When was the last time i did nothing?

You know...leaving the rest of the group to deal with whatever crap got in our way?

...Now that i think about it, if we exclude some minor moments...never

I always did do something...

So...this must be a first

I mean, i fell asleep shortly after we left the estate

And...the horde was still following us...meaning that we were not out of the woods yet when i decided to pass out

But hey... i ain't no one-man-army, i can let somebody else deal with this crap once in a while...and well...we were inside the Humvee, so it's not like i bailed on them at an important moment or something

Then again...maybe i'm just thinking like this right now because i am half asleep and don't give a single fuck about anything

But...you know what they say

All good things must come to an end...

As the moment my brain realized i was self-conscious, it started bugging me...telling me that i needed to think of a plan for the events that will take place in the mall...

Annoying as it may be...i knew that it was right...

I move my head slightly and take a deep breath while still keeping my eyes closed

(...uhhh...

I don't even want to open my eyes...good thing i can think with my eyes closed...

...So...

Uhhhh...right

The Mall...

Asami and Kohta...

Shizuka and the rapist

Granny and the clinic

And the extraction helicopters along with the mall getting overrun

If i'm not forgetting something...that should sum up the major events that take place there...

So...let's take things one step at a time now...

First of all...

Is getting...uhh

...There?...

Oh, Shit!... Saeko, Takashi, split, shrine, fuck!

FUCK!)

I dart my eyes open and move my head slightly to the right as i scan the car's interior

Other than the fact that the sun was up

Saeko was sitting next to me with Rei on her right

Takashi was sitting next to Rei

And Kohta was sitting next to Takashi by the car's door, the Scar-H still in his hands

Yea, five people in the back seats...

Explains why Saeko is pretty much...stuck to my side...

Not that i'm complaining mind you

I breathe a silent sigh of relief as i close my eyes again

(Ok...either i did not happen...or i did not happen...yet

But the sun is out, normally Saeko and Takashi spend the night in that shrine...and...uhh...yea

Ok..so...now that i am fully awake and that is out of my mind

...Back to the task at hand

The mall...

Let's start with the cop girl that Asami idolizes...She, probably left yesterday evening to find help based on what the manga showed...

And if she was a wandering corpse right outside the mall...that means she didn't get too far before she got bit...

As i find it hard to believe that she would try to return to the mall after she got infected...

The way Asami kept on saying how that woman was supposed to be an awesome cop

I'd think she would understand the moral impact it would have if she was seen as a walking corpse...

Especially if she was the only hope they had for a rescue...

So...my chances of saving her are sadly...probably gone...as she might be already dead by now...

Best i can do...is find her before the others see her and finish her off...if she really is a corpse

Next...

Asami and Kohta

And what i can count as the main deal with this whole situation...

She will have a huge impact on Kohta...and in the end, she does give him some clear signs that she likes him, which he returns...i think?

In any case, i need to make sure she survives...by any means necessary

Even if that ends with me tying her up to a chair...and locking her in a god damn storage room

Also, Kohta no longer has the cop gun to make his first move on Asami as i gave it for the p220...not a very smart move now that i think about it...

But...hmm...i can hide one p220 in my bag, say that i forgot it there

Then get these two and tell her that Kohta found it and figured a cop would be better off with it...or even better give it to Kohta so he can give it to her him self...things should go on 'normally' after that

Then...we have Shizuka...

...As much as i want to stop the whole thing from happening...even if Shizuka seemed to be none the wiser after the whole ordeal...

This needs to happen...as Kohta pretty much makes Asami fall for him then and there...

And...then we have the trip for the blood and the helicopters...

Not a lot i can do for these two...

The granny will need then blood...so we either go to the clinic...or let her die...simple as that

One of the survivors from the mall also dies in the clinic if i remember correctly...

And last but definitely not least...the helis

I could hypothetically get us all extracted...

But...

We don't get to meet Rei's mother like that...

And quite possibly her father in the elementary school

Not to mention that when the group found her she was in a...kind of a tight situation

But...that is still far off...got to focus on the things that will happen before that)

Keeping my eyes closed i stopped thinking and listened to the engine hum as the humvee drove down the highway

I stayed like that for some time

Until

"We are almost out of the highway

The mall shouldn't be too far from here"

Opening my eye again i see Rei talking

"I just hope we drove the horde far enough"

Takashi responds

"They will be fine...

My Papa is more than capable of handling this

We should be more focused on our problems..."

Saya who was on the front passenger's seat turns to look at Takashi, the textbook in her left hand

"...Saya..."

Was the only thing Takashi said

(I never really understood that...

Why say a person's name and then just stare at them like some sort of retarded monkey?)

"Saya is right Takashi

We should focus on our problems"

Saeko responds

I shift my eyes towards the window

Only to see the shopping mall slowly coming into view

"Like for the fact that you are driving straight to the mall with the car?"

I say as i stare outside

"Hmm?

Ohh...

Naier, good morning"

Saeko was the first one to speak

I nod as lift my head away from the window

I could hear my neckbones crack as i moved it about

"Humm...About time you woke up

Leaving us to do all the work while you were off dreaming like an idiot"

Saya...was the second one...

"Yea...i love you too"

I respond groggily as i close my eyes and put my left hand behind my neck

And the moment i opened my eyes again...

The textbook was flying straight towards my face...

(Oh come on, Again!?...)

I slap the book to my legs

"This is important information here, don't just toss it around Saya"

I say as i pick up the textbook and extend the arm that held it towards her

She just responds with her usual huffy tone as she yanks the textbook from my hand and looks back towards the front of the car

(Jee, you don't have to like me THAT much)

"Uhh...Still...slow down the car, we are closing in to the mall

And there is a good chance that it might have survivors inside...

Lots of food and materials to be used

And relatively easy to fortify if compared to what it has inside"

I say as i look back out the window

"So what do we do?

Walk all the way there?"

Takashi asks

"The surrounding area has a good amount of tree clusters that can be used to conceal the car

So, take a wider approach towards the Mall, don't drive straight to it

We will park the car into a patch of trees after we get relatively close

Just remember to close the engine the before we actually stop

Less chance for the car to get surrounded by corpses like that"

Shizuka nods after i was done speaking and turns the Humvee to the right at the next intersection, going over a bridge as there was a river to our right

"Keep going straight then turn left a couple of intersections later, we can use the buildings as cover while we close in to the mall"

Shizuka does as i asked and turns left two intersections later

"Don't you think you are, kind of overthinking this?"

Rei speaks up as i stared at the mall

"I'd rather overthink this than end up looking from a distance, while a bunch of good for nothings drives off with our car and supplies"

I say as i turn to her

Rei does not respond and neither does anybody else

Guess visualizing what i just said hit home

"After we park...then what?"

Kohta asks after a short silence

"I think we should leave our guns here for starters

If the mall has survivors inside..."

Takashi answers

I turn to Kohta who just nodded without much of a fuss...he is the last person who would want to lose the guns after all

"By the way...how long do you intend to keep hogging my Scar-H Kohta?"

I ask as i keep looking at him

He then turns to me

"But...you have the shotgun, don't be greedy "

He answers

"And you have the Ar-10...don't be needy"

I answer back

Yet before either of us could continue

"UGHH...do NOT start acting like a bunch of kids that are fighting over toys"

Saya says with a groan as she keeps looking at the street ahead

I look at her before turning to look back at Kohta who gives me a rather smug smile

(Ohhh i will get my gun back, you can count on that buddy)

...So, after several minutes and crushed corpse skulls later...

We were by the right side of the mall

With no visible windows on this side, i nod to my self and speak up

"Alright the mall is straight to our left now

And i don't see any windows on this side

So turn left and keep going until we see a good cluster of trees we can drive the car into"

Shizuka nods once again as she lowers her head slightly

Probably trying to focus...

She then turns left

The mall was now a straight line from here

The road ahead, other than being littered with corpses and the occasional car

Was relatively clear and surrounded by houses and greenery

My target

Anything with enough trees that we could use to hide the car inside

(I would rather go into a small park rather than a cluster of trees next to a sidewalk

But the problem is that the only place matching the description of a park is next to the mall's open field...or well...what used to be a parking lot

So no, too close for comfort)

So instead i stabbed a rather big cluster of trees that stood a couple of intersections down the road

I kept staring at that spot as Shizuka drove over the river once more

And after we closed in

I got up and leaned between the two front seats of the car

"That place looks good

Drive there and shut down the engine once we get close"

I say as i point at the cluster that was to our left with my finger

Shizuka nods

While Saya just stared at me before slightly leaning away from me

I turn towards Saya to see Alice sitting on her lap

With Zeke in one hand, she starts waving at me

"Hey there shorty, young cadet"

I respond

The dog upon hearing the word cadet barks at me

Alice then hugs the dog with both hands

"Zeke is not a cadet, because you are no longer evil"

She says with a wide grin

"Ohh...

Damn...i need to get my evil overlord vibes back on...before i start shooting rainbows like some other dude i know..."

I say as i look back towards our soon to be parking space

I could feel...Saya staring even more intensely at me now...along with several other gazes on my back

"Rain...bows?"

I hear Saeko ask

"It's...nothing Saeko... really"

Takashi responds

(Says the valiant knight of rainbows and sunshine)

...While i really wanted to say that...now...was not that time...

As we were closing in on the trees i had pointed out

"Alright...You see the open space between the trunks over there to our left?

Climb over the sidewalk, turn off the engine and let the car roll through there"

Shizuka just nodded as i spoke

And so the moment the Humvee 'bumped' over the sidewalk she shut down the engine

And let the car slide into the cluster of trees

"Good, first opening you see, turn the car either left or right so nobody can see it from the opening we just used"

Shizuka does as i said again and turns to the car to the right and lets it roll, until she presses on the brake

"Can't go any further, or we will bump into the trees"

She says as she turns to me

I nod and turns to the group behind me

"Alright, I will get the net...

Somebody needs to check that the surroundings are clear of corpses

But most importantly, that we did not get spotted by any other survivors"

Saeko nods and exits the car through the door on her left

Followed by Rei and Takashi

They then looked around for a bit

Until

"Looks clear

I can see some of them coming towards us...but i can't see any people"

Rei speaks up

Kohta then moves to exit the car

"Kohta...guns..."

I say as i stare at him

He turns to me

"Ohh...right"

And then leaves the Schar-H on the seat along with the Ar-10 before exiting the vehicle

Saya puts the textbook in her bag before leaving the car with Alice

And lastly, Shizuka takes the keys out of the ignition and opens the driver's door

"Miss Shizuka"

I call out to her

She turns to me and tilts her head

"Can i have the car keys?

You...uhh...don't have any pockets

And i would rather not leave them in a bag"

I say as i point at her dress

(I also don't want mister rapist to find them by accident while he tries to cop a feel)

She then looks down on her skirt...

Or well...tried to...you know...her breasts are kinda massive

So, after a couple of awkward seconds...she just nodded and gave me the keys

And then exited the vehicle

The only one left inside now...was me

(Alright let's get to work)

I take the two rifles that Kohta left, along with my shotgun and the M1-A1 and hide them in the trunk

Under some bags and sheets that were stashed in there

I then take the urban camo net, open it and hide the contents of the trunk itself

(While the trunk has no glass window on it...you can still see the contents from the front windshield and door windows

If we are unlucky enough and somebody finds the car

Hiding what it has inside might deter them from trying to break-in

Even if it's obvious that the car has something inside leaving the guns in plain is be much worse)

I then take my bag off and open it

(Why didn't i take this thing off before falling asleep?)

And after i quickly glanced at the rest of the group and made sure they were not looking towards me

I take the first P220 along with its holster and shove it in the bag

Then take the second P220 that was still in my pocket and put it in the bag as well

And finally, i push both the guns and belt to the bottom of the bag, beneath all the clothes, map and whatever other crap that was stuffed inside

(Alright, let's get going...)

I strap the bag on me and exit the car, camo net in hand

And walk to the front door

(Good thing this Humvee can lock its doors...)

I think as i lock the car and unwrap the net

I then start covering one side of the car until Kohta came over and helped me cover the other side

After we were done i join the group and turn to look at the car

"Hmm...Not bad, there is a constant shade from the surrounding trees

And the camo net blends in nicely with the surrounding area"

I say as i nod and fold my arms

The next thing i heard...

Was a loud thud, followed by a 'cracking' sound

I turn around to see Saeko standing over a corpse

"We need to move"

She says as she looks at the other corpses that were slowly shambling towards us

We all nod and run past the fallen corpse before turning to the left the moment we reached the sidewalk

And then went left again after reaching the intersection

The Mall was now just one intersection away

And thankfully, we also had a building that obstructed the trees that we hid the car into, so it was pretty well covered from any prying eyes that might reside in the mall

I grab the bokken and pull it out from the side of my bag

Then run towards a nearby stop sign that was to my right and take a strong swing at it

While the metal pole echoed from the impact

I turned around to look at the corpses that were heading towards the parked Humvee

"Alright, that got their attention"

I say as i start running back towards the group

"We should not waste any more time here, let's go!"

Takashi motions with his hand as he starts running

And like that

The group starts running towards the mall

I run up to them and join Takashi, Rei and Saeko in the 'front line', taking the rightmost spot

"We got a plan or we just beat the crap out of everything till we get there?"

I ask as we kept on running

"Beating the crap out of everything IS the plan!"

Takashi responds

I shift my sight to Saeko to see her smiling eerily as she slowly drew her blade from its sheath

(Oh crap, sword)

Was the only thing i managed to think before she dashed ahead of us and slashed the head off from the first corpse she got close to

She then sidesteps towards a corpse to her right, slides behind it and kicks it on the back of its knees, decapitating it while it was still kneeling down

"Saeko behind you!"

Takashi shouts

She just grins as she spins in place and sends another head flying

(Holy crabs...i actually fought against...that?

Why i'm not dead again?)

I shake my head and run up to Saeko...or well...i tried to

As in the in end...all the group did was run after her as she dashed from corpse to corpse

And like that, we crossed the last intersection and headed towards the mall

Upon reaching the end of the road we moved into the field that led to the Mall, Saeko still several meters ahead of us

We could also see a door that led into the building in about sixty to seventy meters straight from here

With no corpses blocking the way, we all started running towards that door

All of us...

But one

Saeko, instead of going straight, charged towards the left, aiming at a mass of corpses that had gathered at the left part of the field that led to the front part of the mall

And when i say gathered corpses...i mean as in a mini horde, about twenty or thirty of them gathered all together...

"Saeko!"

Takashi shouts once more

But his shout

Fell on deaf ears

As she just kept running straight towards the mass of corpses

(God damn it! Stupid crazy suicidal psychopath!)

I yank my bag off and toss it at whoever was next to me

And then dash straight towards Saeko

(Stupid! Fucking! Crazy!

Arghh! I'm going to kill me if you die here!)

Even if i was not really that much faster than her

She kept stopping to take out whatever corpse was near

So...

I thankfully managed to catch up to before she could get too close to the mass of corpses

Upon closing in on her and while she still had her back turned to me i grab her sword arm by the forearm

She instantly turns around as she tries to yank her arm away while aiming to take a swing at my neck with her blade

Keeping my grip on her arm i forcefully pull it up and towards me

Causing her forehead to almost hit my neck and her sword passed over my head

I put my free hand under her chin and lift her head until i could see her face

"Wrong direction! Saeko!"

I shout at her face

She...just stared at me as she kept panting

I bring my hand to the back of her neck and bring her face closer to mine, to the point that her forehead was almost touching my mask

"Snap out of it...

Or we both die here"

She kept looking at my mask for a couple of seconds

Until her eyes finally went wide

Her mouth slightly open

"I..."

She begins to speak

"Not now, we got to move, before we get swarmed"

I say as i turn around and drag her behind me

Saeko...comes to her senses a couple of seconds later and picks up the pace as i start feeling less resistance coming from her as we run

The moment we reached the group

"...What...was that?

What just happened?"

Rei asks

Saeko just stayed quiet, Slightly turning her head away from the group

"She didn't see the door...

She thought we were going through the front gate"

I say as i let go of Saeko's arm and turn to Rei

"What, but..."

Rei was about to start talking again

"No time, she took the wrong way, we are fine now, so let's go"

Takashi cuts her off

Much to Rei's dismay as she turns to stare at him with a frown

"Come on we have to move!"

He says as he quickly starts running towards the door

We started running after him shortly after

I give Saeko a quick glance as i run

(This...can't be good)

And once we reached the door

"Barricaded...somebody was here before us"

I say as i look at the clutter that was blocking the door from the inside

"What...do we do now?...Back to the car?"

Shizuka asks while she kept holding Alice with one hand

Who was, in turn, holding Zeke under her free arm

Before i could speak up

"Huh wait, i think i can see somebody inside"

Takashi responds as he starts shouting and waving his arms towards the door

The figure, after apparently seeing us, froze in place and started fidgeting about

Before finally deciding to run up to the door

And lo and behold, Asami in all her third-person cop glory

(Well...this was easy)

"W..wait! Asami will let you in, don't panic, don't panic!"

(...You're the one who is panicking here shorty...)

She hastily and quite clumsily takes the clutter away from the door as we looked at the corpses that were shambling towards us

Still, they were thankfully too far for any real cause of alarm

And the moment the door opened, we all got inside

We then slammed the door shut and started re-barricading it

"Thank you"

Takashi nods at Asami as he takes a few deep breaths and puts his hands on his knees after we were done blocking the door

"It's alright, it's Asami's job to protect civilians"

She says with a smile

The group just stared at her for a while

Until

"You're...a Police officer...

Do you know Tadashi Miyamoto?

He's a police detective

Is he alive?

Do you know where he is?"

Rei almost walks into Asami as she barrages her with questions

Asami puts her hands forward as droplets of sweat start running down her forehead

She closes her eyes and smiles awkwardly

"I...i'm sorry Asami...she doesn't know"

I just shake my head

"What she meant to say is

Her name is Rei Miyamoto

I'm Naier Sepfier

The guy next to her is Takashi Komuro

Behind her is our school nurse Shizuka Marikawa

Next to Shizuka is Alice Maresato

And next to Alice is...uhh...the cadet"

I say as i point at the dog

"His name is Zeke!"

Alice shouts as she puffs her cheeks

The rest of the group then goes on to introduce them selfs

"This police officer is Asami Nakoaka"

She says as she...salutes? at us with a smile

Kohta ended up being the only one returning that salute

"We should head inside, staying by the door will attract them"

Takashi speaks up shortly after as he points at the door

With that, we started going down the relatively dark corridor

And as we walked

"Uhhh...where is my bag?"

I ask as i realized that i just tossed it before chasing after Saeko

Only to have it land on the left side of my head shortly after

I grab the bag and dart my head to the left only to see Saya glaring at me as she puffed up her cheeks

"Watch where you throw your stuff, you idiot...

And what do you even have in there..."

She says as she massages the right part of her forehead

"Uhh...You know...stuff.."

I say as i casually throw the bag over my shoulder

Ignoring the obviously annoyed chundere as she glared at me

And so like that, we moved to the center part of the mall

Once we were there

"Asami has to make sure nothing happened with all this commotion, so she will have to leave now"

She bows at us and turns around

...Before turning to us again

"If you need anything, tell Asami!"

She says with a smile before running off

And now, we were left in the middle of the mall's central room

After a few moments of silence

"We should spread out, check the place out

Make sure it's safe, see what we can find in here"

Takashi speaks up

The group nods before slowly splitting up

Saya and Kohta left towards the market area

Takashi went up the stairs along with Alice

Rei following Takashi while Zeke followed Alice

Shizuka trotted off by her self...

(Alright...

I need to figure out what to do with Kohta...

Got to give him the gun so he can give it to Asami

But without making him think that i'm interested in her...because i am doing this for him

Not to get Asami infatuated with me)

I look around to see that i was the only one left now

(Huh where did Saeko go?

I didn't see her leave)

I dart my head around to see her going up an escalator

Several meters straight and slightly to the right from where i was standing

(...I need to get to Kohta...but...

The little stunt she just pulled...

She better not try to do something stupid now...

I will check on her...then go to Kohta)

And so...from a relatively safe distance, i followed Saeko as she slowly walked up the stairs

After that, she kept walking around the second floor aimlessly before stopping to enter a store to her right

(...Alright...no more creepy stalking)

I think as i walked towards the store that Saeko entered

But... i never managed to get there

"Ey! Naier!"

I hear someone shout from behind

(Ohh for fuck's sake, have better timing next time, please)

I turn around to see Takashi waving at me

I glance back at the store that Saeko just walked into

(I want to make sure Saeko is fine...

But...i don't think bringing everybody to her is a good idea...)

I sigh under my breath and start walking towards Takashi

(Hope she won't do anything stupid while i am not looking...)