it wasn't like that at all. I mean, it was alright … but … that was … whoa."

Then she drifted off to sleep.

An hour later, she woke. "Hirano … uh, Kohta," she whispered. "Are you awake?"

"Yes," he said.

"Kiss me," she said. "And then … the rest."

Saya awoke to someone shaking her gently. She opened her eyes.

Saeko.

Uh-oh, thought Saya. She turned her head. Hirano was next to her, sleeping silently.

"You are in Hirano's sleeping bag," said Saeko in a low voice. "With Hirano."

"I … I was cold," said Saya.

"Perhaps that is because you are naked," said Saeko.

Saya sighed. "This is a one-off thing," she said.

"If you say so," said Saeko. "Do you need help getting out of there?"

"No … well, yes. Thank you."

Saeko helped Saya slide out of the bag without disturbing Hirano. There was no-one else awake. Saya put on her underwear and glasses. She went to her own bag and retrieved her other clothes and started to dress. She realised that Saeko was on watch, and had woken her so she could get out of Hirano's sleeping bag before the others woke.

"Thank you," said Saya. "Uh, Saeko, have you ever encountered … something … which just isn't what you expected? In a good way, I mean."

"Not really. Care to elaborate?"

"Er, no."

"You are aware that the world effectively ended a few days ago, and that at any moment we could be attacked by a horde of zombies and horribly killed, aren't you?"

"To tell the truth, that is why I wanted to do it. That, and … well, when we were at the school, and since then, he saved me … sort of. Once or twice. Four times, actually. And a few other times. Don't tell him I've been counting."

"I don't know why you would want to keep it a secret, but alright."

"In fact, can you keep this … whole thing … secret? Since it's a one-off thing."

Saeko shrugged. "If that is what you want," she said.

It was the next night. Hirano, after finishing his watch, was settling into his sleeping bag. He closed his eyes and began to drift.

Out of the dark, someone poked him.

"Kohta, are you asleep?" said Saya.

"Not any more," he said.

"Move over," she said.

"I thought it was a one-off thing."

"Well, maybe it's a two-off thing. Do you object to that?"

He moved over. Saya got in beside him.

"I was hoping that this would happen," he said. "I've been, er, well, sort of studying."

"You've been … what?" said Saya.

"I have a book," said Hirano.

"Huh?"

"I have a book. When I was at the bookstore getting books on repairing engines, I got this one as well."

He reached into his pack by the sleeping bag and pulled out a book, and handed it to her. She shone the torch onto the cover.

How To Please A Woman.

She gave a little laugh. "That was very thoughtful of you, Kohta," she said. "Since you've put that much effort into it … maybe you should show me what you've been reading."

Miss Marikawa was doing not very much when Saya came up to her.

"Hi," said Saya.

"Hi," said Miss Marikawa. "What can I do for you, Saya?"

There was a long pause. A very long pause.

"I … er … need something," said Saya in a low voice. "Uh, um, Kohta – Hirano – and I … well, we are … well … "

"Having sex," said Miss Marikawa. "And I'm guessing you would like me to give you some contraceptives."

"Uh, right. How did you know?"

"Honey, I was a nurse at a high school. I know the look. I spent most of my time handing them out. Sorry that I don't have much to choose from. Just condoms." She opened her medical kit and took out a pack of ten. "And this is all I've got. After that, you'll have to locate some more, next supply run maybe."

"This will be fine," said Saya. She looked at them closely. "Say," she said, "there aren't any that are … bigger, are there?"

"One size fits all."

"Are you sure?"

"Well, men think that there are three sizes: large, extra large, and oh my god, but that's just a myth. Are you trying to tell me that Hirano is … "

"Yes. Bit of a surprise, really. A good surprise."

"So everything is going alright, then?"

"Oh yeah. Of course, he's an incredible dork and he drives me crazy sometimes. Pretty often, really. But once we're down to business … oh yeah."

"Good to hear."

There was another long pause.

"But I like him as well," said Saya. "I like him a lot."

END

Saeko's Secret Story

Master swordsman and stern warrior she may be, but a girl needs what a girl needs.

[Author's Note: This story takes place while the group is in the city; that is, within the time period of the story Dead and the Better Zombie.]

"Thank you for coming with me, Saeko," said Miss Marikawa. "Even before the zombies, it wasn't always safe for a girl to walk around the city by herself."

"I know," said Saeko. She looked back: the hotel where the group was temporarily based was quite a distance away, fifteen blocks or so. The two of them were looking for a medical supplies store, aiming to replenish their stocks before leaving the city. "I don't much like staying in the hotel anyway."

"Really?" said Miss Marikawa. "You seem to spend a lot of time in your room."

There's a good reason for that, thought Saeko grimly. When she had volunteered to accompany Miss Marikawa she had had an ulterior motive: she was hoping that the nurse could offer some assistance with the issue that Saeko had come to think of as 'an excess of stimulation' – or abject horniness, to put it another way. Maybe tranquilisers. Strong tranquilisers.

It's the fighting and the constant danger, Saeko said to herself. Makes a girl want, well, everything. Hence, you spend a lot of time in your room.

But now that she was alone with Miss Marikawa she couldn't think of a way to raise the subject. She had never before been particularly interested in sex, although there had been a number of lovers along the way. She had seen other girls preening themselves and talking obsessively about men, and she had not been able to really understand why. Now, she was finding it difficult to think about anything else. She put her hand on the hilt of the sword in her belt. Long and hard, she found herself thinking. She sighed.

Miss Marikawa was chattering about something. "Desserts!" she said. "I really miss desserts! Especially soufflés! Do you think we'll ever see a soufflé again?"

"No," said Saeko.

They finally came to a medical supplies store. It looked safe enough, but Saeko asked: "Are you armed?"

"Yes, Hirano gave me this," said Miss Marikawa, holding up a stubby machine gun. "It's an Easy, apparently."

Uzi, thought Saeko, although she said nothing.

They went in, and the place seemed to be clear. Miss Marikawa began to gather supplies.

Saeko walked to the front of the store and looked across the street. There was a small shop, with a sign: ADULT TOYS – ALL TYPES.

Hmm, she thought.

"While you are collecting your supplies," she called out to Miss Marikawa, "I might just … go … over – "

There was the sound of shots. Three.

"Out," said Saeko. "Now."

Miss Marikawa quickly threw a few more items into her bag and they ran into the street.

Two more shots.

"This way," said Saeko. "Not far."

They ran up the street and around the corner, and then into an alley.

And came to a dead halt.

There was a man there, holding a bloody machete in one hand and a long-barrelled pistol in the other. His shirt was torn, revealing a pair of broad shoulders. There were three dead – that is, more dead – zombies around him. As the two women watched, a bead of sweat trickled out of his dark hair and ran down his tanned, muscular chest.

"Whoa," muttered Miss Marikawa. "Momma."

My sentiments exactly, thought Saeko.

"Hello," he said to them. "It's a surprise, and a very pleasant one, to see someone who isn't trying to eat me. I'm Yuudai."

Then they saw a woman and two young children behind him, cowering against a wall.

"Is this your wife?" said Miss Marikawa.

"No," said Yuudai with a charming smile. "My sister, and her children. I have been taking care of them since … everything happened."

"So … no wife then," said Miss Marikawa.

"I am not married. Who are you?"

Suddenly a zombie lurched at them out of the shadows. Saeko drew her sword and removed its head with a single sweep of the blade.

"Mummy, who is the scary lady?" said one of the children.

"I am Saeko Busujima," said Saeko.

Miss Marikawa said: "I am – "

"Are there any more in your party?" said Saeko.

"Yes, six more people," said Yuudai. "We were on our way out of the city, and were looking for supplies and petrol, but we got separated."

"You have a working vehicle?" said Saeko.

"Yes, a truck. I repaired the electrics after the EMP."

Handy with a tool as well, thought Saeko.

"Our group has some vehicles too," said Miss Marikawa. "I drive the bus."

There was the sound of zombies from the street. A lot of them.

"We can't stay here and we can't go back that way," said Saeko. She saw a door at the back of the alley. It was locked. She kicked it open.

Saeko led the way, sword ready. Yuudai hustled his sister and her children in. It was the rear of a store. They ran into the next room. Another door took them into a large open courtyard.

There was a clutch of zombies there. They started to advance.

"Here, let me," said Miss Marikawa, stepping forward. She lifted the Uzi and pulled the trigger. Nothing happened.

"Funny, it's supposed to shoot," she said.

"Release the safety catch," said Saeko.

"What, this thing?" said Miss Marikawa. She pushed something. The magazine dropped out and fell to the ground. Miss Marikawa picked it up and looked at it.

Saeko sighed. She raised her sword and charged at the zombies.

"Uh, shouldn't we help her?" said Yuudai to Miss Marikawa.

"How many are there?" said Miss Marikawa, trying to work out which end of the magazine went into the gun.

"Five," he said. "No, four. Three."

"Probably not necessary," said Miss Marikawa.

Saeko finished off the last two with a single, extremely impressive, stroke of her sword. She wiped off the blood and re-sheathed it. She looked at Yuudai. Oh my, she thought. She bit her lip.

"Now, how can we locate your friends?" she said.

"We were supposed to meet back at the truck, a few streets away."

"Then let's go before more company arrives."

It took only a few minutes to get back to the truck. When they arrived, three survivors emerged from hiding. They had some supplies. "Good to see you," said Yuudai to them. "Where is Ken?"

"He's with the other party. Should be back in a few minutes," said one of them.

"Good, start loading up," said Yuudai. "Did you find any medical stuff?"

"No, couldn't locate any."

"We just collected some," said Saeko. "You can have it, and we'll get more."

"That's very generous," said Yuudai.

Saeko looked at Miss Marikawa. Miss Marikawa didn't do anything. She was staring at Yuudai, slack-jawed.

"Perhaps you should put the supplies on the truck," said Saeko to her.

"Oh, right," she said. She went off, reluctantly.

Saeko and Yuudai walked to the end of the street to check for zombies. There was a shop on the corner, almost untouched. It had a sign: QUILTS AND CUSHIONS R US.

"I don't know how to thank you," said Yuudai.

"Since you mention it, I have an idea about that," said Saeko. She glanced at the shop, and started to undo the top button of her shirt.

"Yuudai!" came a man's voice. "Yuudai, I was so worried about you!"

"Ken!" said Yuudai.

Ken, a rather weedy-looking young man, came running up to them. He leapt into Yuudai's outstretched arms. They hugged. And kissed. Passionately.

Son of a bitch, thought Saeko. Son of a goddamn motherfucking bitch. I can never catch a break.

Yuudai and Ken finally finished their embrace. "Uh, what were you saying?" said Yuudai to Saeko.

"I was saying that seeing you and your people safely on your way is all the thanks we need," she said.

So, a few minutes later, Saeko and Miss Marikawa were waving goodbye to Yuudai, Ken, and the rest of the group.

"You know," said Miss Marikawa, as the truck disappeared into the distance, "perhaps there is really no need to tell Rei and Saya and the others about this."

Saeko sighed again. "No need at all," she said.

END

Motel

The group finds that the most important thing they have is each other. Who knew?

They were two days out from Tokonusu City on the way to Tomo. In the past twenty-four hours, they had been through three zombie fights. They were all tired, worried, and starting to snipe at each other. Every time they had tried to stop for anything more than a few minutes, they had had to fight. As a result, they had had to sleep and eat in the bus. Everyone was feeling the strain.

This can't go on, thought Takashi to himself, as he listened to Rei and Saya argue about … well, nothing, really. We've been cooped up in this goddamn bus for too long. The longer we go without proper rest and the more we get snippy with one another, the more likely we are to lose a fight.

He was driving; Miss Marikawa had shown him how, and he had already known how to drive a car. We need a place that we can clear of zombies and then secure, he thought.

It occurred to him that so far all the zombies they had seen had been in towns or villages. He looked ahead, along the highway. There was something, not too far away. Soon, he realised what it was: a roadside motel, with a small shop and petrol station attached. It looked deserted.

He stopped the bus and turned towards the others. "Hey, guys," he said. "We need a break. There's a motel up ahead. We should stop there and check it out. If it's clear, or we can clear it, we might be able to get a bath and a proper bed for the night."

Everyone came up to the front of the bus for a better view. Saya took the binoculars from the rack and surveyed the scene.

"Oh, wow, they have a pool," she said. "Count me in."

"I would kill for a decent bed," said Rei.

"Do you think they would have cable?" said Miss Marikawa.

"Unlikely," said Saeko.

"Darn," said Miss Marikawa.

"Cable or not, let's do it," said Hirano.

Takashi drove the bus up to the motel. There was a wire fence but the gate was open. They got out near the office, weapons in hand.

"Saya, if you please," said Takashi.

Saya took out her Luger and fired a shot into the air. They waited. Five seconds. Ten.

Then three zombies charged out of the office. Hirano, Rei, Saya and Takashi fired together. All three zombies went down.

"Saya, one more time, I think," said Takashi.

Saya fired another shot into the air. Again, they waited. Thirty seconds went by. "Maybe it was just those three," said Saya.

"Let's not take any chances," said Takashi. "Hirano, Alice, you check the office area and the service buildings. Miss Marikawa, Saya, you do the shop and see if you can find any petrol. Saeko, the outside areas. Rei and I will check the rooms, one by one. There should be keys in the office, I guess. Back here in twenty minutes."

"Jackpot," said Hirano, as the group met up again. "We found a gas water heater and an emergency generator. I've turned them on."

"And DVDs!" said Alice.

"Hot water," said Miss Marikawa. "Thank god."

"Enough in the shop for a proper meal as well as re-supply," said Saya. "Even some booze."

"How much?" said Saeko.

"Quite a bit. Although mainly in those little bottles that they put in the room refrigerators."

"The size of the bottle does not matter, as long as there is a decent amount. As for my task, I have secured the gate and found nothing in the grounds."

"The rooms are clear," said Rei. "Decent doors. And – get this – clean sheets! And towels!"

Everyone gave a cheer.

Takashi smiled. It was certainly better than hearing everyone bitch and complain.

"I suspect that we could all do with some alone time," he said. "But in adjoining rooms. We shouldn't get too spread out. Just in case."

"Screw alone time," said Saya. "I want a double bed so my honey can fuck me 'til I go blind."

Everyone looked at her.

"What?" she said.

"Uh, I don't … er … want a room by myself," said Alice. "I … get scared."

Takashi looked around at the others. Obviously, everyone was looking forward to some privacy. Including him. But he knew that part of being a leader is making the occasional personal sacrifice.

"Well, I'm glad to hear that, Alice," he said. "Because I was hoping that you and I could share, and watch a Spongebob Squarepants DVD together. And you can explain it to me."

"Yay!" said Alice.

It was early evening. Takashi and Alice were putting plates onto the dinner table. They had just finished cooking the meal.

Rei and Saeko came in together. They were laughing. "Something smells good," said Rei. "What's for dinner?"

"Spaghetti Bolognese!" said Alice. "With chips!"

"The chips were her idea," said Takashi.

"I like chips," said Saeko.

"We found this too," said Alice, holding up two bottles of wine.

"Outstanding," said Saeko.

Miss Marikawa entered the dining room. She was still wet from her dip in the pool. "So good to be out of that bus," she said.

Hirano and Saya came in. "What, still able to see?" said Rei to Saya.

"The night is young," said Saya.

Takashi and Alice served the meal. It was just stuff out of tins but everyone came back for seconds. And also for another helping of the canned fruit that was dessert.

As the meal drew to a close, Takashi looked around at his friends, who were joking and chatting with each other. He gave a sigh of relief. Crisis averted, he said to himself. Alice produced a pack of cards that she had found in the office and they spent the rest of the evening playing 'go fish'.

It was the next morning. Saeko was in the pool when Takashi walked over. She swam over to the edge.

"Hi," he said. "I didn't know you had brought along a swimsuit."

"I didn't," she said.

"Oh," he said. With an effort, he resisted the urge to peek. "I was thinking that maybe we should stay here for the day and another night before going on to Tomo."

"That is a good idea," she said. "We could all use the break."

"Okay, I'll put it to everyone over breakfast. Saya and Hirano are making it."

"Can Saya cook?"

"I guess we'll find out. I expect it will be cereal and powdered milk. I don't suppose that anyone could mess that up."

As it turned out, he was incorrect about the last part.

Nevertheless, everyone liked the idea of staying for another night. As they were finishing the meal, Saya asked Takashi to show her how to ride the motorbike. It might, she said, be useful to know. Takashi agreed.

They unloaded the bike from the back of the bus.

"Ever ridden one before?" said Takashi.

"Never," said Saya. "But it doesn't look too hard. Explain the controls."

With something of a sigh, Takashi did so: clutch, gears, throttle, starter, brake.

"Got it," said Saya. She got on.

"Uh, take it easy – " said Takashi.

Too late. Saya was off, zooming up to the edge of the motel driveway. She turned and started back, looking as if she done it all her life.

Hirano appeared at Takashi's side. "Ten bucks that sometime in the next two minutes she tells you she's a genius," said Hirano.

"No way I'm taking that bet," said Takashi.

"I'll give you odds," said Hirano.

Takashi laughed.

Saya pulled up. "Why was it necessary to get a license to ride one of these things?" she said.

"Well done," said Takashi.

"I am, after all, a genius," said Saya.

"There you go," said Hirano.

"Perhaps you should wear a helmet until you get more experience," said Takashi to Saya.

"It would mess up my hair," said Saya. "But I might get some goggles. Bugs."

Rei, Miss Marikawa and Alice came up.

"If it's a training day, there's something I would like to know better," said Rei. "Hirano, can you give me some pointers on shooting, please."

"I'll be in that too," said Miss Marikawa.

"Sure," said Hirano. He went to the kitchen and returned with some cans and other things to use as targets. He began to show Rei, Miss Marikawa and Alice – with Saya standing by, listening intently – how to hit what they aimed at.

Saeko came up to Takashi. She was still wet from swimming, and was wearing a kimono.

"Where did you get that?" he said.

"I picked it up from the shop in the hotel when we were staying there," she said. "I have only two outfits. This is the other one."

"So what do you wear to bed?" he said.

She stared at him.

"Oh," he said. "Sorry I asked … I guess."

"It is a good idea," said Saeko, looking at the gunnery lesson, "for us to share the skills we have. In the days immediately after the Outbreak, I thought it was just a matter of us reaching a safe haven, where other survivors were gathered. But now I am starting to think there is nowhere to go to – not, at least, in the sense of another city or a military base. I believe that we will have to depend on our own resources for some time to come, perhaps indefinitely. Fortunately, our resources are fairly good, for a bunch of teenagers."

Takashi gave a little laugh. "A couple of weeks ago, we were teenagers," he said. "Now, we are … something else. I'm not sure what. And speaking of skills, do you think that it is possible to teach Saya how to cook?"

"No," said Saeko. "Some things are simply … not doable. We are talking about someone who proved able to mess up powdered milk. So … no."

Takashi laughed again. "Guess so," he said.

He looked at her. It seemed as if she was going to say something – something serious. But she didn't. Instead, she turned and walked away.

Over dinner – prepared this time by Saeko and Rei – Takashi said: "We should leave tomorrow morning, continue on towards Tomo and Alice's grandparents' farm. So we should salvage everything possible from here, top up our supplies. Food, water, whatever might be useful and can be carried. If there is anything of a personal nature you want to take, you may as well do so."

"To tell the truth," said Hirano, "I don't think we need much in the way of personal stuff."

"Funny, when you think of all the things we used to have," said Rei. "And it all turned out to be, well, pretty worthless. It took the end of the world for us to find out what was important. Turned out to be friendship."

Everyone was silent for a while. Then Saya said: "Huh. Who knew?"

It was the next day. They had almost finished loading the bus. Then Saeko looked at the wire gate of the motel. She pointed. "They've found us," she said.

There were four zombies at the gate. They were beginning to push at the wire.

"Likely to be others on the way, then," said Hirano.

Takashi nodded. "Time for us to be going," he said.

They quickly finished loading and got onto the bus.

"I'll drive," said Miss Marikawa. "I have experience at smashing down gates. And running over zombies."

"Then do it," said Takashi.

Miss Marikawa gunned the engine and they were off. She crashed through the gate, knocking the zombies down. But there were more coming along the road, from the direction of the city.

"There we go," said Miss Marikawa, as she turned towards Tomo.

Takashi looked around at the circle of faces. Everyone was smiling.

So now, he thought, we are a team.

END

Peppermint Schnapps, or the Upside of Armageddon

Dangerous liquors, chocolate, and more revelations than are, strictly speaking, necessary

[Author's Note: This story takes place after the group has left the city and are heading towards Tomo; that is, after the story Dead and the Better Zombie.]

It was several days since they had left the city. They had stopped at a roadside camping area for the night. They had cooked a meal – canned meat and noodles, again – and now the four women and Hirano were sitting around the campfire. Alice was asleep in the bus, and Takeshi was on guard duty, walking slow circuits of the encampment.

Rei said: "You know what I miss?"

"Boys?" said Saya.

"Those little pastries that have fruit in the middle," said Rei. "And lingerie stores. And tampons."

"And on that note, I will take some food to Takashi," said Hirano. He put some food from the pot onto a plate, and left the group.

"It's not that I need any at the moment," said Rei. "Tampons, I mean. It's just that I like the thought of them being available. What do you miss, Miss Marikawa?"

Miss Marikawa thought about it for a while. Then she said: "Game shows. And booze."

"Interesting combination," said Rei.

"Which reminds me," said Miss Marikawa. She looked around to make sure that Hirano and Takeshi were not in the immediate vicinity. Then she reached into her pack and pulled something out. It was a bottle. "I've been saving this for a girls' night," she whispered.

Saya took the bottle. "What the hell is peppermint schnapps?" she said.

"Find out," said Saeko.

Saya tore the lid off and took a swig. She gave a gasp. "That's …. pepperminty," she said.

"Told you," said Miss Marikawa.

"No you didn't," said Saya. "Anyway, since the guys aren't here we may as well have these too." She took something out of her own pack.

"Chocolates!" squealed Miss Marikawa. "But since we have to watch our figures, we shouldn't have too many of them."

Rei laughed. "Waistlines not really an issue, since the world ended," she said. She took the bottle from Saya, as well as a couple of chocolates. She took a good dose of schnapps and passed the bottle to Saeko. "Kind of a relief, in a way. You know what else would be a relief? This." She took off her blouse, and then her bra. She put the blouse back on, doing up only a couple of buttons. "Mmm, that's a whole lot better," she said. She shook herself so her newly-freed breasts rocked back and forth.

"Heh, that's funny," said Miss Marikawa. She had a shot of the schnapps and then passed it to Saeko. Rei passed the box of chocolates on.

"What do you miss, Saeko?" said Rei.

Saeko took a gulp from the bottle. She considered. Eventually, she said: "Oral sex."

"Uh, what?" said Saya.

"Oral sex," repeated Saeko. "You know, when a man – "

"Yes, we know what it is," said Rei. "It's just a little surprising to hear that it's the only thing on your list."

"It's funny," said Miss Marikawa.

"Did you have a serious boyfriend before?" said Rei. "I mean, before … everything … happened."

"No, and I hadn't had one for a while," said Saeko. "Just wasn't that interested. And when I had been with a man, I didn't much care one way or another. But now that the possibility simply doesn't exist, I miss it. Like you and tampons, Rei."

"Not sure there's a parallel," said Rei. "What about you, Saya?"

The bottle had come back to Saya, and she took another gulp before answering. "Contact lenses," she said. "My laptop, it had a lot of really cool stuff on it. My hairdresser, she was really good and it took me ages to find her. Funny, there's a lot of things I definitely don't miss. Like having to keep up with the school gossip, that was a pain. Worrying that I wouldn't get an invitation to the next party. Worrying that I might miss a mark or two on an exam. That sort of stuff. And I certainly don't miss being Lady Fucking Saya of the Oh-So-Mighty House of Takagi.

"It seems pretty silly now, looking back at all the things I worried about. I guess Armageddon gives you some perspective. And I have a boyfriend now, if you can call Kohta a boyfriend. So that makes up for a lot of things. I'd had a couple of boyfriends before but it was kind of, you know, so what. But Kohta can … oh my. Oh very my. Don't tell him I said that."

"He adores you, you know," said Rei.

"Yes, I know," said Saya. She giggled, and then hiccupped, and then giggled again. "And he's built like a cannon below the waist. That was a surprise, let me tell you. A good surprise, I mean. A fucking – " She suddenly stopped. Her eyes began to glaze over. Slowly, she slipped off the log she was sitting on and plonked to the ground. Like a tree falling, she slumped sideways.

"Either drunk or turning into a zombie," said Rei, looking at her. "Or both. If she turns into a zombie, I have first dibs on killing her. Or even if she doesn't turn into one."

Saya began to snore.

"Well, she's not a zombie," said Miss Marikawa. "I warned you that this stuff is stronger than it looks."

Rei took the half-empty bottle of schnapps from Saya's limp hand. "Well, that's all for the genius," she said. "Do you think she knows how lucky she is? To have a man, I mean."

"No," said Saeko. "She may be very smart but she can be extremely stupid. Although the cannon reference explains a few things. Tell me something, how does she get her hair to do that?"

"Willpower," said Rei.

"Mousse," said Miss Marikawa.

"Hmm," said Saeko.

"You know what I don't miss?" said Miss Marikawa. "Having guys hit on me constantly. I mean, all the damn time. Even in the supermarket. Especially in the supermarket."

"There are two good reasons for that," said Rei.

Miss Marikawa sighed. "Yeah, I know," she said. "And I can't say that I didn't take advantage sometimes. Since I was thirteen, all I've have to do to get whatever I want is lean forward. But it's like no-one sees past them. I could have an advanced doctorate in particle physics and I would still be known only as P.H.-double D."

"No," said Saeko. "You drive the bus."

"Pardon me?" said Miss Marikawa.

"A few weeks ago," said Saeko, "maybe you were known by your cup size. And maybe that's how you thought of yourself. Having had a part-time job in a bra bar, I can understand that. But now you're one of us. You have survived and contributed."

Miss Marikawa thought about it. "Yes," she said eventually. "I guess I have."

They were quiet for a while, passing the bottle back and forth and listening to Saya mumble and chuckle in her sleep.

"Rei," said Miss Marikawa, "what's Takashi like when it counts?"

Rei noticed that Saeko was looking at her intently.

"Uh, we've never … actually … done it," she said. "We dated for a while, last year, but never got to the bedroom stage. When we were little, about five I think, we made a pinky-swear that we would marry each other when we grew up. I don't know what that means, now." She took another swig. "You know, as you drink more it gets more schnappsy and less pepperminty."

"Sure does!" said Miss Marikawa. She giggled.

Saeko took the bottle back. She took a swig. "I agree," she said.

"It doesn't seem to affect you," said Rei.

"That's how it might seem," said Saeko.

"I bet there's more going on in Saeko's pretty head than anyone really knows," said Miss Marikawa.

"Is there?" said Rei.

Saeko was silent for a long time. She took another dose of schnapps.

"I'm frightened all the time," she said eventually.

"What, you!?" said Rei. "But I've seen you tear into a pile of zombies with nothing but a stick!"

"I'm not frightened of zombies," she said. "In fact, I like fighting them. It makes me feel as if I've discovered my purpose in life. But I'm scared of that, scared that I like fighting. Scared that it's going to become the only thing I do, and the only thing I like. Even before the Outbreak, most people were wary of me. None of the men that I had stayed very long, and I didn't want them to. And now, after everything that has happened, I can let my true self out, fighting and killing and enjoying it. But the other side of that is that I might never love anyone, and never have anyone who will love me. That's what frightens me."

She finished the contents of the bottle. "And that's all she wrote," she said. She found the lid to the box of chocolates and put it on, and then put the box into her pack. "The rest are for Alice," she said.

"All who wrote?" said Miss Marikawa.

"Never mind," said Rei.

"In a way," said Saeko, "we fit into this world better than the one before."

The three of them stared into the embers of the fire.

"Wait … a … minute," said Rei. "Saeko, what did you just say about having a part-time job working in a … what did you call it, a bra bar?"

"Yes, two nights a week, sometimes three. All I had to do was let men look at me in my underwear while I poured saki. Which I didn't mind – and the house rule was that you could look but not touch. It was good money, which I really needed since I was saving for university and renting an apartment."

"Huh," said Rei. "Well, it beats flipping burgers, I guess."

"I always thought so," said Saeko.

Hirano and Takashi came up. They looked at Saya snoring peacefully, and at Rei's bra on the ground. And at the empty bottle.

"You wouldn't have liked it," said Miss Marikawa. "It's a girl thing."

Hirano sighed. "Well, I'd better put her in the bus rather than let her sleep here," he said. He started to lift her.

She woke up, in a bleary way.

"Mister Cannon!" she said to Hirano. "Are we going to have sex now?"

"Uh, maybe later," he said. He got her into his arms and started towards the bus. She waved a sleepy bye-bye to the other women. Miss Marikawa waved back.

"I will take the next guard shift, Takashi," said Saeko. She got to her feet and picked up her sword.

"Sure you're alright to do it?" said Takashi.

She looked at him.

"Er, sorry," mumbled Takashi. She went off.

"That was fun," said Miss Marikawa. Then she, too, slumped onto the ground, asleep.

Takashi looked at Rei. "If you expect me to tell you why I'm not wearing a bra," said Rei, with something of a slur, "you can forget it."

It was the next day. Takashi was driving the bus, and Alice was sitting beside him in the jump seat.

"So let me get this straight," he was saying to her. "His best friend is called Patrick, and Patrick lives in a pineapple. Under the sea."

"No, of course not," said Alice. "Patrick lives under a rock. He couldn't live in a pineapple, he's a starfish. That would be just silly."

"Yes, obviously silly," said Takashi.

Saya staggered to the front of the bus.

"Hi!" said Takashi cheerily.

"Not so loud," said Saya. "And can you drive … more quietly?"

"Not really, no."

"Well, try it. Do you know where Miss Marikawa's med kit is?"

"Have you asked her?"

"She's asleep. Or unconscious, it's hard to tell with her."

"Hmm. So I assume you are looking for headache tablets or something like that."

"Whatever is available. Decapitation is also an option."

"You look … sort of … green," said Alice to her.

"You should see it from my side," said Saya.

"One might think you had never been drunk before," said Takashi.

Saya said nothing.

"Ha!" said Takashi. "First hangover! And you had to wait for a zombie apocalypse to do it!"

"Fuck you," said Saya. "Er, sorry, Alice."

Alice giggled.

Hirano appeared beside them. He handed Saya some tablets and a bottle of water. "Thank god," said Saya, taking them. "Uh, Kohta, do you know if I … well, it's possible that last night I … said something … to the girls … about … certain things … "

"Yes, Rei was just telling me," he said. "Everything."

"Unhh," said Saya, closing her eyes.

"Well, this looks like a good place to take a break," said Takashi. He pulled the bus into a roadside stop. There was a little stream nearby. Saya immediately jumped out and ran down to it. There was the sound of vomiting.

"So what did Rei tell you?" said Takashi to Hirano, as they got out of the bus.

"Nothing," said Hirano. "She's still asleep."

Saeko came up to them.

"No hangover?" said Takashi to her.

"I would not say that," said Saeko. "But it is not my first one. It is my – " she paused to do the maths " – seventeenth."

"Whoa," said Hirano.

"I'm a bit older than the rest of you, remember," she said. "Peppermint schnapps is a first, though. It's clearly a dangerous liquor. Alice, I have – we have – something for you. You were asleep last night when we opened them, but we saved these for you." She handed Alice the box of chocolates.

"Yay!" said Alice.

"I had better go and save my girlfriend from a fate worse than zombies," said Hirano. He headed off to the stream.

Takashi turned to Saeko. "Sounds like all of you had a good time," he said.

"Depends on your definition," she said. "But I think it is fair to say that we know each other a bit better now. I suppose that's a good thing."

"Yes," said Takashi. "I suppose it is."

END

True Friends Have Sniper Rifles

Stitches, secrets, and a rabbit

[Author's Note: This story takes place in the time period of the story Dead and the Road Home; specifically, while the group is staying in the barn, on the road to Tomo; while Saeko is recovering from being shot.]

Three days after the fight with the marauding soldiers and Miss Marikawa's makeshift surgery, Saeko was able to walk, although she was still weak.

"I would like to go the stream to wash," she said to Takashi, who was cleaning the weapons with Hirano. "I have been cooped up here for too long."

"Sure, but don't go alone and don't go far," said Takashi. "You're not ready for much in the zombie department. Rei is on watch in the loft but there are some spots that you can't see from there."

"I'll come with you," said Saya. She checked her Luger, and Saeko picked up her sword – as well as soap and a towel.

The two of them walked down to the stream. It was not wide or deep enough to swim in but it was sufficient for bathing. Saeko stripped and waded in. After a while, Saya did the same, although rather incongruously she kept her shoulder holster with her gun on.

Saeko carefully splashed water over her stitched wound. "I believe that this will be a nice scar," she said. "Thank you for helping Shizuka, Saya."

"You know, guys dig scars," said Saya.

"They do?"

"Uh, to tell the truth I have no idea. They probably don't, being guys. Oh, I remember now, it's chicks that dig scars. On guys, that is."

"Do you?"

"Not in the slightest."

"Nor I. It sounds like a myth made up by guys with scars. But perhaps we should ask Rei."

"Knowing Rei, she probably … no, I don't want to think about it."

The two of them got out and sat on the bank, letting their hair dry in the sun. Saya picked up the Murata blade and drew it from its sheath.

"This is very beautiful," she said. "My father really liked you. Probably more than me. He tried to show me how to use a sword once – I must have been about ten – but I got into a snit about something, or maybe I was already in a snit, I don't really remember, so things didn't go very well. The same thing happened when my mother tried to show me how to shoot. I always had the feeling that they thought I should be the best at everything all the time, without much effort. Part of being Lady Fucking Saya of the Oh-So-Mighty House of Takagi, I suppose."

"But you were always the top student," said Saeko.

"Sure, because I spent nearly every night studying with very expensive tutors. Being a genius is really hard work. You know what I was going to do on the day of the Outbreak? After the first class, I was going to cut the rest of the day. Find somewhere that would sell me booze and get drunk, maybe. Go anywhere but school or home."

"Huh. Do you know what I was going to do? After the school day, I had a date."

"But you had a lot of dates, surely."

"No, I just screwed around a lot."

"Really? How much?"

"3,746 times."

"What!?"

"It's a joke, Saya. I should probably not try and make jokes, since I have no sense of humour whatsoever. No, the truth is that I had had a couple of lovers, none of which I considered to be of great consequence. But I'd been talking to this guy for a while, and I was really looking forward to that date. I had a feeling that it might lead somewhere more important than bed."

"Goddamn zombie apocalypse. Why couldn't it have happened a week later?"

"I don't think it is the sort of thing where you can choose the timing."

"I suppose not. Did you live alone?"

"Yes, I had a little apartment. Burned to the ground, last time I saw it."

"Where were your parents?"

"My father was attending a kendo tournament overseas. But we were never particularly close. The only thing we had ever really done together was train. He really hurt me a couple of times when I was little, whacking me with a training stick during practice. Make me fast and tough, he said. I guess it worked."

"What about your mother?"

"She died when I was eight."

"How?"

"She committed suicide."

"Oh."

"After that, I stayed in various boarding schools, until I was old enough to live by myself and go to Fujimi High School."

They were quiet for a while, feeling the sun on their skin.

"You're wrong, I think," said Saeko eventually, "about your parents. I believe they loved you very much. More than anything else. But some parents are not very good at showing it."

Saya considered it. Then she said: "Maybe. Well, I'm going to tell my child that I love them every single day. I'm going to tell them bedtime stories and read them poetry and keep them safe and stay beside them as they find their way in the world. Fight for them, if I have to."

Saeko raised an eyebrow.

"Er, I mean, when that time comes, of course," said Saya.

"Hmm," said Saeko.

"Did you have any brothers or sisters?" said Saya.

"No," said Saeko. "And I assume you didn't as well."

"That's right. You know, I hadn't thought about it before, but Takashi and Rei don't have any either. And I've never heard Kohta mention any."

"Maybe that's why we have all come together," said Saeko. "Maybe in our own ways we have all been looking for someone to love."

"I did not realise that you thought about love so much," said Saya.

"All … the … fucking … time," said Saeko. "I sometimes feel as if the lack of it has hung over me like a shadow for most of my life."

"Yeah, I get that. But you know that you have people now who love you, right?"

"I have only known all of you for a couple of weeks."

"Which makes no difference whatsoever."

Saeko thought about it. "I suppose you are right," she said. "Tell me, do you love Kohta?"

Saya smiled. "Oh yes," she said. "Sometimes I think that I love him so much my heart is going to jump out of my chest. Please don't tell him I said that."

"If you like, but why not?"

"Because, uh, well, let me think. I suppose that I'm worried it might, er, scare him off. It's like I've got years and years of love stored up and now it's all pouring out. It might be too much for him. So I tell him that I'm only in the relationship for the sex. Which, I must say, is really really good. And the things he says to me! When I think of all the time that we were in the same class and I didn't even think to … Saeko, have you ever had a man who makes you feel like that?"

"I have not been that fortunate."

"You should try it."

"Yes, that is certain to happen in our current circumstances. Saya, I think you may be under-estimating Hirano."

"I am not that loveable."

"Now you under-estimate yourself. I think Hirano loves you very much."

"Really? I hope so."

Saeko laughed. Then she said: "Ouch," and touched her wound.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm just not used to not being able to do the things I usually do. Not that I laugh very often."

There was a rustle in the nearby bushes. It stopped, and then began again.

The two women, still naked, stood up. Saeko unsheathed her sword. Saya drew her Luger and eased off the safety catch. The bushes rustled again. They held their breath.

A rabbit jumped out.

They laughed, and put down their weapons so they could dress.

Then a zombie lurched out of the bushes and came rushing at them.

There was a shot, and the zombie fell back, dead.

Saeko and Saya looked back to the barn. Rei was standing in the loft, her sniper rifle still smoking. She waved.

"Good to have friends," said Saya, waving back.

"Nothing better in the world," said Saeko.

END

Takashi Finds True Love

Sometimes, what you are looking for finds you.

Z+36

"Grandfather," said Takashi, "please tell me what this is about. Why are we going to this town, Muliko? And why did you not want to tell the others about it?"

"You will find out soon," said Grandfather Maresato. "We are nearly there."

The two of them were in the utility truck that Takashi and Hirano had repaired. Takashi had been rather surprised when Grandfather Maresato had approached him and asked him to drive to the small town, about an hour's drive from the farm. But in the short time he had known him, Takashi had developed great respect for the older man, and he took the view that if Grandfather Maresato wanted to do this, and not tell the others, then there was a good reason for it.

They came into the town, and Grandfather directed Takashi, who was driving, to a particular building. Takashi drove slowly, checking for zombies. He saw none. He had his pump-action shotgun within easy reach but he knew that the zombies were getting smarter, and were capable of setting traps or taking the unwary by surprise. Grandfather had his double-barrelled shotgun.

"So you have been here before," Takashi said.

Grandfather nodded. "The place we want is just up ahead," he said.

Takashi pulled up as Grandfather directed. There was a sign in front of the building: AUTO REPAIRS AND CLASSIC CAR RESTORATIONS.

They got out of the truck and found a side door that was unlocked. They went in. There was no sign of life.

In one corner of the garage was a large car covered with a tarpaulin. Grandfather pulled the tarpaulin away.

"Now this," said Takashi, "is a nice car."

"It is a 1975 Cadillac Eldorado convertible," said Grandfather. "American-made, which is why the steering wheel is on the other side."

It was long, and low, and sleek, and red.

There was a note on the windshield. Grandfather pointed to it. "That is to you, I think," he said.

Takashi was puzzled, but he picked up the note and began to read it aloud.

To whoever finds this.

I have been working to restore this car for years, with my Dad's help, and now that it's ready to roll the whole world is hitting the fan. I've fought off the zombies for as long as I can but I'm nearly out of ammo. Can't hold out much longer.

I regret that I was never able to take this car out onto the open road. That's where it should be. I can tell that it wants to be driven. So if you're human and you're reading this, it's yours. Treat it right and it will take you wherever it is you want to go.

Good luck

Fusao Maresato

PS The keys are in the ignition.

PPS Third gear still sticks a little. So give it a bit of extra clutch when you're changing out of second.

" 'Fusao Maresato'," repeated Takashi.

"Yes," said Grandfather. "My son. My youngest. He worked here, although this car was his private project. I used to come over to help him with it sometimes. But we never told Grandmother about it. She would have said that working on an old car was a foolish indulgence, especially since it couldn't be legally driven on the road. But I guess now the road rules don't count for much, eh?"

Takashi looked around at the deserted garage. There were bullets holes and bloodstains everywhere although, as usual, no sign of bodies.

"It looks as if Fusao didn't make it," he said. "I'm sorry about that, Grandfather."

"I'm not surprised," said Grandfather Maresato. "I kept trying to contact him, right up to the EMP burst, and when I couldn't reach him I assumed … well, as the note says. So much was lost so quickly. But this car – his legacy, in a way – remains. It would not have been affected by the EMP, since it does not have modern circuits and chips. It is a survivor, in a word. And now it is yours."

"Mine?" said Takashi. "No, Grandfather, I couldn't. I am not good enough for this car."

"You are," said Grandfather Maresato. "Trust me in this. And as Fusao said, this car needs the road. He would not have wanted it to be shut up here, slowly mouldering and rusting. Look at the licence plate."

Takashi did. It said: TRUE LOVE.

Takashi was silent for a while. Finally, he said: "I understand, Grandfather."

"I had a feeling you would," said Grandfather Maresato. "Well, why don't you try it, son."

Takashi smiled. Then he opened the door and got in. He turned the key.

And TRUE LOVE roared into life.

Takashi revved the engine, enjoying the deep-throated throb. Finally, he turned it off. He got out of the car.

"A thing of beauty," he said to Grandfather Maresato.

Then they heard it: a low groaning. From outside, but getting louder. Zombies.

Takashi looked around. There was the side door, still open. There was a large door on the other side of the garage as well.

"They're likely to come from both sides," said Takashi. "You take the small door, Grandfather, and I'll watch the big one." The two men, standing back to back, lifted their guns.

The groaning stopped. There was a long moment of silence.

And then zombies burst through both doors at once: four through the small door, six through the large door.

The boom of the shotguns filled the garage. In the confined space, the noise was deafening and the result was deadly.

Grandfather Maresato killed two zombies with the first blast, and another with the second barrel. He broke the gun and shook out the spent cartridges. He took two more shells from his pocket and inserted them, and raised the gun again. And then he stopped.

The zombie before him was wearing a work shirt with a name sewn onto the breast. Fusao.

The zombie was close enough to push the barrel of the gun aside. It grabbed Grandfather Maresato and with a savage hiss leaned forward to bite him.

Then the barrel of Takashi's shotgun came over Grandfather Maresato's shoulder. It was only an inch from the zombie's face.

Takashi fired.

The zombie, decapitated, collapsed backwards.

In a single motion, Takashi swung back towards the last zombie on his side, re-cocked the gun, and fired again.

Slowly, the echoes of the shots died away.

"I'm sorry I had to do that, Grandfather," said Takashi.

"No need to be sorry," said Grandfather Maresato. "Fusao died weeks ago. What you did then was put him out of his misery."

When they arrived back at the farmhouse, Takashi driving the convertible and Grandfather Maresato driving the truck, the others came out to see.

"Very cool," said Hirano.

"It must be worth a fortune," said Rei.

"To someone," said Takashi, "it was worth everything."

END

The Frypan Story

A moment of relaxation can be a dangerous thing in a world of zombies.

Hirano, Rei, Saeko and Alice were in a mini-truck, heading to the small town of Kenato. It was a combination reconnaissance mission and supply run, part of Takashi's strategic plan of mapping zombie activity in the Tomo area, and clearing out small towns and villages where possible. The aim was to both provide a source of supplies and eventually make the region inhabitable by human survivors.

Rei was driving. Alice, next to her, was looking at a map of the area, in the Tomo tourist guidebook that, they had discovered, was a crucial resource. "This says that there's a roadhouse not too much further, with a stream just near it," she said. "Can we stop there for lunch?"

"May as well," said Rei.

They came to the roadhouse and drove to the stream. With the water running under some trees, it was a pretty place. There was a deep pool, and then a shallow section of the stream. They got out and looked around.

"What do we have for lunch?" said Hirano.

"The usual stuff," said Rei.

"Oh," said Hirano, not happy at the prospect.

Saeko was standing by the stream, looking at the shallow part. "There are fish here," she said.

"Pity we didn't bring a fishing line," said Hirano. "And I don't have any grenades."

Saeko began to take off the loose trousers she usually wore. "Hirano, why don't you and Alice go up to the roadhouse, see if you can find a frypan, some cooking oil, things like that. Rei, can you please build a fire." In her underpants and shirt, she waded into the stream. It was about knee-deep.

"Uh, okay," said Hirano. He and Alice started for the roadhouse.

When they returned with a variety of kitchen supplies, Rei had a fire going. Saeko was standing in the stream, staring at the water, absolutely still.

As they watched, she leaned over. Suddenly, almost faster than they could see, her hand flashed into the water. She pulled out a silvery, flapping fish.

"Fuck," said Rei, amazed. "Is that actually possible?"

Saeko threw the fish onto the bank. She began to stare at the water again.

Hirano drew his hunting knife, cut off the head, and began to scale and gut the fish. In a rather clumsy way.

"You ever done that before?" said Rei.

"Nope," said Hirano.

"I know how to do it," said Alice. "Grandpa showed me."

Hirano handed her the knife. Alice set to work, and Rei and Hirano sat down to watch Saeko.

"Are you just looking at her because she's a babe in her undies, and your girlfriend is back home, pregnant and grumpy?" whispered Rei.

"No!" said Hirano. "Well, maybe a little. But, really, how often do you get to watch someone catch fish by hand?"

Another stab, another fish.

"Dinner and a show," said Rei.

Another one. Alice had put the first one in the pan, and started to prepare the others.

"Enough?" said Saeko.

"I think so," said Hirano, "but don't let us stop you."

Saeko climbed out of the stream and sat down beside them. "Hope you don't mind my underwear," she said.

"Hardly enough there to be classed as underwear," said Rei.

"Don't worry about me," said Hirano. "Carry on. Where did you learn that?"

"Learn what?"

"The … fish … thing."

"Oh, I've never done it before."

"You know, normal people can't do stuff like that," said Rei.

"Huh," said Saeko, as if this was news to her. "Well, there's a lot of things that you might consider normal that I can't do. Drive, for example."

"You can't drive?"

"No. Never got around to learning. And I can't ride a motorbike."

Alice appeared with fillets of fish on paper plates. The four of them sat on the bank of the stream and ate with their fingers.

"Well, I can't drive either," said Alice.

"But you are an excellent cook, judging from this fish," said Saeko.

"That's the first time I ever built a fire," said Rei. "Bit surprised that I could just … do it."

"Funny, the things you do when you have to," said Hirano. "And how you learn to accept things. Saya was telling me that she used to have a closet that was larger than the caravan we live in now."

The sun was warm and the breeze was cool. Sitting on the bank of the stream, it was hard to feel anything but relaxed.

Saeko looked at the mini-truck, twenty metres away. Her sword was in the back.

Hmm, she thought.

It happened fast, and from an unexpected direction. At once, two zombies came dropping out of the overhead trees. At the same moment, another two leaped out of the pool and onto the bank.

Rei was the first on her feet, drawing her Glock from the holster at the back of her belt as the two zombies from the pool charged at her. She shot one in the head, and it fell backwards, but the other knocked the gun from her hand. It picked her up and threw her into the shallow part of the stream, and then leaped after her. She struggled to get out but the zombie began to push her under.

Another zombie, a big one, had reached Saeko. She punched out at it, but it grabbed her by the throat and lifted her off the ground, throttling her.

Hirano managed to unsling his machine gun but a zombie was on him before he could bring it to bear. They struggled for the gun, but the zombie was much stronger and began to push him back. The gun fired, sending a volley of bullets chopping through the air.

Saeko could feel herself starting to choke. She struggled to stay conscious, and kept trying to kick at the zombie with her bare legs. But her blows were becoming weaker by the second.

Suddenly, the zombie howled in pain and toppled backwards. It released its grip on Saeko, and she sagged to the ground. Through a blur, she saw that the zombie's leg had been severed at the knee.

Alice was standing behind it, holding Saeko's sword, bloody.

The zombie struggled to get up.

Alice swung. The zombie's head left its shoulders.

Saeko, gasping for breath and still on her knees, pointed at Rei and the zombie holding her under water. Alice hefted the sword and charged at the zombie. The sword rammed into its back, between its shoulder blades. The zombie roared as Alice pulled the blade out. It turned … just in time to see the blade coming at its forehead. The zombie fell back into the water, impaled, pulling the sword from Alice's hand. Alice dragged Rei to the surface. But Rei was not moving.

"Help!" cried Hirano, still struggling with the zombie, and losing the hand-to-hand battle with his much larger opponent.

"I'm coming!" shouted Alice, racing towards him. Saeko saw her swing something.

There was a klong! as the frypan connected with the zombie's head. It was enough of a distraction for Hirano to break free of the zombie, with the gun.

"Duck!" shouted Saeko.

Hirano did, and heard something whip through the air above him. The hunting knife struck the zombie in the chest. It howled.

Hirano brought his gun up and fired a burst at point-blank range. The zombie was blown backwards, dead.

Saeko was the first to reach Rei. She hauled her to the bank.

Rei was not breathing.

"CPR!" said Alice. "There might still be time!"

"I breathe, you pump her chest," said Hirano to Saeko.

They started, Hirano trying to put air into Rei's lungs while Saeko pressed and released, pressed and released.

Long moments passed.

"Come on come on come on," muttered Alice.

They tried once more. Nothing. Was it too late?

Both Hirano and Saeko stopped. They looked at each other.

"AGAIN!" shouted Alice.

So they went through the routine again. And then again.

And then Rei coughed.

"Turn her onto her side!" said Alice.

They did … and Rei vomited a gush of water. She coughed again, and then vomited again. Then she gasped: "Fuck."

"Indeed," said Saeko.

Alice hugged Rei.

"Good to have you back," said Hirano.

"I feel terrible," rasped Rei.

"Given that you were dead, you look pretty good," said Hirano.

Rei grimaced. "Well, if I was dead, then I suppose I don't feel too bad at all," she said. "What happened?"

"Alice saved us," said Saeko, as she retrieved the Murata blade from the dead zombie.

"That thing is a fucking lightsaber," said Alice.

"Alice!" said Hirano. "Language!"

"Well, it is," said Alice.

"I suppose," said Saeko, "that I should put my trousers back on."

"Meh," said Rei.

"I vote," said Alice, "that our visit to Kenato waits until another day."

"Seconded," said Hirano.

Rei and Saeko nodded.

They headed back to the mini-truck, Hirano assisting Rei and Saeko with her trousers slung over her shoulder.

"Wait a second," said Alice. "I want a souvenir." She ran off, and then came back. She was carrying the frypan.

"Fair enough," said Hirano. "Hey, when we tell the others this story, can we say that Saeko did the breathing part of the CPR? I wouldn't want Saya to think that I kissed anyone other than her."

Alice, Saeko and Rei all looked at each other. Together, they said: "Forget it."

END

Kohta and the Tsundere

Some unthinking words, some hasty decisions, some zombies, one thing leads to another, and it ends with a bang.

[Author's Note: This story takes place a few weeks after the group arrived at the Maresato farmhouse.]

Z + 39

Saya was bent over a pile of papers spread over the kitchen table of the Maresato farmhouse, muttering to herself about figures and ratios. Hirano was creeping up on her, planning to surprise her with a kiss on the back of her neck.

He was almost in range when Saya, without turning, said: "Don't even think it. I'm busy."

He sighed and sat down beside her. "Can I help?" he said.

"Do you know anything about tolerance limits, speed calibrations, and alloy weight specifications?" she said.

"Er, no."

"Then you can't help. This is the design for the windmill that will give us electricity. We have the materials from that abandoned factory but getting the operating maths right would be hard even if I had a computer. But the most sophisticated tool I have is this pencil. So unless you want me to stick it where the sun doesn't shine I'd appreciate it if you would just leave me alone. Kill something, why don't you. Go away and let me do the important stuff."

Hirano gave a grunt and left the room. He saw Takashi and Rei on the porch, sitting at the cane table. He went up to them.

They were looking at a map of the region, showing nearby towns that were infested with zombies, with an estimate of the number. This was part of Takashi's plan to gradually rid Tomo prefecture of the undead, allowing for the steady re-population of the area by human survivors. The group had already cleared several villages.

" – so perhaps Itako should be next on the list," Rei was saying.

"Maybe, but we should do another recon first," said Takashi.

"Doesn't seem too hard, only about a dozen of them there," said Hirano, looking at the map. "We could do it this afternoon, it's only about an hour's drive away."

Takashi looked at him. "We go slow, we go careful," he said. "I know you like to bust in with guns blazing, Hirano, but some of us have to think about these things. Maybe you should just let us get on with the planning, and we'll call you when you're needed."

Hirano grunted again. Then he got up and left.

A few minutes later, Takashi and Rei saw the mini-truck roar down the driveway, Hirano at the wheel.

Miss Marikawa came onto the porch. "What was that all about?" she said.

"What was what all about?" said Saya, appearing at the door.

"I just saw Hirano throwing some guns into the truck and going off," said Miss Marikawa. "He didn't look at all happy."

"Umm … " said Saya.

"What did you say to him?" said Miss Marikawa.

"I, uh, told him I was busy," said Saya. "I told him to go away and kill something."

"Oh," said Rei. "That … might be bad."

Miss Marikawa looked at her and Takashi.

"We, er, sort of also told him to go away," said Rei. "Say, you don't think he would have gone to Itako to clear it out by himself, do you, Takashi?"

"I'm afraid so," said Takashi. "And that's really bad, because that figure of a dozen zombies there is not much more than a guess. There could be a lot more of them than that. That's why I wanted to do another recon trip."

"That man," said Saya, "can be such a total idiot. I don't know why I put up with him."

"Uh, Saya, if that's what you think, and you don't want him anymore," said Miss Marikawa, "do you think I could have him?"

"What?" said Saya.

"Well, I'm just saying, if you and he are splitting up, then I would like to put my hand up for his, you know, attention. And whatever else he offers. Assuming he lives, of course."

Saya stared at her. Then she turned to Takashi. "I'm taking the bike and one of the M-16s," she said, turning to go.

"We'll follow in the convertible," said Takashi to her as she left. "Rei, Miss Marikawa, get some weapons. I'll meet you at the car."

As Rei and Miss Marikawa were taking guns from the rack, Rei said: "Would you really be interested in Hirano?"

"No, he's not my type," said Miss Marikawa. "But Saya doesn't know that."

Rei chuckled. "I did not know you could be so devious," she said.

"It never hurts," said Miss Marikawa, "to remind people of what's important. Or to help them remind themselves."

With Takashi driving, the convertible caught up with Saya on the motorbike at the edge of the small town of Itako.

"Why do I feel," said Rei, "that this is a really bad idea?"

"That would be because it is a really bad idea," said Miss Marikawa.

Saya stopped on a little rise and Takashi pulled up next to her. Saya raised her riding goggles.

"We should stay together," said Takashi.

"Yes, you should do that," said Saya. "But I'm going to find my honey – " she glanced at Miss Marikawa " – before someone else does."

"You know," said Rei, "this would not have happened if you were not such a tsundere all the time."

"A what?" said Miss Marikawa.

"A tsundere," repeated Rei.

"Oh," said Miss Marikawa. "Well, yes, she certainly is that."

Saya sighed. "We are what we are," she said.

There was the sound of gunfire from a building along the street.

"That's him!" said Saya. "I'd know the sound of his shooting anywhere!" She pulled down her goggles and roared off. With a shrug, Takashi followed.

They came to a garage.

"It was in here, I'm sure of it!" said Saya, jumping off the bike and running in.

Takashi, Rei and Miss Marikawa followed. They found Saya standing next to a machine gun tied to bench. There was a string tied to the trigger, with the other end going to a weight.

"This looks like the sort of thing that Hirano would set up to attract zombies," said Rei. "But once he got them in here, how would be keep them in?"

"Whoops!" said Miss Marikawa. "Heh, I tripped over this little wire in the doorway. What do you think it was doing there?"

Suddenly, the metal door at the front of the garage crashed down.

"Tripwire," said Takashi.

"Yes, I've already said that," said Miss Marikawa. "I tripped on it and it was a wire. But where are the zombies?"

There were two other doors to the garage, a wooden door at the back and a glass door that led to an office. With a hissing growl, zombies suddenly appeared at both.

"Oh, there they are," said Miss Marikawa.

"And a lot more than a dozen," said Takashi. They began to fire. But there were many zombies, and they began to spill into the garage.

"Fuck, I wish Kohta was here," said Saya.

"Yeah, we could use his machine gun," said Takashi.

"What?" said Saya. "Oh, yeah, his machine gun, right. That's what I meant."

There was the sound of a horn and a screaming engine. With a crash, the mini-truck, with Hirano at the wheel, smashed through the glass door that linked the office with the garage, with several zombies going under the wheels. Hirano leaned out of the door and sprayed the zombies on the other side with bullets.

"You realise," he said to Takashi and the others as he paused to re-load, "that this was meant to be a trap for zombies, don't you?"

"Be still my thundering heart," muttered Saya.

They clambered onto the back of the truck.

"Just what are you doing here?" said Hirano.

"We came to rescue you!" said Miss Marikawa.

"Well, that was a nice thought," said Hirano. "It's a good thing you didn't set off the explosives." He began to reverse out. In a few moments, they were back in the street.

"The what?" said Rei.

Hirano drove back to the convertible and the motorbike, and the others jumped off the back of the truck.

"You get going, I'll cover you, and meet you at the edge of town," he said.

With Saya on the bike and the others in the car, they set off, with Hirano firing from the truck.

Saya was almost at the end of the street when she looked back.

The truck was not moving. From here, she could see why: one of the zombies that Hirano had run over was still under the truck, and was still alive. Somehow, it had disabled the truck. Hirano was shooting but the zombies had him surrounded now, and were closing in.

Saya glanced the other way, to see the convertible disappearing around a corner. Takashi and the others would not know what was happening.

She turned the bike back towards Hirano with one hand, hefting the M-16 with the other. She fired, bringing down several. Hirano saw her.

"Hold on, honey!" she shouted. "I'm coming!"

"Like I've never heard that before," he muttered to himself.

She emptied the clip into the crowd of zombies, clearing the way to Hirano. She tossed the big gun aside and took out her Luger, taking aim and firing again. She pulled the bike to a screeching stop. Hirano jumped onto the back, firing again to clear their path of escape. They zoomed past the garage again, the crowd of zombies running after them.

"You might want to brace yourself," he said to her.

"Why?" she said.

There was a shattering explosion from the garage, incinerating most of the zombies.

"There we go," he said.

"Very funny," she said.

They rode to the edge of town, where they met Takashi and the others. Saya explained what had happened.

"You go on ahead, we'll follow," said Saya. Takashi and the others set off. When they were out of sight, Saya turned to Hirano. "Sorry if I was a tsundere before," she said. "And, er, generally, as well."

"Well, maybe a little bit of a tsundere," he said. "Just a bit."

"I love you, you know."

"Yes, I know."

"A lot."

"Well, I'm glad to hear that."

"I mean, a real lot."

"Yes, I love you too."

"So if Miss Marikawa makes a pass at you, you'll ignore it, right?"

"Right … uh, what was that?"

"Because those big breasts … and that angelic face … and she's always so gentle and pleasant, no matter what you say to her … I could understand if you were tempted."

"Er, well, she's a good friend, but … well, I'm a one-woman guy, I guess."

"Good. As long as the one woman is me."

"Sure is."

She was quiet for a long moment. Then she said: "I don't suppose you'd like to have sex, would you?"

"What, you mean, here? Now?"

"Uh-huh."

"Er, there are still some zombies wandering around, I think."

"Oh, right, I forgot about them. Goddamn zombies. When we get home, then?"

"Sounds great."

They got onto the bike. "Hold on tight," said Saya. "Because I intend to go really, really fast."

END

Grandmother's Gift

Family is what you find in the strangest ways.

Z+47

Saeko sat in her caravan at the Maresato farmhouse, mending her school shirt with a sewing kit borrowed from Grandmother Maresato. She knew that, if she wanted, she could salvage any amount of new clothes from one of the nearby towns but she felt a particular fondness for this shirt. They had been through a lot together. And she liked sewing; it was something her mother had taught her when she was a child. It was one of the very few memories she had of her mother.

She reflected that she, like her friends, had very few possessions. Perhaps it was because new things were easily available, or because they had travelled a long way to reach safety. More likely, it was because the old world of possessions – mere stuff, really – had been left behind. Now, if something wasn't obviously useful and tough enough to last, it just wasn't needed. Finding out what was really important had, Saeko realised with a little surprise, taken only about six weeks. But it had been a very long and hard six weeks. A lot of blood.

She finished the shirt and looked around for something else to do. Even though it was getting late and she had worked hard on the farm during the day, she was in no hurry to go to bed. She never was. Her bed was a cold and lonely place. Funny, before the Outbreak she didn't think much about sex at all. She had known that if she wanted a lover it would be easy enough to get one – perhaps someone from school, perhaps someone from the bar where she worked. Of course, they would not stay around for long, but that was alright – what she preferred, in fact. She wondered what might have happened if she had met Akhiro for their planned date, the one she had deferred for months – why? – before finally agreeing to. But the world had ended before it could happen. Goddamn zombie apocalypse.

There was a knock at the door. It was Grandmother Maresato.

"Please come in, Grandmother," said Saeko, bowing in welcome. "I have finished with your sewing kit, thank you."

She liked Grandmother Maresato. Always gentle but you could sense the steel beneath. And she appreciated the traditional formalities that Saeko had learned as part of her training but which often seemed inappropriate around Takashi and the others.

They knelt on cushions on the floor. Saeko poured a cup of tea. Grandmother Maresato picked up the shirt and inspected it. "Good," she said. "Good work."

"Thank you, Grandmother," said Saeko.

Grandmother Maresato was carrying a package, something wrapped in silk. She placed it between them.

"This is for you, my dear," she said.

Saeko opened it. She gave a little gasp of surprise. It was an artificial penis. Hand-made, perfectly stitched, black leather rolled and folded into a foot-long cylinder. It had a dull shine, with a surprising softness on the outside and a pleasing hardness at the core. It was smooth, in the way that much-handled, much-loved things become smooth over a long period of time.

"Did you think you were the only woman who has ever been lonely?" said Grandmother Maresato. "And there is also this." She took a ceramic jar from her pocket and handed it to Saeko. It was a lotion that smelled of chrysanthemums and sunlight.

"Certainly, by no means as good as the real thing," said Grandmother Maresato. "But when we can't have what we want we can seek alternatives, can't we?" She picked it up. "My mother gave me this. I believe she had made it herself, under instruction from her mother. My mother made one for each of my sisters – there were four girls in my family – but since I was the oldest I received hers. They were given to us when we turned fifteen." She handed it to Saeko. "Feel the weight," she said. "I hope it is suitable for you."

Saeko took it with respect. She examined it carefully, sensing its history. "This has been used many, many times," she said.

"Oh yes," said Grandmother Maresato. "Did you know that Dai – Grandfather – was in the army when he was younger? We were often apart for long periods, both before we were married and after. I think that my mother's gift saved my life during those times. That is how I felt, anyway. And I believe that my mother would have used it very often as well. I always regretted that I did not have any daughters – five sons but no daughters – to pass it on to. But now there is you."

Saeko bowed deeply. "And I will pass it to an appropriate woman when the times comes," she said. "But Grandmother, are you … ready … to part with something so valuable?"

Grandmother Maresato smiled. "I have Grandfather trained pretty well now," she said.

Saeko nodded. "Despite the fact that so much has been lost in the recent troubles of the world, I envy your happiness," she said.

"My happiness has greatly increased since you and your friends arrived," said Grandmother Maresato. "In that short time, I have come to love you all. My grand-daughter, who has grown so much in so many ways. The woman who sometimes pretends to be not very bright. The brave girl who can see into hearts. The boy with his guns, who has such great courage and love. Even the very clever girl who likes to tell everyone else what to do. You love them too, I think."

"Yes," said Saeko. "I do. Especially the last one, strangely. But you did not mention Takashi."

"Ah, Takashi. The leader who does not want to lead, and is a good leader for exactly that reason. And the man that your heart wants and your soul needs."

"Is it that obvious?"

"Only to an old woman, perhaps."

"Then you also know why I cannot tell him of my feelings."

"Yes. But sometimes, Saeko, the universe works these things out. You may have to simply wait and see. And while you wait, perhaps this gift will assist you."

"I am sure it will, Grandmother."

They finished their tea. Saeko helped Grandmother Maresato to her feet. She handed her the sewing kit. They walked back to the farmhouse together.

"Thank you, Grandmother," said Saeko. "Thank you for everything."

Grandmother Maresato smiled. "And thank you, my child," she said.

END

Girls' Day Out

It's inevitable. When girls go shopping, clothes will be considered, matters of the heart will be discussed, and zombies will be fought.

[Author's note: This story takes place about three weeks after the group arrived at the Maresato farm; that is, about a week before the story The Promise.]

"So our situation" said Rei, "is not good. Injured, surrounded by zombies, low on bullets, and no help in sight."

"We should face the fact that this might be the end for us," said Saeko.

"And worst of all," said Saya, "this shoe store that we're stuck in has nothing worth even trying on."

It had started well enough. Not long before, the three of them had been in one of the mini-trucks that the group had salvaged and repaired, driving from the Maresato farm to the small town of Joriho, forty minutes away. Their mission: clothes.

"These school things were never meant for continuous wear, let alone zombie fights," said Rei, who was driving. "They've gotten so thin that you can see pretty well everything a girl possesses."

"Not that I've heard Hirano or Takashi complaining about that," said Saeko.

"Unwise to expect them to," said Saya, from the back seat. "The world has ended, there are zombies everywhere, and most of the population is dead, but guys will still be guys. Speaking for myself, I need to find some things with a bit more room. Six weeks pregnant and I'm already having to borrow things from Grandmother Maresato. God knows what it will be like six months from now."

Rei gave a little laugh. "Maybe I'll go for a leather jacket look," she said. "With boots. What about you, Saeko?"

"I need underwear," she said.

"Sexy or practical?"

"The same as I have now, except not falling apart."

"That is not answering the question."

"I know."

"Hmm. Saya, do you need underwear stuff as well?" said Rei. "Does Hirano have a preference?"

"To tell the truth," said Saya, "he would like anything, as long as it ends up on the floor next to the bed. But I'm glad he didn't want to come on this little trip. Last time I went shopping with him, it didn't go very well. Shoes. Zombies. On the other hand, we ended up in a sleeping bag together, so I guess that means things worked out."

Johiro came into view. It was a small town: before the Outbreak, the population had been about three thousand. Now it was zero.

"When we went through here on the way to the farm, the place was as quiet as a graveyard," said Rei. "Although these days graveyards are not always that quiet."

They passed a deserted construction site with a half-finished building, and pulled into the main street. There was a large truck, the type that carried shipping containers, jack-knifed across the middle of the road.

"Funny, I don't remember that being there before," said Saya, as Rei pulled up. "But there's room to get around it, isn't there?"

"Uh, sure," said Rei. "It's just that … I don't like … unexpected – "

Then the back of the truck opened with a crash. Zombies came flooding out. Several of them carried bricks and chunks of concrete, and they began to hurl them at the mini-truck. One crashed into the windscreen, turning the perspex into a web of cracks.

"There are more behind us!" said Saya. "A lot more! Go forward!"

Rei put her foot down and swung the wheel. "Saeko, knock the windscreen out so I can see!" she said.

Saeko braced herself against the seat and kicked. After the second kick, the windscreen fell away.

Zombies were trying to leap onto the mini-truck, and others were still throwing missiles. Rei ran two down but another leaped onto the front of the vehicle. He grabbed the steering wheel and tried to wrench it out of Rei's grasp.

Saya fired her Luger over the seat, hitting the zombie in the head. But it was too late. The mini-truck began to swerve uncontrollably. The truck skidded along the street, and then smashed into an abandoned car. It bounced off, and then careened into a brick wall.

Inside the mini-truck, there was a moment of ghastly silence. Then Saya said: "Fuck."

"Fuck indeed," said Saeko.

Rei groaned. Her head was bleeding from a massive gash from where she had hit the steering wheel. Saeko opened the door and got out – or, rather, fell out. She had been hurt in the crash – she was not sure how badly, and there was no time to think about it.

"Saya, help Rei," she said, drawing her sword and throwing the sheath down. The zombies leading the pack were only a few metres away.

She pushed the pain to the back of her mind, lifted the sword, and charged.

Saya helped Rei out of the driver's seat.

"I'm … I'm alright," gasped Rei, leaning on Saya for support. "Just … give me a moment."

"Can't do that," said Saya.

Saeko had decapitated three zombies. She was trying to keep the zombies' attention on her rather than Rei and Saya. She was succeeding. Now they had her surrounded.

Rei took her Glock pistol from its holster. Saya lifted her Luger, and they fired together. They cleared a path of retreat for their friend. Saeko, limping, joined them. "Get in there," she said, pointing to the nearest building, a shoe store. "I'll hold them here."

Another group of zombies was almost on them. Saeko slashed and stabbed, bringing more zombies down. Then one leaped towards her. Saeko stabbed out, impaling the zombie through the chest. But it was not enough to kill him. He grabbed hold of her. She punched him, and he staggered backwards, pulling the Murata blade out of Saeko's hand and ripping her shirt.

"Saeko, come on!" shouted Saya from the doorway.

The three of them made it into the store.

"Saeko, take this," said Rei, handing Saeko the Glock. "I just … have to … sit down for a second." She sagged against a wall.

Saeko looked at the pistol. "What do I do with it?" she said.

"Just point and pull the trigger," said Saya.

Standing in the doorway, they lifted the pistols and fired. Half-a-dozen zombies went down. The rest began to retreat. In the few moments, the street was empty.

Saeko looked at the Glock. "I can see why you think these things are handy," she said. "But I feel naked without my sword."

"You're half-way naked anyway," said Rei, struggling to her feet. She pointed: Saeko was showing a lot of flesh, with her shirt torn and one bra strap broken.

She looked at herself and shrugged. "We have bigger problems," she said, handing the pistol back to Rei. "How many bullets do you have?"

"One extra clip, that's ten shots, and three in the slot," said Saya. "Not good."

"Seven for me," said Rei. "Damn, my Super Match is in the back of the truck, and there are more clips for the Glock there as well. Might as well be on the Moon. And I have to say I'm seeing double from that bang on the head."

"I am not in good shape either," said Saeko. "Maybe some cracked ribs from the crash. Hurts like hell whenever I breathe, whatever it is.

"I got out with scrapes and bruises, which I guess makes me the lucky one," said Saya. "If that is the word that applies in these circumstances." She tore a piece of material from her skirt and used it to bandage Rei's wound. It stopped the bleeding, at least.

"So our situation," said Rei, "is not good. Injured, surrounded by zombies, low on bullets, and no help in sight."

"We should face the fact that this might be the end for us," said Saeko.

"And worst of all," said Saya, "this shoe store that we're stuck in has nothing worth even trying on."

"Hey, take a look at this," said Rei. She pointed up the street.

Saeko's sword was there, stuck in the ground. It was a hundred metres away, not far from the open door of a building. A trap.

"Son … of … a … bitch," said Saya.

Saya came back from checking the rest of the store. "There's no way out back there," she said. "But this might be an option." She pointed to the grille of an air vent. "In a row of stores like this, there's often a single vent, basically a narrow tube that runs all the way along. So it might lead out."

"It looks pretty small," said Rei.

"You two might be able to make it," said Saya. "Maybe. If you squeezed."

"But not you," said Saeko.

"Even before I got pregnant, I was quite a bit wider than you guys. But you – "

"No," said Saeko.

"But – "

"No."

Saya looked at Rei.

"If you think I could get through there," Rei said, "you under-estimate my bust size."

"Really?"

"That's my story, and I'm sticking to it. Bottom line: we stay together."

The three of them looked into the empty street. "What are they waiting for?" said Rei.

"They don't know that we're almost empty," said Saya. "Damn, they're getting smart. A month ago they were so stupid you could kill them with a stick and get away from them at a brisk stroll."

"The good old days," said Saeko dryly.

"It's likely that Takashi and the others will come looking for us when we don't get back to the farm on schedule," said Rei. "It's a question of whether they get here in time."

"And whether they can actually do anything against this many zombies," added Saya.

"Then there is nothing we can do but wait," said Saeko. "We should try and get some rest. I'll take the first watch."

Saya nodded and handed Saeko her Luger. She settled into a soft chair and closed her eyes. In a few moments, she was asleep.

Rei looked at her. "Funny the way she can just go out like that," she said. "But then she is a very odd person."

Saeko nodded. "You should get some rest too," she said.

Rei shook her head. "No way I could get any sleep," she said.

The two of them were silent for a while. Then Saeko said: "I feel that the loss of my sword is a bad omen. If I fall and you survive, I would like you to do something for me."

"What is it?" said Rei.

"It involves Takashi. And the promise between you."

"The … promise?"

"He needs someone. So you should fulfil that promise. And I believe he would love you in return."

"Saeko, I don't understand. Why are you asking me to do this?"

"Because I want him to be happy. That is important to me. Very important. It has been important since … another time, another place. When he saved me. From myself, I suppose. He told me that I was worth something. No-one else had ever told me that before."

"But I … I might not be the one for him, Saeko. Not at all. You see, I've never really been in love with anyone. Sure, I used to go out with Takashi. A big part of that was that he was a pretty popular guy at school, and I liked the status that went with being his girlfriend. Then another guy came along, Hisashi, and he was popular too. So I started going with him instead. I guess I've always tried to attach myself to whatever guy seemed to be the most prestigious. All that looks pretty stupid now. Stupid teenager stuff. And that promise is a kid thing."

"It is important to Takashi, I think. And the leadership role he has taken has made his sense of honour even greater."

"But he has given no sign of any great feeling for me, aside from the sort of thing that any guy with a working set of hormones shows. Not the way that Hirano loves Saya. Deeply. Madly. Bone to bone. I don't think I would want to be loved any other way."

"Neither would I. But it is not about what I want. It is about what Takashi needs. There should be someone who loves him."

There already is, thought Rei. I hadn't realised it but it was staring me in the face. She would give him up if that is what it took to see him happy.

But me, I've always jumped from one pretty face to another. Maybe it's time for me to grow up.

"So," said Saeko. "Will you do this for me? I ask you as one woman to another."

"I … I … hey, what's that noise? What's happening out there?"

Saeko shook Saya a little. In a moment, Saya was awake. The three of them looked out the window.

The zombies had turned a car on its side and were pushing it along the street, inch by inch. They were using it as a shield.

"That's a worry," said Saya. "Slow but steady. What do you think, sixty minutes, seventy?"

"About that," said Rei. "They'll come right up to the door and we won't be able to stop them." She looked at her watch. They had been trapped in the store for over three hours. She wondered when Takashi and the others would come after them, and how long it would take them to arrive. There was no way to know.

They watched the car creep along. There were dozens of zombies sheltering behind it.

An hour passed. The car was only ten metres away now.

"Get ready," said Rei.

"Need any help?"

"Eh?" said Saya.

The three of them looked at each other. "I didn't say it," said Saeko.

"Up here," said the voice again. "In the vent thing. It's pretty dusty in here, so it would be good if you could take the cover off so I could get out."

"Alice!" said Saeko.

"I was the only one who would fit," said Alice. "And there were a lot of spiders as well. But I didn't mind."

Rei put a table under the vent and climbed up, removing the cover and helping Alice down. Alice was carrying several small machines gun as well as extra clips for the Luger and the Glock.

"Presents from Kohta," she said. "He thought you could use them."

"Great," said Rei. "But there is still that car coming."

"Cavalry is on the way," said Alice.

They heard another noise, a deep-throated engine. They looked out again. There was a massive bulldozer from the construction site rolling along the street, Miss Marikawa in the driver's seat. Hirano and Takashi were either side of her, big guns at the ready.

"It's, er, fairly slow cavalry," said Alice.

"I think it will do the job," said Saya.

Zombies were trying to climb onto the bulldozer but they could not get a grip on the caterpillar tracks. And Hirano and Takashi took care of any that came too close.

The zombies pushing the car saw the danger. Some of them charged on the store, but Saya, Rei, Saeko, and Alice, fully armed now, hacked them down in the doorway. Other zombies tried to hide behind the car. The huge blade of the bulldozer raised up, and then crashed down. The car was rolled over like a toy, crushing the zombies behind it.

"All aboard!" shouted Takashi to Rei and the others.

They clambered onto the bulldozer. Hirano hugged Saya so hard she gasped.

Takashi saw that Saeko's shirt was torn, one breast nearly exposed. Without a word, he took off his jacket and put it across her shoulders. She bowed her head slightly in thanks, and drew it around her.

So tender, thought Rei, watching the two of them together. So gentle.

"I didn't know you could drive one of these things," said Saya to Miss Marikawa.

"Neither did I," said Miss Marikawa, as she turned the machine back the way they had come. "But it's quite a lot of fun. Do you think I should drive it all the way back to the farm?"

"Uh, just to where we hid the car will be fine," said Takashi.

"Killjoy," said Miss Marikawa.

The remaining zombies were retreating back into the buildings along the street.

"I want to get my Super Match from the truck, over there," said Rei.

"And I would like my sword," said Saeko.

"I'll get it," said Takashi to Saeko. "You don't look like you're in great shape."

"I've been better," admitted Saeko.

"I still didn't get any new clothes," said Saya. "Can we – "

"No!" said everyone else.

"Damn," said Saya.

Takashi jumped off the bulldozer and ran to Saeko's sword. He pulled it out of the ground and turned back towards the bulldozer.

A huge zombie came lurching out of the nearby doorway towards him.

There was a volley of machine gun fire. The zombie fell, dead.

Rei lowered her Super Match. If any of the others had been near her, they would have seen a tear run slowly down her cheek.

She wiped the tear away and started towards the bulldozer. As she did, she saw the sheath of Saeko's sword on the ground. She picked it up and walked to the others.

She climbed onto the bulldozer and handed the sheath to Saeko, who took it with a nod of gratitude and put the sword into it.

"We made it after all," said Rei to her. "So the question we were talking about does not really need an answer."

"I suppose so," said Saeko.

But I think I know what the answer has to be, thought Rei.

END

A Stranger Riding By

An unusual visitor raises questions as well as possibilities for the group.

[Author's note: This story takes place a few days after the story Girls' Day Out and a few days before the story The Promise.]

"Shopping was a lot more fun," said Saya, "when you didn't have to carry weapons and post a lookout."

"After what happened at Johiro, the last time we tried to get some new clothes, it's surprising that we're doing it at all," said Rei.

They were in a clothes store in the village of Sheroda, the closest town – now deserted – to Maresato farm. It was several days after the episode at Johiro, when the three of them had been ambushed by a horde of zombies. This time, they had come with Takashi and Hirano, who were on guard in the convertible outside, with machine guns.

"The need is great," said Saeko. "Everything I have – which I admit is not very much – is held together with safety pins and hope."

"I see you are still wearing Takashi's jacket," said Rei.

"It fits," said Saeko.

Saya was holding up a skirt against her waist. "Will have to be bigger, and have an elastic waist," she mused. "Nothing suitable on this rack. I'll check to see if there's a storeroom in the back."

"I'll come with you," said Rei. The two of them went into the rear of the store, leaving Saeko to sort through a pile of not-very-interesting lingerie.

"All this stuff really sucks, fashion-wise," said Saya.

"And of course fashion is very important now, when there are so many people to impress," said Rei.

"Girl's always got to look her best," said a voice from behind them.

They instantly went for their guns.

"I wouldn't do that," said the voice. "Just turn around. Slowly."

They did – slowly.

It was a woman, wearing a patched-together outfit of leather and metal. She had a bright red jacket and heavy motorcycle boots, and had a short sword in her belt. She was holding a bow and arrow, pointed at them.

"Are you good guys or bad guys?" said the woman.

"Does our answer determine whether we get skewered or not?" said Saya.

"Not at all," said Saeko, from behind the woman. The tip of her sword touched the woman's cheek.

The woman let the bow go loose. "The fact that I am still alive tells me that you are probably good guys," she said.

"Yes we are," said Rei. "How about you?"

"Pretty good," said the woman. "Depending on who you ask. Will you put the sword down now?"

"No," said Saeko.

"And just what are you doing here?" said Saya.

"Same thing as you," said the woman. "Looking for some decent damn underwear."

Takashi and Hirano were astonished when Rei, Saya and Saeko escorted the woman to the car.

"Great lookouting, guys," said Saya.

"Well well, what have we here," said the woman. She looked at Hirano. "You're a handsome one," she said.

Hirano glanced behind him to see if there was someone else standing there. "You mean me?" he said.

"Oh yeah," said the woman.

"Hands off, bitch," said Saya.

"It's still: hands off, bitch."

"My name," said the woman, "is Shun. Shun Yamiashi."

"It's still: hands off, bitch," said Saya.

"There was a Shun Yamiashi in the Olympic archery team," said Saeko.

"Yes, that's me," said Shun.

"You won the bronze."

"It was better than fourth. And you are … ?"

"I am Saeko Busujima."

"Ah, I thought you looked familiar. I saw you compete in the kendo championships in Iwaki last year. So you've upgraded to a blade. May I see it?"

"No."

Takashi introduced himself and the others. "How did you get here, Shun?" he said. "Do you have a vehicle?"

"A motorbike. It's parked a few streets back. But I'm nearly empty."

"There's a petrol station at the south end of town," said Saya. "You can fill up there and be on your way to wherever it is you are going."

"Oh, I'm not going anywhere special. Drifting south, killing zombies as I go."

"Have you seen much of the country?" said Takashi. "Can you tell us where there are safe areas, and where there are zombie concentrations?"

"Sure," said Shun. "For what it's worth."

"Then you must come and stay with us, at least for the night, and tell us about your travels and adventures," said Hirano.

Saya, Rei and Saeko looked at him.

"In the spirit of good neighbourliness," said Takashi.

"I wouldn't mind some decent food and some friendly company," said Shun.

"Humph," said Saya. "Well, I'm not going anywhere until I get some more clothes."

"Seconded," said Rei.

"I agree," said Saeko.

"Me too," said Shun.

The four women went back into the clothes store, leaving Takashi and Hirano staring foolishly after them.

"So," said Shun to Rei and Saeko over a rack of shirts, as Saya was trying things on in the back room. "I get that Überbitch owns the cool dude. Do either of you have dibs on the other one?"

Rei and Saeko looked at each other.

"Yes and no," said Rei eventually.

"Which answer goes with which woman?" said Shun. "Or is it still to be decided?"

"It is not your business," said Saeko. "Although on the dibs side, I think the answer was put best by Saya."

"That is: hands off, bitch," said Rei.

"Okay, okay, you two can fight it out if that's what you want to do. Are there any other possibilities at the farm you mentioned? Been a while for me, you see. And riding that damn bike doesn't exactly get rid of the itchies."

"There is Grandfather Maresato," said Rei. "But you would have to fight Grandmother for him. I would not recommend it."

Shun sighed. "Goddamn zombie apocalypse," she said.

They were around the dinner table at the farm. "I appreciate the hospitality," said Shun, who had washed and changed. "The food is very good, Grandmother, and I am not saying that just because I have eaten nothing but beef jerky for the past week."

"You're very cool," said Alice to Shun.

"Well, so are you, Alice, from what your friends have told me about you," said Shun.

"I am?" said Alice.

"Shun, can you tell us about the situation in the rest of the country?" said Takashi.

Shun sighed. "Not much good news," she said. "I come from Akita, up in the north, on the west coast, and I've been moving south since the Outbreak. It seems that it started somewhere around Sendai and spread from there. It got to Hokkaido as well, although no-one knows how the zombies got across Tsugaru Strait.

"It only took a couple of days for everything to collapse. I tried to get to Tokyo but by the time I reached it the whole place was ablaze. Nagoya was pretty much a ghost town, not counting zombies. South and west of that, there are some pockets of survivors. It looks as if concentrations of people actually attract zombies somehow. I saw some towns that had built walls to keep the zombies out but I can't say I like their chances of surviving long-term. I think that staying in farms and houses in rural areas is a better idea."

Takashi spread a map over the table, and Shun began to mark various areas. She drew a line showing her circuitous progress across the country.

"It seems that zombies prefer towns," she said. "I don't know why. They don't like open areas much, and they don't like the mountains. So here in Tomo might be a good place to re-build. You guys seem to be doing pretty well here."

"Are you going anywhere in particular?" said Takashi.

"Maybe Kyushu, maybe the Osumi Islands off the south coast," said Shun, pointing to the map. "Wherever I can get to that might have a decent number of survivors."

Everyone else exchanged glances.

Eventually, Saya said: "If you wanted to stay here, we could make room. With the permission of Grandfather and Grandmother, of course. It is their house, after all."

"We would be pleased to have you," said Grandmother Maresato.

Shun looked around the table. "Thank you very much for the offer," she said. "But what I am looking for is not here, I think."

"I understand," said Grandmother Maresato.

"As do I," said Saeko.

"Well, at least we can offer you somewhere to sleep for the night," said Grandmother Maresato. "I will make up a bed for you in the front room."

"Uh, would that be a single bed?" said Shun.

"That is all we can offer," said Rei.

"Maybe not," said Miss Marikawa. "She can stay in my room tonight."

Everyone stared at her. She stared straight back. "That is, in my bed," she said. "That is, with me. That is – "

"We've got the concept," said Rei.

"If she wants," said Miss Marikawa.

Shun looked at her. "She wants," she said.

It was the next day. Shun was about to leave the farm. Grandmother Maresato handed her a large parcel of fresh food and drink.

Shun shook Takashi's hand. "I hope it works out for you," she said.

"Uh, what works out?" he said.

"You'll find out," she said.

She turned to Miss Marikawa. "You know, Zu, this bike could carry two," she said. "If we sat close together."

Miss Marikawa considered. Then she said: "Thanks, but my place is here. I'm not really a road person."

Shun nodded. "Pity," she said.

"But if you're passing this way again … you might … "

"I would," said Shun. "I most certainly damn would."

They kissed. Passionately. A kiss for parting. For now.

Somewhat reluctantly, Shun got onto her bike and started for the gate. The group watched her until she was out of sight.

"What a whiner," muttered Saya.

"Well, Shizuka," said Rei, "I didn't know that you rolled that way."

"First time for everything," said Miss Marikawa. "I probably won't be making a habit of it. But she is certainly … charming … company, and these days, you take whatever opportunity presents itself, and you make the most of it, don't you?"

"Maybe," said Rei.

"Perhaps," said Saeko.

END

Zombie 3.0

Looking for human survivors, Takashi and Saeko find … the last thing they expected.

Z+73

"I've always wanted a convertible," said Takashi, as they sped along the country road with the top down. It was three days since they had left the Maresato farmhouse on their mission to explore the Tomo area in the hope of finding more survivors. "Pretty cool, eh? And with a beautiful woman beside me."

He looked at Saeko. Yes, she was truly beautiful: her long hair flying in the wind, her dark eyes shining behind sunglasses, her lips showing the trace of her secret smile.

"It is not unacceptable," she said.

"Is that a joke?"

"Perhaps."

"Uh, is that a joke?"

"Yes."

"Ha! The samurai girl made a joke!"

"We are allowed to do so, occasionally, so long as they are not funny," she said. She looked at the map she held. "You'd better slow down, we should be coming up to the next one. The village of Turona, population of 126. Formerly."

"Let's hope we find something soon," said Takashi. "We've been to two villages and four farms and haven't found a thing. Not sure where all the people went. You think that zombies got them all?"

"Maybe. But I remember one of the last television broadcasts saying that the government was collecting together everyone who was left so they could protect them better."

"That idea probably didn't work so well. Having a lot of people in a confined space is asking for trouble. But I guess they didn't know that then. Not like they had a whole lot of experience to draw on. Hey, what's this?"

He brought the car to a stop.

There was a large tree across the road.

Takashi drew his Mauser pistol. "It's broken, not cut," he said. "Could it have fallen over in a storm, maybe?"

"No," said Saeko.

"So someone put it here."

"Yes. But this would not be an effective obstacle to the undead. Only to vehicles. And if human survivors had sought to block the road against marauders, it would have been cut or chopped."

"Meaning … ?"

"Meaning that we should explore the village of Turona further. On foot." She got out of the car and took her sword from the back. Takashi took the automatic MAC rifle to add to his Mauser.

They took a circuitous path, moving for safety rather than speed. Eventually, they worked their way to the top of a hill overlooking the village.

"Zombies," said Takashi. "A couple of dozen, maybe. But what are they doing?"

They watched them for a long time. Ten minutes. Thirty minutes. An hour. Two hours. Eventually, Saeko said: "Nothing."

"They just walk from one place to another," said Takashi. "They stop there for a while, and then they walk to another place. You're right, they're doing nothing at all. And look at their clothes. Rotten. These zombies have been zombies for a fair while, maybe from the early days of the Outbreak."

"We should go down there," said Saeko.

"What, walk into a nest of zombies?"

"Yes," said Saeko.

"Are you serious?"

"Yes."

He smiled. "Well, then let's go," he said.

They walked down into the town, not hiding but on their guard.

They came to one of the zombies, who was shuffling from somewhere to somewhere else. It stopped and looked at them. Takashi raised his gun. Saeko prepared to draw her sword.

The zombie looked at them for perhaps a minute. Then he shuffled around them, and proceeded on his way to whatever insignificant place he was going.

Takashi watched him go. "That was odd," he said.

They continued towards the little park at the centre of the village. On the way, they encountered several zombies. Some, after a pause, went around them. Some turned and went back the way they had come.

"In its own way, this is scarier than being attacked," said Takashi. "And they're so quiet. None of that growling or hissing stuff. Do you think that this is what they do all day? And maybe all night as well? I don't think zombies ever sleep. Maybe this is what zombies do when there are no people around."

"Look at their clothes," said Saeko. "These people are not from this village. They came here after they became zombies."

She drew her sword.

"What's the matter?" whispered Takashi.

"They've stopped," said Saeko.

All of the zombies had stopped moving and were now simply looking at Takashi and Saeko.

A dozen of them began to come toward the two humans. Takashi lifted his gun.

"No," said Saeko. "Not yet."

The zombies shuffled forward until they formed a loose circle around Takashi and Saeko, five metres away.

"Now what?" said Takashi.

The zombies were staring at Saeko's sword.

One of them, a woman, shuffled closer. She gave a low groan. She lifted a fetid arm and pointed at the sword, and then at Saeko. Then she leaned forward.

"I think … I think she wants me to kill her," said Saeko.

The woman gave another groan, and shuffled forward another step. She seemed to close her eyes.

"I … I don't think I can," said Saeko. "It's not like they're attacking or anything."

Takashi looked around. "This would be a terrible existence," he said. "Living like a shadow, and knowing that it is going to go on for years and years. Maybe forever. Maybe they remember some of what life – real life – used to be. They've tried to get a bit of it back by coming to this place. But they can't, really. They may have evolved from what they used to be but this is as far as they can go. We've encountered plenty of aggressive ones but these ones have gone in a different direction. They're more advanced than they were at first, when they were blind and slow, but they're not the smarter belligerent ones either. This is Zombie version 3.0. They're aware – but all they can be aware of is that they're dead. I can't think of anything worse."

A tear formed in Saeko's eye.

Then, in a single perfect motion, she decapitated the woman.

Another one, a man, shuffled forward, and stopped in front of Saeko. He leaned forward as the woman had done. Saeko swung again.

There was another, and another.

And that was all. The others turned and resumed their meandering.

Saeko looked at the four bodies. She bowed her head slightly.

"Time for us to go, I think," said Takashi.

They were almost at the edge of the village when one of the zombies made a noise, something like a cough. He shuffled up to them. Takashi raised his gun. The zombie pointed towards the west. Then he pointed to Takashi and Saeko. Then he pointed west again.

"I think he's trying to tell us that there are people in that direction," said Takashi. "Maybe it's his way of thanking us for helping the ones that were ready to die. Maybe he understands that we're looking for survivors."

"Then we should drive west," said Saeko.

So they did. And they found more survivors.

END

Nightmares

Saeko discovers that late-night terrors are part of the business of being a survivor – but she also finds that she is not alone in dealing with fear.

The zombie reached out for her, she could feel its foul breath on her skin and the stench of its rotting flesh in her nostrils. Her sword! Where was her sword!? Why wasn't it in her hand!?

The zombie had her in its grip now, it was pulling her towards its stinking maw and she was defenceless –

Saeko awoke with a snap, automatically reaching out for the Murata blade. It took her a few moments to realise where she was: in her bed, in her caravan at the Maresato farm, Takashi sleeping silently next to her. Her naked body was covered in sweat and she was still shaking from the dream. It was not the first nightmare she had had – indeed, they happened every few nights – but it was not the sort of thing that became easier with repetition.

She knew she would not get back to sleep easily. Being afraid to close your eyes is a bad sign, she thought. She got out of bed and wiped the sweat away with a towel. She put a kimono on, glad for the cool feel of the silk. Perhaps a cup of tea would help. Rather than worry about waking Takashi, she decided she would go into the farmhouse. Instinctively, she picked up her sword as she left.

She was surprised to find a light on in the kitchen. Someone was sitting at the table. It was Alice, in her pyjamas. She turned when she heard Saeko.

"Mind if I join you?" said Saeko.

"Kettle has just boiled," said Alice. Saeko saw that Alice had a cup in front of her. Saeko put her sword on the table and began to make herself a pot of tea.

"I couldn't sleep," said Alice. "Nightmares. About zombies. Of course."

"Me too," said Saeko.

There was a knock at the door of the kitchen. It was Miss Marikawa, looking a bit bleary-eyed.

"Sorry if we woke you," said Saeko.

"I wasn't asleep anyway," she said. "Dreams. Like it's not enough for the zombies to bother us when we're awake."

Saeko poured a cup of tea for her. "I thought that I was the only one to get them," she said.

"You're not," said Alice. "It's not surprising, after all we've been through. Rei sleeps holding her Glock sometimes. She says that it helps."

"What are your nightmares about, Saeko?" said Miss Marikawa.

"I dream about not having my sword. What about you?"

"Being back in Fujimi High School, mainly. Being chased by them and not being able to find the way out. Just going round and round. How about you, Alice?"

Alice shrugged. "Various things," she said. "The most common one is … the night we first met. You know, Kohta told me that he has bad dreams as well. Saya – "

"Let me guess," said Saeko. "Sleeps like a log."

Alice laughed her girlish laugh. "Right," she said.

"Saya is lucky," said Miss Marikawa. "In many ways. Having a guy who loves her, for one thing. But now so do you, Saeko."

"Really?" said Saeko. "Sometimes, I wonder."

"Crazy, crazy, crazy in love with you," said Alice.

"And you are such an expert," said Saeko, smiling.

"Even a nine-year-old can see it," said Alice. "Everyone can. Except you, apparently. Even Saya."

"Uh, why do you say 'even Saya'?"

"Because she's an idiot. Also a genius, but an idiot when it comes to people. If she didn't have Kohta to make her something like normal, someone would have killed her by now, because she can be so incredibly annoying. Probably me."

Saeko nodded. "True," she said. "I've never had a sister, but I suppose I think of her like one. I love her but sometimes I feel like putting a sword through her. But you talk about crazy in love, well, Saya loves Hirano so much it's almost scary. I don't know if he knows that. She hides it from him, I think. I'm not sure why."

"Mmm. Boys aren't that bright, are they?"

"No, but they have their uses," said Miss Marikawa. "As I recall, at least. Let me tell you, I'm damn sick of having to – " she looked at Alice " – go without."

"Well, maybe we can find you one," said Saeko. "We're slowly locating more survivors."

"I hope there are some more kids," said Alice. "I really miss having friends. I mean, you guys are great … but it's just not the same."

"Does it seem to you," said Miss Marikawa, "that there are more women than men in the groups of survivors we've encountered so far? How did that happen?"

"Maybe girls are just better at it," said Alice.

"Yes, I think that's right," said Saeko.

"Right or not, it sucks," said Miss Marikawa. "I'm afraid that I'm going to end up as the last non-zombie un-partnered woman in the world. Now that's a nightmare."

"It would, indeed, be a terrible shame to see all your … assets … go to waste," said Saeko.

"It sure would," said Alice.

They both looked at her.

"Hey," she said, "I might be young but I'm not stupid."

Saeko laughed.

"Saeko," said Miss Marikawa. "May I see your sword? I've never really had the opportunity to look at it."

Saeko handed it to her. Miss Marikawa took it from the sheath.

"This is certainly beautiful," she said. "I can see why you love it."

Saeko was quiet for a long moment. Suddenly she burst out: "I hate it! I hate the goddamn thing! All it does it kill! It's become my entire fucking life!"

Tears began to run down her face.

Miss Marikawa and Alice stared at her.

"You're wrong," said Alice. "You're not a killer. You might think you are but you're not. You fight when you have to but you can do so many other things. We love you, and not just because you've saved us … god knows how many times. It's because you're you, and because we know you love us."

"I've seen you do calligraphy, and it's beautiful," added Miss Marikawa. "And I've seen the way you look at Takashi, especially when you think he's not looking at you. I've heard you make jokes and I've heard you laugh. This sword might be a part of your life but it's only a part. So if you can't see all the good things in your life – "

" – then get over yourself, girl," finished Alice.

Saeko looked from one of them to the other. Eventually, she said: "How did you two get to be so wise?"

"Well, I've watched a lot of television," said Alice.

"I've drunk a lot of peppermint schnapps," said Miss Marikawa.

Saeko laughed. Suddenly, she was struck by the sound: it was hearty, solid, deep. "I suppose you are right," she said. "Yes, you are right."

She finished her tea and stood up. "I think I will go back to bed now," she said. "To lie beside the man I love."

"Give him a kiss for me," said Miss Marikawa.

"Me too," said Alice.

"I will," she said.

She was entering the caravan when she realised she had left her sword in the house. Well, she thought, I'll get it tomorrow.

She undressed and lay down next to Takashi. He was asleep, but she kissed him gently on the forehead. "That one is from Shizuka," she said softly. She kissed him again. "And that one is from Alice." Another kiss. "And that one is from me."

She put her head down on the pillow. She closed her eyes and slept. And this time she did not dream.

END

Return to Tokonosu

Intending to deal with whispers from the past, Takashi and Saeko go back to the place that was once their home – and find some missing parts of themselves.

"Saeko," said Takashi as they shared breakfast in the little caravan, "there is something I need to do."

She put down her fork.

"I need to go back to Tokonosu City," he said. "I need to find out what happened to my parents. I know it has been a while, but things are going well for our group here, and I'm no longer needed to do the leader thing, at least not on a day-to-day basis. So I think I would like to deal with this unfinished business. Even if it means simply finding out that they didn't make it."

She considered. "When shall we leave?" she said.

He started. " 'We' don't leave," he said. "I leave. You stay here."

She stared at him. Eventually, she said: "Ha."

Takashi sighed. "I don't suppose … if I told you firmly … ?"

"You could try. But it would be a waste of your time, and mine."

"It might be dangerous."

"All the more reason that I should go with you. Basically, I am a better fighter than you."

"There is that, I suppose. Well, okay then. I'll tell the others at dinner tonight, and we'll leave tomorrow."

Saeko was quiet for a moment. "In fact," she said, "there is something that I would like to retrieve. Something personal. From Fujimi school."

"Hmm. Well, fair enough," he said. "We go together, then."

Saeko smiled her inscrutable smile. "We have been lovers for about a month," she said. "I find that I like it. Where you go, I will go. And if you were to die, who would fuck me?"

They had been driving for several days, in the convertible. The map provided by Shun Yamiashi, showing areas where there were few or no zombies, had proved very useful in planning their stops along the way, to rest and re-fuel in secure places.

"Just tell me if you want to drive for a while," said Takashi. He looked at Saeko. She seemed, by her standards, remarkably relaxed. She was wearing dark sunglasses, and she was leaning back in the seat, with her long legs stretched out and her bare feet resting on the upper edge of the door. God, she's beautiful, he thought.

"I don't know how to drive," said Saeko.

"Huh?"

"I said that I don't know how to drive," said Saeko, a bit louder.

"I heard you, I was just surprised," said Takashi.

"And I can't ride a motorbike either," she added. "The first time I had ever been on the back of one was with you, that day when we rode into a pack of zombies to help the people on that boat. I can tell you that being on the back with you is much more pleasant than being with Saya. Difficult to know where to put your hands with her. I assume that that is not a problem when she is riding with Hirano on the back. Those two can hardly keep their hands off each other at the best of times."

"You continue to surprise me," he said.

"Girl's got to have some mystery to her," she said, with a smile.

They crested a hill, and Tokonosu City came into sight. Takashi stopped the car and they got out. Saeko studied the city with the binoculars.

It had been three months since the Outbreak. The fires had gone out, although some parts of the city – especially those where the military had tried to fight the growing ranks of the undead – were not much more than fields of rubble.

"Any sign of our friends?" said Takashi.

"I can't see a single one," she said. "Not one. But they're there, I'm sure of it."

"Any sign of survivors? There might still be some, holed up in defensive positions."

"Maybe," said Saeko. "But I can't see any. And there is something else. I can't see any bodies. Either human or zombie. None."

"Odd, and a bit disturbing," said Takashi.

The freeways leading into the city were blocked by abandoned vehicles but there were smaller roads that were passable. The school was closer than Takashi's old apartment, so they decided to go there first. They drove slowly through the deserted streets.

"I don't really know what I was expecting," said Takashi. "But I don't think this was it."

Eventually, they reached the school. The gates were, unsurprisingly, still open.

"I recall Miss Marikawa smashing through here in the bus," said Saeko.

"Seems like a long time ago, now. More like ten years than three months."

Saeko nodded. Then she said: "Takashi, how old are you?"

He thought about it. "Eighteen," he said. "Funny, I don't feel eighteen. How about you?"

"I am nearly nineteen. But like you, I feel much older. I would not be surprised to find grey hairs in my head. I can remember being a student here. I know it happened. But it is like remembering another life."

Takashi stopped the car in the courtyard, near the entrance. He took his shotgun from the back, and checked his Mauser pistol in the holster strapped to his thigh. He put on a backpack of supplies and extra ammunition – just in case. Saeko took the Murata blade.

"This way," she said.

There was still blood on the walls. Discarded shoes and clothes in the corners. Bits. Pieces. Paper and rubbish blew around in the draft from the smashed windows. But no bodies.

They walked along the main hall. "Last time I saw this, we were going the other way," said Takashi. "At high speed."

"That was the first time that we fought side-by-side," said Saeko.

They went into the main part of the school. They came to a row of vending machines. They had been smashed open and emptied.

"I didn't know that zombies liked candy and pop tarts," said Takashi.

Saeko looked around. Takashi noticed that she had her hand on her sword.

"We are being watched," she whispered.

"Zombies?" he whispered back.

"If it was, they would have attacked by now."

"Survivors?"

"Just one, I think."

Saeko continued to lead them through the hallways. Takashi realised that they were heading towards the senior school lockers.

Saeko stopped in front of one. She looked at it. There was a combination padlock.

"Do you remember the number?" said Takashi.

"Yes," said Saeko. "But now I am here, I am not sure I wish to open it. It seems like part of a different life. A life I did not like much."

But she turned the padlock to the right number and opened the door. A pile of schoolbooks, papers, and stationery fell out.

"Yours?" said Takashi, surprised at the disorder and clutter of the locker.

"No," said Saeko. "Somebody else's." She pulled the rest of the stuff out, burrowing for something right at the back. Eventually, she found it.

It was a small photograph. She showed it to Takashi. It was an older man with a young Saeko, perhaps twelve. She was holding a small trophy.

"My first kendo tournament," she said. "My father was very angry with me because it was only second place. I didn't care that I hadn't won. I told him that I had had a lot of fun competing. That made him even angrier. And I didn't know what to say or do."

Slowly, she began to sob. Takashi took her in his arms and let her cry.

There was a sound from behind them. In one motion, Saeko broke away from Takashi and drew her sword, and swung.

"Wait!" cried Takashi.

The blade stopped, an inch from the throat of a girl. She was skinny, filthy, her skin pale but her eyes glittering. She was about fourteen. She was wearing what had once been a Fujimi school uniform.

She saw the tip of the blade. She reached out and touched it. Then she giggled. "It's sharp," she said. "Shiny."

Saeko pulled the sword back. She returned it to its sheath.

"Got anything to eat?" said the girl. Then again: "Got anything to eat?"

"Sure," said Takashi. He took off his pack and pulled out a bottle of water and an apple. He handed them to the girl. She took them and looked at them. Gently, Takashi took the bottle from her and removed the cap, and then gave it back to her. She started to drink, cautiously at first and then as if she was dying of thirst.

"What's your name?" said Takashi. He took another bottle from his pack and handed it to her.

She stared at him. "My … name …?" she said. She looked blank.

"Were you in the Junior School?" said Saeko.

"Yes," said the girl. "Yes. The Junior School. My … name … the Junior School. I was in the Junior School." Then she giggled again.

"Have you been here since the Outbreak?" said Takashi.

"The … Outbreak?" she said.

"When the zombies came," he said.

"I hid," she said. "In – " she pointed to one of the air-conditioning vents. "I live there. They can't get you there, you see. They can't. There was a lot of them. Everywhere. But they left. They took everyone else with them. Everyone who was dead. They took them and they left. But I stayed. I had nowhere else to go. I stayed. No-one else."

She began to eat the apple. Juice ran down her chin. She giggled again.

"You can come with us, if you want," said Takashi.

"No, it's not safe," said the girl. She began to back away.

"We know a safe place," said Saeko. "I … I'm a student from the Senior School. You can trust me."

The girl began to laugh. Then she turned and ran, back along the hallway.

Takashi and Saeko ran after her.

They saw her crawl into a tiny vent. Then she was gone.

"Lot of places to hide," said Takashi. "Do you think we could find her?"

"I don't think we should try," said Saeko. "Some things can be fixed. Some things can't be. After spending all that time hiding among dead bodies, running from zombies, scratching for food and water, it's hardly a surprise that that young girl has lost her mind. There is nothing we can do for her, even if we could find her."

She was still holding the photograph of her and her father. She looked at it. "I think that perhaps I was lost before," she said. "But you – you and Rei and Saya and the others – helped me find myself. That young girl had to cope with all this alone. I didn't. That's the difference. That's why I'm not like her."

She touched the photograph with tenderness. "I'll keep this," she said. "To remind me of what once was, and what might be. And to remind me to be thankful for it."

Takashi nodded.

They left as much food and water as they could spare near the vent. Then they left Fujimi High School behind them.

"This is where I used to live," said Takashi as they made their way into the apartment building. They were climbing the stairwell, using torches for light. "I'm glad it was only the third floor, I wouldn't want to be stuck here if we meet any of our friends."

"So far, no sign of anything," said Saeko. "It was odd that the girl said the zombies had taken away all the bodies. That would explain why we haven't found any. But why would they do it? And where would they take them? And how could they get organised enough to do something like that?"

"We know they were getting smarter, so maybe that's got something to do with it," said Takashi, as they came out of the stairwell and into a wide hallway. "You know, now that I think about it I don't remember seeing any zombies actually eat humans. Bite them, sure, but that was more to kill them or turn them than to sustain themselves. I wish we knew more about them, really. Know more about what we are really up against."

"I recall Saya saying much the same thing," said Saeko. "But I doubt that any of them would volunteer for medical tests and in-depth interviews."

They came to a door. It was open. They went in.

The apartment where Takashi used to live was strangely untouched. But it was dusty: no-one had been here for some time. There was the unpleasant smell of rotten food.

They went through the main area and into Takashi's room. It was the room of a teenage boy: some posters of scantily-clad female pop singers, some more of flashy cars, an unmade bed, a pile of schoolbooks and a computer on a desk. It was all very normal.

"I can't believe I once lived here," said Takashi. "Only three months ago. Saeko, where did you live?"

"I had a little place of my own," said Saeko. "Not far from Saya's family mansion, in fact. I went to see it when we were staying there. It was a pile of ashes. I can't say that I cared much." She looked around. "Any sign of your parents?"

They returned to the other room.

"Here," said Saeko. She picked up a note from the table and handed it to Takashi. It was a woman's writing, obviously written in a hurry. It started: Dear Takashi –

Saeko stepped back, concerned that this was a private matter for Takashi.

"No," he said to her. "This is for you, too, I think."

So they began to read it together.

Dear Takashi –

I don't know if you will ever read this. I don't even know if you are still alive. I assume that what happened at my school happened at Fujimi as well, just as it happened all over the city, and maybe all over the world. I came back in case you had come here, but looking out at the city and seeing everything burning I hope you don't – I hope you manage to get to somewhere safe. I know you have never thought of yourself as a strong person but now you will have to look inside yourself and find the courage that I have always known is there.

I have tried to contact your father at the office of his company in Sendai. The news from that area is very bad. Do you know the last thing he said to me when he leaving? It was: 'It's just another business trip, as boring as all the others. I'll be back in a couple of days.' I wish that we could have been together at the end, the three of us, but it was not to be.

I wish I could wait for you, Takashi, and I wish I could look for you. But I can't. You see, my dear son, I was bitten. Just a few minutes ago, when one of them attacked me on the street outside. So for me there is no future, I think. But I will not turn into one of them. I will end it myself before that happens. My prayer is that you escape and find a place to build a future for yourself, with someone you love.

All my hope goes with you. Goodbye.

"She sounds like she was a remarkable woman," said Saeko. "I wish I had met her."

"I think she would have liked you, as well," said Takashi. He folded the note and put it carefully into his pocket.

They left the apartment and walked down the stairs and back to the car.

The sky was a cerulean blue, there was a gentle breeze, there were birds singing somewhere.

"Is our business here concluded?" said Saeko.

"Yes," said Takashi. "Let's go home, my love."

END

Miss Marikawa and the Yamazaki Whisky

A routine visit to another survivor group turns into a deadly challenge from a dangerous enemy.

Z+260

Rei, Saeko and Takashi were harvesting fruit from the Maresato farm's orchard. Rei stopped and walked to the edge of the orchard, looking out across the fields.

"Not good," she said, as Saeko and Takashi joined her.

Miss Marikawa's horse was trotting towards the farmhouse. There was no sign of Miss Marikawa.

The three of them walked across the field and met the horse. Takashi took it by the bridle.

"Could she have been thrown off, or maybe attacked by zombies?" said Rei.

"Her rifle is still in the holster," said Takashi. "So probably not an attack."

"And not an accident, since her med kit is missing," said Saeko. "She doesn't go far without it."

After they had put the horse into the barn, they checked the Departure Schedule. This was a security measure that Takashi had put in place: whenever anyone left the farm they were supposed to say where they were planning to go, what they were going to do, and when they were going to return. Miss Marikawa had written: Riding to Kanoyama farm to provide medical checks, likely return around 2.00 pm.

It was nearly 2.00.

"It's a good thing that her horse could find its own way back," said Takashi, as Saya, Hirano and Alice joined them. "The Kanoyama farm is about an hour's ride, less by car."

"Then let's go," said Alice.

Takashi, Saeko, Rei and Alice rode in the convertible; Saya and Hirano were on the motorbike.

The farm had been deserted before the extended Kanoyama family, nine people in total, moved into it. Before that, they had been at Kaga Base. Takashi's group had visited them several times, giving them supplies and assistance to help them get the farm operating.

But now the place was empty. The group divided into teams of two and examined the place, and met again in the front yard.

"There's half-eaten food on the table inside," said Saeko. "There's also a couple of things that look like they come from Miss Marikawa's kit, but not used. I would say that everyone left here pretty quickly, perhaps not willingly."

"Not by their own vehicles," said Rei. "Nothing touched in the garage. And no sign of zombies anywhere."

Hirano was looking carefully at the ground, where several sods of earth had been turned over.

"This is bad news," he said. "These tracks are from military vehicles, an APC and a heavy truck, I would say."

"From Kaga Base?" said Rei.

"That's not the direction they came from and not the way they went," said Hirano.

"Renegade soldiers, maybe," said Takashi. "Or some survivors who got a hold of some military equipment. Hirano, can you follow these tracks?"

"As long as they stay on dirt roads, sure," said Hirano. He pointed. "That way."

Miss Marikawa swam back to consciousness. The last thing she remembered was being hit by a big man with a big rifle. Now she was in the back of a truck bouncing along a dirt road.

There were other people in the truck. One of them, a woman, passed a canteen of water to her. Miss Marikawa recognised her as Megumi Kanoyama, one of the women from the farm.

"Are you alright?" said Megumi. "What's the last thing you remember?"

Miss Marikawa thought about it. She had gone to the Kanoyama farm to perform some routine medical checks; it was a regular service that she provided to new arrivals in the area. In this case, she had intended to check a minor injury that one of the Kanoyama teenage boys had accidentally inflicted on himself a week before, a cut from a hoe. She had checked the wound and found it to be healing well. Megumi and some of the others had put out some food for lunch, and had invited her to stay, as a way of thanking her for the medical help.

Miss Marikawa had been about to apply some antiseptic cream to the cut and put on a fresh bandage when she heard her horse neigh in alarm. Next moment, the front and back doors of the farmhouse were kicked open, and a half-dozen men burst in. They wore patched-together military uniforms and had machine guns.

"You people are now under the protection of the New Guard," announced one of the men, the toughest-looking one. "Anyone who doesn't do exactly what they're told will get a bullet. Now, everyone outside." He looked at Miss Marikawa. "What do we have here?" he said. "A doctor making a house call?"

"I'm a nurse helping some friends," said Miss Marikawa. "And just who are you?"

"I'm Sergeant Jiro of the New Guard," he said. "We are gathering people from the area so we can protect them from zombies."

"If that is the case," said Miss Marikawa, "why are you pointing guns at us?"

"Because some people don't know what's good for them," he said. "Now, outside, all of you."

They went outside. Jiro spoke into a walkie-talkie, and in a few moments an Armoured Personnel Carrier and a big truck rolled over the hill and stopped in front of them. The soldiers began to push people onto the truck.

"Just a moment," said Miss Marikawa. "I'd like to make sure my horse is okay." Before they could stop her, she went to where her horse was tied up. She quickly undid the reins from the tree, and pushed the horse away. She slapped the horse hard on the rump, and it began to trot away – in the direction of the Maresato farm.

"I don't know what you're up to," said Jiro, "but you need to learn to follow orders, bitch." Then he hit her with his rifle, and that was the last thing she remembered.

"Are you alright?" Megumi was saying. "That was quite a knock you took."

"Hell of a headache but I'll be okay," said Miss Marikawa. "Do you know where we're going?"

"No, but it looks like we're there," said Megumi.

The APC and the truck had reached a collection of buildings: a large, expensive-looking country house surrounded by work buildings. Miss Marikawa and the others were pushed off the truck and into one of the large sheds.

There was already about twenty people there. One of them, an older man, stepped forward. "I'm Ohira," he said. "Good to see some new faces. Sorry the circumstances aren't better."

"What's going on?" said Miss Marikawa. "Who are these pricks playing at being soldiers?"

"They say they used to be an army unit but I think they're just a bunch of thugs that got hold of some weapons," said Ohira. "They've been rounding up any survivors they can find. They say it's so they can protect us but it's really just so we can work this farm for them. They took my group a month ago and we've been here ever since. I think their boss has got some fantasy of setting up a private little empire. They don't think twice about killing anyone that they don't like the look of."

Miss Marikawa sighed. "I've met some guys like this before," she said. "I think they're worse than zombies. At least you don't see the zombies turning on each other when things get tough."

A woman entered the shed and came up to Miss Marikawa. "Come with me," she said. "The Captain wants to see you."

"Maybe I don't want to see him," said Miss Marikawa.

"You can walk, or you can be dragged naked," said the woman. She leaned closer and lowered her voice. "And believe me, these assholes would just love to do that. I advise you to come along."

Miss Marikawa looked at the woman, wondering which side she was really on.

The woman whispered: "Please."

"In that case, let's go," said Miss Marikawa.

As they walked up to the big house, the woman said: "I'm Satsuki. You're a doctor, right?"

"A nurse. My name is Shizuka Marikawa."

"If I was you, I would tell them you're a doctor. The Captain likes people with skills that he thinks he can use."

"Are you his partner in this little enterprise?" said Miss Marikawa. "What skills do you have?"

"I used to run my own IT company, before the Outbreak," said Satsuki. "So those skills are now worth absolutely zip. I suppose you could say that I'm the Captain's partner – for now. He likes women, and as long as he has guns and men who follow his orders I see playing along as the best course. The only course, really. It beats working in the fields for sixteen hours a day. But just barely."

They entered the house. It was large and opulent, more like a manor than the house of a working farm. In the large entry hall, there were armed men lolling about on the armchairs and couches. They stared at Miss Marikawa as she walked past.

"How many of them are there, all up?" she said to Satsuki.

"Fifteen, counting the Captain and Sergeant Jiro," said Satsuki. "Jiro is the worst of an evil bunch. He's the killer."

"We've met," said Miss Marikawa.

They went into a large room, something that had once been a library or study. There was a heavy-set man seated at an ornate desk. He was examining Miss Marikawa's med kit.

"I am Captain Hiroki Shinen," he said. "You're a doctor, are you?"

Miss Marikawa nodded.

"Good, we need a doctor," said Shinen. "You work for me, now. But I'm sure we can find other things for you to do as well."

"A girl does what she needs to do to get along," said Miss Marikawa. She saw a bottle on the desk, and a half-empty glass in front of Shinen. "Say, that wouldn't be Yamazaki whisky, would it?"

"As it happens, it would," said Shinen. "Whoever lived here before had a pretty good cellar. Would you like a taste?"

"It's certainly been a while," said Miss Marikawa. "For many things."

Shinen produced another glass and poured some of the whisky into it. Miss Marikawa picked it up and downed it in a gulp. She picked up the bottle and poured some more into her glass. She topped up Shinen's glass and handed it to him.

"Here's a toast," she said to him. "To better times." She emptied her glass.

Shinen started a little. Then, not to be outdone, he downed his drink as well.

Miss Marikawa sat down at the desk and re-filled both glasses. She undid the top button of her shirt. She glanced as Satsuki. "I don't think we need a chaperone," she said to Shinen.

Shinen turned to Satsuki. "Get lost," he said.

"Now," said Miss Marikawa once Satsuki had left. "What shall we talk about?"

"At least a dozen, possibly more, and most of them have automatic weapons," said Hirano.

"That's about what I count," said Saya. "This is going to be a lot different to clearing out a nest of a few zombies."

The six of them were lying on the top of a small hill, studying the complex of buildings.

"That's a lot of firepower," said Takashi. "There are two of them by that shed – that's probably where they're keeping the people they've grabbed – and two more at the back. Most of them are in the house. That's probably where Shizuka is, as well."

"So what do we do?" said Rei. "Walk up to the door and knock?"

"Good idea," said Saeko.

The two soldiers guarding the prisoners in the shed were complaining: about the duty, about the heat, about the world in general.

They stopped complaining when they felt the barrels of guns on the back of their necks.

"If you want to shout to your friends, go ahead," said Rei. "Because I would really like a reason to blow your head off."

"Open the door," said Takashi.

One of the soldiers opened the door. Rei and Takashi pushed them inside.

"Hi," said Rei to the astonished prisoners, as she handed the soldiers' guns to them. "Say, you wouldn't happen to have seen a friend of ours, would you? Tall, blond, breasts like howitzers?"

The two soldiers at the back of the house were surprised to see a little girl walking up to them.

"Hello," she said.

If they had not been distracted by her they might have heard a sound behind them. Then again, maybe not.

Saeko walked up the steps and into the front hall of the house. Immediately, a half-dozen soldiers pointed their guns at her.

"Here is what you are going to do," she said. "First, you will hand over your weapons. Second, you will deliver my friend. Third … actually, there is no third. The first two cover everything."

"And who might you be?" said a soldier with stripes on his arm.

"I am Saeko Busujima," said Saeko. "I kill things."

"Get the Captain," said the sergeant to one of the men. The man ran off.

"I can wait," said Saeko. "For a little while."

The man came back. "Can't get him," said the man. "The door to his office is locked."

"Ah," said Saeko.

"Uh, what do we do?" said one of the other men.

"Well, obviously, we, er, we should, uh, I suppose we should kill her," said the sergeant, although without orders from his officer he seemed at a loss as to what to do.

"You can try," said Saeko.

The sergeant pointed to the blade in Saeko's belt. "Isn't that just like a woman?" he said. "Bringing a sword to a gunfight."

"It isn't all I brought," said Saeko.

There was a rattling sound. It came from the chimney.

Out of the fireplace rolled two grenades. The soldiers began to back away – fast.

From outside, there was the sound of an engine revving. Then a motorbike came smashing through the big glass window. It was ridden by a pregnant woman with remarkable pink hair, and on the back was a man with a large gun. At the same time, the sound of gunshots came from the back of the house.

Saeko drew the Murata blade. She looked Jiro in the eye. "Yes," she said. "I brought a sword to a gunfight."

"What's that?" said Shinen with a slur. "It sounded like shooting."

Miss Marikawa, now sitting on his lap, batted her eyelashes at him. "Just the beating of my heart," she said.

He swore, and pushed her – with some difficulty – away.

He ran to the gun cabinet, unlocking it and taking out a big machine gun. He went to the door and tried to open it. It was locked.

"When the hell did that happen?" he said.

"About five minutes ago," said Miss Marikawa. She held up the key. "If you hadn't been staring at my tits so much you might have seen me do it."

"Lying bitch!" he shouted. He lifted the machine gun and fired at her. But he was so drunk he could hardly see straight, and Miss Marikawa had plenty of time to duck behind the heavy desk.

He pointed the machine gun at the door and fired. The lock burst off.

He ran out of the study and looked around. And then Miss Marikawa smashed the whisky bottle over his head.

The motorbike screeched to a halt on the polished floor, scattering three soldiers.

"Weapons down, hands up!" said Hirano, pointing his machine gun at them. Stunned, they did it.

"Aww!" said Saya. "I really wanted to shoot someone!"

The soldiers put their hands up further.

Saeko had already put two others out of action – choosing to only wound them – and was now facing Jiro. "Okay, okay, don't do anything rash," he said to her, putting his automatic rifle on the floor.

"I never do," she said, putting her sword back in its sheath.

Takashi and Rei entered the hall. "The ones in the other room tried to put up a fight," said Rei. "Didn't work."

Alice came through the front door. "How did the grenades-down-the-chimney thing go?" she said.

"Excellent," said Saeko.

"You would have thought they would have seen that they still had the pins in," said Alice. "Some people are just as dumb as bricks."

Then another soldier came rushing down the stairs, firing wildly. Takashi and Rei saw him and fired together. He went down, toppling over the railing.

But Jiro saw his chance. He reached for a pistol hidden in his shirt, intent on killing Saeko, at least.

A shot cracked out. Jiro fell backwards, a hole in his forehead.

Alice. Remington .25. She looked shocked at what she had done. Ten years old. And she had killed a man.

Saeko knelt and wrapped her arms around Alice.

There was a sudden scream: "I'll kill you all!" A man in an officer's uniform, blood gushing from a wound on his head but drunkenly waving a machine gun, ran into the room. He aimed at the group.

And then he froze. A sudden spurt of blood came from his mouth. He slumped forwards onto the floor. There was a knife in his back.

"Bastard," said Satsuki. She wiped her hands on her skirt.

Miss Marikawa came in. She had a dark bruise on her jaw from where Shinen had hit her after she had whacked him with the bottle but was otherwise unhurt. Nevertheless, she grasped a chair for support.

"Are you alright?" said Takashi.

"I have had a bit too much to drink, I think," she said. She started to sway.

Takashi and Rei caught her as she began to fall.

Without their guns and with no-one to give them orders, the nine soldiers still alive seemed like a rather pathetic bunch.

"What should we do with them?" said Ohira to Takashi as his group of people climbed onto one of the trucks.

"I suggest you take them to Kaga Base, since it's not too far out of your way," said Takashi. "Hand them over to Major Arimake. She might lock them up for a while, or she might simply shoot them. She's not a person known for a generous soul but since these people are soldiers I suppose it falls into her jurisdiction." He turned to Megumi Kanoyama. "Will you be okay to get back to your farm?" he said.

"Yes," she said. "Is Miss Marikawa alright?"

"Drank too much whisky in the line of duty, but she'll live," said Rei. She was holding the med kit, which she had recovered from the study in the house. "She's sleeping it off. Not her first hangover, probably won't be the last. It usually involves peppermint schnapps, though."

"Well, when she wakes up, please give her our thanks," said Megumi. "And we're very grateful to all of you. Is there anything we can do to repay you?"

"Hmm," said Saya.

"No," said Takashi.

"Except live long and prosper," said Hirano.

Ohira's group and Megumi's group set off.

Saya turned to Hirano. " 'Live long and prosper'?" she said.

"Sure, why not?" he said.

Saeko came up to them. "Is Alice going to be alright?" said Takashi to her.

"I believe so," said Saeko. "I wish she hadn't had to do it, but I am certainly glad that she did."

Takashi nodded. "Enough blood has been shed this day," he said. "Time for us to go."

END

A Morning

They have both found love. And they have also found friendship.

It was early morning on Maresato farm. In the cold grey light, Hirano had just left the caravan that he shared with Saya, who was still asleep. He was walking past the caravan of Saeko and Takashi, heading towards the stream that was several hundred metres from the farmhouse, when Saeko came out.

"Hi," she said. "Where are you off to, Hirano?"

"There are rabbits down near the stream," he said, touching the light rifle he carried. "They come out in the morning and sometimes I can pot one or two."

"Ah, I had wondered where they came from," said Saeko. "I'm heading that way myself. To, er, be sick. I find that the fresh air helps. And it means that Takashi can get another hour's sleep."

"Morning sickness, eh?" said Hirano, as they started to walk along together. "Well, I can't say I know how you feel, but I sympathise. Saya had it for the first five months or so, but then it got better. Now she just complains about being so big. At least there's only a couple more weeks to go."

"Shizuka says I should get over it soon. On the other hand, maybe I won't."

"You know, you still don't look pregnant. Which annoys Saya no end."

"Actually, I am bigger, according to Shizuka's measurements. She says that I don't look it because I am fairly tall. I've never particularly liked being tall, but I guess this is a small advantage of it."

"Throwing up aside, are you looking forward to being a mother?"

"Very much. Are you looking forward to being a father?"

"Not counting being absolutely terrified of the whole deal? Yes, I think I am. And I'm looking forward to doing it all with Saya. You know how many kids she wants, eventually? Five, at least. I told her that we should do the first one first.

"Saeko, do you ever think about how young we all are for all of this? Saya is 17, I'm 18, you're about 19, I think, aren't you? If the Outbreak hadn't happened, I'd still be in high school, getting bullied every day. And Saya would still be feeling trapped by her family situation. And we would never even speak to each other."

Saeko nodded. "And I would still be spending most of my time feeling sorry for myself," she said. "And drinking a little more whisky each night. And I would hardly know that Takashi Komuro even existed."

They came to the bank of the stream, and sat down, under the trees.

"Do you ever feel guilty about not missing the world before the Outbreak?" said Saeko.

"I don't feel as if I had much to miss," said Hirano. "How about you?"

"In a way, I do. Billions of people dead, countries and cultures wiped out, the end of modern civilisation. And I'm really happy. I feel as if I should feel guilty. I sort of feel guilty about not feeling guilty."

Hirano gave a little laugh. "Yes, that's it," he said.

"But I know that Takashi misses the world Before. He had a lot to miss: a loving family, he was popular at school, he was planning to go to university to study engineering."

"Huh. I never knew that."

"If you could go back to your life Before instead of your life Now, would you?"

Hirano considered. "No, I wouldn't," he said. "I don't think Saya would, either. How about you?"

"I wouldn't. But I think Takashi would."

Hirano thought about it. "No, I don't think that's right," he said. "I don't think he would. Because of you."

"Hmm," said Saeko. "Maybe. I hope so … I think."

Hirano was silent for a moment. He pointed. There was a plump rabbit twenty metres away, poking around in the grass by the stream. Without a sound, he put his rifle to his shoulder. The rabbit moved a little closer, and was coming slowly towards them.

"Hirano – " whispered Saeko.

"Shh," he whispered.

Saeko gave a little groan. And then suddenly … "BLLEEAAGGHHHH!" She vomited noisily onto the grass.

The rabbit, startled, hopped away.

Hirano burst into laughter.

"Sorry," said Saeko.

"Oh, don't worry about it," said Hirano, taking a handkerchief from his pocket and handing it to her. "It's not like we'll all starve for want of a rabbit. Are you okay?"

She wiped her mouth. "Much better now," she said. She handed him the handkerchief back.

"Uh, maybe you can keep that one," said Hirano.

They were quiet for a long time, each turning over their thoughts. Eventually, Hirano said: "It's purpose, isn't it. You and I, we didn't really have a purpose before. Our skills – my guns, your sword – weren't particularly useful before, not really. But now, it's very different. I don't want to sound boastful but I think it's true to say that the group couldn't have got this far without you and I."

"Hardly boastful," said Saeko. "Just the simple truth. The others all have their skills, but you and I are the killers. Hirano, maybe you can tell me something. I assume you didn't have any girlfriends before Saya. So how did you know how be in love with her? I worry that I don't know how to love Takashi, because really I've never loved anyone, and I might never know."

"It's not like I thought about it or anything," he said. "When we were in the city, she and I went looking for shoes – well, she was looking, I was just along for, well, I don't really know why I was there, but I was – and we ran into some zombies. To cut a long story short: I saved her, she saved me, that sort of thing. Then, that night, she appeared in my sleeping bag."

"Oh, yes, I remember that. I helped her get out in the morning."

"Did you? I wondered about that. Anyway, she appeared the next night as well. And then when we moved into the hotel, we just sort of kept being together."

"So you fell in love because of the sex?"

"No, we fell in love because I gave her something, I think. A little book of poems. I'd had it for years, and it was old and worn, but it was all I really had."

"I've seen her reading it. I didn't realise that you had given it to her."

"My point is, you can't plan or organise to love someone. It just has to happen. Tell me this: why do you worry about it?"

"Because I want him to be happy. That's the most important thing to me."

"Huh. That sounds to me like love. If it wasn't, you would have said that you wanted him to make you happy."

"Really?"

"Really."

"So … what should I do?"

"Whatever it is you are doing now."

"Is that all?"

"It seems to me like it's more than enough."

He looked around. The day was beginning to brighten. "I guess we'd better get back," he said. He stood up.

Saeko remained sitting on the ground. "I … er … have some difficulty standing up at the moment," she said. "Pregnant, you know."

He offered her his hands. She took them, and he helped her to her feet. For a moment, they were face to face, hands linked.

"He's a lucky guy, you know," said Hirano.

"And she's a lucky girl," said Saeko.

They let go of each other's hands. Together, they turned and headed back towards the farmhouse.

END

Saya and the New Arrival

When a baby decides it is time to enter the world, it will do so – even if there's a zombie battle going on.

"Just a couple more weeks," said Saya, "and then things will be back to normal. Or what passes for normal these days."

"We can't really be too precise about it," said Hirano, "since we don't know the exact day when … it … happened."

"Which is entirely your fault," said Saya. "Entirely your fault that I'm in this mess."

"That's not how I remember it," said Saeko, from the front seat.

"Yeah?" said Saya. "Well, we'll see how much you laugh when you're this big."

"Don't mind her, Saeko," said Hirano. "She just grumpy because she's pregnant."

"You think?" said Miss Marikawa.

"Very pregnant," said Saya. "So I'm allowed."

Saya was, indeed, somewhere around the eight-months-plus-some-days mark. As a result, she was considerably more bad-tempered than usual.

"How are things going with you?" said Hirano to Saeko. "How far along are you now?"

"Seven weeks or so, I guess," said Saeko. "I throw up every morning and I think about pickled eels with ice-cream a lot."

"Entirely normal," said Miss Marikawa. "You know, I would really like some ice-cream too."

"Humph," said Saya.

"If I am that grumpy at the eight-month mark, someone put me out of my misery," said Saeko. "Please."

"Ha!" said Hirano. "A joke! From the girl with the sword!"

"We are allowed," said Saeko. "Every now and then."

Saya grunted. "I don't even know why we're making this stupid trip," she said.

"You said you wanted more batteries, cables, and circuit boards," said Hirano. "For the windmill for Kaga Base."

"Humph," repeated Saya.

The four of them were in the utility truck, on their way to a factory that had made windmills for small-scale power generation. They had discovered it not long after they had moved into the Maresato farm, near a town an hour's drive away. The place was deserted, and a bit damaged, but there were plenty of pieces and tools. Saya had worked out how to put one of the windmills together and get it operating, which gave them electricity for the farm. When they visited Kaga Base, Major Arimake had asked if Saya could build one for use there. Saya had reluctantly agreed. Now, the four of them were on their way to the factory for more components.

"What I mean is, I don't know why we're doing this for Kaga Base," said Saya. "I don't even like those people."

"It falls into the 'right thing to do' category, my sweet," said Hirano. "And with not too many people left in the world, we need to make as many friends as possible."

"Humph," said Saya once more.

They pulled into the factory complex: a cluster of workshops and other buildings around an open area. It was quiet.

Miss Marikawa backed up the truck to one of the warehouse-workshops, the one where they had collected supplies before. Hirano helped Saya out – not easy – and they went in. She started to select what she needed, and they began to put the components into the back of the truck.

Saeko stopped. She walked away from the truck a little, into the open area. She looked around. Nothing. The drive-through doors of the warehouse opposite were closed. The open door of the building next to it, an office of some kind, moved slightly in the wind.

Hirano walked up to her.

"Anything?" he said.

She didn't move. But he noticed that her hand was on the hilt of the sword in her belt.

He walked quickly back to Saya and Miss Marikawa.

"Get in the truck," he said. "We're leaving."

"Who says?" said Saya.

"The hairs on the back of Saeko's neck," said Hirano.

"Good enough for me," said Saya. She put down the spool of cable she was holding and went to the truck cabin. Hirano helped her into the back seat, and then got in himself. Miss Marikawa got into the driver's seat again. Saeko walked back and, without a word, got into the passenger seat in the front.

"Go," said Hirano to Miss Marikawa. "Now."

At that moment, the sliding doors of the warehouse opposite opened. Several large barrels came rolling out, heading straight for them. A dozen zombies came bursting out of the office, and more spilled from other buildings.

"Go!" shouted Hirano.

Miss Marikawa slammed her foot down and the engine roared. She dodged one barrel, and then the second. But the third rolled directly under the front wheels of the truck.

The truck slewed around, the barrel wedged beneath it. Miss Marikawa fought for control. And then, with a scream of metal, the truck rolled onto its side. The driver-side doors were pinned shut against the ground.

"Everybody still alive?" said Hirano.

"More or less," said Saya.

"Okay," said Miss Marikawa.

"But we won't be for long," said Saeko. She pushed the door open – upwards, now – and clambered out. She jumped to the ground, sword at the ready.

Saya was still wedged in the back passenger-side seat, held by her seat-belt. "Not sure I can make it out by myself," she said to Hirano. "And I don't think you can get past me to get out this way."

"Always an alternative," said Hirano. "Give me your Luger." She did. He fired at the windscreen. After three shots, it cracked and broke. Miss Marikawa used her med kit to push it out. She climbed through, followed by Hirano. Hirano jumped up onto the side – now the top – of the truck cabin and opened the door. With an effort, he managed to lift Saya out.

"Whoa, you're heavier than you used to be," he said.

"Again, entirely your fault," she said. With Miss Marikawa's help, they managed to get to the ground.

Saeko had already killed three zombies. The rest, wary now, were circling her, looking for a way to attack in a mass. There was a lot of them, perhaps twenty or more.

"I can't hold them," said Saeko over her shoulder.

"Back to the warehouse!" said Hirano.

The four of them ran into the building. The zombies started after them.

Inside, Hirano and Saeko each grabbed one of the large sliding doors, and pushed. The doors slammed just as the zombies reached it. Hirano picked up a heavy chain and used it to secure the doors.

"Safe for a while, at least," he said. "Those things are getting way too smart."

"There's something I should probably mention," said Saya.

They all turned and looked at her.

"Baby on the way," she said.

"Yes, we know," said Hirano.

"No," she said. "I mean, baby on the way … now!"

As a result of the crash, her waters had broken and labour had started.

"What … what do we do?" said Hirano. "What do you do? What do I do?"

"You don't actually have to do anything," said Miss Marikawa to him.

"I think I would like to lie down," said Saya.

"Let us not forget the zombies outside," said Saeko. "I am going to check that this building is secure." She headed off.

"I think I saw another room in the back, an office or something," said Miss Marikawa. "Yes, through here. Hardly the maternity ward of Tokyo Private Medical but the best we can do." She found some cushions and helped Saya lie down on the floor.

The zombies were hammering on the metal door of the workshop. Hirano checked it: it looked as if it would hold. For a while.

Saeko came back. "As far as I can see, there are no other ways in – or out, for that matter," she said. "Here, I found this." She handed Miss Marikawa a reasonably clean piece of canvas. Folded over several times, it would be a little more comfortable for Saya to lie on.

Miss Marikawa opened her med kit. "Hmm," she said.

"Don't do that!" burst out Saya.

"I was just thinking that the course I did had a class on this," said Miss Marikawa. "It's a real pity that I didn't go to it. Would have made everything much easier, probably."

"But you've done this before, right?" said Hirano.

"Uh, I've read a book about it."

"And what book was that?" said Saya. "The Idiot's Guide to Delivering Babies?"

"No, it was called Midwifery for Dummies. Of course, I don't have it now. Left it at home."

"How very appropriate, at so many levels," groaned Saya.

"How hard can it be to have a baby? People have been doing it ages," said Miss Marikawa. "Anyway, you should start having contractions soon."

Saya gave a yelp of pain.

"There we go," said Miss Marikawa.

Saeko drew Hirano aside. "There are other issues we have to think about," she said.

"Huh? Oh, right, the zombies."

"What weapons do you have?"

"Just Saya's Luger. Three shots used, so that means seven left."

"Where's that big machine gun you had before?"

"Back in the truck. It got wedged under the seat in the crash, and I had to choose between retrieving it and getting Saya out. Couldn't do both."

They went over to Miss Marikawa, who was trying to persuade Saya to not push yet.

"Miss Marikawa, do you have a gun?" said Hirano.

"Just this," said Miss Marikawa. She took a little pistol from a holster strapped to her thigh and handed it to Hirano.

"Remington .25," said Hirano. "Pretty little gun. Might stop a charging duck, if you aimed carefully." He handed it back to her. "Keep this for a last resort," he said. "For both of you. Saya, you wouldn't happen to have any more clips for the Luger, would you?"

"Of course not," said Saya. Then she shouted: "And you zombies out there, enough with the banging on the door already!"

Miss Marikawa was looking at her watch, to mark the time between contractions. "Funny, it doesn't seem to be going," she said.

"Uh, is that an electronic watch?" said Hirano.

"Yes, I think so," said Miss Marikawa.

"And you were wearing it when the EMP hit?"

"Uh-huh."

"So it probably hasn't worked for months."

"Oh. Well, that explains a few things."

Hirano sighed. Saeko gave a little laugh. Saya said: "Fucking moron!"

"There, there, we can't all be geniuses, can we?" said Miss Marikawa. "Now, you just focus on … you know, the baby thing."

The banging on the door stopped.

"Do you think that they heard Saya?" said Hirano.

Then it started again, louder and harder. Metal on metal. The zombies were using something more than their fists to batter the door down.

"Way too smart," said Hirano. He and Saeko went to the door and inspected the supports. They were starting to work loose under the assault.

"How long before we might expect help from Takashi and the others?" said Saeko.

Hirano considered. "Five, maybe six hours," he said. "Too long, I think."

"I agree," said Saeko. They went back to Saya and Miss Marikawa.

"How's it going?" said Hirano.

"How do you think it's going!?" groaned Saya.

"She's fine, and we'll start pushing soon," said Miss Marikawa. "How are things out there?"

"Uh, well, not really as good as they might be," said Hirano. "More zombies than bullets, basically. Need more weapons."

"Make one," said Saya.

"Er, what was that?" said Hirano.

"We're in a fucking equipment warehouse, lunkhead!" she snapped. "There's petrol in a tank at the back, I saw it before. And tubes and valves to make a pump. And I saw a portable welder too, a self-lighting one."

"You mean … a flamethrower?" said Hirano.

"No, I mean something to throw custard pies! Of course I mean a fucking flamethrower!"

"Push now," said Miss Marikawa.

"Grrr!" moaned Saya, pushing.

"Very good," said Miss Marikawa.

"Shut up!" shouted Saya.

"So let's see if we can make a flamethrower," said Saeko.

There wasn't much petrol in the tank: only a few litres, but it was better than nothing. Hirano found a small drum that could be made airtight, and he worked out how to connect a hand-held pumping mechanism to it. He attached a narrow tube that could be used to shoot the petrol in a stream, over the flame from the welding unit.

He started to pressurise the drum, using the hand pump.

"Let me do that," said Saeko. "You check on Saya."

Hirano went into the back room.

Saya was going: "UNNNHHH!"

Miss Marikawa said: "Here, Hirano, take a look at this, it's really interesting. Look, you can see the top of the baby's head, right here. That's called crowning. Isn't that interesting?"

He leaned over and kissed Saya on the forehead, and wiped her sweaty face.

"Thank you," she said.

"Anything else I can do for you?" said Hirano.

"Well, you could shoot Shizuka. Or do you have any really strong drugs?"

"Sorry, no to both," he said.

"Nearly there," said Miss Marikawa. "Couple more pushes."

Saeko, near the big doors, called out: "They're almost through!"

Hirano gave Saya another kiss, and then went to join Saeko.

The big doors were almost off their supports. Another few blows would do it.

Saeko handed Hirano the improvised weapon. She drew her sword. Hirano turned on the hand-held welding unit, which burned with a blue flame.

"GRRRUNNNHHH!"

With a crash, the doors finally gave way and the zombies began to surge in.

Hirano turned the valve, and there was a stream of petrol that turned into a savage orange tongue. It leapt onto the group of zombies. Several of them were incinerated immediately. A number of others collapsed to the ground, their clothes and flesh aflame.

Then the drum was empty. Hirano threw it aside and pulled out the Luger. Better odds now, he thought.

Saeko charged into the remaining zombies. She took out two in a few moments but several others, armed with iron bars, started to push her back.

Hirano, on the other side, aimed carefully and fired. Three down, then four. But two got through. One was wearing a bulletproof vest and a protective helmet – once, it had been a riot-squad cop. It was carrying a crowbar as a weapon.

The zombie lashed out at Hirano, sending him flying. He slammed into a rack of pipes and cables, which came down around him.

The other zombie – it had been a middle-aged woman – had made it to the door of the back room. It saw Saya and Miss Marikawa, and started to advance on them.

"Almost … " Miss Marikawa was saying, guiding the baby into the world with both hands.

Then Saya saw the zombie. She snatched Miss Marikawa's little pistol out of its holster and fired. She hit the zombie but it kept coming. She fired again. She shouted: "Can't you see – " fired again " – that I'm fucking busy! Now just die, can't you!" Last bullet. Finally, the zombie toppled over, dead.

"Hello there, little one," said Miss Marikawa.

Saeko had cut the zombies on her side down to two. There was still the zombie in the police gear. The zombie looked at Hirano, and then at the room where Saya was, undecided about which way to go.

"Hirano!" called Saeko. "How many bullets do you have left?"

"One," said Hirano. Lying on the floor, he was still tangled in the pipes but was aiming the Luger with remarkable calmness, looking for a vulnerable spot between the jacket and the helmet.

"Have you got him?"

"Yes," said Hirano evenly. "I've got him."

He fired.

Saeko decapitated the last one confronting her. She ran to Hirano and helped him out of the mess.

"Not so hard, was it?" said Hirano. Saeko laughed. They ran into the back room.

"Kohta," said Saya, now propped up on some cushions. "Meet our daughter." Saya was holding the baby, who was wrapped in Miss Marikawa's shirt.

He knelt next to them. He kissed the baby on the top of her head. "She's beautiful," he said. "Like her mother." He turned to Miss Marikawa. "Is everything okay?" he said.

"I think so," said Miss Marikawa, as she continued to clean the baby with a cloth from the medical kit. "But there is a problem. I don't have anything to cut the cord with."

Hirano looked at Saeko.

"No way," said Saeko.

"Please?" said Hirano.

Saeko sighed. "Oh, alright," she said. She handed over her sword. "You'll be using it to open packets of noodles next."

Miss Marikawa wiped the blade clean and splashed it with disinfectant from her kit. She tied the cord at the appropriate spots, and Hirano cut it. He handed the sword back to Saeko. Then he took off his jacket and put it over Miss Marikawa's bare shoulders.

Miss Marikawa finished the delivery.

The baby began to grumble a little.

"That means she's hungry," said Miss Marikawa to Saya.

"Well, what am I supposed to … oh, right," said Saya. She shuffled her shirt and bra off and began to feed her child.

"What is her name?" said Saeko.

"I … I haven't thought about it," said Saya. "What do you think, Kohta?"

Hirano considered. Eventually, he said: "Nozomi."

"Nozomi," said Saeko. "Hope."

Saya nodded. "Nozomi," she said.

END

Apples

It's not the end of the world.

Saeko and Saya were collecting apples from the orchard trees. Saya had given birth to Nozomi a few days before, and Shizuka had told her she was not to do any heavy work around the farm for another week. So the two of them were picking apples while Nozomi had her afternoon nap.

"You're about eight weeks along, aren't you?" said Saya.

"About that, I think," said Saeko.

"You don't look pregnant at all," said Saya. "When I was eight weeks I was already a balloon."

Saeko gave a little laugh. "Plenty of time for that yet," she said.

The two women walked to the edge of the orchard, carrying the basket of apples. Then they stopped.

"Well well," said Saeko.

"Oh my," said Saya. "Oh very my."

Takashi and Hirano were working in the garden, building a low wall for the new rice field. They both had their shirts off, and were sweating in the sun, swinging picks to break up the ground.

"You know," said Saya, "back in Fujimi I always thought that Kohta was on the chubby side. Now he's – "

"He is," said Saeko.

"Muscle, tan and stubble," said Saya.

"Very much," said Saeko.

"And Takashi used to be kind of weedy," said Saya. "And now he's – "

"He is," said Saeko. "He certainly is."

"When the fuck did this happen?"

"I assume after a couple of months of fighting zombies and working on the farm."

"I mean, Kohta and I used to do it nearly every night, but somehow I just hadn't noticed how … fit … he is now. You know, I first linked up with him because I realised he was a good, brave guy. And he still is, of course. But now … whoa. Boy, was that a good decision. Of course, we haven't done it for a bit, what with the baby and everything."

Saeko was silent for a while. Then she said: "Nearly every night, you say?"

"Pretty well. How often do you and Takashi do it?"

"About the same. But I thought it was just me wanting to catch up for lost time. Wait, are you counting mornings as well?"

"I wasn't, but I suppose I should. You know, I really wish my mother had told me more about this. But no, it was all about running a huge business empire or something. Thanks a lot, mum, that turned out to be really useful."

"I am afraid that my base of knowledge here is also limited. But, damn, I do enjoy sharing a bed with Takashi."

They watched their men working.

"Grrr," said Saya.

Saeko bit her lip.

"Are they are our boyfriends or our husbands?" said Saya,

"I do not think," said Saeko, "that it matters. Tell me, do you believe it to be essential that that wall needs to be built within the next couple of hours? Or that these apples need to be collected?"

"Hell no," said Saya.

"Then what," said Saeko, "are we waiting for?"

But Saya was already walking towards Kohta, unbuttoning her shirt.

Meanwhile … (Part II)

Takashi and Hirano were building a new earthen wall for the planned rice field.

"So, buddy," said Takashi, as they swung their picks, "what's fatherhood like?"

"It's only been a few days," said Hirano, "but I can say that it scares the hell out of me."

"You!?" said Takashi. "I didn't think you were scared of anything. I've seen you take on piles of zombies with nothing more than a taped-together nail gun."

"The fact that I did that doesn't mean I wasn't scared," said Hirano. "Not being scared of zombies is stupid. It doesn't mean you're brave, it means you're an asshole."

Takashi nodded. "Yeah, I know what you mean," he said. "Ever since you guys voted me as leader – and thanks very much for that world of hurt, by the way – I've been scared. Scared of making the wrong decision and seeing someone else pay for it. Scared that one of us would get bit and I'd have to put a bullet in them. Wondering if I could do that. It's only been since I got together with Saeko that I've been able to relax, I think. I owe that woman more than I can say."

"For what it's worth," said Hirano, "you have been a good leader, and I think you will continue to be. All of us know that taking that sort of responsibility required a great deal of courage."

Takashi laughed. "No," he said. "Partnering up with Saya, that took a great deal of courage."

Now Hirano laughed. "You just have to know how to handle her," he said. "When to take her seriously, and when not to. Doesn't hurt to rattle her chain every now and then, especially when she gets into her 'genius' mode. And she is just so damn sexy. When we were in school, I used to look at her sometimes. Wonder what it would be like to talk with her. Just talk. I mean, I'd never even kissed a girl! Then, suddenly, she was in my sleeping bag! Naked!"

"Must have been a bit of a shock," said Takashi. "Aside from the end-of-the-world thing, I mean."

"It was. Tell me, do all girls like sex that much?"

"You know, I've been wondering about that. I had a couple of girlfriends before, and it wasn't like this at all. Saeko seems to be permanently switched to sizzle. She told me once that ever since the Outbreak she and Saya and Rei – she didn't mention Shizuka – had been really hot. Aroused by the fighting and danger, I guess, and wanting to fit as much as possible in, just in case we lose the next zombie battle."

Hirano nodded. "Yeah, Saya has said something much the same," he said. "Maybe that's why she's so happy about being a mother."

"I think she'll be pretty good at it. And you'll be pretty good at being a dad."

Hirano sighed. "I hope I will be," he said. "I've read some books on it but they aren't really meant for post-Apocalypse situations. Anyway, your turn soon. What, seven months to go?"

"Something like that. Well, at least we can draw on the experience of Grandfather and Grandmother. They know pretty well everything, I think."

"Yeah. Although we've all gained some new skills. Never thought I'd know how to milk a cow, for example. Or plant rice. Or change nappies. Or be in love."

"Speaking of that, where are our better halves?"

The two of them looked around. They saw Saya and Saeko in the orchard, picking apples. As Hirano and Takashi watched, the two women put down the basket and, after a few moments, started coming towards them.

Saya was beginning to unbutton her shirt. Saeko had that look in her eye.

"Something tells me," said Takashi, "that this wall isn't going to get built today."

Meanwhile … (Part III)

Grandmother Maresato – Akemi – and Grandfather Maresato – Dai – were working in the vegetable field. Providing food for nine people – Nozomi, currently sleeping in the cradle that Hirano had made, in the shade of a nearby tree, did not yet count – was no easy task. The capacity of the farm to produce food had increased markedly in the past eight months, with a trebling of the area under cultivation and many more animals. But it all meant, of course, more work.

"I suppose," said Dai, "that this is not really how you expected our retirement years to unfold."

"It's true that a plague of zombies wasn't mentioned by the financial planning people," said Akemi. "But we're alive, which is more than a lot of people can say. Strange to have so many people in the house again, though. Thought we'd passed all that. But to tell the truth, I can't say I really mind. And now we have a new baby as well, and another on the way. Babies are always good."

Dai looked around. In the henhouse – which had been extended to accommodate more chickens brought from the nearby abandoned farms – Alice was distributing feed and collecting eggs, talking and clucking to the chickens as she did so. In the barn, Rei was tinkering with the engine of one of the trucks. Shizuka was preparing feed for the horses; the number of them was steadily growing.

Not far away, Hirano and Takashi were preparing the ground for the rice field. Dai smiled; rice had never been grown on the farm before but Hirano was confident that it could be done, especially with the new irrigation system that Saya had designed. We've gotta have rice, Hirano had said. Zombies or no, we're still Japanese.

He glanced at his wife, who was humming softly to herself as she pulled weeds. In the days following the Outbreak, he had been worried for her. Family had always meant a great deal to Akemi, and the slow realisation that all their sons and grandchildren were probably dead had hit her hard. So when Alice had appeared at their door, eight months ago, it had seemed like a miracle. When Takashi and the people he led had said they would like to stay, it had seemed like another.

It seemed to Dai that Akemi had grown particularly close to Saeko. Perhaps, he thought, Saeko was like the daughter that Akemi had always wanted but never had. For his part, he could see similar steel in them. And he remembered that when he had first met Akemi she had had long black hair, and was tall. She had seemed so beautiful. Still was.

His wife had been delighted when Saeko and Takashi had become a couple, although had not seemed particularly surprised. Perhaps her intuition at work, or perhaps she had given something a little push somewhere. He had been married to her for more years than he cared to count, but he admitted that he did not always understand her. She worked in mysterious ways, and he had learned to let it be.

He could see Saeko and Saya in the orchard, collecting apples. But as he watched, they stopped, and were looking at Takashi and Hirano as the two men worked. They put the basket down.

"Akemi," he said. "Have a look at this."

She came up to him. Saeko and Saya were walking towards Takashi and Hirano now. Saya appeared to be unbuttoning her shirt.

"Well well," said Akemi. "What do you suppose is on their minds?"

"True, they do seem to spend a fair bit of time having their fun," said Dai, with a little laugh. "Not that we can talk. When we were younger, we had more than our share, I think. Sometimes, I'm surprised we had only five kids."

"Young people will be young people," said Akemi. "And it's good to see them happy. Not like we can tell them that they have to wait until they get married. We certainly didn't. And who knows how people will get married now. Not like there's a government to hand out pieces of paper. I guess they simply won't bother."

Dai took his wife's hand. "Funny," he said. "These days, it doesn't feel like the end of the world at all."

"No, it doesn't," said Akemi. "Feels like just the opposite."

END

Miss Marikawa's Graduation

Sometimes, the best medical treatment you can give is a sense of hope.

Z+424

In the cool of the evening, they had laid out a picnic table in the front yard. The party was to mark Nozomi's six-month birthday. There was food, drink, and laughter, but every few minutes Takashi checked his watch. And every few minutes one or another of them looked towards the farm gate.

Hirano came up to Takashi. "How long is she past due?" said Hirano quietly.

"Going on for twenty minutes," said Takashi. "It might be nothing but if she's not here in a couple more minutes and I'm going to look for her."

"You and me both," said Hirano.

"There she is!" shouted Alice, pointing.

Miss Marikawa, on horseback, was coming through the gate.

Takashi gave a soft whistle of relief.

Miss Marikawa came up to the table and dismounted. She looked exhausted.

"You're just in time for birthday cake," said Saya. "Don't worry, I didn't make it."

Miss Marikawa forced a weak smile. "Maybe I'll take a pass," she said. "Could someone put my horse in the barn, give it some feed? I have to go to bed."

Grandfather Maresato took the horse and led it away. Miss Marikawa started towards the farmhouse.

"Shizuka," said Rei. "What is it?"

Miss Marikawa stopped. Over her shoulder, she said: "I lost him. I should have been able to save him … but I lost him."

The next morning, Takashi drove to the Irie farm, where Miss Marikawa had been. He was met by Yushiro Irie, the father of the family.

"She was pretty upset when she got back," said Takashi. "What happened?"

"It was our son Shimon," said Yushiro. "He'd been thrown from his horse, he had broken something inside, he was coughing up blood. She did everything she could, even CPR. She kept on with it even after he had stopped breathing. We knew he was gone. I think she blamed herself for it but really there was nothing that anyone could have done. It was just a tragic accident.

"Shizuka has been a lot of help to us since we moved here, and she has never asked for anything in return. Is there something we can do to help?"

"I don't know," said Takashi. "I am sorry for your family's loss, Yushiro."

He drove slowly away, thinking.

It was noon when Saya pushed open the door to Miss Marikawa's room, carrying a tray.

"I brought you some breakfast, or maybe lunch," said Saya, as Miss Marikawa sat up in bed.

"Thanks," said Miss Marikawa.

Saya put down the tray and looked around. She had not been in Miss Marikawa's room before. She was surprised to see several shelves of books. When she looked closer, she saw they were medical books. Diagnostics, drug uses, anatomy, basic surgery. There was even a dog-eared copy of Midwifery for Dummies. "I didn't realise that you knew so much," she said.

"I have these books," said Miss Marikawa, "because I don't know much. Everyone treats me like a doctor but I'm not. I've collected all these but I hardly understand most of them, no matter how hard I try. I go to people who've been through hell and half the time all I can do is give them a couple of aspirin and some antibiotics."

Saya stared at her. "You know that I was there when Nozomi was born, right?" she said. "And you'll be there when it's time for Saeko as well, any moment now."

"Babies are easy," said Miss Marikawa.

"That's not how I remember it," said Saya. "I know I bitched all the way through but there was no-one – no-one – I would have preferred to have had there. And I remember you saving Saeko when she got shot, as well. How many times have you stitched up people around here from various wounds and things?"

"A couple, I suppose."

"How many?"

Miss Marikawa considered. "Maybe twenty-five, thirty," she said.

"And how many times have you given people medicine and treatment that they needed?"

"I … I don't know."

"Meaning too many to count."

"Maybe. But I just make it up, you know. I just do whatever looks like it might work. I'm not smart, Saya, not like you. I should just give it up. Stop trying to be something I'm not."

Saya walked over to her. Then she slapped her.

"Bullshit!" she said. "Snap out of it! You're needed! You're the one that holds it all together!"

"You don't understand!" cried Miss Marikawa. "He died because I didn't know how to save him! I tried and tried but I still lost him! I didn't know what to do! I'm just a school nurse, and I wasn't even a good one!"

"Whatever you were before doesn't matter," said Saya. "It's what you do now, today and tomorrow, that counts. And what you give people isn't just pills and bandages. What you give them is hope. The sense that there can be a decent future. The knowledge that we can all still care for each other. So you lost a patient. I'm sorry about that. But it doesn't change all the good you've done, and will keep doing."

There was a knock at the door of the room. It was Alice.

"Miss Marikawa," said Alice. "You have some visitors. Come outside."

Puzzled, Miss Marikawa and Saya followed Alice onto the porch.

There was a crowd of people in the front yard. They were from the surrounding farms and houses.

One woman stepped forward. Miss Marikawa remembered her: she had had an injured leg after a zombie encounter; it had required careful bandaging, some painkillers, and follow-up checks to ensure there was no infection.

"Takashi told us what happened, Miss Marikawa," said the woman. "We've come to tell you how important you are to all of us. You've helped every one of us at some time or another."

"Really?" said Miss Marikawa. "All of you?" She looked around at the people. Yes, she remembered each of them. Here was a broken arm that had to be set, there was a fever that had to be treated, an appendix that had to be removed, cuts that needed stitching, babies that needed to be delivered, pregnancies that had to be monitored.

Each of the people came forward. They shook her hand and spoke words of gratitude. Several children gave her flowers they had picked. Yushiro Irie was there as well. She looked at him; he gave a nod of thanks.

"I … I don't know what to say," said Miss Marikawa.

"Say that you will continue to be the doctor for our community," said the woman.

"I'm not a doctor," said Miss Marikawa. "I don't have a degree or anything."

"You have all the qualifications you need," said Saya.

Saeko, standing next to them, put her hand gently on Miss Marikawa's arm. "Shizuka," she said. "It is time, I think."

Miss Marikawa looked at her and nodded. Then she looked at the people standing before her. She wiped her eyes. "Thank you," she said. "I wish that right now I could speak to you, each of you. But I will just have to say that I will see you soon, on my rounds. Because, as it happens – " she glanced at Saeko " – I have work to do."

END

The Ohona Incident

Finding another group of survivors, Takashi and his friends encounter some old ghosts and some new dangers.

"Somehow, that just doesn't seem natural," said Takashi to Saeko. He was looking at Saya and Hirano, ahead of them on the motorbike – Saya on the front, Hirano on the back holding on tight, both wearing riding goggles.

Saeko, next to Takashi in the convertible, smiled her inscrutable smile. "They seem to be having a good time," she said. "Perhaps they are simply glad to get away from parental responsibilities for a little while. I don't mind it myself, and Grandmother Maresato loves to look after Nozomi and Rise."

"They're a strange pair, but they do seem to be pretty attached to each other," said Takashi. "Mind you, I'm pretty attached to you as well."

"And I suppose I do not mind your company," said Saeko. She looked at the map she held. "Ohona City is another two kilometres, so we should stop and scout."

Takashi sounded the horn. Saya stopped the bike and Takashi pulled up alongside. "Ohona City is just up ahead," said Takashi. "We haven't been there before, so we should take it easy."

"How big is Ohona?" said Hirano.

"According to the Tomo guidebook, it used to be about thirty thousand people," said Saeko. "Big enough for us to get some more supplies, and also big enough to have a zombie problem. And possibly survivors, as well. There's a cliff overlooking the city, not far from here. We should be able to see everything from there."

They found a road leading to the top of the cliff. There was a lookout platform located there.

Hirano held his telescopic sight to his eye. "There!" he said, pointing.

In the middle of the city was a store, two storeys, with a flat roof. There were human survivors, a dozen or so, in sight. In front of the building was a throng of zombies, maybe thirty.

"Damn," said Saya. "And I was hoping that this would be a nice quiet supply trip. Pick up some baby powder and chocolate."

"Chocolate would be very good," said Saeko, as she studied the scene with the binoculars. "Alcohol as well."

"Maybe we should think about helping those people first," said Takashi. "If we can see them, they can probably see us. But we need to get their attention."

"Hmm," said Saya. "Kohta, give me that telescopic sight." Hirano did so.

Saya angled the sight into the sun until it caught a flash. She kept flashing towards the people on the roof.

"They've seen it," said Saeko after a while. "They're waving."

A few minutes passed. Then one of the besieged survivors held up a large piece of cardboard with writing. How many of you?

Saya made four flashes.

Armed? One for yes, two for no.

Saya flashed once.

Fifteen of us. Some guns but low on ammo. Have vehicles but out of petrol.

Saeko surveyed the rest of the city. "There is a petrol station about five blocks away," she said. "Looks reasonably intact. Doesn't help them much being that far away, of course."

"Saeko, Saya, what are your feelings about the survivors?" said Takashi.

It was an important question. They had encountered survivors before who were almost as dangerous as zombies. Takashi did not want to lead his friends into danger, and then find that the people they rescued started to point guns at them.

Saeko considered. "There appears to be several family groups, parents and teenage children," she said. "Going on what they said about petrol, they probably do not come from Ohona. They were probably passing through when they got ambushed and trapped."

"I think they are telling the truth about being low on ammunition," added Saya. "They are picking their targets, which indicates that they are fairly experienced at staying alive and they are careful about resources. They're keeping the zombies at bay at the moment but once it gets dark they'll be in trouble."

Takashi nodded. "Do you think we can take that many zombies?" he said. "Or scare them off, at least."

"Well, we have the element of surprise," said Hirano. "That's been pretty important in the past few fights we've been in. The zombies might be getting smarter, but that means that they're getting more careful, so they'll probably retreat if we can hit them hard enough. Do a shock and awe thing."

"I agree," said Saeko.

"Your call, Takashi," said Saya.

Takashi took the binoculars from Saeko and studied the situation.

"Okay, then," he said at last. "Here's what we'll do."

Maseo Ohmae continued to study the spot on the cliff where the other survivors had been.

"Do you think they'll help us?" said his son Hayate.

"We can only hope," said Maseo. "I can't say that I like our chances at night." He had split the people he led into two groups: one was stationed on the ground-level floor, trying to keep the zombies away from the doors and windows; the other was on the roof, shooting at any target that presented itself. But ammunition was short.

Then, from one end of the street, behind the zombies, there was the throb of an engine. From the other end, there was a similar sound, higher-pitched.

"Ready?" said Takashi to Hirano, who was kneeling on the front seat of the convertible, his big gun resting on the top of the windshield.

"Just don't hit too many bumps," said Hirano. "This thing isn't exactly a Rat Patrol jeep. Hey, maybe we should put a gun mount onto it."

"Don't even think about doing anything like that to my car," said Takashi, laughing. "Hang on."

He put his foot down and the car zoomed along the street. As soon as the zombies came into sight, Hirano started to fire. Takashi took out his Mauser pistol and began to shoot as well, one-handed.

From the roof, Maseo and Hayate saw the convertible careening up the street. At the same time, from the other direction, a motorcycle roared into action. It carried two women, their long hair flying in the slipstream. The one in the front drew a heavy pistol from a shoulder holster. The one on the back carried a samurai sword.

Most of the zombies turned towards the convertible. Fuck, that guy can shoot, thought Maseo, as he watched zombies fall to the machine gun.

The motorbike ploughed into the throng from the other side, skidding to a halt and knocking several zombies down in the process. The woman on the back leaped off, slashing left and right with the sword. The other woman, still astride the bike, started to fire her pistol, taking out three of the undead before they could even turn around.

The convertible smashed through the crowd, running several more zombies over. It screeched to a stop next to the bike.

The zombies started to scatter, and run. Some of them reached the cover of buildings further along the street. Then they were gone.

The woman with the sword started to go after them but the man driving the convertible called her back.

"We don't know how many more there might be," Maseo heard him say. "Let's get these people to a safer location, and get our supplies."

Maseo turned to his son and the others on the roof. "Hayate, I guess that answers your question," he said.

Saya was counting the zombie bodies. "Twenty-two," she said. "Not bad, but it means there are enough left to be a problem. And of course there could be others."

"We put a scare into them, so we should be safe for a while, at least," said Hirano.

A heavy-set man came out of the store, leading a rather bedraggled group.

"Thank you very much for the rescue," he said to Takashi and the others. "I am Maseo Ohmae. This is my son, Hayate, and – " he pointed to a teenage girl, about fifteen – "this is my daughter, Kotone."

Takashi introduced himself and his friends.

"We have already met," said Hirano evenly, looking at Hayate. "We went to the same school, Fujimi."

"Oh, I remember you now," said Hayate.

"I went to Fujimi too," said Kotone. "I was in junior school when the Outbreak happened, and I suppose you guys were in the senior part."

"Saeko was in the senior part, Hirano and Saya and I were in the middle school," said Takashi. "It all seems like a very long time ago now."

Kotone was staring at Saeko. "You are the coolest person ever, with that sword," she said.

"Saya is way cooler than me," said Saeko. "Way. She can ride a motorbike, after all. And she has a Luger."

"Yes, that is pretty cool," Kotone agreed.

"Saya … Takagi?" said Hayate, looking at Saya. "The … Saya Takagi?"

"I … I suppose so," said Saya.

"We should be moving," said Takashi to Maseo. "You said that you had vehicles but they were out of petrol. There is a petrol station a kilometre or so up the road. I'll drive some of your people there and we'll bring some petrol back."

"We should find a place to stay the night," said Hirano. "There is a building a few blocks away which would be good. This one here is not very suitable for defence, too many glass windows. What sort of store is it, anyway?"

"It's a liquor store," said Maseo.

"Very good," said Saeko.

"For nine months or so after the Outbreak we stayed in an apartment block on the outskirts of Tokonosu," said Maseo to Takashi as they re-fueled the group's vehicles. "But eventually it just got too dangerous to go out to find food and water. So we left, looking for somewhere safer, a little town maybe. There were 32 of us at first, but we lost more than half over time, including my wife. If we stopped for more than a couple of weeks, the zombies would find us, one place after another."

"Yeah, they've got a lot smarter since the Outbreak," said Takashi. "There's a military facility called Kaga Base a few hundred kilometres south of here that provides decent security. I'll give you a map showing you how to get there. It's as safe as anywhere can be these days."

Hirano guided some of the members of Maseo's group to a sporting goods store. He found Kotone by his side as they collected ammunition.

"Did you say that you knew my brother in school?" she said.

"Yes," said Hirano.

"You were friends?"

"No."

"What then?"

Hirano sighed. "I don't know what you think of him," said Hirano. "And I don't know what he's like now. But back then he was something of a bully. In fact, he and his mates made my life hell. Every day for years. But it's a long time ago now, and a lot has happened since then."

"Oh," said Kotone. "Well, I know that Hayate isn't exactly the nicest fellow in the world, so I'm not really surprised to hear it. But he's good at killing zombies. He's killed 64."

"64, eh? Well, that's … good. 64 is good."

Kotone was quiet for a few moments. Then she said: "I'm sorry to hear that he caused you trouble. Is there something I can do to make up for it? And also to thank you for rescuing us today." She put her hand on his.

Hirano looked at her. She was, in fact, quite pretty. "Kotone, how old are you?" he said.

"Old enough," she said. "Dad says so."

"Hmm," said Hirano.

"So … is there anything I can do? Anything?"

"Yes, there is," said Hirano. He handed her a crate of bullets. "You can carry this."

It was night. Saya was on watch in the front room of the building that Hirano had chosen, standing by the window that looked into the street. She had her Luger but also carried Hirano's machine gun. The room was lit by an oil lantern.

Hayate came into the room.

"I thought everyone else was asleep," she said. "My shift does not end for an hour yet."

"Then we have an hour to get to know each other better," he said.

She looked at him. "Humph," she said.

"Oh, don't be like that," he said. "It's not every day that a guy gets to meet the Lady Saya Takagi, the wealthiest girl in the school and the sole heir to a vast empire."

"Which now counts for absolutely zero," she said.

"Huh," he said. "Still the rich bitch, eh?"

"You're half right," she said.

He smiled. "I'm sure I could make you a bit happier," he said. "Since we have an hour." He leaned close to her.

"You think so?" she said. "Let's see."

Suddenly, she grabbed him by the crotch – and squeezed. He gave a yelp of pain.

"Is that it?" she said. "Right there? I mean … is that … all? Because it's kind of … small. Nothing like what I'm used to." She gave another squeeze.

"Used to?" he gasped. "You mean … you have someone? But I thought that Takashi was with the girl with the sword."

"He is," said Saya. "My guy is Kohta."

"What, you mean Fatboy? But that … that just doesn't make any sense."

"He's more of a man than you'll ever be, asshole. In many ways. Especially the ways that are really important to a girl."

Finally, with a last squeeze, she let him go.

"You know," he said, "I could force you. Right here, right now."

"I doubt it."

In reply, he pulled a switchblade out of his pocket.

Saya laughed. "That's not a knife," she said. "This is a knife." She took her butterfly knife from her belt and, with a flick of her wrist, snapped the blade into position. She said: "I guess you just have a lot of small things."

He turned red. Then he walked stiffly to the door.

"One more thing," said Saya. "Kohta is not just the guy who keeps me warm at night. He is also the father of my child, our daughter. I love him. I always will."

It was the next morning, a beautiful day of blue sky and birdsong. Maseo's group had fuelled their vehicles – two trucks and a mini-bus – and were now loading the food and other supplies they had gathered from the town. Takashi had given Maseo a map showing the way to Kaga Base.

Hirano and Saya had collected some supplies and loaded them into the convertible. Now, they were in the liquor store where they had first encountered Maseo's party. Hirano had been telling Saya about his conversation with Kotone.

"So she hit on you?" said Saya. "Well, how about that."

"Oh, was that what it was?" he said. "It's never happened to me before, you see. I do not think that you climbing into my sleeping bag counts."

"It doesn't. Well, I got hit on too – by Hayate. More like attempted rape, really. I gave him a bit of a touch up where it did the most good." She started putting bottles into a carry-bag. Saki for Grandfather Maresato, whiskey for Saeko, and peppermint schnapps – a dangerous liquor – for Miss Marikawa.

"Huh. I'm not surprised. He was always a thug. Gave me a hard time back at Fujimi."

"Oh, he was that guy? Wish I'd known. Would have cut his little dick right off and stuffed it down his throat. Hey, there's still time."

"I think he's probably learned his lesson."

They went out to the street, where the motorbike was parked. They put the bottles into the saddlebags and got on.

"Wait a minute," said Hirano. "Do you hear … ?"

Saya listened. "No, I don't hear anything," she said.

"That's what I mean," said Hirano. "The birds have stopped."

" – the base is under the command of Major Arimake," Takashi was saying to Maseo. "Tough woman, but – "

Saeko was standing beside him. Softly, she said: "Takashi."

He glanced at her. "Where?" he whispered. He put his hand on his Mauser pistol.

"Everywhere," she said.

"Maseo," said Takashi. "Prepare yourself."

"For what?" said Maseo.

There was a sound – from above them. Two zombies came leaping off the roof of a nearby building, landing only a few metres away. More followed.

"Fuck, it's raining them!" cried Maseo.

At the same time, dozens more zombies burst from nearby buildings.

"Looks like they brought some friends," said Takashi, pulling out his gun and starting to shoot. "Maseo, get your people into your vehicles and get them moving. We'll try and cover you." Maseo nodded and ran off.

Saeko drew her sword and took out the two closest zombies. But even more were coming down.

Some of Maseo's people were already in the vehicles. The others drew their guns and started to shoot. But they had been taken by surprise, and several went down quickly.

They're smart, thought Takashi as he fired. Close in, our guns are not such a big advantage.

Takashi was trying to get to his car; his shotgun was in the back. Saeko was doing her best to clear a path but there was a lot of zombies, and they were coming from all directions.

Five zombies burst from a doorway. Takashi lifted his Mauser – but before he could fire one of the zombies leaped at him, knocking the gun out of his hand.

Uh-oh, thought Takashi.

And then there was an explosion of machine-gun fire. The zombies went down in a bloody pile.

"That'll be Hirano," said Takashi, as he retrieved his pistol.

"He's a handy guy," said Saeko, from behind him.

Saya brought the bike to a skidding stop and Hirano jumped off. He laid down a stream of covering fire so the rest of Maseo's people could get onto the vehicles. Takashi was able to get to his shotgun.

Saya, still on the bike, saw two people running towards them. It was Hayate and Kotone. They were heading towards the vehicles, but as Saya watched a group of zombies cut them off. Hayate and Kotone ran into an alley. It was a dead end.

"Goddamn it!" she said to herself. She could see that Hirano, Saeko and Takashi had their hands full. She gunned the bike and zoomed towards the alley, drawing her Luger.

Hayate and Kotone were at the back, trapped. A group of six zombies was advancing on them. Hayate had killed three others but now was out of bullets. He held his rifle by the barrel, to use it as a club. Kotone was unarmed.

Saya shot three of them from the bike, then turned and smashed into another one, throwing him into a wall. Then she was off and running towards Hayate and Kotone. She shot another one as she ran, and heard the Luger click on empty.

Hayate swung the rifle but the zombie caught it and tore it out of his grasp. With a vicious growl, the zombie reached out for them.

Saya, moving fast, threw the gun aside and took out her butterfly knife. She leaped onto the zombie's back and with a single motion slashed its throat, almost decapitating it. There was a splash of black blood, and the zombie went down, dead.

"Wow!" said Kotone. "Saeko was right about you being über-cool."

"Uh, thanks," said Hayate.

"I didn't do it for you, asshole," said Saya to him. She picked up her Luger and re-loaded.

The three of them ran out of the alley and back to the others. The zombies had started to retreat, leaving dozens of their number dead.

"Hello again, Saya," said Saeko, as she took the head off the last one confronting her.

Maseo came up to them. He hugged his son and daughter.

"You should get going," said Takashi. "Our friends might re-group and try again."

"Dad, my score is 67 now," said Hayate. "Pretty good, eh?"

"Heh," said Saeko. "67. Heh."

"But Hirano said that 64 was good," said Kotone.

"He was being kind," said Saeko.

"Well, how many have you killed?" said Hayate to Hirano.

"A … fair few," said Hirano.

"1,259," said Saya. "Counting today and yesterday but not including the group efforts and his explosive booby traps."

"How many?" said Hayate incredulously.

"1,259."

"Fuck me," said Hayate.

"I didn't know you were counting," said Hirano to Saya.

"Well, I have been," she said. "As for you, Hayate, I suggest that you get out of here, before I forget myself and slice something off that you are likely to miss."

Hayate looked at her, wondering if she was joking. Then he concluded that she probably wasn't. He headed quickly to the bus.

"Hirano," said Kotone. "Would you give me a kiss goodbye?"

Hirano looked at Saya. She shrugged.

" 'Fraid not," he said.

"I will," said Saeko. She swept Kotone into her arms and gave her a passionate kiss on the lips. When she let her go, Kotone staggered backwards. Then she went crimson. She turned and walked to the bus, a little shakily. Takashi gave a little laugh.

Maseo looked at the four of them. He shook his head. "You are a strange bunch," he said.

"You should meet the others," said Saya.

Maseo smiled. He walked to the bus, and the little convoy set off.

"Time for us to be moving, too," said Takashi.

Saya was looking at Saeko. She raised an eyebrow.

"Well, somebody had to," said Saeko.

END

Rei and the Very Big Ship

On an aerial reconnaissance mission, Rei and Benaro Tatagi find something different to what they had bargained for.

[Author's note: This story takes place about 21 months after the story The Promise. It takes place immediately before the story Dead and the Last Show.]

"You're getting good at this," said Benaro Tatagi. "You'd be almost ready for a pilot's licence, if there was still such a thing."

Rei did, indeed, seem pretty comfortable at the controls of the little plane.

"Takashi once told me that riding a motorcycle without a licence was the right of every high school student," she said. "I guess the same thing applies to a plane."

"Really?" said Benaro. "Of course, anyone can fly straight and level like this."

In response, Rei put the plane into a banking turn. As they approached Tokonosu City, she took the plane lower and swooped through a canyon of tall buildings.

"Very funny," said Benaro. "You know, I don't remember teaching you that."

"Hey, there's the hotel where we stayed for a while," she said, pointing. "What's left of it, anyway. Hirano blew up a chunk of it. And there's the park where we killed about a thousand zombies."

Benaro nodded. "And there's the bridge where I first saw you and took your picture," he said. He was inspecting the city with binoculars.

"See any of them?" said Rei.

"No, not one, which is a bit odd," he said. "When I've passed over here before I've seen at least a couple of dozen of them wandering around. Swing to starboard."

"Eh?" said Rei.

"Go left," said Benaro. "I see something off the coast."

They headed for it.

"Whoa," said Rei as they approached. "That's a very big ship."

It was an aircraft carrier. A tattered American flag hung from the mast. There was a name on the ship's side: USS FORRESTAL. It was drifting, and it looked as if it had been drifting for a long time.

Rei circled. There was no sign of life, although there were several planes and helicopters lashed down. There were letters painted roughly on the deck: HEL

"My English is not great but I assume that that was meant to say HELP," she said. "Looks like the writer got interrupted by … something."

"So there are probably zombies on board, but maybe also survivors," said Benaro. "Pity we can't do anything about it."

"We can land," said Rei. "It's an aircraft carrier, after all, and the deck looks clear enough."

"Uh, did I mention that there are probably zombies on board?" said Benaro.

"And also possibly survivors. If we can help them, we should."

Benaro looked at her. "You people are way too brave for us simple soldiers," he said. "But if we're going to land, then maybe I should do it."

Rei nodded, and they changed places. They circled again, and then Benaro brought the plane down. He taxied to the control tower and brought the plane to a halt. There was no sign of life.

"What are you carrying?" said Rei as they got out.

"Excuse me?"

"Guns."

"Oh. Well, I have my service pistol."

Rei sighed. She pulled out the duffle bag she had put in the back of the plane. She handed Benaro an automatic rifle and took out her Super Match, with extra clips. She took two grenades from the bag, putting one in her pocket and giving the other to Benaro. She had her usual Glock point-7 in the holster that she wore at the back of her belt.

There was a door, hanging open, in the control tower. They went in.

"Now what?" said Benaro. "We don't even know if there is still anyone alive."

"So we send a message," she said. "A warship is mainly steel, right? So … "

She started to bang on a steel pipe with her gun. Bom bom de bom bom.

"I know that tune," said Benaro. "It's, uh … "

" 'Shave and a Haircut'," said Rei. "And the last bit is two more bangs."

They waited. Nothing.

She banged again.

Nothing.

She banged again.

From somewhere in the ship, came: bom bom.

"Survivors. Or zombies with a taste for old jingles, which doesn't seem very likely," Rei said. "I think it came from the front of the ship, and a couple of decks down."

They started to make their way through the ship, along corridors lit by flickering fluorescent tubes. They started to come across the corpses of sailors, decomposing. There were also dead zombie bodies. It was not a pretty sight, especially in the half-light.

Occasionally, they stopped to send more signals, and the responses became louder.

Eventually, they came to a heavy bulkhead door. It was locked, with a series of levers and bars. There was someone on the other side, knocking out 'Shave and a Haircut' against it with a piece of metal. Rei banged twice on the door.

A muffled voice, American, came from the other side: "Identify yourself!"

"I'm Luke Skywalker and I'm here to rescue you!" shouted Rei.

There was a long pause. Then the voice said again: "What the fuck!?"

"Tell us how to open this goddamn door!" shouted Rei.

Then there was another noise – from along the corridor, behind them. A rasping growl.

"Ben, I hope you know how to use that rifle," said Rei, hefting her Super Match. "Fire as soon as you see a target. None of that 'wait till you see the whites of their eyes' crap. Go for the head, and double tap if in doubt."

Four zombies, in bloody sailor uniforms, came charging out of the shadows at them.

Rei and Benaro fired together. In a few seconds, all four zombies were down. Rei checked the bodies, putting a bullet in the head of each. Making sure.

The voice came from the other side of the door: "Are you still alive?"

"And kicking zombie ass!" shouted Rei back.

The person on the other side started to give them instructions on how to open the door, which involved moving the restraining bars and turning the wheel in the middle first one way and then the other. It was slow going, especially as Rei's understanding of English was at the high-school level. Benaro could understand some of the language but could not speak much of it.

Finally, it opened. There were two sailors on the other side. "Damn, it's good to see some friendly faces," said one of them. "We've been stuck down here, and this fucking door was locked from that side."

"Hey, you're Japanese," said the other.

"Of course," said Rei. "Are there any more of you?"

"Ten of us left, all up," said one of the sailors. "We'll take you to the others."

The other survivors were astonished when Rei and Benaro walked into the mess room they were using as a base.

"I'm the ranking officer, Lieutenant Connell, although actually I'm a doctor," said an exhausted-looking middle-aged woman. "Are you from the Japanese military?"

"No, unless you count high school," said Rei. "My partner is with what's left of the JSDF Air Force, which isn't much."

"Can you tell us where we are?" said one of the sailors. "We've been trapped here for weeks. No, months."

"You are adrift off the east coast of Japan," said Rei.

"Fuck," said the sailor. "But Japan is still okay, right?"

"No," said Rei. "Japan is not okay. As far as we know, the population of Japan is no more than two thousand people. And a lot of zombies."

"I remember when the first man turned," said Connell, as they drank coffee at one of the mess tables. "He was brought to the infirmary in a coma. Then he suddenly woke up and bit two orderlies. We thought he'd gone crazy. We tried to restrain him but he broke out and attacked a couple more people. Then the two guys that he'd bit started biting others. Before we knew it, it was chaos. By the time we realised that you had to shoot them in the head to kill them, it was too late."

"Just a moment," said Rei. "How did the first one turn? If he was the first, then no-one could have bitten him."

"We asked the same question," said Connell. "When we still had communications with the US, I talked to other doctors about it. We wondered how the Outbreak could have happened more or less at the same time all around the world. The best guess we could come up with is that a small proportion of people, maybe one in a hundred thousand, turned without being bitten. So I guess we were just lucky to get one.

"There were plenty of theories about what triggered it, from solar flares to dormant genetic mutation to God getting pissed with us. Take your pick.

"We did tests on some zombies that were captured and on people who were bitten but nothing we found really helped us. Some people turned within twenty or thirty seconds of being bitten, some people took fifteen minutes or so. Once someone was bitten, there didn't seem to be any way to save them.

"There seems to be a virus of some kind involved, transmitted through saliva, like rabies. One thing we did discover is that the zombies don't actually need to eat people to survive. They seem to do it out of instinct rather than hunger. In fact, nothing seems to kill them except shooting them in the head or otherwise knocking their brains out."

"Fire is pretty effective," said Rei.

"Hmm," said Connell. "We didn't think of that. Not that we really had the opportunity. The zombies cut us off from the armoury. The only parts of the ship that we control at the moment are this mess hall, the kitchen and supply rooms next to it, the infirmary, and some staterooms and offices. And communications, not that there's anything left to communicate with. The last military signals we received, and the last media broadcasts we monitored, said that things had gone to hell pretty well everywhere, including home.

"In the first days after the Outbreak on the ship we thought we could control it. Fifteen hundred people on the ship, maybe twenty zombies, we had guns, how hard could it be. By the end of the first month, we had nine hundred people and there were four hundred zombies. Two months, and we'd lost control of a third of the ship, including the engines. By six months, there were more of them than there were of us. And the end of the first year, we started to think about barricading ourselves into secure parts of the ship, areas with supplies of food and water. But they kept coming – through air vents, maintenance shafts, anything. They even worked out how to unlock doors, except the double-bolt watertight hatches.

"They've slowly pushed us back to here, and we're all that's left. They mount an attack every few days, and they're wearing us down, bit by bit. We've killed a lot of them but we think that there are still three hundred or so. And now ammunition is a real problem. We're down to only a hundred rounds. We're expecting the next attack any time, and I'm not sure that we can hold them.

"That door you came through was a real problem for us, so thanks for opening it. At least we can get to the deck now. The only other way out of this area has been through the maintenance hangar, and that's full of them."

Rei nodded. "We think that they've evolved since the Outbreak," she said. "Getting smarter. More tactical. We've seen them make some pretty clever traps, and wait for the best moment to attack. They seem to be able to work together, too, and they can use simple weapons."

"Can you get off this ship?" said Benaro. "On the deck, we saw – " he made a circling motion in the air with his finger, not knowing the English word.

"You mean helicopters?" said Connell. "Unfortunately, none of us are pilots. Could you fly a chopper?"

Benaro shook his head. "And our plane is very small," he said.

"There's a sea-going launch," said one of the sailors who had first met Rei and Benaro, an ensign called Fraser. "Big enough to get us back to the States. It's at the stern. It's attached to the outer hull, and it can be lowered into the water using on-board pulleys. But of course we haven't been able to get to it."

"Can you reach it by going across the deck?" said Rei. "Climb down the outside of the ship, maybe?"

"Possibly," said Fraser. "If we had some ropes."

"There might be ropes on the helicopters on the deck," said Rei. "For lowering soldiers to fight on the ground."

"Very likely," said Connell. "This sounds like a plan."

"But the deck will be dangerous," said Rei. "Being in the open is asking for trouble if you have limited ammunition. Trust me, I've been there. What we need is a diversion to buy us some time. We need the zombies to think that everyone is still holed up here. That means making some noise." She considered the options. Then she said: "Show me where the zombies come from."

There was a wide corridor that led from the mess hall to the maintenance hangar. There was no door between the two but the humans had built a makeshift barricade at the mess hall entrance. According to Connell, this was where the zombies usually attacked. There was dried blood everywhere, but no bodies: after each attack, the human survivors collected the corpses and threw them overboard through a porthole – otherwise, the smell would have been intolerable.

At the moment, most of the zombies appeared to be congregated in the maintenance hangar. None of the survivors knew what they did there, and no-one wanted to go and find out.

Rei explained her plan. It involved, among other things, an office chair, tape, and several lengths of string.

Rei moved carefully and silently along the corridor. She reached the corner and looked around.

There were zombies, perhaps several hundred, in the enclosed hangar, some wandering slowly around and others merely standing still.

She hefted the Super Match. She looked back along the corridor to where part of the barricade had been removed, and Benaro and Connell were waiting. Benaro nodded: all ready.

"Here we go," said Rei to herself. She fired a burst directly into the crowd of zombies. Immediately, they turned and began to come at her. She fired another burst, taking down several. Then she turned and ran back towards the mess hall.

The zombies came boiling along the hallway. One of them triggered a tripwire, which pulled the pin from a grenade taped to the wall at head-height. Several zombies went down. The rest reached the barricade and began to tear it apart. The second grenade went off.

There was a burst of machine-gun fire, scything across the wave of zombies as they came through the door. But the zombies found no humans in the room: the gun, the automatic rifle that Rei had given to Benaro, was taped to an office chair on wheels, and it swung back and forth, attached to a series of strings that looped across the doorway.

And then the gun clicked on empty.

Connell led her people onto the open deck of the carrier.

"Whoa," she said, as she saw the nearby coastline of Japan. The current was carrying the Forrestal towards the beach: it would run aground soon.

Rei and Benaro, followed by the group of sailors, ran towards the nearest helicopter. There was a storage compartment on the craft, locked. Rei drew her Glock and blew it open.

"You're a handy person to have around," said Connell, as the sailors grabbed the ropes. "Will you be coming with us?"

"No, we've got our plane," said Rei, pointing to it.

"You weren't kidding when you said it was small," said Connell.

"Does the job," said Rei. "Do you have enough supplies to make it to America?"

"With what we brought from the kitchen and the supplies on the launch, we should make it," said Connell. "The launch is already fuelled, and it has a sail as well."

The sailors had already tied the ropes to brackets on the deck and were starting to climb down to the launch.

Benaro was in the plane, and had started the engine. He started to taxi to the end of the carrier deck, to gain enough room to take off.

Then a troop of zombies came up one of the stairways and started running across the deck at the group of humans.

Rei fired a burst at then, driving them back. She and Connell ran to the edge of the deck, to where the sailors were rappelling down. Rei kept up the covering fire but she knew that eventually the zombies would break through.

"This will have to be a short goodbye," said Connell. "Thanks for everything. I hope it works out for you."

"You too," said Rei. "Good luck."

They shook hands.

"Rei, come on!" called Benaro from the plane's cockpit.

Connell took hold of a rope and launched herself over the side. Rei ran for the plane. It was already moving when she jumped in.

Groups of zombies emerged from other parts of the deck and started to run towards the plane.

But Benaro was taxi-ing fast now. "Going to be close," he said. "Hold on."

Rei strapped herself in as the plane's wheels left the deck. One zombie ran forward and made a leap for the plane – and then turned into a red fountain as the propeller hit him.

And then they were through, and off.

They circled back, so they could see the launch hit the water and set off. They swooped low and Benaro dipped the wings. Connell gave a waving salute.

"I don't know what they're going back to, but I guess everyone needs to go home," said Rei.

Benaro turned the plane towards Tomo.

They had been flying for a while. Rei was surveying the ground below with the binoculars, her brow furrowed. She turned the binoculars to look ahead of them, and to the west.

"Holy shit," she said softly. "Ben, take us over there, and get lower."

"God," said Benaro, as he saw what Rei was looking at. "That can't be what I think it is … can it?"

Rei had taken out the digital camera and was snapping photographs.

It was a huge formation of zombies, an army of the undead on the move. They were heading towards Tomo, and towards the village of Sheroda, and towards the Maresato farm.

END

Volunteers

If you can't do something smart, do something right.

[Author's Note: This story takes place within the timeframe of the story Dead and the Last Show, after Benaro Tatagi has left Maresato farm for Kaga Base.]

Major Arimake was overseeing the construction of a new building when she heard Tatagi's plane land. She was surprised when it turned in her direction, instead of taxi-ing towards its little hangar. She was even more surprised when Tataki was out of the plane almost before it had stopped. He was holding some sort of package in each arm. Arimake realised with a little shock that it was a pair of very young children.

"Report," she said to him.

"Sir, these are the kids of our friends at Maresato farm," he said. "I have them because the seven of them have gone to intercept an army of zombies coming this way. They are going to fight at the village of Sheroda, but the formation of zombies is huge, thousands, tens of thousands. I have photos. The zombies are destroying everything. Komuro and his group are hoping to buy us enough time to evacuate. But … "

"Show me the photos," she said. "And show me where the formation is on the map in my office." She pointed to some of the soldiers standing next to her. "You, take the children to the hospital building. You, sound the general alarm. And you, re-fuel the plane and get some weapons for it."

"The Takagi woman calculated that the army will reach Sheroda at about noon today," he said, as Arimake studied the photos and the map. "And it will get here perhaps a week later. The two older Maresato people are driving around the neighbouring farms to tell people to leave. Komuro said I should use the plane to get the message to the settlements further out."

"Looks like he has chosen a good spot for their stand," said Arimake. "But there's no way they can fight this many."

"He said that if they could kill enough of them they might retreat. To tell the truth, I don't think he believed it. But they're not going to leave the Maresato place to the zombies. They prefer to go down fighting rather than see everything they've built burn."

Arimake nodded. "I can understand that," she said.

The soldier who had taken Nozomi and Rise to the hospital came in.

"Sir, the little ones are settled at the infirmary," he said.

"Thank you," said Arimake. "Soldier, you've heard what's going on?"

"Word has gone around the camp," he said.

Arimake looked at him. "Private Tioba, isn't it?" she said.

"Yes, sir," he said.

"Do you know Komuro and his people?" said Arimake.

"I met them briefly on one of their visits here," he said. "Shook their hands. And of course I've heard the stories about them. Many times."

"And you know that they are going to face down this army in a couple of hours?"

"Yes, sir."

"Tell me, Private, what do you think of that?"

He hesitated. Then he said: "Sir … I … there have been times … since the Outbreak … when I just felt like giving up. Lots of people did. But then I heard those stories of the seven of them … I mean, they're not much more than kids … sir, it gave me the strength to keep going. If they fall today … well … something really important will have gone. Just when we were starting to think we could build a future."

Arimake nodded. "Tell me, Private, were you a soldier before the Outbreak?"

"No, sir. I was … well, nothing really."

"And now you are a fighter."

"I like to think that I've done my share, sir."

"You can rest assured, son, that you have." Arimake looked again at the photographs on the computer screen. "Awful lot of them," she said.

Private Tioba looked. "Yes sir," he said. "Damn awful lot of them."

Arimake was silent for a long moment. Then she said: "Well, if you can't do something smart, do something right. Private, spread the word that I'm calling for volunteers. The people who care for the kids and parents with young families won't be considered. They should take the civilian trucks and prepare to evacuate. But anyone else who can pull a trigger is welcome to join me."

Private Tioba stared at her.

"Well, get going, soldier," said Arimake.

Private Tioba's face broke into a huge smile. He snapped to attention and saluted. Then he ran off.

Arimake turned to Tataki. "Use the plane to get to as many people as you can and tell them to get out," she said. "Go … somewhere."

"I will, but don't think that you're going to leave me out of this fight," he said.

"Wouldn't dream of it," she said. She took her weapons belt from the rack and strapped it on. "But you can also spread the word as far as possible."

Tatagi nodded. "How many volunteers you think you'll get?" he said. "Two hundred and twenty people on the base, maybe seventy that you've said are exempt. Of the rest … ?"

Arimake considered. "Let's see," she said.

She and Tataki left the office and walked into the yard. Private Tioba ran up to them and saluted. "Ready to roll," he said.

"How many?" she said to him.

"Aside from the people with the kids? Everyone. Everyone between fifteen and seventy. Maybe 150." He pointed towards the four APCs and two military trucks, which were packed with people and weapons. One of the APCs rolled up. There was no-one in the turret position.

The soldier who was driving poked her head out of the hatch, jabbing her thumb at the 50-cal gun on the turret. "Don't mean to rush you, sir, but we've got a fight to get to, I think," she said. "We saved you a spot."

Arimake turned to Tatagi. "One way or another, I guess I'll be seeing you," she said. They shook hands. Then Tatagi ran for his plane and Arimake climbed into the turret of the lead APC. Tioba took up the turret position on one of the other APCs.

Arimake put on the helmet and tapped the intercom button. "Let's go," she said.

And they were off.

Tatagi caught up with the Grandfather and Grandmother Maresato on the road outside the little village of Kenota. He was surprised that they were leading a convoy of trucks and cars.

He landed in a nearby field and ran over to the Maresatos. "If you were intending to evacuate, you're going the wrong way," he said. "But I think you know that."

"Sure do, son," said Grandfather Maresato, with a smile. "You know, we drove around and told people to up stakes and leave, and everyone said the same thing."

"Yeah, that was the story at Kaga Base too," said Tatagi.

"Not surprised," said Grandfather Maresato. "That Major Arimake is a helluva woman. If I was ten years younger – "

"And not married," put in Grandmother Maresato.

"Well, yes, of course," he said. "Actually, five years would do it."

"In your dreams, Dai," said Grandmother Maresato, with a big smile. "But if we live through today you have my permission to take your best shot."

Grandfather Maresato laughed. "You're not giving away much," he said. "Son, I make the time about eleven. Saya said that the zombies would reach Sheroda at about noon. We're about two hours away, I think, is that about right?"

"Yes, and the Kaga Base force is about the same distance, but from the south. You'll be approaching from the west."

"I would prefer a plan that was a bit more considered but I guess we have to work with what we have."

"Let's hope we get there in time. I've got to find a place to get some more fuel and then I'll try and get to Sheroda as fast as possible. Do what I can."

"And if a miracle happens and we win," said Grandmother Maresato, "you should marry Rei."

"I … should?" said Tatagi.

"Definitely," said Grandfather Maresato.

"Oh. Okay, then."

"You heard me say that we will need a miracle, didn't you?" said Grandmother Maresato.

"I've seen the seven of them fight," said Tatagi. "Clever, tough and brave. And they have everything to fight for, including each other. That's our miracle."

Grandfather Maresato nodded. "Some people have a destiny, whether they like it or not," he said. "So let's go and find out what it is."

END

Fall

The end

[Author's Note: This story takes place within the last section of the story Dead and the Last Show; specifically, after Takashi Komuro is killed, and before the coda section sub-titled Z+1277.]

"Goddamn!" said Major Arimake, as the 50-calibre machine gun jammed. Five zombies were climbing onto the APC now; they were only a few metres away.

Then the heads of the two closest ones left their bodies in a gush of blood. The other three fell a moment later.

"Saeko!" said Arimake. "Thanks – "

But she stopped, and gasped, when she saw Saeko's face.

Saeko was in another world now, the universe of the sword. She would not be coming back.

She leapt off the APC and into the throng of zombies.

"My god … " said Arimake, watching her. Then she remembered: the 50-cal. She cleared the jam and started firing again. She tapped the intercom on her helmet. "All APCs form up on me!" she shouted. "Mow through, mow through! We've got to get to the volunteers on the right!"

It was a world of black blood and a roar like thunder. Slash, stab, this one, here, that one, kill the next one and plunge into another group of them –

Alice climbed onto one of the APCs. Her sniper rifle was empty but she had picked up a machine gun from a fallen soldier, and she was spraying a group of zombies with bullets. The soldier firing the APC gun shouted out to her: "Welcome aboard! Hey, you're just a kid!"

"Not really," said Alice. "You wouldn't happen to have any more clips for this, would you?"

Saya walked into the battle, firing her Luger, one shot after another. Now it was out of bullets. She reached into her pocket for another clip. There was a trio of zombies coming straight for her. No rush, she said to herself. Concentrate. Then the clip was in. Three more down.

She didn't even feel angry. Indeed, she felt immensely calm. She walked on.

The four APCs pulled into a line abreast. Their heavy guns were hammering and the soldiers – and Alice – clinging to their sides were firing as fast as they could.

"Forward!" shouted Arimake.

Smash this one, take this one's head, there are two on the right, slash and burn, burn, burn –

They're drawn to her, thought Arimake, as she watched Saeko tearing a swathe through the crowd of zombies. They want to kill these people. And now she has a reason to kill them as well. It's personal. To the death.

Saeko was now the focal point of the battle. Arimake watched as a group of zombies tried to leap onto her, and for a moment she disappeared beneath the crowd. Then they were thrown off, most of them in bloody pieces. The two swords were silver blurs, cutting through the mass of the undead.

Saya was knocked down by a zombie that had got behind her. He raised a club … and then was smashed aside. Miss Marikawa reared the horse, and then it stomped into the zombie on the ground. She wheeled Buttercup and charged into another group of them, shooting as she went.

Saya scrambled to her feet and lifted the Luger again.

She rammed the temple sword into the skull of a zombie; as it fell back the sword was pulled out of her hand. And then another zombie, wielding a jagged-edge bar, slashed her across the stomach. She decapitated the zombie with a single stroke of the Murata blade, but she could feel the blood flowing from the wound. Not yet, she said to herself. Not yet.

The APCs were ploughing through the crowd. Arimake could see the civilian volunteers now, hacking away at the flank of the zombie army and doing pretty well, too. There seemed to be two older people, a man and woman armed with double-barrelled shotguns, in the middle, directing the fighting. The end of the line was anchored by a broad-shouldered man with a long-barrelled pistol and a machete.

And between the soldiers and the volunteers was Saeko, now standing atop of pile of zombie bodies. The zombies were trying to charge on her, and the more that came the more she killed. And their focus on her was leaving them exposed to the closing pincer.

Arimake started another belt on the 50-cal. "Form up and wheel right!" she shouted into the intercom.

Faced with so many enemies, the line of soldiers began to falter. Someone jumped from the next APC onto Arimake's vehicle. It was a young girl but she was firing a gun as if she had done it all her life. She shouted out to the soldiers: "We can take 'em!" The line responded, finding a new strength and surging forward again.

She had taken another wound, and then another, but she continued to fight even as she felt her life drifting from her.

For a moment, the crush of zombies fell back, as they prepared for another onslaught.

"Takashi," she breathed.

"I am here," he said. "Take my hand."

She did. The pain began to fall away.

"Time to go," he said.

"Will we be together?"

"Always, my love."

Saya saw Saeko fall. "Goodbye, my friend," she said softly.

"FORWARD!" roared Arimake.

Almost suddenly, the APCs were through to the volunteers. The zombie line fell back, wavered … and broke. They began to retreat … and then run.

The soldiers and the volunteers, linked together now into a single force, began to advance, firing as they went. They knew that they had to finish every last one of them.

And finally … finally … they did.

And then, as the echoes of battle died away, Miss Marikawa came walking out of the dust and smoke, carrying the body of Saeko Busujima in her arms, to lie it next to that of Takashi Komuro. It was over.

END

A Battle Won

… is only a little better than a battle lost.

Rei had set up a co-ordination centre – a few chairs and a table salvaged from the ruins of Sheroda village – on a little rise, and was trying to bring some order to the post-battle chaos. Her injured shoulder had been strapped by Miss Marikawa but was causing her a great deal of pain despite the medication.

Several people had assembled at her makeshift command post: Major Arimake, Grandfather Maresato, and a broad-shouldered man who had commanded part of the volunteer force.

"I'm Rei Miyamato," she said to the man. Had she not been so exhausted – although the battle had ended only an hour before – she would have said to herself that he was a very handsome fellow. But at the moment there was too much else she had to think about.

"I know who you are, and I'm Yuudai," said the man. "From Yakushita village. We haven't met, but when my people heard from Kaga Base that this was going to happen we decided that we had to do our share."

Rei nodded, which made her shoulder hurt. She pushed the pain to the back of her mind and gestured for everyone to sit.

She looked over the scene. "The day is won," she said, "and now we have to tally the butcher's bill. Major, how many lost from Kaga Base?"

Major Arimake, grimly, told her the figure. Then Grandfather and Yuudai told her the losses from the volunteer force. Rei wrote the numbers on a scrap of paper.

"There might be more yet," she said. "There are some people with severe injuries who might not make it. Shizuka and Grandmother Maresato have set up a medical centre, and they are doing everything they can, but of course they don't have a whole lot to work with."

She looked at the figures. "And then there are two more," she said. "From Maresato."

She told them the final number.

Everyone was silent.

Eventually, Arimake said: "Bad. But it could have been worse. A lot worse. And if this means the end of the danger, it will have been worth it, in the long run."

A truck came around the corner – one from Kaga Base. There was a familiar figure standing on the running board, hanging on to the cab door.

"Benaro!" said Rei, with a sigh of relief.

The truck pulled to a halt and Benaro jumped down.

"Some of the remaining civilians from Kaga Base had the idea of gathering up supplies, including medical stuff, and sending it on," he said. "I met them on the road as I was walking back here and showed them the way."

"Great," said Rei, directing the truck towards the building – the last one standing – that was being used to treat the injured.

Benaro looked around. "So we won, did we?" he said.

"You can put it that way," said Rei.

"Where's Takashi?"

Rei shook her head. "And Saeko," she said.

"I'm sorry, Rei, I know how important they were to you. Are you alright?"

"I'll live," she said. "Hirano was hurt as well, he's in the medical centre, with Saya."

A Kaga soldier who, Rei recalled, was called Tioba, who she had seen doing a pivotal job on an APC gun during the battle, came up to them. "We have a count on the number of zombie dead," he said. "We've done a check to ensure that they're all down for good." He told them the number.

"My god," said Arimake. "Tioba, we should collect our own dead, make sure that they are given a decent burial, draw up a list so their families are contacted, if there are any. And Tioba, uh, make sure that they are … dead."

"Already under way, Major," said Tioba. "We're working with representatives of the volunteer groups."

"Very good," said Arimake. "See if there is food and drink on that truck that just came in, make sure everyone gets something, wounded first."

"On it, sir," said Tioba. He saluted and went off.

"You've trained your people well," said Grandfather Maresato to Arimake.

"Not hard to train people when you've got good material to work with," said Arimake.

"Grandfather," said Rei. "I suggest you grab a few people and take a truck to the farm and get whatever supplies you can muster, bring them back here. Then we'll start getting people back home."

Grandfather Maresato nodded.

Rei looked around at the little circle of faces. "If we have no further business," she said, "I think it would be good if we all went to see our wounded."

"How's the hip?" said Rei to Hirano.

"I won't be doing much dancing at the wedding," said Hirano. "Uh, mind that you don't step on Saya."

Rei looked down, and saw that Saya was curled up on the floor next to the couch that Hirano was lying on, asleep. She was still holding her Luger.

"Wedding?" said Rei.

"Sure, why not," said Hirano.

Alice appeared. She handed a bottle of water to Hirano and one to Rei, with some tablets.

"Thanks," said Rei. "You did well today, Alice, very well indeed."

"Everyone did," said Alice. "Let's hope it was worth it."

Miss Marikawa came up to them. Her clothes were streaked with the blood of those she had been helping, and she looked very tired.

"Saya, wake up," said Hirano.

In a moment, Saya was sitting up, wide awake.

They all looked at each other.

"We survived," said Rei.

"Yes," said Hirano. "We did."

"What will we do now?" said Alice. "Without them?"

There was a long moment of silence.

Then Rei said: "We go on. We do our best. We try and make sure that their sacrifice was not in vain. We make our lives count for something."

"Yes," said Alice. "We will."

END

Seeds

The end of one thing is the beginning of another.

[Author's Note: This story takes place six years after the Outbreak and about four years after the Battle of Sheroda.]

Alice looked around at her extended family and circle of friends, seated at long tables in the front yard of the Maresato farm. She wondered how she would break her decision to them.

There was Saya and Hirano, with their three childen: Nozomi, now almost six, Sachiko, and baby Isamu. Alice smiled when she remembered that Saya had told her that she wanted another two, at least.

There was Rei and Benaro, with their adopted child Rise, recently turned five, and their own two-year-old, Hotaru.

There was Miss Marikawa and her partner Shun Yamiashi. Miss Marikawa had recently announced that she was pregnant – the father being an old friend called Yuudai, apparently. Everyone (except Shun) had been surprised, and everyone had been pleased for her.

There were her grandparents, and Major Arimake, who was visiting from Kaga Base. And there were thirty or so people from the nearby farms and houses – including several of Alice's friends from school, and a surprising number of younger children. There were also faces that she recognised from the market days regularly held here at Maresato farm, and some from the barn raising that had taken place at the Badushi farm a few weeks ago.

Hirano, at the head of the table, rose to speak. The parents around the table signalled for their children to sit quietly and pay attention.

"Today," said Hirano, "marks six years since the Outbreak. It is in memory of all that has been lost that we mark this day. Many sacrifices have been made, although many battles have been won.

"But we are also here to point to the way forward. We are building, slowly but steadily, and in the past year I think we have passed the point of merely surviving and are now forging a new community. While everyone shares in this achievement, I believe there are two people who deserve special mention.

"The first is Saya – and I am not saying this just because she is my wife and my true love – who has not only devised solutions to critical problems – the saya-mills, the solar panels, and the irrigation system she has designed are only some – but as our schoolteacher is playing a crucial role in educating our next generation.

"The other is Miss Marikawa – and I know that calling her that might seem inappropriate but it is how I have always thought of her. As the community doctor – and as the person who has delivered every child here, including those of Saya and me – she has provided the sinews for our growth. And her recent news has made us all very happy for her.

"So I offer a toast. To Saya, to Miss Marikawa, and to the future."

Everyone applauded, and then drank the toast.

Then Hirano said: "And I believe that now Major Arimake has an announcement to make as well."

All eyes turned to Major Arimake, who rose in her place.

"I'm not a big one for speeches so I'll make it short," she said. "Bottom line: I'm stepping down as commander of Kaga Base. It doesn't need a military boss any more. I plan to throw away the uniform – what's left of it – and do something else, I don't know what, pottery maybe. I'll be there if the need ever arises, as many other people will be.

"But Kaga Base – I hope it will be known as Kaga Town from now on – will still need a leader. It has to be someone who is widely known and respected. So I have asked Rei if she will take the job, and she has agreed. I'll make the announcement to Kaga when I get back. Good luck, Rei."

There was a round of applause, for both Arimake and Rei.

Alice got to her feet. Everyone looked at her.

"I have something to say too," she said. "I … I'm leaving. I'm leaving Maresato farm. I've been thinking about it for a while. It's time. And I want to find out about the country beyond Tomo, and maybe the rest of the world. There's still a lot we don't know. I'm going to try and find out. And come back to tell you about it."

Everyone was silent. Then Hirano said: "We will miss you, Alice. But yes, it is time for you."

"Yes," said Grandmother Maresato. "It is."

It was the next day. Saya and Hirano were standing at the top of the hill. They had considered it important to tell Takashi and Saeko about Alice's decision. They said what they had come to say, and then stood in silence for a while, thinking about the past and the future. Hirano took Saya's hand.

They began to walk to the farm gate, where the group had gathered to farewell Alice.

"Somehow, this feels like an ending, watching Alice spread her wings to fly away," said Hirano.

"Had to happen, one way or another," said Saya. "I can't help but feel a bit sad about it. She has always been precious to us, but now she has to make her own way.

"You know, Kohta, you were right when you said that we passed a particular point this past year. We're no longer living off the bits and pieces of the old world. There's not that much left of it, anyway, pretty well everything that could be salvaged has been. Now we're creating something new, I think. Maybe this is part of that."

As they reached the group, they saw that Grandfather Maresato was handing something to Alice. It was a large wad of banknotes.

"What's this?" said Alice.

"Money," said Grandfather Maresato. "You can use it to start a fire. Or maybe you'll run into someone who still thinks it's valuable."

Alice looked a bit dubious about the concept but took it and stuffed it into her saddlebag, alongside things like a little tent, a hatchet and other tools, a flint, a small pair of binoculars, and a supply of food and water. And of course her frypan.

Miss Marikawa handed her a cloth bag. "Here are some medicinal herbs, and some antibiotics, although they're pretty old so I can't guarantee their effectiveness," she said. "And … something else as well. Just in case."

Alice, puzzled, looked into the bag. She gave a little laugh and pulled something out. It was a strip of condoms.

"Really?" she said to Miss Marikawa.

"Hey, those might be the last ones left in the world," said Miss Marikawa.

"Have you given your horse a name?" said Saya, patting the animal on the flank.

"Riku," said Alice.

"Ah, that's good," said Rei. "Land."

"I still think you should take one of the bikes," said Saya.

"Bikes need petrol, and there can't be much left," said Alice. "Riku can eat grass and can carry more than a bike."

"Have you got your crossbow?" said Hirano.

"Yes, and Rei has given me her Glock," said Alice. "Let's hope it's not going to be needed. But good to know it's there."

"And the seeds?" said Hirano.

Alice nodded. Hirano had given her a bag of various types of seeds from the farm: vegetables, fruit, sunflowers, corn, even rice. Alice was not sure what she might use them for – trading, perhaps, or as goodwill gifts – but it seemed like the sort of thing that might be useful.

"My husband the farmer," said Saya. "Oh, my pounding heart."

"He is a very good farmer," said Grandfather Maresato. "Alice, please come back to us one day. Before too long."

"I will, Grandfather," said Alice.

She gave each of them a hug, including Zeke, who wagged his tail sadly. She stepped back, and looked at Hirano, Saya, Rei and Miss Marikawa, standing together. "What a long and strange story it has been for us," she said.

"With much lost and much gained," said Hirano.

"It has been a story about how you find out who you really are," said Miss Marikawa.

"And about how people become a family," said Rei.

"But most of all, it has been a story about love," said Saya.

Alice nodded. She wiped her eyes. Without another word, she mounted her horse and rode down the track. The others watched her until she disappeared over the far horizon.

"What do you think she will find?" said Hirano.

Saya considered. "At the end of the road," she said, "I think she will find herself. As we all have."

"Amen," said Rei.

END AND AMEN

[Post-script: What happens after]

Saya and Hirano eventually have five children. They remain at Maresato farm, which in time grows into the centre of the Tomo community. Saya divides her energies between her family, her schoolhouse, and her love of finding solutions to problems that no-one else can. Hirano never again picked up a gun after the Battle of Sheroda, a point of which he was proud. He becomes known as a mentor and adviser in the community.

Rei becomes a popular (and later elected) and effective leader of Kaga. She and Benaro continue to fly the little plane as often as possible, and she returns to Maresato whenever her duties allow. She and Benaro have several more children after Hotaru, although Rei once tells her husband that Rise will always have a special place in her heart.

Miss Marikawa gives birth to a boy, Kazuki, and maintains a life-long friendship with Yuudai. She and Shun foster numerous children without parents, and Shun eventually joins Saya as a teacher at the school. Miss Marikawa, aside from continuing her regular doctor's rounds of the community, establishes a clinic at Maresato and develops her expertise in herbal and natural remedies.

Grandfather and Grandmother Maresato live into ripe old age, happily surrounded by those they think of as their children and grandchildren. They die, eventually, within a few days of each other, and as per their request they are cremated and their ashes are scattered in the fields they loved.

Takashi and Saeko are never forgotten. Their story is told and re-told, and eventually becomes the stuff of legend. Many years later, Saya reveals that the Murata blade had been buried with its one true owner.

And Alice? Read on.

The Travels and Travails of Alice Maresato

What You Take With You

Exploring the post-zombie world, Alice finds a friend – and a new worry.

Alice Maresato was perfectly still, watching the rabbit as it emerged from the bushes and poked around in the grass by the stream. It was large and plump. Its ears twitched.

"You're cute, but a girl's gotta eat," said Alice softly. She aimed her crossbow and fired.

Later, as she gutted and cleaned the rabbit, she wondered at the skills she had gained. Before the Outbreak, she had been just another kid. Food came from the supermarket and was kept in the refrigerator until it went into the microwave. You ate it while you watched television or played a game on the computer.

She remembered the day, years ago, when her grandfather had shown her how to kill, skin, prepare and cook a rabbit. She smiled when she remembered that she had vomited. But Grandfather, ever patient, had gone slowly, explaining each step and saying that this was something she needed to know. She had taken the message, and the lesson, to heart. Girl's gotta eat. And rabbits were easy: this was the fourth one she had killed since leaving the farm twelve days ago.

And she had gathered other skills along the way. Rei had taught her how to shoot the Glock pistol she had given her. Shizuka had taught her how to ride a horse and some basics of medicine. Shun Yamiashi had given her the crank-assisted crossbow and shown her how to fire it, and retrieve the arrows as well. Saeko, five years ago, had taught her how to use a sword – the temple blade that had once been Saeko's was in a holster on her saddle. Saya had taught her, well, a lot of odd stuff. Kohta had taught her how to grow things. And Takashi and Grandmother had taught her about everything else.

And now she was on her journey of exploration, looking to find out what was beyond the sanctuary of Tomo prefecture and her grandparents' farm, where she had lived with her friends for the past six years, since the Outbreak.

She started a little fire and began to roast the rabbit. She had dried food in her saddlebags, but it was always a good idea to keep that until it was needed.

As the rabbit cooked, she pulled a book from her pack: a much-used, dog-eared copy of the Tomo region tourist guidebook. From the pages of the book she took one of her most precious possessions: a photograph. It had been taken by Shizuka over six years ago, when she, Alice, was only about nine, maybe ten, she couldn't exactly remember. It showed her, Kohta, Saya, Rei, Takashi and Saeko. The Humvee was in the background; everyone was happy, smiling, ready for the future.

They had survived. They had fought, and some had died, but they had built something solid, and they had inspired many of the others who had survived the Outbreak to do the same. Four years had passed since the Battle of Sheroda, where the huge zombie army had been met and defeated – at a terrible cost.

Gently, she touched the images of Takashi and Saeko. Then, carefully, she returned the photograph to its place.

She unfolded the map that was in the back of the book. According to it, she had crossed the northern border of Tomo a few days before, and was now in Begu prefecture. She was in no hurry; in fact, since leaving her grandparents' farm she had taken a circuitous route, stopping at several houses and farms of people she knew to pay her respects and tell them that she was travelling north, to see what she could find.

Something had happened that had surprised her: Migumi Hiro, one of a group of several families located at a dairy farm, had given her a letter. She had said that if Alice passed by a village called Mulitenko, on the Inland Sea, and if there was anyone alive there, she might try and find her sister Gabi and give her the letter. The letter, Migumi had said, did not actually say much: just that she was still alive and where she was living.

Not much, but everything. So now Alice was heading towards Mulitenko. It was, she reasoned, as good as any place to go. In fact, it was not far from where she was camped. But when she found the place she would study it from a distance for a while rather than simply ride in. You never knew.

Squatting next to the fire, she thought … was that something? An instinct rather than anything tangible. But Saeko had once told her that instincts were the best defence she had. She hadn't tried to explain how it worked but Alice believed her. The hairs on Saeko's neck and saved all their asses more than a few times. So Alice had learned to listen to her own inner voice.

Her crossbow was a metre away but the Glock was in a holster at the back of her belt, covered by her jacket. Her instincts, however, were not speaking of danger.

She called out: "This will be cooked soon. Why don't you join me?"

Nothing happened.

She called out: "Or you can just stay where you are and watch me eat it all, if you prefer."

There was a rustle in the bushes. Alice put her hand under her jacket and touched the Glock. She eased the safety catch off.

A girl, around thirteen, stepped into the clearing. She was, rather oddly, carrying a pair of red plastic buckets.

The two of them stared at each other.

Eventually, Alice said: "Hi."

The girl continued to stare.

"I'm Alice," said Alice.

"Can I have some of your food?" said the girl.

Alice broke off a leg from the cooked rabbit and offered it to the girl. "If you tell me your name and why you have the buckets," she said.

The girl took the rabbit and began to eat it, with a great deal of relish. "This is good," she said. "My name is Chizu. We usually only eat fish, you see, so this is … really good."

Alice took her hand from the gun. She gestured for Chizu to sit down, and they ate the rabbit together.

"The buckets are for water," said Chizu. "That's one of my jobs this month. Collecting water from the stream every day. Funny, our village is on the Inland Sea but the nearest fresh water is an hour's walk away. We used to have a thing which turned the salt water into water you could drink but it broke."

"Would that be the village of Mulitenko?" said Alice. "I am headed there. Perhaps you can show me the way."

"Sure," said Chizu. She was staring at Alice.

"Something wrong?" said Alice.

"I haven't seen anyone but the people in the village – seventeen people – for years, really since the Outbreak," she said. "We weren't even sure there was anyone else alive."

"There are quite a few people in the area that I come from, Tomo, south of here," said Alice. "Are there any zombies around?"

"We haven't seen any for years, but that doesn't mean they're all dead or anything," said Chizu.

Alice nodded. They finished eating the rabbit and Alice re-saddled Riku. Chizu filled her buckets and they started walking towards Mulitenko, Alice leading her horse.

Mulitenko had been a small fishing village – still was, really. It was a collection of rather ramshackle buildings huddled around a little square. There were several rowboats lined up on the shore, and nets drying in the sun.

As Alice and Chizu entered the village, everyone came up to them, unsure of what to make of the newcomer. Alice looked around: the population was mainly women, with a few old men and young teenagers. A heavy-set, middle-aged woman stood in her path, arms folded.

"I am Alice Maresato," said Alice. "Of Tomo."

"You will hand over your weapons," said the woman.

Alice stared at her. Then she said: "No."

"I am Alice Maresato. Of Tomo."

"You will hand over your weapons," repeated the woman. "Or leave."

Alice looked at her for a few more moments. Then she turned to Chizu and said: "It was a pleasure to meet you." She started to mount Riku.

"Wait!" said the woman.

Alice looked again at her. "You cannot have my weapons," she said.

"Then … you can hold onto them, as long as you keep them holstered," said the woman.

"Unless you give me a reason to do otherwise," said Alice.

The woman nodded. "I am Mori," she said. "I am the leader here."

"She gave me some rabbit to eat," said Chizu. "She killed it herself, I saw her. It was really good."

A smatter of comments and nods of approval ran around the group of people.

"Is there someone called Gabi Hiro here?" said Alice.

One woman gave a little exclamation of surprise, and stepped forward. "I am Gabi Hiro," she said.

"I have something for you," she said. She took the letter from Migumi from her pocket and handed it to her. "From your sister."

The woman, with an expression of amazement, took the letter. She opened it and read it. Then, slowly, she began to cry.

"Thank you," she said to Alice. "Thank you."

"Is that why you are here?" said Mori. "To deliver a letter?"

"I am exploring," said Alice. "To see what is left, and to find what can be found."

"So you are not intending to stay?"

"Not particularly."

Chizu said: "But at least you can stay for the night. And tell us about … things. You can stay with me and my mother. There is a stable-type thing where you can put your horse."

"Very well," said Alice.

"We don't have much food to share," said Mori.

"I have my own, but perhaps you would be interested in trading," said Alice. "Chizu said that you only have fish to eat. I have seeds that you can have. Vegetables. And sunflowers."

"Vegetables!" cried Gabi. "Fresh vegetables!"

"There is something else that I need, I think," said Alice. "Salt. So I can preserve meat and carry it."

"Salt, we have," said Mori. "Not much fresh water, but plenty of salt."

"Chizu said you had a desalination machine but it broke down. Perhaps I can do something about it. One of the people in the place I come from taught me about fixing things like that."

Mori nodded. "Then that would at least be worth a meal," she said. "Come this way. The rest of you, get back to work. Those fish aren't going to jump out of the sea because they want to."

Chizu led Riku away and Alice accompanied Mori to a little shed by the shore. There was a dusty, rusty machine there. "How come there aren't any men in this village?" said Alice.

"Originally, after the Outbreak, a group of us came here, several families from the same street in Nagoya," said Mori. "Although there were already some people who lived here, like Gabi. That was when machines were still working. The men went to a town for supplies but they didn't come back. I assume that when their vehicles broke down they got ambushed. Do you know why all the machines stopped?"

"An electro-magnetic pulse caused by nuclear weapons exploding in the upper atmosphere," said Alice. "Fried all the circuits. It's possible to repair vehicles if you know how and have unaffected spare parts. Of course, they would need petrol, and there doesn't seem to be much left."

She started to look at the desalination machine. It was essentially a hand-operated pump and a series of filters. With no chips or circuits it had not been affected by the EMP but Mori explained that it had stopped working a year ago. After that, it was buckets from the stream and strict rationing.

Alice found some tools and began to take it apart. Eventually, she pulled a piece out. "Here's the problem," she said. "This valve had got clogged and had fallen out of alignment. So no water was getting through. I'll clean it off, and do the filters too." She did so, and then put the whole thing together again. Much easier, she thought to herself, than assembling and maintaining Saya's windmills. She started to work the pump, drawing saline water up a tube from the sea. After a while, a gush of fresh water appeared from the other side.

"This is just a suggestion," said Alice. "But you might want to go to a town and get some stuff. Like a book on repairing things. The Dummies series is really good for end-of-the-world situations."

"My rule is that no-one goes anywhere," said Mori. "It isn't safe. I've already lost more people than I want to think about, either to zombies or marauders. I worry enough when people go to collect water."

"Huh," said Alice. "Well, your decision."

"I suppose," said Mori, looking at the stream of fresh water, "that we owe you dinner."

"How did you survive?" said Chizu as they ate. Everyone from the village was there, all wanting to ask Alice questions. "And where did all the zombies go?"

"Long stories," said Alice. "Although now I think of it, that's actually only one story."

All the people of the village were looking at her. Alice realised that she was going to have to tell the story, whether she wanted to or not. It occurred to her that she had never really told it before, although it was a story that needed to be told.

She poured herself another cup of fresh water.

"I met the people who saved me, and later saved the world, on the night after the Outbreak in Tokonusu City," she said. "They were called Takashi Komuro, Saeko Busujima, Kohta Hirano, Saya Takagi, Rei Miyamoto, and Shizuka Marikawa. This is what happened … "

" … but most of all, it was a story about love," she finished.

Everyone had been listening in silence for several hours. Suddenly, there was a cascade of excited questions.

Alice held up her hand. "That is all the talking I can do for now," she said. "I will answer your questions tomorrow."

She and Chizu went to the house that Chizu shared with her mother, Toi. It was a dingy, broken-down place, smelling of fish, like the whole village. In Chizu's little room, Alice unrolled her sleeping bag and lay down on it, glad to not have to sleep in her tent.

"Was all that true?" said Chizu.

"Yes."

"The fight with the renegade soldiers, when Saeko was shot?"

"Yes."

"Saya having a baby during a zombie fight?"

"Yes."

"Building windmills for electricity?"

"One of Saya's ideas, yes."

"Rei flying the little plane, and landing on the ship?"

"Yes."

"Shizuka driving the bulldozer to rescue the others?"

"Yes."

"When you climbed through the vent with the guns?"

"That too."

"The seven of you fighting the zombie army, and then the woman army officer arriving with the soldiers? And the volunteers at the same time?"

"Yes."

"And Takashi and Saeko being killed?"

Alice was silent. She took the Tomo guidebook from her pack and took out the photograph. "These are my friends," she said. "This was taken six years ago."

By candlelight, Chizu examined the photo. Eventually, she handed it back to Alice, who replaced it in the book.

Chizu blew out the candle.

"Alice," said Chizu. "When do you think you will be leaving?"

"Maybe tomorrow, maybe the next day," said Alice.

"Do you think I could come with you?"

Alice was silent. "Perhaps," she said at last.

Mori had asked Alice to meet her in the building that served as the communal kitchen and meeting place. Now they sat together at a little table.

"I appreciate what you have done, with the pump and the seeds," said Mori, "but I cannot say you have not been disruptive to our little community. Now Gabi wants to go to see her sister and several other people want to go to Tomo. I guess they've got sick of eating fish. And now I understand Chizu wants to accompany you on your travels."

"I have not yet agreed to Chizu's request," said Alice. "Although I do not think that she should have to live her entire life here. There is a world outside Mulitenko."

"It's not safe," said Mori.

"I'm not saying it always is," said Alice. "I'm not sure all the zombies are gone, and there might still be marauders around. But if you have weapons, and you're careful, you can move about without too much difficulty. People in Tomo do it all the time. They trade food and other stuff, kids go to the school, my friend Shizuka rides around doing doctor things. I can draw you a map of the area if you like. It would help Gabi get to her sister's place if that's what she wants to do."

Mori looked unconvinced.

"Do you have any guns?" said Alice.

"We have some shotguns and a couple of pistols," said Mori. "I don't know if they still work. We don't really know how to maintain them."

Alice considered. "I'll make you a deal," she said. "I'll check your guns if you let Gabi go to visit her sister. I'm still thinking about Chizu, and it would have to be okay with her mother."

Mori thought about it. Eventually, she said: "Alright. And about this trading thing. Do you think we might be able to do that? What do we have to trade?"

"Well, I don't think anyone in Tomo has eaten fish for six years or so. And as you pointed out, you have salt. That's a pretty important commodity, isn't it?"

Mori nodded. "Salt and fish," she said. "We're all damn sick of both of them. I guess we'd forgotten they might be valuable."

Alice was sitting at a large table, an array of guns spread out before her. Chizu was next to her, watching.

Alice had taken apart one of the shotguns and was cleaning it with a rag. "One of my friends would have a heart attack if he saw the condition of these things," she said. She pointed to a large box of cartridges and bullets, all mixed up. "Chizu, take all those out and sort them by size. When you've done that, I'll show you which weapons they go with."

As they worked, Chizu said: "I saw your crossbow but I didn't realise you knew about guns as well. Do you carry one?"

"I carry a Glock 7-mil, and I have a Remington .25 in my right boot," she said. "A switchblade in my left one. You've seen the sword in my saddle holster. There are two grenades in a special pocket in the saddlebag as well. And of course I have my hunting knife. And a frypan. It has its own story."

Chizu stared at her, then said: "Fuck."

Alice laughed. "Better armed than dead," she said.

They were nearly finished when Gabi Hiro came in. "Chizu," she said. "You'd better come, and quickly. It's your mother. Something's wrong with her. We were just about to push a boat off when she fainted. We can't wake her up. We've taken her home and put her to bed but she isn't getting any better."

The three of them ran to Chizu's house. Mori and several other women were there. Toi was lying on the bed, her skin grey. Her breathing had become so shallow it seemed to have stopped. But she occasionally twitched in her coma.

Mori turned to Alice. "You ever seen this before?" she said. "Do you know what to do?"

Alice was thinking about something Rei had told her, several years ago. "You should restrain her," she said. "Tie her down."

Chizu went to a cupboard and took out a long strip of fabric. She took it to the bed and started to put it over her mother's chest, intending to attach it to the bed.

"I'm coming with you. There's nothing to keep me here."

"That's really not going to do it," said Alice.

Toi gave a groan – a groan that turned into a snarl. She suddenly sat up. She reached out for the nearest person, Chizu.

Alice grabbed Chizu and pulled her back. Toi was on her feet now, still snarling. She started to again advance on her daughter.

"Momma?" said Chizu.

"Not any more," said Alice. She pulled her Glock out and shot Toi – the creature that had once been Toi – in the head. Three times.

The zombie went down. Alice walked over to the body and put another bullet in its skull. Making sure.

There was a ghastly silence in the room. Then Mori said: "Fuck me."

"Indeed," said Alice.

It was the next day, the afternoon after Toi's cremation. Alice was preparing to leave Mulitenko.

"So long," said Alice to Mori. "And thanks for the fish and the salt. I hope that things work out for you."

"You too," said Mori. They shook hands.

Alice started to get onto Riku. "Hey, wait up!" said a voice. Chizu. She came up to them. She was wearing a backpack and carrying a shotgun. "I'm coming with you," she said. "There's nothing to keep me here."

Alice looked at her. "Might be a long walk," she said. "And I'm not really sure where this road is going."

"I know that," said Chizu.

Alice looked at Mori, who shrugged. She turned back to Chizu. She smiled. "Okay then," she said.

END

What You Leave Behind

Continuing to explore, Alice and Chizu encounter a surprising outpost of humanity – and new danger.

It was several weeks since Alice and Chizu had left Mulitenko, mainly travelling by foot but sometimes doubling on Riku. They were heading towards the city of Nagoya. Alice had never been there but Chizu had lived there before the Outbreak.

They had stopped for the night at a deserted cottage. Once, it had had a well-tended vegetable garden. Now, it was overgrown and wild, but at least it gave them food to eat. They harvested as much as they could, and gathered as many seeds as they could find.

Chizu had been quiet ever since they had left Mulitenko, obviously grieving for her mother. As they ate their vegetable stew, she said: "Do you think the zombies will start appearing again? Since my mom turned into one, I mean."

"I don't know," said Alice. "But your mother turning means that whatever created the zombies in the first place is still around. We never really knew how it all happened, although Saya thought that maybe it was a random genetic thing. That fitted with what Rei heard when she was on the aircraft carrier. One way or another, it means that we have to be careful. They might start off slow and blind but they get smart pretty quickly. Do you know how to use that shotgun you brought along?"

"Er, no. I only picked it because it had the most shells."

Alice laughed. "It will probably knock you over if you have to fire it," she said. "Let's just hope that it scares whoever you point it at to death. But zombies aren't our only problem."

"You mean human survivors that have gone feral?"

"Yes, although hopefully they've either killed each other off or settled down by now. Actually, I was thinking more of dogs. My friend Shun had spent some time riding around the south of the country and said that there were packs of dogs in the larger towns. Domestic dogs that had gone savage."

"Huh. You know, we used to have a dog in Nagoya. A spaniel. When we decided to leave, Mum said we couldn't take him, because we didn't have enough food. So we let him go instead. I guess a lot of people did."

They settled down to sleep. Chizu said: "Alice, tell me one of the stories. Of the seven."

"What? A story? Well, okay. Which one?"

"Uh, maybe the one where you and Kohta and Shizuka were trying to find a birthday present for Saya and zombies chased you onto the roof of the store."

Alice laughed again. Then she began to tell the story.

It was two days later. They were in the outskirts of Nagoya.

From a distance away, there was the sound of men shouting. There was a shot, and then another.

"Let's go," said Alice. "That way." She mounted Riku and helped Chizu climb on behind her.

"Is it a good idea to go towards the sound of gunfire?" said Chizu as they began to gallop.

"Probably not," said Alice. "But we are here to explore, aren't we?"

They rounded a corner.

There were three men running towards them. They were being chased by a pack of dogs, a dozen or more.

One of the men saw them. He stopped. His jaw fell open.

"Keep running!" shouted Alice to him. She drew the sword from its sheath as Riku swept past the amazed trio.

She leaned down as far as she could, and swung. One dog, then another. Two more went under Riku's hooves, yelping.

The other dogs scattered and ran. In a moment, they were gone.

Alice wheeled Riku to a halt. They turned and began to trot back towards the three men.

"Please warn me before you do that again," said Chizu.

"Maybe," said Alice.

They came up to the three men, who were staring at them in shock. Alice helped Chizu down and then herself dismounted.

"Hi," she said to the men.

"What the fuck!?" said one of them, a man in his early twenties and apparently the leader of the little group. "Who the fuck are you!?"

"I am Alice Maresato, of Tomo," said Alice.

"I am Chizu, of Mulitenko," said Chizu.

The men continued to stare.

"And you are welcome," said Alice, wiping blood from the sword.

"Forgive us for being surprised. We don't often get visitors. Never, in fact."

The leader shook himself out of his stupor. "Go get the dog bodies, at least we can have some meat for dinner," he said to the other men. "And don't forget the one I shot before." The two of them went off.

The man was still holding a pistol.

"Mauser 3.5," said Alice.

"Huh?" said the man.

"Your gun. I knew someone who had a 5 mil. Perhaps you would like to put it away and tell us who you are, since we have told you our names."

The man holstered the gun. "My name is Huyu Tzasi," he said. "And … thank you. Forgive us for being surprised. But we don't often get visitors. Never, in fact."

"Is it just the three of you?" said Alice.

"No, we're just a salvage crew, mainly looking for food. Not that there's much left. There's a group of us, 28 in all. We live up there." He pointed towards a massive castle on a hill.

"Nagoya Castle," said Chizu. "It's really famous. Very historic."

"Ever been there?" said Alice.

"Of course not," said Chizu.

"Well, it was a good place for defence, when there were lots of zombies around," said Huyu. "We think there are still some on the other side of the city, but we don't bother them and they don't bother us. So far. And usually the dogs don't bother us either. They must be getting desperate for food."

"Would you and your people be interested in trading, or at least exchanging news?" said Alice.

"Sure," said Huyu, as the other two men returned, carrying the bodies of several dogs. "It might even be a good excuse for a party."

As the five of them walked to the castle, Huyu explained that the group had previously lived in Nagoya but had been stranded by the EMP. After weeks of fighting zombies, they had almost given up hope when a stranger arrived, apparently stepping off a boat in the port and killing a dozen zombies on the wharf. It was he who had rallied the group and led them to the castle as a place of refuge.

As they entered the castle grounds, people crowded around, asking questions of Alice and Chizu or staring, dumbfounded.

Chizu moved closer to Alice, a little scared.

"I'm not used to so many noisy strangers," she whispered.

"Don't worry, they're just interested and surprised," said Alice, taking Chizu's hand. "And anyone who wants to bother you will have to go through me first."

"Good," said Chizu, obviously relieved.

An older, tall man approached. He had only one leg, and used a crutch to walk. He looked at them with a stern expression. Everyone in the crowd fell silent.

"Master Keizo," said Huyu to him. "I have found ….guests. Or perhaps it is more correct to say they found us."

Alice thought that the older man looked … familiar. She introduced herself and Chizu.

Before answering, the man pointed at the sword in Alice's saddle. "May I see that?" he said.

Alice took it out and handed it to him.

He looked at it for a long time, inspecting it carefully.

Finally, he said: "This is the sword from the Anishi temple in Tokonosu City. How did you come by it, girl?"

"It was used by a close friend of mine. And I come from Tokonosu, originally. I would be interested to know how you know where it comes from, sir."

"Because," he said, "I made it. I used to have a lot to do with swords. Both making them and using them. And teaching others."

Suddenly, Alice realised why the man seemed familiar. She bowed. "My deepest respects," she said, "to Keizo Busujima, master swordsman."

The man started. "And how would you know my name, girl?" he said.

"Busujima-san, I had the honour of knowing, and sometimes fighting alongside, your daughter, Saeko. She spoke of you a number of times."

"From your tone, girl, I assume that she is no longer on this earth."

"No, Busujima-san. But she lived and died with great honour and courage."

Keizo Busujima nodded. "As I would have expected," he said.

Huyu broke in. "Master Keizo, Alice and Chizu saved my crew and I from a pack of dogs," he said. "We have not seen anyone from outside for years. We should celebrate."

"That we should," said Keizo. "We do not have much, but what we have we will be pleased to share."

"We have some things to trade," said Chizu. "Vegetables, only a few days old. Salt from the Inland Sea, and dried fish. And seeds."

"That's great!" said Huyu. "We haven't had salt for years! But we don't have much to give you in return. Is there anything you need?"

Alice was looking around at the castle grounds. "I am sure," she said, "that we can come to some arrangement."

"And we have something more valuable than vegetables and salt," said Chizu. "Much more valuable."

"And what is that?" said Keizo.

"Stories," said Chizu. "We have stories to tell."

As Huyu had promised, there was a celebration in the evening to mark the arrival of Alice and Chizu. There was food and drink, and during the evening some of the residents of Nagoya Castle produced some musical instruments and played, and there was some dancing. The meal was drawing to a close when everyone began to ask Alice to tell the story.

So she did.

Afterwards, she and Chizu were in the little room they had been given, preparing to sleep, when a messenger knocked on the door. He said that Master Keizo had asked to see her, and could she bring her sword.

She found him in his chamber, before a little shrine. She waited respectfully until he finished his prayers and turned to her. He asked if he could see the temple sword again, and she handed it to him.

"I will sharpen this for you," he said. "It will give me an excuse to use my old tools again."

She gave a nod of gratitude as he put the sword aside.

"I am worried," he said, "about the news that Chizu's mother turned suddenly. These past few months, I have felt a change in the air. The evil that created the zombies is still with us, I think."

"I agree," said Alice. "All the more reason to make contact with other groups of survivors, to warn them of the possible danger."

He nodded. Then he said: "That was an excellent story you told tonight. I am glad that my daughter would show such skill. You know, I was on a ship coming back from overseas, not far from the port, when the Outbreak happened. Somehow, the zombies got on board and I was the only one to survive. I encountered this group of people here in Nagoya and took responsibility for them. When I could, I sent scouts to Tokonosu City, but they reported back that what was left of the city was completely deserted. I always thought that if anyone would have been able to escape it would have been Saeko, but I had no idea where to start looking for her. And then I was injured – " he touched the stump where his right leg had once been – "and that made it very difficult to travel when conditions were already so dangerous."

He was silent for a few moments.

"My greatest regret," he said suddenly, "is that … is that … I never told her how much I loved her! How proud I was of her!"

"If it matters," said Alice, "you should know that she was loved very greatly by those around her. Especially Takashi. And she returned that love.

"I recall that one of her most treasured possessions was a photograph. Of her and you. She often looked at it. It meant a great deal to her."

He stared at her. A tear ran softly down his cheek.

"There are two things I did not mention in the story," said Alice. "One is that the temple sword is not the only one that Saeko used. She also used the Murata Katana."

Keizo Busujima started. "The … Murata … ? But that was held in trust by one of my former students, Souichiro Takagi."

"Who was the father of Saya Takagi, one of our group. We stayed at the Takagi mansion for a while after the Outbreak. He gave her the sword at that time. Saeko used both swords at the Battle of Sheroda – watching her wield them was a sight to behold, believe me – and they were retrieved by Saya later."

"What happened to the Murata blade after that?"

"I believe it was buried with her, at Maresato farm, at the instigation of Saya Takagi."

He nodded. "A very fitting end," he said. "It is sometimes said that certain swords can have only one true owner. I believe the Murata blade was destined for her, and her alone."

"Perhaps, Busujima-san, one day you will be able to visit the resting place of her and Takashi Komuro," Alice said. "I think they would both like that."

He gave a little smile. "And what was the other thing?" he said.

"That she gave birth to a son."

Keizo Busujima started again. "A … son!?" he said. Then: "A son."

"His name is Rise. After Sheroda, he was adopted by Rei Miyamato. The last time I saw him, when he was about five, he was growing straight and strong."

Slowly, silently, with infinite tenderness, Keizo Busujima began to weep.

Alice Maresato bowed deeply, and left.

Several days later, Huyu was showing Alice around the castle. They came to a disused workshop.

"You have not told me," said Huyu, "what you want in exchange for your supplies and your stories. And your daring rescue of me and my crew, of course."

Alice was looking around the workshop, inspecting various pieces of equipment.

"How about this?" she said, pointing. It was a small wooden cart, rather broken down. "We could use this on our travels, Chizu and I. She doesn't ride very well."

"But it doesn't have any wheels," he said.

"There are some abandoned cars not far from here. We can use the wheels from them. Adapt. If you will help me."

Huyu smiled. "Of course," he said. "And we have some horses as well. They are not suitable for riding, and to tell the truth we are just keeping them to slaughter them for meat. But there is one that I think would be a good cart-horse for you."

Alice picked up a hammer from a shelf, and a jar of nails. "Let's get to work," she said.

As they began to repair the cart, Huyu said: "Alice, did you, er, leave anyone special behind in Tomo? Special to you, I mean."

"No," she said. "No-one special. To me."

An hour passed, as they worked. Then Alice said: "And is there anyone special here? To you."

"No," he said. "No-one special. To me."

They looked at each other. There was a long moment of silence.

Then Chizu came in.

"Hey!" she said cheerily. "What's happening?"

"Now, nothing," said Alice.

"Uh, we are re-building a cart for you," said Huyu.

"Great!" said Chizu. "Can I help?"

Alice sighed. "Sure," she said.

It was the night before Alice and Chizu were going to leave Nagoya Castle, where they had been for a week. Chizu had been asleep for an hour when she woke. She looked around for Alice, but she wasn't there.

"Hmm," she said to herself.

At that moment, Huyu was answering a knock at the door of his room.

It was Alice. She was holding a lit, flickering candle. Her hair, which she usually wore tied back, hung loose, a cascade around her shoulders.

"Hi," she said.

"Hi," he said. He noticed that she was carrying a cloth bag. "What's in there?" he said.

"I'll show you," she said.

Alice, Chizu, Huyu and Keizo were standing in a little square in Nagoya. Chizu had driven the little cart – with Huyu and Keizo in the back – from the castle, and now the two horses were grazing on a patch of grass nearby.

"By the pricking of my thumbs … "

"You are welcome to stay, you know," said Huyu. "More than welcome."

"I know," said Alice. "But there is much to explore."

Huyu nodded, rather sadly.

Keizo handed Alice the sheathed temple sword, newly sharpened. She took it with a solemn bow.

She felt a tiny gust of wind blow a strand of hair across her cheek. She looked around.

Now everything had become still.

Completely still.

"By the pricking of my thumbs," she said in English.

"Uh, what was that?" said Chizu.

"Something wicked this way comes," said Keizo, also in English. He drew his sword. Alice drew hers.

She glanced at the cart. Ten metres away. Her crossbow was there, and extra clips for the Glock, as well as Chizu's shotgun.

Keizo saw what she was thinking. "No," he said. "We stay together. Defensive circle. Back to back."

"Right," said Alice. "Huyu, how many bullets in your Mauser?"

"Five," he said, pulling it out.

Alice took the Glock from its holster. She flicked the safety off and handed it to Chizu.

"What's going on?" said Chizu, as she took the gun.

"We are about to be attacked," said Keizo. "From several directions at once, probably."

"Only six bullets in the clip, so aim at the head and don't miss," said Alice to Chizu. "Stay on my left. Huyu, stay on my right."

A second crawled by. Another.

" … something wicked this way comes."

"Alice – " said Chizu.

A dozen zombies burst from the surrounding buildings, charging straight for them.

Huyu and Chizu fired, and several went down. Then the zombies were in range of the swords. Alice decapitated one, then another. A zombie came up on her from the side. She leapt and kicked, and the zombie fell. Before it could get up, she rammed her sword through its skull. There was another reaching out for Chizu; Alice cut its arm off with a single swing. The zombie started to howl – and then its head left its shoulders.

With her side clear, Alice risked a glance at Keizo – and gasped.

Even with his limited mobility, he was like a hurricane wind, if a hurricane wind had a single-minded grace. He had already dispatched three, and took the head from a fourth as Alice watched. And he had not even broken a sweat.

I haven't seen anyone use a sword like that since, well, Saeko, she thought.

Huyu had taken down two, and so had Chizu.

All the zombies were dead.

Alice saw that Chizu was shaking. Gently, she took the gun from her.

"Is it … is it … always like that?" said Chizu.

"Not always," said Alice. "Sometimes it's hard."

Chizu stared at her.

"It's a joke," said Alice.

"I took six shots to get only two of them," said Chizu. "Sorry."

"You have nothing to be sorry about," said Keizo. "You kept your nerve and you held your side. Outstanding." He turned to Alice. "It was a pleasure to fight at your side, Alice Maresato," he said.

"And an honour to fight at yours, Busujima-san," said Alice. "Now, we should be on our way. Will you be able to get back to the castle safely?"

"Yes, there will be no more attacks for a little while," said Keizo.

"Just a moment," said Huyu.

He took Alice in his arms and kissed her. And she kissed back.

"I hope I will see you again," he said.

"Count on it," she said.

As they headed north, sitting together on the buckboard of the cart, Chizu said: "So … what was it like?"

Alice smiled. "Outstanding," she said.

END

What You Find Again

Zombies are not the only monsters on the loose.

It was two months since Alice and Chizu had left Nagoya. They had stopped at every village and farmhouse they could find. Most were deserted but they encountered a number where small groups of people had established lives for themselves. Many did not know if there were other people still alive, and were surprised – often amazed – when the two young women appeared, Alice riding her horse and Chizu driving the little cart, ready to trade food and goods or simply willing to exchange stories and information.

They had left a farmhouse which was home to two extended families the day before. The people there had given them several pots of honey, produced on the farm, in exchange for vegetable seeds that Alice and Chizu had collected. Now, as the cart rolled along, Chizu occasionally dipped a spoon into a honey-pot and licked it off.

"Don't eat it all, we might be able to trade it for something else," said Alice, laughing.

"When I was at Mulitenko, eating fish for breakfast, lunch and dinner, I used to dream about honey," said Chizu. "Which reminds me, I have to update my journal."

"Your what?" said Alice.

Chizu pulled a little book from her pack. It was a school exercise book. She had already filled the first few pages.

"I got this when we were at Nagoya Castle," she said. "I've been making some notes on the places we've been to. And collecting the names of the people in each place. See, here are the people from Nagoya, and these are the ones I remember from Mulitenko. And here are the names of all the other people we've met so far. That way, people can look and see if they have any relatives or friends still alive."

"That's a good idea," said Alice. "It might seem like a long shot, but I suppose that Gabi Hiro found she still had a sister. And keeping a record of things makes sense, especially if people want to start trading. A lot of people would be interested in the honey farm, I think."

She brought Riku to a halt, peering into the distance along the road. She pulled the telescopic sight from her pack and put it to her eye. Something was coming towards them.

She picked up her crossbow.

"What is it?" whispered Chizu. "Trouble?"

Alice handed Chizu the sight. She looked.

"Zombies," said Chizu. She counted. Seven. "Do we run or fight?"

"For the moment, we watch," said Alice.

The zombies were shuffling slowly along the road.

"I didn't know that they just, well, walked around," said Chizu.

"I remember Takashi telling me once that he and Saeko had found a village of zombies that didn't attack them," said Alice. "He said that they seemed self-aware, but all they were able to do was walk around the village, drifting from one place to another."

"You think this might be the same sort of thing?"

"I think that they must have seen us by now, but they're not attacking. But get that shotgun of yours, Chizu, and use it at the first sign of trouble."

Armed, the two of them dismounted. The zombies were only twenty metres away now.

"That's close enough," called Alice, lifting the crossbow and aiming at the zombie in the lead.

The little group shuffled to a stop. They peered at Alice and Chizu.

"Do you understand me?" said Alice.

The lead zombie stared at her.

"This means yes," said Alice. She nodded her head. "This means no." She shook it.

Slowly, the zombie nodded.

"We're not looking for trouble," said Alice. "Are you?"

The zombie shook his head.

"Where are you going?" said Chizu.

The zombie stared at them.

"Are you looking for a place to … rest?" said Alice.

Slowly, almost painfully, the zombie nodded. Alice saw that the zombies' feet were covered in black blood. They looked as if they had been walking for years. Maybe, she mused, they have been.

"A couple of hours ago," she said. "We passed through a little village. Just a few houses. Empty. If you go along this road and turn towards a big tree on a hill you'll find it. Do you understand?"

The zombie nodded.

Slowly, the zombies began to move. They walked around Alice and Chizu, and once they were past continued down the road.

The last zombie in the line stopped. He came towards them a few paces.

"No further," said Chizu, lifting her shotgun.

The zombie raised a decayed arm and pointed east. He remained that way for a few seconds, and then shuffled after the group.

When they were out of sight, Alice and Chizu lowered their weapons.

"That was odd," said Chizu. "What do you think that last one was pointing at?"

"Let's find out," said Alice.

It was a farmhouse with a few other buildings. It looked as if it had been deserted for some time, but now it had some new residents.

Alice and Chizu were studying it from the cover of a small hill. There was a truck in the yard, with two men working on the engine. There were also a couple of motorbikes. As they watched, another truck pulled in. It was a flatbed truck, and there was a large machine gun mounted on the back. Two men got out of the cab, and there were another two in the back. The men began to unload a collection of sacks and bags, laughing and shouting. A few more men came out of the farmhouse. Several of them had automatic weapons slung over their shoulders.

"I don't like the smell of this," said Alice. "Especially that 50 cal. Not the sort of thing you use for hunting rabbits."

"What are they?" said Chizu. "They don't look like farmers or anything."

"Marauders," said Alice. "Scavengers. I still have bad dreams about one of them holding a knife to my throat. That was just before Saya shot him, of course."

"Oh, that story," said Chizu.

They continued to watch the men for a while.

"I make it ten of them," said Alice.

"What are we going to do?" said Chizu.

"Nothing," said Alice. "I would say they are just passing through, stealing whatever they can. So we should continue on our way, and warn anyone else we come across."

As they walked back to where Riku and the cart were hidden, Chizu said: "Why do you think the zombies pointed us this way? Was it some sort of trap?"

"Perhaps it was a warning," said Alice. "Or maybe zombies can't really tell one bunch of humans from another. Either way, I have no desire to go and ask them."

Two days later, they came to a farmhouse. It looked inhabited, but there did not seem to be anyone around. They called out, and waited.

Eventually, a man came out of the farmhouse. He had a heavy-duty shotgun levelled at them.

"Who are you?" he said.

"I am Alice Maresato, of Tomo, and this is Chizu, of Mulitenko," said Alice. "We are explorers, and traders. Looking for what might be found."

The man stared at them. "You're not with the others?" he said. "Those raiders?"

"If you mean the guys with the big machine gun, definitely not. We saw them and gave them a wide berth."

The man lowered the shotgun. A woman, carrying a rifle, came out of the house. Alice and Chizu dismounted. The couple introduced themselves: Yuto and Kaori.

"They came yesterday," said Kaori. "Took pretty well all our supplies. We couldn't do anything, they just turned up in a truck. Our son Souta tried to stop them but they shot him. In the shoulder. He's still alive but it's pretty bad."

"Hell, we haven't seen anyone but the people in another couple of farms for years, and then this scum show up," said Yuto. "And now you."

"We've got nothing to trade with you," Kaori said. "We don't even have food for ourselves anymore."

Chizu looked at Alice. She nodded.

"We've got some food here," Chizu said. "Some vegetables we've collected and some salted rabbit meat. Some wild tomatoes and edible berries. You can have it, and pay us back when you can."

"Show me your son," said Chizu. "Maybe I can help."

"I have something that might help. But no promises."

Yuto and Kaori took them inside. Souta was lying on a bed, unconscious but moaning slightly. Alice examined the wound on his shoulder. The bullet had gone through but the wound itself was turning a dark yellow.

"This is getting infected," she said. "I have something that might help."

She rummaged through her pack until she found the bottle of antibiotics that Shizuka had given her when she left her grandparents' farm. There was a syringe in a sealed plastic pack. Alice broke it out and filled it with the antibiotic fluid. Trying to remember what Shizuka had shown her, she injected it.

"No promises," she said to Yuto and Kaori. "I suggest you make some vegetable broth and try and get some into him."

"They didn't have to shoot him," said Yuto. "They just did it because they wanted to. They were angry because we said there were no young women or alcohol here for them to take."

"Yeah, I know the type," said Alice.

"And I certainly don't want to," said Chizu.

In the evening, Kaori prepared a meal for them, as well as some soup for her son. Alice and Chizu explained about their travels, and that zombies had begun to re-appear. Yuto said that he and his family had lived on the farm before the Outbreak. He and Kaori had lost several of their children and a number of other relatives to zombie attacks, until only the three of them were left. They knew of a few more families and groups in the area, and Chizu noted their locations in her book.

Alice and Chizu had said they would sleep in the barn. As they fed the horses, Chizu said: "Did I tell you that I named our cart-horse? Asa."

Alice laughed as she brushed Riku, having taken the saddle off.

Suddenly, from outside, there was a sound – the sound of engines. A truck, and two motorbikes.

"They're back!" said Alice. She scooped up her crossbow and ran outside.

The raiders were carrying fire-torches. It looked as if they intended to burn the entire place down.

Then they saw Alice. Immediately, the two on the bikes turned towards her.

If they were expecting her to run, they were mistaken. Alice lifted the bow, aimed, and fired. The arrow hit one of the bike-riders in the chest, knocking him backwards. But the other bike was close now. The raider came straight at her, intending to run her over. At the last moment, she leaped aside – but she dropped the crossbow.

The bike turned back towards her.

"Alice!" shouted Chizu. She threw something.

Alice caught the sword and in one motion took it from its sheath. As the bike approached, she jumped aside again, and slashed out.

The rider came off, his arm a bloody mess. In a moment, Alice was on him, stabbing him through the chest.

There was a roar from behind her: the truck. She tried to leap out of the way, but it clipped her as it went past. With a bone-jarring thud, she hit the ground.

There was a boom. It was Yuta, firing his shotgun at the raiders.

Alice looked for Chizu. She was running – and two of the raiders were running after her. They caught her, and lifted her, struggling and screaming, onto the back of the truck.

Alice tried to get to her feet. But then the ground whacked into her again.

She opened her eyes and tried to sit up.

"Take it easy," said Kaori. "You're lucky nothing is broken, at least as far as I can see."

"How long have I been out?" said Alice.

"Four hours, maybe a bit more," said Yuto.

Alice managed to swing herself so she was sitting on the side of the bed. "Did they do any other damage?" she said.

"No, once they had your friend they left," said Yuto. "You killed two of them, the ones on the bikes, so that probably scared the hell out of them."

Alice was checking herself for injuries. There was a multitude of bruises and her left wrist felt as if it was on fire.

"I'm going after her," she said. "Right now."

"You know that it might be too late?" said Yuto. "There might be nothing you can do. And the odds are against you."

Alice looked at him.

"Someone once saved me when the odds were against him," she said. "But he did it anyway. So I have an obligation. And Chizu is my friend. I have to do what I can."

"I had a feeling you would say something like that," said Yuto. He pointed to her weapons, lying on the table. "And I've saddled your horse."

"There's something else," said Kaori. She pointed to Souta. "His fever broke and he woke up an hour ago. He's sleeping now. I think he's going to be alright."

Alice nodded. "Give me something so I can strap up this wrist," she said. "And help me get on my horse."

She knew that the raiders had a head start, but they would have to stay on the road, and on Riku she could go cross-country. And, she thought, they probably did not know that she knew where they were based. So she had some advantages. But there were eight of them left.

As she rode, she checked her weapons: crossbow, Glock pistol, and Chizu's shotgun, already loaded with five shells. Not bad, although the raiders looked as if they knew how to use their own guns. That 50-cal was going to be a bitch.

The sun was rising when she approached the house that the marauders were using. She had almost hoped that they would be asleep, but she could see people moving around inside.

She crept past the truck with the heavy gun on the back until she came to a broken window.

Inside, a man was saying: " – don't worry, you'll get your turn with her. It's just that the boss should go first. Which is only right. I think she's a bit young, myself, but beggars can't be choosers."

Another voice said: "Danoko, there's no such thing as too young." They started laughing.

Alice crept along to the next window, another room. There were muted voices inside. Carefully, she inched up to the window and peeked in.

It was a kitchen. There were several men on chairs around a table, eating. And Chizu. She appeared to be … washing dishes.

But I doubt they plan for her to be just a kitchen hand for them, thought Alice.

There was a sudden noise behind her. She turned, lifting the bow.

Two men were coming around the corner. They stopped in surprise when they saw her.

One of them began to shout, but it was cut off as Alice's arrow hit him in the throat. But the other man leaped at her, punching her across the face before she could re-load the bow. He picked her up and threw her through the glass window, into the room. She landed with a crash on the wooden floor.

The men inside were stunned but recovered quickly. Two of them grabbed Alice by the arms and lifted her up. One of the others punched her in the stomach.

Another man entered the room. The others stepped aside for him, although the two holding her did not let her go. They took her sword and pistol, and the shotgun, from her and threw them onto a table. Her crossbow was still outside.

He looked at her. "So now we have two pretty girls," he said. "I am Masaru. Who the fuck are you?"

"I am Alice Maresato, of Tomo," said Alice. "Release me and my friend and I won't kill you. Any more of you."

"Hey, this is the bitch that killed Shiro and Takumi last night," said one of the men, who she recognised as Danoko from the voice.

"And she just killed Eita outside," said another. "Skewered him right in the throat."

"Then you have much to pay back," said Masaru. He began to punch her, on the body and the face. After a dozen punches, the men holding her let go, and she slumped to the floor.

Masaru picked her up by the front of her jacket.

"Sorry now?" he said to her.

"Fuck you," she gasped through her bruised mouth.

"Oh, you certainly will," he said.

"Stop it!" shouted Chizu. She was on the other side of the room. One of the men was pinning her arms behind her back. "Please! I … I'll do anything you want!"

"You're not really in any position to bargain," said Masaru to her. He punched Alice across the face again. She fell. He stepped back. "And now," he said, "I suppose it's time to start the fun." He looked at Chizu. He started to undo his belt.

"Uh, boss," said one of the men. "What's that?" He pointed to a bulge in the pocket of Masaru's jacket.

Masaru, puzzled, put his hand into his pocket and pulled the object out.

It was a grenade. No pin.

He started to say: "F – ". But it was lost in the explosion.

Alice had thrown herself aside, but a piece of shrapnel slashed into her thigh. There was a gush of blood.

The other men had dived for cover as soon as they saw the grenade. Nevertheless, two had gone down with Masaru in the explosion.

Chizu made a leap for the shotgun on the table. She reached it, and pointed it at the men. They started in surprise to find themselves looking down the barrel of a heavy weapon.

"You willing to bet your life on that?"

But one of the men started to advance on her – slowly. "You don't have the balls for a big gun like that," he said to her. "Your friend, yeah. But not you."

"You willing to bet your life on that?" she said.

He looked closely at her. He was almost close enough to snatch the gun away.

"Sure," he said.

She fired. The man cried out and was blown backwards, his chest exploding into a red cascade.

Chizu was thrown off her feet by the recoil. But she was up again in a moment. She re-cocked the gun and stared at the other three. "Anyone else want to roll the dice?" she said.

Alice struggled to her feet. She picked up the sword and pistol. Blood was flowing from her wound, and from another gash on her head. Chizu put an arm around her to assist.

They backed out the door and onto the porch. Chizu saw the crossbow there, and picked it up.

Alice whistled for Riku. The horse trotted out from where he had been hidden and came up to them.

Chizu helped Alice on, and then got on herself. Chizu turned Riku away from the farmhouse, and they began to gallop.

Alice looked back. The last three men came running out of the farmhouse. Two of them made for the 50-cal on the back of the truck.

They began to turn it towards the two women on the horse.

As the gun swivelled, one of them heard an unfamiliar sound: p-tunk. He glanced down. There was a little pin, with a string attached, on the floor of the truck.

He looked at the mechanism of the machine gun. There was a grenade wedged there. When the gun had been turned, the pin had been pulled out. Booby trap.

Alice heard the explosion and smiled. "Fuck you," she said softly. Then she passed out.

She swam back to the world, slowly and painfully. She opened her eyes, and saw Chizu. They were in a broken-down little cottage. There was a tourniquet and bandage on her leg.

"Thanks for the rescue," said Chizu.

"Likewise," said Alice. "Where are we?"

"Uh, with friends. Sort of."

"Back at Yuto's?"

"No, I didn't know the way back there. Other friends. Don't try to move, you've lost a lot of blood."

Suddenly, the door of the cottage flew open. A man with a machine gun burst in.

Danoko. His eyes were filled with rage as he lifted the gun.

But then, from behind him, a hand landed on his shoulder. There was a snarl. He turned – and came face to face with a zombie.

Alice recognised it as the leader of the ones they had met on the road.

Danoko tried to turn his gun but he was not fast enough. The zombie snatched it from his grasp and threw it to the floor. He began to drag Danoko outside. The other zombies were there, growling. Danoko screamed.

The door closed.

It was a month later. Chizu and Alice were driving the little cart; Alice, her leg mainly healed but still bandaged, could not yet ride Riku.

"So with the people we met yesterday, how many is that in your book?" said Alice.

"About two hundred," said Chizu. "A start. I have a feeling that there are still many more to find. But that can be the next trip."

Alice nodded. "According to the map, we crossed into Tomo this morning," she said. "I think there's an empty house around the next bend. We can stop there."

There was, indeed, a house, but it was not empty. As they approached, Alice saw a woman in the front garden. She was setting out a line of clay pots to dry in the sun. She came over to them as Chizu brought the cart to a halt. Alice and Chizu climbed down.

The woman was middle-aged, with a shock of blond hair. It was tied back, revealing scars on one side of her face. She was several months pregnant.

"Huh," said Alice.

"Huh yourself, Alice Maresato," said the woman, smiling.

"Chizu," said Alice, "this is … you know, I have never heard your first name. I had always assumed it was 'Major'."

Arimake laughed. "It is Reika," she said. "I never thought it particularly suited me."

"I disagree," said a young man, coming up to them. "My lovely flower."

Arimake blushed. "This is Naoki Tioba," she said. "Formerly one of the men under my command."

"Still am," he said. "But in a different way."

"We've met," said Alice, shaking his hand. "On top of an APC. But I was only eleven, maybe twelve, at the time."

"You know, we had another stranger pass through here, a couple of weeks ago," said Arimake. "He mentioned that he had met you. Tall man, one leg, carried a sword. Asked the way to your grandparents' farm, and if I knew Rei Miyamato. I gave him directions. Is that part of the story of your travels?"

"A part," said Alice. "But there's a lot more to tell as well."

"Then come and tell it," said Tioba. "And let us give you something to eat."

"And welcome home," said Arimake.

END

Favours

An old friend provides some unusual assistance.

[Author's Note: This story takes place a few months before the story Seeds.]

"Zu, tell me again why we're on our way to this village, Yakushita," said Shun Yamiashi, as she pumped petrol from the underground tank of the service station into her bike.

"We haven't been there before," said Shizuka. "Major Arimake says there are about thirty people there. She's dealt with them a number of times but I don't think there's been any direct contact between them and the Maresato farm people, if you don't count them pitching in at Sheroda. So it's a getting-to-know-you call."

Shun looked closely at her partner.

"Sort of," said Shizuka.

"And what exactly does that mean?"

"Well, I understand that the Yakushita group is led by someone I used to know. A fellow by the name of Yuudai. Knew him for a short time. Actually, a very short time."

"Was that before the Outbreak?"

"No, it was in Tokonusu, soon after the Outbreak."

"Are we talking about a quickie roll in the hay, here?"

"No, and there is a reason for that, which I think you will find out."

"It's alright if it was, you know. You've said that you used to like men, and still do. Me too, but the reality is that there aren't enough to go around, these days."

"Well, if that was to change, it wouldn't change anything, as far as I'm concerned. Not as long as you keep doing the things you do to me."

Shun laughed, and started to pack the manual pump into the little shed. She took a note of the amount of petrol remaining and wrote it down on the board with a piece of chalk, as information for the next person. It was what people usually did in Tomo, a way of ensuring that the resources from Before were shared reasonably equally.

"Has anyone ever told you that you're sexy when you're being cute?" she said.

"Yes, any people have told me that," she said. "I think it's got something to do with the big tits."

"Possibly, Zu, possibly," said Shun. With a smile, she got onto the bike, and Shizuka got onto the back. "Hold on tight," said Shun.

"Like I've never heard you say that before," said Shizuka, putting her arms around her lover.

Yakushita was a small village, a collection of houses strung along a river. When Shun and Shizuka rode in, most of the people who lived there downed tools to greet them.

Shizuka and Shun were still shaking hands with the people of Yakushita when a tall, broad-shouldered man appeared, coming towards them with a charming smile.

"Please tell me that that guy is your friend," whispered Shun to Shizuka.

"That guy is my friend," said Shizuka. "Hello, Yuudai," she said to him. She extended her hand.

But instead of taking it he lifted her up in a huge hug. Shizuka gasped.

When he put her down and she had recovered, she said: "I guess that means you remember meeting that time in Tokonusu. But I didn't know if you knew my name."

"How could I forget, and in any case everyone has heard of Shizuka Marikawa," he said. "The best-built doctor this side of, well, anywhere."

"You should see her with her clothes off," said Shun, offering her hand to Yuudai. "Or maybe not. I'm Shun, a friend of Shizuka's."

"Actually, my partner," said Shizuka. "As in, you know … partner."

"Pleased to meet you," said Yuudai, shaking Shun's hand. "And please meet my partner, Ken."

"Hello," said Ken, shaking hands with first Shun and then Shizuka.

Shun looked a little puzzled. Then it dawned on her. "Oh!" she said. "Oh! I see! Partner!"

"And people think I'm a bit slow on the uptake," muttered Shizuka.

" … and when we got word about the zombie army from Kaga Base, we knew we had to be there for the fight," Yuudai said. "The Battle of Sheroda changed everything, I think. But it was a close-run thing. Did you know, Shun, that it was the seven of them that made the difference?"

"To tell the truth," said Shun, "I've never heard the whole story. Zu and the others have never really told it."

"One day, I'll tell you," said Shizuka. "One day. When I can."

"I have always been sorry for the loss of your friends, Shizuka," said Yuudai. "But in any case, I don't think you're here to exchange war stories. From everything I've heard, it sounds like there is a pretty substantial community growing up, centred around the Maresato farm."

"We're doing alright," said Shizuka. "We produce enough food to make trading viable. We have electricity from windmills at the farm, and we charge batteries for people in the area. I do regular rounds providing medical services and whatever help I can. There's a little school – Shun teaches there three days a week. We'll have to make it bigger soon, because there are babies being born all over the place. I should know, because I've delivered all of them. Which sort of brings me to the reason I'm here, Yuudai."

"It does?" said Shun.

"It does?" said Ken.

"Go on," said Yuudai.

"I have a favour to ask," said Shizuka. "It's a pretty big one."

Shun and Ken were washing the dishes from the evening meal. Yuudai and Ken had said that Shun and Shizuka should stay in their house, and they had agreed. Now, Shizuka was at the other end of the village, with Yuudai, providing health checks to any of the Yakushita people who wanted one.

"So what's it like, being the partner of such a gorgeous man?" said Shun.

"Well, we've been together for quite a few years now – two years before the Outbreak – so it's not exactly new," said Ken. "I've gotten pretty used to women hitting on him, not knowing he's gay. But this is different. Not just a playtime thing. Serious.

"Tell me, did you and Shizuka know each other before? And were you both, you know, always into other women?"

"No, and no. At first, it was just a … demographic … thing. More women than men survived the Outbreak, for some reason. So I guess we both thought, well, it's this or nothing. But now, I don't think either of us would have it any other way. Of course, there is the baby thing. Shizuka would like one, and it's not as if I can do anything about it."

"Which is where Yuudai enters the picture," said Ken.

"Is it … how can I put it … possible? I mean, if he agrees."

Ken considered. "He wasn't always gay," he said. "Before he met me, he had girlfriends. Quite a lot, I would think."

"What a surprise," said Shun. "And would you be okay with it, if he agrees?"

Ken thought about it. "I think so," he said. "Yuudai is a very generous person, so I think it's the sort of thing that would make him happy. So, yeah, I'm okay. How about you?"

Shun was quiet for a while. "You don't think," she said, "that there's any chance they could ever be anything other than friends, do you?"

"None," said Ken.

"Then I'm cool," said Shun.

"Well, this is odd," said Ken. "I've never slept with a woman before. We're just sleeping, right?"

"Very right," said Shun. "But if Yuudai and Shizuka are going to be in one bed, I guess that means that you and I have to share as well."

They were in a double sleeping-bag on the floor in the room of the house farthest from the room where Yuudai and Shizuka were. Ken turned out the light.

After a while, he said: "Shizuka is pretty attractive, for a woman, is that right?"

"If you like large and perfectly shaped breasts, beautiful skin, a lovely face, shapely long legs, and hair to die for, then yes, she is."

"So a child who has Yuudai for a father and Shizuka for a mother is likely to be … "

Then they both began to laugh.

"So, do you feel pregnant?" said Shun. They had again stopped at the petrol station to top up the bike on the way back to Maresato farm.

"It's only been a few hours," said Shizuka. "It will be two weeks before I might know."

"But … how do you feel? You know, womanly intuition and all that."

Shizuka looked around – probably unnecessary, as there were no other people in sight. "How do I feel?" she whispered. "First, thoroughly nailed. Second, knocked up. It was the third one that did it, I think."

Shun squealed with delight and hugged her.

"I'm glad you're happy about it," said Shizuka.

"One question," said Shun. "You've delivered everyone else's babies. But who is going to deliver yours? Not like you can do it yourself."

Shizuka thought about it. Eventually, she said: "You know, I have a book that you might like to read … "

END

Pots

Even the toughest of soldiers deserves a chance at being loved.

[Author's Note: This story takes place a few weeks after the story Seeds.]

The little house had been empty since the early days of the Outbreak but was still in fairly good condition, if dusty and chaotically overgrown. The well was still functional and the garden had plenty of vegetables. There was a pond at the back of the house.

"Looks like a nice place, Major," said Tioba, as he pulled the truck into the driveway. He and Arimake got out and began to unload the supplies from Kaga Base.

"You don't have to call me Major," said Arimake. "Or sir. I've thrown the uniform away, remember. And I can't give you orders anymore. But I appreciate you driving me here and helping me with the supplies."

"Then … Arimake-san?" he said.

"I do have a first name," said Arimake, as they carried the boxes inside. "It's just that … no-one has used it for, well, a very long time. It is … uh … it is … "

"Don't tell me you've forgotten it," said Tioba.

"Of course not!" said Arimake. "It's just that, well, it doesn't really suit me."

"Well, what is it?"

"It's … Reika."

Tioba smiled. "Lovely flower," he said. "It's a nice name."

"Yes, but … look, I've spent the past six years being the tough guy. 'Lovely flower' just doesn't say my-way-or-the-highway."

"But as you just said, you've thrown away the uniform now. May I call you Reika?"

Arimake considered. "Might as well," she said. "But I'm afraid I don't know your first name. I've always called you Tioba. Or Private."

"It is Naoki," he said.

"Naoki," she said. "Pleased to meet you."

"And pleased to meet you, Reika," he said. A bit stiffly, they shook hands.

"I think that all this will take me a while to get used to," said Arimake. "But let me show you something. The reason I chose this place. You know, I found this house when we were doing a survey of the area, looking for other survivors, and I never really forgot it."

She led him through the house and to the pond. She pointed to the damp soil at the edge of the water. "Here it is," she said.

"Mud?" he said.

"Not just mud. This is clay, the right sort of stuff for making pots. I thought that I would try and do that. If we're going to build a new society, we're going to need pots."

"We are?"

"Well, I think so."

She looked at him. Suddenly, she burst out laughing.

"What's so funny?" he said.

"What's so funny," she said, "is that … you're sinking! Into my mud!"

He looked down. He had, indeed, sunk into the soft mud, to the point where it was up to the laces of his military boots.

With an effort, he pulled his feet out. As he did so, mud flew up and splattered over Arimake.

And then they were both laughing.

Eventually, they stopped. Arimake wiped her eyes. "You know," she said, "that is the first time I have laughed for, well, six years or so. Surprised that I remember how."

As they walked back to the house, Tioba said: "How come you know about pots and mud, Maj – , I mean, Reika?"

Arimake was trying to wipe a lump of mud from her long hair. "I wasn't always a soldier," she said. "I actually went to college and studied art for a while, and that included some classes on pottery. But there's no money in that sort of thing, and my family wasn't well-off. I needed something with a reliable income, and the most reliable thing I could think of was the army."

She finally managed to extract the mud. As she did, her hair fell back over her shoulder, and suddenly the scarred part of her face was revealed.

She saw Tioba looking at it. She started to pull her hair back into its usual position. But he reached out and stopped her.

"No need to do that," he said.

"It's not exactly pretty," she said. "I got that on the first day."

"You really think I care?" he said. Gently, he pushed her hair back over her shoulder.

They resumed their walk to the house. They collected some wood from a pile near the door, and when they were inside they began to make a fire in the old-fashioned stove. They began to boil water for tea.

"What did you do before the Outbreak?" she said.

"Well, I was only a couple of years out of high school when it happened," he said. "I was working as a waiter to try and save enough money to train as a cook." He began to pour the tea. "But then everything changed, of course. And suddenly I was in the army trying to stay one step ahead of the zombies. Like a lot of other people. Actually, I thought it was all a pretty useless effort until the unit I had been shoved into got a new commander. That was you. To tell the truth, I hadn't thought that any of the other officers that I'd been under before that were worth following, let alone worth fighting for. But you knew what had to be done and you knew how to do it. Made all the difference to amateurs like me."

"Huh," said Arimake. "How about that."

They were quiet for a while, sitting at the little table and sipping their tea. After a while, as it started to grow dark, Tioba lit one of the lanterns they had brought with them.

"Reika," said Tioba. "If you're going to make pots, don't you need a kiln or something? Don't they have to be, what's the word, fired?"

"Yes, that's true," said Arimake. "I know how to build one, though. And there's plenty of wood around for fuel."

"That would be a big job."

"I think it will be."

He looked around. "This will be a nice place," he said, "but it needs a good clean. Probably some repair work. That will be a big job too."

"Yes, it will."

"Hard to do by yourself."

"Yes, it would be."

After a while, Tioba got some food from one of the boxes of supplies and began to cook dinner. They ate it in silence.

Eventually, Arimake said: "Tioba, you're … what, 27?"

"26."

"Okay, 26. I'm 52. I want you to know that."

He stared at her. "You really think I care?" he said.

It was the next morning. The two of them were sharing a double sleeping bag in the living room, the only room they had had the time to clean so far.

Arimake stretched. She leaned over and kissed Tioba. "This," she said, "was either a really big mistake or just about the best thing that has ever happened to me."

"I'm hoping you'll go for door number two," he said. "Well, at least now you've got out of the uniform. Maybe not the way you had intended."

She laughed.

"Aren't you still in the army?" she said.

"I just quit. Got a better offer."

She smiled, and kissed him again.

Suddenly, the door flew open. Saya Takagi burst into the room, her heavy pistol up and ready to fire.

She saw them lying in each other's arms.

"Oh," she said.

"Well, I suppose I should think that this is embarrassing," said Arimake. "But somehow, I just don't feel it."

Saya holstered her Luger. "We thought … there might be trouble," she said. "We came to check that you had got here safely, but when we didn't hear anything, we thought … there was trouble."

"No, you thought there was trouble," said Kohta Hirano, coming into the room behind his wife. "Hello, Major. And, it's Private Tioba, isn't it?"

"Hi," said Arimake. "Please call me Reika."

"And I'm Naoki," said Tioba.

"Reika?" said Saya. "Lovely flower?"

"She sure is," said Tioba.

"We've brought some stuff you might need," said Hirano. "Including a half-dozen chickens. But I guess we should step outside for a bit so you two can, you know, get dressed and everything."

Saya was staring at Arimake and Tioba in the sleeping bag together.

"How come you have a double one?" she said to them.

"We should step outside now, sweetheart," said Hirano, a bit louder than before.

"What?" said Saya. "Oh, outside, yeah, right."

So Saya and Hirano went outside, and began to unload the wagon.

Arimake and Tioba looked at each other. Then they started to laugh.

END

The Naming of Horses and Cows

An unexpected, but welcome, visitor comes to the Maresato farm.

Hirano, Saya and Nozomi were returning to Maresato Farm, after delivering some charged-up batteries to several of the neighbouring farms. The horse-drawn wagon they were in carried several baskets of vegetables and goods they had been given as payment. And one of the people in a farm they had visited had made some wooden toys for the various children of Maresato farm. Nozomi was happily playing with her toys, a horse and a cow, as she sat between her parents on the buckboard of the wagon.

"Funny, before the Outbreak no six-year-old would have been happy with anything less than a Nintendo," said Hirano.

"What are your animals' names?" said Saya to her daughter.

"They haven't told me yet," said Nozomi.

They came to a fork in the road. They began to turn towards Maresato when Kohta stopped the wagon. He looked along the other road. There was a little cart approaching.

"You recognise it?" he said to Saya.

"No, but I think it's fair to say it's not a marauder vehicle," she said.

They waited for the cart. It was driven by a tall man with one leg. He brought the cart to a halt.

"Good day," he said. "Is this the road to Maresato farm? I have directions from Reika Arimake but I do not know the area."

"Why are you going there?" said Saya.

The man looked at her. "You must be Saya Takagi," he said. "Which means that you – " he looked at Hirano " – would be Kohta Hirano."

"We are," said Hirano.

"He's got only one leg," whispered Nozomi.

The man laughed. "And you must be Nozomi," he said. "Your good friend Alice Maresato told me about you. About all of you. I am Keizo Busujima."

Hirano and Saya both started. "Would you be the father of Saeko Busujima?" said Hirano.

"I am. I am on my way to Maresato farm to see her resting place, and to pay my respects, as Alice suggested. And also, if possible, to see her son, Rise."

"Is Alice alright?" said Hirano.

"Last time I saw her, she was in excellent health, and continuing her explorations, in the company of another young woman. I encountered them in Nagoya, where I have lived with a group of other survivors since the Outbreak."

"Then … this way to Maresato farm," said Hirano.

"Momma," said Nozomi, "can I ride with Busujima-san?"

Saya looked at Keizo, who – although obviously surprised by the request – nodded assent. She helped Nozomi off the wagon and the little girl climbed onto Keizo's cart. They set off towards Maresato farm.

In the fading afternoon light, Saya walked up the hill to the grave markers of Saeko and Takashi, where Keizo was standing. She had waited until he had finished his prayers before approaching.

"I hope Nozomi did not bother you too much on the way back, Busujima-san," she said. "She does like to chatter."

"True, I now know much more about the naming of horses and cows than I did before, Takagi-sama," said Keizo. "I have not spoken to a young child since, well, Saeko was that age. I know that I made many mistakes – very many mistakes – with Saeko. It appears that you are doing a much better job with Nozomi and your other children."

"Thank you," said Saya. "To tell the truth, we just make it up as we go along. And draw on the advice of Grandfather and Grandmother.

"Busujima-san, you should know that we all loved Saeko a great deal. I have never known a person who lived their life with such a sense of honour."

Keizo nodded. "Alice told us the story of the seven of you," he said. "It is becoming a legend, I think. And deservedly so. The Battle of Sheroda turned the tide. Now humanity has a chance to go on. Until that, I thought that eventually the zombies would win. Pick off the survivors a few at a time until none were left. You changed all that. The war is not yet won, and there are still zombies in the north of the country and elsewhere, and there is still evil in the air. But the balance has shifted.

"There is something I hope you can tell me, Takagi-sama. I would like to hear about the man my daughter loved."

Saya was silent for a while. Then she began: "Takashi Komuro once told me that he felt his life really began on a bridge in Tokonusu City, shortly after the Outbreak … "

Grandfather and Grandmother Maresato insisted that Keizo stay with them, and they had prepared a room for him in the farmhouse. He said that he would stay for a few days, and hopefully see Rise on the next visit of Rei and Benaro, before returning to his leadership duties at Nagoya.

It was his second evening at the Maresato farmhouse when Shizuka knocked on his door.

"Please come in, Marikawa-sama," he said. "Or is it Doctor?"

"Oh, call me Shizuka," she said. "Busujima-san – "

"If I am to call you Shizuka, you must call me Keizo," he said.

"Okay, Keizo. Take off your pants, please."

"It has been some time since a woman has made such a request of me," he said. "But I assume that your reasons for this are medical." He removed his trousers.

Shizuka took some careful measurements of the stump of his leg. Then she made him stand up straight while she took some more measurements.

"What is this about?" said Keizo, pulling his trousers back on.

"At this point, it's a secret," said Shizuka, as she wrote the measurements on a piece of paper. As she was leaving, she said: "As you know, Keizo, I have a partner, Shun. But if I didn't, well, you'd have to watch out for yourself." She winked.

Keizo watched her go. He whistled softly to himself.

Keizo, Rei, Benaro, Saya and Hirano were watching Rise and Nozomi play together, as the two of them often did. Rei, Benaro and Rise had arrived an hour earlier on the little plane, on one of their regular visits to Maresato farm.

"Alice said that he was growing straight and strong," said Keizo. "I see now that she was entirely right."

"Are you sure," said Rei, "that you do not want him to know that you are his grandfather?"

Keizo nodded. "Perhaps when he is older," he said. "Old enough to understand."

Rise ran over to them. "Busujima-san," he said. "Will you come and play with us? Just for a little while."

Keizo looked at Rei and Benaro. They nodded. Rise smiled, and took Keizo's hand.

"Rise-san," said Keizo. "I will play with the two of you for as long as you like."

It was the evening before Keizo planned to leave. He was playing go with Grandfather Maresato in the farmhouse kitchen when Shizuka entered. She was carrying something large and heavy, wrapped in brown paper.

She handed it to Keizo. "Surprise!" she said.

More than a little puzzled, Keizo opened the package.

It was an artificial leg. Made of wood, with metal hinges at the knee and ankle.

"Well, that's unusual," said Grandfather Maresato.

"Where did you get it?" said Keizo.

"I have to say that you are not the first owner," said Shizuka. "One of the farms I visit on my rounds had it. It had belonged to a man there, he died of natural causes about two years ago. When I explained the situation to his family, they were happy to pass it on. It is about the right size, I think, and you can make some small adjustments if needed."

Keizo looked at it. Then he took off his trousers and tried it on. It took them a while to work out the straps and attachments, but eventually it was in place. With the assistance of Grandfather Maresato and Shizuka, he took a few steps.

"Outstanding," he said.

"Literally," said Grandfather Maresato.

"I think it will take a fair bit of practice," said Shizuka. "But, hey, better than a crutch, right?"

"Much better," he said. "I cannot thank you enough, Shizuka."

Shizuka smiled. "All part of the service," she said.

The group watched Keizo's cart roll down the track, on the way back to Nagoya.

"Somehow," said Hirano, "that visit gave me a sense of … continuity."

"And it's good to know there are people elsewhere who are building lives," said Saya. "Maybe we should take him up on his invitation for a visit to Nagoya."

"It is good to hear that Alice is doing well on her journey," said Grandmother Maresato.

"It means," said Shizuka, "that there is a future."

END

Wheel

Good news can come from surprising sources.

Reika Arimake was working at her potter's wheel on the porch of the little house when she heard a horse. She looked up and saw it was Saya Takagi. She wiped clay from her hands and went to greet the visitor, as Saya dismounted and took several bags of supplies – rice and sunflower oil – from her saddle.

"Hi," said Saya. "I thought I would drop in and check to see how the wheel thing was going, bring a few things you might find useful."

"It's great, thanks very much for it," said Arimake.

The potter's wheel was, indeed, a remarkable piece of construction. Saya had built it, mainly using pieces from an old car that had been in the garage attached to the house. It was powered by the car battery, charged by the windmill at the Maresato farm. She had even adapted the car's accelerator to control the speed of the wheel. Amazingly, it has taken Saya only about an hour to work it out and put it together. You could not look at it and conclude anything other than that Saya Takagi was, in fact, a genius.

"Good to hear that it works, it was fun to do," said Saya. She took a little tool from her pocket to check how much power the battery had left. "Still got some juice but it will need another charge soon," she said. "You know, I've been doing some experiments with smaller windmills, suitable to run a couple of lights and a few other things. If you like, I'll set one up here and we'll see how it goes. Easier for you than going back and forwards with batteries."

Not for the first time, Arimake wondered if Saya and the other members of her group knew how important they were to the growing Tomo community. To the best of Arimake's knowledge, they had never asked for anything in return for the resources, technology and help they provided.

"That sounds good," said Arimake, as Naoki came onto the porch. He had a pot of tea for them, and a plate of biscuits he had made. He and Saya talked for a while about the house's garden, and the chickens that Saya and Hirano had brought them from Maresato farm when they had first moved in, about eight weeks ago. After a while, he excused himself, saying he had to get back to work.

"He's very nice," said Saya. "And a good cook as well. Odd talent for a soldier. But then, I didn't think you would be a potter, either."

"I have to say that it's remarkable to see how things have turned out," said Arimake. "You know, after six years running Kaga Base, I thought I was pretty well finished. Used up, exhausted. But Naoki – did you know he is 26 years younger than me? – showed me different. Which brings me, I suppose, to the really important news."

She took a sip of tea.

Saya leaned forward, listening.

Arimake took another sip of tea.

"Oh, come on now!" said Saya.

Arimake laughed. "Okay, here it is," she said. "I'm pregnant."

Saya's jaw dropped open in surprise. Then she gave a cry of delight. She hugged Arimake. "How far?" she said.

"About six weeks, I think. I hadn't thought it was possible. You're the first person to know, aside from Naoki. He's really happy about it, but he insists that I don't do any work around the place, aside from the pottery stuff. Not easy for me. Better at giving orders than following them."

"So how's it going? Puking?"

"Every morning."

"Cravings?"

"Like you wouldn't believe."

"Getting bigger?"

"Starting to. It's all great. Maybe not the puking."

"Yeah, that's the worst. Well, maybe you should drop by Maresato, have Shizuka check that everything's going as it should. She's pregnant herself, as you know, so you can compare notes."

"That's a good idea. Does it seem to you that babies are popping up everywhere? Even with Shizuka."

"Yes, Shizuka has been keeping a record of them all, and I can see that we're going to have to expand the school soon. I guess it's because the period of greatest danger, zombie-wise, seems to have passed, after Sheroda. Everyone feels there's a lot of re-building to do. On the practical side, contraception is much more difficult than it used to be. Shizuka says that when there's a lot of sex going on, and not much contraception, you'll get a baby explosion. That, plus the fact that there's no television."

"I guess so. I sometimes got the feeling that more women than men survived the Outbreak, and the numbers from the survey we did pointed that way. Which makes it even more amazing that Naoki has decided to spend his time with a worn-out ex-army officer."

Saya laughed. "Hardly worn-out," she said. "Plenty of life in you yet. In a very literal way."

"Well, I wouldn't mind betting that Yuudai will be getting plenty of requests from single women who want a baby, when the word about he and Shizuka gets out."

"Yuudai? The father of Shizuka's child?"

"Yes. Ever met him?"

"No. But I understand that he and Shizuka had met before."

"Easily the most beautiful man I have ever seen. But he already has a partner, Ken, I think his name is."

"Huh?"

"I can only assume that he and Shizuka, and Ken and Shun, came to some arrangement. God knows what. Or how."

"Yes, it must have been … some … arrangement."

"Indeed. But you can be sure, with Shizuka and Yuudai both being knockouts, that her child is going to be a heartbreaker. For my part, I am hoping my child is going to be more like Naoki than me."

"Don't under-estimate yourself, Reika. Naoki wouldn't be here if he didn't want to be. And I see you are wearing your hair tied back now."

"Uh … that's because it would get in the clay otherwise."

"Do you actually expect me to believe that?"

Arimake laughed. "Yeah, I know, you're a genius," she said. "The truth is, Naoki says that he prefers it this way. But it's getting pretty thick and long, which I understand happens when you're pregnant. I don't suppose you know how to cut hair, do you?"

"No, but Grandmother Maresato does a pretty good job at it. Say, why don't you two make a day of it, come to Maresato for a visit. You can have a checkup and have Grandmother do your hair, we'll recharge that battery, and Naoki and Kohta can talk about farm stuff. Or whatever it is guys talk about these days. And you can spend some time with my kids, Nozomi, Sachiko and little Isamu. So you know what you're in for."

Arimake smiled. "Sounds good," she said. "You know, I would like to repay you and your friends for everything you have done for Naoki and me. But all I have is some pots. Like those ones over there."

For the first time, Saya saw a line of pots on a shelf near the potter's wheel. They were beautiful: graceful in form and vibrant in colour, a synthesis of function and aesthetics.

Once more, Saya's jaw dropped open. "Fuck me," she said. "Tell you what, give us a couple of those and we'll call it even."

Arimake smiled again. "It's a deal," she said.

END

Network

Piece by piece, a new society starts to emerge.

[Author's Note: It is nine years after the Outbreak.]

Chizu brought the wagon to a halt as they neared Nagoya castle.

"Something looks different," she said.

"Well, it didn't have a windmill before," said Alice, next to her.

"Oh yeah," said Chizu. "Where do you think that came from?"

"Saya Takagi," said Alice.

"Oh yeah," said Chizu again. She snapped the reins, and the wagon started moving again, Riku trotting along behind.

As they approached, the castle gates swung open: someone had seen them. In the castle forecourt, people clustered around them, chattering excitedly. Alice and Chizu jumped down.

Huyu came up to them. He looked at Alice and smiled.

"Do I get a kiss hello?" said Alice.

In response, Huyu swept her into his arms and kissed her passionately.

"Humph," said a familiar voice. "I don't know if that is at all appropriate." Saya.

"Oh, I think it is entirely appropriate," said another voice. Hirano.

Alice reluctantly stepped out of Huyu's embrace and looked at her friends. Saya was trying to keep a stern expression on her face – but then she gave up and laughed instead. The three of them hugged each other.

"Fancy meeting you here," said Alice.

"Well, we received a visit from Keizo Busujima a while ago," said Saya. "He invited us for a return visit, and we thought, well, we'd bring a little present." She pointed at the windmill. It was a small one, and it was not yet completely built, but it already looked quite at home in its position on one of the high battlements of the castle.

"Huh," said Alice. "Well, as it happens, we have something that might go with it quite well." She went to the back of their wagon and pulled the tarpaulin away.

"Are these what I think they are?" said Hirano.

"Yes," said Alice. "Radios. All in working order. We got them from a settlement up near Niigata, used to be a military facility. It's called Depot 361. We got them in return for helping them clear up a little zombie problem."

"Actually, a pretty big problem," said Chizu. "We've got six of them, and Depot 361 kept a couple as well. They have power there now, from a hydro plant. About forty people there."

Keizo Busujima came up to them. He was limping a little, but not using a crutch.

"Funny, I was sure you were missing a leg," said Chizu.

He pulled up his trouser leg to expose his artificial limb. "Courtesy of Shizuka Marikawa," he said. "It's good to see both of you again. I see that you have re-acquainted yourself with Huyu, Alice."

"Not as much as I would like," said Alice.

"This is very good news about the radios," said Saya, examining them. "I'll have the windmill operating in a day or two, and that will give them a power source for it here in Nagoya. One for Maresato Farm, one for Mulitenko, one for Yakushita, another for Kaga Town. With Depot 361, that will link the major settlement areas together. Give us some warning about zombie outbreaks and such."

"That's what I was thinking," said Alice, although her mind was clearly elsewhere. She turned to Huyu. "You busy?" she said.

"Nothing that can't wait," he said. He took her hand. They went off – almost running, and laughing – towards Huyu's chamber, Alice carrying her cloth bag.

"Well, I expect that's the last we'll see of them for a while," said Hirano. "Chizu, what else have you got in your wagon?"

Chizu started to take out the things they had collected. Food, salt, animal pelts, some weapons and bullets – and honey. A dozen jars.

"Oh my," said Saya when she saw the honey. "Oh very my. Is there anyone I have to kill for a jar of that? Because I would, you know."

"Probably not necessary," said Chizu. "I'm trading it on behalf of the farm that it comes from. They asked me to get whatever I could for it. A number of places have done that. I've got it all written down in my trading ledger." She pulled out a heavy book from her pack. It contained numerous entries on who had given her what, the types of goods involved, and what it might be traded for.

"What the honey people really need are storage pots," said Chizu. "I thought I would ask Reika Arimake about that."

"Sure, her pots are really useful, and quite beautiful," said Hirano. "Who would have thought that the scary-tough Major would turn out to have the soul of an artist?"

Saya nodded. "Think about all this," she said. "We have renewable energy. We have communications. We have trade. We even have accountancy."

"What we have," said Hirano, "is civilisation."

It was two months later.

Alice, Chizu and the others were clustered around a table in the front room of the Maresato farmhouse. On the table sat one of the radios from Depot 361.

"Another minute," said Alice, who was looking at a clock next to the radio.

"Is the power connected?" said Hirano.

"No, dear, I thought I would try and manage without it," said Saya, who was working the controls.

"Are you sure everyone has the right time and the same channel?" said Grandmother Maresato.

"As sure as we can be," said Chizu. "Not easy to co-ordinate these things by carrying wind-up clocks around, but we've done our best."

"I guess we'll find out," said Shun.

The clock reached the noon mark.

Saya flicked the 'open channel' switch.

"This is Maresato farm in Tomo," she said into the microphone. "Saya Takagi speaking. Is anyone there?"

For a long moment, there was only static. Then a voice said: "This is Nagoya Castle, we hear you loud and clear."

Another voice: "This is Depot 361, we're on the air."

Another: "Mulitenko, on the Inland Sea, we hear you."

Another: "Yakushita village here."

Then came the voice of Rei: "And this is Kaga Town. Hello Saya. Nice to meet the rest of you."

There was a series of cheers.

"And this," said Saya, "is the New Japan Network."

END

Windmills

She's a popular woman.

[Author's Note: This story takes place eleven years after the Outbreak.]

Saya Takagi was on the roof of a farmhouse, assembling a small windmill that would provide electricity for the family – two adults and three children – that lived there. She was finishing the task when she looked down the road. Four men on horses, men she had not seen before, were coming towards them.

She climbed down and started to pack her tools and plans away, keeping an eye on the approaching men. The father of the group who lived there, Hado, had also seen them; he joined her in the front yard. She saw that he had a pistol in a holster at his side. Saya had her Luger in her shoulder holster, as she usually did when she was away from Maresato farm.

The four men brought their horses to a halt, and three of them got down. They all had weapons; military rifles and pistols. Saya got the impression that the one who remained on horseback was the leader.

But it was one of the men who had dismounted who spoke. "Are you Saya Takagi?" he said to her.

"I am," she said. "Who are you?"

"We're from a settlement in the north, past Niigata," he said. "We've been looking for you."

"And why is that?" said Saya.

"You're famous, you know," said the man. "There are stories about you, about how you know how to build machines. We want you to come and build some for us." The man touched his gun.

"If you had asked more politely, I might have considered it," said Saya. "Short answer: no. And fuck you."

"It's not really a request," said the man.

"What part of 'fuck you' isn't clear?" said Saya.

The man lifted his gun to cover them.

Saya laughed. "So they have assholes in the north, past Niigata, eh?" she said.

"We had wanted you to come without trouble," said the man. "But we'll drag you if that's how you want to play it."

"You can try," said Saya.

Hado interrupted. "Don't you know who she is married to?" he said. "Hirano."

The man on the horse visibly started. He said: "You mean, Kohta Hirano?"

"I do," said Hado.

"The Kohta Hirano?"

"Yes."

The man got down from the horse.

"I'm sorry," he said to Saya. "Obviously, a terrible mistake has been made. We will be on our way, Miss Takagi, and please accept our apologies."

The man who had spoken before said: "Huh? What are you saying, boss? Who's this Hirano guy?"

"The one who would hunt you down and kill you like dogs if you so much as look at his wife sideways," said Hado.

"That's the fellow," said Saya.

"But there's four of us," said the man. "And more at home."

"Do you really think it would matter," said Saya, "if there were forty of you?"

"I do not," said the boss. "From everything I've heard." He gestured for his men to get back on their horses. They did, and the four of them turned to leave.

"Wait a minute," said Saya. "Tell me, do you have any mechanics in your settlement? Anyone who can handle a screwdriver?"

"A couple," said the boss. "But no-one with design skills."

Saya opened her kitbag and took out several rolls of paper. She handed them to the boss.

"These are plans and specifications for various types of windmills and related equipment," she said. "Tell your mechanics to follow them precisely, and you should be able to generate electricity for your settlement."

The man took them. "Thank you, Miss Takagi," he said. "Thank you very much. You don't need them?"

"I drew them up. I can do it again, if I have to."

"And if we need your help?"

"Come and ask, but leave the guns at home. I don't charge anything for helping people, but you might think about whether you have anything to trade with people here in Tomo. Think of it as a show of goodwill."

The man nodded. Then the four of them rode off.

When they were out of sight, Nozomi – now ten – came out of the house. She carried a shotgun; she had been covering the proceedings the whole time.

"What was all that about Dad, Momma?" she said. "Would he do that?"

"Oh yes," said Saya.

"Really?"

"Nozomi, you might think of your father as a wise, gentle, playful fellow. And he is. But if the need ever arose, he would march to the gates of Hell and kick them in."

"I've never even seen him pick up a gun."

"Well, let's just hope he never again has to." She turned to Hado. "Thanks for the assist," she said. "The windmill should give you enough power for some lights and refrigeration. We'll come back in a fortnight to check on it."

"Thanks for everything," said Hado. "I know you don't expect payment, but we have something for you." He called to his wife and children, and they came out of the house, carrying an Arimake pot. Hado's wife opened it and showed Saya and Nozomi what was inside.

"Oh my," said Saya. "Is that … honey?"

"Oh my," said Nozomi.

"We have some hives," said Hado. "And we heard that you like it. So please take it, as a token of our thanks."

Saya put the pot into her bag, and she and Nozomi climbed onto their wagon. As they started for home, Nozomi said: "Momma, can you tell me how you and Dad first got together?"

Saya laughed. "Sure," she said. "It really started when I went out looking for some new shoes. Of course, I didn't think that there would be zombies there, but … "

END

Departures

The new generation is looking to a far horizon.

[Author's Note: It is eighteen years after the Outbreak.]

Saya, Hirano and Alice were walking around the temporary stores and stalls of Maresato Farm Mid-Summer Market Day – which actually went for about a week – sampling various types of food and examining the range of goods.

"I had no idea that Reika had made so many pots, and so many people used them," said Saya.

"People like them, and not just because they do a good job," said Alice, as she examined a pack of candles. "They're really beautiful as well."

Hirano looked around at the hundreds of people exchanging, buying and selling things. "Everyone seems to be having a pretty good time," he said. "I think those trading chits have given things a real boost."

"Yes, it took things beyond the barter basis," said Saya. "It was a good idea of yours, sweetheart, and I think that it only worked because people knew you and trusted you when you put your name to them, and said you would decide any disputes. You know what people are calling them? Hiranotes."

Hirano laughed.

"Hey, what's this?" said Alice.

Nozomi Hirano, Rise Komuro, Hotaru Tatagi, Kuzuki Marikawa and Kemi Tioba came up to them. They were all looking very serious, or at least were trying to look as serious as teenagers could.

"Momma, Dad, Auntie Alice," said Nozomi. "We've come to a decision."

"Have you now," said Saya.

"We're going travelling," said Rise. "To the mainland, and into China. Via Sakhalin."

"No you're not," said Saya.

"It's eighteen years since the Outbreak, and we don't have any idea about the world outside Japan," said Hotaru. "We should find out."

"Have you asked your mother and father about this?" said Saya to him. "Rise, have you asked Rei and Ben? Kuzuki, have you asked Shizuka? Kemi, have you asked Reika and Naoki?"

"We, er, thought we should tell you first," said Hotaru.

"That is, ask you first," said Kemi.

"No, we mean tell you first," said Rise. "Auntie Saya, how old were you at the time of the Outbreak?"

"That's not relevant," said Saya.

"How old?"

"16. But the point is that I – we – didn't have a choice."

"Uh-huh. Auntie Alice, how old were you when you started exploring outside Tomo?"

"15 or 16, I guess."

"And how old was Chizu when she joined you?"

"Who told you to ask that?"

"She did."

"Why aren't I surprised?" said Alice.

"How old?"

"I think she was 14."

"She says different."

"Okay, maybe 13, she never actually told me."

Saya stared closely at Rise. "Who taught you to be so smart, kid?" she said.

"You did," said Rise. "I went to your school, remember. We all did. One thing you taught us was the importance of being independent."

"I didn't actually mean that part. You must have missed the day when I said I was only joking. And also the day when I said that children should do what their parents say."

"Look at it this way," said Nozomi. "We've all been away before. We spent six months in Nagoya and then three months in Mulitenko. You were okay when Kemi and I went to Akita with Shun. And we've been to Okinawa and Sado as well. With you, in fact."

"And there weren't any survivors at Akita or on the islands."

"All the more reason for us to go to the mainland."

"To China!? There could be zombies there! 1.3 billion of them! Or marauders! Chinese ones!"

"Or there might not be," said Kemi. "Maybe the Outbreak didn't happen there, or didn't happen in the same way. We should find out."

"The point is," said Nozomi, "that we're old enough, Momma. Rise and I are older than you were when you left Tokonusu, and the others are in the ballpark. And you've taught us everything we need to know. So we're going."

"Grrr!" said Saya. She turned to Hirano. "Kohta, talk to them!" she said.

Hirano looked at the five young people. "Via Sakhalin, eh?" he said. "Then to Russia and south down the coast?"

"That's the plan," said Kemi.

"Okay," said Hirano.

"Kohta!" said Saya.

"What?" said Hirano. "Look, Saya, they're not kids anymore. We've trained them as well as we can, and as Nozomi says they've already been around a bit. And, yes, it's time that someone explored the rest of the world. There might be nothing to find, or there might be a lot. One way or another, we should know."

"But it could be dangerous!"

"Very possibly. Say, have you guys got weapons?"

"We all have our bows, of course, and we've scavenged a few guns and some ammunition," said Rise.

"Which will be no use at all against a billion zombies!" said Saya.

"I believe," said Alice, "that it is time I passed the Anishi sword to you, Rise. It was your mother's. I think Keizo would approve."

"Thank you, auntie," said Rise, bowing.

"I can't believe you two are agreeing with this!" said Saya.

Rei and Benaro appeared next to the group.

"Hi," said Rei. "What's Saya so upset about?"

"Mum, Dad, we're planning to go to the mainland," said Hotaru.

"Oh," said Rei.

"Across the Sea of Japan or through the northern islands?" said Benaro.

"North," said Hotaru.

"Yes, that would be better," said Rei.

"AARRGH!" said Saya.

"Calm down, sweetie," said Hirano. "Even if I objected, do you really think we could stop them? What would you have me do, lock them in their rooms for the rest of their lives?"

"Hmm," said Saya. "Hmm. Lock them in their rooms, you say?"

"Not going to happen, dear," said Hirano.

Chizu came up to them. She was carrying her baby, sleeping soundly, in a sling. She looked at Saya, still fuming.

"So you told her, eh?" said Chizu to Rise.

"We did."

"Why do I get the feeling that you had something of a hand in this, Chiz?" said Alice.

"Maybe a small hand, in terms of practical advice," said Chizu. "But the basic idea was theirs. Kemi, have you told your parents yet?"

"Not yet," said Kemi. "Mum will be cool with it but Dad might have an issue. But she'll talk him around. She might be getting on but she still has him wrapped around her finger." She laughed.

"She does, and Naoki loves it, I think. What about Shizuka?"

"What about Shizuka?" said Shizuka, coming up to them, with Shun.

Kazuki explained the situation.

"Huh," said Shizuka. "I'm assuming that I couldn't say anything to change your mind."

"That's about it."

"Well, in that case, good luck. You can take my rifle, Kaz, there's still about thirty shells left."

"You should go soon, before the weather turns," said Shun.

"Why is everyone encouraging them!?" said Saya.

"When are you planning to leave?" said Hirano.

"After Market Day," said Nozomi. "There's people going back towards Niigata, so we thought we would go with them, then continue north."

"Huyu and I will be going to Nagoya, if you want to go that way, and then on to Niigata," said Alice.

"Sure, I'd like to see Grandpa Keizo again," said Rise.

"Humph," said Saya.

Everyone looked at her.

"Oh … alright!" she said.

"There we go," said Hirano.

"They're babies," said Saya, as she and Hirano lay together in bed that night.

"Nozomi is hardly a baby, and the others aren't either," said Hirano. "As I recall, you were killing zombies and saving the world when you were younger than Nozomi is now. And, let me see, how old were you when she was born? Seventeen, wasn't it?"

"Shut up," said Saya. "That was entirely your fault."

"I remember it differently, Sleeping Bag Girl."

"If it wasn't dark, you would see that I am poking my tongue out at you."

Hirano laughed. After a while, so did Saya.

"I suppose I should warn you," said Hirano, "that at some point our other four will grow up, too. Sachiko and Isamu pretty well are."

Saya sighed. "Goddamn it," she said. They were quiet for a while. Then Saya said: "She's strong, isn't she?"

"Yes," said Hirano. "Strong-willed and smart. Like her mother. And Rise is tough and clever, a natural leader. They have all been taught everything we could think to teach them, about surviving and about life. Look at this way: we taught Alice how to survive, and she ended up mapping the settlements of most of the country, and that turned out to be really crucial in the Recovery. And then she came back to us, and now she has a family of her own."

Saya considered. "I guess so," she said. "But I can't say I like it."

"Think of it as a new beginning," said Hirano.

"Humph," said Saya.

END

New World: Sakhalin

In the New World, even the first step of a long journey has its dangers.

Hotaru passed the battered binoculars to Rise. He surveyed the town.

"Damn," he said. "Same as the last one. And just like the towns we saw on Hokkaido."

"Zombies, zombies, nothing but zombies," said Kemi, taking the binoculars from Rise. "I make it, what, maybe a hundred? So this town is out for re-supply, I guess."

They crept back down the hill to where they had hidden the horses, and in a few minutes were back with Nozomi and Kazuki.

"Another Z-town," said Rise to them. "I'm starting to think that Honshu is the only place where there are people."

"Let's not forget that our objective is the mainland, so don't get too pessimistic," said Nozomi. "But if there are zombies around, we should move a bit further along the coast before making camp. That way, we can have a fire. I don't think we want another cold meal."

Everyone nodded, and started to re-saddle the horses. Aside from the five riding horses, they had another two for carrying their equipment and supplies.

It was ten days since they had left Japan. They had reached Hokkaido from Honshu through the Seikan Tunnel under the Tsugaru Strait, and had got to Sakhalin on the bridge between the two islands which, Hotaru's father had told them, had been completed but not officially opened at the time of the Outbreak. It had been a big step for them: none of them – in fact, no-one of their generation – had ever left Japan before. Their plan was to head up the western coast of Sakhalin, find a boat, and cross to the mainland where the strait narrowed. They could sail, having learned in Mulitenko, but they were aware that the seas could turn rough quickly, and that the mid-point of summer was past.

The five of them had known each other for as long as they could remember, and they had all been trained by their parents and the extended network of people they thought of as aunts, uncles, and grandparents. And one of the key lessons was: don't pick fights with large groups of zombies unless there is a damn good reason to do so. So they had avoided the towns they had come across where there were only zombies, and so far they had found nothing else.

They had plenty of supplies, although they were also adept at living off the land. Sakhalin was certainly tougher territory than Hokkaido, but even here there was edible fruit and small animals.

There was a road that followed the western coast, and they continued to ride along it. Not for the first time, Nozomi thought of her parents. Momma had made clear that she had not wanted them to go; Dad had been accepting. Saya had imposed a few conditions: one had been that she, Hotaru and Kemi all cut their hair short, and wear male-style clothes. Nozomi had thought this odd at first, but when Alice had told her about marauders, and their usual attitude to women, she saw the point. Of course, Kemi's hair was still startlingly blond, one of her inheritances from her mother, and cutting it had not made her less eye-catching.

Kemi rode up to be beside her. "I thought you might like to know," she said, "that we're passing out of the old Japanese zone and into the Russian one."

"Huh?" said Nozomi.

"Of Sakhalin. We should be entering the Russian zone any time."

"I don't understand you, Kemi. Not for the first time."

Kemi sighed. "Some people just don't do their research," she said. She showed Nozomi a book. It was A Traveller's Guide to Sakhalin.

"I got this when we stopped in Akita. Apparently, once upon a time, after a war between Russia and Japan, the southern half of Sakhalin came under Japanese control. The north was Russian. After World War Two, Russia took the whole island over again, but the southern part was still sometimes called the Japanese Zone."

"Oh," said Nozomi. "Does your book actually tell us anything useful?"

"Well, Sakhalin was a big producer of oil and gas, pre-Outbreak. And it also says that the mosquitos get worse as you go further north."

"Wonderful," said Nozomi.

Kemi laughed. "Starting to regret it?" she said.

"Of course not. You?"

"Not a bit. But then, I don't have to prove myself. You guys do."

Nozomi stared at her.

"Look, it's quite simple," said Kemi. "You and Rise and Hotaruand Kazuki are the sons and daughters of the Seven. It's a pretty hard act to follow. Battle of Sheroda and all that. So you have to do something impressive to get out of their shadow and make your own names."

"As I recall," said Nozomi, "your mother has a pretty big shadow of her own. She was the one who held Kaga Base together for years, and she played a crucial part at Sheroda herself. The nick-of-time thing."

"Yeah, but no-one really thinks about that. She's not a legend. She's more known for making really nice pots, which is how she wants it to be. But your dad is the one who killed more zombies than anyone else, ever, and now he signs the money. And your mum builds the tech. They don't call the things that generate electricity saya-mills for nothing, you know."

"Huh. And Rise?"

"Son of the ones who gave their lives to turn the tide. That might be an even tougher back story than yours. And Kazuki is the son of the famous Shizuka Marikawa. Of course, that means he has the advantage of being incredibly goddamn beautiful. The odd thing is that he doesn't seem to know it."

"Hmm. And Hotaru?"

"I have to say that I don't really get her. I fought alongside her in the campaign to clear the last zombies out of Nagoya City, and that girl has ice water in her veins. You know, at first I thought she resented Rise, because they don't seem to talk much. But eventually I concluded that they don't have to talk, because they can sort of read each other's minds. If they weren't pretty well brother and sister, I would bet they would become a couple."

"You seem to know an awful lot for the youngest one on this little excursion."

Kemi laughed.

They were approaching a building on the road, at the top of a hill. As they drew closer, they saw it was an old service station. The signs were in Cyrillic lettering.

"What did I tell you?" said Nozomi. "The Russian zone."

"Might be a good place to stop for the night," said Nozomi.

They checked the buildings, and there were no zombies or any other sign of life. Any supplies had been removed years ago. But there was a solid roof and sturdy doors, and wood for a fire. Before long, they were cooking dinner.

As they ate, Kazuki said: "There are some plants that I can use to make some ointment that will help keep these damn mosquitos away. It's still light outside, so if one of you will come with me to stand watch I'll collect as much as I can and start preparing it."

"Sure, I'll do it," said Rise.

When they returned, Kazuki was carrying an armful of leaves, which he proceeded to boil.

"We saw something a bit further along the coast that we should check out," Rise said. "A big building, right on the water."

"Okay," said Nozomi. "But tomorrow. For now, I'll take the first watch."

"This is odd," said Hotaru.

They were in the building. They were looking at a large boat, obviously military in origin. And apparently deserted.

The building itself was a boathouse, open to the sea but designed to protect what was inside from the elements. The boat was tied securely to a little jetty, where the five of them now stood. The boat rocked gently on the tide.

Kemi was leafing through a handwritten ledger on the desk. She pulled a book out of her pack.

"What's that you've got?" said Kazuki.

"I don't have to prove myself. You guys do."

"Russian-Japanese dictionary," said Kemi. "Some of us came prepared, you know." She started to look up various words, and eventually said: "The last entry was made eleven years ago, according to this. I guess they had been able to survive after the Outbreak by staying on the boat and only coming ashore when they needed supplies. But then their luck ran out. It looks as if they were nearly out of fuel as well, that word appears a lot in the last few entries."

Nozomi nodded. "Hotaru, you and I will check the engine, see if it's still operational and how much fuel there is," she said. "Rise, Kazuki, you do another search, see if you can find any guns or whatever else might be useful. Kemi, see if you can do any more translation, try and find something that might help us. Back here in ten."

When they returned, Rise and Kazuki laid several machine guns and clips on the table, as well as a pair of pistols, in holsters. And something that appeared to be a flare pistol.

"Cleaned up, I think these will work alright," said Rise. "And we checked out that big machine gun on the deck. Same story, and there's about two hundred rounds for it."

Hotaru picked up the two pistols and read the label on the holster. "Makarov nine millimetre," she said. "Anybody mind if I have these?" Everyone nodded.

"The engine looks like it would work," said Nozomi. "The batteries are shot but there's a manual start-up for the engine. Not much fuel, though. Not enough to get us safely to the mainland, I think."

"As far as I can tell, there was only six of them left, plus the captain, at the end," said Kemi. "Which would explain the spare guns. As for the fuel, do you think there would be enough for four or five kilometres?"

"Probably," said Nozomi. "What's four or five kilometres away?"

Kemi pointed to a map on the captain's table. It showed the local region. She pointed at something. "This," she said. "An oil refinery. There might be fuel there."

They all pored over the map. Eventually, Hotaru said: "Let's go."

It took them a day to load the horses and prepare the boat, which included learning the controls, with Kemi struggling to translate the instructions. Kazuki had produced a paste which, while smelling foul, went some way to keeping the voracious mosquitos at bay.

Not knowing the territory, especially the coastline, they were reluctant to travel in the dark, so they decided to spend the night on the boat and set off the next morning. This gave them the chance, as well, for some hunting, which provided them with fresh meet.

Over dinner, as Kemi continued to examine the log, she said: "Archangel."

"What was that?" said Nozomi.

"Archangel. It was the name of this boat. Still is, I suppose."

"What does it mean?"

"No idea."

"This refinery thing," said Rise. "Can we be sure that there is fuel there?"

"Not at all, but I heard that there was a group of people who lived in a refinery at Yokohama for several years after the Outbreak," said Kazuki. "There was tons of fuel there, apparently, in storage. The people would trade it for food with other survivors. I don't know what happened in the end."

"My parents always said that living off the bits and pieces of the pre-Outbreak world was a losing proposition," said Nozomi. "Eventually, stuff runs out, they said. But I think they just didn't like going back to the towns and cities. A lot of people didn't. Bad memories, I guess. And of course the zombies owned the cities, for a long time. They still own Sendai, Tokyo and a few other places. Too many of them to clear out."

"Do you ever wonder what it was like?" said Kazuki. "The world before the Outbreak?"

"Momma said there were over a hundred million people in Japan alone," said Nozomi. "Some cities had millions. And everyone had cars. And computers. And little telephones that you carried in your pocket. Hard to believe."

"My mum and dad said there were huge buildings stuffed with food," said Kemi. "You bought it frozen, which means very cold, I think, and put it in something called a microwave, and that made it hot in a few seconds."

"I've heard that too," said Hotaru. "Not sure I believe the microwave part."

"Maybe China will be different," said Rise. "Benaro had been there for a while, before the Outbreak. He said there were over a billion people in China. A billion! Incredible."

They were silent for a while, trying to imagine a world they could never know.

Eventually, Rise went up to the deck, to take the first watch.

Nozomi, who was driving the boat, slowed to a near-halt. She put the binoculars to her eyes. It was an hour after dawn.

The refinery's best days were well and truly behind it, but at least it was still standing. No sign of zombies or survivors.

There was a concrete jetty. Nozomi headed for it.

"On foot or should we take the horses?" said Kazuki.

"Until we know more, on foot," said Nozomi. "Were those guns cleaned and tested?"

"Yes, and of course we have our own stuff," said Rise. "Someone should stay on the boat. So who's going ashore?"

Nozomi thought about it. "I'm the best with the tech, and Rise and Hotaru are the best fighters," she said. "So we go, Kazuki and Kemi stay here."

"Hey!" said Kemi. "Just 'cos I'm the youngest – "

"This is not a democracy," said Kazuki. "Nozomi is the leader."

"She is?" said Kemi.

"She is," said Rise.

"For her sins," said Hotaru.

"But there might be Russian signs and things that need to be translated!" protested Kemi.

"True," said Hotaru. "So we will borrow your dictionary."

"And you should take a look at the engine and work out what sort of fuel it needs, Kemi," said Rise. "And then translate it into words we can read, write it down for us. If we bring back the wrong thing, the whole mission will be a bust."

Kemi sighed. Reluctantly, she nodded agreement.

They pulled up to the jetty. As they did so, the engine began to splutter. Nozomi turned it off.

"I would say that we are now running on fumes," said Nozomi. "So let's hope we find something."

After another application of Kazuki's paste, Nozomi, Rise and Hotaru set off. Nozomi and Rise each carried one of the Russian machine guns. They moved carefully, slowly, and as silently as possible.

After a while, they passed through the broken gate of the refinery, and came to a sign with arrows. Nozomi took out the dictionary. After considerable page-turning, she said: "This way to the storage area, I think. If I'm reading this right."

They began to follow the signs. After a while, they entered a complex of crumbling buildings and broken machinery. They came to a large pile of drums. Many of them had broken open due to rust, but others appeared to be still sealed.

"We want diesel fuel," said Nozomi, showing the others the paper Kemi had provided. "This is the Russian word for it."

"We'll need something to move them with," said Hotaru. She hunted around, eventually finding a low push-cart and a rope.

Rise knocked on one of the barrels with the barrel of his gun. It made an empty, metallic sound. The noise seemed to echo around the whole place.

"Okay, perhaps that was not so smart," he said.

They listened.

There was a scraping, shuffling sound. Heading for them.

"Damnit!" said Nozomi.

They started to run, away from the sound. But as they rounded a corner, into an open area, they saw another group of zombies. The zombies had not seen them, but appeared to be searching.

There was an empty building, not much more than a broken-down shed. The three of them ducked into it.

Through a broken window, they watched the zombies move closer. They began to shuffle past.

The last one in the line stopped. It looked around. Then it seemed to sniff the air.

The ointment, thought Nozomi.

The zombie pointed at the shed and gave a howl.

"No point in hiding now," said Rise. He stepped into the doorway, lifted his gun, and fired.

Hotaru started to kick at the back wall of the shed. It was, in fact, more solid than it had looked. Nozomi began to whack it with the butt of her gun.

Rise ejected the spent clip and rammed in another. He had put down five zombies but there were more, and others were emerging from various buildings.

"Whenever you're ready, back there," he said.

Finally, several planks in the wall gave way. Nozomi, gun up, went through first, followed by Hotaru. Rise fired the rest of the magazine and then went through.

They were in something like an alley. If the zombies trapped them here they would not have much chance.

Nozomi saw a rusted ladder. She led the way up. It took them to the flat roof of a building, but there were holes and broken sections. There was another building not far, at the same level, with a two-metre gap between them.

Zombies were already trying to come up the ladder.

"Well, this is going to be fun," said Rise. "But I don't see much choice."

They ran for the far side, trying to avoid the areas that looked unstable. They reached the edge, but it was far from solid. Close up, the gap looked bigger than they had thought it would be.

"O – kay," said Nozomi.

Without a word, Hotaru took a few steps back, and then ran forward, launching herself into the air. As she took off, a section of the roof crumbled.

She made the other building – just. She stood up and dusted herself off.

Ice water in her veins, thought Nozomi.

Hotaru still had the rope that she had found before, looped over her shoulder. Now she unwrapped it and threw an end back. Rise grabbed it and started to tie it around Nozomi's waist.

"Why am I going before you?" said Nozomi to him.

"Because you're a girl," said Rise.

"That's not a reason," she said.

"Okay, how about this. If I fall, it will need the two of you to haul me up. Happy now?"

Nozomi considered.

"Not a whole lot of time to debate this," said Rise, pointing to the troop of zombies running across the roof towards them.

"Next time, you go first," said Nozomi.

"If there's a next time, I will be happy to," said Rise.

Nozomi took a running leap. She made the far edge – by an inch. She began to totter backwards, and then Hotaru pulled her to safety. Nozomi untied the rope and threw it back to Rise. But as she did so, she realised that another chunk of the roof had fallen away. Now the gap looked too far to jump.

Rise tied the rope around himself. The zombies were only ten metres away. He turned and fired – and as he did so, the section of roof he was standing on collapsed.

Hotaru, with the rope wound around her arms, cried out in pain as the rope snapped taut. She began to slide towards the edge, pulled by Rise's weight.

Nozomi grabbed the rope, and together they stopped Rise from falling further. He was now suspended over a fifteen metre drop. If he fell, he might survive the fall, but was unlikely to survive the howling zombies gathering below, especially since he had dropped his machine gun when he had fallen.

"Like I said, fun."

Slowly, hand over hand, Hotaru and Nozomi began to pull him up. Finally, he was close enough to reach the edge. They helped him up. The three of them looked at each other.

"Like I said, fun," said Rise.

"Shut up," said Nozomi.

Hotaru looked from one of them to the other. "Huh," she said.

They found a door that led to a staircase that took them back to the ground. There were no zombies in sight but they could hear them moving around. There was a lot of them.

"We need to get back to those drums," said Nozomi. "We need something to draw the zombies away."

Hotaru pointed to a sign with an arrow and something that looked like a warning. "What does that say?" she said.

Nozomi looked through the dictionary. Eventually, she said: " 'Waste oil pond, 300 metres, danger', I think."

Hotaru started heading that way. A little puzzled, the others followed. In a few minutes, they came to a pond – actually an open concrete tank set into the ground – filled with heavy black oil. It was surrounded by a wire fence.

"If we set this on fire, the zombies are sure to come to see the show," said Hotaru.

"And just how do you propose to do that?" said Nozomi.

Hotaru pulled something from the pocket of her jacket. It was the flare pistol from the Archangel.

"Always the man with the plan," said Rise.

"Of course," said Hotaru. She pointed the pistol into the air and fired. The flare, a red ball, shot upwards and over the fence. It landed in the pool. Almost immediately, the oil began to burn, releasing a huge plume of acrid smoke.

"If that doesn't get their attention, I don't know what will," said Rise.

The three of them ran back to the buildings, finding a hiding place behind a pile of pipes. They watched the zombies, maybe sixty of them, run towards the fire.

When all the zombies had passed, the three of them ran back to the storage area. They began to hunt for full drums of diesel.

"Here," said Nozomi. "These look like the ones." She pointed to writing on the side, which matched what Kemi had written.

Hotaru pulled over the little cart, and they began to load the drums and tie them in place. The cart could only hold three drums.

"You two push, I'll go shotgun," said Nozomi, hefting her weapon. "Or machine gun, in this case."

They started back to the boat. They made it through the gate, and then looked back. Several dozen zombies were coming after them.

They could see the boat now. Kemi and Kazuki could see them too, and the zombies. They could see Kemi on the bridge, trying to start the engine.

They were nearly at the start of the pier, but the zombies were gaining.

Nozomi turned, aimed and fired. The bullets cut into the troop of zombies. Half a dozen went down but the others came on.

The gun suddenly stopped. A jam.

"Damn unreliable Russian crap!" muttered Nozomi. She tried to eject the magazine but it wouldn't come.

"You push, I shoot," said Hotaru.

"With what?" said Nozomi.

In answer, Hotaru put her hands behind her back, under her jacket. She pulled out the two Makarovs. "Rock and roll," she said.

A gun in each hand, she fired, again and again.

Nozomi grabbed the rail of the cart next to Rise and they pushed towards the boat.

She glanced back. Faced with Hotaru's deadly fire, the zombies had hesitated in their advance. But even as Nozomi watched, the two pistols fell silent, empty. Hotaru turned and started running for the boat. The zombies came after her. The lead ones were only five metres away, now.

There was a boom-boom-boom. It was the heavy gun from the Archangel, Kazuki firing. The closest rank of zombies were blown backwards.

Rise and Nozomi, with the fuel, had reached the boat. As Hotaru re-loaded and began to shoot again, Rise and Nozomi began to roll the first drum up the gangplank and onto the deck.

Kemi had finally got the engine going. The boat jerked at the mooring rope.

They got the second drum on board. But the zombies were getting closer.

"Hotaru!" shouted Kazuki, at the deck gun. "I can't fire this thing without hitting you!"

"Get going!" she shouted back, still firing. "Don't wait for me!"

They had the third barrel on board. Rise slipped the mooring rope and jumped onto the boat. The Archangel started to pull away.

Hotaru holstered her guns and ran for the boat. She leaped the widening gap – and into the arms of Rise. The two of them fell to the deck in a tangle.

"Thanks, brother," she said.

But now the zombies were at the end of the pier. Three of them jumped for the boat. One didn't make it, falling back into the water. But the others reached the deck.

Nozomi took her machine gun by the barrel and swung. It caught one of the zombies on the temple, and it went overboard in a gush of black blood. The last zombie reached out for her – and then suddenly fell back, dead. There was a crossbow arrow in its head.

Nozomi looked around. Kemi, at the bridge, held up her bow.

Nozomi gave her a little salute.

The Archangel was thirty metres away from the jetty now. The zombies began to shuffle back to the refinery.

The engine began to cough.

"Now we find out if we took the right stuff," said Rise.

The boat pulled into the shallows near the mouth of a river. The five of them jumped off, into the waist-deep water, and waded ashore.

"So this is the mainland," said Kemi.

"Somehow, I thought it would be more … interesting," said Kazuki, studying the rather bare landscape.

"If you want interesting, you can go back to Sakhalin and discuss it with the zombies," said Rise, with a little laugh.

"Just think about this," said Nozomi. "We are the first Japanese to reach the rest of the world since the Outbreak. So take a moment."

They considered it, and looked around.

"And … we're done," said Hotaru.

"What's next?" said Kemi.

"Get the horses off, check the local area," said Nozomi. "Depending on what we find, maybe we'll take the boat upriver for a bit. We can take our time. There's no hurry."

"Sure," said Kemi. "It's a whole new world."

END

New World: Mainland

What is more dangerous: Russian zombies or potato vodka?

They had taken the Archangel several kilometres upriver, until it had become too shallow for further progress. They had tied up at a broken-down little jetty and unloaded the horses, and were now travelling along a wide, once-paved road through overgrown fields.

"Canola," said Kazuki, looking around. "And over there, wheat."

"And just what is canola and wheat?" said Rise.

"They are, or at least were, crops," said Kazuki. "Canola was used to make oil, and wheat was used to make flour, which was used to make bread. My point is that these are not natural grasslands. They were deliberately planted, before the Outbreak. At some point they broke out of their fields and spread. Even then, I would say that parts of these fields were harvested, and not too long ago. Maybe a year, maybe a bit more."

"Meaning that there must be people not too far."

There were rabbits and birds in the fields. A lot of them.

"My dad told me once that when the number of people dropped the wildlife population exploded," said Nozomi. "Good for us, I suppose."

Hotaru suddenly brought her horse to a halt. She looked around.

A long way off, there was the sound of an engine. High-pitched, moving fast.

"Car, motorbike?" said Rise.

"Maybe," said Nozomi. "We should try and signal them."

"Uh, are we sure we want to?" said Kemi.

"We didn't come this far for nothing," said Nozomi. "But check your weapons, just in case."

Kazuki lifted his rifle. "Should we fire a shot to get their attention?" he said.

"No," said Hotaru. "They might think we're shooting at them." She reached into her pack and produced the flare pistol from the Archangel. She pointed it into the air and fired. A blue ball sailed skywards.

"You are full of tricks," said Nozomi.

"My mother is Rei Miyamato," said Hotaru. "There's upside and downside."

The sound of the engine stopped. Ten seconds passed. Fifteen. Then it started again – coming towards them. Nozomi dismounted and walked down the road a little, but gestured that the others should stay mounted. She unslung her Russian machine gun.

A vehicle zoomed around the corner. It was not a car; more like a metal frame, an engine, and two seats on a chassis.

"I know what this is!" said Rise. "There was a picture in one of Hirano's books at Maresato. It's a, what's the word, a … buggy, that's it."

The buggy screeched to a halt, ten metres from Nozomi. There were two people, their faces covered with scarves. One of them, the passenger, got out, holding a loaded crossbow. The passenger and Nozomi looked at each other, and at each other's weapons.

"Now what?" whispered Kazuki to Rise.

Slowly, deliberately, Nozomi lowered her gun. Then she slung it over her shoulder. She showed the other person her empty hands.

There was a long pause. The two people in the buggy spoke softly to each other. And then the passenger put her bow back into the buggy. She began to walk towards Nozomi – warily.

"Kemi," said Nozomi over her shoulder. "Come here, and bring that dictionary."

Kemi jumped off her horse and ran to Nozomi, taking the book from her pack as she did so.

The passenger, now only two metres from Nozomi, stopped, and pulled the scarf away. It was a young woman, about the same age as Nozomi.

"Hello," said Nozomi.

The other woman said nothing, staring at Nozomi.

"Kemi, say hello in Russian," said Nozomi.

"I'll try but no promises," said Kemi. "Not like I've ever heard it before." She read the word from the dictionary, or at least did her best.

The other woman started. Then she said the same word back – a somewhat different version, presumably the correct one. She smiled.

"Well, I don't think you got it right but I think she appreciated the effort," said Nozomi to Kemi.

"Better than nothing," said Kemi.

The other person from the buggy came over, taking their scarf off. It was a man, a bit younger than the woman. Nozomi gestured for the others to join them, which they did.

Nozomi looked at the two Russians. "Brother and sister," she said.

"How do you know?" said Kemi.

"If you had a brother or sister, you wouldn't ask that," said Nozomi to her.

Rise looked at the buggy. "That vehicle's built for fun," he said. "I'm thinking that they are probably out for a day of tear-assing around the countryside. Which means they must come from somewhere where there are other people."

Nozomi pointed to herself. "Nozomi," she said.

The woman did the same. "Lena," she said. She pointed to her brother. "Kirill," she said.

Nozomi introduced the others.

Lena walked up to Kazuki. She peered at him. And then smiled.

"What do I do?" said Kazuki.

"Smile, Kaz," said Rise.

Kazuki gave Lena one of his most charming smiles. It was like a sunbeam breaking through clouds.

The woman gave a shy little laugh. Still gazing at Kazuki, she wound a lock of her hair around her finger. She said something to him in Russian. Kazuki could only shrug, and flash another smile.

"Wonder what's on her mind," said Hotaru.

"Guy is fucking dangerous," said Rise, with a laugh. He was examining the buggy. "You know," he said, "I don't think this runs on petrol. It smells more like, well, chicken shit. Maybe it is."

The two Russians got back into the buggy. The woman gestured at them. Then she pointed to her mouth.

"She wants us to go with them, and have a meal," said Kemi.

"How do you know?" said Kazuki.

"Because she is gesturing that she wants us to go with them, and have a meal," said Kemi.

"Does that mean that they intend to feed us or eat us?" said Kazuki, as they got onto their horses.

"In your case, probably a bit of both," said Nozomi.

Lena and Kirill led them along the road until it turned into a dirt path. It took them through a rocky valley. Not too far away, they could see a settlement, perched on the bank of a river.

Suddenly, Hotaru stopped. She looked up at the valley skyline.

Nozomi came up beside her.

"I thought I saw movement up there," said Hotaru.

Nozomi handed her the binoculars. Hotaru studied the area.

After a while, she handed the binoculars back to Nozomi.

"I guess it's nothing," she said.

They rode after the others.

The village, spread out over several acres, was surrounded by a wire fence. They rode through the open gate. Hotaru noted that no-one closed it behind them. There was a watch tower with a bell but it was unmanned.

"These people don't seem to be as concerned with security as they might be," she whispered to Rise, next to her.

"Maybe there are no zombies around here," he said.

"Maybe," said Hotaru.

They came to an open square in the middle of the village, and dismounted. Immediately, forty people clustered around them, chattering excitedly.

A big man shouldered his way through the crowd. Lena and Kirill spoke to him at length in Russian. The big man stared at them, and seemed particularly interested in their eyes. He said something to Kirill, who ran off.

The man walked up to Rise. He pointed to himself. "Bostovich," he said.

"Rise, pleased to meet you," said Rise. "But if you want to talk to the leader, it's this one here." He pointed to Nozomi.

Bostovich looked at Nozomi. Then he looked at Kazuki. Kazuki pointed to Nozomi.

Bostovich grunted. He gestured for them to sit down on benches in the square, which they did. Kirill appeared, with a middle-aged woman. Bostovich spoke to the woman at length, and then pointed at Nozomi, with a shrug.

The woman came up to Nozomi. She looked as if she was trying very hard to remember something.

"H … hello," she said at last.

"Hello," said Nozomi, with a sigh of relief. "You speak Japanese."

"A … little," said the woman. "From … long time … away. I … am Yadviga. Where … from?"

Kemi reached into her pack and took out another book. It was a book of maps. She spread one out; it showed the geographic area.

"We are from here, Japan," said Kemi, pointing at the Tomo area of Japan. She traced a line north across Japan, to Sakhalin, and then to the mainland, and then to their current location.

"Ah," said Bostovich. "Japan."

Nozomi turned to Yadviga. "Are there any other people in Russia, and China?" she said to her.

"Some," she said. "Some … villages. Not many people. But we … do not know … far."

A number of villagers had come quite close to them. Several women were peering quizzically at Kemi's blond hair.

"You can touch it if you want," she said, leaning forward. They did, giggling as they did so.

Bostovich pointed at Nozomi's machine gun. She unslung it and handed it to him.

He examined it. After a while, he said: "Bison. Soviet." He nodded appreciatively.

"If you say so," said Nozomi, as he gave it back to her.

"Are there any zombies around here?" said Rise.

Yadviga looked at him, not understanding.

"Kemi, look up the word for zombie," said Nozomi.

Kemi leafed through the dictionary, but eventually said: "Nothing here. I guess the authors weren't anticipating an end-of-the-world thing."

"You know, zombies," said Rise to the villagers. He made a contorted face and held out his arms. "Argh, argh," he said.

His four friends stared at him.

"Worst … zombie … impression … ever," said Kazuki.

"You are an embarrassing person to have as a brother," said Hotaru.

Rise pointed to a group of village children, who were laughing and going 'argh, argh'. "They thought it was pretty good," he said.

"They're, like, six," said Kemi.

"You mean … the not-dead?" said Yadviga.

"Yes," said Nozomi. "That's as good a term as any."

"Were many," said Yadviga. "Many, many. They killed many of us, we killed many of them. But not for … ten … years. More. Not seen." She spoke to Bostovich in Russian, translating.

Suddenly, Bostovich gave a shout. He started barking instructions to the other villagers.

"Now," said Yadviga, "we have … what is word … party. Is it party?"

"Party," said Rise. "Party is good."

As the people began to prepare for the celebration, Yadviga, Kirill and Lena showed the five of them around the village. There appeared to be chickens everywhere. As they watched, several children scooped up the droppings with shovels and threw them into a large vat, which had a fire simmering beneath it and tubes coming out of it.

"Methane," said Nozomi. "You were, right, Rise, this is what they use for their vehicles. Momma looked at the idea but worked out that you needed an awful lot of chickens to make a viable amount of fuel."

"As it happens, an awful lot of chickens is what they have," said Kazuki.

Lena, standing next to Kazuki, said something to Yadviga.

"She wants to know," said Yadviga, "if one of these women is your girlfriend."

Before Kazuki could answer, Kemi said: "No, definitely no. Tell her that Kazuki does not have a girlfriend, here or in Japan."

Kazuki stared at her. "Bitch," he said.

"Tell her that he is thanking me for providing the information, as he is a bit shy himself," said Kemi.

Yadviga laughed. Then she translated.

Leni smiled, and put her arm through Kazuki's.

"Looks like you might have to take one for the team, Kaz," said Rise.

"We are here, after all, to make friends," added Nozomi. "And it's not like she's not attractive. Uh, don't translate that, Yadviga."

They continued to walk around the village. There was a bakery, a butcher, a machinist, and a variety of other enterprises. As it began to grow dark, people lit oil lanterns.

"Looks like they're doing alright," said Nozomi. "Not great, but alright. Surviving."

"There are plenty of kids around, which I guess is a good sign," said Rise.

They had come back to the square. A bonfire had been lit, and plates of food were being passed around. The five of them were handed glasses of clear liquor.

Bostovich, with a glass of his own, made a loud, long toast.

"To friendship," Yadviga translated.

Nozomi did her best to repeat the toast. It must have been good enough, because Bostovich gave a tremendous laugh and then downed his drink. He looked at Nozomi.

With a certain reluctance, she downed the drink as well. Then she coughed and spluttered. "Fuck me!" she said. "That's not exactly peppermint schnapps."

"Potato vodka," said Yadviga. "Very good. You must have more."

"We are here, after all, to make friends," said Kazuki.

"Shut up," said Nozomi. But she held out her glass again, and it was immediately re-filled. She grit her teeth and threw it down.

And so it went. Several villagers produced musical instruments and began to play up a rambunctious storm. People, young and old, began to dance. Leni dragged Kazuki onto the dance floor. Then other people took hold of Nozomi, Rise, Hotaru and Kemi as well, and before long they were doing their best to keep up with the villagers.

"You think they do this often?" said Rise to Nozomi, as their paths temporarily crossed.

"Drink or dance?" said Nozomi.

"Either. Both."

"Most likely. Hey, pass the word to the others. Tell them to have a good time but not drink too much or stay up too late. We don't know enough about this situation to let down our guard. And when we bed down, we should still have rolling watches. Just in case."

Rise nodded. "Just in case," he said.

It was the cold light of dawn. Hotaru was on watch, walking around the camp, staying close to the building that they had been given to sleep in. Rise came out to relieve her.

"I thought this was Kazuki's watch," said Rise to her.

"He is … otherwise occupied," said Hotaru. "With Lena. So I did a double. He can owe me."

"Huh," said Rise. "Well, you should try and get some sleep now."

"Don't think I could," said Hotaru.

"Still worried about that movement in the hills?" said Rise.

Hotaru nodded.

They walked to the front gate. Someone had, at least, thought to close it. All the villagers had, after a very late night, finally gone to bed. They looked across the valley, along the dirt track.

In the distance, there was a small cloud of dust.

Hotaru looked through the binoculars. After a few seconds, she handed them to Rise.

"Bad, very bad," said Rise. "Do you think it's a coincidence that they've come when most of the defenders are flat out with hangovers?"

"Sure it is," said Hotaru. "A coincidence."

"What is that thing they're carrying?" said Rise. "It looks like … a tree trunk."

"A battering ram," said Hotaru. "For the wire. How long, do you think?"

"Maybe fifteen, twenty minutes."

Hotaru gave a grunt of agreement. "In that case, we'd better get Bostovich and the others out of bed," she said. Calmly, she walked over to the watch tower and began to ring the bell.

In a minute, Bostovich appeared, still pulling on his clothes and looking a bit the worse for wear. Rise handed him the binoculars and pointed.

Bostovich swore in Russian. He began to shout orders at the people emerging from the huts and houses. The men and women of fighting age, about twenty of them, began to line up by the gate, with their weapons. The others, the non-combatants, retreated to the back of the settlement, to a large building.

Nozomi and Kemi came up to Rise and Hotaru. They looked at the approaching threat, clearly visible now. Then Kazuki appeared, with Lena. They were still getting dressed.

"Sorry to interrupt you, but we have a problem," said Nozomi. She was carrying Kazuki's rifle and ammunition belt, which she handed to him. She gave him the binoculars.

"Goddamn," said Kazuki. "I make it about thirty of them, counting the ones with the ram. Huh, only thirty."

"Hmm," said Hotaru.

"My feelings exactly," said Rise.

"What do you mean?" said Kemi.

"They mean," said Nozomi, "that this doesn't smell right. Why aren't there more of them, when they have gone to so much trouble to bring that ram all this way? Why are they mounting a frontal assault against a defended position? Generally, when they can, they prefer to attack from several points at once."

"Maybe they thought everyone would be asleep, after last night," said Kemi.

"So maybe they have been watching," said Hotaru. She started to scan the steep hillsides on the other side of the settlement with the binoculars.

Bostovich and his fighters were firing at the zombies now, with bows and a few guns. The zombies were twenty metres away, charging at the gate with the ram.

"There!" cried Hotaru. She pointed. On top of the steepest hill, on the far side of the village, a rock the size of a car was starting to roll down the slope. It was being pushed by a troop of zombies. As the large rock gathered momentum, it began to dislodge other rocks. In a few moments, a landslide was under way, with a pack of zombies, maybe forty, running behind.

"I make it thirty of them. Huh, only thirty."

"That's going to take out the fence on that side and then they'll be right on top of the people there," said Rise. "I don't think they even have any weapons to defend themselves."

Nozomi shouted to Bostovich but he was concentrating on the zombies approaching the fence. The charging zombies were howling now, and it was difficult to hear anything above the roar.

Then there was another sound. It was the buggy, Kirill driving. He brought it to a stop next to them.

"Go!" said Nozomi. She hefted her machine gun and began to fire at the zombies with the ram.

Rise, Hotaru, Kazuki and Lena jumped on and Kirill was off. As they zoomed past the building where the group had slept, Kemi came rushing out. She threw something to Rise. He caught it and unsheathed it. He glanced back, and saw Kemi at Nozomi's side, firing her crossbow as fast as she could.

The landslide reached the fence, and pushed it over as if it was made of paper. The zombies came surging through the gap.

"Go straight in!" shouted Rise to Kirill. Even if Kirill could not speak the language he understood the intent. He drove the buggy directly into the pack of zombies.

Rise, leaning out and swinging the sword, took out three zombies in the first few seconds. From behind him, he heard the crack-crack of Kazuki's rifle and saw several more fall.

And then Hotaru was leaping through the air, spiralling, drawing her Makarov pistols as she flew. She landed in the middle of the troop, and swivelled, firing and firing.

Kirill stopped the buggy and both he and Lena began to fire their bows. The air seemed full of arrows and bullets. And the sharp flash of Rise's sword, glinting in the rising sun.

The ram smashed into the gate, knocking it flat. There were fifteen zombies left, and they rushed at the humans. But the villagers, with Nozomi and Kemi in the middle, stood their ground. Bostovich threw down his bow and pulled a heavy axe from his belt, and began to slash and chop. More zombies fell. The humans charged.

And suddenly, all the zombies were down. The villagers began to check them, decapitating those that needed it.

Nozomi found Bostovich and pointed towards the other end of the village. For the first time, he saw that the fence had been taken out. Nozomi, Kemi, Bostovich, and a half-dozen fighters began running towards the breach.

By the time they arrived, the fight was over.

"Not too bad," said Nozomi, looking around. "Not too bad at all."

"Fortunate, as I am now out of bullets," said Hotaru.

Lena threw her arms around Kazuki and kissed him.

"Any excuse," muttered Kemi.

Nozomi and Hotaru had climbed to the top of the hill from where the zombies had started the landslide. From here, there was a good view of the village.

"From the amount of tracks, they must have been here for a long time," said Nozomi. "Months. Years, maybe. Watching."

Hotaru looked around. "There are no large rocks here," she said.

"So they brought that big one from somewhere else," said Nozomi. "Busy fellows. Industrious. And with that tree trunk as well."

"Clever. And patient."

"If the zombies have evolved this far, maybe there won't be anyone left alive at all."

"Maybe. Only one way to find out."

It was the next day. The five of them were mounting their horses, ready to leave.

Bostovich was speaking to them. Yadviga stepped forward to translate. "He says that you are welcome to stay," she said. "We would all like you to stay."

"Thanks, but there is much more to explore," said Nozomi.

Lena was dabbing her eyes, smiling sadly at Kazuki.

"She would especially like you to stay, I think," said Yadviga to Kazuki.

"I can't spare him," said Nozomi. "Sorry."

"Then at least take these things as a gift," said Yadviga. She handed Nozomi a covered basket. Inside were a dozen loaves of fresh bread. And several bottles of vodka.

"Oh no," said Nozomi, looking at the liquor. "Er, I mean, thank you, thank you very much. And perhaps Bostovich will take this, to remember us." She handed the Bison machine gun to Yadviga, who passed it to Bostovich. He beamed.

They turned and rode away.

"So where to now?" said Kemi to Nozomi.

"Back to the Archangel," said Nozomi. "Then we'll make our way down the coast for as long as the fuel lasts. Stop and go inland wherever it looks promising. Find whatever there is to find. We've located some survivors. There must be more."

"Sounds like a plan," said Kemi.

END

New World: Tangshan

Looking for more survivors on the mainland, the group has to think fast and work together.

"So the Yellow Sea actually is yellow," said Rise, at the controls of the Archangel, as he steered the boat into the river.

"Silt from the Yan plain, apparently," said Kemi, who was reading the Japanese-language version of The Lonely Planet Guide to Northern China. "According to this, it got dark green at one point, due to industrial run-off – I'm not sure what that means – but I assume that that stopped with the Outbreak. Back to yellow."

Since leaving Bostovich and his group in southern Russia, they had not encountered any more survivors. As they had made their way southwards down the Korean coast, they had come across a series of fishing villages. They were all deserted, but in several places they had been able to find fuel, which had allowed them to keep going. They had stopped every second day or so to explore and gather food, and to make sure the horses stayed exercised. But their excursions inland had not revealed anything, aside from occasional evidence of zombies.

Nozomi was looking at one of the maps in Kemi's atlas. "This river takes us close to the city of Tangshan, which is marked here as being pretty big," she said. "What does your book say about it, Kemi?"

Kemi leafed through the book. "Large industrial centre, surrounded by agricultural land," she said. "Population 7.6 million. History going back for four thousand years. Area prone to earthquakes and tremors."

"Sounds like a wonderful place for a holiday," put in Kazuki.

After a few hours on the river, their way was blocked – by a concrete damn. Once, it had probably produced electricity, but those days were passed. It was cracked and falling apart in places, but nevertheless there was no way past. They moored the boat at a landing and unloaded the horses. There was a road leading west from the damn, and they followed it.

"Do you think the boat will be alright there?" said Kazuki, as they rode along. "I have to say that I'm getting a bit attached to it. You don't think anyone will steal it?"

"They'd have a hard time going anywhere without this," said Nozomi, taking a metal part from her pack. "Fuel regulator valve. Easy to take out, easy to put back, and absolutely essential. Momma taught me about things like that."

"I wonder what parents taught their kids before the Outbreak," said Rise.

"My mother said that it was mainly about clothes for girls and cars for boys," said Kazuki. "I'm not sure she was serious about that. And hair. Apparently, people used to spend a lot of time on their hair."

"That, I understand," said Kemi. She was trying to push her hair, now growing long again after their several months of travel, back and out of her eyes. She took a long clip from her pocket and pinned it into place.

"You sort of stand out with that colour," said Rise. "You could dye it black, you know."

"I could, but I'm not going to," said Kemi. "This is my mother's colour, and I got it from her, and I'm proud of it."

"Could be worse," said Nozomi. "Momma used to dye hers pink when I was little. For ages, until the supply of dye ran out, I thought that it was her natural colour."

The others laughed.

"I kind of wish I knew more about the Seven and what they did," said Kemi. "Saya and Kohta and the others actually didn't talk about the time between the Outbreak and Sheroda much."

"Hmm," said Rise. "Well, take look at this." He took something from his pack and handed it to Kemi. It was a photograph, faded and creased, of six people and a dog. "This is them, soon after the Outbreak," he said. "Except Shizuka, who took the photo. Alice gave it to me. She said that I should take good care of it. It's important, she told me."

Kemi looked at it for a long time. Then she handed it back. She said: "Okay, now I understand a bit more about you guys."

It was the next day. They were riding through a grey landscape of abandoned buildings and run-down factories.

"Fuck, I think this place could actually have been improved by a zombie apocalypse," said Rise.

"What's this?" said Hotaru.

A long line of people was coming along the road. They were carrying farming tools, and looked half-starved and cowed. Nozomi and the others moved to the side of the road and the people shuffled by, hardly looking at them.

A military-type truck drove slowly past. There was a heavy machine gun mounted on the back, and three hard-eyed men in odd-looking uniforms. They were obviously shepherding the line of workers to somewhere. The men stared at Nozomi and the others as they passed but said nothing.

The five of them watched the truck and the line of workers until they were out of sight.

"Huh," said Rise.

"Did those guys in the truck look Japanese to you?" said Kemi. "But the others were Chinese, I think."

The others nodded.

They continued on their way. After a while, they came to a gate across the road, manned by several more men in the same uniforms. As Nozomi dismounted, she saw that the uniforms had a badge on the shoulder, with Japanese writing. It said: Daiko-Hasito Manufacturing Corporation – Security.

"Who are you?" said one of the men, in Japanese.

"Explorers, travellers, traders," said Nozomi.

"Huh," said the man. "And what are you wanting to trade?"

"Well, that's a nice sniper rifle you have there. And I see you a few clips of nine-millimetre bullets as well. How about that?"

"For what?" he said. He was looking at Kemi. He rubbed his chin.

"How about this?" said Nozomi. She pulled a bottle of potato vodka from her saddlebag. She removed the cork and let the man sniff it. "Good for de-greasing engines and stripping paint," she said.

The man exchanged glances with his colleagues. "Yeah, alright," he said. They made the trade. The man lifted the gate so they could pass through. Nozomi saw one of the men pick up a telephone.

"What's in this direction?" she said, as she got back onto her horse. She handed the gun and clips to Hotaru.

"What's left of Tangshan, and what's left of the Daiko-Hasito Manufacturing Corporation," he said.

They rode on. There were more signs of human activity: people preparing food, others making things. And more men, as well as a few women, in the Security uniforms, carrying guns and walking around with a certain swagger. They thought nothing of roughly pushing any of the others – who were, presumably, Chinese – out of their way, or simply taking something or other from them.

"Not a particularly pleasant bunch, by the look of things," muttered Kazuki to the others, as they dismounted and continued to look around on foot.

"But they have the weapons," said Hotaru.

A large military truck rolled up to them. A wolfish-looking man got out, backed up by a half-dozen others.

"I am Tukoshareo," he said. "You are ordered to come with me."

"Uh, perhaps you would like to re-phrase that," said Rise. "We are not good with orders."

The man started to draw his pistol.

"Please don't do that," said Hotaru. Her hand went behind her back.

Tukoshareo stared at her. "You can't kill all of us," he said.

"Don't have to," said Hotaru. "Just need to kill you."

He continued to stare at her. She stared straight back.

"Try the re-phrasing thing," said Rise to him in a mock whisper.

Tukoshareo glanced at him. Then he said: "Okay then. I ask you to come with me."

None of them moved.

He sighed. "Please," he added.

"There you go, that wasn't so hard, was it," said Rise.

Tukoshareo grimaced at him. "I really don't like you," he said.

"That's alright, none of us do," said Kemi.

"Since you ask so politely, we will come with you," said Nozomi to Tukoshareo. "Lead on."

He took them to a large building, perhaps seven stories. There were other buildings around it but this was the only one that looked relatively untouched. There was a sign: Daiko-Hasito Manufacturing Corporation – Central Administration. Tukoshareo led the group to a large office on the first floor. A number of soldiers came in behind them. Quite a large number.

A big man came out from behind the desk and greeted them. "I am Director Fukuyami," he said. "Welcome to Tangshan."

"Nice place you have here," said Nozomi. "We would be interested to hear how it came about."

"It's fairly simple," he said. "I was the head representative of the Daiko-Hasito Manufacturing Corporation, one of Japan's premier companies, here in China. We were, quite simply, taking advantage of the cheap Chinese labour at the time of the Catastrophe. When the zombies appeared."

"We call it the Outbreak," said Nozomi.

"A good word for it," said Fukuyami. "We made two things here. One was feminine hygiene products. The other was guns."

"Say, you wouldn't have a couple of spare tons of that lying around, would you?" said Kemi. "Not the guns, I mean."

Fukuyami stared at her. "Well, you're a pretty one, blondie," he said. "A very pretty one."

"What happened when the zombies came?" said Nozomi to him.

"Fortunately, we had a large security force," said Fukuyami. "Necessary, in this country. And weapons, obviously. We killed a lot of them. They killed a lot of, well, Chinese. But there will always be more Chinese. Although now I think of it, that might not be as true as it used to be.

"After a few years we began to run out of food. So we turned most of our production line workers into farm workers. Not easy to keep them in line, at first, but some firm methods did the job. It's a simple deal. We protect them and organise them, they do the muscle work. An old story, really. Works for everyone."

"Yes, we saw some of your faithful employees as we came in," said Kazuki.

"Is there still a zombie threat?" said Nozomi. "Or do you just tell people that?"

"Oh, it's very real," he said. "There's thousands and thousands of them on the other side of the city. We built a wall to keep them out. It's been effective but we never forget they're there. And every now and then there are cases of people turning.

"And now tell me about Japan. How did things develop there?"

"Not bad," said Nozomi. "We've taken most of the country back but the zombies still have the big cities."

"How many survivors?"

"Enough."

"And how did you get here?"

"Via southern Russia."

He stared at her. Eventually, he said: "So you will stay with us a while."

"No, I don't think so," said Nozomi.

"But I insist. Not often we have visitors."

"No."

Fukuyami sighed. "If you must," he said. "The four of you can be on your way."

"Five," said Nozomi. "There's five of us."

"Oh, didn't I mention that the blond girl has to stay here? As my … personal … guest. This is not open for discussion."

Nozomi was suddenly aware of the sound of Fukuyami's soldiers drawing their guns. The sound of a dozen safety catches being flicked off.

"That's great!" cried Kemi.

"Huh?" said Kazuki.

"Look, I can recognise a winning team when I see one," she said. "And Fukuyami here obviously has the top position. It would be foolish to refuse his generous offer."

"Oh," said Nozomi. "Well, if that's how you feel, Kemi. We'll miss you."

"Much easier to snap someone's neck when they're rolling around trying to keep their blood in."

"See you," said Kemi, handing Nozomi her pack.

"Tukoshareo," said Fukuyami. "Please escort our friends to the city edge and see them on their way."

Tukoshareo and three soldiers led Nozomi, Rise, Hotaru and Kazuki to their horses. The truck followed them as they rode back the way they had come.

"So that's it?" said Kazuki. "We just leave her there?"

"Of course not," said Nozomi.

"But she said we should go."

"Which is better than all of us being shot," said Rise.

"Why do you think she said 'see you'?" said Hotaru.

"Oh," said Kazuki.

"But first, we have to ditch these guys," said Hotaru. She stopped her horse and dismounted. The others did the same.

The truck stopped, and Tukoshareo and the soldiers got out. Hotaru walked up to Tukoshareo.

"I just wanted to say," she said to him, "that I'm sorry about that thing before. I wouldn't have really done it. I didn't even have any bullets in my gun." She offered her hand.

"Really?" said Tukoshareo, as she shook her hand.

"No, not really," she said. In a single movement, she suddenly changed her grip on his hand, swinging him around and pulling his arm behind him. With her free hand, she pulled one of the Makarovs from the holster at the back of her belt. Tukoshareo was between her and the three soldiers, a shield protecting Hotaru.

"Don't shoot!" shouted Tukoshareo to his men.

Not that it mattered. They were still lifting their guns when Hotaru put them all down, one after the other.

"Mum?" said Rise to her.

"Dad," said Hotaru.

Rise picked up the soldiers' guns and ammunition. One of them had a pair of handcuffs in his pocket; Rise added them to his collection.

They looked around. There was a couple of Chinese workers watching them. Nozomi gave them a little wave. They waved back.

"Now what?" said Kazuki.

"Now we find out how much this asshole can tell us," said Nozomi.

With Hotaru still holding Tukoshareo's arm painfully behind him, they went into a nearby empty building. Rise cuffed his hands behind his back and they pushed him into a chair.

"The clock is running, so don't make us wait," said Nozomi. "Let me say that you have not made a good impression on us, and we are willing to use whatever means necessary to get the information we want."

Hotaru drew her hunting knife from her belt.

"Go fuck yourself," said Tukoshareo.

Hotaru plunged the knife into his thigh. He screamed. She gave it a twist, and then pulled it out.

"What I want to know," said Nozomi, "is where he will take her."

Tukoshareo remained silent.

"Okay," said Hotaru. She took off her jacket and hung it over the back of a chair. She raised the knife.

"Wait!" he cried. "If I tell you, you'll let me go, right?"

"Sure," said Rise. "We don't particularly like you, but we just want our friend back. It's nothing personal."

Tukoshareo looked at them.

"Tick tick," said Nozomi.

"Okay, here it is," said Tukoshareo. "He has an apartment on the top floor of the Administration building. He'll take her there. But later on, at the end of the day. he's done it before with Chink girls. Keeps them for a while, a couple of months sometimes, and then disposes of them. He likes them young. You can't get in, there's only one door to the stairs. It needs a cardkey and he keeps it with him."

"Windows?" said Hotaru.

"Big ones. But thick glass. And like I said, the top floor. And there's always soldiers on the ground floor. You can't do it."

"Let us worry about that," said Nozomi. "Anyone have any other questions for this guy?"

Rise, Hotaru and Kazuki shook their heads.

"So now I can go, right?" said Tukoshareo.

"Er, how can I put this, no," said Rise.

"Then what?"

Kazuki picked up one of the soldiers' pistols from the table where Rise had put them. He checked the clip. Then he walked up to Tukoshareo, put the gun to his head, and fired. Tukoshareo, still on the chair, toppled backwards.

The others stared at Kazuki.

"What?" he said.

"Well, that was fairly cold," said Rise.

"So torturing the guy was okay but killing him was not?" said Kazuki. "And he needed killing."

"Yes," said Hotaru. "He did."

Nozomi and Rise were on the roof of the Administration building, having climbed a fire escape ladder up the side. They had ropes that they had found in Tukoshareo's truck wrapped around them, with the other end tied to brackets on the roof. It was nearly dark.

"Of course, if she misses then we'll just splat against the windows like bugs on a windscreen," said Nozomi.

"What, you really think she ever misses?" said Rise.

In the run-down building facing the Administration building, Hotaru adjusted the sights of the sniper rifle. She took careful aim at the window; a light was on. She fired, the gun's built-in silencer reducing the sound to a p-tunk. Four times.

Nozomi and Rise went over the edge, swinging back towards the window. Weakened by the bullets, the glass collapsed inwards with a crash.

"Well, you took your sweet fucking time!" said Kemi. "I've been waiting for an hour!"

She was sitting in an armchair, leafing through a twenty-year-old Chinese celebrity magazine.

"And it's good to see you, too," said Rise.

"Fukuyami?" asked Nozomi.

Kemi pointed. He was lying in the other room, in a pool of blood. And his neck was broken.

"So which did you do first?" said Rise.

Kemi took the clip from her hair. She pulled something from the middle of it. It was a small, but extremely sharp-looking, stiletto knife.

"Much easier to snap someone's neck when they're rolling around trying to keep their blood in," she said.

"I didn't know you could do that sort of thing," said Rise.

"Well, you don't get raised by ex-soldiers without learning a couple of things over the breakfast table," said Kemi. "Now what?"

"Rise, time?" said Nozomi.

Rise looked at his watch. "Another two minutes," he said. "Kemi, did Fukuyami have a key for the door, something like a card?"

She took it from her pocket. They put it into a slot in the door, which opened. They started down the stairs.

Eventually, they came to the ground floor. They stopped. Rise looked at his watch.

On the far side of the building, there was a burst of machine-gun fire. A stream of bullets whacked into the building.

Most of the soldiers in the building rushed to the source of the shots, taking up defensive positions and firing at the muzzle flash of the gun.

"Now," said Rise.

They opened the door and ran out into the vacant ground level of the building and through the front door.

A truck screeched to a halt next to them.

"Hi," said Kazuki, pushing the door open for them. They piled in.

But as they took off, another truck came around the corner behind them. It started coming after them.

And then suddenly it swerved to the side, running off the road. Looking back, Rise saw that several bullets holes had appeared in the windscreen.

"Hotaru?" said Nozomi.

"Hotaru," said Rise.

"Kazuki, it looks as if the diversion went well," said Nozomi.

"Once I found a good spot and tied the gun into position, it was pretty easy," said Kazuki. He brought the truck to a stop outside the building next to the Administration building. Hotaru calmly walked through the main doors and got in.

"Hello," she said.

Ice water and then some, thought Nozomi.

They reached the horses and, in the darkness, by-passed the gate on the road. They returned to the road a kilometre further on, heading back to the Archangel.

"Wonder whether the Daiko-Hasito Manufacturing Corporation will carry on being a generally nasty bunch of bastards," said Rise. "Or maybe their little feudal empire will fall apart without Director Fuck-you. Those guys were enough to give the Japanese a bad name."

Suddenly, the horses grew skittish, neighing and rearing.

"Area prone to earthquakes and tremors, I think you said."

From the direction of Tangshan, there was a deep rumble. For a few seconds, the ground beneath them shook. Then it was over. The horses became calm again.

"Area prone to earthquakes and tremors, I think you said, Kemi," said Rise.

"And speaking of things falling apart, I would say that there goes their anti-zombie wall," said Nozomi.

"Not exactly an all's-well-that-ends-well conclusion," said Kazuki. "Ambiguous, at best."

"Welcome to China," said Hotaru.

END

New World: A Winter Interlude

In the depth of a Chinese winter, the group make some new friends.

Winter. Cold rain. Freezing sleet.

They were in a farmhouse by a river, the Archangel moored nearby. They had been there for a week, after deciding to wait out the worst of the weather. The place was deserted but there were signs that it had been used by survivors recently. There was a barn that was suitable for the horses, and feed for them.

"Well, this is fun," said Kazuki, as they huddled around the fireplace. They were wearing heavy coats and boots they had found on the Archangel, which had obviously been designed for big men.

"How is that Nozomi and Rise and Hotaru and me look like dorks in this stuff and Kaz looks like he stepped out of a magazine?" said Kemi, who was almost vanishing inside her coat.

"I inherited good cheekbones," said Kazuki.

"How long have we been stuck here?" said Rise.

"Feels like forever," said Nozomi. "What is our supply situation?"

"Not as good as it might be," said Rise. "We have enough food for another six days or so. We could go hunting, if the rain stopped for a little while, but in these conditions we have no idea where to look or what might be available. On the upside, there is plenty of wood for the fire. And we got some extra guns from our little stop in Tangshan."

"Any idea about how long this weather might continue?" said Kazuki.

"In Japan, the peak of winter usually lasts about three weeks," said Nozomi. "No telling if it's the same here, of course. So we wait. And try to use the time productively. Like cleaning and checking the guns. And Kemi, how are you going with learning Chinese?"

"Yeah, about that," said Kemi. "Given that all I have is a dictionary, a tourist phrase book, and this – " she held up the ancient Chinese magazine she had taken from Tangshan – "it's going as well as you would expect. The hardest part is that I've never heard it spoken. All I can do is use the Japanese pronunciation and hope it comes about vaguely right."

Hotaru stood up. "We have company," she said.

Over the whistle of the wind, there was the sound of footsteps outside. And two men talking.

"Chinese?" said Nozomi to Kemi.

"Yes," said Kemi. "I say as if I would know."

They drew their weapons.

The door opened and two men entered. One of them was carrying a brace of rabbits and they both had bows. They started in surprise.

"Kemi, say hello to them," said Nozomi. "And ask them what they are doing here."

"I might be able to do hello but aside from that I can really only ask them for directions to the train station," said Kemi. She spoke a couple of Chinese phrases.

The two men stared at her. Then they burst into laughter.

"That went well," said Kazuki.

One of the men, the older of the pair, began to speak. Kemi held up her hand and shook her head.

The men gestured that they would like to get closer to the fire. So the five of them made room.

"They seem to know this place," said Rise. "I guess they use it as a stop for winter hunting trips. Wish we could tell them that we're friends, or would like to be."

Hotaru pulled something from one of the supply packs. It was a bottle of Russian potato vodka, the second-last one. "This should do it," she said. She uncorked it, took a swig, coughed, and offered it to the men. They each took a swig. They coughed, and then said something that sounded like appreciation. They passed it back to Hotaru, who took another swallow and passed it around the group.

The older man pointed to himself. "Deshi," he said. He pointed to the other man. "Liwei."

Nozomi introduced herself and the others.

Liwei held up the rabbits and spoke. Kemi leafed through her dictionary, and eventually said: "I think he is offering to share with us. In return for the vodka."

"Tell him that we would be delighted," said Nozomi.

Kemi sighed. "Maybe I can manage a yes," she said.

The seven of them stayed in the farmhouse for the next three days, doing their best to exchange stories. Deshi and Liwei – father and son – came from a village about twenty kilometres away, a mix of original inhabitants and survivors from elsewhere. It sounded as if living there was pretty tough work, although they had not seen any zombies for nearly a year.

Deshi and Liwei were surprised to hear that the group had come from Japan, although when he heard the word Deshi told them a long and complicated story about once having a Japanese radio. At least, that was what Kemi thought the story was about.

On the fourth day, the weather began to clear. It looked as if the respite was only temporary, but Liwei announced that he was going hunting, and invited Rise and Hotaru to join him. They did, returning at the end of the day carrying a deer between them. It would be enough to keep them going for another week, at least.

Five days later, the weather began to lift. Deshi and Liwei said that they would be leaving for their village the next day.

It was early in the morning when Rise awoke. The seven of them usually slept in the main room, around the fireplace, but he could see only four sleeping bodies.

He went into the other room. Nozomi was there, curled up in a double sleeping bag. She was not alone.

She opened her eyes and looked up at him. "Morning," she said. "Sounds like the rain has stopped."

"Don't try and change the subject," said Rise. "What's all this about?"

"Most people would not ask that question. Duh."

"And don't try and tell me you were cold."

"Wouldn't dream of it. Girl doesn't often have the chance to get laid these days."

Kazuki came up to Rise. He saw Nozomi. "Hi," he said to her.

"You don't even speak the same language," said Rise.

"It's not actually necessary," said Kazuki, speaking from experience.

Someone else joined them. Liwei.

"Hold it," said Rise. "If Liwei is here, then who … ?"

Nozomi's sleeping partner rolled over and looked up at them. Deshi. Liwei said something in Chinese to his father. It sounded a bit disapproving. Deshi shrugged. He looked at Nozomi and smiled.

"Feel free to start making breakfast," said Nozomi to the others. "And close the door on your way out."

They watched Deshi and Liwei until they were out of sight.

"So, Kemi, did you learn enough Chinese to make yourself understood?" said Nozomi.

"Maybe," said Kemi. "Did you?"

"Let's say that I became acquainted with a few words," said Nozomi. "Learned some and taught some."

Kemi giggled.

Nozomi looked up at the clearing sky. "Let's be on our way," she said.

END

New World: Shanghai

Faced with a mighty peril, the group must learn to fight with their hearts.

Part I

" … Kaz is the pretty one, I'm the smart one, Hotaru is the tough one, Rise is the funny one, and Nozomi is the boss," Kemi was saying.

"I want to be the funny one," said Hotaru.

"When you say funny, do you mean humourous or peculiar?" said Rise.

"Peculiar," said Kemi.

"Why do I have to be the pretty one?" said Kazuki.

"Well, duh," said Rise.

"Shut up and crawl," said Nozomi.

They were crawling to the top of a hill, staying below the horizon line. They reached the top and carefully peeped over. Nozomi put the binoculars to her eyes.

"Holy shit," said Rise.

"You should see it close up," said Nozomi. She passed the binoculars around.

"What was the name of this city again, Kemi?" said Kazuki.

"Shanghai," said Kemi. "Big, even by Chinese standards. Former population 23 million."

"I would say that they are now all zombies, and we are looking at them," said Rise.

"According to this map, this is just one of the outlying areas," said Nozomi. The binoculars had come back to her, and she was scanning the parts of the city further away. "Maybe they're not all zombies," she said. "Look over there, on the other side of the river, near that bridge. That wall. That's a survivor settlement, I think. A fairly large one."

"No way we can make it through the city from this side to get to them," said Hotaru.

"Perhaps we don't have to," said Nozomi. "We should be able to take the Archangel right up the river. You see that landing, just before that trestle bridge? And there's a path that goes up to the settlement. Kemi, what do you know about that river?"

Kemi studied her book for a while. Then she said: "That's the Huangpu River, a tributary of the Yangtse, which is the big river we came up, from the coast. About four metres deep in the middle, according to this. Plenty deep enough for our boat."

Kazuki was studying the scene through the binoculars. "That's the last bridge standing," he said. "And it doesn't go all the way across. There a gap on this side. But it didn't just fall, it looks like it was blown up. There's a heap of zombies doing something there. Can't see what."

"So the zombies have the north side and the survivors are over there, on the south side," said Rise. "Sounds like an interesting story."

"But a story with an awful lot of zombies," said Kemi. "I've never seen so many."

Nozomi was silent for a while. Then she said: "Let's go and see if Kemi's Chinese is enough to talk with whoever is in that settlement."

They were on the Archangel, heading along the Huangpu River. The settlement was a kilometre away.

Nozomi was scanning the zombie side of the river with the binoculars. There was the sound of occasional shooting.

"There!" she said. "Survivors!"

A group of four burst from the built-up area, running for the river. There was a huge troop of zombies, perhaps a hundred, after them. And gaining.

Rise, at the wheel, was already turning the boat towards the shore, towards the point where the survivors would reach the water.

"They haven't seen us," said Nozomi. "Hotaru, put up a flare. Kazuki, the 50-cal. Kemi, get on the side and see if you can tell when it's getting shallow."

Hotaru pulled the flare gun out of her boot and fired. The survivors saw it, and changed course towards them.

"I don't think they're going to make it," said Nozomi. "Kaz, are they in range of your big gun yet?"

"Not quite," said Kazuki, his eye on the sight.

"They're in mine," said Hotaru. She lifted the sniper rifle, aimed, and fired. The zombie leading the pack went down. Then the second did.

"Getting shallow and rocky!" called Kemi. "We're not going to be able to get right to the edge! If we get stuck we're screwed!"

Rise brought the Archangel to a stop, the engine idling. "Come on!" he shouted to the survivors, running to the edge of the deck. "Come on!"

The survivor at the back of the group turned, lifted his gun, and fired. Several zombies went down but then a dozen more were on him. The rest continued to pursue the other survivors.

"Rock it," said Kazuki.

Boomboomboomboom.

The heavy bullets cut into the zombie pack, chewing a half-dozen of them to pieces. But the rest kept coming.

The two survivors in the lead waded into the water and then struck out for the boat. The one in the rear, a young woman, reached the shallows but was pulled down by a zombie. Then the zombie fell back, dead, a bullet from Hotaru's rifle in its skull. But two more were almost on the woman.

And then Rise reared up from the water, swinging his sword. The first went down, decapitated, then the second.

Another wave of zombies was coming towards them, down the bank, but Kazuki's fire drove them back.

Rise pulled the woman to her feet and they began to swim for the boat. They made it, and Nozomi and the others helped them aboard.

Hotaru was scanning the bank, and the troop of zombies, with the telescopic sight of her rifle. She saw, some distance away, a zombie standing. It had once been a woman, and it was wearing a bright blue shirt. It had not taken part in the attack. It was watching. Watching them.

Hotaru adjusted her sight. The zombie was a little too far away for an effective shot. She fired anyway. The bullet hit the ground three metres from the zombie. The zombie looked at the place where it had struck. Then at Hotaru.

Almost as if she knew she was just out of range, thought Hotaru.

As Hotaru watched, a trio of zombies dragged something towards the one in the blue shirt. It was the survivor that they had taken down first. He was still alive.

The zombie was still staring at Hotaru. Then, slowly, she leaned forward and bit the man. Tore his throat out. Then she looked again at Hotaru. She wiped blood and flesh from her mouth. She appeared to give a grimacing smile.

"Fuck you too," said Hotaru softly.

People from the settlement were waiting for them at the landing, and they gave a ragged cheer as the group and the three they had rescued stepped off the Archangel.

"Guess they don't get too many victories around here," said Nozomi to the others. "Even small ones."

A man came forward and clapped her on the shoulder. He was perhaps only thirty but there were grey streaks in his hair. He started to speak in Chinese but Nozomi held up her hand. She called Kemi to them to translate, and then gestured for the man to start again.

"Basically, thanks and welcome, I think," said Kemi.

"Tell him no worries," said Nozomi.

"Hey!" said Rise, who was still dripping wet.

"Almost no worries," said Nozomi.

Kemi translated, and the man replied. "He's Cheng, and he's the leader here, if you didn't guess that," she said.

The man laughed and led them up the path to the settlement.

The woman that Rise had rescued pulled Kemi aside, and over to Rise. She spoke to her in Chinese for translation.

"She says thank you," said Kemi. "As far as I can tell. Her name is Lian."

Kemi spoke to Lian. Lian laughed, and walked away.

"What did you say?" said Rise.

"That your name is Rise and you're an asshole," said Kemi.

"Oh, thank you very much for that," said Rise.

They came to the main gate of the settlement. Kemi, who had been reading her book, said: "If I have this right, this is a section of Shanghai called the Old Town. The original part of the city. The wall was built in 1554 – at that time it encircled the whole city. To protect the place from Japanese pirates sailing up the river, apparently."

"A certain irony in that," said Hotaru.

The wall was not, in fact, particularly secure. In places, it was broken and falling apart, and the gate did not look as if it would do much to keep out a determined zombie attack.

Nozomi looked back. The south end of the bridge was a hundred metres from the gate, with open ground between them. At the north end of the bridge, as Kazuki had seen, there was a gap – about twenty metres. But all the wreckage had been cleared away. The bridge itself was about fifteen metres wide.

Further back in the city, on the side controlled by the zombies, Nozomi could see zombies going backwards and forwards, with a remarkable – for zombies – sense of purpose.

"Busy little bees," she muttered to herself.

"Am I ready to die? I was born ready. Literally. Long story."

They were sitting at an elaborate dinner table, with Cheng and several of his officers. There was also Lian and another of the people they had rescued, Bao. Kemi had been speaking to him for a while, trying to translate. Very often, she had to check her dictionary to find a word or phrase, but Nozomi and the others thought that, all things considered, she was doing pretty well in her role as intermediary.

"Bao is a military engineer," she said to the others. "A specialist in explosives. He was part of an army unit that joined up with the people who lived here immediately after the Outbreak. Bao was the guy who blew the hole in the bridge out there. That was five years ago."

"He should have blown the whole thing," said Hotaru.

"That's what I told him," said Kemi. "He says that that was all the explosives they had."

"How many people are here?" said Nozomi.

Kemi went back and forwards with Cheng. "About four hundred," she said. "Two hundred and seventy fighters."

At that moment, several attendants brought in a massive plate of rice, vegetables and chicken.

"Wow, that smells great!" said Rise, picking up his chopsticks. "They must have plenty of food, anyway."

Lian, next to him, said something.

"Actually, they've been on half rations for over two years," said Kemi. "This is because we're guests."

The five of them looked at each other. Rise put down his chopsticks.

"We will eat what they eat," said Nozomi. "Same thing, same amount."

Kemi translated. Cheng looked at them in surprise. He started to speak.

Nozomi held up her hand. "Tell him I do not understand Chinese, so there is no point in further discussing it," she said. Kemi did.

Cheng's face broke into a smile. He gestured for the attendants to take the plate away. A few minutes later, they returned with a small bowl of rice for each of them.

As they ate, Cheng asked them about what they had found on their travels. Kemi spread one of her maps over the table, and Nozomi traced their journey along the coast, explaining about the survivors in the towns, villages, and homesteads they had found between Tangshan and Shanghai. It was about five hundred people in total.

Nozomi asked him about the settlement he led.

Kemi translated: "There were many battles in the first few years. Most people in Shanghai were killed or turned, and those who were left retreated here. It was a good defensive position, with the river and the wall and only one bridge, and after a few years the zombies seemed to stop trying. The survivors were even able to go to the north side to get supplies. Then, about six years ago, the people saw one zombie who seemed to be a leader. She had a blue shirt. In fact, they call her Blue. They see her and a couple of others on the roof of a particular building sometimes. Standing and staring. Like she's watching them."

"Ah," said Hotaru. "Her."

"Well, it sounds as if she changed everything. The zombies started attacking again, tougher and more organised. They came pretty close to getting into the settlement a couple of times. That's when Bao and his engineers blew the bridge. What they could, anyway. It stopped the zombie attacks. But the survivors can't get into the north side, either. They have some little boats and can sneak across a few at a time but that's all."

"What were Lian and Bao and the others doing outside the wall?" said Rise.

Kemi spoke to Bao for a while, then said: "They were on a scouting mission, trying to find out what the zombies are doing over there. But they were seen and had to make a run for it. That's where we came in."

Nozomi nodded. "The zombies are certainly keeping themselves busy," she said.

"Whatever it is, they've been doing it for four years, apparently," said Kemi.

"Four years!" said Rise. "Hell, you almost have to admire them. They always play a long game."

"They have nothing but time," said Hotaru.

"A question," said Kazuki. "Why haven't Cheng and his people just retreated to the south? Leave Shanghai to the zombies. It might be safer."

Kemi asked. The Chinese around the table looked at each other. Cheng answered.

"This is their home," said Kemi. "They won't be forced out of it."

"Yeah, I can get that," said Kazuki.

After dinner, Cheng showed them around the camp. The story of the rescue of Bao and the others had gone around, and everyone they saw greeted them with a smile, shaking their hands or slapping them on the back.

It was not a bad place to live, Nozomi thought, but there was an atmosphere of hanging-on. No electricity, no vehicles, no horses, a minimum of food. A sense of being under pressure.

They reached the shed that the survivors were using as an armoury. There wasn't much there: mainly old rifles and a few pistols. But there were some boxes of ammunition. Hotaru pulled out her Makarovs and asked Cheng if there were any bullets suitable for them. Cheng shook his head.

"But there is this," said Kazuki, looking at a pile of boxes. "Bullets for a 50-cal, like we have on the boat. They don't have a gun of that size, I guess, so they just haven't been used."

Lian had disappeared, but now returned, carrying something wrapped in a cloth. She took Rise by the arm and guided him away from the others. She took him up to a battlement on the wall, and they sat down on a little bench. She gestured that she wanted to see his sword, and he handed it to her. She took it from the sheath and looked at it.

"Samurai," she said. Rise nodded.

She handed it back to him and began to unwrap what she had been carrying. It was a Chinese sword, broad and heavy. She handed it to him. He tested the weight and the balance. It was very different to the Anishi blade but, he felt, likely to be an extremely effective weapon.

"Dao," she said, pointing at her sword. She took it from him and showed him a series of practice moves. Clearly, she knew what she was doing with it. He smiled appreciatively at her.

She smiled back. For the first time, he realised that she had put her hair back with a red comb.

She sheathed the dao sword and sat down again. They looked up at the stars. After a while, he put his hand on hers. She looked at him, and smiled.

Part II

Nozomi was awoken by someone shaking her gently. It was, she realised, one of Cheng's assistants. The woman was gesturing for her to come.

"A moment," said Nozomi. She got out of bed – they were in the room that they had been allocated by Cheng – and shook Kemi awake.

"You're needed," said Nozomi.

"But my brain is still hurting from last night!" protested Kemi. "I had nightmares in two languages!" Nevertheless, she started to get out of bed.

Nozomi was waking Hotaru and Kazuki.

"Where's … uh … what's-his-name?" said Kemi.

"Haven't seen him since Lian dragged him away," said Hotaru.

"Oh," said Kemi.

The assistant led them to the battlement above the gate. The sun had just risen. Cheng and Bao were there, with several other Chinese. So were Rise and Lian. Cheng had an old-fashioned extendable telescope. He pointed across the river.

Nozomi put her binoculars to her eyes.

"What the fuck is that?" she said.

On the other side of the river, the zombies were slowly hauling something towards the gap in the bridge. It was a large platform, made of planks, girders, and metal sheets, lashed together with cables and wires. It was being dragged forward an inch at a time.

Suddenly, Nozomi realised what it was for.

"They're going to put it over the gap," she said. "And then there'll be no stopping them."

Bao said something.

Kemi translated: "Seven hours. More or less."

Nozomi nodded.

Cheng pointed again, to the roof of a building, about seven stories, on the zombie side. Nozomi looked as he indicated. Then she handed the binoculars to Hotaru.

"Blue," said Hotaru.

Cheng led them to his office.

"We have to destroy that bridge," said Nozomi.

"No explosives," said Rise.

Bao spoke. Kemi said: "He says that he saw something on a scouting trip a few months ago that might help. They found a Chinese navy ship beached on a sandbar, a few kilometres south of the delta. Abandoned but equipped, apparently. There were … uh, I think he means cannon shells. He thinks that if we can retrieve some and attach them to the trestles of the bridge and set them off with some plastic explosive it should be enough to bring it down. They didn't have a way to transport them before."

"The Archangel," said Nozomi. "We can use it to get them."

"Or," said Rise, "we can simply get onto our boat and keep on going to the coast."

"Turn left and straight on until we hit the Korean Peninsula," said Hotaru.

"A day's sailing to cross the Sea of Japan, back home in time to see the cherry blossoms," said Kazuki.

"Easy peasy Japanesey," said Kemi.

They all looked at each other.

"Rise, you and Kazuki and Hotaru should stay here and help with the defence however you can," said Nozomi.

"I have an idea about that," said Kazuki.

"I have an idea too," said Hotaru. "Blue."

"Uh, you know that she is in the middle of a city infested with zombies, right?" said Kemi.

"I do," said Hotaru.

"Okay, just checking," said Kemi.

"Kemi, you and I will take the Archangel to the coast, with Bao and a couple of strong Chinese guys," said Nozomi. "I'll need you to translate things, most likely."

Kemi nodded.

"Okay, the clock is ticking so let's move," said Nozomi. "Kemi, translate this for Cheng and Bao."

Kazuki was already leaving, taking several Chinese men with him.

While Kemi was doing her best to make their intentions clear to Cheng, Rise came up to Nozomi. "It's three hours to the coast, at least another hour to get to the ship and transfer the shells, three hours back," he said. "Bao said seven hours for the zombies to get their platform in place. I don't think they take coffee breaks. Going to be close."

"Then all the more reason," said Nozomi, "to get going right away."

Cheng, Bao and Kemi came up to them.

"What does Cheng think?" said Nozomi.

"I believe his views translate to, well, we are fucking crazy," said Kemi.

"Yes, I think that sums it up," said Rise.

"He also says," said Kemi, "that he will be proud to fight alongside us."

Cheng looked at them. He nodded.

The five of them were standing on the landing where the Archangel was moored. The plan was to stop at a little jetty on the northern side, a kilometre downriver from the city. Hotaru would get off and make her way into the city on foot.

"Somehow, wishing you good luck just doesn't seem to be enough," said Kazuki to her.

"Say it anyway," said Hotaru.

"Good luck," said Kazuki.

Nozomi and Kemi got onto the boat; Bao and the other Chinese were already on board. Hotaru stepped onto the deck. Then she stopped. She turned and came back to Kazuki. She put her arms around him and kissed him. And he kissed back.

Then she turned again and boarded.

The Archangel pulled away.

Hotaru was picking her way carefully through the shattered city. She had not seen many zombies; presumably, they were all near the bridge, preparing for the attack.

She checked the map that Cheng had given her, which had the building that Blue used as her observation post – or headquarters, or whatever it was she used it for – marked. It would take her at least another couple of hours.

Maybe I should have told the others that I have only three bullets for my rifle and half a clip for each of the pistols, she thought. No, it would only have worried them.

"There it is!" said Nozomi.

It was a destroyer, with the insignia of the Chinese navy still visible through the streaks of rust. The tide was in; they would be able to get close. She looked at her watch. A bit more than three hours gone.

Rise and Lian were standing at the battlement over the gate, watching the zombies slowly move the platform into position. In fact, the ledge that ran along the top of the wall was lined with people watching.

"Best show in town," said Rise. "Only show in town, I guess."

Lian might not have understood the words but she got the idea. She laughed.

They turned to look at what Kazuki was doing.

"Huh," said Rise. "Guy's not just a pretty face."

Bao and his men had brought six shells onto the Archangel; that was all he could find on the ship. He had also located some equipment which, Nozomi and Kemi assumed, would be able to set them off. There had been several drums of diesel fuel on board, and Nozomi and Kemi had topped up the Archangel's tanks.

Finally, as his men clambered on board, Bao gave them a thumbs-up sign. Nozomi turned the Archangel towards the mouth of the Yangtse. She checked her watch.

"Damn," she said.

The platform was sliding across the gap now, with agonising slowness. A metre to go. Half a metre.

It was there. There was a long moment of ghastly silence.

And then the zombies came. They poured across the bridge like water. Howling. Screaming. Roaring.

The first of them were half-way across when the gates swung open.

"You want to something to howl about?" said Kazuki. "Try this."

Boomboomboomboomboomboom ….

The 50-cal from the Archangel, now attached to a wooden mount in the middle of the gateway, swivelled and fired. Spent cartridges fell spinning to the ground. And the soldiers on either side of the big gun, armed with rifles, fired and fired. At Cheng's command, they knelt and reloaded, and the rank behind them fired.

The first wave of zombies simply disintegrated. And the second. And the third. And still they came.

Hotaru lit the small lantern she had brought with her. She started up the dark staircase.

She thought she could hear the rhythmic echo of shots, muffled.

It's begun, she thought. She looked up. Seven floors.

"Last belt!" shouted Kazuki.

The gun was so hot he could hardly keep his hand on the firing mechanism. He wondered how many zombies had gone down. There were piles of bodies, and scores more, perhaps hundred more, had gone over the edge. The zombies on the bridge were hesitating now, reluctant to advance further. But the ones behind were pushing forwards.

Not enough, he thought. Not nearly enough.

The gun stopped firing, empty. He looked down. There were smoking cartridges almost up to his knees. He picked up his rifle.

The zombies realised that the big gun had fallen silent and began to surge towards the south end of the bridge.

"Go!" shouted Rise.

The ranks of riflemen parted and Rise, Lian, and the others went through. They were on the horses that the group had brought with them.

Rise drew his sword. He saw Lian draw hers.

They charged.

They rounded a bend in the river and could see, a long way off, the bridge. The battle was already going on.

"So much for the idea of tying the shells to the trestles," said Nozomi to Kemi, surveying the scene through the binoculars. "By the time we got through with that, it would all be over."

She considered. She gestured for Bao to join them.

"New plan," she said.

The door that led to the roof was open. Hotaru went through it, blinking in the sunlight after the darkness of the stairs.

The zombies were on the far side of the roof, twenty metres away. Ten of them, with Blue in the centre. They were all looking in the opposite direction, towards the battle on the bridge.

Silently, Hotaru unslung her rifle. She knelt, and put the rifle to her shoulder. She released the safety catch.

Click.

One of the zombies glanced around at the sound. It saw Hotaru, and shrieked. All the zombies turned towards her.

Hotaru fired at Blue, and then again. But Blue had pulled another zombie in front of her as a shield. The first bullet smashed into the head of the zombie and lodged there. The second hit it in the shoulder, and passed through, whacking into Blue's chest. She grunted, and tossed the other zombie aside.

The rest of the zombies were charging on Hotaru now. She lifted the rifle and shot the zombie in the lead in the head; it fell backwards, dead. The other zombies hesitated.

Hotaru threw the empty rifle down. She drew the Makarovs, one in each hand. She looked around at the semi-circle of zombies confronting her.

"Let's go," she said.

The horses had smashed into the zombies, pushing dozens of them off the bridge. The riders, with guns and swords, had taken down scores of them.

Now the riders wheeled the horses back, and dismounted, to allow the riflemen a clear shot. They fired volley after volley. But more and more of the rifles fell silent, out of ammunition.

The zombies continued to advance across the bridge.

Bao and his men had lashed all of the shells to the bow of the Archangel, now speeding towards the bridge. He had wired the shells to a central device, to explode simultaneously, with a lump of plastic explosive. But now he was trying to explain something to Nozomi. Kemi was doing her best to translate. She desperately leafed through her dictionary.

"A trigger!" she cried out. "He is saying that it needs a trigger! Something … something … like a little explosion to start it!"

"A fuse," said Nozomi. "Something hot."

"Petrol?" said Kemi. "From the tank?"

Nozomi looked at the bridge, rapidly approaching. She could see the humans gradually being pushed back.

"No time," she said. "I have another idea."

"Let's go."

All the zombies expect Blue were dead. The Makarovs were empty. Hotaru tossed them aside and drew her knife. Suddenly, she realised that the shirt that Blue was wearing was the uniform of a chain of kiosks that had sold donuts.

"Huh," she said. "How about that."

Rise and Lian were standing back-to-back now, their swords singing a deadly song.

Rise looked across the bridge, towards the northern side. There was a column of zombies – hundreds, thousands, more, still pushing forward.

He took a moment to exchange glances with Lian.

"A real pity we're going to die here," he said. "Because I think we could have had something pretty damn good."

Lian smiled. She gave him a hurried kiss. Then she was swinging the dao sword again.

"How about this?" said Nozomi. She pulled the last bottle of Russian vodka from the pack.

Bao laughed. Then he nodded.

Kemi took the wheel. Nozomi tore a sleeve from her shirt and doused it with vodka, and then stuffed most of it into the bottle.

She turned to Bao. "You and your men, go overboard and start swimming," she said. "We'll take it from here."

Bao got the idea without Kemi having to translate. He and his men ran to the edge of the boat. He gave them a salute. Then they went into the water.

"You too," said Nozomi to Kemi.

"You don't really expect me to do that, do you?" said Kemi.

Nozomi smiled. "Perhaps not," she said.

"We'll probably be killed," said Kemi, with a sigh. "You ready to die?"

"I was born ready," said Nozomi. "Literally."

Kemi looked at her, an eyebrow raised. Nozomi shrugged. "Long story," she said.

"By the way," said Kemi, "you're going to need these." She handed her a packet of matches.

"Guess you really are the smart one," said Nozomi.

Hotaru had stabbed Blue twice and it hadn't even slowed her down. The zombie was strong and fast, savagely punching Hotaru at every opportunity.

Hotaru feinted, swivelled, and rammed the knife into Blue's side. It stuck there. The zombie howled, and wrapped her arm around Hotaru's. Hotaru tried to pull away but her enemy was too strong.

Blue continued to bend Hotaru's arm. Something broke. Hotaru shouted in pain.

With her free hand, Hotaru punched Blue on the side of her head, again and again. Finally, Blue let go of Hotaru's arm. Hotaru staggered backwards.

Blue pulled the knife from her side. She swung with it, slashing Hotaru across the stomach.

Hotaru cried out again. Bleeding, she sank to her knees.

Blue threw the knife aside. She leaned forward to bite Hotaru. She opened her mouth, showing a line of rotten teeth.

Hotaru pulled the flare pistol from her boot. With the last of her strength, she rammed the barrel into Blue's mouth. "Surprise," she said. Blue's eyes suddenly flashed with all-too-human terror.

Hotaru pulled the trigger.

Rise saw the Archangel speeding towards the bridge, Nozomi at the bow and Kemi at the wheel. He realised what they were going to do.

"Everyone off the bridge!" he shouted. "Back! Now!"

He and Lian began to run. The Chinese soldiers followed.

Nozomi put the match to the vodka-soaked fabric. It caught immediately. She pushed the bottle into the middle of the nest of shells.

"Go!" she shouted to Kemi.

They went over the side together.

And then the Archangel hit the bridge.

The rowboat slowly pulled up to the jetty where Hotaru was standing. Her arm was in a sling improvised from her rifle strap, and there was a make-do bandage on a wound across her middle.

Kazuki jumped onto the jetty and embraced her.

"Ow," she said.

"Sorry," he said, stepping back.

"Hey, it's going to get better," she said. She looked at him. There was a gash on the side of his face, from his cheekbone to his jaw. "That's going to leave a mark," she said.

"Knowing Kaz, it will probably make him look even better," said Rise, stepping out of the boat. "On the rugged side."

"Huh," said Kazuki.

Hotaru smiled. "Think I care?" she said.

"I certainly hope not," said Kazuki.

Hotaru turned to Rise. "Did everyone else make it?" she said.

"Well, Nozomi caught a cold from being in the water. Kemi says that she lost her dictionary but I think she's hiding it. Aside from that, yeah, we made it." He looked around. "Where are all the zombies?" he said.

"As far as I can tell, they're just wandering around now. Guess they needed someone to tell them what to do."

Rise nodded. "You know, I thought you were going to send up a flare to tell us where you were, so we could come and pick you up," he said, as Kazuki helped Hotaru into the boat.

"Someone ate my gun," said Hotaru.

Coda

It was Maresato Farm Mid-Summer Market Day. Saya Takagi and Kohta Hirano were sitting at one of the stores, sampling some fried squid from one of the coast settlements. They were sharing a table with Reika Arimake and Naoki Tioba, and Rei Miyamato and Benaro Tatagi.

There was a band playing, and people were dancing.

Naoki said to Reika: "How about we give that a try?"

She looked dubious. "I think I'm getting a bit old for that sort of thing," she said.

Hirano laughed. "Tell you what, Reika," he said. "If Saya and I try it, will you too? Saya?"

But Saya had stood up. She was looking at the farm gate. She could see a line of people on horses coming through it.

And then they were all running.

The riders dismounted. Nozomi embraced her mother and father, and Rise lifted Rei up and swung her around. There was a flood of hugs and kisses.

"And this," said Rise to everyone, "is Lian."

"H … hello," said Lian in Japanese.

Benaro spoke to her in Chinese.

"You speak Chinese?" said Rise to him.

"Some," said Benaro. "What, don't you?"

"Well, I speak some now," said Rise.

"Goddamn," said Kemi. "So we could have had lessons before we left."

Her mother laughed.

Shizuka came up to them. "Hi," she said to Kazuki.

"Mum, I've brought your rifle back," said Kazuki. "With three bullets." He handed it to her. She took it and looked at it. Then she threw it aside and hugged her son. She stepped back and looked at him.

"Nice scar," she said.

He laughed, and then took Hotaru's hand.

"Uh-huh," said Shizuka. She glanced at Rei.

"I guess I can deal," said Rei. "And it looks as if I've gained a daughter-in-law, so I guess that means coming out ahead."

Saya linked arms with Nozomi, and started to lead the group back towards the farmhouse.

"I want to hear about all your adventures," said Saya to her daughter.

"Adventures?" said Nozomi. "Well, yes, I suppose there were a couple of adventures … "

END AND AMEN

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