Last Alarm-Book One

by firemanjim

An American Firefighter/Paramedic assigned to a private security team, gets caught up in the events leading to the Outbreak in Japan, and runs into a group of high school students and their school nurse along the way.

17. Chapter 16-Crossroads-Part Six

Last Alarm

Chapter 16

"Crossroads" Part Six

---

There are two sides to every story.

I know how most people would have felt going out of their way to give a helping hand to someone, and then have that same someone slap their hand away and then tell them that their kindness is not needed, not wanted, not appreciated, and they are an idiot for even trying to help.

Most people would be a little hurt to say the least having their act of kindness thrown back at them like a slap in the face.

Of course, being LITERALLY slapped in the face, hurts like hell too.

The job description of a Fireman, Paramedic, Policeman or Soldier in the employee handbook of any nation that they serve is all basically the same. The main thing we have in common in all four branches that is the core reason for our existence is "The preservation of life." The rest is unique to their branch of service, but the main focus is the same.

Patriotism, politics, religious viewpoints aside, THAT is the main focus of those of us that go out to protect our fellowman, whether we use a fire hose, a defibrillator, service pistol, or combat rifle. Our job is preserving YOUR life, period.

It's not naïve sentiment, it's the truth. Even if one country is at war with another country, the job for the Military and the First Responders is still the preservation of either countryman's lives, if no one else's.

Holding a person who is grieving because their newborn has died in their crib from SIDS, trying to comfort a person who is depressed and wishes to commit suicide, holding a person's hand as they are dying and don't want to be alone as they feel the end coming, rushing to grab a brother police officer who has been wounded under fire, throwing yourself on a grenade to save your buddies from being killed….

Sacrificing your life so that someone else can go back to their families, while YOUR family mourns your loss.

None of these things are in the job description of any employee handbook anywhere. And yet those are but a few of the many examples of self-sacrifice that all of us do every day, even to the point of sacrificing our lives for people we don't even know.

Such acts of kindness, acts of courage, bravery, mercy, valor, duty, honor, sacrifice, are not written in any textbook anywhere for any person to adhere to.

Those acts come from deep within.

And there is no amount of money that could ever pay for that kind of loving kindness and self-sacrifice that any taxpayer, city manager, or politician of any kind could ever put a price tag on, even though sometimes, some of them try to.

For those kind of people, it's easy to put a price tag on a human life when it's not your own.

Our job is to help people when they can't help themselves. But sometimes, we're just too late. And then unfortunately, we incur the wrath of those who have been victimized, who have no one else they can vent their anger and frustrations on, and so decide to take it out on the very ones who came to help.

People can say or do some horrible things when they're upset, angry, or grieving. Contrary to what people may think, we do NOT get paid to be punching bags to be yelled at or assaulted when things go wrong.

For those who have lost a loved one, you cannot blame someone who has suffered such a horrible loss from taking their pain out on you. When people are calling for help, the sound of the approaching siren gives them a sense of hope. A hope that the people that are coming are going to make everything better, and once they're there, everything will be all right.

Unfortunately, sometimes there's nothing we can do. And the hope that people had at our arrival is shattered, and the reality that their loved one is gone forever has caused some to lash out at everyone around them.

You can't fault a person who is experiencing that kind of pain for the things they say or do. Especially, when it's a close family member or a child that has died.

I myself have been cursed, shoved, punched, kicked, beaten, and bitten by many who decided to take their wrath out on us. But those people weren't grieving over a loved one who died.

They were just drunk.

But for those who were grieving, I let them take their pain out on me because of their grief, and didn't blame them for it at all, although I felt like shit afterwards.

But again, putting up with that is not in any employee handbook.

Mercy, kindness, patience, comfort, sacrifice, all comes from within.

But we deal with it as best we can, and in many cases, bite our lip and take it regardless of how much we want to lash out sometimes ourselves. And we do our best to forget stuff like that when we get off work and try not to take that ugliness back to our families.

The old saying "We work hard so we play hard" is sometimes true with most of the people who have to deal with this stuff. People do whatever they can to deal with the stress of the job, or for the Military people, the stress of combat.

Drinking, partying, smoking, whatever. And you can't blame any of them for going into excess sometimes.

Myself, I try to relax as best as I can and deal with it without the use of alcohol, or a wild lifestyle. I've seen what that stuff can do to good people, and want no part of it. I've seen too much already to become that which I have to help scrape off the pavement more than a few times in my career.

The bad thing is, since I don't drink, smoke, and indulge in "other" forms of "recreation", I'm stuck with the images and the stress of work long after I'm home.

So I read a book, listen to music, and drink coffee or tea to relax and get my mind off things.

Some days are harder than most though to get through.

Public Service and Military life are not jobs for those who wish glory, fame and admiration. People may not mean to be cruel, but sometimes they forget that we are there for them, and lash out at us as if we were the cause of their pain.

That we became the reason why their loved one was dead because we didn't get their fast enough, or that their house was lost because we didn't dive into an inferno and put it out, or that their brand new car is wrecked because we had to cut it apart to get them out, never mind that it was their drunk driving that caused several other cars to wreck as well.

And I can't even imagine what the Police and Military folks have to deal with.

And then sometimes the things we suffer from people's anger gets downright ridiculous.

But again, it's not about "us", it's about "them". And so we deal with people's resentment and move on.

And just like everyone else on the job, I bit my lip and took it,

And I took it.

And I took it.

And I took it some more.

And after 26 years of taking it, when I was finally at my wit's end and wanted to blow up and lash out at anyone who dared to push me too far.

I swallowed my anger and took it some more.

No matter how ugly things got, I still loved what I did, and other peoples lashing out at me wasn't the reason I left. I've got much thicker skin than that.

Of course, things hadn't changed for me that much when I left the Fire Service though.

As a matter of fact, they got worse, because now here I was in a different career field as a PMC, in a different country, getting shot at by the local police, nearly murdered by a public educator, and trying to keep from ending up being served up as South Texas cuisine and eaten by the local populace.

And now, despite all that, I had still bent over backwards trying to help a bunch of teens and their school nurse survive a biological disaster of epic proportions, and had nearly died trying to keep them alive.

And what did they do to repay my kindness?

Well, déjà vu.

Their idea of saying "Arigato gozaimasu" was to slap the shit out of me and then scream and yell at me for scaring them, after watching me nearly die trying to keep them from getting killed.

NOT for putting their lives at risk.

NOT for nearly getting them killed.

NOT for making them do anything.

But for scaring them.

From having to watch me nearly die in front of them.

Hmmmmm…

My goodness …

How totally inconsiderate of me.

I am totally remiss.

Bad Jimu, bad mercenary.

I know, I must have missed something,…..somewhere.

So if YOU can figure out why exactly I deserved to be slapped, punched, and kicked by one teen and called an idiot by the rest, I'd appreciate it if you could come up here and explain it to me.

Because as I stand here on top of this bridge with a sore face, beaten body, and crushed spirit, I'm still trying to figure out where I went wrong, myself.

---

Actually no, that's not true.

I understood exactly why they were so angry at me, and believe it or not, I didn't blame them.

Although it did hurt immensely when Saeko had said she hated me. I wasn't mad at her though, she had obviously been the most affected when everyone thought I'd been killed. And she only lashed out at me because of the pain she was feeling. I know she didn't mean it.

It just hurt to hear her say it.

They weren't really angry at me because I'd done something wrong.

They were angry because I had nearly died.

And they didn't want me to die.

They wanted me to live.

Because all of them really cared about me.

And the one that cared about me the most had beaten the hell out of me just to show me just how much she really cared about me.

I'm just glad she didn't use her bokken or I would have been a dead man.

A man can only take so much affection.

Seriously though, as First Responders, we were never around long enough for anyone to ever care WHO we were, much less what happened to us on scene or after the call was over.

We would do everything we could do for the victim, and then move on to the next. Most people are concerned about their loved ones, or their own life, not the people there to help them. And we were always too busy responding to another emergency to try to take the time to get acquainted.

So for someone to even bother worrying about the lives of their rescuers during an emergency is often unheard of.

A civilian telling a fireman, paramedic, policeman or soldier not to go in harm's way because they don't want you to get hurt,….wow.

An entire group of people angry at me for risking my life to prevent them from getting hurt or killed and nearly dying trying to save their lives, well,….words escape me.

All along I had been worrying about the lives of the civilians in my care, and I had done everything I could for their care and benefit, even almost dying to keep them safe.

And all along I had been worrying that I was getting too personally attached to them, and that I should back off.

I never figured that they would have gotten personally attached to me.

And now, I realized just how badly I had messed up by allowing myself to get too close to them.

Hoo, boy, it was too unreal.

I could just hear every Firefighter, Paramedic, Policeman, Military man and woman, Spec Ops Operator, and fellow PMC around the world laughing at my ass for the situation I had gotten myself into.

Jim C_, former Firefighter-Paramedic.

Current designation, Private Military Contractor/ Medic

And now a new title.

"Father Goose."

---

I laughed as I shook my head at the situation I had brought upon myself, and then wondered what my next plan of action would be now that I was on everyone's shit list.

My personal mission to get them to their families hadn't changed. And it didn't matter if they liked me or not, I was still going to accomplish that somehow. Still, trying to lead a group of people to safety who hates your guts would be a lot more difficult now than before.

As I stood there in the shadows, alone with my thoughts, a plan formed in my mind that seemed the best way to resolve this issue between the group and myself and I pondered on the best way to execute it.

It was definitely not a conventional plan. As a matter of fact, most people would have thought it crazy once they heard it. But considering what had happened to us within the past 36 hours, it actually made the most sense, especially if the worst were to happen to us again. The hard part was convincing the people in my party, who at the moment, were none too keen about anything I had to say. And after listening to my plan, they were sure to think I had gone nuts.

Most people I worked with often gave me a hard time about always assuming the worst when we went out on a call, back when I was a fireman.

Unfortunately, I had to think that way. I had learned that hard lesson in the past and after reading many accounts of older generations of firemen and the things they experienced, as well as the stories of soldiers in combat, I had to agree along with all of them, that there's one thing that holds true when it comes to preparing yourself mentally for a plan of action.

Thinking positive may be good for morale, but it means absolute dick if the shit hits the fan and you're not prepared for the worst possible scenario that can happen.

If you prepare for the worst, then it is not so much a heavy blow to you when it DOES occur, and you're somewhat ready for it and can deal with it much better than a person who doesn't prepare for the worst and keeps hoping that things will work out if you just think positive.

Faith, trust and pixie dust might work for Peter Pan, but happy thoughts weren't really going to fly if I really did get killed and the kids had to survive on their own. These kids looked like they were better prepared to handle themselves than most teens their age, but I couldn't rely on that assumption and hope things would turn out all right if the worst were to happen.

And as I listened to the teens talking below, the details of the plan began to form into my mind. And as it began to piece together, I chuckled a little bit thinking about the look on the teen's faces when I told them what we were going to do.

Saeko watched the American walk off alone after apologizing to all of them, and as he was walking up the hill, a sharp pang of guilt twisted inside her at the look the man had given her before he had turned around and walked away.

"What have I done?" Saeko thought in dismay as she watched him disappear at the top of the hill." How could I have done those horrible things to him? "

"Sensei. I didn't mean it.''Sako said looking into Shizuka's face. "I didn't mean to hurt him. I didn't mean to say I hated….." Saeko tried to say before she fell into the nurse's arms and burst into tears.

"I know you didn't mean it, Saeko-chan. I know." Shizuka said as she held her while she wept.

"And so does Jimu-san." Shizuka said, as she tried to comfort the grief-stricken girl.

---

Takashi sighed deeply as the American disappeared up the hill and shook his head. He had been angry with himself because the man had been doing so much to help them all this time and had then willingly sacrificed himself to prevent Saeko and Takashi from attempting to help him in what would have definitely been a suicidal rescue attempt for the both of them if they had continued any further.

Not to mention he had also saved everyone's lives when the street gang had gotten the upper hand over them by opening fire and killing some of their attackers, and driving the rest away. Even though he must have known the report from his sniper rifle would have caused dozens of Infected to attack him.

It had all been a brave, selfless act. And from all appearances, a fatal one as well, when he had fallen off the bridge and plunged into the river below.

And after finding no signs that the American had survived his fall and assuming that he was dead, Takashi had then tried to re-organize everyone with Saeko's help and continue on with their journey despite the fact that everyone had been more affected by the American's "death" than they had all realized.

And just when they were beginning to pull together as a team, it seemed everyone just completely fell apart over a minor misunderstanding. And then they all started fighting amongst each other, almost coming to blows.

And Takashi's frustration with himself grew because he had been powerless to stop it.

And now, much to everyone's surprise, the American had turned up unexpectedly, and had obviously not drowned after all. But instead of being overjoyed that their friend was still alive, everyone had then vented their anger and frustration out on HIM.

Saeko, enraged, had even attacked him, screaming all the while that she had hated him. And on top of that everyone else had done nothing but rebuke and insult the man for his self-sacrifice.

Takashi had been silent when everyone had been venting at the American. But after seeing the man's face as he left, and knowing exactly how far the American had gone to keep them alive, Takashi could keep silent no longer.

Seeing the troubled look on his face, Rei walked up to him and reached for his arm.

"Takashi, what's wrong?" She asked, puzzled by his mood.

Takashi slapped her hand away, and stared angrily at her as she backed away, wide-eyed and shocked at his reaction.

---

"THAT WAS STUPID! ALL OF IT!" He yelled much to the shock of everyone around him, who also stared wide-eyed at him as he spun around to face them. "WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH ALL OF US?!"

"Komuro!" Rei said, recovering from her initial shock. "What are you talking about?"

"All of you know EXACTLY what I'm talking about!" Takashi said, continuing to glare at everyone.

"Just earlier all of you were crying because we all thought Jimu-san was dead. And now he comes back after nearly getting killed trying to save our lives, and then all of you HIT HIM,YELL AT HIM, CALL HIM A FOOL, AND SAY HOW ANGRY WE ARE WITH HIM BECAUSE HE UPSET US?!"

"WHAT KIND OF STUPIDITY IS THAT?!" Takashi yelled angrily.

"And you two." Takashi said looking at Rei and Saya. "You two were almost going to KILL each other because you were angry that you thought he was dead and started blaming each other for it. And as soon as he turns up alive, you yell at him as if it's HIS FAULT that you were fighting!"

"WELL WHY DIDN"T YOU SAY ANYTHING IF YOU THOUGHT WE WERE BEING TOO HARD ON HIM?!" Rei shot back. "ALL YOU DID WAS STAND THERE!

"BECAUSE I WAS ASHAMED!" Takashi yelled, and then stood quietly for a moment staring at the ground as everyone stared at him, and everyone could very well see that he was indeed quite upset with himself as well as with them.

"I was ashamed to say anything, because I was upset at seeing what he did for us too. I was angry because he gave up his life so we could live. I was angry because he was here doing what I SHOULD BE DOING FOR ALL OF YOU!"

"Instead all I did was mess things up." Takashi said, looking away from them.

---

"That's not true!" Saya quickly responded, feeling guilty about her role in the argument. "You did everything you could to help us when we were attacked, and you also did a great job of leading us here to safety."

"But we're NOT safe, Takagi-san!" Takashi said, looking at her. "We're not safe, and the man that has been taking most of the risks and doing most of the fighting is standing alone above us while we fight like little kids beneath him!"

Rei opened her mouth to speak, and then quickly changed her mind. Takashi was right; the way they had all talked to the American had been cruel and unwarranted. The whole thing seemed so ridiculous now, and the guilt within her began to surface.

She had been upset after seeing the man drown and because of a simple misunderstanding; she had made things worse by losing her temper and fighting with Saya.

"I was so angry with Takagi-san when she said that I was the reason that Jimu-san was dead, and I wanted to make her sorry she said that." Rei blurted out loud, as everyone looked at her.

"Gomen nasai." Saya said, feeling badly for her words. "I was wrong to say what I did. Please forgive me."

"No Takagi-san, I wasn't angry because I thought that what you said was wrong. I was angry because I believed that what you said was RIGHT." Rei said bursting into tears as Saya looked at her shocked.

"I DID act like a spoiled little girl and ran away when we were on the bus. And because I did that Komuro-kun and I weren't here when all of you needed us, and because of that all THIS happened."

"IT IS my fault." Rei said finally breaking down. And I was so angry at myself that I couldn't even face it and yelled at HIM and said that HE was the reason everyone was miserable!"

"What kind of person does that?!" Rei said as she covered her face with her hands as Saya came up and held her trying to comfort the same person that just moments before, she had tried to tear apart.

"It's not your fault Miyamoto-san." Saya said as she started crying also.

"I was angry at him because he acts like it was nothing." Saya said looking at the ground. "I thought he was stupid for risking his life the way he did for us. We're not even his real family and he still treats us like we are, and he nearly died."

"And I'm still angry at him because of what he just said." Saya said her face twisted in anger. "I'm angry at him because I don't know if I CAN DO what he did if any of you were in danger." Saya said, as tears ran down her face.

"And I'm still angry at him because I STILL think it was stupid and I'm ASHAMED of myself for feeling that way!" Saya yelled as she started to cry as well.

---

"I thought what he did was very brave." Kouta interrupted, as he looked at everyone. "I thought it was very brave and I admired his courage. And I hoped I could be brave enough to sacrifice my life if something should ever happen too."

"But I didn't stand up for him when I KNEW just how much courage it took for him to do what he had done!" Kouta said angrily. "I saw everyone yelling at him and I saw how it was tearing him apart inside and instead of defending him, I caved and told him that what I thought he did was foolish too!"

"And now I hate myself for doing that!" Kouta yelled, turning away from everyone.

Takashi walked over and placed his hand on the shoulder of his friend.

"I hate that I said nothing at all." Takashi said quietly, trying to help comfort Kouta. "You at least said he was brave. I didn't even do THAT." Takashi said, shaking his head.

"It was those damn shoes." Shizuka said abruptly, surprising everyone.

---

"Eh? What did you say sensei?" Takashi asked, puzzled. Shizuka had spoken so abruptly as he was speaking, that what she had said had not made any sense.

"Those stupid shoes." Shizuka said more loudly, the bitterness in her voice very evident.

"I started this whole mess because I was so upset thinking he had died over those damned shoes."

"I was angry because he put himself in so much danger trying to help me over a STUPID blister!"

"And I was ashamed too, Komuro-chan.'' Shizuka said looking up at Takashi. "I thought he was dead because of me and I was so angry that he died for something so stupid."

"But when he came back, I was so happy for YOU Saeko-chan." Shizuka said looking at Saeko whose eyes widened at Shizuka's words.

"I was so happy for you because I knew it hurt you the most when we thought he was dead." Shizuka said as she stroked Saeko's long hair. "And it hurt me so much to see you so sad because he was gone and I knew how much he meant to you."

"And at the same time when he came back I wanted to slap him too for nearly dying over something so STUPID as SHOES!" Shizuka said, as she burst into tears.

"STUPID, STUPID, MAN!" Shizuka said bitterly as she looked up towards the hill.

"When he gets back, I'm going to beat him over the head with those shoes!" Shizuka said as a joke, laughing despite herself.

---

Everyone smiled at her remark as well. Each of them felt terrible for the way they had treated the American. But at the same time, the pain of his death had affected them more than they realized. And only now were they finally able to come to grips with their pain, and able to speak of it openly.

Saeko looked down at the ground after listening to Shizuka's words. She HAD been happy to see Jimu was alive after all, and as she held him, she never wanted to let him go again. It was the closest feeling she had to feeling that her own father had returned to her.

But she had also suddenly grown angry as he spoke so calmly, as if nothing had happened, and the pain she had felt of thinking he had died trying to prevent her from saving him earlier, infuriated her and she slapped him for throwing his life away so needlessly, and couldn't stop hitting him until her anger was spent.

And even now, she was STILL upset with him. But after watching him walk away so dejected, she no longer wanted to be angry at him, and the sad look on his face made her feel guilty for lashing out at him the way she had, and the conflicted feelings she had were tearing her up inside.

Shizuka gazed upon the faces of everyone and realized that while everyone had vented their feelings, all of them were still very miserable. And the only way to make things right was to have the one person who was the focus of everyone's grief right here in front of them, to listen to everyone's concerns.

Right now however, nothing was being accomplished except that everyone was becoming more miserable.

"All right everyone, that's enough." The nurse said in a firm voice. "We can keep criticizing each other all day for the way we treated Jimu-san when he was only trying to help us, and it will accomplish nothing. "

"The truth is we were ALL upset at nearly losing him and we obviously DON'T want him to get hurt or killed. And I'm assuming that now we all agree, we don't want him to do EVERYTHING to protect us by himself and risk his life as well just because he feels he has to, agreed?"

Everyone around nodded in agreement at Shizuka's words.

"Good, so when he gets back I think that we should ALL get together and have a nice LONG talk with him later, and get this horrible mess straightened out." Shizuka said. "But for now, I think we should call it a day and spend the night at a place I know nearby."

"You know someplace where we can stay for the night?" Takashi asked.

"Yes, it's quite close, and we can get cleaned up there, get something to eat, and then have a SERIOUS talk with Mr. Hero up there." Shizuka said, frowning.

"He's not out of the woods yet." Shizuka said looking up the hill.

---

"AH-CHOO!"

I rubbed my nose and sniffed, hoping that my allergies weren't acting up again.

In Texas, with mesquite and cedar being the predominant allergens drifting in the wind constantly, sinus allergies were a common problem back home. It was the last thing I needed right now though.

I honestly didn't think I had to worry about getting allergies here in Japan. Ah well.

The sun was almost completely set now, and as I gazed at the setting sun, I listened to the far away sounds of traffic and people still trying to evacuate the city.

Sound travels surprisingly well over water, sometimes for many miles. And even though the main roads and bridges of the City were miles away, you could still hear the sounds of the vehicles and shouts of people fairly well.

It almost sounded like the night parade back in San Antonio during Fiesta. The San Antonio Fiesta Festival is a spring festival that lasts eleven days back home, and you could hear all the noise of the festivities for a very long distance from downtown.

Of course, this wasn't home, and celebrating was the last thing on the minds of all those people running for their lives over there.

I could also clearly hear the teens and Shizuka talking below even though I couldn't understand a word they said, and I hoped that in a few more minutes when I returned to the group, we could quickly bury the hatchet and make plans to find shelter for the night.

I really should have had everyone push on and find shelter first and then we could kiss and make up later. But I was pretty beaten up and worn out and I figured a few minutes alone would help all of us to cool off and make it easier for us to work things out later.

I let out a long sigh as I gazed upon the area around me. I had been careful to stay in the shadows and not silhouette myself in any way in case any of our friends from earlier were snooping around.

So far, there hadn't been any sign that they had been eager to try to ambush us yet. And even then, I really wasn't all that worried that I couldn't handle them if they tried.

But as I turned around and looked behind me, what I saw off in the distance made my blood turn cold.

---

Everyone had been intently listening to Shizuka discussing the location of her friend's house that she would often maintain while her friend was away at work, when a sudden noise behind them got their attention and they all turned around suddenly as the American quickly came down the hill and headed straight for them.

"Jimu-san?" Shizuka began. "We were wishing to speak with you for a moment. We wished to apologize for the way we all behaved earlier, and we also wanted to discuss some important matters with you.''

The American held up his hand to silence her as he walked over to the group.

"I don't wish to be rude Shizuka-san, but we really need to discuss that later." He said, quietly. "Right now, I really need Takashi and Saeko to come with me. RIGHT NOW."

"Jimu-san, what's wrong? Shizuka asked alarmed.

"We may have a problem." The American said as he reached for his pack. "And I need you to watch the kids until we get back, and we might need to get moving pretty quick. Ok?"

"All right." Shizuka replied, extremely worried at what the man was NOT telling her.

"Who are you calling, KIDS?" Saya snapped, as always, extremely sensitive about being referred to as a child.

"The man old enough and big enough to spank you in front of your friends if you don't behave yourself and listen to Shizuka while I'm gone." The man retorted, as he unzipped a pocket on his pack.

"Remember that, young lady." The American said looking up at her.

Saya stared at the man wide-eyed, but remained silent. Rude or not, the man was much larger than her, and obviously in no mood for back-talk so Saya wisely deduced that there was no point in arguing any further unless she really wanted to put his threat to the test.

"Doshita, no?" Takashi asked as he watched the man searching through his pack.

"You'll see." He said, as he rummaged around in his pack and finally pulled out a small black case with several pairs of shooting glasses with clear and dark lenses in it. He then took out one of the pairs of glasses with clear lenses, and placed them over his eyes. They appeared to be the same as the ones everyone had seen him wearing before, but apparently he had lost them during his fall in the river.

"Are those OAKLEY'S?" Kouta asked, looking at the glasses with envy.

"Yup." The man responded with a grin. "Best glasses ever made. I've got three clear and two tinted pairs."

"FIVE PAIRS?!" Kouta exclaimed. "REALLY?!"

"Why's that such a big deal?" Saya asked aloud.

"Because they cost 16000 yen apiece." Kouta replied staring at the man's shooting glasses.

"Actually, they were a little more than that." He said smiling at them. "They're prescription."

"You mean YOU wear glasses too?" Kouta asked incredulously.

"Yup." The American replied. "I can see OK without them. But my eyes work much better with them, and they also protect my eyes when I shoot."

"How could you find us in the dark then without them earlier then?" Saya asked sarcastically.

"Well I ain't THAT blind pumpkin." He replied and then grinned mischievously. "And even if I was, all I had to do was listen for the sound of you screaming at Kouta to find you."

Saya gave him a dirty look but said nothing, as everyone snickered at the American's joke.

---

The American then reached further into another compartment and pulled out a small padded case in which he pulled out some sort of optical device that looked a lot like a small monocular.

"What's that?" Saya asked, extremely curious as she peered at the device in the man's hands and adjusted her glasses.

"PVS-14 Night Vision System." I replied, connecting it to the top RAIL of my Mk18 behind the Eotech sight and switched it on. I then pressed the "NV" switch on the Eotech and then peered through the scope to make sure the holo image was visible and everything was working the way it was supposed to.

I then switched out all my empty magazines with what few fresh ones I had in an outside compartment on my pack.

"It's in case I have to shoot in the dark." I explained as I switched out the mags and then looked over at Kouta still holding my M24.

"Kouta, do you know how to shoot that thing, son?" I asked.

"Yes sir." Kouta replied, EXTREMELY curious as to why the man was acting as if he were preparing for battle.

"Good, it's zeroed for 100 yards. Stay here and stand guard and watch the others; we'll be back in a moment." I said, as I rose to my feet.

"You two, come with me." I said, pointing at Takashi and Saeko.

Takashi took a step forward and then looked at Saeko who hadn't moved and remained in the nurses arm's.

"Busujima-sempai?" Takashi said looking at Saeko.

"Gomen nasai." Saeko said, hanging her head. "Perhaps it would be better for Miyamoto-san to join you instead Jimu-san."

The American looked at the teen for a long moment before walking over to where she stood.

" Saeko-chan." The man said holding out his hand to her. "I know you're upset with me sweetie, but I really need you to come with me. PLEASE."

Saeko looked at the American with his outstretched hand and lowered her eyes.

"Come on hon." The man said as he continued to hold out his hand. "I can't do this without your help."

Saeko looked into Shizuka's eyes as the nurse looked at her smiling and nodded her head. The teen then walked towards the American and gingerly took his hand.

"Thank you Saeko." The man said as he started to lead Saeko and Takashi away.

---

"WHAT IS GOING ON?!" Rei said loudly, alarmed at the American's strange behavior.

The man turned around and waved his hand at her to silence her.

"Keep it down." The man said the tone of his voice calm, but still indicating a sense of urgency. "NOT another word from this point on, understand? All of you stay here and keep quiet, watch out for each other and be ready to move. We'll be right back."

"I want to see what's going on too." Rei said hotly, immediately incensed about being left out once again while Saeko was allowed to accompany Takashi and the American.

"Yeah, there's no reason we can't come too is there?" Saya asked, also being a little miffed at being left out. "Hirano can stay and guard Mirakawa-sensei."

"Guys, enough. This is NOT the time for argument. I'm not trying to hide anything from you. I just REALLY NEED you to stay here for now, okay?" The man said, his voice sounding urgent.

"Rei, Takagi-san!" Takashi said. "Knock it off. We can talk about it later."

"You hush,Kumoro-kun, he's always taking you and Busujima-sempai with him, and it's not right!"

"Always taking them with me?" I thought, confused by Saya's comment. I had barely seen Takashi since we had gotten separated back in town much less taking him and Saeko out on frequent outings without the other teens.

Matter of fact, I had made Saeko stay with the others when I left to recon the bridge ALONE, so I hadn't been taking her anywhere with me either.

Saya made it sound like I was taking Takashi and Saeko to an amusement park while she and Rei had to stay home and play with their dolls or something.

What had gotten into these two all of a sudden?

---

"Knock it off you two, this is important. Come on guys." I said to Saeko and Takashi as I turned around once again to leave.

"But it's not fair!" Saya said angrily. "You're always treating Busujima –san and Komuro-kun nicer than us."

"Yeah!" Rei pouted." She's right it's not fair. Why can't we come too?"

"Enough!" I said exasperated. "YOU two are BOTH staying here, and that's FINAL!"

The two girls opened their mouths to reply but hushed when Shizuka cleared her throat as a warning. They both then sat down on the railing next to her and sulked.

I was about to turn around and leave with the two other teens in tow while still trying to figure out what had gotten into the two girls so suddenly, when it finally dawned on me why they were acting so childish about being left behind.

As comical as it sounded, Saya and Rei were jealous of my constant attention towards Saeko and Takashi, instead of including them in everything as well.

When a man has multiple children in his household, there is always one or two of his children that are his "favorite" and Saeko was mine, I admit. But kids are smarter than we give them credit for and they don't miss it when "daddy" lavishes more attention on another child than he does on the rest.

"Rei and Saya's anger, as silly as it sounds, was a simple case of "sibling jealousy and rivalry" because I was indeed guilty of lavishing more attention on the two older teens, especially Saeko, and I had been neglecting to include Rei and Saya in anything.

And the truth was, all I had done since we had left the school yesterday was get after Rei for running out of the school bus and snapping at Saya back at the school and throughout the day every time she yelled at Kouta.

As ridiculous as it sounded, my two other "daughters" were jealous of my constantly focusing my attention on the two older teens and neglecting them.

Yeah, I couldn't believe it myself at first.

Boy, had I stepped in it.

Instead of just being a mercenary who had accidentally stumbled on a group of strangers trying to survive, I was now indeed, the "father" figure of a bunch of teens.

I now had my own ready-made family.

You know that old saying. "Be careful what you wish for"?

As much as I always wanted a family of my own and had begun to think of Saeko as my daughter, I had not realized that the others would look at me as a "father" figure too, and would also become a little attached to me as well. Although probably not as attached as Saeko had come to be towards me.

And now, the other two younger teens wanted to be included in our "activities" that I had been neglectful of including them in, and now they were both pissed off and pouting about it.

Talk about irony. Just a while ago, I was screaming into the sky, with a gun to my head asking why I couldn't have a family of my own.

Now I had two "sons" and three "daughters" on my hands. And their nurse too, to boot.

And they all wanted "dad" to pay attention to them too.

"Oh geez." I groaned. "And to think I asked for this."

---

I turned around and looked at Rei and Saya, still sitting on the railing next to Shizuka, and saw them both looking away from me with angry looks on their faces. Saya was so mad she was actually wiping her eyes and wouldn't look at me.

If things weren't so serious now, I would have laughed at the ridiculousness of it all. But that would have only made things worse and so I kept my humorous thoughts to myself.

"Saya-chan, Rei, come here please." I said to them, motioning them over.

They both looked at me but didn't move at first. They were still pretty pissed off, and it wasn't till Shizuka urged them to go up to me that they finally walked up and stood in front of me.

"Look you two." I began. "I realize that I've upset all of you, and I want to tell you both that I'm sorry about everything that's happened today."

" And I also want to apologize that I haven't come to you for help as much as I have with Takashi and Saeko. They're older than the rest of you, and I admit, I HAVE turned to them first, a lot. I'm sorry about that."

"Well, why can't we come with you now?" Rei asked, looking at me no longer with anger in her eyes. But there was definitely something in the way of sadness in her face.

"We can help too." Saya added wiping her eyes. With Saya it was hard to tell whether she was still angry with me or not. It was rare to see her without that scowl that always seemed to be there on her face.

"You ARE helping." I replied. "And I really need you to help Kouta protect Shizuka until we get back."

"You're just saying that!" Saya said angrily. "We're NOT dumb! You don't have to talk to us like we're a bunch of little kids!"

I could feel the hair on my head getting greyer every second, as much as these teens were starting to stress me out right now.

Well, I always did want to be a dad, now it was time to be patient like one.

Or just start yelling like one.

Nah, I'm not that kind of "dad."

"Rei." I said looking at her. "I saw you fight a while ago, and that's why I need you here. Kouta has a rifle, but I need someone that can back him up, and that means YOU."

"Saya-chan, I know this sucks for you being left behind, but I need you here as well."

"WHY?!" Saya asked loudly. There was no anger in her voice though. The tone of her voice was more of a disappointed whine than anything. I couldn't help but feel sorry for her.

"Because, if something happens, I need someone to come up with a quick solution to the problem. And that means YOU."

Saya looked at me with a deep scowl on her face and there was no doubt in my mind that she didn't buy it for one second.

Smart girl.

Dammit.

---

"Ok, you got me. Here's the real reason, pumpkin." I said looking her in the eye.

"Him." I said motioning my head towards Kouta.

"WHAT?!" Saya said so loudly, that I had to shush her a bit. She then began a tirade of griping about why she had to suffer because of the "fat otaku", yada, yada, yada.

"Saya-chan" I said, putting my arm around her. "Look, I know you may not have the same feelings for Kouta that he has for you, but when you're around, he is a much better fighter, because all he wants to do is take care of you. That boy will DIE for you, and that's the kind of person I need guarding you and Shizuka right now. So PLEASE, help me out right now and stay here."

"I PROMISE, that I will make it up to you." I said, actually begging now.

Saya looked away for a moment and then rolled her eyes.

"Fine." She said, still pissed.

"Thank you, pumpkin." I said, leaning over and kissing her on the forehead.

"Whatever." Saya grumbled as she walked back to Shizuka and sat on the railing again looking at Kouta with a frown.

Shizuka was trying hard not to smile as I flashed a grin at her.

"Rei." I said turning towards the teen. "You're in charge now. Keep everyone safe till we get back, OK?"

"Hai." She replied, still not happy about being left behind, but less pissed off about it than earlier.

No, they weren't happy at all. But now they knew it wasn't personal at least.

"Be back in a bit Sensei." I said to Shizuka, as I turned around and motioned for the two other teens to follow me FINALLY.

Shizuka watched as the American walked away with Takashi and Saeko following him.

"I still think what he did was reckless." Shizuka thought to herself as the trio neared the top of the hill. "But he REALLY does mean well, and he also really DOES care about the children."

"Hmmm," Shizuka thought. "He is definitely a little OLDER. But he's not that bad looking either, and he's pretty good with children. I think I should introduce him to Rika-chan whenever we finally meet up again. I think she'd like to meet him."

---

"AAAH-CHOOO!"

"You getting sick?' Tajima asked his partner, Sgt. Rika Minami, as they walked down the long hallway back to the dorms.

They had both just FINALLY been relieved after a grueling 16 hour period of sniper detail, clearing the runways of any Infected that had prevented the airline traffic coming in and out of the still active airport.

Night had fallen, and the relief night shift sniper team from "C" squadron, had finally come in to relieve them.

The attack from the Infected had been swift and completely unexpected, and had taken a horrible toll on all airport personnel, especially the Police and Emergency Services people. After a fierce firefight at the hangers over on "B" Wing of the airport, Infected then seemed to be attacking from ALL OVER the place, and had quickly overwhelmed the small security force and forced them to pull back to the main terminal.

But not without experiencing the loss of some of their comrades in the withdrawal.

After the remaining Security Force had regrouped, the SAT had managed to re-gain and maintain control of some of the runways.

But it also seemed that the numbers of Infected kept increasing no matter WHAT the Airport Police Force did. And as a result, what officers remained were exhausting themselves trying to maintain a safe perimeter around the part of the airport not besieged by the Infected.

But with no relief coming from the Mainland, there was little the small handful of officers could do but try to hold out as best they could. The long shifts at station were starting to take their toll, however.

"I hope not." Rika replied to her spotter. "That's the last thing I need, right now."

"Maybe someone's talking about you." Tajima said jokingly. "Have you heard from your friend yet?"

"No." Rika said, rubbing her nose and sniffing. "Not yet."

"I don't have too many friends. So maybe she IS talking about me." Rika said laughing.

"AAH-CHOO!" Rika sneezed again and then frowned.

"You sure you're not getting sick?" Tajima asked concerned now. "Maybe you should head to the Infirmary and let the Doc check you out."

"No, I'm fine." Rika said shaking her head. "The time to worry is if I sneeze three times in a row."

"Why's that?" Tajima asked, puzzled.

Rika laughed. "That's because every time that ever happens, it means Shizuka's trying to pair me up with_.

"AAAH-CHOOO! AAAAH-CHOOO! AAAAH-CHOOO!" Rika stopped speaking as she suddenly became overcome by a fit of sneezes, one after another, before she could finish her reply to Tajima.

"Awwwww, DAMMIT, SHIZUKA! Rika said out loud shaking her head as Tajima stared at her, startled by her loud yell.

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!" Rika shouted, staring up at the ceiling.

---

"Let's go, you two." The American said, as he turned around again to face Saeko and Takashi and then led them up the hill, as they followed closely behind.

As they neared the top of the hill he turned towards them and motioned them to get down and wait. As the two teens crouched down, he then walked the rest of the way up the hill by himself with his carbine to his shoulder and scanned the area before he knelt on the ground, being careful to stay in the shadows.

He then removed his pack from his shoulders and placed it in front of him on the ground before he motioned for the two teens to join him. As he remained kneeling on the ground waiting for them, Takashi and Saeko climbed up the rest of the way, and then suddenly froze in horror at what they saw.

"Come here next to me, and don't speak." The man said quietly, as the two teens moved up alongside the man and knelt next to him on either side.

The American quickly glanced at each teen and stared straight ahead as he spoke.

"I was standing guard up here while ya'll were talking, when they just suddenly appeared out of the shadows." He explained, as the two teens stared in shock at the scene before them.

"They're all headed towards the sound of all the noise coming from the evacuation upriver." The man said as he pulled the night optic off his carbine and handed it to them.

"Take a look." He said grimly.

The two teens took turns staring through the scope that amplified the ambient light from their surroundings turning everything a ghostly pale-green as they both stared in horror as HUNDREDS, perhaps THOUSANDS of Infected walked from between the city streets headed in the direction of Tokonosu Bridge.

They were walking slowly approximately 100 meters away from the trio observing them, no doubt all of THEM attracted by the sound of thousands of panicked people fleeing for their lives.

"Pretty soon this entire area is going to be crawling with THEM, and the last place we want to be is out here in the open, in the dark, with these things crawling around." The American said watching the slowly moving mass of Infected.

"How many do you think there are?" Saeko asked, her voice filled with concern.

"Oh, I'd say at least a couple thousand in front of us that I can see." The American replied. "Too many for us to fight alone, so we really need to leave here and somehow get around them and find shelter until they pass."

"But what about all those people trying to escape?" Saeko asked, looking at him. "We must warn them somehow."

"They ALREADY know hon." The American said gently without taking his gaze off the horde moving slowly in front of them. "THIS is what they've been running from all day. Ya'll two are just seeing just how big the problem really is for the first time."

Takashi was peering through the night scope as Saeko and I were speaking. And I guess he wanted to get a better look when he suddenly tried to stand up and I quickly grabbed his arm and forced him to stay down.

"NANDA?" Takashi asked, curious as to why I was forcing him to keep low.

"Yes, Jimu-san. Why ARE we hiding? They can't see us." Saeko asked, also curious as to why we were concealing ourselves in the shadows.

"They ain't the only threat out here guys, REMEMBER THAT." I replied. "There are people capable of doing far worse things crawling around out here with us, so you must ALWAYS be on your guard no matter what. That means sneaking around and avoiding others as if you were in combat."

"Because right now, you ARE in combat." I said sternly. "People are capable of great acts of kindness and heroism in times like this and then there are those capable of great evil as ya'll have already seen."

"So you must ALWAYS be careful who you trust, at all times." I said taking the night scope back from Takashi and taking a quick peek.

Like the teens, I was watching the massive crowd of Infected moving slowly towards the sounds of all those frightened people upriver running in panic from the sea of death that was closely following them.

But I was also watching out for any other potential threats that presented themselves. Namely, people who would be more than happy to get the drop on us and take anything, or ANYONE of value.

I knew the teens were probably overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of the horror before them and I paused to look at both of their faces.

Takashi was a pretty quiet boy with a serious look on his face most of the time, and Saeko was also just about as serious too, although she cracked a smile more often than Takashi did.

Right, now though, all I could see in their faces was fear, and I didn't blame them one bit.

However, I hadn't brought them up here to be spectators. I had brought them up here for a reason, and it was time to prepare them for the difficult task ahead.

---

"Guys, this is our reality, this is our current situation, this is what we're up against and we are on our own." I began, as the teens looked at me.

"Up to this point, we've had it pretty easy, now it's going to get ugly beyond your wildest imaginations, and we cannot afford to be fighting amongst ourselves over petty crap, because I promise you, if we don't get our act together, someone WILL die." I said looking at them.

"I'm sorry to be so blunt, but it's the truth and there's no way to sugar coat it."

"In these past two days you have seen how dangerous things can get and you've seen just how quickly things can get out of control."

I paused a moment for emphasis before I continued my speech.

"And you also know just how quickly someone can die."

The teens looked down at the ground after hearing my words, and I placed my hands on each teen's shoulder and spoke to them the same way I had back in the faculty room when I first met them. I was talking to them as if I was their father again, and for what I was about to tell them, there really could be no other way to say it. It was time for "Father Goose" to take his two "goslings" under his wing and help them learn how to fly on their own.

I don't know why, but for some reason at the time, the two teenagers seemed so much smaller than they did before. I felt like my hands were on the shoulders of two children and not two young adults.

Maybe it was just me, but it probably seemed that way because I WAS placing a HUGE load on the shoulders of these two young people that really shouldn't have been thrust upon them in the first place, and I really felt bad for doing it.

But there really was NO choice.

They would have to learn to "sink or swim", "fly or die".

Hell of a thing for a "father" to have to teach his "children."

---

"Guys, I want the both of you to pay VERY CLOSE attention to everything I'm going to tell you." I said, as the two teens looked up at me. "Because from this point on, we can't afford to make any mistakes, or let personal differences get in the way again."

"First thing, I realize that all of you are upset with me. And I want you to know that I also understand why you feel that way. And I want you to know I'm sorry to have made you go through all that."

"Especially you, hon." I said hugging Saeko.

"I am also VERY proud of the both of you for the courage you showed in taking care of everyone AND also for taking care of me when we were separated, and also when you came to help the others when they were attacked."

"And I'm especially proud of the two of you, when you both tried to come rescue me."

"I can't begin to thank you enough for wanting to help me. And I'm really sorry that I've caused you so much pain because of it."

"And I hope that someday you will both understand why I did what I felt I had to, because I wanted then, and I still want now, for all of you to survive this nightmare."

"And as horrible as it sounds, I HAVE to tell you this right now."

"You must NEVER take risks for ME again, EVER."

The two teens began to protest at my words, but I was NOT going to be interrupted, no matter how they felt.

"Jimu-san!" Saeko began.

"ENOUGH." I said sternly, trying to stop them both from trying to protest. We were running out of time, and it was no time for sentiment or argument.

"I have been risking my life for others for YEARS. THAT was my job. THAT is STILL my job, and NONE of you have a say in that."

"I WILL do what I feel I HAVE TO for ALL of YOU, when the time comes." I said, not looking at them.

"YOU however, DO NOT have that option, PERIOD."

"WHY NOT?" Saeko asked angrily, refusing to back down without an argument.

Like I said, someone trying to prevent their rescuer from getting hurt or killed is an unheard of thing. And it makes people like me so overwhelmed with gratitude to hear people talk like that.

And for a child to not want you to get hurt, well, that really does tug at the heart strings.

Although right now, I really wanted Saeko to stop fighting me and just do what I told her.

It was ironic how much I was beginning to sound more and more like a frustrated parent every day.

Ah well, I am "Father Goose" now.

---

I gazed upon Saeko's face and then pointed back towards the bottom of the hill.

"Because from this point on sweetie, BOTH of you are now going to start being responsible for the lives of those people sitting under the bridge back there." I said, in answer to her question.

"And they CANNOT afford to lose either one of you."

"WHAT?!" The two teens exclaimed in horror, as I shushed them for being too loud.

"WHY ARE YOU SAYING THAT?! WHERE ARE YOU GOING?!" Saeko whispered in panic as she grabbed my arm. "WHY ARE YOU LEAVING?!"

"Calm down hon. I'm not going anywhere. I'll be right here with you every step of the way." I replied.

"Then why are you putting US in charge?" Takashi asked, more than a little alarmed at my words.

My, his English sure has improved lately.

"The reason for that is this, guys." I began to explain, "It's going to take ALL of us working together to have even half a chance of surviving this. And up to this point, I've been calling a lot of the shots. And we've been doing okay so far despite all the drama today."

"But the real problem is, that I haven't prepared any of you very well for the possibility that something just MIGHT happen to me, or Shizuka. And if that happens and you guys are alone, THEN WHAT DO YOU DO?"

"Today, something almost DID happen, and it's made me realize my mistake of not preparing you to be able to take care of yourselves."

"Believe me; it's going to take a lot more than running around the city, bashing monsters on the head with bats and wooden swords to get through this. It's going to require you to use YOUR HEADS more than just weapons."

So just to play it safe, I'm going to train you both to take care of yourselves and take charge of the group in case something should ever happen again."

"And truth is, right now, everyone knows and trusts both of you more so than they do me. So in order to help ya'll better to be able to take care of yourselves and the others in case something does happen to me again, I think as long as it's safe to do so, from now on BOTH of you will be needing to practice on making decisions as if you were on your own."

"You can't be serious!" Saeko said looking at me in horror. "How can we possibly get everyone safely through THAT?!"

"This is crazy!" Takashi said shaking his head.

Yeah, I knew my idea would sound crazy to them, but it really was necessary to be honest. The chances were good that we might not ALL make it to safety after all. And in order to increase their chances, the kids were going to have to grow up pretty quick. Their survival depended on it.

"Look guys, I'm NOT just handing you the responsibility of EVERYONE'S lives right now." I said trying to help calm their fears. "This is TRAINING in case the WORST happens and then you're FORCED to be on your own. I'll still be here to help you as an "adviser" in case you get stuck."

"What I want you to do from now on is work on being able to think for yourselves about the best way to keep everyone safe, and by doing that, you're helping ME to help all of YOU. Get it?"

The scared looks on their faces told me they GOT it all right.

The problem was they just didn't LIKE it, or WANT it either. Not one bit.

---

"Look guys, it all comes down to this." I said trying to explain. " Rei is a great fighter and Saya is a smart little cookie, but they both seriously need to GROW UP."

"They both have a tendency to fly off the handle WAY too easy over the littlest things, and they can't be relied upon YET to take the lead when things go bad. I believe with a little training they can get better, but we don't have that kind of time right now.

Kouta is a great kid but truth is, he'll cave to whatever Saya says, and Shizuka is,….well. "

"A very sweet person." I said unable to come up with another way to put it.

"Why do this NOW?" Takashi said his eyes growing wider, obviously feeling overwhelmed by what he was seeing. "Why not later when it's safer?"

"Komuro-kun is right, Jimu-san." Saeko said, also feeling overwhelmed with the enormous task ahead of them. "What can we possibly do against THAT?"

I sighed at their response, knowing full well they were just afraid. But I also knew they could handle this task. They had after all, proved they could be assertive when the time came. I just needed to help them realize just how capable they really were.

"Ya'll tell ME, sweetie." I said looking at her soberly in the face. "If I had died this afternoon, you would both be having to face this situation NOW, ….. and ALONE."

Fortunately, I'm NOT dead. But that can change very easily without warning."

"So from this point on you two will need to practice on being responsible for deciding what we should do as a group, and you will need to come up with a plan quick, because it's almost dark and we definitely don't want to be in the middle of all THAT if the power suddenly fails and we can't see a thing."

Takashi said something to Saeko in Japanese and I cut him off, QUICK.

"No more games, son." I said looking at him as he stared at me puzzled.

"Nani?" He asked.

"Cut the crap, boy." I said, firmly. "I KNOW you speak better English than I do, because the few times you've said something in English, it's been absolutely PERFECT, just like the way you've been speaking perfect English ever since I said that you and Saeko were now responsible for everyone's lives."

"Not to mention your friends forgot they were supposed to be "translating" my words to you whenever I spoke and I haven't seen any of them do that yet, since I came back."

Takashi looked at me sheepishly and realized he'd been busted. Nothing like a good scare to make a person forget about trying to be sneaky.

"I don't know who you think your fooling son, but it ain't me." I said, smirking.

"How long have you known that I was pretending?" Takashi sighed, dropping the act finally.

"Pretty much from the time I first met ya'll." I replied grinning.

"Look son, I might not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but even an old graduate from "La Techla'" like me knows about the high standards of the Japanese Educational System."

"And that school of yours looked like one of the more prestigious ones from what I could see, unless the inner city schools in Japan are set to higher standards than the ones back home that I went to. "

"Besides, do you honestly expect me to believe everyone including Shizuka speaks English perfectly and you DON"T?"

"C'mon son, I ain't THAT dumb."

---

Takashi hung his head, embarrassed. It had been his plan to play dumb just in case the American couldn't be trusted. But the man had seen through the ruse very easily however, and had let Takashi go on with the deception.

"Probably because he thought it was funny too." Takashi grumbled.

"Like I said, no more games, guys." The man repeated.

"All right, no more games." Takashi agreed.

"All right then. Now tell me something you two." The American said, taking his hands off their shoulders and checking his rifle.

"What do we do now?" He asked, waiting for their answer.

"I don't know." Takashi replied.

"Neither do I." Saeko replied as well.

"Oh come on guys, are you serious?" The man said, rolling his eyes. "You expect me to believe that a couple of smart kids like ya'll two don't have a clue on what to do in this situation?"

I wasn't trying to be mean; I knew they were just afraid. But sometimes you have to use a little psychology to snap a person out of their fear and get the wheels in their head turning again.

"C'mon guys, don't be afraid. Like I said, I'm right here to help you." I said, trying to help ease their anxiety. They really needed to learn how to take care of themselves without any outside help, yet at the same time, I didn't want them to feel TOO overwhelmed, TOO quickly either.

"All right, both of you take a deep breath, let it out, and then think about what you want to do." I said, reverting back to my old EMS Instructor mode.

"Of course, don't take TOO long trying to figure it out." I thought.

The two teens took a deep breath, just like I told them. And then let it out. After a brief moment, Takashi spoke up.

"Shizuka-sensei said that a friend of hers has a place nearby." He said, still looking over at the huge mass of Infected heading towards the bright lights of the bridge.

"How far away?" I asked.

"She didn't say" Saeko replied. "We were going to come get you and tell you about it, but you brought us up here before we could mention it."

"If its nearby then we need to head over there right NOW, and get off these streets before all THAT makes any type of movement over land impossible." I said, trying to give the kids a hint of a plan of action.

"I agree." Takashi replied. "I can take Marikawa-sensei on my motorcycle and check the house and see if it's clear. Then we can come back and all go together. What do you think Jimu-san?"

"Talk to your second-in-command son, I'm just the mercenary, remember?" I said, smiling slightly.

"I thought you said you'd "advise us." Takashi said, his voice sounding slightly frustrated.

"I will, but you haven't even tried all your options yet. Ask Saeko what she thinks first." I replied.

Takashi sighed in frustration, and then looked at Saeko. "Well, what do you think?"

"I think that's a good idea." Saeko agreed.

"WRONG." I said, giving them both a light smack on the back of their heads as punishment.

Thank you, Mark Harmon.

---

Both teens rubbed the back of their heads and stared at me with mouths agape, obviously shocked at my response to their plan. I didn't smack them hard enough for it to hurt them. But it was enough to get their attention.

And now that I had their attention, it was time to show them the errors of their ways.

"The first problem with your plan is that the roar of the motorcycle engine will echo underneath the bridge and draw all of THEM over here and every one of us will be dead before you even get halfway to this house you're headed for." I explained looking at them as they rubbed their heads in annoyance.

"So try again." I said, chuckling inwardly at them.

"Takashi looked at me warily, and then opened his mouth and spoke again, but with a little hesitation in his voice, I noticed.

"I can move the bike away from the bridge and then start it where the sound won't echo and make as much noise." He offered watching my hands, ready to duck.

"Good." I replied, smiling at him. "What about the rest of us?"

"What do you mean?" He asked, puzzled.

"If you're going to step up as Team Leader son, then the lives and safety of the people under you must always come first. Which means you must have some sort of orders for your people so that they know what to do and not just goof around like a bunch of dummies."

Takashi looked at me warily, a little nervous about giving me the wrong answer.

"Um, you could all wait for us to get back, after we are sure it's safe?" He said timidly, as he tried to be slick by covering the back of his head with his hand.

"Wrong again." I said as I smacked his forehead this time, and he winced and rubbed his head looking at me really annoyed now as I ignored his glare.

"Saeko? Your turn." I said, trying hard to keep from laughing.

I honestly don't know how actor Mark Harmon can keep a straight face doing this to his fellow actors on NCIS. But I was having a ball.

Saeko looked at Takashi in mild alarm and then looked back at me.

"Well?" I said, not looking at her as I scanned the area again with my night scope searching for any threats near us.

"Ano, we could move out after Komuro-kun and Marikawa-sensei leave and travel in the same direction until they make sure it's safe and return to tell us and then give us directions?"

"Close, but NO." I said and raised my hand.

---

Saeko saw me raise my hand and ducked down; covering her head with both hands just like the way they used to teach us in elementary school during tornado drills back home in Texas.

Unfortunately for her, in trying to avoid a smack to the back of her head, Saeko had left herself exposed in another vital area and I was quick to take advantage of her mistake and gave her a healthy wallop to her unprotected bottom.

I heard Saeko gasp as she quickly sat up and placed her hands on her sore butt and looked at me with her mouth open in shocked surprised.

And in perfect position for me to lightly smack her in the back of the head too, for good measure.

"That's what you get for ducking young lady." I said, really struggling hard to keep from laughing now.

I wasn't really trying to hurt or humiliate either of them. Honestly.

Although I did owe Saeko for slapping and beating me silly the way she did.

Naughty girl.

Young people should always respect their elders. No matter how much we piss ya'll off.

---

"ONE of the problems with ya'lls plan is noise." I explained while also trying to keep from laughing at the same time as they both glared at me.

" There's no way to get around it by using the bike, but Shizuka needs a ride and we all need to somehow leave here quietly without attracting our friends over there."

"PLUS, another thing ya'll need to do is ALWAYS have a backup plan in case something bad happens."

"Where are your maps?" I asked them.

The two teens reached into their pockets and pulled out a pair of soggy wads of paper that had once been the photocopied maps we had taken at the school.

"They got wet because we were trying to save what we THOUGHT was you." Takashi explained, looking at me still annoyed at getting smacked.

The kids were annoyed at me obviously, but more importantly, they were also paying attention and not worrying as much about the danger around us.

In fact, neither one of them was as scared as they were just a few moments ago, so my unconventional way of teaching was indeed working. There was indeed a method to my madness.

Although I doubt Dr. Phil would approve.

---

"And like I said before, I'm very proud of you both for trying to save me." I replied to Takashi, looking at him.

"But right now you have no way to find out where the other people in your group are after you leave here, unless you meet up with them again."

"And right now there's no guarantee of meeting them successfully. Not with all of THEM, and who knows WHAT else out there, waiting for you."

I had asked Shizuka to make extra copies of the map just in case we needed extras before we left the school, and it was a good thing too, seeing the condition of the maps the teens held.

"All right, here are a couple extras. Go down and find out EXACTLY where this friend of Shizuka's lives and then figure out the fastest and safest way to get there and mark it." I said as I pulled out my map case and opened it, pulling out a couple of spare maps for the both of them.

"THEN, find an ALTERNATE place to rendezvous in case this place we're going to is way too dangerous to approach, or if something happens and we get separated again."

"ALWAYS have a Plan "B" if the first plan fails."

"Do ya'll understand?"

Takashi and Saeko both nodded their heads. Special Ops people always have more than one backup plan before an Operation is set in motion, and sometimes several backup plans if the first one fails. But I didn't want to overwhelm these kids.

They would learn that, and many more lessons as we all traveled together. But for now, I wanted to be sure they understood EXACTLY what it was they needed to do before we got moving.

"The next thing you want to do is make sure that everyone does the same thing and marks the location we're headed for, as well as mark the alternate location on their maps. And then you need to make sure that everyone knows exactly where we're headed."

"When that's done I want you to come back and show me the location of where we're going so I will know as well, and then I'll let you know for sure whether it's the RIGHT thing to do or not. I'll be keeping watch from up here till you return."

"Saeko-chan," I continued. "When Takashi gets back, both of you need to coordinate your plans together and make sure you're both on the same page."

"Then you need to get everyone moving and help Takashi and Shizuka get clear from the bridge BEFORE he starts the motorcycle, and then start heading towards the direction that's marked on the map where this friend of Shizuka's lives."

"Takashi." I said turning to face the teen. "When they get far enough ahead, I'll signal you, and then you can start the motorcycle and head up to this Rika person's house and see if it's clear. If it is, stay put and don't move. We'll join up with you both as soon as we can."

"What are you going to be doing?" Saeko asked.

"I'll be trailing behind in the shadows." I replied.

"JIMU-SAN, you're not possibly thinking of doing things alone again are you?" Saeko said with an angry look on her face.

"Before you get ready to slap me again hon." I said, getting ready to duck myself if I saw her make any sudden movements.

"The problem is that with all of you walking and riding on the road down there, anyone can sneak up on you from up here. This way, I can keep an eye on all of you and have the advantage of being on the high ground so I can watch both you and any enemies lurking nearby."

"Why not just have all of us join you up here?" Saeko asked.

I just knew Saeko hated the idea of my being alone up here by myself, again. But all things considered, what I was doing was the smartest thing to do.

"Stealth is really not this group's strongest suit Saeko-chan." I replied.

It was no joke either, Saya's sudden little hissy fits at Kouta would get us all killed someday.

Plus, it was also dark, and we needed to remain in the shadows, which meant avoiding street lights and any other form of illumination that would give us away. And with the kid's stumbling around in the darkness not being able to see, well, I might as well have everyone wearing cowbells and popping flares. That would be just about as stealthy.

Saeko sighed and nodded her head. She didn't like it, but there was little choice either.

---

"Takashi, take this." I said to him as I pulled my backup pistol still in its custom ankle holster strapped to my leg. Miraculously, it had also survived my ride along the river bottom, without falling out.

"What is it?" He asked looking at the titanium colored pistol I held in my hand, and looking a little reluctant to take it.

"HK P7 semi-automatic pistol, 9mm." I replied pulling the pistol from its holster and pulling out the magazine. I racked the slide to eject the round and grabbed it, and then handed the pistol to Takashi after I released the slide, letting it slip forward quietly.

"I don't like guns." Takashi started to protest as he held his hand up trying to prevent me from giving it to him. "I'd rather just use my bat."

"It doesn't matter what you like, Takashi." I said, as I looked him in the eye. "You're in charge of other people's lives now and your personal inhibitions mean absolutely jack right now."

"Look son, a gun, like a bat, is just another tool in your arsenal. When you don't have a gun, THEN you use a bat. If you're worried about noise, THEN you use a bat."

"But the safety of the people under you're care comes first, so if you have a gun and don't need it, fine. If you don't have a gun but need one, then you're S.O.L."

"But if you CHOOSE not to take a gun with you because you're not comfortable with it and then get yourself or someone else killed needlessly. Well, then what do call that?"

Takashi stared at the pistol for a long moment and then took it from my hand. I knew he was scared of the thing and the weighty responsibility thrust on him, so I then rested my hand on his shoulder for another pep talk.

"I know this is not something you're comfortable with." I began," But remember son, if you're going to take on the responsibility of protecting others, then your personal wants, desires and fears must not interfere with your ability to act when the need arises." I said to him as he gingerly held the pistol.

"I realize this must scare you a bit holding one of these, but let me assure you that this particular pistol, is one of the safest designs around, so don't be afraid of it." I said, trying to calm his fear.

"The safety is built into the grip, so you can squeeze that trigger all day long and it won't fire."

"Try it." I urged him as he gingerly squeezed the trigger and nothing happened. He then squeezed it a few more times getting comfortable with the fact it wasn't going to explode in his hand, like most first-time gun owners act when they get a gun in their hands for the first time.

"Whenever you DO want to shoot." I explained." Then you need to squeeze the grip first and then hold it while you squeeze the trigger. Try it again."

Takashi squeezed the grip and then squeezed the trigger as the pistol dry-fired.

"It's a little hard to squeeze it." He said looking at me.

"It's supposed to be, so you don't accidentally shoot yourself. " I explained. "Try it a couple more times and get used to it."

Takashi tried it three more times and then I replaced the magazine and racked a round into it.

"Allright, your weapon is hot. If you need to shoot, you know what to do. Just align the sights like the revolver you had earlier and squeeze the grip firmly and then squeeze the trigger."

"You have eight shots. DON"T waste them." I said as I put the pistol back in its holster and handed it to him.

The pistol was carried in an ankle holster that also had a clip on it so that it could be secured to a boot or belt as well as being strapped to an ankle. Takashi clipped it on his belt and made sure it was secure and easy to get to in an emergency, and then nodded that he was ready.

"Be careful, son." I told him." Don't take any unnecessary chances. If things look bad, don't screw around, head back to us, or the secondary rendezvous point, got it?"

"Got it." Takashi replied as he looked at Saeko."Are you ready Busujima-sempai?"

"I wish to speak to Jimu-san for a moment first." Saeko replied looking at him.

"Alone, please. Komuro-kun."

Takashi looked up at the American who nodded his head.

Takashi then glanced over at Saeko again and nodded once to her, and then silently headed back down the hill towards the others.

---

Saeko watched as Takashi walked down the hill, her mind racing with all the things she wished to say to the American and the sick feeling in her stomach wasn't helping ease her mind either.

There was so much she wanted to say to him, and she found herself deeply afraid of what the man would say or do once she spoke, especially after the horrible way she had treated him.

Saeko turned around and forced herself to look into the man's face as she finally mustered the courage to speak and gasped as the man spoke first, startling her.

"What's on your mind, sweetie?" The man said gently.

Saeko had been startled by the man abruptly speaking first, and was unable to speak as the man turned to face her. Even in the dark, Saeko could feel his eyes watching her, and once again lost her nerve, and found herself unable to speak.

"Saeko-chan? What's wrong, honey?" The man asked her worriedly, speaking in the same gentle voice he had spoken to her earlier that day as he left to scout out the bridge on his own searching for transportation.

He had spoken to her so calmly and held her so gently before, trying to comfort her as she had suddenly began to weep for no apparent reason.

He had not chastised her either, or made any jokes as he usually did. Instead he treated her with respect, and at the same time, attempted to comfort her as if she were HIS daughter that was afraid to be left alone.

"And I said all those horrible things to him." Saeko winced as she thought of how she had slapped, beaten, and yelled at him in mindless fury for being nonchalant about nearly dying. It had infuriated her because her heart had been so broken at his loss, and he had acted as if sacrificing his life to save theirs was no big thing at all.

Now, even after all she had done, he was still treating her so kindly, and was still so concerned about her. Even now, with danger all around and the need to seek shelter all the more urgent, he was still taking the time to listen to her, and concerned that something was troubling her.

Saeko just couldn't find the words.

"I, I_," She stammered, as tears began to flow.

"I HAVE TO GO!" Saeko said suddenly, losing her nerve and attempting to get up and run past him.

Saeko suddenly felt the man's arms reach out and embrace her, just as he had before when she had begun to cry as he was about to leave them to search the bridge all alone, earlier that day.

And now here he was again, comforting her when death was all around them. And Saeko could hold her feelings in no longer.

"GOMEN NASAI!" Saeko finally blurted out.

"I'm so sorry Jimu-san!" Saeko managed to say before she became overwhelmed with guilt and started crying, feeling that she would never stop.

For a long while, the two figures stayed like that despite the danger.

To anyone who would have seen the pair in daylight before the Outbreak began, the sight of a young Japanese girl, crying in the arms of an older, Foreign National would have been thought quite odd.

Now however, such a sight was not quite so odd with numerous acts of kindness, mercy, and tenderness being displayed all around the world as people helped others to deal with the horror and tragedy going on all around them.

Friends helping friends.

Family helping family.

Strangers helping strangers, becoming strangers no more.

Now, here next to a canal on the side of a hill in Japan, the two figures were merely one of many who tried to comfort one another.

Just another father trying to comfort his daughter.

---

Author's Notes:

Well,

I goofed again. I had intended on ending "Crossroads" with this chapter.

Instead I only managed to write half of what I wanted. So I guess the next chapter will have to be the one to wrap up "Crossroads". Sorry.

Originally, "Crossroads" was only supposed to be THREE chapters long. Now I've just finished Part Six, and am about to start Part Seven.

"Last Alarm" was a story that was only supposed to be about MAYBE forty chapters in length TOTAL.

Now I'm working on Chapter Eighteen, and it's ONLY the second day of the Outbreak and we haven't even gotten to Rika's condo yet.

AND, the events leading up to the climactic fight at the bridge in Chapter Three is supposed to be TWO WEEKS after the Outbreak. LOL.

Last Alarm has turned out to be a project of a magnitude that I didn't think possible. And I'm constantly amazed by how much bigger it's turned out to be.

This story was meant to be written for my younger brother only, as a gift so he would know me for something else besides my just being his brother and for the job I do.

Posting it here on fanfiction, was merely a whim.

My reasoning was that if someone here liked it, I'd continue what I was doing.

If NO ONE liked it, and thought it was crap. I'd just chuck the whole idea and give my brother a present of some sort.

Instead, people from lands I've never even HEARD of are reading my story and HOPEFULLY enjoying it. I have had some nice things said about my story and I'd love to hear more from all of you, especially from my new friends from overseas.

It really blows my mind honestly. Thank you all for your support.

And yes, my brother is enjoying the story too.

Although I have no idea now when I'll be able to finish the whole story now that a second season has started and a fresh new set of ideas is now coming in.

On that note, I was trying really hard to finish "Crossroads" after an incident last week.

Right now, I'm still an active Firefighter/Paramedic, and we've been pretty busy lately now that summer's almost here and people are starting to act crazier than usual.

Car accidents, EMS calls,and House and Brush fires usually increase around this time and unfortunately, fatalities increase as well.

The other day, I was on ventilating a roof with a Lieutenant on a restaurant fire, and the roof began to sag on us. We got off the roof quickly after venting the roof and one of the things that popped in my head when I got off shift was.

"Man, I need to hurry up and finish "Crossroads" before something happens."

LOL. No, I'm not kidding either. I guess this story has me obsessed with finishing it too.

I've been writing like crazy on this story, but it took me longer this time to finish up this chapter because of how busy we've been at work, and stuff that I need to do on my days off, so I'm sorry it took longer this time to post.

BTW, I've had a LOT of people PM me asking,

"Where's Rika? When are you going to bring back Rika ? Why aren't you bringing Rika back NOW?"

LOL, well I thought I'd bring her back in a cameo appearance.

Don't worry, Rika becomes a HUGE part of the story later.

Also, the little "tantrum" that Rei and Saya had at Jim for him leaving them behind was an inside joke, and not an attempt to make them sound like a couple of spoiled brats.

I have been focusing a LOT on the "father/ daughter" relationship between Saeko and Jim which is going to be a big focus on the story towards the end of "Last Alarm", that I realized, I wasn't giving enough written dialogue to the rest of the group, especially Rei and "Pumpkin".

The truth is, it's just HARD for me to write dialogue for so many people and I really did ''neglect" Saya and Rei, a bit.

So in that scene, I had them throwing a tantrum at Jim for not having more to do in the story.

I thought ya'll might get a kick out of that.

I'll be working on the last part of "Crossroads." And hopefully nothing will happen to me before then.

For now, I thought I'd end the story with Jim and Saeko having a father/daughter moment.

Thanks again folks! Jim

BTW,

Some readers have suggested some really nice music to go with this story.

If anybody wishes to suggest any music to go with these chapters, please give me a holler. Recording a soundtrack to go with this story for my brother would be a pretty cool project too.

Thanks again! Jim