The group must ready itself for the events that will unfold because of the virus. Provisions are packed, weapons are found, and the group was completed.

Okay so this chapter is a little longer than the prologue

Hope you like it!

Silence. Deafening silence greeted Goro Sasabe's words. No one knew what to say. No one moved. It seemed as if no one was even breathing.

After a few more seconds of terrible silence, Makoto stood up and went to Coach Sasabe, "Um, Coach?" He stooped down a bit to make sure he was looking him in the eye. "Are you sure you heard correctly, because a zombie-"

"Apocalypse is complete nonsense," Rin finished, standing up. He went over and stood beside Makoto, arms crossed in an obviously defensive manner. "Where did you even hear the news anyway? Haven't you been at work?"

Sasabe puffed up indignantly, "I was actually on my way to work. Which was already strange enough as it was since I saw practically no one around." He then turned to Makoto, "And yes, I heard correctly. I happen to be able to get radio with my delivery moped, so I plugged in my headphones and was listening to my usual station. I was just listening to one of my favorite rappers, some American named 'Macklemore' when it was interrupted with an emergency broadcast saying that we were all to get to Tokyo as soon as possible because a 'zombie-like plague'," he air quoted, "had begun infecting citizens, so we have to get going NOW!" He finished with a shout, quickly making his way along the room and pulling the boys up.

Haruka went over to stand by Rin and Makoto, who were surveying the scene with different expressions on their face. "He can't be serious," Haru muttered, watching the Coach grab Nagisa and Nitori and push them to the kitchen to pack up food.

Makoto looked slightly terrified yet skeptical, "He seems pretty serious."

"Tsk," Rin sighed, "He's lost it. The poor coach's lost it." He saw that Rei wasn't up and joining them or Nagisa and Nitori and was just looking speechless, lost in thought, and above all, horrified. "Ryugazaki," Rin called. Rei jumped and looked up at Rin who'd startled him out of his thoughts. "Will you please explain to Coach Sasabe that what he's saying is crazy and impossible?"

Rei put his head in his hands and mumbled something incomprehensible.

"We can't hear you when you're mumbling," Rin growled, growing slightly impatient with all the crazy in the room. Makoto gave him a pointed look to which he amended, "I'm sorry Ryugazaki, we didn't quite catch that."

He sat up and fixed his glasses, defeat written in each of his movements. He sighed turning a pained look at the three before looking over at Goro, Nitori, and Nagisa. "I don't think he's lying," he said quietly.

"What." Rin spluttered. It wasn't even a question.

Rei turned back to them, wrenching his eyes away from the other three. He motioned to the laptop that was sitting on the coffee table miserably, "Last night, during the movie we were watching, I decided to read up on zombie-virus theories." He stood up, yet wouldn't meet their gaze, "Scientists worldwide have agreed that if a mutation happened to the rabies virus, a mutation that could reanimate a corpse and make the infected crave flesh, we could entertain the possibility of a zombie apocalypse. They had said that it couldn't possibly happen, but another scientist, a German one, said that it was closer to occurring than we imagined…" He finally looked up and met their eyes, "Up until last night, it was a distant theory, filled with holes and crazy ideas. Apparently, everything's changed."

The three took his news in silence, much like they'd done with Coach Sasabe. They'd expected Rei to explain that whatever Goro was saying was insane, that maybe he'd misunderstood. It chilled them to the bone thinking that maybe Coach could be right, maybe they were facing a zombie apocalypse…

"How about we turn on the news here? If it's true we're being evacuated, then they'll have to be broadcasting that," Makoto said, going over to the TV and turning it on to the first news network that they came across.

The other three came and gathered around the screen, only to be joined by Goro, Nagisa, and Nitori seconds later. There was a man onscreen, reading off regions that had been reported as affected by the virus. "…cases have been reported in the Tohoku region, as well as in the Chubu region. The most severe cases have been reported in Mie, of the Kinki region…"

The boys felt as if the temperature had dropped ten degrees. Their seaside town of Iwatobi resided in the Kinki region. In Mie, of the Kinki region, where the worst cases of the virus apparently were being recorded. They could feel panic begin to bubble up amongst them but Rin quickly shushed them. "They're going to mention the evacuations."

Makoto turned up the volume a bit more, "As far as authorities and physicians have been concerned, there have been no cases of the virus in Tokyo, of the Kanto region. All civilians are to be evacuated to Tokyo and then evacuated from the country, in order to quarantine and eradicate this malicious plague. Symptoms of the virus are varied, but one thing is certain: it makes the infected into 'zombies' after having killed them by reanimating the corpse. Anyone who has had contact with someone whom has been infected should be cautious and wary. Anyone who encounters these 'zombies' should kill them on sight. And, I repeat, everyone is to make their way to the capitol of Japan in order to be evacuated from the country. Any further announcements will be broadcast. That is all." The screen went dark. Makoto turned off the TV before turning and looking at the others.

Everyone had different levels of shock written on their face. Goro looked upset and anxious, Rei looked tired and defeated, Nagisa seemed to be suppressing a sob, Aiichiro was crying, Haru looked scared, Rin looked unsure and afraid, and Makoto looked terrified. No one moved. Then all at once, everyone began getting frantic.

"I need to call my parents!"

"We have to hide!"

"Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God…"

"HEY!" Coach Sasabe bellowed. Everyone froze and turned to look at the blonde. He stood up from the couch and went over to where the boys had begun to run off to. He pulled Aiichiro and Nagisa away and said, "You two, call everyone's families. Tell them to stay at home, or to go home, and that we'll come get them." Aiichiro and Nagisa scrambled to snatch their cell phones and begin calling everyone. Goro then turned to Rei and Rin, "Go look for food that we can take with us as well as some sort of first aid kit and any medicines," they stared uneasily at each other until Coach yelled, "Go!" They ran into the kitchen and could be heard rummaging through cupboards and the fridge. He finally turned to Makoto and Haruka, "You boys will go and begin to pack. Haruka, I know this is your house so you'll be able to grab clothes from here. And you, Makoto, practically live here, so go pack up as well." He then rushed off to help Rei and Rin look for provisions for the trip. Makoto and Haru hurried upstairs and began stuffing their sports bags with clothes and any other useful things they may find.

Makoto felt as if he were about to fall apart at the seams. He felt as if he'd been thrown into a dark hole, with nothing to guide his way. He was so scared. Scared for his friends and for himself. (His family was safe in Tokyo, where they'd gone to try and sign him up for the tryouts to be on Japan's Olympic Swim Team.) He chanced a glance at Haru and was comforted slightly when he saw how calm and collected he looked, but he could also see the tension hiding underneath his stoic expression. He felt himself shaking as he threw his clothes and another pair of shoes into his bag. He knew he was going to completely lose it any second now, especially with the tears stinging his eyes.

Haruka could see as he packed flashlights into his bag that Makoto wanted to cry. He was biting his lip, trying his hardest not to, but he was obviously losing the fight. A few tears began to stream down his face, and he was visibly shaking. Haru was also terrified about their current situation, but it ripped him apart to see his best friend like that. He went over to Makoto and stilled his hand with his own. Makoto looked up at him, eyes a bit red from starting to cry. Haruka pulled him up from where he'd been kneeling, rummaging through the closet and brought him to him in an embrace. He wrapped his arms around Makoto's middle and was afraid that Makoto wasn't going to hug back until he felt his strong arms wrap around his shoulders. Makoto began to cry openly now, pressing his face to Haru's shoulder and trembling as sobs wracked his body. Haru could feel his own throat getting thick, but he refused to cry. He had to be strong for Makoto. He hugged him tighter and felt Makoto do the same. They were clinging onto each other for dear life now, each trying to convey words unsaid through their embrace. They stayed like that for a few minutes before Haru finally felt that he could trust his voice.

"It's going to be okay," Haru whispered, muffled a bit by Makoto's shirt. Makoto only nodded and took a shaky breath. He held Haru tighter for a split second before he let him go and they pulled apart.

Makoto gave Haru a small, watery smile, "Thank you, Haru." It wasn't much, but that smile told Haru everything he needed to know. Makoto would be okay. Haru would make sure of it.

They both picked up their bags and headed downstairs where they found Rei and Rin with similar bags filled with provisions and Nagisa and Nitori handing them their cell phones.

"…Mako-chan's whole family is up in Tokyo, all of Ai-chan's family is also in Tokyo, Rei-chan's parents are there too with my parents and one of my sisters, and so is all of Captain Mikoshiba's family," Nagisa rapidly reported.

Nitori stepped up to add the rest, "Rei-chan's brother is at his house, and Nagisa-chan's sisters are at his. Captain Mikoshiba was at Samezuka Academy with Gou-chan, who said that she had left home early to get some medicine for her mom, who was down with a bad fever." Rin nodded in understanding though he did seem a bit angry that Gou was hanging out with Seijuro. "We tried to call Miss Amakata, but we couldn't reach her…" Aiichiro ended.

Coach Sasabe then turned to Rei and Rin, who began to go through their list of provisions. After most of the things were catalogued, Goro began to think. He paced around the room before stopping and pointing a finger at Rin, "Rin! Call your sister, and tell Mikoshiba to pack three bags: one for you, one for Aiichiro, and one for himself. Tell him we'll be there to get them in about 30 minutes." Rin quickly dialed Gou's number, and retreated into the kitchen to talk. Coach Sasabe then turned to Rei and Nagisa, "You two, call your siblings as well, and tell them to pack bags for themselves and for you guys. Tell them to get any food and things we might need. Any weapons they might have will also come in handy…" he added as an afterthought.

"Weapons?" Makoto asked faintly as Nagisa and Rei began making their calls.

"Yes, weapons Makoto! We're fighting the undead, we aren't swimming laps at the old swim club! We have to be prepared," Coach reeled.

Nagisa then began whimpering from where he was talking to his sisters, Hiro and Izumi, "No, please, this is serious, don't make me look stupid…Izumi! No, please!" Haruka raised an eyebrow, to which Nagisa replied sadly, "They're planning on packing only clothes for them, and making me wear girl clothes."

Goro walked by and plucked Nagisa's phone from his hand, before sternly speaking into it, "Izumi Hazuki? It's Coach Goro Sasabe. Don't you dare think this is a joke. You will pack up your belongings, and only what is necessary, do you understand me? And you will also pack up things for your younger brother, Nagisa. If you fail to comply, don't doubt that we won't leave you here." He pulled the phone away from his ear as screeching could be heard on the other line. Once that subsided a bit, he just said, "Be ready in 30 minutes," before hanging up and giving Nagisa his phone. He then instructed the boys to wait by the front door with their things.

"…Okay Keiichi, we'll be there in about half an hour, be ready," Rei said, hanging up on his brother as he joined the others at the front door. They were all just waiting for Rin, who stomped in a few seconds later.

"Couldn't reach your mom, could you?" Makoto asked.

Rin sighed angrily, "No. She must be pretty sick if she can't even reach over and pick up the phone that's by her bed."

Coach Sasabe then joined them, with a bag of his own which apparently he'd had the whole time. He also had with him a few of Haru's kitchen knives, none which were too dangerous, but all which could probably help them out. He gave one to Rin and one to Haru, and kept the third one for himself. They then made sure they had everything they would need from Haru's place: Makoto was carrying his bag, Haruka his, Rin had the bag filled with food, a few pots, pans, and eating utensils, and other necessary items like the first aid kit they'd found and a few medicines that they'd gotten from Haruka's bathroom cabinet, and Rei had his laptop bag. They were all set and ready to leave, except they were all too scared to actually go outside. It was finally Sasabe who pulled the door open and walked out, setting an example for the boys. They promptly followed him and began to trek down to the road and make their way toward the train station, which would drop them off near Rei and Nagisa's house before finally taking them to Samezuka and the Matsuoka household.

Sasabe had been right earlier when he'd mentioned that no one was around. Iwatobi seemed to have turned into a ghost town overnight. People had probably heard the broadcast way earlier than the rest of them and left. There were a few people, groups as well as stragglers, whom they saw from time to time, but every group seemed to steer clear of one another. They walked in eerie silence until the train station, where they expected to see more people waiting to be transported out of the region and into safer territory, but it was empty.

Rin tried the automatic ticket dispenser. Nothing. "Tsk, seems like they've shut the power off of the station," he muttered, annoyed. The boys began shifting restlessly, thrown off by yet another thing gone wrong.

They stared at the train tracks quietly until Aiichiro asked, "Where to now?"

Most of them shrugged or shook their heads, except for the coach, who was looking out into the distance and Rei, who'd turned his attention to one of the shops near the station.

"Well, I don't think that it would be a bad idea to go and get ourselves some quality weapons," Rei replied, pointing everyone's attention towards the store he'd been looking at. It was a sports shop, filled with sporting equipment.

Rin punched Rei on the shoulder. "Nice job, Ryugazaki," he grinned, "Guess it was good to bring you along." Rei smiled back, before following Rin with the rest of the group after he'd begun to cross the street and enter the shop.

"I'll stay out here, to keep watch," Goro told the boys as they went inside, still squinting out towards where they'd come from.

The boys began browsing, though not as leisurely as they usually did whenever they'd gone shopping before. Rin picked up a baseball bat, and weighed it in his hand to see if it was a good match for him. He seemed pleased, and swung it around a bit to get a good feel of it.

"Rin, stop that. You might knock something down," Haru mumbled from the aisle beside Rin's.

"Ah, c'mon Haru, I've got to get myself used to my new weapon. It will, after all, help me bash some skulls," Rin answered with a smirk, making eye contact with Haru above the tiny shelf.

"Ha, I didn't think you'd need a weapon, what with those teeth you've got going on there," Haru pointed at his own teeth with a satisfied smile.

Rin threw a hand over his mouth, "It's a medical condition! Gou was trying to schedule me a dentist's appointment to see what the hell was going on," Rin whined.

Whilst they continued to bicker, Nagisa and Aiichiro went to see the far back of the store.

Nagisa whistled, "Look at all this."

Aiichiro sidled up beside Nagisa and looked at the glass case Nagisa was examining. Inside were dozens of hunting knives, sharp long blades with sturdy looking handles. "Woah," Aiichiro whispered.

"Yeah," Nagisa replied, slowly reaching out for the case and opening it up. He grabbed the knife closest to him, one with a black blade and a brown wooden handle. He picked it up from its place and examined it closely. "It's really nice," he said at last, if a little unconvinced. It was a little too light for his taste.

Grabbing one for himself, Aiichiro decided to go with a knife that would have a longer reach, so he got a machete. He picked it up and balanced it around a bit, trying to see if it was the right fit for him, but decided against it. It did look intimidating though: some of the blade was serrated, whilst the other part was regular, allowing for either slicing through something quickly or sawing through something. He caught Nagisa glancing at his machete, and he himself couldn't stop looking at Nagisa's knife, so upon noticing the other glancing at their respective knives, they traded.

"This is much better," Aiichiro beamed, lifting up the nearly weightless knife. He put it into position before taking it and throwing it, sending it blade over hilt until it impaled itself neatly in the center of a bull's eye that was propped up for apparent archery practice.

"Wow! Where'd you learn to do that!" Nagisa exclaimed whilst twirling around his machete, which he felt was a perfect extension of his arm. Years of baton practice forced upon him by his sisters finally seemed to be paying off. He grabbed a belt from off one of the walls, a scabbard for the machete, put on the belt, and strapped on the machete as Aiichiro went and pulled the knife from where it'd gotten impaled an inch and a half into the wood.

Nitori turned back to Nagisa with a grin, "It's the perks of being an only child with tons of free time and a father who loves to collect antique weapons." He jerked his thumb to the wall behind the target he'd hit, "Wanna see how these bows work?"

Nagisa nodded and bounded after him towards the

Rei and Makoto were in the camping section of the store looking at tents and sleeping bags, weighing the pros and cons of each item.

"I think we should get at least one tent," Makoto was saying as he reached out and grabbed a catalogue to see all the makes and models of each tent that was offered in the store.

"Makoto-senpai," Rei began, reflexively pushing up his glasses, "sleeping bags are a much better choice. They will keep us warm, won't need to be put up, and are lighter to carry." He began examining the sleeping bags that were arranged on the wall, "Besides, it must be really beautiful to sleep under the stars."

"Hmm," Makoto hummed and set the catalogue down, "I guess you're right, Rei-kun. Let's get some sleeping bags." They grabbed a couple before finding another sports bag, where they started arranging them in.

"Do you think we'll need a thermos? Maybe a kettle?" Rei asked.

"It wouldn't hurt to bring them along," Makoto mused, taking the thermos and kettle that Rei had handed to him. They continued looking around a bit in silence before Makoto exclaimed, "We'll probably need a portable cooking stove, right?"

Rei walked over to where he stood and inspected the stove, happily smiling, "A collapsible stove, huh?" It was circular, with an area in the center to put the burning coals and an iron rack on which the pots/pans where placed when cooking. It was small and lightweight, perfect for their trip. "We definitely need this," Rei said, picking up the stove and folding it up on its hinges.

"We'll need lighter fluid," Makoto mumbled to himself, going off to look for the item. He returned with the fluid, matches, a lighter, a sturdy rope, and sunscreen. "You can never be too careful," Makoto smiled sheepishly when he received a raised eyebrow from Rei.

"No, Makoto-senpai, I was not criticizing you. I was merely surprised that I hadn't thought of that," he reached into the pack and showed Makoto the water purifying tablets and filter that he'd found. "This is a necessity, isn't it?" he asked.

Makoto quickly nodded, "Of course! We won't get very far without clean water to drink." He then grabbed a pack of assorted batteries and threw them into the bag, "For the flashlights." Rei nodded. It seemed as if all the necessary items had been accounted for. They went to join the others who were at the register.

"Did you guys get any weapons?" Rin asked as he glanced at the duffle bag which was clearly just filled with items that were needed for the trip but that wouldn't do much to defend them.

They both shifted restlessly on their feet, until Makoto answered, "Not really…"

Rin sighed, then motioned to the others, "We're all pretty much armed, so take your pick on which weapon you think would be best for Makoto and Ryugazaki and hand it up."

Nagisa looked down at his belt, which had all kinds of knives and even an ax strapped onto it. His hand rested on the hilt of what looked like a machete. He had two bows and two sets of arrows in their own respective quivers strapped onto his back. Aiichiro had a bow and a quiver full of arrows, and smaller, yet still definitely dangerous, knives strapped onto his own belt. On his back he also had a baseball bat which he'd secured between the bow and quiver so it wouldn't fall. Rin had about three baseball bats sticking out of the duffle bag full of food he'd been carrying, and had a small golf bag slung across his back which had a few golf clubs and even some hockey sticks poking out of the top. At his waist, strapped onto a belt identical to the ones that Nagisa and Aiichiro were wearing, were three axes, two knives, and some slingshots. Haruka had some baseball bats and golf clubs as well but also had an insane looking trident strapped across his back along with a net; on his belt were knives, a small hatchet, and some fishing lures.

Haruka took a baseball bat from his bag and handed it to Makoto. "Here, I think this one's good for you," he said quietly.

Makoto lifted the bat and was surprised that it was perfectly balanced in his grip. He smiled at Haru before accepting a belt from Nagisa and strapping on a few knives. He declined the ax that Rin offered him, and instead accepted a golf club and another bat from Haru. He preferred weapons that were much less lethal than those his friends had managed to get their hands on.

His attention was caught by some clothes that were in Haruka's duffle. New clothes.

"Um, Haru? What is that?" Makoto asked, pointing inside of his bag.

Rin reached over and snatched the cloth from his bag before laughing a bit, "Really, Haru? A swimsuit?"

Haru turned red before he plucked the article of clothing from Rin. "Yes, a swimsuit. It might come in handy."

Makoto tilted his head quizzically, "Aren't you wearing a swimsuit already though?"

"I don't see your point," Haru deadpanned. He opened up the bag and reached in to show other pieces he'd found, "I got each of you one, just in case we do find use for them in the future." He then tossed them back into his duffle bag and quickly zipped it up.

"Rei-chan! This is for you!" Nagisa chirped, sliding off a bow and a quiver, and effectively changing the subject. He gave the weapons to Rei, who took them gingerly into his hands.

He ran his hands over the bow, his mouth making a small "o". "The craftsmanship is sublime, it has such an amazing build," he pulled the bowstring; "It's in perfect condition!" He notched an arrow and let it fly, accidently taking out a light fixture. "I'll have to learn how to use it quickly if I'm to do this beautifully," he mumbled to himself as he went to retrieve the arrow. He was also given a belt which Nagisa stocked with knives and an ax before handing him two hockey sticks that he managed to wheedle out of Rin.

After everyone seemed to be sorted out and armed, Makoto hefted the heavy bag filled with things they'd grabbed off the shelves onto the counter. The other boys looked at him quizzically, to which he answered feebly, "We have to pay for what we're taking."

"There's no one here," Rin huffed, pointing at Haru, "We checked the entire shop while you guys were still looking at stuff. It was empty."

Makoto pulled out some money from his pocket and left it on the counter as he picked up the duffle bag again. Rin raised an eyebrow. "We can't just steal these things," Makoto said defensively.

Rin put a hand on Makoto's shoulder, "Makoto, we aren't stealing. Well, technically not stealing. This is an emergency situation. And," he said, reaching over to snatch the money from the counter before handing it back to Makoto, "we might need this eventually. Just leave a little note or something," Rin added when he saw how uncomfortable Makoto was at the prospect of just taking things.

Haru got Makoto a pen and some paper, on which Makoto scribbled Sorry we took your stuff. We'll pay you back eventually.

Pulling their bags onto their shoulders they went outside and found Coach Sasabe talking to Miss Miho Amakata.

"Miss Amakata?" Nagisa asked.

"Why hello Nagisa," she then turned to the other boys and bade them hello. "I was just about to leave town when Goro here flagged me down. He asked if I'd give you a ride out as well, and since I have a lot of room to spare, it isn't a problem." She smiled brightly and pointed at the blue 15-passenger van that was parked at the curb.

Goro then went over the weapons that the boys had picked out before quickly running inside and bringing with him three baseball bats, a machete, an ax, and two belts full of knives. He split his weapons with Miho, and then they ushered the boys into her van. It seated two people in the front, had three middle seat sections which seated three people each and a section at the very back, where luggage could be kept, that seated four people. They jumped in and settled themselves with Miho at the wheel and Goro being her co-pilot, Makoto and Haru in the first middle seats, Rei and Nagisa in the second middle seats, and Nitori and Rin in the back seats.

Miho strapped her seatbelt, "Where to, Goro?"

Goro looked back at the boys, at his swimmers, now turned into a scared apocalyptic survivor group, and then turned back to Miss Amakata, "To Samezuka Academy."

Along the way to Samezuka, they stopped and picked up Keiichi, Rei's older brother, Izumi and Hiro, Nagisa's older sisters and all of their things. Any extra space in Amakata's van was quickly filling up with all their things.

Once at Samezuka, Makoto, Haru, Nagisa, Rei, Rin, and Nitori were the ones who went out looking for Gou and Seijuro, leaving everyone else to wait in the van. As they got closer to the dorms, Rin pulled out his phone and called his sister.

"Gou?...Yes, we're here…you're waiting up in the dorms?…okay, we'll be right up – wait, have you talked to mom?...still nothing…okay…see you in five," he hung up the phone with a sigh. "They're up in Captain Mikoshiba's dorm room with our things," he said to Aiichiro, opening up the main entrance.

They made their way up to the third floor where their rooms were. They went down the hall until they got to room 201. Nitori was about to knock on the door when Rin threw it open. Gou had her back to the group, gazing out the window with her cell phone held against her chin. Seijuro was sitting on his bed, rifling through his bag apparently making sure everything he needed was packed. They both turned to the group when the door was opened.

"Brother!" Gou squealed, throwing her arms around Rin.

"Gah," Rin grunted, but hugged her back nonetheless. He looked up at Seijuro and asked, "Are you ready?"

Seijuro got up and stretched, "About as ready as I'll ever be for a zombie apocalypse." He rubbed his eyes then bent over and picked up three duffle bags. He tossed one to Aiichiro and another to Rin, "Here are your things, but you should probably run to your room really fast to see if I might've missed something."

Rin and Nitori did as they were told, and whilst they were in their room, Rei took the opportunity to check a few things on his laptop.

After having plugged in his charger in order to conserve energy he asked, "Um, Captain Mikoshiba?" The golden eyed boy turned to Rei and motioned for him to ask, "Do you think I could have the wi-fi password?"

He seemed surprised by Rei's request but gave him the password without question. Once Rei had access to the internet, he began downloading files left and right, as fast as he possibly could. Sei glanced over his shoulder and asked, "What are you doing?"

Rei adjusted his glasses and answered Mikoshiba's question without taking his eyes off the screen, "I'm downloading every article that I can find about this new epidemic. I'm also getting any zombie related theories and all the cures or protocols used in zombie films, TV shows, and books. In short, I'm getting any information available pertaining to zombies. Especially anything written by a certain German scientist." He was intently focused for a few more seconds before he exclaimed, "Aha! I've gotten all the necessary information I need!"

Mikoshiba looked at him incredulously, "You've downloaded all of that information already?"

"Oh course not, Captain Mikoshiba. It'd take a much longer time to actually download everything zombie related, so I've only downloaded the most relevant things, which seem to all have a lot in common, making it easier to come up with some sort of theory about all of this," Rei replied, shutting off his laptop and stowing it in his bag.

Rin and Aiichiro then emerged from their room with their bags. "Okay, now let's go back to the van and head over to my house," Rin said, making his way to the stairs as everyone followed him.

"This it?" Miho asked the Matsuoka siblings.

"Yeah, this is the place," Gou answered, unbuckling her seat belt and sliding open the door once Miss Amakata had parked the van.

The majority of the group piled out of the van and followed Gou, who took a key out of her pocket and unlocked the front door. "Mom, I'm home!" Gou called out and heard some shuffling somewhere in the house as a response. She then turned to the group, "Make yourselves at home, grab something to eat. I'm going to pack a quick bag for my mom and one for me. I'll be downstairs in a few," she finished, bounding up the stairs two at a time.

Nagisa's sisters seemed completely disinterested in the group and left to wait in the van. Nagisa noticed and shot Rei a worried look.

Rei turned to his older brother and asked quietly, "Could you maybe keep an eye on Nagisa's sisters, please? We really don't want them wandering off or messing with our provisions."

Keiichi smiled, "'Course, Rei." He then walked out the front door and joined the other girls.

Miho went into the Matsuoka's downstairs bathroom and began to put her hair up in a ponytail. Much more efficient when on the run, Miho mused, running the brush through her hair to get rid of any knots before she began to pull it up.

The other boys were just sitting around in the living room, waiting for Gou and her mom to come downstairs so that they could leave.

Upstairs, Gou quickly threw in clothes and shoes that she would need for the trip to Tokyo. She was terrified of the reason why they had to travel to Tokyo, but she had convinced herself that they would just drive there and be evacuated. This would all be something that they'd look back on once they were in Tokyo being boarded onto their plane and remember as an unfortunate event.

Satisfied that she had gotten the essentials, she exited her room and went into her mother's room. The room was empty, the sheets a tangle on the bed. Her mother was probably somewhere downstairs, maybe in the study. She opened up the door to her closet and began grabbing things that she knew her mother would probably need for their trip and began folding it neatly before laying it on the bed. She looked over at her mother's bedside table and saw that the phone wasn't on its receiver. She had at first ignored it, but old habits won out, and she walked around to the other side of the bed to look amongst the sheets for the phone.

She didn't get too far though. Gou screamed.

The sheets had been blocking the scene from view.

Her mother's side of the bed was slick with blood. Drenched. There was so much blood. Too much for a human to lose and still be alive. The phone was on the ground, along with bloody hand marks as if someone had dragged themselves out of the bed once having dropped the phone and had kept trying to scrabble around for a bit. Her mother's body wasn't there.

Rin had noticed that the sliding glass door to the backyard had been left open, which reminded him of what he kept in the shed. He jogged out into the backyard and into the shed and reached for the nearest object, the only one not coated in a thick film of dust: his father's old Swiss army knife. He picked it up and quickly pocketed it, then began to make his way back inside when he noticed very vibrant paint coloring the side of the house. He went over to inspect it and gasped.

It wasn't paint. It was blood. There were the mangled remains of a rat carcass strewn about the side. Rin's stomach churned. He knew what this meant.

There was a zombie near.

He then heard his little sister's blood curdling scream.

"Gou!" he shouted, sprinting inside, but not before he noticed the red that stained the sliding glass door, marks he hadn't noticed until viewing the door from the outside.

The others, and even Keiichi, Izumi, and Hiro, were already at the stairwell when Rin arrived and were staring up at a shocked Gou. Her eyes were wide and glassy, frantic, and she was shaking. She wouldn't speak, couldn't trust her voice. The only thing she managed to whisper was, "Mom…"

Rin pushed past the others and came to the front of the group, "What about Mom? Did her fever get worse?" His mind wasn't functioning correctly, he'd seen too many things, hadn't heard enough things, and now his sister was scaring him with news about his mom; however, somewhere deep inside he knew what had happened but didn't want to admit it.

From the opposite end of the hall, where the study was, there was the creak of floorboards, followed by a groan. The group slowly turned towards the noise, but couldn't quite make out what was hiding among the shadows since the hallway light was off. No one seemed to breathe as the slow shuffling got closer and closer, until the person gradually became more visible.

Red hair that had obviously been falling out since the last time she'd been out and eyes that had rolled back into her skull. Hands hooked and looking like claws, covered in what could only be assumed to be blood. Mouth stained red as well, with some of the blood dribbling down to her clothes. She had a nasty-looking infected cut on her arm that was slowly oozing blood. The rest of her body had nasty sores and other wounds of varying degrees where her flesh had slowly begun to rot. She turned unseeing eyes on the group and began to reach out for them, making throaty gurgling noises as she continued to shuffle towards them.

"M-mom..?" Rin choked on his tears.

His mother lunged at them, only to be swatted to the side by Coach Sasabe's baseball bat with a sickening crunch. "That isn't your mother anymore, kid. She's gone," Coach told the Matsuoka siblings. Rin still looked horribly upset, tears were streaming down his face, but he reached for a baseball bat nonetheless. He'd chanced a quick glance at Gou. Gou was still at the top of the stairs, eyes fixated on what had once been their mother, hand over her mouth to keep the choking sobs quiet. Seeing his little sister so afraid and distraught gave him the push he needed to have to take out their mom. No, not their mom. The zombie, he reminded himself. He looked around at the others. The rest of the group had varying degrees of sadness, fear, and deep discomfort written on their faces as they reached for their weapon or as they stood rooted to the spot in fear. Aiichiro looked petrified with terror yet stood ramrod straight beside his best friend, throwing knives at the ready. Rin met his gaze and nodded.

The zombie had already gotten slowly up again, dragging its limbs in a slow and disturbing manner. Coach Sasabe's blow had dislodged its shoulder, making one arm dangle sickeningly as it moved around. It had just begun to move toward them when Nitori took one knife and threw it, impaling it between the zombie's eyes.

It was thrown back a bit by the force and weight of the weapon but only snarled at the group and continued on, bent on getting to them. There were gasps, quiet sobs, and a whispered "Oh my God." They knew they were dealing with the undead, yet they were still thinking as if it were still a person. Any living person who got a throwing knife to the head was probably either severely injured or dead, whilst the zombie only made it seem like a mild discomfort as it kept going. It was as if by unspoken agreement that they knew what they had to do next. They had to actually either chop off the head or completely destroy the brain. The mere thought made Rin want to throw up, but he had to keep his friends and his little sister safe. They were all he had left.

He stepped forward and was about to swing the bat when the light caught on a small piece of jewelry that the zombie was wearing. It was a necklace that his father had gotten his mother on their five year anniversary. He'd been three, his little sister two. He remembered his father had come home that day with a giant bouquet of roses and chocolates and had scooped both of his kids onto his lap.

"Do you think your mother will like this?" He asked them nervously as he showed them the necklace he'd gotten for her.

"Yes!" Rin giggled, "It's so pretty!"

His father kissed the top of their heads, "Then let me go show it to her then."

He went into the kitchen, where his wife was washing the dishes and humming a melodic tune. He'd covered her eyes and had whispered in a fake accent, "Guess who…"

She'd laughed and had turned toward him, dishes forgotten, and gave him a kiss, "Why, you're home early."

He smiled broadly, "Of course I'm home early, dear. Now, close your eyes." She complied without question and with a curious smile tugging at her lips. He'd taken the necklace from its case and quickly fastened it onto her. "There," he replied, satisfied with his handiwork.

Looking down, she saw the beautiful necklace and gingerly laid her hand onto it. "Oh," she whispered, turning wide eyes onto her husband, "It's amazing."

"Just like you," he replied, pulling her into a loving embrace and whispering, "Happy Anniversary."

As quickly as it had begun, he was pulled back from the flashback, yet stood frozen in place as the zombie kept approaching. Goro had already begun to push Rin to the side to finish the zombie off when there was a gruesome snap and they were both sprayed with blood as the zombie pitched forward.

Miss Amakata stood where the zombie had been, ax still in the air where she'd made contact with the body. Rin looked down at the body and felt himself stumble backwards. Goro caught him and slowly walked him out of the house as he began to cry. Gou was also in a similar state. She fell to her knees at the top of the stairs and didn't move. She didn't cry or scream. She only looked at the body with a horrified expression. Seijuro made his way up the steps and, upon noticing that she wasn't going to object, lifted up Gou and her duffle bag. He carried her downstairs and out the front door, carefully stepping over the body.

The others stood horrified, rooted to the spot. It was finally Miss Amakata who said, "We have to go." The group quickly shuffled out, some with tears streaming down their face, others who seemed to be fighting the urge to cry, and some who seemed to want to get sick. Once everyone was out, Miss Amakata bent over, and, careful not to touch anything that she thought could get her infected, plucked Ms. Matsuoka's necklace from her unmoving body. She'd seen how Rin had frozen up when he'd seen it, and knew it had sentimental value to the Matsuoka's, so she would give it to them. It was the least she could do, after having smashed in their mom's head. She also pulled free Aiichiro's knife before grabbing a dishrag and heading out to the van.

Gou still wasn't talking. Rin had reined some control over himself, but tears were still streaming down his face. Miho tossed the dishrag to Aiichiro who quickly used it to wipe the gore off of Rin. No one spoke much. They just stood around for a few more minutes until Rei pointed out, "We aren't safe here. We should probably get going." He quickly looked over at Rin, expecting him to lash out and maybe stab him with the knife that Aiichiro was wiping clean, and regretted sounding so insensitive when expressing his opinion. That's why he was surprised by what happened next.

"He's right," Rin whispered. He then cleared his throat and climbed into the back of the van once more. Aiichiro quickly followed him after having given Coach Sasabe the dishrag so he could clean himself and his weapon. Gou went in after him, and Sei was just about to climb in as well when Miss Amakata put a gentle hand on his arm.

"Here," she said, pressing the necklace into his hand. "Give this to Gou when…when she seems a bit better. It was their mother's."

Seijuro nodded his thanks and followed Gou inside. Makoto and Haruka took the seats in front of theirs, and Nagisa and Rei got the ones in front of Mako and Haru's. Keiichi, Izumi, and Hiro took the first row of middle seats, which left Miss Amakata the driver's seat and Goro the copilot seat once again.

They drove in silence for a few minutes until they'd gotten out of town, when Miho asked Goro, "Which route are we taking to get to Tokyo?"

Goro thought about that for a few minutes, glancing back at his seemingly broken and obviously terrified group of kids before pulling out his cell phone and showing Miho a map, "We're going to drive until we hit Ise, make a 'rest stop' of sorts, find out if there's anything new, then we'll see from there."

She continued on the small road until she got to Owase twenty minutes later, where she was able to get onto the highway. It was about an hour and a half drive to Ise. Without any traffic, they'd be able to shave off at least a few minutes off the trip time, so they silently drove off toward the city.

They arrived at Ise at around 1 in the afternoon. Miho drove around until she found the Ise Red Cross Hospital where she killed the engine. Goro and she had noticed that the city was eerily empty, with only a few people walking around, most of them with weapons. They'd regarded the newcomers with a passing glance, not really caring about them unless they tried to mess with them. In the parking lot, Miho and Goro had been quietly discussing which route they'd take to make their way to Tokyo when the others began to slowly rouse themselves from sleep.

"Where are we?" Nagisa mumbled, rubbing at his eyes blearily and raising his head from its previous position of leaning on Rei's shoulder.

Coach Sasabe looked back, "We're here to ask about the situation here in Ise, before maybe asking about where we'd be able to stay for the night." He turned back to look at the hospital. "We've had a very rough day," he added, glancing at Gou and Rin through the rearview mirror. Gou was asleep, snuggled into Seiuro's side, who was also still sleeping with his head resting on hers. Nitori was asleep beside Rin, who was nodding off, slowly dozing until he jerked awake. His silent tears had stopped falling some time ago, but he was still obviously upset, and with good reason.

The Matsuoka siblings had seen their mother become a monster. They'd seen their friends turn on her to deliver the finishing blow. Hell, Rin had been ready to deal the finishing blow. It was a lot to take in, too much shock and sadness to deal with in such a small period of time.

Goro turned to take note of how the others were coping: Makoto and Haru were both fast asleep, Makoto leaning against the window and Haru using Mako's shoulder as a pillow. Rei had woken up when Nagisa had asked his question and was taking in his surroundings. Nagisa's sisters were on their phones, and Keiichi was asleep, slouched in his seat.

Watching the doors to the hospital carefully, Goro finally decided to go inside and ask. "I'll be right back," he muttered to Miss Amakata, climbing out of the van and jogging into the hospital.

Miho grabbed Goro's cell phone and examined the map he still had on display. Hmm, five hours from here to Tokyo… she thought. They'd be able to make it in one day. They could even leave right now. She glanced back at the group, seeing how tired, sad, and terrified they all looked. She'd love it if they were able to leave right then, but they weren't prepared for such a journey after everything that had happened to them so far. Miho sighed and turned back to the hospital in time to see Goro running back to the van.

He jumped in and smiled brightly, "They say we can take a house on the outskirts of town, near Isuzu Park. We'll be able to rest, and then we can leave tomorrow, bright and early!" He twisted in his seat to look at how the others were taking the news. Those who were awake seemed interested in the prospect of having someplace to stay.

"That seems like a plan, for now anyways," Rei said.

Miho shrugged and turned on the van, easing her way out of the parking space and getting onto the road again. "What did you see in the hospital?" she asked quietly, trying to keep the others from hearing.

Sasabe turned to her and whispered, "What gave it away?"

She smiled at him, "Mr. Sasabe, you'd never grin like that during such a dire situation unless you were trying to hide something."

He sighed, "You have a very observant eye, Miss Amakata."

Miho laughed, "You have to in order to be a Literature Professor." She then took her eyes off the road momentarily to look Goro in the eye whilst asking, "What was it?"

Sasabe scowled, "There's a lot of people who are sick in there. Fever. Difficulty swallowing. Infected wounds." He looked out onto the road, "I warned them about Mrs. Matsuoka, but they wouldn't listen. They said it'd been days since these people had come in contact with the infected, and that all they were was just sick." He looked very doubtful of that notion. "As soon as day breaks tomorrow, we're leaving," he confirmed.

They drove in silence until reaching the edge of town by Isuzu Park, and then they began to look for a house that seemed abandoned and like a nice fit for the night. In the end they settled with a roomy, two-story house with a nice view of the woods. Once parked out at front, everyone began to pile out blearily.

Nagisa's sisters, Miho, Haruka, and Rei prepared a quick improvised meal for the group before setting up watches. Haruka and Makoto would take the first watch, Rei and Nagisa would take the second, Nitori and Seijuro would take the third, Miho and Goro would take the fourth, and Nagisa's sisters would take the last shift with Keiichi. It was decided that Rin and Gou wouldn't be given work to do since their loss was still fresh on their minds. It was fresh in everyone's mind, but it was going to be obviously worse for the siblings. If anything, Mrs. Matsuoka's turning just made the danger much more real for everyone.

It was around 6 in the afternoon when people began to drift off to sleep. Gou and Rin had left much earlier, probably to mourn their mother alone, whilst the rest began to say their good nights. Nagisa's sisters took up a small child's room on the second floor. Keiichi crashed on the couch by the entrance. Gou fell asleep in the matrimonial bedroom with Sei sitting beside her and lightly stroking her hair to keep her calm while she slept. Rin fell asleep on the loveseat in that same room, with Nitori pulling up a sleeping bag and settling down on the floor beside him. Miho and Goro were going to bunk together in bunk beds they found in what seemed to be a room that had been inhabited by siblings. Nagisa and Rei were going to sleep in the living room, where Haru and Makoto were going to keep watch.

Haru was sitting on the floor, leisurely flipping through a stack of books he'd found on swimming. Makoto was fiddling with the hem of his t-shirt, upset due to the day's events. Rei tossed and turned on his couch for a while before Nagisa propped himself up from the other couch and asked, "Rei-chan? What's wrong?"

Rei sat up and turned to the group, who'd turned their attention on him. He picked up his glasses and fixed them on his face, "We need to ask Gou-san when her mother got sick."

Makoto gently opposed Rei's idea, "Rei-kun, I don't think we should talk about Mrs. Matsuoka anytime soon yet…and besides, why does it matter when she got sick?"

Blowing out a huff of air, Rei trundled on, "Makoto-senpai, she was apparently sick before she turned. She was probably infected somehow, and that sickness was a result of the infection spreading and slowly killing her. After she was dead, that same virus that killed her brought her back as a…" He trailed off when he received a sharp look from Haru.

Nagisa immediately picked up where Rei had left off, not deterred in the slightest by Haru's slight glare, "That would make sense! I mean, did you see how that one cut on her arm was still bleeding? That was probably where she'd received the cut that got her infected!"

Makoto blanched as understanding dawned on him, "Oh my God. So sickness is the first stage, the one that kills you, before…"

"Reanimation," Haru breathed, turning towards Makoto and also seeing sense in Rei's theory.

They stayed quiet for a long time, until finally Haru said, "Nagisa-kun, Rei-kun, go to sleep. You'll need to stay awake during your watch. We'll wake you up in three hours."

Rei and Nagisa did as they were told, going to sleep in order to be adequately rested for their watch. Makoto looked out the window nervously, worried about what could go wrong as the last few rays of sunshine were extinguished with the setting sun. Haru noticed how worried he looked and nudged him with his shoulder gently.

Makoto looked at him and smiled slightly, knowing that things would be alright as long as he was still with Haru. He briefly remembered how he'd felt holding Haru. When had that even happened? Makoto contemplated that silently until he gasped. It'd only happened that morning.

Haru seemed to be keeping pace with Makoto's thoughts as he said, "It seems strange…how this morning we had what now seem to be meaningless problems."

Nodding his head in agreement, Makoto turned his thoughts back on that morning. It had seemed to have happened a lifetime ago, a perfect lifetime ago. Haru was also remembering how snug and secure he'd felt in Makoto's arms – something that he'd give anything for to be feeling again. What had occurred to them that morning had seemed to have happened in another universe altogether.

They continued to think in silence for a while longer before Makoto grabbed a nearby novel that had been left on a coffee table and began to read. Haru watched him before slowly turning to face the door and leaned his back onto Makoto's, who'd already turned so he could watch the window.

"Read to me?" Haru asked quietly. He felt Makoto nod and then heard him begin reading. It was actually a poetry book, filled with poems by various authors. Surprisingly, he felt extremely at ease with Makoto reading to him, despite the circumstances. Makoto felt just as comfortable, and could feel Haru begin to hum as he listened to him read in a low tone.

And that was how they settled in to keep watch for the rest of their shift.

So, how was it? Was the zombie description even good? Was the scene heartbreaking? How about the weapons choices? Were those adequate? Did anyone catch the 50% off reference? Anyways, hope you liked it!

See you next month!