Sorry for the late upload! been doing charity streams on twitch the last few days buuut here is chapter 26 if anyone wants to come watch me play games sometime, my twitch name is Magikcloud
Chapter 26
The afternoon was drawing onwards, the only sounds in Karuizawa were those of the undead that had filled the streets in their search for sustenance. Unfortunately the undead had decided the time for waiting was over, much to the misfortune of those holed up at Pension Misuzu.
"They're on the move…" Ranka whispered as he peered out between the closed curtains.
"Moving where?" Misuzu asked, moving to peek out where Ranka was.
It was true enough, the zombies that had been standing out there for the last couple of hours were growing antsy and as such were now shuffling around, heading for the doors of the pension. The downstairs was barricaded to the best of their abilities but if the zombies got fired up any time soon it wouldn't be enough to stop them from breaking through and getting inside.
"Everyone… this might be it…" Misuzu looked around the room to those gathered.
Fear was etched into all their features, all these faces that had looked to Misuzu for some kind of hope were now clinging to their friends and loved ones; saying what could be the last words any of them would speak… words of love and compassion, of bravery and confidence and most importantly telling each other this won't be the place they die… trying to keep up the moral as they moved about, grabbing their weapons and readying themselves for the fight of their lives.
Ritsu stood off to the side, radio in one hand and gun in the other. They'd heard nothing from Nanako since she'd spoken to Misuzu earlier that day and he needed to know if she was alive… however every time he keyed in on the radio, all he got was static. He was in two minds about leaving and hunting her down but he knew the moment he went down there and opened the doors, it would be game over.
"Hey Ritsu…" Haruhi placed a hand on his arm "if I know Nanako like I think I do, she's found somewhere to hide until this passes… hopefully she's not in our predicament…"
Of course Haruhi was referring to the fact that they had zombies pretty much on their doorstep and closing in. Ritsu nodded softly and stuffed the radio onto his belt.
"You're probably right… thank you" he managed the smallest of smiles, though once all hell broke loose he was going to do everything in his power to go out there and find her.
"Haruhi…" Tamaki approached her with a serious look on his face, he knew the situation wasn't good.
"Senp- I mean Tamaki…" she managed a shaky smile as he took her hands.
"Listen… I know I come across as impulsive and airheaded… but I want you to know I love you so much Haruhi… and I will do my best to get us… all of us out of here alive" he raised her hands and kissed them gently.
"Oh Tamaki…" Haruhi sighed softly "I love you too… and I believe in you"
Ranka could see the tender moment unfolding and if this had been a few months ago he would have bonked Tamaki on the head for being so forward… but even Ranka knew this could be it and so he approached gently.
"Tamaki" he spoke up, making the blonde jump and drop Haruhi's hands.
"Y-yes Sir?" he squeaked
Ranka reached out and took Tamaki's hands "I know I haven't made things easy for you… I call you names and flatten you every chance I get… but I've seen the way you are with my Haruhi… and I want you to know that I bless this relationship with all my heart and I hope you two manage to get out of here alive"
Both Haruhi and Tamaki stared at Ranka like he'd lost his damned mind but Tamaki was the first to speak up.
"Thank you Sir, that means a lot" the blonde managed a shaky smile that matched Ranka's equally shaky one.
"Thank you Dad…" Haruhi smiled and hugged Ranka tightly "I hope we all get out of this alive…"
At that moment there came an ungodly shriek from outside, followed by a series of others, then sounds of breaking glass from downstairs and scraping noises as their barricade began to breach.
"Good luck everyone" Misuzu spoke up, swallowing hard as Ranka stepped up beside him.
"If we go out… we go out in a blaze of glory… right Misuzu?" Ranka grinned to his friend who nodded.
"In a blaze of glory" Misuzu echoed the words with determination.
Nanako's POV
I'd been sitting in silence for the last couple of hours, watching the hundreds of zombies standing out there, not making any movement and I was starting to wonder whether they were going to leave or not. Reaching for my radio I tried again to get through to anyone, near or far.
"Come in… anyone…"
Nothing but static.
"Nanko to the Pension… anyone there?"
Just the buzz of the radio.
"N-Nanako to Tatsu-san…?"
Nothing… nothing but radio static and silence. Nobody was answering and I had to wonder if I really was the last one alive… I'd not heard any other noises in the distance so I couldn't even be sure if the Pension had been breached. All I could do now was be the sitting duck that I already was and hope the horde moved off before dark. I had no lanterns or candles with me, though I was sure there might be some down in the apartment.
"I hope everyone is okay…" I sighed quietly to myself.
Those words had barely whispered past my lips when I heard howling and shrieking in the distance, the zombies hanging around outside perked up and answered in kind before all moving off towards the source of the shrieking. Seconds later I could hear the distant sounds of gunfire and my heart dropped into my stomach. The radios weren't working for some reason or another but the gunfire told me people were still alive over there. I watched in disbelief as the street below me began to clear and I took the moment to say a silent prayer for those at the pension.
After a few moments I retreated down into the apartment… I couldn't stand the sound of desperate gunfire a moment longer, collapsing down on the couch, tears rolling down my face as I sobbed into the couch cushions.
Two Days Later…
Two days… that's how long it took for the horde to completely clear out of Karuizawa… After 24 hours most of the horde had gone but I wasn't about to chance it so I left it another 24 hours until the streets were totally clear of the undead. I mean, there could be others lurking inside any buildings that hadn't had their doors closed but I felt it was safe enough to venture out and see if the Pension had survived the onslaught.
Exiting the bakery slowly, I adjusted the backpack I'd filled with supplies from the apartment across my shoulders, keeping my rifle to hand just in case I needed it. The streets were eerily quiet, only the sounds of the light breeze could be heard aside from the creaking of a couple shop doors. There were no signs of life anywhere.
"I guess it's time to head back" I said out loud, trying to motivate myself to start walking in the direction of the pension.
Swallowing, I started my walk towards the pension, rifle clutched in my hands, my whole body was tense and ready for action. Every little thing had me jumpy and more than once I almost fired my rifle at trash rolling by in the breeze. The horde had made more mess than anticipated, trash and debris from the city that had swept in with them littered the usually pristine pathways of the small mountain town. The further I walked without interruption, the more my shoulders relaxed and the more focused I became. I had to be prepared for the worst even though I was praying for the best outcome. The pension came into view and I can admit I was terrified of what I might or might not find when I got inside.
"Okay Nanako… here goes" I mumbled as I stopped at the end of the pathway.
My heart sank.
The doors to the pension were smashed, hanging off their hinges and I could just about see that a barricade had been set up and it had failed. There were a few dead zombie bodies laying outside, a telltale sign that someone had tried to stop them coming in. I could feel my heart racing so hard right now and I took a few deep breaths before starting up the pathway.
Approaching the doorway, I exhaled heavily, shaking myself somewhat before I stepped over the threshold and into the pension. It was like a warzone… dead zombie bodies strewn about between tables and slumped awkwardly over fallen chairs, blood splatters littered the hardwood floor. I had yet to come across a dead person that wasn't a zombie and so I pushed forward, maneuvering around the zombie bodies and headed for the staircase.
Normal POV
"Hello?" Nanako called out softly as she crept up the staircase.
All that greeted her was more blood, silence and yet more zombie bodies sprawled across the floor. It was becoming increasingly more likely that nobody was here anymore and she could feel a lump rising in her throat and that threatening burn of tears at the corners of her eyes.
She searched the pension high and low until finally she sat down in the room that had been hers until the horde came. She'd found one of the women dead, half eaten in the attic and two men torn to shreds in one of the back bedrooms but no sign of the others. Still, it had her heart breaking in her chest because she hadn't been there when all hell broke loose… if only she'd come back sooner… she could have fought bravely with them instead of hiding out in the bakery apartment. Several times during her search she'd tried radioing out to Tatsu's group, even using the attic where she'd gotten signal before but nothing… maybe his group had lost their radios? maybe they were dead… as far as she was aware, Tatsu's group hadn't returned from their supply run as the only route to the pension was past the bakery she'd been hiding in and she hadn't heard any vehicles come by.
Rising up from her seat, she exhaled slowly and rolled up her sleeves.
"I best get on with some kind of clean up…"
With that, she left the bedroom and set about burying the remains of the two men she'd found and the half eaten woman in the attic. It was hard work and messy too, though she'd had enough sense to put on two pairs of latex free gloves she'd found in the kitchen and had rolled the remains in double layered bed sheets so they'd be easier to bring outside.
It took her over an hour to dig three holes out past the fence of the pension and when she was done, she did her best to place the rolled up remains neatly into each hole, marking them with some planks of wood she'd found, each one bearing the name of the person buried. Each grave had a few wildflowers placed atop of them and she even said a quick prayer for each of their souls and her own as the next job would be hard… she needed to get rid of the dead zombie bodies in case it drew zombies back to Karuizawa again. Not that she planned on staying here forever but she wanted to wait a few days to see if anyone came back.
When it came to the zombie bodies, Nanako knew the only real way of getting rid of the putrid corpses was to burn them. A couple dead bodies buried in the ground was okay but a mass grave? that would stink the whole town out and then some. She'd likely only need enough fuel to get the fire going, plus some wood and paper to keep the fire lit once the fuel burned off. With a sigh, Nanako got to work piling the zombie corpses, wood and anything else that could burn before retreating into the pension and closing all the windows. There was no way on earth she was going to let that burnt body smell into the pension.
By late afternoon the fire was lit and the bodies burned, with Nanako watching the fire from an upstairs window. She'd cleaned the pension as best as she could given the circumstances, all the damaged furniture was added to the barricade downstairs while everything else was tidied away to create some kind of order. She wanted the place to look good when Misuzu returned, refusing to believe for a moment that he, nor the others were dead.
Oh no! looks like things haven't gone very well for Nanako or the Host Club! stay tuned for the next chapter to maybe find out what happened when the horde hit the pension...