54.
Last Alarm
Chapter 54
"The Alamo"
Part Five
"When you are overwhelmed by a situation…when you're in the darkest of darkness…that's when your priorities are reordered." _ Phoebe Snow
Time: "Zero Dark Thirty"– Approximately three minutes thirty-three seconds later after leaving Saya's room.
Location: Takagi Manor – Second Floor hallway
Z-Day Times Five
As the three men walked down the long hallway that was completely devoid of light save for the dull glow emitting from the red chemlights they wore around their necks, Takashi could not help but wonder to himself as he watched the big American walking silently in front of him, just exactly how a man so large and carrying so much equipment and weaponry on his person could still move so easily and without even making the slightest bit of noise as he moved.
'Unlike Kouta...' Takashi thought to himself sourly, his annoyance at the portly teen walking directly behind him growing as Kouta let out another loud yawn that actually echoed down the hallway as the trio headed towards Saya's room to retrieve the rest of their friends.
"Keep it down, back there...!" The American snapped at the two boys over his shoulder as Takashi opened his mouth to say something in response, but then thought better of it and merely reached back and punched Kouta on the shoulder in annoyance.
"Sorry..." Kouta said rubbing his arm as the three men continued their trek the rest of the way to Saya's room in complete silence.
"Guess I really can't blame him for yawning like that though..." Takashi thought to himself as he tried to stifle a tired yawn as well after having been roughly awaken from an exceptionally restful sleep earlier when the American mercenary had slipped undetected into the room that he shared with Kouta and had roughly shaken the both of them awake.
And Takashi shivered slightly at the memory of suddenly being roughly shaken awake and opening his eyes to see the big man hunkering over him which had startled him so much that at first, he had been completely unable to comprehend the American's orders for he and Kouta to hurry and get dressed, and it had taken a few moments for the man's words to finally sink in before they then began to comply.
Even now minutes later the impact of what the American had said still left Takashi in somewhat of a daze as he struggled to clear the cobwebs in his head and focus on what the man had told them both earlier.
"Thousands…?!" Takashi thought to himself his fear beginning to build even more at the terrifying image forming in his head of thousands of Infected lying in wait just outside the gates of the mansion as the three of them finally arrived at Saya's room and the American security contractor then knocked quietly on the large oak door.
"How could thousands of 'Them' have just shown up outside without anyone noticing?!" Takashi wondered to himself as he heard faint footsteps approaching the door from the other side.
"And why did Jimu-san say that we were all being moved downstairs...?!" Takashi thought his anxiety building with each passing second. "...I mean, if the Infected do get in, doesn't he think it might be safer for us to stay up here on the top floor of the mansion, instead of being on the bottom floor?"
"This just doesn't make any sense..." Takashi thought to himself as his troubled thoughts were suddenly interrupted as the door finally opened and Saya's mother appeared and waved them all in without uttering a word as the three men entered the room as Yuriko Takagi shut the door behind them.
Once Takashi had finally entered the room, he was immediately surprised to see Rei, Saya, Shizuka, and Alice sitting on the large western-style bed in the middle of the room wearing the same red chem-lights hanging from their necks just like the American contractor had given Kouta and himself to wear.
"Okay, this is worse than I thought..." Takashi thought to himself as he gazed upon the faces of his companions who were all visibly frightened, especially Alice, who was clinging tightly to Shizuka's waist.
"Wait a minute, where's Busujima-sempai?" Takashi thought to himself as he suddenly noticed the one person that was noticeably missing amongst the group of women gathered in the room.
But just as he was about to inquire about their missing companion, Takashi was suddenly interrupted as the American contractor suddenly uttered an oath in frustration.
"Oh for cripes sake..!" The American said sourly shaking his head as everyone except Yuriko gazed at the man in confusion. "...what the hell?"
"What?!" Saya asked suddenly getting defensive. "...what's did we do wrong now?"
"Why are you girls wearing skirts...?" Jim replied with a frown pointing at the knee-length ruffled skirt Saya wore and the short school uniform skirt that Rei was wearing. "...don't either of you have any type of jeans or pants that you can wear like the ones Shizuka is wearing?"
"Why...?!" Saya huffed in annoyance. "...are you offended by girls wearing skirts or something?"
"No..." The American replied with noticeable frustration in his voice. "...but all things considered, I figured ya'll would realize that wearing pants would be better suited for this situation than wearing skirts."
"You never said anything about us wearing pants, Jimu-san..." Rei said slightly pouting at the man's rebuke about their choice of dress. "...how were we supposed to know that's what you wanted us to wear?"
"Ano, in their defense, what Miyamoto-san says is true, you never said anything about wearing pants, Jimu-san...' Shizuka replied. "...you only said to wear something that gave us freedom of movement."
'Yeah, but I figured that after all we've been through with the Infected before..." Jim said rubbing his brow in frustration. "...ya'll girls would have thought enough to realize I meant for you to wear something more practical than fancy party dresses and school uniforms."
"Well shoooot, sorry to tell ya this, pardner..." Saya replied with extreme sarcasm in an overly exaggerated Southern drawl. "...but over heah in Japaaaan, we jus' don' run 'round in these here parts in tight jeans and cowboy boots like yaaaaa'll do back in San Antone."
"Well no, shiiii_,uh...shoot..!' Jim snapped acidly at the teenage hot head in response to her sarcasm before quickly catching himself as he then took a deep breath to calm himself as Yuriko gave Saya a warning glance.
"Saya-chan, not another word out of you, young lady...!' Yuriko snapped at her daughter as Saya turned her head away and pouted as the American contractor took another deep breath before speaking again.
"Okay, that's my bad..." Jim said through gritted teeth as Takashi glanced over at Saya and shook his head upon noticing for himself just how out of place Saya did indeed appear standing there defiantly in front of everyone wearing a very expensive, and extremely ridiculous-looking ruffled dress.
"But again, I figured that considering the situation, all of you would have at least figured out that maybe you should have picked something comparable to what Shizuka is wearing..." Jim added as he pointed at the tan casual slacks cut off at mid-calf that the school nurse was wearing.
"Why would I want to wear something as tacky as that for...?" Saya asked heatedly as Shizuka's face reddened and Yuriko rolled her eyes and shook her head in embarrassment at her daughter's rudeness.
"I mean seriously, what does it really matter what the hell we wear at this poi_... ooouuumph?!' Saya began but was cut off mid-sentence when her mother suddenly and unexpectedly, reached over and clamped her hand over Saya's mouth, silencing her.
"What my extremely rude daughter really means to say, Cxxxxxxx-san..." Yuriko interrupted deliberately holding her hand over her daughter's mouth to prevent her from speaking as Saya struggled to remove her mother's hand. "...is that both my daughter and I are not accustomed to wearing casual wear such as slacks or jeans in our home, since both of our normal everyday wardrobe consists only of long dresses and skirts."
"In fact..." Yuriko continued. "...the last time I've worn pants myself was when I was Saya-chan's age, and the BDU's I wore the other day were actually borrowed from one of Yoshioka-san's men."
"And since neither my daughter nor I had anything that would fit Miyamoto-san, anyway..." Yuriko added tightening her hold over Saya's mouth despite her struggles. "...there really was no other choice but for Miyamoto-san to wear her school uniform."
"Oh..." The American said scratching his head with a sheepish look on his face as Yuriko finally removed her hand and gave her daughter a threatening look as Saya gasped for air.
"Now that that misunderstanding has been settled, I am quite sure that my daughter would now very much like to apologize to Marikawa-sensei for her rude remark about her attire, don't you Sayaaaa-CHAN?!' Yuriko said in a low voice filled with fury as Saya gulped in fear and immediately turned to face the school nurse who was still glaring angrily at the errant teen.
"So_so, ne?" Saya said sweating nervously under her mother's furious gaze as she turned and bowed politely to the school nurse.
"Go-gomen nasai, Marikawa-sensei..." Saya stammered nervously bowing several more times as she spoke. "...I-I really didn't mean to be so rude."
"That's quite alright, Saya-chan..." Shizuka relied pleasantly as Takashi tried hard to stifle a laugh at the scared look on Saya's face, knowing from past experience that the hard-headed teen was much more afraid of her own mother than anyone, or anything else on earth, including the Infected.
"Hey guys, where's Saeko?" The American contractor suddenly interrupted as he glanced all around the room as Takashi noticed to his surprise that Saya's mother actually seemed to hesitate a moment before answering the man.
"Uhmmm,…she's still in the bathroom getting dressed, Jim." Yuriko replied which suddenly struck Takashi as rather odd since in all the years he had ever known her, Saeko Busujima had never been the type to worry too much about her style of dress or personal appearance, unlike most girls.
"She wasn't quite ready when you knocked on the door, so I told her to go ahead and finish changing in the bathroom..." Yuriko added as the American contractor rolled his eyes and blew out a sigh of frustration.
"Well she had more than enough time to put something on by now..." Jim replied with a frown as he glanced over at the other women in the room. "…everyone else here seems good to go…what's the hold-up?"
"Well, I'm afraid that part of the problem was also the fact that my maid may have been extremely upset by the presence of our sudden 'visitors'…" Yuriko replied in an embarrassed tone as the American gazed over at her with a puzzled expression on his face. "…and apparently she completely misunderstood my instructions on what clothes to bring for Saeko-chan to wear, because unfortunately, what she brought wasn't at all what I had asked for."
"Be that as it may Yuriko-san, we really don't have time for Saeko to find a matching blouse and skirt…" Jim said with a sigh as he began moving towards the bathroom door. "….she should have just thrown something on, and be done with it already."
"I am completely aware of that Cxxxxxxx-san…" Yuriko said growing slightly annoyed with the way the American security contractor was talking to her.
"And I did tell her that we couldn't afford to waste any more time…" Yuriko continued as the man merely shook his head in response and raised his hand to knock on the bathroom door. "…and so I told Saeko-chan to just put on whatever she could find that would fit her."
"Well, she better have found something already, because we're running out of time..." Jim replied as he knocked loudly on the thin wood door leading into the bathroom as Takashi heard a startled gasp come from within.
"Saeko...?!' The American said irritably after knocking loudly upon the closed door. "...we need to go hon, are you almost ready?"
"Ha-hai, just one more moment, Ji-san..." Saeko replied through the closed door as Jim once again sighed heavily in frustration and then grudgingly walked across the room and sat down on the edge of the bed.
"I don't frickin' believe this..." Jim muttered sourly under his breath as he placed both of his hands against his face and shook his head. "...here we are surrounded by an army of Infected and everything's being held up because a bunch of teenage girls can't find the perfect outfit to wear for a zombie apocalypse."
"So much for a quick 'extract'..." The American contractor said lowering his hands from his face as he leaned forward and rested his elbows on his legs and stared blankly at the floor in frustration as the teens and Shizuka stared at each other in confusion over the man's words.
"Extraction... what does he mean by that?" Rei whispered as she leaned closer to Takashi's ear as Takashi merely shrugged his shoulders in response.
"By the way, Mrs. Takagi…" The American said as he lifted his head and glanced wearily over at Saya's mother. "…since we're up here anyway, it would probably be best if you changed your clothing as well, don't you think?"
"Under the circumstances, normally I would agree with you, Cxxxxxxs-san…" Yuriko replied gazing down upon the expensive silk evening gown that she had been wearing since dinner.
"But as you said before Jim, there's no time…." Yuriko replied as she then reached down with both hands and pulled up the hem of her dress, and then to everyone's surprise, suddenly ripped the costly garment apart along the seam covering her left leg.
But while most would have agreed that the Matriarch of the Takagi House's attempt to allow herself more freedom of movement by ripping her gown was indeed a wise thing to do under the present circumstances, Saya's mother was a little too overzealous in her effort and inadvertently tore much more of her dress than she had originally intended.
And in doing so, Yuriko Takagi also ended up exposing quite a bit of skin which did not go unnoticed by everyone around her, including the three males standing nearby.
"MO-MO-MOM!" Saya stammered aghast at the sight of her mother standing before everyone with her dress slit almost to the waist exposing her entire left leg….as well as a generous view of her underwear.
"Oops…gomen, I really hadn't meant to do that." Yuriko said completely embarrassed by her gaffe as Saya shook her head at her mother in embarrassment before she then turned her head and glared angrily at Kouta and Takashi who were standing in shocked awe as they stared open-mouthed, completely mesmerized at the sight of her mother's naked thigh….and exposed silk panties.
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TWO LOOKING AT?!" Saya said nearly shouting as the two boys immediately snapped out of their haze and then acted as if they were gazing elsewhere as Takashi suddenly yelped as Rei reached over and angrily pinched him hard on the arm.
"Dammit, keep it down...all of you!" Jim hissed at everyone in warning when suddenly a loud click of the bathroom door latch turning sounded and everyone's attention immediately turned towards the shadowy figure approaching through the open doorway with a red glowing chem-light hanging around her neck as Saeko finally stepped out of the bathroom.
"Shimatta…!" Takashi heard Saya's mother suddenly utter under her breath, followed by a startled gasp coming from Shizuka, which was immediately followed by a strangling noise suddenly coming from the American security contractor as Saya's face suddenly broke out into the biggest shit-eating grin Takashi had ever seen on the teenage hot head.
"Of all the things Sachiko-san could have picked from my closet for Saeko-chan to wear…." Takashi heard Yuriko mutter under her breath. "….what on earth could have ever possessed her to pick that?"
"A better question would be "why on earth would Busujima-sempai choose to wear that", if you ask me!' Rei said heatedly with unmistakable jealousy in her voice as Takashi noticed Shizuka suddenly placing her hand over Alice's eyes.
"Desho...?" Saya said barely able to keep from laughing as Takashi and Kouta both craned their necks to see what had so upset everyone so much and were immediately stunned at what they saw.
*"SUGE….!" Kouta breathed out loud at last as all of the women in the room flashed him an angry look.
*(Japanese for WOW!)
"Whoa..." Takashi breathed as he gazed upon the vision of beauty standing before him as a sudden searing hot pain shot through his right arm.
"Ow! ow! ow! ow...!' Takashi shouted with pain as Rei angrily pinched him savagely on his arm as Saya immediately broke out in laughter at the entire spectacle.
"Just exactly what do you think you are wearing, young lady?!" Jim suddenly sputtered angrily at last, as Takashi found himself unable to tear his gaze away from Saeko, despite the pain in his right arm as Rei continued to pinch him mercilessly.
In Takashi's defense, it would have been nearly impossible for any young male to tear his eyes away from the sight of the beautiful young woman standing in the middle of the room, although in this particular instance, the reason for everyone's reaction was due more so for her present attire, or lack thereof, than anything else.
At first glance, from her waist up Saeko's attire was almost completely unremarkable, with her upper torso clad in a school uniform blouse that she had apparently borrowed from one of the many hanging in Saya's closet.
But while the blouse she wore was nothing remarkable in itself, it was the clothing covering the lower half of Saeko's body that was the actual focus of everyone's attention at the present moment, as all eyes gazed upon the almost sheer, black silk mini-skirt she wore, which admittedly, bore a much stronger appearance to a loincloth than a skirt.
In truth, for anyone to say that the skirt Saeko was wearing was completely inappropriate for someone of her age to be wearing out in public would have been an understatement at best, and to try to prove that the skirt could even be classified as a legitimate article of clothing would have been stretching the truth as well.
But as shocking as it was for of everyone to see Saeko so scantily clothed, (with the exception of Saya that is, who was busy laughing her ass off) no one in the room was more horrified to see Saeko wearing that very skirt than Saya's own mother who could feel herself blushing beet red in embarrassment at the very sight of it and wondering to herself for perhaps the hundredth time just exactly how her maid had managed to find that particular piece of intimate apparel amongst the rest of her wardrobe.
The skirt in question that was currently upsetting everyone so much had been part of a matched set of intimate apparel that Yuriko had purchased as a 'surprise' for her husband in celebration of their fifth wedding anniversary, as Yuriko thoughts drifted back to the night that she had first worn that very outfit.
During the first few years of their marriage, as her husband's political ambitions grew, much of Soichiro Takagi's attention had been focused mainly on politics and protocol, leaving very little of her husband's attention remaining for much of anything else, including his beautiful wife.
Desperate to rekindle the flame that was now on the verge of being snuffed out completely and dissolve their marriage, Yuriko had made one last ditch effort to turn her husband's attention away from his political ambitions, praying that the heart of the man she had once loved so much had not completely hardened after all.
Very rarely had her husband ever shared much with his new wife about his innermost wants and desires when it came to matters concerning anything, much less the bedroom, and so Yuriko had been extremely nervous as to how her husband would react upon seeing her so scantily attired as she stepped into his office late one night while wearing the outfit.
"I certainly got his attention, all right..." Yuriko thought fondly to herself trying to conceal the smile forming at the sides of her face from the others as she reflected fondly at the look on her husband's face that night as he gazed at her wearing the see-through bra and matching skirt cut daringly high on both sides allowing her husband a generous view of her thighs.
The sight of his beautiful wife in that very outfit had not failed to arouse Soichiro's passions (among other things) that very night, nor did it ever fail to arouse the passions of either adults for many years afterwards whenever Yuriko wore it.
"Oh well, it was fun while it lasted..." Yuriko thought to herself with a laugh as she turned her head sharply at the sound of the American contractor who suddenly began to cough loudly as Yuriko suddenly realized that as much as the skirt had played a key part in strengthening the intimate relationship between her and her husband, the sight of the very same skirt on a teenage girl like Saeko, was a father's worst nightmare.
"Now, Jim..." Yuriko began realizing that the American was a heartbeat away from exploding like any other father would at seeing his 'little girl' attired so scantily attired. "...before you freak out_."
'Freak out?!" Jim said his voice rising as he pointed at the skirt as Yuriko closed her eyes and tried to remain calm knowing that anything she might say now at this point might only make matters worse.
'Why shouldn't I freak out?...that not even really a skirt...!' The American contractor continued as his voice began to rise with each passing second. '...that's frickin' intimate apparel for crying out loud...!"
"And what the hell is the deal with the combat boots?" Jim sputtered pointing to the pair of black heavy leather combat boots covering Saeko's feet giving her the appearance of a teenage dominatrix-in-training. "...he only thing that's missing now is the frickin' whip!"
"Jimu-san...!" Shizuka said in a scolding tone as she placed her hands over Alice's ears protectively. "...don't be so crude!"
"Ano, as far as the boots are concerned..." Saeko replied in a voice filled with embarrassment. "...since my shoes were left behind at the condo, all I could find amongst the things we managed to bring with us were these boots that used to belong to Marikawa-sensei's friend."
"I see, so I'm guessing that skirt belongs to your friend then, huh, Shizuka...?" Jim asked the school nurse in a voice filled with sarcasm completely forgetting the fact that the clothes had all come from Yuriko Takagi's closet.
"Does she usually dress like that for her job as a stripper or something?" Jim added as Yuriko immediately turned her head and glared angrily at the man for his remark.
"No, that skirt doesn't belong to Rika-chan... and no, she is most certainly does not work as a stripper Jimu-san...! Shizuka replied hotly as she flashed an angry look at the American contractor. "...I already told you before that she's a police officer!"
"Like I said, Cxxxxxxx-san..." Yuriko interjected trying to keep her voice neutral as Saya yelped in pain as her mother yanked firmly on one of her pigtails for her to stop laughing.
"I'm sure that Sachiko-chan was just scared and didn't pay attention to what she grabbed when she was gathering clothes for Saeko-chan to wear." Yuriko explained trying despite her irritation at the American's earlier remark to smooth things over with the irate man the same way she had been forced to do so with her own husband over the years whenever their daughter was involved in something mischievous.
"Ano..." Saeko said feeling extremely embarrassed as the American continued to stare at her disapprovingly, obviously not at all satisfied with Yuriko's explanation. "...gomen nasai Ji-san, but like Takagi-sama said, this is all that her maid brought."
"Saeko, do you honestly mean to tell me that out of that entire pile of clothes that Yuriko-san's maid brought, that particular skirt is all you could find to wear?!" Jim replied trying with much difficulty to remain calm and not having much success.
"Well,... I mean..." Saeko said hesitantly, keeping her eyes averted from everyone as she wrapped both of her arms around her torso as if trying to shield herself from all the eyes staring at her. "...everything else that Takagi-sama's maid brought was completely inappropriate for me to wear and so I had no choice but to wear this."
"Completely inappropriate...?!" The American said incredulously as he gestured with both of his hand towards Saeko. "...and just what the heck is this...Sunday morning church wear?!"
"Jimu-san, please calm down..." Shizuka said trying also in vain to calm the irate man. "...give Saeko-chan a chance to explain."
'Yeah, like there could possibly be an explanation for this...!" Jim muttered sourly under his breath as both Shizuka and Yuriko shot him an angry look.
"Awright...awright... Jim muttered upon noticing the heated looks coming from both the school nurse and Saya's mother as he then gestured for Saeko to continue with her explanation. "...go ahead, Saeko."
"I meant to say that everything else that the maid brought was either too long or too heavy, Ji-san..." Saeko added wishing that she could be anywhere else in the world as she could feel everyone's eyes staring at her especially the two teenage boys standing nearby. "...and you said that we needed to wear something that gave us freedom of movement."
"Since when does 'freedom of movement' have anything to do with dressing up like a teenage dominatrix?!" The American snapped irritably as Yuriko flashed him another angry "F_ck You" look in response that went completely unnoticed by the man.
"Jimu-san, that was completely uncalled for...!" Shizuka suddenly snapped angrily at Jim for an entirely different reason as she placed her hand on the man's arm in an effort to calm him as the American met her gaze.
"But Shizuka...you can see right through it!" The American hissed under his breath as Shizuka slapped the man on the shoulder as a warning for him to behave himself.
"Oh Jimu-san, stop exaggerating...!" Shizuka said biting her lip knowing full well that the American was not exaggerating at all. "...her skirt really isn't that bad."
"Not that bad?...well heaven help us if a stiff breeze happens along." Jim added throwing his hands up in the air as Saeko felt her face reddening, although no longer from embarrassment.
"Jimu-san, enough!" Shizuka said speaking sharply to Jim upon noticing the look on Saeko's face as the American finally got the hint and then also gazed over at Saeko and immediately felt a twinge of regret at the hurt look on the teenage girl's face.
"Jimu-san...please...enough." Shizuka repeated as the man glanced back at her before turning his attention back towards Saeko.
"You do realize that it's really not Saeko-chan's fault, don't you Jimu-san?" Shizuka said as the American stared at the floor for a long moment without saying anything before he then shook his head and sighed deeply in frustration.
"Yeah, I know..." The American security contractor said at last as he gazed over at Saeko who was still staring down at the floor in embarrassment.
"First the naked apron thing, now this..." Jim muttered sourly under his breath and then after a few awkward moments sighed heavily and ran his right hand through his hair.
"Are you sure that there's absolutely nothing else in that pile of clothes that you can wear, Saeko?" Jim asked and then grunted in pain as Shizuka suddenly reached over and pinched him painfully on the arm.
"Nothing amongst the clothing that Takagi-sama's maid brought, Ji-san." Saeko replied her head still lowered as the American flashed an angry look at Shizuka as he rubbed the sore spot on his arm before walking up to Saeko and then placed his hand on her shoulder.
"Well, there's really no time to go scrounging around for something else you can wear, so I guess there's really no choice then..." Jim said as he patted Saeko gently on the shoulder before he then turned and grabbed a leather belt lying on Saya's bed and handed it out to Saeko.
"However, onsidering how flimsy that outfit you're wearing is, the weight of that knife I gave you would probably rip that "skirt" in half if you tried to wear it..." The American mumbled sourly ignoring the heated looks from Shizuka and Yuriko as he handed the leather belt out to Saeko.
"Strap that knife I gave you to this belt hon, and wear it around your waist..." Jim said as Saeko took the belt from the man's hand and then reached for the large survival knife the man had given her earlier that was lying on a nearby table.
"Sorry for overreacting again, hon..." The American said apologetically as he placed his hand on Saeko's shoulder. "...I guess being the parent of a teenage girl is still a work in progress for me."
"Welcome to my world..." Yuriko mumbled sarcastically under her breath as Saya flashed her mother a look of annoyance.
"Oh, and by the way..." Jim said as he removed his hand from Saeko's shoulder and then turned to face the two teenage boys who were still ogling at her.
"From now on, if I catch either one of you boys focusing your eyeballs on something you shouldn't be..." Jim began his voice like the rumble of thunder from an approaching storm as he shifted the weight of his carbine in his arms in a threatening manner. "...I'll feed you to the Infected myself."
"Jimu-san..!" Shizuka snapped as Yuriko suddenly snickered loudly despite herself. "...that is not funny."
"I ain't joking..." The American said with no hint whatsoever in his voice that he was joking as Takashi and Kouta glanced nervously at each other as Saeko's face once again began burning from embarrassment.
"Jim..." Yuriko said breaking the awkward silence that had fallen as the man turned his head to face her.
"We really do need to get moving." Yuriko said with a sudden hint of urgency in her voice as Jim nodded his head in response.
"Okay guys, enough of all this silliness..." Jim began as he then turned towards everyone and motioned for everyone to gather around him. "...like Mrs. Takagi said, we don't have a lot of time, so let's get moving."
"Alright everyone..." Jim began as everyone huddled around the man in a semi-circle. "...I know Mrs. Takagi has already given you ladies a heads up on what we're doing and I already told you boys the same story, but before we all start heading downstairs there's a couple of things I need to tell you."
"First thing, do all of you guys remember the first day we met when we were all hiding in the teacher's lounge back at your school?" The American asked as the teens and the former school nurse nodded their heads in response.
"Well, back then none of you knew me..." Jim went on as he gently placed his hand on Saeko's shoulder. "...but that didn't make any difference at the time because we knew that in order to survive we had to trust each other."
"Of course..." Jim added with a shrug of his shoulders as he glanced over at Saeko with a sad expression on his face. "...I realize that there have been some trust issues between us since then."
"Unfortunately we no longer have the luxury of hashing out any trust issues that any of you guys might still have..." The American continued as he then fixed his gaze upon everyone else in the room. "...because the situation presently before us now is exactly as it was five days ago and if any of us are going to survive, I need all of you to once again display that same level of strength and maturity that all of you did before, once we start heading downstairs."
"Because once we leave this room there will be no place for any more silly-ass bullshit..." Jim said sternly as Shizuka and the teens immediately stiffened in surprise at the man's sudden curtness. "...from here on the situation is as deadly serious as it can possibly get."
"Clear enough?" Jim asked as everyone paused for a moment their eyes wide as saucers before everyone then nodded their heads in agreement.
"Okay..." Jim continued satisfied that his point had been made. "...now listen closely."
"Those chem-lights that you're wearing around your necks are not for fun..." Jim said pointing to the glowing red cyalume "necklaces" that everyone wore. "...the reason Mrs. Takagi and I gave them to you is so that we can spot you quickly in case something should happen."
"So whatever you do, don't take them off for any reason." The American contractor added his voice suddenly becoming very serious as he looked each person in the eye as he spoke. "...because if we can't locate you in a hurry, we won't be able to waste time looking for you, and you'll be completely on your own."
"Capice?" Jim said as everyone quickly nodded their heads in response.
"Good, now before we leave this room I need all of you to partner up with someone..." Jim said as he gazed over at Alice who was staring at the man with eyes filled with fright. "...and I need all of you to keep a close eye on Alice, especially."
"And one more thing..." Jim said as he fixed his gaze upon the puppy Zeke whom Alice was carrying tightly in her arms.
"Shizuka..?" The American said with a heavy sigh as a sad expression suddenly appeared on his face.
"Hai..?" Shizuka replied as a worried frown began to form on her face in response to the sudden change in the man's demeanor. "...what's wrong, Jimu-san?"
"I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to tell Alice something that she might not be too happy about..." Jim said as he reached down and scratched the puppy on the chin as Zeke immediately began to lick the man's hand in response.
"What is it...?" Shizuka asked, her eyes growing wide. "...is something wrong?"
"Actually, I just need you to tell her that she needs to leave Zeke here in this room before we all head downstairs..." Jim added as he scratched the puppy on the head. "...in all the confusion going on downstairs I don't want to take the chance of Zeke possibly getting loose, and then having Alice running off after him somewhere, where we can't find her."
"Nooo...I'm not leaving him!" Alice suddenly shouted in perfect English as she reflexively drew back and away from the surprised American and then took refuge behind Shizuka, still clinging tightly to Zeke who yelped in surprise at being held so tightly. "...I'm not leaving Zeke-u, and you can't make me!"
"Well..." Jim said completely taken aback by Alice's unexpected response. "...that was completely unexpected."
"Did any of ya'll know she spoke English?" Jim asked looking at Shizuka who was busy trying to coax the girl back out from behind her.
"Actually, I found out a few days ago that Arisu-chan speaks only a little bit of English..." Shizuka replied as Alice continued to keep hidden from the American's gaze despite Shizuka's efforts to calm her. "...most schools do teach very basic English to children at her grade level, after all."
"Oh yeah, it really isn't all that hard, I mastered English by fourth grade, in fact." Saya boasted proudly as the other teens frowned at her in annoyance.
"Oh..." Jim replied scratching his head with a sheepish expression on his face as he gazed over at Alice who was staring back at him with a look of defiance on her face.
"These kids are just full of surprises, aren't they?" The American mercenary muttered to himself as he pondered carefully on his next plan of action.
"Well, judging from the look on her face, I'm guessing that she's not about to leave Zeke behind no matter what language she's spoken to..." Jim added with a sigh as he glanced resignedly over at Yuriko. "...which means she'll just raise holy hell if we try to take Zeke away from her at this point, and carrying a screaming, kicking child down the stairs is the last thing we need."
"Agreed..." Yuriko said with a tired sigh as well as the teens exchanged suspicious looks with one another at the strange exchange between the two adults. "...what do you think we should do, then Cxxxxxxx-san?"
"Guess we really have no choice, Mrs. Takagi..." The American contractor replied shrugging his shoulders as he glanced over at Alice again who was still staring defiantly at him.
"I guess we take him with us, after all..." Jim said as the defiant look on Alice's face immediately disappeared and was replaced with a look of relief.
"However..." Jim added as he then pointed his finger at Zeke as Alice immediately tensed up again. "...I think it would be best if put him in a knapsack or something so that he doesn't run off, because we won't be able to chase after him if he does."
"And if we are going to take him with us then you need to keep him quiet, sweetie..." The American said looking Alice directly in the eye. "...we can't have Zeke making a lot of noise or start barking because of all the bad people, understand?"
"Hai, Ojii-san." Alice replied with a nod of her head. "...wakarimashitta."
"Okay then..." Jim said as he then glanced over at Yuriko. "...do ya'll have a purse or backpack of some kind that we can put that puppy in, Mrs. Takagi?"
"I have an old school backpack in my closet that we can use..." Saya piped up as she turned and walked over to her closet and then rummaged around for a moment before returning with a well-used, pink nylon school backpack.
"Here, you can use this Arisu-chan..." Saya said handing the backpack to Shizuka as she then coaxed Alice into placing the puppy into the knapsack and then placing the pack onto Alice's shoulders.
"Do you truly think this is wise, Jim...?" Yuriko whispered to the American as Alice giggled at Zeke efforts to move around in the backpack, which tickled her. "...what if the dog suddenly starts barking?"
"Actually, I think this is a very bad idea, Mrs. Takagi..." Jim replied with a shake of his head. "...but other than sedating Alice, I can't think of any other way to keep her quiet for the time being."
"But is it really worth the risk...?" Yuriko persisted. "...what will you do if he starts making noise and threatens to compromise us all?"
"Then I'll terminate the compromise..." The American mercenary replied without hesitation, as Yuriko glanced over at the man and shivered slightly at the chilling look in the man's eyes, realizing then that no matter how horrible the act would be, the man would definitely not hesitate to kill the puppy in order to ensure everyone's safety, as she silently nodded her head in response.
"Okay guys, let's get moving, we've wasted too much time already..." The American said as everyone then rose and prepared to head for the door. "...make sure that all of you keep a close eye on each other when we head downstairs and don't get separated from the group, no matter what."
"Separated...?" Saya asked cocking an eyebrow in curiosity. "...there's nobody else on this floor but us, how could we possibly get separated?"
"Actually, that may no longer be the case as of this moment..." Yuriko said glancing over at her daughter and wishing for perhaps the millionth time that her daughter hadn't been born with such a suspicious nature, much like her father. "...in fact, there should be quite a crowd of people headed this way."
"Really...?" Shizuka asked with visible surprise. "...why is that?''
"That would be because my husband has ordered the complete evacuation of all the sick and injured out of the hospital tents and is having them moved inside the main house..." Yuriko added as she quickly glanced nervously over at the American who met her gaze as Saya's eyes immediately narrowed in suspicion.
"Only the sick and injured...?" Saya asked as she adjusted her glasses and studied her mother's face closely for any signs of deceit. "...what about all the other people and their families in the camp?"
"The other civilians will be carefully awakened in small numbers so that they can be evacuated to the secondary house where your father's dojo is after everyone else has been moved..." Yuriko replied doing her best to keep her facial expressions neutral upon realizing that her daughter was closely scrutinizing her for signs of deception. "...we believed it necessary to do that in order to keep things under control and hopefully prevent a panic."
"So basically what Mrs. Takagi means is you're all going to see a lot of sick and injured people making their way up here on the second floor..." Jim interjected with a tired sigh. "...which means we're probably going to have to weave our way through them on the way downstairs."
"Why go through all that trouble then...?!" Saya asked shaking her head in annoyance. "...if you're so worried about the Infected getting inside, why not just keep us up here where it's safer?"
"Because if something happens, we wanted all of you to be near us where we can find you..." Yuriko replied quickly, realizing at that exact same moment that her words probably did not sound at all that convincing. "...just in case something should happen."
"In case what, mom...none of this makes any sense at all_!" Saya began but was interrupted as the American waved his hand dismissively at her.
"Sorry Pumpkin, but we don't have time for any more explanations..." Jim said curtly as he glanced over at Yuriko. "...we have to leave...and I mean, like now."
"Everyone ready?" Jim asked as everyone else in the room nodded their heads in response as Saya pouted in annoyance at once again being silenced.
"Okay, let's get moving guys..." Jim said ignoring the angry look Saya gave him as he turned and began to head towards the door. "...remember, partner up with someone and stay together."
''Saeko, you're with m_." Jim began as he looked over his shoulder expecting to see Saeko behind him but then frowned as he noticed Saeko, Rei, and even Saya huddled around Takashi, each of them clutching the teenage boy tightly as Kouta gazed longingly at the group.
"Looks like the girls have made their choice, neh, Cxxxxxxx-san?" Yuriko said with a smirk as Shizuka tried to stifle a giggle as the American contractor shook his head in annoyance.
"So it would seem..." Jim said with a frown which then quickly turned into a smirk after a moment.
"Sorry to burst your bubble, ladies..." Jim said shaking his head as the three girls immediately made a face, knowing what was coming. "...but this ain't some sort of harem comedy where ya'll women can just huddle around the best-looking guy in the room."
"So the way we're gonna do this..." Jim said pointing his finger at each person as he called their name out. "...is for Saeko to walk behind me, Rei will walk in front of Takashi, Alice behind him followed by Shizuka, and Saya will stick close to her mom."
"And that's how it's gonna be, so no arguments." Jim snapped as Saya and Saeko immediately made a face but then complied as Rei grinned evilly at the other two girls and made a big show of placing both of her arms around Takashi's right arm in triumph, much to his embarrassment.
"Ano, Jimu-san..." Kouta piped up in a meek voice his hand raised in the air as if here in class. "...who am I supposed to be partnered with?"
"Oh shoot, I forgot that there's actually nine of us up here..." Jim said scratching his head. "...sorry about that little buddy, I didn't mean to leave you as the odd man out."
"Tell you what, stick with Pumpkin and her mom..." Jim said as an amused smirk formed on his face upon noticing the sour look forming on Saya's face. "...and Mrs. Takagi will be our rear security to make sure no one gets left behind."
"Yokai..." Kouta said his eyes brightening as Yuriko tried to hide the grin threatening to form on her face at her daughter's discomfort.
"Alrighty, I guess that's settled then..." Jim said as Kouta happily moved next to Saya and her mother, completely oblivious to the look of disgust on Saya's face.
''Okay guys, let's get moving..." Jim said trying hard to stifle his own amusement at Saya's predicament as he then motioned for everyone to hurry and join up with their respective partners as everyone began to shuffle towards each other in the dim light.
"And remember what I said..." The American contractor said in a more serious tone as he once again turned and headed for the door, motioning for everyone to follow him. "...stay close and again, no unnecessary noise."
"And no matter what you see, or hear, or whatever else might happen when we get downstairs..." Jim said turning his head and gazing back at everyone, his jaw set. "...do not scream for any reason."
"What do you mean by that...?!" Rei said her eyes suddenly filled with fear along with everyone else's. "...just what the hell is happening out there?!"
"I'm afraid ya'll are about to find out, sweetheart..." The American said in an almost apologetic tone as everyone's eyes widened as the man turned and then flipped off the safety of his carbine before placing his hand on the doorknob.
"Wait here a sec, guys..." Jim said looking over his shoulder at everyone as he slowly turned the doorknob and then opened the door cautiously before stepping out into the dark hallway, the red chemlight fastened to the handguard of his carbine throwing eerie shadows everywhere as he swept it back and forth to make sure the hallway was clear.
"All clear...come on out here guys, and line up behind me." The American contractor said keeping his carbine to his shoulder as he gestured for the others to join him as they all then silently exited Saya's bedroom and then formed a line behind the big man.
"Saeko..." Jim said glancing over his shoulder at the teenage girl as Saeko met his gaze. "...grab onto the harness belt at the bottom of my vest and don't let go."
"Hai..." Saeko replied as she reached for the duty belt attached to the man's combat vest and held on to it tightly, being careful to keep her hand away from the small pistol encased in a holster that was attached to the man's waist belt.
"The rest of you to stay in line behind us and make sure you hold each other's hands as we walk..." The American contractor said glancing over at everyone else. "...and when we move, we move at my pace, and my pace only...got it?"
"This is so stupid..." Saya's voice mumbled loudly from the back of the line. "...there's no one else up here and there's no need for us to hold hands like a bunch of little ki_."
"DO IT!" The American snapped as he quickly turned and glared angrily at Saya as everyone jumped in surprise at the man's outburst and the look of anger in his eyes which in the dim red glow of the chemical lights, made his appearance seem all the more fierce.
"I told all of you before..." The American said in a voice that made everyone shiver at its ferocity. "...no more bullshit."
"From here on, all of you do exactly as you are told to do, or so help me, I'll drag your whiny little punk asses down the f_cking stairs if I have to!" Jim said as everyone's mouth dropped open in surprise at the man's harsh words.
"Don't think I won't either!" The American said as he then turned and proceeded to walk silently down the long dark hallway with Saeko in tow as the other teens glanced at each other nervously.
"You heard him...!" Yuriko said curtly breaking the spell as she grabbed Saya by the hand. "...grab each other's hand and let's get moving!"
"Ha-Hai...Takagi-san." Kouta replied bashfully his face turning red slightly as he reached for Saya's hand.
"In your dreams, tubby!" Saya said angrily slapping Kouta's hand away, ignoring the angry look her mother gave her.
"Dammit Saya...here, Hirano-kun, take my hand..." Yuriko said holding her hand out towards Kouta as she then released her hold on Saya's hand and then angrily grabbed her daughter by the arm instead.
"OW!...MOM!... you're squeezing my arm too tight!" Saya whined as she then winced at the pain from her mother's vise-like grip on her arm as Yuriko dragged her daughter behind her along with Kouta who was barely able to move under his own power as overwhelmed as he was at his good fortune of holding hands with such a beautiful woman as Yuriko Takagi, as everyone else then joined hands and the entire procession finally began to follow the big man down the long, narrow hallway.
And as the group silently made their way down the dark hallway with only the glow of the red chemlights to illuminate their way, Takashi couldn't help but reflect on the many times that he had visited the Takagi home as a boy, and how strangely uncomfortable he had always felt walking down the long, dark corridors of the mansion, which to him, had always seemed so cold and foreboding.
"Even after all this time, this place is still pretty scary..."Takashi thought to himself, though admittedly, those times paled in comparison to the present moment as Takashi felt grateful for the fact that he was not alone in his fear as he felt Rei's body leaning up against him as they walked hand-in-hand with everyone else in tow.
"Even Busujima-sempai looks scared..." Takashi thought to himself as he felt Saeko's grip on his right hand tighten as they walked down the dark hallway, everyone trying to maintain the same steady pace as the American without bunching up and crashing into the big man.
Which is exactly what happened moments later as they all finally reached the end of the corridor and were about to turn the corner that led towards the main hallway when the sound of a lot of voices reached their ears and the American unexpectedly came to a sudden halt, causing Takashi, Rei and Saeko to accidentally bump heads as they crashed into one other.
"Sorry about that, guys..." The American said holding up his left arm in the air with his fist clenched as a sign for everyone else to halt as the three teens rubbed the sore spots on their heads. "...but I need all of ya'll to sit tight for a minute."
"Is something wrong, Ji-san?" Saeko said rubbing the back of her head from where Takashi's forehead had made impact.
"I dunno...sounds like something's going on down the hallway..." The American contractor replied shouldering his carbine. "...wait here with the others while I go check it out."
"Hai..." Saeko replied releasing her grip on the strap attached to the man's belt as she then watched him cautiously take a few steps forward with his carbine leveled at his shoulder and then quickly peek around the corner with the muzzle of his weapon pointed directly down the hallway.
"Awww, what the hell?" Saeko heard the American swear under his breath as she noticed the man suddenly relax and lower the muzzle of his weapon and shake his head in disgust when Saeko suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder.
"Gomen nasai, sempai..." Takashi said sheepishly rubbing both the front and back of his head from where Rei and Saeko's heads had accidentally made impact. "...are you all right?"
"Daijobu, Komuro-kun..." Saeko replied with a smile as she also rubbed the back of her head where Takashi's skull had made impact. "... I'm fine."
"Why have we stopped...?" Rei said annoyed as she rubbed her forehead quickly growing incensed at the fact that Takashi had quickly apologized to Saeko, but not even bothered to apologize to her as of yet.
"Cause somebody screwed the pooch, that's why...!" The American growled angrily evidently having overheard her as he then gazed over his shoulder at Saya's mother.
"Yuriko-san...?" Jim said with a sigh gesturing for Saya's mother to join him. "...would you mind coming up here for a minute?"
"Screwed the pooch...?" Rei whispered to Takashi with visible confusion on her face at the American's remark as they watched Yuriko Takagi release her grip on Saya's arm and Kouta's hand and then made her way over to where the American stood. "...what does he mean by that?"
"Search me..." Takashi said shrugging his shoulders in response as Saya's mother walked by them. "...I don't understand half the silly-ass things Americans say."
"What's wrong, Cxxxxxxx-san?" Yuriko asked as she walked over to where the American stood as the man merely pointed his finger down the hallway in response as Yuriko peered in the direction he was pointing and then gasped in surprise.
"Shimatta...!" Takashi heard Saya's mother say in a distraught-filled voice as the American then gestured for everyone else to join them as the rest of the group moved forward and then craned their necks to see what was going on as everyone's jaw immediately dropped in surprise at what they saw.
While the red chemlights everyone wore were not very powerful for illumination purposes and was originally designed more as a marking device and as a means of preserving night vision, even in the dim glow of the cyalume sticks there was no mistaking the reason for the American's frustration as everyone gazed upon the unexpected obstacle that was now currently blocking their path.
"Holy crap!" Takashi said aloud as everyone in the small group stared down the dimly-lit corridor which was jam-packed, wall-to-wall with people on both ends of the corridor with no visible access to the stairway whatsoever.
"My thoughts exactly..." Jim said with a snort of disgust. "...somebody downstairs really screwed things up."
"Just exactly how many people were in that hospital tent...?' Rei said incredulously as everyone stared at the huge throng of people moving towards them in the dark hallway "...I don't remember there being that many people in there when we first got here."
"More sick and injured were arriving every day after we had arrived..." Shizuka replied as she clung tightly onto Alice as some of the people began to move past them. "...and I lost count of how many were there when I volunteered to help, but I agree with Miyamoto-san, I still don't remember there ever being this many people there, either."
"Not just sick and injured, Sensei..." Yuriko replied as she drew her daughter and Kouta closer to her protectively. "...according to Yoshioka-san's last count, almost two hundred people have come through the gates in the last three days, bringing the original count of three hundred men, women, and children to almost five hundred now."
"And that being the case, I have to say that I really don't believe that all these people standing here are from the hospital tent..." Yuriko replied in a grim-filled voice as some of the people began to shuffle towards them. "...in fact, I do believe that I recognize some of them as actually being from the refugee camp."
"The refugee camp...?" Shizuka said as she also pulled Alice even closer to her body protectively as she gazed upon the gathering crowd and noticed that even in the dim light that many of the people milling around in the hallway were obviously uninjured. "...but if there really are over five hundred people over there, shouldn't they have been directed towards the other house?"
"That was the plan...yes..." Yuriko replied. "...we realized after the final tally had come in that there was just no possible way for us to place all those people, and the injured in the main house."
"But didn't you say that the sick and injured were going to be evacuated first and then the others afterwards, Takagi-sama?" Kouta asked as Yuriko nodded her head in response.
"Again, that was the plan..." Yuriko said glancing over at the American contractor with a worried look in her eyes. "...I don't know what could have happened."
"Fact is, someone screwed up somewhere..." Jim said flatly, shaking his head in disgust. "...and now we have a FUBAR situation on our hands."
"FUBAR...?" Saeko said with a frown. "...what does that mean, Ji-san?"
"I KNOW!...I KNOW!" Kouta said excitedly. "...it's a military term, it mean fu_"
"Fouled up beyond all repair, sweetie..." Jim replied barely catching the near disaster in time. "...basically what I mean is that from the looks of things, someone must have accidentally started evacuating the refugee camp before the hospital tent could be evacuated."
"And once they started doing that, either that same someone screwed up on telling these folks where exactly they were supposed to go..." Jim said through gritted teeth as they all watched the crowd of people gathered in the narrow hallway steadily increase in number. "...or panic must have started to set in and these people got confused, and just decided to come over here on their own."
"Well, I don't know what Jimu-san meant when he said that 'someone screwed the pooch'..." Takashi said gritting his own teeth in frustration at the growing numbers of people quickly filling the narrow hallway. "...but one things for sure, we're definitely screwed if there's no other way down."
"My thoughts, exactly..." The American said as he then glanced over at Yuriko. "...is there another way down from here, Mrs. Takagi?"
"None I'm afraid, Cxxxxxxx-san..." Yuriko said shaking her head as she glanced at her daughter who was staring back at her with fright-filled eyes.
"This staircase is the only way down..." Yuriko said as the American merely grunted in response and then sighed heavily as he reached behind him and grasped Saeko by the hand.
"Well, guess we have no other choice, then..." Jim said looking into Saeko's eyes for a moment before turning to face everyone as all eyes looked up at him expectantly.
"Okay guys..." The American said glancing over at the growing crowd before turning to face everyone again. "...listen up."
"Evidently something has happened, and the Takagi's men and the medical staff weren't able to evacuate everyone in an orderly fashion..." Jim said waving his hand in the direction of the growing crowd of people. "...and because of that, our entire escape route has now been cut off because the hallway and the stairs are crowded with people."
"And because there's no other way downstairs short of our jumping out the windows..." The American contractor continued. "...we have no choice but to try to push our way through everyone."
"And seeing as how none of those people are carrying a flashlight or some other means of lighting their way...Jim went on. "...it's gonna be pretty hard for all of us to get past all those people stumbling around in the dark, and we may be forced to do something very un-neighborly."
"What is that, Jimu-san?" Shizuka asked, the fear in her voice unmistakable.
"We may have to force our way through..." The American replied staring into everyone's eyes. "...even if that means we have to knock a few people down on their asses in the process."
Jimu-san...!" Shizuka said in horror as everyone exchanged nervous looks at each other. "...surely you're not serious?"
"I'm afraid Cxxxxxxx-san is right, Marikawa-sensei..." Yuriko replied with a nod of her head. "...under the present circumstances, with this staircase being our only exit, we may not have a choice but to force our way past everyone, even if it means that we may have to become extremely...aggressive in doing so."
"Aggressive...?" Shizuka replied in disbelief at the implications of the plan of action the two other adults were describing. "...you're both talking about possibly injuring other people, just for being in our way?!"
"Not if we can help it, Marikawa-sensei..." Yuriko said wearily, her patience wearing thin. "...I'd personally like to avoid that scenario myself, if at all possible."
"As do I...the last thing we need is to cause further panic by knocking people's heads around like you see the bouncers doing at a rock concert." Jim said checking his carbine as he then leaned closer to Yuriko and spoke in a low voice so that the others wouldn't hear.
"But if these people don't give us a choice, Mrs. Takagi..." Jim added as he met Yuriko's gaze and looked her directly in the eye. "...I don't care if you have to knock men, women, children, or old people down on their ass if they get in the way, don't let anyone or anything stop you, understood?"
"Understood..." Yuriko replied with conviction as the American contractor nodded his head in response and then turned to face the rest of the group.
"Okay guys, this might get dicey..." The American said as he gazed upon everyone. "...so from here on your only concern is to do exactly what Mrs. Takagi and I tell you to do."
"And for starters, unless it's an emergency, I don't want there to be any talking from any of you to anyone..." Jim said sternly as everyone's eyes widened in response. "...not to each other, and definitely not to any of these people out here in the hallway."
"So if somebody tries to stop you and ask you something..." Jim went on. "...I want you to just ignore them and keep moving."
"Just ignore them?" Rei asked nervously as the American nodded his head in response.
"Just ignore them..." Jim replied his voice cold. "...I don't even want you guys to bother with a polite bow of courtesy if you guys accidentally happen to bump into someone in the dark."
"The only thing you need to do from here on is to just focus on the person in front of you, and keep moving and nothing else...understood?" Jim said as everyone exchanged troubled looks before everyone finally nodded their heads in acknowledgement.
"Okay guys, just like before, I want all of you to get in line behind me and either grab the belt or hand of the person in front of you..." Jim added as he shouldered his carbine again with the muzzle pointed down toward the floor. "...and no matter what happens, under no circumstances whatsoever do you let go, understood?"
"Hai..." Everyone replied as the American then waited for everyone to do as he had instructed, until everyone was finally in place.
"Okay guys, here we go..." The American contractor said moving forward as the rest of the group began to follow suit.
"Just remember..." Jim added as the group moved forward, albeit a little clumsily at first. "...stay calm, keep moving, and don't stop."
"Hai..." Saeko replied as she clung to the duty belt hanging from the man's tactical vest and blushed slightly at the sensation of Takashi's hand in her own as she and the others moved forward each of them trying to keep in step despite the dim light as they began to make their way past the crowd.
"Mrs. Takagi...?" The American said looking over his shoulder at Saya's mother. "...see if you can tell these people down here to move further down the hallway... maybe that'll help clear up some of this congestion."
"Hai..." Yuriko replied as she called out to the people gathered in the hallway in Japanese who immediately turned their heads at the sound of her voice, but otherwise didn't move a muscle, even after she had finished speaking.
"What's wrong with them...?" Jim said noticing the lack of response from the crowd as they drew closer to the crowd. "...they not understand what you said or something?"
"I have no idea..." Yuriko replied with noticeable frustration in her voice as she stopped to speak to one of the men standing listlessly nearby.
"Yamada-san says that they have any idea where to go from here..." Yuriko replied after speaking briefly to the man. "...he says that there was a lot of confusion outside and that he and the others were told to head over here to the second floor."
"Great..." Jim said sarcastically as he reached for one of the cyalume tubes attached to a loop on his vest and then bent it in order to snap the glass capsule inside and then shook it to activate the chemicals within until the clear tube began to emit a soft white light.
"Tell Yamada-san to take this and start heading down the hallway if you don't mind, Mrs. Takagi..." Jim said as he held out the glowing chemlight to the man Yuriko had been speaking to, as the man stared at the glowing plastic tube in the American's hand until Yuriko had finished speaking, before finally reaching for it.
"And make sure to tell him that he's in charge now and that he needs to have everyone follow him to the end of the hallway." The American contractor added as Yuriko relayed Jim's instructions to the man named Yamada who then seemed to be asking Yuriko a question in return.
"Now what?" The American security contractor asked impatiently after the man had finished speaking.
"Now Yamada-san is asking what he should do when he and the others reach the end of the hall, Jim?" Yuriko asked in a voice that was filled with exhaustion as the American immediately let out a loud sigh of frustration.
"Tell him that he and everyone else can go play 'shadow puppets' for all I care..." Jim said exasperated after finally losing his patience. "...tell ghost stories, chew gum, have a farting contest...I don't care...but whatever the hell they do, tell him to do it down there, and get the hell out of our way over here!"
"Oh yes, I'm sure relaying those exact same words to him will surely motivate Yamada-san and the others to offer us their full and complete cooperation..." Yuriko replied dryly as she then turned said a few polite words to the man who then bowed politely in return before he then turned and spoke to the others behind him as he then began to walk down the hallway holding the chemlight high in his left hand guiding the way as the crowded mass of people finally began to move down the hallway behind him.
"Finally...all right, let's go guys." Jim said shaking his head as he then began to move forward with the rest of the group keeping pace behind him as they began to make their way down the hall.
And at first, there was little difficulty in making their way through the crowd with many of the people quickly moving out of their way at the sight of the heavily armed American moving towards them as Saeko caught glimpses of dozens of frightened eyes being illuminated in the glow of the red chemlights as they silently continued to press forward.
But after only a few meters from where they had first started, the procession once again came to a grinding halt as the American tried to move his way past the right side of the crowded hallway and met up with a lot of resistance from the surging mass.
"Shit...these people are hemmed in like frickin' sardines down here...!" The American swore as he pushed his way forward as Saeko and the others tried to stay together despite being pressed firmly against the wall by the sheer weight of all the people packed inside the narrow hallway. "...what the hell?!...don't they see everyone else following Yamada-san down the hallway?!"
"Move down the hallway, move down the hallway...get the hell out of the way, dammit!" The American finally shouted in desperation in an effort to be heard over the sound of the many voices now echoing loudly in the narrow hallway. "...what the hell's wrong with you people?... are ya'll f_cking waiting for f_cking room service or something?...f_cking MOVE!"
"YURIKO-SAN...!" The American shouted over the din of angry voices echoing loudly in the hallway as people in the crowd began to protest at being roughly pushed aside by the American and his party as they tried to force their way through. "...tell these idiots to move their dumb asses further down the hallway and quit blocking the damn way!"
"I'M TRYING!" Yuriko shouted growing exasperated as she then began to shout a few commands in Japanese towards the people in the crowd as some then began to slowly shuffle down the hallway while others started to resist.
"Sunuvabitch!" The American swore impatiently as he tried to push his way past the crowd as Saeko noticed a shadow suddenly lunge forward and something that looked like someone's fist shot out and made contact with side of the American's head as the man suddenly cried out in pain and then dropped down to one knee as he placed his left hand on the side of his head while still keeping one hand on his carbine.
"JI-SAN!..." Saeko yelled in horror as she leaned closer to where the man knelt as she watched him slip his left hand underneath the black balaclava he was wearing over his head.
"Sempai, is he all right...?!" Takashi shouted from behind her as Saeko shook her head in response and then watched helplessly as the man slowly withdrew his hand from underneath his head covering as Saeko gasped in shock at the sight of what looked like black ink on the man's fingertips under the red glow of her cyalume light, which Saeko immediately assumed could only be blood.
"HE'S BLEEDING...!" Saeko said aloud in an effort to be heard above over all the voices in the hallway as she then tried to help the American to his feet and then lean him against the wall.
"What's wrong...?!" Yuriko shouted from the back of the line, apparently completely unaware of what had just happened. "...what happened?!"
"Somebody in the crowd hit him...!" Saeko shouted back as she glared angrily at everyone in the hallway. "...his head is bleeding!"
"How bad is it?" Shizuka asked anxiously as she tried to push her way forward against the pressing crowd while still trying desperately to protect Alice from being crushed in the process.
"It aint that bad...!" The American replied with a pain-filled grunt as he blinked his eyes several times and then shook his head to clear the cobwebs out of his head. "...little shit who sucker punched me probably just tore open one of my stitches!"
"YURIKO-SAN...!" The American shouted over the crowd as he quickly straightened himself and then winced at the pain coming from the open wound on his head "...WE'RE MOVING!''
"But Jimu-san...!" Shizuka said as she stumbled over someone's foot and nearly fell on top of Rei who was also desperately trying to keep people from crushing her against the wall. "...what about your injury?!"
"Worry about it later...!" The American snapped angrily as he then glared defiantly at the crowd a before turning to face Saeko, a thin trickle of blood winding its way down the side of his head.
"Grab onto my belt baby, this is gonna get rough..." Jim said to Saeko as he then turned away from her and then unslung his rifle and held it in front of him with both hands as Saeko immediately grabbed onto the man's duty belt again and gripped it tightly.
"All right assholes, you wanna play rough?...fine by me." Jim swore under his breath as Saeko and others watched as the man placed his rifle in front of him as if it were a shield and then turned to look back at them.
"All right guys...LET'S GO!" Jim said in a loud voice as Saeko and the others watched in horror as the man suddenly lunged mightily at the people standing closest to them and shoved them away from him as hard as he could using the weapon as a battering ram, as people were flung heavily against each other before crashing to the floor.
"JIMU-SAN...!" Shizuka shouted in horror as several more people fell heavily to the floor as the American continued to use his rifle like a battering ram to shove people away from him as he moved forward. "...WHAT DO YOUTHINK YOU ARE DOING?!"
"WHAT HE HAS TO, SENSEI...!" Yuriko shouted from behind her as she savagely kicked a man in the groin who had tried to grab Saya's arm as the man howled loudly in pain before falling heavily to the floor and then curled up in a fetal position. "...NOW MOVE YOUR ASS!"
"Ha-hai!" Shizuka replied with a gulp, completely unnerved by the wild look in Yuriko's eyes as she moved forward with Alice hanging on to her for dear life.
"KEEP MOVING...KEEP MOVING...DON'T STOP!" The American roared from the front of the line which threatened to break apart at any given moment as he continued to roughly shove people out of the way amidst howls of protest as the others in the group also found themselves forced to fight their way through as several angry members of the crowd tried to fight back.
"WATCH OUT,REI!" Takashi shouted as he noticed someone about to throw a punch at Rei as Takashi lowered his head and lunged forward, knocking the man away with his shoulder as Rei yelped in pain as the man's fist missed the side of her head but still glanced off the end of her nose.
"SAYA-CHAN, WATCH IT!" Yuriko shouted at her daughter as the man whom Takashi had just knocked to the floor angrily reached out and grabbed Saya by her ankle and tried to yank her off her feet as Saya immediately screamed in fright.
"KONO, YAROOOOUUU!" Yuriko shouted furiously as she lunged forward and raised one shapely leg into the air and then angrily slammed the spike of her high heel into the side of the man's face as the man screamed in pain and immediately released Saya's ankle.
"Whoa..." Kouta said his eyes completely transfixed on Yuriko's bare leg as Saya's mother continued to dig her heel painfully into the man's face as he continued to howl in pain. "...your mom is really badass."
"Ummm…wow...yeah…" Saya replied staring bug-eyed at her mother, completely surprised by her mother's unexpected ferocity. "….she really is, isn't she?"
"WHAT ARE YOU TWO LOOKING AT?!...KEEP MOVING!" Yuriko shouted upon noticing the pair of teens staring at her as if in shock as she stepped away from the man and then roughly pushed her daughter and Kouta forward as the other people in the crowd immediately did their best to move as far away from the infuriated Matron of the Takagi House and her brood, as possible.
And as Yuriko quickly urged the rest of the group to keep pushing forward through the thick tangle of bodies lying all around the floor in the narrow hallway, Yuriko couldn't help but reflect on a similar situation that had occurred years before, with another foreigner doing everything he could to protect her and her family's life during a political gala that they had attended that had turned ugly when angry crowd had surged past the police barriers set up by the police and overwhelmed the grossly under-manned security force in place, forcing her husband's own security team to jump in and save them all.
And as Yuriko watched the American still roughly pushing people aside to clear their path, she remembered vividly how terrified she had been as she was half-drug, half-carried to their armored limousine under the protective arm of their former head of security, the former SAS man Poynton, who had savagely fought back against the angry mob one-handed as they all made their way to the waiting limo and then finally, to safety.
"He fights almost as dirty as Poynton-san…" Saya thought to herself as she squeezed her daughter's hand tighter and tried to keep from tripping over the fallen bodies lying helter-skelter all over the floor. "…although I must admit, at least he doesn't swear nearly as much."
"Are we getting close, yet?!" Shizuka shouted anxiously over the angry shouts of anger coming from the crowd as she tried to keep from tripping over Alice and the fallen bodies at the same time.
"The staircase is just ahead!" Yuriko replied as everyone breathed a sigh of relief as the group finally reached the end of the hallway and stepped out onto the landing at the top of the staircase.
"We're almost there guys…don't stop!" Jim said over his shoulder in a voice loud enough to be heard but no longer shouting as the group made their way towards the top of the staircase amidst the angry shouts of the people still lying on the floor in the hallway.
"GET THE F_CK BACK!" Jim roared as the American suddenly stopped shoving people aside with his carbine and then raised the weapon to his shoulder and deliberately pointed the muzzle at the crowd as several people on the landing recoiled in fear at the sight of the evil-looking double-barreled weapon being aimed at them and fell to the floor.
"Keep your hands in the air!" The American said aloud jerking the muzzle of his weapon upwards in the universal sign of 'hands up' as everyone standing on the landing immediately raised their hands.
"Mrs. Takagi…?" Jim said keeping his weapon leveled at the crowd as he moved his left hand off his weapon and then reached behind his back and placed his hand on the grip of the compact Hk P7 pistol that he carried as his back-up weapon and removed it from its holster and then held it out towards Yuriko.
"Take this, just in case…" Jim said keeping his eyes on the crowd as Yuriko moved forward and reached over everyone for the pistol.
"Got it…" Yuriko said as she took the pistol from Jim's hand and pulled back on the slide in order to check the chamber to make sure the weapon was loaded.
"Are you familiar with that particular model, ma'am?" Jim said keeping his eyes on the crowd who were completely paralyzed with fear.
"Yes…" Yuriko replied matter-of-factly as she leveled the pistol at the crowd as well. "…the P7 was one of the weapons of choice during the executive defensive combat course I took."
"Perfect…" Jim replied with a nod of his head as he motioned to the others to begin moving towards the stairs.
"Since your rear guard Mrs. Takagi, make sure to watch your back as you come down, and if anyone tries anything…kill them." The American said in a threatening tone as Saeko's eyes went wide at the man's threat.
"He's so different from before…" Saeko thought to herself as she stared at her adopted father as if she were actually seeing him for the first time. "…what kind of man is he really?"
"Understood…" Yuriko replied coldly as Saya glanced over her shoulder and also stared at her mother in surprise at the icy look in her eyes.
"Marikawa-sensei…" Yuriko said keeping the muzzle of the pistol leveled at the crowd. "…take Saya-chan and Hirano-kun with you while I make sure no one tries to attack us from behind."
"Ha-hai, Takagi-sama…" Shizuka replied as she hastily grabbed Kouta and Saya by the hand and pulled them both in front of her as Saya glanced over at her mother, her eyes filled with worry.
"Okay guys, be careful going down, and remember, don't stop!" Jim said as he and the group cautiously made their way to the stairs and then began their descent as Yuriko kept the muzzle of her pistol leveled at the crowd still holding their hands in the air until she too, began her descent down the stairs as well.
"Everything okay back there, Mrs. Takagi?" The American said over his shoulder as he tried to push his way down the crowded staircase.
"We're good…" Yuriko replied, a thin smile forming on her face. "…everyone standing up there somehow managed to miraculously clear the landing the moment we started heading downstairs."
"Amazing what having a loaded gun being pointed at you can accomplish…" Jim said sourly under his breath. "….should have just done that at the outset."
"At least we're headed downstairs, neh, Ji-san?" Saeko said grateful that the man's aggression seemed to have ebbed just as their forward progress suddenly came to a crawl as the people climbing up the crowded staircase began to overcrowd the already crowded stairway.
"Yeah, but we ain't out of the woods yet, sweetie…" The American said through gritted teeth as he then began to roughly push past the crowd of people headed upstairs who were either oblivious as to the spectacle that had just occurred upstairs or just too panic-stricken to care.
"Keep moving guys...keep moving...!" The American said pushing past as the rest of the group tried hard to keep up, every one of them struggling hard against the stream of flesh pushing ever harder against them, threatening to crush them against the railing.
"Don't stop guys...don't stop...!" The American said urging everyone to press on as Saeko could feel the man's grip on her hand tighten even more as they pushed their way past the crowd when she suddenly heard a loud 'THUMP!' followed by someone crying out in pain somewhere behind them as she and everyone else immediately turned their heads in response.
"Shizuka...don't!" Jim snapped at the school nurse who in a moment of pity had been about to help an elderly woman who had apparently missed a step and had fallen to her knees.
"But Jimu-san, she needs help!" Shizuka snapped angrily at Jim, as she suddenly felt a strong hand on her shoulder and glanced over her shoulder to see Yuriko looking at her grimly.
"Gomen nasai, sensei..." Yuriko said her own eyes betraying the fact that she too felt pity at the sight of the injured woman who was moaning loudly in pain as people pushed their way past her without stopping, all of them too driven by fear of the unseen terror outside to even bother to stop and help.
"But we must keep moving..." Yuriko said as the school nurse hesitated for a moment as several people tried to roughly push their way past the woman, nearly stumbling on top of her and each other in the process.
"But she'll be trampled!" Shizuka protested as they all then suddenly heard the elderly woman cry out in pain as someone accidentally stepped on her leg as they were trying unsuccessfully to make their way around her.
"Jimu-san, please...she's_!" Shizuka began but was interrupted when someone accidentally bumped roughly into her.
"I know...!" The American snapped at the school nurse over his shoulder. "...just keep moving!"
"But we have to help her!" Shizuka shouted with tears in her eyes.
"We can't stop, Shizuka!" Yuriko said just as the old woman screamed in pain as someone stepped on her hand and a sickening crunch reached everyone's ears.
"Ji-san…her hand!" Saeko shouted in horror as the old woman raised her left hand in the air, every single one of her fingers bent grotesquely in all angles as they hung limply from her hand.
"Aw shit..." Saeko heard the American contractor mutter under his breath at the horrible sight when suddenly the old woman was accidentally knocked down again by the crowd of people heading upstairs and then disappeared as several people fell on top of her as a muffled wail of anguish erupted from the pile of bodies.
"Obaa-chaaaan!" Alice screamed instinctively in response to the gruesome sight as Shizuka immediately threw her arms around her in order to shield her from the horrible scene but was accidentally pushed against the rail, nearly crushing Alice in the process.
"WATCH IT, YOU STUPID...oooomph!" Saya snapped at the panicked crowd of people before accidentally missing a step, causing her to stumble and fall heavily against the school nurse and Alice, nearly pulling her mother and Kouta down with her as she fell.
"F_CK!" The American swore upon noticing the near disaster as he then reached out behind him and grabbed Takashi by the arm.
"Takashi...take Saeko, and keep everyone headed downstairs!" The American said roughly shoving the teenage boy forward nearly causing Rei, who was hanging on to Takashi's arm for dear life, to nearly trip down the stairs in the process.
"And don't stop for anything!" The American snapped as he then slung his carbine behind his back and then roughly pushed his way up the stairs, deliberately shoving people roughly aside as he made his ascent until he had reached the spot where the elderly woman had fallen and then roughly yanked everyone off of her before scooping her up in his arms.
"Yuriko-san, keep them moving...!" Jim shouted at Saya's mother as he then began moving again down the stairs while carrying the elderly woman in his arms as easily as if she were a child.
"Move it guys, go, go, go...!" Jim snapped as everyone immediately turned and made their way even more urgently down the crowded stairway until at last, they had all reached the bottom and were then forced to push their way past the large crowd gathered at the foot of the stairs.
"Don't stop guys...!" Jim called out as he roughly continued to push people aside as he weaved his way through the crowd with the elderly woman still in his arms, trying desperately to catch up the group. "...we need to find a safe spot away from all these people!"
"Head for the parlor, Takashi-chan...!" Yuriko said calling out to Takashi as the entire group began to head for the room adjacent to the front entrance which miraculously, was completely empty as everyone rushed in through the open French doors and collapsed to the floor exhausted.
"Well, that royally sucked..." Jim said matter-of-factly as he placed the elderly woman on a large easy chair and then motioned for Shizuka to watch over her as he unslung his rifle and stood guard as everyone stopped to catch their breath after their ordeal, all of them completely battered and bruised. "...is everybody okay?"
"No..." Rei replied bitterly as she wiped the blood off her nose from where the man had struck her earlier as the American walked over to where Rei stood and then took another chemlight from his vest and activated it, causing the tube to glow a soft white.
"Are you hurt anywhere else, hon...?" Jim said holding the white chemlight over Rei's head as he closely studied her face for any other injuries as Rei shook her head in response.
"Let me or Shizuka know if you feel pain anywhere else or you suddenly feel like you want to pass out, okay?" The American contractor said as he picked up an expensive cloth doily from a nearby coffee table and placed it against Rei's nose like a handkerchief.
"Sit down here and pinch your nostrils together with your hand, but don't lay your head back..." Jim said as he directed Rei to a nearby chair. "...the bleeding should stop in a bit."
"Takashi...take this and keep an eye on her, would you?" Jim said holding out the white chemlight to Takashi as the teen took the light from the man's hand and then sat down next to Rei as the American contractor turned and then gazed over everyone.
"How's everyone else...?" Jim said as his eyes then fell on Alice. "...you and Zeke okay, sweetie?"
"Hai, Ojii-chan..." Alice said breathing hard as Zeke's nose poked out from the top of the knapsack he was being carried in.
"Any other casualties...?" Jim asked checking over everyone for injuries.
"Just my wits..." Saya said gasping for breath. "...as in 'scared completely out of'."
"I hear you, Pumpkin..." The American said reaching up and wiping the blood off the side of his head with his sleeve. "...that was pretty hairy, alright."
"Ji-san, are you all right...?" Saeko said as she walked over to where the American stood and then lifted up part of the black balaclava the man wore and checked the bandage wrapped around his head underneath.
"Saeko-chan, how bad is it?" Shizuka asked still checking on the elderly woman for other possible injures.
"I can't tell..." Saeko replied as she held the chemlight she wore around her neck over the man's wound. "...it looks like the bleeding has stopped, but it's hard to tell with this light."
"Use this one, Sempai..." Takashi said handing the white cyalume light to Alice who promptly walked over and placed it into Saeko's hand.
"It looks like there's some slight bleeding where the skin is stitched together..." Saeko said examining the wound under the glow of the white chemlight. "...but it doesn't look like any of the stitches are torn."
"Probably just tore a little bit of the tissue a bit around the stitches when that guy sucker punched me..." Jim said as he reached up and pulled the bandage back down over his wound. "...could have been worse, actually."
"We really should have someone look at it, just to be safe..." Shizuka said as Saeko handed the chemlight back to Alice, who in turn walked over to return it to Takashi.
"I think we're good here, Arisu-chan..." Takashi said still attending to Rei who was intenionally milking up her injury on purpose in order to keep Takashi's attention focused completely on her. "...take it to Marikawa-sensei, instead."
Hai..." Alice replied as she walked over and offered the white chemlight to the former school nurse.
"At the very least, you should let me change your bandages, Jimu-san..." Shizuka added as she accepted the chemlight from Alice and began to examine the elderly woman more closely.
"It can wait till later, Sensei..." The American replied fixing the balaclava so that the bandage was no longer visible. "...right now, we have more pressing matters."
"Such as?" Saeko asked, her eyes filled with worry.
"Like making sure those pricks don't come over here and try to lynch us for knocking them all on their asses..." Jim replied shaking his head at the uncontrolled chaos ensuing in the other room. "...but from the looks of it, they all seem too interested in high-tailing it upstairs to want to bother with us."
"No kidding, how come nobody's doing something about all those people...?!" Saya snapped angrily. "...that felt like we were trying to push our way past a herd of cattle!"
"Yaah, aw bunch of royawee pished off caddoo..." Rei replied angrily still busy pinching her nostrils together to stop the bleeding.
"Perhaps all of our guards and house staff are too busy trying to help with the evacuation going on outside to know what's happening over here..." Yuriko replied hoarsely, still slightly out of breath herself from her ordeal.
"Could be..." Jim said with a frown. "...still, you'd think there'd be a couple of guards somewhere around all that, trying to help control things."
"You're right..." Kouta said adjusting his glasses as he peered at the crowd in the adjoining room. "...I didn't see any of the guards or anyone dressed as a doctor or nurse amongst all those people in the hallway, or even when we were coming downstairs."
"Things must have really started to unravel out there already..." The American said under his breath as Saeko frowned in confusion. "...damn, I thought we'd have more time."
"What do you mean, Ji-san...'more time for what'_?" Saeko began but was interrupted as a sudden loud commotion began as several people began to complain loudly as someone tried to force his way through the crowd from the other side of the house.
"Takagi-sama!...Takagi-sama...!" A short, pudgy man wearing all-white clothing shouted over and over again as he tried to push past the crowd of people in the room.
"Recognize him, Mrs. Takagi?" Jim asked as Yuriko got up from the floor and nodded her head.
"Yes..." Yuriko replied peering into the dimly lit room. "...that's Saito-san, he's a member of our kitchen staff."
"Geez, can that idiot possibly yell any louder...?" The American security contractor grumbled as he then raised the muzzle of his weapon and waved it back and forth in the air.
"Over here!" Jim said calling out to the man who finally noticed the red chemlight attached to the American mercenary's carbine waving back and forth in the air, and then changed direction and began heading towards them.
"Hai, Saito-san...doshita no?" Yuriko replied as the man finally managed to push his way past the crowd of people and then ran up to Saya's mother and began speaking to her excitedly between gasps of air.
"I wonder what's wrong, now?" Saeko said as the man relayed his message to Yuriko being careful to speak in a hushed voice so that the others couldn't overhear, regardless of the fact that there was no doubt given by the man's excitement that something very bad must have occurred.
"The way this day is going?" Takashi said with a snort of disgust as Rei instinctively pulled him closer to her, and away from Saeko. "...I doubt that it's good news."
"Yup, whatever it is, it doesn't look good." Kouta said noticing a worried frown forming on Yuriko's face as she shook her head in response and then quickly spoke a few words in Japanese to the man Saito, who bowed and then turned and sat down on a loveseat nearby and tried to catch his breath.
"Saito-san says that something has happened and that my husband wishes to speak to both of us..." Yuriko said speaking softly to the American security contractor as she glanced over at the bewildered teens. "...alone."
"Dammit...I knew it." Jim swore under his breath as he then glanced all around the room at everyone and seemed to think for a moment about something before he then walked over to where Shizuka was kneeling next to the injured woman before he finally spoke.
"Shizuka-san..." Jim said placing his hand on Shizuka's shoulder who was still busy attending to the injured elderly woman who was gazing back at everyone with eyes filled with both pain and fear. "...see what you can do for her, while Mrs. Takagi and I go see what her husband wants."
"I'll try to get some of the medical staff to come here and take over for you, okay?" Jim added as he patted Shizuka comfortingly on the shoulder.
"Hai, Jimu-san." Shizuka replied with a nod of her head as she reached up and patted his hand in return.
"What about us...?" Saeko asked noticing that all of the people crowding into the mansion were staring at the small group disapprovingly. "...what should we do in the meantime?"
"Stay here in the parlor with Marikawa-sensei, and do not wander off for any reason, understood?" The American contractor replied the look on his face making it clear that he was in no mood for argument as he reached up and tweaked Saeko's nose playfully before turning around and walking towards the door, as the man Saito, immediately arose from his seat.
"And keep these doors closed..." Yuriko said as she then turned and walked over to the front of the parlor and then closed the two French doors behind her as Saeko and the other teens watched the three adults began to make their way through the crowded main entrance.
"How badly is she hurt, Marikawa-sensei?" Saeko overheard Kouta ask the former school nurse as the elderly woman suddenly moaned out loud as Shizuka held the white chemlight over the injured woman's left hand in order to examine it more closely.
"She doesn't seem to have any other injuries, other than her hand, I mean..." Shizuka replied as she continued to examine the woman's hand. "...at least, not as far as I can tell anyway."
"But all of the fingers on her left hand have either been broken or badly dislocated..." Shizuka said wincing as the woman let out a loud gasp as she was trying to check one of the woman's fingers. "...it's hard to tell with all of this swelling."
"What can we do to help?" Rei asked after wiping her nose which had already stopped bleeding as she suddenly gasped at the sight of the woman's badly injured hand in which all five of her fingers were grotesquely misshapen and the entire hand had now swollen to more than twice its normal size.
"The best I can do for now is to splint her entire hand as best as I can..." Shizuka said glancing all around the room before her eyes finally settled on one of the elaborately designed couches sitting in the parlor. "...hand me that small cushion from over there on the couch, would you please, Miyamoto-san?"
"Hai..." Rei replied as she went to fetch the pillow as Takashi moved over to where Saeko stood as Shizuka then motioned to Saya.
"Saya-chan..." Shizuka began. "...I need something I can use as a bandage, a pillowcase, small towel, a scarf...anything."
"I think we have some tablecloths in the kitchen..." Saya replied eagerly trying to help as Shizuka shook her head in response.
"That's too large..." Shizuka replied with a sigh. "...do you have anything smaller?"
"I can cut them into smaller pieces if you'd like Marikawa-sensei." Saeko said reaching for the large survival knife hanging from her hip.
"Heh...mom's really gonna love you for that, sempai..." Saya said a devilish grin forming on her face as Shizuka shrugged and then motioned for Kouta to come near.
"Hirano-kun, please go with Saya-chan." Shizuka said as Saya suddenly made a face.
"Why does he have to go with me?" Saya said looking at Kouta as if he were something she had just wiped off her shoe. "...I can get them by myself without anyone's help."
"You heard Jimu-san..." Shizuka replied just as Rei came back and handed the pillow to her. "...no one goes anywhere alone."
"Pfffft, fine..." Saya snorted in disgust as she motioned for Kouta to follow her. "...let's go fatty."
"Hai..." Kouta said meekly as Shizuka gazed upon the two teens as they hurried off to the kitchen and then shook her head, a knowing smile forming at the corners of her mouth.
"Will she be all right?" Rei asked looking at the old woman's mangled hand as Shizuka gingerly placed the woman's hand on the cushion.
"I don't know..." Shizuka replied as she lifted the white chemlight and held it over the woman's injured hand which was becoming even more swollen with each passing moment.
"All I can do is splint it in place for now and hope that she can get proper medical attention soon..." Shizuka said glancing up as Saya and Kouta returned as Saeko took the table cloth from Saya and began to cut the table cloth into large strips with her knife.
"Miyamoto-chan, Takashi-kun...?" Shizuka said pointing at the two teens as she took one of the large makeshift 'bandages' from Saeko. "...would you please help me with her?"
"Hai..." Rei said with a nod as the two teens then moved over to the older woman.
"What do you want us to do?" Takashi asked as Shizuka leaned over and spoke softly to the older woman who then nodded her head as Shizuka gestured for the two teens to stand on either side of the old woman.
"I need to splint her hand to the cushion..." Shizuka said as she held out the makeshift 'bandage' for Saeko to cut in half. "...and when I do that, it's going to hurt her... a lot."
"And so to keep her from moving around and injuring herself further, I need both of you to help hold her down..."Shizuka said as the two teens hesitated and glanced at each other in horror, but then nodded and then gingerly placed their hands down on each of the woman's arms.
"All right, is everyone ready?" Shizuka said as everyone nodded their heads in response.
"All right, hold her down tight...!" Shizuka said as the two teens placed their hands even more firmly on the woman's arms.
"Tighter...!" Shizuka snapped at the teens firmly. "...hold her down tighter or she'll move and hurt herself!"
"HAI!" Takashi said as he and Rei increased their pressure on the woman's arms as the old woman suddenly cried out in pain as Shizuka began to wrap the makeshift bandage over the woman's hand and secure it to the pillow.
"Marikawa-sensei...?" Saeko said wincing as theold woman cried out again as Shizuka continued to wrap the 'bandage' tightly around the woman's hand and the cushion. "...given our present circumstances, what will happen if medical attention is delayed?"
"With such a serious injury at her advanced age..." Shizuka replied in English in a deliberate effort to keep the injured woman from comprehending what she was saying. "...the chances are good that her injury might grow more serious and she might lose her hand."
"And unless she gets treated soon..." Shizuka went on as the old woman cried out in pain again as she tightened the makeshift bandage. "...blood poisoning is sure to develop and organ failure will follow soon afterwards."
"This makes no sense..." Rei whispered to Takashi as they watched the school nurse gently place the woman's hand on her lap and then pat the woman comfortingly on the shoulder as the woman moaned softly in agony. "...why would Jimu-san and Takagi-sama put this woman's life, as well as ours, at risk just to get all of us downstairs?"
"I have no idea..." Saeko replied as Shizuka motioned for Takashi and Rei to release the old woman's arms as she continued to moan pitifully in pain.
"Well, I for one, think this bullshit..." Saya said hotly as she turned on her heel and began moving towards the French doors at the front of the parlor. "...and I intend to find out just what the hell is going on!"
"Takagi…!" Takashi said being careful not to speak too loudly as he ran up and tried to grab her arm "…what do you think you're doing?"
To Takashi's surprise however, the pink-haired hot head merely slapped his hand away and then stopped suddenly as if she were contemplating her next move as she continued to stare out past the French doors, the scowl on her face deepening with each passing second.
"Saya…!" Rei hissed over at the stubborn teen. "…you heard your mother, we need to stay close to Marikawa-sensei."
"I know what my mother said…!" Saya replied in a tone that suddenly made Takashi very nervous. "…and nothing she or Jimu-san said makes any sense, and I'm going to find out just what the hell they're really up to!"
"What do you mean?" Takashi asked growing impatient with the hot-tempered teen.
"I mean think about it, if my mom and dad are really so worried about the Infected getting inside the walls…" Saya replied without shifting her gaze away from the crowded room next door. "…then it makes no sense whatsoever to move us from the top floor, which is the only safe area in this house other than the roof, and move us downstairs where the Infected could easily get to us."
"Takagi-san is right, Komuro-kun…." Kouta suddenly piped up as he moved next to Saya and then gazed back at everyone with a suspicious look on his face. "...Yuriko-san and Cxxxxxxx-san moving us down here to the bottom floor just so they can 'keep an eye on us', makes no sense at all."
"In fact..." Kouta added. "...moving us down here is the most dangerous thing they could have done."
"What do you mean?" Takashi asked as Saya suddenly whirled around and glared at Takashi as if he were the world's biggest idiot.
"Boy, you really aren't very bright are you, Komuro-kun...?" Saya said sarcastically as Takashi flashed her an angry look.
"Fine, then let me explain in terms even a complete moron could understand." Saya went on rolling her eyes as Rei immediately covered her mouth to keep from laughing out loud at Takashi irritation with the pink-haired hothead.
"While the security doors are pretty stout all around this house and there are heavy bars over all the windows on the bottom floor…" Saya said describing each feature of the house as if she were a teacher lecturing an entire classroom. "…even as strong as they are, it wouldn't take long before the sheer weight of all the Infected pushing against them would eventually cause a breach somewhere."
"And it wouldn't be long after that…." Kouta added as he then gazed at everyone with a deep scowl on his face nearly matching the pink-haired teen standing next to him. "…that it would be game over for anyone unlucky enough to still be on the bottom floor when that happens."
"Takagi-san and Hirano-kun are both correct, Komuro-kun…" Saeko said a concerned frown also appearing on her face. "….if the Infected do indeed breach the outer walls, the safest place to be in the mansion would be on the roof or perhaps even the upper floors."
"But it most certainly would not be anywhere near the bottom floor…" Saeko said at last as Saya and Kouta both nodded their heads silently in agreement.
"If that's the case, why would Yuriko-san and Cxxxxxxx-san move us to the bottom floor, then?" Rei said her voice shaking slightly as Takashi could feel her tightening her grip on his arm.
"The only way to find out would be to ask them directly..." Takashi said aloud as he then began walking towards one of the large windows in the parlor facing the front of the mansion as each of the teens gazed at each other for a moment and then joined him as everyone turned their attention outdoors towards the small group of adults standing on the terrace near the front staircase, far away from the crowded front entrance.
"But since neither Saya's mother nor Cxxxxxxx-san seem to want to tell us up front what their intentions are..." Takashi added with a frown. "...and they strictly forbade us from leaving this room."
"Then I guess the only choice we have would be to open one of the windows and see if we can hear what they're saying, don't you think?" Takashi said with a grin as he reached for the glowing red chemlight hanging around his neck and then stuffed it down his shirt.
"You guys better hide those lights too, so they won't see us..." Takashi said as the other teens likewise hid their chemlight 'necklaces' as Takashi and Kouta then both silently opened the heavy paned window while the others kept a watchful eye on Shizuka who was still busily attending to the elderly woman to have noticed what the teens were up to, as Rei glanced over at Alice and then placed her finger to her lips as a signal for her to remain quiet.
"Can any of you hear anything that they are saying?" Saeko asked in a whisper as she and the other teens leaned out the window and strained their ears to hear over the voices of the crowded mass gathered at the front entrance of the mansion.
"It's hard to tell with all this noise..." Takashi said irritably as people began to argue with the Takagi's security staff who were trying desperately to guide everyone back towards the entrance of the smaller building next to the mansion. "...but I think I heard Saya's father saying something about the Humvee."
"How long will it take to repair the Humvee?" The teens suddenly overheard the American say, his voice unmistakably agitated as they all strained their ears even more to listen to the conversation coming from the small group of adults located outside.
Time: Zero Dark Thirty
Location: Outside Terrace located near the front of Takagi Manor
Z-Day Times Five
"He didn't say…" The Security Chief replied glancing over at the small garage on the far end of the lawn. "...but the runner Matsudo-san sent said that he believes that it has something to do with the glow-plugs and that it shouldn't take too long to repair."
"Shouldn't take too long, my foot…!" The American spat angrily. "…in about another twenty minutes the Infected will have spread out all around us and we'll lose what little window of opportunity we have!"
"We realize that, Jim…" Saya's father said with a frustrated sigh as another man suddenly came running up and then began speaking excitedly to Yoshioka in rapid Japanese.
Time: Zero Dark Thirty
Location: Front Parlor Window of Takagi Manor
Z-Day Times Five
"What are they saying?" Takashi said straining to hear the animated conversation outside which was made all the more difficult by the angry crowd.
"Sounds like he said that the Humvee's not working for some reason…" Saya replied as she then turned and glared angrily at Kouta who had accidentally bumped against her rump as he leaned over in an effort to hear the conversation between the adults outside. "…and I think Jimu-san said something about a window or something."
"Man, what is that guy so freaked out about…?" Takashi said pointing to the man who had just run up whom the Security Chief was trying, with much difficulty, to calm the excited man.
"I don't know, but he truly is extremely agitated about something…" Saeko replied in agreement as they all then watched the Security Chief finally say something sharply to the man that finally settled him down and he then began to speak in a much calmer tone.
"Can any of you guys make out what he's saying, now?" Takashi asked aloud as he and the other teens strained to listen to the conversation between the man and the Security Chief.
"Something about some of the 'volunteers'_." Saya began but then suddenly yelped in surprise startling everyone as she then quickly whirled around to face Kouta who had accidentally bumped into her derriere again, and roughly shoved him away.
"It's hard to tell, with him talking so fast…" Saya said after having glared angrily at Kouta for a moment before once again turning her attention back to the small group of adults gathered at the terrace. "… but it sounds to me like the guards were trying to move a truck or something near the front gate, but none of the volunteer guards want to get near the gate because of all the Infected pushing against it."
Time: Zero Dark Thirty
Location: Outside Terrace located near the front of Takagi Manor
Z-Day Times Five
"If we don't hurry up and get that gate secured and fast, it won't be long before the Infected get in and solve all of our problems…" The American spat angrily in disgust after Yuriko had translated the guard's words into English.
"So tell your men to tell those so-called 'volunteers' that unless they want to end up as a steaming pile of zombie shit…." The American continued, the anger in his voice rising. "…then they damn well better suck it up and help your people move that damn truck in front of the gate or so help me, I'll f_cking shoot them myself...what the hell are they afraid of?... they're carrying guns for crying out loud!"
"Obviously, my men have already made that exact point clear to them already, Cxxxxxxx-san…" Yoshioka replied rather testily in response to the American's outburst. "…unfortunately, despite the fact that our 'volunteers' have all been issued weapons, has not done much to help steady their nerves."
"So it would seem." The American security contractor spat in disgust as he shook his head and gazed down at the front gate for a long moment before he then let out a heavy sigh and then turned to face the Security Chief again.
"Okay, look... we all know that if your mechanic doesn't hurry up and get the Humvee running pretty damn quick, there's no way we can 'exfil' the 'package' before the Infected circle the gates all around us and cut us off completely." The American said as he glanced over at the garage from where the shadow of the mechanic could be seen as he labored on the Humvee under the glow of a single, white chemlight.
"But then again, regardless of that fact, if that gate gives way before he can finish fixing that thing…." Jim continued. "… then our whole plan to 'exfil' the 'package' goes to shit."
"Agreed." Soichiro Takagi said nodding his head grimly as each of the teens then turned to face each other with raised eyebrows.
Time: Zero Dark Thirty
Location: Front Parlor Window of Takagi Manor
Z-Day Times Five
"What 'package' are they talking about?" Takashi said aloud as everyone suddenly heard Kouta loudly suck in his breath.
"Hirano-kun?" Saeko asked curiously as the other teens glanced over at the spectacled youth in curiosity as well. "…is everything all right?"
"Hai." Kouta replied a slight frown forming on his face as he continued to stare intensely at the group of adults as Saeko and the others gazed at him for several moments more before finally shrugging their shoulders and focusing their attention back on the group of adults as well.
"Like I was saying…" Takashi said as they strained to hear the ongoing conversation outside. "…what 'package' is Jimu-san talking about?"
"No idea…" Saya replied adjusting her glasses. "…there's nothing here worth making such a big deal over."
"It's not that kind of 'package' guys…" Hirano said aloud in a very strange voice as everyone once again glanced at the chubby teen and stared at him quizzically.
"Quit being so overly-dramatic, tubby…!' Saya said heatedly. "…if you know what they're talking about, just spit it out!"
"I_..." Kouta began but was interrupted as they all noticed the American contractor suddenly raise his finger and point to a group of Takagi guards that were standing nearby.
Time: Zero Dark Thirty
Location: Outside Terrace located near the front of Takagi Manor
Z-Day Times Five
"Yoshioka-san, if it's true that those people are so afraid of going anywhere near the gate even with the guns they're carrying…" The teens heard the American speaking to the Security chief. "…then the only thing I can think of to get this mess sorted out, is for me to grab a couple of your 'shooters' and then go down there and offer to help them secure the gate."
"Maybe the fact that we're down there with them will be enough to encourage our 'volunteers' to maybe get their shit together long enough so that we can secure the front gate and maybe even manage to survive this mess, somehow." Jim said glancing over at Saya's parents with a sardonic smirk on his face.
"Are you sure that's wise?" Yuriko said her voice filled with apprehension. "…if something were to happen to you, there would be no one else capable of delivering the…um,... 'package' as you call it, to its intended destination."
"Actually, I honestly think that it's an extremely stupid idea, Mrs. Takagi…" Jim said with a scoff. "…especially considering the fact that those 'volunteers' of ours are so keyed up that they're more than likely to accidentally shoot us in the back, by accident."
"But at this point we are quickly running out of time and options…" The American contractor said with a sigh. "…and the fact remains that there's just no way that gate is gonna be able to take the strain of all those Infected pushing against it much longer."
"Taking all that into consideration, like it or not, we really don't have much of a choice now, do we…?" Jim said as he pulled back the charging handle of his carbine to make sure there was a round seated in the chamber.
"Yoshioka-san, if you could translate to your men what it is I want to do, it would sure help…" Jim said as he waited for the Security Chief to relay his plan to the two guards as they both then nodded in acknowledgement.
"Okay, now before we do anything else…" Jim said as he turned to face Saya's father. "…I think that things being the way they are, I believe the time has come for us to do what we discussed earlier, Mr. Takagi."
"In regards to what, Cxxxxxxx-san?" Soichiro Takagi asked cocking an eyebrow as the American tapped his carbine in response as the scowl on Soichiro Takagi's face deepened.
"Is that truly necessary, Jim?" Soichiro Takagi said his voice deepening. "I know we discussed this at length earlier, but I still strongly disagree that that, is truly the wise course."
"Like I said before, if this plan of mine goes south, Mr. Takagi…." The American contractor replied with a sigh. "Then it's only a matter of time before the Infected break in and overwhelm this place."
"And believe me sir, when that happens, and it will happen…" Jim continued as he gazed over at the hospital tent where small groups of patients still able to move under their own power were finally being assisted to the mansion by some of the nurses.
"You're going to get no help whatsoever from any of these people here, because they've proven already that in their minds, it's every man for himself..." The American said as he pointed in the direction of the front entrance of the mansion where the guards were still busily trying to direct the others away from the main house and forcing them to go in the other direction towards the large dojo next door.
"And then once the last bullet has been fired and the last man drops dead, then what?" The American contractor said as Saya's father gazed over at his wife who reached up and clasped her husband's left arm in both of her hands and gazed back at him fearfully.
"They deserve a fighting chance, Mr. Taka_...awww, shit!" The American contractor suddenly swore under his breath as he noticed movement out of the corner of his eye and immediately he and the rest of the adults all glanced back toward the small group of teenagers staring at them wide-eyed in the window as Saya's father immediately said something to Yuriko who quickly turned and walked briskly back towards the small group of teens.
"I thought I told all of you to stay near Marikawa-sensei…!" Yuriko snapped angrily as she began to storm towards the house as the group of teens immediately ducked back into the window, knowing full well that they'd been caught red-handed as they each mentally prepared themselves for the verbal onslaught that was sure to come.
"Aw man, she is... pissed." Takashi thought to himself as he and the others watched nervously as Saya's mother stormed past the crowd gathered in the room next door and angrily flung the two French doors open in her fury, scaring Shizuka, Alice, and the elderly woman in the process, as she then marched towards the group of teens and then stood before them with her hands on her hips, her eyes ablaze.
"Mom…" Saya began as her mother held up the finger of one hand threateningly in order to silence her as Saya immediately clammed up realizing that her life was now in mortal danger as Yuriko then glared angrily at each of the teens for several extremely unnerving moments before she finally spoke.
"I am not going to tell you children...AGAIN!" Yuriko snapped her voice dripping with venom as each of the teens flinched at her outburst, including Shizuka, Alice, and the old woman who still had no idea what was going on.
"Now for the last time, the five of you will all remain here with Marikawa-sensei until I come back for all of you...IS THAT CLEAR?!" Yuriko said as the teens immediately nodded silently in response as Yuriko then glared at them again for several more uncomfortable seconds.
"Do NOT make me come back here, for any other reason." Yuriko said in a low voice filled with fury as she then turned around sharply without saying another word, and then briskly walked back towards the two French doors and angrily slammed them shut behind her, shattering several of the panes of glass built within as she then stormed out through the front entrance of the mansion as people and guards alike scrambled desperately to get out of her way as the teens watched in petrified silence for several more moments before every one of them finally relaxed and let out a loud sigh of relief.
"Holy shit, did you see the look in her eyes...?!" Takashi said as he collapsed heavily into a nearby loveseat. "...dude seriously, I thought we were dead."
"As did I...Saeko said collapsing next to him on the couch. "...even on the day when she was scolding us in front of everyone when we first arrived here, her eyes were not filled with such fury."
"No kidding, not even my mom has ever looked at me like that..." Rei said as she squeezed herself onto the loveseat on the other side of Takashi and shuddered against him. "...and she and I have had some serious fights in the past."
"Truth be told though, I think we got off light..." Takashi said trying to keep his voice neutral even though he was feeling slightly giddy with having both girls leaning their bodies up against him. "...I can't imagine what she would have done to us if she hadn't stopped herself."
"Truly then, it would not be wise on our part to do anything to antagonize her further..." Saeko said with a sigh as everyone silently nodded their heads in agreement. "...not unless we truly wish to find out what she is truly capable of doing to us."
"You guys have no idea..." Saya said her face pale, as she sat in nearby sofa and shivered uncontrollably at the memory of the enraged look in her mother's eyes, a look she had seen only once before that even now still gave her nightmares.
"Ano...minna-san, what just happened?" Shizuka asked with unmistakable confusion on her face as the teens just glanced at her in response and merely sank deeper into their seats.
All except one that is, as a deep scowl came over Kouta's face as he walked unnoticed towards another nearby window and gazed from the shadows out towards the four adults standing on the outside terrace as the other three teens continued their conversation.
"Seriously, just what the hell is going on...?" Takashi said in a low whisper as he felt Rei clasping her arms around his right arm and held him tightly.
"So, ne?" Saeko said aloud as she leaned her head back against Takashi's shoulder as she and the other two teens pondered the adult's conversation that they had overheard. "…I mean, I can understand the need to block the gate with one of the disabled trucks lying out there, but I do not understand why Ji-san is so worried about someone fixing the Humvee."
"Right,...I mean, it's not like they can put a lot of people in it, you know?" Rei said before making a face as she noticed Saeko leaning her head against Takashi's shoulder as Rei responded by pulling Takashi even closer to her. "...and what the hell is this 'package' that Cxxxxxxx-san keeps talking about?"
"Yeah, I don't get it either…" Saya said frowning as she stood with her arms crossed, her head bowed deep in thought oblivious to the human tug-of-war going on across from her. "...maybe it's some sort of fancy 'commando code' for 'someone going off to go find help', maybe?"
"They're not worried about trying to find help anymore, guys…" Kouta said aloud as everyone immediately gazed over at the chubby teen at his remark. "…in fact, based on what I heard them say earlier, they appear to be more concerned with 'exfilling' a specific 'package' from the mansion before it's too late."
"What exactly do you mean by 'exfilling a specific package', Hirano-kun…?" Saeko asked as each of the teens glanced at each other in confusion. "….I'm afraid I'm not at all familiar with any of those terms."
"Yeah, don't start acting all 'Rambo' on us, chubby…." Saya said sarcastically as she gazed with obvious disdain at the portly teen. "…if you know what they're talking about, just spit it out!"
"It's a military term used to mean 'the exfiltration of a high value person or persons', Busujima-sempai…" Kouta replied as he turned his head and stared coldly at the other teens, his eyes set in a steely gaze that suddenly made Saya feel extremely uncomfortable at the way he was looking at her as he spoke.
"And basically what that means is that Takagi-san's parents want Cxxxxxxx-san to extract someone from here before the Infected surround the walls of the mansion and completely cut us off." Kouta added, his gaze not wavering as he continued to stare directly at Saya as Saya began to feel a nervous sweat beginning to form on her brow.
"Are you saying that Takagi-san's parents have hired Ji-san to go out on some sort of a clandestine mission at a time like this, Hirano-kun…?!" Saeko said her eyes growing wide as she arose from the loveseat and walked over to the window and gazed towards the shadowy figures of the adults still speaking to each other on the terrace as she and Kouta both saw Saya's father suddenly turn and speak a few words to the Security chief who then gestured towards one of his men and then briefly spoke to him before the man then ran quickly down the driveway on his way towards the garage.
"But, whom_?" Saeko began, her voice suddenly trailing off as the identity of the only persons amongst the over five hundred people hiding behind the walls of Takagi Manor that the American mercenary and the Lord and Lady of Takagi Manor would concern themselves over, finally became clear to her.
"The very same ones that Jimu-san and Yuriko-san made sure to keep separate from all the others, Busujima-sempai..." Kouta replied holding up the glowing red chemlight in his hand that he, Shizuka, Alice, and each of the other teens still wore around their neck.
"The 'package' Cxxxxxxx-san was talking about, minna-san…" Kouta replied waving the red chemlight from its chain back and forth, grimly putting an end to whatever doubts anyone else in the room might still have as he gazed over at everyone staring back at him in shock. "…is us."
Author's Notes:
It's been almost a year since I had my near-fatal accident at work, and as you can probably imagine, I've had little time for anything else but for focusing on my health.
As things stand, I am back to work as a full-duty firefighter, however, I am still recuperating from what happened, and once I'm home after working a shift, I'm pretty well wiped out even if the shift has been a slow one and pretty much all I want to do when I get home is rest, although that's also been hard to do most of the time.
I am getting better though, although it's definitely taking longer than I expected, but hopefully my health will continue to improve thanks to God and the love of family and friends, especially my good friend Poynton90, who's been a constant source of encouragement to me.
It's still hard to concentrate sometimes because of the after effects of the medication I'm still taking, and so unfortunately, it's going to take a little longer for me to finish Book One, although I still hope to do so before the end of the year.
Up to now, the story has been a lot of comedy, drama and suspense, but all that ends in the next chapter when the shooting starts.
I really wish to make the finale of Book One memorable, both for my brother whom I originally wrote this for, as well as to all of you readers who have been with me since the very beginning.
And of course, to my good friend Poynton90 whose friendship and help were again, a great source of encouragement to me, and whose help really made Last Alarm into something really special.
The ending will be similar in fashion to the anime and manga, but not by much because I really don't want to just re-hash the same old story, so hopefully I can make the finale a little more "interesting" for all of you to read than the stuff ya'll have been reading so far.
Thank you all for your kind support and reviews over the years, and thanks again to my good friend Poynton90, whose own vision of the events that occur after Last Alarm gave me just the jolt I needed to get me back to work on Book One again.
Just so all of you know, the next chapter is nearly half done and should be posted by next month sometime...hopefully.
However, because everything's about to hit the fan next chapter, I am seriously considering writing out the remaining chapters afterwards to their completion and then posting all of the last remaining chapters at once, so that there is no lull in between.
I mean, who likes waiting weeks to see what happens in the middle of a car chase...right?
Understandably though, this will take some time for me to finish, so don't be discouraged if I don't update for a couple of months or so.
But I'm hoping that by the time Poynton90 and I are finished with Book One however, you'll all agree that it was truly worth the wait.
Until next month then, take care! Jim
