With the Walkers' monotone moans resonating from the city below, the morning sun shone down on the survivors as everyone but Mami encircled Homura, kneeling down and pointing to the Northeast corner of one of her maps spread out on the ground of the parking garage.
"This is where we are currently;" she then dragged her finger to the Southwest corner of the map, "Around Southwestern outskirts of the city, there's a military base that's secure. If we can make it, we'll survive. There's plenty of ammunition for our weapons and food and water, and the gates easily secured from the inside. The only times we'd need to leave would be to hunt Witches for Grief Seeds."
Sayaka squinted, "And how do you know about this?"
With arms crossed, Kyoko scowled, "How much of a newbie are you, kid? Seriously, SURELY you gotta know a Magical Girl needs to know her city like the back of her hand." She shifted her gaze to Mami, sitting dolefully on the edge of the building and staring into the sky, "'Course, I always thought this town was Mami's turf," she raised her eyebrow and turned to Homura, "How come you know all about it, then?"
Without even sparing her a glance, the black haired Magical Girl shook her head and returned her attention to her map, "I had my own ties with this city that doesn't concern Tomoe or her Witch hunts," she went silent for a moment before continuing and moving her finger to the north, "…Going straight through Mitakihara is most certainly a death wish. I propose that we leave the city here and circle around."
Kyosuke gave a small gasp as he gripped the arms of his wheelchair, "That could take weeks…"
"Correct," Homura nodded, "but it is also the safest course of action."
"What if the military men are still on base?" Tomohisa asked with concern in his face and his arms crossed as well, "I can't imagine they'd just let us in…"
"By the time we arrive, the military should have already rolled into the city and failed to contain the Walkers," the Magical Girl shook her head and explained, "Even then, there is a good possibility that those on base may have turned as well. Needless to say, I don't think the military will be a problem unless we stay as they try to contain the Undead," it was then that she had noticed Taiga rubbing her temples, cogs turning in her brain, "Is everything alright, Ms. Aisaka?"
"Yeah, it's just," Taiga replied as she started tapping her head with her head with her fingers, "This sounds familiar for some reason…" she closed her eyes and mumbled, "North, north, north, north, north, north…" squinting slightly, she shifted her eyes to Sayaka, "Hey Walker Cake, what'd you say your last name was?"
Placing her hands on her plaid skirt, Sayaka raised an eyebrow and cocked her head, "Miki. Why?"
Taiga's eyes widened as she explained, "I know where your folks went."
"What?!" Sayaka gasped, "Where?!"
The nurse explained, using her hands to emphasize what she was saying, "The day before you guys got to the hospital, a middle-aged couple came by and said to tell a 'Sayaka Miki' to meet them at her grandparents up on the north edge of the city, probably to get away from everything happening in South Mitakihara at the time," she sighed and shook her head, "but you never showed up that day, and when ya did show up, I had no idea who you were, and then crap hit the fan."
"So, that's where my parents went?" the blunette asked hopefully.
"Had it not been for your wish, I would doubt that they survived," Homura stood up, rolled her map and hid it behind her buckler shield, "But you did wish to see them again alive, and your grandparents' house would be our best guess," She flipped her hair as her Puella Magi outfit disappeared, "Thankfully, if what Ms. Aisaka says is true, we'll kill two birds with one stone."
As a beaming smile stretched across Sayaka's face, Tomohisa cleared his throat, "I suppose this is as good a plan as any. Does anyone have any objections?" With silence and a negatory head shake from everyone, he clapped his hands together and smiled, "Alright, let's pack everything up and get going! We've got quite a long trip ahead of us."
Within a matter of minutes, the group packed up their belongings and headed towards the exit of the parking garage. One by one, everyone started walking down the exit ramp: Tomohisa in front with Madoka close behind, followed by Sayaka wheeling Kyosuke, then Homura and Kyoko rounding out the rear. Madoka raised a confused eyebrow and gasped, "Where's Mami?"
Everyone turned back to their temporary lodging to see the blonde girl still sitting on her ledge and staring dismally to the sky. The pinkette covered her mouth slightly with her hand and asked, "Should… Should I talk to her?"
Kyoko laughed, "After what went down last night? Yeah, like she'd listen to anything any of y'all would say," she rolled her eyes and turned back, "I got this."
Leaving the group waiting, the red-head casually strolled over to Mami and teased, "You comin'? Or are you just gonna sit there all sad an' crap 'til the Walkers eat ya?"
Mami turned and stared apathetically, "O-Oh, we're leaving now?"
"No, we're going out for noodles," Kyoko deadpanned, then chuckled, "Yeah, we're gettin' outta here. C'mon."
Mami sighed for a long moment, then hopped from her perch and grabbed her shotgun.
As they started walking back to the group, Kyoko patted her back and exclaimed, "Atta girl!"
"Don't touch me," Mami glowered at her.
The red-head raised her hands defensively, "Jeez, calm down," She huffed, "Looks like someone's still mad…"
"I'm not mad, I'm just…" the blonde's glare softened as she sighed and held her stomach helplessly, "…Lost. I just can't fathom seeing someone kill another like that, especially not someone like Ms. Kaname… I just… don't want to believe that that is what this world has come to…"
Kyoko rolled her eyes and placed her hands behind her head, "Says the girl who fights Witches."
Mami scowled at her again, "That's different and you know it. And don't think I haven't forgotten what you used to do to obtain Grief Seeds, or what you tried to do to Ms. Kaname in the hospital," she took a deep breath to calm herself, "…But I am still grateful for your aid in slaying Charlotte and for sticking with me in deciding that man's fate," she looked to the ground and dismally muttered, "Fruitless as it was..."
Kyoko scratched her head and chuckled, "Forget about it, I was just making sure I made it out alive. I'm only looking out for my best interests, so don't go gettin' any funny ideas," she paused. She sighed and frowned before continuing, "…Listen, I don't like countin' on no one, but the world's gone to hell, and I'm gonna do what it takes to survive, even if it means doin' crap I don't wanna do. Since it seems we're a group now, we should keep our pasts behind us, alright?"
Mami halted in her tracks and stared in shock.
After few steps, Kyoko stopped as well and narrowed her eyes, "Hey, what's with the stupid look?"
The blond girl giggled and started walking again, "Oh, it's just… You're the last person I'd expect to say something like that."
"Oh, can it," the red-head rolled her eyes and walked beside the other girl again. She cleared her throat and raised her hand for a high-five, "Sooo… we cool?"
Mami paused before giving another chuckle. She nodded, awkwardly returned the gesture, "Yes," she smiled gently as she lowered her arm, "You can trust me, I promise."
"I better," Kyoko smirked, "Or else, I'll gut you like a Thanksgiving Turkey."
Mami rolled her eyes and snickered, "Well, wouldn't that just be problematic?"
As they rejoined the group, awkward stares from all around assaulted the blonde girl in bombastic silence. Madoka was the first to speak up, "Are… Are you okay, Mami?"
Mami's smile dissipated to a thin, apathetic line as she replied, "Yes, don't worry about me," straightening her pack, she briskly walked to the front of the line, "We're going to Sayaka's grandparents' house, correct?"
Everyone stood silent for a moment, worry still pasted on all but Kyoko's and Homura's faces. They quickly returned their advance down the parking garage, remaining quiet so as to not attract the small amounts of Walkers laying about the garage not trapped in their parked cars.
Before too long, Madoka approached Homura and hesitantly asked, "I-Is the military really going to fail to contain the Walkers?"
The raven-haired girl kept her attention forward as she apathetically replied, "Would you have killed that man last night if you had thought otherwise?" When she saw the pinkette's gaze drop to the ground, she sighed, "By what we've seen and what Kyubey has told us, the only course of action would be to destroy the city. I assume they are still trying other solutions to contain it, but it will be pointless. Our goal is to get away from the city before they inevitably bomb it."
Madoka had no more questions as she quietly stared at the ground, thinking glumly about the grim news she had been given.
Meanwhile, Homura faded to the rear of the group and whispered, "Kyoko."
The red-head raised her eyebrows, "Akemi?"
"I have a favor I need to ask of you concerning Tomoe."
Kyoko tilted her head with intrigue, "Oh?"
Keeping a watchful eye on their surroundings, Homura explained, "It appears that, after last night, you appear to be the only one here on favorable terms with Mami. Should what I'm about to explain come to pass and I'm either dead or otherwise unable to assist, I feel you will be the only one able to do this."
"Well?" Kyoko rolled her eyes as sarcasm dripped from her tongue, "I'm just DYING of anticipation here," she frowned, "Mind tellin' me what the deal is?"
"I will, but," the black-haired girl turned and stared seriously into Kyoko's crimson eyes, "What I'm going to say will reveal a dangerous secret about our Soul Gems. This will shock you, but you MUST remain silent about it," she shifted her gaze to the other Magical Girls, "I do not wish to worry Madoka and the others about it just yet…"
"Akemi…" Kyoko furrowed her brow, "What's this about?"
Tomohisa breathed silently as his eyes scanned the inside of the gas station's convenience store. When he saw that the interior seemed relatively safe enough, he nodded to Homura crouching beside him. After he drew his shovel and she her combat knife, they motioned to their group hiding across the street to join them.
As they approached and everyone dashed inside, Homura ordered as she threw her bag to Tomohisa, "Taiga, help me keep watch. Everyone else, take everything that may be useful: non-perishable food, water, anything that may help us."
Taiga nodded as she handed her pack to Sayaka and Kyosuke, then took her position on the opposite side of Homura.
Tomohisa nodded and smiled at Madoka as they began to comb the shelves of the store. Picking up all manner of canned and bagged goods, he felt Madoka tug on his shirt, "Hey Dad!"
He turned to her and asked, "What is it, Madoka?"
With a huge smile on her face, she held up a cerulean, family-sized bag of Cool Ranch Doritos, "Blue Chips!"
Tomohisa chuckled at the nickname the Kanames had given those types of chips since Madoka was a small girl. He understood his daughter's excitement, as he only bought them as a treat for his children on very rare and special occasions due to them being atrociously unhealthy.
Trying to hold a neutral expression, he knelt down and placed a hand on his knee, "I dunno, sweetie… you know those are really bad for you, and we have to stay in tip-top shape to survive the Walkers."
Madoka's heart sank, "Aw…"
Letting his façade break, a smile cracked on his face as he placed his hand on her shoulder, "Tell you what: How about you keep that one bag for yourself," he chuckled again and winked, "Sort of like a secret stash. I think you could use a treat after all we've been through the past few days."
Madoka fell silent and her arm holding the bag limply dropped to her side as her eyes went dull, thinking about the past three days, "Y-Yeah… A treat…"
A sick pang struck Tomohisa's heart at the mistake he had just made.
How could I just pass this all off as just a regular bad day? She didn't need be reminded of everything right now…
Just then, he choked up and shot his eyes to the ground, ready to flood themselves.
I didn't need to be reminded of everything right now…
They remained in the silent sorrows of their memories of loss and bloodshed. Tomohisa finally cleared his throat and spoke again as he stood up, "C'mon, let's grab some more supplies."
"Actually," noticeably less sad, Madoka replied and pointed to the restrooms on the other side of the store, "I have to use the bathroom."
"Alright," the father nodded, "Just be careful. Watch out for Walkers."
She smiled as she started walking towards them, "I will!"
"Hey Madoka, will you need help?" He furrowed his brow and stared at her cast, "That thing may cause you some trouble…"
Madoka stuttered as a mixture of icy blue fear and red hot embarrassment drowned in her face, "D-D-DAD…! NO! Nonononono…!"
"Okay, okay! I get it! Jeez!" He raised his hands defensively, "Thought I could help. I AM your father after all," he laughed, "I can't believe this is how you treat the man who changed your diapers!"
Calmed down considerably, slight embarrassment still prevailed in Madoka's face as she sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose, "Dad…! Please stop… Everyone will hear you…"
He ignored her and continued anyway, "You think the Walkers are scary? Heh, you should've you after Taco Tuesdays, Madoka! Now THAT was some scary crap. Literally!"
Cheek ablaze with embarrassment, the pinkette moaned and walked away, "I'm leaving…"
"Would you like me to at least hold your chips?" he asked.
Still clearly embarrassed, Madoka returned without a word and handed him her snack while refusing to make eye contact. Chuckling, he received her Doritos and stuffed them in his duffle bag.
As she turned and disappeared around the corner, Tomohisa sighed and forlornly stared out the window at the few Walkers shambling across the street, "I may have embarrassed her, but at least I could distract her from the horrors out there," he shook his head, "Even if it was for only a moment…"
He glanced at his wristwatch and read 5:46. He thought about their day as he continued stealing supplies from the shelves. They covered a lot of ground today, reaching to just within the Northern outskirts of Mitakihara. With no Witches, little contact with Walkers, and no casualties, the day had been more or less successful, comparatively at least.
Mami worried him though. She only spoke extensively with Kyoko the entire day, and whenever someone else had tried to make conversation, she merely shrugged it off with a simple "Yes", "No", or "Hmm". He bit his lip anxiously, Maybe I should've worked harder on deciding Bill's fate...
He sighed once more, "Perhaps I'll talk to her later and try to apologize for being hasty-"
"Hey, Mr K.!" Sayaka approached, wheeling Kyosuke in front of her, "Ya find anything good?"
Forcing a smile, he turned to them and answered plainly, "Just some food. How about you guys?"
Kyosuke smiled and showed him a box containing two Walkie-Talkies, "We found these snazzy radios near the front!"
"Oh!" Tomohisa exclaimed. He held out his hand, "Can I see?"
The wheelchair patient nodded and handed him the box. As he examined it, Sayaka smirked and held up multiple packs of batteries of varying sizes, "And I got the batteries to power it!"
Tomohisa smiled, "Very nice, you guys! Do you mind if I have these on hand for safe-keeping?"
They both shook their heads and offered him the radios and batteries. As he placed them in a small pocket on the side of his bag, Sayaka handed him what seemed to be a yellow mouse plushie with straps on its back, "I also found this backpack for Madoka. Glad I found it too…" she scratched her head and chuckled nervously, "We kinda accidentally dropped our bags when we fled the school. So, when I found this, I was crazy happy. It was just perfect! Madoka always liked Pikachu."
"Well, I guess we can't all have a super-secret disappearing power like Homura," Tomohisa smiled wider and placed the bag on his back as he nodded, "I'll be sure to give it to her."
"Awesom-"
"PLEASE! DON'T SHOOT! WE HAVE WOUNDED!" A man's voice at the entrance cried.
The trio gasped. Tomohisa and Sayaka withdrew their handguns and Kyosuke readied his rifle as they dashed back to the front.
When they arrived, they saw a blue-haired man in an unbuttoned and disheveled cerulean polo—Tomohisa figured he was only a few years younger than himself—carrying a girl with long chocolate-brown hair, glasses, and what seemed to be a tan Mitakihara Middle school uniform and breathing heavily. With the man surrounded on all sides and frozen at gunpoint by all but Kyoko (who simply continued to search for more supplies), Tomohisa spoke to him, his aim unwavering, "Who are you? What do you want?"
Pleading with deep, blue eyes, "My name is Tomoya Okazaki," as he said his name, two girls—one with light blue pigtails, the other with short caramel-colored hair, both in the same school uniform as the wounded girl and probably not much older than the girls in Tomohisa's group—peaked around his back, "These are Mio Naganohara," the blue-pigtailed girl hesitantly raised her hand, "Aioi Yuuko," the short-brown-haired girl waved slowly, "And Mai Minakami," he held up the girl in her arms.
He begged as he stared at the Mai, struggling to even breathe "Please! She's badly wounded! If you don't help, she'll bleed out!" He glanced at Taiga, "I recognized you as one of the hospital's nurses and saw you run in here. I thought you might be able to help us…"
Taiga hesitantly spoke up, "What kind of wound is it?"
The man raised his eyebrow in confusion, "Gunshot, why?"
Kyoko peaked over one of the shelves and glared, "And why the heck should we help you out? What do we get outta this deal?"
Homura sharpened her aim, "I agree with Kyoko. Surely, you remember what happened with Bill and Madoka."
A quick pang a sorrow and anger stung Tomohisa at the mere mention of that horrible situation, but was quickly shooed away by Tomoya's cry for help, "I'm begging you! Please help us!"
Mami lowered her shotgun and glared at Homura, "This isn't the same situation, Akemi!" She turned to Tomohisa pleadingly, but then quickly shot a bitter look to the ground.
Kyosuke furrowed his brow, "Hey, if there's a chance to save her, shouldn't we try it?"
Sayaka added hesitantly, "I think I agree. There's something about this guy that's different, but I can't put my finger on it…"
Taiga glanced at Tomohisa, all the while keeping her aim centered on Tomoya, "It's your call, Kaname. Do you want me to help 'em?"
Tomohisa bit his lip as he stared at the hostages. Then, as he stared deep into Tomoya's azure eyes, he saw something that gave him a sense of compassion. Tomoya was a father, one that cared for his children.
"Lower your weapons, but stay on your guard," he ordered. He nodded to the nurse, "Do what you can, Taiga."
"Gotcha," Taiga affirmed as she approached Tomoya and dropped her rifle.
Relieved, Tomoya smiled at Tomohisa as he gently laid Mai on the ground, "Thank you so much!"
As the nurse started examining the girl, the latter walked over and crouched next to the former and asked, "How did this happen?"
Tomoya answered, never taking his eyes off of Mai, "The Military started trying to contain the Shufflers. We just happened to be in the crossfire around the Center of Mitakihara…" He grimaced in pain and shot his hand up to his bleeding left shoulder.
Tomohisa gasped, "You carried that girl all this way with a gunshot in your shoulder?"
The former forced a smile, "What else was I going to do, leave her?"
"I suppose not," the latter chuckled, "And as soon as we finish with Ms. Minakami, we'll patch that shoulder of yours right up."
Tomoya laughed nervously, "You're too kind. What did you say your name was?"
"Tomohisa," he replied. He paused before asking, "…Are they yours?"
Tomoya gave a guick glance to Mio and Aioi, crouching next to Taiga and staring worriedly at their friend, "…Nah. I met them outside Shinjuku when this whole thing started," he sighed, "I promised them I'd protect them. Those kids lost a lot back there…"
Tomohisa tilted his head, "You're from Shinjuku, then?"
The blue-haired man shook his head, "No, I was visiting," his eyes filled with melancholy as he continued, "After I lost my daughter, I just…"
Tomohisa gasped, "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to-"
Tomoya held up his hand, "It's fine," he paused, "…You have children?"
The brown haired man hesitated as he straightened his glasses, "…Yes, a daughter, like you," he laughed gently and pointed to the restrooms, "She using the little Magical Girl's room at the moment."
"…Magical What?" Tomoya furrowed his brow in confusion.
He waved off the question with his hand, "I'll explain later. It's a little confusing, and I'm not sure I understand the whole process myself completely," he paused and looked around before asking, "Where's your wife?"
Tomoya choked, "She… died in childbirth to our daughter…"
Tomohisa froze in shock, "I… I'm…"
The other man chuckled, "Don't worry about it. You were just trying to make conversation. How could I fault you for that?"
Tomohisa gulped and paused, "…If it helps, my wife and son were eaten by Walkers…"
Tomoya's eyes shot open and stared, "Wow. That's terrible…"
"Trust me, it really was…" he choked. He smiled, trying to change the subject again, "What brings you all the way to Mitakihara?"
"What brings anyone anywhere these past few months?" Tomoya chuckled then sighed, "We're actually heading north. The reason we left Shinjuku was because we were caught in a herd of Shufflers… Everyone either got separated or eaten… They chased us all the way until we met with the Military…"
"Herd?" Tomohisa furrowed his brow.
"Yeah," the blue-haired man nodded, "hundreds—no—thousands of Shufflers moving like an undead army…" he gulped, "When nightfall hits, this city will be overrun, including here…"
Tomohisa gasped as he nervously stared out the window at the sun's waning light, "Oh no…"
Sayaka quickly crouched next to them and whispered erratically, "Did you say thousands?"
"Yeah," Tomoya nodded, "It isn't good…"
She glared at Tomohisa, "Mr. K, we gotta get goin' then. My grandparents have an underground shelter that'll be impossible for Walkers to get into. We can hold up there for sure."
"Gotcha," he stood up and smiled at the other man, "Well, you heard the girl, Tomoya. After we patch you guys up, you're welcome to join us."
Relief once again washed over Tomoya face as he returned the smile, "I appreciate it…" He glanced worriedly at the girls in his charge, "It means a lot, especially nowadays."
Tomohisa nodded as he gazed at the three girls kneeling over Mai, "You have no idea how much I understand your sentiments."
He stared at Mai for a moment and chuckled.
She and Homura could be sisters.
"What's so funny?" Tomoya asked quizzically.
Tomohisa merely pointed at Homura.
The former gasped and shot a shocked stare between the two, "Wow, they're like twins!"
The latter laughed again.
My thoughts exactly.
He then let his eyes fall to Taiga, who wore a discouraging scowl as she examined a bloody hole in Mai's lower rib cage.
He frowned, "Taiga, how's it goin'? Everything okay?"
She shook her head, "Eh… not really. There's an entry wound right here in the ribs, but there wasn't an exit on her back… The bullet's still there. If we don't get it out, the wound'll be infected, and no amount of gauze or drugs will matter."
"Can…" the girl with blue pigtails, Mio, asked worriedly, "Can you get it out?"
The other girl, Aioi, begged, "Please, lady! You just gotta help Mai!"
Taiga glared at the latter, "First of all, don't call me that. I ain't THAT old. Second," she sat on her calves and sighed, "Even if I had all the right tools, meds, and equipment—which I don't—, I'm not a surgeon. Even then, it'd be risky. Now, it's just a shot in the dar- Wait, what's this?" she furrowed her brow as she stared at a bloodstain on the forearm of the blazer's left arm. She rolled up the sleeve and gasped as she shot to her feet, "SON OF A- SHE'S BITTEN!"
Everyone gasped. Then, a loud thwoop assaulted their ears as a pink vector arrow impaled Mai's temple without warning. She immediately fell limp.
"MAI!" Tomoya, Aioi, and Mio cried in unison. The former leaped from his seat and held her body as the vector arrow dissipated, leaving a small, bloody hole in her skull.
Everyone turned to culprit. Madoka, wearing her Puella Magi outfit, stood stoically and lowered her crossbow.
As the Mai's two friends wept over her body, Tomoya turned her with tears welling in his eyes and muttered through clenched teeth, "How… How could you?"
She apathetically replied, "She was dead already. If the bite didn't get her, she would've died from blood loss. I just made sure she didn't turn."
"Madoka!" Tomohisa, still slightly shocked, chastised his daughter, "I raised you better-"
Sayaka grabbed his wrist, and spoke in a low voice, "I'll handle this Mr. K. You make sure Tomoya's alright."
"But-"
"Trust me, Mr. K," Sayaka seethed, holding back her ire through clenched teeth, "I got this."
Tomohisa backed off and raised his hands defensively with wide-open, fear enveloped eyes as Sayaka indignantly walked over to Madoka and grabbed her bicep.
"Sayaka?" As her friend pulled her behind a shelf in front of the soda pop coolers in the back of the store, Madoka asked in confusion, "What's the matter?"
Red-hot with anger, Sayaka glared, "What you think you're doing, Madoka?!"
"I saved everyone from a soon-to-be Walker. Why?"
Sayaka hissed, "She wasn't dead, yet! You murdered her, Madoka!"
Madoka narrowed her eyes and scowled, "She was bitten. She was going to turn."
With rage burning in her face, the blunette retorted, "So you killed her? You don't get to make those calls, Madoka! Kyubey could've contracted her and saved her! It saved you, didn't it?!"
The pinkette looked to the ground and remained silent.
"Exactly!" Sayaka shouted, "Remember what I said when I tried to defend you from Taiga back at the hospital?"
The pink Magical Girl mumbled without removing her gaze from the floor, "We don't kill the living…"
The blunette crossed her arms, "That's right, we DON'T kill the living! Even if there's no hope for the person, we wait until after they turn, got it?!"
Madoka shot her an icy glare and challenged, "That's not what you were saying last night with Bill. You wanted to crucify him."
Sayaka gasped, caught off-guard slightly. She avoided her friend's eyes and gripped her arm for a moment before resuming her scowl and retorting, "That was a completely different situation and you know it! Even then, we still voted on whether to keep him alive or not."
Madoka shot back an angry defense, "I'm doing what it takes to survive, Sayaka!"
"HOW?!" Sayaka screamed, "By screwing over everything your parents taught you about being a morally decent person?" She transformed into her Puella Magi outfit and gripped a katana, "What, do I gotta beat some sense into you?"
Madoka scowled and squeezed her crossbow tighter, "You would lose. Kyubey says I'm the most powerful Magical Girl he's ever contracted, remember?"
Sayaka shouted and shoved her index finger into her friend's chest, "I don't care if you're the freakin' Goddess of the Magical Girls, Madoka! You don't have the right to play with people's lives like this!"
"Oh, so now I'M the bad girl for trying to survive?"
Sayaka opened her mouth to retort, but just shook her head as her eyes widened in disbelief, "…You're not Madoka."
"…What?"
Sorrow drowned out all of Sayaka's rage as she accused, "The Madoka I knew would never say something like this. The Madoka I used my wished to save would've tried to find a way to save that girl, and would've been devastated to see her die. I don't know what happened to that Madoka, but you clearly aren't her."
Slightly hurt by her friend's stinging words, Madoka's eyes widened and she gasped slightly as she reached out with a gloved hand, "S-Sayaka… I didn't-"
Sayaka's Puella Magi outfit disappeared as shadows covered her teary eyes. As she started walking away, she muttered, "I don't know who you are. Stay away from me."
As her friend returned to the front, Madoka stood in shocked silence. She felt a salty tear slip from her eye. Squeezing her fist tightly, she lowered her head and mumbled quietly, "I don't have to take this…"
Just then, Taiga appeared around the corner of the aisle, "Everything okay over here? I heard shouting."
Madoka quickly wiped her tear away and cleared her throat, "I-It's nothing."
Taiga narrowed her eyes, "That yelling wasn't 'nothing', kid. What's going on?"
"Really, its fine," the Magical Girl replied as she passed the nurse, "Now, Sayaka and I are going to check for weapons and ammo in the surrounded areas."
Taiga shrugged as they walked together back to the front, "Well, clearly ya don't wanna tell me what the deal really is, so you two just be careful out there, alright? And you should probably get back before sunset."
Madoka nodded, "Will do."
Without another word, Taiga sat down in the circle formed by the rest of the survivors and Madoka left the building.
As the nurse made herself comfortable, Tomoya grimaced as Mami tightened some bandages around his shoulder, "…So, there's no cure for a Shuffler bite?"
Tomohisa shook his head sadly, "No," he gazed with compassion at the two girls still weeping over their friend, "I'm so sorry for your loss," he turned back to the blue-haired man, "I also apologize for my daughter's bluntness. But, knowing what we know, I'm sure you can imagine why we wouldn't want to take any chances," a worried expression fell on his face, "Madoka's usually a sweet girl though... I just don't know what's gotten into her recently..."
Tomoya stared cheerlessly, "…So, that's it, huh? Those who get bitten turn into Shufflers?"
"Yeah…" Tomohisa nodded. He glanced at his watch and read 7:02. He stood up and cleared his throat, "We should probably get going. If I remember correctly, we're still about an hour away from Sayaka's grandparents' house, and we don't want to get caught by the Walker herd," he somberly gazed at Mai's body, and then to Tomoya, "…We won't be able to take her with us."
Tomoya took in a deep, heavy breath before replying, "…I understand. Just give us time to say our goodbyes, okay?"
"Of course," Tomohisa nodded then stood up and called out, "Alright everyone, pack up whatever you can. We leave as soon as possible," he furrowed his brow, "Has anyone seen Madoka?"
Taiga stood up next and grabbed her AK-47, "Yeah, she said she and Sayaka were going out to look for weapons and stuff."
The blunette in question appeared from around the corner of an aisle, holding a few bottles of water, worry stained on her face, "…But I'm right here."
Everyone gasped. Taiga and Tomohisa immediately darted to the window to search for Madoka on the street. As the sun started to approach the edges of the city's orange skyline and the Magical Girl was nowhere to be found, Taiga growled and smacked the window with her rifle's barrel, "…FRICK! Why did she freakin' leave if she wasn't going for weapons and ammo?"
Completely distressed, Tomohisa turned to his daughter's friend and stuttered anxiously, "Sayaka, w-what happened?"
Sayaka scratched her head and replied nervously, "We kinda had a falling out… I said some really nasty things that I shouldn't have…" She shot a worried gaze out the window, "I had no idea that she'd straight up leave…"
"Mr. Kaname," Mami walked over and spoke anxiously as she clenched her shotgun tightly, "I suggest we get going. Mr. Okazaki says the herd will be passing through here soon."
Taiga rolled her eyes and growled, "Son of a-" she screamed as she dashed out the exit, "FRICK!"
"Taiga!" Tomohisa reached out and called. It was fruitless, as he could only look on as the nurse sprinted down the Walker-infested street.
Mami raised a concerned eyebrow, "What's going on?"
Kyoko walked over with her arms crossed behind her head, "Yeah, what's the deal with the doctor lady?"
Tomohisa gulped and answered on the verge of tears, "Madoka left and we don't know why..."
"I think it might be my fault… I chewed her out really hard… I didn't mean to say what I did… I was just mad…" Sayaka grimaced and sobbed, "I shoulda let Mr. K deal with it like he was gonna…"
Homura walked over and spoke, "So, once again, you've run your mouth and caused yet another problem, correct, Miki?"
Sayaka choked as she averted her gaze, "Shut up…"
"Regardless, there's only one option here," Homura flipped her hair, "We follow Taiga, find Madoka, and flee to Sayaka's grandparents'."
Tomoya walked over to the group and added, "…You guys wouldn't make it. Not with all of you."
Kyoko glared, "Eh, what do you know?"
He answered simply, slight fear tinged in his voice, "I know that the Shuffler herd is incredibly close, and that a group of this size won't be able to move quick enough to find a missing person who's getting farther and farther away. They would just get caught inside the herd."
"I'm not leaving my daughter," Tomohisa glared and straightened his glasses, "I'm sure you can understand what I'm feeling, Tomoya."
The former sighed, "I do, but-"
"I'm going too," Sayaka shot another worried gazed out the window, "It's my fault she's out there…"
"I'm coming as well," Homura transformed into her Puella Magi outfit and withdrew a large machine gun from her behind her buckler.
Shocked, Tomoya stared at the girl and pointed at the weapon, "How did you...?"
The girl stated simply, "Magic."
The man shifted his confused stare to Tomohisa, "Magical Girl?"
Tomohisa nodded, "Yeah," he turned his attention to the two Magical Girls now ready for combat, "But Sayaka, you, me and Madoka are the only ones who know how to get to your grandparents', and Homura has the maps. You two have to work together to get Kyosuke and the new guys to safety."
Homura objected, "I refuse to let you go alone, Mr. Kaname."
Kyoko shrugged and offered, "Eh, why not. I'll go," she smirked and twirled her snub pistol around her finger, "Been itching for a fight, anyway."
Mami raised her hand, "I'll go with you as well."
"Thanks, you guys. It means a lot," Tomohisa smiled, then turned and spoke to everyone else, "Okay, everyone. We don't have much time. When we find Taiga and Madoka, we'll double back and meet you guys at the house. If…" he paused and choked, "If we don't make it back, don't coming looking for us. Let the herd pass, then make your way to the military base as planned."
Homura raised a concerned eyebrow, "Are you sure about this?"
He nodded, "I am."
She returned the nod and called to her group, "Everyone, pack your things. We leave immediately."
Tomohisa glanced at Mami and Kyoko, "You two ready?"
"Already out the door," the latter chuckled as she swiftly exited the building with gusto.
The former giggled slightly as she looked up at Tomohisa, "We should follow her. Surely, having THREE people to look for out there would be quite the problem."
He laughed as well, "Yeah. Yeah it would."
As the two left the other group in the convenience store to tail the red-head, Tomohisa cleared his throat, "Hey, in case I don't get the chance to say this, I'm… I'm sorry about what happened last night…"
Mami remained silent as they walked.
"I think I should've tried a little harder to think of a solution…" he gulped as he stared at his feet, "I also feel what we allowed Madoka to do last night affected her actions today..."
"Then, you'll have to talk to her about that," Mami replied shortly. She sighed as she kept her attention front and center, "…I appreciate your apology, Mr. Kaname. I'm still coming to terms with what the world's become myself…"
He stopped her abruptly just before a street crammed with Walkers. Sighing as well, he drew his shovel and clenched the straps of the Pikachu bag on his back tightly, "…Yes, it's most certainly become a terrible place."
With the moans of the Walkers ever-present in her ears, Madoka walked alone in the dark streets of North Mitakihara thoughtlessly, clenching the revolver she took from Bill tightly. She lifted her rose Soul Gem to her eyes. It was halfway tainted black from use. She sighed. The sun hadn't been gone for too long, but she couldn't bring herself to transform back into her school uniform, despite needing to conserve magic.
She let her thoughts spin in her head once again as she gazed up at the moon.
…What am doing? I should go back…
She sighed again.
Why would they want me back? They think something's wrong with me. I'm just trying to survive…
She covered her mouth with her gloved, gun-holding hand and choked at the next barrage of thoughts.
I… I can't go back… I'm… I'm not even Madoka to them anymore… I'm just-
Her thoughts were interrupted by the shriek of a Walker latching onto her back. She screamed in horror as it tackled her to the ground.
Completely terrified, Madoka squirmed and wriggled against the corpse pushing its way to her flesh. Somehow turning underneath the hungry corpse so that she faced it, she pushed with all her might, doing everything she could to keep the monster at bay.
But since the Walker was once an adult male, it slowly began to overpower her. With its rotting jaws snapping ever closer to her throat, she grunted and made an effort to position her gun to its head.
She fired the weapon, but the recoil was stronger then she anticipated, causing her to miss the brain and drop her revolver. Her eyes widened in dismay as her gun clanged onto the asphalt, just out of reach. Now in a panicked frenzy, she pushed with a burst of fear-fueled adrenaline and cried, "HELP! HELP ME! DAD! SOMEONE! ANYONE! PLEASE!"
A loud bang resounded, causing her to jump and shriek even louder. In the next moment, the Walker fell limp with a bullet hole in the side of the head. When Madoka realized she wasn't dead, she slowly pushed the corpse off of her body. She hesitantly stood up and looked around for her savior.
It wasn't long before she spotted the small stature of Taiga aiming her rifle in her direction.
"T-Taiga?" Madoka, on the verge of relieved tears, smiled graciously as she jogged over to the nurse who lowered her weapon, "Oh, th-thank you! I don't know what I would've done if you hadn't-"
She was interrupted by a powerful Shoryuken uppercut perfectly delivered to her chin, sending her sprawling. With pain coursing through her entire lower jaw, Madoka looked up to see the irate nurse extending a hand to help her up, "Just what do you think you're doing, you idiot?!"
As Taiga pulled her to her feet, Madoka choked with tears forming in her eyes, "I… I mean…"
Taiga growled, shook her head, picked up Madoka's revolver and handed it to her, "Agh… It's not important. What's important is gettin' outta here before more Walkers-"
"By the order of the Japanese Self Defense Force, we order you to drop your weapons and stand down," a muffled voice ordered.
"…Crap," Taiga cursed under breath as the two girls slowly turned with their hands raised in surrender.
To their dismay, they were blinded by the flashlights attached to M16 rifles held by two soldiers prepared in black fully-bulletproof vests. Their faces were completely covered by their helmets, visors over their eyes, and ebony facemasks covering their mouths.
"Hey, what's the deal?" Taiga shouted.
Madoka begged, "P-Please let us go! W-We're not bitten!"
"Doesn't matter," The soldier on the left replied coldly, "We've got orders to shoot anything that moves. I don't care if you're a nurse, or child, or cosplayer or what, I'm not disobeying our orders."
Taiga's face twisted in rage as she yelled, "BUT WE'RE NOT INFECTED!"
The one on the right—Taiga figured he was a Negro by his voice—responded, "I'm sorry, we got our orders. We'll give you five minutes to make peace with your God or say goodbye or whatever, but if you make any sudden movements, we'll fire immediately."
Taiga glared, "Son of a…" She sighed and shook her head, "…So that's how this is gonna be, huh?"
Madoka cried worriedly, "Taiga, what do we do?"
Instead of having burning rage as the Magical Girl expected, Taiga held a melancholy expression, almost serene even, "You're gonna get outta here and get to Sayaka's grandparents' like we planned."
The Magical Girl gasped, an anxious hole forming in her stomach, "W-What about you?"
Taiga stepped on front of her and stretched her arms out wide—a sight that would've been humorous due to the nurse's small stature barely reaching Madoka's eyes, had the situation not been so grim. As the soldiers straightened their aim to her movement, she glanced back and smirked, "I'll cover you."
On the verge of tears, Madoka choked, "You can't! I'll… I'm a Magical Girl! I can help!"
Taiga shook her head in denial, "Either way, they're gonna shoot at us both if we move at all," she chuckled slightly, "Like I'd survive that… It'd be pointless risking your Soul Gem getting hit too."
Madoka furrowed her brow, "How do you know about our Soul Gems?"
"I overheard Akemi saying something about it to that Kyoko chick," she sighed and turned her head back to the soldiers, "You still got family, kid. Don't leave him behind for my sake."
With tears flowing, Madoka cried, "But-"
Taiga interrupted her with a chuckle, "Trust me, kid. It'll be okay. I'm…" her voice faltered, now crying herself, "I'm gonna get to be with Ryuuji again…"
"T-Taiga…" Madoka sobbed.
"And kid, one more thing," the nurse glanced back at her, tears streaming down her cheeks, "this world sucks. It's gonna kick you down mercilessly time and time again. But you gotta stand back up and give it everything you got. Survival ain't everything, so don't lose your pieces over it. Hope ain't dead."
Madoka's chest heaved sobs as she merely wept in answer.
Taiga smirked at her, despite the tears flowing from her eyes, "Kid, if someone EVER tells you it's wrong to hope, ya gotta tell 'em they're wrong every single time. Promise me that, alright?"
Madoka couldn't help but bawl, "I-I-I p-p-p-promise!"
"Good. Now, get out of here," Taiga chuckled and returned her attention to the soldiers, "I got your back, remember?"
Before moving an inch, Madoka choked, "…G-Goodbye, Taiga… Th-Thank you for everything…"
"Aw, you're welcome kid!" The nurse smiled. She sighed, "…See ya later."
After returning the nod, the Magical Girl swiftly scooped up her revolver up from the asphalt and broke into a free run in the opposite direction. As expected, the soldiers rifles exploded rapidly. Madoka turned to give a sparing glance, only to see Taiga's form slump to the pavement, her body riddled with bullets.
She covered her mouth with her cast as she was decimated by another onslaught of tears and sobs. Then, she gasped as she heard the first soldier shout, "Quick! The cosplayer's getting away!"
Their guns rang out again. Madoka felt an inferno rip through her shoulder. She staggered to her knees and cried in pain as discovered the new hole in her back. She looked to her chest. To her dismay, there was no exit wound. She grimaced as she grasped her shoulder and forced herself to her feet. She looked up to a nearby building—a tall office complex—focused her magic, and made a super jump to get away from the soldiers.
As she came down on the roof, she botched the landing and her legs gave out, causing her to roll multiple times from inertia. She cried out and writhed from the blazing pain in her shoulder. She sat up and gulped, trying to calm herself. Then, she had an idea. She closed her eyes and focused her magic once again.
She grimaced as the burning pain grew worse. The longer she focused, the more it burned, and the more she whimpered and grunted. With her torso blazing in volcanic agony, she sobbed and began hyperventilating as a small bump appeared on the front of her right shoulder. She let a blood-curdling scream fly as a lead bullet ripped its way from the bump, causing a small hole to spurt blood and stain her pink blouse.
Now sweating and breathing heavily, Madoka gasped, "…That was the worst idea I've ever had," her eyes grew wide in shock as she stared at her skin mend itself together, salving the burning pain immediately. She then gazed at the bullet on the floor and smiled slightly, "At least it's out, though…"
She stood up, brushed off her skirt, and sighed, "Alright, time to get going."
She jogged over to the opposite edge of where she landed and looked over the side. With a deep breath, she stepped off the building and prepped for landing. She hit the ground with a loud thud and created a small crater in the asphalt, then stood up again with no issue.
The sound of moaning immediately assaulted her ears as death and decay breached her nostrils in copious amounts. She looked to the right, and she froze as her eyes grew wide in horror: an army of Walkers—maybe even thousands—hungrily groaned and shuffled in her direction.
She gasped in fear and dashed down the opposite street. After what seemed to be ten minutes of constant free-run sprinting, Madoka's chest burned with fatigue. She wanted to stop and take a break, but she knew if she did, the Walkers would catch up and devour her.
As another idea, similar to her last one, popped into her head, she painfully gasped aloud, "Could it work…?"
Without many other options, she closed her eyes and used her magic to replenish her stamina. When the burning fatigue faded and she could breathe again, she smiled, shocked that it had actually worked.
She continued running until spotted three silhouettes. One was tall, and the other two were about her size. Refusing to stop, she pulled her Soul Gem from her neck and cast a bright light, revealing her father, Mami, Kyoko.
Tomohisa gasped, "Madoka?"
Madoka considered all the things she could say to them, but instead screamed in panic as she pointed in their opposite direction, "RUN! GO! GO! GO!"
Confused, the three stopped in place as Madoka rushed past.
"…HOLY SH-" was all the pink Magical Girl heard from Kyoko as she passed from audible earshot.
It wasn't long before the three caught up with Madoka. Her father dashed up beside her and stated, "Madoka! We're heading to Sayaka's grandparents'!"
She nodded, "I know!"
He paused before furrowing his brow, "Did Taiga find you?"
Madoka gazed at the ground and replied, "Y-Yeah…"
"…Where is she?" He worriedly asked.
Her lip began to tremble and she covered her mouth with her revolver wielding hand, a new wave of sobs incoming.
His eyes grew wide as he gasped, "Oh, no…
"Sooo…" Sayaka spoke, awkwardly trying to make conversation with Homura as they waited and watched for the other group outside the wooden cellar door outside her grandparents' house, "You get anything good from the gas station?"
The raven-haired girl stared irritably, "I was guarding the door, remember? Gathering supplies was your job."
"O-Oh, yeah… right…" the blunette scratched her head anxiously. After clearing her throat, she continued, "I found some cool Walkie Talkies. Oh, and some throwaway lighters! I thought, if we need to start a campfire or something…"
Homura nodded, "Very good, Miki. I see you're not useless after all."
"Thanks…" Sayaka chuckled nervously, then shot an icy glare at the girl, "HEY!"
The raven-haired girl simply shrugged.
Sayaka sighed as she turned her attention to all over her grandparents' house. She could've sworn that her grandparents were the only people in all Japan that wanted to live in a big field like this. She also could've sworn that they were the only ones in Japan to build an underground storm shelter of this kind. It was rather untraditional for the Japanese natives, really. Either way, she was grateful for the shelter now.
She frisked her hair in frustration as she growled, "AUGH! Where are they?! This waiting's killing me…"
Homura replied, slight worry tinged in her voice, "It's almost ten o'clock… I fear that the herd may be nearly-"
"There they are!" Sayaka shouted and pointed to three figures running from across the field.
Homura scowled, "Why is there only three? There should be five."
Both girls eyes drowned in horror as they spotted the sea of undead flowing after the three figures.
As the three figures got closer, the girls saw the two of the figures on the outer sides waving their hands like mad and heard the distant shouting of Tomohisa, "OPEN THE CELLAR! OPEN THE CELLAR!"
They immediately did as he instructed and waited in terror as they drew closer. Then, Sayaka gasped as she noticed Tomohisa carrying Madoka in his arms.
The two girls waved for them to run faster and beckoned in unison for them to dash into the cellar, "COME ON! INSIDE! INSIDE! INSIDE!"
They watched the trio run for five nerve-racking minutes until they finally passed the girls into the cellar.
The two guardswomen dashed in behind them and Tomohisa immediately ordered, "CLOSE THE DOOR!"
They nodded and slammed the wooden entrance shut, sliding the multiple thick locking mechanisms in place.
"Is everything all right?" Sayaka asked worriedly.
With the three panting for air, Kyoko was the first to speak as she doubled over, "I went along to splatter heads, not run a freaking marathon…"
Tomohisa gasped as he held up his daughter and snatched the blackened Soul Gem from her neck, "Quick! Madoka needs a Grief Seed! Now!"
Homura nodded and shot her hand into her pack, "On it."
Pulling out a seed, she jumped over and held it close to Madoka rose-colored gem. As the darkness immediately started flowing from the gem to the seed and reverted it to its sparkling pink glow, Homura asked, "Do you know how this happened? We all just purified our Soul Gems after the fight with Charlotte last night."
Still breathing heavily, Tomohisa gulped, "I don't think Madoka did it then… I think this the first time it's been cleaned since she made her contract."
Homura glared and growled, "Going without purifying a Soul Gem is a VERY dangerous thing, Mr. Kaname! Madoka needs to do it herself, but if she doesn't, it's your responsibility as a father to make sure she's doing everything she can to be safe," her eyes narrowed harshly, "including making sure tonight's escapade does not reoccur."
He sighed as he nodded his head, "I understand."
As the Soul Gem finished its purification, Homura placed it back into Madoka's hand. The pinkette immediate coughed and gasped. She sat up and blinked, "…What happened?"
"Madoka!" Tomohisa immediately dropped to his knee and embraced his daughter, "We were running from the herd of Walkers when you passed out. I think you overused your magic a bit…"
"Oh…" Madoka blushed, "Whoops…"
"Madoka, you gave all of us quite the scare," her father stated as he pulled away to look her directly in the eyes. His own eyes hardened as he chastised, "You shouldn't have run away like that, sweetie. You put us all in a lot of danger doing that—which we will a long talk about later," as Madoka's lip quivered, he softened his gaze and consoled, "You know, I've always told you that if something's bothering you, you can talk to me about it. That hasn't changed just because the world is ending."
"I-I'm sorry…" the pinkette choked, "It's just… Sayaka said…"
"Hey," Sayaka knelt down next to them and stared at the ground as she held her bicep, "Just… Forget about what I said back there… It was uncalled for and I know tensions are high for all of us. That's not how friends speak to each other… and I'm sorry…"
"Sayaka…" Madoka sniffed as she reached with her casted arm and drew her friend in for a hug, "I'm sorry too… I was too focused on surviving that I forgot what it really meant to live…"
Sayaka chuckled and gave her friend a light punch to her upper arm, "There's the Madoka I know and love," she smiled gently, "Glad to have you back."
Tomohisa looked around the cellar at the faces of his fellow survivors, but furrowed his brow when he noticed something was off, "Hey Sayaka, where are your folks?"
The blunette dropped a melancholy gaze to the ground and stared in silence.
Homura answered in her stead, "We took a quick sweep over the house. It was admittedly extremely light, but we didn't see anyone. I can only assume Miki's family had already fled to safety. Speaking of missing people," she glanced around in confusion and asked, "Where's Taiga?"
At the mention of the late nurse's name, Madoka's eyes burst into tears once again as she bawled into her hand, "It's all my fault… I'm so sorry… Taiga… I… I… I'm sorry… It's all my fault…"
Sayaka's eyes grew wide as she gasped, "Wait… you don't mean…?"
As his daughter continued to weep, Tomohisa solemnly nodded, "Taiga died protecting Madoka."
So, I was definitely listening to the Toradora OST 'Lost My Pieces' when I wrote Taiga's death.
...I'd be lying if I said I didn't have to stop to cry a bit while writing it.
