HOTDR Chapter 9: Shrine Of The Dead
Last time on Highschool of the Dead Revamped...
Rei: Sensei!
Shizuka focused back to the road and saw the road block. Panicked, she slammed on brakes and turned the Humvee to the left, letting the right side of the vehicle almost smack into the barricade. The sudden stop sent Rei with her rifle and Kiba flying off of the roof; Rei hit the corner of the roof of the Humvee as she spun off and landed on the cement road back first while Kiba glided off of the vehicle and landed on his shoulder and side of his neck, doing a half scorpion. Rei laid there on the ground, unable to move while Kiba rolled to his back, unable to move as well.
Kiba: This shit hurts… It might be fractured or something.
Rei: Please. Help me get to the car.
Lars (thinking): Damn. They don't stop. And the huge group behind these are really close now.
Saeko (thinking): We're in trouble.
Takashi: I guess this is it. We had a good run, right?
Momosuke: You guys aren't giving up, are you?
Momosuke: I sure as hell hope I'm not the only one that still has some fight in them! Because if it's just me, I'm going to have all the fun!
Saya: Wait! Kiba! Your shoulder!
Takashi: Ms. Takagi?!
Saya: Mom!
Kiba: Are you fucking kidding me?
Saya (calling out): The big house on the hill! Look for the big house on this hill!
Kiba: Hey! This way fuckers!
Momosuke: What? Kiba what are you doing?
Kiba: I can't fight them right now man! My arm and back are fuckin destroyed!
Momosuke: Meet me at the old shrine on Toshiren Street!
Kiba: If you die, you're not my friend anymore!
Kiba was resting his back against the back door of a house he had just led the small horde that was chasing him to. He slid down the door until he was sitting and he was grasping his right shoulder.
Kiba (thinking): Shit… Why is my luck so bad? This shoulder hurts like hell!
He heard groaning and looked to his left to see that one of them had wandered to the backyard. He tried standing up once, but his back ached in pain and he fell back down. He tried a second time, this time with more strength, and got to his feet. The undead man hobbled towards Kiba and as it went for a bite, Kiba averted its direction by throwing it into the back door. He backed away from it, holding his shoulder. Once it started moving again, he turned around and hurried off with the bokken in his right hand.
Kiba (thinking): I don't know how much longer I can keep this up. My shoulder and back are fucked. And my neck isn't doing to hot either. But at least I know Saeko is safe. Momosuke, you'd better not die out here.
Momosuke was running down the street from them and he noticed a hardware store along the road. He quickly went for it but before he could open the front door, he noticed there was at least 15 of them inside.
Momosuke (thinking): Shit. Well there goes that idea.
He continued along the left side of the street and then made a left down a road that seemed a little less populated with them. He ran down a run buildings until he came across an opening between the buildings and decided to go down the alley. He managed to move the dumpster up a little bit and fit behind it until the undead passed by. Once he saw a good bit of them pass, he decided to see how many more of them there were. So he went to the corner and peaked his out.
Momosuke: Damn!
He had poked his head out at the wrong time; one of "them" was right in his face. He took a step back and whacked it on the side of the neck once, sending it crashing to the cement sidewalk. It tried to pick its face up from the ground and Momosuke stomped on its head. He quickly read across the street and entered an Internet Cafe. He closed the door quietly behind himself and jumped over the counter, hiding and waiting out the horde. While behind the counter, he saw that there were sweet rice cakes still in the wrappers along with a few other sweets. He happily picked up one of the rice cakes, unwrapped it, and began eating it.
Momosuke: These things are probably a few days old, but I've done worse things.
He grabbed a grocery bag from behind the counter and loaded up the bag with the wrapped sweets.
Momosuke: Might as well take some for later.
Momosuke heard the bells on the door jingle, meaning someone has just entered the Internet Cafe. He put down his belongings and peaked over the counter to see a person with a sturdy block of wood in his hand. He or she was alone.
Momosuke (thinking): What the… Are they… bitten? Or are they good guys?
A second person holding a knife entered behind the first person. They were both surveying the Cafe very closely.
Stranger 2: Where is he, Hikari?
Hikari: I don't know… He went in here. Looked like he had a weapon, too.
Stranger 2: Watch out. This fucker could be anywhere.
Momosuke (thinking): Nope. They aren't good guys.
Hikari: Mokuto, search the back. I'll search by the books.
Mokuto: Alright. Watch your ass.
Mokuto went to the back of the Cafe through a pair of double doors and Hikari turned his back to Momosuke to search near the books. Momosuke looked down to the food in the bag.
Momosuke (thinking): Uh… should I risk my life for the food in this bag? Or should I leave without it?
Hikari: Come on out, kid. We aren't gonna hurt you.
Momosuke (thinking): Fuck it.
He picked up the bag, mantled over the counter and had his baseball bat in his right hand. He ran over to Hikari with the baseball bat pulled back and released it onto his back.
Hikari: AH! Shit!
Momosuke hit him twice more on the back before hiding behind a bookcase. Mokuto ran from the back with his knife ready.
Mokuto: Hikari! Where are you man? You alright?
Once no one answered, he began walking slowly towards the bookshelves. Momosuke was standing with his back to a bookshelf and he was taking bites out of the rice cake; his cheeks full. As Mokuto approached, he turned from behind the bookshelf, revealing himself. He threw the half-eaten rice cake at Mokuto and hit him on the forehead.
Mokuto: Hey! What the f-!
As Mokuto wiped the rice from his face, Momosuke made a mad dash for the door. Mokuto slid across the top of 2 tables and pulled back the knife to go for a jab. Momosuke swung the baseball bat horizontally, catching Mokuto on the bridge of his nose with the wooden bat. Mokuto dropped the knife and was lying lifelessly on the floor. Momosuke swallowed the rice in his mouth from the previous rice cake and pulled out a second one.
Momosuke: Sorry about that. After yesterday, I've developed a phobia of knives.
Momosuke took his leave and exited the Internet Cafe, continuing down the street on route to the old shrine.
Tak Imoji, the only reasonable one from Shido's sex bus, was casually walking down the street sidewalk with his hands in his pockets. He was watching the sidewalks pass below him as he walked, sad and alone that he'll never see his friends that he met in the school again because of Shido. He looked up to see that a bus had just pulled up about 70 yards away to a bus stop. He started running towards the bus.
As he got closer, he could see a huge guy in an admiral style jacket with it buttoned all the way up the neck and matching pants. He was wielding a katana and was steady chopping off the heads of any nearby infected. He seemed to be rescuing a few survivors that were running towards the bus.
Tak: H-Hey! Wait up!
The huge guy turned around and looked at Tak running towards the bus.
Huge Man: Incoming, men. Another survivor.
Tak made it to the bus and put his hands on his knees, bent over catching his breath. He looked to the ground and saw a pair of black shoes that wasn't his. His eyes grew wide and he slowly looked up to see the giant of a man standing before him.
Huge Man: I am Souichiro Takagi, Don of the Tokonosu prefecture's ultra-nationalist organization. State your name, boy.
Tak: Uh. Tak Imoji, second-year, Fujimi Academy.
Souichiro: Hm? Fujimi Academy? So you're from her school then?
Tak: Who's school, sir?
Souichiro: Saya Takagi, my daughter.
Tak: I don't think I know her. I was with a group of people before I got separated from them. Takashi, Rei-
Souichiro: Takashi? Komuro?
Tak: Uh… I think so?
Souichiro: If it's the Takashi I know of, then she should be in good hands until she makes it home. Come with me, if you want to live.
Souichiro turned his back to Tak and walked to the bus.
Tak (thinking): Holy shit. I think I need new boxers.
Tak nervously walked over to the bus and got on with the other survivors.
Back with the group, they were just getting settled in Saya's place. It was a magnificent mansion like house and yard that had several gardens lined along the sides and open grass with trails to walk along. It's obvious that Saya comes from a wealthy family. Shizuka, Rei and Takashi were in one of the many guests rooms and Rei was completely naked with a towel over her butt while laying on her stomach. Shizuka was massaging her back and Takashi was checking in on her to make sure she was alright.
Takashi: Rei.
Rei: Hm? What's wrong, Takashi?
Takashi: Don't get on the roof of the Humvee anymore. I don't want you to ever scare me like that again.
Rei (thinking): What? Does he actually care about me? Even after how mean I was to him about Hisashi?
Takashi looked at her and then looked away.
Rei: Takashi…
Someone knocked on the door and then let themselves in without giving the others a chance to answer. It was Lars.
Takashi: What's up, Barakiri?
Lars nudged his head in the direction of the door, symbolizing that he wanted to talk to Takashi in private. Takashi got up from the bed and exited the room.
Ms. Shizuka: You know he's totally crazy about you, right?
Rei: Huh?!
Ms. Shizuka: Komuro-kun. You've got him all rattled because you got hurt. He'd do anything to keep you safe. He's totally in love with you!
Rei: H-How do you know that?! I don't know what you're talking about, Shizuka-sensei!
Ms. Shizuka: Let's just call it a woman's intuition! I know these things, Ms. Miyamoto!
Shizuka smiled at Rei and she looked away from her, thinking about Takashi.
Rei (thinking): In love with me… huh?
Takashi and Lars walked a little bit away from the room where Rei and Shizuka are to make sure that no one hears them.
Takashi: What's up? Why so secretive?
Lars: We're planning on going out to find Momosuke and Kiba.
Takashi: We? Who's we? Who else is in on it?
Lars: For now, me, Kohta and Ms. Busujima.
Takashi: Really? Why not tell Saya or Rei about it?
Lars: Knowing Momosuke, he'd want Saya to stay safe. And you know if she knows about this, she'll want to go. And Rei? She'll be worried about you and want to go too, but we all know that in her current state, she's more of a curse than a cure.
Takashi: You've got a point. When it comes to that Momo, Saya loses it. And I'd really rather Rei not worry about me. That's the last thing I want.
Lars: Exactly. So that's why we're sort of keeping it a secret from them.
Takashi: Hey, Lars?
Lars: Hm?
Takashi: Why are you talking to us more now than before? Something change?
Lars stood there in silence for a few seconds. Takashi stared at him with a concerned expression.
Lars: Truthfully, I like you guys now.
Takashi: Huh?! Did you not like us before?!
Lars shook his head "no".
Lars: I didn't like any of you before. That's why I was so short tempered when I was on the bus. But now I see you guys as my new family. Let's be honest, my mom and dad are probably dead and if they're alive, I have no idea where in this country they would be. So I opened up and started to warm up to you guys a lot.
Takashi: Well then! Great to know you're not going to kill us now!
Lars: I never said I was going to kill you.
Takashi: I meant that you didn't really talk to us. I honestly thought you were plotting against us.
Takashi nervously scratched the back of his head and laughed. Lars looked at him with a dumbfounded expression. Lars turned and walked away.
Takashi: Hey, wait! What about-
Takashi looked to his left and then to his right.
Takashi (whispering): Momosuke and Kiba?
Lars: Let me know what you decide to do. You are the leader after all.
Lars turned again and walked away from Takashi.
Takashi: Wait, leader? Whoaaa! I'm no leader!
Saya: Takashi?
Takashi (turning around): Huh?!
Saya: What are you blabbing about now?
Takashi: UHH! Nothing! Don't worry about it!
Saya: You're such an idiot.
She walked into the room with Rei and Shizuka, closing the door behind herself. Takashi left the guest area and went outside to the lavish courtyard. Out there, Saeko, Lars and Kohta were standing in a circle conversing about something. Saeko noticed Takashi.
Saeko: Takashi-kun. Come here.
Takashi: Yeah?
Saeko: What do you think we should do? Should we wait for the guys to come back on there own or should we go after them?
Takashi: Wait, wait, wait! When did I get voted leader?!
Saeko: Nobody voted you. You just have the strongest leader mentality out of the group.
Takashi: Can we have a poll first?! Draw straws, pull slips of paper out of a hat or something?
Lars: Later. Right now, we need to know what to do.
Kohta: Hey, look. A bus is coming up to Saya's house.
The four looked to the gates of the property to see a black bus casually rolling up. The front gates opened and the bus let itself in and came to a stop in the parking area. The group was walking towards the bus to see the new arrivals and after about a dozen people, they see someone who was strangely familiar. Probably because he was with them at the school.
Kohta: Eh?! Tak?!
Tak froze in place with wide eyes. (o.o ← that face)
In the room with Shizuka, Rei and Saya, Saya was crying. She was sitting on the bed next to Rei and Shizuka was rubbing her back. She was leaning forward with her face in her hands.
Shizuka: Are you going to be alright?
Saya (sobbing): I don't know how much longer… I can sit here like this *sniffs*. He's out there somewhere, hurt and in danger. I just want him to be okay.
Rei: It's okay, Takagi. He'll be here in no time. He's with Kiba. And you know those two will always have each other's backs.
Saya (sobbing): I know that, but they're both hurt really badly. I'm just afraid that they'll…
Rei: I'm sure that won't happen.
Saya: Kiba… That little dumbass. Why'd he have to go out and put himself in danger too! I swear, boys don't think before they act.
Shizuka: You're right.
Saya: Huh? Shizuka-sensei?
Shizuka: For the most part, boys act first and think second. That's just how they operate. They make us whine and worry, but in the end they make us happy.
Saya: Yeah. I suppose you're right.
Shizuka: You love him, don't you?
Saya looked to Nurse Shizuka who had a serious expression for the first time. She looked away from her and stared at the blanket on the bed.
Saya: I… I think so.
Shizuka: You think so? Or you know so?
Saya was quiet. She had stopped crying and was now blushing and looking away from Ms. Marikawa.
Rei: Wow, Saya. What did you and Momosuke do at Minami's house two nights ago?
Saya's face turned bright red.
Saya: Y-You shut up! Nothing happened!
Rei: Oh really? Then why is your face red?
Shizuka (smiling): You can trust us. We're all girls here.
Saya: We didn't do anything like that! Just… a little…
Rei: Foreplay?
Shizuka: Tummy licking?
Saya: No! We just kissed a little and went to sleep. We were both tired, you idiots!
Rei: Mmm… sure! Kissing and sleep huh? All alone with a cute boy for 8 hours of the night huh?
Saya: Miyamoto! Shut! Up!
Rei: Hey, don't get mad at me because more than what you're saying happened.
Saya growled in anger. Shizuka put her hand over her mouth and laughed. Saya looked down to the blanket again, blushing.
Rei (laughing): We're just trying to keep your mind off things. Lighten up, Takagi.
Saya: Sorry. I know you're just trying to help. Thank you.
Rei: Anytime!
Shizuka: We girls have to stick together!
Saya: Well, what about you and Takashi?
Rei: Uh… what?
Saya: You heard me!
Rei: No comment!
Kiba was still on the move, lightly jogging while holding his shoulder and breathing heavily. He stopped by a light pole and put his back to it. He leaned forward, trying to catch his breath from running for the last half hour. His face sweating profusely, he looked to his right to see the group of "them" that have been following him. They were a good distance away, so he had time to rest. But instead, he chose to keep moving in hopes that he'd lose them for good. At the stop sign, he made a left and could see the shrine down the road. He began picking up speed, running towards the shrine so he could get inside and lock himself in for a short break to wait on Momosuke. Every step was torture, the pressure from running weighed heavily on his back with back pain comes neck pain. His shoulder is still incredibly sore from the fall earlier and the fact that Momosuke popped it back into place for the better didn't feel that great. As he was about to pass a brown picket fence, from the corner of his eye he saw one of them reach its arms out. He dodged it and jumped out of its way.
Kiba (thinking): Dammit! When will they stop coming!
He backed away slowly and then turned to run, but as he did that, he ran into a parked car along the side of the road. His shin hit the side of the bumper with a good amount of force and he collapsed to the ground. He rolled to his back and grabbed his shin with both hands. He opened his eyes from grieving in pain to see that the undead man that surprised him was hovering over him.
Kiba: Shit.
The man dropped onto him and Kiba put his left arm out and caught him. The man was putting a lot of force onto Kiba, too much for one arm to handle. He didn't want to, but had to use his right arm. He put his forearm on the man's neck and pushed it back like that, keeping the hungry man at bay. His damaged shoulder started to get weaker and weaker and he noticed the man's face getting closer and closer. Now putting all of his strength into and hurting himself in the process, Kiba was being overpowered by the man. Suddenly, the right side of the man's face was smashed into the grill of the car by a wooden bat. Kiba's eyes were wide.
Momosuke: You gonna lay there all day or what, bro?
Momosuke helped Kiba move the corpse off of him and helped Kiba to his feet. Kiba grasped his shoulder again.
Momosuke: Damn… you look like shit.
Kiba: Ha, ha. Very funny.
Momosuke: Come on. Shrine's right there.
The two went up the stairs that led to the shrine, two sets of 12 stairs, and went inside. It wasn't locked like usual. It's a public shrine. Anyone can come inside and pray to their lost ones if they need to. Kiba immediately crashed onto the floor near the candles near the front of the shrine. He landed on his side and rolled over to his back, finally able to rest.
Kiba: I gotta admit, it's good to see your stupid ass again. Thanks for saving me back then.
Momosuke: What? You thought I was going to leave you there and let you die? What the hell kinda friend would I be then?
Kiba: Oh just take the damn thank you. You always gotta overthink things.
Momosuke: Hey, I'm just saying. I wouldn't leave you to die. Saeko and Rika would kill me.
Kiba: Rika huh… I haven't had the chance to call her yet. My phone was soaked after jumping in the river and I totally forgot when we had all that time on the bus.
Momosuke: Same. Thanks to the water, my phone is fried. You two should've really invested in a landline.
Kiba: How the hell would we have known that I would've jumped into Tokonosu River?!
Momosuke: I meant in case of emergencies, genius. Like when we had no way to call her yesterday.
Kiba: Eh. Who needs a house phone when you've got cell phones.
Momosuke: People who dive face first into a river?
Kiba: Shut up.
Momosuke: Ha ha! Glad to see you haven't changed bro.
Kiba: I feel changed alright… This whole damn zombie apocalypse shit is messing with me man. Having to constantly run, couldn't even stay in my own house because it was too dangerous? I mean, if I can't stay in my own house, then how do we know anywhere is safe?
Momosuke: You got a point. We might never be 100% safe again, but as long as we stick together we should be alright.
Kiba: Yeah. I guess so. Right now, I just hope Saeko is alright.
Momosuke: Holy shit, I didn't think about it. Saya is probably losing her fucking mind right now.
Kiba: Holy hell. You're gonna get the crap slapped out of you. Ha ha ha!
Momosuke: Yeah, might as well get my face ready for it now.
Kiba: What's really going on with you two? Is there like a thing you aren't telling us?
Momosuke: Hm… I guess you could say that, but I'm not really sure. We're not a "couple" just yet, but I think we're getting there.
Kiba: What happened that night? In Rika's room.
Momosuke: Dude, I already told you-
Kiba: Don't bullshit me. Bro code.
Momosuke stopped and thought for a second. Kiba knew Momosuke really well and could tell when he was hiding something.
Momosuke: You know huh?
Kiba: What? That you and Saya did a lot more than what you're leading on? Yeah. I'm not stupid dude.
Momosuke: Yeah, yeah… Well… *deep breath* Not a "whole" lot happened. We just… made-out, cuddled and did the whole touchy feely thing. But then it started to get really serious when she stopped and stared into my eyes man. Like that deep stare. The "I want it now" stare. Not gonna lie, I was nervous as shit.
Kiba: I bet. You blew it, didn't you?
Momosuke: No, no! Shut up, assface. After the stare she started getting undressed and took her shirt off. She had on the cutest bra and matching panties. She reached for my neck and started pulling my shirt off. I was wondering if she was actually ready to… "do" it. But then she started licking my stomach man. It was pretty wild.
Kiba: You lucky son of a bitch.
Momosuke: That's not it man. She still had her panties on, but she got on top of me and put my hand on her… wonderfulness.
Kiba used his good arm to prop himself up.
Kiba: Her breasts?
Momosuke: No. Her other wonderfulness.
Kiba (bouncing up and down): No fucking way!
Momosuke: Yeah! I was like holy damn of mother of shit! Best night of my life BY FAR!
Kiba: Even better than when we went to America with Rika and played paintball with the American kids and kicked their asses?
Momosuke: Sixty-eight millions times better.
Kiba: Jesus...
Momosuke: I was in a different world. But then… she just stopped. And laid down next to me with her hand on my chest. She snuggled against me and put her face on my shoulder. I asked her what was wrong and she said now isn't a good time. That she didn't want to get too attached in case something bad happened to either of us.
Kiba: I would have been FUCKING PISSED!
Momosuke: Honestly, I was a little bit, but I know what she means. If we did that, we'd be even more attached to each other. And it's the apocalypse. If either of us were to die, we'd be devastated and wouldn't have the will to go on. So I understand why she stopped when she did. Any further and it was going to happen.
Kiba: Damn. One hundred percent jealous right now.
Momosuke: Don't be man. I'm sure you and Saeko will get into it before me and Saya.
Kiba: Why do you say that?
Momosuke: Hm… Me and Saeko did a little talking when we were on the supply run.
Kiba (curious): What about?
Momosuke: About you and her.
Kiba swallowed a huge glob of spit and was giving Momosuke his undivided attention.
Momosuke: She said, she does like you-
Kiba: YESSS!
Momosuke (whispering): Keep it down!
Kiba (whispering): Sorry!
Momosuke: She said that she does like you. You're obviously what she looks for in a guy. But she did tell me that she doesn't know if she's ready to love again. She was devastated when her ex-boyfriend died in a sparring accident.
Kiba: Sparring accident? Did he get stabbed in the neck or something?
Momosuke: Yes, actually.
Kiba: Oh shit.
Momosuke: You're not listening. She really wants to be with you, but she's not sure if she's ready to take that risk again. I put in a good word for you. Now it's your turn. You have to convince her that you'll always be there for her and that you'll keep her safe. No matter how tough a girl is, they want a man who will protect them no matter what.
Kiba: Yeah. Yeah… you're right, Momo. You're right. I have to convince her that we need to be together. And if what you say is true, then I have to talk to her one on one again.
Momosuke: Yeah. You got it, bro.
He held his fist out to Kiba. Kiba used his left arm to sit himself up again.
Kiba: Good luck with Takagi. You're going to need it.
The two bumped fists. Momosuke stood up.
Momosuke: We should get going. The guys are probably waiting for us.
Momosuke reach his left arm out and Kiba grabbed Momosuke's left forearm with his good hand. Momosuke pulled him up to his feet.
Kiba: Let's get the hell out of here.
Kiba looked behind him and noticed a sword mounted on the wall by two brackets. He began taking steps towards it.
Momosuke: What are you doing?
Kiba: This… She'd love it.
Momosuke: Hm? The sword? For Saeko?
Kiba: Yeah. Instead of bashing things with a wooden sword, a real sword would be a lot better.
Kiba picked up the sword and felt its weight; it was a little heavier than he expected. Using only his left hand, he held the sword by the sheath and tossed it up and down, feeling out the blade.
Kiba: It's perfect! The blue and white hilt and square shaped hilt guard looks awesome! And the black sheath tops it off!
Momosuke: Well come on. Bring that with you. I want to see the look on her face when she sees the sword.
Kiba held on to the sword with his left hand and followed behind Momosuke who had opened the front door to the shrine. He surveyed the area and saw that the undead that were behind them had wandered off. There were only a few stragglers here and there. They went down the steps and looked both ways, making sure that they were in the clear.
Kiba: They're all gone?
Momosuke: Looks like it. We weren't in there that long though.
Momosuke put his hand over his forehead, blocking out the sun and could see a big building in the distance on a hill.
Momosuke: There. I can see it from here. Her house is right up the street. We're almost there.
Momosuke and Kiba began walking cautiously down the street, careful to not run keeping in mind that the last thing they want is attention. There was only one more four-way intersection between them and Saya's house. After that was a straight shot; a road the went all the way up the hill to her house. Momosuke looked to the right to see that a car, that was about 10 meters away, had crashed into a telephone was on fire under the hood. The hood was bent and resembled a small triangle which let them see a flame that was burning.
Momosuke: Hey, check that out.
Kiba: What?
Momosuke pointed to the car.
Kiba: It's just a car.
Momosuke: It's on fire. That's dangerous-
The car seemed to have detonated, blowing up in a fiery explosion and sending the car doors in all directions and glass shards were flying in all directions as well. The explosion caused the car to somewhat "bounce" off of the ground for a brief moment and land back in place. The blast from the explosion sent Momosuke and Kiba to the ground. Both laid on the ground, not moving for a short while. Momosuke was holding his ears because the sound of the explosion nearly blew out his eardrums. His ears were ringing nonstop. Kiba was just staring up at the clouds passing by, wondering why his luck was so terrible.
Kiba (thinking): I just can't catch a break can I?
Momosuke (touching Kiba's left shoulder): Kiba! Kiba are you okay?
Momosuke was still holding his right ear; that seemed to be bothering him the most.
Kiba: Yeah. That's like the fourth time I've landed on my back and now I can't feel it.
Momosuke: Shit. Is it tingling? Like going numb?
Kiba: I think so. I can't really tell. Like I said, I can't really feel it.
Momosuke: God dammit. Come on, I'll carry you.
Kiba: Uh, fuck that!
Momosuke: Dude, come on.
Kiba: I'd rather get eaten then have you carry me like I'm the bride.
Momosuke: I was going to put you on my shoulders, jackass.
Kiba: Oh. Well that's not so bad.
Momosuke, while laying down on the asphalt, put his left hand on his stomach and felt something wet. He lifted his shirt and saw that he had popped his stitches and blood was running down his side.
Momosuke: Ah fuck…
Kiba: What?
Momosuke: Saya's gonna kill me.
Kiba: Damn… you popped them? You're a dead man.
Momosuke: Yeah, yeah. Get up. We gotta go.
Kiba: No. I think I'll lay here for a bit. This is actually comfortable.
Momosuke: Uh…
Momosuke tapped his shoulder and pointed behind them. Kiba looked over his shoulder while laying down and saw that "they" were approaching once again.
Kiba: Are you serious? You're not serious, are you?
Momosuke: These fuckin' things are everywhere.
Kiba: Help me up. I can't lay down now.
Momosuke used the baseball bat as support and stood up. He then reached down and grabbed Kiba's left arm and pulled him up. Kiba was in a bit of a stumble, struggling to keep his balance with his back going numb. But he knew the only way to stop the tingling sensation was to walk it off. But Kiba couldn't keep his balance and fell to the ground, landing on his side.
Kiba: Ugh.. Dammit.
Momosuke: Come on, bro. You gotta help me out here man.
Kiba: Sorry. I can't… move man. My back.
Momosuke looked up and saw that "they" were much closer now and closing in from the left and from where they had walked from.
Momosuke (thinking): This isn't looking too good.
He then heard strange music playing in the distance. Over the roar of the car's flames and the groans of the undead, he could hear the faintest music approaching. He looked down the street that they had walked up and saw that a boy with an aluminum baseball bat was riding a skateboard and had a pair of white headphones with the wire running to his pocket around his neck. The earphone cups where aimed outward which was making the loud music. But Momosuke soon recognized the tune; he was blasting "IKari", a soundtrack from a popular show.
Momosuke: What the f-
The boy seemed to be a teenager; he was wearing black pants with small rips on the thighs, black and white skater shoes, and a white t-shirt with one word in graffiti letter style going all the way around the shirt in black. He had brown spiky hair that laid down and went to the right, the way he's decided to style his hair. He was carrying a blue and black aluminum baseball bat with a rubber grip to protect his hands from the shock of the bat.
He rode along the street, tapping his bat along the ground and letting IKari blare out.
Boy: Hey! Freaks! Over here!
The undead turned to his direction and began walking towards him. He continued to tap his bat along the ground as he circled around "them", herding them like sheep. Momosuke looked across the street and saw a girl that seemed to be a lot older than the boy. She was wearing a short, black tube top that stops just below her breasts, short shorts that stopped at a little bit above mid-thigh, and short socks with white and orange house skates; the skates that have wheels like a car and not inline skates. She was wielding a wooden cricket bat with white tape around the handle for grip. She was bouncing left and right, dancing as she skated to the IKari beat.
Woman: Little bro! You know I love this song!
Boy: Why else do you think I played it, sis!
She rode over to Momosuke and Kiba and came to an immediate stop in front of them.
Woman: You boys doing alright?
Kiba: Uh…
Momosuke: I… uh… Yeah?
Kiba: I think so.
Woman: Well good! I wouldn't want either of you handsome boys to turn on us.
She skated off towards the horde her brother had circled up. It was a horde of about 20 of them and they spun around them in circles, bashing in skulls as they circled until every last one of "them" hit the pavement. Once the undead were dead again, the boy stopped the song and they both rolled up to Kiba and Momosuke, stopping in front of them. The boy stepped on the end of his skateboard, causing it to stand up and he caught it with one hand.
Boy: What's going on?
Kiba: Yo.
Momosuke: Hey thanks for helping us out.
Boy: Not a prob. As long as we help as many people as we can in this apocalypse, we're happy.
Kiba: You've been going out of your way saving people?
Boy: Yeah. Our dad was bitten when it first went down… So as his dying wish, he asked us to help as many people as we possibly could. So we've been doing that since.
Woman: You boys seem to be in bad shape. Are you alone?
Momosuke: No. We're actually on our way to the top of the hill. That house up there is where our friends are.
The woman put her hand on her forehead and looked to the hill to see the house.
Woman: Whoa. Big house.
Kiba: I'm sure there's plenty of room. You should come with us.
Boy: Nah. We've still got a lot of work to do around here. I'm sure there's others that need our help.
Woman: But if we can't find anyone else to help, we'll be sure to stop by.
Momosuke: Sounds good.
The woman moved forward a little bit and leaned down to Kiba and Momosuke, kissing them both on the forehead.
Woman: Good luck boys. Get to that house safe, okay?
Kiba (blushing): He he he he heeee… Nice lady.
Momosuke: Yeah. We.. We'll do that.
Woman: Come on, Totsuka. Let's get going before dusk.
Totsuka: Yeah.
He dropped his skateboard on all fours and hopped on. He pushed off with his right foot and set his skateboard in motion. The woman did a full spin and ended up facing away from Kiba and Momosuke. She began to push off.
Momosuke: Hey wait!
She stopped and turned around.
Woman: Hm? Yes?
Momosuke: What's are your names?
Woman: My name's Chie Kanta. That's my brother Totsuka.
Kiba: Chie and Totsuka…
Momosuke: I'm Momosuke Kamigawa and this is Kiba Minami.
Chie: Momosuke and Kiba… Don't worry. We'll be seeing each other.
Totsuka (calling out): Come on, sis! I'm starving!
Chie: Coming, Tato!
Kiba (whispering): Tato?
Chie skated over to Totsuka and the two went skating off down the road together, bouncing left to right as they listened to a song Totsuka was playing from his headphone speakers. Momosuke was watching her leave.
Kiba: She's hot.
Momosuke: Dude!
Kiba: What?! You were staring too!
Momosuke: No I wasn't!
Kiba: Bullshit.
Momosuke: Whatever. Come on.
Momosuke helped Kiba to his feet who could now feel his back again. Momosuke put Kiba's left arm around his shoulders and helped Kiba. The two began walking up the hill to Saya's place.
Kiba: So do you think we'll ever see them again?
Momosuke: I don't know. Hard to tell with the world the way it is. But I can definitely say I hope to see her again.
Kiba: Hells yeah!
Momosuke: Ha ha ha!
Kiba: Yo, how's your gash on your stomach?
Momosuke: Dude, I can feel it bleeding and I'm pretty sure I'm gonna die.
Kiba: Shut up. You're alright.
Momosuke: Says the walking accident.
Kiba: Shut the fuck up.
Momosuke and Kiba continued up the road to Saya's house, conversating along the way to keep their minds off of the fact that they're severely damaged and nearly died. The brotherly conversation between the two was always a tactic they used to get their minds off things when they were bothered; let it be school, girls, parents or really any external or internal issue. When those two talked, they were closer than any real siblings.
At Saya's house, Saeko, Kohta, Takashi and Lars were still in the courtyard and Saya walked up to them. Tak Imoji was just walking over to the group as well.
Saya: Hey. You're the kid from the school, aren't you?
Tak: Uh… I think so?
Saeko: Good to see that you're okay. But… Didn't you go off with Shido?
Tak: Ugh… Don't make it seem like I wanted to go off with him. I even tried to get him to stop and go back for you guys.
Kohta: What happened on the bus when you tried to get him to stop?
Tak: Nothing really. He just ignored me and kept going.
Takashi: That bastard…
Tak: And he had the kids on the bus… doing stuff…
Takashi: Doing stuff?
Tak: Yeah. Something about planting the seeds and letting the flowers blossom.
Takashi: What the hell does that mean?
Tak: I left before I could find out. But after that, I was walking down the street and saw Mr. Takagi and a bus and went to him for help.
Saya: My dad's back?!
Tak: Yeah I think he's over by the gates.
Saya directed her attention to the gates of the courtyard and saw two people walking up. One of the guys were holding up the other. Saya and Saeko's eyes grew wide.
Takashi: Is that-?
Saya: Momosuke!
Saya ran to the front gate, Saeko close behind her, and the opened the gates themselves. Takashi, Kohta, Lars and Tak all followed the girls. Momosuke had taken off his shirt and tied it around his waist to try to stop the bleeding but he left his school jacket on.
Saya: Momosuke! Are you-
As soon as they got into the gates, they both collapsed. Lars, Takashi and Tak grabbed them before they could hit the ground, but guided them to the ground instead of trying to carry them.
Takashi: We need paramedics!
Saeko: Kohta! Please go get someone! Hurry!
Kohta: Y-Yeah! I'm on it!
Kohta ran off to find help for Momosuke and Kiba. Saya got on her knees and put her hand on Momosuke's back; she could still feel a faint heartbeat. Saeko put her index and middle finger on Kiba's neck to check his pulse, seeing if his heartbeat was slowing down or not.
Saeko: Kiba's in really bad shape. We need to get him to a hospital or the infirmary or something.
Saya (fighting back her tears): Same with Momosuke. He's bleeding, so I think his stitches are popped.
As the group were frantically trying to figure out what to do, Momosuke was lying on the ground, barely conscious and thinking to himself.
Momosuke (thinking): Kiba… We… We made it…
END CHAPTER 9
NEXT TIME ON HOTDR
Kohta: Ah, man. Minami and Kamigawa are really messed up.
Takashi: I'm just glad they're both okay.
Saeko: I… I hope Kiba-san is alright.
Tak: Ms. Busujima? Are you alright?
Saeko: Yes. I am fine. Thank you.
Tak: I don't know, you seem a little out of it.
Saeko: I'm just worried about Minami and Kamigawa is all.
Rei (whispering to herself): More like Kiba-kun.
Saeko: M-Ms. Miyamoto!
Rei: What? I'm just stating the obvious!
Akia: Takashi, control your hoe.
Rei: What?!
Takashi: Hey, I'll kick your ass!
Saya: Where did you come from?!
Lars: Let's calm down, everyone.
ALL (excluding Akia, Momosuke and Kiba): Next time on Highschool of the Dead Revamped!
Takashi: Evil in the Dead!
Souichiro: What's going on here?
Everyone was immediately quiet.
Takashi: Uh… Um…
Kohta: I, uh- we..?
Lars: Who's the giant?
Link to the song "IKari" =Go to soundcloud/charlmeister/k-project-ost-ikari