Last Alarm-Book One Chapter 37 - Enemy at the Gates -Part 1, a highschool of the dead fanfic

37.

Last Alarm

Chapter 37

"Enemy at the Gate"

Part One

"An enemy at the gates is less formidable, for he is known and carries his banner openly."

"The enemy is within the gates; it is with our own luxury, our own folly, our own criminality that we have to contend."

Marcus Tullius Cicero

Location: Tokonosu City

Estate of Soichiro and Yuriko Takagi

Former Conference Room of Soichiro Takagi

Temporary Command and Crisis Control Center

Time: Early Morning

Spring 2013

Z-Day Plus Four

"What's the current situation abroad, Ken-san?" Soichiro Takagi asked looking over at his Security Chief who was busily directing a group of his men as they were all working in front of their laptops, each man tasked with a different assignment as part of the Emergency Management Control Center that had been hastily set up at Takagi Manor.

While all major cities around the world have an Emergency Management Plan in place that would be immediately implemented by Emergency Services in case of an actual disaster or act of terrorism, the Outbreak had so completely caught everyone off guard, that all Police, Fire, EMS, and Military resources in Tokonosu City were unable to effectively implement their own plan due to the fact that most of their personnel had perished at the hands of the Infected on the very first day of the Outbreak.

As a result, what emergency resources that remained were immediately withdrawn from the innermost parts of the city and were now currently engaged in evacuating what non-Infected civilians were left.

And since all emergency resources were currently indisposed, in order to help maintain what resources the city had left, all control over power, water, and communications had been taken over by Soichiro Takagi who had wasted no time in implementing his own emergency plan to deal with the unforeseen disaster that had occurred just three days earlier.

And who was now preparing for the next disaster that he strongly believed was soon to follow.

"News blackouts all over the world prevent us from getting any accurate descriptions of what's going on around the world, dono." Yoshioka said with a sigh.

"But from what intel I have been able to receive from all of our "friends" abroad, suggests that things are far worse around the world than they are here."

"How so?" Soichiro said cocking an eyebrow.

"The Outbreak seems to have affected mostly the world's more "developed" countries." Yoshioka explained. "Countries such as China, North and South Korea, Australia, Russia, most of Europe, America, and of course, Japan seem to be the only ones experiencing the effects of this "Contagion", or whatever it is."

"And because each country is so heavily populated, this "Contagion" is spreading extremely rapidly, and the leaders of each country are being hard-pressed to handle this situation with what few resources have survived the last three days of the Outbreak."

"And as you can imagine, trying to help millions of their fellow countrymen with only a handful of available resources against hundreds of thousands of Infected growing in number every hour…." Yoshioka said trailing off.

"Yes, I see your point." Soichiro said with a sigh.

"And then there is also the problem of those countries not affected by the Outbreak." Yoshioka then added.

"There's still reports of widespread rioting in the streets coming in, with the leaders of those countries inadvertently adding to the hysteria by implementing martial law and shooting people in the streets, with some areas already engaged in full-blown civil war."

"Interesting on how only the "developed" countries seem to be affected by the Outbreak, don't you think Ken-san? Soishiro said gazing into Yoshioka's face. "While all the so-called "under-developed" countries seem to be immune from the Contagion?"

"Interesting, would hardly be the word I'd use, dono." Yoshioka replied dryly. "And I'd hardly consider the "underdeveloped" nations immune from its effects either, considering how civil unrest and war breaking out right on their own doorstep is tearing them apart."

"Almost as if it were all orchestrated that way, don't you think Ken-san?" Soichiro said as Yoshioka hesitated before answering.

"I agree." Yoshioka replied. "But for what purpose, and to what end?

"I don't know." Soichiro admitted with a frown. "But if it were intentional, it is an act of madness beyond anything I've ever thought humanly possible."

"I agree." Yoshioka said as looked out one of the large widows in the room over towards the city skyline as plumes of smoke still rose in the air from a handful of houses and small businesses that had been accidentally, or intentionally set ablaze.

"How are things here?" Soichiro asked.

"All supplies that we were able to acquire before the city became too infested have been brought in and placed in storage temporarily." Yoshioka began. "Tomorrow all food, water, fuel, and vehicles will be loaded for our evac to "Site B".

"And of course, all weapons have been accounted for and distributed to those who actually know how to use them." Yoshioka said with a smirk as Soichiro chuckled.

''And per your orders, our "guests" have been confined to their camp."

"I imagine our "guests" out there on the grounds are still none too happy with their accommodations, Ken-san?" Soichiro said with a slight smile on his face.

"There has been some minor grumbling of course, and a brief scuffle occurred last night that my men were able to handle without any trouble…" Yoshioka replied. "But there have been no major problems as of yet."

"But I might add…." Yoshioka added hesitantly. "That if we continue to isolate these people to the confines of their living area with armed guards patrolling their perimeter, it might give people the wrong idea, dono."

"What idea would that be, Ken-san?" Soichiro asked with a frown.

"That they are actually prisoners now and not refugees anymore…." Yoshioka said flatly. "And that perhaps you are not acting in their best interests after all, Takagi-dono."

"All because we prevented them from lynching the American, as well as my wife?" Soichiro said bristling, already knowing the answer.

Hai,dono." Yoshioka replied. "After all, the consensus amongst many of our countrymen is that this "Contagion" is actually a "First-Strike" weapon deployed by the Americans."

"And you're keeping the American in your house while everyone else is being kept under guard outside might be giving people the wrong ideas about your intentions." Yoshioka pointed out.

"You think that they will then start to believe that I really am a traitor, neh Ken-san?" Soichiro said with a smirk.

"Based on what happened yesterday to Yuriko-dono, Takagi-sama…." Yoshioka replied. "I'm very much afraid that is exactly what is going through the minds of all those people out there."

"Fear and hate can cause even the most reasonable people to turn savage, Takagi dono." Yoshioka added. "And I do believe this problem needs to be addressed soon before things get out of hand."

"I agree." Soichiro replied as he walked over to one of the windows and gazed out over to the small tent city that had been hastily erected for the refugees.

"And I also believe that a clearer message must be sent to these people to demonstrate just how serious their present situation is…" Soichiro said the veins in his head starting to show. "As well as how serious any foolish mistakes on their part will affect the rest of us."

"Do you wish for me to make some sort of an announcement to the civilians then, Takagi-dono? Yoshioka asked.

"No, Ken-san." Soichiro replied as he turned away from the window and walked back to where Yoshioka stood. "I will handle this myself, so no one will misunderstand anything."

"Have the entire assembly gather in front of the mansion after their morning meal." Soichiro said his hand naturally resting on the *tsubaof his katana." I will speak to them then."

(*Tsuba – Ornate Handguard mounted on a katana)

"Hai, dono. It will be done." Yoshioka replied.

"Good." Soichiro said nodding his head as he saw a troubled look suddenly forming on Yoshioka's face.

"Is something troubling you, Ken-san?" Soichiro asked as he gazed intently at the man's face. "What is it?

"It's about Doitetsu-san, Takagi-dono." Yoshioka replied referring to the guard who had been infected after being stabbed in the leg by the American with a make-shift spear that was contaminated with the blood of an Infected.

"I've kept him secured in a cage in the gardener's shed in the back of the mansion for now." Yoshioka added. "And I was wondering what we should do about him."

"I've been thinking about that all night, myself." Soichiro admitted.

"He was a good man and a good friend, and you're right, he deserves much better than to be locked up in a cage like a wild animal." Soichiro said as he then stood staring out the window without saying anything for several moments, lost in thought.

And then a scowl formed over Soichiro's face as he turned to face Yoshioka again.

"Ken-san…" Soichiro began. "Instead of addressing the crowd after breakfast, I'm going to need you to make an announcement that they are all to gather together at the Main Entrance of the house at noon."

"I will speak to them then." Soichiro said as he rubbed his thumb on the tsuba of his katana.

"Hai, dono. It will be done." Yoshioka said as he looked upon Soichiro's face with concern.

"Takagi-sama." Yoshioka began. "Is there something else?"

Soichiro glanced up and met Yoshioka's gaze as he then let out a deep sigh before he spoke.

"Doitetsu-san was a brave man and a good friend…." Soichiro began. "And it is a horrible tragedy that has befallen him, and like you, it pains me to see him this way."

"And because he died in an effort to rescue my child, I am especially grieved because I owe him a debt that I can never repay."

"And now I must do something I truly wish I did not have to do." Soichiro said as he rubbed his thumb over the tsuba of his katana again.

"However…." Soichiro added as he gazed out the window again. "I do believe that I know of a way that I can help Doitetsu-san be at peace, and at the same time, use his brave sacrifice as a way to save many more lives."

"Meet me at the gardener's shed after you make the announcement Ken-san." Soichiro said as he suddenly turned around on his heel and walked out of the room before Yoshioka could reply.

Location: Tokonosu City

Estate of Soichiro and Yuriko Takagi

Jim's Room

Time: 0800

Spring 2013

Z-Day plus Four

One of the beauties of Spring in Tokonosu City that all of its residents enjoyed before the Outbreak was the gentle breeze that would always blow in from the sea which would blow away the normal smells of gas and diesel fumes that were always the scourge of every major city and replace it with the sweet smells of the millions of cherry blossom petals that fell off the thousands of sakura trees growing all around the city as the petals were borne aloft by the refreshing sea breeze.

But lately along with the sweet smells of the cherry blossoms the breeze also carried a new smell that even the millions of delicate petals and clean ocean breeze couldn't overpower as the normally refreshing early morning air was now tainted with the smells of blood and death mixed in.

But high upon a hill at Takagi Manor the rich smells of food cooking, along with the rich aroma of exotic teas and coffees brewing overpowered any other smell as the entire grounds became filled with a mouthwatering fragrance that drifted in the warm morning breeze to every room in the large mansion.

In a move to try to improve morale and help ease the strained relations between the hosts of Takagi manor and their "guests", a grand breakfast banquet had been prepared by the kitchen staff whose menu would have rivaled any VIP function.

Expensive meats and pastries that would have been normally reserved for the wealthiest elite were now being served at the "mess tent" for all of the refugees to enjoy.

Awed by the many selections provided, the refugees wasted no time in gorging themselves on food no one expected to ever see in their lives much less partake of, as expensive exotic delicacies as kobe beef, quail eggs, foie gras, and caviar were served along Western-style omelets, pancakes, and crepes prepared with truffles.

It was indeed a breakfast fit for a king, and along with the smells of food cooking and the rich smells of freshly brewed coffee and imported teas being served, the delicious aroma that drifted in the morning air at Takagi Manor did indeed do much to lift everyone's spirits.

With the exception of one person, that is.

And as Takashi glanced over at the eyes of his friends, every one of them could barely keep themselves from bursting out in laughter.

Because the American was not allowed to have any of it.

And try as they might, it wasn't long before Takashi and his friends lost control and were practically rolling around the floor with laughter, each of them no longer able to control themselves as the American glared angrily at them.

"Ha ha. Laugh it up you little brats!" The American said testily as all of the teens including Alice, cracked up all around him.

"Gomen nasai, Jimu-san." Saeko said out of breath as she wiped the tears from her eyes from laughing so hard. "But the look on your face…!"

"BWA! HA! HA! (snort) HA!" Saya laughed as the snort she made had everyone in stitches again.

"She's right!" Rei said holding her stomach as she laughed. "You should see yourself!"

"Keep it up and what you're gonna see is the palm of my hand on the seat of your pants, young lady." The American growled as Shizuka giggled before dipping the large spoon she held in her hand into the bowl of tasteless rice gruel and then offered it to the man like a mother trying to feed a toddler.

"Jimu-san… aaaaaaah!" Shizuka said as she held the spoon in front of the man's mouth coaxing him to eat.

The man's only response to Shizuka's offer to feed him was to glare evilly at the school nurse as she held the spoon in front of his face, causing the teens to once again break up into a loud roar of laughter.

"Jimu-san, quit acting like a baby. You need to eat." Shizuka said in a scolding tone as the man continued to glare angrily at her and the teens.

"Are you kidding?! There is all sorts of awesome smelling stuff out there, and you know I've been dying for a cup of coffee the past three days, and this crap is what I'm supposed to eat?!" The American said with a huff as Shizuka placed the spoon back in the bowl and then set it on the night stand.

"Jimu-san I've already explained it to you." Shizuka said as she scowled at her grumpy patient.

"You've sustained a bad head injury, and because of that anything that might elevate your blood pressure including foods containing high concentrations of salt or caffeine must be removed from your diet until your wounds heal and there is no more danger of any intracranial bleeding."

"I understand that, but you could have at least brought me some toast or a cup of cocoa." The man said growing exasperated as Shizuka just shook her head.

"Too much salt and sugar." Shizuka said sternly refusing to budge. "Now are you going to eat your breakfast or not?"

"If the dog won't even touch it, what makes you think I want it?" The American growled as the puppy crawled over the bed and then stopped to sniff at a small spoonful of the rice gruel that had fallen on the bed sheet and then sneezed as it then moved away.

"You see?" The American said triumphantly as he reached over and scratched the puppy around the ears. "Even the dog knows that stuff ain't fit for human consumption."

"Hell, even the talking fish she served me back at the condo would be better than that crap." The man grumbled under his breath.

"Well, that's all there is." Shizuka said in a scolding tone as the teens continued to laugh. "So unless you want to go hungry, you need to clean your plate."

"Then I guess I'll just have to starve….mom." The American said with heavy sarcasm as he threw a pillow at the still laughing teens as they ducked out of the way.

A sudden knock at the door interrupted the American's attention from his growling stomach as the door opened and Yuriko Takagi entered.

"Whoa." The man thought to himself as the Lady of the Takagi Household entered the room no longer clad in the black *BDU's she had worn during the "rescue" yesterday, but was now dressed in a very expensive and tight-fitting evening gown with a plunging neckline that did very little to hide the fact that Yuriko Takagi was indeed a very attractive woman.

"Friggin' rich guys have all the luck." The man mumbled under his breath as he settled back dejectedly against the pillows piled behind him.

"Ohayo gozaimasu." Yuriko said smiling politely as she walked through the door. "How is everyone this morning?"

"Ohayo gozaimasu, Takagi-sama." Everyone in the room replied as the teens and Shizuka politely bowed to Yuriko with the exception of Saya who merely frowned in annoyance.

"It sounded very lively in here from down the hallway…"Yuriko went on ignoring Saya's angry look.

"I hope I didn't interrupt anything." Yuriko said as she looked upon the faces of the people in the room who had all suddenly gone silent.

"Actually you came just in time Yuriko-san." The American said noticing the uncomfortable silence as he smiled and offered his hand to Yuriko. "I was just about to toss the whole lot of them out."

"Oh really, why?" Yuriko asked curiously as she shook the man's hand. "Are they disturbing you?"

"Actually they are starting to get on my nerves a bit." The American said in mock anger as he slyly winked at Yuriko as she realized the man was about to play a practical joke on the teens.

"I cannot begin to tell you just how horrified I am at the attitude of today's young people nowadays." The American continued shaking his head as if in disgust as everyone looked at him with raised eyebrows.

"I swear, back when I was their age, we were raised to appreciate the kindness and hospitality of those who were kind enough to invite us into their home." The American went on as the teens looked at the man in horror not understanding what it was the man was talking about.

"And I'm ashamed to tell you how disappointed I am with these kids." The man said shaking his head.

"My goodness, what have they done?" Yuriko said in mock horror, enjoying the spectacle of the American once again having fun at everyone else's expense.

"I'm so sorry to tell you this Yuriko-san, but I've never seen such horrible behavior from these children as I have this morning." The American said glaring at the teens who looked back at him with shocked expressions on their faces.

"Especially that one there…." The American said pointing at Saeko who nearly dropped her teacup as she looked at him in shock. "By far she has been the most obnoxious of the bunch."

"You wouldn't believe the horrible things she's been saying about the food around here." The man said as Saeko gasped in shock and then blushed beet red as she noticed Yuriko looking at her with a hurt look.

"YURIKO-SAN, I SAID NO SUCH THING….!" Saeko said becoming so flustered she could barely speak.

"And those two laughing hyenas over there…." The man said interrupting Saeko as he pointed to Takashi and Kouta who looked at him in fear. "All they've done is complain about how come there's no cable TV or X-Box hooked up in their room."

"And while I realize things are rough for everyone around here and emotions are running high, and I really don't mean to get anyone in trouble….." The American said looking at Saya and Rei as they looked at Yuriko in frozen in horror.

"But I have never heard anyone use such vulgar language as those two girls have been doing all morning." The man said as Yuriko flashed a scolding look at Saya and Rei who began to immediately sputter in protest. "I must say I'm shocked to hear such filth coming from Pumpkin and Rei."

"And don't get me started on Alice." The man said as Alice looked up at the mention of her name and looked around puzzled as to why everyone was staring at her.

"I see." Yuriko said as she fought the urge to laugh out loud. "Is there anything else?"

"Well now that you mention it Yuriko-san…." The American began trying with difficulty to keep from bursting out in laughter at the horrified looks on the teen's faces.

"What I'd really like to voice a concern about, is the quality of the medical care around here, in fact…OWWW!" The American suddenly roared as Shizuka reached up and pinched him hard on the arm flashing him an angry look.

"Jimu-san, that is not funny!'' Shizuka said annoyed as she and the rest of the teens glared angrily at the man as Yuriko began to laugh so hard she was almost crying.

"Oh my, talk about your dysfunctional families." Yuriko said as she wiped her eyes.

"That we are." The American said with a grimace as he rubbed the sore spot on his arm and stuck his tongue out playfully at Shizuka who just scowled at him.

"But I have to admit, they've kinda grown on me so I guess I'll just hang on to them a little while longer, after all." The American said as he suddenly grabbed Alice and began tickling her as she squealed with laughter as the other teens then rushed in and playfully began hitting him with some throw pillows they had taken off the sofa until Shizuka loudly cleared her throat for everyone to settle down.

The smile on Yuriko's face never wavered as she watched the man playing with the children, and as she watched the grown man interacting with the teenagers, Yuriko felt a twinge of guilt, as she began to see why Shizuka had so staunchly defended the man earlier.

The man was indeed no threat to any of the children, but as she watched the man and the teens at play, Yuriko's fears only grew stronger that the bond that had been forged between the children and the man might prove to be an even greater danger to the teens than anyone realized.

And as she watched Saya laughing as she pummeled the man with a throw pillow along with the other teens, Yuriko felt a sudden twinge of sadness in her heart seeing her daughter so happy in the company of a stranger, when all Yuriko and her husband ever saw in her daughter's eyes was anger and scorn.

And Yuriko's heart ached for her daughter's love even more as she watched the group at play, realizing just how wide the void had grown between her and her own child.

Laughing as she watched the teens batting the man with the throw pillows even though she had warned them to be careful not to aggravate the man's injury, Shizuka glanced over at Yuriko and noticed that Yuriko was watching everyone quietly and smiling.

But behind the pleasant smile Shizuka could tell that there was definitely something weighing heavily on Yuriko's mind.

And as she glanced over at Saya who was laughing as the man flung a pillow at her, Shizuka believed that she knew part of what might be going through Yuriko's mind as the Takagi Matriarch was watching her daughter having so much fun with a total stranger while the relationship between Saya and her parents was so visibly strained.

But based on their previous conversation yesterday, Shizuka had a pretty good idea what was also bothering Yuriko as she frowned knowing that the subject that Yuriko came to discuss was not going to be a pleasant one.

And then Shizuka sighed as she realized that the private conversation that she had wished to have with the American was going to have to be put on hold even longer.

Originally, Shizuka had intended on speaking to Jim as soon as he had been well enough to talk.

But unfortunately the man had remained unconscious all night and after several hours of monitoring his condition without any response, Shizuka had finally drifted off into a deep sleep sometime in the middle of the night.

And then early the very next morning much to Shizuka's surprise and chagrin, she was awakened by the sounds of Jim and the teens talking loudly amongst themselves and was frustrated by the fact that the teens had arrived before she could have a chance to talk to him first and also because the teens wouldn't leave despite her subtle hints that she wished to speak to the American privately.

And now that Yuriko had arrived, Shizuka realized that there would be little chance that Jim would feel like talking to anyone once Yuriko voiced her concerns to him regarding the children.

And then Shizuka became even more worried as she suddenly became fearful of what the man's emotional state would be after Yuriko had finished talking to him.

"Yuriko-san, was there something you wished to speak to Jimu-san about?" Shizuka asked hesitantly as the American looked up and then also noticed the serious look in Yuriko's eyes.

"Actually I did wish to speak with you if you're feeling up to it, Jim?" Yuriko asked as she noticed the teens suddenly tensing up around her.

"Of course, Yuriko-san." The American said as he gestured towards a chair. "Please have a seat."

"Actually Jim, I'd like to speak with both you and Marikawa-sensei privately, if I may?" Yuriko said as Saeko visibly tensed up and was about to move protectively towards the American, until Takashi placed his hand on her arm and shook his head "no" as Rei scowled at him as he continued to keep his hand on Saeko's arm.

"Why do you wish to speak with Jimu-san privately, mom?" Saya said in a voice thick with suspicion. "I thought he wasn't a prisoner anymore."

"The three of us have some private matters to attend to, Saya-chan." Yuriko said icily immediately bristling at Saya's tone. "And none of you need concern yourselves with it."

"I still don't think….." Saya began as Yuriko flashed an angry look at her.

"Guys…" The American said noticing the tension growing between mother and daughter and intentionally interrupting before things could get heated.

"There's been something I wanted to talk to Saya's parents about as well, so if ya'll don't mind, I'd appreciate it if ya'll would go on ahead downstairs and grab some breakfast so me and Shizuka can talk to Saya's mom for a bit." The American said as he straightened up in his bed and then noticed that the teens were not moving.

For a moment, none of the teens uttered anything or made a move towards the door as the teen's reluctance to leave the room began to cause the already uneasy tension in the room to grow even more as the man then looked over at Takashi.

"Takashi, I need you and Saeko-chan to take the others downstairs and grab some chow." The man said in a firmer tone. "I really need to talk to Yuriko-san for a bit."

"I'm not hungry, and I still don't see why we have to leave." Saya said stubbornly as she glared at her mother.

"What is it you don't want us to hear, mother?" Saya said her voice full of contempt as Yuriko stiffened but cooly kept her composure, trying not to cause a scene.

"Pumpkin….knock it off." The American said suddenly in a warning tone as he looked at Saya with a hard look.

"But…" Saya said in disbelief as she looked back at him in shock that the man seemed to actually be siding with her mother.

"If your mother wishes to discuss something privately with me, then out of respect for her as her "guest" I will respect her wishes." The man said as he looked Saya directly in the eye.

"And regardless of what happened yesterday, we are guests here in this house and the rest of you will be respectful to our hosts, understand?" The American said as he gazed at the teens who were shocked by the sudden change in the man's demeanor.

"Now all of you….git." The American said sternly as he looked over towards Yuriko.

"Ha….hai." Takashi said finally as he then hurriedly gestured for everyone to follow him as Saya gave an angry huff and stamped out the door ignoring her mother's angry gaze as everyone including Alice quietly filed out the door with the exception of Saeko who came to a halt and then looked back.

"Jimu-san, are you sure you'll be alright?" Saeko said as she stood at the door her face a mask of concern.

"Don't worry sweetie, we'll be fine." The American said with a smile and a friendly wink as Saeko reluctantly walked through the door and closed it with a click.

"I don't like it." Saya said suspiciously as the teens walked down the long hallway. "Mom and dad are up to something."

"Yes, but what?" Rei whispered as they walked past several maids. "Jimu-san is no longer a wanted man. Why do they need to act so suspiciously?

"Do you think it might have something to do with the way all those people were trying to kill him yesterday, Takagi-san?" Kouta asked as he looked over at Saya worriedly.

"That would be the most logical thing to assume, fatty." Saya said as she walked while holding Alice's hand.

"Maybe there have been more threats against his life." Rei suddenly piped up. "That would explain why the guards are still in place."

"Maybe, but I think there's more to it than that." Saya said with a frown.

"And if it's what I think it is, then we might have to consider the possibility of not including Jimu-san in our plans." Saya said as Saeko flashed her an angry look.

"Saya, you're thinking way too much into this." Takashi said noticing Saeko's reaction as he glanced over at Saya with a scowl. "We don't know what they're talking about, nor do we know if Jimu-san is going to side with them even if your mother is discussing with him about the subject we talked about last night."

"Maybe." Saya said stubbornly. "But I know my mom and I bet my life that right now she's trying to sway him. Mark my words."

"I don't want to believe that." Takashi said as he looked back towards the door to the American's room at the far end of the hallway. "I don't think that Jimu-san would give in that easily."

"Are you blind Komuro-kun, or just stupid?!" Saya suddenly shouted in frustration as everyone stopped to stare at Saya in shock at her sudden burst of anger.

"Don't you see how everyone looks and treats us like we're a bunch of kids?!" Saya said lowering her voice as her whole body shook with anger. "Even Jimu-san does that!"

"And you saw how quickly he defended my mother in there!" Saya added. "Jimu-san and Marikawa-sensei are adults, so who do you think they're going to eventually side with …baka?!"

"You guys don't know my mother." Saya said her blood boiling as she unintentionally squeezed Alice's hand so hard that the little girl gasped in pain.

"She can be very persuasive when she wants to be." Saya said through gritted teeth as she reflexively squeezed Alice's hand even harder as Rei quickly reached over and pried Alice's hand out of Saya's grip and then started rubbing Alice's hand as she scowled at Saya.

"Saya, get a grip will you?!" Rei said as she rubbed Alice's aching hand as the little girl sniffled as Saya suddenly realized what she had done and began to apologize profusely to Alice.

"Perhaps there is just more going on than we know." Saeko said glancing over at Takashi who was also glaring at Saya. "And perhaps until we find out exactly why Saya's parents are still being so secretive around us, it would be wise of us not to let our imaginations go wild."

"My thoughts exactly." Takashi said as Saya stood up after hugging Alice, as she looked at everyone with an annoyed look.

"That's because you don't know a damn thing about what my parents are capable of." Saya said as she balled her fists in anger.

"Don't say I didn't warn you guys." Saya said with a huff as everyone then watched her turn and walk down the hallway alone.

Location:

Estate of Soichiro and Yuriko Takagi

Jim's Room

"Please forgive me for my daughter's behavior, Jim." Yuriko said as the door closed with a click behind Saeko. "I'm afraid that the relationship between my daughter and I is rather strained."

"No worries, Yuriko-san." The American said with a smile. "When I was her age, I had "issues" of my own."

"Were you a rebel as a teenager, Jim?" Yuriko asked as the American shook his head.

"Not really, the things I did when I was in my "rebellious" stage were vastly different from what most teenagers do nowadays." The man said with a laugh. "And I carried out all of my acts of "rebelliousness" very discreetly, so no one really noticed to be honest."

"Unfortunately, my daughter seems to take particular delight in shocking my husband and I at every turn." Yuriko said frowning.

"I figured that was the reason for the pink hair." The man said as Yuriko looked at him and then began to laugh as Shizuka and the American laughed as well.

"Oh yes, that was quite the shock when she walked through the front door that day." Yuriko said as she regained her composure. "I nearly fainted when I saw her walking in with her head looking like a big ball of cotton candy."

"And Soichiro nearly had a heart attack as well…" Yuriko said as she frowned suddenly.

"Is everything alright, Yuriko-san?" The American asked.

"Actually Jim, everything's running rather smoothly all things considered." Yuriko said with a slight smile.

"Things have been quite hectic lately as I'm sure you can imagine." Yuriko added as the American nodded his head in comprehension.

"I imagine so." The American said as Yuriko suddenly noticed a troubled look forming on the man's face.

"Is everything alright with you, Jim?" Yuriko asked noticing the troubled look on the man's face.

"Actually, no. I'm afraid not." The man said flatly as Yuriko and Shizuka looked at him in surprise.

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

"Yuriko-san…" The American began as he gave a deep sigh.

"I know that there's probably a ton of things that you wish to talk to me about…." The American continued. "But before you do, I wish to say something first."

"Very well, Jim. Go on." Yuriko said growing curious.

"First, I wish to thank you for coming and rescuing everyone." The American said as Shizuka and Yuriko looked at the man in shock.

"I realize that you actually came to rescue Saya." The American added holding up his hand so as not to be interrupted as Yuriko opened her mouth to speak. "But because of you and your men, all of us are now safe."

"And I also wish to say that despite how horribly things started out between us, I want you to know how very grateful I am to you and your husband for everything you have done for me and my friends, as well as the kindness and generosity you have also shown towards me."

"And I'm in your debt." The man said with a slight bow as Yuriko's eyebrows shot up in amazement.

"And I also wanted to tell you both how very sorry I am for what happened, Yuriko-san." The American added. "I did not realize that it was you and your men trying to rescue everyone from someone you believed was a threat to your daughter's life."

"All I saw was a bunch of guys in black who I perceived as posing a threat to everyone, and I tried to not make the situation worse because I was afraid of anyone getting hurt if I tried to resist."

"But when Saeko was hit, all I wanted to do then was to kill the man who hit her." The American said looking up.

"And because I lost control, a lot of people got hurt….." The man continued. "And because I lost control, I killed one of your men who I now know was only trying to help you get Saya back."

"I can't tell you how sorry I am." The American added as he lay back against the pillows with a heavy sigh as Shizuka looked over at Yuriko.

For a moment there was no sound in the room as Shizuka looked over at Yuriko expecting to see her face twisted in anger.

Instead there was a look of utter surprise on Yuriko's face as Shizuka and the American gazed at her puzzled by her silence.

"Yuriko-san?" The American said as Yuriko suddenly blinked as if she had been caught daydreaming.

"Gomen nasai, Jim." Yuriko began with a slightly stunned look on her face. "I didn't mean to blank out there for a moment, but if you'll forgive me for saying so, I was not at all expecting to hear you apologizing for what happened."

"Especially after I ordered that you be shot back at the condo." Yuriko thought to herself. "I guess he doesn't know about that yet, otherwise he probably wouldn't be so eager to apologize if he knew about that."

"I'm sorry if I gave the wrong impression of myself yesterday, Yuriko-san." The American went on. "I said some things that were not very appropriate, and now I really regret making things more difficult by what I did."

"Jim." Yuriko said gently. "What happened was a tragic accident and mistakes were made by everyone, including myself."

"And to be honest, after we talked with some of my men about what happened, my husband and I do not blame you for reacting the way you did when Saeko-chan was struck by Genji-san." Yuriko said as a scowl began to form on her face. "If I had seen him do that I might have shot him myself."

"Doitetsu-san was a good friend, and he will be greatly missed." Yuriko added. "But the important thing now is that we do not repeat the same mistakes as before."

"Agreed." The American said. "But please know just the same, I'm very sorry about what happened."

"I understand." Yuriko said smiling politely. "Perhaps my husband and I can discuss that with you at a more convenient time, if you don't mind."

"Of course." The American said quietly his face downcast.

"Try not to think about it too much Jim." Yuriko said realizing that the man was still punishing himself. "We can't change what happened, but we can at least try not to repeat our mistakes."

"Alright." The American said with a nod of his head.

"What is it you wished to talk to me about Yuriko-san?" The American asked.

"Actually, there are a ton of things my husband and I wish to ask you Jim." Yuriko asked laughing slightly.

"As you can imagine, we are dying to know about your actual background and how you were able to come up with such a convincing cover story, and Yoshioka is dying to know how you managed to get out of your hancuffs…"

"But in truth, your relationship with the children was what I really wished to discuss with you now, Jim." Yuriko said suddenly growing serious.

"What do you mean?" The man asked a puzzled expression forming on his face.

"Jim." Yuriko said looking directly into the man's eyes. "Do you remember anything that happened after you were struck back at the condo?"

"I'm afraid not." The American replied as he patted the bandages around his head. "I was kinda out for the count for a while, why?"

"Jim." Yuriko said with a sigh as she glanced over at Shizuka. "There's something you need to know about the children and everything that happened after you were incapacitated at the condo and at the hospital tent as well."

"And I also think it is extremely prudent that we have a serious talk with you about your relationship with Saeko Busujima." Yuriko added as the man looked at her with raised eyebrows.

"Because my husband and I are extremely worried that her being around you any longer might be causing her irreparable harm."

Location: Tokonosu International Airport aka "The Floating Airport''.

5 Miles off the Coast of Japan

MainTerminal

VIP Lounge Area

Time: Dawn

It was quiet for once.

And because of that I was finally able to get some decent rack time whilst I slept in a small secured area of the VIP lounge where the SAT had quartered themselves as well as having their weapons and equipment stored ready for use.

But before I allowed myself to "rack out", I wanted to make sure that I wasn't going to suddenly wake up to "something" nibbling my toes later, especially after noticing all of the "holes" in security I'd witnessed earlier.

And because of that, I wasn't about to just lie down and nod off without making sure Nanahara and the rest of the Airport Police were fully aware of the gaps in their security of the Main Terminal and had done something about it before I could rest easy.

After that had finally been taken care of I returned back to the VIP lounge and found a nice comfy spot on a large sofa to rest my aching body.

And as I lay there I had to admit that I had been rather surprised at the large amount of police that were patrolling the Main Terminal just before Nanahara and I had done a quick check of the complex to make sure everything was secure for the night.

At first I had thought that most of the cops would have all been reassigned for helping with Mainland Operations once the Outbreak began, but once I saw the large amount of civvies that were abandoned here after the politicians fled with their families, my whole perspective changed.

And after seeing the desperate plight that the Airport Police were in with all of them having to deal with being cut off from any support from the Mainland and with over 400 men, women, and children to defend all by their lonesome with most of their friends gone …

Well, I have to admit, I felt pretty bad that I had been so hostile to them earlier.

And from that point on I swore to myself that I would help the remaining police with whatever they required in penance for my extremely hostile attitude towards them despite the fact that they had used…

Bloody hell, I can't even think about that without breathing heavy.

Even now I was shivering in dread at the memory of the whole "Mr. Cuddles" incident, wishing I could just forget about the whole ordeal but knowing all too well that particular incident was forever seared in my brain.

Trying to focus my thoughts on something else so I wouldn't be having nightmares all night, I closed my eyes again and listened to the sounds of the raindrops hitting the glass panels of the Main Terminal, the continuous sound of the rain beating against the hardened windows actually quite soothing as the sound eventually lulled me back to sleep.

However, my sleep was still not very restful as it seemed that my body insisted on waking me up every hour on the dot as I checked my wristwatch each time I woke up wondering what it was that was keeping me so hyped up.

The last time I had checked my watch it was just after 0400 and even though the Main Terminal itself was quiet, I could still hear the sounds of the cops moving around, all of them making sure that everything was secure and also switching out with each other in shifts so that each of the other cops could eventually get some rest.

Somehow despite all the activity I managed to nod off again, but after what seemed an extremely brief period of time I awoke with a grunt and then sharply sat upright.

"Ah bloody hell fire." I grumbled, now realizing the real reason my sleep had become so fitful right now.

"It's that damned dream again." I grumbled as I realized that sleep was a luxury I would not be enjoying this night after all, as I rubbed the remaining sleep from my eyes and then looked out over the runway.

Even though all air traffic around the world had been grounded, the runway lights had been deliberately left on in case there was still aircraft aloft in need of a place to land and were still burning very brightly despite the heavy rain.

"Well, no sense lying here." I grumbled to myself as I slowly pulled my legs over the side of the couch and then noticed to my surprise that somebody had laid a blanket over me sometime during the night without my noticing.

"Dammit, how did I not sense someone doing that?" I growled, angry with myself that someone had gotten that close to me without my even knowing it.

"You're getting soft, Andrew." I thought to myself angrily. "Been out of the game too long, old man."

And as I looked around feeling pretty stupid for having left myself so vulnerable, my eye drifted over towards where Rika Minami was standing over by the entranceway into the lounge, evidently on guard duty.

At least I assumed that Rika was on guard duty by the way she was just standing there holding her weapon at the ready.

But as I looked closer, I noticed that Rika was standing there with her eyes shut, almost as if she had fallen asleep.

But based on what I remembered about the female SAT Sergeant, I knew better than that and figured she was just enjoying the sound of the rain hitting the glass just like I had been doing earlier.

Of course in our current situation she might have been praying for all I knew.

"Definitely couldn't hurt in our current situation." I mumbled under my breath.

It was still early in the morning and anyone who wasn't on patrol was either sleeping already or at least resting easy at their posts as I quietly pushed the blanket aside and sat up on the side of the sofa as I slipped my boots back on and tied up the laces.

Feeling a little stiff after all that crawling around in the ventilation shaft I rolled my shoulders and stretched my arms and legs to work out the kinks before getting to my feet.

Moving quietly so as not to alarm anyone I tip-toed over towards my pack that had been returned to me by Tajima earlier and took a few sips of water from the Camelbak water system attached to it to quench my thirst before I checked to make sure that my sidearm was still secure in its holster and then walked over to Rika.

"Hey, you okay there kidda?" I asked her quietly as not to awaken the other officers who were sleeping in the same area.

My suspicions that Rika had really not fallen asleep standing up were confirmed when Rika slowly raised her head and smiled as she looked at me.

"Yeah I'm fine, what time is it?" Rika said with a yawn as I looked down at my watch before answering.

"Just after 0525." I replied.

"How did you sleep?" Rika asked as she stifled another yawn.

"Like shit, you?" I said grumpily.

"Same." Rika said tiredly.

"Thanks for the blanket by the way." I said with a growl. "You took a chance sneaking up on me like that, though."

"I know." Rika replied. "But you seemed like you weren't sleeping very well, and it is kinda cold in here."

"Well, thanks just the same." I replied. "But next time, let me know your nearby first."

"Will do, boss." Rika said with a grin as I rolled my eyes at her.

"Smartass. " I growled at her as I started to walk away.

"Where are you going Andrew-san?" Rika asked her voice sounding a little worried.

"Just gonna take a turn around the complex." I said over my shoulder with a smirk. "Be right back…"mom."

Taking my time, I walked out of the VIP lounge and then headed down the long, glass-covered corridor leading towards the Main Terminal where the majority of the civilians had been quartered since there was no other place large enough to secure them.

And once I got there I was stunned by the sight of the dozens of families lying on the floor who were all trying to sleep despite the awful conditions around them.

And once I saw them I couldn't help but feel extremely bad for all of them.

I had always said to myself that if I was going to die, it would be on my own terms.

And if it came down to it, no way was I going to end up as one of those things prowling around out there.

Unfortunately out here on an f_cking island surrounded by hundreds of flesh-eating crazies with no one but a handful of Airport Police to defend them, the odds were good that most people here would not be so lucky if the Infected broke through.

My sullen thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a soft noise coming from behind me as I quickly turned my head and saw that it was Rika Minami standing nearby, having quietly followed me down the corridor without my realizing it.

"Dammit quit doing that!" I hissed at her at her keeping my voice low so as not to wake up anyone as Rika grinned at me evilly. "You sneak up on me like that again and I am gonna shoot you!"

"Sorry." Rika said bowing her head as I shook my head in annoyance and then walked past her towards the entranceway of a long skywalk attaching the Main Terminal to another wing that had been secured on the other end as I sensed Rika following me.

The woman was unnervingly quiet when she moved, and I realized that I was going to have to keep on my toes with this woman or I might just actually shoot her by accident if she ever startled me like that again.

And as I walked out towards the middle of the skywalk and leaned against the railing looking out over the tarmac, Rika silently came up and joined me as she leaned next to me with her back against the railing.

And for a long while neither one of us spoke or even looked at each other, but I knew that something was weighing heavily on Rika's mind for her to have followed me all the way over here.

But if she wanted to talk to me about something she was going to have to be the one to talk first, because I wasn't going to pry her for information unless I had to.

"I have a question for you Andy, and I need you to be honest with me." Rika finally said softly.

"Okay." I replied simply as I turned to look at her.

"When Tajima and I started talking to you in the interrogation room yesterday, you really had no idea who we were, did you?" Rika asked as I sighed in response and then looked down at my boots.

"No, as I said, after that explosion in Ireland, I could hardly remember a damned thing from before." I admitted looking into her face.

Rika nodded silently in response and then rather unexpectedly, threw an extremely hard punch at my left shoulder.

"Dammit woman!" I growled as I rubbed my aching shoulder that was already sore from all that crawling around in the air ducts. "What the bloody hell?"

"That's so you don't forget me again." Rika said laughing as I rubbed my already sore arm and glared at her.

"Fat chance of that ever happening again." I grumbled as I rubbed my shoulder that now felt almost numb. "Thanks to you, Taj', and that…"thing" my memory of you two is now permanently seared into my brain."

"Good." Rika said as I acted as if I were going to throw a punch at her and she dodged away.

"By the way, what's the deal between you and Tajima anyway, huh?" I asked Rika with a smug look plastered all over my face as I then almost laughed out loud at her response, as I watched her eyebrows rise so quickly that they almost seemed about to shoot off the top of her head.

"Wha…what do you mean?" Rika spluttered as I chuckled softly so as not to wake anyone up with my laughter echoing down the skywalk, as I was happy to see that I had been able to rattle her so easily.

"Give it a break Rika, that lad wants in your panties, and you know it." I said with a grin as Rika huffed in response and then turned her head away from me.

"Yeah right, like he'd have a chance anyway." She said testily as I studied the look on her face for any signs that she was lying.

And from the sudden flash of anger and embarrassment that I saw there on her face at my comment I realized than that she wasn't lying, and despite all appearances, they really were just good friends.

And then Rika suddenly turned around and looked right back at me with an evil gleam in her eye that made me gulp suddenly as I realized I was in serious trouble now.

"Ere we go, this is where she lamps me good and proper around the back of me noggin again." I thought to myself as she walked over towards me until she was almost toe-to-toe in front of me.

"Anyway, what about you, Andrew-san?" Rika asked as she placed her hands on her hips dramatically.

"What about me, what?" I asked, completely oblivious to her question.

Rika smiled at me in a way that seemed almost seductive as she then moved so close to me that she was practically pressing against me, as I took a few steps backwards reflexively.

"I was wondering if you have somebody back home waiting for you, Andrew-san?" Rika asked with that same seductive smile on her face nearly making my heart stop from the shock of the question.

Her smile quickly faded though, as she suddenly realized that what she said was a mistake as she saw the sad look forming on my face.

"No." I replied simply knowing that she really meant no harm by what she was doing. "There's no one left."

"Excuse me a minute love." I said to Rika as I hurried past her.

No, I wasn't angry or upset with Rika at all, that's not why I left so suddenly.

She had only been kidding around and that was one of the things about Rika Minami, she always gave as good as she got, and that was one of the things me and the lads back at Hereford had all liked about her.

But the truth was, the air between us had gotten pretty heated there for a moment, and I found myself in bad need of some fresh air as I walked past her and headed directly towards the stairs at the other end of the corridor that led to the roof.

The roof access was normally off limits to everyone but the Airport Police, but I hurriedly pushed past one cop who was guarding the door and ignoring his protests, I immediately headed upstairs and then pushed the roof access door open as I then breathed in the crisp clean night air as the rain continued to hammer down upon the earth.

" F_ck me sideways I need a smoke." I mumbled to myself as I reached into my left shirt pocket and fished out the packet of Marlboro Reds that sat there along with the silver Jack Daniels Whiskey lighter and lit one up, the nicotine smoke swirling around inside my lungs for a few seconds before I exhaled and sighed in relief.

But just as I exhaled I felt a sudden pain in my chest and grimaced at the pain as I rubbed the sore spots where the Taser's had hit me earlier yesterday evening.

My attention was suddenly drawn away from my discomfort by the sound of someone walking up the stairs behind me as I turned my head to see Rika walking up the steps towards me.

Without saying a word she put her hand in her pocket and pulled out a silver case and opened it, pulling out a small Cuban cigar as she then placed the small cigar between her lips and pulled out a small lighter of her own with skulls engraved all over it and lit up.

"It's relaxing isn't it?" Rika said exhaling a long trail of blue smoke as she leaned against the opposite side of the doorway.

"Yup." I replied taking another drag myself as we both looked out into the night sky and quietly smoked without saying a word.

After a while the rain stopped and we stood there watching the sun as it was just beginning to peak over the horizon bringing about the dawn of a new day.

And it struck me as funny how right now we were one of few people still left alive to enjoy such a beautiful view in such relative safety.

"Beautiful view, neh?' Rika said as if she were reading my mind.

"Aye, that it is." I replied as I burnt the "cig" down all the way to the filter before I tossed the butt away into a puddle on the rooftop before looking at Rika with a grin.

"Not gonna do me for littering are you?" I asked her in a joking tone, as Rika smirked at my question.

"Nope, not my department." Rika replied with a laugh.

I laughed along with her as well as I then looked down from the roof of the Terminal for a moment before I then looked Rika squarely in the face.

What I was about to say was hard for me, but it had to be said.

"Rika, I would like to apologize for my earlier behavior towards you and your teammates yesterday." I began as Rika looked at me with a shocked expression on her face.

"I had no right to act like I did and for that I am deeply sorry." I finished as Rika looked at me speechless for a long moment as if I had slapped her.

And to be honest, I couldn't blame her for reacting that way, because after the way I had acted towards her and the rest of her friends it must have been one hell of a shock for her to see me apologizing so suddenly.

But the way she was acting now made it seem as though maybe what I had said yesterday was harsher than I realized, and as she continued to stand there looking at me I was now really beginning to feel like shit for my actions.

I already felt bad enough about the way I had arrogantly believed that it was the Japanese Police Force who had to prove themselves to me.

But now after seeing just how hard things really were for them, and how despite all that, they had tried so very hard to help bring me back I now realized just how wrong I had been all along.

It was I who actually had to prove myself to them.

And after not getting a response from Rika after a few moments I sighed heavily believing that I had really screwed things up, but good.

And as I started to make my way past Rika headed back down the stairway, Rika suddenly grabbed me and pulled me close to her as I freaked out a bit thinking that I was going to be gutted alive until I realized that Rika was actually just hugging me.

"It's alright Andrew-san, thank you." Rika whispered as she held me tight.

I allowed myself a slight smile as I returned her hug in full and then after a long moment released her as we gazed at each other.

The hug had been of affection, but not of the romantic type at all.

Instead it was an embrace that signified something far more special…

The mutual respect and admiration given between comrades in arms.

The first few rays of sun were still just peeking over the horizon when Rika and I both headed back downstairs as she then went off to go grab some tea while I returned back to the lounge area to try to grab a quick nap now that the fatigue was really starting to hit me now.

It was roughly about two hours later though when I felt someone nudging me whilst I was in a deep sleep and at first I thought it was someone waking me up for shift change until it became apparent it was someone trying furiously to wake me up in a hurry.

"Andrew, wake the f_ck up already, we've got a problem!" Tajima said anxiously as he kept trying to rouse me by shaking me furiously.

"Alright already, the f_ck's the problem?!" I growled as I stretched my arms over my head.

"It's the Infected." Tajima said his voice extremely excited.

"What about the f_cking Infected?" I said annoyed as I looked up at him and then noticed that he seemed pretty stressed out.

"They've about to breach the Main Terminal!" Tajima said practically shouting now. "That's what!"

Immediately I jumped up from the sofa and grabbed my gear as Tajima ran out the door with me running closely behind as I noticed police running in all directions at the other end of the corridor where the civilians were at.

And as we ran out of the VIP lounge and made our way downstairs to the first floor it quickly became apparent to me what the fuss was all about as I saw an entire sea of Infected pressed up against the glass windows of the Terminal.

The faces of the Infected in front of the crowd were all pressed tightly against the glass by the weight of the hundreds of others behind them relentlessly pushed forward, crushing the ones in front to bloody pulp under their crushing weight.

And those not being crushed to a bloody mess were making quick work of turning their hands into bloody stumps as they kept pounding on the glass with a chorus of thuds that never seemed to stop.

Awed by the sight I walked up towards where Rika and Commander Nanahara were both standing near the glass with some of the other SAT people, all of them standing with their rifles at the ready.

And as I joined them I could not help but wonder how just how the Infected had determined this this area was the best place to attack as I gazed at the gruesome sight of all those Infected congregated at this one spot relentlessly banging away at the glass.

At first I couldn't figure out an explanation as to why the Infected had all gathered here in the first place, after all, the civilians had all been secured on the second floor of the Terminal against the far end of the building away from the glass.

And any and all noise had been kept to a minimum all night, so there was no way the Infected could have heard us.

And from what we had observed so far the Infected still only hunted by sound with the exception of that one that had acted like he had smelled me yesterday.

But even if they were slowly evolving so that all of them could hunt by smell now, there was no way they could have smelled us through the thick glass especially with everyone being restricted to the second floor now, and any type of pheromones would have been washed away with all that pouring rain last night.

And from the way they were all blindly pounding on the glass, they sure as hell couldn't see us.

So how the hell did the Infected even know we were here?

And then it dawned on me, as I saw the raindrops drying on the glass.

The reverberating noise of the raindrops striking against the glass had been like ringing the dinner bell for the Infected, drawing all of them in like a pack of rabid dogs.

And as I watched the crowd of Infected pounding on the glass, I saw dozens more coming from all around the tarmac, all of them headed right for us, drawn by the sounds of the other Infected pounding on the glass.

And as more kept coming, it wouldn't be long now before eventually the force of their frenzied blows and their combined weight would eventually shatter the glass allowing them to come pouring into the one last stronghold left on the island.

And once they poured in, there would be little any of us could do to stop them before every one of us was overwhelmed.

And then after we fell, there would be nothing else to prevent them from attacking the over four hundred defenseless people huddled in fear on the second floor.

Four hundred people.

Four hundred men, women, and…

Children.

So many innocent children, all with their lives still so far ahead of them.

And like their parents, all of them scared out of their minds.

I squeezed my eye shut and gritted my teeth angrily.

"Not like this." I said under my breath as my anger slowly turned to fury.

No, these people weren't going to die, not if I could help it, I thought to myself as I turned to face Nanahara, whose jaw was clenched tight as he saw the hopelessness of the situation.

"Commander, I need you're permission to initiate an Op." I said as Nanahara looked over at me with a puzzled expression as I then hurriedly explained to him the course of action that I wanted to pursue as his eyebrows nearly shot off the top of his forehead believing that I had finally lost my mind.

"ARE YOU NUTS?!" Nanhara said after I'd finished explaining my plan as he then looked over at Rika and Tajima in an effort to talk me out of it I suppose.

Problem for him was, they actually seemed to like my idea as they hurriedly volunteered to go with me.

"Andrew-san do you honestly believe you can do this successfully?" Nanahara asked me again after realizing that I was serious and that even his two best operatives wanted to be involved in my seemingly psychotic and suicidal mission as well.

"I've done something like this before sir, this really isn't anything new." I replied knowing that no matter what I said, the man was never going to be convinced that what I was doing was actually the best course of action.

In response Nanahara rubbed his forehead as if he was trying to work off a migraine before he gave a big sigh of resignation.

"You're f_cking crazy my friend, anybody ever tell you that?" Nanahara said with a tired smirk.

"Aye, all the damn time." I said smirking back at him.

"But hey, in this world you have to be crazy in order to think up crazy plans like this." I added as I removed my Mossberg shotgun from my pack and made sure there was a shell in the chamber.

"Give me a minute or two to get everyone in else in place." Nanahara said as he reached for his radio throat mike. "When you guys are ready to move, *squelch the radio twice."

(*Squelch- Sound that occurs over a portable radio when a mike button is pressed.)

"Roger that, sir." I said as I looked over at Rika and Tajima.

"You two ready?" I said looking at Rika and Tajima as they checked their weapons.

"Right behind you Andrew-san." Rika said as she blew out a deep breath and then all three of us headed for the only ideal exit we saw away from the heaviest concentration of Infected.

It took us a few minutes to get there, and once we got into position, Rika, Tajima and I stood by the metal shutter doors of the West wing of the Main Terminal along with two uniformed police officers, all of us standing with our weapons aimed at the door that we would be heading out of towards the backside of the Main Terminal building to draw the Infected away.

Meanwhile, on the roof of the Main Terminal Nanahara had hastily positioned his remaining sniper teams with their high precision sniper rifles to cover us, as well as a couple of cops armed with assault weapons fitted with suppressors so that they wouldn't draw the Infected back towards the Main Terminal again.

Finding access to the airfield from the Main Terminal hadn't been easy because the area was teeming with the bastards, but as I scanned the airfield on the way over I soon found what I was looking for.

By a fuel storage building half a click away there were three large fuel trucks, two of them white and green indicating that they carried conventional fuels that were highly flammable and for the current situation at hand, was just the sort of thing that the doctor ordered.

But it was the third truck colored in white and yellow that really caught my eye.

And as I scanned over the fuel truck with my Vortex monocular that I took out of one of the pouches on my combat vest, I saw the letters "JP-5" stenciled in large letters on the side of the fuel tanker as a big grin formed on my face.

"JP-5. Military grade fuel." I said under my breath practically giggling like a kid as I checked the tanker over for residual damage.

JP-5 is a high-grade fuel that has an ignition temperature of 140 degrees Fahrenheit and is primarily used as Military Jet fuel.

And for purposes other than fueling jet aircraft, it blows up, oh, soooo sweetly.

And after we arrived at a location that was relatively clear of the Infected and close enough for us to run to the tanker without too much effort, I had Tajima break squelch twice letting Nanahara know we were ready.

Slowly, the rolling shutters were lifted and the three of us quietly slipped outside as the officers carefully closed the shutter door behind us trying not to make too much noise.

And as the shutter doors came down we heard the officers inside place the large bolts back into place and then lock them up with a loud "click".

We were now on our own.

Since this was actually a "Hit-and-Run" mission and not a long-range battle, Rika and Tajima had left their sniper rifles behind and had exchanged them with suppressed Heckler & Koch MP5SD5 submachine guns.

I however, didn't have to change my rifle for a suppressed firearm, because attached to the end of my Mark 18 carbine was a Surefire SOCOM556-MINI suppressor that had taken all of a few seconds to install the miniature *can on the end of my carbine.

(*Can – Slang for Suppressor)

But before we did anything else, Phase One of my plan required making a lot of noise to draw the Infected away from the Terminal, and stop the impending threat to everyone inside the building.

Which was why instead of my carbine, I was now holding my shotgun in my hands.

I quickly turned to Rika and Tajima who from the looks on their faces, had a flurry of emotions running through them right now as we were about to engage the Infected.

Fear and determination, was what I saw in their faces, a well-balanced mixture that kept you on your toes.

The adrenaline rush that I knew was running through them would also be a big help in my opinion, even though what we were about to do was borderline crazy.

I felt a sudden rush of excitement running through me as I breathed in and out trying to calm myself.

F_ck me, I hadn't felt like this in years as I felt a big grin forming on my face.

The thrill of battle is a meal only the finest warriors get to feast upon.

And today, we would feast until our stomachs burst.

Slowly, carefully, we made our way back towards the Main Terminal, stealthily walking past a few stragglers that were still walking around the area of the luggage loading bays for the aircraft.

And as we finally closed in on the Main Terminal were the thickest concentration of the Infected were assembling, I gave a couple of quick hand signals to Rika and Tajima to start making their way towards the large white airport shuttle bus that would be our transport out to the fuel tanker.

Quietly I waited until the two of them had finally reached the shuttle bus and gave me a thumbs up that they were good to go when I nodded back at them and then leveled my shotgun at the moaning horde and fired the Mossberg directly at the Infected knocking a couple of them down with the blast.

"COME AND GET ME YOU TOSSERS!" I yelled as loud as I could, trying to draw their attention to me.

And from all appearances it seemed that my attempt to draw their attention had worked a little too well as the Infected suddenly forgot all about pounding on the glass walls of the Main Terminal and completely fixed their attention on me and started coming at me in droves.

"Oh bugger." I said under my breath as literally hundreds of Infected turned around and started shuffling towards me.

This plan had been a good idea at the time of my planning it, but now I wasn't so sure anymore.

"Time to go." I muttered as I turned tail and bolted towards the shuttle bus.

Luckily, the sniper teams along with Tajima's help with support fire carved me a safe path directly to the bus as they knocked down a few stragglers that got too close and I quickly hopped onboard the bus and then gave the snipers quick thumbs up before closing the door.

Rika was behind the steering wheel and immediately began honking the horn loudly as I leaned out the window and shouted at the horde, even shooting at them with my unsuppressed SIG-Sauer pistol and the Mossberg, trying to force their attention away from the Main Terminal.

And again, my plan worked a little too well as we quickly came to realize that we had gained the Infected's full attention.

From every direction.

Phase Two of my plan could now proceed as Rika put the bus into gear and we shot off towards the fuel trucks as Tajima and I kept up a constant rate of fire shooting with our unsuppressed sidearms and my shotgun as we continued trying to keep the Infected's attention strictly on us, as Rika slammed into several stragglers as we made our way towards the hanger.

"Knocking them over like bowling pins!" Tajima whooped as Rika intentionally swerved the bus into another Infected sending it careening into another, knocking both of them down.

Geez, these two were almost having as much fun as I was, as I fired my shotgun at another straggler and its head disappeared in a spray of pink mist.

As we finally pulled up alongside the tankers we quickly disembarked the bus, as Rika and Tajima quickly secured the perimeter while I did a quick check of the tanker to make sure that the cab was clear as well as the undercarriage of the vehicle.

Just as I was about to jump into the cab my attention was suddenly diverted from what I was doing by the sound of a soft scraping noise coming from somewhere nearby.

I looked around for the origin of the sound but saw nothing around at first, and as a precaution, I checked the undercarriage again but saw nothing underneath.

Believing I was just hearing things, I was about to jump into the cab of the truck and fire it up when I heard the sound again, only louder this time.

And then it hit me.

The sound was coming from on top of the tanker itself.

I jumped off the cab of the tanker and ran back towards the rear platform mounted on the tanker where the "dump valves" and the fuel hose was stored as I then climbed up the small stepladder attached to the fuel tank itself and cautiously peered over the top of the tanker.

And sure enough, as I peered up on top of the tanker I found a lone Infected lying on its belly facing me, which upon hearing me scrambling up the stepladder had immediately started crawling towards me.

"Silly little beggar." I said with a grin as I caught it by the bright orange jacket it wore and yanked it off the large tank as it fell nearly twenty feet onto the hard concrete ground below.

It landed with a loud splat as it hit the ground face first, the skull caving in and blood pouring out from creating a large red puddle of gore beneath it.

"Oi, Rika-san!" I called out to my comrades as I heard them both come running around the truck to find the grisly mess left on the ground before them.

"Finish that thing off for me would you, love?" I asked Rika in a lovey-dovey voice as I started to climb back down the truck and heard Rika fire two rounds through the back of the Infected's skull sending more bone fragments and brain matter splattering the ground around it.

As I climbed back into the cab, I told Rika and Tajima to cover me with their MP5's while I fired up the truck.

"You even know what you're doing Andy?" Tajima shouted me as I heard several 'puuft' noises emitted from their silenced weapons while I was busily trying to start the engine which refused to kick over for some reason.

"Aye." I replied to him in a very sarcastic tone. "Not the first time I've driven a truck, mate."

"That's not what I meant!" Tajima said rather testily.

"What I mean is…..SHIT!" Tajima screamed as the skull of an Infected he hadn't seen coming up behind him exploded as I fired a round from my Sig pistol into its head.

"Mind your back, lad." I said nonchalantly as Tajima glared angrily at me while I blew away the smoke from the muzzle of my pistol and then holstered it. "Keep leaving yourself open like that and one of those bastard's is gonna take a nice big bite out of your arse next time."

As I turned the key once again and the truck finally roared to life, I then yelled for the two SAT operatives to climb into the cab as they hurriedly climbed in and I quickly put the truck in gear.

And as we shot forward I couldn't help but slam the front of the tanker truck into several more stragglers as the truck slid slightly to the side as the Infected I had just run over were ground into mush underneath the wheels as I then regained control of the vehicle and then drove us towards the farthest end of the runway, away from the Main Terminal.

As I drove the vehicle I made sure to keep it in low gear and kept piping the horn, continuing to draw the large horde of Infected to us and intentionally keeping the speed of the vehicle slow so that the slowly shuffling Infected could keep pace.

But even though I wanted the Infected to follow, I still kept a good distance away from them just to be on the safe side because if this plan didn't work, we were going to be up to our balls in Infected if they caught up to us too quickly.

And as we slowly rolled down the tarmac I glanced over at Rika and Tajima who were both looking straight ahead and not saying a word, as I then smiled at the thought of how only yesterday I could think of nothing but killing them.

Funny how quickly my perspective had changed regarding these two.

Back at the Main Terminal after I had escaped from the small interrogation room, all I could think about was strangling these two the first chance I got, especially after the whole "Mr. Cuddles" incident.

But now after seeing them in action, any remains of the murderous rage I had for them earlier was gone, and all I felt now was a sincere admiration and gratitude for these two for sticking with me despite the extreme risk of the mission.

And after what seemed like an eternity, we finally reached the furthest end of the runway as I then stopped the tanker about roughly fifty feet away from the water's edge and jumped out of the cab.

I then turned to face the two SAT officers to describe in detail Phase Three of my impromptu plan, but I hesitated a second after seeing the looks on their faces.

They were both young and had their whole lives ahead of them, but I could see that they were also fiercely determined to help this mission succeed, and were willing to help me to whatever lengths needed to accomplish our mission even if it ultimately led to their deaths.

I couldn't began to describe how proud and how honored I was to have such a great pair of people by my side.

But today, I needed them to live.

"I'm going topside and when we get "on site" I'm going to operate the fuel hose when we get to the site I told you about, understand?!" I said as I motioned for Rika to slide over into the driver's seat.

"Rika, you'll be driving, Tajima, I need you to provide fire support for her while she drives, and no f_cking argument, got that?!" I said as I saw the looks of determination on their faces fade into sheer horror after I gave my last order, but then both reluctantly nodded in response.

I had left the Mossberg in the cab of the truck along with my spare shells for Tajima to use as he rode "shotgun" for Rika as I checked to make sure my carbine was ready to fire and then fired upon the few stragglers that had started closing in on us.

While we had managed to bring most of the crowd of Infected away from the Main Terminal, there were still an untold number still shuffling around on the runways as I slotted several Infected with my carbine that had been shuffling nearby before I climbed onto the rear platform of the tanker.

"RIKA, GET US MOVING!" I yelled as the truck jerked once as Rika put the vehicle in gear and we began moving again.

And as we rolled forward I heard a shotgun blast as we drove, as apparently one of the Infected had gotten a little too close for Tajima's comfort as I climbed up the small rear platform of the tanker.

Rika in the meantime, was still honking the horn as she drove in order to keep the main group of Infected's attention on us even though the loud engine noise coming from the truck as we were driving around already had them pretty well focused on us anyway.

As Rika drove us alongside the edge of the tarmac, I climbed the small ladder mounted on the rear of the vehicle and then sat on top of the tank as we drove around.

I then began firing single-fire shots from my carbine, being careful to keep the muzzle flash off to the sides of the tanker so that no sparks fell anywhere near the fuel valves on the rear.

And as I aimed the green "Biohazard" reticle of the EOTech holosight over the forehead of one of the Infected I fired a single shot at him as the bullet travelled through the air and then hit him in the forehead, exiting out the back of his skull.

But unlike all the others that I had shot before, this one didn't fall down but instead, kept on coming.

"WHAT THE HELL?" I said under my breath with a mixture of shock and frustration.

Up until now, what I had just seen wasn't possible, even with the Infected.

I was shooting NATO-grade ammo in my carbine which was designed to pierce armor, and yet it hadn't dropped the Infected that I had just shot in the head?

At first I thought that perhaps the Infected actually were now "evolving" into something much worse than we had previously seen.

The one that had seemed to "sniff" me out yesterday had begun to make me think that perhaps the Infected were now beginning to "mutate" or "evolve" into something far more dangerous which was a scary scenario if their abilities to hunt were starting to change from what we had become used to.

And if these things ever were to eventually become able to hunt by smell or sight instead of just sound, the situation would grow from bad to worse because there would be no way for anyone to avoid detection anymore.

And since the only way to kill these things previously had been a headshot which now seemed to be no longer effective anymore, then the only means of defending ourselves that we had left was now completely useless.

But just to be sure I fired once more and was relieved to see the thing drop to the ground after the second shot as it then dawned on me that perhaps the bullet had just hit a spot in the brain that hadn't affected any part of "motor" function.

"Lucky prick." I growled greatly relieved that the Infected I had just dispatched wasn't actually "mutating" at all but instead, the whole incident was more than likely just one of those flukes in combat where one in ten shots fired at an enemy doesn't always 'kill' him, even with a headshot.

I had heard stories about it happening in the field in war zones before, so this wasn't the first time such a thing had happened in warfare.

But it was the first time I had seen it, and it had scared the hell out of me thinking that we were now facing an even more dangerous foe than before.

But just the same, I was gonna be a lot more cautious with these bastards from now on.

Before long we had made enough noise and drawn away most of the horde to finally put Phase Four of my plan into motion as we drove up to a large "pit" area used for maintenance and then drove around it as Rika continued to sound the horn in order to keep the Infected following us.

And as we finally came to a stop on the other side of the "pit area" I then hurriedly jumped off the back of the tanker and then directed Rika to back up until the rear of the vehicle was right on the edge of the "pit" before I signaled for her to stop as I then cracked the "Fuel Dump" valves of the tanker and let all of the fuel splash onto the "pit area" below.

Rika and Tajima meanwhile, had jumped off the tanker and joined me as we watched all of the Infected that had been following us all the way from the Main Terminal begin to start falling into the pit as all of the jet fuel continued to pour in coming up to ankle level before the hose finally spluttered empty.

"One hell of a pool party, huh?" Tajima said with a grin as the Infected that had fallen in got back on their feet and continued walking towards us.

"Yeah, but I think the "guests" are starting to become annoying." I said with a chuckle. "Now would be a good time to give them a hint the party's over and they've overstayed their welcome."

"Agreed." Rika said with a laugh. "I hate it when people can't take a hint that it's time to get lost."

"Well, subtle hints haven't worked very well with these guys so far…" I said with a grin. "What say we use the direct approach?"

"Fine by me." Tajima said as he and Rika started to back away.

All joking aside, now had come the most dangerous part of the whole operation, as I started backing away from the edge of the pit too, as I fished out the magnesium flares I had brought with me.

Unfortunately, we did not have a flare gun in our possession which would have been ideal in this particularly hazardous situation, and so I was stuck with the highly dangerous task of throwing the flares by hand in order to ignite the fuel, knowing full well that the explosion from the fuel in the pit and whatever fuel that remained in the truck would cause a large enough explosion that could just as easily kill us as well as the Infected if we weren't able to get to a safe distance in time.

As Rika and Tajima fired at the few Infected that were still shuffling nearby to cover me, I ignited the two flares and then got ready to toss them as I looked over at Rika and Tajima.

"READY?!" I roared as they both shouted that they were ready as I flung the two flares as hard as I could up in the air.

"RUN!" I shouted as all of us ran like rabbits as fast as we could away from there as the flares flew throught the air in a lazy arc twirling end-over-end before igniting the fumes while they were still in the air as a terrific explosion ripped the air around us and the ground shook beneath our feet and I felt the air being sucked away before the shockwave hit us and tossed us to the ground like rag dolls as the searing heat burned our exposed flesh.

We had all been knocked practically senseless to the ground by the force of the blast and the heat was unbelievable as I tried to get back to my feet and run away from the inferno but then suddenly felt something tugging on me, as I thought at first that one of the Infected still shuffling around had grabbed me.

But instead it was only Tajima who had obviously not been so affected by the blast and was now trying to drag my fat arse back away from the danger zone as Rika weakly came up and tried to help him.

"Hey, knock it off you two, I'm not dead yet." I growled as I picked myself up from the ground with their help.

"Sorry." Tajima said with a grin. "You didn't get up right away and I thought you might have been hurt pretty bad."

"Considering how close we were to that." I said jerking my thumb at the huge mushroom cloud that was rolling skyward as the fuel burned heavily behind us. "I'm surprised any of us is still standing."

"Yeah, I bet they even felt that on the Mainland." Rika said as I glanced over at her and then laughed at seeing that some of her hair was still smoking at the end of her ponytail.

"What so funny?" Rika said as Tajima began laughing as well as she kept looking at us with an annoyed look.

"Nothing much." I said coughing.

"It's just that your hair's on fire." I said as Tajima and I began roaring in laughter as Rika yelped as she finally noticed the smell of burning hair and started slapping her head all around in an effort to put it out.

"Quit laughing you jerks and put it out!" Rika screamed as Tajima and I both still laughing our asses off, walked up and patted her smoking hair out.

And as I helped put out Rika's hair and ducked a swing that she threw at me afterwards I thought about everything that these two had done ever since they had a volunteered to help me on this extremely hazardous mission.

Despite the risk, they had both stuck with me all the way to the end, and had gone above and beyond to ensure the mission's success, and not only that, they had also put their lives at great risk trying to pull me away from an inferno believing that I'd been seriously hurt.

They could have easily let somebody else go with me on the mission instead of volunteering to go on my seemingly suicidal task, and they also could have left me behind after the explosion rather than risk losing their lives in an effort to save me.

In short, they had proven that they really cared about me, even though I had acted like a right tosser towards them all as the sickening weight of guilt suddenly fell upon me and began to tear me apart inside as we began the long walk back to the Main Terminal.

Our mission had been a success.

The danger from the Infected breaching the Main Terminal had been halted for now, with more than a few hundred Infected vaporized in the explosion and the rest now shuffling the tarmac well away from the Main Terminal itself.

I should have been whooping it up like Tajima and Rika were, but despite our success, I still felt very hollow inside.

When we finally reached the closed shutter doors of the Loading Area we nearly collapsed against them, all of us exhausted from the after effects of the adrenaline rush we had been experiencing through the whole affair as well as the long walk afterwards.

As we approached the Main Terminal we had been spotted by the sniper team long before we arrived, but Nanahara had ordered the doors to remain shut until the very last second.

And no sooner had we collapsed against the shutter doors than we felt them being raised up as an armed escort of SAT personnel greeted us along with two women dressed in green medical scrubs.

The three of us were quickly carried inside and checked by the two nurses as Rika and Tajima were then helped to their feet but had to be supported by their friends as a couple of the cops then tried to help me also but then backed away as I politely waved them off and then slowly walked behind them, my emotions now hitting me like a sledgehammer as I watched the police and the nurses fussing over us.

Commander Nanahara was waiting for us as we entered the make-shift Infirmary they had set up on the second floor as all of the Airport Police began to applaud us for the success of the mission.

But even though I smiled and shook their hands, deep down, I didn't feel I was worthy of their praise, and after a little while I left the Infirmary and walked up onto the roof to be alone as I lit up a cigarette.

But before I even managed to get a few puffs from the death stick, my emotions finally overcame me, and the cigarette that I had in my hand dropped to the damp ground below as I cried for the first time in years.

Author's Notes:

Well, as all of you fans of the HOTD series who closely follow the manga and the anime have probably noticed.

Tajima didn't die after all as he did in the manga.

After some discussion, Poynton90 and I decided to keep his character alive for a while longer, so you'll be seeing more of him in my story as it progresses.

I wanted to post this chapter before the month was out, and at the same time, Chapter Three has been re-done from its original "rough draft" and has been posted today as well.

I've added some new dialogue in it and fixed any mistakes.

Eventually, every chapter, including this one will be re-done.

But for now, I hope you enjoy what you read.

Thanks again for your support!