44

Last Alarm

Chapter Forty- Four

"Enemy at the Gates"

Part Eight

Growing up, I was taught that a man has to defend his family.

When the wolf is trying to get in, you gotta stand in the doorway.

_ B. B. King

Location: Tokonosu City

Estate of Soichiro and Yuriko Takagi

North Corner of Takagi Manor

Time: Morning

Spring 2013

Z-Day plus Four

Ever since my little "talk" with Yuriko and Shizuka yesterday, my thoughts had been focused mainly on my personal crisis with the kids and Saeko, and little else.

But one of the things that had been nagging me in the back of my head afterwards was when Yuriko and Shizuka had told me about the antagonistic behavior the other refugees had displayed just a few minutes after our arrival at Takagi Manor.

While I had realized before that my being an American would not necessarily make me popular with the locals in whatever country we operated in when I signed up to be a PMC, it had been my belief that such hatred for Westerners would primarily be limited to the so-called "Third World" countries where civil unrest and tribal warfare had led to many atrocities being committed amongst both the local people, as well as to foreigners.

That being said, I had no doubt that my appearance would still raise eyebrows and suspicions amongst the local population, as heavily armed and attired in tactical gear the way I was, regardless of the fact that I was presently stranded in a so-called "friendly" country.

But given the present circumstances, I had figured that the majority of the panicked population would be more concerned with running away from the clutches of the Infected than wondering why there was a heavily armed American walking down the streets of the city.

So it was quite a shock for me when Yuriko and Shizuka told me how close I came to being lynched because for some strange reason, the refugees were under the misguided belief that the United States was actually responsible for the Outbreak, and I was an enemy combatant sent out to spy on Japan.

As a firefighter, I had been trained constantly on how to deal with people who were suffering from the effects of a serious trauma, and I realized that the effects of "The Outbreak" was going to have an even more significant effect on everyone's psyche than someone who was freaking out after experiencing an earthquake or a hurricane.

But an angry mob out for my blood because they were under the paranoid delusion that I was some sort of covert American operative on a hunter/killer mission to assist my countrymen in mass genocide, was still stretching things quite a bit, if you ask me.

And even though its common knowledge that relations between the United States and other countries have always been strained at best, the ludicrous accusations being shouted by the refugees that America was the responsible for the Outbreak by launching a first-strike weapon upon the entire world with some new type of bio-weapon that turned human beings into cannibalistic monsters, was also pretty far-fetched, and more like the silly plot of some bad "B" movie than anything else.

But with my overwhelming dilemma with the kids weighing more heavily on my mind at the time, I hadn't bothered to ponder too hard on the craziness of the mob's accusations too much and had quickly blown it all off as being the paranoid delusions of a thoroughly frightened nation of people who were just too scared out of their minds to think clearly, and were seeking anything or anyone to blame for their plight.

Unfortunately, my blowing off the fears of the refugees had ultimately turned out to be a grave mistake, because while my focus had been on the kids as Yuriko and Shizuka were explaining to me everything that had happened, just outside my window, a murderous plot to kill all of us and take over the mansion was taking place right under our noses.

And if not for Rei bringing everything to a sudden halt by confronting that psycho schoolteacher at bayonet point, and Alice running back to warn me and Saeko what was happening….

Well, things might have turned out very differently, and what could very well have been a massacre for the members of the Takagi Household as well as the rest of us, had just narrowly been averted.

But while Rei had miraculously managed to bring the lynch party to a grinding halt by threatening the life of the leader of the mob, I knew that the tense stand-off would be only temporary, at best.

And it wouldn't be long before rage overcame fear, and then nothing would hold the mob back any longer as they surged forward, and overwhelmed anything in their path.

And as my brain was screaming for me to do something…. anything to help bring an end to this dire situation, Saeko had suddenly grabbed me by the shoulder and quickly pointed out someone in the crowd whom she had recognized, a girl by the name of Miku Yuuki, who was screaming her lungs off for the Takagi's to be put to death, along with the rest of the shrieking mob,.

At first I wasn't sure what significance the presence of that one face in the crowd whom Saeko had recognized meant until Saeko pointed out a boy standing next to the girl Miku by the name of Tsunoda.

And while I was wasting my time peering into the crowd and seeing nothing but blurred images,Saeko then pointed out a couple more faces in the crowd whom she recognized, that were standing in different spots amongst the angry mob.

If I had been wearing my glasses at the time, I probably would have been able to put two-and-two together a lot faster if I could have seen the faces of those kids clearly, but as it was, Saeko had to explain to me who they were, and when she did….

Then the pieces began to fall together.

Oh yeah, that little shit needed to die.

And in the most horrifyingly, painful way possible, too.

And I swore to myself that I was going to kill that little bastard once I got my hands on him, if Rei didn't finish him off first.

I had to admit, he was a smart little bastard the way he was able to convince the crowd that the Takagi's and I were enemies of Japan by using the crowd's fear against them.

But covertly using his students to help stir up the crowd was friggin' genius.

Whenever a group of people experiences a traumatic event together, very few will ever choose to take off on their own, or remain separated from other human contact for very long.

Rather, the natural tendency for a group of survivors is to clump together with other survivors in order to survive, which is a defensive reflex we all have.

But sometimes even after the danger is long past, most victims will still tend to stick close to that same group of people they were originally with, even if they're surrounded by other survivors.

And the reason for that is because subconsciously in the back of their minds, those very people will only feel "safe" with the very same people they were originally with, much like Shizuka, the teens, and I had stuck together after we had arrived at the mansion.

And even despite all the ugliness that had happened between us earlier, when danger had presented itself, little Alice had not stayed with Shizuka and everyone else, but instead, had sought me and Saeko out, looking for help.

And that being the case, it stood to reason that the schoolteacher whom we had abandoned on the bus a couple of days ago and the students whom had remained with him, had doubtlessly experienced a lot of mental and emotional trauma themselves the past few days.

And that being the case, you would think that those same students would be scared out of their minds with what was happening to their leader, and would at least would be clumped together somewhere near him for protection, especially with this unruly mob on the verge of hysteria.

But they weren't.

Instead, those kids were about as far apart from each other and from the teacher as they could be, each of them standing in strategic places amongst the crowd, screaming and shouting just as angrily along with the rest of the mob.

And there could be only one reason why those teens were dispersed amongst the crowd like the pieces of a chess set.

And as much as I hated to admit it, I had to hand it to the little prick, he may have been a sniveling little sissy who couldn't keep from getting his ass kicked by a teenage girl half his age, but his plan to incite the crowd to riot against the Takagi's by using his students to help him stir up the crowd and take over the mansion, was pretty damn clever.

Asshole.

Unfortunately for the Takagi's, that little weenie's plan was working all too well, and despite Rei's inadvertently putting a halt to the uprising temporarily, the mood of the crowd as she held a bayonet at that little prick's throat was only getting worse.

And despite the best efforts of the Takagi's security staff to try to control the situation, it was only a matter of time before the mob would whip itself into a frenzy at the sight of their leader being assaulted, and then they would charge the heavily armed guards anyway, with heavy casualties on both sides.

And in the end, that little prick and his brood would have gotten exactly what they wanted and without so much as a scratch upon themselves when it was all over, as dozens of people lay dead or dying all around them.

F_cking asshole.

Problem was, there was very little I could do to stop that little prick's plan from proceeding as planned with only a pistol in my hand and two young girls and a puppy by my side as backup.

And as much as I wanted to go down there and tear that psycho a new one and put a permanent halt to his sick plans, there was no way I could do so without compromising the safety of the two girls with me, especially if the crowd did begin to run amuck and we wound up being the only remaining survivors of this whole mess when the smoke finally cleared.

And so with that in mind, it came as quite a shock to me when Saeko suddenly suggested that we go on the offensive and sneak into the crowd and snatch one of the little rug rats that was helping stir up the crowd and force them to confess everything right in front of everyone.

At first I thought Saeko was merely kidding, and I patted her on the head playfully for coming up with such a cute plan until I realized that she was being deadly serious when she suddenly glared at me in irritation for poo-pooing her plan.

I had to admit, given the way the mob was so entirely focused on the idea of tearing apart the people standing at the top of the staircase, Saeko's idea wasn't the worst plan I'd ever heard, although it was indeed, borderline suicidal.

But even though it probably was the smart thing to do given the situation, I was reluctant to jeopardize Saeko's and Alice's safety with a plan that only had a thin margin of success.

And so despite Saeko's persistence, I sternly nixed her clever, but still suicidal plan, much to her chagrin.

Of course, Saeko wasn't one to give up so easily.

As mature and sensible a person as I had believed Saeko Busujima to be when I first met her, I had come to realize that she did have one very annoying trait, which was her ability to be as stubborn as a mule when she had set her mind on something.

And despite my objections, Saeko continued to pester me to give her plan a try despite the extreme risk until I finally had enough and threatened to use my slipper on her backside again before she finally stopped insisting that we go through with her crazy plan.

That is, right up until the crowd started getting a little more rowdy and I noticed something that made me change my mind about Saeko's plan after all, as Saeko and I noticed the girl Miku and the husky boy Tsunoda beginning to discreetly move away from the rest of the crowd and head directly towards the garage where our Humvee was being kept.

I suppose while the schoolteacher may have believed his cause was worth risking his life over, these two teenage followers were apparently not quite as hell-bent on sacrificing themselves for the cause.

And rather than risk becoming martyrs, these two had obviously decided that they were getting the hell out of Dodge before the fireworks began, as we watched them move hand-in-hand towards the rear of the garage and then take cover behind it, peeking around the side of the structure whilst waiting for the show to begin.

And despite the fact I was still worried about jeopardizing the lives of the girl's, I had to admit, this was too good an opportunity to pass up as I tapped Saeko on the shoulder and told her of my plan on how we were going to go about capturing those two.

And so after making sure Alice was well hidden amongst the hedges where she would be safe, and would also stay put no matter what, Saeko and I then left her and Zeke hidden in the bushes and stealthily made our way down the hill towards the rear of the garage, trying to keep ourselves concealed from view in the foliage, as we made our approach to our two unsuspecting "targets".

Attempting a "prisoner snatch" on enemy personnel is a lot tougher than what you see in the movies, and even special ops guys have to train hard to sneak up on an enemy and snatch him without raising the alarm.

And that being the case, my trying to sneak up and quietly capture these kids while dressed in a bathrobe and slippers and with Saeko dressed in a full-length kimono would have had my buddies on GREEN and BLUE Team shaking their heads in disgust at us for what we were doing, as we carefully made our way towards our intended targets without being detected.

Fortunately for us, the two targets whom we were sneaking up on were just a couple of high school kids and not a pair of trained soldiers on alert for enemy activity, so taking those two by surprise ended up being a piece of cake thanks to the loud shouting of the mob and the teenage couple's concentration being entirely focused on the anticipated bloodbath, instead of watching out for anyone who might be sneaking up on them.

There are many techniques to silently taking down an enemy combatant so that he can be taken captive and then later extracted and handed over for Intelligence purposes, and one of my personal favorites is one of the take-down techniques employed by the Alamo Scouts of World War II, in which they would silently wait for the target to pass by and then reach up from behind and hook the captive from below with one arm and simultaneously lift up and push the man back down with the other arm, forcing him to the ground.

When executed correctly, the move is so swift and so shocking that the prisoner instinctively drops his weapon in order to break his fall and is quickly overwhelmed so that he doesn't even have a chance to cry out in alarm before he is quickly subdued.

But since our quarry were just a couple of punk kids and not heavily armed enemy combatants, there was really no need for me to be that heavy-handed with them, no matter how screwed up in the head they were.

And so I decided to go for the simpler, gentler, approach and merely clamped my hand over the boy's mouth to keep him from crying out and then pressed the muzzle of my pistol against the side of his head and thumbed the hammer back, which took any thoughts he might have had of putting up a fight, right out of him.

Although my capture of the boy had been pretty easy-peasey, the kid's girlfriend however, decided that she really didn't want to go down without a fight like her boyfriend did and started to struggle violently against the headlock Saeko had on her, until Saeko then did some sort of nerve pinch on her neck to subdue her.

And even with one of Saeko's hands clamped tightly over her mouth, the scream that the girl uttered as Saeko applied pressure to that nerve point was still pretty loud, but it did finally convince the girl to stop struggling, however.

Now that we had the captives we needed to put Saeko's plan into motion, all that we needed to do now was sneak back to where we had left Alice and retrieve her before sneaking back into the mansion with our prisoners in tow, without being seen.

And once we accomplished that, all we had to do then was hand off the two juvenile delinquents over to the Security Chief Yoshioka who would then force a confession out of them in front of everyone and quell the rebellion, once and for all.

Well, that was the plan anyway, and it probably would have worked out pretty well too, except that at that exact same moment the little fink on the staircase suddenly decided to grow a pair I guess, and suddenly turned on Rei, lunging at her.

And despite the fact that Rei recovered quickly and pointed her bayonet at him again, somehow the little weasel was able to overcome his fear of her and then turned around and got the crowd all fired up again, which resulted in some people in the front of the mob to suddenly begin pushing against the guards.

And when I saw that, I did something that went against everything the guys at Laidlaw had ever trained me.

And by doing so, I probably set back unconventional warfare about a hundred years.

Firefighters by nature tend to be pretty bold in the performance of their job, which to be honest, you have to be, since the nature of the job requires that we be willing to face any challenge we meet head on because people's lives are often depending on us.

Sometimes we tend to be a little too aggressive in the performance of our duties however, and this has often times led many onlookers to question our sanity for going into a situation where most people are trying as hard as hell, to get out of.

That being said, there is no such thing as a stupid firefighter, although almost every paramedic and cop that I have ever worked with, pretty much thought of firemen as nothing more than a bunch of hairy, muscle-bound, apes with axes and hoses.

And while I've never considered myself God's gift to the Fire Service, I'm no idiot either, although I do have to admit that what I did next when I saw the mob surging toward the Takagi's, was pretty dumb.

Scratch that, it was downright stupid.

And what I did next would have given Andy and all my buddies on GREEN and BLUE Team, a heart attack.

Because as soon as I noticed the mob suddenly beginning to surge forward towards the guards, then, without even thinking of the danger that I was putting all us in, I immediately yelled for Saeko to follow me as we both shoved our two teen captives forward and placed ourselves directly behind the crowd.

And then in an even greater act of lunacy, I then removed my pistol away from the boy's head and fired into the air, causing everyone standing within the walls of Takagi Manor to duck for cover.

It was a desperate, stupid move, and could have very well ended badly for everyone including Saeko and I, if the guards had then opened up with their weapons after I fired that shot, all of them believing that they were suddenly being fired upon.

Miraculously however, there was no return fire from the guards as I breathed a sigh of relief and then realized just how badly I had screwed up by placing me and Saeko in the middle of the shit storm, as I took a Pocky stick from the pocket of my robe and popped it in my mouth, not caring how stupid I looked with it hanging there.

But at that particular moment as Saeko and I stood there surrounded by more than two hundred people who wanted nothing more than to kill us the first chance they got and with nothing more to protect us than a .45 pistol, I really needed something to calm my jangled nerves, and the last thing I cared about was how silly I looked.

And as I stood there with the Pocky stick hanging out of my mouth contemplating my next move, I found myself growing more and more apprehensive with each passing moment as I rattled my brain for a solution to the dilemma we were now in, and coming up with nothing no matter how hard I tried.

Talk about making a serious tactical error.

In my desperation to keep my friends from being killed, I had placed Saeko and myself right in the middle of the shit, and there seemed to be no visible way out of it as far as I could tell.

And while I had succeeded in stopping the massacre at least temporarily, my bone-headed move had now placed Saeko in danger needlessly, and I cursed myself for once again thinking and reacting like a fireman trying to avoid needless violence and trying to save everyone's lives, instead of focusing on keeping Saeko and Alice safe like I had originally intended.

And now my mistake was going to cost me everyone I held dear if I didn't hurry up and figure a way out of this mess.

But for the life of me, I had no idea of what to do next as I stood there munching on my Pocky stick, looking and feeling like an idiot.

"Jimu-san?' Saeko whispered as some of the people cowering on the ground began to poke their heads up to see who was doing all the shooting.

"Yeah, sweetie?" I replied biting nervously on the Pocky stick, a million thoughts running through my head all at once.

"What do we do now?" Saeko asked nervously as I noticed most of the people on the ground turning to gawk in the direction of the gunshot and then reacting with the same look of surprise on their faces, no doubt shocked by our appearance.

"No idea, honey…." I said as I swallowed the piece of Pocky I had bitten off, my mind still whirling with dozens of ideas on what I should do next, but none of them standing out amongst the rest.

"Are you serious?!" Saeko hissed through clenched teeth when all of a sudden my stomach chose that exact same moment to growl loudly from hunger.

And just as quickly as that, a plan finally popped into my head.

"Actually sweetie, an idea just popped into my head….." I said to Saeko with a smirk.

"What is it?!" Saeko asked nervously, the look on her face telling me that she wasn't really all that sure that she truly believed that I had come up with a solution to our dilemma, and was actually more worried that perhaps maybe I had just finally lost my mind.

"Just follow my lead, baby girl…." I said with a grin as I turned to speak to the crowd.

Sometimes the most brilliant of ideas occur during the strangest of times, and so when my stomach suddenly growled loudly to remind me that I had lied to Shizuka about eating breakfast earlier, a sudden idea of just how exactly to deal with our current situation immediately popped into my head.

And while I doubt that what I was about to do was written in any Law Enforcement handbook on how to deal with a riot situation, I'm pretty sure...

Actor Samuel L. Jackson would have been proud.

"Oh, I'm sorry… did I break your concentration?" I said out loud to the crowd acting as if I were genuinely sorry for having interrupted everyone in the middle of their lynching party.

"I didn't mean to do that….." I said sarcastically as I pointed the pistol at the crowd and slowly swept the pistol back and forth over everyone, making sure they understood that they had better stay put, or else.

"Please… continue….."I said tauntingly, still pretty pissed off at the mob for what they had been about to do, but deep down relieved to see that the fight had definitely gone out of them.

"Ya'll were saying something about ….."All traitors are deserving of death…..or some shit like that?" I said my anger growing as I gazed upon all the frightened faces cowering on the ground, the very same faces that had been twisted in anger and screaming for blood just a moment earlier.

I doubt there was a person amongst the mob who knew just exactly what the hell I was saying, but at that moment I really didn't care as I roughly shoved my captive, the young boy Tsunoda to the ground, and then cupped my left hand over my ear acting as if I were really straining to hear for any sound coming from the mob at all.

But the truth was, I wasn't the least bit interested in anything anyone had to say even if they did understand English, because I was pretty pissed off by then.

And to be honest, I'm truly glad no one had the nerve to say anything at that time, because as angry as I was, who knows what I would have done if someone had spoken up.

"What's the matter…?" I said taunting the crowd after several moments had passed with no reply.

"Oh… you're finished….?" I said as I dropped my hand from behind my ear and then glared angrily over all of the terrified faces of the crowd staring back at me in horror.

"Oh, well then allow me to retort…." I said sarcastically as I pointed my pistol directly into the crowd on my left side as several dozen of the people cowering on the ground suddenly screamed in terror.

"I have come here to eat Pocky, and kick ass…!" I growled as I spit out the remaining piece of Pocky still hanging from my lips.

"And I'm aaaaall out of Pocky….." I added with a grin as I aimed my pistol at the crowd of people on my right side who immediately began freaking out as I then glanced over at Saeko.

"Alright the fight's gone out of them…..go ahead and let her go, sweetie…." I said to Saeko as she nodded and then hissed something in the girl's ear before shoving the short-haired girl forward.

But instead of joining her boyfriend on the ground like Saeko had instructed, the young girl Miku immediately spun around on her heel instead, and then glared angrily back at us as my patience with the girl started to wear thin.

"You heard her, sweetness….go over there with her boyfriend and stay put….now." I said gruffly as Saeko translated my words to the girl who again, instead of doing as she was told, proceeded to start cursing us loudly in angry Japanese.

I admit my Japanese is pretty rusty nowadays as compared to the days when I was seriously into anime and learned what little Japanese I knew from reading the subtitles.

And so while I really couldn't tell exactly what it was the girl was saying to us, it didn't take a genius to figure out from the expression on her face and the malevolence in her voice, that what she was saying wasn't exactly something I really needed Saeko to translate for me.

At least not without having to wash both of the girl's mouths out with soap afterwards.

I have to admit, the girl had some guts to be standing there cussing us out while I had a loaded pistol in my hand, although it really wasn't the smartest move on her part considering that she and her friends were actually the ones guilty of trying to incite the crowd to kill us in the first place, and I had more than enough reason already to shoot her and her friends if I had the inclination.

But potty-mouth or no, I really had no intention of hurting the girl or her other teenage conspirators despite what everyone in the mob believed.

After all, this girl and her friends were really just a bunch of scared, confused kids who had been brain-washed by that psycho of a schoolteacher, and probably didn't understand just how demented that guy really was and how wrong they were for following him.

But just because I realized that she was really only a victim of that maniac's psychotic manipulations didn't mean I was about to let her get away with mouthing off at me and Saeko, though.

Call me old-fashioned, but if you ask me, young people really need to have a lot more respect for their elders, and this young girl's attitude was really starting to piss me off.

And as it turns out, I wasn't the only one.

Saeko could feel her blood boiling at the screaming girl, her normally calm demeanor being pushed to the limit as the angry teen continued to scream lewd epithets at Saeko and the American.

Miku, family name Yuki, had been a popular girl at Fujimi High whom Saeko had been acquainted with for the past two years.

And in those two years' time Saeko and had eventually come to loathe Miku for the way the teenage girl used to haughtily treat other students around her whom she regarded as inferior to herself, which for Miku, was just about anyone not a part of her inner circle of friends.

Cruel as well as arrogant, Saeko would bristle with anger whenever she saw the teenage diva in the hallway flirting with some unsuspecting boy filling his head with false confessions of romantic interest, or perhaps inviting some unsuspecting girl with a surprise invitation to a party or shopping trip, only to later humiliate them cruelly in front of everyone.

Many times Saeko had witnessed herself the shocked and humiliated faces of the victims of Miku's cruel pranks, as the teen would loudly deny in front of all the other students any knowledge of the promised date, shopping trip, or party, and then cruelly curse the hapless victim in front of everyone else as well, as the humiliated victim would then run away in tears, the sound of Miku's cruel laughter echoing in the halls.

And now as the teenage girl spewed all manner of verbal filth at her, the faces of all of Miku's victims suddenly appeared before Saeko's eyes, and the rage Saeko felt brewing within her became overwhelming as she took a step forward, her fists clenched.

"Miku!" Saeko heard the taller teenage boy shout in fear upon noticing Saeko stepping forward threateningly as the girl ignored his warning and her string of epithets became even louder and more vulgar, as Saeko suddenly felt a strong hand on her shoulder.

"Easy baby…..." The American said gently as Saeko gazed up into his face and saw the anger burning in his eyes.

"I know she's got a big mouth….." The American said as he glared angrily at Miku. "And having you punch her in the face would probably make both of us feel a whole lot better, right now."

"But I'll have no daughter of mine getting involved in a catfight with some silly girl whose probably gonna end up lying dead in a gutter somewhere, anyway…." Jim said as a curious frown suddenly came over his face as Miku suddenly begun to titter for no apparent reason.

"Daughter….?" Miku said in near perfect English, a look of surprise on her face.

"Busujima, Saeko is your daughter?!" Miku said before she suddenly began to laugh hysterically.

"I knew there was something about you that wasn't quite right, Busujima-sempai….!" Miku said her voice filled with contempt as she continued to laugh scornfully.

"Nani?" Saeko said confused by Miku's comment.

"Just ignore her baby, she's nuts….." Jim said giving Saeko's shoulder a gentle squeeze as Miku's scornful laugh filled the air again at the American's words.

"And all this time I thought I thought you were just some quiet, stuck up bitch who was just pretending to be nice to everyone…." Miku said no longer laughing, her voice filled with contempt as the American suddenly felt Saeko's body tense.

"I never realized that the real reason you were always so quiet and polite around others was because you were just trying to hide the fact that you were ashamed of being the half-breed spawn of this gaijin trash…." Miku said haughtily as the American's eyes narrowed.

"That was pretty smart of you Sempai, for using your mother's family name to hide the fact that you're only half Japanese….." Miku went on, enjoying the hate-filled look on Saeko's face as she continued to taunt her.

"I guess I can't blame you though, Sempai…." Miku added turning her gaze away from Saeko and acting as if she were bored in order to antagonize Saeko even further.

"If I were in your place, I wouldn't want to live with the fact that my mother was some trashy whore who got knocked up by some greasy Mexican wetback, eith-EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" Miku suddenly screamed in pain as the American suddenly stepped away from Saeko and then grabbed Miku by the ear with his free hand and twisted her ear viciously.

"I don't know who you think you are, little girl…" The American hissed angrily through gritted teeth at Miku as he lifted her up by her ear, forcing her to stand on her tiptoes as she tried to no avail, to break the man's hold on her ear as she howled from the pain.

"But don't you ever talk to my daughter like that again…YOU HEAR ME!" Jim suddenly roared as he applied more pressure on Miku's ear causing her to scream even louder as everyone, including Saeko looked on in horror.

"For your information princess, Saeko Busujima is my adopted daughter…." The angry man said in a cold voice as he violently pushed Miku to the ground next to the boy Tsunoda, and then knelt down next to both of them as the two teens shrank back from him and stared in shock at the man as he glared angrily at both of the teens.

"And even if she weren't…" The American continued his face mere inches away from Miku's, his eyes ablaze with fury. "There is no reason whatsoever for her to be ashamed of having two parents of a different race."

"And even if she is ashamed of me because I'm not Japanese….." The man said through gritted teeth. "I would not hold that against her."

"Because I love my daughter dearly…." The American said as Saeko gasped at the man's bold declaration of his endearment for her in front of everyone.

"And I will always be proud to call her my child, even if she doesn't feel the same way I do…." The angry man said a look of hurt suddenly appearing on his face. "….even if she decides never to take my name."

"You on the other hand princess, I could care less about….." Jim said his face twisting into fury again as he turned to face Miku again who was still wide-eyed in shock at the way the American had attacked her without warning.

"And in my opinion what you deserve is a good slap in the face for those things you said….." The American said as he fought to control his anger.

"But I refuse to ever strike a child like that….." The man said narrowing his eyes at Miku. "So be glad that you only got a sore ear, mija, because you crossed the line with what you said."

"But don't test me, princess…..wakarimasuka?" The American said jabbing his finger in front of Miku's nose.

"And for the record, I'm Tejano not Mexican, you racist little shit….." The big man said rising to his feet as Miku suddenly opened her mouth to say something but remained silent when Tsunoda suddenly grabbed her and pulled her down.

"And regardless of what you or anyone thinks, there is a difference…." The man said as Miku said something low and dirty under her breath.

"What…..you got something else you want to say, pendeja….?" The American said as Miku continued to glare at him with angry tears falling down her cheeks as she rubbed her sore ear, but said nothing.

"I didn't think so…." The American said with a smirk as he reached down and patted Miku tauntingly on the head as the girl immediately tried to lunge forward and lash out at the man but was then immediately restrained by Tsunoda.

"Yeah, I can see it was so easy for you to do whatever that weenie asked of you…." The American said shaking his head in disgust. "You're just as psycho as he is."

"You okay, baby?" Jim asked turning to face Saeko, his face visibly troubled as Saeko hesitated a moment before answering, still stunned at the way the man had reacted violently to Miku's taunts.

"Ha-hai, Jimu-san…I'm alright." Saeko replied finally, as she noticed the man looking at her.

"Are you alright, Jimu-san?" Saeko asked with concern upon noticing the sad expression on the man's face.

"I'll be better when this is all over, honey…." Jim said with a heavy sigh as he turned to face the crowd again.

"I'm just sorry for you to have to have seen the ugly side of me so much in one day." The American said with a heavy sigh as Saeko tried to say something in response, but couldn't find the words as the man stood there silently for a long awkward moment.

"Saeko?" Jim said suddenly, startling Saeko.

"Hai, Jimu-san?" Saeko asked anxiously.

"I want you to always remember something….." The American said a noticeable sadness in his voice.

"Hai?" Saeko asked again, growing even more worried by ominous tone in the man's voice.

"No matter what happens today, tomorrow, or whenever…..in my heart you are my daughter." The man said his voice cracking slightly.

"And I'll always love you, baby girl." The American said as Saeko gasped at the man's words, and then struggled even harder to say something in response, but found herself too stunned by what the man had said to speak.

"YOU…!" The big man suddenly shouted startling Saeko as he pointed the muzzle of his pistol at a teenage boy lying on the ground nearby whose eyes grew wide with fright at the sight of the man's pistol being aimed at him.

"GET YOUR ASS OVER HERE!" The angry man roared as everyone lying next to the boy began to shuffle away from him, not wanting to be anywhere near the teen lest the crazy American decided to shoot because of the boy's hesitation.

"YEAH, I'M TALKING TO YOU; YOU ANEMIC-LOOKING LITTLE SHIT….. MOVE YOUR ASS!" The American roared as the pale-looking teenage boy screamed in fright, but then slowly got off the ground with his hands over his head.

"SIT YOUR ASS ON THE GROUND NEXT TO YOUR FRIENDS JUNIOR, AND ALL OF YOU KEEP YOUR HANDS IN THE AIR WHERE I CAN SEE THEM!" The man roared as Saeko translated his words to the teen in Japanese as he hurried to comply.

"YOU TWO…!" The man roared to a pair of teenage girls clutching each other in fear who immediately screamed as the angry American pointed his pistol at them.

"GET OVER HERE…NOW!" The man roared as both girls screamed in panic again and then slowly began to rise to their feet.

"MOVE!" The man roared again as both girls screamed in terror and then with tears falling from their face, hurriedly rushed over to where the others were sitting on the ground and then promptly raised their hands in the air like the others.

"DON'T ACT LIKE I DON"T SEE YOU TWO HIDING OVER THERE…GET YOUR ASSES OVER HERE!" The American shouted to another boy who was cowering in fear and then pointed his pistol at one more boy hiding near the front of the mob who had been trying unsuccessfully to hide himself amongst the crowd as the refugees lying around him who immediately shoved him out into the open, as both boys then hurriedly scampered over to join their companions.

"That all of them, baby?" Jim said as Saeko glanced angrily at Miku, her blood still boiling at the girl.

"Hai, Jimu-san….." Saeko replied after taking a quick look over the crowd. "Those are all of the students who stayed behind with Shido-sensei on the bus."

"Thanks, sweetie." The American said as he turned to face the crowd again.

As I gazed over the faces of all those people staring back at me, a part of me felt like a real prick for intentionally scaring frightened men, women, and children out of their minds the way I was doing.

After all, most of my life I had been dedicated to helping people, not waving a gun around at them like a madman and scaring the hell out of them.

And even though no one could argue that I had every right to be angry at these people for threatening the lives of Saeko and our friends, I also knew in my heart that the only reason these people had gone off the deep end like they had, was because all of them were merely reacting out of fear.

Fear, and the deceitful lies and manipulations of a madman who was exploiting their fear in order to carry out his psychotic plans for world conquest and I knew deep down that these people just didn't realize what it was they were truly doing.

But that twinge of guilt that I felt lasted only for a moment.

Because as I gazed over the large crowd of people lying on the ground, I no longer saw fear anymore when I looked into their eyes as they stared back at me.

All I saw was their hate.

But not just for me…..

Their hate-filled eyes were also focused on Saeko, Takashi, Rei, Saya and her parents, and everyone else that wasn't a part of their blood-thirsty party.

And any sympathy I might have had for them, died at that very moment.

And what remained of the compassionate fireman that I once was, died that very moment as well.

But it was not because these same" frightened" people with eyes full of hate had tried to kill me earlier and were now more than willing to tear me apart if given the chance.

No….not because of that.

No, it was because these same "frightened" survivors had also wanted to kill some good-hearted people who had bent over backwards to feed, shelter, and protect these ungrateful bastards and their families, without asking for anything from them in return.

And these same "frightened" people also wanted to kill Rei, Takashi, Saya, Kouta, Alice, and Shizuka who had already been through hell already, and hadn't done anything to deserve any of this.

And it was these very same "frightened" people looking back at me with hate and murder in their eyes who also wanted to kill my adopted daughter…..Saeko.

Saeko Busujima, the orphaned young girl who had inadvertently stumbled into my life and into my heart, and filled the empty void that had been there for so long.

And now these so-called "frightened" people wanted to take away the very life of the one who had now become very dear to me.

And that being the case, if I was going to have any chance of protecting Saeko and the others from these maniacs, then what was needed now was not the fireman who had finally turned in his badge after 25 years of service.

No, there was no place for that man here.

By their actions, these people had proven that they were not some helpless victims deserving of the sympathy, kindness, or compassion of a rescue worker.

They were a threat.

And what Saeko and the others needed now more than anything, was the man that stepped aboard the loading ramp of that piece of shit Antonov with my med-pack on my back and an M4 carbine in my hand.

The fireman was gone….

Now there was only the mercenary.

"Saeko-chan….?" I said to Saeko as I looked over the hate-filled eyes of the crowd again.

"Hai?" Saeko replied, her voice just as steady as always, although I had no doubt that Saeko was just as afraid as I was, and with good reason.

Because the truth was, if I didn't succeed in bringing an end to this standoff and quick, there was no way I was going to be able to hold off the mob with only seven shots left in my pistol, if they decided to rush us.

And if the mob did decide to swarm over us, we were too far away for the Takagi's and their guards to do anything to prevent the mob from tearing us both to pieces after my last round was fired, and we were then overwhelmed.

And Saeko, being the smart girl that she was knew that, even though she still chose to stand her ground right beside me.

"Wherever you are Busujima-san….." I thought to myself, extremely proud of Saeko's courage. "I wish you could see just how wonderful and how courageous a person your daughter turned out to be."

"You'd be so proud of her….." I said quietly to myself. "Just as I am."

"And if indeed you have not survived this nightmare…." I said under my breath as I noticed movement off to my right. "Please forgive me for taking her away, and adopting her as my own child."

However, as proud as I was of Saeko's courage, there was no way I was going to let Saeko fall into the clutches of these maniacs; regardless of how determined she was to stay with me.

"There are two things I need you to do for me, sweetie….." I continued choosing my words carefully in case they were to be my last.

"Hai." Saeko said a noticeable edge in her voice as some of the people began to grumble loudly, indicating that they were on the verge of getting stirred up all over again.

"First, I need you to translate everything I say, word-for-word to the crowd so that everyone understands what I'm saying, okay?" I said sweeping my pistol over the mob as my eyes scanned all around for any possible threats.

"Hai, Jimu-san." Saeko replied as I noticed out of the corner of my eye that she was also keeping a watchful eye out for any threats.

"And for starters….." I said as I pointed my pistol at a small group of men on my right trying to discreetly shuffle around the other refugees squatting on the ground, probably in an attempt to maneuver to a better position so they could try to jump up and rush us once we let our guard down.

"I want you to tell all of these people to keep their butts on the ground and raise their hands into the air….." I said as a couple of the men who were trying to sneak up on us noticed that I was aiming my pistol in their direction and froze immediately. "….or I will shoot them."

"Eh?" Saeko said in a voice filled with disbelief as my finger tightened on the trigger.

"Tell them, baby…." I said sternly as Saeko quickly shouted a warning to the crowd as I then noticed some of the men on the far left side of us were now attempting to do the same thing these assholes on the right were trying to do, while they thought my attention was diverted.

"BOOM!"

The report of the pistol sounded like a thunderclap as everyone in the crowd screamed in fear as the bullet from my pistol impacted the soil at the feet of the men on our left, showering them with clods of dirt.

Finally realizing that I wasn't messing around about shooting anyone trying to sneak up on us, the men gave up trying to be heroes and immediately flattened themselves on the ground again.

"HEY SHIT-FOR-BRAINS….!" I shouted angrily at the men on my left as I swung the pistol back to the other group of men on my right as I noticed Saeko rubbing her ears from the unexpected shot. "Did you or did you not hear what my "little girl" told you?!"

"KEEP…. YOUR…. STUPID…. ASSES…. ON… THE….F_CKING….. GROUND…. OR, I WILL BLOW THEM OFF!" I roared in anger as I stepped in front of Saeko, shielding her with my body.

As Saeko stood behind the American who was intentionally shielding her with his body in case anyone in the mob attempted to rush them again, she felt a cold shiver suddenly course through her as she listened to the man yelling a warning at the crowd.

But it was not from any fear of the crowd that had caused Saeko to inadvertently shiver.

Rather, it had been the look on the American's face as he fired his pistol at the crowd that had actually frightened Saeko the most.

And while Saeko could see that the anger in the man's face was not yet like the horrible rage she had witnessed earlier when he had yelled at her and her friends, it was obvious that with the crowd beginning to grow bolder and more aggressive, it wouldn't take much to push the man to that point again.

And Saeko was afraid that if the man did indeed allow that rage to overwhelm him again, then there would be no way to stop the man from opening fire on anyone he perceived as a threat.

To Saeko's relief however, as she peeked around the man, the last warning shot had apparently been enough to convince the mob that the American was in no mood for argument as she noticed everyone in the crowd remaining frozen in place and making no more attempts to rush them.

"Saeko?" The American said as he gestured for Saeko to stand beside him again.

"Hai, Jimu-san…?" Saeko asked as she stepped over to the man's left side.

"Saeko, tell these people if anyone makes an attempt to try to rush us again….." The American said as Saeko glanced nervously up at him. "…..then I will shoot that person, as well as the person next to him."

"Jimu-san….!" Saeko said horrified as the man turned his head so that no one else could see his face as he suddenly winked at Saeko and then leaned over to whisper into her ear.

"Don't worry honey, I'm only bluffing." Jim said as Saeko hesitated, still in shock by the coldness of the man's threat and not completely convinced that the American really was only bluffing or not.

"Saeko, I need you to snap out of it quick, baby…" The American said glancing back at the mob. "Otherwise these people are going to realize that I'm only bluffing after all, and then I'm really gonna have to shoot them."

"Hurry, sweetie…." The man urged as Saeko suddenly snapped out of her haze and translated the man's warning to the crowd as everyone finally raised their hands in the air.

"That's better…." The American growled threateningly at the crowd as he glanced over at Saeko and winked at her again as Saeko stared back at him warily, relieved that the man was not truly enraged with the mob and was indeed merely bluffing, yet still concerned that the man might have only said that to ease her fears.

"Jimu-san…." Saeko thought to herself worriedly as the man prepared to address the crowd.

"I hope you know what you're doing." Saeko said shaking her head as the American began to speak, only not to the crowd, but directed towards her again.

"The second thing I want you to do Saeko …" The American said as he focused his attention on the crowd again. "….is if this whole thing goes sour, I want you to run as fast as you can to where we left Alice, and then I want both of you to high tail it out of here."

"Jimu-san!" Saeko said aghast as the man raised his hand to silence her, and then reached his left hand behind him gesturing for Saeko to take his hand as she then placed her hand in his.

"After all I've said to you today about you and I becoming a family, I know you don't want to do this, Saeko…" The American said sweeping his pistol back and forth over the crowd. "But remember, Alice is all alone up there, and if something happens to me or to the rest of us, she's got no one else to protect her."

"I know you don't want to do this, honey…" The American continued sensing her hesitation. "But I'm counting on you to get Alice to safety if the worst happens."

"Demo…." Saeko replied reluctant to leave even though she knew there really was no other choice.

"Promise me, baby…." The American said squeezing her hand gently.

"Hai…" Saeko said lowering her head as the American gently squeezed her hand once more before he released her hand and then began to speak to the mob once more.

"I have experienced more stupidity and drama this morning than an episode of reality TV, back home….!"The American began as he paused for Saeko to translate his words.

"And I am in no mood for any more of this friggin crap…!" The American shouted visibly trying to keep his temper and his language in check, as everyone in the crowd looked at him with a mixture of fear and confusion at the man's words.

"So you folks better listen up and listen up good, because I have one mother of a headache right now and I'm in no mood to repeat myself!" The man said as he glared at every individual in the crowd as Saeko hurriedly translated.

"For starters, you people have got to be the dumbest people on earth….!" The American said as Saeko hesitated a moment in shock at the bluntness of the man's words, but then hurriedly translated them.

"I have seen some stupid people do some idiotic things in my life….." The man continued as Saeko translated, and growing more and more uncomfortable with what she was saying. "But you people are without question the biggest bunch of idiots I've ever had the misfortune to meet!"

"Those people…" The American said as he pointed towards Saya's parents standing at the top of the veranda. "Took all of you in during the worst possible time in mankind's history and they sheltered you, fed you, and protected you…

"And now you want to kill them?!" The man said shaking his head in disgust as Saeko translated.

"And why….?!" The American said sarcastically as he spat on the ground. "All because some idiot you people never even saw before, managed to convince all of you that I was an American spy sent out here to kill all of you!"

"And with no proof whatsoever that any of that was even true, you people just went ahead and decided to have yourselves a good old-fashioned lynching party…" The man spat in disgust as Saeko translated his words. "And just because the Takagi's came to my rescue to keep me from being murdered by all of you, your response is to accuse them of being traitors and threatening their lives, all because they are not a bunch of psychopaths like all of you?!""

"Now since you people are obviously too frickin' stupid to realize just who the real enemy is around here….." The American said with contempt as Saeko translated. "Let me make it absolutely clear to your dumb asses so that there aren't any more mistakes….!"

"If ya'll folks are looking for a traitor… well, you've been barking up the wrong tree…." The American said as several people in the crowd suddenly looked at each other with confused looks on their faces.

"Ano….." Saeko said timidly, interrupting. "What do you mean by "barking up the wrong tree", Jimu-san?"

"Sorry hon…." The American said sheepishly, finally comprehending the confused looks in the crowd of people. "It's an old American saying which means that they've been looking in the wrong place all this time for the traitor in their midst."

"Oh…." Saeko said as she quickly translated the man's words to everyone.

"Now for the record, all the Takagi's are guilty of here is feeding and sheltering ya'll's ungrateful, good-for-nothing, sorry butts..." The man continued now trying to keep his voice calm and in control as Saeko finished translating his previous words. "And if you ask me, their kindness and generosity was completely wasted on ya'll's sorry asses from the very start, especially after the way ya'll folks have been acting towards them."

"The real prick that's guilty of treason here is the asshole in charge of these little shits… er, brats….!" The American said gesturing towards the group of teens huddled on the ground as he suddenly looked over at Saeko before she could translate his words.

"I'm sorry about all the swearing honey, don't translate any of that stuff, okay….?" The American said sheepishly as Saeko giggled at his frustration and nodded her head.

"And that asshole that I'm talking about is that fella over there that goes by the name of Shit-o….!" The American said pointing at the captive schoolteacher standing at the top of the steps who glared angrily at the American's mispronunciation of his name, as Saeko suddenly tapped him on the shoulder.

"Jimu-san…." Saeko whispered interrupting as the American glanced over his shoulder at her. "His name is pronounced "Shee-do."

"I like my version better, sweetie…." The American said with a grin as he turned back to face the crowd.

"Anyway, Mr. Shit-o there has been playing you people for fools from the start…." Jim continued before Saeko could answer as he glared challengingly at the schoolteacher who was watching the proceedings with hate-filled eyes.

"And from the looks of things, it wasn't all that hard to do…" The American said with disgust as everyone in the crowd glared angrily at him after Saeko translated his words.

"That prick that all of you people are so worked up about was once a schoolteacher at one of the high schools in the city…." The American continued ignoring their angry stares. "And this young lady standing next to me, as well those kids sitting here in front of you, were once his students."

"And I think that all of you would also be interested to know…" The American said gritting his teeth as he glared angrily at the schoolteacher. "That this…. jackass that you people so willingly decided to follow is guilty of murdering an injured schoolboy while we were trying to escape from the Infected who had overrun their school on the first day of the Outbreak."

"THAT'S A LI_….YIIIII!" Shido suddenly screamed as Rei poked him in the butt with the bayonet.

"Thank you, Rei!" The American said with a chuckle as he turned his attention back to the crowd as Shido glared furiously at Rei who immediately waved the bayonet in his face again, the fear she had of him earlier now replaced with renewed fury.

"On top of that…." The man said pointing at the humiliated schoolteacher who had finally realized it best to remain silent lest the girl stab him with the bayonet again. "That outstanding model citizen over there also tried to kill me in my sleep as we were traveling by bus through the city, just so I wouldn't be able to testify against him once we came into contact with the Police."

"But don't take my word for it….." The American said glaring at the crowd as he then pointed to the small group of teenagers sitting on the ground at his feet. "I have no doubt that these kids lying here in front of you will be more than happy to confess to everything that psycho was really up to, unless they really like the idea of sharing the same prison cell with their "fearless leader" up there."

"Good thing for you people though that this young lady here…" The American added as he pointed over to the young kimono-clad girl standing behind him. "…..recognized these little punks sitting here in front of you, as being some of her classmates from school."

"And once we realized who they were, we then figured out what Jim Jones over there was really up to."

"So basically, people…." The American said as he pointed to Shido standing on the front porch of the mansion.

"That guy was trying to use your fear to do his dirty work for him and overthrow the Takagi's and their staff, so that he could take over this place and set up his own little kingdom right here with all of you acting…. as his loyal little bitches."

"THAT'S A LIE!" The spiky-haired woman Maiko Homura screamed angrily as the American suddenly aimed his pistol at her and then fired, the round slamming into the ground near the woman's feet, kicking up dust over her as she and everyone else around her immediately screamed in fear.

"I DON'T GIVE TWO SHITS WHAT YOU STUPID BUNCH OF MOTHER F_CKERS, BELIEVE!" The American roared angrily as Saeko immediately placed her hand on his arm, to calm him.

"Jimu-san…please…." Saeko pleaded as the American glanced down at her and then nodded his head as he quickly composed himself and then turned to address the crowd again.

"I told you people before that I was only going to say this once…" The American said glaring at the panicked woman who had nearly soiled herself again. "So you better not interrupt me again, dumb ass."

"I am a member of an American Special …."The American began as a loud whoop suddenly interrupted him.

"I KNEW IT…!" A familiar voice shouted from somewhere on top of the staircase as the American and the teenage girl in the kimono flashed an angry look towards the source of the shout as the sound of a loud slap was heard, followed by a sharp yelp of pain, and then a sharp rebuke uttered by the pink-haired girl directed towards the chubby teen standing next to her.

"….Rescue Team." The American continued shaking his head in irritation as he turned back to face the crowd. "And our mission was not a "search and destroy" operation on Japanese soil searching for Japanese civilians so that we could exterminate them."

"Our mission had nothing to do with the people of Japan, period…." The American said with a scowl. "Because if it had been a combat operation, your dumb asses would be dead already!"

"Ours was a rescue mission… "The man went on. "And as we were heading back to base, the helicopter my team and I were aboard, crash-landed in one of your city parks."

"Almost immediately, we were attacked by the Infected, and I got separated from my team..." The American continued. "And as far as I know, I'm the only survivor."

"I was found by this young girl and some of her friends…" The man said pointing to the young girl at his side. "One of which just happens to be the daughter of our hosts up there."

"And so when her parents finally rescued us and saw that I was wounded, the Takagi's then brought me here for medical treatment."

"That….was the full extent of their involvement with me, and I am personally grateful to them for saving my life instead of just leaving me there in the street, like the rest of you would have." The American spat.

"Now if it hasn't sunk into your pea-brains yet, let me make it absof_ckinglutelyclear…." The American said as the young female translator next to him stopped in mid-translation and then sighed heavily and shook her head in frustration at trying to translate the man's words without the use of profanity.

"America is not at war with Japan, you… IDIOTS!" The American shouted with heavy sarcasm as Saeko continued to translate wearily. "America did not launch a First-Strike attack on Japan with some new bio-weapon or whatever the hell this is, that's killing everybody around the world!"

"So whatever that man has told you is a lie, and if you chose to believe what he says then all you are even bigger fools than he is!" The man said as the girl translated with a frustrated frown on her face.

"But what you choose to believe is your choice…." The man said lowering his voice that was still filled with contempt.

"And like I said before…" The American said glaring at the crowd. "I don't care if you believe me or not."

"But in two days when all of you and your families are scheduled to be evacuated to the "safe zone" that the Takagi's had intended on transporting all of you to…..The American said with a smirk forming on his face. "Then all of you are then going to be placed in the care of elements of the Japanese Self-Defense Force as well as of NATO forces…"

"And the last I heard…" The American added with a grin. "The United States of America is still a member of NATO."

"Which means if you dopes still intend on killing me, believe me, it's gonna be a little awkward for all of you to try to explain why you murdered what you people believed was an American serviceman of one of Japan's closest allies, because you all believed that America is at war with Japan…." The man said with a dramatic pause.

"While you're all standing on the deck of an American aircraft carrier." The American said with huge grin on his face as each person in the mob looked at each other in horror, the impact of the man's words shocking all of them to their very core.

While every single one of the refugees seeking shelter at Takagi Manor had indeed staunchly believed that the Japanese Self Defense Force would ultimately be the ones to rescue them from the Infected, it had not occurred to any of them that the effects of the Outbreak would be so bad that they would all have to be evacuated from their homeland and placed aboard ships at sea.

And if indeed the only safe place to evacuate anyone to was on board a military warship at sea, then there were no ships in Japan's Maritime Force large enough to carry the hundreds, if not thousands, of survivors.

And if the American's words were indeed true and the United States was not the cause of the Outbreak, then there was only one naval force in the world close enough, and large enough, to evacuate the refugees to.

And that being the case, obviously the killing of an American serviceman by the people of Japan, even mistakenly, would not be received very well by the American Military, who was now their only hope of escaping this nightmare.

As I gazed into the eyes of all those people looking at each other in shock and disbelief, I blew a sigh of relief, realizing that my desperate gamble had finally paid off.

While I realized earlier that exposing the schoolteacher's plot with what little evidence I had to support my claims would not have necessarily been believed by the mob at first, I was pretty sure that the hostility of the mob would come to a pause once everyone realized that they were all going to be evacuated by helicopter and placed aboard any commercial ships anchored nearby as well as to any warships of the NATO fleet patrolling the Pacific, until a safe location on the Mainland could be found.

But I knew that it would be the thought of everyone being transported onboard an American warship that would finally bring these people to their senses.

And even though I really wasn't an American serviceman, these people didn't know that, and seeing as how all of them, including Kouta, firmly believed that I was an American commando on a mission then I knew that unless these people were really that stupid, then any further attempts at hostility would finally cease altogether if they really wished to avoid any reprisal from the American military for killing one of their own.

Still, it was a desperate gamble, and no one was more relieved than I to see that my bluff had actually worked after all.

Man, did I really want another cup of coffee about now.

"All right, now I'm tired of talking…" The American said as tucked his pistol into the sash of his robe. "But before I leave, I'm going to say this one last thing."

"The Takagi's are my friends, and I owe them my life..." The American said as he folded his arms across his chest.

"You, on the other hand…"The American said his eyes narrowing. "I DON'T OWE YOU PEOPLE A DAMNED THING!"

"So if I hear anymore crap about any of you little pricks giving my friends a hard time over the next two days before all of us are evacuated, I'm going to take it very, very, personal….!" The American said angrily.

"And you people are gonna be one sorry bunch of muthafu_... umm, sorry asses, indeed." Jim said catching himself as he glanced over at the young girl who was visibly growing tired of the man's tirade.

"I'm going to bed now…"The American announced waving his dismissively towards the crowd.

"But before I do, I'm gonna walk up those steps there…!" The American said suddenly pointing a finger towards the schoolteacher still standing silently on top of the staircase.

"And I'm gonna kick that little shit in the ass…!" The American said as he pointed to the former schoolteacher who, like the others standing around him, was listening to the American's angry tirade with mouth hanging open in shock.

"And then when I get done kicking his ass….." The big man said turning his gaze to the people cowering on the lawn.

"If you people are still standing here…"The American continued as Saeko also stared at the man in disbelief. "Then I'm gonna come down here and commence kicking every one of you people in the ass...!"

"And I'm telling you people right now, that I will kick every Japanese buttock I see still standing here…!"

"Jimu-san!" Saeko shouted completely exasperated as the American glanced over at her and then chuckled sheepishly.

"Sorry baby….guess I am just ranting now, huh?" The American said as he draped his arm around her shoulders and hugged her, as Saeko nodded her head with a frown.

"Well, I guess they got the point, anyway…" The American said as the people in the crowd watched the pair began to walk away.

And as everyone watched the pair cautiously circle around the cowering mob, the man suddenly called out to someone hiding in the bushes at the top of a small rise near the garage, as a little girl carrying a puppy suddenly emerged from the bushes she had been hiding in, and then ran up to join the pair as all three of them then walked towards the mansion.

"Unbelievable….." Soichiro said in disbelief as he watched the trio casually walking around the still cowering crowd, all three of them headed directly towards the mansion as Yoshioka hurriedly ordered all of his men to immediately fan out and surround the mob from all sides, in order to prevent any possible reprisal.

"Reckless, foolhardy, and absolutely no regard for the possible consequences of his actions…" Soichiro growled as he rubbed his forehead as Yoshioka nodded his head in agreement.

"The American way….." Yoshika said with mirth.

"Americans…" Soichiro muttered under his breath. "They truly are a bunch of cowboys."

"So, neh?" Yuriko agreed shaking her head as she glanced over at the teens.

"No argument here…" Takashi said shrugging his shoulders as the other teens nodded their heads in agreement.

"Takagi-dono….." Yoshioka said as Soichiro glanced over at him.

"What do you wish me to do with this man and his followers?" Yoshioka asked as he gestured for two of his men to take the former schoolteacher into custody, as Shido now stared at everyone with renewed fear in his eyes.

"This man's actions prove that he is indeed, a madman….." Soichiro said glaring at the cowering man who was still in shock over the complete failure of his plans for the conquest of Takagi Manor.

"But despite his obvious madness, his words ring true…" Soichiro added scowling at the quaking man. "If he were to be incarcerated or executed for what he has done, then he would become a martyr in the eyes of his comrades, and if there any supporters of his still remaining amongst that mob they would use that as an excuse for reprisal."

"And that is something I will absolutely not allow…" Soichiro said as he fought the overwhelming urge to remove the schoolteacher's head from his shoulders, as his grip tightened on his katana.

"What are your orders, dono?" Yoshioka asked as he glared angrily at Shido, his own desire to kill the man beginning to overwhelm him as well.

"Cutting off the head of the snake will not be enough to put an end to this man's insanity once and for all…" Soichiro said as he intentionally shoved the hilt of his katana forward with his thumb, in order to intimidate Shido even more.

"If peace is to be truly maintained until all are evacuated, then the offspring of this snake whose minds are also infected with his poison, must also be done away with as well…." Soichiro added as he gazed over at the group of teenagers still cowering on the ground.

"Secure those children that came with him, and take them into custody….." Soichiro growled as he noticed that all eyes in the crowd were now glaring furiously at the frightened teens as they cringed in fear. "And if you find any amongst the mob who also wish to remain loyal to this man, then secure them as well."

"As for him…" Soichiro said hesitating a moment as Shido looked at him with panicked eyes as Rei once again pressed the point of her bayonet under his chin.

"What are your intentions going to be towards him after all, child?" Soichiro boomed as Rei kept a steady pressure on the bayonet against Shido's chin. "Do you still wish to kill him, or not?"

"Rei!" Takashi shouted trying to jolt Rei from her murderous intent as Yuriko placed her hand on Takashi's arm and held him back.

"Do not interfere, Takashi-chan…" Yuriko said as she looked into Takashi's anxious face. "She has to decide this for herself."

"Although I would prefer that you not do it, dear….." Yuriko said gazing back at Rei, as the teen gritted her teeth in anger.

"Why, because it would be murder…?" Rei hissed angrily as she glared at Shido, the bayonet trembling against his flesh as her grip tightened on the rifle.

"Oh dear no child, that man most certainly deserves to die….." Yuriko said nonchalantly as Rei and Shido glanced over at Saya's mother in shock at her words.

"I'd just hate for my maids to have to wash that man's blood off the tile….." Yuriko said with a smirk as Soichiro snickered despite himself. "They have been rather busy with other duties, and I would hate to bother them with such a frivolous task."

"Blood is so hard to wash out of the grout, wouldn't you agree, Soichiro-san?" Yuriko said with a smirk as she glanced over at her husband.

"True….." Soichiro said as he gazed over at Rei. "But the decision is still up to Miyamoto-san."

"What say you, Miyamoto-san?" Soichiro said addressing Rei as she pressed the point of the bayonet against Shido's throat once more as Takashi and everyone else held their breath.

"I suppose you're right…." Rei said after a long tense moment as she slowly lowered the bayonet and stepped away from the cowering schoolteacher, as Takashi and the others breathed a sigh of relief. "He's really not worth killing, now that you mention it."

"I suppose Yuriko-san is right after all….."Rei added with a grin forming on her face.

"Dead, he's just end up being an even bigger mess than he would be alive." Rei said turning away as Shido ground his teeth in anger at the teens humiliating taunt.

"Glad to see you made the right choice there, sweetie…" Rei heard the voice of the American say as Rei glanced over in the direction of the man's voice and was stunned to see the American standing at the bottom of the staircase pointing his pistol at Shido.

"What do you think you're doing?!" Yoshioka shouted at the American as Soichiro raised his hand for the Security Chief to halt.

"Take it easy Sparky…" The American said lowering his pistol as he then handed it over to one of the guards standing nearby.

"I was just afraid I that was gonna have to shoot that idiot so Rei wouldn't have to live with the guilt of his blood on her hands, that's all." The man explained as Alice quickly bounded up the stairs and into the anxious arms of Shizuka who immediately began to fuss over the small girl like an anxious mother, tears running down her face.

"I realize how badly you wanted to make him pay for whatever it is he did to you, Rei…" Jim added as he and Saeko walked up to the top of the staircase. "But killing that prick is not worth the guilt you'd feel for the rest of your life, hon."

"Besides…." Jim added as he gazed over at the former schoolteacher who was glaring spitefully at everyone. "I'm pretty sure he's gonna just end up as zombie poop before long, anyhow."

"Mock me all you want…." Shido hissed angrily as he struggled against the guards who had seized his arms. "But with the world in chaos and the remaining survivors of this world no longer having any trust in their leaders, the time will come were I will rise up more powerful than any of you can possibly imagine."

"The same crap every politician spews around election time….." The American said sarcastically, rolling his eyes as he noticed Soichiro flashing an irritated look his way.

"No offence…." Jim said with a smirk as Saeko elbowed him hard in the ribs.

"So Busujima-san…" Shido said focusing his wrath on Saeko as he glared at her hatefully. "It seems that the distinguished champion of Fujimi High was lying after all."

"Lying?" Saeko asked confused. "About what?"

"You claimed that this man was not your leader…." Shido spat. "But you and your friends have obviously been acting under his direction all along."

"And the way you cling to each other now leads me to believe there is more going on between the two of you than previously thought." Shido said scornfully as Saeko bristled at the meaning behind the man's words.

"What garbage is this idiot spewing now?" Jim asked Saeko as she translated the schoolteacher's heated words.

"Well of course Saeko and I are close, sissy-boy….." The American replied as a huge grin formed on his face as he wrapped one arm around Saeko's shoulders. "After all, we are family."

"Family…..?!" Shido said baffled as the American pulled Saeko to him in a hug.

"Yeah, and by the way dipshit…." The American said as he gently kissed Saeko on the side of her head. "The next time you decide to try to kill someone while he's sleeping, you might want to be sure that the daughter of the man you're trying to kill, isn't standing watch over him."

"DAUGHTER?!" Shido blurted as the American glanced over at him and snickered spitefully.

"It's a long story…." Jim said as he gave Saeko another gentle squeeze.

"And while I have to admit, I am a little disappointed that my "little girl" didn't bash your head in for what you tried to do to me on the bus the other day…" The American said with a look of mock disappointment on his face.

"I have to say; the look on your face right now makes up for her….indiscretion." Jim said with a grin. "And I am personally going to enjoy watching you getting your just desserts."

"Take him away…." Soichiro said waving dismissively to his men as they began to escort Shido down the stairs.

"Awwww…." Jim said his voice filled with disappointment. "I wanted to kick his ass, first."

"By the way, where are ya'll taking him…?" The American said aloud as he watched the guards attempting to escort the angry schoolteacher away, as Shido began to struggle against them.

"I have ordered my men to remove him and anyone else associated with him, from these premises." Soichiro said as he glared furiously at the struggling schoolteacher. "And he and anyone who wishes to remain with him are to be placed back aboard the vehicle they came in with, and they are to leave here and never return."

"So you're just going to banish them, even after everything he tried to do?" The American said in disbelief glancing over at the helpless schoolteacher who was glaring furiously at him.

"Although I believe he and his "followers" are deserving of a far more severe punishment…."Soichiro replied gripping the scabbard of his katana tightly. "My family and I will not stoop to his level and murder him and those who follow him, the way he would have done to any of us."

"Nor do I wish to waste time and resources keeping close watch on him and his followers until we make contact with the JSDF…." Soichiro added.

"Therefore I have decided that he and his associates who share in his twisted dreams are to leave…." Soichiro said. "And I will let Fate decide what to do with them."

"Ah well, as much as I wanted to give him a nice, big, kick in the ass…." The American said with a grin as Saeko rolled her eyes. "I don't want to hold up the guards from tossing him out on his ass as quickly as possible, either."

"Say goodnight, Saeko…." Jim said as he wrapped one arm over Saeko's shoulders and flipped Shido off as they watched the livid schoolteacher being dragged away.

"Goodnight, Saeko." Saeko quipped as she also flipped Shido off as she and the American laughed at the astonished look on Shido's face.

"HAVE FUN OUT THERE SHIT-O….!" The American said waving tauntingly as Shido struggled against the guards as he was being roughly dragged away.

"Americans…" Soichiro said shaking his head.

"JIMU-SAN….!" Shizuka shouted angrily at Jim as she held Alice tightly in her arms. "HOW COULD YOU HAVE BEEN SO RECKLESS?!"

"SAEKO AND ALICE COULD HAVE BEEN HURT, AND YOU'RE MAKING JOKES?!" Shizuka snapped angrily as the man gazed into Shizuka's angry face, yet said nothing.

"Marikawa-sensei, it wasn't his fault!" Saeko shouted in protest trying to defend the man from Shizuka's wrath. "It was my idea…..!"

"Saeko….." The American said interrupting Saeko as he placed his hand on her shoulder.

"She's right…." The man said quietly. "You and Alice could have been hurt or killed, just like she said."

"Indeed…" Soichiro said interrupting. "And while I must admit that the unorthodox manner in which you brought the mob to a halt managed to avert a near disaster, I must agree with Marikawa-sensei that the manner in which you executed it was….."

"Stupid…?" The American said interrupting as Soichiro reacted in surprise at the man's admission.

"Yes… I know." Jim said with a sigh as he turned his gaze away from Shizuka's face and stared at the guards now escorting Shido and his teenage conspirators past the refugees who were all now shouting and shaking their fists at the former schoolteacher and his students as they were being rushed towards the direction of the small school bus parked on the other side of the mansion.

"Jimu-san…what were you thinking?!" Shizuka said tight-lipped as everyone gazed at the man as he stood there saying nothing as he turned away and watched the guards practically shoving the manic schoolteacher and his students aboard the school bus, while the other guards were busy escorting the remaining refugees back to their small tent city.

And after a few tense moments had passed without the man offering a reply, Saeko grew worried and was about to say something to him when Jim suddenly reached over and placed his arm around Saeko's shoulders and drew her close.

"It was never my intention to put Saeko or Alice in harm's way….." Jim said lowering his head. "But to answer your question Shizuka, when I saw the mob rushing towards all of you, there was only one thought on my mind."

"What was that?" Shizuka said crossly as she continued to hold Alice in a near death-grip.

"Before I answer…." Jim said turning to face Shizuka and Alice as he held his hand out to them. "Would you and Alice come here for a moment?"

"Ha-hai…." Shizuka said wide-eyed, confused by the man's strange request as she stood up and then led Alice by the hand as they walked towards him.

"Takashi, Rei, Kouta, Pumpkin…. you too." The American said holding out his other hand as everyone looked at each other in confusion before they also stepped towards him as he then gathered all of them together around him in a group hug.

"A man once said…." Jim began as he held them close. "That a man is supposed to defend his family…."

"And when the wolves are trying to get in, a man has to make his stand in the doorway." Jim said as he hugged everyone tighter.

"My only thoughts were of all of you…" The American said hugging everyone tightly for a long moment before finally releasing them.

And then without another word, the man abruptly began to walk away as everyone watched him leave in stunned silence.

"Jimu-san, where are you going?!" Saeko said as she and everyone watched the man walking away as he suddenly stopped and then looked over his shoulder back at them, the exhaustion in his eyes plainly visible.

"Well, I don't know about you guys, but I've had more than enough excitement for one day." The American said wearily.

"And so I'm just gonna go grab something to eat, and then go back to bed." The American replied with a wide grin on his face as he noticed Shizuka narrowing her eyes at him.

"Jimu-san!" Shizuka snapped angrily. "You ate six, high-fat breakfast croissants and a huge mug of coffee a while ago, and now you're going back for more?!"

"I was only kidding about eating all those breakfast croissants, Shizuka." The American replied unable to resist the urge to tease the school nurse. "Truth is, after tangling with that guard in the kitchen, all I was able to do was grab a cup of coffee before the kitchen help started freaking out, and I decided that it was probably best to get out of there before any more guards arrived."

"But I have to admit, I'm starving and after all this excitement I really could use another cup of coffee…." The American said with a snicker as Shizuka emitted an angry grunt. "So I'm going back to the kitchen for another refill, and a bite to eat…"

"And I don't know why…."The American said chuckling as he walked off. "But for some reason when I was out there amongst all those angry people, I suddenly had a serious craving for a "Big Kahuna" burger, smothered in bacon."

"And now that all the excitement's over, I think I'll go see if I can talk the chef here into making one for me." Jim said laughing at the angry look that was plastered all over Shizuka's face.

"JIMU-SAN, DON'T YOU DARE!" Shizuka screamed as the American suddenly ran into the mansion with the school nurse following close at his heels as Alice began laughing her head off.

"You know you're under doctor's orders not to be eating foods like that…!" Shizuka's angry voice echoed from inside the mansion as the rest of the teens shook their heads.

"Baka….." Saeko said under her breath, blushing from embarrassment at the American's silliness as she grabbed Alice's hand and then ran after the pair with the puppy Zeke close on their heels.

"How did he do that?" Soichiro said irritably as Yuriko glanced over at her husband.

"How did he do what, Soichiro-san?" Yuriko asked curious at the look of utter disbelief on her husband's face.

"How did that man manage to get himself out of a situation that would have killed any other man in the same predicament, and yet still end up appearing like a hero when the things he did to attempt to rectify the situation was an act of sheer stupidity or at the very least, complete lunacy?" Soichiro said shaking his head in disgust.

"And then when he should at least be thoroughly chastised by his companions for the foolishness of his actions…." Soichiro said throwing his hands up in exasperation. "…he simply hugs everyone and walks away."

"And on top of that, they forgive him too…!" Soichiro said glaring at the remaining teens who quickly turned away from his gaze.

"I wouldn't go that far, Soichiro-san…" Rei said under her breath as Takashi flashed her a warning look.

"What do you mean?" Soichiro said frowning.

"It's not that Marikawa-sensei has forgiven him yet for putting Arisu-chan and Busujima-sempai in danger, Papa…." Saya said, interrupting before Rei could say anything further. "Or that we've forgiven him for all the things he said to the rest of us, earlier."

"It's just that whenever he says stuff like that about us being family…" Saya said a slight smile on her face as she looked in the direction the American had run off to. "It's kinda hard to stay mad at him for very long."

"Unbelievable….!"Soichiro said throwing his hands up in the air in frustration as he turned and placed his hands on the stone railing of the staircase and stared out into space, muttering to himself.

"He's one lucky bastard, I'll give him that." Yoshioka said under his breath as he walked past everyone and then hurried down the staircase to re-join his men.

"I'm afraid I have to agree with Yoshioka-san…." Yuriko said rubbing her brow again her headache worsening. "There's no other way to explain it."

"And I still can't believe he confronted the mob in the same idiotic fashion as Takashi-chan did." Yuriko said as Rei giggled as Takashi turned beet red in embarrassment at Yuriko's words.

"What could Andrew-san and the others have been thinking when they recruited him?" Soichiro grumbled as he turned his head and scowled at Rei after hearing her laughing at Takashi.

"Miyamoto-san, while your quick thinking most certainly put a halt to the murderous actions of that other lunatic…." Soichiro snapped as he glared at Rei. "I still do not approve of you or any one of your companions running around with my home with weapons in your hands."

"And as soon as my men insure me that there will be no further trouble with the other survivors…" Soichiro said gruffly. "Those weapons will be confiscated and you will remain within the confines of this house for your own safety until further notice, understood?"

"Hai." Rei said lowering her head, thoroughly chastised.

"Hai…" Takashi and the others said as Soichiro turned away from them and shook his head.

"I have come here to eat Pocky and kick ass…." Soichiro said with a snort.

"I've always believed that Americans are way to… "gung-ho" as they say…" Soichiro said as Yuriko nodded her head in agreement. "But if you ask me, that man needs to have his head examined."

"Agreed…." Yuriko said rolling her eyes. "Who talks like that in the middle of a life-or-death situation?"

"Oh, well then allow me to retort…?" Soichiro muttered in disgust under his breath as he gazed over at the tent city where the refugees were milling around aimlessly. "And this is the man that Busujima-sensei's daughter wishes to be the adopted daughter of?"

"Pulp Fiction… 1994." Saya suddenly mumbled under her breath as everyone turned to look at her curiously.

"Eh….?" Kouta asked curious. "Takagi-san, did you say something?"

"Earlier when Jimu-san fired the shot into the air and started talking to the crowd…." Saya began. "I was wondering why everything that he was saying afterwards sounded so familiar."

"But it wasn't until he mentioned about his wanting to eat a "Big Kahuna" burger that I finally realized that he was just quoting what that American actor Samuel L. Jackson's character said in the movie "Pulp Fiction."

"Really…?" Takashi said with a frown. "I don't remember that part."

"Yeah, it was the "Big Kahuna" burger scene; where the two hit men are about to kill a couple of thieves over a suitcase, right after one of the assassins takes a bite out of a "Big Kahuna" burger" that one of the thieves was eating." Saya said shaking her head.

"Oh, yeah…I remember that now." Kouta said disappointedly. "Wow…I thought he was just being really cool."

"Naw, he's just a really big movie geek, apparently." Saya said shaking her head in disgust.

"Pulp Fiction?" Yuriko asked having overheard the exchange between the teens as she folded her arms and closed her eyes as if she were in deep thought. "Didn't John Travolta, Uma Thurman, and Sonny Chiba come out in that movie as well?"

"No Mama…. John Travolta and Uma Thurman did star in "Pulp Fiction"…. Saya said adjusting her glasses as she corrected her mother. "But Sonny Chiba starred with Uma Thurman in the movie "Kill Bill", which was also made by the same director, Quentin Tarantino."

"So you've seen both movies then, Saya-chan?" Yuriko asked her daughter with a strange expression on her face.

"Hai." Saya said nodding her head wondering why her mother seemed to be acting strangely all of a sudden.

"Hmmmm…" Yuriko said a frown forming over her face. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't your father and I expressly forbid you to watch either one of those movies, because they were so violent?"

"Eep!" Saya squeaked after realizing she'd been busted as she saw her father quickly glance over at her mother, and then slowly turn his head and glare at her.

"Is this true, Saya…..CHAN?!" Her father thundered, the ever-present scowl on his face deepening as Saya recoiled slightly from her father's gaze.

"You know, I might have been mistaken…" Saya said nervously under the glaring eyes of her mother and father as she began to slowly head towards the front door of the mansion. "Now that I think about it, I think I might have just heard some girls talking about it at school."

"Ano,….I think I'll go see if I can help Marikawa-sensei keep Jimu-san from eating anything unhealthy….." Saya said in a very small voice as she suddenly turned and bolted into the house before either of her parents could reply.

Location: Tokonosu City

Checkpoint located one half mile from Estate of Soichiro and Yuriko Takagi

Time: Morning

Spring 20XX

Z-Day plus Four

Shido's grip tightened on the steering wheel as he and his fellow passengers sat waiting in their vehicle with the engine idling at the checkpoint located more than a half mile down the road from Takagi Mansion.

And as they waited for the small industrial forklift to remove the heavy concrete barrier out of their path, Shido angrily stared straight ahead through the windshield of his vehicle, intentionally avoiding the watchful eyes of the guards standing outside, who were staring back at him and the other occupants of the small school bus with confusion, none of them having yet been informed as to the reasons why the small school bus and its occupants had been ordered to be hurriedly passed through.

And as the heavy concrete barrier was finally moved out of the way, Shido didn't even cast a quick glance at the heavily armed men who unceremoniously waved him through as the bus lurched forward, and then speeded down the empty street.

His face burning in a mixture of humiliation and rage, Shido ground his teeth angrily as he drove down the deserted city street, his rage fueled even further as he saw the image of the forklift in his rear view mirror backing up and returning the concrete beam back to its position, sealing them out forever.

And in essence, sealing their fate as well.

And as Shido again cast his eyes forward, the anger he felt became a rage like no other as a single thought kept perusing through his fevered brain, over and over.

"I am going to make them pay dearly for this…." Shido thought to himself as he gritted his teeth in anger again, his thirst for revenge overpowering his ability to think of anything else but his desire to make his enemies' pay dearly for his humiliating defeat.

With its remote location and strong walls, the mansion would have been the perfect place to begin his new empire, with food, fuel, weapons, and a small army of loyal followers eager to do his will.

And all of it had lain just within his grasp….

But it had all been taken away from him by the meddling actions of a handful of stupid children and a smart-aleck American dressed in a bathrobe, who had put a complete halt to his attempt to take over the mansion before he and his followers could even get a firm foothold inside.

And worse, they had made him look like a fool in front of all his "subjects" as well, not just by a mere teenage girl being allowed to taunt and threaten him in front of everyone, nor was it the American's revealing the way he had deceived everyone in his plot to take over the mansion.

But what truly made Shido's soul burn with hate was the way the Lord of Takagi Manor had ordered Shido and his teenage conspirators to be paraded past everyone in defeat and then have them roughly shoved into the school bus with orders to leave and never return.

In Shido's mind, it was the ultimate humiliation, to which even death at the edge of Soichiro Takagi's katana would have been far more preferable.

Now only the same seven students that that had stayed with him when the others had split off two days ago remained of the over two hundred strong that had followed him earlier, all eight of them now condemned to whatever fate awaited them beyond the safety of the mansion walls.

But with only the clothes on their backs, no food, no supplies, no weapons, and only the thin aluminum shell of the bus to protect them from the clutches of the ravenous Infected outside, the former schoolteacher had no doubts in his mind that it was death that awaited them at the end of this road.

And it would not be long in coming, either.

But despite their desperate situation, the only thing still currently occupying Shido's mind, were the thoughts of just how soundly he had been beaten by those he viewed far inferior to him, and little else.

And because his thoughts were focused completely on how best to go about exacting revenge on his enemies', the former schoolteacher had not realized that he had been steadily easing his foot off the accelerator, and that the bus he was driving had been moving at a snail's pace for the past several minutes.

And as they traveled down the narrow streets that were presently completely devoid of all life at a crawl, the fear that Shido's teenage passengers felt at being all alone in the city with the Infected intensified as the unease they felt at the thought that their leader might be losing his mind, became overpowering.

"Why is he driving so slow?" One of girls whispered to the boy sitting on the other side of the bus from her, a boy by the name of Yamada.

"I don't know." Yamada replied as he cast a nervous glance at the other students.

"Do you think he's alright?" Yamada asked Kurokami who was staring nervously at the silent schoolteacher, his normally pale complexion looking even more blanched than usual.

"I-I don't know…" Kurokami said looking like he was on the verge of having a panic attack.

"Hey, Tsunoda-kun…." Yamada hissed over at the taller boy sitting towards the front of the bus. "Why is Shido-sensei driving so slow?"

"I don't know!" Tsunoda growled in response as he then nudged Miku who was sitting next to him who was still nursing her sore ear.

"Hey, Miku-chan, check and see if he's alright….." Tsunoda said gesturing towards the silent schoolteacher who seemed oblivious to the teens speaking behind his back.

"Why, me?!" Miku hissed angrily, her eyes wide with fright. "You're the one who acts all big all the time like you're in charge!"

"You're his favorite!" Tsunoda replied hotly as he began to push Miku off the bench seat as she began to fight against him. "Just ask him if he's okay!"

"F_CK YOU!" Miku hissed under her breath and then yelped as Tsunoda roughly shoved her off the bench seat and she landed on her rump in the center aisle with a thump.

"Asshole!" Miku hissed as she threw a punch at and struck him in the leg as he lunged at her menacingly.

"Just go!" Tsunoda hissed threateningly as Miku flipped him off and then after a moment's hesitation, began to cautiously move towards the front of the bus until she stood at a distance she believed was safe before she addressed the silent schoolteacher.

"Sensei….?" Miku said in a worried voice as the man drove silently on without giving any indication that he had heard her.

"Are you alright?" Miku asked and then grew more apprehensive when the schoolteacher failed to respond, seemingly unaware of her presence as Miku glanced worriedly over at the other students.

Egged on by the frightened looks of the other passengers, Miku then gingerly placed her hand on Shido's shoulder and attempted to gain his attention once more.

"Sensei…?" Miku said timidly as Shido suddenly slammed on the brakes as Miku was pitched forward from the forward momentum of the bus, screaming in fright as her body slammed into the windshield.

Bruised and shaken from her fall, Miku glanced over at Shido and gasped in shock at the hate-filled look on the teachers face as he glared at her, never having ever seen the teacher looking so angry before.

"Sensei….I'm sorry…..I didn't mean to…!" Miku stammered horrified at the way Shido was looking at her as he glared at her for a long moment before placing the gearshift in idle and then set the parking brake.

"Sensei…?" Miku said in a small voice as Shido turned his gaze away from her and stared out the windshield to the road straight ahead for several long moments as Miku and the others cast worried glances at each other over the teacher's odd behavior.

And after some time with the teacher not doing anything more than staring angrily out at the road ahead and not saying anything, Miku began to grow worried that the teacher had gone completely over the edge as she timidly tried to calm him down.

"Shido-sensei, please…" Miku began in a pleading voice.

"We're scared and we don't know what to do…YIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!" Miku suddenly screamed in fear as she quickly scrambled away from the teacher to join the others, as Shido suddenly roared at the top of his voice and then began to violently slam his fist into the steering wheel several times before slamming his elbow into the driver's side window, the force of the blows nearly shattering it.

Suddenly lurching to his feet, Shido stood in the front of the bus his eyes ablaze with anger and hate as he glared at the horrified teenagers cowering behind their seats in the bus before the furious look suddenly melted from his face.

"Gomen nasai, minna-san…" Shido said his voice filled with remorse as his eyes scanned over each of his students.

"Please, forgive me for frightening you…." Shido said as he looked out the rear window in the direction they had just come from as a brief flash of anger formed on his face and then just as quickly disappeared.

"I did not mean to lose control like that…." Shido said as he turned his gaze back towards the frightened teens.

"I was just so angry at myself for all the trouble I've put you through…" Shido said looking away. "And now I've only made matter worse."

"I don't blame you for hating me…." Shido said lowering his head. "It is because of my failure to protect all of you that we are now in this position."

"And because of my lack of strength…"Shido said shaking his head. " I was too much of a coward to fight back at our adversaries to prevent all of you from sharing along in my fate."

"Sensei….." One of the girls sitting in the back of the bus said as Shido immediately raised his hand to silence her.

"No, I'm afraid it's true….." Shido said lifting his head as the students all gasped at the sight of tears falling down the former schoolteachers face.

"My cowardice and my incompetence have placed all of you needlessly in danger…" Shido said as tears fell from his cheeks. "And it pains me to see all of you with such fear in your eyes."

"Forgive me, minna-san…" Shido said with a sob as he fell heavily to his knees in front of his horrified students. "I have failed you all."

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry….." Shido said over and over as his horrified students recovered from their shock and immediately began to surround the distraught man and placed their hands on him in order to comfort him.

"Sensei please…" Miku said tears beginning to fall down her face at the sight of the stricken man weeping heavily on the floor of the bus. "You mustn't blame yourself for what happened."

"Miku-chan is right….." One of the girls by the name of Junko said as she wiped the tears from her eyes. "You did everything you could to take care of us."

"Please sensei, don't blame yourself…!" Jun's best friend Mari said as Shido gently placed his hand on her face.

"Minna-san….." Shido said in a syrupy voice. "How kind of all of you for trying to comfort this incompetent fool."

"But such kindness is wasted on an incompetent fool such as I…" Shido said as he suddenly began beating his breast as his students immediately tried to grab his hands in order to prevent him from hurting himself.

"SENSEI, PLEASE….!" Miku shouted as she grabbed one of Shido's hands. "IT ISN'T YOUR FAULT!

"Yeah, it was that f_cking gaijin and those traitors with him that ruined everything…!" Tsunoda said gritting his teeth in rage. "They're the ones to blame for all this!"

"Tsunoda-kun's right, sensei…" Yamada said angrily as everyone struggled to keep the distraught man from hurting himself. "They're the ones to blame, not you!"

"Please sensei, stop this…." Kurokami said as Shido suddenly stopped hitting himself and then gazed upon the frightened faces of his students staring back at him.

"You're right, minna-san…" Shido said wiping his face with a handkerchief he pulled from a pocket in his coat. "You're absolutely right, they are the ones to blame for our plight, aren't they?"

"Of course they are!" Miku said as she gazed out the rear window scowling angrily. "They're the ones who ruined everything, not you Shido-sensei."

"Yeah, the plan was working great until that bitch Miyamoto and that American asshole, f_cked up everything!" Tsunoda growled as a chorus of angry voices echoed in the confines of the bus, everyone expressing their rage at the American and his companions for their failure to take Takagi Manor.

"Please don't blame yourself anymore, Shido-sensei." Mari said finally as Shido then stood up and quickly composed himself.

"Gomen nasai, minna…" Shido said as he straightened his tie and then gazed upon his students.

"I am so sorry to have frightened you with my lack of control…." Shido said a thin smile on his lips. "I assure you that I will not repeat such disgraceful behavior again."

"Thank you all for your kindness and patience with me." Shido said as he straightened up and then bowed deeply at the waist. "I promise to do my very best to be a stronger leader from now on."

"Thank you for having such faith in me…" Shido said with tears once again falling from his face, as the eyes of each of his students filled with tears at their teacher's touching display of humility.

"I promise that I will never fail you again." Shido said as he quickly composed himself.

"And now minna…." Shido said as he gazed upon his students. "Now we must engage ourselves in the hazardous task of finding food, shelter, and other supplies necessary for our survival before nightfall."

"But how do we do that, Shido-sensei?!" Miku said anxiously. "The Infected are everywhere!"

"And we have no weapons to fight with either, Sensei." Tsunoda said as Shido gazed upon the thoroughly frightened faces of his students.

"They are frightened out of their minds…." Shido thought to himself as he gazed upon his students, his eyes filled with concern. "And even after everything that's happened today, they are still looking to me to make everything better.

"Perfect…." Shido thought mentally laughing with glee to himself.

"It is true, we have no weapons or any means of defending ourselves…" Shido began as he prepared to put the second phase of his dark plan into motion.

"So therefore we must now rely on our wits to survive..." Shido said as he then held his hand out towards Miku.

"Miku-san…?" Shido began. "Am I correct in assuming that you have recently completed your driver's test?"

"Ha-hai, Shido-sensei." Miku said with a confused look on her face.

"And I assume you passed?" Shido said with a friendly chuckle as Miku blushed and everyone laughed at her embarrassment.

"Hai, Sensei….I passed." Miku replied scowling at everyone as Shido gestured for her to come to the front of the bus.

"Very well then, Miku-san…" Shido said as he guided Miku to the driver's seat.

"If you wouldn't mind Miku-san…." Shido said as Miku sat down in the seat. "In order for us to continue our journey safely, I am going to require you to drive the bus and follow me as I walk down the street."

"EH?!" Miku said anxiously as Shido opened the side door of the mini-bus.

"Do not worry, Miku-san…" Shido said encouragingly. "Just take it nice and slow, and you'll do fine."

"Demo…." Miku said nervously as Shido gazed into her nervous eyes.

"I have complete trust in you….." Shido said flashing Miku a warm smile. "Don't worry, you'll do fine."

"Just keep it in first gear, Miku-san…." Shido said in a gentle voice. "All I need you to do is follow me closely as I'm walking in case I need to return in a hurry if any of the Infected decides to make an appearance."

"Sensei!" miku exclaimed in horror. "You can't be serious!"

"Don't worry Miku-san…" Shido said in a cheerful voice. "It'll be all right."

"Sensei, why are you…..?" Miku said as Shido stepped off the bus without another word and closed the door behind him.

"What the hell is he doing?" Tsunoda said as he and the other students peered out the windows and watched the teacher walk towards the rear of the bus and open an outside compartment door.

"How should I know?!" Miku stammered angrily as they all heard Shido began to rummage around in the compartment for a moment before retrieving a large tire iron, and then began walking back towards the front of the mini-bus after slamming the door shut.

"What is he going to do with that?" Miku thought to herself growing extremely apprehensive as she watched Shido walking ahead of her as he then gestured for her to follow him as she put the bus in gear and then eased off on the clutch as the engine suddenly died.

"DAMMIT!" Miku swore as she pressed down on the clutch again and re-started the engine.

"See what you made me do?!" Miku screamed at Tsunoda as he quickly backed away from her with an angry scowl as Miku then eased off on the clutch again and the bus finally began to roll forward.

"What is he going to do with that?" Tsunoda asked out loud as Miku merely shrugged her shoulders in response as she tried to keep the engine from dying again as the bus slowly moved forward.

As the students inside the bus watched Shido casually walking down the street seemingly without any concern for his own safety, each of the teens began to grow more apprehensive with each passing moment at the teacher's odd behavior, as they all drove down the abandoned city street in silence.

But it wasn't until Shido walked up to one of the many abandoned cars parked towards the end of the deserted road and then smashed the driver's side window with the tire iron in his hand that the students began to panic at the belief that the man had indeed, finally lost his mind.

"What the fu_…!"Tsunoda said under his breath as he and the other students watched Shido seem to mutter to himself before walking over to another car and smashing one of the rear windows of that vehicle.

"What is he doing?" Yamada said as each of the teens looked at each other with increasing fear in their faces.

"Maybe he's still pissed off and just wants to blow off some steam, that's all." Tsunoda said in a voice that betrayed the fact that he really didn't believe that himself.

"No, I think that maybe he has finally lost his mind…" Junko said her voice shaky.

"SHUT UP!" Miku snapped angrily in response, although like Mari, she too was beginning to believe that indeed the man had gone over the edge finally as they watched the teacher walk over to another parked vehicle and smash another window before walking to another vehicle and repeating his seemingly random act of destruction again.

"This is crazy….." Kurokami whined as the schoolteacher walked up to what appeared to be an almost mint condition 1969 American-made Chevrolet Camaro muscle car that some collector had obviously abandoned, as Shido prepared to swing the tire iron at the passenger side window.

"Aw man, don't do it!" Tsunoda whined as Shido raised the tire iron over his head.

"Duuuuude, that suuuuucks….!" Yamada said as the teacher swung mightily at the window, shattering it into a thousand pieces.

"Damn…that car was cherry too." Tsunoda agreed as the ear-splitting sound of the vehicle's ant-theft alarm echoed loudly down the abandoned city street.

"OH SHIT!" Tsunoda said horrified as all eyes on the bus began scanning the streets in all directions.

"IS HE CRAZY?!" Yamada roared as he looked up and down the street anxiously, expecting at any moment to see one of the lumbering Infected suddenly come shuffling towards them.

"HE MUST BE!" Mari shouted already in full panic mode. "WHY ELSE WOULD HE BE TRYING TO ATTRACT, THEM?!"

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN HE'S TRYING TO ATTRACT, THEM?" Tsunoda yelled angrily as he watched the schoolteacher run up to another vehicle and then smash the driver's side window as the piercing sound of another car alarm split the air, intensifying the noise from the first.

"DON'T YOU SEE?" Mari shouted with tears falling down her eyes. "THAT'S WHY HE'S BEEN SMASHING ALL THOSE CAR WINDOWS!"

"HE'S TRYING TO ATTRACT THE INFECTED BY SETTING OFF THE CAR ALARMS!" Mari screamed as Junko tried to calm her. "HE'S TRYING TO KILL US!"

"YOU'RE CRAZY!" Tsunoda spat glaring at Mari as she wailed pitifully as the sound of another car alarm being triggered reached their ears.

"No, she's right…" Miku said out loud as everyone turned to look at her as she continued to drive the bus at a crawl as Shido walked up to another vehicle and smashed another window.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN, SHE'S RIGHT?!" Tsunoda snapped at Miku as the sound of multiple car alarms all going off at once surrounded them. "YOU REALLY THINK HE'S TRYING TO KILL US?"

"No baka…." Miku said shaking her head at Tsunoda's ignorance. "I mean she's right about him trying to attract the Infected by setting off all those car alarms."

"WHY THE F_CK WOULD HE DO THAT?!" Tsunoda said angrily as another car alarm was triggered outside.

"Quit shouting you dumb ass…!" Miku snapped as she began to accelerate in order to keep up with Shido who was now jogging down the street towards another line of abandoned vehicles. "I don't know why for sure, but I think he's trying to attract them so that they will go after the sound of the cars and not bother with us."

"Are you sure?" Mari said wiping her eyes as Shido swung his tire iron at the window of another vehicle with no alarm sounding as he then hurriedly ran over to another vehicle and succeeded in triggering the alarm on that vehicle.

"Of course, why else would he be doing that?" Miku said scowling at Mari through the rear view mirror as everyone watched the schoolteacher smash the driver's side window on the last remaining vehicle on the block; the sound of the alarm as it was triggered echoing down the long abandoned street mixing along with the others.

And as the students watched, what appeared to be a large smile of satisfaction suddenly appeared on Shido's face as he then tossed away the tire iron in his hand and proceeded to calmly walk back towards the bus.

But despite Miku's words, the true intentions behind Shido's actions were anything but honorable.

An intent so evil, that few examples of man's inhumanity against man during the period of the Outbreak, could equal it.

"Prick us, do we not bleed….?" Shido said quoting one of his favorite lines from William Shakespeare's "The Merchant of Venice" under his breath, calmly straightened his tie as he casually strolled back to the school bus.

"Tickle us, do we not laugh…?" Shido said as he brushed the remains of broken glass off the sleeves of his coat.

"Poison us, do we not die…?" Shido said as he buttoned his coat and tried to make himself more presentable as he noticed the eyes of his students watching him from inside the bus, as he approached.

"Wrong us…" Shido said as a thin smile formed on his face as he looked in the direction of Takagi Manor.

"….and shall we not exact revenge…?" Shido said as he boarded the bus and then closed the door behind him.

Location: Tokonosu City

Nine kilometers west of the Estate of Soichiro and Yuriko Takagi

Time: Morning

Spring 20XX

Z-Day plus Four

"It" growled loudly.

And if "It" were currently being observed under laboratory conditions, most men of science would have agreed that "It's" ability to growl during a period of what would have been considered "stressful conditions" for any normal human being, could very well be considered visible proof of intelligence in the Infected, based on "It's" having displayed such a similiar reaction in a time of stress.

However, many other great minds of science would have scoffed at their colleagues on that theory, and would have loudly voiced that no case had ever been recorded as of yet, of anyone infected with the Contagion, ever again showing any visible signs of being capable of displaying human traits, emotional or otherwise.

Based solely on that theory then, since "It" was one of the Infected, the sound currently being emitted from "It" could not possibly be a sound made from anger, frustration, or any other human emotion since any traces of human emotion or reasoning, no longer existed in any of the Infected.

At least, that's how that scientific debate would have occurred in a laboratory under controlled conditions.

But this was no laboratory, and there were no scientists around to observe or argue about the behavior characteristic's or intelligence capabilities of the Infected.

Well, at least not alive, anyway.

But had there been any scientists around, they would have been astounded at the transformation now taking place.

During the first two days of the Outbreak, prey had been plentiful, and the Infected had swept along the city like a wave of death, consuming anything in their path.

Now on the fourth day however, prey was not so plentiful as before as the numbers of the Infected had greatly increased to the point that the Infected, now vastly outnumbered their prey.

And while prey was still plentiful in many other areas on the mainland of Japan, the available prey in the area where "It" prowled was quickly dwindling.

And as in most cases in the animal kingdom where prey become scarce and death from starvation is a certainty, those whose lives depend on feasting on flesh will quickly learn to adapt in order to survive, or perish.

If any of the Infected could have been examined in a laboratory, those performing the examination would have been shocked to find that the Infected were indeed, not at all dead in the literal sense.

And that being the case, further findings would have shown that unless the Infected were able to feed regularly, eventual starvation would then lead to the death of even the Infected.

Eventually, further examination of the Infected would have also revealed an untold number of scientific findings which would have awed mankind's most brilliant minds for eons.

And one of these findings which would have stunned them all was how quickly the Infected were able to adapt in a situation where prey was quickly becoming scarce.

Despite all pre-conceived notions of what any of the other Infected could, or could not be capable of doing after being infected, the growl that came from "It" was not a noise that "It" made purely out of mindless instinct as it was roughly shoved away from the fresh kill that was now being quickly devoured by several larger males.

"It" was starving…

And despite the fact that "It's" abilities had now enabled "It" to be capable of sprinting after prey due to the dwindling numbers of prey available anywhere near where "It" had normally hunted.

"It's" ability to cover ground more rapidly than the other Infected had made no difference this time as the victim whose screams had attracted "It" earlier was now being savagely torn apart and devoured by several larger males that had arrived before "It" could share in the kill.

And like "It" these Infected had also adapted to the lack of prey, and had gained another ability besides being able to run down their prey that seemed to almost suggest that some form of intelligence was beginning to develop amongst the Infected.

The ability to hunt as a pack.

And "It" was not welcome.

Snarling savagely upon "It's" arrival, the other Infected perceived "It" merely as an intruder, and were quick to shove "It" away from their kill.

Undeterred by the rough treatment of those "It" considered as mere obstacles to "It's" next meal, "It" again pushed "It's" way forward, in an effort to satisfy "It's" insatiable hunger.

One of the larger of the males however, sensing the persistent intruder pushing against him, violently shoved "It" away from the kill with its body as "It" rolled away on the ground.

Now with the pest no longer in the way of its ability to feed, the large male settled back upon its victim and hungrily began to gorge itself on the kill when a loud roar suddenly rent the air as all of the Infected stopped feeding and turned their heads in the direction the sound was coming from as "It" crouched on hands and knees, a loud guttural sound escaping through its lips.

If anyone had been observing the strange scene, they would have been shocked by the sound that came from "It", which was unlike the usual moaning that every survivor of the Outbreak had come to dread.

Because unlike the dreaded moaning that many had grown accustomed to hearing from those who had become infected, the loud roar followed by the deep growl that was coming from the smaller creature dressed in the tattered uniform of a policewoman, was unmistakably the sound of rage.

And then in a move that would have shocked any onlookers even further, the group of Infected gathered in front of the smaller female suddenly moved away from their kill as "It" uttered a serious of loud grunts before cautiously approaching the kill, and then began to feed while the other Infected kept a safe distance away.

A distant cacophony of sounds carried by the wind suddenly reached the hyper-sensitive ears of each of the Infected as "It" was gorging itself, causing all of the Infected to pause and then turn their heads in the direction the sounds were coming from.

The sounds were extremely faint, and would have normally been ignored by any of the Infected who now on the fourth day of the Outbreak, had slowly began to develop the ability to differentiate the sounds of what was prey, and what was not.

But with their hyper-acute sense of hearing evolving rapidly, the consistent rise and fall of the distant sounds that seemed to be increasing in volume and in large numbers was enough to gain the attention of the small group of Infected.

And with a loud growl, "It" suddenly turned in the direction of the sound as the others turned to follow her.

And as "It" and "It's" pack shuffled slowly towards the source of the distant sounds, Infected from all over the area also began to head towards the source as well, each of them attracted by the noise, as a vast migration of the Infected now began to take place.

Location: Tokonosu City

Estate of Soichiro and Yuriko Takagi

Jim's Room

Time: Morning

Spring 20XX

Z-Day Plus Four

As I sat on the balcony outside of my room enjoying the delicious taste of my third mug of coffee, I couldn't help but reflect upon the irony of my present situation.

Just four days ago I was all alone and fighting for my life on the streets of Japan having been separated from my team after we were attacked by both the Infected, as well as the local police.

And somewhere out there, Andy, J.R., Chris and the others were still fighting for their lives, or at least, I hoped they were, and hadn't been killed by the Infected, or captured by any of the locals.

And if not for accidentally stumbling across a bunch of young teenage kids and a school nurse whom I took under my wing, I may very well have still been out there alone as well… or dead.

Still, protecting the kids and Shizuka had been no picnic either, and my efforts to protect all of them from both monsters and men, had resulted in my nearly being killed in the process, not once, but several times.

But despite all that, here I was sitting on my butt within the relatively safe confines of a luxurious mansion, drinking extremely expensive imported coffee after having enjoyed the most delicious, and the most expensive, steak and egg breakfast I had ever eaten in my life.

And I couldn't help but chuckle to myself at the vision of Shizuka's angry face earlier when I had asked the kitchen staff to whip me up a hamburger despite her protests.

To my disappointment however, the kitchen staff pointed out that ground hamburger was not exactly a culinary delight of the super-rich, and since the Takagi's didn't particularly care for steak tartar either, my desire to feast on a "Big Kahuna Burger" ended up being a bust, after all.

Fortunately for me however, the kitchen staff had been witness to my preventing the mob from overrunning the security staff and possibly massacring anyone attached to the Takagi House, including the staff.

And so as a show of gratitude, or maybe it was because they were just afraid of me, the kitchen staff then proceeded to whip me up a rather large breakfast of toast, fresh fruit, pancakes, orange juice, three eggs over-easy, and the biggest freakin' Kobe steak I'd ever seen, along with an entire carafe of some exotic blend of coffee imported all the way from Africa, much to Shizuka's chagrin.

Even as famished as I was, there was no possible way I was going to be able to consume so large a meal by myself, and so within the confines of my room I shared my meal with Saeko as we talked quietly with each other as we ate.

While I had wanted to eat in the large dining area originally, Yuriko had thought it best that I remain in my room as a safety precaution, and also to prevent Shizuka from blowing a gasket while I ate.

And so with two new guards assigned outside my door to replace the two guards I had hog-tied earlier who now wanted to kill me just as badly as that psycho schoolteacher did, I sat eating the heartiest meal I'd ever eaten in my life, and finally able to enjoy a quiet moment with Saeko.

And I couldn't help but smile as I reflected fondly on one particular subject that Saeko and I had discussed earlier, before she had returned to her room.

With the exception of the times when I was eating a meal with the guys when we were on duty at the fire station, or enjoying an occasional meal at a restaurant with family and friends, for most of my life I had often preferred to eat alone, even during the time when I was still living with my family.

But as time passed and I grew older, eating a meal or drinking a relaxing cup of coffee in solitude no longer appealed to me, and would only serve as a reminder of how truly alone I really felt.

For so long I had prayed for the day when my life would no longer be so empty, and that the constant silence I had now come to hate so much would be replaced by the sounds of laughter and small talk from a loving wife and children, that would echo in the walls of our home .

But while I hadn't found the wife that I still hoped to be able to share the rest of my life with, there was someone however, who had filled a large portion of the emptiness in my heart.

And as I watched the young girl who was sitting directly across from me, I couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of all the pancake crumbs and syrup that was smeared all over her face as she was wolfing down pancakes like there was no tomorrow.

"Nani, Jimu-san?" Saeko said blushing as she noticed me staring at her as she was eating a small portion of the large breakfast that I was sharing with her.

"Oh, nothing….." I said as I gazed at Saeko. "I was just thinking that since you and I are practically family now, you calling me "Jimu-san" now sounds kind of odd."

"Ah…." Saeko said her face reddening slightly from embarrassment at my words.

"What would you like me to call you then, Jimu-san?" Saeko asked as I hesitated slightly and pondered a moment on how to answer her, as I took another sip of coffee.

Despite our mutual joy of my offering to adopt Saeko as my daughter, the fact was we still weren't sure what exactly had happened to her real father, and to whether he was still alive or not.

Therefore, until we knew exactly what had become of Saeko's father, it would not be appropriate for Saeko to go around calling me "Daddy" just yet, even though I would have loved for her to do so.

And so out of respect for her father, and not wanting to upset her either, I had not brought up the subject of what Saeko should call me.

And now that she had asked, I wasn't quite sure how to answer.

"Well….I did kinda like it when you called me "Ojisan", a couple of days ago….."I said with a smirk as Saeko's cheeks turned even redder.

"But Ojisan" sounds a little too much like "Ojiisan", and I ain't that old that you should start calling me "Grandpa" like Alice does." I added making Saeko laugh.

"How about… "Ji-chan?" I said as Saeko suddenly made a face.

"Only little children talk like that, Jimu-san." Saeko replied shaking her head.

"Oh…excuuuuse me…"I said rolling my eyes. "I keep forgetting how all grown up you are now."

"You're what, sixteen now….?" I said teasing Saeko as her eyes narrowed, the look on her face telling me that she did not find my teasing her about her age very amusing at all.

"Jimu-san…" Saeko said her left eye twitching as she glared at me. "I am eighteen years old, and I am also legally an adult now."

"Is that so….?" I said as I chuckled at my discovery of a weakness in my little "Ice Queen's" armor, which was that Saeko was obviously very sensitive about her age.

"So, desu….." Saeko said pouting slightly as I set my coffee cup down on the table and then leaned forward in my chair.

"Well, regardless of how old you are, you'll always be my "little girl" Saeko-chan, remember that." I said with a smirk as I grabbed one of the fine linen table cloths off the table, dipped it in a glass of water, and then wiped the crumbs and pancake syrup off Saeko's face.

"And so from now on, I think I would like you to address me as… "Ji-san." I said as Saeko immediately grabbed another table cloth and threw it at me as I ducked, laughing my head off at her irritation.

"That still sounds so childish, Jimu-sa_." Saeko began but stopped when I gave her a serious look.

"Maybe so young lady, but until we find out for sure what's happened to your father, you are my daughter now, and "Ji-san" is how you will address me…." I said acting serious before sticking my tongue out at her as, Saeko made a face.

"Or should I just use my slipper again?" I said jokingly as Saeko was about to open her mouth to say something, but then thought better of it and merely stuck out her lower lip in response.

"I thought so…" I said as I got up from my chair and walked over to the other side of the table and wrapped my arms around Saeko and held her tightly for a long while, enjoying a happiness I never thought would have ever been possible in my lifetime.

But as I reflected on that happy moment, a dark thought suddenly pushed it away as Shizuka's angry words from earlier, came back to haunt me.

"JIMU-SAN….!" Shizuka had shouted at me as she hung on to Alice for dear life. "SAEKO AND ALICE COULD HAVE BEEN HURT!"

And immediately my mood soured as I reflected on an awful truth within Shizuka's rebuke.

Shizuka had indeed become extremely fond of Alice in the time that we had been together, and had come to think of Alice as her own child, the same as I had come to think of Saeko as mine.

And earlier when Alice was nowhere to be found because no one had noticed her slipping away to find me, I found out later that Shizuka had become completely unglued that something had happened to the little girl, until she saw her emerging from the bushes after I had called out to her when the danger was finally over.

But seeing Alice walking with Saeko and I next to all those people who had moments before tried to kill us all, had been too much, and Shizuka had reacted like a mother who had just found out that her husband had taken their seven-year old daughter sky-diving, for the first time.

And I had to admit, Shizuka had been right to yell at me the way she had.

While I had indeed succeeded in managing to bring to a halt what could very well been a disaster and saved an untold number of lives, I had also placed Saeko and Alice's lives in jeopardy by my little stunt earlier, and I could very well have lost them as well.

And Saeko and Alice would have died needlessly all because I had been so worried about the lives of others, when I should have concerned myself with their safety alone.

The duty of any rescue worker is the protection and preservation of human life, and when I was a fireman, that way of thinking had helped me to push myself to overcome my fears many times when a situation was so bad that even I was questioning myself as to why I was in that situation in the first place.

But my rushing into the middle of an angry mob earlier to save the lives of my friends had, without a doubt, been an act of stupidity far worse than what Takashi had done earlier to keep me from getting killed.

For his act of courage Yuriko had chewed Takashi out but good, because even though it had been a selfless act, it had placed him and the other teens in unnecessary danger, and they could have all very well died needlessly.

Takashi had acted from the heart, because he had only wanted to help in whatever way he could, although not realizing that what he did could have gone very badly for him and the others.

But from an adult's perspective, Takashi made a poor decision not because his heart wasn't in the right place, but it was because he just wasn't experienced enough or mature enough to understand the seriousness of what he had done.

I on the other hand, as a 25 year veteran firefighter/paramedic and now as a tactical medic trained by a bunch of former special ops guys new better of the seriousness of that situation than he did.

And yet despite that I had reacted like a probie fireman on his first fire and had charged headfirst into the middle of a shit storm.

And worse, I had dragged Saeko into the middle of it as well.

Firefighters and Law Enforcement share the same unwritten rule that people in the Military do, and that is that no matter what, you do not do anything that will endanger your buddies' lives.

Just as an example of how serious that unwritten rule is, in the SEAL Teams you are assigned a "swim buddy" that you train and fight with always, and if you do something that gets your "swim buddy" hurt, even accidentally, you're immediately dismissed from the Teams…..period.

And in Fire/Rescue and Law Enforcement, if someone does something to endanger the lives of his comrades because he was "off doing his own thing", the result is often the same.

When Masahito Soda created the character of Asahina Daigo for his manga "Megumi no Daigo", the character was meant to be a compliment to the bravery and dedication found within all the firefighters of Japan for the dangerous work that they do.

But when I read the manga and saw the anime after it was released in the U.S, I couldn't help but laugh at all of the things Firefighter Daigo did to save the day, knowing that no rookie fireman alive would ever get away with the reckless, stupid-ass stunts that firefighter Daigo seemed to somehow miraculously pull off while he was on probation.

In fact, guys like Daigo would have never even made it out of the Academy in the first place if he had been caught doing stuff like that.

Because unlike what people see in the movies, that maverick guy that runs off "freelancing" on his own and saves the day all by himself, is not looked up to as a hero by the other guys…

That guy is regarded as a liability.

And in a high risk occupation like Fire/Rescue, Law Enforcement, and the Military, guys like those are quickly avoided and are often removed from the Service as quickly as possible because people like that will eventually get somebody killed.

I had always tried to look out for my brother firefighters whenever I was on the job, and I was always careful to make sure I never did anything that would endanger their lives.

But even though I had never broken that unwritten rule during my entire career as a fireman, I had broken it now by my rushing out to stop the mob from killing our friends.

And in doing so, I had endangered Saeko's life in the process.

Saeko Busujima, the girl who had risked her life more than twice already to save mine, and whose life I had nearly jeopardized because I didn't stop to think about the seriousness of what I was doing.

I had prayed all my life for a family of my own, and now by some miracle this wonderful girl had stepped into my life and had agreed to become a part of mine.

And although Saeko hadn't said "yes" yet when I asked her to become my adopted daughter, the way she had embraced me so tightly left little doubt in my mind that she was more than agreeable to the idea of my adopting her as my own child.

Saeko…. my adopted child, whom I had nearly gotten killed because of my putting the lives of others first, instead of hers.

It was unforgiveable.

I would never again make that same mistake, ever again.

Fortunately, nothing had happened, but if I was going to accept the responsibility of being her father, then her life and her safety had to take priority over anything else.

And everyone else, as well.

I was her father now, and I needed to take care of her, like I was her father.

I wasn't alone anymore, and any decision I made, had to be made with her welfare in mind, first and foremost.

Unfortunately, that also meant that if some unforeseen situation arose where Saeko's life was in danger, then that meant that everyone else's life was secondary.

And then the troubling thought entered my head that if the worst possible scenario were indeed to occur, would I be willing to sacrifice even those now dear to me like Takashi, Rei, Saya, Kouta, Alice and Shizuka, in order to keep anything bad from happening to Saeko?

I quickly dismissed that morbid thought and blew it all off, believing that I was just being overly paranoid about a situation that might have occurred if we were still out on the city streets fighting for our lives against the Infected, but was no longer likely in our current situation.

Right now the chances of that situation ever happening was completely nil now that we were safe and secure within the fortified walls of Takagi Mansion, protected by heavily armed guards who kept a constant watch over us, night and day.

And from what I had been told by Yuriko earlier, there had been no sightings at all of any of the Infected within a five mile radius of the mansion by any of the guards standing lookout on the roof and at the checkpoint down the road since the Outbreak began, which made sense since most of the Infected were more than likely to be prowling around the more densely populated areas of the city, chasing after the fleeing populace.

And even if the presence of the Infected became a problem in our area, in two days' time everyone was going to be relocated to the designated staging area for helicopter evacuation to the NATO ships that were due to arrive around that time, anyway.

So in short, I figured that there was really no reason for me at all to be worrying about a worst case scenario of having to sacrifice someone else's life over Saeko's, which was more than likely never, ever going to happen.

And that being the case, sitting here and brooding about it wasn't doing anybody, including me, any good.

And besides, I still had a pretty serious head injury that I was supposed to be recovering from, and even though I wasn't having any issues with serious headaches or dizzy spells, I really had been pushing myself too hard, and I really needed to start taking it easy.

And as much as I was enjoying the delicious coffee that I was drinking right now, Shizuka was right; I really needed to stay away from it and anything else that would impede my recovery.

Just as soon as I finished what was left, that is.

"Complacency kills", is an old saying in the Military of every nation, and even though none of us at Takagi Manor realized it at the time, we were now the perfect example of how letting your guard down at any time, can come back to bite you in the ass later, when you least expect it.

But with all that we had been through in the past four days, all of us were mentally, physically, and emotionally fried at that time, including myself.

And as is often the case when a person has reached the limits of his strength, we all began to allow ourselves to let our guard down, believing that we were all safe within the confines of the stout walls of Takagi Mansion.

A mistake which would later prove to be a fatal one, which we had only ourselves to blame.

And so as I poured myself another steaming mug of coffee feeling all warm, dumb, and happy after having gorged myself on such a sumptuous meal, I too made that same stupid mistake of allowing myself to fall into that same illusion that any threat to our lives now was too far away from us, to do us any harm.

And because I felt so sure that we were all safe for the time being, I figured that I could now finally allow myself to relax a bit as I took another sip from the steaming mug in my hands and let out a contented sigh, enjoying the rich flavor, not knowing that in just a few hours' time our world would once again be turned upside down.

And as I contentedly sipped that extremely delicious brew, I had no clue that before sunrise tomorrow the teens, Shizuka, Alice, and I, would all be fighting for our lives once again against an enemy that we had not yet encountered before.

An enemy far more deadly than any of the lumbering Infected we had previously encountered still shuffling about amongst the empty streets of a dead city, just a few miles away.

And as I reflected on the happy thought that I now had a daughter to raise, and would no longer be living my life alone, I didn't realize that in the following days Saeko's life and my own would be torn apart in ways we could have never imagined.

And as I sat back in my chair hoping that my family was still alive and safe back in Texas and thinking about the surprised looks on their faces when I presented Saeko to them as my daughter, I also did not know that very soon all my hopes and dreams of finally having a family of my own would be dashed to pieces.

I knew absolutely none of these tragic things that were soon to befall us all, which would affect Saeko and everyone else, for the rest of their lives.

And as I sat there blissfully enjoying the deceivingly peaceful atmosphere now surrounding me, neither did I know that the cup of coffee that I now held in my hands….

Would be my last…

Author's Notes:

As you can see, there was a lot of material to cover in this chapter, so it took me a lot longer than I thought to finish, which has actually become quite normal lately.

Anyway, thanks for your patience.

I have to admit, unlike my earlier chapters where I hated writing things from Shido's point of view, I actually enjoyed how evil I was able to portray him in this chapter.

I mean dude, that's pretty messed up smashing the windows of a Camaro, don't you think?

Seriously, that's just wrong.

LOL.

Just kidding, but I did want to show that Shido was completely capable of anything in my version of this fanfic, and that he had no qualms whatsoever about exacting his revenge on anyone, even innocent people, which was why I had him setting the car alarms off to attract the Infected in order to take revenge on everyone at Takagi Manor who had humiliated him.

That and I thought it was the most realistic reason as to why the Infected would suddenly swarm over Takagi Manor, rather than just having all of them miraculously show up all of a sudden right after the EMP, like you saw in the anime.

Anyway, I think it's almost time for some serious zombie butt kicking, so hang in there, it's coming up next.

Hope you enjoyed this chapter in the meantime.

Thanks again for your support!