【Chapter 02 - Preparing for the Worst】
6 Months Before The Apocalypse
"Thank you for the food!"
Rinko looked at the thirteen year old worriedly as the boy swallowed rice chopstick after chopstick, scavenging all the dishes in front of him like there's no tomorrow.
Ryoma sensed his mother's hesitant gaze, but he could not control his actions. Even a simple breakfast like this was once an extremely luxurious meal for him. Rice! Vegetables! Meat! During the apocalypse, only those among the top ranks get to enjoy a proper meal. As far as Ryoma can remember, a full day of hard work only got him a piece of brick hard bread, a couple of biscuits and a bottle of foul tasting water.
It had been so long since he tasted food so delicious.
...Cough! Cough!
"Ryoma! Are you okay? Here, have some water." Nanako immediately passed a cup of water. Rinko hurriedly came over and patted his back.
He took the cup from his cousin's hands and finished it in two gulps.
"Son, you're eating too fast. Slow down!" Nanjirou lifted his head from his precious erotic magazine and furrowed his brows. Even he could tell that something was wrong with Ryoma.
"I..I'm fine." Ryoma's eyes reddened before replying hoarsely. He wanted to tell his family the truth, but what can he say?
For seven years he had struggled to survive in a world of extreme cruelty. If there was a lesson to take away, that would be not to believe in meaningless hope. He's certain that his family will believe his words, but he didn't want them to spend their last moments overwhelmed by fear, worry and a sense of impending doom. To him, nothing is more precious than his family.
He truly love them with all his heart, even though he usually masks this with a nonchalant and cocky attitude.
In his previous life, too many people he cared about had left him, be it by death, or by betrayal. Now that he has got a chance to reunite with his family, even if it's for one last time, he wants to enjoy this last period of bliss where he can behave like a kid, where his parents are still by his side. Call it selfishness, but he want them to enjoy peace and happiness without knowledge of what lie in wait for them.
That's the least he can do as a son, as a family member.
He buried his head into the bowl of rice in his hands, hiding his tears. Taking care not to let the tremble in his voice leak, he spoke up.
"Hey Dad...if you're free later, let's have a match."
The hospital seem more crowded than usual,Yukimura thought as he waited for his turn. He felt a little giddy from his fever,but it was still not that bad.
"Yukimura-kun?" A nurse looked up from the clipboard in her hands and smiled at the teen, "You may go in now."
"Thank you." Yukimura returned a friendly smile and got up from his seat.
Knock Knock.
"Please come in."
"I'm coming in."
The consultation room consisted of a doctor's working desk, an examination bed and several medical equipments. Yukimura sat down in front of the doctor, who looked up from his laptop and smiled.
"Seems like you have a slight fever. Though it looks like common flu, it's still better to take caution, especially with your medical history. As your doctor, I'd need you stay in the hospital for a couple of days until you fully recover. Do contact Mrs Yukimura about your hospitalisation."
"Yes, I'll do just that, Doctor Yamazaki. Thank you."
He nodded slightly before leaving the room.
Yukimura trailed behind the nurse and frowned slightly. The hallway was packed with patients, and the air was exceptionally stifling. He fished out his phone and saw a missed call.
"Hello? Echizen?"
"Ah..how do you know? I'm at the hospital...Yes, I'd need to stay for a few days."
"Yes, it's really crowded here."
"What do you mean by 'leave the hospital before December 22nd'? I'll be out in a few days. You do know that it's still June now, right?..."
"Okay, I promise to leave the hospital if I'm still here at that time. Yes, I promise to do that."
Yukimura looked at his screen thoughtfully as the conversation pop-up disappeared into the phone's background.
At the hospital's main entrance, a certain green haired teen clutched his phone in his hands. He took a last glance at the hospital before taking a step in the opposite direction.
Dad, Mum, Nanako.
I'm sorry. It's beyond my ability to save you all.
But for those who I know will survive...
The only thing I can do, is to prepare for the worst to come.
A brown haired teen pushed the door open and the all boys in the room stood immediately.
"Yo, Tezuka,"Fuji waved a small wave, "long time no see."
"Buchou (Captain)." Ryoma got up as well and greeted, his eyes fixed at Tezuka.
"Yo Tezuka!" "Buchou." "How are you Tezuka?" "Tezuka buchou."... The regulars greeted Tezuka one by one. Tezuka adjusted his glasses, his expression stoic as ever, but he was glad to see his friends again. "Fuji, Oishi, Eiji, Inui, Takashi, Kaidoh, Momoshiro, Echizen." He nodded, "It's been long."
The boys took some time to settle down. "Saa Echizen, why did you call us here? You even insisted Tezuka to come back from Germany." Fuji asked.
Ryoma took a deep breath and finally made out two sentences.
"Everyone."
"I need all of you to listen to me carefully."
3 Years After The Apocalypse
The long winter finally ended on New Year's Day.
For six months, all of earth was covered in snow. The bitter weather killed countless civilians, but had also weakened the zombies, allowing humans to catch their breath. For humans with special abilities, this was a time that their powers increased by leap and bounds. Scientists had discovered the use of crystals that are formed within skulls of S2 zombies and above, and used them to quickly heighten their skills. Such humans are commonly referred to as Alphas, differentiating them from common humans.
Research about zombies has also commenced, where they now divide zombies into Stages and SAs into Levels.
Safe Areas are built by either the government, or by individuals with extremely powerful abilities. Guards of these locations are made up of military officers with heavy ammunition, as well as Alphas. Whenever a zombie wander too near these safe areas, the guards will quickly kill them off before they attract more zombies.
For the common people, the relatively peaceful life brought about regulation and order. Especially so when they heard that in some bases, there are Alphas who have reached L3 during winter.
Such as Fuji and Oishi.
Safe Area SA03.
Ryoma ran a high fever while Fuji and Oishi stood guard. Among the regulars, only Fuji, Oishi, Eiji and Ryoma managed to get together. They did receive words that all other regulars had awakened as Alphas, but so far they were all scattered across the different bases.
"Fuji, I see a lot of zombies closing in! I can't see much, but I see a whole army of S1 zombies, followed by a line of S2s. I sense a couple of S3s at the back but I can't make out their exact locations." Oishi frowned at what he saw.
Oishi's ability, Sight, allows him to observe and analyse a radius of area with him as the centre. However, the further his sight reach, the blurer the imagery. If he can sense the zombies this clearly, with Oishi's level, this meant that the zombies will take at most half-a-day to reach them.
Something's amiss, Fuji thought, zombies don't attack like that. They usually roam about aimlessly, attacking all living creatures in their way. But the way Oishi put it, it was as if the zombies are organized.
Organized?Organized... organized!
This was no ordinary attack, he realised.
"Oishi, we need to leave! Now!" Fuji jumped out of his chair, eyes sharp with his revelation.
"Wait! Eiji's still out there!" Oishi caught Fuji's arm and said,"I need to get him back!"
Fuji quickly sought for the best course of action, "Oishi, use your Sight to find Eiji; meanwhile I'll quickly tie things up here. We'll gather at the entrance in an hour's time and head to the next safe area together."
"Got it." Oishi replied as he got up, but paused at the door. "Hey Fuji...If I didn't manage to meet you both in an hour, leave for the next safe area first. Head north...that's where the zombies are most sparse."
Ryoma could hardly open his eyes, but he could still hear their conversation. He managed to see a slit of light, only to capture the backview of the Vice-captain.
He never saw him and Eiji again.
"Let's say." Fuji's voice cut in abruptly, capturing everyone's attention. "Lets say that this apocalypse will really happen. I guess that from your story, most of us will die, am I right?"
Ryoma hesitated. "I don't know. I got separated from all of you after the zombie raid. But...the situation only got worse."
"I see," Inui paused, "Since you know that all Seigaku regulars will awaken as Alphas, you felt that we have a better chance in surviving if we can stand together."
"Yes." admitted Ryoma. "This sounds ridiculous, I know, but I need you all to believe me."
Author's Note: Edited on 31 Jan 2015