HOTDR Chapter 11: War Against the Dead
Last time on Highschool of the Dead Revamped…
Kiba (cheery): Hey, Rika!
Rika (on the phone): Kiba…
Kiba: She's going to fucking kill me.
Momosuke (thinking): What the hell…?
Saya (covering her eyes): What is that?
Momosuke: I think I see a missile trail!
Takashi: What?!
Ms. Shizuka: The phone line went dead…
Takashi: What in the hell just happened…?
Momosuke and Saya were walking through the courtyard, holding hands and talking to one another. Now together, the two are really starting to get a strong bond going. Takashi and Rei were walking together and saw those two laughing with each other and Saya occasionally slapping his shoulder because he said something to irritate her.
Takashi: Well it's good to see those two getting along.
Rei: Yeah. Have you ever seen her this happy before?
Takashi: Honestly, I don't think so. She was always so mean and, well she's still mean. But around him, she seems more calm and stuff. Whatever he's doing, it's working.
Rei: Do you think they…?
Takashi: They what?
Rei: You know…
Takashi: Know what?
Rei: My god. Do it, Takashi!
Takashi: Huh?!
Rei: Do "it".
Takashi: You mean the dirty deed?! No! No way! Saya? No way! I mean… maybe…?
Rei: She doesn't seem like the type to do that but… you never know.
Takashi: Ha. Her dad would kill her and destroy Momo-kun.
Rei chuckled and looked at Takashi from the corner of her eye. He was laughing and scratching his hair.
Rei (thinking): I wish we had something like that…
Takashi: So Rei.
Rei (surprised): Huh?!
Takashi: About us…
Rei: W-What about us?
Takashi: I've been thinking… About what I was going to say back at the school.
Rei: What did you want to say?
Takashi: Something that I should've said a very long time ago…
Rei began to get nervous. She was very interested in Takashi and if he felt the same about her, that would make her world complete even in a time like this
Takashi: I think if I would've said this sooner… maybe things would be different. Maybe Hisashi wouldn't be dead. Maybe I wouldn't have hated my best friend…
Takashi deeply inhaled and turned his back to Rei, too nervous to look her in the eyes.
Takashi: Rei… I love you.
Rei's eyes opened wide, astonished by his words.
Rei (thinking): It's true… He… He actually does.
Takashi: I feel like if I would've told you sooner, then maybe…
Rei hugged him from behind, wrapping her arms around his waist.
Takashi: R-Rei?
Rei: I love you too, Takashi.
Takashi: You do?
Rei: Mhmm. Ever since we were younger. You just never made any advances so… I thought you weren't interested in being more than just friends.
Takashi: And that's why I said I should've said that sooner. I feel like my friendship with Hisashi could've been better and our relationship could've been better.
Rei: Well what matters now is that we're both safe and both here for each other. And I'm not going anywhere.
Takashi: Thank you, Rei.
As they were having their moment, a man in a suit similar to Souichiro's but white in color, seemed to be in a rush. Momosuke and Saya were walking towards Takashi and Rei and saw him.
Saya: Mr. Tokuyama? What's going on?
Tokuyama: Lady Saya. I was just looking for you. We've just received word that the blinding light and missile trail earlier was confirmed to be an EMP missile strike.
Momosuke: What?!
Takashi: There's no way! Who sent it?!
Tokuyama: It was an accidental launch from the military base. Let's just be thankful it wasn't a Napalm Strike or something along those lines.
Saya: Then that means we're going to be without power for a while. I don't know how long EMPs last.
Takashi: It's going to be a lot harder to survive without electricity.
Tokuyama: That is why Souichiro-sama ordered us to notify the men and any able body we have.
Saya: Thank you. What should we do?
Tokuyama: Keep this information away the refugees in the tented area. That's an order from the Don himself. He will make the announcement himself when he feels the time is right.
Rei: Will do. Thank you, Mr. Tokuyama.
He hurried off to let the other men that work under Don Takagi know the situation. Takashi, Rei, Momosuke and Saya rushed inside to the kitchen where everyone was sitting at the white tables and eating cake and ice cream. Kiba looked at the others in the doorway; he was holding a small piece of cake on a spoon to Saeko's mouth. Kohta was stuffing his face full of cake and ice cream at the same time; he had both on his face.
Momosuke: God, Kohta. Are you going to eat your food or wear it?
Kiba: What's up guys?
Takashi: We got a little bit of a problem.
Kohta: What's wrong?
Alice: What's wrong, onii-chan?
Takashi: The reason we lost power is because we were hit by an EMP.
Alice: What's a CMP?
Kohta: EMP, Alice. It's an electromagnetic pulse that sends out a wave of electric discharges that disrupt any and all electronics within a certain range and radius.
Alice: Uh…
Lars: English, Kohta.
Kohta: It isn't good for electronics.
Alice: Oh…
Momosuke: Wow, Kohta. But yeah. That's why the backup generator is barely working. It got hit by the EMP too.
Kiba: So what's the plan?
Takashi: We don't have one just yet. I've been thinking about leaving though.
Saya: Leaving? And going where?
Takashi: Possibly to the mall first to pick up some extra weapons and supplies. I have a feeling that we're going to need all the manpower we can get.
Saeko: Are you sure it's a good idea to leave? We're pretty well off here.
Lars: But there's limited power now. Who knows what could happen at night if we have no power.
Tak: He's right. It's not super safe here anymore.
Kiba: That's an option we'll have to think about man. I'm not sure if I'm comfortable with leaving when we just got here. Besides, old man Takagi can take care of this entire property by himself.
Saya: He's just a man. Not a damn super soldier.
Kiba: Well you know what I mean. Any threat that comes towards this fort of a house, he would take care of it. And we could help him out too. We can take care of ourselves pretty well.
Rei: Either way, we have very limited power. And that could turn out to be an issue.
Momosuke: We should vote. Stay or go.
Kohta: I think we should stay.
Kiba: Me too. Just until we know for sure how long this EMP thing lasts. Because if it only lasts for a day or two, it would be stupid for us to go and we'll have power again by tomorrow.
Saya: That's not how an EMP works idiot. An EMP disrupts anything within a certain range and it doesn't undo itself. Meaning, it doesn't go away. It won't last for only a day or two. It lasts forever. Whatever device an EMP destroys will never be able to be used again.
Kiba: Meaning…?
Saya: Meaning the power to the main house will be off forever unless we can have it repaired with new parts and all. And we don't know how long it could take to get those parts.
Kiba: Meaning…?
Saya: Oh my god.
Momosuke: Kiba. I'm voting to go. We really shouldn't stay.
Takashi: I'm with Momosuke. We should go. Soon.
Lars: I think we should stay. I only care about what's best for Alice.
Rei: We all want to keep her safe. That's why I think we should go too.
Kiba: What do you think, Saeko?
Saeko looked to him and then to the rest of the group. She knew what Kiba wanted to hear, but she decided to go with her feeling this time. She knew what was best for the group.
Saeko: I think we should go.
Kiba: Really…?
She nodded. Kiba sighed and looked down at the table. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
Kiba: Alright. Let's get outta here.
Momosuke: You won't regret it Kiba. I know it's nice to have a place to feel safe, but we'll have to find it somewhere else. No offense, Saya.
Saya: None taken. I'm with you on this.
Takashi: So! Who wants to go let Don Takagi know what we decided?
Everyone looked away, nonchalantly. No one wanted to talk to the Don face to face, the guy doesn't seem like the easiest to talk to.
Kiba: Uh… I'll do it.
Momosuke: Are you sure about that?
Saya: You aren't the best choice to talk to him, Minami.
Kiba: And why not?
Saya: He likes respectful people. You're… not respectful.
Kiba: I am too! Watch this! *clears throat*
He was preparing to get into character to act respectful.
Kiba (lighter toned voice): Excuse me, sir. Don Takagi of the said Takagi Estate. You're annoying ass daughter said I can't be respectful, so I'm here to prove-
Momosuke: Stop.
Kiba (normal voice): What?
Momosuke: I'd rather go alone then let you go. He'll rip you in half at the waist.
Kiba: I thought I was doing pretty good. Just saying.
Saya: I'll do it. I'll go talk to him.
Momosuke: Are you sure?
Saya: Yeah. I can talk to him a lot easier than any of you can. You see how I talk to him on a daily basis.
Momosuke: Do you want me to go with you?
Saya: Are you sure about that?
Momosuke: Uh… not really. But I would go anyway.
Saya: Come on then. We got this.
Kiba: Does anyone have a hand full of quarters I can swallow?
Saya and Momosuke went talking through the halls of the house without holding hands; in fear that Mr. Takagi would see them and neither of them were ready for that wrath just yet. They made it to the man's office and on the left wall beside the door read "Don Takagi" in kanji. On the door, he had a sign that said "Do Not Disturb" in red, bold letters.
Saya: Are you sure you're ready? You don't have to go with me.
Momosuke: Are you kidding me? If we're a "couple" then we do things together. Besides, old man Takagi isn't that scary.
Saya: Okay…
She knocked on the door and Momosuke swallowed a huge wad of spit from being nervous. When no one answered her knock, she let herself in. As she opened the door and looked to his desk, she saw that Souichiro was busy writing.
Souichiro: I know I taught you how to read.
Saya: Yeah, well. You're not doing anything.
Souichiro: Watch your mouth. I am not on your age level.
Saya: Okay, okay. We have something to tell you.
Souichiro: We?
Souichiro looked up to see Momosuke poking his head into the room. He waved nervously to Mr. Takagi.
Souichiro: What do you want, boy?
Momosuke: I'm just accompanying her, sir. Not meaning to intrude.
Souichiro: You'd better learn how to control this one fast. She's hard-headed.
Saya: Hello? I'm standing right here!
Souichiro: Is your presence suppose to change my words?
Saya narrowed her eyes him and folded her arms.
Saya: Anyway! Listen dad. Me and my friends have decided that we weren't going to stay here long.
Souichiro: What made you come to this conclusion?
Saya: Mr. Tokuyama told us about the EMP. So since all we have is a backup generator that barely works, we were going to go off and try to find a better place.
Souichiro: You think that there's a better place out there than home, Saya?
She nodded. Souichiro stared into her eyes, as if staring into her soul with his daggers known as eyes. He looked back down at his paperwork and began writing.
Souichiro: And you're sure about this?
Saya: Yeah. Everyone in our group is ready to get on the road first thing in the morning.
Souichiro: Just make sure you watch your back out there. There's plenty of crazy people.
Momosuke: Believe me, sir. We know.
Souichiro (looking at Momosuke): Hm?
Momosuke: Nothing! I didn't say anything!
Souichiro: Do you have a vehicle and driver?
Saya: Ms. Marikawa. The nurse from our school is our driver. And as for a car…
Momosuke: We had a Humvee that belonged to my best friend's sister. But we… lost it where Mrs. Takagi saved us.
Souichiro: Not an issue. I just had 3 Humvees shipped from the base to our garage. Our mechanic is working on them right now. As far as I know, he's only finished one.
Saya: Can we use that one?
Souichiro: No. I need it.
Saya: What?! What for?
Souichiro: My personal business.
Saya: Come on, Dad! We need a working car by tomorrow. And I'm sure the mechanic won't be done with the others before then.
Souichiro: Sounds to me like you have a problem then.
Saya: Why are you being so stubborn? Is it because Momosuke is here and you want to seem empowered in front of him?
Souichiro slammed his fists on his desk top and stood up.
Souichiro: Don't you ever assume that I am trying to prove my worth. I have nothing to prove to this boy of yours. Now leave my office before I change my mind. You're running my patience thin, Saya.
Saya frowned and left the room in a storm. Momosuke moved out of the way and let her out.
Momosuke (thinking): Damn. She's mad.
He looked to old man Souichiro who was still standing and had both hands made into fists. The lighting in the room made half of his face darker than the other side, making his look as if he were ready to kill anything in his path. Momosuke slowly backed to the door and began closing it.
Momosuke (whispering): I'll just close this for you.
Momosuke mouthed the word "Sorry." to Souichiro before closing the door. He looked down the hall and saw that Saya was angrily walking down the hall.
Momosuke: Saya, wait up!
She ignored him and kept walking. He quickened his pace and caught up to her.
Momosuke: Saya.
He grabbed her by the hand to stop her.
Saya: What?
Momosuke: Calm down. I know you're upset, but being mad isn't the way to solve the problem.
Saya: I am calm. It just pisses me off when he decided to be *raises her voice* a stubborn brat *normal voice* about things.
Momosuke: Stop. Are you trying to get me killed?! He'll hit me before he hits you!
Saya: He's too much of a "man" to let us use his car that we need. So I'll just take it.
Momosuke: That's… not a good idea.
Saya: And why not?
Momosuke: Because he'll magically find us somehow and kill everyone of us for taking his humvee!
Saya: Well how do you expect us to get on the road tomorrow? We have to do something!
Momosuke: Yes, but stealing his stuff isn't a good idea. Trust me on that.
Saya: I know… I know… But we have to do something.
Momosuke: Well… we could always find out the status of those other Humvees.
As Saya and Momosuke were talking, the house alarm system went off. The blaring of the siren echoed throughout the halls, forcing Momosuke Saya to cover their ears. The two ran back towards the cafeteria-like kitchen and saw that the others ran out into the hall. Everyone was covering their ears, Alice covered one of her ears and pressed her other ear against Lars' shoulder.
Momosuke (yelling out): What's going on?!
Takashi: I don't know!
Kiba: Get outside!
Everyone ran outside to the courtyard where the sirens were still blaring, but not nearly as loud as in the halls. Everyone let out a sigh of relief as they escaped the ear-stabbing sirens.
Kiba: Jesus, Takagi! You guys need to invest in lower grade sirens.
Saya: Shut up. What happened?
Kohta: We were just sitting down eating and then the alarm sounded. And, now that I think about it… I left my cake inside.
Takashi: No food right now, Kohta. We need to find out why these alarms went off.
Ms. Shizuka: Look! Over there!
Shizuka pointed towards the front gate; pretty much the entire refugee personnel were gathered at the gate. The group ran to the gate and Nado along with Ame and Rukina were there as well. The group stopped behind them.
Kiba: Oh shit…
Kohta: This isn't good!
Nado: Shut it, moron! They can hear you.
Saeko: We need to leave. Now.
In front of them was the mother of all hordes; a horde the size of 3 football fields was marching towards them like a group of sheep, aimless and sluggish. There were so many infected, that even on Lars' shoulders, Alice couldn't see the end of the crowd.
Lars: Alice, don't look.
She hid her face behind Lars' left shoulder. Momosuke looked back to see a big, brolic man walking in his direction. It was Souichiro and he was accompanied by his right hand man, Mr. Tokuyama. The men walked to the front of the crowd very easily as people were moving out of his way. He got to the gate and saw the enormous crowd of undead on front of him and his eyes widened. He clinched his fists tightly and then turned around to the survivors.
Souichiro: Listen up, everyone! Now is the time to fight! Get the woman, children, old and weak inside the main building! Every able body! You WILL fight! And you will not leave anyone to die! Am I understood?
ALL Soldiers and Able Surviviors: Yes, sir!
Souichiro: This is NOT the end! We will fight and successfully defend what we have! Saya!
Saya: Y-Yes!
Souichiro: If you and your friends are leaving, now is the time! Do you hear me?
Saya: Y-Yeah!
Souichiro: Take my Humvee. Do NOT mess it up.
Saya: I'll try not to, dad. Thank you.
Souichiro walked towards the back of the crowd and drew his sword.
Souichiro: Get ready, everyone!
Everyone scattered, rushing to hide the women, children, old and weak as other rushed to find the nearest weapon to defend themselves.
Momosuke: This is crazy… How did this happen?
~45 Minutes Ago~
Shido and his group of believers were forced from the Takagi Residence by Souichiro himself. Souichiro came from the house and walked over to the tented refugee area and found Shido giving yet another speech to his followers and even trying to brainwash those that were at the estate before him.
Shido: The time is approaching! We have lost power and we have yet to hear word from your fearless, Mr. Takagi! Is this how you wish to die?! Scared and in the dark while waiting to slaughtered like cows in a factory?! No! Inaugurate me as the new leader and I promise to lead you to the promise land that you all deserve!
Souichiro walked up behind him and Shido turned around just in time to be grabbed by his neck and lifted a full foot off of the ground.
Souichiro: Koichi Shido. You will not poison the minds the minds of these people with your nonsense. You will leave now or be slain by my blade. Those are the two options you now have.
He was squeezing Shido's throat was just the amount of force to prevent him from talking and Shido was struggling to breathe.
Shido (thinking): I… I can't- Breathe!
Souichiro loosened his grip just enough for Shido to speak. He gasped for a large breath and coughed, mind you, Souichiro still has him above ground level.
Shido (struggling to speak): It's... a little... hard to speak *gag* with your… hand-
Souichiro released Shido and he fell straight to his tailbone. Shido rubbed his throat, that was now sore, and coughed.
Shido: Around my throat. *clears throat* So barbaric.
He managed to climb to his feet and fixed tie and collar. Souichiro was staring directly into his eyes, not moving or speaking.
Shido: Let's go my children. It would appear that we are not welcomed here any longer.
Shido along with Akia, Tsunoda and the others followed behind their cherished leader to the minibus they arrived on. Shido sat in the driver's seat and once everyone got back on the bus, he closed the door behind them. The parking area was large enough for Shido to make a full turn around and exit through the front gate.
As Shido was driving down the road, he looked in the rearview mirror and saw the the students were quiet, sad that they were forced to leave. They want to follow Shido, but they really wanted to stay at the Takagi Estate because it was secure. But now they're out on their own once again. Yamada walked to the front of the bus and stood to the left of Shido, right in front of the buses exit. He put his knee on the seat and rest his arms on the front of the seat.
Yamada: Shido-sensei.
Shido: Yes, Yamada? What is it, my child?
Yamada: Where are we going to go now?
Shido: To be honest with you, I'm not entirely sure. Rest assured, I will find us somewhere safe to live. I will give you all the bright future you deserve.
Yamada: T-Thank you… Shido-sensei.
Shido: You're welcome. Now head on back to your seat, Yamada. It's dangerous to stand in a moving vehicle.
Yamada nodded and stood, removing his knee from the chair. Taniuchi turned around in her seat to see that a very bright light was in the sky and heading towards the earth.
Taniuchi: Hey… What's that light?
Tsunoda and Akia looked back to see an extremely bright light shining in the sky. The closer it got to the ground, the brighter it seemed to get. The bright light touched down behind distant trees, behind the Takagi Residence and even beyond that. It was quite a good distance away, yet blindingly bright.
Akia: What is that?
The students then felt the bus swerving. Yamada turned around to Shido, who was frantically trying to regain control of the steering wheel.
Yamada: Sensei! What's wrong?!
Shido: I can't seem to gain control of the wheel! Everyone, get down-
As Shido was calling out to his students, he lost control of the bus because the light was more than just a light, it was the EMP that disrupted electronics in the entire Tokonosu area. He had crashed into a metal street divider, which caused a drastic loss in speed; sending young Yamada plowing through the windshield face first. The inertia from the bus travelling at 60 miles an hour caused the bus to slide on its wheels to the left and then fall to its left side and slide 20 yards down the street. As it slid, it bumped into several parked cars along the road and set off the alarms of about 2 or 3 cars. The sliding bus came to a stop and Shido was the first one to move.
Shido (thinking): Ugh… What the hell happened?
Sitting sideways in the driver's seat, he looked over the shoulder of the seat and saw the students barely moving around, crying out in pain.
Taniuchi: Kawamoto-san! Kawamoto!
Akia: Oh man!
Tsunoda: Kurokami!
Kawamoto had snapped her neck against the seat in front of her when the bus crashed into the lane divider. Kurokami had died from bashing his skull against the left side of the buses window when the bus tipped over.
Yuuki: Where's Yamada-kun?!
Akia: I don't know!
Shido: Is everyone alright? Any broken bones?
Akia: Kawamoto and Kurokami… They're dead sensei! They're…
Shido: Damn. And they were so young. Has anyone seen Yamada-san?
Tsunoda: No. He was up there with you last we saw him.
Shido looked at the windshield of the bus and there was a hole in it, blood all around the hole and pieces of clothes were caught on the ridged glass. The blood was beginning to run down from the windshield to the dashboard. Taniuchi covered her mouth, realizing that Yamada was launched through the windshield. Tsunoda slammed his fist down in anger. Akia looked to Tsunoda and then down to the window beneath him.
Shido: Let us not waste any time children. All this commotion has probably caught the attention of a nearby horde. Let us move quickly and silently to avoid any unwanted attention. This way.
He crawled over to the door of the bus, which was above him, and then pushed it open with one good push. He then helped Taniuchi and Yuuki out of the bus, but making sure he looked up their skirts as he did so. After helping the ladies first, he pulled himself out of the destroyed bus; Akia and Tsunoda followed. They all climbed from the bus and landed in the middle of the road with the blaring alarms of the cars they hit.
Shido: This way, children! Safety awaits!
He began running in front of the group while the others followed him. Tsunoda was suffering from a bruised shoulder and Akia's back was in bad shape. Both of the girls seemed to be okay.
Shido (thinking): Damn you, Souichiro. I bet this is your doing.
~Present Time~
Takashi and the others were still in front of the gates as the other survivors around them were scrambling around.
Takashi: Lars, take Alice inside! Kohta, get somewhere that gives you a good shot! Me, Momosuke and Tak will fight out here!
Kiba: You think I'm going to go inside with the weak and let you guys have all the fun?
Momosuke: But, Kiba. You're arm is-
Kiba: Don't worry about me. I'll be just fine. My back isn't hurting as much anymore and my neck feels better. I can manage with one arm.
Saeko: Are… you sure?
Kiba turned to Saeko who was standing behind him, obviously concerned about his health.
Kiba: Yeah, yeah I'm sure.
Saeko: Then I'm staying too.
Lars: I'll stay. You are going to need my help.
Momosuke: That we will. Saya or Shizuka-sensei? Can you take Alice inside?
Ms. Shizuka: I've got her!
Alice took Shizuka's hand and followed her inside. Saya walked over to Momosuke, who was holding onto Saeko's bokken.
Saya: Momo...suke…?
Momosuke: Hm? What's wrong, Saya?
Saya: I… don't want you to go.
Momosuke: But I would be a greater help to the group if I fought.
Saya: I know that… but what if you get hurt again-?
Momosuke cut her off by hugging her. He held her tight and brought her close.
Momosuke (whispering in her ear): I know you're worried about me, but now isn't the time to be. I'll be watching my back and if I miss something, our friends are here to help. I promise, nothing will happen to me this time. And you know I wouldn't lie to you.
Saya's eyes began to tear up and she hugged him back, holding on to him tightly. Rei turned to Takashi.
Rei: I'm staying out here too.
Takashi: No Rei. Go inside with the others.
Rei: Why should I have to go inside? I can fight!
Takashi: Rei, please just listen to me. Just this once?
Takashi looked her in the eyes and she stared into his.
Takashi: I almost lost you once. I don't want to go through that again.
Rei: Takashi…
Survivor (yelling out): Here they come!
The group looked to the gates to see that the horde was only a few meters away from the gates now. Saeko unsheathed her sword, Momosuke got the bokken ready and Takashi readied his baseball bat.
Takashi: Rei, please.
Rei: Okay. Okay, I'll go. Come on, Saya.
Saya was holding on to Momosuke's hand but as she was running, she let go and followed Rei inside.
Momosuke: Well, Takashi. Now we really can't die out here.
Takashi: Pfft. Didn't plan on it.
Kiba: Why do I have the feeling like we're going to be fighting these things for a while?
Lars: Because we more than likely will be.
Saeko: It's going to be a long night.
Souichiro came forth once again with a fireteam of men armed with semi-automatic rifles. Kohta was standing on top of Souichiro's bus he used to get the refugees there.
Souichiro: Men! Take aim!
Soldiers: Yes, sir!
They all cocked back the hammers of their rifles and aimed at the oncoming horde that was now 6 feet from the gate.
Souichiro: Fire!
The 12 soldiers opened fire, shooting off all 20 rounds of each other their rifles. A great amount of undead were dropping like flies from the bullets, but there were more of them than the soldiers had bullets.
Tokuyama: Souichiro-sama! There are too many of them! It seem like the more we shoot, more come forward!
Souichiro: This is going to be a long night.
The undead were pressing themselves against the gate, a seemingly neverending horde pressing themselves against the gate was bad news.
Momosuke: Mr. Takagi! At this rate, they'll break through the gates just by walking forward!
Souichiro: I'm aware of that… So that means we have to do something I was trying to avoid. Nakota!
Nakota was one of the men in line firing his rifle at the oncoming horde.
Nakota: Sir!
Souichiro: Go and grab the rocket launcher.
Kiba: Holy fucking shit.
Takashi: Are you trying to kill us too?!
Souichiro: The RPG isn't that big of a blast. But it will definitely blow chunks of them away. You see how many of them there are. If we fire the RPG into the crowd, it's guaranteed to kill a large number of them and knock back any that are near the explosion.
Lars: With all due respect, sir. It seems a little dangerous.
Souichiro: Don't worry. We've tested the blast radius of the rocket launchers. Now stop pestering me.
Lars looked away from Souichiro, trusting his judgement. He knew he wouldn't intentionally endanger innocent people, especially with his daughter on the property. After a few moments, "they" had gathered enough force and broke through the gate, sending it swinging open. The undead that were pressed against the gate fell to the ground and the other behind them trampled over them.
Takashi: Get ready.
Along with Takashi's group was about 30 other men and a few teenagers that seemed to be older than Saeko and Kiba. Nakota came running from the garage with a rocket launcher on his shoulder and his hand on the handle. He power slid on one knee and ended up next to Souichiro, aiming down the sight of the RPG.
Nakota: Permission to grab my knee in pain, sir!
Souichiro: Request denied. Prepare to fire.
Nakota: Yes, sir!
Souichiro waited until more of them got in through the gates so that Nakota's shot would take out more of them.
Souichiro: It's our only rocket. Make it count. On three! One!
Nakota (thinking): This is going to be a big bang!
Souichiro: Two!
On the count of two, Nakota fired the rocket early. It whizzed past the survivors and nailed the ground right in front of the horde, blasting a large group of them into the air in pieces.
Inside, Saya, Rei and Shizuka had Alice in the kitchen along with the majority of the other refugees. Everyone heard the explosion from the rocket launcher, unaware of what's going on out there.
Saya: What was that noise?!
Ms. Shizuka: It sounded like a bomb!
Rei: And it was close!
Alice: I'm scared!
Ms. Shizuka: It's okay, Alice. Come here.
Shizuka hugged Alice, forcing her face into her gigantic chest. She flailed her arms around, struggling to breathe.
Ms. Shizuka: It's okay, Alice. I'll protect you!
Saya: Hey, Doctor Boobs. Oxygen?
Shizuka looked down to Alice and saw her struggling. She let go and Alice pulled her face away, taking a deep breath.
Ms. Shizuka: Sorry about that Alice! Sometimes, I forget that they're there.
Rei: Pfft, how could you?
Saya: Wait a minute.
Rei: What is it, Takagi?
Saya: My dad said that we can use his truck!
Rei: I thought it was a Humvee?
Saya: Whatever! Come on!
Saya ran into the hall and led Rei, Shizuka and Alice to the garage. She opened the door and saw that a man was working on a vehicle; he was on a rolling board and was underneath one of the Humvees. The man rolled out from underneath the Humvee to see Takagi standing over him, wearing a skirt and he looked directly up her skirt to see white and pink polka dot panties. Embarrassed, the man tried to quickly look away and bashed his forehead along the bumper of the car, making the entire vehicle shake. He stood up quickly got to his feet and pulled the earbuds he had in his ears and bowed to her formally.
Mechanic: Ms. Takagi! My sincerest apologies!
Saya: Mr. Kowagami? Are you listening to music?
Mr. Kowagami: Hm? Oh these? No. They died a while ago. They are just comfortable to wear.
Rei: Uh…
Saya: Nevermind that. My dad said we can use the working Humvee.
Mr. Kowagami: Really? He said that you can drive his only operational military grade vehicular vehicle?
Saya: Um… I think so. Yeah. He just said not to damage it.
Mr. Kowagami: Seems to me that Don Takagi is becoming more lenient than usual.
Saya: I don't know why, but he's being nice. I'm not questioning it, but I will take advantage. So which one is the one that works?
Mr. Kowagami: That one.
He pointed to the Humvee to the far left. It was newly cleaned and sprayed with new paint, just dried a few hours ago. It had new reinforced wheels with tinted windows and bullet resistant doors. Mr. Kowagami pulled the key from his pocket and jingled them.
Outside, Lars was fighting with his bare hands. In the mix of Infected versus humans, he managed to save several teenagers from being bitten, but not all of them. He was at the very front of the line with Saeko, Takashi, Momosuke and a few other of the more skilled fighters, fighting alongside Souichiro. Kiba and Tak were hanging back in the second line of defense, killing any stragglers that managed to get past the front lines. Souichiro ordered his men to get to higher ground to make it easier to take shots. Kohta was still on the roof of the bus with a red bandana around his head and a huge grin on his face.
Kohta: Bring it on! BRING IT ON! Hahahaha!
One of the soldier looked at Kohta with a very concerned look on his face, but then focused back on shooting the horde. Momosuke was swinging the bokken left and right, breaking heads, seemingly, from all directions. Saeko was effortlessly slicing through several of "them", but Momosuke did notice she was starting to get winded. Takashi was busy smashing in teeth near the right side of the gate with a group of middle aged men and their variety of melee weapons.
Momosuke: God damn! They don't end!
Saeko (breathing heavily): We should push forward to drive them out.
Lars: You're tired.
Momosuke: Yeah, look at you, Saeko. You're out of breath. Don't push yourself too hard.
Saeko: I'll be fine. I have things I want to protect.
Momosuke looked to her and shook his head in disappointment while smiling.
Momosuke (thinking): Dammit, Kiba. This girl is willing to risk her life to defend you. You'd better not do anything stupid.
Lars: If you won't fall back, then stay behind us. We'll push forward and you follow close behind us. Cover us and hit what we miss.
Saeko: Right!
Momosuke: Let's go!
Kiba was still hanging back, defending the house on the second line. He saw that Momosuke, Lars and Saeko rushed into push back the undead with a group that followed them.
Kiba (thinking): Please… Be careful.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw that a group of about 5 survivors we being overwhelmed on the left side of the front line. He tapped Tak on the shoulder and ran to the left; Tak and a few others followed him. With the speed he gained while running, he delivered a flying jump kick to the side of an infected woman's face. He looked down and saw that two people were on the ground, one was bitten on the neck and dead and the other was bitten on the shoulder and holding his arm in pain.
Kiba: Ah… shit. We're too late.
Survivor: There are too many!
Kiba: Calm down! Panicking doesn't help, man. We're going to have to put him down.
Survivor: But, but he's my best friend!
Kiba: He's bitten! Would you rather see him turn, or kill him now and remember him how he is right this second?
Bitten Survivor: Yokuyami! He's right! Please, finish me off so I don't turn into one of those freaks! Ahh!
Yokuyami: Tsuno! Ah man…
Tsuno: Do it man! Please!
Tak: Hey, it's better you do it than one of us.
Yokuyami looked down at the ground and held his crowbar in hand.
Kiba: We'll leave you two. Tak, let's get back to the line.
One of the guys that followed Kiba and Tak was named Roba. He was wielding a pair of brass knuckles.
Roba: Hey, man. We got this. You guys head back to the second line.
Kiba: Thanks. Come on.
The two began running back to the second line. As they were running, they saw that the garage door on the far right, out of the other 4 garages, was opening slowly. Once the door was raised, Shizuka, Rei, Saya and Alice rolled on out through and into the parking area. Shizuka leaned forward to get a better view of the battleground and her chest honked the horn by accident. Rei was standing in the Humvee, using the hole on the roof to view out of and Saya was holding Alice's hand and walking next to it.
Ame: Hey, you guys!
Saya: Hm? You three?
Ame and Rukina were standing behind them, looking as innocent as ever while Nado stood with an irritated look on his face.
Saya: What's wrong? You girls need something?
Rukina: We'd like to go with you.
Ame: We don't feel safe here without power.
Rukina: So we'd rather go somewhere where we can be secured with nice people.
Saya: We have room, but it would be cramped. Besides, I don't think I want that little kid of yours to talk mean to us anymore.
Ame: He won't! Will you, Nado?
He stood with his arms folded and his eyes narrowed towards Saya.
Rukina: Nado. You won't insult them again, will you?
Nado: No… No I won't.
Saya narrowed her eyes to the kids beedy, little eyes.
Saya: Hop in.
Ame & Rukina: Oh, yay!
Saya walked with Alice a little bit from the garage and saw Momosuke, Saeko and Takashi with a medium sized group, pushed back the infected that seemed to be storming her house.
Saya (yelling out): Hey! Momosuke! Guys!
Kiba: Tak! Get to the Humvee! Our ride is ready!
Tak: Yeah! On it!
Momosuke: Hey, look! The Humvee! It ready and running!
Lars: Good. We can get out of here. Let's get Takashi.
Takashi (yelling): Hey guys! The Humvee is ready!
Momosuke (yelling out): We know! Meet us there!
Saeko: We should get moving.
Momosuke: Yeah.
The three backed away from the frontline and began running towards the Humvee. Saya let Alice go and she ran around to the left side of the Humvee to take her seat. Tak had gone around to the right side to get his seat. While Alice was struggling to open the back door for the Humvee, one of "them" had slipped passed the second line and began making its way over to her. She looked back and saw that it was really close to her and screamed at the top of her lungs. Kiba ran over to her and pushed her out of the way as the infected man reached out, teeth first and bit down onto Kiba's right forearm, right where the sling for his shoulder was. The infected man yanked hard with its teeth and pulled away the sling, unsnapping the buttons on the back that were keeping it attached to Kiba. The dead man was heavy and brought Kiba to his back in an instant. He put his left hand on the neck of the undead man to keep it at bay.
Kiba: H-Help! Get it off me!
Momosuke: No!
A man's boot came out of nowhere and kicked the infected across the face, sending it to the pavement next to Kiba. Kiba looked up to see that it was Souichiro and Yuriko, Yuriko Takagi was dressed in a long black sweatshirt and tactical vest, black fitting cargo pants and black boots. Souichiro was the one to kick the thing off of Kiba, saving his life without a doubt. Momosuke made it over to him and stomped in the head of the dead man with two stomps.
Souichiro: Stay on your feet, boy. If you get down to their level, you're just easier prey for them.
Lars reached out his right arm and Kiba grabbed it, pulling him to his feet and Saeko hugged him.
Kiba: Y-Yes, sir. Thank you.
Souichiro: Don't thank me yet. All I need you all to do is keep my daughter safe.
Yuriko: She means the world to us. And she has her heart set on leaving. So just watch over her in our absence. We're trusting you.
Momosuke: I'll be sure to put my life on the line to keep her safe, Mrs. Takagi.
Souichiro: This is the boy, Yuriko. The one Saya's interested in.
Yuriko inspected Momosuke for a brief moment.
Yuriko: Hm. He's a handsome guy.
Momosuke (blushing): Huh?!
Yuriko: She's always be attracted to handsome men. I see why she would even consider him. But it must be on a deeper level than that.
Souichiro: Regardless, for whatever reason, she's chosen you. So you have to be there for her when we aren't. Am I understood?
Momosuke: Yes, sir. I'd rather keep my legs attached to my body.
Souichiro put his hand firmly on Momosuke's shoulder and then walked away from him, heading back to the front line of defense. Yuriko smiled at Momosuke and walked towards the front line with her MP5, automatic SMG in hand.
Lars: That woman is gorgeous.
Kiba looked to Lars and winked with a cheesey smile and then looked to Saeko to make sure she didn't see him. She was facing another direction, watching Takashi and Kohta as he ran up to them; Kohta had dropped down from the roof of the bus and made it over to the Humvee with Takashi.
Takashi: What I miss?
Kiba: Dude, just get in the car.
Takashi: Huh?
Momosuke: Don't ask questions. We'll tell you later.
The number of infected were starting to dwindle; the constant fighting was noticeably paying off and all the lives lost weren't going to be in vain. Everyone loaded into the Humvee, Shizuka as driver, Lars was in the passenger seat with Alice, who was sitting on his lap. Saeko, Kiba, Momosuke and Saya were in the second row of seats and Tak was sitting along the floor with his back to the left door. In the very back was Ame, Rukina and Nado and Kohta was using the manhole in the roof. Takashi and Rei were both laying on their bellies on the roof; Takashi had his left arm over her to make sure she wasn't going anywhere so it looked like he was shielding her in a way.
Takashi: Are you sure you can handle roofs again?
Rei: Oh, very funny. I think I can handle it.
In the Humvee, Kiba was looking over the seat at Nado with a disgusted look on his face.
Kiba: Is there a reason we have to bring the kid? The sisters are fine, they haven't done anything. But the kid-
Nado: Fuck off, jack face!
Kiba: Motherf-
Saeko grabbed Kiba's hand and mouthed to him "Just ignore it.". Kiba nodded and faced forward again.
Ame: Nado, you need to start being nicer to people. Especially since they are letting us go with them.
Nado: You saw-!
Rukina: Knock it off.
He looked to the back of Kiba's head with a grimace. He folded his arms and leaned his head back on the seat.
Ms. Shizuka: Hold on everyone!
She put the vehicle in gear and honked the horn, warning the survivors in front of them. Everyone cleared a path and let Shizuka plow through a straight line of "them" and then made a lucky break finding a gap in the horde. They managed to exit the estate safely and went left instead of right, riding along the hill before going down onto the main highway.
The Takagi Estate was the first time that the group felt 100% safe, until they lost power due to the EMP. After that, it was a unanimous decision. They had to keep moving. Saya loves her family, and she loves her house, but she knew that it was no longer safe to keep her friend's there. She knows that her dad will always keep her mom safe over anyone else, so she's not worried about them in the slightest. She was sure that she'd see them again. Now, the morning after the war against the undead, the group is on the road. Searching for a new place to hold up in and maybe start a life of their own. Someplace that they can call home since there's not many places like that anymore. As long as they had each other, that's as safe as they'd ever be.
END CHAPTER 11
NEXT TIME ON HOTDR
Takashi: Shit, Kiba! You almost died!
Kiba: I think… I think I'm just going to sit here and rethink life.
Saeko: I'm sorry I wasn't there to help…
Kiba: Don't beat yourself up over it. Old man Takagi was there for the clutch save.
Souichiro: Old man who?
Kiba: I didn't say that.
Saya: Mom! Dad! I told you! Main cast only!
Yuriko: Oh stop being so mean, Saya.
Momosuke: Yeah, Saya. It's cool if they join us.
Saya: But… Hm… okay…
Kohta: That war was pretty crazy, man! I was like boom, pow, bang! Shot that fucker in the face!
Takashi: Yo, you have to calm down. Like this looks bad.
Kiba: I think he got an erection just from thinking about guns.
Kohta: I did not! What sicko would?!
Lars: You've done it before.
Kohta: Shut up, Lars! No I didn't!
Ms. Shizuka: I… I think I see something there.
Kohta: Huh?!
Kohta looked to the front of his pants and covered himself.
Kohta: Screw this! I'm outta here!
He ran off to hide the embarrassing bulge in his pants.
Rei: We need to find him a girlfriend.
Kiba: You can be his girlfriend, Rei.
Rei: What?!
Momosuke: Next time on Highschool of the Dead Revamped!
ALL: Season Finale!
Takashi: Season Finale? Well that's lame as hell.
Momosuke: How about: Running in the Dead of Night!
Rei: That was from the original show, jackass! We can't use that!
Lars: How about "Aftermath"?
Kiba: No, no. Too short.
Momosuke: Oh! What about "The Dead's Aftermath"?
Saeko: I can go with that.
Saya: I like it.
Kiba: I like the way that sounds. Flows together.
Takashi: Let's redo it. Next time on Highschool of the Dead Revamped!
ALL: The Dead's Aftermath!
Takashi: See? That was better.
Kiba: Where the hell is Tak?
Momosuke: Uh… Good question.
Souichiro (to Yuriko): Is this what teenagers do?
Yuriko (to Souichiro): This new generation is different than ours. Times are different.
Kiba: Are you guys old or something?
Souichiro gave him a death stare and began reaching for his sword.
Kiba: Kohta said it.
It was nearly nightfall at this time, dusk was upon Japan and the endless waves of undead flesh eaters seemed to be gone. Only a few additional stragglers that couldn't keep up with the rest of the horde were left. Souichiro was still in the parking area in front of the gate, commanding the survivors and his remaining soldiers as they helped clean up the mess of zombie pieces. Yuriko was also outside, sitting on the roof of the building. She was relaxing, watching the clouds pass as the sun set and let night take over the sky. Just before the sun completely went away, Souichiro could hear a very faint sound. It was unfamiliar to him, so he paused what he was doing for a few moments and let his hearing take over.
It was a song that seemed to be playing from a speaker of some kind. Souichiro turned to the gate to see a male with a skateboard and a woman with rollerblades riding their way. It was Totsuka and Chie, late to the party. Totsuka was using his headphones as speakers like he did before and he was playing "Ichirin no Hana" by High and Mighty Color. Totsuka was headbanging to the beat of the song while skateboarding and Chie was swaying side to side while she rollerbladed. The two noticed the giant of a man standing inside the gate and staring at them. Totsuka cut the music.
Totsuka: Holy shit. He's a big guy.
Chie: Watch your mouth, Totsuka.
Totsuka: Yeah, yeah.
Souichiro: Is there something I can do for you two or are you going to waste my time?
Chie: Sorry, um… Yes. We're looking for Momosuke Kamigawa? And Kiba Minami? Are they here?
Souichiro: Hm? The boy with Saya and her friends? Do you have business with them?
Totsuka: No. We saved them yesterday and they said that we could come up here whenever we finished what we were doing.
Souichiro: Sorry, they aren't here.
Chie: Could you tell us where they went?
Souichiro: How do I know you two are actually "friends" with that boy and not after him to kill him?
Totsuka: Because they wouldn't be alive without us.
Chie looked to Totsuka and raised an eyebrow to him.
Totsuka: *sigh* Sir.
Souichiro: Hm… I myself don't know for sure, but if I know my daughter, she'll end up at the mall. She's always there it seems like.
Chie: Thank you very much for the tip, sir. We'll be on our way now.
Totsuka: To the mall? It's across town.
Chie: We've got nothing better to do tonight, bro. Let's skate until we get tired and then rest until morning.
Totsuka: Cool. Let's go then. I need to pick up a new pack of gum. I'm out.
Chie: Play us something. You know I can't skate without music!
Totsuka: How's this?
He shuffled through his phone and to find a song.
Souichiro: Hm? Your cell phone still works?
Totsuka: Huh? Uh… I think so?
He showed Souichiro the screen.
Souichiro (thinking): They must've been out of the range of the EMP. So maybe it hasn't affected the entire Tokonosu area.
Chie: We'll be on our way now. Thanks again, sir!
Totsuka began playing the club song "Blood Rave" by Crystal Method. The two rolled off; Totsuka on the left and Chie on the right. Totsuka didn't blast the song because he didn't want
to attract the attention of "them" at this time of day.
Totsuka (whispering to Chie): That guy was fucking huge!
Chie (whispering to Totsuka): Like a bear or something!
Souichiro watched the two ride away and then turned around to see Yuriko still staring at the sky.
Souichiro (thinking): She's worried about Saya. That boy better not make me regret trusting him.
END