"In latest news, the quarantine of Grandeur City still remains in effect as military forces continue to hold back the infection and prevent it from spreading. Several Army and Air Force units have been called in to aid in the effort to contain the outbreak. In other news…"
Haruhi's ears twitched at the sound of the news coming from the T.V. nearby. She opened her eyes to see Raphael's face in front of hers. At the same time, she realized that they were in each other's arms. "Urgh, get away from me!" she said, pushing him away and sitting up.
"Huh, what?" he asked, rubbing his eyes as he sat up as well.
"You had your arms around me!"
"I did? Well, sorry about that. I didn't know I was doing it."
"Good morning, you two," said Trisha from the couch next to theirs.
"You're up early," said Raphael.
"Early? It's, like, 9:30."
"9:30 already? Dang. I must've forgotten to set my alarm before turning in," he said.
"I thought you must've needed the sleep, so I didn't bother to wake you guys up."
"When did you get up?" asked Haruhi.
"I got up at 8, my usual wake up time. I took a nice, relaxing bath when I woke up. Then I roamed about the suite some more. Then I had breakfast and made coffee," said Trisha.
"Another bath? Typical," said Haruhi.
"By the way, are you two…together?"
"Together? Us!? No way. What makes you say that?" asked Haruhi.
"Well, the obvious reason is that I found you two sleeping together out here when I came out. But as I was making coffee, you two started talking in your sleep. You called her Amy, and you called him Susan. Wait. Are you…a lesbian?"
"What!? Me!? No. I mean, I guess. You know what? Just drop it."
"Okay, okay. I'll drop it. I guess that answers my question then. You guys hungry? There's still plenty of food left."
"Yeah, let me wash up first," said Raphael. Once they were ready, he and Haruhi sat down in the kitchen, sifting through the leftovers to find something to eat.
"Hey, is there any water left?" asked Haruhi.
"Um, sorry. I used the last of it making coffee. We have some juice and soda left if you want," said Trisha.
"No thanks, I want some water."
"I think I have a bottle in my backpack. I'll get it," said Raphael.
"Don't worry. I got it," said Haruhi, getting up from her seat.
"No. I've got it," he said, about to get up.
"Chill, man. Geez. I got it," she said, taking his bag and unzipping it. "Hey. Raph, what the heck is this!?"
"Um, what?" asked Raphael, smiling nervously.
Haruhi glared at him and emptied the bag on the table. "You took the loot from those a*******!?"
Raphael shrugged. "What? It would have been such a waste to just leave it all there. It was already conveniently gathered for me, so I just brought it along. Who knows? It might come in handy later."
"For what!?"
"Hey, don't worry about it. I'm the one carrying it, so don't mind your petty, little head about my treasure."
"Don't you have a couple bottles in your pack, Haruhi?" asked Trisha, taking her bag and opening it up.
"Hey, don't touch that!" said Haruhi, grabbing a hold of the bag and prying it open, spilling its contents onto the floor. Of the items that were scattered on the ground, several twenty-credit and other denomination bills were among them.
"And you're getting on my case for taking money? Look at you! Even after what happened yesterday, you still stole money from somewhere. Where did you get that anyway?" asked Raphael.
"What are you talking about? This isn't my bag. It's Trish's!" said Haruhi.
"No it's not. Mine is over there," she said, pointing to her backpack across the kitchen.
"Fine. It's my bag. And I got it when we were in that bath shop," said Haruhi.
"Why, Haruhi?" asked Raphael.
"I just can't help it."
"But didn't you not want to loot and steal anymore?"
"I got over it. It's like an obsession of mine. I can't help it."
"Well, I guess you didn't have any water after all," said Trisha, shying away from the scene.
"Yeah, no s***," said Haruhi, taking her bag back and filing it with the items on the floor.
Suddenly, they heard a large crashing sound coming from the main bedroom, the one Trisha slept in.
"What was that!?" asked Trisha.
"It sounded like a window breaking," said Raphael, putting down his bag and picking up his putter.
Haruhi dropped what she was doing as well and quickly retrieved her bat. She and Raphael slowly began inching their way to the door while Trisha stayed behind in the kitchen. Haruhi gave Raphael the signal to cover her as she approached the door. He nodded without making a sound and prepared himself. Haruhi gripped her bat as she arrived just outside the door. She was shaking in her boots, but gathered enough courage to place her head against the door, listening to whatever was happening on the other side.
"I hear something inside. It sounds like-" Before she could finish whispering, the door was broken down, knocking her out as she fell to the ground.
"Haurhi!" said Raphael as he saw her on the ground. He was about to come to her aid, but he froze at the sight of something in his path. One of the creatures from the day before, the same creature that chased them into the apartment building, was standing in the doorway, looking at him as it flashed its teeth.
Before Raphael could move, the creature leapt at him, pinning him to the floor. He had just enough time to bring the putter up to keep the creature just barely out of biting reach. "Trisha, run! Get out of here!" he said, still fighting with the creature on top of him.
"I-I can't M-My legs won't move!" said Trisha, trembling at the sight of the creature.
"Just go!" A few moments later, he heard footsteps coming from the kitchen. 'So this is how it all ends, huh, Amy?' He closed his eyes, and was about to let the creature kill him, but the sound of a smack, followed by the creature's silence, brought him back to reality. He opened his eyes and saw the creature motionless, and as he looked around, saw Trisha standing next to him with her bat resting on the creature's head. "What did you do?" he asked.
"I took my bat, and with all my strength, brought it down on its head."
"Impressive."
"Yeah, well, I visit the gym once in awhile," she said, flexing her skinny arms with a smug grin.
"Okay, so can you help me get this thing off?"
"Oh, sure," she said, pushing the creature off of him.
"Thanks. How come you didn't try escaping?" asked Raphael, wiping the creature's spit from his uniform.
"I figured I wouldn't last very long without you two, so it was either we all go, or none of us do."
"Well, thanks again," he said, making his way over to Haruhi.
Trisha edgily walked around the creature and followed him. "Is she all right?" she asked.
Raphael knelt down and checked for breathing. "She's fine, just knocked out." He moved the debris off her and tried to wake her up. "Hey, Haruhi, you okay?" he asked, trying to shake her awake.
"Huh, wha?" she asked, coming to.
"We got attacked by one of those creatures from earlier," said Raphael, moving out of the way so she could see it. "It burst down the door and knocked you out."
"Wow. How did you kill it?"
"Actually, I didn't do anything. Trisha killed it and saved me, and you as well."
"Trisha took it out!?"
"Yeah. Got to use this thing after all," said Trisha, patting her cricket bat.
"At least you're good for something. Thanks," said Haruhi, getting back to her feet with Raphael's help.
"All right. You two, gather your things. We're leaving," said Raphael, making his way back to the kitchen.
"What? Why?" asked Trisha.
"This place isn't exactly safe now, is it?" asked Raphael, looking over at the creature.
"What do you mean 'not safe'? All we have to do is push the creature out the window it came in, clean up the glass, and there you go. Back to normal," said Haruhi.
"If that thing found us, I'm sure others can as well," said Raphael.
"What if that's the last one, huh? I like it here. What do we do once we leave? Ever think of that?"
"We'll make it up as we go, but I don't feel safe here. It's too exposed."
Suddenly, they heard a primal howl bellow throughout the penthouse. They all turned to the living room with horror and saw the creature still alive, glaring at them and growling. Before it could jump at them again, Raphael drew his sidearm and unloaded the entire clip into the creature, landing most of his hits in the head.
Raphael stood panting, holding his spent pistol in his hand as he continued to point it at the creature. It lay dead on the floor before him, bleeding out on the carpet from its gunshot wounds. Trisha was cowering behind the counter while Haruhi stood next to Raphael, frozen with fear.
He brought himself around and dropped his empty magazine, slipping in his last one. "That is why it's not safe, and I'm pretty sure he just called his buddies to come and help him out. I'm thinking we need to leave before they get here because I'm on my last mag."
Haruhi gave him a nod and quickly went about packing her bag and gathering her things. Trisha did the same and hurried to gather her supplies. Raphael got his bag together and put on his vest and other gear. They all trembled with fright as they heard similar howls in the distance. Once they were ready, they hurried to the elevator and rode it down to the ground floor.
"What are we going to do!?" asked Trisha.
"I'm working on it," said Raphael, frantically trying to come up with a plan.
"We should stock up on supplies before leaving. Who knows when we might come across food or water again," said Haruhi.
"Good call. We'll raid the mini-mart then find somewhere else to hideout," said Raphael. They all nodded and prepared to depart. Once the elevator doors opened, they were greeted by a zombie in the room.
"Zombie? When did they get in here!?" asked Raphael, taking his putter and whacking the zombie in the head. They hurried to the mini-mart and saw zombies around the front lobby.
"I guess we're not going that way," said Trisha.
"Entrance to the mall is also no good," said Haruhi.
"Shoot. Let's just get the supplies first," said Raphael, hurrying into the mart. They each filled the empty space of their bags with non-perishable food items and water bottles. Once they were ready, they met at the front of the mart to make their next move.
"Now what?" asked Haruhi as she watched the zombies shamble around in the distance.
"We could try driving out of here," said Trisha.
"How exactly do you plan on accomplishing that?" asked Raphael.
"The hotel has a valet service. I'm pretty sure the cars are in the basement parking garage."
"What about the keys, unless you know how to hot-wire the things?" asked Haruhi.
"It's valet. They have the keys somewhere down there. Probably in an office or something downstairs," said Trisha.
"It's better than nothing. C'mon, back to the elevators," said Raphael. The three of them hurried back to the elevators and took it down to the parking level. When they got out, they searched around inside the valet office for the car keys.
"Find anything good?" asked Haruhi, skimming through all the sets of keys on the wall rack.
"I can't tell what kind of car the keys belong to," said Raphael.
"Found one!" said Trisha, holding up a set of keys.
"What kind of car does that go to?" asked Haruhi.
"I don't know, but the car is parked close by. I think it was a sedan."
"That will do. Anything will work as long as it can get us out of here," said Raphael.
Trisha took the keys and went back outside with Raphael and Amy. She kept pressing the electronic lock button until one of the vehicles responded with a beep. It was in fact a sedan, a luxurious, high-end one. Trisha hurried into the driver's seat while Raphael and Haruhi got into the back.
"Let's hope this works," said Trisha, inserting the key into the ignition. They all crossed their fingers as she turned the key, bringing the vehicle to life.
"You're a genius," said Haruhi, relieved that their plan was following through.
"Why thank you. You know, one of you could've sat up here with me," said Trisha.
"Just drive," said Raphael, looking through the windows to make sure they were clear. She gave him a nod and backed the car out of its spot, driving towards the exit.
"So what do we do once we're out of here?" asked Haruhi.
"We can try looking for a military checkpoint, or something. Maybe we can head back to the base and look for survivors," said Raphael.
"And run into Blackwatch again? No thanks."
"Who's Blackwatch?" asked Trisha.
"They're some secret military organization that was sent in to handle this mess, but they're not doing a very good job of it," said Haruhi.
Once they were streetside again, there were large amounts of zombies roaming the roads. "Where did they all come from!?" asked Trisha.
"Can you drive around them?" asked Raphael.
"I can try."
"Do it. We need to find another place to stay."
Trisha swallowed any doubts she had and gave him a nod. She gripped the steering wheel and stepped on the gas, moving onto the street.
"Gah! Can you not hit the zombies, please!?" asked Haruhi.
"There's too many of them! I'm doing the best I can!" The zombies she was hitting wee denting the front of the car and some were even putting cracks in the windshield.
"For f**** sake! If you keep this up, the car isn't going to last much longer!" said Haruhi.
Trisha got fed up with her complaining and turned around to confront her. "Do you want to drive!? Because I will stop this car, missy!"
"Trish, watch the road!" said Raphael. As she turned around to face the road, she hit a zombie dead on, completely smashing the windshield as the car collided with the body.
"Shoot! I can't see!" said Trisha steering blindly as she tried to find a clear patch of glass to look through. "What is that!? A barrier!" She stepped on the brakes and turned the wheel, hitting several zombies until the car skidded to a stop against the military barricade. Raphael and Haruhi gripped the sides of the vehicle as they were jerked across their seats.
"I take it all back. You're not a genius. You're a menace," said Haruhi, unbuckling her seatbelt.
"Just shut up, okay? I did my best," said Trisha, trying to start the car back up. The vehicle's ignition system was attracting all the surrounding zombies to them.
"Forget it, Trish. We need to move or else we'll be surrounded," said Raphael. He grabbed his putter and backpack before opening the car door. He looked around and secured the area around the car. Haruhi followed suit as did Trisha, moving next to him with their weapons in hand.
"If we die here, I blame Ms. Ditz," said Haruhi, looking the zombie horde over.
"We're not going to die here," said Raphael. Her took his putter and charged forward, striking the first foe in front of him. "C'mon! I see a store across the street!" he said.
"Let's get a move on, Trish. You don't want to die, do you?" asked Haruhi as she followed close behind him.
She grimaced and took her bat, following after them. As they advanced more towards the store, the zombie density increased. They swung their weapons, saving the ammunition for emergencies, and made it to the door.
"Hurry, everyone inside!" said Raphael as he approached the entrance. As he tried to open the door, it wouldn't budge.
"C'mon, Raph! I can't hold them off forever!" said Haruhi, taking down another zombie.
"The door's locked! I can't get in!" he said, trying to pull it open. He tried kicking it open and used his putter to try and pry it loose. "It's no use. It won't open," he said, turning around to Haruhi.
"Are you f****** kidding me!?" asked Haruhi, hitting another zombie.
Raphael quickly scanned the area to look for another place to go. Behind the concrete barriers blocking the street, there was a meshwire fence that created a wall for the checkpoint. A few meters from where they crashed, across the median, there was a gate leading to the other side of the fence, which was void of zombies. "Follow me!" he said, running back onto the street.
Having no other alternative, Haruhi and Trisha followed, trusting that he was making the right decision. As they fought their way back across the street, more zombies filled their side of the street. Half way there, they were forced to stop in the middle of street on the median. There were zombies in front of them, behind, and on all sides.
"This is getting us nowhere, Raph! There's too many of them!" said Haruhi, overwhelmed at the sight of the zombie horde around them. Suddenly, she heard a gunshot from behind her. "Raph, what are you doing!? You're going to attract more of them!"
"We're almost there! If we don't use everything we've got, we're not going to make it," he said, firing off tow more rounds.
Haruhi looked at him then back to the zombies. "Trish, here, take my bat," she said handing over her melee weapon. Once Trisha took her bat, Haruhi drew her sidearm and began shooting. She and Raphael took down the zombies closest to them, making a clear path, but expending most of their ammunition. During the short distance to the gate, Raphael fired off the last of his rounds.
"Hey, I hope this works, because I'm running low here," said Haruhi as she covered Raphael and Trisha.
Raphael hurried over to the gate and tried pushing and pulling it open. His heart sank as he noticed the reinforced lock keeping the gate closed. "Hey, Haruhi, how much ammo do you have left?" he asked.
"None anymore. Why?" she asked, firing off her last round. She looked over at Raphael, who moved out of the way to let her see the lock.
"Is that a lock?"
"Yes, yes it is."
"Can you break it off?"
"It's reinforced, so the only way to remove it is if we shot it off, but…"
"I see," said Haruhi, sighing as she stared at the ground.
Trisha looked from her, to Raphael, then back to Haruhi. "What does that mean!? Are we stuck here!?
"Yeah. We're f*****, so if you have anything you want to say or do before you die a slow, gruesome death, get it out now," said Haruhi, holstering her empty pistol. They stood for a moment, thinking about the predicament they were in. Out of nowhere, Raphael reached up and grabbed Trisha's breast, making a honking sound.
"Raph, you're giving up too!?" asked Trisha.
"Well, the gate is locked, the store is closed, the car is dead, and there is a horde of zombies blocking our only avenue of escape. I'm sorry, Trish," said Raphael.
"I don't know about you two, but I'm not dying without a fight," said Haruhi, taking her bat back from Trisha. She stretched out and prepared to fight the zombies that were slowly moving in on their position. Trisha completely broke down in tears and slumped to the ground.
Raphael patted her on the shoulder and took up position next to Haruhi. "It seems like our luck has run out. Anything you want to get off your chest before they get here?" he asked.
"Actually, there is one thing I wanted to do before we go out swinging."
"Only one thing?"
"Well, there's a lot of stuff I wanted to do, but only one of them I can actually get done here and now."
"And what would that be?" asked Raphael, keeping vigilant as the zombies got within ten meters of them.
"This may sound weird, but I've always wanted to kiss a boy."
"What? But that's what 'normal' girls do all the time. Why do you want to do that?"
"If you haven't noticed, I'm not normal," she said, kissing him on the lips. It only lasted a few seconds. After they separated, Haruhi prepared to charge. "Huh, that wasn't bad at all. See you on the other side." She gave him a wink and sprinted headlong into the horde as she began her last stand. Raphael gave her a smile and joined her in battle. The two of them fought together while Trisha continued to cower behind them, the zombies too preoccupied with Raphael and Haruhi to notice her.
"How are you doing!?" asked Raphael as he continued to hold his own against the undead.
"I'm doing great! I've never felt this way before! My heart's pounding! The adrenaline's pumping! We might actually survive this!"
"Don't get cocky. There's still a bunch of them coming. Hey, Haruhi! Are you all right!?" he asked as he saw a zombie pull her to the ground.
"Raph, help me!" she said, keeping the zombie at bay with her bat.
Raphael tried to rush over to her, but there were too many zombies between him and her. "Haruhi!"
"Raph!" Suddenly, a spray of blood splattered across her face as the zombie on her ceased moving. Raphael quickly glanced in the direction of the gunshot, seeing a sniper standing on top of a derelict tank across the fence.
"Hurry, get to the gate!" said the sniper, taking down a couple more zombies near Haruhi.
"We can't! There's a lock!" said Raphael.
The sniper redirected her aim and shot the lock off with a single shot. "Not anymore," she said.
Raphael turned back to Trisha and helped her up from the ground. "Head to the gate. I'll get Haruhi, okay?"
Trisha nodded and hurried to the gate, relieved that there was a possibility of living. Raphael fought his way over to Haruhi, who was already back on her feet and fighting her way back to him.
"Are you okay?" asked Raphael.
"I'm fine. Now let's get out of here!" The two of them ran for the gate while the mysterious sniper covered them, going through magazine after magazine to aid in their escape.
Trisha was already on the other side, waiting to close the gate once they were through. "C'mon! They're coming!" Raphael and Haruhi sprinted through the gate with the remaining energy they had left. The three of them tried to close the gate, but there was a zombie corpse blocking it.
"Just forget it! Follow me. There's a safehouse over this way," said the sniper, jumping down from the tank. Raphael and the others moved away from the gate and hurried over to her. The sniper opened a reinforced door leading into a restaurant being used as a make-shift checkpoint command center.
