Gasp! Guys, this is THE chapter! :O The whole reason I wanted to write this story! I have a weird mind and find certain things fun to write.
So, I just started the fourth season of The Walking Dead and oh my god Rick and Carl need to die. Rick makes the worst decisions ever one second and then rants about doing the opposite the next second. Worst "leader" ever. I just want there to be zombie babies. If there were zombie babies in that show, it'd be the best show known to man. It would no longer be known as The Walking Dead. It'd be known as 'that show with the zombie babies'. Would having zombie babies bother people that much? I mean, babies have teeth and they eat stuff. Imagine a full grown man splayed out on the floor, his stomach ripped open as a zombie baby looms over him, intestines and chunks of flesh in it's little hands as it growls and feasts. That'd be the best thing to happen to that show. And on that note, there will be no zombie babies in this story. I have standards, man. xD Little zombie kids are a possibility, though. They would fit the story better than babies. Although I may just have to primer something again and get all weird from the paint fumes and go crazy. Zombie babies everywhere!
Also, as I know nothing about Japan, the places I mention are either labeled that name on the map or I just pick whatever station is nearest to the area, as I figure the train station would be called where it is. Shouldn't it? Maybe? But, if an area is named incorrectly that is why. Well, that is if people care where this is taking place. xD
SEVEN
Lupin's group got as far as Matoba when the sun was close to disappearing over the horizon. Feeling they were already pushing it, they got off the expressway and found a two story house to take shelter in for the night.
"You okay?" Zenigata asked as he and Lupin once again made noise alarms to string across hallways.
"Hmm?" Lupin looked up at him with an blank expression.
"You've been pretty quiet since Sakado."
Lupin finished hanging up the last alarm and shrugged. "Just tired, I guess."
Zenigata stared at him and nodded slowly. "Go get some sleep. Me and Toshiko can take the first watch."
Lupin nodded and headed off up the stairs to the bedroom they were staying in.
It had been three hours since the sun had set, Lupin unable to sleep as he laid quietly staring up at the ceiling.
"You asleep?" Fujiko asked as she turned onto her stomach and looked down at the floor where he laid.
His eyes glanced over in the direction of the bed. "No."
"What are we doing?" she sighed.
"Going to Tokyo," he answered with no emotion in his voice.
"That's not what I meant."
Lupin laid quietly, having no answer.
Fujiko turned onto her back and sighed. "We should be going south. We could have gone with that soldier."
Lupin again had no response.
"Lupin, please," she said pleadingly. "You and Zenigata are putting everyone in danger. Jigen and Zenigata's ex-wife, they're dead."
"Don't say that," Lupin said angrily.
"You heard what that soldier said. Tokyo is gone. What's to say the quarantine zones have held up? If those things can take over a whole city, why not them, too? We need to be going south."
"We're going to Tokyo," Lupin insisted. "If you don't like it, then have fun running away."
"I'm not leaving without you," she said in almost a whisper.
"Once we get Jigen and Toshiko's mom, we'll leave this place. I promise. Okay?"
"Sure," she whispered.
"Try to get some sleep." He turned over on his side, his back to the bed as he glared off in front of him.
On the second story roof near the bedroom window was Zenigata, who had heard everything Lupin and Fujiko had said. He stared off and sighed, not wanting to believe Fujiko's words, but wondering if that wasn't the case, his hope diminishing ever since learning about Tokyo.
"Dad," Toshiko said as she came around from the front of the house. "The streets on my side are all clear."
Zenigata continued staring off into the darkness and nodded.
Toshiko stared at her dad in worry. She walked over and sat down next to him. "Is everything okay?"
He glanced over at her and forced a smile, wrapping an arm around her and pulling her close to him. "Yeah, everything's fine. I was just... just thinking."
"About what?" she wondered as she leaned her head against his chest and stared off.
"Tomorrow. We're gonna have a long day. And..."
"Dad?" She pulled back and stared at him.
"There's a possibility we may never find your mom."
Toshiko smiled and hugged her dad. "We'll find her. I know we will. You don't need to worry."
Zenigata stared at his daughter and then laughed. He brought his arms around her and held her tight. "Yeah. You're right. I'll try not to worry about it anymore."
"Good," she said, pulling away and kissing him on the cheek. "I'm gonna go back," she said, thumbing towards the front of the house.
Zenigata nodded and watched as she walked off. He turned his head towards the backyard of the house and stared off into the distance, the smile on his face slowly fading.
...
Lupin yawned as he leaned against the back of the house. His eyes stared blankly at the sky as it began to turn bright colors of pinks and oranges. "Sun's coming up," he said.
Fujiko, sitting on the other side of the house, glanced over towards his voice. She grabbed the rifle sitting on her lap and stood, making her way towards him.
He glanced up as she turned the corner and walked up to him. "Anything?"
"Just those few growls I heard a while ago. You?"
"Two infected in the distance," he said, pointing towards a field where they stood. "They haven't moved since I saw them a few minutes ago."
Fujiko stared at them and nodded. "Should we wake them up?"
Lupin got up and leaned against the house. "He said first light." He watched as Fujiko made her way through the window, following her inside.
When they entered the room they found Zenigata already awake, sitting up and leaning against the wall as he stared at Toshiko as she slept.
"Let her sleep a little while longer," he said to Fujiko, who was starting towards the bed.
She looked at him and nodded.
"So," Lupin said in a low voice. "What's the plan?"
Zenigata glanced over at him. "Nishitokyo is closer, so we'll go there first. If we don't have any luck, we'll move on to Chubu. Last stop would be Kawasaki, but I'm hoping we won't have to go that far."
"Yeah," Lupin sighed. He looked over at a sleeping Toshiko and then looked up at Fujiko. "We'll get everything ready," he told Zenigata.
Zenigata nodded, his eyes once again staring at his daughter.
...
"Hey." Ren nudged Jigen as he laid on the couch. "Wake up," she said, nudging him once again.
Jigen stirred awake and opened his eyes, glancing at the girl standing next to him. "What time is it?" he mumbled.
"It's morning," she told him.
Jigen sat up and rubbed his face with his hands.
"I guess we're stuck with each other," Ren joked.
"Yeah." Jigen swung his legs over the edge of the couch and leaned back. "Told you I wouldn't turn."
"I'm glad you didn't," she said with a grateful smile.
"So am I." He looked at her and returned the smile. "You do okay last night? I can't believe I slept that long."
Ren nodded. "There was some banging on the windows and then some gun shots and then everything went quiet."
"You get any sleep?"
"A few hours."
Jigen nodded. "Why don't you get a few hours more and I'll keep watch."
"Okay." She turned and started to walk off when she stopped. "Oh. Here." She reached behind her and grabbed the gun she had been given, holding it out towards Jigen.
"Keep it. If anything comes after you you can shoot them."
"But, I don't think I could," she said as she stared down in worry.
"Ren, they aren't people anymore. You'll be doing them a favor. I'm sure they wouldn't want to end up being a zombie if they had the choice."
Ren said nothing as she continued to stare at the floor.
Jigen sighed. "Later, when you're more awake, I'll give you the rifle and you can shoot them from the roof. Once you kill a few of them it's pretty easy to kill a few more."
"And the people? The ones who haven't turned?"
"Don't worry about them. I'll take care of it."
Ren looked up at him and nodded slowly.
"Also, I'm not telling you that you have to kill the zombies. Don't shoot at them unless you need to. If your life is in danger, it's you over them. Okay?"
"Yeah."
"Go get some sleep. When you wake up we'll go on the roof and you can practice. After you're more comfortable with it, we'll get out of here. We have enough supplies to get us to Chigasaki."
Ren nodded and walked off.
...
The sun had started to sink towards the horizon by the time Lupin's group reached the area the quarantine zone was in. They got as close as they could to it without being seen and stopped.
"You three stay here," Zenigata told the others. "I'll ask the guards if Jigen and Kayo are there."
"And if they are?" Fujiko wondered as she glanced from Zenigata to Lupin.
"I don't know," Lupin said. "I guess I never really thought that far ahead."
"We could live there," Toshiko said as she looked at her dad. "We'll be together again."
Fujiko looked at Lupin and shook her head slightly.
He looked at her and shrugged. "They won't let us take them out."
"I don't want to stay there, Lupin."
"It'll be safe. And it isn't like we'll stay there forever. We'll find a way out and leave, just like we planned."
Zenigata gave Lupin a serious stare. "Look, we don't even know they're there. We can have this discussion once we find them."
Lupin looked at Zenigata and nodded.
"Be careful," Toshiko said as her dad started towards the front gate.
"Stop," one of the guards demanded once Zenigata got ten feet from the gate.
Zenigata did and held his hands up.
The guard ran forward and searched him while another guard kept his gun pointed at him. The guard found Zenigata's ID and looked at it. "Interpol," he said in shock. "What are you doing here?"
"I was working with the Tokyo police on a case when everything happened."
The guard nodded and handed back the ID.
Zenigata lowered his arms and took it. "I'm looking for two people and need to know if they're here."
The guard nodded. "Yeah, I can look that up for you. You know their names?"
Zenigata followed the guard to the gate, the guard grabbing a binder with names written in it. "Kayo Zenigata and Dais-"
An explosion nearby cut him off, he and the two guards ducking down as pieces of asphalt flew towards them.
"Shit," the guard said, dropping the binder and grabbing his gun. "Get down!"
Zenigata crouched down, looking through the dust to where the others were waiting.
Another explosion went off nearby, other guards scrambling to fight off the attackers.
Familiar shrieks and screams began to echo in the distance, causing everyone to tense.
"We got runners," one of the guards yelled.
"Shit," Zenigata said, getting up and running off.
"What was that?" a frightened Toshiko asked as Zenigata reached them.
"Infected are coming," Zenigata said. "We need to go!"
The four grabbed the bags they had set down and ran away from the quarantine zone. As the shots and screams came from behind them, ahead of them sounded revving motors and people yelling and hollering.
Motorcycles and trucks filled with resistance fighters sped past them. Behind the vehicles ran more fighters.
The fighters shoved the group off to the side as they ran by them, the four separated as they frantically searched for each other through the swarm of yelling fighters.
"Dad," Toshiko yelled, her cries unheard over the yelling and gunfire.
The noise attracted more infected, which poured out of old buildings and back alleys.
Toshiko stared in worry as two infected spotted her. She watched in horror as they screamed and ran towards her. Turning away from them, she ran aimlessly, too panicked to know where she was going.
The infected continued on her trail, starting to close the gap.
She looked behind her and saw they were still there. Tears streamed down her face as she continued down streets and alleys.
The two that chased her soon became four. That four then became many.
She saw a burnt out building in front of her and decided to cut through it, entering what was left of the door and past the charred interior.
A shriek to her right caused her to look over, able to catch a blur of a figure as one of the infected tackled her.
The creature loomed over her and screamed, it's head leaning towards her as it's mouth tried to bite her flesh.
Toshiko used all of her strength to keep it away. "No," she screamed, her anger and fear causing a sudden burst of energy as she shoved the thing off of her. Scrambling to her feet she ran the rest of the way through the building and out the back door to where she was tackled once again.
The energy she had before started to wane, the infected fighting back stronger than the last one. She managed to free herself when another infected grabbed her legs and kept her from escaping.
Her legs kicked and her arms pushed as the two infected began to get the upper hand.
She looked up as the infected on top of her moved towards her face, her arms no longer able to keep it away. As she felt it's hot breath on her skin she closed her eyes, not wanting to see what was going to happen. She was about to give up when two shots rang out.
She opened her eyes wide as the infected fell limp on top of her, the one at her legs falling off to the side of her. Sickened by what was near her face she shoved the infected off and got to her feet. Seeing movement she looked up, Lupin running towards her.
"You owe me twice now," he teased as he reached her. "You okay?"
"Thank you," she said, throwing herself at him and wrapping her arms tightly around his torso.
"Sure thing," he said. "Come on. Let's go find the others."
She looked at him and nodded, the two starting out of the alley when gunshots got their attention.
They ran towards the sound, rounding a building when they stopped.
A group of about ten infected ran towards Fujiko, who stood in front of a wounded Zenigata as he leaned against the back of the building.
"Dad," Toshiko cried out, rushing towards him.
Lupin lifted his gun and started firing on the infected as he made his way towards Fujiko.
"About time you got here," she said.
"I figured you could handle it," he said with a grin.
"This isn't the time for joking," she said in annoyance.
They continued firing until the last of the infected were truly dead, the two then turning to Zenigata.
"What happened?" Lupin wondered as he knelt down to look at the wound.
"One of those idiots shot me when I wouldn't join them," Zenigata said, grunting in pain as he tried to stand up.
"Let me help," Lupin said, wrapping an arm around Zenigata and helping lift him to his feet.
"Luckily he was only hit in the leg," Fujiko said as she grabbed the bags Zenigata had been carrying and slung them over her shoulder.
"Yeah, luckily," Toshiko said in relief.
"Surprised the guy didn't try to kill you," Lupin said as he helped get Zenigata out of the area.
"He did," Zenigata said through the pain. "I tried to wrestle the gun away from him when it went off."
"Well, I'm sure he's dead now, so let's just concentrate on getting you someplace where we can take care of your leg."
"Yeah," Zenigata sighed, trying his best to keep his injured leg still.
"Toshiko," Lupin said.
She stopped and looked up at him.
"Take the front," he said. "If anything comes I'll take care of it, but in case I don't see it coming, you let me know."
"Okay," she answered, giving a nod and walking off ahead.
"Watch the back, Fujiko," he said, glancing back at her. "You good on ammo?"
"I've got a few bullets left."
"First place we see that looks secure enough, we'll go there."
Fujiko and Toshiko nodded, both keeping a look out as Lupin struggled to get Zenigata moving.
...
Jigen and Ren walked down the street, away from the neighborhood that had been their temporary home.
They soon reached the outskirts of Setagaya and crossed over the Tama River by way of the Atsugi Highway.
The highway was much like the other roads and streets they had encountered, signs of the panicked masses failing attempts to flee the city all around them.
"This highway runs into the expressway about five miles from here," Jigen said. "By the time we reach it it should be getting dark. We'll find a place to stay the night and continue in the morning."
"How long do you think until we get there?"
"If we leave early enough, we'll get to your place by noon."
Ren nodded as she stared at the pavement. "What if they aren't there?"
"We'll find them. Don't worry."
Ren looked up at him and smiled. "Thank you."
"Yeah, sure."
"You'll find your friends, too."
"I'm sure I will," he said, a tinge of doubt in his voice. He looked back at her and smiled.
The two were quiet as they weaved between stopped cars and large pile-ups. They stopped and looked up as a sound caught their attention.
Fighter jets streaked overhead and towards the city, the two watching before glancing at each other. Shortly after, the muffled booms of explosions reached their ears.
"Do you think anything is left?" Ren wondered sadly.
Jigen shook his head no. He looked down at her and placed a hand on her back, giving her a light push forward. "We need to keep moving."
She sighed deeply and stared down at the ground, following him
...
Lupin pointed his gun out in front of him as he helped Zenigata into a door of an apartment building.
Zenigata breathed heavily as he hobbled forward, hanging onto Lupin for support.
Toshiko followed, worry on her face as she stared at the back of her dad.
Fujiko stayed in the back, making sure nothing or nobody was following them.
"Anything?" Lupin asked as he helped Zenigata to a random apartment. He opened the door and took him inside.
"No," Fujiko said as she backed herself into the room and closed the door.
Lupin set Zenigata down on the couch while Fujiko checked the place over. He looked up as she came back into the room and nodded.
Zenigata growled in pain as Lupin took a knife to his pant leg, slicing it up so he could look at the wound.
"Sorry," Lupin said. He pushed aside the fabric and could only see a blood-stained leg. "Hey, Toshiko."
Toshiko stood with her arms wrapped around herself and stared at the floor. She rolled her eyes up at Lupin.
"Find a towel or something and wet it down," he said to her.
She nodded and walked out of the room.
Lupin glanced up at Fujiko with a quizzical look and she looked at him, shrugging. "How are you doing?" he asked Zenigata.
"Fine," Zenigata said through heavy pants. "It just hurts like hell."
"Gunshots usually do." Lupin examined the leg closer. "It was a through and through, so at least there's that."
"Always looking at the bright side of things, aren't you?" Zenigata joked before grunting in pain as he tried to move his leg.
"Lay still," Lupin said as he held Zenigata down. He looked up as Toshiko came out with a small towel, using water from a bottle to wet it. "Thanks," he said, taking it from her. He started to clean the wound when he looked back at her as she sat on the floor and stared off. "You okay?"
She looked at him and nodded.
Zenigata lifted his head and looked at her. "Everything's going to be okay, Toshiko. Once I'm patched up we can go back and see if your mother is there."
She continued staring down and nodded.
"And once we find her, everything will be all right and we'll be safe. Right?" He looked up at Lupin.
"Yeah, we'll be safe," Lupin said. "So stop worrying." He looked at Toshiko and grinned.
She looked up and forced a smile. "Yeah," she whispered.
"This is going to sting," Lupin said as he held up a bottle of rubbing alcohol.
Zenigata nodded and set his head back down on the couch. His body tensed as he readied himself for the pain.
Lupin grabbed a pillow and put it over Zenigata's face, Zenigata taking it and holding it over his mouth, his teeth biting into the fabric.
The pain came quickly, the alcohol stinging sharply as it contacted the wound. Zenigata's cries of pain were muffled, his hands holding the pillow harder into his face as his teeth bit down as much as they could.
Lupin took the towel Toshiko had given him and wiped the alcohol and blood away before wrapping the wound with gauze and tape.
The pain weakened to a dull throb, Zenigata taking deep breaths as he tossed the pillow aside.
"Are you able to stand?" Lupin wondered.
"Do I have to?" Zenigata joked dryly.
Lupin grinned and helped him sit up.
Zenigata gently moved his leg over, setting both feet on the floor. With Lupin's help he was able to stand, but still unable to put any pressure on his leg.
"We'll secure this place and stay the night," Lupin said. "The quarantine zone will still be there tomorrow."
"Are you sure about that?" Fujiko wondered.
Lupin looked back and gave her a serious stare. "It will. Okay?"
Toshiko stood and looked at her dad, giving him a remorseful smile.
"Hey," he said, hobbling towards her.
The two reached each other and hugged, Toshiko crying into her dad's shirt. "I'm sorry, dad," she said.
He looked down at her in confusion. "It's okay," he whispered.
"None of this should have happened," she cried.
Lupin and Fujiko stared at her with sorrowful looks.
"I'm so sorry," she cried. Her hand reached down towards the holster on Zenigata's belt, gripping and pulling out the gun. In one quick movement she had stepped back from him and held the gun to her head.
"Toshiko," Zenigata said in shock. "What are you doing?"
"Just stay back," she cried out. "Everyone stay back! Please!"
"Oh god," Lupin said as he stood tense and stared at her. "She got bit."
"Huh?" Fujiko looked from Lupin to Toshiko.
"What?" Zenigata stared in shock at his daughter as tears began to fill his eyes. "Tell me that didn't happen. Tell me you're okay!"
Toshiko stared at him as she cried and shook her head. "I tried, daddy. I'm sorry."
"No." He shook his head as he started to cry. "No! You're fine, Toshiko! Tell me you're fine!" He stared at her as the tears rolled down his cheeks. "Just tell me."
She shook her head, lifting up her right pant leg and showing him the bite she had received. "I'm not fine," she said through her sobs. "I'm sorry."
Zenigata reached a hand out towards her. "You don't have to do this, okay? Just give me the gun. Please."
"I can't. You know I can't."
"It doesn't have to be like this," Zenigata said to her as he slowly leaned closer to her. "Just give me the gun and we'll fix this."
"It can't be fixed, daddy," she cried out. "It can't!"
Lupin stared at her intently as he slowly made his way behind her.
Zenigata saw what he was doing, but continued staring at his daughter, buying Lupin some time. "We'll find a cure. And then you'll be okay." He forced a smile and nodded slowly. "And then we can live somewhere together in peace. And it'll be great. So, please," he said as he began to cry again. "Don't do this. Just... just give me the gun."
She shook her head and took a step away from him. "It's too late for a cure," she cried. "And I don't want to become one of those things. I don't want to eat you."
"You won't, because-"
"I'm so sorry, daddy."
Zenigata cried as he shook his head. "Toshi..."
"I love you."
Lupin took another step, now close enough to grab the gun. He started to reach for it when it went off.
"No!" Zenigata screamed as he watched his daughters body fall limp to the floor. "No!" The pain from his leg was no longer felt as he became numb to everything around him. He fell to his knees as he sobbed, staring at the body as he made his way towards it.
Lupin and Fujiko could only stare in shock as Zenigata cradled Toshiko's body and held it close to him.
"I'm sorry, Toshi," he sobbed as he stroked her hair, not bothered as her blood stained his clothing. "I'm so sorry."
Lupin walked with weak legs to a chair and plopped down in it. He rubbed his face with his hands and then stared off at the floor in shock.
Fujiko couldn't pull her eyes from the scene before her, her heart racing quickly as she watched Zenigata hold his daughter, the man sobbing as he gently rocked back and forth.
Zenigata kissed the top of his daughters head while continuing to mutter apologies.
Nobody noticed as the door was kicked open, two soldiers running in with their guns drawn. Their loud demands went unheard as the world around the three faded away.
