Last Alarm-Chapter Seven

The Man from the Alamo City

"Primum non nocere"

Latin for " Do No Harm " - First Principle of Emergency Medicine

"Son, for the last time, I'm not a soldier." I said to the young spectacled teen, who was still hounding me to see if I was a Spec Ops warrior.

Evidently the kid, was a real fan of Special Operations. And nothing I said could convince him otherwise. And as friendly as he was, he was starting to get on my nerves a bit.

"So you're not in the American Army?" He asked finally, the wheels still turning in his head.

"Nope." I replied, relieved that I had finally reached a breakthrough with my young friend.

Then you must be American Navy! You're a SEAL then?! AWESOME! How did you get here?! Did you swim from a ship?! No? A submarine maybe? I know! You HALO'ed here!"

"Kouta!" I exclaimed, starting to feel really embarrassed by this line of questioning by now.

Although in truth, I really couldn't blame the kid for thinking I was an American commando the way I was dressed and equipped. It was an easy mistake to make with all the news footage and documentaries of Special Operations guys walking around looking the same way I did that people saw on CNN and the Discovery Channel.

Thing was, I wasn't trying to pass myself off as something I wasn't, as in this case, trying to pass myself off as an American commando.

I was just dressed and equipped the same as the rest of the guys.

And as far as the beard was concerned?

Well, I was just trying to blend in with the rest of the guys on my team and not stand out. Although to be honest, I was really considering shaving it off.

After 25 years of being clean-shaven in the Fire Department I really wasn't all that used to having a beard, and I have to say, the sucker itched like hell.

Yes, I have to admit that I was dressed in attire just like the rest of the guys in GREEN Team which, no matter which way you looked at it, we WERE a bunch of "mercenaries". So yes, we all dressed accordingly, which isn't hard because anyone can step into a department store and buy a polo-shirt and tactical cargo pants and combat boots anywhere.

As a matter of fact, I had bought all my clothes from the same place I got my Fire Dept. uniforms and where all the Police and SWAT teams get their stuff. And funny thing is, I had been wearing polo shirts and tactical cargo pants for years, long before I ever dreamt of the possibility of my ever being a PMC.

The only difference now was color. Since we were supposed to be going to Africa for this Op, I was dressed entirely in khaki-colored clothing; instead of the navy blue stuff I'd worn most of my life.

Yes, I was equipped with weapons and gear that were also still currently issued and in use by the United States Military, as well as its allies.

It only made sense; the Private Security Company I worked for was made up of former Military personnel who were vastly experienced with what worked and what didn't.

I mean honestly, you can't expect to run a "Private Security Company" operated by "Private Military Contractors" without weapons.

It ain't like being one of the security guards you see at a shopping mall.

Third World countries are the most dangerous places for a foreigner to be in, much less for a foreigner who is supposed to be providing security in or around a war zone.

Mace and a police whistle just aren't going to be enough, believe me.

Yes, I had employed the same tactics (well, rather clumsily I admit) that were used by commandos the world over, to clear the room of the Infected teachers.

Yes, I was now technically, a "private contractor" while I worked with the company, but realistically, I was nothing more than a back-up medic for a "Security Team".

Geez, I wasn't even a Firefighter anymore.

And the last thing I wanted was to meet up with any of the guys on "Blue" or "Green" Team or any American Military servicemen for that matter, somewhere in Japan with this kid spouting off to everyone that I was an American commando on a covert mission.

Friendlies or not, they'd beat the hell out of me for it.

The folks in the Military and especially the Spec Ops guys, earn their title the same way a fireman, policeman or a paramedic earns theirs, with hard work and determination. Anyone claiming to be a commando and isn't, well, heaven help him when they find him.

While I've always had a special place in my heart for the guys in the SEAL Teams and the rest of the Special Operations people, including the "Boy's from Hereford" across the "Pond". I've never tried to pass myself off as one, nor have I ever claimed to be in the military.

But as many times as I tried to convince the kid I was just a medic, the kid was just as thoroughly convinced that I was just trying to be covert and trying to avoid blowing my non-existent cover.

Of course all my weapons and gear really didn't help my argument to the contrary very much.

"Kouta, son. LOOK." I said, trying to be patient, and also, trying not to burst the kid's bubble too harshly.

"I'm NOT SPECIAL FORCES. I'm NOT DELTA. I'm NOT a SEAL. I'm NOT Marine Force Recon. I'm NOT an Air Force Para-Rescue Jumper. I'm NOT a commando."

" I'm not EVEN MILITARY,… PERIOD!

"Okay?" I said a little exasperated by this time.

I don't know how much more plain I could put it with the teen who kept looking at me with the worst case of hero worship I've ever seen in a kid. Not even when I was a fireman did anyone ever look up to me like that.

The kid got real quiet for a moment, as he seemed to ponder my words. And then I saw his eyes light up, and the smile on his face threatened to split his head in two.

"Oh crap." I thought.

"AH! Then you're C.I.A. then?! THAT IS SO COOL! ARE YOU ON A MISSION?! DOES IT HAVE SOMETHING TO DO WITH THEM?! WERE YOU COMPROMISED?! CAN I HELP?!

"I give up." I said shaking my head in resignation.

Saeko, Shizuka and Rei giggled at the American's efforts to convince Kouta that he really wasn't an American soldier. They honestly didn't know which was more entertaining, the American's efforts to convince Kouta that he wasn't a warrior, or Kouta's efforts to try to prove that the American was.

"What's so funny?" Takashi asked from his chair.

"Our American friend is still trying to convince Hirano-kun that he's not an American serviceman." Saeko explained staring at the medic who had just covered his face with his hands and was making sounds as if he were crying, as Kouta continued to assail him with a slew of questions.

"And it's not going very well, I'm afraid." Saeko said, modestly covering her mouth to prevent herself from laughing out loud, tears forming in her eyes.

Takashi looked over the desk hutch covered in textbooks, and finally saw what was amusing the girls so much and chuckled, as Rei and Shizuka were already laughing hysterically at the American, who was leaning over the long teacher's desk banging his head on the hard surface as if he was trying to beat his brains out of his head as Kouta relentlessly questioned him over and over about various technical military subjects.

"I still don't see what's so funny about a heavily armed man we've never met before sitting in here with us, while we sit here acting as if it's no big deal." Saya said grumpily.

"Takagi." Takashi said looking at her. "He's done nothing for us to believe he's going to harm any of us. Why are you so mad at him? He didn't even get angry with you when you tried to shut him in here."

Saya scowled at Takashi's remark and balled her hands into fists.

The American had looked at Saya as if he were royally pissed at her when she had attempted to close the door on him, and as he stooped to stare at her face barely three inches from her nose, she had expected the man to burst into anger and scream obscenities at her.

Bracing herself for the expected verbal assault, the man simply stared at her for a moment, then winked, and said, "Aw, don't worry about it sweetie." And then he kissed her gently on her forehead and then dragged the body of the Infected teacher out into the foyer. He then came back and dragged the other three Infected teachers outside before checking their surroundings to make sure none of the other Infected were approaching their side of the building in reaction to the gunshots.

Once he was satisfied that there would be no unwelcome visitors, they then all gathered in the faculty room and blocked the doors with tables and heavy boxes of printing paper, and then settled down to catch their breath. Since then, the man had been nothing less than absolutely friendly with all of them, and had said nothing more about the matter. Naturally, it had aroused Saya's suspicious nature.

Americans were strange people Saya thought. But THIS man's behavior was even more puzzling.

"I don't trust him is all." Saya said pointedly. "He smashes in here, shoots his guns all over the place, scares us half to death, and then won't tell us WHO he is, WHERE he's from, WHY he's here, or WHAT he plans to do with us. AREN'T ANY OF YOU CONCERNED AT ALL?" Saya said, a little too loudly.

"I admit, I am a little concerned as to who he is and how he came to be here, and also where he acquired the weapons he has in his possession." Saeko said in a serious tone. "However, I am in agreement with Komuro-kun. He has not shown any aggression towards any of us, and since he has done nothing to indicate he means us any harm, it would not be fair to assume he is an enemy merely for the fact that he is a stranger to our country."

"Takagi-san brings up a good point though." Rei said, a worried look on her face. "He's been awfully vague about himself, and even though he says he's a "medic". I don't understand what kind of "medic" he could possibly be so heavily armed as he is, unless he was working with the military or police. It just doesn't make any sense."

"I believe that if he meant any of us any harm, he would have certainly done so by now." Shizuka added. "He definitely has the means to force his will upon us any time he wishes. So why would he bother to wait? And as far as his being vague about himself, none of us have really asked him anything other than his name and where he is from. It's been mostly Kouta-chan whose been doing most of the talking with him. Perhaps we should not speculate and just voice our concerns to him, instead of assuming the worst and jumping to conclusions."

The five teens stared at Shizuka with a look that vaguely resembled shock. Shizuka noticing the look on their faces suddenly became very self-conscious of their staring at her.

"Ano, did I say something wrong?" She said, suddenly afraid.

"On the contrary, your reasoning was actually quite insightful, Marikawa-sensei." Saeko said. "Forgive us, we were just a little,…..taken aback, by your excellent assessment of the situation."

"Oh, that's OK." Shizuka said good-naturedly. "Sometimes things just go "pop" in my head."

"Well, that was a good "pop" there Shizuka-san." The American said, his voice slightly muffled as he still had his head lying on the desk as he interrupted their conversation. "And I for one, am glad you came up with it, otherwise things would have gone on being unnecessarily tense around here with ya'll thinking I'm gonna turn on you at any second."

"How did you know what we were saying if you DON'T speak our language!" Saya said accusingly, once again in offensive mode.

"I said I don't speak Japanese very well." The man said with his head still lying on the table facing away from them. "I didn't say I was COMPLETELY ignorant of your language. I got enough from listening to ya'll's conversation that everyone is concerned about my possibly being a threat to each of you, which I admit, stands to reason."

"Your saying you figured out that out all by yourself?" Saya said acidly.

"Takagi!" Takashi snapped. "What is wrong with you? Stop it!"

I wasn't sure what the young girl with the shocking pink hair and spectacles was so upset about, but her tone wasn't a very pleasant one. Things have sure changed since the time I grew up and we were raised to respect our elders. I guess" time-outs" are effective for somebody, somewhere, I suppose.

But where I'm from, if this young girl had started mouthing off the way she was currently doing, her disrespectful little butt would have been formally introduced to the business end of a *chancla.

( * A chancla is a mexican thick-soled sandal commonly called "flip-flops" nowadays).

Takashi was shocked at the behavior of the young girl with the shocking pink hair blowing up in anger at the American.

"Why is she acting this way?" Takashi wondered.

"Actually pumpkin." The man said pointing to Kouta without lifting his head. "Your classmate here is a pretty good interpreter when he's not too busy asking me a million questions about stuff that I know absolutely nothing about."

Saya glared at Kouta as he gulped and looked away.

"You fat BAKA!" Saya snapped at Kouta.

"Now, now. Don't be taking your anger out on him." The man said as he lifted his head off the desk and rubbed his eyes. He then sat up straight in his chair then swung it around to face all of them and then leaned back with his hands behind his head.

"You kids could have saved yourselves a LOT of trouble by just talking to me directly instead of assuming the worst and thinking that I'm a threat to each and every one of ya'll , just because I'm a stranger and happen to dress, act, and talk funny."

"Not to mention being heavily ARMED!" Saya said sarcastically.

"Well yeah, that too." The man said sheepishly.

"Look, guys, ….and ladies." I said looking towards the women in the room.

Let me start from the beginning. My full name is Jimmy Campa Trevino. I'm forty-four years old, and I really AM a medic with a Security Company."

I chose not to use the phrase "Private Security Contractor," because Kouta was already wearing me down as it was, trying to prove that I was an SOF operator.

I also chose not to reveal my real name to the kids either and instead, stuck to the name "Jimmy Campa Trevino" which was what was on all my fake I.D.'s anyway, just in case the authorities did catch up to us.

Considering the type of work I was now involved in as a "Security Contractor"and would obviously be required to work covertly at times, I really couldn't expect to maintain my anonymity working in a foreign country by carrying my Texas Driver's License with my real name and address on it for all the world to see.

I'm not here to hurt or harm you in any way, guys." I continued. " As you can already see, I'm obviously not from around here. I'm an American from Texas originally. The plane I was on broke down and we landed at Tokonosu Airport for repairs, and around 3:40 A.M. we were attacked by our friends outside who had somehow gotten on the island.

We got away on a helicopter and crash-landed in your city, and were attacked again by these things. I then got separated from my team,…STOP. " The man interjected, pointing at Kouta as he was about to ask him a question.

"I meant to say FRIENDS." He said as Kouta looked down at the floor disappointed.

He then continued after giving Kouta a friendly clap on the shoulder. "I got separated from my FRIENDS, and I made it all the way up here and found ya'll. Ok?"

"That still doesn't answer where you got all those guns." Saya said acidly. "Did they just magically fall into your hands from the sky?"

"I suppose if this whole story were some sort of fairy tale, then they would have, sweetie." I said trying to ease the tension by making a joke. "But as far as why I have all these guns, remember, I did say I was from Texas, after all, pumpkin."

"QUIT CALLING ME THAT! Saya screeched.

The man stopped to look at Saya as the smile disappeared from his face. "Young lady, there's no need to get all upset over something so small as that ,and there's definitely no reason to be so rude to me the way you've been. If you don't like me being nice to you, just say so."

"How is calling me a pumpkin, being nice?!" Saya said, a severe scowl on her face.

The man's smile returned and he chuckled as he then explained. "Well hon, where I'm from most folks usually have a "pet" name for young people such as yourself. It's just an expression of affection, kind of like "Honey", or "sweetie", or something like that. "Pumpkin" is just another one of those expressions. And I've been calling you that because I just wanted to be friendly."

I don't know why I did it, actually no, that's not true. I do know why. I was angry with this young girl, who just a while ago I had come running to help when she screamed in fear. And ever since then I've been on the receiving end of her wrath for no apparent reason. I've had to put up with that crap for years from hundreds of people in my life and quite frankly, I'd had enough.

Good thing for her there wasn't a chancla lying around.

"Of course, the way you've been talking to me right now young lady." The man said his face turning serious. " I'm starting to think the name "Pumpkin" fits you in a completely different way." I said , no longer being friendly.

"What way is THAT?" Saya asked heatedly, her eyes narrowing to slits.

" Pumpkin," as in you got a big head that looks pretty impressive to most people at first, but in reality is really all hollow inside, and except for a few small seeds of knowledge rolling around in there, you really don't have much else to offer." The man said unsmiling.

All the people in the room gasped in shock at the man's insult to the young teen. Saya was completely taken off guard by the man's candor and was at first speechless.

But as the sting from the insult started to boil over into rage, Saya readied herself to unleash a vicious onslaught of insults back at the man and opened her mouth to do so when the man quickly got up of his chair and stood three feet in front of Saya so quickly everyone else thought he was going to strike her.

Saya was intimidated at the sight of the big man towering over her and found herself unable to speak. All the others in the room tensed, not knowing what the American was going to do.

The expression on the man's face was serious and his tone was not as pleasant as before, as he began to speak.

"BEFORE you open your mouth and say something that you'll regret young lady, I want you to think about this the next time you open your mouth around me with that sharp tongue of yours. "

"One, I'm an adult, and as an adult, I'm worthy of some sort of respect even if you don't like me. Your friends here have been nothing but polite to me since I've met them and NOT ONCE have they been as rude to me as you have been. And I for one, haven't done anything but treat you as if you were my own daughter since I met you. THAT fact alone at least entitles me to SOME form of common courtesy if nothing else, and you haven't even done that."

"Two, I understand your fear. Things are going to shit everywhere and you're stuck here away from your home and family with a bunch of strangers. I GET IT! But guess what, so are the rest of us, and you're not gonna accomplish anything by pushing away the very people who are trying to help you, understand?"

" Three, I realize I'm probably one scary looking S.O.B. and I don't look like I can be trusted, but even if that were true and I AM a threat, you're not helping yourself by pissing me off, now does any of this make sense to you, Saya-CHAN?" I said, emphasizing the "CHAN" part.

The young girl was looking at me with visible anger still in her eyes which told me her anger was clouding over her judgment right now, and continuing to lecture her would solve nothing at this point until we both cooled off.

I really don't like being rude to people, and I really do love children, and I was really starting to like these teens a lot, but this young girl's behavior was not only intolerable, it was dangerous, because it could potentially cause serious problems for our survival if she was going to be fighting and instigating bad feelings amongst ourselves, which would only result in derision amongst the group that in our present situation, would eventually be more fatal to our survival than a bite from an Infected person or a bullet.

"Answer me young lady." I said deepening the tone of my voice.

I had to hand it to her, the girl was one tough cookie. She looked me directly in the eye and said in a very low voice barely containing her anger. "Yes."

"Yes WHAT, Saya-CHAN?" I said. I was really mad now.

"Yes,… sir." She said, still looking at me with such hate-filled eyes that tears started to run down her cheeks.

I sighed and shook my head. It wasn't till she looked at me with those angry eyes and the tears falling from her face that I realized my mistake.

I had humiliated her, and by doing so, I might have ruined any chance of smoothing over Saya's and everyone else's fears about me and quite possibly ruined any chances of these people trusting me if I was going to get this upset over this young girl's bad manners. Yes, she had been rude, but her mistrust was understandable, and I could have done a better job of putting everyone's fears to rest. Instead, I had just put everyone on edge. This I DIDN'T want.

It wasn't about control, it wasn't about showing off, or who was boss, hell, it wasn't even about common courtesy. I just wanted this girl to open her eyes and see that while she had some good points about being cautious about the people around her, she was also making a bad situation worse that would only end up in her and others getting hurt or killed once we left this place.

Arguing amongst each other in the middle of an entire city full of Infected people trying to kill you is a sure way to end up dead. We needed to stop this whole back-biting crap before we left this room otherwise we weren't going to make it past the gates. But instead, I got upset, and made a simple misunderstanding a hell of a lot worse. And even if I was completely in the right, I could have been more mature about the whole thing and handled it better.

But the damage was done, and unless we both backed off and cooled down, it was just going to get worse.

"Okay." I said backing away from her as I reached for my pack and pulled out a small pouch with some of my personal items in it. "I'm gonna go wash-up and cool off a bit, and so are YOU Saya-chan." I said pointing at her.

"And when I get back, we are all going to end this animosity bullshit once and for all and get the air cleared between us. ALL of us." I said looking at the group in front of me. "Otherwise," I continued.

"None of us are going to survive the night."

I walked into the tiny bathroom and shut the door. I gave a deep sigh and rubbed my eyes trying to release some of the fatigue I felt. I turned towards the sink and stared at the face of the tired, beat up, haggard-looking man staring back at me in the reflection. I looked like crap, to put it mildly. I was never a morning person in the first place, but I looked I'd just got home from an all-night bender, and I don't even drink.

I lay my carbine by the door and looked at my blood-shot eyes and brushed my salt-pepper beard that I'd been growing the last three months.

Most military and private contractors that are operating overseas nowadays have adopted the "modified grooming standards" that have become the standard look of a man in the field as a Spec Ops Operator. In many countries that Special Operations personnel are currently active, most have allowed their hair to grow a little longer than the normal military standards and have grown beards as well.

The reason for this is to blend in better with the populace in some countries that they operate and also, since many in those countries observe the custom that all men have beards in their culture, the commandos are also able to be more approachable with the local tribesman versus the usual clean cut American soldier. All the guys at Laidlaw wore beards and not wanting to be the odd man out. I had let mine grow out as well. For close to 30 years I had always shaved to go to work and now that I hadn't in three months, I was still always surprised to see my face every time I looked in a mirror. I'm very fortunate for a man over 40. I do have all my hair with a little grey at the temples and all my teeth too. To listen to my other medic buddy Ben, you'd have thought I was falling apart, especially after comments like that crack back at the airport about breaking my hip.

(Thank you Ben, my hip is just fine also. Thanks for asking wherever you are buddy.)

I also look a lot younger than I really am which has led many to believe I'm still in my 30's. The majority of age that is most visible is the grey that I have in my beard, and as I looked at the man in the mirror well, I looked and felt about a hundred.

I really didn't want to argue with any of these kids or make the situation worse than it already was. But, I had allowed myself to get upset and acted just as childish as the young girl crying in the next room and now I felt like such an idiot for letting it happen. It was time for some serious damage control, and I needed to cool off and think hard about how I was going to go about and fix this mess, or we were already dead. I sighed as I heard the kids arguing in the room on the other side of the door. I shook my head and then looked at my reflection in the mirror again and said to the man looking back at me.

"Good job old man, NOW what are you gonna do?" I said.

I stared for a couple moments more and grabbed my razor out of my kit.

Saya was standing near the window crying and ignoring Takashi as he was trying to reason with her about her behavior towards the American. She was so angry, and with everyone defending the American, no one could see that she was only trying to be helpful and protect them.

The man was a STRANGER, he was ARMED, he was definitely NOT who he claimed to be, and therefore he was DANGEROUS. Couldn't ANY of them see that?

But no, they were all taken with the man's sense of humor and his charm and now they were all against her.

"Why?" She sobbed quietly to herself. "Why are they all being so mean to ME? I was only trying to help."

The sound of the door opening behind her made her jump involuntarily. She was now seriously afraid of the man, and now that everyone was against her, she felt she hadn't a friend in the world. She shivered as she heard the man's footsteps as he came out of the bathroom.

I had stepped out of the bathroom to find a scene that I had hoped I wouldn't see, but unfortunately, it was EXACTLY what I found. I'm no expert on human nature, but I had a feeling about what I would see once I stepped out of the tiny bathroom.

There was Saya, shoulders shaking as she quietly sobbed at the window with her back towards me, and the rest of the group looking VERY uncomfortable standing away from her, probably because she had shooed them away from her.

It was definitely the opposite of what I had wanted when I first met these people less then twenty minutes ago in the hallway. Things had gone from relief and joy at being alive just a little while ago, to absolute shit in record time. And it was really all my fault. It was time for not just damage control, but complete reversal of the situation at hand. Or we were already dead before we even stepped out of this room.

There was a slight gasp from the school nurse when I stepped out of the bathroom and everyone else looked at me in surprise as well, even Saya turned around at their reaction, her eyes as red as red can be, and her face all puffy from crying.

It had taken a while to shave off my beard, but once I did, and washed my face and combed my hair, I looked in the mirror and stared back at a face that still looked like "hammered dog shit" as we used to say back home, but at least I looked more human and less intimidating than I did before. I was hoping that by cleaning up I wouldn't be as intimidating to the kids and help smooth things over somehow. It was a long shot, but I figured it couldn't hurt.

"Wow. He cleans up pretty well for an older guy." Shizuka thought, as the man walked towards Saya. When she had first seen him, she was reminded of the actor from that AWFUL American made movie "SHOGUN" that came out years ago. The actors name was John Rhys-Davies she believed. Now with his beard freshly shaven, he looked a LOT younger. "Maybe if he had just shaved the beard and left a mustache, he might have looked handsomer though." She thought.

I walked over to Saya as she continued to stare down at the floor and sob quietly to herself. It was a situation that if she had been my daughter, I would have never forgiven myself for. No man who really loves his children wants to see them this way, and even though I wasn't this girl's father, it hurt to see her broken down in tears like this. She looked so afraid of me and looked like she believed as if I were going to strike her in anger. She was now so emotionally broken that it wouldn't take much more to drive her over the edge and lose her trust forever.

There were no words that I could use here to make the situation better. In fact, I only knew of one thing that I would do if this young girl had been my daughter, and as far as I was concerned right now,….she might as well have been.

Everyone held their breath as the big man walked over and stood in front of Saya. The teenage girl looked even tinier than the giant standing in front of her now than she had before. It looked like a bear standing over a scared rabbit just about to deliver a death blow. Then, in a completely unexpected move, the man without a word, embraced Saya in a huge bear hug. The look of surprise on Saya's face turned to anguish again, as Saya started to sob uncontrollably against the man's chest.

"Gomen nasai, Saya-chan." The man said as he held her tight. "I'm sorry sweetie." He continued, as Saya continued to sob as he stroked her hair with his hand as he held her close.

The teens were all shocked and touched as well by the man's actions. They had fully expected another angry repeat of the same argument earlier.

In fact, Takashi had already formed in his mind what he was going to say to end the argument between the two, but with the American's sudden gesture of humility and kindness, it seemed the situation was now pretty much resolved, much to everyone's relief.

As I held the young sobbing teen in my arms, I really felt heart-felt regret, that this had all happened in the first place. My biggest regret in life and one that always brings me the most sadness is that I never married and had children of my own. It is the one thing in my life I wanted more than anything else and to this day is my biggest heart break. Now as I'm older, what makes being alone extremely tough for me is not so much the love of a woman that isn't there. But the love that I've always wanted to give to my children that I can't because there are none to give it to.

And as I held this poor girl in my arms I felt so very ashamed that I had just added to this girl's grief instead of being the mature one and trying to peacefully resolve this issue instead of snapping back at her and making things worse. I would not have wanted to do this to my own children, and I always cursed and hated people who treated their children this way and never gave it a second thought to the pain and misery they were heaping on their child. I had seen it countless times. And I had experienced it myself as well, throughout most of my life.

I had vowed, that if I was ever blessed with a family of my own, I'd never have my children so afraid of me that they'd be broken down and crying like this poor girl. And yet, here we were, and my own vow came back to haunt me. And it cut me like a knife that I had done the very thing that I prayed I never would. Bring sadness to a child when she was in despair and needed me the most.

I prayed I wouldn't make this same mistake again. Yet, I knew, even after we had made up and things would hopefully be good between us once again and I could get her and her friends back to their families and safety.

I knew I would never forgive myself for this girl's tears today.

After a few more moments, Saya stopped crying. And as she pulled away from me, she punched me hard in the gut.

I had not been expecting that. For such a small girl, she carried quite a wallop.

"OW!" I said, putting my hand to my gut as she stepped back from me.

"Jerk." She said. But this time there was no venom in her voice. And the scowl that I was beginning to think was permanently etched on her face was gone as well. Now it had been replaced by a look of relief I suppose I could call it, because it seemed like some sort of weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Or perhaps, like myself, she just wanted there to be peace in the group once again. Either way, the resentment was gone, at least for now.

"Good punch, pump- , I mean Saya-chan." I said, hoping I didn't just screw things up all over again now that we had just had begun to be civil again.

"It's OK. You can call me that, as long as it's not the mean one." She said, wiping her nose on the stained sleeve of her blouse.

"Deal." I said. "We good?" I asked, holding out my hand.

"We're good,….and." Saya said with a smile as she pushed away my hand and hugged me once more. "I'm sorry too." She said as she hugged me tighter than before.

There was more to the story of this tiny, pink-haired girl than I knew about, as I held her in my arms and wished that this was my own child that I was holding. I don't know what the story of her REAL pain was, but from here on, I was going to do my best to provide whatever help and comfort she would need to get her and her friends home safe. Or I would die trying in the process.

Maybe I'd never be a husband and father of my own children in this world, but I could be a father to these kids till I got them to their real parents. For now, that would be enough.

My new life as a mercenary medic and my escape and evasion plan to Tokyo would have to be put aside for now. Even if it meant being caught by the authorities and having to possibly endure a lifetime of incarceration, there was no way I was going to abandon these kids on their own out there with death at every corner. And to be honest, just by looking at them, there was something each and every one of them needed besides my help and my weapons. And if I could, in the time we would be together, I hoped I could help with that too.

It wasn't a sense of duty to help defenseless civilians in a time of crisis that moved my heart at that moment.

Maybe it was just my own desire for a family of my own that I would never have, or perhaps my own loneliness that made me resolve to take these kids under my wing. I'll never be truly sure. But of all the decisions I've made in my life and all the regrets that I have for making the wrong ones.

I have no regrets about this one.

A sound of sniffling came from across the room, and Saya and I both picked up our heads to see the rest of the teens looking at Shizuka, who was dabbing her eyes with a cloth towel.

"Waaaaaah! THAT IS SO SWEET!" She bawled suddenly.

I wanted to laugh, but I didn't want to hurt her feelings and start bad feelings with somebody else all over again.

Shizuka however, wasn't content to just be a bystander in all of this drama.

" Waaah! OKAY MINNA, GROUP HUG ,….COME ON! She said tears still streaming from her eyes as she threw her arms wide and scooped up the teens, shoving them forward like a bulldozer.

Takashi and Kouta were grudgingly pushed along by the Shizuka and the girls as everyone gathered in a group hug with the big American. Takashi's reluctance to get involved in the silly act was further justified as he found himself being smothered by the crushing weight of the school nurse's ample bosom cutting off his air supply as she kept hugging everyone tighter and tighter.

A muffled sound of "Shenshi, I can't breaf! Was all anyone could hear before everyone released each other and Takashi practically dropped to the ground, trying to catch his breath.

Everyone was laughing as Takashi stood up, red in the face from trying to catch his breath and from embarrassment from nearly being smothered by the school nurse's assets.

"It's not funny." He grumbled between gasps.

"Aw, don't be so upset son." The big man said grinning. "There's about a billion young men such as yourself who would have gladly LOVED to be on the receiving end of THAT particular hug, and if it's gonna be your last day on earth, it ain't exactly the worst way to go."

Takashi looked at the American not comprehending, and the puzzled look on his face only made everyone laugh even harder at his bewilderment.

"Nanda yo?" he said, coughing irritably.

There was a sudden gasp from Rei, that made everyone stop and look at her. She had been laughing like all the rest when her eyes had glanced up at the TV mounted on the wall above their heads, and the image she saw on the screen caused her to freeze in alarm.

Everyone stopped laughing and became concerned over the expression on her face. And then they all turned to look at the images on the screen. The TV had been on since they had come into the room, and there had been nothing but the regular mid-afternoon soap opera shows on.

Now there was a news reporter on the screen and incoming reports of the Contagion were now finally being televised. The volume was set so low however, that no one could hear. Saeko quickly grabbed the remote and raised the volume.

I gave a deep sigh at the newscast. Once again, our pleasant moment had been interrupted. Yet, little did I know, in the next few moments, it would be worse than I could have possibly ever imagined.

It hit me like a punch in the face. All along I had thought that the Infection had only affected the country of Japan. With the global news report on CNN, I now realized that I had been completely wrong, and the realization of just how serious the situation was stunned me so much that I had to sit down for a minute and collect my thoughts.

Russia, China, England, Japan, and my homeland. All affected, all Infected, all UNDER SIEGE by a mass of vicious Infected people who had once been friends, neighbor's,… FAMILY MEMBERS.

The whole world was experiencing an Outbreak. The stuff of fantasy and science fiction was actually happening. All the talk of nuclear war that had been the focus of peoples fear since the 50's was as nothing now. The real threat devastating the whole world all along was a biological terror, and not a nuclear one.

How stupid we had all been all along.

I was too stunned to think straight for a moment. And when I finally did, it was because of the deep guilt that I felt.

Guilt, because I was here in Japan, thousands of miles away and NO way to travel back to the States,while my family was all alone and defenseless, back home in San Antonio.

I felt my heart sink and I wanted to curse and swear and beat my head into a wall. I had left my family, my mother, my father, my younger brother and his wife alone back in Texas, just so I could go jaunting overseas to be a half-ass mercenary.

Now my REAL family needed me. And there was nothing I could do to help them. I sat anguished in that chair for I don't know how long. The kids were talking amongst themselves in Japanese, and right now, I was too upset to ask for a translation. So I ignored the words being said around me and wallowed in my own thoughts.

I dearly loved my family. But in truth, it had not ended very well between my parents and I. My brother was married and had his own life to live. But he had always been supportive of the things I've always wanted to do in life, and when I made the decision to leave Texas and become a medic with Laidlaw, he had supported me all the way, even though I could tell, he too was a little conflicted.

My mother was disappointed and of course, heart-broken that I was leaving Texas more so than anything else and wouldn't see me as much. But my father,…..

Well, my father just plain and simple disowned me.

Between the things that were going on at the Department, and the things going on in my family life, I'd had enough. And I left Texas and never looked back.

Until now that is. The last time I had talked to my brother and my mother was right before we left Nevada, bound for my first op ever in Africa. It had been a good talk, and of course, mom cried. My brother wished me well, and dad? Well, dad wouldn't even come to the phone.

Whenever any of the guys left for an op overseas, all cell and smart phones were left behind at the company for security reasons as well as safe-keeping. Out in the bush, none of them would have worked anyway, and because of that we were forced to use satellite phones anyway that were currently in the hands of J.R. and Chris wherever they were currently hiding now. On a whim, I tried the phone in front of me and the cell phone Takashi had, but there was no service on either one.

There was no way to call home.

There was no way to GET home.

There was nothing I could do to help my family. And now, I really might never see them again.

"Mom, dad, baby bro, I'm sorry guys." I said trying to keep from breaking down.

But I was not quite successful.

Author's Notes:

When I decided to write this fanfic, I had wanted to make it unique by adding some of my real-life experiences as a firefighter in it. And to a point I have, although it's nothing compared to what's coming in the chapter's ahead. I also didn't want to make it a fanfic with a lot of action, explosions and leave out the human factor in the story. While I'm not as good as some writers out there that make you absolutely fall in love and connect with the characters. I did want to try to show the more emotional side of them. None of us are immune to our emotions. And I wanted to show in this chapter that the characters have the same interests and flaws as we all do. I still believe in not taking things too seriously, so I tried to make things a little light-hearted. But, the world of HOTD is a grim one, and so people will react differently than we expect and mistakes will be made and nobody is immune. But I also showed the more positive side, and that is what you will see as the fanfic continues to progress. Eventually, as one member suggested to me, that eventually Jim and Rika will have to step in and coach the kids a bit. But I would think that anyone who really cared about someone that he or she took under their wing would want to make sure that the younger person was being corrected for all the right reasons. But just the same, when that time comes, it'll be more hilarious and less dramatic than this chapter with Saya. I just hate making kids cry don't you?

Anyway, thanks again guys for all your support.