HOTDR Chapter 16: A Time in the Dead
It was the beginning of the outbreak that struck Tokonosu City and a young teenage girl was home alone; she chose not to go to school today. She was a 17 year old student that went to Shinjuku Academy and was a third year student. She is an average height teenager, standing at 5'4 and weighs around 110 lbs. She has jet black hair that goes to the middle of her back with side bangs and front bangs that cover her left eye. She was in her house, lying on her bed in her school uniform because she woke and was got dressed for school, but decided not to go and was too lazy to change. At around 12pm, the time of the infectious outbreak, she heard gunshot ring out and quickly went to her window. Her house she lived in with her mom was two stories high and her room had a perfect view of the city. Her name is Natalya Aragami, but let's go by her family name; Raven.
Raven (thinking): W-What the hell is going on out there?
She saw that there was traffic building up along the streets and people abandoning their cars to make a run for it. She quickly went to her underwear drawer in her room and shuffled through her under dressings until she came across a dagger that was approximately 6 inches long and an inch thick in width. She locked the door to her room and hid in her closet with two bottles of water for 6 hours.
Once nightfall came around, she slowly opened her closet door and looked around, seeing that the sun has gone down. With her dagger in hand, she cautiously moved around her room and looked through her window blinds to the street below. What she saw frightened her; a large group of "them" walking through. She didn't quite know what was happening, but when she saw three men firing off weapons into the crowd, she hid herself from sight. She peaked her left eye from behind safety to see that one of the men tripped and the crowd of walking people immediately pounced on him and began tearing him apart.
Man 1: Ahhh! HEELLLLPPP!
Man 2: Koshiro!
Man 3: We can't go back for him!
Man 2: Fuck!
The two men continued running for dear life and Raven stood there in awe, watching the man get ripped into pieces by the horde of undead.
Raven (thinking): This… This can't be right. I… Am I in Hell?
A loud bang came from her front door downstairs which made her flinch in terror. She held the blade handle with both hands and began walking through the hall and then down the stairs. She reached her front door and looked through the peephole to see one of "them" bumping and banging into the door. She quickly ran over to the couch in the living room and grabbed her bookbag before running to the kitchen. She zipped open her backpack and flipped it upside down, letting anything and everything relating to school fall to the floor in front of her. She began loading up her bag with non-perishables and a few bottles of water. Once her bag was full of supplies, she went to her house phone and picked it up before going to the back door of the house. She stood in front of her back door and dialed up her mom; she was only receiving her voicemail.
Raven (thinking): Dammit! Where are you! You were supposed to be back by now!
She looked back and heard that same banging on the front door of the house.
Raven (thinking): Well I can't stay here.
She sat the house phone on the top of the washing machine and walked out through the back door, closing it quietly behind herself. Armed with just a dagger and with only the clothes on her back along with a bag of food and water, Raven was off by herself to find her mom and hopefully somewhere safe. She wasn't too sure of what was going on with the world, but she has seen this before in her dreams. An apocalypse plagues the world and humanity is left to defend itself from extinction; well… this isn't exactly what she had in mind.
Opening Theme Song: I'm Still Breathing by Maon Kurosaki
~Three Months Later~
It has been a little over three months since Raven left her home in the middle of Tokonosu City. It was now Fall season and the temperature was dropping fast. She was living in an abandoned warehouse that was previously used to make anime style jackets and sweaters. She was all alone and had a fire going in the middle of the concrete floor with just 5 sticks and a few leaves. She found a lighter last month and was saving it for just such an occasion. She had herself a sleeping bag on the floor that she used as a mattress and had a rather large, fluffy blanket that used to stay warm. It was nearly 8pm and she was reading a book in front of the fire; a book about a murder case that went wrong and several cops began dying. She liked those kind of mystery books. While she was reading, she was snacking on a chocolate bar that she had found at the local grocery store that day. It was only a month past its expiration date, so it was okay to eat. Her only beverage choice was water and to help wash down that chocolate taste, she was going to need something else.
She put her large blanket on the sleeping bag and began putting outside clothes on to go on a quick search for something tasty to drink. She laced up her boots that had a low heel, pulled up her jeans, adjusted her long sleeved shirt, zipped up her Fall jacket and put a scarf around her neck. The scarf was a cream color and she was extremely fond of it; it reminded her of a dress her mother use to wear. She picked up her dagger, the same one she has had for the last 3 months, and slid it into a holster she had on her right thigh. She then picked up her handgun that she found more recently and checked the magazine. She sighed at the sight of only seeing 6 bullets left. She loaded up her gun .9 mm pistol and put it into the holster on her left thigh with the safety on.
As she was out and about, skillfully avoiding the dead around her, she went to a nearby Neighborhood Market (a grocery store that has only has produce and vegetables). She was continuing through, looking for a refreshment to help wash down that chocolate taste when she heard the voices of what sounded to be a group of people and they were walking in her direction. She quickly pressed herself against the wall inside the store near the register and watched as the group of people passed by casually.
?: Hey, Momosuke. Are you sure Saya will be okay if she finds out you came with us?
Momosuke: I'm not worried about it, Kiba. She's been getting hissy lately anyway.
Momosuke was walking around with his compound bow and his backpack of arrows while Kiba was carrying around a black, sawed-off, lever action shotgun. He found that piece of work recently in the trunk of a civilian vehicle along with 8 shells. Lars had a wooden baseball bat he took from the baseball stadium when he, Rodack, Rei and Tak went out a month ago. And Tak was carrying around the crowbar that Kiba use to use.
Kiba: What has she been bitching about?
Momosuke: Apparently I haven't been listening to her lately and she does a lot for me but I don't do a lot for her. But I keep her safe, I make sure she's doing alright, I make sure she can sleep peacefully at night. But I guess that's not enough.
Tak: Pfft. Women man. They'll never be satisfied.
Lars: Maybe you should take her out somewhere.
Everyone looked to Lars with a confused expression. It's the end of the world… where would they go?
Momosuke: Where would I take her, Lars?
Kiba: It's the end of the world… in case you didn't remember.
Lars: The first place you two met.
Momosuke: Fujimi Academy?
Lars: Oh. Nevermind.
Kiba: Good try, buddy. But I think she's going through that marriage stage I've seen on TV.
Momosuke: Marriage stage?
Kiba: It's a setting in a woman's mind that only occurs when they've been in an unmarried relationship for more than a few months. They get the mindset that you are married when you're not.
Tak: Have you two… you know…?
Momosuke: What?
Tak: Meat in the taco? Hotdog in the bun? Glaze on the donut?
Momosuke: Oh that… No. Not yet man.
Kiba: Really?! You haven't hit that yet?!
Momosuke: Shut up. I doubt Saeko has let you tame her kitten yet either.
Kiba: Well… So? Whatever.
Momosuke: It's complicated, dudes. Everytime she gets in the mood, she stops for some reason.
Kiba: What do you mean stop?
Momosuke: Like she'll be on top of me then stop and lay down. Then cuddle on me. Or if I'm on top, she'll look away cover herself. Am I doing something wrong?
Kiba: Well, shit! How are we supposed to know without watching?!
Lars: That's a little weird.
Kiba: Kohta would do it.
Tak: That he would. Maybe you should try bringing her flowers or something. Even though it's the end of the world, that doesn't mean there aren't still nice things to please a woman.
The guys hear an empty can slide across the ground next to them and aim their weapons in the direction of the noise. The group looked towards the Neighborhood Market entrance and began making their way to the noise.
Momosuke (whispering): Keep an eye out. If it was one of "them", we'd have heard it again by now.
Kiba (whispering): Or seen it.
Tak (whispering): I'm going in.
Lars (whispering): You're covered.
Tak moved in front of the guys and began moving quickly to the entrance. He poked his head into the store and looked both ways before entering.
Tak: Clear.
Momosuke: I wanna what that was.
Kiba: Probably a cat or something.
Momosuke: Oh well. Let's get back.
Lars: Wanna play a boardgame when we get back?
Tak: You're on, bro.
The guys lowered their weapons and began walking as a group back to the hospital. Raven, who ran and hid behind the building, began to follow them. She followed them all the way back to the back to the hospital.
Momosuke (into walkie talkie): Rodack, friendlies inbound.
Rodack (over walkie): Roger that. You're clear. Welcome home, kid.
Raven hid behind a tree that was directly in front of the hospital, maybe 50 yards away. Rodack was on the rooftop, keeping lookout for bandits that may come through or in case a large group of undead walk along. Raven saw Rodack on the roof and watched as the guys walked into the hospital. She began thinking what it would be like to be around new people, be in a warm bed, and be safe. For the last 90 days or so, she has been fighting for her survival day in and day out only looking after herself. At the beginning, she was joined by a stray cat that was orphaned by the apocalypse. But that cat ran away after a week and wasn't seen again.
Raven (thinking): Is it… time for me to stop being alone? Maybe… maybe it's time I gave people a chance.
The idea of being with people and making new friends quickly fled her mind when she thought of the incident that happened towards the beginning of the outbreak. She ran into 3 guys in the woods as she was running from the infected behind her. The guys came to her rescue and butchered the undead where they stood. Thankful, she wanted to hang around them and get to know them and possibly stay with them as her friends. But later that same night, the 3 men tried to rape her in her sleep and she ended up stabbing two and shooting one with his own gun. That was the main reason she decided to be a loner and it has been working out well for her. Why fix what's not broken?
It was now later in the afternoon/evening time and Raven was lying on her sleeping bag with her fluffy blanket over herself with a small fire next to her in the middle of the floor. She was staring up at the ceiling, unable to fall asleep. Something was bothering her; was it the fact that she saw new people that seemed organized and friendly and the fact that she forgot to get herself something tasteful to drink. Her thoughts were constantly swimming around in her mind and she was having trouble making the right decision. Did she really want to take the chance of endangering herself and surrounding herself with strangers or did she want to risk being on her own and getting 4 hours of sleep a night and constantly being on lookout, covering her own back? As she's thinking about what to do, a white cat walked over to Raven causing her to flinch and draw her pistol. The kitten was normal sized with brown eyes and a red collar on. Raven put the pistol down as the cat made its way over to her. She thought back to the cat that abandoned her and threw her water container at it, making the cat screech and run away. She laid back down stared up at the ceiling once again. She began thinking about what the guys she saw were talking about; girl troubles, living together, real life things.
Raven (thinking): The world… isn't dead yet.
A smile came across her face as she stood up while grabbing her things. She packed her clothes into her backpack and then she rolled up her fluffy blanket and uses her old belt to strap it to her backpack. She laced up her ankle high, military style boots and put her backpack on and left the warehouse.
She was walking casually through the middle of the street; that area of Tokonosu City hasn't seen a large number of them in quite some time so she figured she could relax a little bit. She looked to the night sky and wondered where her mother might possibly be if she were still alive. She looked to her left and saw an old ice cream shop that was closed down long before the apocalypse and thought about how her and her mom and dad would go there with her after she played soccer with her team. But that was back when she was a young girl. She continued past the ice cream shop and began daydreaming about her parents until she was brought back to reality by a familiar sound. She turned around and saw something that surprised her. She gasped and bolted down the street.
~ One Hour and Fifteen Minutes Ago~
Kiba: Oh… shit…
Momosuke and they guys were just returning to the hospital after their outing and Saya was waiting for them in the lobby of the place. Momosuke froze in place at the sight of her.
Momosuke: Saya… I-
Saya: Don't say anything to me!
She stormed off, angry at the fact that Momosuke went out on a run behind her back. She walked to the stairs and went up.
Momosuke: Saya…
Kiba: Dammit. I guess we weren't expecting her to wake up.
Lars: You should talk to her.
Tak: Yeah, Lars is right. You don't want to leave this as is man.
Momosuke: Yeah… I know. But she's not extremely understanding when she's upset.
Rei: What did you do, Momosuke.
They guys looked to their right and saw Rei walking over to them with Saeko and Shizuka. Rei had a very disappointing expression on her face.
Momosuke: Hey…
Rei: Don't "hey" me, Momosuke. I told you not to go on that run!
Momosuke: Yeah, but we were a person short. It's always supposed to be 4 people on those runs.
Rei: Yeah, well if we were short why didn't someone ask me to go? Or Takashi? Or Totsuka? There are plenty of people here that would've gone.
Momosuke: Well… Maybe I wanted to go.
Rei: Well now you're going to have to deal with the consequences.
She walked away and Shizuka followed while shaking her head in disappointment. Saeko looked over to Kiba and walked away with the other two girls.
Kiba (thinking): What the hell was that look about? What did I do?
Momosuke: Eh… I'm going to go talk to her.
Lars: Godspeed my friend.
Tak: You'll need all the luck in the world man.
Momosuke: Thanks guys.
He began to walk towards the staircase to follow Saya up and Kiba stopped him.
Kiba (whispering): Listen, I know she's going to be upset. But if you just give her the shaft-
Momosuke: Not now, Kiba. Not the best time.
Kiba: Right! Sorry.
Momosuke hurried along and went up the stairs, following Saya to their room. Takashi came from the kitchen and approached the other guys.
Takashi: Uh… Do I wanna know what happened?
Tak: I'm sure the whole hospital will know in a few seconds.
Upstairs, Momosuke made it to their room and opened the door. He saw Saya sitting at their desk in the corner of the room with her hands on her face and she was crying. He knew he messed up and he knew he had to fix it, but definitely didn't know how.
Momosuke: Saya…
Saya (sobbing): What do you want?
Momosuke: Please stop crying. I know that-
Saya: If you know I didn't want you out there again, why would you do it? Why would you go behind my back on purpose?! Do you even care about me and my feelings?!
Momosuke: Of course I do, but… eh…
Saya: See! You can't even make up an excuse!
Momosuke: I'm not trying to make up an excuse. I'm trying to talk to you but it's hard when you're crying.
Saya: I don't get it… If you say you won't go out on runs anymore, that means you stop being a Runner. But you chose to ignore the promise you made me and do what you want regardless of how I felt about it. On top of that, you waited until I was asleep to do it. Completely stomping over me like I was nothing to you!
Momosuke: I didn't ignore you! Well, I did I guess… But I didn't mean to. You're making it sound a lot worse than it is, Saya. They needed someone to go with them. The group needs dedicated Runners to get supplies so that we can survive. I know Tokonosu City better than anyone in this group. I felt obligated to go.
Saya: Even if it means lying to me?
Momosuke: Ugh… please don't put it like that.
Saya: You know what Momosuke? I've dealt with a lot of shit in the past, before the end of the world and after, but being hurt by you is the worst thing that's ever happen to me.
Momosuke: I feel like you're making a big deal out of nothing. It's not that serious!
Saya: Is that so?
Momosuke (thinking): Uh… I think I fucked up.
Saya: I'm done.
Momosuke: What? You're done? What's that mean?
Saya: I'm done… With you.
Momosuke: Huh…?
Saya: We're through.
She walked over to the bed and picked up blankets and went down the hall to Shizuka's room. She walked completely passed Momosuke without looking at him and pulled away from him when he touched her shoulder. Momosuke watched her go down the hall and knock on Shizuka's door, where Rika answered and let her in. Momosuke stood in the doorway of what use to be his and Saya's room and stared at the floor in disbelief. Did his actions just cause him the one woman he's ever loved? He went into the room, closing the door behind himself. He went over to the windows and closed the blinds and curtains, making it dark so that he could think to himself. He laid down on his back on the bed and stared up at the ceiling, trying to think about what he's just done and how he can make it better in some way.
About an hour later, Momosuke heard knocking on his door and woke up from his short nap. He sat up and yawned before stretching his back out and heading over to the door. Once he opened the door, he saw that Kiba and Takashi were staring at him. Momosuke stood there for a moment and awkwardly stared at the two guys.
Momosuke: What?
They let themselves in and Kiba pulled Momosuke away from the door as Takashi closed it. Kiba sat on the chair at the desk and Takashi stood next to Momosuke's mattresses on the floor. Momosuke sat back down on what was his bed.
Momosuke: What? Did I piss you guys off too?
Kiba: You need to straighten things out with her.
Momosuke: That's a little hard to do. She won't listen to me and when I start talking, I seem to always say the wrong things.
Takashi: Then how about you think about what you're going to say before you say it. Write it down on something.
Kiba: Have you and her even like… Done that yet?
Momosuke: Done what?
Kiba put his hands together and did the gesture with his index finger and making a hole with his other hand.
Momosuke: No man. Not that yet.
Kiba: Yeah… Same for me and Saeko. What about you, Takashi?
Takashi: No. We'll all virgins still.
Kiba: Damn. That hurt my heart hearing that.
Momosuke: What do you guys want? If you don't mind, I'd like to be left alone for a bit.
Takashi: I get it. You just went through a break up for the first time and it sucks. Believe me, I know what it's like to lose someone you care about.
Momosuke: It's not only that.
Momosuke stood up and went to a filing cabinet next to the window in his room. He went to the bottom drawer and opened it, shuffling through the papers as if searching for something. After digging for a few moments, he pulled out an envelope and ripped it open. He took out a small object and held it in his hand.
Kiba: What's that?
Takashi: Did you get her a gift?
Momosuke opened his palm and the guys saw a ring sitting in the middle of his hand. Kiba and Takashi's eyes widened and they looked at each other in surprise.
Kiba: Damn…
Momosuke: Yeah. Damn. Now there's no point in taking that step.
Takashi: You were going to ask her to…?
Momosuke: Yeah. Be my wife. But… I don't see that happening now. It's just trash now.
Kiba: Keep it.
Momosuke: Hm? Why?
Kiba: You'll need it one day. I've seen this in a movie once. The angry couple breaks up and gets back together later.
Momosuke: We're not an angry couple. She's just… very abrasive.
Takashi: Whatever she is to you, she's yours. Don't let her go so easily, Momo.
Momosuke: But I fucked up bad, guys. I went behind her back and ignored what I promised her. I don't think she's the type to forgive and forget so quickly.
Takashi: No, she's not. That's why you gotta work at it. I've known Saya since we were kids and she was never the type to show her feelings.
Momosuke sighed and laid down on the bed.
Takashi: Until she met you.
Momosuke quickly sat up looked to Takashi.
Takashi: Saya loves you, man. I know she does. She's never been this happy before in the entire 8 years that I've known her. You're special to her. That's why she's so upset with you. She didn't expect someone she cared about so much to betray her.
Momosuke looked down to the ring in his hand and thought that Takashi was right. He did betray her trust and he had to build it back up again. Saya was very important to him and he feels like he's known her forever. But there were still something's he needed time to learn about women. He clinched the ring tightly in his hand.
Kiba: That's what I'm talkin' about.
Takashi: I'ma go check on Rei and makes sure she's okay.
Momosuke: What's wrong with Miyamoto?
Takashi: She said she wasn't feeling too good. Stomach was bothering her.
Kiba: You go take of her. We're good here man.
Takashi: Alright.
Takashi began walking to the door and opened it.
Momosuke: Takashi-san.
Takashi: Hm? Yeah? What's up?
Momosuke: Thanks.
Takashi: No problem.
After saying those words to Momosuke he made his exit. Kiba walked behind Momosuke and slapped him on the back of the head.
Momosuke: Hey! What the fuck?!
Kiba: Come on, let's go for a walk.
Momosuke: Huh?! But-
Kiba: Come on, you're single for now. Let's go.
Momosuke: Eh…
The two went for a walk why the others around the hospital continued with their normal activities. Rika, who was no longer on crutches, was walking around the lower level headed to the cafeteria to see Shizuka. Shizuka and Saeko were in the kitchen making everyone dinner and Chie was taking the made food and putting it on plates for everyone. Nado was lying on a tabletop by himself while reading a manga book and Totsuka was listening to his headphones at the same table Nado was lying on. Lars was walking through the cafeteria with Alice on his shoulders and making car noises for her to keep her entertained and keep her mind off of Zero; Zero died last week because he became direly sick and Shizuka didn't know how to help him because she's not a veterinarian. Tak was sitting at a table with Saya, who was still looking a little upset about the events earlier. Kohta was on the roof, sitting in a lawn chair and chowing down on the food that Rika had brought him. Rodack was outside working on the new truck that they found with Iori and Kotetsu.
Iori Akiyama and Kotetsu Nimako are from the Special Assault Team as well and knew of Rika, but never met her until now. They joined the group last month and have been with the group since they were separated from their team. Rodack, Takashi, Rei and Totsuka found them as they were running with a third person that was bitten on their left leg. The man said that he didn't want to turn and Iori shot him in the head, giving him the end he wanted. Iori was a vehicle mechanic before joining the S.A.T. and still remembered a lot of what his father taught him. Kotetsu was a member of Akiyama's squad before the apocalypse and eventually Nimako was transferred to a new division. Nimako was an expert explosive engineer and helped design a lot of the newer bombs that the S.A.T. were beginning to manufacture. Iori was Sergeant and Kotetsu was a Corporal.
COMMERCIAL BREAK - HOTDR - HIGHSCHOOL OF THE DEAD REVAMPED
Momosuke and Kiba were walking alongside each other down the sidewalk; Momosuke had his compound bow and backpack with his arrows and Kiba had the same Chiappa 1887, sawed-off lever action shotgun he had earlier that same day. The two were just walking and talking like they use to before the world went to shit.
Kiba: Hm… Hitomi Aizawa or Ami Asai?
Momosuke: Ah… I'd have to say Hitomi. She's got the perfect face and breasts to match.
Kiba: Wise choice my friend. Wise choice.
Momosuke: Why are we talking about models man?
Kiba: Just trying to keep you mind off of Saya, man.
Momosuke: Thanks, dude. *sigh*
Kiba: What?
Momosuke: Nothing man. Nothing.
Kiba: Still thinking about Saya, huh?
Momosuke: Yeah. I can't help it. Me and her… We have the best relationship together. Well… had…
Kiba: You know it's not over, right?
Momosuke: Hm? What do you mean?
Kiba: She's not leaving you forever. She's way too attached man.
Momosuke: You think so?
Kiba: Dude, tell me right now. Do you really think she's done with you for good man?
Momosuke: Eh… I don't know.
Kiba: Well I don't! Fuck boy!
Momosuke: What's wrong with you?!
Kiba: You need to cheer up dude. I can guarantee that you too will miss each other so much, that you two are going to get back together and never let go.
Momosuke: Yeah… I don't know about that man. She was pretty mad.
Kiba: Trust me. I know these things.
Momosuke: How?
Kiba: Soap operas. Don't judge.
The two continued along the side of the road until they heard the hastened footsteps of someone running in front of them. Momosuke quickly pulled an arrow from his backpack of a quiver and slid the arrow in place on the bow as Kiba pumped his sawed off shotgun and aimed it forward. They saw a woman running towards them; she was carrying luggage with her and she seemed to be running for dear life. It was Raven.
Momosuke: Hey! Stop right there!
Kiba: Don't take another fucking step!
Raven stopped in mid step and put her hands up at chest level. Momosuke kept his distance and Kiba began moving closer to her.
Kiba: What are you doing out here?
Raven didn't say anything and just stood there, breathing heavily.
Kiba: Hey, I'm not going to ask again. What are you doing out here? And what are you running from?
Momosuke: How do you know she's not running from someone?
Kiba: She wouldn't be running from people with a gun on her thigh. She'd be shooting and defending herself.
Raven: They're coming..
Kiba: Hm?
Raven: Dead ones… dozens and dozens of them. Coming this way.
Momosuke walked ahead of of Kiba and Raven a few meters and looked over the small hill to see well over a hundred of the undead walking in their direction. They were relatively close as well; additional infected could hear the crowd and begin following them in the herd.
Momosuke (whispering): Shh! Come on!
Kiba lowered his gun and he and Raven followed Momosuke as they began making their way quickly back to the hospital. On the way, they got to a 3 way intersection and they looked to the right and saw a large group of them roaming towards them, blocking their path.
Kiba (whispering): What the hell?! Where are they coming from?
Momosuke (whispering): We haven't seen one of them in nearly 3 weeks!
Kiba (whispering): Where are we going now? They cut us off!
Momosuke (whispering): There!
Momosuke pointed to a red pickup truck and began running over to it. The guys and Raven quickly climbed into the back of the pickup truck and laid down to hopefully let the infected walk right passed them. Raven laid in the middle and the guys laid on either side of her; Momosuke to her right and Kiba to her left.
Kiba (whispering): What about the others?!
Momosuke (whispering): Kohta should be on look out!
Kiba (whispering): I'm still wondering where they came from!
Momosuke (whispering, to Raven): Did you lead them to us?
Raven hesitated on answering but ended up shaking her head "no". Momosuke got a frustrated look on his face and peeked over the side of the trunk and saw that they were no less than 4 feet away. He quickly got down and put his index finger over his mouth, signaling the other two to stay quiet.
Momosuke (thinking): Saya…
At the hospital, Kohta was on the roof, dozing off while reading a manga. He was resting his hand on his cheek while he was sitting on a folding lawn chair and his elbow slipped, causing his forehead to hit the armrest. He quickly recovered while holding his forehead.
Kohta (whispering to himself): Ow…
He looked around and scratched the back of his head, trying to wake himself up.
Kohta (whispering to himself): How come I always get the night shift? Why can't Rodack do it?
He walked over to the front of the roof and looked out to see the darkened city and what he saw instead, were the night streets filled with a large herd of undead marching towards the hospital. He froze temporarily, paralyzed with fear. He came back to his senses and immediately ran to the roof entrance to go warn the others. He ran down the first flight of stairs and got winded from running, resting his forearm on the railing in the staircase.
Kohta (thinking): Dammit, I'm out of shape.
He continued downstairs and ran into Saya who was going to the roof to talk to Kohta.
Saya: Watch where you're going, fatass.
Kohta: Saya! We have to get the lights off and get everyone quiet!
Saya: Why?
Kohta grabbed her arm and ran over to a window that was facing the road towards the undead. Saya saw the large crowd of "them" wondering towards the hospital and her eyes grew wide and her heart sank. She began backing away slowly and then turned around, running off to warn the others. Kohta followed her down the stairs and went to the kitchen where everyone was.
Saya: Hey! Everything off!
Kohta: Get down!
Takashi: Huh?
Takashi was sitting with Rei, who was still feeling under the weather, and trying to get her to eat something without throwing it back up. Totsuka was sitting with Lars, Shizuka and Alice while Saeko, Tak, Chie and Nado sat together. Rika was walking over to the trash can, just about to dump her remains in the garbage.
Rika: Kohta-san, what's wrong?
Kohta: The infected! *huff huff* They're coming!
Rika's eyes grew wide and she sat her plate on the counter.
Rika: Alright! Everyone, get every single light in this building off and everything that makes a noise should be silenced. TVs, games, music devices, Totsuka, that includes you.
Totsuka: Aw man.
Rika: Shizuka, Lars, keep Alice safe.
Lars: On it.
Shizuka: I won't let her out of my sight!
Shizuka put her face to Alice's face and stared into her eyes.
Alice: Uh…
Rika: Tak, Totsuka, Chie, Saeko and Kohta: Get everything off!
Tak: Alright! Let's go!
Everyone ran off with Tak to get the building powered down and quiet. Rika looked around for a moment and then looked to Takashi and Rei.
Rika: Where's Momosuke and Kiba?
Takashi: Uh… Well. I'm not sure actually.
Rei: Shouldn't Momosuke be upstairs?
Saya ran off and went up to the second floor, going back to what use to be her room. She flung the door open and scanned the room; no sign of Momosuke.
Saya (thinking): Oh no…
Rodack, Iori and Kotetsu were around the back of the hospital in the rear parking lot nearest to the building. Rodack was on a board the he equipped with wheels to roll so he could slide under the truck they were working on. Iori was standing outside the truck next to Rodack and Kotetsu was in the driver's seat.
Rodack: I think it's lucky that we found this one. It was the easiest to fix and no one had gone for its parts yet.
Iori: Sound to me like it was stroke of good luck. Aye, Captain?
Rodack: I told you, Iori. I'm just Rodack now.
Kotetsu: What made you drop the title, Captain- uh… Rodack?
Rodack: We're not organized by the government anymore. Rika and Takashi share the leadership here. Not General Yuramura.
Kotetsu: That bastard… I still can't believe he erased Tokonosu International.
Rodack: Don't remind me. I still think about my men everyday… They had families, lives outside of the Force and just decided we were expendables.
Iori: Fuck that guy, man. I knew he was bad news from the moment I met him face to face.
Rodack: Yeah… But that's done now. Hey, Ko. Give it some gas.
Rodack slid out from underneath the truck and the Kotetsu turned the key and gas it some gas, making the engine rev rather loudly.
Rodack: Hell yeah!
Iori: Nice job! We got two vehicles now!
Kotetsu got out and after turning the truck off and closed the door. The guys all got together and high fived each other.
Kotetsu: Hey, I'm gonna go get us a few beers.
Iori: Cool. We have a cooler along the side of the building. They should still be cold.
Kotetsu: Alright. I'll be right back.
He walked away to get himself and they guys a beer to celebrate the new truck that they have. He walked over to the corner of the building and reached down to the white and blue cooler to grab the when someone grabbed his face. It was one of them; they were nearly hidden in the dead of night and Kotetsu was the first victim. The undead fell on top of him and he quickly became a meal for about 6 or 7 others. As he was screaming out from the pain of having his face bitten into, Rodack and Iori looked over and saw that he was being mauled.
Rodack: Fuck!
Iori: Get down!
Rodack slid underneath the truck to hide while Iori got underneath the group's sedan to hide. They could hear Kotetsu screaming out as his bones were being cracked and ripped off by the horde that sneak attacked him.
Rodack (thinking): What the fuck!? Where did they come from?! We haven't had any of "them" come around here for weeks! Now there's a giant horde of them!
Iori (thinking): Dammit! Kotetsu! No!
They could see legs wondering by them by the number and there were a lot of them. A seemingly unwithering amount of infected walked by the hospital and all Rodack could think about was where did they come from. Luckily, none of the infected have fully functioning brains, so none of them think to look underneath the cars, a very obvious spot. That and their very limited range of sight and the fact that they don't have peripheral vision is a huge advantage to the group. Not all of the infected were going straight by them; some of them ended up wandering around the lot instead of continuing on their way which forced the unarmed Rodack and Iori to remain under the vehicles.
~The Next Morning; 6:30am~
Rodack began slowly opening one eye and then flinched, frantically looking back and forth, scanning the area. He and Iori were still under the vehicles; they spend the night out there. He only saw a few legs walking around a good distance away and he didn't see Kotetsu's body lying where he died. Rodack shook his head in disappointment and knew what that meant; he had become one of "them". He picked up a few small rocks in his hand and tossed them to a sleeping, Iori, hitting him in the face. Iori flinched and hit his head along the bottom of the car. While holding the back of his head, he looked to Rodack with a "what the fuck" sort of expression. Rodack pointed to the hospital, signalling that it was time to go. Iori and Rodack began going quietly sliding out from under the vehicles and knelt behind the truck.
Iori (whispering): We're pretty close to the building. We can just run for it.
Rodack (whispering): No. That's dangerous. We need a distraction.
Rodack searched the ground and found a rock about the size of a golf ball and picked it up.
Iori (whispering): Are you going to bust a window?
Rodack (whispering): You know me too well.
He saw an abandoned car on the far side of the lot and began aiming his throw.
Iori (whispering): Are you sure you can make that? That's pretty damn far.
Rodack (whispering): How far do you think?
Iori (whispering): I don't know… Fifty yards?
Rodack put his arm into it and gave that rock a good throw. The rock was perfectly arched, travelling over a few undead heads and breaking the front passenger window of the car. The glass shattering drew the attention of the undead that were near the car and a few that were a more than 20 meters away from Rodack and Iori. They used that time to rush over to the back down and go inside.
Momosuke, Kiba and Raven were still in the bed of the truck they hid in and Momosuke was the first to wake. He popped his head up and looked to see that everyone infected that was around them had wandered off and only a few stragglers remained. He touched Raven's shoulder and rocked her back and forth, trying to wake her up and she just laid there. He put his index finger and middle finger together and touched the side of her neck, checking for a pulse.
Momosuke (thinking): She's still alive… What's wrong with her?
He looked over to Kiba who was just beginning to wake up.
Momosuke (whispering): Kiba, are you okay?
Kiba (whispering): Huh…? *yawn, stretch* Where are we?
He looked around and saw that they slept in the bed of the truck all night and it was now early a.m. He remembered that he and Saeko were supposed to hangout in their room and watch a movie together last night.
Kiba (whispering): Damn! Saeko is not going to be happy.
Momosuke (whispering): What's wrong?
Kiba (whispering): I was out here all night! It was movie night last night!
Momosuke (whispering): You're worried about movie night and we could've died out here-? Never mind. Did you do something to her?
Momosuke pointed to the unconscious Raven.
Kiba (whispering): Why? What? I don't think so. I didn't shoot her.
Momosuke (whispering): She's not waking up. She could be dehydrated.
Kiba (whispering): Dehydrated? It's not that hot out.
Momosuke (whispering): It doesn't have to be hot to get dehydrated. When we saw her, she was running. She could've been running for hours before we ran into her. And now she slept out here for like 8 hours and hasn't had anything to drink.
Kiba (whispering): Damn… Oh well. Leave her ass.
Kiba went to put his leg over the side of the truck and Momosuke grabbed his shirt, pulling him back.
Kiba (whispering): Ugh! Dude!
Momosuke (whispering): We're not leaving her, Kiba. She could really need our help.
Kiba (whispering): We almost died for her man. We don't even know her name!
Raven (weak voice, quietly): Ra… Raven…
Momosuke (whispering): Hm? What did you say?
Kiba (whispering): I think she said "Raven".
Momosuke (whispering): This is Japan. We don't get very many Raven's here. Like ever.
Raven (weak voice, quietly): My name… Raven…
Momosuke (whispering): Her name's Raven…
Kiba (whispering): Yes. I can hear. Are we taking her with us?
Momosuke (whispering): I'm not leaving her here. You know me better than that.
Kiba (whispering): Eh… Yeah, I do. Come on.
Momosuke hopped out of the back of the truck and reached up to Kiba, who had successfully picked up Raven bridal style and handed her to Momosuke. Kiba climbed out the back of the truck and helped Momosuke get Raven on his back to give her a piggyback ride. Kiba put Momosuke bow around his shoulder and held it for him but took out an arrow from his backpack and used it as a melee weapon to clear out any infected they may encounter. Raven was nearly unconscious again and leaning her face on Momosuke's left shoulder blade while he carried her.
Once they made it back to the hospital entrance, they were greeted by Takashi and Rika.
Rika: Momo-kun… Kiba. You're both okay. Thank God.
Kiba: Yup. And I had a pretty good nights sleep as well.
Momosuke: Lucky you.
Takashi: What happened to you two?
Kiba: We went out walking to chat for a bit and ran into this girl but then she said she was being followed by the undead. So we were trying to get back here and we got cut off. We slept in the back of a truck all night and I said we should leave her, but he didn't listen to me, Rika.
Rika: Don't leave anyone behind, Kiba. That's not the kind of people we are.
Kiba: Strangers? Even after what happened a couple of months ago?
Rika: Yes, even after that. Not everyone out there is bad.
Kiba: Ooookay… Whatever you say.
Everyone went inside and got to the main lobby and saw Rodack and Iori lying on the floor, out of breath.
Momosuke: What the hell happened to you two?
Rodack: We had a long night, kid.
Iori: Kotetsu… he's gone.
Kiba: Damn…
Momosuke: We'll talk about that later. Is everyone else okay? I know the infected were on the way here but we didn't have a way of warning you guys.
Saya came into the lobby and stopped as she saw Momosuke carrying another girl. She looked away and walked to the staircase with her cup of apple juice. Momosuke looked over his shoulder at Raven and sighed to himself.
Momosuke: We need to get fluids in her right away. She could be-
Everyone heard a loud bang on the revolving doors and turned around; Kiba turned around with his lever action shotgun ready as he cocked it, Rika pulled out her Beretta from the holster and aimed it at the door. A girl that seemed to be no older than 18 was standing there, pressing her body against the wall and holding her leg. Her lower half was blood stained and her left thigh was gashed open just above the knee. Everyone stared at her without saying a word.
Wounded Girl: Help…
END CHAPTER 16
Ending Theme Song: My Pace by SunSet Swish
NEXT TIME ON HOTDR
Rei: That was extremely strange. Where did all of those infected come from?
Chie: I'm not sure. We need to be more aware so we're better prepared next time.
Takashi: Who was on lookout?
Rei: Kohta…!
Kohta: Uh..!
Kohta ran away and locked himself in his room.
Momosuke: We should figure out what to do next. We got two newcomers and they're both under Nurse Shizuka's care right now.
Kiba: I said we should've left her. Now we're using supplies on her.
Rika: Stop it, Kiba. I know we're all still suffering from what happened a while ago, but that won't happen again.
Rodack: Kotetsu… We need to be more vigilant. Last time we let our guard down, people died…
Saeko: Aside from that, how will we handle the new problem that has arisen?
Kiba:What's the new problem ?
Saeko: We're out of popcorn for movie nights.
Momosuke: Wow. We should probably take care of that then.
Totsuka: Yeah, man. That caramel corn was Jesus.
Alice: White cheddar!
Lars: I agree with Alice.
Momosuke: What about the candy? We're running low on candy as well. Saya, wanna go to the store for candy?
Saya: I'm not talking to you.
Momosuke: Welp.
Chie: Next time on Highschool of the Dead Revamped!
ALL: Dead Bait!
Nado: Bait? Who's fishing?
Takashi: Not that bait.
Saeko: Who are we catching with the bait?
Shizuka: I think we're going after a catfish. Or maybe a flounder.
Takashi: It's not fish bait! Oh… never mind.
Author's Note: Well that took longer than expected! Hello everyone! Thank you for your patience! Getting back on track with Highschool of the Dead Revamped took a lot longer than we had originally expected but it's back! We're going back to our Saturday uploads and these chapters are going to be getting juicy! Stay tuned because you do NOT want to miss the rest of this season!