Highschool of the Dead
Those Who Walk Among the Dead
Chapter 14
Dead Escape
Hinata wasn't one to smoke or drink. He had been taught that those kinds of things would only make you get sick when you were an adult. His parents didn't drink, and neither did his aunt and uncle, but he had seen several kids at school drinking on the roof, whenever it was that he wanted to go up there for some peace and quiet. Normally he would just avoid fights, but being a huge video gaming nerd, it still brought you attention, though with people like Nozomi as your friend, you were left alone most of the time. But nothing was normal anymore, at least too him.
He and the others had successfully delivered the plasma to the old woman, and Shizuka had successfully done the transfusion. Meanwhile, Takashi, Kohta, Asami and himself were sitting in the offices, resting after the long trip. They had run out of gas halfway back, and had to trek the rest of the way on foot, while he had to carry an unconscious Saya, who woke up just as they had entered the mall parking lot, giving him shit for letting her knock herself out. As soon as they had entered the safety of the outlet mall, she took off to who knows where. He just sat there in his chair, a cigarette in his mouth, a thin trail of smoke slowly making it's way up to the ceiling, though thankfully the sprinkler system had been hooked up to the damaged generator, making it impossible for them to work at the moment. It was his second one, within the two hours they had come back.
"We all need to talk." Kohta said, stressing his point, looking at each of his friends, a tired look on his face. He brushed his sweaty locks aside, licking his lips.
"Not like there's anything to talk about, Asami's tired." Hinata said, looking at the worn out Police girl who was barely awake. He took a puff of his cigarette, flicking the ashes to the ground beside him.
"NO, We do need to talk." he replied firmly, making Asami jolt awake.
"Why?" Takashi muttered.
"What we all need to do is review the answers to the test we just fucked up. We on the same page here? We let a perfectly able person go to waste." he said, slamming his hands on the table.
"There was nothing we could have.."
"Bullshit!" Hinata snapped angrily. The fact that they had lost Tamaru pissed him off. He knew it was a risk going to get that plasma, but it was an unnecessary risk, one that we didn't need to take.
"The old lady will croak next week, and then what? It's not like we can get more plasma. Shizuka needs more than just a transfusion kit for that." he replied, crushing his cigarette in his hand, not caring that he burned himself.
"He's right Komuro, up until now we've been following what you've been saying, and trust me we're all grateful for it. But while we followed everything, mistakes were made. We didn't need all of us going to get the Plasma. Two of you could have watched the entrance while the other two got the supplies."
"Two, that would be me and Tamaru." Takashi muttered, looking at the table.
"Don't talk about him..I had to shoot him. Asami had too shoot him...she had too..." Asami cried out, clearly distressed.
"I told him I would have been fine. Taking a few of the ones next to me with my Handgun would have given me the time I needed to jump into the hole." Asami continued, regret was laced in her voice.
"See, that's why we need to talk about it. We have to figure out why it ended that way and what to do so it doesn't happen again." He said firmly.
"I guess even Hirano can be serious sometimes." Saya muttered, glancing into the room. She and Saeko were leaning against the wall outside the office, listening to the conversation inside.
"Personality has nothing to do with it." Saeko quipped, hand on her sword for reassurance.
"What do you mean? Hirano and the Police girl are getting close. They need to take things seriously or..." Rei said.
Saya scoffed, shaking her head and looking away from the brunette.
"You ever wonder what people do when their afraid?" she asked. Of course she didn't get a response from her.
"He's beginning to see how savage the world is. How savage people have become. He also knows what its like to kill someone first hand. The fear of death, killing to stay alive, something like that could easily cause P.T.S.D."
"But we haven't killed...the only one who's killed is Hinata...Kohta hasn't..."
"That was them." Saya cried out, cutting the girl off. She took a deep breath, clearing her throat.
"Or so we thought. You know, whoever called them them surely did us a favor. They knew we'd have to face more of them and it was better if we didn't see them as former humans." she continued. Rei's face paled, remembering Hisashi, who was the first one to label the recently deceased as "Them".
"I agree with you, but is that all we're getting at?" Saeko asked.
"Of course not." Saya replied, facing the purple haired girl.
"When I was with my parents, I finally accepted the world that we were living in. Surely there must be someone or something that helps all this pain become bearable. Hinata is my escape, using my smarts to help everyone is also an escape, so are the munchkins." she admitted. Saeko and Rei both looked away, thinking about Takashi and his laid back attitude. Saya smirked and looked back into the office, seeing Kohta moving his arms around, clearly explaining one thing or another.
"For Kohta, that's what Takashi, Hinata and that Police woman are doing. It's for their own sake." she said.
"But, what about Shizuka and Alice, Savannah and the others?" Rei asked.
"Shizuka is our driver, she's also the doctor and one of the only two adults in the group. Nick is our front line defense, the list goes on, as for the munchkins..."
"What Saya-chan? Who's the munchkin?" Alice asked. Saya smirked and hugged her tightly.
"That would be you, you little rascal." she cried out, pinching her cheeks, much to her dismay.
"What about you Saya? Weren't you out there with them? Didn't you see what went down?" Rei asked. Her breath hitched and she looked away, huffing loudly.
"I didn't see shit! Me and Hinata were outside hot wiring a car...so we didn't see what went down...all we got now is a useless handgun with no extra ammunition and half of our supply of shotgun shells. But the lady lived for another week, so loosing munitions was definitely worth it." she said, the sarcasm dripped off her voice as she continued glaring holes at the wall.
"Oh, you're all out here, why not come in?" Asami said happily, allowing them entree into the room. Hinata stood up and stretched, popping the bones on his back. He needed a hardcore nap after all the crap he went through, but he was sure that was easier said than done.
"I'm worried though." Rei muttered, prompting Saya to look at her.
"Why is that?" She asked.
"It won't he long until one of them snaps. Just like Hinata when he killed Shimada, he seems like he's coping well, but who knows whats going through him right now." she muttered.
"Well, I surely won't forget my role in all of this." Saeko said, a smirk on her face.
"What do you mean?"
"Surely you realize that we're of the opposite sex no? I'll do my best to to keep them in line." she said.
"Asami will do everything she can as well." the police girl said, clapping her hands. Zero barked loudly, wagging his tail.
"You look tired, you should rest up for today." Rei said.
"You have no idea how happy that makes me." Hinata said with a chuckle, rubbing the back of his neck. Rei gave him a smile, finally loosening up around him. Sure, she had been angry with him about what he had done, but the more she thought about it, the better off it was. She frowned, looking away from him.
"Cousin, I wanted to apologize to you, about how I reacted when...that man was..."
"Don't worry about it Rei. I understand you completely...we're all trying to live our lives as best we can, and here I am killing people. But we can't avoid that, sooner or later we will run into a group of people that we'll have no choice but to kill. When that time comes, I hope you are ready to do what you must." he said simply. Her breaths were a bit shaky, but she ended up nodding in agreement.
"I'll be...I'll try to be...if not...would you...please...help me?" she asked, earning a nod from him.
"I couple of times, no doubt...but you have to be prepared on your own. I'll teach you how to use your Springfield Super Mach whenever Kohta can't teach you himself. Remember to shoot first and ask questions later." he said.
"Here, you must be hungry." Saeko said, handing small glass bottle, to Takashi, the teen glancing at the label. Hinata caught the name of the label and let out a chuckle.
"That's a sexual stimulant." Saya muttered under her breath.
"Kohta, Asami is very happy that we talked about this. My Senpai always told me to talk to one of our superiors, especially if we came back from a very bad crime scene. It made the pain more bearable, but Kohta, you're a high school student and you're already thinking like that. Asami is a Police officer and she's so useless." she said.
"No, I just happened to know that, that's all." he quipped, a chuckle escaping his lips.
"Hey, Saya-chan.."
"Big sis!" she firmly corrected.
"Kohta seems to be getting along with that police girl." she said, not finishing her statement. Saya chuckled.
"Is it that weird?"
"But don't you think that..."
Kohta looked at the table beside him, seeing Saya and Alice wrestling again, while the older girl kept insisting on being called Big Sis.
"Are you gonna leave?" Asami asked, getting his attention back. He nodded.
"We have to find Rei and Takashi's parents."
"Would...you just stay behind Kohta?" she asked, taking his hand in her own. Everyone stayed silent while Kohta looked at her.
"I already have companions that I'm traveling with." he said firmly. She let go of his hands and stood up, bowing to him.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have been so bold. But don't worry, Asami had a feeling you'd say that." she said with a chuckle.
Zero started growling, getting everyones attention. He ran up to the window and started barking rather loudly. Hinata moved towards the window, eyes widening a bit.
"Oh, shit...it's a Police officer." he said. Asami stood up, running toward the window.
"Don't tell me that..." Kohta stopped himself, praying to whatever God was up there that it wasn't.
"No..no no no no. This can't be happening, that can't be Officer Matsushima. It just can't be." Asami cried out, slamming her fists on the glass. The infected Police woman was stumbling towards the mall, a bite mark clear on her lower leg.
"She didn't make it to the police station, she got killed after she left." she shouted. Everyone looked down in sadness, it was clear Asami was banking everything on her friend bringing back help, and now that she knew it wasn't coming, she was trying and failing to keep herself together.
"There's...no..body. THERE'S NOBODY COMING TO SAVE US! She screamed, her voice echoing through the entire office.
The reality of the situation had finally hit everyone, the officer that had left to get help wasn't coming. Asami had lost it, tears fell down her face and she didn't know what to do. No one dared to speak, as to not upset her. The others from her group were in the room as well, wondering what was going on. Finally, she spoke, her tone of voice shaky, as she tried to contain her nervousness and sadness at the loss of her friend.
"It was all for nothing, Asami can't...she can't..."
"Asami." he muttered. She looked at him, a sick smile on her face. Her eyes were wide and brimmed with tears.
"Kohta." she muttered back. He swallowed hard.
"Asami."
"NOOO." she shouted, before running out of the office. Kohta broke into a run after her, leaving his friends behind, stunned at what had happened.
"Asami, hold up. Where are you going?" he asked. She stopped and looked back.
"Don't you start acting like a good person all of a sudden you four eyed pig!" she shouted. He stood there shell shocked.
"A-Asami."
"Asami doesn't need anyone but Asami." she said firmly, before running off, heading towards the stairwell. Aiko looked at the young woman as she disappeared through the doors, holding her machine gun tightly in her hands.
"I heard screaming, what happened?" She asked, looking at Kohta. He shook his head, not wanting to answer. Hinata walked out of the room, locking eyes with his mother.
"Matsushima is dead. She never made it to the station mom...I'm sorry." he said. Aiko sighed, shaking her head as she glanced at the tile floor.
"It's alright. She knew it was a risk, she knew it could cost her everything, but she still wanted to go out there to get help. You know, I was the one who was gonna go in her place...I was geared up, I had this gun...but she knew Asami couldn't handle everything here on her own..so she told me to stay...goddamn it, if I had gone instead." she muttered dryly.
"Then I wouldn't have found you mom...I wouldn't have spoken to you again, that would have been you out there, and I saw you like that...one of them. I don't know what I would do. It sucks, that she died in vain, but it's better her than you." he said firmly, earning a shocked look from the woman. She gave him a sad smile, looking at the ceiling.
"Christ, I need a fifth of vodka...I can't believe I'm thinking something so fucked up." she replied.
"That Police woman that went to find help is dead. No one is coming to help us." the businessman said, puffing his cigarette. One kid was on the ground, covering his ears. His hair was shielding his face, but everyone could tell he wasn't doing so well mentally. Kohta came back into the room, looking at the floor.
"Hirano."
He looked up, in time to catch Alice in hug. He looked at Takashi who gave him a firm look.
"The Plan is tomorrow, we're leaving." he said. This got Hinata and Aiko's attention, the two of them walking into the nearby store everyone else had walked into.
"That's a little sudden don't you think?" he asked, a smirk on his face.
"If you have a problem with it then just say so. And FYI, the other group heard what she said, get it?" Saya said.
"They know the Police isn't going to help, they know no one is coming here to help them. We can't stay here and wait until shit hits the fan...we gotta start preparing..this place is lost." Takashi said firmly. Hinata sighed, closing his eyes.
"I had so many plans for this place...all it takes is a little thing to fuck up a plan...well...I suppose it's fine...we can go with the original plan and head to Mt. Fuji." he said.
"Sweetheart, don't you think that's a little too far?" Aiko asked curiously, earning a nod from him.
"It will be hard getting there, I know...but it's a good place to hole up..I won't go over the details, but trust me, it's a good place as any." he replied.
Back with Asami's group, all of the people were standing around inside the large office, just staring out the window seeing the now deceased Matsushima, shambling toward the mall, a large chunk ripped from her leg. The business man gulped, taking a puff of his cigarette.
"The Police ain't coming, they ain't coming here."
"Then what the fuck do we do now?" the other woman cried.
"We need to find a safe place." the young man said, gaining their attention.
"Where would that be? The Police station or?"
"How would we there? Cars don't work anymore." another man said.
"If we tried walking there, that old lady might croak like the Police woman...those kids, we should go with those kids until we find a better place." the first woman said, a firm look on her eyes.
"I wouldn't be so sure of that. Those kids are already too far gone...they are walking around, toting guns like nothing..killing those things. That kid, he killed Shimada...I don't trust them." the portly man in the tee shirt said, looking at the woman.
"Cut the shit, we can't rely on those kids, their a bunch of lazy asses." the man said, puffing his cigarette.
"What are you talking about old man?" another man said.
"What we need to do is find a safe place. We got plenty of food and water, if we keep the doors sealed off, the monsters can't get inside."
"How long will that last?" the teenager said, looking up at everyone. He gave a dry laugh, looking at them all, face pale and eyes widened.
"All of us will die...I'm an expert on zombies. I've seen every movie out there, eventually we'll all die and become them. Those high school kids will get eaten too, it doesn't matter if they have guns or not!" he said firmly, a grin on his face.
The old couple stood up, grabbing the IV pole from beside the bed.
"Where are you going?" Shimada asked.
"We just thought of getting some fresh air on the roof."
Hinata and Takashi had lead everyone else down to Victoria's Secret to retrieve their munitions and packs. After talking it out, they had decided to move out of the mall at that very moment, while the sun was still out. It wouldn't be that long until the foundations keeping Asami's group together
"We can't afford to waste ammunition, we don't have that much ammo for the rifles, we need to restock." Kohta muttered.
"I doubt the cops and S.A.T's would give us some. Maybe a gun store?" Takashi suggested.
"There's one near the castle, on the south side." Hinata said, grabbing his rifle, along with his satchel. Even though she had seen them before, Aiko still had trouble believing all of those kids were able to use those guns without issue. She didn't doubt Hinata's ability with a rifle, but she didn't know much about his other friends.
"You would know that." Saya muttered, grabbing her Luger and holster. She had Rei help her strap it onto her side.
"But..we might not be able to salvage anything. That's one of the places that ended up getting looted in the beginning, so there's nothing left." Takashi said firmly. Common sense told him that the gun store would go first. If what Hinata and Saya had mentioned about the ammunition dumps being in S.A.T. safe houses, then they could try to find one, but that was easier said than done.
"You don't know that." Kohta said.
"Listen, I understand that you're in a bad mood but.."
"But what?" he asked firmly, glaring at the spiky haired teen. He sighed, shaking his head.
"If there's anything you have to say, say it, I'd like to keep my life." Takashi said. Kohta deflated and let out a chuckle.
"You give up to easily Komuro, though I guess I do too." he said.
"Anyway, I better gather the others and let them know that Operation 009 Rescue Beta is underway." Hinata said, loading the magazine filled with incendiary ammunition into his rifle, pulling the bolt back.
"You named the mission?" Takashi asked.
"Problem?" he asked, a smile on his face.
"No, it actually sounds freaking cool." he said with a thumbs up. Hinata chuckled and started to leave the store.
"Before we leave, we should make sure we have everything we might need. It doesn't hurt to have an extra pair of clothes with you, in case something happens where we need to change. Also grab plenty of underwear and socks, especially socks...we don't need anyone getting gangrene or severe athletes foot." Aiko suggested, earning nods from everyone. They all split up, searching for what they needed.
"I'm...I'm gonna go talk to Asami...I don't want to leave like this." Kohta said, heading off toward the emergency exit.
"Hurry back you fat ass!" Saya called out, making the teen groan a bit as he dove into the stairwell.
"Aren't you too going to find what you need?" Aiko asked curiously.
"I already packed extra clothes for myself. It was one of the first things I did, it was also one of the first things I forced Saya to do." he said, looking at his girlfriend who gave him a huff.
"I don't know why you felt the need to pick stripped panties for me. I get the socks, they were fuzzy and cute, but the panties? Way overdone." She said.
"They look great on you, plus I love watching your ass shake when you wear them!" he exclaimed.
"Oh god son, please keep the bedroom talk to yourselves. I'm gonna go grab my gear, thankfully I left it upstairs so we can be out of here in no time." she said, taking off toward the spot where she stored her stuff.
"It's a shame you know...I was looking forward to spending more time here...we even went through all the trouble of turning the generators on." Saya said.
"Yeah, but sadly things never go according to plan." he replied. She took a firm hold of his hand, a frown on her face. He noticed she was wearing her engagement ring now, the diamond glittering brightly in the sunlight. He dug his hand in his pocket, pulling out a small white box from within.
"Uh...I know stealing is wrong and all but...I wanted to get you something for your birthday, since it's coming up and all." he said.
"Dumb ass, we don't have time for stupid shit like that!" she snapped angrily.
"I know but...just hear me out. I've realized over the last few days that you've become one of the most important people in my life. You help keep me sane, without you, I don't know what I would do. So please...accept this." he said, holding the box to her, bowing slightly to hide his blush. She gingerly took the box from his hand, tossing the lid aside carelessly. Her eyes widened a bit, seeing what was inside.
It was a necklace, the chain being made from pure silver. It was a thin chain, and was rather small. The charm that was attached to it was a platinum colored puzzle piece, in the shape of a heart, being around the size of a nickel. When she looked at it closely, she saw a thin letter etched into it, a beautiful letter H. She looked up from the box, a curious look on her face.
"This is beautiful, but why a puzzle piece?" she asked curiously. He rose up his left hand, showing off a gold colored charm bracelet, a single charm being attached to it. It was a heart shaped puzzle piece, which looked like it could fit into another one. She looked closer at it, seeing a stylized S on it, in the same font that had been used for her own charm.
"I picked a puzzle piece because you complete me, as cheesy as that sounds." he said, giving her a grin. She sighed, shaking her head as she took the necklace out of the box, and placed it on around her neck.
"Thank you Hinata." she said quietly. He leaned forward, placing a soft kiss on her lips. He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her as close to himself as he could, loosing himself in a moment of bliss, as he ignored everything around him. Even with the sense of urgency, he wanted this, he wanted more, but he knew it wasn't the time.
A sharp scream of pain filled his ears, forcing him to pull away from her. He looked back at the store front, wondering where it had come from. He walked out of the store, looking in the direction of the bed store, where Asami's group had been staying at. He noticed the long haired teenager was clutching his side, a pained look on his face. There was a red splotch of blood on his white tee shirt.
"He stabbed me...he fucking stabbed me!" he cried, pointing to the other teenager, who had a deranged look on his face. He was still clutching the knife tightly in his hand, the red droplets falling to the tile floor.
"That's right...I needed to know if I could kill now...I'll kill you all, so don't try any stop me!" he said, taking a few steps back from the group, his knife being held up at them.
"Whoa kid, calm down now...don't do anything hasty here!" Hinata said, holding his hands up. The teen looked at him, aiming his knife at him.
"Don't come any closer! I'll fucking kill you both!" he cried loudly.
"Big brother Hinata...we're all...what's going on here?" Savannah cried, sliding to a stop next to Hinata. He glanced back, seeing the rest of his friends, all ready to go, including Asami who had her baton in her hands.
"Nothing sweetie, just get ready to go." he said.
"You can't leave us here, not with this deranged freak!" the business man said.
"Sorry man, dealing with him isn't my issue. Whatever happens here, good luck, you're gonna need it." Hinata said firmly. He gestured for the others to leave, his eyes firmly on the kid with the knife. Loud groans filled his ears, and he looked over the railing, down to the first floor, seeing a large horde of them making their way into the plaza.
"What the fuck? How did they get in?" Saya called out in anger.
"Oh god, we're gonna die, their gonna tear us apart." the woman screamed, hiding behind the man with the pipe. Hinata grit his teeth, looking at the kid with the knife, who had a smirk on his face.
"You did this didn't you? You let them in!"
The teen didn't reply with anything coherent, other than a sick laugh. He lunged forward, running at Hinata with a predatory look on his face. He howled loudly, bringing his knife down on him. Hinata reacted quickly, dodging the teen barely missing the knife. He quickly tossed aside his pack and rifle, and got into a stance. Without a bayonet, he knew it would be useless, but he still knew how to fight.
"Hinata!" Saya cried, worry written on her face.
"Don't worry, I got this just focus on blocking the escalators!" he cried, not even looking back at her. She grabbed his pack, tossing it to Rei, handing the rifle to Takashi as they moved to block the nearby escalators. She knew he would be fine, he wasn't going to die anytime soon.
Hinata jerked his head to and fro, dodging every swipe thrown at him. He waited for him to throw another swipe before grabbing his arm, twisting it as hard as he could, getting him to drop the knife. He slammed his fist into his chin, sending him sprawling to the ground. The teen groaned in pain, looking around in confusion for a second, before scrambling for the knife. He grabbed it, just in time to look up at a Freak, that was about to take a bite out of him. He screamed loudly, only for the Freak's head to literally explode into bone fragments and brain matter. Hinata had grabbed a nearby manikin and had used it's arm as a makeshift weapon, taking down the nearby Freaks only to toss the arm aside, ignoring the blood on his shirt.
"This is between me and him, not you fucks!" he said, running at the teen again. He cried loudly, fear written on his face as Hinata swept him off his feet. He slammed to the ground hard, loosing the air in his lungs. He sat there, gasping for a few seconds, while Hinata just shook his head.
"I can't believe you would do this...you stabbed a fellow survivor and let all of these Freaks in here, for what purpose? This place could have been a stockade, you could have lived here for weeks on end until rescue came, instead you not only fucked yourself, but you fucked everyone else. I better not see you again." he said firmly, turning around to meet up with his friends. The teen started chuckling, a smirk on his face as he grabbed the knife that was beside him.
"You won't see me again...because I'm going to kill you!" he cried angrily, running at him. Hinata swiftly turned around eyes wide as he was tackled to the ground. The teen pulled his fist back, bringing it down hard on Hinata's face. He grit his teeth, his eyes becoming teary and unfocused. He could taste copper in his mouth, and he was breathing hard. He punched the teen back, but due to his adrenaline, he just took it, and rose his knife up, about to stab Hinata in the face. His face was devoid of sanity, his eyes were wide and tears fell down his face, loud laughter erupted from his throat as he held the knife in the air.
"Goodbye asshole!" he cried loudly, about to bring the knife down. Hinata closed his eyes, his teeth grit.
"This is probably retribution for killing those four...great...what a shitty way to go!" Hinata thought to himself. He didn't even get to say goodbye to Saya, or his friends. The teenager was about to bring the knife down to complete his first kill, only he stopped when something hot and red whizzed by his face, slamming into the back wall, bursting into several glowing red dots. He looked back, seeing smoke coming from the back wall, which was glowing red. Looking up, he saw Alice, holding a bright orange flare gun in her hands, her eyes soaked with tears. He was so distracted, he didn't even feel the cold barrel of Hinata's gun on his chin until it was too late. A loud gunshot filled the entire mall, his vision turned red and this time it wasn't in anger. Hinata tossed the teenager's body aside, just as a few Freaks knelt down to tear it apart. He didn't feel a single ounce of remorse as he stood up, drenched in his blood.
"Fuck you!" he spat, stepping backward, watching as the boy was torn apart by the Freaks.
"Hinata...Christ are you alright?" Aiko asked, checking her son over for injuries. Other than a few scrapes on his face from the tip of the knife, and a busted lip, he was fine. He took his shirt off, using it to wipe the blood off his face.
"Do I have any brain matter in my hair?" he asked, earning a head shake from his mom. Tossing his shirt aside, he quickly stepped into the nearby clothing store, grabbing the first one on the rack, slipping it on. He took his pack from Rei, and his rifle from Takashi.
"Right, we need to move before we're swarmed. It seems that asshole opened up all the emergency exits on the first floor, but if we take the stairs here, we can get down to the street easily." he said, going on as if nothing had happened. They all wanted to ask him if he was alright, but they knew it wasn't the right place or time. Takashi nodded, leading everyone to the stairs.
"Alright then, let's get going!" he said. They headed toward the stairs, throwing the door open, eyes widening when they saw the large amount of Freaks hanging around the parking lot. Hinata grit his teeth as he looked around for an exit.
"There's at least three hundred here..maybe more. We can't kill them all, and if we shoot we'll attract more." Kohta said firmly. Hinata dug his hand in his pack, digging his hand into Saya's shirt to grab her lighter.
"What the fuck are you doing?!" she shouted, the Freaks snapped their attention at her, and started shambling their way. He didn't say a thing, instead lighting the fuse. He pressed the button and threw it as hard as he could hoping they would follow the sound. All of the Runners moved toward it, crowing around it while the slow ones just followed after it. They waited for the explosion before finally moving down the stairs, getting onto the parking lot.
"Uh...what do we do now? Where do we go?" Rei asked, her eyes wide as she looked in all directions. She didn't like being surrounded, and she could see more Freaks walking toward them, no doubt attracted by Hinata's bomb.
"This way, we need to get out of here, toward the freeway!" Takashi said, leading them down the eastern part of the mall. Saeko raced ahead of them, slicing and dicing any Freak that dared come near them. Rei took out the ones she missed with her bayonet, while Hinata slammed the stock of his gun into their faces as hard as he could. One Freak wondered close to Savannah, making her scream loudly, only for Nick to shoot it, the birdshot wasn't enough to kill it, but it did dear it's arm and leg off. The Freak reached up for him with his remaining arm, only for it's head to be crushed.
"This used to be a nice neighborhood!" he cried loudly, blood spraying onto his shirt and pants.
"Get the fuck away from me! This shit costs more than your lives!" Melanie shouted, swinging her golf club as hard as she could, cracking an undead woman on the side of the head. Nozomi rushed past her, bringing her new pick axe down on the head of a Freak. She slammed her foot onto it's chest, jerking the tool out of it's head, only to slam it into the head of another.
"I'm tired of standing around doing nothing! No one is going to get hurt on my watch, not anymore!" she cried loudly. Melanie chuckled dryly.
"About time." she muttered.
"There's too many of them. Takashi, what do we do?" Kohta asked, looking to his leader for guidance. The teen slammed the stock of his shotgun into a Freak, splattering it's brains all over the side of a car.
"We need a distraction...um..shit...anything will do!" he replied. Hinata looked around for anything he could use, spotting an abandoned car, with three gas cans on top of it, held down by rope. He smirked, raising his rifle to his shoulder, looking right through the scope.
"Too easy." he muttered, pulling the trigger. The tanks erupted into flames as soon as it made contact, thanks to the incendiary round. It wasn't long before the entire car caught fire. He pressed the button on another pipe bomb and threw it in that direction, not even bothering to light it. Everyone fell silent, hoping the Freaks would take the bait, which luckily they did. They all ran for it, just in time to avoid the explosion. They all cried as they slammed hard into the ground from the shock. Hinata's ears were ringing loudly, and he was a bit dizzy from the sudden vertigo. He grabbed his rifle and quickly stood up, shaking his head a bit. He faintly heard Saya's voice and felt her take his hand, urging him to run. His vision cleared enough and he looked back at the remains of the car, a smile on his face.
"Great, that'll do for now. We need to make it to Aunt Kiriko and Uncle Tadashi's now mom, or else we'll be mobbed." he said, looking at his mother who gave him a nod. They took off, running out of the parking lot into the streets filled with Freaks. His vertigo finally gone, Hinata found himself in that all to familiar rush. He grinned as he barreled his rifle into the nearest Freak, sending blood and teeth and and teeth in all directions. He jumped onto the hood of a car and opened fire on the nearest ones, setting them ablaze thanks to his ammunition. One of them reached for his leg, taking it firmly in it's hands, only for it's head to get split in half. He flashed Saeko a smile as she raced into the crowd, slicing the nearby Freaks clean in half.
"We need to find shelter, some place we can hole up for a while." Saya said.
"There's too many around us...if we keep shooting, more of them will show up, at this rate...I'll have to shoot." Takashi said firmly, patting the vest pocket that held his shotgun shells.
"Everyone, let's head to the East Police Station! Matsushima didn't make it, but that doesn't mean it still isn't running. We can take this street up here!" Aiko said, pointing forward to the bend in the road that would lead them onto an off ramp, that would lead further into the residential district.
"But auntie Aiko, is that a wise idea?" Rei asked, a look of worry on her face. The black haired woman nodded, giving her a firm smile.
"Rei, it's the only option we have right now. I'm low on ammunition, and we need to hide from these fucks before we all get taken down. Plus it's gonna get dark soon. We can't be out in the open." she said.
"Mom is right, we need to move now!" Hinata said.
"Alright, we have our heading, move out, everyone shoot at will."
As everyone moved toward the freeway, they came to realize that several hundred Freaks still remained in the area. No matter how many they took out, more of them seemed to show up. Hinata couldn't afford to waste anymore bombs, especially since they attracted more Freaks to them, and he couldn't risk running into a horde of Runners. He was running out of options, and frankly it was scaring him. A loud cry erupted from behind him, and he turned around, only to see Asami on the ground, having tripped over a suitcase that had been laying on the ground. She was panting hard, struggling to stand up as she reached for her gun. One of the Freaks dropped to the ground, taking a large bite out of her leg, her screams of agony filled their ears, as more Freaks started partaking in their new feast.
"ASAMI!" Kohta howled, tears streaming down his face. Aiko grit her teeth, racing into the crowd.
"Mom!" Hinata cried. The woman slammed the stock of her gun into one of the Freaks, killing it instantly. She opened fire into the crowd, cursing the Police laws for the removal of her gun's automatic function. She pulled the empty magazine from her gun and slammed in a new one, pulling the slide back.
"You fuckers! You took Matsushima, and now you take Asami too? Can't you fuck off?" she howled angrily. Asami coughed up a large glob of blood, looking up at her friend, a sad smile on her face.
"P-please...Aiko-san...don't...let..me...turn." she said, the last flickers of life leaving her eyes. Aiko looked down tears streaming down her face as she pulled the trigger of her gun, ending Asami's life. She backed away from the crowd, turning back to her son and the rest of the group, all of them traumatized by what had happened to them. A larger group of Freaks burst from a nearby alleyway, making her stop in her tracks, a shocked look on her face.
"Mom, hurry up!" Hinata cried, from his spot atop a truck. As fucked up as it seemed, Asami's death had drawn half of the large group away from them, leaving the on ramp clear of Freaks, but still more kept coming. He had already taken down most of them with his incendiary ammunition, but he had already run out of those rounds. Aiko bashed the nearest one in the face, it's body dropping to the ground.
"GO! I'll meet you at the station!" she cried, shooting off the rest of her magazine.
"NO! Not without you!" Hinata cried back, tears running down his face.
"Sweetheart, I've lived my life and I have seen a great many things, I had you, my sweet bundle of joy, you are surrounded by so many great people, and have a beautiful woman by your side. Forget about me, you go on and live your life!" she snapped back, replacing the spent magazine, not caring that she dropped one to the ground.
"Auntie Aiko! Please don't!" Rei cried, wanting to run into the group, to stab every single Freak around her beloved Aunt, only Takashi was holding her back. She tried but couldn't break free of his hold.
"Go goddamn it!" Aiko shouted, just as she slammed into a wall, her machine gun raised as she let off the last of her ammunition. She had a grin on her face, staring down at all of the Freaks in front of her, not fearing death in the slightest. Blood and brain matter bathed her body, but she didn't care, the last round fired out of her gun and she tossed it aside, drawing her knife from it's holster. She kept taking them down, but eventually she was overwhelmed, and they couldn't see her any longer. Hinata just stood there, shocked to see the Freaks tearing apart his mother. Even if he didn't see it from where he stood, he couldn't stop imagining it. He kept pulling the trigger of his rifle, but nothing but empty clicks filled his ears. He took a deep shaky breath before running off, heading in the direction of the police station.
Images of his mother flashed in his mind, of all the good times they had, the bad times, the times where they played together, hung out together, and even the times where they mourned together. He let out an anguished wail as he slammed his rifle into a Freak, smashing it's head onto the ground over and over again, blood bathed the pavement, but he didn't stop. He heard the groan of another Freak and looked to his left, only to see a bayonet pierce it's eye. Rei kicked the body back as hard as she could, sending it sprawling to the ground. She rose the rifle to her shoulder, flicking the safety off.
"Rei don't!" Takashi cried, but it went on deaf ears as the girl pulled the trigger of the rifle, nailing a Freak with surprising accuracy. She continued firing, taking down all the nearby Freaks until her magazine clicked empty, and when it did she dropped down to her knees, letting out a tired and anguished cry to the heavens above her.
"I'm going to kill them...I'll kill them all...whoever hurts my family...I'll kill them." Hinata whispered, his hands shaking in anger. The skies above him started rumbling as the onset of a storm was settling in. the wind picked up a bit, the scent of decaying flesh and blood filling his nose. It was at that time that he finally let go of the past world. It wouldn't serve him anymore, it would only serve to hold him back. The old Hinata was dead, gone with the old world, and the new Hinata, was the one that wasn't going to take shit lightly. Not after what had happened, not after the losses they had. He etched a second tally on the barrel of his M1911, shoving his knife back into it's scabbard. He grabbed his discarded rifle and slung it over his shoulder, flicking the safety of his handgun off.
"We're moving on, the police station isn't far from here." he said, looking back at his friends. They all gave him worried looks, but he shook his head.
"Don't worry about me, I'm fine...Mom sacrificed herself for us, so that we could live on...and I'm not going to let it go to waste..so let's go." he said cheerfully, though a bit firmly.
"How can...how can you say that? Auntie Aiko is dead! Aren't you sad by that?" Rei snapped angrily.
"Of course I am, but this is reality Rei, so fucking accept it! People are born, they live and then they die, you aren't immortal and I am not immortal, but we can't bow down now. So either you stand up or you fucking stay here, got it?" he snapped angrily, walking up the street. Rei's jaw dropped, unable to believe her cousin had just said something so cruel to her. Saya brushed past her, breaking into a sprint to catch up to her boyfriend, who was trying his hardest not to burst into tears.
"Hinata, please...I know what you are going through, but you have to keep calm...you can't say things like that, even if they are true!" she said.
"I know...but it's the only way she'll understand. I'll be fine alright?" he asked, earning a nod from her. She pulled him into a deep comforting kiss, wrapping her arms around him and holding him close. He pulled away from her and just buried his face into her shoulder, hugging her tightly as he let out his emotions.
Things were starting to become tougher and tougher, and it was only the first week of the apocalypse. Three months, six months, a year down the line, who knew what things would be like? The here and now, that's what mattered. Everything was starting to change, and while everyone wished for the world to go back to the way it used to be, I found myself relishing in it. Sure, I lost people dear to me, but living in a Freak infested world was more appealing than living in a normal boring life. From here on out, everything changed, far more than anyone could have ever anticipated...