I'm goin in!
I don't own Highschool of the DEAD nor do I own Halo.
Chapter 8
Running from the DEAD, Anxious to live
REIS POV TAIEI SHOPPING MALL 2 DAYS AFTER FIGHTING PLUTON
I thanked the person handing out food and walked back to our area. "Hey Rei, wait up!" I turned around and saw Asami jogging to catch up with me. "Hey Asami. It's good to see you." I said. The rookie cop smiled. "Likewise! So where ya headed?" She asked. "Just back to our little area. Francisco needs some more water. Shizuka says that she can give him some food and water in his current condition but he needs to wake up soon." I told her. Asami must have picked up that I was a lot more worried than I sounded. She put a hand on my back as we walked. "Have faith. From what you've all told me he sounds almost invincible. He'll be awake before you know it." Asami reassured me. I nodded. "I hope so. We have to get moving or else we'll miss the evac. That's assuming They don't breach the barricade." I said. Asami nodded. "It's a shame most of the other survivors in this mall don't believe it'll happen." The officer said.
Out of everyone in the mall. The only ones willing to come with us are 2 elderly couples, a family of 4,(the wife is also pregnant)an American couple that was here on their honeymoon and Asami. After she saw her superior officer as one of Them, she decided that she was done being here. Especially since most of the people here were total dicks to her. Another thing is that she and Hirano were growing closer together. The day we got here Hirano and Saya had gotten into a serious argument. Hirano just snapped. He told her that he'd never wronged her in any way but she just continued to berate him and he didn't understand why. Saya said that he didn't have the smarts to understand why. Other words were said then Rika and Takashi had to break them up. They said little to each other after that. Then Hirano and Asami began talking and going up to the roof together. They weren't dating but Shizuka suspected that they at least liked each other.
The only reasons we were still here was because of Francisco and Them. When the Spartan had returned he passed out cold after removing his armor. Saya managed to put his armor into the cube form along with his helmet. After that it said that it was reparing itself but needed 80 hours to do so. That was just his armor. The wearer of said armor was burned and bruised all over. At first Shizuka thought he had internal injuries but after checking him for over an hour she found no signs of that. But she was certain that his ribs were bruised. As was his back, chest and, an arm. He also had burns on his chest, neck, back and, on the right side of his face. Luckily the burns weren't severe but that was only half of the problem. The other half was Them.
The night that the Spartan returned he didn't return alone. The gunfire from the twins didn't help either. A large number of Them began to move in and were congregating in the parking lot. Not only that but in the middle of the night, a loud screeching noise was heard. It sounded for about 5 minutes then stopped. In the morning we saw that the number of Them had doubled. The following night the screeching noise was heard again but for 10 minutes. Again the number of Them grew but this time the opposition was staggering. Tonight we figured that the screech would sound again. Rika suspected that it was only a matter of time before the noise attracted a(as dubbed by Hirano and the twins)titan or (my personal favorite)a shadow monster. The barricade wouldn't hold very long if the dead came knocking. I shuddered and pushed that thought away. Either way if Francisco doesn't wake up soon...
We walked into our area which consisted of team Takashi and the mall survivors who wanted to come with us to the school. There was a few tables and some bed rolls for everyone. Asami and I walked up to a table where Takashi, Rika and, Raymond were sitting. "Hey guys. I got some food for everyone." I said. "Hi everyone." Asami greeted. The others greeted us in return and accepted the food. "Thanks Rei." Raymond said. Rika and Takashi nodded. "So how's sleeping beauty?" Rika asked. "Still out cold. Shizuka says he's healing rather quickly though. She doesn't understand how." I told them. Takashi chuckled. "He's a genetically enhanced super soldier guys. Of course he's going to have some sort of accelerated healing." The teen leader said. The rest of us laughed nervously. Rika scratched the back of her head. "Yeah I guess we forgot about that." Rika said. I got up to check on Alice when the door to the roof flew open and my mom rushed in. "Everyone! We have a serious problem!"
"Fuck me." Rika said. We stayed low on the roof and watched as 3 titans lazily walked along the outskirts of the parking lot. Takashi crawled away from the edge of the roof and laid on his back. He stared at the sky. "Do you think if I punch Sev in the face he'll wake up?" He pondered. I rolled my eyes. "No Takashi. That won't wake him up." I told him. The others snickered. "Why don't we take this conversation inside." Raymond said. We nodded and all crawled out of sight, then went back downstairs. The only ones on the roof was Takashi, my mom, Raymond, Rika, Asami and, myself. Saya, Shizuka, Hirano and, Alice were watching Francisco. The other survivors were scattered among our area.
Takashi cleared his throat. "Everyone! Please listen up." They all turned towards Takashi. I looked at my mom but she just shrugged her shoulders. "Things have changed. Right now there are 3 titans outside." He said. "As of now they are on the outskirts of the parking lot. They haven't noticed us yet and we'll be out of here before they do. If you're having second thoughts of coming with us please don't. We won't force you to come with us but if you stay here you will die." He said grimly. Everyone was silent. Takashi then turned to us. "My friends and I can protect you. We WILL get you all to safety but all I ask is that you trust us. If you're still willing to come with us raise your hand." At first nobody did anything. Takashi looked at everyone. "Please trust me." He pleaded. Again no one did anything. Takashi frowned and started to walk away but Rika stopped him. "Look." She said. Takashi turned back around and saw that everyone was raising a hand. The American husband spoke. "Listen man all I care about is getting my wife outta here. So we're going with you. But if something happens to me then swear that you'll save her." His wife started to speak but he stopped her. "You'll be fine ok." He told his wife. The woman looked scared but nodded. "Also...if for some reason you have to save us both...save her first. Do I have your word?" The man asked. Takashi nodded. "You have my word." The man smiled.
Takashi turned to the other people. "It's too late to leave today but hopefully we can leave tomorrow. That's if our friend wakes up. If not then a larger group will leave while a smaller group stays." The other survivors nodded but our group looked a little worried. Alarm bells were going off in my head. I sure as hell didn't want to split up. Knowing Takashi and my mom, they'd most definitely make me go with the larger group. I didn't want to leave the Spartan however. Takashi whispered something to Rika then walked into the furniture store. Rika turned to us. "The boy wonder wants to talk to us in the couch area. I'll let the others know." She said. We nodded and went over to the meeting area. I had a really bad feeling about what was going to happen.
Everyone was gathered in the furniture store except Alice and the other survivors. It was just us Fujimi survivors, the Blackwater trio and, Asami. At first no one said anything. Takashi just sat there deep in thought. Finally Saya spoke. "You should have run this by us first." She said. Takashi sighed and nodded. "Yeah but with those titans out there I didn't have much of a choice. Those people are scared and I don't want to let them down nor do I want to keep them out of the loop." Takashi said. "Look what's done is done." Hirano said. "If this is the plan then I'm in. But why split up?" He asked. Takashi looked back towards the little camp. "I don't want to put Sev in anymore danger. If we bring him unconscious we'd have to leave his armor. Not only that but the guy weighs almost 400 pounds. Dragging him around unconscious and outside would be dangerous for us and him. I don't want to risk his life like that." He explained. "But do we really have to split up? Isn't there another way?" I asked. Takashi nodded. "Yeah. Maybe there are other ways but we don't have time to think them up." He told me. "So who do you want to stay?" Saeko asked.
Takashi looked at Saeko. The samurai was sitting right next to him. He stared at her in a way I've never seen him stare at any girl. Not even me. Then he kissed her lovingly. No tounge or lip smashing but soft and gently. This caught her by surprise but she kissed him back. Shizuka was smiling widely and Rika snickered. I smiled too. I was truly happy for those 2 but I also had an idea of what he was going to say. He pulled away and held her hand. "You don't know how crazy I am for you Saeko. I love you. You know that right?" He asked. Saeko was blushing brightly. "Of course I know that. I love you too." She responded. Raymond sighed. "Look Takashi. I'll stay with him. You just get the others out." He told him. Takashi shook his head. "No. I'm the only one that stays." The teen leader said. Everyone in the room began to argue but Takashi raised his hand for silence. We all stopped but Raymond wasn't backing down.
"You're too young to play hero kid. Wait until you've earned a few more stripes before you go and get yourself killed." The giant merc then looked at Saeko. "You really want to run the risk of not seeing Saeko again?" Raymond asked. Takashi shook his head. "We'll see each other again. At the evac." He said looking at Saeko. She closed her eyes and nodded. "If this is what you want then so be it. But please...don't keep me waiting Takashi." Saeko said. Hirano stood up. "Well you aren't getting rid of me Takashi." Takashi began to protest but Hirano cut him off. "Not going to hear it man. My mind is made up. Besides..." Hirano looked at Raymond. "Mr. Cameron can protect Saya for me. Just for a little bit. Right sir?" Saya looked stunned and Raymond simply nodded. "I do owe you one. Consider it a debt repayed for that favor back in Denver." Raymond said. Takashi sighed. "Fine. Everyone else...be ready to leave tomorrow. Rika will be in charge until Sev, Hirano and, I catch up." Takashi said. Then he stood. "That's all. Go and get ready. And let the others know. Rika I need to talk to you." Takashi said. Then he turned and walked away. The others began to leave. Rika sighed and followed Takashi. I began to leave but then decided against it. I turned around and followed Takashi and Rika.
The 2 were sitting next to each other on a set of armchairs. Rika pulled out a cigar and lit it. Takashi just sat there, as if trying to figure something out. I decided to stay hidden and stood behind a pillar. For a minute they didn't say anything. Rika just smoked her cigar and Takashi sat in his chair. Finally Rika broke the silence. "Is this the part where you tell me to go on without you if you don't show up?" She asked as if inquiring about the weather. Takashi was silent. "If I try and get the others to leave without you 3 Saeko will kill me, then Saya will kill me and, then Rei will kill me." Takashi chuckled. "Naw they won't do that. They know that the group takes priority." He said. The sniper nodded and took another puff of her Cuban. She exhaled then continued. "Still...they won't like it." Rika told him. The teen nodded. "The day this all started...I killed my best friend. Because of me he was bitten...he was also dating Rei. That's part of the reason we broke up." Rika was silent. Takashi paused to take a breath. I can't believe he blames himself for Hisashi. He didn't tell me that. "If I had been faster or if I hadn't hesitated he'd still be here...he'd be the one leading us not me." Takashi said. He sounded sad but he wasn't crying. "Look...I let Rei down already by not saving Hisashi. I REFUSE to let that happen again. But if we aren't there by the time the last bus or helicopter or whatever is getting people out is ready to go then you get everyone on and leave. Understood?" Rika said nothing but nodded. I was stunned. Would Takashi really be ok with being left behind? They began to stand so I turned around and silently left.
I sat silently next to Francisco as I packed my things. There was definitely a lot going on. Francisco was still unconscious. Takashi was helping the others. Only Alice was with me. She had packed quickly. Since his return Alice refused to leave his side. She only left to watch us bury Zeke. We found a huge pot that held a ficus so we removed the ficus and placed Zeke inside, then placed the pot somewhere we thought nobody would knock it over. I silently swore that I'd come back here for him. During the burial Alice cried her eyes out. All of us Fujimi survivors cried actually. That dog had been a big part of the group. We still don't know what happened but knew his neck was snapped. After that Alice went right back to the Spartans side. She didn't talk much after that, not even to Saya. Which was weird because she had grown very close to her.
"What's on your mind munchkin?" I asked. She didn't respond. Again I asked. This time she just shook her head. "...This is all my fault..." She said. "What is?" I asked. Then it dawned on me. "Alice do you think Francisco is hurt because of you?" She said nothing but grabbed his hand. "Alice that's not your fault. He knew what he was doing. He-" She cut me off. "If I didn't run away like I did and distracte him he wouldn't be this hurt and Zeke wouldn't be dead." She said quietly. "This is all my fault..." She finished. "Alice..." I started. "I'm just a dumb kid and now he's going to die because of me!" She screamed. Her change of tone threw me off. Others stopped what they were doing to look at the now crying girl. She just got up with tears streaming down her face and walked away. I began to stand but suddenly felt a hand on my shoulder. I looked up and saw Raymond. "I'll talk to her." Was all he said before following her slowly. Alice had turned into the furniture store so Raymond followed. I got up and went to Hirano, Misaki and, Yumi. They had seen the merc follow Alice but disregarded it. "Is he good with kids?" I asked bluntly. All 3 nodded. "He used to have a wife and a daughter." Misaki said. "Let's just leave it at that." Yumi finished. Hirano nodded. Used to? I nodded and went back to packing. About an hour later Raymond and Alice walked out of the store. Alice was sound asleep in his arms. He gently put her to bed then went back to checking his gear like nothing happened. I looked at the girl and she looked like she was actually sleeping peacefully. She even had a smile on her face. That night I decided to sleep next to Francisco. I curled up close to him and drifted into dreams.
Night came and went quickly but this time there was no shrieking in the middle of the night. Alice seemed like she was back to her usual self which was good. She apologized to me for yelling and I told her it was nothing. Breakfast was a somber event. Everyone knew what was about to happen, what we were about to do. The twins, Raymond and, Asami spoke quietly with Hirano. The girls looked nervous but Raymond and Hirano were doing what they could to relax them. Takashi and Saeko sat against a wall, holding hands and actually smiling and laughing. I guess they were making the most of what little time they had left together. Even if it was for a little while. I sat with Rika, Shizuka, Saya and, Alice. My mom was on the roof keeping watch. We sat close to the Spartan quietly. "I don't want to leave without my onee-chan." Alice said. Rika ruffled her hair. "They'll catch up soon munchkin. Try not to worry about it too much." Rika told her. Then she looked at me. "They'll be ok." She assured us. Alice said she needed to use the restroom so Shizuka took her. Someone cleared their throat behind us. We turned around and saw Hirano standing there smiling. "Saya...can we talk?" The question took the Takagi heiress by surprise. Then she was back to her...less than pleasant self. "Why don't you go and talk to Asami." She said. Hirano just chucked. "C'mon Saya humor me. After all I might never see you again." Rika shot him a look. "Don't talk like that!" She told him. Hirano chuckled. "Right. Sorry about that." He said. Saya suddenly stood. "You have 60 seconds Hirano." Then she turned on her heel and walked into the furniture store. The marksman just chuckled. He nodded to us then followed her. I smiled. "That should be interesting." I said. Rika shook her head. "He shouldn't talk like that. It's bad luck." Rika said. "I think he just said that so that they'd talk." I said. Rika still looked a little mad. "Still..." She said.
About 15 minutes later they returned. Saya and Hirano were both smiling. Just then my mom came back down from the roof. "We should get going. Like right now." She looked really shaken up. Takashi walked over to her. "What is it?" He asked her. "There's something else out there." My mom said. "It's...different from the others. It seemed..." She looked back at the door leading upstairs. "It seemed intelligent. It killed those titans in less than a minute." She told us. Rikas jaw dropped. "What!? How!?" She exclaimed. The rest of us were just as shocked. Even though Rika and Francisco were the only ones who had fought a tank, the news was still startling. "He...it...was so fast...all over those things and..." She looked confused. Then she looked at Takashi. "You can't stay here for long. That monster is smart. He's going to get in here. And it's going to happen soon." She told him. The teen nodded. "We'll be right behind you." Then he turned to the others. "Ok, time for you guys to leave." He said. Shizuka then spoke up. "I'm staying too." Takashi looked at her. Before he opened his mouth Rika cut him off. "Takashi, when he wakes up he's going to need someone with medical experience to look after him. You know it and Hirano knows it so don't argue." Takashi just shook his head chuckling. "Ok then. Now comes the hard part." He said. He was right. Time for us to get going. Time for us to leave...without our friends.
Asami led us into a service hall. It felt a lot longer than it actually was. Everyone was quiet too. Suddenly we came to a door that said "EMPLOYEES ONLY! DO NOT ENTER!" in big yellow letters. We passed though it and came into a storage room. From there we went through another door and walked into what looked like a locker/break area. "This was the security team break room." She explained. Then she pointed to a set of double doors. "Through those doors is another hallway that will lead to an underground parking lot behind the mall. We can walk out from there." Asami said. Rika turned to face everyone. "Ok everyone this is it. Please check your things one last time." She said. We did as we were told. Once everyone was ready we got into formation. Our non fighters were in the middle and the rest of us on the outside of them. Rika and Raymond were in front. Misaki and Yumi were on the left side and my mom and I in the back. Saeko and Asami took the right side. Takashi looked at us. "Everyone please be safe." He said. Raymond turned around. "I'm not saying goodbye, I'm saying good luck." Raymond told him. Shizuka and Rika kissed again. So did Takashi and Saeko. Asami, Misaki and Yumi all kissed Hirano on his checks. The teen was as red as a tomato but grinned wildly. Even Saya hugged him. "Ok then. Let's move out!" Rika said. Then we waved one last time and walked through the doors.
SEVS POV TAIEI SHOPPING MALL
My eyes shot open and I quickly took in my surroundings. I sat up and looked around. It was either early in the morning or late in the afternoon. "LET HER GO ASSHOLE!" Someone yelled. Then I heard a woman yelling. "Get away!" She cried out. I turned in the direction of the yelling and saw Takashi and Hirano both aiming weapons at a man holding Shizuka hostage. He had a knife to get throat. "Shit." I said as adrenaline started flowing through my body. I stood quickly and looked around for a weapon. Next to my armor I saw my blade. I snatched it up and looked around. There was a staircase that would let me get behind them and get the drop on everyone. I silently ran to it and creeper up. When I was close to the top I got low and readied my blade. The hostage taker pointed his blade at the teens. "Back up fuckers! She's mine!" He yelled. I saw my chance and took it. I rushed him and put my blade on his throat. Everyone froze. The unknown man still had his arm outstretched. "Drop your weapon or I'll feed you to Them piece by fucking piece. And I'll make sure you're alive for every single second until the very end." I said quietly but menacingly. Takashi and Hirano were wide eyed. Shizuka was trying hard to not cry.
The man was trembling. Finally he found his ability to speak. "Ok I'm dropping it." He said. The knife fell out of his hand and he released the nurse. She ran forward to the others and stood behind them. If there was one thing I hated, it was someone messing with my friends. But one thing I hated more was men like this. I removed my blade but grabbed the man and threw him. Hard. He landed and rolled several feet. He struggled to get up. "If I ever see you again, I'll kill you. Understand?" I said. The man nodded vigorously and limped away. After I calmed down I started feeling my fight with Pluton. And a lot of hunger. I turned to the others who were looking at me wide eyed. "Food please." I said as I set I the floor. Shizuka nodded and ran back downstairs. I looked around expecting the others to come running but no one came. I turned to Takashi. "Where are the others?" I asked. He laughed nervously. "It's a good thing you're sitting down man. I've got some news for you..."
I groaned as Shizuka unwrapped the bandages on my chest. "So they left yesterday in the morning?" I asked. Takashi and Hirano both nodded. "They should be at the school by now. Hopefully they made it there safe." Shizuka said. "I'm sure Rika got them all there just fine." Hirano said. Shizuka nodded and stood. "You're healing quickly Sev. How do you feel?" She asked. I stood and stretched. "A little pain in my ribs. Also sore but aside from that I'm ready to go." I told her. "Are you sure?" Takashi asked. I nodded and went to my armor. "Yeah let's get out of here. I've wasted enough time sleeping and the others are waiting for us." I said. Shizuka giggled. "I know who wide is waiting for you." She said. I blushed as the others chucked. I walked over to my armor. "Tell me me about the super fast type." I said as I typed commands into my armor. Takashi shrugged. "We've told you what we know. Kiriko is the only one who saw it. The damn thing killed 3 titans like nothing. Then disappeared. That's all." He said. "Damn. Then we need to get going. It could be stalking the others." I said looking at him as my I quickly stepped into my armor and it closed. Hirano raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything. "So Takashi, your mom is a teacher at this school?" Hirano asked. The other teen nodded. "Yeah. Hopefully she's ok." He replied. I donned my helmet. "Hey man, she has to be a badass since she has a son like you." I said. "I hope so. I've been pretty worried. I have no idea about my dad though. He went on a business trip to the U.S. but then all this happened. He's most likely still in..what's the state called..oh right Colora-" He was cut off by a barrage of gunshots.
We all turned. "What was that about?!" I asked. We heard screams and more gunfire. Takashi shouldered his backpack. "Time to go. Grab what we need." He said. I grabbed my G36C and my knife. No time to run a diagnostics on my suit. The fighting sounded like it was getting closer. "Can we leave now?" I asked. Just then the gunfire stopped. The screaming stopped shortly after. Takashi held a finger to his lips. We all nodded. We collected our things and Takashi took point. We ran into a service hallway, through a storage area and, finally into a break room. "Ok guys, through the double doors. Check equipment one last time." Takashi said. I looked at my radar and saw about 70 red dots and counting heading straight for us. "Takashi I got at least 70 contacts and counting. We have about 2 minutes." I said. They nodded. "Is everyone set?" Takashi asked. We all nodded. "Ok then. Let's get the fuck out of here!" He said. I took point and we ran out of the small room.
After going through a set of double doors and a hallway we found ourselves in a parking lot. There were some bodies but thankfully no one from our group. As we moved to the exit a thought hit me. "Please tell me we know where the hell we're going." I said. "Yeah Saya drew us up a map. We know what landmarks to look for and where to go." Hirano said. We jogged to the other end of the lot and saw the way out. After I cleared the street we took off. We looked back 1 more time to see that the mall was gone. The amount of Them just trying to get in was around 5 or 600. And those were the ones we could see. I checked my radar and saw contacts in the underground lot. "Fuck. It's not safe here. That horde will find us if we stay here any longer. Let's go." I told the others. Then we took off down the street. It was about 10:00 in the morning when we left the mall. There weren't any of Them for about 3 blocks as we sprinted away from the mall. Eventually we saw undead but it wasn't anything we couldn't handle. After an hour we slowed down to a very fast walk once Takashi felt that we'd put enough distance between that horde at the mall and us.
Then for the next several hours that was the pace we kept. I noticed that Hirano was looking at me curiously from time to time but I simply dismissed it. We stopped at the east police station to eat and found a note from the others on the front entrance. Shizuka picked it up and read it out loud. "Takashi, everything is going smoothly. No casualties and we're making good time. Police station is clear but that may change when you get here. Saeko sends her love. Saya, the twins and, Asami send...good vibes to Hirano and Rei sends kisses to the Spartan. Tell Shizuka I'm going to rock her world when I see her again. Rika." Shizuka smiled sadly. "Oh I love her." She whispered. Takashi got up and hugged her. "We'll see them soon ok." He reassured her. She nodded and hugged him back. After another few minutes we were on the move again. After about 2 hours I remembered that I never finished my armor check. "Hey guys let's take 5 yeah? I have to run a diagnostics check on my suit." I said. The others agreed and we stopped. I typed some commands into my TACPAD and everything was green across the board.
"I was meaning to ask how you changed your armor." Hirano said. I looked up from my TACPAD. "Huh?" I asked. He tilted his head confused. "Um...your armor...it's different. It's still red but..." His sentence trailed off. I saw a window sill intact and walked over to it. My helmet was still the CQC type with the gold visor but my shoulders were now ODST pads. My chest piece was the same default type but had a thick piece of armor covering my stomach. My knee pads were now the air assault type. "What the..." I brought up my TACPAD again and saw that in the top left corner where is usually said speed configuration it now said assault configuration. "Doc Halsey didn't say anything about this." I said. "Who?" Shizuka asked. I turned to explain but paused. "I got something on radar." I said. We took up defensive positions around Shizuka but then the dot disappeared. "Tch. Stand down. I think we spooked-" I started but then a dot appeared again. This time behind us. I spun around. "Behind us!" I said. As I turned the first dot came back into range. Then 2 more to our left and right. We got 1 on each side of us! They're moving slow though." I said. "Can were out run em?" Takashi asked. I nodded. "Yeah but we'd have to face at least 1 before we could do that." I replied. "Ok. Let's do that then." Takashi said. We ran down the street and made a right.
Immediately we slid to a stop. Standing in front of us was a giant troll-like monster. It looked like a troll mixed with a demonic hunch back. It stood at least 20ft tall and had grey skin with blisters all over its body. Its teeth were crooked and yellow. Its throat was glowing red and pulsating. Even with my helmet on I could smell its putrid breath from down the street. Takashi took a breath. "Stay quite. Remember they can't-oh shit!" He exclaimed as the giant picked up a car with ease. I grabbed Shizuka. "Dodge!" I yelled just as it threw the car at us. Takashi and Hirano broke left as I jumped straight up. The car missed me by a few feet. When I landed I let Shizuka down. "Stay out of sight." I said. She nodded and ran. Takashi and Hirano started firing at the monster. Takashi was using a G36C and Hirano had his sniper. I pulled my weapon. "It can see us!" I said. As I started firing at its face. It roared again and covered its face with its left hand. Then it charged right at me.
Takashi and Hirano fired at its back but the giant ignored the pain. When it was close enough it jumped into the air, it looked like it was skydiving. I sprinted straight ahead but noticed I wasn't moving as fast as normal. The giant body slammed the street and everything shook like there was an earthquake. Takashi ran to the right side of the giant while Hirano did the opposite. "He's down! Fire!" Takashi yelled. We nodded and did just that. Hirano was aiming at its neck and Takashi at its side. The monster roared and swiped at the teens but they were just out of range. I was firing at its feet. "We got him I the ropes!" I yelled. Suddenly Shizuka screamed. I turned and saw that one of Them had gotten the drop on her and she was grappling with it. I could see it trying to bite her neck but she was keeping it back.
"Hirano! Help Shizuka!" I said. He nodded and ran to her. I turned back just in time to see the giants foot greet my face. Suddenly I was weightless. My shields took 1/4th of damage. The giant sent me flying down the street but I recovered mid air and landed on my feet. I grinned. I barely even felt the kick. "Thanks again Doc." I said as I sprinted back into the fray. The giant was on its feet again and tired to uppercut Takashi. It took a huge swing but Takashi was no pushover. Last second Takashi rolled right and dodged the giant fist. Contact definitely would have killed Takashi and sent him into space. The teen recovered from his roll with ease and fired at the giant. When Takashis shots connected the monster cried out in pain. Its hands went to its throat and it fell on its ass. Takashi backpedaled about 6ft and reloaded. Then he cried out. "Its throat! Shoot its throat!" I skid to a stop. I glanced back to Shizuka and saw that she was safe. Hirano was also reloading. The teen marksman looked at me and nodded. I turned back to Takashi. "Throat! Got it!" I yelled then my eyes widened. Somehow, an undead had snuck up on Takashi. "Behind you!" I warned. He spun around just in time to grab it by the shoulders. I took aim at the zombie but then the giant tried to stomp me. I jumped backwards just as its foot demolished the spot I was standing on. However the giant was smarter than I thought. It punched me mid air and sent me into a building. This time my shields dropped to half and my bruised ribs reminded me that I was still hurting. I landed on my feet in some apartment and slid backwards until I hit a wall.
Through the hole I made I saw that the giant went to pick up another car to throw at Takashi. "No you don't!" I heard Hirano tell defiantly. Hirano opened fire on it and shot its right elbow. The beast cried out in pain and released the car right above its head. The car landed on the giants head and rolled off it. The giants hands went to the top of its head. "My turn." I said as I sprinted to the new hole in the wall. As I ran I slung my G36C ok my back. Then I jumped through the hole and flew straight as the beast. I yelled as I cocked my right arm back. The giant looked up just in time to see me punch it right in the bridge of its nose. Its head snapped back and it fell on its back. I landed on its chest. I readied my weapon and ran to its throat, then opened fire. Suddenly Takashi was right next to me. He was also unloading his mag on the giants throat. The beast roared in pain and thrashed about but couldn't get us off. Our guns clicked empty but the monster just laid there, dying slowly. I slammed another mag into my weapon and fired again. Takashi did the same. "Fucking die already!" Takashi yelled. Again we fired until our guns were empty. This time the giant laid on the street dead. We reloaded quickly and took a breather.
Shizuka and Hirano came running up to us. "Guys we have to go!" Hirano said. I looked at my radar and saw that the other 3 dots were closing in. 1 was already in view. Another giant was walking down the street towards us. "Ok. Let's move!" Takashi said. Suddenly another dot appeared on my radar. This time it was yellow and moving fast. "Guys I got a friendly on radar." I said. The others looked at me. "Really? Where?" Takashi asked. Then we heard the screech of tires. We turned around and saw a military hummer drift to a stop. Behind the wheel was non other than Rika Minami. Riding shotgun was Raymond Cameron. Both were grinning like crazy. Rika rolled her window down. "Heard the fighting. Y'all need a ride?" She asked smiling wide. Under my helmet I grinned. "Fuck yeah!" I exclaimed.
Then we jumped into the car and sped away from the giants. We drove for about an hour. Along the way Rika explained how tomorrow morning the SDF was pulling out. Since the window was closing fast, the 2 were given permission from Colonel Hideki to take a humvee and retrieve us. Then they drove back to the mall and saw it belonged to the dead. Not knowing what to do they decided to drive around the city looking for us. Just when they were about to call it they heard the gunfire and decided to check it out. Good thing too or else that would have been bad. Apparently they got there just fine. Rika said they didn't see any of the giants on the way there though. "Oh another bit of good news. Takashi your mom is alive and we'll. She's waiting for you at the school. Reis dad is there too. That was a happy reunion for damn sure." Rika said. Takashi was wide eyed. "Really? My mom's ok?" He asked. Rika nodded. "Yup." She replied. The teen seemed like her was in shock. "Oh god..." He said. I removed my helmet and smiled. "Told you so." I said. Takashi composed himself and nodded. "It's going to be smooth sailing from here on out everyone." Hirano said. We smiled. "Damn right."I said...It wasn't until I saw Shinji standing in the middle of the road, aiming an RPG at us, that I didn't know how wrong I was. That this whole "Getting from Hiranos house to the school." was only the beginning.
Next chapter is the final chapter. Don't freak out tho cuz I'm making this a series. This is just fic book 1.
As always let me know what y'all think!
The Bounty Hunter
