I – Pallor Mortis

"Which of us were fortunate, who can tell?
For you there is silence and cold twilight
drooping in awful desolation over those
motionless lands. For us sunlight and the
sound of women's voices, song and hope and
laughter, despair, gaiety, love – life."

- Richard Aldington.


Koto Ward, Tokyo, Japan
1835 hours,
Z Day + 17

The streets of Tokyo's Koto Ward were quiet.

Too quiet.

Then a rumbling filled the air. And the streets were suddenly much too loud instead of much too quiet. Dull, lifeless eyes of the cities only remaining occupants turned towards the sound, the dormant part of their brains failing to recognize it until the black military humvee came barreling down the street, crashing into half of them and splattering them all across the bleak landscape. Their blood staining the road dark crimson.

From within the humvee, more noise erupted in the form of a heated argument.

"Admit it!"

"Look I'm just saying...!"

"Admit it! Admit it! Admit it!"

"Okay I admit it! Going to Yokota Air Base wasn't the best of plans!"

"You called that a plan? That was the dumbest thing we've ever done!"

"We got a new ride out of it, didn't we?"

"And some ammo!"

"Shuttup, fatty! When I want your opinion I'll give it to you!"

"Uhm, everyone..."

"There is no need for such blatant hostility."

"Go to hell, ice queen!"

"Perhaps you would care to prepare the way for me?"

"Oh stop being such a prissy little...!"

"Shut up all of you this isn't going to help us at all!"

"Look Fearless Leader...!"

"Hey now, please don't fight..."

"Sensei!"

Startled out of her half-hearted attempts to placate the high school students in her care, Shizuka snapped her eyes back onto the road moments before the humvee crashed into an overturned SUV, swerving hard to avoid it and crashing hard over the dead bodies of its former occupants. Ignoring the sickening crunch under the wheels by virtue of long experience, she pressed down on the accelerator and continued on, not even looking back as they cut through the near-empty streets of Tokyo. Their destination lay before them, though it was a ways off yet.

Takashi leaned over the roof to poke his head down into the middle of the SUV, where most of the others were. Due to size constraints, he and Saeko were hanging on to the rooftop. "How much further?" he asked, maintaining an iron grip on the side of the vehicle all the while.

Kohta shrugged in response to his question, and turned to their resident navigator, who was currently busy trying to adjust her glasses, which had nearly been dislodged by the sudden turn of the humvee. Pushing them up her nose with a firm movement, Saya quickly rummaged through the backseats for the map they were using. Moments later it appeared right under her nose, and she glanced up. Alice was holding it out to her, a cheerful smile on her face.

Patting the redheaded girl on her head, Saya snapped open the map and perused it, recalling in perfect detail their route since they'd last stopped for fuel and gotten the map from the broken down gas station. Having total recall definitely helped, but to be helpful to her less-gifted associates she'd also taken a marker and was using it to trace their route. She added an extra line to show their progress, and did a quick calculation in her mind based on their current speed.

Turning up to where Takashi was still waiting, she said "About seventeen minutes 'til the docks."

Nodding, Takashi climbed back up and peered over towards the horizon. No sign of Them anywhere on the road, but that could change at any moment. Idly he glanced over at Saeko, who was watching with the keen view of a predator, hand resting on the hilt of her katana.

Seeing her so composed helped recover some of his own strength, and he shifted the shotgun in his grip. This way it would be ready to move it into either a firing position or a clubbing position, whichever was required, at a moment's notice.

Their plan was a simple one. After the disaster at the evacuation sight and the fiasco trying to make their way to a military base, the survivors of Fujimi High had come up with a much simpler plan. Based on the idea that They lacked coordination and agility and thus, couldn't swim. So they would head to the coast, find a boat, and get the hell away from the island of Japan. At least for a while. They could hug the coast at a safe distance (presumably, where the water was deeper than the tallest one of Them) and wait to come up with a better plan.

That last part always stuck in the back of Takashi's mind like a rotten tooth he couldn't quite pull out, but he didn't have anything else he could think of right now. None of them did.

No one mentioned their families either. They'd missed the rendevuez with the Takagi's, if they were still alive, there was no way to get in touch with them anymore. No one had been at the Komuro residence, dead or otherwise, and they'd had even worse luck finding the Miyamoto's. If things were even half as bad in the rest of the world as they were here, there was no way of knowing if their family abroad were anymore safe than they. At this point, they could've very easily been the last people left alive in the world.

Takashi gave a heavy sigh as his thoughts drifted down dark roads. Right now, the lone group of seven...

A sharp bark interrupted his thoughts, as if the little white animal had been reading them, and he glanced down to see Zeke standing with his paws on the window, perhaps barking at something shiny passing by that had caught his eye.

Lone group of eight, he corrected himself, were all each other had in this brave new world.

He hoped it was enough.


"Which way?" asked Shizuka, tightly gripping the steering wheel as she eased up on the accelerator.

"Keep going straight then take the next turn off," Saya replied, glancing down at the map to make doubly sure. "It's along the main highway, should be faster than any short cuts."

Kohta peered over her shoulder. "It looks like little more than half a click after that to the docks."

"Half a click?" she asked sarcastically. "This isn't Vietnam."

"Just trying to get psyched up," he replied, even as he sat back morosely in his seat, clutching his AR-10 to his chest like it was a security blanket. Then again, for someone like Kohta it probably was. Saya resisted the urge to roll her eyes and checked the map again. They were getting closer to the docks.

Unfortunately, brilliant though their plan was, on an island like Japan, it wasn't completely beyond the scope of rational thought that others would try the same thing. The last half-mile or so to the coastline they encountered heavy resistance on the roads, abandoned cars and the odd motorcycle, and later still an overturned oil tanker. It didn't appear to be leaking, thankfully, but it was blocking the road almost completely. No way they could shift it aside or get the humvee through. Saeko could practically see the docks, however. If it was within sight, it was within walking distance. Which was good, because the sun was continuing to set, painting the sky dull, muted reds and dark purples on the horizon. Soon enough those colors would give way to pitch black, and none of them had any desire to be caught out in the open when they lost sight of one another.

The night was Their time.

Shizuka brought their borrowed vehicle to a stop on the side of the road, just shy of the low wall of overturned and abandoned vehicles. "Last stop," she announced unnecessarily.

As quietly as possible, but with as much speed and efficiency as they dared, the team unloaded the vehicle and grabbed what supplies they had, as well as weapons. Saeko took point, sword resting at her side as she surveyed the road before them for signs of survivors or more of Them. Kohta was burdened with most of the packs, since he'd had the foresight to grab an army rangers backpack when they'd escaped the military base. Into it they loaded most of their rations, distributing their ammo and reloading their weapons.

Takashi was loading two shells into his Beneli, and glanced back to see Alice packing a smaller backpack with some of the supplies as well, and allowed himself a small smile. Everyone in the group tried to shield the little girl from the responsibilities of survival that'd been thrust upon them, but she had been equally determined to carry her own weight. A phrase Kohta had found particularly amusing.

"In that case," he'd once said to her, "Since Alice-chan weighs so little, we'll have you do the little things, alright?"

She had several extra magazines in her pockets, ready to swap them out with Kohta's at a moment's notice. And in her own tiny backpack she had the maps and other lightweight objects, like spare clothes.

Shizuka shrugged a medical kit over her shoulder, letting it rest comfortably against her hip. This carried a role almost more vital than their meager food. Since the nuclear blast had gone off high over Tokyo, there had been radiation falling to Earth, almost as deadly as the walking dead and much harder to combat. They'd all been inoculated during their brief stay at Yokota Air Base, but they needed the extra medicine in case things got worse.

At this point, they'd long since given up hope of things getting better.

As if karma was following their story, at the moment Saya swung her legs out of the vehicle and moved to hop out. Kohta had been holding the door open in what he hoped was a gentlemanly fashion (she hardly even noticed), but her skirt's frilly hem caught on the seatbelt awkwardly, and she glanced up in alarm.

"Wai-..!"

Kohta ignorantly slammed the door shut behind her, and in an instant, her dress ripped right down the middle, a massive segment clinging to the end like a limp tail on the ground. And the pudgy otaku's eyes widened in horror as he realized the very, very massive blunder he'd just made.

"I-I-I...!"

Takashi winced in sympathy, even as he got an eyeful of Saya's long legs through the long gash in her skirt, and the briefest glimpse of something purple and frilly. He didn't look too long or hard though, and not just because Saya probably would've killed him for it. Or that the other girls were watching. Instead he was thinking, somewhat absurdly, of a joke he'd heard shortly before the end had come to his High School days.

What did the five fingers say to the face?

Slap!

Kohta Hirano staggered backwards under the force of the blow, which nearly knocked his glasses clean off his face.

"Uhm... gomen nasai?" he suggested again tentatively, still clutching his red cheek.

Amber orbs glared down at him, and in his mind's eye, Takagi-sama loomed over him like a fiercesome goddess with eyes of fire and a booming voice. In reality however, she was relatively quiet as she simply declared, "jacket."

"Jacket?"

She nodded. "Jacket. Now," she added pointedly, holding out her hand.

Realizing her request was for his own article of clothing, Kohta sheepishly shrugged off his flak vest and unzipped his jacket, offering it to her. She snatched it out of his hands as the rest watched with various amused expressions. Saya fumed angrily as she wrapped his jacket around her waist and knotted the sleeves together in front to form a makeshift skirt down the back of her legs. It wasn't elegant but it kept her decent, at least until a replacement could be found. Meanwhile Kohta strapped back on his flak vest over his white t-shirt. It chaffed a little without the jacket as padding but he figured he could survive a few hours like this.

"Wait a minute, where's the key?" asked Rei, as she rummaged through the backseats of the vehicle. "Where'd the boat key go?"

"I thought you had it," said Takashi with a frown, leaning over to assist her. In the dim light though, it was difficult to see much of anything.

"Bakas," muttered Saya, grabbing their attention as she tugged at the cord around her neck. Hanging from the end of a makeshift necklace was the boat key in question. It glinted briefly in the fading light. "I took it from Rei while she was sleeping. It's safer with me anyway."

Takashi nodded. "Fine, keep to the middle with Alice-chan and Shizuka-sensei," he instructed, loading a final shell into his shotgun and priming it as he'd been instructed. The weight felt good in his hands. Behind him, he could hear Kohta and Rei also arming themselves. They left the keys to the humvee inside on the dashboard, with the vague notion that if someone else came across it, and needed it, they could have it.

They'd survived as long as they had partly through a mixture of skill, luck, and the kindness of others. No sense screwing other survivors. The last thing they wanted to have to deal with was bad universal karma.

"Everyone stay close together and keep as quiet as possible. Me, Rei, Saeko in the front. Kohta, you bring up the rear, watch our backs. Let's avoid fighting if we can help it. We use guns only if absolutely necessary. Alright?"

Everyone nodded.

He stepped forwards along the broken road leading down to the bay. "Let's go."


Proceeding down to the docks themselves was slow going, but that was due to obstructions in the way more than anything else. Cars were overturned and what was easily the biggest pile-up any of them had ever seen. It took them a good deal of time just to climb up and over all of them just to reach the pier. More than once they had to stop and offer help to Alice, whose shorter limbs made climbing harder on. But they made good time as they reached the docks. Thankfully, there were no sign of Them to be found, but equally so, there were few ships still tethered in place. Most had been moved, no doubt by owners or thieves with similar intentions.

"Saya-san," whispered Takashi, falling back a bit to her side. "What was the ID on that key again?"

She tugged at her collar, mindful of how quiet they were being, and peered through her glasses at the tag attached to the key. "S.S. Mimei, TRSK55AZ."

"And didn't the owner say it was white?" asked Kohta, still watching the street from which they'd came, in case anyone or anything was following.

"Most of the boats are white, baka," retorted Saya with a vaguely dignified snort. "We're looking for a luxury yacht. So, big. Maybe twenty or so feet long."

Shizuka pointed. "There's some larger ships down that way," she said softly.

"Let's move," replied Takashi, and the group was off again down the long pier. Movement here was slower than before, and it didn't seem to help much. Every step they took on the pier made a loud creak against the wood. They still hadn't spotted any of Them, but it was only a matter of time before the noise attracted somebody. Or something.

As if on cue, the next boat they passed, an overturned sailing ship, had something gray and moving caught in its sails, leaning against the dock. None of them had any desire to venture too close, but the movement of the undead sailor banging against the mast was drawing attention, so Saeko beckoned Rei and the two ladies moved in closer. Takashi shifted his position, blocking Alice's view. Rei used the bayonet tip of her weapon to push aside the sails and expose the zombie's face. Unable to see them, it continued to lash out angrily, even as Saeko deftly swung her own weapon and decapitated it in one smooth motion, sending its head into the ocean to sink to the bottom.

No words were spoken. By this time, they were all used to it.

Alice interrupted them, pointing excitedly, even as she kept her voice down. "There! Mimei!"

The others glanced up, even as Saeko flicked the blood from her weapon, and confirmed, just two spots down was the ship they were looking for. The name was painted in bright blue across the aft, and below, the registry number of the ship was easy to spot. And what a ship it was. It looked almost big enough to be a boat house, and certainly big enough for the eight of them. And even better, while it had a motor, and hopefully a working one, it also had a mast and a sail laying parallel across the boat. They could set it up and use the wind and the waves to move the Mimei if they really had to.

The ship was attached to the docks by a thick chain and a heavy lock. Marks on the chain and the lock indicated someone had tried to steal it, but evidently lacked the tools. Thankful for small mercies, Saya moved quickly to unlock their salvation. As usual, Takashi took quick command of the situation.

"Everyone wait here for a moment, I want to check this thing out first," he said, shouldering his shotgun and grabbing a nearby pole as a makeshift club.

"I'll come with you," offered Saeko, but Takashi held up a hand to stop her.

"No, your sword's no good in close quarters. Stay out here, guard the others."

The purple-haired beauty nodded, hand resting on the hilt of her blade as Takashi climbed onto the Mimei and opened the hatch leading down into its below deck level. A pungent, foul odor reached his nostrils, but he stubbornly ignored it. It didn't quite smell like death either. Anyone who had lived past Day One had come to recognize that smell near instantly. It was very distinct.

"Hello?" he called out softly, his fingers tightening around his makeshift club. No response came from within.

All the same, he checked every part of the cabin, and eventually found the source of the smell. Not a body, dead, undead, or otherwise, just some rotten food. Evidently the owner hadn't bothered to clean up after his last voyage. Given the current state of the world, that was likely some time ago. Grabbing it up, Takashi quickly hurled it over the side of the boat and into the water, then signaled the all clear to his teammates with a wave of his arm. The yacht was perfect. It had everything they needed.

"Alright, everyone load up. Saeko, stay here, Kohta, try and get into a good position to cover us. Saya, try and see if the motor is operational, just in case," he said.

Rei climbed up onto the deck and unhooked her M1A Rifle, setting it down by the railing so it wouldn't be in the way. The strap was handy when she didn't want to be disarmed but right now it was a hindrance as she clambered onto the deck and tried to lift up the mast. It was heavier than it looked, however.

"Takashi, give me a hand with this. We may need it, and in any case, it's better up out of the way."

"Agreed," he added a hand to her, pushing up on the heavy metal mast and mindful not to step on the sails and rip them. Alice helped also closer to the base of the mast, and after a moment, found how to lock it into place while Takashi and Rei held it upright.

Two pink pigtails popped up from under the deck as Saya announced "Bad news."

Everyone gathered round as she held up a burnt engine part that, frankly, none of them knew what to do with. "It's fried," she stated unnecessarily. "The EMP must've hit here as well. Probably while it was still running."

"Any chance it can be repaired?" Takashi asked. He wasn't an expert but he trusted Saya's opinion in such matters.

She hmm-ed in thought, free hand lifting up to wave in a so-so fashion. "Not fully I don't think, but if we can get a replacement for this piece, we should be able to at least turn it on for a few hours. There's still plenty of gas in here."

"Oh great, good thing I was carrying a spare engine part in my back pocket," he grumbled sarcastically, running a hand through unruly black locks.

Saya frowned. "We passed an outing store on the way here, at the edge of the docks," she reminded him pointedly. "I'll just go and see if they have one."

"Maybe we can pick up some gear too," added Rei thoughtfully, as she buckled back on her rifle. "More food or something. It couldn't hurt to take a look."

Takashi considered this, taking a deep breath, and considered their options. One the one hand, they could pack up now, use the sail, and the winds and the waves to get them away from the docks and at least a fair distance out to sea. But if the winds died, or a storm came up, they'd have no way to control the ship. And that was even assuming they could learn how to work the sails. And that the sails didn't rip or tear.

It was a lot of ifs. And they hadn't survived this long by hoping for the best, but being prepared for the worst.

"Okay, Hirano-kun, Saeko-san," he declared. "You two-"

"Can stay and watch the ship," muttered Saya as she jumped off the yacht and onto the docks, hands planted on her hips. Takashi recognized the gesture. It was her I'm-planning-to-win-this-argument stance. "I'm coming with you, Takashi. After all, you'll need a genius to find the right parts, won't you?"

He opened his mouth to offer up a protest, but a single look from her amber eyes stopped him cold. And he belatedly realized she was right. He wouldn't know where to start.

"Uhm," interrupted Shizuka, raising a hand like she was a student in class. An irony, given she was formerly on teacher level as the school nurse, as well as the only adult present. "Maybe I can come also? I can find additional medical supplies if the place is well stocked."

"I'm coming too! I can help carry stuff!" Alice declared as she ran over to latch onto Shizuka's hip.

Takashi frowned, hesitating. He'd rather they were somewhere safe, especially the non-combatants, but as it was, he couldn't quite say no to them. "Alright," he breathed out slowly. "But stay close to me, no wandering off. Rei?"

"Coming," she assured him.


When the EMP hit, even the simplest, everyday electronic appliances and devices were completely fried. Nevermind cars and cellphones, which crippled an already dying city, nothing that previously held an electrical charge worked, unless by some miracle it was EMP shielded or had been replaced and repaired. A difficulty in a world that was rapidly growing to be very hostile. They'd been lucky when they'd hit the Air Base, and found the old humvee, but it was doubtful they'd be so fortunate again.

So when they reached the marine store, the first order of business was opening the shut glass doors, which normally would've opened on their own with a pleasant ding as soon as it detected their approach.

A quick glance in either direction indicated no sign of Them, but they'd learned the hard way they could easily be hiding, like they'd done at Yokota during their brief stay.

"Smash the window?" Alice asked tentatively.

Takashi shook his head, shouldering his shotgun and taking a moment to try and pry the doors open with his fingers. Unsurprisingly, it didn't work. He could barely fit them between the doors, and they were pushed closed tightly. Maybe even locked. That failing, he unhooked the crowbar from his belt and jammed the sharp end between the doors, rewarded with better success this time. He gave a great heave, and slowly but surely, the doors began to part. Apparently the lock was electronic or magnetic in nature. They wouldn't stay closed without power.

Finally, the doors were completely open, and Takashi gestured for everyone to stay behind him as he entered, shotgun raised and ready. But after a wide sweep of the store, they found almost no one. Almost. Takashi found three behind the store counter, however, and almost immediately covered his mouth to keep from retching. Three bodies, very dead, not re-animated. A man, a woman, and a small boy. Each with a gunshot wound through their head. It didn't take a forensics expert to tell what had happened. A family had come here and they'd decided to take the easy way out. Or the dad had gone insane, shot his wife and kid, and then done himself in.

Takashi desperately hoped it was the former.

Feeling his stomach churn but forcing down the bile, he discreetly gestured for Shizuka to keep little Alice away from the sight, as he grabbed a nearby tarp and covered the bodies. "Rest in peace," he murmured. Behind him, Rei nodded, her entire form shivering.

Much as he wanted to go comfort her, now was not the time. They needed to go.

"Grab whatever you can," he said, voice pitched just above a whisper. "Be ready to go."

In addition to housing a large variety of boating equipment like sails and (thankfully) motors, the store seemed to function like a retail outlet, and they also had a selection of nautically-themed gear and clothes, as well as some food. Most of it was perishable but they could eat that first, save their preservables and rations for later days when things got lean.

Casting his glance over the others, he spotted Saya, already taking down a set of khaki pants to replace her ripped skirt. They weren't quite her size, since they were a men's, but she made do with a belt that tightened them around her narrow waist. Alice was grabbing some swimsuits a few aisles down, and Rei was assisting her. Shizuka joined them, and Takashi snickered as he spotted her examining herself in the mirror with a red one-piece that would never possibly fit her.

For a moment, all the burdens of leadership washed away, the world ending, their losses, their pains, and he just enjoyed a moment where he watched his close friends laugh and play, safe and sound.


Back at the SS Mimei, Kohta double-checked the sights on his rifle, lining up along the dock. Their position was strategically sound. Their undead opponents couldn't swim worth a damn, so the only way they could be attacked was along the dock itself. This guaranteed even a mass attack would be bottlenecked, and they could pick them off one by one.

At least until they ran out of ammo.

Idly he glanced down at his current partner, noting Busujima sitting on the edge of the ship cleaning her sword. The two of them were rather alike in that respect, their weapons always needed to be kept as clean as possible. Takashi and Rei usually didn't bother to clean them off until they were becoming close to uselessly dull and blood-stained before they started such, but even a minute nick or a faulty bent pin could spell the difference between life and death for the two of them.

"Think they'll be long?" he asked quietly, triple-checking the scope on his rifle. No confirmed targets yet but he wanted to be ready.

She shrugged lightly, not bothering to look up from her task. "I hope not," she replied after a moment's thought.

Idly he glanced up at the sky, using his free hand to shield his eyes from the sun's glare in the west, where it was setting. It was getting late, and he certainly hoped they'd get here soon too. Not that he was terribly thrilled about the idea of living on a boat, mind you, but it beat getting eaten alive by Them. As he was musing, a thought came to his mind, and almost without thinking a question was posed.

"Hey Busujima-sempai... I was wondering..."

A dark eyebrow arched upwards. "Yes?"

Too late to back out of his stupid question now, he pressed on. "Didja ever wonder what would've happened to us if... if this'd never happened? If They'd never come and we were still just back in Fujimi High School?"

The made her pause. It was an interesting question, now that she gave it proper thought. No one could doubt that their lives had unfolded in a considerably different way than they may have expected a month ago. Idly, Saeko Busujima finished wiping her blade and slid it expertly back into its accompanying sheath with a solid 'click' as she stood on the docks once more. The fading daylight illuminated her as she gave her response.

"No, but... I think when it comes down to it, I am happy with how things have turned out. I think the same could be said of you, Hirano-kun."

He grimaced but nod ruefully, rubbing the back of his head as if embarrassed. "I guess so. Sad, isn't it? I mean how messed up is that? That I have the most fun when the world is coming to an end."

"Some of the greatest stories in the world are made on tragedy," she remarked off-handedly.

"Don't say that. We're still going to have a happy ending. Eventually," he added, a bit forcefully.

She turned to regard him curiously, eyebrow raised a fraction higher. "Oh? Then I have a question for you, Hirano-kun... what sort of happy ending did you have pictured for us?"

And now he was the one dumbfounded, and without an answer. He thought carefully on that for a few long moments, trying very hard to come up with a good answer, but in the end, all he could say was "I don't know."

"You don't know," she repeated.

"I just want to survive for now," he said. "Well, and keep you all alive too, of course. You're my friends."

She offered a faint smile. "I feel the same."

A sudden crashing sound interrupted their moment together, and as one their heads snapped up in the direction of the maritime store where the rest of their friends were to be found.

"Trouble?" she mused aloud, hand dropping down to caress the hilt of her katana.

He gave a decidedly wicked grin as he pulled back the slide of his rifle. "Oh yeah."

Forepaws resting on the aft of the ship, Zeke gave a short little bark of anger.


A few minutes prior...

Reluctant though he was to interrupt their fun (on several levels) Takashi clapped his hands as loudly as he dared to get their attention and indicated the boat and their comrades with a tilt of his head. He also beckoned Saya over to the more hardware part of the store to find a replacement for the ships motor.

"So this one'll do?"

"Yeah the part's perfect, and this one looks like it's in good order. As long as it wasn't part of an engine before the EMP, that is. But everything's pristine here. Nobody's touched it in days," she added with a significant glance at the lumpy tarp behind the countertop.

"Good, you take that, get it installed, we'll follow..."

"It's so beautiful," came a remark from Shizuka, who was eyeing a beautiful ship-in-a-bottle display on one of the shelves. She held it in her hand a moment, admiring its pretty nature, before reluctantly placing it back. There was no room for it in her life, not anymore. Alice, however, just beside her, was reaching up for another one that had caught her eye, and leaned heavily on the shelf below it to try and boost her minimum height and reach.

The entire thing began to tilt precariously, as Takashi's amber eyes widened fearfully, and he stretched out a hand to try and avert disaster.

"Alice-chan!"

The entire selection came crashing down moments later, thankfully opposite the direction of the blonde medic and her tiny companion, a deafening cacophony of noise that put everyone instantly on edge.

In the almost deadly silence that followed, a noise arose. The exhalation of air through unused, rotting lungs and decaying mouths. A low moan they'd come to recognize instantly. Turning, Takashi saw at least six of Them, already making their way towards the open door, and perhaps another three in the distance. He didn't wait to do a proper headcount as he grabbed up Alice like a linebacker and made his way as far from the main door as he could.

"We're leaving!" he announced loudly, throwing Alice as gently as he could into Saya's arms and readying his weapon, pumping the shotgun in his hands. Rei took up a fighter's stance with her rifle, the sharp tip of the bayonet pointed at her foes.

Realizing the direct route would be dangerous, to say nothing of time-consuming, Takashi turned and instead made his way along the edge of the room, picking up a display rack and hurling it at the window, shattering it into a thousand pieces. "Go go go!" he yelled, urging his group along. Shizuka, Alice, and Saya bolted for the new, zombie-less exit, while Rei held up rear guard, impaling one of Them as they made a move, the sharp tip of her bayonet piercing the creatures right in the eye and going clear through the socket into their brains.

Takashi leaned over the jagged glass exit he'd just made and turned to find another group of Them approaching from down the way. Without warning he lined up the middle one, an elderly man with a torn neck, and fired his shotgun, blowing him to pieces and knocking the others flat on their back from the backlash.

"Rei!"

"Coming!" she called out over her shoulder.

He helped her over the remaining jagged glass, their hands clasped together as he gave her support, then leaping over it himself and casting gazes left and right for more enemies. Thankfully, in the immediate vicinity the only faces he saw were still healthy and pink, not gray and rotting. But they could hear more moaning, and he was certain that last shot had caught more of their attention. So they settled on their simplest and most effective strategy.

"Run!"

They ran down the docks towards the Mimei, shoes pounding against the wooden planks of the dock. There they met up with Saeko and Kohta, who were on guard, the latter of whom reported "more of Them on the way" from his sniper viewpoint, even as Takashi helped Alice onto the ship.

"Saya, get that engine running!"

"Don't boss me around!" she spat back, even as she climbed onto the ship and proceeded to trip over her new khaki's very long legs. She nearly dropped the new engine piece but managed to hang onto it as she staggered to the aft where it was to be housed.

"We need to defend this position while she makes repairs," remarked Saeko, making her way to stand by Takashi's side. A little closer than was perhaps necessary.

He nodded. "Get ready."

"Always am," she replied.

"Me too," interjected Rei, taking up a position on Takashi's other side and shooting her dark-haired rival a glare. Saeko scarcely spared her a glance. Takashi, caught between them, felt a chill run down his spine. And not because of the oncoming undead horde.

Kohta, high up on the second deck of the yacht, peered down the scope at his approaching targets.

Bang!

His hand was steady, his aim true. One corpse staggering towards the team was suddenly missing its head, and collapsed bonelessly onto the pier. This proved to be a welcome switch, as it provided a barrier of sorts to those behind it, forcing them to stumble and trip over it rather than walk straight forward. And those that did stagger were quickly impaled through the head by Rei's bayonet or had their skull bashed in by the butt of Takashi's shotgun.

Saeko danced across the wooden planks, katana whistling through the air as she decapitated zombie after zombie, blood gushing in the aftermath that splattered all over her outfit, ruining it. But she didn't mind. She was succumbing to the madness already. She could feel it. She could feel her coming to the fore. The part of her that loved the violence, that deeper instinct within.

A grin stretched across her elegant features as Saeko Busujima vanished. "More," the new woman whispered, even as she took the fight on the offensive, and pressed forward, sword eager for blood. One of Them lunged awkwardly at her, and she pivoted and spun in place, her sword going through its heart, then following through the motion to knock them off of her and the docks alike into the black waters below. A twirl and a downward slice relieved one of Them of its arm, and a second slash bifurcated the monster, sending two halves crashing down side by side. Her booted foot, complete with raised heel, coming down and crushing its head underneath her. Every movement was graceful. Every attack was elegant. A veritable Goddess of Death danced amongst the blackened, congealed blood like it was rainwater, pressing ever forward as her vision began to blur with the crimson tinge of bloodlust.

A hand shot through the crimson air and clamped on her shoulder, hard. Angrily, she turned, sword upraised to slaughter who had dared to stop her, when she saw it was Takashi. A flash of concern flitted across his expression, before vanishing, replaced by his customary command face, all seriousness.

"Fall back," he said, following his own advice moments later, and in an instant, Saeko was at his side once again. She'd been too far out, and if she'd pressed on much further she would've been cut off from her comrades. Worse, they might've been in danger without her.

Finally, after what seemed an eternity, Saya's pink pigtails popped up from where the engine was housed. "It's ready!"

"Start it up!" Takashi shouted, addressing the blonde nurse standing by the wheel. But she only looked down at Saya, who was scrambling to get to her feet and reaching for the cord around her neck.

The cord that was no longer there.

"Key! Where's the key?"

Takashi's eyes snapped up and in a horrible instant, he knew.

"Oh goddamnit...!"

Sure enough, casting his gaze out, he spotted a glint of silver just a littleways down the docks. The cord was broken, it must've snapped at some point and jostled free in the chaos. Seconds before one of Them stumbled along the wooden planks and kicked it and the string on which it was attached into the darkening waters of the harbor.

Cursing, he started to go after it, but another zombie stepped in front of him, and he swung out his shotgun hard, catching it in the head and knocking the undead creature back. Not enough to do serious damage, he'd only grazed Them. Immediately They started coming back after him.

"I got it!" Alice cried out. And before anyone could stop her, the little girl leapt off the back of the yacht and into the water, graceful as a dolphin. Within seconds she was freestyle swimming towards where the key had fallen, and then dove in after it. Despite her young age, she moved with practiced ease. Obviously she'd had lessons at some point.

Takashi resolved to ask her about that. Another undead, a tall woman with short-cropped hair and exposed ribcage, staggered towards him, and he held up his shotgun to catch her teeth, rather than use his shoulder. Two more were already on their way towards him.

He altered his resolve to talk to Alice about her swimming when and if they got away from here.


Alice had been swimming most of her childhood in one form or another. Her parents owned a private beach house they visited every summer, and when she was old enough her mother had insisted upon her getting real lessons at the YMCA, taught by a accredited professional. Alice had been one of her most gifted students. She was part mermaid, her teacher was wont to quip.

So normally, diving into the water wouldn't have posed a problem for her.

But in the fading twilight, in the murky, dark waters of the harbor, she wasn't feeling nearly as confident as she normally did while immersed. But her family was counting on her, so she dove down. It took her bright eyes a moment to adjust to the haze of blackish water and churned up sand. However, she was in luck. Because after a few seconds, she spotted something bright and shiny below. It had to be the key.

Kicking her legs, Alice shot forward with a practiced movement, using her arms to guide herself as she closed in on her objective. Her tiny hand curled around the precious metal, as well as a good chunk of wet sand that it had been laying in. Placing her feet to the floor of the harbor she was about to give a quick push up and back to the surface when a heavy splash came above her, and she looked up in horror as one of Them started to drift down towards her, thrashing and clawing at the water.

Suppressing the urge to scream, as well as lose valuable oxygen, through sheer force of will, Alice rotated and shot forward as low to the floor of the harbor as she could without hitting sand. She kicked her legs hard so she wouldn't be underneath the body when it hit the bottom. But her thrust through the current was short lived, and she came to a jarring halt as something grasped her ankle. Now she did scream, bubbles spilling out of her pale mouth as she looked back and saw another one of Them, barely more than an arm, a torso, and a rotting head, grabbing hold of her ankle and snapping in her direction with its mouth.

In her haste, she almost dropped the key to make the proper motions with her hands. But upon realizing her mistake, her hand snatched its floating form out of the water, grabbing it and clenched it so hard the metal almost bit down into her skin. Her motions slowed with her hand in a fist but she redoubled the effort with her kicking leg to compensate, trying to keep distance between her and the undead monster trying to eat her.

With relentless persistence it tried to pull her closer, only unable to do so because its muscles had been rotting away. But she wasn't about to give it a chance, and with a mighty heave, twisted, turned, and copied a move she'd once seen Busujima-san employ. Her foot lashed out and collided with the dead man's head, knocking it back and forcing it to release her.

She was almost out of breath as she maneuvered around the still falling corpse and, using one of the wooden pillars supporting the pier, pushed off and towards the last few feet to the surface and the yacht.


On the dock, the fight was starting to go badly.

The defenders were being pushed farther and farther back by superior numbers. Weariness was starting to set in and for Kohta and Takashi at least, ammo was starting to run low. They'd both agreed to try and conserve as much as they can, not having any clue when they'd be able to restock, but as it is, the volume of attackers was forcing them to commit more and more of their reserves. Even as he spat a curse, Kohta ejected his current magazine and inserted the next one he had at the ready, smooth as quicksilver. Scarcely seven seconds passed before the steady boom of his AR-10 continued to pound in his ears, and another undead dropped down, a significant chunk of its head missing.

Putting some of his spares in the pockets of his new flak vest had been one of his best decisions.

Despite that, things were looking even more grim by the time Alice finally resurfaced, kicking her feet hard as she gasped for breath and spitting out saltwater. Auburn locks clung to her head as she triumphantly held up the key. "I've got it! I've got it!" she shouted, even as Saeko and Rei each grabbed an arm and hauled her up out of the water and onto the Mimei.

Takashi almost smiled, and his smile melted into a grin as he fired a shotgun round into the encroaching menace, killing three and knocking another half-dozen back. He then turned and yelled up at their sniper, even as Shizuka powered up the boats motor.

"Kohta-kun! We need some breathing room!"

Kohta nodded, and decided to give them a most ample distraction. Tilting his rifle up, he sighted along it to find the tanker they'd passed earlier on the streets. Judging the distance and finding it suitably far enough away it wouldn't reach them with anything worse than a loud noise, he pulled the trigger and unleashed the bullet housed in his rifles chamber.

It sped through the air to impact perfectly against the side of the tanker. Milliseconds later a massive explosion erupted, albeit one at a reasonable distance, and all eyes, whether living or dead, were drawn to it. The difference was; the living quickly saw an opportunity for escape, while the dead had no choice but to shuffle towards the new noise in hopes that it was food for their ravenous hunger.

Now perfectly silent, the survivors remained still as statues as the Mimei continued to slowly chugged its way out of the docks and towards freedom. With dainty footsteps they made their way across the planks and onto the ship. Takashi, the last one to leave the docks, turned too quickly, however, and his shotgun banged hard against a wooden post. Two of Them immediately began making their way towards the sound, mouths open and teeth bared.

Kohta took out one, but his sight was blocked from the other by Takashi, and even he couldn't make off a shot like that without a strong likelihood of hitting his teammate as well.

The final undead, a young man with broken glasses, moaned weakly as he grabbed at Takashi with deceptive strength, throwing them both backwards and onto the relative safety of the Mimei, though the entire ship heaved to the side from the heavy burden suddenly added to it. Takashi gave a weak cry as his upper back struck one of the ship's railings, putting him and his attacker off-balance. What came next was worse, as the undead creature stumbled and fell full force atop of his right leg at an awkward angle, and he could have sworn he heard a crack come with its heavy weight, and nearly blacked out from the blinding pain. As it was, he maintained enough sense of self to push up at the undead atop of him with his left knee, giving him a little breathing room as he grabbed at the pistol in his pocket, inserted the barrel into the monster's mouth, and pulled the trigger. The force of the blast at point blank range knocked the zombie off of him and half ways off of the yacht.

It lay suspended over the railing, broken head under the water until Saeko pointedly planted her foot in its rear and kicked it off the side of the Mimei.

A few more undead stumbled towards the direction of the gunshot and the splash but by now they were well out of range and they just stumbled helplessly off the dock and into the water, reminding Kohta of lemmings. He slipped the safety back into position on his rifle and set it down, even as the girls gathered around Takashi to check his injuries.

"Ahh! Goddamnit," Takashi cursed through clenched teeth as he clutched at his wounded leg.

"Takashi, are you okay?" Rei asked as she knelt at his side.

"Baka!" spat Saya, obviously distraught and dealing with it in her customary manner, by lashing out at others. "Of course he isn't okay, what kind of stupid question is that?"

Shizuka gently pushed her out of the way to see the injury for herself, her hands surprisingly soft as she felt at Takashi's leg for the break. "Give me room please," she instructed. Alice stood by with her medical bag clutched in her arms, worry in her eyes, still dripping onto the floor of the yacht. Zeke gave a pitiful whine by her foot as he watched Takashi.

Kohta took the wheel then, realizing that most of the others would be spending all the time worrying over their leader. Which was fine, really. He altered their course to take them out to sea, avoiding the other ships and piers to be found. Right now, they were safe. They could afford to relax a little.

The last rays of the sun vanished behind the expanse of towering metal buildings to the west, as the Mimei continued its voyage east, a pale figure against the black waters of the Pacific Ocean. They travelled with the setting sun at their backs, in the direction of the rising sun, and their future. A future they desperately hoped was brighter than their past few weeks had been.


The following day Takashi awoke with a blinding headache, likely brought on by fatigue and dehydration, and almost immediately wished he could've gone right back to sleep. The throbbing pain in his leg didn't help much either. The ceiling above him was a dull, dark grayish-blue in color, with weirdly reflecting light on the ceiling, and for a second, he didn't recognize it.

Then he felt the room shift underneath him, and realized it was the rocking of the waves. And above him, that reflecting light was coming from one of the windows (the port holes, he dimly recalled them being called) off of the water outside.

The sun was rising on a new day.

"Oh yeah," he muttered. "I remember now."

It all came flooding back in a slow, painful haze of memories. The mad dash from the military base, the pier store, the escape on the Mimei. He must've been in one of the cabins now. Idly he tilted his head, finding his right leg was being supported by two wooden splints with a set of bandages wrapped around it. It still ached, but didn't hurt nearly as badly as it did earlier. Still, he wasn't going to get up and use it until he heard Shizuka's diagnosis.

If it got worse, there wasn't any way they could get him to a hospital.

Takashi pushed his dark thoughts aside, focusing on the here and now. Like his living arrangements, for one. And the fact that he had a warm body still sleeping at his side. He twisted to look and found a gentle heaviness resting on his rightmost side. Ginger locks made him relax as he realized it was only Rei, her chin pressed against his shoulder as she lay curled up with him as her pillow. She hadn't even bothered to change out of her school uniform, but the collar had come loose sometime during the night, and he saw as much as felt two milky white mounds of flesh peeking out from within as she slept.

He gave a sigh, almost wishing he had less of a strong moral fiber so he could take an opportunity like this and cop a feel. But that wasn't in his character, and so he simply lifted his head and took a look around the room. There were no personal knickknacks, no mementos in the cabin. They had no idea about what kind of man that owned this boat was, except that he was dead now. It'd been pure luck they'd met him before Yokota had gone to hell and grabbed his keys, literally prying them from his cold dead hands as they had made their escape.

It turned out the yacht had two sleeping cabins, one obviously designed for two at the bow of the ship, the other much smaller by the aft, the latter of which Takashi had been put in to recuperate. Shizuka, Saya, and Alice had claimed the master bedroom. Separating them was a common area of sorts with two long padded benches and a fold out table. Saeko and Kohta were currently using these, the latter with great complaint since he did not fit well and frequently fell off during the night with the ships rocking back and forth.

Rei slept by Takashi's side, and then only when she could be convinced to sleep at all. She'd spent most of the night keeping a close watch on him. Grimacing, he lay back down as gently as he could, not wanting to wake her up just yet.

"Awake I see," came a voice from the door.

Takashi lifted his eyes, blinking in surprise as he saw Saeko standing in the open doorway. He hadn't even heard her come in.

She was dressed in a black shirt that was much too big for her (likely one of Kohta's spares) that came down to mid-thigh. If she was wearing anything else, he couldn't see, and his imagination was helping to fill in the blanks very nicely.

"Shizuka-sensei said you might be in pain when you awoke... she prepared these," she said, offering him a full canteen and some pills which she pressed into his hand. "Painkillers. It should help alleviate some of your discomfort."

Idly he lifted up the pills to examine in his hand. Small, white, rectangular shaped. Probably vicodin. He recognized them from a similar medication he'd received after a trip to the dentist last year. When his wisdom teeth had been removed. That felt like a lifetime ago.

"Thank you," he gasped out, his throat dry. Swallowing the pills and downing the canteen almost in a single go, he handed it back to her. He was feeling much better already, having simply wet his throat.

Saeko dipped her head as she took the canteen back. "Get better soon, Takashi," she intoned softly, as she stepped out of the room and gently closed the door. "And thank you as well," she whispered, almost as an after-thought, before vanishing completely.


As days at sea went, the weather was reasonably good out today. Sunny but a little cool, with only a light breeze and a few clouds in the sky. Under ordinary circumstances, it would've been a beautiful day, and most people would've enjoyed being outside. Not Saya Takagi, daughter of the influential Uyoku Dantai politicians Souichiro and Yuriko Takagi. The only physical activity she had ever enjoyed had been running track in High School, and then only because her parents had insisted she take part in some sort of non-scholastic activity to keep in shape. But right now, they certainly weren't around to tell her what to do, so she was doing what she did best.

Reading. A thick book rested in her hands and she could not have been more content.

A moan reached her ears, instantly putting her on edge, but after a moment, she realized it wasn't one of the walking dead with an insatiable appetite for human flesh. It was a gun otaku with a sore stomach. She didn't even need to glance up as Kohta came up onto the same level as her, sitting down on the floor beside her chair (there was only one) and leaning against the railing as he gave a most undignified moan of pain.

"Problem?" she asked, as delicately as she could. Which was to say, about as delicate a battering ram.

"Seasick," he replied weakly.

"Oh get over it," she muttered, sliding her index finger in between the pages to keep her place and turning to face him, book resting against her chest. "I thought you said your grandfather was a captain of luxury cruisers or something."

"Helmsman," he corrected gently, one hand resting against his tummy as he felt his breakfast churn uneasily within him. "But I still don't like being at sea. Besides, I can't swim."

She rolled her eyes, idly wondering if God was taking some sick delight in having her stuck with this one for days on end.

"Well don't worry about that, baka. Fat floats, after all. You'll be fine."

Whining in a vain effort to obtain sympathy, Kohta leaned back in his seat and tried to relax as best he could with the ship continuing to rock with the waves. Tears streaked down his eyes as he realized how very unfair life was to him right now. Very, very unfair.

Idly the two of them glanced up as she heard someone coming out of the cabin, but it was only Saeko. Shrugging, Saya turned back to her book, amber orbs grazing over the pages to soak up the knowledge provided therein. It's not like she'd been waiting for Takashi or anything. Of course not. She wasn't worried the slightest bit about their fearless leader. He'd be fine.


Since the SS Mimei was currently drifting, no one was manning the wheel, but Saya had claimed the seat in front of it anyway because it was padded and thus comfortable. She sat with her legs on the dashboard, reading a book she'd stolen from their brief stay at the military base. A novel on American history, if Saeko read the cover right.

The Busujima swordswoman herself went to go lounge along the right (or starboard) side of the ship, soaking in the sun's rays, which felt warming. She usually didn't care for beach trips or ocean voyages, but she could definitely get used to this sort of thing. Shizuka was sleeping in well past breakfast, and Alice was playing with Zeke at the aft of the ship, the two of them ensuring the other was entertained in the limited space they had.

All in all, it was peaceful. A most direct sort of contrast to their previous few days. Despite the warmth of the sunlight on her skin, Saeko shivered, remembering how close she'd been to losing herself on the docks. It was getting worse.

She was getting worse.

It was close to noon when their fearless leader Takashi finally joined them above deck, startling Saeko out of her dark thoughts and letting them fade away.

A soft smile came to her lips as she saw Takashi make his way onto the aft deck, leaning against the framework to avoid putting undue pressure on his bad leg. He was able to center her. Provide her with a sense of calmness. And in worse moments, when she felt her identity slipping away, he was able to remind her of who she was. With little more than a word or two or a look.

She was grateful for that.

But she still enjoyed teasing him on occasion, and this one certainly worked well, and so she remained perfectly silent as he turned to look around the deck, spotting Kohta and Alice playing by the aft of the yacht, the latter of whom was now dressed in a shiny pink, one-piece swimsuit with a frilly built-in skirt. One of their acquisitions from the pier side store before it had been attacked. Kohta was in his customary shirt and trousers, his jacket and flak vest below deck with the rest of their things. Apparently his stomach had settled a bit, and he was feeling less sick, because he was cheerfully singing along with the little red-haired girl in his care.

"Second verse, same as the first!" Kohta declared, pumping a fist into the air.

"Ring around the roh-see!" Alice sang happily.

"Pockets full of poh-see!" he joined in.

"Ashes, ashes, we all fall down!" they sang together, followed by Alice doing just that, laughing as she rolled on the deck of the ship, carefree and innocent.

Takashi stifled a laugh, but a grin spread across his face all the same. Idly he wondered what Saya would've thought of Kohta teaching Alice such a morbid song, even if it was a legitimate nursery rhyme this time. Then again, it was doubtful Alice knew its origins. Kohta might not either. Takashi only did because of a study he'd done on Medieval Europe last year for his World History class.

And it was oddly appropriate, he supposed. Given the state of the world.

"Its nice out here, isn't it?" came a voice to his left, and Takashi turned... and blinked amber eyes, and almost immediately felt his face redden as blood rushed to it.

Alice wasn't the only one of the girls who'd changed into a swimsuit, it seemed.

Lounging in a way that seemed both dignified and lazy simultaneously, Saeko Busujima's shapely curves were wrapped up in an elegant black one-piece that clung to her like a second skin, dotted by a white design that seemed to resemble a celtic dragon stretched out across her left side. Without even the slightest effort on her part, or so it seemed, she sat up regally, in such a way that the suit immediately began to strain against her modest bosom. Her long, elegant dark strands brushed against her sides, unbound and free to wave in the breeze.

"Saeko," he managed to say with a minimum of stutter. "You look... nice," he finished lamely, but sincerely.

A faint blush colored her cheeks at his compliment, and she demurely lowered her eyes.

Soft footfalls interrupted them, and both turned to see Rei emerging from below decks, finishing up her own new outfit. She was dressed in a ivory white bathing suit not dissimilar from Saeko's, except that it was a two-piece, allowing her toned midriff to be visible. To this she had added a wide-brimmed floppy hat atop of her head and a semi-transparent wraparound skirt around her slender waist, which she was just finishing knotting at her side. A pretty smile graced her face as she spotted Takashi and immediately made her way over to him.

She looked like something out of a commercial, idyllic and beautiful and unattainable, yet here she was.

Right in front of him, real as he was.

"How do I look?" she asked excitedly, grasping her hat and giving a twirl to show herself off from every angle. And intentionally or not, giving her skirt a flip upwards to give a most provocative view of her firm prosterior during her brief spin. Takashi felt his cheeks getting hotter with each second that passed.

"Uh-uhm... I ah..." he managed to stutter out.

She frowned lightly at him. "Is that all you've got to say?" she asked, pointedly ignoring Saeko. Who was quick to return the courtesy.

Takashi stumbled backwards, trying to put just a little space between him and Rei so he could gather his thoughts and make a proper compliment like she deserved. But in that instant, he'd forgotten entirely about his leg, and put his full weight on it. Almost immediately, he collapsed backwards, wincing as he fell to the deck.

"The heck is going on down here, I can barely hear myself think!" muttered Saya from the steering wheel, as she flounced up out of her seat and down to join the others. She too had changed. Her new outfit was borderline indecent, as she was in a light blue two piece. The bottom was similar to Rei's design, but the upper piece was strapless, little more than a tube top. And with a rack as impressive as Saya Takagi's, every step she took across the deck made the thin material strain to keep her from exposing herself.

She scarcely seemed to notice as she regarded Takashi with an odd look, part quizzical and part annoyed.

"Well?" she demanded, hands on her hips, leaning forward to glare at Takashi.

Saeko and Rei also joined in the look, albeit with considerably less heat. Three bathing beauties lined up before Takashi in a dazzling display of cloth and flesh. In the very far back of his mind, where his logic was currently being smothered by his libido, he wondered how the girls had managed to find swimsuits so perfectly fit for them in such a short time, never mind at a makeshift store like the one they'd raided at the docks. Takashi clutched at his face in a valiant effort to hold back what he knew was coming, but a girlish squeal emanated from within the yacht and he knew in a moment he was lost.

"Hey everyone! How do I look?" Shizune asked as she flounced up onto the deck. She too was in a bathing suit, but it took Takashi a moment to actually see the suit, since it was so tiny. A bikini, little more than three triangles of a bright green, with darker green stripes, almost like the skin of a watermelon...

A gush of blood erupted from his nose as he fainted the thankfully short distance down onto the deck of the ship, half-conscious and near delirious. Looking up at the thud, Kohta spotted the girls, and promptly joined him in a similar state on his back, tears of joy streaming down his cheeks.

"K.O.," Saya declared, deadpan.


Author's Notes:
I'd like to go on record stating I'm no scientist, and so my ideas and story elements of science like the radiation and nuclear winter, and later on mechanics and environment and even medicine, are largely guesswork on my part. Then again, this is a story about zombies after all. Like Saya said, the rules have pretty much gone out the window at this point.