Last Alarm
Chapter Thirty
"Sanctuary"
Part Two
"First the fear, then the panic, then the anger, followed by the hate."
"And then cometh the bloodlust."
UPDATE 6-13-2014:
Based on some suggestions by a few of my readers, this chapter and several others have been dramatically altered.
However, because of what I've done, these "altered" chapters might appear crudely written.
Eventually, I'll get around to "polishing up" these "altered" chapters so that they won't be so crude a read as they are now.
The reason for this "alteration" is because many of my readers became confused as to what I was hoping to accomplish by what I had originally written, and since it's looking like it'll take a couple of years to finish this story, I decided it wasn't worth continuing with what I was doing after all.
As a result, the glimpse into the future that was written into this chapter has been omitted and a completely new ending for the story will be written when the times comes, with a completely different outcome for all the characters.
I apologize for the confusion and the inconvenience.
Location: Tokonosu City, Japan
City Evacuation Tunnel #29
Several Miles from Residence of Soichiro and Yuriko Takagi
Time: Morning
Spring 2013
Z-Day Plus Three
As the small battered caravan finally reached the hastily constructed outer defense perimeter made up of concrete dividers blocking every street leading up to the Takagi Estate, heavily armed guards rushed towards the large forklifts sitting quietly near the roadblock to lift the heavy dividers out of the way.
And as the caravan slowed their approach, the engines of the forklifts roared to life, the machines quickly lifting and moving the heavy concrete dividers aside, allowing the caravan to pass through.
And as last vehicle passed, the dividers were then quickly put back in place and the forklift's engines immediately shut off to keep the sound to a minimum, as Yuriko Takagi reached for the microphone of the dash-mounted radio and pressed the "transmit" button as the heavily guarded gate leading onto the sprawling estate came into view.
"Yoshioka-san?" Yuriko transmitted.
"Hai, Takagi-dono?" The Security Chief replied over the speaker.
"Yoshioka-san, we need to get the wounded directly to the medical-tent." Yuriko transmitted. "Break off formation and escort car #2 to the rear entrance and place Doi-san somewhere secure and out of the eyes of the civilians. I don't want to incite a panic by his presence."
"Yokai." Yoshioka replied as the van carrying the Infected Security man peeled away from the main group followed by the Humvee as the two vehicles raced ahead of the caravan and then turned to the leftt on the street in front of the sprawling estate and followed the small road headed towards the rear exit of the large mansion at the top the hill.
"Car #1." Yuriko then transmitted to the lead van. "Head straight for the medical-tent as soon as we clear the gates, don't waste time going through the driveway, just drive straight across the lawn and try not to jostle our patient's too hard."
"Yokai." The driver of the lead van replied as the leading vehicle passed through the now opened front gates of the main entrance and circled towards the right of the main gate and then carefully hopped the curb onto the sprawling grounds of Takagi Manor.
Takashi winced as he saw the tires of the van tear large muddy ruts into the lush greenscape as the van drove over the once perfectly maintained lawn and headed directly towards a large group of tents erected on one side of the grounds as a crowd of civilians milling around amongst the tents then began to scatter in all directions in reaction to the driver's loudly honking the horn repeatedly as the van barreled towards them.
"Everyone, hang on." Yuriko said out loud as Shizuka and the children quickly placed their hands on the injured American and held him still as their van suddenly lurched violently sideways, as Kukugari drove over the curb and onto the lawn.
And as the rear tires made contact with the wet grass, the driver then hastily tried to gain control of the van as the rear tires slipped on the wet lawn before finally gaining traction as Kukugari then having re-gained control of the vehicle, headed directly towards the line of tents.
As the first vehicle pulled up to the front of a very large tent with a large white banner that someone had hastily spray-painted a large red cross on to mark the tent as being a make-shift hospital, Takashi watched as several men and women dressed in green hospital scrubs exited through the main entrance of the tent and peered curiously at the approaching vehicles.
And then Takashi watched as the medical staff then realized that the new arrivals were actually make-shift ambulances transporting casualties to their location, and began to hurriedly prepare to receive the new arrivals.
And as the first van approached the tents and then came to a complete stop, the rear doors of the lead vehicle flew open and all of the Takagi men that were still able to walk began to pile out of the van.
As some of the injured guards were then quickly escorted away by medical personnel towards the tent, other green-garbed personnel rushed to help the men that were unable to move, the once quiet scene now becoming a beehive of bustling activity as doctors, nurses and other medical personnel spilled out of the tent, each of them attending to the incoming wounded.
"Wow, they really have a nice set-up here." Takashi said aloud as he watched the group of medical personnel at work as their vehicle slowly drove towards the other parked van.
"Yeah, kinda like that American TV show, "M.A.S.H.". Kouta replied, also highly impressed with the medical team's performance.
And as their vehicle slowed its approach towards the tent, Takashi watched as an older, grey-haired man who was hunched over the unconscious butler suddenly began barking orders to the people around him as two young men standing nearby turned and hurriedly ran back into the tent.
After a moment, they returned, each of them carrying a small litter for transferring the unconscious butler and the other wounded guard from the vehicle.
And as everyone in their van continued to watch in fascination, the medical team inside the first van then focused on gently placing the two men on the litters and hurrying them through the main entrance of the tent as the gray-haired man who was probably the Chief Physician along with a couple of nurses and another young male orderly in green scrubs, waited calmly for the second van to arrive.
No sooner had Kukugari finally brought their van to a complete stop and shut the engine off, than the doors of their van were immediately opened by the medical team and the children were hurriedly ordered by Yuriko to pile out of the vehicle and make room for the medical team to enter and examine the injured American.
And as everyone gathered outside, Yuriko quickly gathered the children around her and moved them away from the van as the medical team entered the van.
As they all watched the Chief Physician speaking briefly with the school nurse discussing the man's injuries inside the vehicle, Yuriko suddenly cocked her ear as she heard more than a few startled gasps coming from the crowd of gathering civilians who were pressing in to get a closer look at the new arrivals, all of them peering curiously at everyone that had climbed out of the vans and then gasping at the sight of the wounded men, especially the man with the bloody towel wrapped around his head in the second van.
Yuriko then heard a lot of other voices in the crowd speaking in low murmurs at the sight of the children as some in the crowd reacted with concern that a group of evidently now-orphaned children had apparently been rescued by the members of the rescue party.
And then to her chagrin, Yuriko also heard more than a few male voices making some rather inappropriate comments about the attractive pony-tailed girl wearing a man's undershirt.
"Perverts." Yuriko thought with disgust. "In the middle of all this bloodshed and tragedy, there are still jerks that have nothing better to do than leer and make sick jokes."
And as Yuriko shook her head, she also became aware that the crowd was beginning to press even closer in morbid fascination around the second van, each individual onlooker trying to get a closer look at the badly injured man lying on the floor of the vehicle.
And as the doctor and his team listened to Shizuka's report of the wounded man's injuries, two other men and a nurse, all of them also dressed in green hospital scrubs, hurriedly came over carrying another litter and passed it to the people inside the van, and then waited patiently outside the already crowded van to help in the transfer of the patient once he was placed on the litter.
The crowd continued to watch in fascination as the medical team then placed the injured man on the litter and then carried him outside of the vehicle and prepared to head towards the tent.
And as the injured man was brought out into full view of the crowd, the babbling crowd of onlookers suddenly went silent as everyone finally got a good look at the wounded man, and reacted in shocked surprise at his appearance.
But it was not the swelling to his face or the blood-soaked towel on his head or his blood-splattered clothes that sent ripples of shocked whispers coming from the crowd.
In fact, it was not the man's injuries that had shocked the crowd at all.
And as Yuriko listened to their hushed murmurs she suddenly felt herself growing tense, as Shizuka and the medical team carried the injured man past the gaze of the curious onlookers, who then began to speak excitedly amongst each other as the medical team and their patient disappeared behind the open doorway of the main entrance into the tent with Kukugari escorting them wearing a pistol in a holster on his belt.
The teens however, had not been as observant of the crowd's behavior as Yuriko had been, and as the medical team carried the injured American away, they completely ignored the crowd, their focus entirely on their injured friend as they brushed past everyone and then attempted to follow the medical team through the entrance of the tent to join their friends.
Their attempt to gain entry was abruptly halted however, when a female nurse quickly stepped out from the open entrance of the tent and held up both of her hands blocking their way, as the children came to a sudden halt.
"Just a minute! Where do you think all of you are going?" The young female nurse asked sternly. "Are any of you injured?"
"No." Takashi replied. "We were in the second van with our friends who just went through right now."
"Your friends? You mean the gaijin and the nurse who was with him?" The visibly tired nurse asked.
"Hai, Is he going to be alright?" Saeko asked worriedly.
"He's being treated by the Surgical Team right now." The nurse said, an exhausted look on her face. "And as soon as they finish treating him, someone can tell you more about his status then. But if you're not sick or injured yourself, all of you will just have to wait outside."
There has never been a case in medical history where someone has ever appreciated being told to wait outside whenever an emergency has happened while their sick or injured friend or family member is being taken behind closed doors.
The anxiety of not knowing what is happening to their loved one behind those closed doors while they are forced to sit and wait and pray for good news is indescribable. Yet, it is a necessary evil in order for the medical team to perform their duties without the distraction of a panic-stricken friend or family member in the room hampering the medical personnel's efforts.
However, it is still agony for the person or persons forced to wait outside, nonetheless.
And very few are able to deal with it quietly.
And as the teens began to protest loudly and angrily at being prohibited from entering the tent, the exhausted look on the nurse's face quickly turned into an angry glare.
"I am sorry, but these men in here are all critical, and we need to be able to work on them without anyone getting in the way!" The young nurse said stiffly. "And since none of you are sick or injured anyway, all of you need to remain outside, and that's final!"
"We won't get in the way!" Saeko replied growing increasingly frustrated with the young woman as the nurse likewise began to lose her patience with the insistent teens.
"I am not going to argue with you children, now stay outside!" The nurse said angrily as everyone stiffened at her rebuke.
The teens were almost on the verge of pushing past the frustrated nurse, when Yuriko hurriedly walked over to quickly defuse the near volatile confrontation.
"Please excuse us," Yuriko said as she stepped in front of the teens and gave them a warning glance, as she then bowed apologetically towards the nurse and then intentionally spoke in a voice loud enough for the teens to hear. "We realize that all of you have been working constantly since all of this began without much time to rest."
"And, we also realize that all of you are doing everything you can to help everyone despite that" Yuriko added as the teens started to calm down, now realizing that the nurse's reaction towards them had probably been justified after all.
"Please let us know everyone's condition as soon as it is possible." Yuriko then said bowing again respectfully.
"Of course, Takagi-san." The nurse replied with a tired nod of her head as she then turned around and went back into the tent, closing the flap behind her as Saya glared heatedly at her mother for siding with the nurse.
"I know all of you are worried about him." Yuriko said as the teens stared anxiously at the closed flap of the tent. "But there's really nothing more we can do here."
"But,….." Saeko began as Yuriko quickly raised her hand and shushed her.
"I realize all of you have been through a lot together and you want to be near him,…..especially you, child" Yuriko interrupted. "But you've already done all you can and right now it's out of your hands."
"Don't worry," Yuriko said trying to be consoling. "Between that nurse of yours and the Surgical Team, I'd say he's in very good hands right now. I'm sure he'll be fine.""
"And I also believe," Yuriko added with a thin smile as the teens all looked up at her. "That if he's really the man you say he is, then I'm sure he would not want any of you to be standing out here worrying about him while all of you look like you need help yourself."
"Come on now, let's get all of you cleaned up and get you something to eat." Yuriko said gently as she began to guide the teens in the direction of the main house.
"And let's try to find you some clothes, warrior princess." Yuriko said to Saeko with a smirk as she scrutinized her apparel up and down.
"I do hope you realize young lady, that you're causing quite a bit of a stir amongst all those perverts in the crowd walking around half-naked the way you are." Yuriko said good-humoredly as she motioned for Saeko and the rest of the children to follow her.
"H-hai." Saeko replied blushing as she suddenly realized that in all the excitement, she had forgotten that she was still only wearing the tan t-shirt the American had given her to wear, her school clothes still lying in the dryer back at the condo on the other side of the river.
And as Saeko quickly glanced over at the crowd and noticed the dozens of eyes staring at her, she was now very self-aware of how scantily clothed she really was, and suddenly had the desperate urge to get away from all the leering eyes as quickly as possible.
"I'm certainly glad Jimu-san insisted I wear this back at the condo." Saeko thought as she tried to adjust the t-shirt which kept slipping past her shoulder.
Saeko then blushed even more at the thought of the crowd's reaction if she would have stepped out of the van still wearing only the kitchen apron and her underwear that she had initially worn back at the condo.
The fact that her body was mostly covered by the large t-shirt did not prevent a couple of young men from making some very lewd remarks that reached everyone's ears which caused caused Yuriko to suddenly spin around and charge straight back towards the crowd and then confront the men who quickly shrank back from her frosty glare.
"Gentleman, my family and I have taken it upon ourselves to welcome anyone who is seeking shelter from what's going on outside these walls, and since all of you are guests here as well, I'm sure that there are other things that you can do would be more productive than to leer at this poor teenage girl who has been struggling to survive outside these walls for the past three days?!" Yuriko snapped at the men who had been making comments at Saeko as she then began to give them a severe tongue-lashing in the presence of the rest of the crowd.
"Yeah, knock it off you perv's!" Saya shouted balling her fists as she stood next to her mother and also glared angrily at the men in the crowd.
"They are both so very much alike, yet so very, very different." Takashi said under his breath to no one in particular.
"I agree." Saeko replied.
"She certainly has her mother's strength, but she isn't nearly as refined as her mother, neh?" Rei said as they watched mother and daughter severely chastising the men who cowered under the verbal onslaught.
"She must take after her father." Takashi replied to Rei, chuckling at the show going on in front of them.
"What do you think, Hirano-kun?" Rei said in a teasing voice to Kouta, playfully teasing him for constantly being the focus of Saya's angry outbursts.
"Hirano-kun?" Rei repeated and then looked over at Kouta when he hadn't responded.
"Hirano-kun?" Saeko said, also looking over at Kouta who seemed to be staring into space, a strange expression plastered on his face.
"Kouta-san, are you alright?!" Rei said in a louder voice as Takashi quickly glanced in the direction Kouta was staring and then suddenly face-palmed himself and shook his head.
"Yeah, don't worry. He's fine." Takashi replied with a deep sigh as he stepped towards Kouta and then punched him hard in the shoulder as Saeko and Rei looked on with puzzled expressions on their faces.
"Hey, knock it off you dope, or are you really not that worried about how pissed off Saya's gonna be if she catches you staring at her mother's ass?!" Takashi hissed as Kouta snapped out of his trance.
Overhearing Takashi's rebuke, Saeko and Rei then took a quick look in the direction Kouta had been staring and then turned their heads and looked back at him with a disapproving scowl.
Kouta rubbed his shoulder and then lowered his head in embarrassment at having been caught staring at Yuriko's posterior, the skin-tight, black *BDU's that she was wearing proving too much a temptation for the teen to avert his eyes away from .
(*BDU-Battle Dress Uniform)
"Baka." Saeko and Rei said with a huff as Kouta tried to avoid the irritated looks of the two girls that were directed at him.
"Dude, seriously. What is wrong with you?" Takashi whispered as Kouta sunk his head lower in embarrassment.
"Gomen." Kouta said apologetically. "I just couldn't help myself man, her mom is hot."
Takashi frowned at Kouta's remark and then without thinking, glanced over at Yuriko and Saya who were still busy chewing out the men in the crowd, as Takashi's eyes settled on Yuriko and then reflexively began to drift downward until he also found himself staring at Yuriko's posterior as well.
Unfortunately for Takashi, his staring hadn't gone unnoticed either, however.
"OW! OW! OW! OW! OWWWWW!" Takashi howled as Rei suddenly reached up and pinched his arm as hard as she could.
"TA…..KA….SHIIIII!" Rei said her voice filled with fury.
"Just what the hell are you staring at, Komuro, Takashi-SAN!" Rei said glaring evilly at him.
"OW! Take it easy Rei! OW! It's not my fault! OW!" Takashi said gritting his teeth as Rei twisted her fingers, causing him to gasp, as he instinctively flinched in reaction to the pain.
Somehow, Takashi managed to break free from her grasp as he rubbed his pain filled arm for a moment as Rei continued to glare angrily at him.
Takashi then opened his mouth intending on explaining to Rei why his staring had really been unintentional, when he noticed that Saeko was also glaring angrily at him.
Takashi then realized that there was no way he was going to be able to excuse himself for his staring at Yuriko as he then spun around and angrily punched Kouta on his other shoulder as hard as he could.
"Auuuugh!" Kouta howled as he grabbed his shoulder and then fell to his knees as Takashi glared at him while Alice suddenly burst out laughing at the show.
"See what you caused, you jerk!" Takashi hissed as Kouta rubbed his shoulder. "Now I'm in trouble too!"
"I'm sorry, man!" Kouta exclaimed as suddenly jumped to his feet and then quickly composed himself as he noticed that Yuriko and Saya were walking back towards them.
"Is everything alright?" Yuriko asked puzzled slightly by the strange looks on everyone's faces as she and Saya joined up with the teens.
"Hai, oba-chan!" Alice piped up suddenly.
"Rei onee-chan was just telling Takashi onii-chan and Kouta onii-chan that they shouldn't be staring at,…..mmmmmph." Alice tried to say as Kouta suddenly placed his hand over her mouth.
"Yeah, those men shouldn't be staring at Saeko-oneechan, neh Arisu-chan!" Kouta said keeping his hand over Alice's mouth as he half-carried, half-pushed the little girl towards the mansion as Yuriko and Saya looked at the retreating pair, confused by their behavior.
"Is that boy alright?" Yuriko asked looking over at Takashi who appeared to be sweating despite the cool breeze blowing.
"I wonder that myself, sometimes." Takashi replied shaking his head as Saeko and Rei continued to glare angrily at him.
"Well, he's headed in the right direction." Yuriko said shaking her head. "Well, come on now, let's get all of you indoors."
But just as Yuriko began to herd the teens away from the front of the tent and lead them towards the direction of the mansion, Yuriko once again stopped suddenly as she overheard some of the hushed murmurs of the crowd behind her that were not directed towards Saeko this time.
And Yuriko Takagi felt a familiar chill run up her spine in reaction to the things she was hearing.
"Dammit." Yuriko swore to herself. "I didn't realize they were going to react like this at seeing him, if I had known that I would have had Kukugari drive us to the back of the house like we did Doi-san."
"Takagi-san?" Rei said to Yuriko, noticing the odd look on Yuriko's face. "Is everything alright?"
"Saya-chan," Yuriko said suddenly as she turned around to face the crowd as the rest of the teens looked at her, puzzled as to why Saya's mother had stopped walking with them all of a sudden for no apparent reason.
"Hai, Mama?" Saya asked, also wondering why her mother was acting so strangely.
"Take your friends up to the house, and get the staff up there to help all of you get cleaned up and get something to eat." Yuriko said calmly, but with a noticeable edge to her voice. "There's something I have to do first."
"Eh?" Saya said puzzled as she quickly glanced over at the growing crowd. "Mama, is something wrong?"
"Not at all Saya-chan," Yuriko replied calmly, trying not to alarm Saya or the rest of the children. "I just need to see to my men first, and once I'm sure they're settled I'll join up with all of you later."
"Go on now; I'll be there in a little while." Yuriko insisted as Saya looked at her warily.
"Hai, Mama." Saya replied to her mother, the worry in her voice unmistakable as Yuriko then casually walked over to the entrance of the tent and then disappeared inside.
"Yeah, she heard it too." Takashi thought, the alarms also going off in his head as he watched Yuriko disappear into the tent.
After a few moments, Takashi then watched as Saya's mother then exited the tent followed by Kukugari and three other guards from the first van as they then casually walked towards the van, trying not to draw any attention to themselves.
And once Yuriko and her men reached the lead van, Yuriko then climbed inside as the guards stood outside the passenger side of the van acting casual, yet discreetly watching the crowd while Yuriko began speaking into the hand mike of the transmitter, repeatedly gazing over at the crowd.
"I knew it, something's definitely wrong." Takashi thought with growing alarm. "She's calling for back-up, I'm sure of it."
"Takashi, I think something's wrong." Saya said nervously as she also glanced over at the crowd of onlookers who were all busily talking amongst themselves and pointing towards the medical tent as their gestures became more animated and their voices grew steadily louder.
"I know." Takashi replied nervously as he bit his lip. "I sensed it too."
"What are we going to do?" Saya asked, her fear for her mother's safety as well as their own mounting.
"Hirano, come back here for a moment!" Takashi called out to Kouta as he reached underneath his jacket and felt for the butt of the small HK P7 pistol he had swiped from the American's ankle holster, the compact weapon still tucked securely under his waistband as Kouta returned with Alice in tow.
"Doshita?" Kouta asked sensing something was wrong from the anxious looks on everyone's faces.
"We might have a situation." Takashi replied. "Hand off Alice to Saya, this might get ugly."
"Hai." Kouta replied calmly, casually acting as if nothing were going on as he placed Alice's hand in Saya's and then walked over to Takashi and discreetly flipped the safety of his rifle off.
"Without bringing any attention to yourself," Takashi said quietly as Kouta stood next to him. "Stand over there by the entrance of the tent and keep a close watch for anyone trying to get in."
"Yokai." Kouta replied as he began to casually move over towards the front of the tent.
"Komuro-kun," Saeko said calmly, also having sensed the danger brewing earlier, every muscle in her body tensed and ready to spring into action. "The hospital tent is far too big for all of us to fend off any attacker's by ourselves."
"I know." Takashi replied, a worried frown forming on his brow.
"What is your plan, then?" Rei asked.
"First things, first." Takashi replied calmly despite the uneasy feeling in his stomach. "We need to arm ourselves."
"Hirano-kun has his rifle." Saeko replied. "And Saya, Miyamoto-san, and I still have our knives with us."
"That won't be enough against that crowd," Takashi said flatly. "What we need is the weapons Kouta and I found in that safe last night."
"But those are all still in the Humvee!" Saya hissed, her voice growing anxious. "And that's on the other side of the house!"
"Most of those weapons are still on board the Humvee, yes. " Takashi replied. "But remember, just before we left the condo, I ran out of the van to get the medical kit out of the Humvee for Shizuka-sensei, and when I returned, I also brought Busujima-sempai's bokken and a shotgun with us before we left."
"They're still inside the van we rode in." Takashi said as everyone turned their heads and looked at the van parked nearby, but now nearly surrounded by the large group of onlookers.
"All we have to do is get to them." Takashi said, as he let out a deep breath. "Which isn't going to be easy with that bunch hanging around."
"And then what?" Rei asked.
"That part I still haven't figured out yet." Takashi said with a nervous smile.
"But for now, without anyone noticing, including Yuriko-san and her people, we need to retrieve those weapons out of the van." Takashi said gritting his teeth.
"And if necessary, keep the crowd at bay with them if things start getting nasty." Takashi added with a grimace.
"Do you think you can get to them without being noticed, Busujima-sempai?" Takashi asked, looking over at Saeko.
"Under normal circumstances, I would say yes." Saeko said as she tugged at the large T-shirt she was wearing with an embarrassed smile.
"But dressed like this and with every male in the crowd watching my every move, I'm afraid there's no possible way for me to go over there undetected."
"I'll go." Saya said suddenly as she then handed Alice off to Rei. "Just watch the squirt for me until I get back."
"Saya," Takashi began, hesitant about placing Saya in danger.
"Don't worry fearless leader, everyone here already knows who I am by now." Saya said with an angry scowl. "So no one is going to question what I'm doing walking around the grounds of my own house!"
"And even if they don't know who I am, nobody's gonna try to stop me either if they know what's good for them." Saya said hotly as she turned on her heel and walked off before Takashi could say anything further.
"She's an arrogant, annoying, spoiled little brat, but she's right." Takashi grumbled as everyone watched Saya walking unchallenged towards the second van, being careful to stay out of sight from her mother who was still giving orders over the transmitter in the lead van as she walked up to the rear of the van and then disappeared inside.
"She certainly has courage." Saeko admitted somewhat grudgingly. "Although for someone who believes herself a genius, I find her actions somewhat baffling sometimes."
"So dayo, na?" Takashi agreed.
"Arisu-chan, stay right next to me." Rei said gently as Alice reached around with one arm and hugged Rei, her eyes wide with fright.
"Onee-chan," Alice said as she clung to Rei with one arm and carried the wriggling puppy in her other arm. "Is everything alright? Everyone's acting funny."
"It'll be alright, Arisu-chan." Rei said smiling. "When Saya-oneechan gets back, she's going to take you up to her house."
"Onii-chan, what about you and Saeko onee-chan and Rei one-chan?" Alice said to Takashi, her eyes beginning to tear. "And Kouta onii-chan? Aren't all of you coming too?"
"In a little while Arisu-chan, don't worry." Takashi said, trying hard not to scare the girl. "We're just going to wait here for a while and make sure Ojii-chan is going to be okay."
"Takashi," Rei whispered to Takashi, her voice thick with worry. "Since Saya's mother has sensed what's going on, and has already called for help, shouldn't we just leave this up to her?"
"Help might not get here in time, Rei." Takashi replied, glancing at her. "The other guards drove to the back of the house, remember? It'll take time for them to get back over here."
"Yes, but,….." Rei began.
"Jimu-san is our friend, Rei." Takashi interrupted her, his voice growing tense. "And after all he's done for us and after all we've been through with the Infected and those crazy people out there; I am not about to let some panic-stricken mob lynch him just because they're scared out of their minds."
"Takashi! What makes you think they would do something as horrible as that?" Rei whispered loudly in horror.
"Can't you tell? Listen to them, Rei." Takashi replied, gritting his teeth in anger. "They're so scared right now at everything that's been happening that it won't be long before they start blaming Jimu-san for it all."
"Why would they blame him for the Outbreak?" Rei asked unconvinced.
"Because he's an American for one, Rei." Takashi replied watching the crowd carefully. "And he's also dressed and armed like a soldier."
"What does that have to do with anything?" Rei asked surprised at Takashi's remark. "Just because he's an American doesn't mean he's an enemy."
"He's probably not even a mercenary either. After all, he just proved to all of us that he's really a firefighter, do you honestly think they'd do something like that?"
"Yes I do. Because when their panic finally overwhelms them, his true identity won't matter one bit, Rei." Takashi said looking into her frightened eyes.
"Even if we showed everyone his I.D. and his badge to everyone, no one would care." Takashi added. "No one would believe it either because everyone saw him arrive here wounded, dressed like a soldier, and under guard."
"Believe me, it won't be long before people start asking questions about him," Takashi continued. "And then you'll see just how quickly they'll start growing suspicious when there aren't any satisfactory answers to their questions."
"You still haven't explained why these people would want to kill him!" Rei said scowling. "What makes you think they'd kill him even if he really was an American serviceman?"
"Because back at the condo while all of you women were "bathing", Takashi said dryly. " Kouta and I were watching video footage on the television last night of a group of people protesting on Tokonosu Bashi."
"The protestors were blaming our Government and the Americans for bringing this Contagion on the World, Rei." Takashi explained as he continued to carefully watch the crowd.
"The leader of the protest group was screaming that the Americans and Japan had brought this Contagion or whatever it is, down upon all of us." Takashi continued as Rei and Saeko listened intently. "And then some policeman walked up and ordered him to tell the crowd to disperse."
"And then when the leader of the group refused to have the crowd quiet down or move away from the bridge, the policeman shot him in the head on "Live TV." Takashi stated matter-of-factly as Rei looked at him horrified.
"Anyone watching that video footage is probably now thoroughly convinced that there is indeed some sort of a conspiracy going on then among the World's Superpowers." Saeko said as she watched Saya returning with their weapons. "Especially if they believe a conspiracy is involved between our country and America."
"My thoughts exactly," Takashi replied as Saya approached. "And from the sound of things, many of these people here have definitely seen that footage."
"And if these people grow panicked enough, they might just push past Saya's mother and her guards and charge into the tent looking for answers," Takashi explained further.
"And when they can't find any to satisfy them, they may just try to kill Jimu-san just because they're scared enough to believe that Americans are the cause of all of this."
"And then after they're done with him," Takashi said dramatically. "Then I have no doubt they'll turn their anger on the rest of us just for helping him."
"It's just like I read in a book once about riots in other countries." Takashi said looking back at the crowd. "First the fear, then the panic, then the anger, followed by the hate."
"And then cometh the bloodlust."
"Mob mentality at its finest." Saeko said with a grimace.
"Exactly." Takashi said with a frown as Saya finally arrived with their weapons.
"I don't think anyone noticed me carrying these." Saya said as she handed Saeko her bokken and then handed the shotgun to Takashi who shook his head.
"Good work Saya, but give the shotgun to Rei." Takashi ordered as Rei looked over at him wide-eyed, as Saya handed her the shotgun.
"Takashi why are you giving me this thing? I've never fired a shotgun before!" Rei said in horror as she hefted the heavy weapon feeling like she had just been given a live snake.
"You don't have to shoot it, Rei." Takashi replied. "If worse comes to worst, all you need to do is brandish it and scare them off if they get past us."
"What do you mean, if they get past you?" Rei asked puzzled as Takashi looked over at her. "Where are all of you going to be?"
"Rei, I want you and Saya to take Arisu-chan and go inside the tent and stay there with Shizuka." Takashi replied placing his hand on her shoulder. "And I want you to keep them safe while we try to keep anyone from entering."
"Takashi, look at all these people!" Rei hissed. "Do you honestly think we can hold all these people off by ourselves if they try anything?"
"Hopefully we won't have to." Saya said scowling as she adjusted her glasses. "Mother is calling for Yoshioka-san and the other guards to hurry over here as we speak."
"But,…" Rei began, still hesitant over Takashi's course of action.
"This is all just a precaution, Rei." Takashi added. "Hopefully all we have to do is bluff our way through this until the other guards arrive."
"And if they don't arrive in time?" Rei asked anxiously.
"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it, Rei." Takashi said grimly in reply, although in truth, he still had absolutely no idea what he would do if things continued to spiral out of control.
"I might very well have to shoot someone again." Takashi thought to himself, thinking of the first night he and Rei had been separated from the others on the first night of the Outbreak.
The same night he had been forced to shoot a man in order to save Rei's life.
It had happened right after they had been separated from the others in the school's mini-bus right after Rei's angry exit from the mini-bus immediately after Shido's self-proclaimed promotion to Leader of the group.
As he jumped out after Rei and they both began arguing outside, he and Rei had been forced to dive into a tunnel to avoid an out-of-control bus that had been overrun with the Infected, becoming trapped in the tunnel by the burning bus blocking the entrance, and then had been forced to flee to the opposite side of the tunnel just before the burning bus exploded.
Trapped on the other side of the tunnel and with no way to get back and join their companions, they had finally managed to find an abandoned motorcycle lying in the street, and had used it to transport themselves through the blood-soaked streets of the city.
And while trying to refuel the motorcycle by stopping at an abandoned convenience store, the teens had unknowingly become the target of a man crazed by the horrors of the Outbreak, who stealthily snuck up on them at the fueling station.
And while he had been inside trying to break open the cash register to get money to use to operate the fuel pump, the thug had quietly snuck up on Rei who was standing guard outside near the pumps and then held her hostage at knifepoint while he ran towards them, alerted by Rei's screams.
Faced with the crazed thug holding Rei hostage and demanding that he leave the motorbike and Rei behind, he had instead quickly drawn a police service pistol from his coat pocket that Rei had salvaged earlier from a wrecked patrol car and opened fire on the thug, hitting him in the shoulder at point-blank range.
Rei managed to get away unharmed from the thug who had only been wounded, but his pain-filled screams had attracted the attention of a large crowd of Infected walking in the streets nearby who then quickly descended on the wounded man as he and Rei quickly sped away on their motorcycle.
"Only this time, instead of just wounding somebody, I might have to shoot to kill." Takashi thought as he felt his stomach knot up at the thought, and then pushed the thought out of his mind as the voices in the crowd grew louder in his ears.
"Alright everyone act casual, but be ready." Takashi said looking up at the other teens as he walked over towards Kouta and beckoned Saeko to follow. "It's already starting."
Rei listened nervously as the voices of the crowd grew louder, and as she shuddered from the things she heard being spoken about the wounded American, even she began to appreciate Takashi's precautionary steps.
"Let's go." Saya said to Rei quietly as she grabbed Alice's hand and they walked calmly through the entrance of the tent and closed the flap behind them as a some of the busy staff noticed the girls walking into the bustling tent and were about to protest, when a series of startled gasps escaped the mouths of several of the medical staff at the sight of Rei entering the tent carrying a shotgun.
"Girls, what are you doing in here, and what are you doing with that?!" Shizuka asked in alarm as she walked away from the group of people she was standing next to treating the American who was now unconscious again, and were all staring nervously at the brown-haired teenage girl with the shotgun.
And as Shizuka walked over to where the girls were standing and removed the mask covering her mouth and nose, and gazed upon the girls faces, she realized that the girl's abrupt entrance into the tent, was definitely not to check on the American's status.
"What's wrong?" Shizuka asked as she looked into the eyes of the three frightened girls.
"Sensei, we might have a problem." Saya said calmly as she escorted Alice and Shizuka away from the front of the tent as the voices outside began to grow louder.
"Young lady, what are you three doing in here?" The Chief Physician asked, intentionally keeping his voice calm so as not to provoke the teen with the shotgun. "And why are you in here armed?"
"We may have a problem brewing outside, Sensei." Saya replied with a very anxious look on her face as she looked up towards the other medical staff that were approaching them.
"What is the matter?" The nurse who had snapped at them earlier asked with concern as she and the other hospital staff warily gazed over at the shotgun in Rei's hands.
"Some of the people outside are starting to say some pretty disturbing things about him." Saya replied pointing at the unconscious American, her voice slightly cracking as she tried to keep her emotions in check. "My mother has already called for help from our Security staff and my friends are standing guard outside as well, but things might get out of hand before help arrives."
"What happened out there?" Shizuka whispered loudly as Saya placed Alice's hand in Shizuka's. "Why is everyone angry with Jimu-san?"
"The crowd started getting very agitated right after seeing Jimu-san being brought in here, and Komuro-kun is afraid things might get ugly." Rei replied.
"There are also a lot of people outside who are blaming America for the Outbreak, and some of the people out there are angry at Jimu-san just because he's an American." Saya explained.
"Is that why everyone is so noisy all of a sudden?" One of the other nurses asked quietly, the fear very visible in her voice.
"Yes, and trust me, things could soon be getting very ugly out there." Saya said trying to keep her own voice calm as the voices outside now began to intensify.
"And what exactly are you three supposed to do?" The Chief Physician asked looking directly at the girls.
"We're supposed to keep everyone safe." Rei said matter-of-factly, slightly annoyed at the looks the adults were giving her.
The Chief Physician looked at the teens incredulously for a long moment, and then looked around the tent at the frightened eyes of his staff and at all of the patients being treated inside and then spoke calmly, but loud enough for all to hear.
"I need all of my staff to remain calm and continue your work on these casualties that have been placed in our care." The doctor ordered.
"And if something happens, do not resist, understand?" The doctor then ordered as Rei looked up at him in surprise.
"Ladies and gentlemen, remain calm." The doctor said, speaking to the frightened patients in the room. "Do not be alarmed, the situation is under control. I need all of you to listen to the instructions of the medical staff if things do indeed become drastic, but please, remain calm."
"Young lady," The doctor said speaking to Rei. "I want you to calm down as well and put that thing away."
"I'm afraid I can't do that, Sensei." Rei replied as she stubbornly held on to the shotgun.
"Brandishing that weapon in here will do more harm than good, child." The doctor said, trying to be reasonable with the stubborn teen.
"I'd rather have it and not need it, than need it and not have it, Sensei." Rei replied slightly annoyed at the old man.
"Well said, child." The doctor chuckled despite the tense situation. "But I think in this case, brandishing a weapon might not be advisable."
"I'll take that under "advisement", Sensei." Rei retorted and then turned her back on him as Shizuka shot her a nasty look for her rudeness.
"By the way, what do you mean, "do not resist" if people come rushing in here?" Rei said looking back at the doctor.
"I mean exactly that." The doctor replied as he looked directly at Rei. "Do not resist those people if they come in here for the American, they will kill you."
"I can't do that." Rei said stubbornly. "He's our friend and he has risked his life for us, and we shall do the same for him."
"And you will die," The doctor said matter-of-factly as Saya and Rei glared angrily at him.
"If things are as bad out there as you say they are child, and if those people manage to get past the guards and your friends and come in here, nothing you do will stop them." The doctor added.
"You may be able to shoot one or two of them, but then they'll overwhelm you and kill you and perhaps everyone else in here as well and then they will kill your American friend anyway."
"What the hell are you telling me I should do then, let them kill him?!" Rei retorted angrily.
"Rei, that's enough!" Shizuka hissed angrily.
"Yes." The doctor said as Shizuka, Rei and Saya blinked in surprise at his blunt reply.
"What the hell makes you think I would even consider doing that?" Rei asked angrily as the doctor slowly raised his hand and pointed a finger at the unconscious American.
"Because I'm sure that he would rather die than live with the knowledge of knowing that any of you died because of him." The doctor explained as Rei blinked in surprise.
"What do you know about any of this? You're just a doctor!" Rei snapped as all of the medical personnel, including Shizuka gasped at Rei's rude remark.
"Because for one, I also have children too, young lady." The man replied gently as he met Rei's angry glare. "And I know how I would feel if any of them died trying to help me in this same situation."
"And I also have a little bit of experience in dealing with troublesome people." The doctor added as he then turned to face Shizuka.
"Marikawa-san, I'm going to appeal to you to be the voice of reason and try to convince your young friends here that if any of those people out there get past your friends, you do what you have to, to defend yourselves and get away from here, but do not try to defend this man." The doctor warned.
"Because if any of those people decide to come charging in here, believe me they'll be here looking for blood."
"And you do not want these children or yourself to also become the focus of their rage." He added.
"Wakatta." Shizuka replied as she glared angrily at Rei, silencing her from speaking any further with the furious look on her face.
The doctor then glanced over at Rei and frowned slightly as Rei met the man's gaze.
"Child, do you even know how to shoot that thing?" He asked as Rei looked at him annoyed.
"Of course I do!" Rei responded hotly as a smirk formed on the surgeon's face.
"My father is a policeman." Rei added growing even more annoyed at the man's smirk. "He taught me all about guns."
"I see." The doctor said still smirking as he walked towards Rei.
"Did he also teach you about how you're supposed to take the safety off a weapon before you shoot?" The doctor asked as he reached over and pushed the safety catch on the shotgun off.
"Please try not to accidentally shoot any of my people if you're forced to use that thing, okay?" The old doctor said good-humoredly as he then returned to the unconscious American and ordered his staff to continue their treatment of the man as Rei blushed beet red.
"Twenty-five years in the J.S.D.F. as a member of the Military Police, before transferring to the Hospital Corps, earning the rank of Colonel before I retired from the Military to work in the private sector." The doctor said out loud as he then walked towards the groups of people attending to the other patients in the tent.
"And yes, I'm also a doctor." He added as he leaned over to check the status of the injured butler, as Shizuka gave Rei another chastising look before she gathered Saya and Alice around her and moved them away from the front of the tent.
"Smart Rei, really smart,… you baka." Rei thought to herself, deeply embarrassed as she turned to follow the others, and pointed the shotgun muzzle down at an "at rest" position as she stood guard next to Shizuka and the others at the rear of the tent and watched the closed flap of the tent.
"Takashi, I sure hope you know what you're doing." Rei thought to herself as she nervously licked her lips.
"So what's the plan?' Kouta asked calmly, keeping a watchful eye on the crowd.
"For now, stay out of the way and let Yuriko-san and her people handle the matter." Takashi replied watching as Yuriko climbed out of the van and then began speaking with Kukugari as he and the other guards then fanned out trying to help calm the crowd.
"However if things go bad and these people push past them, we'll step in and hold them off until help arrives if we can." Takashi added, his voice tense as he calmly placed his hand on the butt of his pistol still tucked inside his waistband.
Understood." Saeko acknowledged.
"No matter what happens guys, no one gets past us, understand?" Takashi said calmly despite his fear.
"Because if they do get past us, not only is Jimu-san in danger, but Rei, Saya, Shizuka and Arisu-chan will also be in danger as well." Takashi said as he looked over at the crowd.
"Yokai." Saeko and Kouta replied as Saeko tightened her grip on her bokken and Kouta calmly shifted his rifle to a more comfortable position as it hung from its sling.
Yuriko had just finished transmitting to Yoshioka her request for back up and ordered her men to fan out just in case the crowd started to grow more agitated as she then noticed three of the teens still standing near the front of the tent, with Saya and the other two girls nowhere in sight.
"They must be inside the tent watching over the American." Yuriko cursed under her breath. "Dammit, I'm going to strangle those kids when this is all over."
Yuriko's frustration with the children was interrupted by the increasingly disturbing words coming from the crowd that had set off the alarms in her head in the first place, and as she walked towards the crowd to join her men.
"Did you see that?" Yuriko had heard one person speaking loudly to another person earlier as the medical team had carried the American inside the tent. "That man in the last van wasn't Japanese, he was a foreigner."
"I thought so too, what country do you think he's from?" Asked another.
"I couldn't tell, his face was pretty swollen." The first man replied.
"He kind of looked like an American." Offered one man.
"An American?" Another asked. "Are you sure?"
"Possibly, or maybe British." The man replied, slightly unsure of himself.
"No, he can't be British." One woman said in a condescending tone. "Didn't you see the color of his skin? He was dark-skinned."
"What the hell difference does that make?" Said the first man. "They have dark-skinned people in England too, baka."
"I think she might actually be right." Said another woman with spiky hair, as she glared angrily at the rude man. "He really did look like he might be Hawaiian."
"How the hell would you know?" The spiky-haired woman's husband standing next to her replied. "You've never been there."
"My cousin married a Hawaiian, don't you remember, ahou?!" The spiky-haired woman shot back.
"Carlos?" The man said with contempt. "He's not Hawaiian, he's from Brazil."
"Brazil? Isn't that near South America?" Whispered one man to another woman standing next to him.
"Yeah, not even close to Hawaii." The woman answered back.
"So neh, maybe he's Latin then?" Another young woman asked.
"Latin? You mean Latino, like from Mexico?" Her boyfriend asked.
"Yeah, maybe he's a Mexican?" The girl responded.
"Oh you silly girl, Mexicans don't look Hawaiian." An old woman replied, rolling her eyes as she laughed out loud.
"Well, actually some of them do kind of look Samoan." Another man said.
"Well, you have to admit, that is also true, dear." The old woman's husband said to her.
"Wait, isn't Samoa a completely different island?" A nerdy-looking office worker said out loud.
"WHATEVER!" The spiky-haired woman screamed in frustration. "I still say he look's Hawaiian!"
The spiky-haired woman's husband spat in disgust as the loud murmurs now coming from the crowd all seemed to be in total agreement with his wife's assessment of the injured man's nationality, despite the absurdness of her reasoning.
"Well wherever he's from, he's been wounded." Said a man dressed in the grey coveralls of a mechanic. "Maybe he was attacked by the "Infected", perhaps?"
"No, he'd be infected himself by now and attacking everyone in sight." Offered another woman wearing a torn evening gown. "He does look like he's been beaten pretty badly though."
"A tourist from overseas who was in an accident perhaps?" An old man holding a cat asked.
"Well, he is wearing regular street clothes." One woman commented. "I think you're right, he might be a tourist."
"I don't think so." Remarked another woman dressed in a dirty business suit. "He may have been wearing jeans and a t-shirt, but I also noticed that he was wearing tan combat boots, and I think I saw an empty pistol holster and knife sheath strapped to his right leg almost like a soldier would wear."
"Nooo." Said another woman scoffing at her. "I'm from Okinawa, and American soldiers at the base there don't dress like that."
"They do wear tan combat boots though." Another man said. "I see them wearing them all the time."
"So what, my son wears combat boots, too!" The woman retorted, pointing at her teenage son standing nearby wearing Goth-inspired garb. "But does he look like a soldier to you?"
"Shut up, mom." The teenage boy mumbled as he rolled his eyes and walked away, trying to avoid everyone's stares.
"So you're saying that this man can't possibly be an American soldier, even though there was an empty pistol holster strapped to his belt and a knife sheath strapped to his leg?" The woman in the business suit shot back as the woman from Okinawa suddenly went silent as she glared angrily back at the businesswoman.
"Regardless of how the man was dressed," Another man said dressed in a rumpled and dirty jogging suit. "How could an American or any other foreigner be walking around freely in our country carrying weapons, unless he really was a soldier?"
"That's a good point." A few voices in the crowd agreed.
"Actually now that I think about it, I've seen soldiers dressed like that before." A young teenage boy somewhere in the crowd suddenly piped up excitedly. "Especially soldiers wearing regular clothes and tan boots like he was wearing!"
"Where?" Asked a few in the crowd, everyone anxiously awaiting an answer to the mysterious injured stranger now in their midst.
"On CNN video footage from Afghanistan," Came the excited reply from the young teenager. "They were showing video of the American Special Forces in combat. And some of them dress just like that!"
"An American commando?" Asked an older man. "Walking around heavily armed and all alone out here in our country out there with all the Infected?"
"You've been watching too much TV, kid." Another man scoffed.
"Are you sure?" The spiky-haired woman asked shivering slightly as a chill went up her spine at the thought of an American soldier being in their midst.
"I'm sure he is!" The teenager persisted. "I've seen lots of photos on the internet about the American Special Forces, and I've also read somewhere that when they are in enemy territory, they try to "blend in" with the populace over there in the Middle East, and so they normally don't wear uniforms or shave their beards."
"Well, that explains why he's not wearing a uniform of any kind." One man said.
"You know, he did look unshaved." Another man agreed as a few people nodded their heads in agreement also.
"So am I." A very fat butcher said looking at everyone with scorn. "Does that mean I'm a commando too?"
"I don't know, it actually kind of makes sense." A thin man wearing spectacles said as he stroked his chin deep in thought. "You'd have to be highly trained or extremely crazy to be walking out there all alone among the "Infected" right now."
"What? So you honestly think he's an American commando?" Asked the butcher looking at the thin man in disbelief.
"It's certainly possible." The spectacled man said with a thin smile. "I once worked for the J.S.D.F. as an Intelligence Analyst, and I know that our own Special Forces are trained to work in small teams or even alone if necessary."
"For the sake of argument however, let's just suppose this man isn't an American commando for a moment and imagine that instead, he could be just a tourist, or possibly some American serviceman from one of the nearby bases that is just lost in the city."
"But I seriously doubt that." The man added.
"Why is that?" Asked the butcher, still suspicious.
"Casual clothes and combat boots are not a clear sign that this man is a commando of any sort, even though I have seen some of the American Special Forces dressed in the same manner." The man explained. "In actuality, his attire is what I have seen many Americans wear in their own country."
"So in reality, he could have just been an American tourist that was lost in all the chaos."
"However, his being as heavily armed as he seemed to have been equipped, and the fact that there were guards around him is highly suspicious and I seriously doubt that he is just some lost tourist." The spectacled man went on, as he adjusted his glasses.
"Why do you say that? The spiky-haired woman asked as everyone moved closer, anxiously awaiting the man's further explanation.
"American servicemen serving in the American bases are always well briefed on our gun laws, and are prohibited from carrying any weapons off their bases. " The man explained. "Therefore, for an American to be so heavily armed and so far away from the nearest American Military Base is highly suspicious, and thus points to the strong possibility that he is part of a possible military operation of some sort."
"And since you cannot walk off an airplane and stroll through airport security carrying weapons, nor walk into a convenience store or police station and appropriate guns, therefore I must conclude that he must have brought them himself, which again, points to his presence here as possibly being an operative on a covert military operation and not just some lost tourist."
"Well if he is an American commando, what is he doing here?" The butcher asked out loud, his voice an octave higher than before, trying to talk over the loud murmurs of the crowd.
"Maybe he was part of a rescue team?" A young pregnant woman asked hopefully. "Maybe he's here to help rescue us!"
"Not likely." Another man spat angrily. "Damn Americans never help anyone unless it benefits them first!"
Takashi licked his lips nervously in response to the chorus of angry shouts yelling in agreement that sounded amongst the crowd at the man's comment, his mouth feeling very dry all of a sudden.
He then watched nervously as Yuriko Takagi finally walked over to face the crowd after conferring with her men and having them fan out to calmly gesture for the crowds to move back, as an older man suddenly stepped in front of the crowd and waved his arms in an attempt to calm his countrymen down so that he could be heard.
"Instead of all this speculation and hearsay, perhaps we should ask Takagi-sama who he is, and get some real answers." The older man wearing the clothes of a fisherman stated as he and the rest of the onlookers turned to face Yuriko.
"Takagi-sama?" The old fisherman asked as Yuriko cautiously kept one eye on the the crowd. "Forgive us for asking, but some of us were wondering, that injured foreigner you and your men brought here to the hospital tent, is he an American soldier?"
"No sir." Yuriko replied immediately as she looked into the eyes of the curious and yet, equally frightened eyes of the crowd of onlookers gathering around her and did her best to appear calm before the crowd.
"We're not sure who he is, but since he's obviously been injured, we brought him along with us for medical treatment." Yuriko added. "As soon as he regains consciousness, we'll know more."
Not satisfied with her answer however, the spiky-haired woman spoke up above the loud murmurs of the crowd at Yuriko's reply.
"Takagi-sama, this boy over here says he's seen men like him before." The woman said as she pointed first at the teenage boy who had spoken earlier, and then looked out over the crowd looking for the thin man with the glasses that had spoken earlier.
And then not finding him in among the people in the crowd she then continued speaking. "And there was another gentleman here earlier who said he was in the J.S.D.F. and also stated that he believed the man you just brought in was an American Special Forces soldier."
"He is, isn't he Takagi-san?" The woman said in an accusing tone.
"I repeat," Yuriko said ignoring the woman and addressing the crowd once again." We don't know who he is, or his nationality, or his reason for being here. And until we do, he's being kept under our protection until the proper authorities have been contacted."
"But Takagi-sama," The woman persisted. "If he's an American commando, isn't it possible he was sent here to spy on us and find out where we are?"
"Is that true?!" Yuriko heard a few voices cry out in alarm.
"She's right!" One woman carrying a crying child in her arms, obviously panicked by the possibility scenario of an American attack on Japan. "Now that there's an American spy here, the rest of the Americans will know we're here too, and they'll come here to get him and kill us all too!
"Maybe that's the reason all this is happening, because the American's really have declared war on us!" A teenage girl wearing a pair of rather large spectacles shouted in fear, her frightened words beginning to send ripples of panic through the crowd.
"Listen to me, all of you! America is NOT at war with Japan!" Yuriko shouted as she watched several heads shaking in disgust at her words as she held her hands up trying to calm the angry crowd.
"First the fear, then the panic." Takashi said under his breath, as he watched the drama unfolding in front of his eyes.
"Then the anger, followed by the hate." Saeko continued. "And after the hate,…"
"Cometh the bloodlust." Kouta finished.
"Here we go." Takashi said gripping his pistol and removing it from his waistband, his fears that the crowd would come apart and resort to mob violence had indeed been justified.
The terror of the Outbreak had already caused speculation amongst some conspiracy theorists that the Japanese Government and the Americans had somehow been involved in the events of the past three days in Japan.
However it was the video footage of the police officer shooting an un-armed protester that really seemed to justify that what the conspiracy theorists had been saying all along was indeed true and as a result, the fears of the people only escalated.
And then with the seemingly lack of help from the Government and especially the Military, the people's anger and frustration had only intensified.
And as a result, anti-government and especially anti-American sentiment had begun to build among the surviving civilians as questions went unanswered and suspicions increased.
The mere sight of the wounded American was all that was needed to cause the deep-rooted fear and suspicion building within the people seeking shelter at Takagi Manor to come bubbling to the surface.
And the fear and anger they had kept under wraps the past three days began to unravel as panic began to build upon the American's presence.
And despite opening the doors of their own home to the refugee's and providing food, shelter, medicine, and safety, the panicked crowd started to turn on their hosts, as all at once, Yuriko was pelted with an angry slew of questions coming from all directions as the crowd began to come unglued.
"Takagi-sama?! Why is an American commando here?!" A young voice shouted. "Why was he spying on us?"
"A spy?" Another horrified woman asked. "Why is an American spy here in Japan?"
"They said he was here looking for us so the Americans can know where we are and kill us!" Another teenage boy shouted over the loud voices in the crowd.
"He must be a scout sent by the American Military to find survivors so they can annihilate the rest of us!" Another man said disgustedly as he shook his fist in rage.
"Why would the Americans care where we are?!" A woman said as tears fell down her face as she held her child closely. "There are mostly only women and children here!"
"You think they really care? All they care about is if their damn plague they launched on us is working like they expected!" Another man yelled angrily, also shaking his fist in the air.
"It's true then, that the Americans are responsible for the Outbreak?!" The spiky-haired woman shouted as Yuriko tried to yell over the angry shouts of the crowd still trying to restore order.
"I KNEW IT!" One man shouted over her voice, as another slew of questions from all directions flooded forth from the frightened crowd as raw panic gripped all of them.
"Are we at war?!"
"Did America do this to us?!"
"Is he here to show the Americans where we're hiding?!"
"Where is our Military? Why aren't they here to protect us?!"
"The Americans probably killed those who were left, now they're coming for us!"
"That's why that American was wounded, he was fighting against our soldiers!"
"That must be it!" Another man shouted angrily. "That's why he's under guard, he's a prisoner!"
"Yeah, he's probably really a prisoner!" Another young man shouted as the crowd began to press in towards the medical tent much to Yuriko's alarm.
"The Americans did this to us!" Another older woman yelled. "They unleashed this plague on us! That's why they sent a spy here, to see if there's anyone left for them to kill!"
"Everyone!" Yuriko shouted as she raised both of her hands in the air and waved for the crowd to back up. "I need all of you to calm down, please!"
"Takagi-san, is that man really just an injured foreigner, or is he really a prisoner?!" Someone shouted angrily as the crowd continued to press in, ignoring Yuriko's pleas.
"He's just a wounded man who needs our help!" Yuriko shouted as Kukugari and the guards stood their ground, not budging as they tried to keep everyone back.
"Dammit, Yoshioka, where are you?" Yuriko thought, gritting her teeth.
"But is he a prisoner?!" The same voice shouted as all eyes turned towards Yuriko.
"I repeat, he is not an American soldier, and Japan is not at war with the Americans!" Yuriko replied as the mood amongst the crowd started to grow even more heated. "He is an injured man in our protection until the authorities arrive to question him. That's all I can say for now!"
"YOU'RE LYING!" The young man who had spoken earlier shouted as other voices also began to shout in fury. "WHY ARE YOU PROTECTING AN AMERICAN SPY WHO'S KILLING OUR FRIENDS AND FAMILIES?!"
"HE'S NOT A SPY!" Yuriko yelled over the shouts of the angry crowd. "Now stand back!"
"YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHO HE IS!" The woman with the spiky hair and a wild-eyed look on her face began yelling. "FOR ALL YOU KNOW, HE COULD HAVE BEEN ONE OF THE MEN RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL OF THIS!"
"PEOPLE, I ASSURE YOU WE WILL GET TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS!" Yuriko shouted as everyone began to start pressing in again as her guards were starting to have a more difficult time trying to shove people back.
"SO PLEASE, GET BACK!" Yuriko yelled over the now angry shouts of the crowd.
"WHY SHOULD WE HELP HIM? HE AND HIS COUNTRY HAVE DECLARED WAR ON US!" A young woman shouted angrily.
"YEAH! ARE YOU GOING TO TREAT AN ENEMY WITH WHAT FEW SUPPLIES WE HAVE LEFT, WHILE OUR COUNTRYMEN AND FAMILIES ARE DYING ALL AROUND US? WHOSE SIDE ARE YOU ON? Takashi heard someone scream.
"WHY SHOULD WE WASTE OUR DOCTORS AND MEDICINES ON AN ENEMY?! KILL HIM! "Someone roared as the crowd now whipped into a panicked frenzy, began to shout in agreement.
"KILL HIM!" "KILL HIM!" "KILL HIM!" "KILL HIM!" The now-frenzied mob began to chant as Rei and the others could now clearly hear them through the walls of the tent as Rei gripped her shotgun even tighter.
"THAT IS ENOUGH! Yuriko roared as she placed her hand on the butt of her pistol and unsnapped the retaining strap as the crowd suddenly quieted down in response.
"THIS IS MY HOUSE! AND ALL OF YOU WERE THE ONES WHO SOUGHT REFUGE HERE! " Yuriko yelled as everyone glared angrily at her. "AND WHILE YOU ARE HERE YOU WILL ABIDE BY THE RULES OF THIS HOUSE OR YOU ARE FREE TO LEAVE AS OF RIGHT NOW!
"THIS MAN IS UNDER OUR PROTECTION AND HE WILL BE TREATED BY OUR MEDICAL STAFF AND REMAIN IN OUR CUSTODY UNTIL THE AUTHORITIES ARRIVE! Yuriko said as she glared back without blinking as the angry crowd continued to glare back at her.
"AND THEY WILL BE THE ONES TO HANDLE THIS! NOT YOU!"
"MY FAMILY AND I DID NOT TAKE ALL OF YOU IN JUST SO YOU COULD FORM A MOB AND TEAR MY HOME APART!"
"NOW I AM ORDERING ALL OF YOU TO DISPERSE. IMMEDIATELY!" Yuriko roared.
But it was already too late.
"WHY ARE YOU PROTECTING HIM?! " A few angry voices immediately shouted back at Yuriko from among the angry crowd.
"DAMN POLITICIANS, BETRAYING YOUR OWN COUNTRYMEN!" Another shouted.
"IT FIGURES, "One older man roared. "RICH PEOPLE, THEY PROBABLY SOLD OUT TO THE AMERICANS!"
"YEAH, HOW MUCH MONEY DID THE AMERICANS PAY YOU TO BETRAY YOUR OWN COUNTRY?!" One man yelled as he tried to push past one of the guards and was pushed back.
"TRAITOR!" The man yelled as he spit at Yuriko.
"TRAITORS!" "TRAITORS!" "TRAITORS!" The crowd began to chant.
"TRAITORS! DON'T LET THEM GET AWAY!" The spikey-haired woman screamed as she pushed past one of the guards and pushed Yuriko to the ground.
"KILL THEM! KILL THEM! KILL THEM!" The spiky-haired woman screamed as Yuriko reached for her pistol.
"BLAM!"
Everyone inside the confines of the tent as well as outside ducked at the same time as the sound of a gunshot roared over the angry shots of the angry mob as men and women alike panicked screams rent the air all around followed by an eerie silence.
"CHKK!-CHKKKK!"
The sound of a round being racked in the chamber of a shotgun is the most easily recognized sound out of all firearms.
And as seventeen year old Rei Miyamoto racked the pump action of the shotgun, causing everyone in the tent to flinch at the sound, there was not another sound heard inside the tent as everyone's attention suddenly became focused on the young girl with the shotgun who raised the heavy weapon and pointed it at the closed tent flap and placed her finger over the trigger.
There was no sound at all as Rei stared at the closed flap of the tent.
Mere cloth separating them from whatever horror was happening outside.
"Takashi?" Rei said, her lips quivering as frightened tears fell from her face.
Author's Notes:
Sometimes you just have to laugh at yourself when people point out your faults, especially when it comes from a friend.
And after watching a few foreign movies from overseas, I do have to say, I'm not surprised at other people's view of Americans, but as an American myself, sometimes it's actually funny to see people describing us in a movie or comedy in a different light than what we would expect.
Andrew's claim about American's being "a bunch of gun-crazy, loud mouth, assholes" is actually a quote from a TV series in England that quite frankly, is my favorite show about my favorite group of British commandos, the SAS.
Thought I'd include it in my story to honor Poynton90 and the rest of my friends and brother firefighters from "across the pond."
We love ya'll too, "mates."
Speaking of Americans, the little,… "Is he American, is he Mexican, or is he Samoan" thing is a little jab at the world's view of Americans, and at the same time, it's also a jab at the attitudes of some of my fellow Americans, especially some of the guys I work with.
Even being born an American does not necessarily mean we are all the same.
Believe it or not, being of Latino Heritage, most people assume that I eat Mexican food all the time, drink tequila, sell drugs, boost cars, run with a gang, spray-paint buildings, and speak perfect Spanish with the very distinct "We don't need no steenking badges" accent to boot.
By the way, yes I do speak Spanish, but when I was a teen, the other Latino kids and I didn't speak it in school because the non-Spanish speaking teachers would think that we were either trying to hide something, or say something about them that we didn't want them to hear, so anyone who was caught speaking Spanish was sent to the principal's office, or was disciplined outside the classroom.
Some things have changed since then, thank goodness.
And for the record, no, I don't do the other stuff.
And I also prefer Chinese food, thank you very much.
Anyway, later as an adult, I was once told by one of the Fire Captain's when I got back to the station after assisting EMS on a call, "Jim, we sure coulda used you on that last call we went to, everybody spoke only Spanish."
And as a joke, I replied.
"Well you would have been out of luck "Cap", I don't speak Spanish."
"What do you mean you don't?" Was his startled reply. "Aren't you Mexican?"
Seeing how I was born in San Antonio, TEXAS U.S.A. I decided to have a little fun with that particular Captain of my former Engine Company.
Well after all, I am a fireman, and ya'll know how we firemen love practical jokes.
And I've never missed a chance to play a prank on an officer either, if I can get away with it.
"I'm not Mexican "Cap", I'm from Hawaii." I replied with a straight face, not realizing that he and almost everyone else in the Department would truly believe it for years afterwards.
To this day, I still have some people confused as to my racial status, and no, I'm not kidding.
And somehow it got so bad there for awhile, that people actually thought I didn't eat pork either and wouldn't serve it around the station at suppertime when I was on duty.
Don't ask me where that came from, because I don't know how that started either, especially since the last I heard, Hawaiians often eat pork at their luaus, and SPAM is a common item over there too apparently.
At this point I don't know if the confusion over my heritage is still funny or just really sad after all these years.
I've been actually thinking of going to Hawaii and Samoa and taking a few pictures of me and some of the local families and telling everyone at work when I get back to Texas, that they're my relatives just to mess with everyone's minds.
Anyway, now ya'll understand where the inspiration for that ridiculous little debate among the crowd at Takagi Manor came from.
This is now the seventh month since I started posting this story, and as I was writing this chapter, I reflected on why I started writing "Last Alarm" in the first place.
The main reason for it was as a gift for my younger brother to remember me by if something ever happened to me on the job. A firefighter's job is a hazardous one true, but nowadays car accidents and heart attacks kill just as easily as a collapsing house, or an explosion.
And so one reason I started writing it was to leave something of myself for my brother to remember me by. And also it was in the hopes that one day he would share this story with his own teenage children someday.
But that wasn't the only reason, otherwise he would have just received a manuscript when I was done and that would have been the end of it.
And when the last chapter of "Last Alarm" is posted, I will explain my other reasons for writing "Last Alarm" in the first place.
However, I've known since the beginning that "Last Alarm" was not going to be popular with everyone, and lately, some have been voicing this, especially the emotional drama in it.
I've never been one to ignore a person who tries to voice their opinion, especially if it's to correct me if I'm doing something wrong.
And sometimes, it's been helpful to know that perhaps I should correct this or that about the story, before I continue.
So as a result, I'll try to make this clear, one last time because I sincerely hate "beating a dead horse" over the same issue over and over again.
As I said before, there will be a lot of action in this story, but again, if you're looking for a lot of violence and gore every other chapter, this is the wrong story to look for it.
Like I've said before, there are better writers, and better stories than mine for that stuff.
Yes, I could have written a story where it was action-oriented only and no one cares how the other person is feeling or his or her inner thoughts and so forth so we can focus on fighting, action, and more fighting only.
But I didn't want to do that because it's already been DONE. By at least a couple hundred other HOTD fanfiction writers on this site.
And I am not interested in writing my story out in the same fashion.
When I started writing this story, I wished to write out the characters as real people, with real emotions, and real personal problems, which I've noticed is something most people won't do when writing because some people feel it "drags" the story, particularly if there's action and suspense involved.
I agree,…. to a point.
And in this chapter, I really tried to make it a little more light-hearted, as well as suspenseful.
But since I'm not getting paid for this or winning an award for creativity either, then I'm still moving forward ahead with my original ideas for how this story is going to be written out.
If however, by the time I post the last chapter of "Last Alarm" and there's just only one person left reading my story because everyone just completely lost interest along the way,…...
Well, that is good enough for me, even if in the end that one person is only my brother whom I decided to write this for in the first place, although I know that's not going to be the case considering how many people check in each time I post a new chapter.
And as far as the drama in this story?
I'm a Firefighter/Paramedic with almost 27 years of watching human drama unfold before my eyes each time I go on shift.
The emotion in this story is nothing in comparison to that, although part of it is based on what I've experienced personally.
Fair warning, if you hate the emotion and drama in this story now, then you're going to not want to continue any further.
And I'm not going to alter my story because some find it radically different than what they thought it would be, or SHOULD be.
So it's up to you whether you decide to follow along or not.
For those of you who don't care for my story and don't wish to follow it any longer, I respect that.
That's your choice. I'm not forcing anyone to read it.
And at this point, I'm going to finish what I started, regardless of what others think.
But for those of you who are interested in the story and wish to keep on reading, and have encouraged me to keep going, then I offer you my sincerest thanks for your support.
Take care of yourself, and thanks again.
Jim