Rina:
Dammit, dammit, dammit!
I ran like a madwoman down the street, toast still wedged between my teeth, as I threw all the energy I had into my legs. I couldn't believe that I had forgotten to set my alarm the previous night and with Mama and Papa still in Osaka to help my older brother, Rei, settle into his university dorms, there had been no one to wake me up. At this rate, I would be lucky if I made it to class by second period. The lady running the neighborhood bakery greeted me with a smile as I ran past her store and I shot her a wave, unable to properly say hello due to the piece of bread in my mouth.
Twisting and turning between the narrow streets, I finally made it to the station and quickly took a moment to gobble up the toast, not wanting to get stopped by station staff, just in time to see my train pull into the station. My eyes widened at the sight and I dashed into the station, quickly tapping my wallet over the gantry scanner and hopping over without even waiting for the gate to open and not caring about my skirt flipping thanks to the safety shorts I always wore. This earned me an annoyed shout from the station guard but thankfully, it was someone I knew, due to our small neighborhood community. I just shouted back an apology without much of a hassle, not once stopping in my mad dash to the platform. I reached it right as the beeping indicating the doors were closing began and with a final jolt of energy, I leapt through the nearest closing door and landed inside on my butt. Thankfully, because of how late I was, rush hour had already passed and so the train was not nearly as crowded as my regular morning commute. However, the people who were in my cabin all stared at me like the lunatic I must have looked like, some of them giving me dirty looks due to my abysmal etiquette. However, I was too tired and relieved to care, so I just sat on the floor for a while, panting.
After regaining some of my energy, I stood up and grabbed a support handle with one hand and tidying my disheveled uniform with the other, tucking in the blouse that had been rubbed out of my skirt but not bothering to button up my blazer. I pulled out my phone from my school bag and turned on the selfie camera to use as a mirror, doing what I could to tidy up my messy neck length bob of chestnut hair. In the corner of my eye, I noticed a middle aged lady reading a news article on her phone. This was not out of the ordinary, but the eye-catching title "Civil Unrest and Violence in Saitama Prefecture" grabbed my attention. Curious, I looked it up on my phone as well, idly playing with my Detective Conan phone strap while the article loaded.
Numerous cases of violence have broken out in Saitama prefecture with unknown motives. Attackers seem to have no relation to one another apart from all being described as delirious and seemingly drunk or intoxicated. Many victims have been reported to have suffered bite injuries, a few proving fatal and authorities are struggling to maintain control of the situation.
A quick glance at the related articles section showed numerous other reports of similar incidents, all posted in the last 24 hours. Incidents had even broken out in Yokohama, which sent a shiver down my spine with how close to home that was. However, my thoughts were interrupted when I heard the announcement that the train was approaching my stop. As though on cue, my phone rang with a LINE message from my best friend and classmate, Rikka Shinohara.
I hope you don't have any plans after school.
Sensei is reaaaaallllyy pissed~~
She ended it off with a sticker of an anime girl sticking her tongue out at me with a wink. I groaned, dreading the inevitable detention and extra mountains of homework that awaited me. The thought alone was enough to make me forget all about the disturbing articles I had just read. You might think that I would have had the benefit of the doubt and my teacher would have assumed that I reported sick, but I did have a bit of a reputation in school for being tardy. Hey, I'm not proud of it, but I'm not ashamed of it either. I replied with a sticker of a chibi Hatsune Miku hunched over with her soul leaving her body.
Kill me…...
When the train finally came to a stop, I had to restrain myself from making a run for the gantry like a lunatic. Unlike my own neighborhood where the community would close an eye to my shenanigans, the suburb that my school, Meishin Girls High School, was in, while still on the outskirts of Tokyo, was a far larger and more bustling community and I would certainly get caught by security for running on the platform. I was in enough trouble that day as it was, no need to add possibly being brought to a police box to the list.
After leaving the station, I picked up the pace, passing by the many shops that were now opening. There was a respectable shopping district built around the station, complete with restaurants, boutiques and even a couple of sizable shopping centers. It was no Shibuya, to be sure, but it was more than enough for the needs of most. The district also had a two story Seiyu supermarket that packed more goods than usual, due to the clientele of the local residents. The residential area of the suburb was home to many of Japan's elite, owing to the privacy offered by the quiet area.
Usually, I would have grabbed a bubble tea off the stall right outside the station on my way to school, but that was a no go for today, so I just gave the cute barista a wave and went on my way. At the pace I was going, it would take me 10 minutes to get to school. If I really booked it, I might just make it before the period change. I was so engrossed in my calculations that I almost ran into a drunkard old man stumbling out of the shadows of an alleyway. I wrinkled my nose and almost lost my breakfast the moment his odour hit my nose. I wasn't quite sure if it was actually him or the trash bins in the alleyway but either way, I had to continuously swallow to keep myself from vomiting on the spot.
"Jesus, smells like something died back there…"
I could not help myself from muttering that comment under my breath. The old man's disheveled hair was matted in something and clung to his neck like a wet mop. The grey singlet he wore and bermuda shorts were stained with something I really did not want to identify and when he looked up, his eyes seemed to be glazed over. He let out a groan that sent chills down my spine. Something, or rather everything about him just screamed at me to get away. He started stumbling towards me and I found myself in a situation that was the deepest darkest fear of every schoolgirl. However, I was still in a very public area and so while I was severely uncomfortable, I reasoned that I was still safe. Therefore, I chose to simply double up my pace and briskly walk away with a burning desire to scrub myself down like never before the moment I had the opportunity to shower.
"Urm, excuse me, Sir, are you alright? Do you need help?"
I heard a kind-sounding lady's voice behind me over my footsteps and realized that someone had noticed the old man and offered to help. No sooner had that thought registered for when I was startled by an ear-piercing scream of pain and terror right behind me. I spun around in shock and my eyes widened as the horrifying sight of the old man sinking his teeth into the slender neck of a young office lady, her eyes wide in terror and pain while her shrieks could be heard from the next ward. Her scream was abruptly cut short and turned into a sickening gurgle as the old man ripped a chunk from her throat before going in for another bite. Blood sprayed everywhere and gurgled out of the woman's mouth, and I will never be able to forget seeing the glint of life leaving her eyes as her knees gave way and she was taken to the ground. I could not even scream, all I could do was stay frozen in place as I watched the old man tear into her body.
H-He's….. EATING HER?!
Suddenly, all at once, all the articles I had read earlier suddenly shot forward in my brain. Acts of violence, bite injuries, it was all happening right before my eyes. I began hearing multiple screams all around me and as I frantically looked around me, I watched in horror as people all around me were suddenly being attacked. I even saw the poor barista from earlier get pulled over the counter by a man and a woman who promptly ripped out his intestines. While the carnage was mostly obscured by their bodies, the amount of blood I could see really did not leave much to the imagination.
"No…. No way..."
I couldn't help the whimper that escaped my lips as I covered my mouth with my hand. However, that whimper caught the attention of the old man who turned away from his meal to look at me with dead eyes. I flinched, barely able to keep from wetting myself before the reality of the entire surreal situation and the danger I was in finally hit me. Just like all those girls I always laughed at in horror movies, I screamed in pure, unadulterated fear.
Yukari:
I did a final weapons check as our Toyota High Mobility Vehicle, a Humvee as soldiers had dubbed it, pulled off the highway. Though I went through the full check of my Howa Type-89 Assault Rifle, I was mostly making sure that the 3.5x Scope was calibrated properly and that the selector of the weapon was set to SAFE. It was bad enough that we were being deployed into a populated civilian area, in Tokyo no less and in full battle gear. No need to run the risk of a misfire with civilians nearby.
"What the hell was command thinking? Full assault gear in Tokyo? They must have lost their minds."
23-year old Leading Private Rintarou Sakamoto, the platoon's loudmouth, complained from the driver's seat, breaking the silence and earning grunts of agreement from the 3 other soldiers in the vehicle.
The current political climate in Japan was pretty volatile and as usual to times like these, the media loved leaping at every misstep the administration and JSDF made. The common foot soldiers such as the men and women of the 1st Infantry Regiment's Viper Company, Bravo Platoon, were the ones to face the brunt of disdain from the public following any scandals. If the media caught wind of their current mission, they would have an absolute field day. Marching fully armed into Tokyo was as good as serving themselves up on a silver platter with prime seasonings.
"Can it Rintarou, I don't like it any more than you do but orders and orders. Besides, with all the riots and shit happening everywhere, it sounds like something big is happening. The sooner we get this done, the sooner we get out of here."
"Of course, the moment there's even the slightest hint of danger, those pigs in parliament come running to us to pull their asses out." Rintarou scoffed and I had to actively stop myself from agreeing with that sentiment. As a Sergeant First Class, I was the ranking NCO for the team in this vehicle and so I had to set an example, personal feelings aside.
"Ma'am, what's the word, why was there suddenly a call for evacuation?"
The question came from the only other woman in the platoon, 21-year old Private Miho Sonozaki, who had just transferred in a month ago. As the only other woman, I had been assigned as her buddy, and the two of us had bonded over the past month, despite my being one of her commanders and having chewed her out on more than a single occasion due to her tendency to forget things. In fact, we were close enough that I let her call me by my first name when it was just the two of us.
"Your guess is as good as mine. The LT's* Intel states that the civil unrest is getting worse all around the country. Command's in a frenzy and units are being deployed everywhere to aid law enforcement and set up checkpoints."
(*LT is short for Lieutenant)
"This country's going to shit."
The cynical comment came from the oldest member in the vehicle, 36-year old Sergeant Hiroshi Sakigama, who was begrizzled over being passed over for a promotion numerous times. Everyone in the platoon was used to his grumpiness but no one could really dispute his comment after the events of the past day. People attacking each other all over the country and law enforcement being unable to contain the situation, all I could say was that it did not send encouraging vibes.
The current convoy of 2 Humvees and a large troop transport truck contained half of Bravo Platoon's 24 soldiers, with the other half having been organized into a 2nd team headed for Roppongi. My team, dubbed Team 2, was led by our platoon's 2nd in command, Sergeant Major Izumu Kamakura, a 50-year old veteran who we all respected. While Team 1 led by Bravo Platoon's Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Goro Akira, was to evacuate the politicians from the Diet Building in Roppongi, our mission was to evacuate some of their families who lived in the Den-En-Chofu District.
Upon reaching the destination, we all dismounted and gathered around SGT Major Kamakura to receive instructions. Thankfully, Den-En-Chofu was known for its privacy and so there were next to no civilians around on the street.
"Alright people, let's make this quick. Standard teams of 3, you all have the list of assets to recover, split up and go address to address. Yukari, take your team down the street towards the station. Hiroshi, your guys take South. Ryuji, take the West. Meet back here in 20 minutes. Genma, Yamato, you're both with me, we're staying with the vehicles. Move it people! Double time!"
"Yes, sir!"
The old veteran barked out his orders with an unquestionable air of authority and we all responded with respect, setting out on our duties. The two staying with him were the driver and supporter for the troop transport and together with Kamakura, they set up a loose perimeter around the vehicles, careful to ensure they each had lines of sight on each others' blind spots.
The rest of us split into our teams to work through the list of addresses, with my team consisting of Miho and Rintarou. There were 2 houses in our jurisdiction and we found the first without much trouble. Rintarou whistled lowly at the sight of what could only be described as a mansion while Miho's eyes were practically sparkling. Most Japanese people lived in rather compact housing so the 3 story town house with a large yard housing multiple antique cars and even a private swimming pool was nothing short of a palace to us. These people were really living the life.
I hit the button on the intercom unit next to the gate and was promptly answered by a maid.
"Good Morning, how may I help you?"
I was not sure if I was impressed or creeped out by how calm she was seeing an armed woman in full military gear on the other side of her screen.
"Good Morning Ma'am, we are under orders from JGSDF Command to evacuate the family of Minister Yugo Shidou to a secure location."
I raised my copy of the official orders, signed off by the Chief of Ground Staff himself, General Ryuzaki Kintarou, to the screen to verify my claims. She nodded and pressed a button to open the gate before leaving to presumably call for her mistress to inform her of our arrival.
Thank god Command actually remembered to inform the Assets.
There had been numerous mishaps and scandals caused due to miscommunications in the past and I was incredibly glad that today, that would not be the case.
We had no sooner crossed the yard when the large white oak door opened, and a middle aged woman with her hair let down on one side stepped out with a large luggage, followed by a young girl and boy, both no older than 12 years old, with colorful backpacks on their backs. The woman thanked the maid and told her to go home and stay safe, prompting a gentle smile as she bowed to her mistress and my team before making her way past us, heading for the train station. Normally standard evacuations did not allow for luggage to be brought along due to space constraints, but considering who the assets were and how there were only a few assets to be evacuated, there would be plenty of space leftover and an exception was made.
Gotta love bureaucracy.
I greeted the minister's wife and instructed Rintarou to help her with the luggage. I could tell from his eyes that he was annoyed but to his credit, stayed professional and quiet and did as he was told, earning her thanks.
"Sorry for the abruptness Ma'am, but we really need to get moving. We're on a short timeline and we need to hit another address in the next 12 minutes."
"No, it's fine. Thank you for your service. Fumi-Chan, Ryo-Chan, go with the nice soldiers."
Her children nodded cheerfully and moved to join Rintarou who flashed them a winning smile despite himself.
Probably gets on well with kids since he's such a kid himself…
"Any idea what exactly is going on? My husband didn't really explain much over the phone. Just told us to pack some things and get ready to go with some soldiers."
"Unfortunately that information is above my pay grade Ma'am. But from what I've been told, it has to do with the recent violent attacks."
She furrowed her brow at my response and I shared a look with Miho. Once we reached the gate of the house, she quickly hit the close and lock button on the keypad for the gate before I instructed Rintarou to escort the family back to the rendezvous point while Miho and I went to fetch the other family. She thanked us once again and instructed her children to thank us as well. Miho and I gave warm smiles before going our separate ways, picking up the pace now that it was just the two of us. The 2nd house was a little harder to find as it was not on the main road and the streets around us were notorious for being maze-like, but we managed to find it with 8 minutes left on my mission timer.
This house was a little smaller but compensated for it in aesthetic, having been constructed to have the aesthetics of a classic Japanese palace, complete with a koi pond and rock fountain and even a small tea garden.
"These people really have nothing better to do with their money…"
I could only nod in agreement to Miho's awed quip. Everything I'd seen this morning just screamed extravagant. Without wasting more time, I quickly hit the button on the intercom, but unlike the first house, there was no swift response. I gave Miho a look, while she just shrugged in response. I hit the button again but was still met with no response.
"I don't like this, Yuka-Chan."
"Me neither, but we've got a job to do. Here, I'll give you a boost over and you see if there's a button to open the gate on the other side."
I bent down slightly by the estate's walls, holding my hands out over my knees, preparing to raise her over. The walls were high, definitely too high for both of us to climb but if one of us was boosting, the other could probably just barely make it over. She stepped onto my hands before climbing onto my shoulders while I grunted from the effort.
"Geez, how many ration packs did you have last night?"
"Sh- Shut up! It's just the gear!"
I smiled slightly, practically feeling the blush on her cheeks, glad that my attempt to calm our nerves was working slightly. She finally managed to pull herself over the top and dropped down on the other side, grunting as she landed. We both walked to opposite sides of the gate before she indicated that she had found a button. A moment later, the gates opened on their own and I walked through to join her. As we reached the ornate wooden front door, I prepared to knock when a familiar stench infiltrated my senses and sent a chill down my spine. Miho wrinkled her nose and made a gagging sound.
"What the hell is that?"
My expression however, was hardened and tense as I raised my weapon and flicked off the safety. The smell reminded me of a really bad training accident that happened back when I was a recruit, and it was an incident that I would never be able to forget. The things I saw, heard and smelled were heavily burned into my memory.
"Ready your weapon, that's blood, lots of it." I did not wait for Miho's response, instead turning the handle on the door, all the while keeping my rifle raised. Luckily or unluckily, the door was unlocked and we stepped in cautiously. The layout of the place was reminiscent of one of those traditional homes you could find in Kyoto. That meant long halls and lots of tatami rooms. I swore and signalled for Miho to cover me while I radioed in to Kamakura.
"Sir, this is Hoshizawa, Minister Shidou's family is secure and on their way back with Sakamoto. Sonozaki and I are at the second objective but the residents are non-responsive. We're commencing a search but have possible hostiles, requesting extension of mission time and reinforcements. Over."
"Kamakura here, what do you mean by hostiles? Over."
"There's blood here sir, a lot of it. Over."
"Damn it. Sorry but negative on the extension. I'm sending Genma and Yamato to you. Hold tight until they get there. Over."
I swore, but simply acknowledged and tapped Miho's shoulder, gesturing for her to step out of the doorway. She slowly backed out into the yard, keeping her weapon trained on the darkness of the hall. The sun was well into the sky at approximately 0930hrs but the lack of windows made it so that little light could enter. Furthermore, it did not seem that any of the lights within the building had been turned on either. It was overall an extremely foreboding atmosphere that made me nervous.
Soon after, the quietness of the neighborhood meant that we could clearly hear the echoing of boots off asphalt as our reinforcements approached. However, before they could arrive, a dull thumping noise echoed through the dark halls of the house. It sounded like bare feet on wood, but the pattern was erratic, as though whoever was making the footsteps was stumbling.
Almost like they were drunk… or injured…
Upon hearing this, Miho made to enter the building once more, only to be stopped by my hand on her shoulder.
"What the hell are you doing? Genma and Yamato are almost here, just wait for them."
"But you heard that too right?! Someone could be injured, or worse! We have to help! Those 2 can just follow in after us!"
Without waiting for my reply or giving me the chance to order her to stand down, she threw off my hand and quickly moved into the darkness, disappearing around a corner.
"Damn it! Miho! Fucking, stupid-" I cursed and swore at her recklessness, right as the two other soldiers reached the open gate. I shot them a quick signal to move in and check the other wing before quickly rushing in after Miho.
I swear to god, when we get back to base, she's going to run so many circles around base that the patrols will be sick of her face.
I carefully but quickly cleared and scanned each room I passed with my rifle, knowing full well that whatever the possible threat was, it could still be in the building. As I progressed, I came across a sliding door in the hall that led into the backyard and opened it, letting some sunlight in and instantly illuminating much of the darkness. I continually whispered Miho's name sharply but no reply came my way. I was about to let out another annoyed whisper when I realized that the stench of blood permeating through the walls was suddenly much stronger. I raised my left arm to cover my nose with a grimace but never once lowered the rifle in my right hand. I turned to the door that the smell was coming from and cautiously approached it, feeling my adrenalin skyrocketing with each step. As I reached the door, I felt my heart trying its damnest to burst out of my chest before I swiftly jerked the door open and breached in, swiftly scanning everything, ready to put a bullet in anything that might jump out at me. Nothing jumped out at me, but what I found made me wish I had found something to shoot at instead. My eyes widened as they registered the gruesome sight in front of me.
What appeared to be the remains of a teenage girl lay scattered all over the bedroom, presumably belonging to the deceased. A struggle seemed to have occured, with lamps and other furniture lying broken all over, some having fallen to the ground and others had evidently been thrown, perhaps in a vain effort to ward off an attacker. The girl's left arm lay a good meter away from the rest of her, covered in the same blood that was everywhere. It was on the floor, walls and even ceiling, absolutely everywhere. She had been wearing the tattered remains of a school uniform, probably getting ready for school when she had been attacked, and her thighs were missing chunks out of them. Her torso and legs were lying on her bed, formerly with cute pink sheets but now stained a dark crimson. The stench was not just from her blood and remains, but she had evidently soiled herself prior to being killed. Her head had been decapitated, brutally torn off judging by the ragged remains of her neck, and it lay on the ground next to the bed. Her dark long hair did nothing to hide that half of her face had been torn, no, eaten off, missing her nose, half her lips and an eyeball with the other locked in an eternal expression of terror and pain.
I could not take more than a second of it, and that second was all it took to sear that image into my head. I stumbled out of the room in a panic, all forms of professional composure lost as I threw up over the steps into the backyard.
"Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh what the fuck."
My breathing was ragged and my hands were shaking. No amount of training could ever prepare you for this. I was about to call it in on the radio when I heard a sharp scream.
Miho's scream.
Rina:
"No… NO! GET AWAY FROM ME!"
I screamed as I scrambled backwards away from the old man who was now slowly stumbling towards me, bits of the woman's throat still dangling from his mouth. In my frantic backtrack, my foot caught on an empty bottle, causing me to slip and fall backwards, landing right on my tailbone. The sharp pain shot straight through my body like an electric current and I let out an involuntary scream but this was cut short as the slowly advancing savage old man closed the distance between us. The pain from the fall had managed to snap me out of my fear induced stupor and so I twisted my body and scrambled to my feet, ignoring the sting as my hands got cut on broken glass and took off in a sprint. I chanced a look behind me, terrified that he might have started running after me but to my relief, he was still slowly shambling along even though I had left him in my dust.
Blinded by the sheer relief I felt, I almost did not notice the disheveled woman who moaned as she reached for me from my blind side. I dodged to the side with a panicked cry, feeling her fingers brush against my hair before I turned my wide eyes to my new attacker. The woman was dressed casually, a housewife if I were to guess, but her eyes were completely white, the pupils and irises completely glazed over. Blood streamed from her open mouth and I just barely held back my vomit as I heard the gurgling sound in her moans. Her skin was pale, the color of death and between that and the numerous chunks missing from her, most notably a sizable hole in her neck, I could only describe what I was looking at as a walking corpse.
My entire appraisal of the monster took a split second before I took off down the street, careful not to let myself get surprised by my blindsides any further. It was now that I noticed what had been happening around me all this time and it could only be described as pure carnage. People were attacking each other, killing each other all around me. Screams of terror and pain were all I could hear apart from the ripping and tearing of flesh as the sounds were burned into my skull for the rest of my life. People were eating others and I watched a mother desperately try to protect her baby in vain as she was torn apart by a mob of 5 of the monsters before one reached for the crying infant in the pram. I squeezed my eyes shut, unable to bear it as the crying abruptly stopped.
I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!
Tears streamed down my face as I kept running with the words repeated in my brain. I had just watched a baby get brutally murdered and did nothing but run to save my own skin. If the adrenalin was not keeping me going, I would have broken down and started crying right there, lamenting on how worthless I was, allowing the monsters to tear me apart and devour me as well.
I was shaken out of my trance by a shout, just in time to avoid running into a bloody man with his arms reaching out for me. I reflexively ducked to the ground, right under his reach and skidding to a stop behind him to find the source of the voice. I found myself in the parking lot of the district's supermarket, survivors running through the doors as a man dressed in office attire waved them in. He had his eyes on me as he frantically waved to me and shouted for me to run. Not needing to be told twice, I made a mad dash across the parking lot, dodging obstacles as well as monsters. I slid over the hoods of several cars as I realized I was the last living normal person left outside and the monsters were rapidly closing in on the entrance as well as me. As I ran, I saw another man run over to the one who was waiting for me, looking to get into an argument before he shoved the first man down and reached for the shutters. My eyes widened as I realized what he was about to do and I threw my lungs into overdrive, determined not to be left out there to die. He got the latch to the shutters as I was only a few seconds away . His frantic eyes were on me as well as the monsters that were right on my heels. They were closing in from all directions and if I did not make it in time, it would take less than a second for them to completely pile onto me and tear me apart.
This asshole's actually going to do it!
The man pulled on the shutters and I knew it was now or never. I threw my school bag aside and leapt forward and dove straight to the ground mere steps from the entrance and slid in right before the shutters hit the ground. A mere half a second later and I would have crashed into it and ended up a bloody pile of meat on the ground a moment later. I threw my body around and scrambled backwards away from the shutters as the man locked it, not even bothering to look at me. The monsters reached the shutters and started slamming onto the metal as it rattled loudly but held strong. Adrenalin was surging through my veins and I could feel my heart in my ears. The man from earlier knelt down next to me, putting his hand on my shoulder but recent events were still fresh in my brain and the feeling of being a hair away from death was still singing inside me. I recoiled and screamed, frantically slapping at his hands to stay away from me.
"Can someone shut her up before she draws more of those things?!"
The words barely even registered to me in my panicked frenzy but the man managed to firmly but gently grab my hands and stop them from flailing and tried his damned hardest to calm me down.
"Shhh, shhh, it's okay, it's okay. I'm not going to hurt you. You're safe now, you made it. The monsters can't get in here."
He repeated this for a while and as the adrenalin worked its way out of my system, his words slowly registered for me and I stopped screaming, instead staring at him in shock. My mind went blank and no words found themselves in my throat. I could only stare into blank space as the man gently comforted me.
Soon, the tears found their way out of my eyes and down my cheek and an endless flow streamed out of my tear ducts. Unable to hold back the immense wave of fear I had felt anymore, I began sobbing uncontrollably, reaching out for someone, anyone, to keep me safe. The man pulled me into an embrace and normally, it would be common sense for a teenage girl not to let some random adult man hug me but I was far too overcome by my emotions that he could have been some gross, fat otaku trying to feel me up and I would not have cared. However, this man's hands never went any lower than my shoulders, one arm wrapped around them as the other gently rubbed the back of my head in a very soothing motion. In return, I just let it all out and cried into his shoulder, without a single care of what we might look like.
Takashi:
The girl cried for a good 20 minutes and we just sat there the entire time as I held her in my arms, trying my best to soothe her. I was painfully aware of some of the looks I was getting from other survivors around and I chided myself internally. What on earth was I thinking, just casually putting my hands on a high school girl like that? In any other circumstances, the police would have long arrived. However, I could not bring myself to pull away from her, not when she was clinging to me as though she were clinging to life herself. I felt an ache in my chest. For such a young girl to have been caught in the middle of the morning's events, it would be a miracle if she was not traumatized for life. What's more, she had almost been left out there to die by us. I cursed myself for not stopping that man from trying to close the shutters before she got in. If she had been killed, her blood would have been on his and my hands as well.
Jesus, she can't be much older than Yumeko is.
I prayed that this was an isolated incident and my daughter in Hokkaido was fine. Maybe I just missed her so much that I was projecting her onto this girl, but there was a slight resemblance and I could not help the protective instincts I felt as a father. Finally, the sobbing died down and the girl slowly pulled away. She was looking away and her cheeks were bright pink, whether from the crying, her embarrassment or both. Her eyes were puffy and red and her body heaved every now and again from involuntary silent sobs but she seemed to have managed to calm herself down considerably.
"Sorry…"
Her voice was a soft croak, hoarse from all her crying but still retained a youthful lilt to it.
"No no, it's fine. I hope I didn't make you feel uncomfortable." I moved away from her to give her space.
She looked at me in surprise but then seemed to realize the implications.
"Oh, Oh no no, I- I mean- It's just been a really rough morning… Thanks for calming me down…"
I let out a soft chuckle.
"Ha ha, rough is the understatement of the year. And I didn't do much. With what you've been through, it's a miracle you're managing to be stable. You're a really strong girl."
At that, she looked away with a pained expression, looking as though she was about to cry again, biting down on her lip to stop herself. I panicked a little, terrified that I had said something wrong. But she just shook her head.
"I am not strong…"
Before I could ask what she meant, a crashing sound drew both our attention as a familiar unpleasant voice cursed.
"Fuck! Police aren't answering the god damned phone. Overloaded lines? What the fuck do we pay taxes for?!"
It was the man from earlier, the one who had tried to lock the girl out. For now, let's refer to him as Asshole 1. The other survivors looked to each other in fear.
"Bu-But, someone will come won't they? With this many deaths, the police must know about it! Maybe even the JGSDF!"
"Deaths? I saw a man have his throat torn out and get up as one of them moments later! Notice how there were only a few at first but now there's an army of them out there?! Everyone that died became one of those things!"
"But that's impossible! Even if it is, the police have to do something!"
"I doubt the police can do anything."
All heads turned to the unexpected voice. It was the girl, who had gotten to her feet and was now joining the group of 15 or so survivors.
"What do you mean?! What does a child like you know?!"
The girl, while still shaken, had managed to regain a fair bit of her composure and was unperturbed by the comment.
"Think about it, seems like a heck of a coincidence. This happens and the police lines are busy? When was the last time the lines were so busy that a call couldn't get through?"
Silence. No one had an answer for her.
"That being the case, the logical conclusion is that this is not the only crisis happening in the city right now."
The silence turned deafening as reality and despair sank in. She was right. While she had chosen to word it vaguely, the meaning was clear. Whatever the horror they were going through now, was happening all over Tokyo, possibly even all over Japan.
"We're all going to die…."
The girl bit her lip at the comment from an old lady. Regret flashed across her face as she realized that while she had managed to deduce the overarching situation, she had failed to account for the effect that announcing it would have. She quietly moved further into the supermarket, away from the others. I started to go after her but stopped myself. As much as she reminded me of my daughter, she was in the end, a stranger who had nothing to do with me. Essentially, I had no right invading her personal space. Instead, I attempted to improve the mood among the survivors.
"Everyone, my name is Matsumoto Takashi, I am the manager of this supermarket. In light of the current dire situation, please feel free to help yourself to any goods within the premises. I might get in trouble when things go back to normal but what can you do."
I kept my tone as cheerful and positive as possible trying to lighten the mood and improve morale. While people were hardly jumping to their feet with gusto, some did begin to grab food and drinks from the shelves, passing them around and I nodded to myself. It might not be much but any improvement to morale was plus in my book.
As I was satisfied that the survivors were occupied, I made my way to the second floor, intending to fetch a golf club from my set to use as a weapon if the need arose. As much as I did not want to admit it, I had no idea how long the safety of the supermarket would last. Thus, it did not hurt to be prepared. On the way to my manager's office, I passed by the small sporting goods section and heard a familiar voice. I peeked around the aisle and saw the high school girl skillfully twirling a baseball bat in her hands before frowning and hanging it back on the rack, muttering under her breath.
"Too light…"
She picked a darker one next to the one that she had held before, giving it a few twirls before raising her eyebrows and resting it on the palm of her hand in perfect balance. She gave a look of satisfaction and dropped the bat before catching it by the handle in mid air and giving it a twirl for good measure. She gave a small smile, the first I had seen from her and rested the bat against her shoulder and turned, only to find me watching her like some creeper.
Surprise flashed across her face and I held up my hands to show I meant no harm.
"Sorry for spying on you! I was just heading to my office when I spotted you here. You just seemed really skilled with the bat that I was kind of mesmerized."
She blushed slightly and averted her gaze.
"I'm in my school's softball team…"
"Wow, you must be pretty good then!"
"I'm alright, I guess…"
Unable to stand the awkwardness, I changed the topic.
"We never did catch each other's names did we? I'm Takashi, Matsumoto Takashi."
She hesitated for a moment but then her shoulders visibly relaxed slightly.
"Rina. Eguchi Rina."
"Rina-Kun is it? I can't help but notice your uniform. If you don't mind me asking, shouldn't you be in school around this time?"
What the hell am I asking? I sound exactly like the type of guy people tell their daughters to avoid at all costs.
"I overslept and was late… School…. School!"
Her face lit up with realization as she reached into the pocket of her blazer and pulled out her mobile phone. It was a cute thing, with a cover and strap exactly what you would expect a high school girl to own. She quickly inspected it and sighed in relief, thankful that it was not broken from when she jumped under the shutters. She frantically tapped on it before raising it to her ear.
"Come on, come on, pick up, pick up!"
"Who are you calling?"
"My friend in school. We were just texting right before this nightmare started. Maybe it means the monsters didn't manage to get in!"
I felt hope rise within me. It made sense, schools were built to be rather secure nowadays. Perhaps the walls and gates had managed to keep the creatures at bay. It would make for a far greater shelter than the building they were in now.
"Hello?! Rikka?! Thank god you picked up, can you hear me?!"
Whoever was on the other end of the phone was loud enough that even I could hear.
"Rina?! Are you okay?! Where are you?!"
Her voice was slightly drowned out by the sounds of banging and shouting.
As well as the sounds of moans.
Despair sank in as a mental image formed in our mind.
Another voice could be heard over the phone.
"Yuuki-kun, grab that desk and move it over here! We need to strengthen the barricade!"
"Was that sensei?! Rikka, what's happening over there!"
A loud banging was heard along with a few screams before the previous voice shouted for others to keep strengthening their barricade.
"Rina, listen to me carefully! There are these… things, everywhere! People have been dying and turning into more of them! Listen carefully! Do NOT get bitten! Yusuke got bitten on the shoulder but survived but then her turned a while after and killed Yuzuha! We're holding out in the staff room but we don't know how long we can last! Do NOT come to school, do you hear me?! DON'T COME TO SCHO-"
The voice of Rina's friend was cut off abruptly.
"Hello? Rikka, are you there? Hello? HELLO?!"
Rina tore her phone from her ear and checked the screen before screaming in frustration and throwing it to the ground. It landed near my feet and through the cracked screen, I saw that the signal icon at the top left showed no bars.
"Damn it!"
Rina sank to the ground and pressed her legs up to her chest before sinking her face into her knees. I moved to put my hand on her shoulder but paused, thinking against it. Deciding I should leave her alone for a bit, I continued on my original goal of fetching my golf club, resolving to give her a moment to herself before checking in on her once again.
Yukari:
I burst down the hallway after hearing Miho's scream, my lungs refusing to take in any air from the panic her voice had sent me into. I heard a struggle echo through the walls and quickly found the source behind an open door. It appeared to be the family's dining room but none of it registered as all I could see was Miho desperately trying to throw off a heavily disheveled woman covered in blood, her teeth sunk into Miho's arm.
"GET THE FUCK OFF ME!"
Miho's expression was extremely pale, fear and pain clearly taking over. No training could prepare anyone for a real life-threatening combat situation, if this could even be called combat. Without hesitating, I let my rifle fall to hang from my shoulder via its sling and grabbed the woman from behind and pulled as hard as I could. It felt as though she was cemented to Miho and wouldn't budge even with Miho pushing her head and trying to pull her arm away while I pulled on her torso with both my arms. In the frenzy, I could see Miho's expression of terror as panic sank in. She finally lost it and dropped her rifle, reaching for her sidearm before I could stop her and pressed the barrel against the side of the rabid woman's head, pointed away from me. Realizing what she was about to do, I cried out.
"NO, WAIT!"
But I was too late to stop her as she pulled the trigger and the exit wound exploded on the other side of the woman's head, splattering her brains and skull fragments all over the expensively decorated walls. Bits of bone and brain matter found themselves on my face as I stared in shock while Miho grabbed at the ragged wound in her arm, an entire chunk missing from it down to the bone. She cursed and cried out in pain, doubling over, the fingers in the wounded arm spasming from the possible nerve damage. Even though she had just fatally shot a civilian, my first instinct was to instead help her. I got her to sit down and pulled out the field bandages from my vest pocket, using one to tie a tourniquet above the wound before wrapping the other around the wound which soaked through the white fabric in seconds.
"This is all I can do for now, we need the medkit in the humvee."
"Fuck, what the hell was wrong with her, Yuka? That was the wife right?! I didn't have a choice! She just wouldn't let go- She fucking tore out a part of my arm!"
"Forget about that for now, I found the daughter… What was left of her… Whatever happens, I'll vouch that it was a life or death situation and self-defense."
That seemed to relax her a bit as she let out a sharp breath, wincing at the pain. She had lost a fair bit of blood and her face had gone completely pale. The medkit in the humvee probably was not enough either, she needed a hospital.
Our thoughts were interrupted by the sound of heavy boots on wood. By pure instinct, I raised my rifle and aimed it at the doorway but lowered it when I saw Genma and Yamato come into view.
"We heard the shot and came- What the hell?"
Their eyes widened at the scene of carnage and at the sight of the very bloodied bandage around Miho's arm.
"The asset attacked us, most like responsible for the murder of the daughter too. It was self-defense."
Yamato looked like he had more questions but decided to keep his mouth shut, aware that I outranked him. That's when we heard gunshots outside. At first it was one, then two, suddenly shots were ringing out non-stop causing a lurch in my chest. I had a really bad feeling about this. I ordered Genma and Yamato to cover our exit while I put Miho's good arm around my neck to support her. We hurriedly left the premises and headed back to our convoy as fast as we could, painfully aware that that was where the shots were coming from.
As we rounded the corner and saw the rest of our team, we saw the soldiers firing into a mob of bloodied people who looked like they were either drunk or high. But that did not explain the impossible wounds on their bodies, nor the fact that they were shrugging off bullets to the heart. The only way I could describe it was the dead were walking. More and more began stumbling out of the smaller streets and alleys, adding to the already unstoppable hordes. SGT MAJ Kamakura was barking out orders to keep the civilians safe but the defense line was rapidly being pushed back. In a panic, one of the soldiers, Ryuji, tripped while back pedalling and was immediately piled on by the horde. I had to fight back a scream when I saw them begin to tear him apart, eating him alive while he screamed in terror and pain. Genma and Yamato rushed forward to aid in the defense while I helped Miho into the humvee, her eyes wide in terror as she helplessly watched the scene before us, completely drenched in sweat. Kamakura ordered a retreat, stating that we were getting in the vehicles and leaving. The soldiers began a staggered retreat and I raised my rifle to cover their return to the vehicles. As I fired into the horde, short bursts into center mass as training dictated, to no avail, I could feel the despair begin to overtake me.
This is hell.
Character Summaries:
Name: Rina Eguchi
Age: 17
Occupation: High School Student
Nationality: Japanese
Eye Color: Hazel
Hair: Chestnut coloured neck length bob haircut with bangs swept to her left and sidebangs framing her face.
Facial Features: Has a cute sort of boyish charm to her that makes her pretty popular in her all girls school. Her features aren't exactly beautiful but are considered cute and coupled with her demeanor, give her a slightly playful look.
Character Summary: Rina is quite a tomboy, being the star batter on her school's softball team and tends to have quite boyish hobbies, owing to being close to her older brother. In addition to softball, she is a very avid arcade game player and is notorious for her highscores at Ikkebukoro's arcades and she is also a huge fan of Detective Conan. She is almost considered a bit of a delinquent in school. Her grades are above average but not amazing and she has a very bad habit of wearing her uniform messily and being late, as well as constantly getting caught for sitting on tables or running in the halls. Due to her boyish disposition and her looks, she has unwittingly stolen quite a few hearts at school.
Name: Yukari Hoshizawa
Age: 25
Occupation: Sergeant First Class in the JGSDF
Nationality: Japanese
Eye Color: Grey
Hair: Dark Chocolate shoulder length hair tied into a bun but she later just keeps it in a ponytail after losing her helmet.
Facial Features: Yukari has soft mature features that give her a very big sister feel, which is partially why her fellow female soldiers tend to look up to her a bit. Her expression is usually serious but she is capable of showing softer sides of her.
Character Summary: Yukari joined the military against her parents' wishes, essentially disregarding her degree in sociology in favor of a career in the military. She was partially influenced by her Grandfather being a former officer in the imperial army during World War 2 and she also grew up watching a lot of military action movies. While she is a strict and by the book officer, she does have her softer and gentler sides, and she is also fair, which garners her respect from her fellow soldiers, in addition to her dedication to her service. She gets along well with her men and she is not above banter with them either. In her free time, Yukari is a bit of a film enthusiast as well as enjoying drama series.
Name: Takashi Matsumoto
Age: 35
Occupation: Supermarket Manager
Nationality: Japanese
Eye Color: Brown
Hair: Graying Black hair cut short
Facial Features: Takashi really just looks like your average middle-aged man, with unassuming features and a greying stubble for facial hair. He gives off a very fatherly vibe and generally keeps a calm expression on his face.
Character Summary: Takashi is a middle-aged man from Hokkaido who moved to Tokyo after a divorce and losing custody of his teenage daughter. He has a hunter's license and used to hunt deer with a rifle in Hokkaido. He now works as a manager at a supermarket and picked up golf as a hobby. While he had issues with his wife, he was a loving father to his daughter and he misses her dearly and he looks forward to the short periods where he is allowed to visit her. He is also a bit lonely as he has had no one to connect with since moving to Tokyo.