Man, I myself almost can't believe how much I'm on a role with this story. I just keep coming up with ideas to stay within the confines of the actual series, but have enough ideas to throw my own originality to the events as well. I'm also really happy to be seeing how much of a response I'm getting from this story with the steadily coming reviews and the international numbers I'm getting. So, as a personal 'thank-you' from me to you all, here's the next chapter. I've also decided to do the non-Scandinavian viewers a favor. From now on, instead of saving the numerous translations for the end of the chapter, I'll instead put the English translation right after each sentence, so as to throw in subtitles in real time at you. Anyway, I already know this chapter won't be as long as the last one, but I trust you'll all enjoy it all the same.
Read and review, and for the Norwegians, Swedes and Danes out there, since I understand your three languages are very similar to each other: Les og gjennomgang, og gjerne si uansett hva du ønsker.
Also for the Finns out there as well: Lue ja uudelleen, ja voit sanoa mitä haluat.
Luku Neljä: Sulje Vaatii Uusia Ystäviä (Finnish: Chapter Four: Close Calls With New Friends)
We drove. We continued to drive for what felt like hours. The streets were completely devoid of all life, and unlike the movies, the roads weren't congested with miles of abandoned cars either. I just kept my eyes focused on the miles of empty freeway ahead of me, the refreshing daytime air breezing against my face as I continued to drive that Lexus as fast as it would go; and all the while, Takashi and Rei were right by my side, burning rubber with that nifty motorcycle of theirs.
I had never thought I'd get the opportunity to get to drive as reckless and free as I did that day, but life is just full of surprises. It was definitely one of the most memorable experiences I had ever since this whole mess had started. Every few minutes I kept looking to my passenger seat to find my beloved ancestors' rifle sitting their, unscathed, completely at my disposal should I have ever needed it, and I knew I would. I won't lie, the whole time, I also couldn't stop thinking about my friends. Thinking about them being stuck just a little while longer with that...vitun käärme ruoho. (fucking snake in the grass.)
It had been a little while since we had first gotten our hands on these nifty little rides, and it wasn't long until we were riding along a large bridge that would take us further into the city. However, after a few seconds, even over the roar of both our engines, I heard that girl Rei start shouting something to Takashi, and when I looked over to see what all the fuss was about, my jaw was agape at what I saw next.
Speeding through the air, right up alongside us for just a split second, there was an actual fighter jet flying low, and as it got closer to us, Rei began to wave at it, no doubt hoping the pilot could see us, although I myself wasn't getting my hopes up, and I'm sure Takashi wasn't either. It just seemed like it would've been too convenient for us to just get rescued by whichever army that jet came from, just like that.
Then just as quickly as it had come it was gone, flying towards the inner city, probably not even noticing us at all. Once it had completely disappeared from sight, I brought my eyes down upon the road again, and I had to slam on my brakes when I saw Takashi skid to a stop right ahead of me. My previous instincts dealing with reckless drivers back home in Espoo nearly made me want to yell out angrily by force of habit, but this time I was able to refrain from doing so as we got back up to pace heading into the city.
After a little while, we were well into the city at last, but now we were forced to slow ourselves down considerably. All the wreckage from numerous car crashes that littered the streets were inspiration enough. When the time had come for us to have to maneuver through the various wrecks, Takashi had signaled to me that he would be taking the lead, so I acknowledged him and had to follow whatever direction he went, so as to avoid getting myself stuck or wrecked. I was glad to see at least he had caught on that I didn't speak Japanese and we had unofficially decided on hand signals to communicate at this point.
Once we had reached an intersection, we came to a stop; why, I had no idea, but I could hear Rei starting to raise her voice towards Takashi for some reason I didn't know about. For all I knew they could've been talking about that jet earlier. I know if Id've spoken the language, that's what I would've been asking about. As I waited for Takashi to give me a signal that we would get moving again, I glanced down at the gas for my car. Lähes tyhjä. Paska. (Almost empty. Shit.)
Looking around to make sure none of those goddamn zombeja (zombies) were around waiting for us, I turned off the engine, got out, and made my way towards their bike. I knew I needed to stay with these guys as long as possible, and that wouldn't happen if I didn't get some gas soon.
Once I had gotten to them, I think Takashi must've looked at his gas at that moment, cause I noticed they weren't in much better shape than I was. I figured if I they might know where a gas station might be nearby, so I just pointed at the gas symbol on their gauge, and then once I had gotten their attention with it, I just nodded back to my car, and I'm pretty sure they got the idea as well seeing as they both nodded with faint smiles to show they understood what I meant; and once I had gotten back in the Lexus, we both continued to make our way down the street. I remember thinking at that one specific point: Luojan kiitos perus elekieltä (Thank god for basic body language).
For several minutes we had to go at a relatively slow pace through the numerous empty city streets, and I think this had been the first time since it all started that I really took notice of the still silence that had then been hanging over the city. I could still remember all the vibrant sounds of city life from just that very morning, just minutes before everything fell apart, and for the first time in years, I was truly at unease in my surroundings; none of my old friends were there, and we were all officially in a world where you could've gotten killed at any corner.
As we had continued to drive, we all couldn't help but just look at the world around us. Cars abandoned on the sidewalks, not a sign of life anywhere, nothing moving, nothing but the sounds of our engines...and our breathing. One thing that was always there whenever we looked at any of these empty cars or abandoned buildings, was blood. One sight that always stands out in my mind even now, was seeing an abandoned purse lying in a drainage ditch near the sidewalk, and there was blood everywhere in the spot where it lay, and there was a small group of kittens that had no doubt been wandering the streets earlier, and they were all licking at the blood. I couldn't bear to look at it for longer than I did, and I could see Rei shuddering from the sight as well, and I couldn't blame her. It still feels so ridiculous to me sometimes; me, someone who has hunted wolves out in the snowy woodlands near my home, and killed them for food when the winters got especially rough...and something like kittens licking spilled human blood is what makes me nauteous. Well, Fritjof did always say it's the most unexpected things that get to the most unexpected people...for once he was actually right about something.
We went on like this for several more minutes, then I could just make out Rei and Takashi bickering amongst each other again, for whatever reason was anybody's guess to me. I was too preoccupied at that time thinking of how things might've been back home. Bjarte had said this was going on all over the world, and even though he said most of Scandinavia, Finland included, were keeping things under control, it didn't ease my mind at all. I couldn't stop thinking of my family. We lived just on the outskirts of Espoo, which was already far enough removed from Helsinki, the capital city, as it was. If armed forces were fighting this undead infection internationally, it's only natural they would just worry about the big cities where most of the people are. My family lived in remote territory, so who was to say the dead wouldn't be moving in mass numbers in those parts? All the dreadful possibilities were driving me mad with worry.
Suddenly, I heard Rei point out something with excitement in her voice, and when I looked to where her head was turned, I didn't see what the big deal was personally. It was just a solitary police car parked on the street corner. My expectations then were that it had been abandoned like all the cars we passed that weren't demolished in a collision in the middle of the road. Well, I wasn't in any position to dash whatever hopes those two had; and besides, for all we knew, maybe there were some officers nearby who could help get us to some kind of shelter. I glanced over at my trusty rifle sitting on the passenger seat, and looking back at the cop car, I grabbed it and laid it onto its side, blocking it from open view. I turned off the engine to the car and stepped out as Rei and Takashi stopped their bike right at the turn. Neither of them said anything I could hear, so I assumed that meant there was nothing wrong. Voi, kuinka väärässä olin. (Oh, how wrong I was.)
As I got closer and closer behind them, I could see just what it was that had them so speechless. What I saw, dashed all my hopes for help from the police right out the fucking window. That cop car had been smashed into the side of the building by a runaway truck, and both officers were lying dead in the back seat...and I mean they were actually dead. They weren't writhing around in their seats, trying to climb out so as to come and eat us, they were just sitting there, not making a sound, not moving an inch. I looked down at the asphalt, and there was a large pool of some thick liquid pooled at the bottom of the car, and from the stench of it, I couldn't tell if it was gasoline, blood, or both.
Suddenly, Rei got off the bike and started making her way towards the totaled patrol car; and even when Takashi was yelling after her, no doubt to get her away from it for the leaking gas, she just turned on her heels, and I don't know what she said; but whatever it was, it got him to back down. Then he got off as well and made his way as well. I could only shrug as I turned my back on them, keeping my eyes peeled for if any zombeja would show up and see us. The new kind of silence that hung in the air without the rumbling of either of our engines felt very unnatural to me, and rather unsettling as well.
Suddenly, I heard a sound behind me that I was all too familiar with: the sound of the hammer of a gun being pulled back. I immediately turned around, and found Takashi now brandishing a five-shooter. He and Rei were talking to one another again, and all the while it dawned on me that this must have been the reason why Rei went for the wreck in the first place; no matter the country, the police are required to carry a firearm should a violent situation erupt that can't be controlled peacefully, and Japan wasn't an exception.
I merely smirked as Rei put five extra bullets in his hand, and I began to make my way back to the car as they got their bike back into gear. Soon, we were back on the road, and when I looked into my rearview mirror, I noticed there were several of those undead bastards making their way out of the buildings behind us. My knuckles going white on the steering wheel, I looked back down to my rifle, and brought my eyes back to the empty roads. I don't even know why now, but something about seeing those monsters come out from behind, when I had previously thought they were nowhere near us...it left me with a very grim but determined resolve to fight.
After a few minutes, we finally came across a gas station, and it was really good timing as well, because by that point the car was running on fumes. The lights for the actualy gas pumps were still on, so that meant they were still working, but the actualy station itself, the convenience store was completely blacked out inside. Once we had pulled into our respective pumps, I slung the rifle over my back as I got the pump into the car. Acting on impulse, I brought my hand into the pocket of my track pants...and that was when I remembered that I forgot my wallet back at our apartment.
Right then, Takashi and Rei began arguing with each other once again, and by that point, I was getting tired of it, and if only I knew how to communicate that, I would've. I don't know what they were saying, but I had become pretty accustomed to identifying names apart from the rest of their babble, and it sounded like they were arguing about some Hisashi person, I wasn't really paying too much attention. Without even a warning, Takashi had sprung his arm forward, and I thought for a second he was going to hit Rei right in the face, but I just sighed when he motioned his hand in a way that told me that he was asking for some money.
Yeah, it wasn't any business of mine, but for years growing up, my dad and my older brother had taught me to treat women with the utmost respect, no matter who they are to me or someone else, and those lessons stuck with me ever since then, and when I thought he was going to strike her, I had almost wanted to go over and bash him in the back of the head with my rifle butt. Thankfully that wasn't the case, but it did seem like they were at least still bickering with each other. Shi glanced over in my direction, and I figured he must've noticed the convenience store. He said one last thing to Rei and was soon making his way, that baseball bat of his firmly in hand. I decided I might as well go with him, being sure to pull the rifle over my shoulder so it was firmly held in my hands as well.
When we got to the door, I noticed Takashi was about to kick the doors open, and something sparked in me that caused me to lay a hand on his shoulder, shaking my head in disagreement. Lightly pushing him back, I got up in front, and with the butt of my rifle pressed firmly against my shoulder, I slowly pushed the door open and we both quietly made our way inside. It was way too quiet inside this place. At least outside, the only sound that could be heard was the wind blowing through the streets. This however, was just kuolemanhiljaisuus. (dead silence)
Takashi called out something that nearly made me flinch, mainly because we had no idea if there was anybody here, and for all we knew, they wouldn't be so friendly if they found us. I signaled with my hands that I would look around for anybody, and the nod I got in return, I can only assume meant he understood. Paska, (shit) at some point, I knew I would need one of the guys to help teach me the language here at some point, cause this whole sign language thing was really getting old for me, probably both of us.
The only place there really was for me to check was in the back where the staff would take breaks and such. I wasn't able to find anything in the bathroom or the managers office. When I made my way to the garage, there was nobody there either. The only thing I took note of was that the garage door was still open, yet there wasn't any blood here, so that must've meant that the employees were able to get away.
I began to make my way back inside, but for a split second, something caught my attention from the corner of my eye. I wouldn't know how to explain it, it was like a glint of light, but not like the light reflected from a rifles' scope, but the kind from something made of metal. It shined for a split second from the outside, but when I turned to look it was gone. I couldn't see the pump station either, just the street the garage would lead out to. Something about that glint of light also sparked a really worried feeling in the pit of my stomach. I knew this feeling, became familiar with it during all the hunts I went on with my dad. A terrible feeling nobody wants, but I knew immediately what it was...we were being watched, and not by any zombeja either.
I quickly made my way back inside, and the instant I shut the door, I heard a loud crash from where I had left Takashi, and I was instantly hauling ass to the counter. Once I rounded the corner, I nearly had my rifle fully raised and ready to fire when I saw Takashi climbing down from the counter, a demolished cash register all there was to behold...and all the gas money either of us would ever need. "Voi mies, tämä on enemmän kuin tarpeeksi meille molemmille." (Oh man, this is more than enough for both of us.) I muttered under my breath as we both took handfuls of the money, shoving it into our pockets.
Then, there was an ear-splitting scream from outside, and Takashi was jumping over the counter and making his way out the door like a shot, screaming out in fear for Rei the whole way. I would have gone out there right alongside him, but I saw what was going on through the windows. Standing before Takashi was a giant of a man; at least in comparison to the three of us. He looked to me, like the Japanese equivalent of those American white kids who listen to too much rap music, half his teeth covered in golden grills, and a very scary look to his eyes that were nearly hidden under the hat he was wearing, and the worst part was that he had his arm around Rei's waist, and he had a switchblade pressed right up against her neck.
I could tell even from my distance that it would take only the slightest twitch, and he could slice her throat right there. I gritted my teeth, brought my rifle back over my shoulder, pressed the butt of it firmly against my shoulder, then I slowly got down onto my knees, then flat onto my stomach, right behind Takashi, my aim going right through the opening in his legs, giving me a clear shot at thelegs of the panttivankien ottaja. (hostage taker)
I had to slow down my frantic breathing so that I could get a steady shot, and thankfully I was safe in the blackness inside the store, because I assumed he hadn't noticed me yet. The only thing that was in the way now was that the way he was holding onto Rei, her legs were in the way between my single shot and his kneecaps. I needed to wait for the right moment, where she would be safe from harm, and I could blow this fuckers legs right off.
All the while, I could hear Rei struggling against that big ape, and ever word he spoke was just dripping with clear and undeniable insanity; hell, half the time he was laughing like a lunatic while speaking to Takashi, who was just standing there, the rage he was no doubt boiling over with, evidenced in his tightening grip on that bat. I could feel a cold sweat breaking out underneath the cap I always wore, and I needed to ignore it, I kept telling myself: Minun on keskityttävä! (I must focus)
About halfway through that nuts' rambling, Rei tried to break free from the grip he had on her, but it only resulted in him pulling her back, and at this point I could practically feel the disgusting presence of this guy crawling under my skin as he actually started fondling her breasts while still holding that knife to her throat, and all Takashi and I could do was just stand where we were and watch, not being able to do anything. That was the closest I came to just pulling the trigger right then and there, cut my losses if Rei's legs got hit, and then just beat the fucker to death with my rifle till it shattered. The only reason I didn't take my chance when Rei tried to run was because I thought if she could get away, Takashi would be fast enough to get to the guy and do him in himself.
To my surprise, Takashi began to approach the hulking street punk, getting an expected angry shouting as reaction from him. I don't know what he said exactly, but I had a pretty good idea, since Takashi threw his bat to the side, and in the silence that still hung thick in the air, the clang of that bat hitting the concrete floor was echoing out everywhere. It was mere seconds afterwards that I noticed silhouettes in the distance starting to approach the station, and it immediately dawned on me what was going on.
I wiped the sweat from my forehead as I steadied my aim to get it back on the thugs kneecap. There wasn't anymore time to waste, I needed to take the shot quick so we could get out of here before those goddamn zombeja got here. To my disbelief, Takashi instead pulled the money out of his pocket and was using it to fill up his bike, while that freak still had Rei at knifepoint. I didn't understand what the hell either of them were saying to each other and yet at the same time, I didn't give a shit; I was done wasting my time. Now, I finally had my shot. Takashi was now out of the way, and I had a clear shot right for that thugs head. I only needed him to expose his head just a tiny bit more, so I'd know I'd have a full chance at hitting him, and not hurting Rei in the process.
Takashi soon had used up all that money, and once he got the pump back into its holster, the thug started yelling at him again, and whatever Takashi had said to him, it got him riled up enough to lean his head forward over Rei's shoulder, rage burning in what little I could see of his eyes. In those few precious moments, I took a deep breath, leveled my scope with my right eye, steadied my aim, and with a quick pull of my finger, he was dead before he even hit the ground.
Wasting no time, I got back onto my feet, slung the rifle over my shoulder, and made my way over to Rei, who had gotten a hold back on that metal pole she had earlier, and to both my shock and my understanding, she was angrily beating the dead body again and again and again, screaming out in fear and anger with every hit. As much as I wanted to see if she was alright, I knew reaching out from behind was a terrible idea right now, so I just turned back with a sigh and hurried over to the car, hurriedly putting my money in and getting the pump in. Those damned undead would get here within seconds, and I needed to hurry, otherwise either Takashi and Rei would have to leave me behind, or we'd all end up getting eaten.
Looking back on it even now, I'm so glad those things were as slow-moving as they were. I was able to get the car back to a full tank, and I was about ready to just jump in and burn rubber out of there. I could hear the motorcycle engine get started back up behind me, but when I turned back to get into the car, I almost jumped to see Rei standing not even three inches away from me, that pole clenched tightly in her hand, tears of the very same fear and anger evident in her eyes, and several noticeable specks of blood on the right side of her face, and deep down I was hoping it was from my bullet, than from her post-mortem beating. I don't know why I was hoping for that.
I don't know what I was expecting when I saw her looking right at me eye to eye, but I certainly wasn't expecting what did happen. With a single tear rolling down her cheek, Rei suddenly threw her arms around me, and now I could hear her beginning to finally break down in tears with her face buried in my chest. I could barely make out her saying something, but it was muffled by my shirt; but I could just barely make out the gist of it. I recognized it from what Takashi had said a few hours earlier, when I had helped get the original owner of their bike off of him. She was thanking me. She kept saying the same thing again and again, and then something else I didn't understand, but she threw in both Takashi, and my name as well, so I assumed she was thanking both of us.
Once Takashi had rolled the bike up alongside the car, Rei had finally finished, and was almost immediately jumping back onto her seat behind him as I jumped over the driver door, starting the engine. I looked up and when my eyes met Takashi's, we both just smiled and silently nooded towards each other. He may not have known it, but he deserved my utmost thanks as well. If it hadn't been for him keeping that asshole's attention, he would have noticed me, and Rei wouldn't even be with us then. I watched his back, and in that respect, we both ended up watching Rei's as well, and the feeling of that kind of dynamic teamwork was an amazing feeling I hadn't felt in years; not since I was 12 and my brother and I worked together to take out a bear that had attacked our dad.
Within seconds, we were both back on the open road, Takashi narrowly swerving through a few of Them, and in the process, I ended up nailing a few, sending them flying either onto the sidewalk or into other empty cars that littered the road. The entire trip, this cold, painful feeling that had been creeping in my stomach grew more and more, wrending at my heart, until finally, I broke down into tears of my own while still trying to drive. I couldn't get over it, no matter what the circumstances may have been. I couldn't get over the fact, that for the very first time, I flat out murdered another living human being. The very thought left a cold and empty spot inside me, and I knew, this experience was going to haunt me for the rest of my life.
Well, there you guys go, there's chapter 4. This one was a lot of fun to write, seeing as I finally got to delve into the aspect of the animals that humans essentially are, and how the worst of them come out in times of crisis. Normally I would have made the interaction with the guy who takes Rei hostage a lot longer, but remember: this story is being told from the perspective of the Scandinavians, in this case Alpi the Finn, and in chapter 3 it was mentioned that Alpi doesn't speak Japanese. Oh well, next chapter we'll finally be able to reunite all our beloved survivors, and we'll see just what awaits the lot of them with the inclusion of their foreign friends. To all you natural English speakers: Read and review, and I hope you enjoy reading this chapter as much as I did writing it.
To all the Norwegians, Swedes, and Danes out there: Les og gjennomgå, og jeg håper du leser dette kapitlet så mye som jeg gjorde å skrive det.
Last but not least, to all the Finns out there: Lue ja tarkistaa, ja toivon, että nautitte käsittelyssä tämän luvun yhtä paljon kuin minä sen kirjoittamisesta.