Rei twirled and spun and pirouetted in a dance of death.

She smashed the butt of her Springfield M1A1 into the head of one of "them." Then she turned and sliced one's head off at the neck with her bayonet, sending spigots of black, rotten blood up into the sky. She hefted the rifle up and fired, once, twice, three times, each time taking down a member of the walking dead. She felt one behind her, so she turned in a twirl and spun her leg out, knocking it off its feet so she could stab down and cave its face in with the bayonet.

She yanked the rifle up, sending a spigot of blood and brains and eyeballs soaring skyward. Blood arced and swirled around her in noxious, dark red arabesques, and she charged into a mass of them. She shot one. She shot another. She stabbed one through the head. She dragged one towards her in a surge of her hand, and flicked the rifle up so the bayonet pierced its skull; then she pulled the trigger and blasted its brains out. She felt, more than heard, one coming behind her, so she swung her rifle upwards and cut its skull open from chin to forehead. Then she whipped her rifle up to her shoulder, leveled the sight, and shot cleanly, blowing off the head of one about three meters away.

And just like that, a dozen were dead, and the area immediately around her was completely clear. She'd fought her way off to a distance from the others, and though she could faintly hear the blasts of Kohta's rifle and Takashi's shotgun, she knew she'd gone far off.

"Ugh," she groaned, sagging where she stood. "Ungh," she grunted, sagging, almost toppling over. Sweat was pouring down her forehead, and staining her school uniform, soaking her shirt and showing off her pretty lace bra. Blood and guts and brains oozed around her, flecking her body and even staining her pretty cheeks. She sagged, almost toppling to her knees. She'd been fighting for almost an hour now. It hadn't let up. She felt like she was going to die. In fact- "Ugh," her stomach churned, "Ngh," she grunted, and doubled over, and weak vomit spattered out of her mouth. She'd done so much fighting, all without the backup of the others. She felt totally beaten.

Tottering off to the corner of a house, she found a cracked and ruined wall. She slumped against it, sliding down until she was sitting in the dirty road. Surrounded by her kills, Rei fumbled for the straps that held her rifle to her torso. "Gotta get..." she mumbled, "gotta get… this off..." Finally she found the black buckles, and with a grunt of tired satisfaction she hoisted the heavy semi-automatic rifle off her body, sending it clattering to the ground next to her. She closed her eyes, listening to the breeze and feeling the warmth of the air in the growing softness of the coming Spring. Spring. "They" would really start to rot. "It's almost over..."

"Ah, Miyamoto-san."

She smiled, and opened her eyes. "Hey there, Shizuka-sensei." Shizuka walked towards her, high-heeled boots daintily stepping over the mess of corpses Rei had left in her wake. Rei was genuinely pleased to see her. She sighed tiredly. "Look at the mess I've made, sensei."

"Ah, it's no big deal," said Shizuka. She stopped at Rei and squatted down, looking over the younger woman. "Let me check you out. I've been looking over everyone." She reached over, and moved Rei's rifle out of her reach.

"Aww, sensei..." cooed Rei. She giggled as Shizuka's deft fingers played over her body. "Ahaha, sensei, that tickles!"

"Oh."

The note in her voice snapped Rei from her exhaustion. "What?" Her brown eyes bulged. "Sensei, what is it?"

"Oh, Miyamoto… Rei… I think you may have been bitten."

Fear spiked in her. Terror surged in her heart and up her spine. No. "No… no!" Rei squirmed at Shizuka's touch. "I… I didn't feel it! I didn't feel anything!"

"Well it does seem to be the case..."

"Where?" Rei was trembling. "Marikawa-sensei, where is it?"

"I think..." Shizuka pulled back the collar of Rei's school shirt, exposing her shoulder and neck.

"What? What? Where is it?"

"I think it may be… here!"

"Wha-AAAHHHH!" screamed Rei as Shizuka surged in close, mouth open wide, and Rei's entire world exploded in pain as Shizuka bit her on the collar, right where her shoulders met her neck. "Ahh! AAAHHHH!" screamed Rei as Shizuka's teeth sank into her skin, as she bit, as she tugged, as she tore. The older woman loosened her bite after barely a second, but she tugged, and a chunk of bloody skin came out as she ripped her mouth away. Shizuka surged back to a standing position, spitting out the bite of Rei's shoulder as she did. "Ah! Ah! AH!" screamed Rei, hand coming around to clutch her bleeding collar. "Sensei, you… you bit me! You bit me!"

Shizuka looked at her coldly. Blood oozed from her mouth, dripping down her lips and dribbling down her chin. When she opened her mouth to speak, Rei could see her bloodstained teeth. "Oh, Miyamoto-kun..." she cooed, voice dripping with too much sugar. "Oh, you have been bitten."

"Because you bit me, you crazy bitch! You cunt!" Exhaustion was banished as Rei screamed at Shizuka. But she still felt so weak. "What the fuck? What the fuck?!"

"Obviously we don't want you to turn into one of "them,"" said Shizuka. "Komuro-kun certainly wouldn't want that. So, in the interests of mercy… it's better to put you out of your misery, isn't it?" Rei's eyes widened, tears leaking from them, as Shizuka reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out her revolver.

"M-Marikawa-sensei…."

"Don't worry, Miyamoto… Rei. I'll be sure to take good care of Komuro-kun."

"Komu-… Takashi… is that what this is all about?!" Rei's face twisted in wrath as she surged forward, blood oozing into her shirt. "You bitch! You whore! You fucking cunt!"

Shizuka smacked her lips, sending flecks of blood out of them. "What did you think it was, little girl?"

"I… I told you! Takashi promised me! We're going to get married! He-"

"He promised, yes, you've told me over and over and over and over," said Shizuka, pretty hazel eyes narrow and hard. "But that's all it was, really, wasn't it? Just a promise. Just a vow. Just a relic from the old world. Just one more thing that doesn't matter any more."

"We-"

"Shut up!" shrieked Shizuka, brandishing her revolver. "You weren't willing to fight for him. You weren't willing to do what was necessary. All you did was cling to the past!" She smiled savagely with her bloody teeth. "Didn't you pay attention in science class, Miyamoto? Species that don't adapt to changes in their environment go extinct."

"It's..." the loss of blood was making Rei's head hurt. "You cunt! You whore! It's almost over! You said it yourself! They're rotting! It's almost over!"

"No, it's not almost over. It is over. That's what you never realized. The old world is over. The old world is dead. The world's changed and it's never changing back. Even if all of "them" go away. The old rules don't apply! All the old laws, all the old vows, all the old promises, they don't matter any more!" Shizuka snarled as she spoke. "We live in the new world now. And the new world has only one rule: if there's something you want, you take it, no matter what you have to do!" She cocked back the hammer on the revolver. "Or else you become the thing that gets taken by someone else!"

And, at last, Rei truly understood. She shrieked, and instinctively flinched back against the wall. "M-Marikawa-sensei! Please! I-"

BLAM!

The noise of the gunshot echoed through the silent neighborhoods. And then, once again, all was still. Rei died instantly, blood and brains erupting out of the back of her head. Her corpse slumped backwards, blood oozing from its open mouth and from the gaping hole in its skull.

Shizuka breathed heavily in the silence. But only for a few moments. Then she huffed a breath, and stood up straight. "All right," she said to herself. She took her hand and wiped her mouth, swiping the blood off her lips and her chin. Next she reached into her satchel. She took out one of the little bottles of extra-strength mouthwash, and she opened it, and she dumped half the bottle in her mouth. She swished and swished, swished and swished, and gargled, and spat. For good measure, she used the entire rest of the bottle next, swishing and swishing and swishing and swishing and spitting, until the bottle was empty.

The coppery, metal taste in her mouth was practically gone. She pulled a makeup mirror from her satchel and bared her teeth. There wasn't any blood on them any more. They were clean and white… and perfect.

"But just to be sure..." she trailed off, and reached for the second bottle of mouthwash in her bag.

"The shot came from over this way, Takashi," said Saeko. She strode forward, sword drawn, followed by Takashi, Saya, Kohta, Alice, and Zeke. "Hello!" she called out. "Hello, we're coming! Miyamoto! Shizuka! We're coming!"

Sobs rose on the air as they approached. Takashi surged past Saeko, a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. He vaulted forward… and skidded to a halt. "No," he said. No. No!" There was Shizuka, head buried in her hands, tears streaming from her face. And there was… "Rei!"

Her corpse was slumped against the wall, blood still oozing from the bite mark on her shoulder. The bullet hole in her forehead also dripped blood, running in a long, dark line down onto her pretty upturned nose.

"REI!" screamed Takashi, screeching to a halt in front of her. "Rei..." he said softly, sinking to his knees. "You..." tears streamed quietly down his cheeks. "You didn't even get to see your parents..."

"I..." Shizuka sniffed, her own face contorted in sobs as her hazel eyes wept so many tears. "I… I found her, I found her bitten, and she… she asked me..."

"Sh-Shizuka-chan…." said Takashi, glancing with teary, haunted eyes over his shoulder at her.

"Guess that Ruger did come in handy," said Kohta with an empty, hollow voice.

"Not now, Kohta," said Saya, tears leaking from her eyes.

"Rei! Rei! Miss Rei!" cried Alice. "Saya-sama, she's gone! She died! I thought none of you were going to die!" She screamed in agony and buried her face in Saya's breasts. Saya clutched Alice tightly to her, hugging her with all her might. Zeke whimpered pathetically at their feet, tail drooping.

Takashi cried silently as the growing warm breeze blew around them. Shizuka still sobbed, tears flying from her eyes. Saya sniffled, keeping herself from crying too harshly. Kohta did not cry. Neither did Saeko. But looks of absolute despair were on their faces. After all they'd been through… as close as it seemed they had been to the end… not all of them had survived.

"Shizuka-chan?"

"Y-Yes?" said Shizuka, sniffling and sobbing still.

"Did… did she say anything?" asked Takashi. "Before you did… that… did she have anything to say?"

Shizuka put a finger to her teary cheek. "She said..." she bowed her head. "She said she wanted you to be happy, no matter what."

"That… does sound like something she'd say," said Takashi, with an empty, hollow voice. His heart felt like a black hole. All of his limbs felt as heavy as lead. And now, now he remembered that promise Rei had made, when she'd been so little, when they'd both been so little. He could see her, glancing over her shoulder at him.

Takashi-chan, I'm going to be your wife.

Really? Really? Really?

Uh-huh! It's a pinky promise!

"Rei… Rei!" he snarled, and rocked backwards, rising back onto his feet. He drifted backwards, shaking his head over and over, tears streaming down his face.

"Mister Takashi… I'm so sad!" cried Alice, pulling away from Saya and wrapping herself around Takashi.

Takashi hugged her fiercely. "Me too, Alice-chan. Me too." She let go, and abruptly Takashi turned, and stormed out of the space, off around a bend in the street.

"Komuro!" cried Kohta.

Saya put a hand on his shoulder. "He won't go far. He knows better than that." She took off her glasses and squeezed at her eyes, forcing the tears to finally stop. When she put her glasses back on, she said, "But we should keep an eye on him. Make sure the big idiot doesn't do something stupid… in his grief. Like you almost did." She turned. A hand fell on her shoulder. "What?" asked Saya, turning around.

To her great shock, Kohta wrapped her in a hug. Her breath hitched, and Saya found it entirely natural to wrap her own arms around Kohta. "This sucks," Kohta whispered in her ear.

Saya rubbed her cheek against his shoulder. "Yeah," she said. "It does."

"But I guess..." Kohta pulled away from her. He glanced back at Saeko. "There's nothing to do but move forward, huh?"

Saeko nodded. "Indeed. The new world does not leave much time for mourning."

"We should burn her," said Kohta. "I don't want her body becoming food for "them," but there's no place around here that's good to bury her. So we should build a pyre."

"A fine idea," said Saeko. "She'll leave this world as befits a warrior queen."

"Come on," said Saya. "Let's go track down Takashi."

"Mister Takashi! Mister Takashi!" cried Alice, running off in the direction he'd gone, Zeke on her heels.

"Yeah, let's go find him," said Kohta, shouldering his rifle. It seemed so much heavier than normal. He trundled off after Alice.

Saya turned to follow him. But something made her pause, and stop. She spared one final look over her shoulder. There they were, the three women. Saeko glanced bitterly at the ground. Shizuka still cried, sobbing and dripping with tears. And Rei… well, Rei wasn't there any more, was she? That pretty corpse wasn't Rei. Rei was gone. And Saya, hating herself for it, breathed a sigh of relief. "It does solve a problem, doesn't it?" she muttered under her breath. Then she finally turned, and went off after Kohta and Alice.

When Saya at last was well out of earshot, Saeko turned to the sobbing Shizuka. "They're all gone. You can stop now."

There was a loud sniff, and Shizuka raised her head. There was no more sadness on her face. In fact, her expression was perfectly neutral, even a little serene. The peace on her face contrasted sharply with the tears staining her cheeks. She arched an eyebrow at Saeko.

Saeko drifted past her, towards Rei's body. "So… it's done." She glanced down at the corpse. "This is the end of it, isn't it?"

"You seem surprised," said Shizuka.

"I confess I am, a little," said Saeko. She turned back to Shizuka. "Up until I saw this… saw her… I didn't really believe you'd go through with it. I knew you'd changed, but I guess I didn't realize… you'd changed that much." Saeko chuckled mirthlessly. "And you really did bite her, didn't you? They were truly none the wiser." Saeko came close to Shizuka and tenderly touched her wet cheek. "And your fake sadness… such perfect crocodile tears. I've lied before, I've deceived before, but even I can't cry at will."

Shizuka wiped the tears from her cheeks. "You're flattering me."

"I certainly am," said Saeko. "Such perfect deception… such excellent betrayal. What a snake you've become." And then, to Shizuka's great surprise, Saeko bowed low in front of her. "It will be an honor to share Takashi with a viper such as you."

Shizuka put a hand on her big hip. "Just hold up your end of the bargain."

"I suppose I'd better, hadn't I?" Said Shizuka. She laughed a little, faint hints of that hyena cackle. She began to walk off, towards where the others had gone. "And I suppose I'd better keep on my toes around you, Shizuka. Or else, if I'm not careful, you'll dispatch me just as you did Miyamoto." She glanced over her shoulder. "Tell you what: as a token of appreciation, and a gesture of goodwill, you can have him first."

"That's kind of you," said Shizuka.

"Just let me know when your turn is done, so I'll know when to have mine. We'll alternate. Keep things fair." Saeko then went off towards the direction of the others, through the blood, through the entrails, through the festering corpses of the dead.

Shizuka turned back towards Rei's body. Those brown eyes were empty now, empty and lifeless. They stared straight ahead, straight at her, but they looked at nothing. Shizuka coolly looked at the corpse, and raised her eyebrows. "Whatever," she said.