The night was cold, hiding something from view at every turn. I knew they were out there, their eyes watching as we passed. Their eyes reflected the light, seeing to white dots among the black every so often. As the city grew closer, so did the amount of people, living and dead.
"Where are we, Kaito?" Rei asked me, stretching her legs.
"Well, we have about 80 kilometers left to go to get to Satoma," I said, slowing the bike. "But I don't think we can keep going on this road."
I squeezed both of the brakes, and the wheels dragged the bike to a stop. There were hundreds of cars, the headlights lighting up the entire road. People were screaming, infected running in-between cars, and there was no way through besides on foot.
"There's an off ramp just up ahead," Rei said, pointing over my shoulder. The sign clearly printed, 'Satoma Exit, 3 Kilometers.'
"Awesome," I said, turning the bike towards the shoulder of the road. Infected had started gathering around being attracted to the sound of the bike. "Rei, think you could take out the closer ones?"
I gunned the motorbike, and plowed through a small group of infected, blood splattering my face and the bike. The bike easily found traction on the bodies, vaulting the bike into the air, landing on the shoulder.
I jerked the handlebars, the bike cleanly slicing around the corner. The back wheel started burning out, screeching. I pulled the brake slightly to slow the wheel down, hoping to get traction. The wheel caught the road, and the bike launched down the road, lifting in a wheelie.
"Hell yea!" I yelled, the sound of the engine drowning me out. I was swerving all over the shoulder, trying not to hit anything that would send us flying off the bike. The exit was right ahead, and I gunned the throttle. I looked down the ramp farther, and it was nearly empty.
"Why isn't there anyone here?" Rei asked, peeking over my shoulder.
"I'm sure there are plenty of people here Rei," I said, seeing undead in the street. "But they might not be what you think."
The infected turned towards the sound of the motorcycle, but had almost no time to react. I flew past them so fast all I saw was the reflective white of their eyes. The streets were still lit, almost as if nothing had happened. I gunned the bike down the road, the wind almost flipping my hat off.
I slowed down at what I thought would be a main road, the lights almost blinding. I stopped at the intersection, the light flashing yellow. Looking down the road, there was almost nothing, not even infected. I turned right, the city on the horizon. I was about to gun the bike again, when the bike sputtered. I looked at the gauges, and the fuel gauge was on empty.
"Rei, you see any gas stations?" I asked, slowing the bike.
"Right there," She said, pointing ahead. I looked up, and sure enough there was a gas station.
"Well, looks like luck is on our side," I said laughing. I didn't hear if Rei laughed or not, the engine putting up major protest for having to still move on no gas.
I was about to pull the bike into the station, when it completely died. I caught the bike from falling, and turned around to Rei, a smile across my face. "Looks like we're walking the rest of the way."
She laughed, hopping off the bike. I jumped off too, walking the bike to the pump.
"Well that was fun," She said sarcastically, stretching her legs. "Too bad we can't do that every day."
"Yea, that was a real nice ride," I said as I parked the bike next to the pump. I cracked my back and looked at the machine. "Well, this is exactly as I was expecting."
"What's wrong?" Rei asked, leaning over the bike.
"I don't have any money on me," I said, rubbing charcoal off my hands.
"Well, why don't you have your wallet?" She said, sounding annoyed. "Didn't you think something like this would happen to you?"
"Yes Rei," I said, walking around the bike. "I've planned out being attacked by undead people since the day I knew how to write."
"Don't be a smartass and find some money," She said, poking my in the back with the butt of her spear.
"You're going to wait out here?" I asked, walking towards the gas stations building.
"I might as well," She said weakly. "If we lose this bike, we're done for."
The lights in the building were off, making it seem haunted. I tried to open the doors, but it was locked. I read the sign saying 'Open 25/7' and laughed. I planted my foot into the middle of the doors, and the lock broke cleanly. I walked over to the ATM, hoping to get some cheap money. It was built like a tank, me bashing on it doing nothing except pop the buttons out.
I decided to try the cash register, but I didn't get my hopes up. There was a light switch, and I flipped it. A fluorescent tube on the ceiling lit up. It was dim, but enough so I could see. The register was keypad locked, but a quick smash from a lamp the counter opened it right up. The drawer popped open, and I smiled to myself. I pulled out about seven thousand yen, probably more than I needed, but I wanted to be sure.
I tucked the money into my jacket, not thinking very much of it. I saw a pack of cigars lying on the counter, and I stuffed those and a lighter into my pocket as well. I turned the back off, trying not to attract attention from the infected.
I felt eyes on me, and I looked up. There was a shuffling, and a shadow disappeared behind a shelf. I turned around, trying to find something small to grab. I found a small newspaper rack, dumped the papers on the ground, and wielded the shiny wire rack.
I started walking around the counter towards the door, scared and breathing heavy. I saw the figure come out from behind the shelf and start walking towards me. I swung the rack, only to have it knocked out of my hand. Something hit me in the stomach, knocking the wind out of me. I fell to the ground, and looked up to see a pair of greeneyes reflecting the little light in the room.
My eyes started adjusting to the dark, and I saw the glint of a knife swinging down at my chest. I swatted the knife away, and it clanged across the floor. I felt a foot stepping on my leg, and I swung my foot up, knocking the person over. There was a grunt, but not a deep undead moan. It was the grunt of a girl, but that meant nothing. I jumped up, and my eyes had adjusted enough to prove what I had thought. There was a slim figure, the hips a dead giveaway.
The girl jumped to her feet, running towards me. I lunged at the girl, wrapping my arms around her in a bear hug. She hit me on the back of my neck, weak but accurate strikes. I lifted her into the air, her boob going into my mouth only proving my thoughts. I threw her to the ground, and jumped for the knife. I grabbed it, felt a kick to my jaw. I rolled out of the way and brought the knife in front of my face.
I saw an arm flying at my face, and I grabbed it with my left arm, pulling the girl closer. I let her arm go and shot my hand straight, grabbing her neck. She whimpered, hitting my arm. I brought the knife to the side of her face, and she stopped almost immediately.
"What's your name?" I asked, pressing the knife into her skin. The blade reflected the light into her eyes, a beautiful emerald green.
"Let me go," She stuttered, catching her breath. "And I'll tell you." She was pulling at my hands, trying to break free. I turned her towards the door so I was in the darkness, instead of her. I let her go, and she fell to the floor, gasping for breath.
"What's your name?" I asked again, walking backwards into the darkness. "You don't look Japanese."
"It's Sabrina." The girl said, standing back up. "Now listen, we can't stay here now that you've brought that motorcycle. People here are a little . . . Crazy."
I heard Rei scream outside, and I pushed the girl out of the way. I yanked the door open and ran around the corner to see Rei standing in front of an enormous man, with a knife to her throat. I stopped, a shiver running down my spine. I looked down at the knife in my hand, and slipped it into my pocket.
"Don't fucking move! I've got no problem with having sex with a dead body!" The man screamed, pointing the knife at me. He was a large build, with wild eyes. He had braces and a sickening smile. He looked insane, and I just wanted to kill him.
"Kaito, do something!" Rei screamed, squirming under the man's grip.
"Shut the fuck up!" He yelled, putting the knife back to her throat. He was groping her, and she was squirming.
"What do you want?" I asked, taking a step forward. "We don't have anything of any real use."
"I said don't fucking move!" He pressed the knife into Rei's neck, and I stopped. "And I want your bike."
"It's out of gas, we just ran out," I said, looking back at the bike. "And I don't have any money for the machine."
"Bullshit! I just saw you come out of the gas station. I heard all the banging you were making." He said, swinging the knife to his side.
"I didn't get anything besides bruised knuckles," I said, looking past the hyperventilating man. It was a small, feminine figure, but moved too fast to be an infected.
"Hey, you know what? I got a better idea." The man said, laughing out loud. "I'll take the girl, and the bike. How does that sound?"
"You let her go!" I yelled, stepping closer. "Or I'll fucking kill you!"
"Get the fuck back!" He dropped the knife, and I started running. Rei had gotten free of him, and started running towards me. I pushed her past me, pulling the knife I stole from the girl out of my pocket. The man grabbed his knife from the ground, but he was too late. I had already started swinging my knife over my head, the weight of the straight edge making the blade fall faster.
The blade sliced right into his back, digging straight through the ribs and skin. The man shuttered, weakly moaning. He fell to the ground, shaking. I reached down, and yanked the knife out of his back, blood spraying into the air. He screamed, and I kicked him on his side with my foot. Blood was dripping from his mouth and nose.
"H-H-Hey . . . You can't l-leave me here," The man stuttered, spitting blood.
"I can leave you wherever I want now," I said, kicking the knife away from him.
"Don't! You don't know what it's like!" He screamed, slowing pulling himself away. I stomped on his foot, breaking it. He screamed again, dragging it out. "Please, help me or leave me alone!"
"I can kill you, or leave you here to die." I walked away, sticking the knife in my belt. Walking over to the gas pump, I pulled the yen from my pocket and stuck it in the machine. "Feel free to do what you want with him, Rei."
I drowned out the noise of the screaming man, Rei taking her time in torturing him. I unscrewed the metal cap to the gas can on the motorcycle, filling it with gas. Geez, at one thirty seven yen for a liter of gasoline, this thing better get at least fifty kilometers a gallon.
I put almost two thousand yen into the machine, filling the bike to the brim. I capped it off, looking back up at the gas station. The girl from inside the gas station was standing on the other side of the bike, staring at the bike. I stumbled backwards, pulling the knife out of my belt. She disappeared back into the shadows, and I walked to the middle of the gas station.
"Sabrina listen," I said, looking into the darkness trying to find the girl. "We can get out of here, we just need to work together."
"Who are you talking to, Kaito?" Rei asked, walking back over to me. I didn't even bother with the man, his whimpering was enough. I saw a shadow walking towards me, and I let the knife down, tightening my grip.
"Kaito, is it?" Sabrina asked, walking into the light. She was shorter than I thought she was, but she had a strong build, her legs most of her height. "We can work together, but I'm going to ask you one thing." She smiled weakly, her face turning red.
"And that would be what?" I asked, still clenching the knife.
"Do you think you could gas my moped up?" She laughed, rubbing the back of her head. She pointed to the side of the gas station, and a green chemlight showing the silhouette of a moped.
I stared at her, confused beyond words.
"Uhh . . . Sure, just bring it around." I said, looking back at Rei. Rei just shrugged, looking at the girl. I leaned against the motorcycle, twiddling the knife and laughing to myself.
"What's so funny?" Rei asked, walking in front of me.
"First this," I said, pointing at the now silent man I just stabbed. "And now this." Turning back to Sabrina, she had wheeled her moped next to the pump, and smiled.
I walked over to the pump, and looked at the knife in my hand. I flipped the knife, holding the blade. Handing it back to Sabrina, she took it, confused. I just nodded at her, and started gassing up the moped.
"So, Sabrina," I said, staring at the gas pump. "You aren't from Japan, are you?"
"My mother is Japanese, that's the only reason I'm here," Sabrina answered, her voice calm.
"You have the Fujimi High School uniform," I stated, looking at her. "How did you get this far out?"
"My moped, duh," Sabrina said, smiling weakly. "A bunch of kids knocked the gate open, and all of the zombies followed them out. So I took my moped, and left."
I cringed at the word zombie. I didn't feel it respectful enough for the undead, who were living at one point too. I didn't say anything about it though, letting it slide.
"Where are you two headed, anyways?" She asked, looking at Rei. Rei walked up behind me, leaning her head on my shoulder.
"We're going to Satoma City," Rei said. "And my name's Rei, Rei Miyamoto." She held her hand out to Sabrina, who reluctantly shook it.
"My names Sabrina, Sabrina Garnet Williams," Sabrina said. She seemed shy, looking away from Rei, back to me.
"Kaito Endo," I said, not offering my hand. I still didn't know if I could trust her.
"Well, I was headed to Satoma City too," Sabrina said, smiling. "Mind if I join you two?"
I looked at Rei, who was looking at me with the same face as Sabrina. I looked back at the moped, the gas stopped pumping. Putting the gas cap back on, I laughed.
"Of course you can," I said, looking at Sabrina's eyes, the emerald color making her seem so young.
She squealed a bit, covering her mouth with her hands. Are all American girls like this? She jumped on her moped, reaching to start it.
"Wait, not yet." I said, grabbing her hands. "We might as well grab some stuff since we're here, right?"
We walked back over to the gas station, Rei pointing out the crudely broken door. I opened it, and pushed her through it, holding it for Sabrina. The girls walked through the store, looking at various things. I walked behind the counter, looking for something useful. Papers, pens, rubber bands, wrappers, nothing worth taking. I was about to give up when I opened the top drawer, and almost dropped the cigar into the drawer.
"Kaito, check it out!" I heard Rei say, but I ignored her. I reached into the drawer, pulling out a small, steel revolver. Model 637 was printed on the side, and I recognized the Smith and Wesson logo.
"Kaito, did you hear me?" Rei said, jumping onto the counter. I looked up at her, and she was holding a hat that said 'can't touch this' printed across the front.
"I don't know if you're being sarcastic," I said, dropping the pistol back in the drawer. "But this hat stays." I reached up and held it on my head, having completely forgot about it.
"Well at least come get a new jacket." She said, throwing the hat at me.
"Hold on, Rei look at this," I said, whispering. I pulled the pistol out of the drawer and showed it to her.
"Well now you have something that packs a little more oomph than your feet," She said smiling, jumping off the counter. I tucked the pistol in my belt under my shirt, trying to hide it as best I could.
"Kaito, you'll look good in this one," Rei said, holding a jacket up. I walked around the counter, the cold steel sending shivers up my spine. Rei turned around, holding up a black jacket. I looked down at the jacket I was wearing, and looked back up clueless.
"What's wrong with this jacket?" I asked, looking at the jacket Rei had.
"Please, Kaito," Rei said, looking at the jacket with a mean look. "That thing looks like it went through a flaming lawnmower." I looked at the sleeves, and the scratches were almost through to my skin. The fabric was singed too, and it fell apart when I brushed it.
"I guess I could use another jacket," I said, taking off the singed jacket. I tossed it on the shelf, looking over it trying to see Sabrina. She was playing with chemlight, green and blue glowing brightly in the corner. I looked at the jacket Rei had, and grabbed it.
I was about to slip it on, when I heard a crash from outside. I dropped the jacket, and ran to the door. I looked out the window, and saw a girl picking my motorcycle up off the ground. I kicked the door open, pulling the gun from my belt.
"Get off the bike!" I screamed running towards the girl. She looked up at me, and started running. I ran to the edge of the light, watching the girl run into the city. I watched her as she was attacked by infected, and her screams echoed through the city. Infected started walked towards me, their moans filling my head.
Dammit! I walked back over to the building, tucking the pistol back into my belt. I walked over to Sabrina and tapped her on the shoulder. She looked at me, the green chemlight lighting up her eyes.
"I'm leaving now," I said, pointing outside. "Infected are gathering outside, and I want to go before it gets too hard to make it through them." I looked on the wall for a clock, and green letters flashed 05:26.
"I'm still going with you right?" She asked, looking me up and down.
"I want you to come, but it's up to you," I said, walking over to Rei.
"What's this about leaving?" Rei asked, still holding the jacket she had picked out for me.
"I want to get going before the sun comes up," I said, looking at the jacket. "You hold onto that, it's a little cold outside."
I walked over to the door, waiting for Rei and Sabrina. Why did that girl run off? It's not like I was going to kill her or anything. The wood and metal of the gun rubbed against my back, making me shiver. I didn't like having the gun, it just didn't seem right. Not to mention, there were only six shots, making it worthless after the rounds were fired.
"Alright, let's go," I turned around and Rei was wearing the jacket, and Sabrina was holding what looked like the end of a mop with her knife tied on the end.
"Sabrina, you're following us all the way to Satoma City, right?" I whispered, slowly opening the door. I started sneaking past the infected, their faces blank and bloody.
"I guess I will, I -" I hushed her, hearing a roaring sound. It didn't sound like the infected, it seemed more mechanical. I looked up the road, and a pair of headlights was flying towards the gas station.
"Get on your bike," I said, pushing Sabrina towards her moped. I ran over to my motorcycle, and jumped on it. Rei was on it almost as fast as I was. I looked back at the headlights, and they started dancing across the road, the tires screeching.
I turned the key on the bike, and the engine sputtered to life, drinking the gasoline like water. I looked up and Sabrina had already started riding towards us, her headlight shining into my eyes. I pulled the throttle, turning the bike around. Looking up, it was almost like a dream.
The car slammed into the gas pump farthest from me, spilling gasoline all over the ground. The headlight smashed, sending sparks raining down into the fresh gasoline. I gunned the throttle, spinning the tires on the wet concrete. The bike caught grip, launching Rei and I out of the lot into the street.
I turned back to see a fireball engulf the car, flames licking at the gasoline on the ground. The car exploded, destroying the other gas pumps. Sabrina was right behind me, but we weren't out of the danger zone. The gas station erupted, sending flying chunks of metal flying through the air. Flames lit the night sky, illuminating the entire block. I turned back around, hoping not to run into anything.
Second time almost dying in a fireball in less than twelve hours. Well I hope it's a record I don't have break. And Sabrina, I still don't know if I can trust her, but she seems like more help than trouble. She can handle her own, but it's better to have help and not need it than to need it and not have it.