Chapter 16: Neighborhood Of The Dead
IN THE ORPHANAGE'S GREENHOUSE...
"Quite the harvest today with the tomatoes! Small, but full of flavor!" Sachi points out as she plucks and puts the small tomatoes in a jar that's tied and bound in string like a glass basket.
"The potatoes are also ready to be eaten!" Miki adds as she carefully digs up and pulls out a bundle of potatoes. "We could make another platter of healthy omelets for the kids before the eggs turn bad."
"I'll try to make some kimuchi with the scallions we have. Kimchi dishes have longer shelf lives," a slightly older Korean nun replied as she carried the bundle of scallions into the pantry.
"I love your spicy kimuchi, Moon-san! Feel free to fill the fridge with a few containers of them!" Miki eagerly replies in a joking tone.
"Don't worry, Miki-chan, I'll save up one bento of kimuchi for you," the nun named Moon replied with a gentle smile.
"...Rain… it's raining. After so long," Sachi muttered while looking at the dark cloudy sky showering rain and stretched out her hand to feel the raindrops.
MEANWHILE, IN A KONBINI SOMEWHERE NEAR THE RURAL STREETS CLOSE TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD...
"Ah—it's raining now!" Alice points out, with Panzer and Zero barking happily before being suddenly covered by a cute yellow translucent poncho.
"And that's why you need to wear this later. Wouldn't wanna get a cold on the road," Kiri urged while organizing his satchel and checking his bolts and arrows. "Ugh man, I hate the rain."
Not long after leaving the police station, the team made their way around a quaint rural downtown district in their journey to the Miyamotos' place until the pigtailed brain of the group advised them to shelter for the morning, especially from the short campout a long while ago in fear of being caught off guard since they lost the humvee. Thankfully, it was her advice that managed to keep them all dry and prepared after they tried to loot what was necessary from the department store's clothing section.
"We can't sit around for long, even if it rains," Shimada points out as he wore a brown poncho loosely before munching on a fudge bar.
"Huhum…!" Shizuka grinned with excitement, picking out a pack of green colored condoms from its shelf.
"Shizuka-nee, what's that?" Alice curiously asked from behind her, startling her that she threw the box of condoms up and over the shelf to where Kiri was sitting behind minding his things.
"Ow. The hell is this?" Kiri scratches his blond dyed head and holds up a box of condoms, fuming instantly with a red and flushed face. "Nevermind…"
"Whatcha got, bro?" Kohta walks up to him before his eyes locked on the box of condoms in his hand. "Ooooh nice find!"
The four-eyed gun otaku snatches and quickly unboxes the sealed condoms, catching the eye of the four-eyed brains of the team.
"Now just what do you think you're doing?" Saya deadpanned, wearing an unbuttoned beige feminine trench coat.
"Oh! I found something really useful!" Kohta grinned silly as he cut open the box with his fingernail and pulled out a sealed condom, getting a slap in the cheek from a flustered Saya.
"You dumb otaku! Is now the time to play silly jokes?" Saya scolded with a facepalm.
"B-b-b-but hey! It's really practical for getting our guns dry!" Kohta stuttered while holding his sore cheek, opening the condom and putting it on the muzzles of his guns. "In the rain, it's a huge pain to keep maintaining our weapons without the proper tools, and rust is a no-go in order to avoid jamming or other possible issues. This can do the trick for now."
"Well, aren't you the thoughtful one, though unconventional," Saya snickered before letting Kohta put the condom on her machine gun's muzzle.
"Why? Is there another actual use for that?" Alice curiously asks, popping from around the corner near Kiri.
"Uhhh, I will tell you about all that a little later, like a few years maybe," Kiri joked with a gentle smile while patting her head, getting a cute pout from irritating Alice.
"Nii-chan you meanie!" Alice muttered out loud.
"Wh—What did I do wrong?" Kiri nervously replied.
"I can teach you later, Alice-chan!" Shizuka playfully replied, jumping her upper body over the shelf with her humongous knockers lightly slammed onto the shelf behind Kiri, making Kohta and Shimada turn away out of embarrassment.
'Shhhhh—Sensei! That's rated M!' Kiri softly scolded while covering Alice's ears.
"Hmmmmm booo. Well, I could also teach you how to use it someday, Kato-kun," Shizuka slyly replied with an eager grin, making his face burst bright red and inciting an atmosphere of sour jealousy among the males of the group. "So~ be~ prepared~!"
"Hmmmph!" Kiri quickly covers his excited nose and tries to distract himself before Asami unknowingly breaks the silence.
"Hey! Look! Asami's—I mean, I found something useful! A handheld net launcher!" Asami exclaimed at the cashier's counter.
'A wet launcher?!' Shizuka obliviously thought with a lewd mindset.
"Well what do you know? Something actually useful is still left in this tiny box of a convenience store," Saya remarked with her usual sarcasm.
"Nice find, Asami-san!" Kohta replied with a thumbs up, making her blush from his praise. "It runs on gas, not gunpowder. So there's no real risk with it. And it has a single use with a tug of the string on its butt, still useful when it counts."
While Kohta's caught up in his explanation, Takashi finishes using the toilet with an empty mineral water bottle after flushing down the toilet with its contents since electricity and water have long gone ran out, probably after they all left the Takagis' mansion.
"For some reason, it's a gross kind of luxury, using mineral water to flush down a toilet," Takashi thought out loud before tossing a bottle of mineral water to Kiri. "Hey Kiri, you're up now!"
"Finally, some relief," Kiri sighed with relief and made his way to use the toilet.
"Anyway, while Kiri's kinda busy— S-S-Sensei!? What are you doing!?" Takashi exclaimed in embarrassment, watching Shizuka trying to jam the compact net launcher in between her big lethal weapons for men.
"Hmmm? What's wrong?" Shizuka curiously asked like an airhead again. "I have no other pocket where I could safekeep it."
"U-Use this strap to clip it on," Kohta kindly hands out a strap for her to reluctantly clip it onto the net launcher's sling holes for her to wear it. 'Good grief Kiri, you just had to miss this out.'
"Phew, much much better," Kiri sighs as he tosses the empty bottle into the recycling bin before stretching his arms up high.
"Kato-kun! I'll be taking this launcher as my weapon!" Shizuka points out as she shows her net launcher slung over her shoulder, and her strap resting in between her beautiful mounds.
"Uhhhhh, yeah, yeah, all yours," Kiri turns his gaze away and hides his bashful cheeks.
"Alright, now if we're all done with what was needed here, we should go now while the rain's not heavy," Saeko reminds.
"You're right, it's time we move out!" Takashi ordered, wearing a red windbreaker over his leather jacket and donning a straw hat with Kohta quickly wearing a black poncho.
"Here you go," Kiri helps Alice wear a thick yet lightweight orange poncho before fastening it to keep her warm and notices her hand holding a simple slingshot.
"Thanks, Kiri-nii-chan!" Alice exclaimed before being caught off guard when he took her slingshot and handed her the illegal slingshot with a brass knuckle grip.
"Don't use that flimsy stick for a weapon, this one's a real deal," Kiri smirked and patted her head. "I'll teach you how to use it, but for now it can be a slingshot for ya."
"Thank you, Kiri-nii!" Alice happily exclaimed as she embraced him by his neck.
"Awwww, kawaii~!" Shizuka sighed with a satisfied grin from around the corner behind Alice, making Kiri speechless and embarrassed to comment or bark.
Everyone immediately wears different outfits that could protect them from the rain. Kiri wears a black cap and then a normal black jacket over his leather jacket before wearing the hood over his cap to keep at least his eyes clear from the rain while Shimada only wore a gray TheSouthFace windbreaker. Misaki and Rei wear different colored camo-patterned ponchos while Shizuka and Asami wore plain zipping rain jackets while carrying backpacks or rucksacks. Saeko took the black female trench coat, in contrast to Saya's beige trench coat. Cutely enough, Panzer and Zero enjoy their little toddler-sized ponchos of the same sky blue color worn over their backs like informal police dogs. On top of all that for precaution, the melee boys taped their forearms with old magazines over their jackets in case of a brawl with the undead, courtesy of Kiri of all people that even Saya almost praised his ingenuity, almost. Three of the girls, namely Rei, Asami and Kawamoto, also strapped pairs of plastic film-lined notebooks on their forearms whereas only Saeko declined.
MINUTES LATER OUT IN THE OPEN STREETS AFTER SUITING UP AT THE KONBINI…
"Eat lead!" Shimada exclaimed as he shot his shotgun and popped two of 'them' in their heads like poking through balloons with a thrown bundle of needles.
*Bang! Bang!*
"I got 'em! I got 'em!" Asami exclaimed after shooting two of "them" each on the head.
"Naisu shoto, Asami-san!" Kohta praised while he kills three of 'them' with a skewering shot from his sniper rifle from a close distance.
"Hihihi!" Asami grinned before reloading her revolver.
"Hey Takashi!" Kiri yelled as he whacked one of 'them' in the head with his crowbar before kicking another at its gut to the floor and finishing it off with a curbstomp to its head. "How much further are we?"
*Bang!*
"Huh? Oh—just about a block away. We're getting close," Takashi replied, momentarily lost in his thoughts after helping Rei take down another one of 'them'.
"If that is the case, this time I shall take the lead from this point on. Kato and Shimada will take both of my flanks at the forefront with me," Saeko suggests without hesitation.
"Wh-What? But you don't know your way around this place but me and Rei!" Takashi protested with Rei nodding and siding with him.
"Correct, and that is why. After all, each of your neighbors may have become one of 'them' as well," Saeko sternly answered as she unsheathed her katana, making Kiri and Shimada gulp down their fears. "So—"
"Waitaminute, are you saying we don't have what it takes to kill our own friends and families?" Takashi barked in anger.
"Friends are not the same as family," Saeko answered back, making Takashi recall his last moment with Hisashi.
"Guys, eyes up! We got company!" Kiri alerted upon spotting a horde of the walking corpses crowding and blocking one side of the street in the rural neighborhood, getting into a southpaw stance with his braced forearm as his shield while wielding his crowbar with his other hand.
"Eeek! Here too!" Asami screamed and pointed her loaded revolver at another horde coming from the other side, cutting off their escape route. "We're trapped!"
"Agh, of course! This is a residential area, a heavily populated area!" Saya curses from that realization.
"Well, this has become quite troublesome," Saeko deadpans as she brandishes her katana with one hand while holding her parasol with another.
Just when they nearly lost hope for escape and almost gambled fighting their way through, Takashi looked towards a certain gate with a sense of familiarity. "...Hey wait, guys, right here!"
"What's that?!" Saya demands.
"This is old lady Tanaka-san's garden, it's safe here!" Takashi explained, guiding everyone into the small yard through a secret broken movable portion of fence.
"Oh, I remember now! We used to play hide-and-seek around the neighborhood, and you happened to break into her fence years ago," Rei adds.
"Yeah, thankfully she forgave me and didn't mind the trouble since she also knew that's bound to break with a weak kick, but that was long ago and now she's passed on. Her kids were supposed to keep and care for this place but—"
"Okay okay, TMI for a simple story for another day. Anyhow, we can't stay here for long. I'd hate getting ambushed in the rain!" Saya interrupted with her grumbling.
While the team's being vigilant of their surroundings for a couple of seconds, Alice spots an abandoned kid-sized bicycle leaning onto the fence and immediately runs to mount on it. "I can go!" With ease, she cycles and pedals over the soft grass and rides out recklessly into the rain with the two furry friends Panzer and Zero.
"Alice, no! Ugh, shit!" Kiri cursed and vaulted over the fence in anger, pursuing her from behind.
"Kiri-kun! What are you doing!?" Misaki exclaimed, about to follow him before being pulled back by Megane-chan.
"Uh uh, you're not going out there like a maniac!" Saya
She alerts the team as she explores and relays the area down the road for a good two minutes before the bicycle slipped and then slid into the rainy pavement, catching the attention of several of "them" from the bike's screeches. "Aghhhh…! Oh no!"
*Bark! Bark!* *Chomp!*
In an effort to protect her, Zero barks out loud to draw some attention away while Panzer fights them off with its powerful lunges and canines for weapons, but they could only agitate "them" more as "they" draw closer to Alice. That was until a somewhat burly and familiar body charges and pushes three of "them" away from Alice and sends "them" flying towards several others in the horde to block "them" before pulling out his crowbar and whacks one in the head.
"Alice!" Kiri angrily yells before grabbing and carrying her close like a baby. "Panzer! Zero! With me!"
The four of them try to narrowly escape the horde as they snake their way through the brick sidewalk, with Kiri quickly looking at a garden through a gate with none of "them" around the tight vicinity before bolting the gate shut immediately before the crowd could get them and separates the group, again. With haste and caution he hoists Alice up over the wall and then hoists both Panzer and Zero up before being confronted by two of "them" as he was about to climb over the wall. However, just as one of "them" was close to biting Kiri's ankle, a bullet blasts through its mouth and jaw to daze it before a second bullet shoots through its head and kills it. After being able to seek temporary refuge with Alice, Panzer, and Zero, he looks over to the other side and sees the four-eyed tsundere Saya, sniping over the fence from afar with her suppressed machine gun.
"Nice shooting, Ojou-chan!" Kiri praised from afar over the brick wall before helping Alice climb over his shoulders. "Check it out, Saya-chan saved you and me!"
"Thank you, Saya-chan!" Alice thanked with her hands waving.
MEANWHILE WITH THE OTHERS IN THE OTHER SIDE…
'Tch, munchkin's lucky she's far,' Saya clicked her tongue before pulling away when she noticed several of "them" in their way of sight.
"Hold on! I can try to make my way to you!" Saeko called from afar.
"No! Too dangerous! We can try to find a way to meet up with you!" Kiri replies back.
"Then meet us in the house two gardens away from your position! Our house is around that area!" Rei instructs from afar.
"Gotcha!" Kiri responded.
"Kiri-kun! Alice-chan! Please be careful!" Shizuka strongly urged at the top of her voice before getting his thumbs up from afar, remembering the scary moment when she saw Kiri recklessly dive into the danger to save Alice.
WITH KIRI'S END, AT THE OTHER PARALLEL NEIGHBORHOOD BLOCK…
"I'm sorry, Kiri-nii! It's my fault we are separated!" Alice moped after having regretted her brash decision, only to feel an embrace and a soft noogie to her little head covered by her poncho.
"Agh, forget it. Lesson learned, and I can relate. Let's just stick together this time and watch each others' backs. Same goes for you two furry boys," Kiri orders, getting a nod from Alice and barks from Panzer and Zero.
He then carefully looks over the garden in the other house and sees none of "them" staggering around, proceeding to assist Alice over the wall and then both Panzer and Zero before climbing over the wall with his crowbar ready for any unsuspecting ambush. Despite the raindrops, it was eerily quiet as they traverse over the wet grass and concrete before being startled by some banging sounds coming from the tall window upstairs, revealing several of "them" trapped in the room like caged creatures.
"Hmph, guess they didn't know how to deal with this sort of crrrr—ud! Yeah, but we got what it takes, nee Alice-chan?" Kiri snickered.
"Mm! Mm!" Alice nods excitedly.
"Heheh, I thought so," Kiri thought amusingly until his face completely changed in the split of a second as he looked up to face another one of the hellish "crawlers", quietly crouching and growling atop the concrete wall. "Ah crap…!"
The "crawler" immediately lunges off the ledge and attacks Kiri, pinning him down to the grass and attempting to bite and grab hold onto his neck with its claws, that was until he manages to loosen its hold on his left hand and punched "it" in the cheek with a swift left hook, dazing it quick enough to gain the upper hand by kicking it off him to the bloodstained viny wall and then splattering its brains out with his crowbar and an ounce of adrenaline in his body.
"Hoooh, awgh hell! Hagh, I hate this, and I hate that!" Kiri exhaled painfully with a spent back before getting up to catch his breath and check his body for scratches or bites. "Whew, all good, safe. Alice-chan, you ok—?"
He turns to see Alice hiding behind Zero and Panzer, most likely frightened from seeing the hideous and nightmarish look of her first "crawler" that she panicked. "The monster's dead now, Alice! I got it covered," Kiri assures as he walks over to her to comfort her. "Alice?"
Unable to respond, he gently approaches her, all curled up in a squatting position and hiding her face under her poncho before being frightened by Kiri's gentle yet bloodstained hand. "Alice?"
"...Kiri-nii!" Alice cried and wrapped her arms around his waist tight like a sloth while trembling with fear. "I'm sorry! I was scared! I… I wanted to help, b-b-but—!"
"Hey hey, it's fine. We mess up sometimes. Heck, that thing was hella scary, but I killed it," Kiri assured and embraced her close, giving her his shoulder to sob on. "Look, it's safe for now, but I gotta go check the other side. We need to hurry and regroup with the others. Will you help me?"
After Alice steels her resolve and wipes her rainstained tears, she nods in response, enabling Kiri to proceed peeking at the other side, seeing that the coast is clear with none of "them" around the small neighboring garden. He then grabs the two dogs and then hoists them up over the ledge in case any of "them" might be lurking out of his line of sight before quickly helping Alice get over the wall and climbs over it right after them. Thankfully, the gate of the garden to the street is open without a problem, but they were unexpectedly greeted by one of "them" at the other side, only to see its head flop to the ground bleeding and its lifeless body topple from none other than the peerless bugeisha Saeko.
"Whew, for a minute there, I thought we're screwed," Kiri facepalmed with a sigh of relief.
"The feeling is mutual, Kato. I'm glad the two of you are safe," Saeko smiled, seeing that both Kiri and Alice are back in one piece as she led them out of the garden.
"Saya-chan! You're okay!" Alice gleefully exclaimed as she ran over to her, only to get her cheeks pinched and pulled out of nowhere. "Bwegh!?"
"Do you have any idea how much trouble you put us through!? How can you go out there rashly like that!?" Saya rambled and scolded her heart out on the munchkin, even more so when Alice called her so casually before releasing her hands from her face. "What have you got to say for yourself!?"
Kiri was about to intervene until Saeko urges him to just watch how Alice would respond, clenching his fist tightly from the anxiety. Alice pulls the edge of her poncho while holding back her tears. The munchkin tugs on the bottom edge of her poncho before apologizing and speaking her mind after reflecting upon her actions.
"I-I'm sorry! I jusht, wanna be a big help, that's all! I know I did something bad… and scary! I'm sorry!" Alice sobbed while trying to hold back her tears and snot before being pulled into a gentle embrace by the four-eyed tsundere.
"Still, I'm amazed you squirts actually made it out alive. Not that I'm tryin' to curse you two to death or anything," Shimada joked as he nudged Kiri on the back.
"Hey, they also helped us out pretty much, though we only met one of "them" on the way getting here, but they weren't that big of a deal," Kiri shrugged, not forgetting to acknowledge the help of Panzer and Zero.
"Well, what matters most now is that we are back together and safe... for now. You missed out on a lot of trouble when you two were away," Rei points out.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Kiri wondered, looking confused before seeing Takashi scowl under his hat and decided not to pry any further, thinking he might break Pandora's box or something bad.
"Forget it, man. You worry about yourself," Kohta pats on his shoulder.
"Oooookay? So um, Miyamoto, where's your place again?" Kiri wondered.
"We're close. Just a few more minutes of walking and we'll get there," Rei plainly answered.
"Aw dangit, and here I thought we could finally take a breather," Kiri exhaled in agony.
"Well, I just hope there won't be any more of "them" lurking around the streets. The deeper we go, the tighter our escape routes will be, so time is of the essence," Saeko adds as she notices more of "them" huddling around out of the rural houses and gardens they just passed by.
And once again, the gang carefully traveled down the bloody infested hell of a neighborhood, quietly sneaking around the streets and alleyways with the leading guidance of the former residents, Takashi and Rei, going through the safe shortcuts near their neighbors' houses while silencing any of "them" loitering around in the middle of their path with the help of Kiri's swift flying arrows and Saeko's elegant and deadly bladework in order to not make loud noises, especially from their guns.
"Crap. Firecrackers got nothing in this rain. And it's getting harder to aim with my cap soaked," Kiri grumbled as he pulled out another one of his arrows off the head of a corpse and wiped off the blood on the corpse's clothes before putting it in his quiver, annoyed by the rainwater lingering on his brows.
"You could always switch to your crossbow," Saeko smirked as she dodged and stabbed one of "them" from under its chin before it could grab hold of her.
"Eh, not really used to it yet, and it's really heavy to carry around," Kiri felt awkward from the thought, looking back at the crossbow strapped to the rucksack Shimada's carrying and noticing the quiver and bolts worn on Asami's shoulder.
"That's what still makes you handy with silent killing. Your archery skills are more than enough to keep us alive, so don't sell yourself short," Takashi praised, with Rei nodding in agreement while making Saeko and Shizuka—standing at the way back— smile at his remark.
"Tha—I-It's nothing…! I also enjoyed doing this sort of thing after trying it out, before all this… happened…" Kiri trails off as he futilely tries to hide his embarrassment.
"Nevertheless. You are quite a rare species for a man of your stature to practice archery," Saeko adds, sounding amused as she threw her parasol up and single-handedly thrusts her katana into one of "them" through its mouth, instantly killing it as she pulls out her weapon and flicks the blood off before catching the parasol gently falling into her grasp.
"I can see Masaki-san's house! We're almost there!" Rei exclaims with joy.
"And "they're" still right behind us!" Kohta points out from travelling in the rear with the non-combatants and novice protectors.
"Shit! Then we can try to shake "them" off this way!" Takashi orders, pointing in the left direction of an intersection opposite to the path where Rei's house is located.
"Wait! But what about my mother, Takashi!?" Rei screamed.
"If we rescue your mother and get surrounded, it defeats the purpose of our mission to disregard everyone else's safety," Saeko sternly points out.
"…Okay, fine!" Rei surrenders and follows the plan as they head to the left path.
"Besides, knowing your mother, probably as stubborn as you, she's not gonna be easy to kill," Kiri assures in a rough pragmatic tone.
"Wa-wait, how did you know about my mother?" Rei wondered from his remark.
"Errrrmmm—"
"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!"
Suddenly from a distance, loud angry screaming or shouting were heard in the neighborhood, just close by somewhere in their direction.
"That voice! My mother! She's alive!" Rei rejoices upon hearing the familiar voice in its loud and stern tone.
"Well… looks like this won't take us a whole night after all," Kiri sighs with relief, sounding amused despite the warning Saeko said from a long time ago.
OUTSIDE AN ENCLOSED RESIDENCE THAT'S BLOCKADED WITH VARIOUS PIECES AND STRUCTURES OF FURNITURE…
"Did those idiotic psychos talk you guys into this?! What did they even do to help everyone out while I'm gone, huh?!"
Yelling and barking at the blockade was a woman possibly in her mid-forties, wielding a traditional jumonji yari and wearing what appears to be a traffic enforcer's uniform, noting her occupation as part of law enforcement. Seems that an argument's brewing by the entrance of the blockade between some people at the other side and the lone lady.
"Oh c'mon, guys! Quit this nonsense!" The woman yelled again, slamming her spear to the pavement. "You dare underestimate me!? The great officer Miyamoto Kiriko, to be just an errand girl who's nothing but an expendable supply runner?!"
Looking over the scene from yonder like curious bystanders, the team get in close to peek from a distance to examine the ongoing petty scuffle.
'Whoa mama, that lady's got some spunk,' Shimada catcalled, getting an elbow to his gut from the disgusted archer Kiri.
'Hey hey, I thought we got through all that crap already?' Kiri hissed angrily.
'No worries, kid. I just meant that as a compliment,' Shimada shrugs his shoulders.
"Mom!" Rei called out loud as she ran to her and successfully got her attention before tackling her into an embrace from behind.
"Rei! You're okay!" Kiriko exclaimed, suddenly ignoring the gunman behind the blockade pointing a rifle at her and notices Takashi and the team. "Ara! Takashi-chan's here too!"
"Hihi, nice to meet you, Miyamoto-san!" Shizuka kindly greets with a bow along with Saeko.
"Oh why same here, thank you," Kiriko modestly replied with a bow in return before spotting Kiri, shrinking behind Kohta and Saya.
'Sh! Don't tell her that I'm here, man!' Kiri yelped, leaving a weird impression on Saya with the strange state he's showing.
"Kiri-nii, why are you hiding?" Alice obliviously asks out of curiosity, making Kiri get a mini heart attack and shushing her like a static radio.
WIth the sharp intuition of a policewoman, Kiriko walks over to Kohta and Saya like a prowling lioness, gently moving them out of the way to spot an intimidated yankee squatting like a nervous wreck under the hoodie.
'Aw crap, so this is how it feels like to sense boss music in the background!' Kiri internally screamed while clutching onto the sides of his hoodie, only to be dragged by the back of his collar and having his hoodie pulled down. "Huek!"
"I knew it. So it was you, Kato-chan…!" Kiriko menacingly grins with an intimidating aura towards Kiri.
"Ehehehehehe, long time no see, K-Kiriko-san!" Kiri nervously stuttered before trying to get back up.
"Same here. Have you been behaving properly lately? Not that you will be getting any detention time again like the old days," Kiriko smirks and pulls his hoodie back up on his cap.
"W-Wait, Mom, you knew him?" Rei asked out of curiosity.
"You kidding? He's one of the worst delinquents messing around the area when you were around middle school," Kiriko scoffed with a smirk, sounding amused and nudging Kiri's arm. "I've thrown him and his pals into detention, twice in my patrols whenever I was in the area. Though he was quite the cocky bastard back in the day."
"Ugh damn me," Kiri groaned under his facepalm, making Shizuka, Misaki, and Rei curious about his past.
"Alright alright, that's too much stuff that we can talk about another day. We still got that problem of yours, 'Baa-chan. Why are you yelling out here? "They" are " Takashi interrupts and halts her before she could storytell another part of her history.
"Aw psh, these assholes? It was fun and peaceful working with the neighbors for a while. Everyone was happy and merry with labor helping each other out, until the power went down and caused panic and tension like dominoes," Kiriko lengthily rambled on. "And to top all our problems off, some weirdo friends of our neighbors were welcomed into the group and managed to manipulate the others into not letting me back in."
"In that case, let's leave this place together," Takashi suggests.
"My my, so straightforward. If I hadn't knew any better, I'd take that as you hittin' on me," Kiriko playfully replied, catching Takashi, Rei, and Saeko off guard and flabbergasted before glaring at him with her policing eyes. "Okay, I'll join your ragtag team, but what then? Don't tell me we're just going to wander about in the city, unless that's what all of you kids and adults are committed to that decision."
"More than that. Two days ago, we stopped by the police station and it turns out that the SDF are dispatched to do a rescue operation in Onbetsu Elementary School. We confirmed it with a J-alert in the station's command center and it's most likely the first and last rescue mission en route," Saya recounted the past events.
"...Hey you guys! You hear what the lady said?! Help is actually available at the school! Better to move out while we still can! Who's with us!?" Kiriko yells out to the manipulated masses behind the blockade, eerily quiet for a dead minute upon hearing her words.
"...Lies! We don't believe you!" One survivor yelled back behind the blockade, followed by others that said similar words.
"I am Komuro-sensei's son! And what she said is true! There's not enough time and if anybody is willing to leave with us, now's the best time!" Takashi offers the survivors a chance to find refuge in the school, only to get the dead silent answer of refusal.
Kiri taps onto his shoulder and shakes his head with the stern and intimidating glare in his eyes. "Forget it, man. If they refuse, we can't force 'em. Besides, we don't have enough arms and weapons to defend ourselves, how much more if we get more folks that can't fight out there. "They" are not the only ones we'll meet along the way,"
"And speaking of "them" guys. We got company, at our six! About sixty meters away!" Kohta alerts after looking through his sniper rifle's scope, spotting a horde closing in on them after hearing their yelling.
"Seems "they" were following us the entire time. Looks like we can't stay much longer," Saeko adds as she throws away her parasol and wields her katana with two hands.
"Baa-chan, you gave them the warning. You've done enough to be a good neighbor," Takashi assures.
"Yeah, don't worry about 'em. They made their choice, can't do nothing about that," Kiri shrugs his shoulders before pulling an arrow out and loading it on his black bow to prepare to shoot.
"Hoho, I see you have made quite the new man outta yourself, boy," Kiriko huffed with a playful grin, patting the yankee on the back.
"K-K-Kiriko-senpai!" Asami runs to her and salutes her with cold feet, overwhelmed to work with a well-known policewoman more infamous than her superior. "I-I-It's a great honor to work with you!"
"Ara, Asami-chan too! I'm glad someone else on the force is still alive. Though not in the same division and with me being a retiree," Kiriko gleefully replied.
"Wait, you said "force". And with that uniform, are you a member of law enforcement?" Kohta wondered.
"Oh so you've really noticed, good eyes! I was in the mobile traffic unit, yes. And I kept this uniform in my closet, case the time was right to really use it again— like right now. But later I was moved into the district station, keeping the peace from those rowdy thugs and delinquents. They called my area Precinct Kiriko for nothing, that was until I met my husband," Kiriko smirked.
"Speaking of Dad, he's gone to the school as we speak," Rei points out.
"Sounds like Tadashi-chan alright. A man like him won't leave people behind in this hellhole," Kiriko nods with a content smile at the thought of her father being the same man she knew, trusting the good word of her daughter.
"Yes. Dad would've done the same for us just as he did for other people," Rei smiles in return from her comforting words.
"Although, I wanna ask you all something, about your guns…?" Kiriko wondered, looking at all the guns they're equipped with.
"Ah—Mom! We can explain—!"
"Nah no worries. Laws are long gone by this time. It's good that you know a thing or two with guns, or using primitive weapons for the most part," Kiriko smirks in an ambiguously amused tone, especially the last part, probably referring to Kiri before showing off her jumonji yari. "Besides this baby right here, it belongs to your father, Rei. I'm just borrowing it for the meantime."
'I take it she also knows how to fight with a spear?' Saeko subtly whispers behind Takashi's ear.
'Yeap, pretty much so,' Takashi nervously whispered back.
"Obaa-san, have you learned how to shoot a handgun?" Kohta asks.
"More or less," Kiriko quickly replied.
"Then you can use this pistol," Kohta pulls out a small pistol with a couple of spare loaded magazines. "It's an automatic firing pistol. We looted this one from the evidence room back at the police station. Could be of more use to you."
"Okay, I believe that we are all set?" Saeko clarifies, preparing to fight.
"Yes. All fighters, time to blow this neighborhood. We're gonna have to fight our way through," Takashi sternly orders, setting a good impression on Kiriko, Saeko, and Rei again.
"Alrighty, yoshu!" Shimada wears his shotgun on his back and spits on his hands to make them sticky enough to help himself pull out a broken signpost loose from its screwed in foot, thanks to the rust eating through the ankle of its shaft, making the others look at him incredulously as he uses it as his weapon. "What? I lost my pipe along the way. This will have to do the trick."
"Kiri, mind if I—?"
"Say no more, boss," Kiri pulls out his crowbar and tosses it to Takashi's hands before realigning his makeshift vambraces and pounding his fists. "Time for a little exercise!"
"Do what you can to be ready for close combat! Nobody fires until I say so!" Takashi orders again, preparing to fight against the horde coming straight in their direction.
HOURS LATER AT DUSK, IN A LARGE SCRAPYARD BUILT SOMEWHERE IN THE HEART OF THE CITY NEAR THE UPTOWN DISTRICT…
"M-Milord! I can explain! Please!"
The area appears like something straight out of an actual apocalypse film. A literal modern hellhole with ramshackle barricades made with piles of all kinds of dead vehicles or rusty sheets of galvanized steel and a large warehouse that seems to serve as a shelter and base for the barbarians of the city. The robust inhabitant punks appear to be tattooed or wearing marked clothes and armor with red paint, most of them equipped with many sorts of guns and weapons that they could possibly scavenge or create. Sitting kingly on a couch in the center with a harem of disheveled harlots vying for his exclusive attention was a charming man with a slight resemblance of Koichi Shido's face, just in a more stern and strict appearance compared to Shido's laid back appearance and hidden sadism. His gaze pierces right at the heart of the accused kneeling before his punkish throne, exuding an aura of a growling beast before his rowdy gathering.
"What is it now this time?" The man deadpanned while resting his face on his upright fist and caring less about the harlot snuggling up to his shoulder and caressing his pecs.
"Sir! This fool was caught trying to steal some of our weapons in the armory. Funny how he tried to escape with a pack of 'em using those skinny sticks of his without making some noise!" The armored punk revealed in a slightly muffled voice behind his silver motocross helmet, armed with an M4 assault rifle.
"Well isn't that nice," The man snarkily scoffs.
"P-Please, sir! I-I just—"
The man on the throne halted his tongue with his hand and gestured for two more armored men to come and restrain the accused's arms and hold him up on his feet. There he slowly descends his elevated seat of power with the woman on his side, flaunting his dirty red parka over his plunging black bloodstained shirt and some trousers, he walks up to the fool in order to get a good sad look on his sorry appearance before stomping on his bare feet using his pair of worn combat boots without remorse. He then grabs the fool by his hair and glares at his men.
"...You know how those undead freaks are attracted to sound, right?" The man snickered, showing no mercy. "Well, with this, at least we can all put on a small show. Take him outside?"
Upon hearing his words, the fool starts to panic and struggle like a rabid animal trying to break free, dragged by the two strong men as they make their way out of the warehouse to a certain area within the scrapyard. It was a bloody semicircular enclosure with stacks of old dead cars barricading the enclosure lined with sacks of cement, gravel, or sand that had been stained with dried blood and entrails. They stand by the barrier of the enclosure that's made with one huge metal sheet that's used in shipping containers, attached with a metal fence and some chains connected to a pair of heavy duty pulleys. The regal ruler of the scrapyard gestured to the people in charge of monitoring the enclosure to lift up the barrier before kicking the frail man into the enclosure with his hands tied up with rope before letting the barrier fall and closing the exit, leaving him to several of "them" that were feeding on half-eaten corpses that were torn and disemboweled.
"No… no, please no!" the man screamed as he squirmed and tried to get painfully back up on his broken toes, attracting "them" to his agonized cries.
"Awgh, on second thought, I'll pass on this show. You guys can do whatever the hell you want," the leader groans in annoyance and returns to the warehouse with his lady friend "with benefits", ignoring the cries of the man screaming and pleading for help behind the barriers.
While the men watch with sadistic roars and barks in their entertainment, their leader travels back to his little makeshift home in the warehouse, greeted by several of the ladies on his sides as they enter a spacious office that became his humble quarters with ragged couches and a king-sized bed, decorated with various ornamental scrap that give off an apocalyptic vibe like the movies. He sits and lays himself on the bed not minding the beautifully naked lady sleeping under the sheets for who knows long. At his bedside he opens one of the drawers and takes out his crumpled wallet, taking out an identification card with his portrait that belonged to a Todai student, specifically in the law department, named Tetsuya Shido, the legitimate heir of Ichirou Shido and the late Koichi Shido's younger brother, though his death is still unknown to him. He was bitterly reminded of the treacherous acts his father, Ichirou Shido, has done behind him and his mother's backs that led to her eventual suicide. He despised him for pulling some strings in his schools and even in Tokyo U. All that time, those sour memories suddenly resurfaced that he grips onto it hard again and furiously throws it to a makeshift dart board, digging deep into the material.
"Really? Again?" the lady snickered, watching him let it fly. "You're still going to get it off again, right?"
"Sorry, my dear. The name Shido. It's like a cursed reminder. Of how much I detest my father. I wanted to prove myself that I can do anything without his help… until all "this" happened," Tetsuya muttered out loud before staring at the small engagement ring he kept on his ring finger and remembers another bad memory, annoying the two women that they chose to ignore him as well and calmly sleep. 'Why, why you too, Kasumi-chan? Why betray me too… for him?'
—To be continued
A/N:
Helloooo everybody!
A fast upload in a long time!
I was hyped for a little while and managed to finish this faster than usual.
This is going to be the start of the nitty gritty arc(s) in this story.
Hope you guys still enjoy reading my stuff.
Take care everybody!
FYI: On this certain new Shido Tetsuya, he was a law student and the younger brother of Koichi Shido, the teacher that turned and was inhumanly "euthanized" by Kiri many chapters ago. He was the reason for Koichi Shido's accumulated evil and greed and revenge.
That's all for now, thanks for everything again guys!
