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Last Alarm
Chapter 60
"Dawn at the Alamo"
Part One
"There are wounds that never show on the body that are deeper and more hurtful than anything that bleeds."
― Laurell K. Hamilton
"Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster himself."
― Friedrich Nietzsche
Time: Zero Dark Thirty
Location: MQ-4C Triton UAV Control Room aboard U.S.S. Bonhomme Richard LHD-6 aka ("The Bonnie Dick")
Currently Anchored near the Northeastern Section of Tokonosu International Airport aka ("The Floating Island")
Z-Day Times Five
It was unlike anything they had ever seen before.
True, the veteran flight crew sitting mesmerized in their seats were no strangers to the savageries of war having witnessed many bloody conflicts and inhuman atrocities during the war on terror over the years.
But now as the UAV's flight crew stared silently at the video feed on their ultra-high definition video screens being fed back to them from the unmanned U.S. Navy Triton UAV drone currently circling ten thousand feet over their target area, once again they could do nothing more than watch helplessly as the blood of the innocent was spilled out onto the ground at the hands of a brutal enemy that knew absolutely nothing of mercy.
Countless times in the past the veteran crew had witnessed the brutal butchery of innocent men, woman, and children from all corners of the globe, every member of the battle-hardened crew still often times left stunned at the brutality and raw savagery that humans were capable of afflicting upon their fellow human beings.
However, unlike those previous atrocities committed in the past, what the UAV crew were now being witness to was unlike any of the many horrors of warfare that they had seen so many times before.
No, what they were seeing now could not be described as anything more than complete slaughter as the flight crew of the Triton UAV became unwilling witnesses to every nightmarish detail of the horrifying massacre occurring before them that would haunt them for the rest of their lives.
The scene below was one of absolute carnage, as the crew of the unmanned drone watched the chaos on their video screens, every detail of the horrors being committed on the ground brightly illuminated before their eyes, as the flames burning all over the enormous lawn of the huge mansion lit up the night sky.
"Mother_ckers...!" Lt. Commander Robert" Duck" Banduch, the pilot of the Triton unmanned drone heard "Mini-me" Consentino swear in his headset over and over again growing louder each time. "...motherf_cking pieces of shit!"
"F_cking animals...!" Lt. "Dee" O'Connor sitting in the co-pilot's seat next to Banduch swore under her breath, her eyes moist as she fought back tears of rage. "...we outta drop our entire f_cking payload on their asses!"
"Take it easy, guys." Banduch said into his headset in a neutral voice as he tried to keep his own rage in check as he glanced over his shoulder at his crew, every one of them staring with barely controlled emotion at the horrific carnage taking place on their video monitors.
"I know this shit sucks, but try to stay focused people, we still have a job to_...ahhhh f_ck!" Banduch swore out loud as he and his horrified crew gasped in horror at the sight of a woman running out of a tent with two children in her arms was suddenly attacked by more than a dozen of the "runners" as the woman and her two children immediately disappeared under a pile of writhing bodies.
"Nooo!" Banduch heard his co-pilot moan over his headset as Banduch quickly turned away from his video monitor to escape the horrific sight of the woman and her two children being savagely torn to pieces as Banduch and the rest of the UAV flight crew each tried desperately to control the helplessness and rage they all felt.
"Zoom out, Dee." Banduch ordered curtly trying to control his own growing feelings of helplessness and rage at the scene below as a long moment passed without anything happening as the UAV pilot then glanced back over at his co-pilot who were still staring mesmerized at her video screen.
"ZOOM OUT, DAMMIT!" Banduch snapped angrily jolting his entire crew out of their trance as O'Connor immediately toggled a switch on her joystick.
"What the f_ck...?!" Banduch heard Mike "Mini-me" Consentino voice swear over his headset. "...Hey, "El-Tee"...pan your camera back!"
"Huh, go back...?!" O'Connor said wiping the tears from her face as she manipulated the controls on her joystick and panned the camera lens on the UAV back to it's original position. "...what the hell for?!"
"Top left of the screen, just past all the tents...!" Consentino said excitedly "...do you see them?!"
"See what, man...?!" Kaiser replied as O'connor zoomed the camera in again as everyone then began scanning frantically at their video screens. "...I don't see shit!"
"Pan over to the left a little, more Lieutenant!" Consentino said practically shouting as O'Connor panned the camera over to the left.
"THERE!" Consentino shouted as the image of two running figures suddenly appeared on everyone's viewscreen.
"What the hell do those two thing they're doing?!" Kaiser said under his breath as he and the rest of the UAV crew watched in stunned silence at the sight of two figures sprinting across the vast lawn of the mansion, whom despite all reasonable logic, were actually running towards the Infected unlike the rest of the fleeing victims who were desperately trying to run in the opposite direction towards the large mansion at the top of the hill.
"Looks like they're trying to help those people being attacked..." Banduch replied with a frown as he continued to study his viewscreen intently. "...zoom in on them a little more will you, Dee?"
"Seriously...?!" O'Connor replied in a horrified voice as she toggled her joystick and focused in on the running pair and then zoomed in. "...just what the hell do the two of them think they can do against all that?"
"F_ck if I know..." Banduch replied grimly. "...maybe they got friends or family in those tents down there."
"From what I can tell, our new targets seem to be comprised of one female and one male, "Duck"..." Consentino piped up in a voice filled with disbelief as O'Connor continued to keep the two running figures in view of the UAV's cameras. "...both of them still hauling ass towards the Infected."
"Shit, is that a frickin' sword that girl is carrying?" Kaiser asked aloud as everyone immediately scanned their video screens more intently and saw a glint of light reflected off a long object in the female's right hand.
"No shit...that's a sword all right." O'Connor muttered as the running figure swung the instrument in her hand and expertly decapitated one of the Infected running towards her.
"Damn Japanese..." Banduch replied with an annoyed grunt. "...every one of them thinks they're f_cking Toshiro Mifune."
"Who?" Consentino quipped never missing a chance to take a jab at his commanding officer's love for Japanese cinema.
"F_ck you, Mini-me." Banduch growled in response, knowing that Consentino wasn't actually being his usual smart-ass self but was merely trying in his own way to help ease the palpable tension in the small control room.
"Targets seem to have changed direction..." O'Connor interrupted, her voice all-business now as all eyes watched as the two runners suddenly changed direction away from their previous course and were now heading towards the main gate. "...looks like they're running parallel alongside the herd now."
"Pan out a bit, Dee..."Banduch ordered, his eyes still studying the screen intensely. "...but keep tracking them."
"Aya-aye, sir..." O'Connor replied as she continued to fiddle with her controls while still keeping her eyes glued to the viewscreen.
"Where the hell are those two running to...?" Banduch replied with a frown as the UAV's camera continued to track the two runners as they ran directly past the burning tent city. "...there's nobody left alive in that direction that I can see."
"Why the hell would they_?...awww shit!" Banduch exclaimed as a collective murmur uttered loudly from the rest of the UAV's crew as the female runner was suddenly pounced upon by three of the Infected who had broken off from the main herd and had immediately attacked the girl.
"Son of a bitch...!" Kaiser swore under his breath with barely controlled anger as the male runner attempted to help his comrade but was then also immediately attacked by another of the Infected as well.
"F_ck...!" Banduch swore under his breath as he watched helplessly as the struggling figures on the ground fought desperately for their lives, although the veteran pilot already knew that in the end their struggles were merely delaying the inevitable.
"Switch targets, Dee..." Banduch ordered smartly as he averted his eyes away from the video screen. "...focus your *FOV to the main house."
*(FOV- Field of View)
"WAIT!" Consentino's voice suddenly blasted through everyone's headsets startling everyone with the urgency of his voice.
"What the hell for, Mikey?!" Banduch replied with annoyance as a sudden flurry of movement on the upper part of the video screen mounted in front of him suddenly caught his eye.
"What the hell?" Banduch muttered as he returned his gaze back to his video screen as his eyes suddenly widened in disbelief in utter bewilderment at the new spectacle unfolding before his eyes.
"Who the f_ck is that guy?!" O'Connor exclaimed as the rest of the UAV crew watched in complete silence at the spectacle below.
Time: Zero Dark Thirty
Location: Takagi Manor – Front Terrace of Takagi Mansion
Z-Day Times Five
"BLAST!" Soichiro Takagi swore in frustration as his aim was once again spoiled by the struggling figures still locked in combat on his front lawn.
Swearing a blue streak in frustration as he stared through his riflescope at the struggling figures fighting for their lives, Soichiro took a deep breath in order to calm himself before he once again tried to train the crosshairs of his scope upon his intended target.
It was an almost impossible shot, one that even the most experienced marksmen would have found difficult and while Soichiro Takagi was no slouch when it came to precision shooting, never in all of his many hunting safaris in Africa had he ever tried to make such a precision shot on a moving target that was rolling around on the ground locked in a life-or-death struggle with several other combatants as Soichiro uttered oath after oath as he tried again and again without success to maintain the crosshairs of his riflescope on Saeko's head.
"DAMN!" Soichiro swore again as one of the Infected that was attacking the teenage girl again shifted into his line of fire and blocked his view.
Cursing under his breath, Soichiro Takagi once again attempted to steady himself as he slowly let out his breath in and out twice before once again settling the crosshairs of his scope on his target when a sudden loud roar erupted out of the darkness and again spoiled his aim.
Surprised by the sudden and unexpectedly loud roar that could be heard even above the blood-chilling screeches of the Infected and the heart-rending screams of fear and pain coming from the unlucky civilians still trapped in the refugee camp, Soichiro turned away from the eyepiece of his riflescope in order to peer out into the darkness in the direction the sound had come from.
Chastising himself that this was no time to satisfy his curiosity, Soichiro then quickly returned his attention back to the task at hand as he peered through his riflescope at exactly the same moment that Saeko was finally able to kick one of her attackers away from her.
Seizing this sudden opportunity, Soichiro immediately settled the crosshairs of his scope on the head of the Infected that Saeko had fended off and squeezed the trigger, the high-powered rifle bucking against his shoulder as he saw the top of the Infected's skull suddenly explode in a spray of blood and gore as the creature fell heavily to the ground as he then immediately shifted the crosshairs of his riflescope back to where Saeko still struggled against the two remaining Infected.
And despite himself, Soichiro then grinned as he noticed that the daughter of his former sensei was now finally gaining the upper hand over her attackers and was now holding one of them by the throat with her left hand while the remaining one clawed away at the air furiously, it's head pinned in the crook of Saeko's right arm in a head lock.
"That child never ceases to amaze me..." Soichiro muttered with genuine respect towards the teenage girl as he attempted to once again level his rifle in Saeko's direction, only now with the hope of coming to Saeko's rescue instead of a mercy killing as before, when suddenly, the same loud roar he had heard earlier suddenly erupted into the night again.
Perceiving the possibility that the load roar might have been coming from one or more of the Infected "runners" nearby that might possibly about to charge towards Saeko again, Soichiro immediately scanned the area all around Saeko before a sudden flurry of movement caught his eye coming from just past Saeko's position.
Swiftly shifting the muzzle of his rifle in the direction of the flurry of movement Soichiro was just about to settle the crosshairs of his riflescope on one of several dark shadows he had spotted when another flare was launched into the night sky as Soichiro's eyes then widened in disbelief at what he saw as the entire lawn was once again bathed in a bright red glow.
To his surprise, the Lord of Takagi Manor could now plainly see that the group of shadows that he had spotted was not another group of Infected running towards Saeko's position, but rather, the group of shadows was in fact the American mercenary still locked in a life-or-death struggle with the Infected that had attacked him earlier.
"Good grief, that man is still alive?!" Soichiro muttered in astonishment as he peered through his scope at the burly man struggling for all he was worth against the three Infected clawing away at him.
And for the briefest of moments, Soichiro considered making an attempt to shoot the Infected and save the American as he had Saeko when he suddenly noticed the man's left hand clamped tight in the jaws of one of the Infected.
"Damn!" Soichiro thought with genuine remorse at the sight, realizing in an instant, that any attempt to shoot the Infected and rescue the American was now moot.
The man was already dead, it was now only a matter of a time.
Assuming that any attempt to spare the American any further pain and suffering by a well-placed mercy shot was also a futile effort, Soichiro was about to return his attention back towards Saeko when a loud roar once again erupted into the night as the Lord of Takagi Manor realized at last that the loud roar he had heard earlier had not come from any of the Infected at all as he then winced as the loud cry of pain coming from the helpless man echoed in his ears.
Few sounds tear away at the heart of a person more than the sound of a man or an animal in pain, and despite the stoic demeanor that he always displayed before others, even the seemingly heartless Lord of Takagi Manor was not without compassion as he gritted his teeth in frustration at his inability to do anything to aid the American and then once again attempted to focus on aiding Saeko.
However, despite his attempts to ignore the American's agonized cry of pain and suffering, the man's howling continued to echo in Soichiro's ears, rising in volume to an almost inhuman level until Soichiro Takagi could finally stand it no more.
And although he realized that the American's dying scream of pain was completely beyond the man's ability to control, to Soichiro Takagi who worshipped the Code of the Samurai and the quiet dignity of those before him who faced death with stoic strength and dignity, to Soichiro's ears the American's ear-splitting scream bordered on cowardly, and despite himself, at that moment the only thing the Lord of Takagi Manor could feel for the man was contempt.
"DAMMIT IT, MAN...AT LEAST TRY TO DIE WITH SOME SORT OF DIGNITY!" Soichiro roared in disgust as he quickly aimed his rifle back to where the American lay and switched the selector switch on his rifle from "SEMI" to "AUTO".
Quickly taking aim where the struggling bodies lay, Soichiro Takagi placed his finger over the trigger of his weapon and prepared to deliver a short burst of gunfire in hopes of killing both the Infected and the American, not so much as an act of mercy but more so to silence the man's ear-splitting scream as Soichiro's eyes suddenly widened in shock at the image that came into view in his riflescope just as he was about to squeeze the trigger of his rifle.
And it was only then that Soichiro Takagi realized that the loud roar uttered from the American had not been a scream of fear or pain at all.
It had been of rage.
Time: Zero Dark Thirty
Location: Front Lawn of Takagi Manor – Jim's Position
Z-Day Times Five
I can still hear his screams.
I really don't remember exactly what year, or month, or day it happened, in fact, all I do remember is that we were both still kids back then, but even then, I still don't remember how old we were at the time...of course, then again maybe I just don't want to.
To be honest it really doesn't matter whether I could remember the exact year, time, or date that awful event transpired, because the awful fact remains that even now, so many years later...I can still hear his screams.
Gut-wrenching, heart-breaking, mind-numbing, blood-curdling screams that always seemed to constantly rise in volume and intensity with each lash of the thick leather belt upon the little boy's body as he horribly bucked and twisted involuntarily with each pain-filled stroke that made contact upon his flesh.
It seemed impossible to me that such heart-wrenching screams of pain could even come out of someone so small, screams that reached levels that weren't even possible for a grown man or woman to utter, at least from all the screams I had heard over the years when I was still working as a fireman.
No, the screams that I heard on that horrible day couldn't even be described as human, and as the little boy's screams intensified with each painful lash of that f_cking belt, you would think that some miniscule measure of love, compassion, remorse, or even just a little f_cking decent sense of f_cking humanity would somehow reach the heart of the angry man standing over the little boy and for pity's sake, somehow move him to cease his brutal beating of that poor, defenseless child.
Yes, that's what most people would think and yes, that's what most decent people would do.
But in this case, the little boy's screams seemed only to antagonize the man even more, and no matter how loud the boy screamed or how horribly his body twisted and contorted with each anger-filled blow that landed on his body, the man absolutely refused to stop whipping him mercilessly with his belt, each powerful blow raining down on the little boy's body seemingly more fierce in intensity than the last.
Down to this day I never knew the exact reason why the man was so horribly angry with the little boy that he suddenly carried him into the boy's bedroom and then savagely flung him onto his bed like a rag doll and then began to beat him so mercilessly.
No, I never knew why that horrible, despicable act of child abuse took place, nor did I have the courage to ask about it later that day, later that week, or heaven forgive me, even so many years afterwards why such a horrible thing had taken place at all.
Of course, one reason why I never asked about it is because I knew that no matter what the answer would be, in my mind, there simply was no reason whatsoever that would justify an adult beating a small child like that so cruelly.
Another reason why I never brought it up was because I realized that bringing up such a horrible event again so many years later after the fact, would only serve to further traumatize the young victim, who after years of pain and suffering, had long ago buried that particular event deep in the recesses of his mind, and didn't need me opening up old wounds in order to satisfy my curiosity.
But truth be told, another reason why I never brought the subject up is because of the shame that I still feel about my own actions that day.
Because on that horrible day, I did nothing as I sat there in my bedroom completely paralyzed with fear as I watched my father mercilessly beat my younger brother so cruelly, and didn't even move a f_cking muscle as he did it.
Perhaps one of the reasons I had been so paralyzed with fear that horrible day may have been the fact that being a mere child myself at the time, perhaps the reason I hadn't done something to stop our father from beating my brother was because of the state of shock I was in from having witnessed such a horrible act of child brutality going on right in front of me, which to be honest, would have shocked anyone seeing something like that.
Then again, perhaps another reason I hadn't moved a muscle back then, at least according to my psychiatrist, was probably because I was suffering from some sort of post-traumatic stress reaction from my own experiences of being beaten by our father in the exact same manner many years before.
Or perhaps, (again, according to my psychiatrist) maybe it was because when that event occurred, the reason I didn't move to come to the aid of my little brother (besides the fact that I would have more than likely been beaten even worse) was because at the time, I just couldn't believe that someone I had once loved and admired so much could be capable of such inhumane cruelness.
Nonetheless, theories and hypothesis, and all other manner of psychiatric mumbo-jumbo aside, to this day I still don't know why I didn't so something to help my brother that day...but then again, it doesn't matter.
Because while many would argue that my actions on that day were understandable being that I was a mere child myself back then who had also suffered a history of abuse at the hands of my father, the ugly truth remains...
I had failed my baby brother when he needed me most.
And because of that, I have not, nor will I ever...ever... forgive myself.
Many years would pass after that horrible day before my brother and I would ever be on amicable terms with my father, and even then it is an uneasy relationship, because as much as my brother and I still love our father, the memories of the cruel things he did to us while we were still children have still not been totally erased from our minds completely.
Even now as a full-grown adult in my mid-forties I've never been able to forget the horrible heart-breaking sound of my little brother's screams on that horrible day, and there have been few days since then when those awful screams of pain-filled agony don't haunt me still.
And because I've never been able to completely erase the feelings of utter helplessness, deep sorrow, and bitter rage that has festered within me since that terrible day, I vowed to myself that I would never again stand idly by and watch helplessly while someone I loved was victimized by another, nor would I ever follow in my father's footsteps and react in anger as my father had and treat my own children in the same cruel, vicious manner that he had.
And to ensure that I would never lose control as my father had, I absolutely refused to drink alcohol, even so-called "tame drinks", preferring to endure ridicule from friends and keep my senses about me rather than risk losing control and unleashing a lifetime of pain, bitterness and hate on anyone, especially those whom I loved.
And while I've always known in my heart that I would never be capable of bursting in anger and committing such inhuman acts of cruelty towards my own wife or children, I also realized that all the bitterness, anger, sorrow, and even murderous rage that I had bottled up inside of me all these years because of my father's abuse, was still lingering deep inside of me.
And while no friend or family member of mine had anything to fear from me, including my father, the same could not be said for anyone stupid enough to try to harm the people I loved.
And when just a small part of all that pent-up rage was finally unleashed, even I was surprised at the monster that I had become on that second day of the Outbreak when I had witnessed Saeko being struck by the Takagi's security guard back when we were still at the condo.
Because on that day when I saw Saeko being struck, I wasn't thinking about anything at all as I was beating the shit out of that son-of-a-bitch back then, nor did I think much about it afterwards.
No, that's not true...I did think about it afterwards...and it scared the shit out of me.
Because the fact of the matter is, what I did that day felt f_cking awesome.
Years of bitterness, pain, sorrow, remorse, shame, and pure, unadulterated hate that was bottled up in me was released with each blow that I landed on that asshole's face, and the feeling was almost...for lack of a better term...euphoric.
Yeah, every bit of pain, bitterness, and hate twisted up inside of me came unleashed on that little prick's face and I probably would have pummeled him to death had the Takagi's Security Chief, Yoshioka, not snuck up behind me and nearly knocked my brains out of my skull with the butt of his rifle.
True, when I finally woke up later I had to admit, I was somewhat shocked at what I had done and it did scare me that I had lost such control of myself and had nearly beaten that man to death.
But what really scared me more than anything was the fact that I had so easily given into such a murderous rage and had so easily unleashed all that hate on another person with almost the exact same viciousness as my father had unleashed on my brother and I.
And it really bothered me that for all my life, I had tried to keep the monster dwelling within me at bay swearing on my life that I would never unleash such a terrible force on anyone, ever.
Yet, in a mere moment of time I had completely lost control of myself and had unleashed all my hate and anger at once, and nearly killed a man.
But much, much worse than that, in the blink of an eye I had become what I had always hoped and prayed I would never be.
I had become my father...
Little did I realize though, that the rage I had unleashed on that day was nothing in comparison to the hate that I was about to unleash now.
Nor would it be the last in the days ahead...upon both monster and man.
At the present time however, I was too busy blaming myself for the slaughter going on all around me as the roars of the Infected and the screams of their victims rent the night sky, as I wallowed in grief that I had failed everyone.
And, idiot that I am, I had been a mere hairbreadths away from doing away with myself at the hands of the Infected who were still clawing away at me when all of a sudden, I saw a flurry of movement out of the corner of my eye, and to my horror I realized that it was Saeko running towards me from out of the darkness.
And just like that, all the feelings of regret that I had felt about everyone being killed around me suddenly vanished.
Because at that moment, the only thing that mattered to me anymore was that the wonderful, beautiful, kind-hearted, sweet, stubborn as a mule, pig-headed, teenage girl who had become my adopted daughter had now recklessly put herself in danger, all in an effort to save me.
And when I saw Saeko running towards what could only be certain death, I actually felt my heart being torn apart in my chest as I realized that the last thing I would ever see in this world would be my beloved adopted daughter being torn apart before my very eyes just like everyone else around me.
Fortunately for both Saeko and I however, at about that exact same moment the Infected that I had been holding at bay with my left hand somehow managed to wriggle loose and clamp its jaws down hard on my left hand, the excruciating pain from being bitten bringing a level of clarity to my mind like nothing else ever could.
Well, that is until I saw Saeko being attacked by three of the Infected who came running out of the dark and knocked her to the ground and were now clawing at her as she struggled desperately against them as any and all previous thoughts I'd had of giving up and dying immediately disappeared along with any and all emotion...save one.
Hate...
And just like what had happened back at the condo when I had nearly killed one of the Takagi's security guards who had back-handed Saeko, only one thought was going through my head.
"I'M GONNA F_CKING KILL YOOOOUUUU!" I roared at the top of my lungs as a strength I never knew I had suddenly coursed through me as I heaved with all my might at the two Infected that I was fending off with my M4 on my right and pushed them bodily off of me as I then twisted my body to my right and pulled my left arm as hard as I could as I literally lifted the body of the Infected over me and slammed him down hard on top of the others as I then forced myself to ignore the pain coming from my left hand and reached for the butt of my pistol.
"F_CK YOU!" I roared as I drew my Sig P226 Navy from its holster and fired a round into the faces of the two Infected on the ground as the tops of their heads came apart as I then quickly placed the muzzle of the pistol against the skull of the remaining Infected still biting my hand and tried to find a way to shoot the damn thing without shooting myself in the process just as the thing once again bit down on my hand even harder than before.
"AUUUUUGGGGHHHHHHHH!" I roared in a mixture of pain and absolute f_cking fury as I instinctively slammed the butt of my pistol against the Infected female's skull over and over again as the searing pain in my hand overwhelmed my ability to think clearly and pure animal instinct took over as I pummeled the Infected woman's face into bloody pulp.
It was a few moments before my pain-numbed brain finally managed to fire a couple of neurons together to make me realize that beating the damn thing to jelly wasn't working and allow me to ignore the pain long enough for me to quickly holster my pistol and then drew my UDT knife from its sheath just as the damn thing bit down even harder on my hand as bolts of white-hot light flashed through my brain.
And when that happened, the pain and rage I felt completely overwhelmed me as I savagely plunged the seven and a half inch blade through the left eye socket of the Infected, the stainless steel blade piercing through the orbital space and exploding into the cranial cavity itself as the Infected woman suddenly began to spasm violently.
Unfortunately however, unlike what usually happened when the Infected were shot or stabbed in the head for some strange reason the jaws of the Infected not only remained painfully clamped down hard on my hand, but damned if it didn't feel like the damn thing wasn't biting down even harder than before.
And it was at this point that I completely lost it as I roared in anger like some crazed animal as I grabbed the handle of my UDT knife with my right hand and then with my adrenaline pumping to the max, I gave one mighty heave downwards with my trapped left hand on the Infected's jaw and savagely shoved the thing's lower jaw onto its chest with a loud, sickening "CRUNCH!", finally freeing my hand.
My mind numbed by the pain in my hand and my adrenaline pumping overtime, I didn't even bother to make sure that the Infected's teeth hadn't bitten through the thick leather of my tactical glove as I then attempted to retrieve my M4 which was still held fast in the jaws of the other Infected that I had shot.
But just like the Infected that had clamped its teeth down on my hand before, this son of a bitch's teeth were firmly clamped down on the handguard of my M4 and absolutely refused to let go no matter how hard I tried to yank my carbine out of its mouth.
The fury coursing through me at the Infected by this time was now driving me to the brink of madness as I roared in absolute rage and frustration knowing that Saeko was quickly running out of time and the longer I delayed in getting to her, the greater the chance I would be too late to do anything at all to save her.
And it was right at that moment when I suddenly heard Saeko scream that I was finally pushed over the edge as once again that horrible memory of my baby brother being savagely whipped by our father suddenly flooded my brain and the sound of his pain-filled screams once again echoed in my ears along with the horrible sound of that f_cking leather belt lashing away at his little body.
And then it came out of me all at once as over thirty plus years of intense shame, regret, sorrow, and cold-blooded hate erupted in a loud cry of hate-filled anguish as the murderous rage that I had tried so hard to keep at bay all my life was finally unleashed.
And in my blind rage everything that the guys had taught me back in Nevada, all the countless weapons and unarmed combat drills I had performed, all the intense mental and physical training that had been drilled into my head and into my body to be able to perform under the stressors and rigors of combat was completely forgotten.
The only thing I wanted to do now was to kill anything and everything in front of me.
My mind and body acting purely on only the most primal of instincts now I savagely slammed the heel of my boot into the lower jaw of the Infected as hard as I could, shattering most of the creature's teeth against the aluminum handguard of my carbine and turning its entire jaw cavity into bloody pulp as I reached down and yanked my blood-drenched weapon free of the ugly mess.
My mind completely clouded with raw fury, I didn't even think about checking my M4 for damage or even bother to reload it so far gone I was at this point as pain and rage coursed through both body, mind, and soul.
Hell, as far as I was concerned in my present state my M4 was just another blunt instrument that I could use to smash skulls with as I jumped to my feet and bounded over to where Saeko lay still struggling against the Infected, not realizing that all the ruckus I had made had attracted the attention some very unwanted company.
Time: Zero Dark Thirty
Location: Front Lawn of Takagi Manor – (Saeko's Position)
Z-Day Times Five
Many times in year's past, young Saeko Busujima had often been tasked by her father with demonstrating defensive techniques against multiple attacker's to her father's students during training sessions with his students at her father's dojo.
And it was during those training demonstrations that Saeko would intentionally be pitted against two or three larger students and despite her smaller size, would successfully demonstrate each time how someone of her smaller size and weight could still easily subdue even much larger attackers when using the proper technique.
Those successful matches however had been during training, with no one ever having been seriously hurt or injured during any of those demonstrations with the session always immediately brought to a halt if things sparing ever did become too intense.
But this wasn't a training session in her father's dojo, nor was this a match during a school competition between her and a rival challenger from another high school.
No, this was a real attack by beings whose sole intent was to kill her.
And despite all her years of training and experience in unarmed combat, nothing nineteen year old Saeko Busujima did was having any effect whatsoever on the Infected clawing away at her, and it was now only a matter of time before they both freed themselves from her grasp and killed her.
They were just too strong...and Saeko knew she was now merely a few heartbeats away from death.
For Saeko however, what grieved and infuriated her far worse than the thought of dying was the thought that despite her best efforts, she had still failed to rescue the man whom she had come to love almost as much as the father she had lost, whose pain-filled screams now echoed in her ears as she heard him being torn apart by the Infected only meters away from her.
Her heart overwhelmed with anguish as she heard her adopted father screaming in agony nearby, nineteen year-old Saeko Busujima tilted her head back and then screamed as loud as she could, her anguished cry drowning out all other sound around her as she then braced herself for the excruciating pain that she knew was about to come as her grip on the Infected that she held by the throat in her left hand began to weaken as the creature opened its jaws wide, almost as if in anticipation.
And as Saeko felt her grip on both of the Infected beginning to slip, the creature on top of her let out a loud roar which was immediately followed by an even louder, unearthly, animal-like roar coming from somewhere out of the darkness behind the Infected as Saeko screamed again, only this time in defiance as she prepared to meet death head-on.
But then Saeko's scream of defiance turned into a cry of utter surprise as the Infected's head was savagely yanked backwards and a sound like something grating against bone echoed from inside the creature's throat as the point of a wicked-looking serrated knife blade suddenly exploded from inside the Infected's mouth as Saeko screamed in fear as the point of the deadly-looking blade came to a stop a mere inches away from the end of her nose.
Temporarily left stunned at the unexpected sight of the Infected being killed before her, Saeko didn't even feel the Infected's body going limp as some unseen force suddenly lifted the corpse from off her body as Saeko then watched in a daze as it was flung into the air like a rag doll before falling limply to the earth several feet away.
Her brain still momentarily unable to register anything through the shock of what she had just seen, Saeko barely noticed a large dark shadow suddenly appear out of the darkness as Saeko caught a sudden blur of movement and then heard a loud "THUD!" as something smashed savagely against the ribs of the other Infected still on top of her , the blow landing with such force that Saeko actually winced at the sound of the thing's ribs breaking as the Infected was knocked completely off her body and sent flying into the darkness.
Free of her attackers, yet still almost defenseless with her katana lying far beyond her reach several feet away, Saeko threw her hands up in an attempt to fend off the dark shadow that had now moved over to where she lay as Saeko began to desperately kick and punch away at the pair of bloody hands that were now reaching down for her.
Her desperate struggles were for naught however as the dark shadow easily fended off her wild blows and then yanked her entire body into the air as easily as if she were a small child as Saeko screamed again in defiance before she then gasped in shock as she came nose-to-nose with her adopted father's blood-splashed face.
Only it wasn't his face...
Or at least, it wasn't the face of the warm, compassionate, kind-hearted man she had known for the past several days, the man whom she had called friend, uncle, mentor and then lastly, the man whom she had now called...father.
No, the man now standing before her holding her small body suspended almost two feet in the air was not the man she had come to know and love as her father at all.
This man was the very face of hate itself.
"Ji-Ji-Ji-san?!" Saeko said hesitantly, her lips trembling as a sudden surge of fear began running through her at the look of pure hate and unbridled rage in the American's eyes as Saeko's fears that the American had indeed fallen victim to the Infection when she had witnessed him being bitten earlier.
"He-He's almost completely infected..." Saeko thought to herself with anguish as she then began to struggle against the man's iron grip, her legs flailing uselessly in the air.
"JI-SAN, IT'S ME!" Saeko shouted beginning to panic as she tried desperately to reach for the large dive knife that the American had given her tucked in her waistband behind the small of her back in order to defend herself with when she suddenly heard the sound of running feet quickly approaching.
"JI-SAN!" Saeko screamed as the Infected "runner" that the man had kicked off of her suddenly rushed back towards them with arms outspread and jaws open wide as Saeko suddenly felt herself flying backwards through the air before falling heavily onto her butt as the American roughly tossed her away from him and then turned to face the oncoming threat.
Ignoring the pain in her posterior from her fall, Saeko immediately yanked the large dive knife from its sheath as she then began to scramble away from the American as Saeko watched in shock as the big man suddenly and unexpectedly leapt towards the onrushing "runner" and then slammed his shoulder into the creature's midriff before grabbing it around its waist with one arm and then lifted it up high into the air in a wrestler's-style move before slamming the creature down hard on its back.
Quickly scrambling to her feet Saeko continued to watch as the American then quickly knelt down over the "runner" and placed one hand upon the Infected's throat keeping the creature pinned to the ground as he then reached over to where the other "runner" he had killed earlier lay and yanked his survival knife from out of the back of its skull before plunging the long blade of the knife into the eye socket of the of the Infected that lay before him as Saeko winced at the sound of steel grating against bone as the American savagely twisted the blade of his knife back and forth into the creature's eye socket as the Infected's body convulsed wildly in response.
Horrified at the brutality being displayed by the American as he continued to twist his knife back and forth in the Infected's eye socket while the thing continued to convulse uncontrollably beneath him Saeko begin to cautiously back away from where the two figures were locked in combat and was about to turn and run when the American suddenly seem to notice her presence as his head suddenly snapped up and Saeko immediately froze in place as the man's eyes locked on to hers.
"Ji-san...?" Saeko said lifting up her left hand with palm raised as she tried to keep the knife in her right hand hidden from view. "...it's me, Saeko."
"Don't you remember...?" Saeko said her entire body shaking with fear as the man continued to stare at her with eyes filled with hate. "...I'm your daughter."
"Please, Ji-san...you haven't forgotten me have you?" Saeko said her lips quivering as the man continued to just stare silently at her, his hand still clutching the handle of his knife that still protruded from the eye socket of the Infected whose body still lay convulsing uncontrollably.
"Please Ji-san, try to remember_...EEEEEEEEK!" Saeko screamed as the man seemingly irritated by the death throes of the Infected suddenly yanked his knife out of the creature's eye socket and then plunged the blade into its other eye and then shoved downwards as Saeko heard bone splinter as the man twisted the blade back and forth in a twisting motion as the creature's body then stiffened suddenly before finally at last going limp.
Before she could turn and run however, once again the man's eyes locked onto her as Saeko instinctively held up her knife in a defensive posture as the man suddenly yanked the knife out of the creature's eye socket and then as he had before, stared at Saeko with murder in his eyes.
"Ji-san, please..." Saeko said as tears began to fall from her eyes as the American suddenly rose to his feet, the knife still in his hand, blood and gore dripping from the blade. "...I don't want to hurt you."
"Please Ji-san...don't do this." Saeko said taking a step back as the American silently stepped over the body of the Infected he had just killed and began to slowly walk towards her.
"JIMU-SAN...IT'S ME...SAEKO...I'M YOUR DAUGHTER!" Saeko shouted the panic beginning to build inside her as the man continued to slowly move towards her as Saeko prepared herself to either run away from the man, or defend herself against him. "...DON'T YOU REMEMBER?!"
And then for reasons unknown to her, the next words that came out of Saeko's mouth were not at all the words that she had originally meant to say, and even more surprising, the voice that uttered them sounded nothing like her own as something lying deep within her suddenly moved her to utter the words that she did at that desperate moment, words that even many years later, Saeko herself could not explain.
"DADDY, WAKE UP!" Saeko screamed desperately, hoping beyond hope that her words would once again somehow reach through the Contagion swarming through the man's fevered mind and cause him to halt at least for a few precious seconds allowing her to get away.
And to Saeko's surprise, by some miracle her ploy had actually seemed to have worked as the American immediately froze in place as if her words had brought him back to his senses or at least temporarily stunned him, as Saeko immediately took advantage of the man's moment of hesitation to attempt to turn and run when the sounds of running feet suddenly filled her ears as Saeko noticed several shadows looming out of the darkness from behind the American.
And despite the danger to her own life, Saeko could not help but let out a shout of warning to the infected American who immediately whirled around to face the new threat.
And Saeko's heart broke as the man whom had caused such an emotional roller coaster in her life in such a short span of time suddenly began to shake uncontrollably as at last the Contagion finally began to take full control of the man's body and turn him into something that was barely anything recognizable as human anymore.
But despite the fact that the Contagion had finally taken complete hold over the man, the charging "runners" seemed to pay no heed, as they continued to charge towards the American with arms outstretched and salivating jaws opened wide.
"DAD, LOOK OUT!" Saeko screamed in absolute despair as she then steeled herself for the man's inevitable and horrible end as Saeko's eyes grew wide as the American suddenly and unexpectedly turned back to face her.
And as their eyes locked on to each other, Saeko noticed that the eyes of her adopted father seemed to have lost their wild look for a split second as she noticed him suddenly toss some dark object at her.
"RUUUUUUNNNNN!" The American roared the wild look in his eyes reurning as Saeko caught the black object in her free hand and then gasped in surprise upon seeing that the object was actually the man's pistol as she looked up and watched spellbound as the American scooped up his empty carbine from off the ground, then charged full speed towards the Infected.
Time: Zero Dark Thirty
Location: Takagi Manor – Front Terrace of Takagi Mansion (Soichiro's Position)
Z-Day Times Five
"IS THAT MAN INSANE?!" Soichiro exclaimed out loud, his eyes widening as he gazed through the scope of his rifle in stunned disbelief as he watched the American contractor suddenly charge towards several "runners" who had no doubt been attracted by the sound of the man's struggle against the other Infected attacking Saeko Busujima and had broken off from the rest of the large herd of Infected and were sprinting at breakneck speed towards the big man.
Almost believing that sheer madness had overwhelmed the man to make such a suicidal move and attack the Infected instead of trying to avoid them, Soichiro had been about to turn away from the gruesome sight of the man's inevitable doom when the big man suddenly roared at the top of his lungs before stepping on top of the body of one of the Infected he had killed earlier and then using the body of the Infected as some sort of springboard, then hurled his body on top of the charging "runners" sending the entire group crashing to the ground.
To Soichiro's surprise however, despite his expectation that the American would simply disappear under the clawing arms of the Infected, Soichiro watched in stunned disbelief as the American simply rolled off the bodies of the Infected and then upon scrambling to his feet, swung his apparently empty carbine in a large arc straight downwards and slammed the muzzle of his weapon onto the head of one of the Infected with tremendous force as the combined weight of the carbine and attached shotgun crushed the Infected's head like a grapefruit as blood, pieces of bone, and brain matter exploded from the creature's skull in all directions.
Without any hesitation at all in his movements, the American did not bother to make sure of his kill but was already on the offensive against another of the Infected as Soichiro then watched the man plunge the blade of his survival knife into the creature's throat and then jerk the knife outwards, completely severing the Infected's throat as well as most of the musculature supporting the head to the shoulders.
Still in motion, the American then swung his carbine in a large arc and slammed the empty weapon against the Infected's skull, the impact cleanly severing the spinal column as Soichiro winced at the grotesque sight of the creature's head being knocked completely backwards with only the remaining connective tissue keeping it from being completely decapitated as the blood-crazed American then savagely kicked the body away from him and into the path of another "runner", knocking the creature flat on the ground as it then struggled to free itself from the headless corpse weighing it down.
Stunned by the American's sudden unexpected aggressiveness, Soichiro watched in fascination as the American then swung his empty carbine at the head of another of the Infected lunging towards him, hitting the creature in the face with such force that the "runner" was knocked completely off its feet as the American then knelt down and plunged his knife into the eye socket of the Infected and twisted the blade savagely in a rocking motion before yanking it free from its squirming victim as he then plunged the blade into the abdomen of another of the Infected and jerking the blade upwards as blood and gore poured from out of the creature's abdomen as it was ripped open from pelvis to sternum.
It was unlike any fighting style the Soichiro Takagi had ever witnessed before as he watched the former American firefighter shove the blade of his knife upwards into the chest cavity of the Infected and hold it away from him at arm's length as he swung his empty carbine at the face of another of the Infected and knocked it to the ground before slamming his boot into the creature's throat and completely crushing it's trachea.
"Crude, but effective..." Soichiro muttered to himself as he watched the American shove the Infected still impaled on his knife away from him before smashing the creature's skull with a powerful swing of his carbine. "...typical American-style way of fighting."
"Still, I truly would not wish to face him in combat, right now." Soichiro muttered with unease as he watched the American suddenly plunge the blade of his knife into the groin of the Infected that he had knocked to the ground earlier which had finally managed to free itself from the other Infected that had fallen on top of it, and had then tried to attack the American from behind.
And then Soichiro winced despite himself as the American then jerked the blade of his knife upwards as the blade caught onto the upper bone structure of the pelvic girdle of the Infected before the American contractor then savagely yanked the creature off its feet and then slammed it onto the ground as the man then slammed his empty carbine down upon the creatures face, smashing it to pulp.
"That man is definitely no mere firefighter." Soichiro muttered aloud suddenly feeling ill at the sight of the sheer brutality on display before him as Soichiro watched the American methodically kill the remaining Infected one-by-one with only his empty carbine, survival knife, and bare hands at his disposal.
"Right?!...I've been saying that the whole time!" A loud, excited voice shouted gleefully from Soichiro's right side almost causing the Lord of Takagi Manor to nearly jump out of his skin as he glanced in the direction the voice had come from and then nearly dropped his weapon as he stared down in shocked surprise at the familiar figure of the pudgy teen standing right beside him who had apparently been also watching the entire spectacle through a pair of high-powered binoculars.
"I mean, I kept telling everyone that Jimu-san saying he used to be a fireman was just a cover story he made up...I mean, dude seriously_...look at him!" Kohta Hirano said in an excited voice, his eyes practically glowing with hero worship as he continued to watch the American's hand-to-hand battle with the Infected through his binoculars, completely unaware of the murderous glare Soichiro was directing his way.
"Hell yeah, those SEALs are total bad asses, baby!" Kohta crowed with glee completely unaware of the strange choking noises Saya's father was making before the man finally came unglued.
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE, BOY...?!" Soichiro roared glaring furiously at the pudgy teen as Kohta nearly dropped his binoculars at the big man's outburst and then instinctively shrunk back under the furious gaze Saya's father was giving him. "...WHY ARE YOU NOT INSIDE WITH THE OTHERS AS YOU WERE TOLD?!"
"Um, well...things are kinda crazy in there, Takagi-sama..." Kohta began meekly, cowering under the murderous gaze of Saya's father. "...and since no one was really paying attention to me, I thought I'd come out here and give you a hand by being your spotter."
"By being my, WHAT?!" Soichiro asked incredulously, taken completely aback by the youth's unexpected reply.
"Your spotter..." Kohta replied gesturing with his binoculars. "...you know, calling your targets out and then help you make corrections as you shoot."
"Corrections?" Soichiro replied immediately bristling at Kohta's remark and momentarily forgetting about the life and death battle going on all around them.
"Yeah, you know..." Kouta said beaming, all too happy to talk about his favorite subject, and completely forgetting that he was currently on the Lord of Takagi Manor's shit list and getting deeper by the second. "... like, I'll call out a target for you to shoot and when you take the shot, I'll help you adjust your aim afterwards."
"And just what exactly is wrong with my shooting?" Soichiro hissed his eyes narrowing into slits as he eyed the tubby teen in very much the same way a cobra did when focusing on its prey just moments before it struck.
"Yeah, I mean...no offence Takagi-sama..." Kohta replied blissfully unaware of the very dangerous situation he was in. "... but as I was watching you shoot, I noticed that from two hundred meters your shots were high and to the left."
"Of course, that may be because you are trying to hit a fast moving target and might not be used to that type of high-level precision shooting..." Kohta added continuing to lecture Saya's father as Soichiro's right eye began to twitch uncontrollably.
"Because if you were..." Kohta added continuing to sign his own death warrant with each word he spoke. "...then you'd realize that the reason your shooting is so way off is because you're probably forgetting to adjust for the five kilometer-an-hour breeze that's blowing in from the north."
"That and the fact that you've never fired that rifle before tonight are probably the reason you're missing about half of the shots you're taking, Takagi-sama...and I'd be happy to help you_." Kouta droned on unheard for several moments more as Soichiro Takagi struggled deep within himself to keep from murdering the completely clueless youth standing before him.
Time: Zero Dark Thirty
Location: Front Lawn of Takagi Manor – (Takashi's Position)
Z-Day Times Five
"F_CKING GET OFF ME, YOU CRAZY BITCH!" Takashi screamed at the blood-drenched abomination dressed in a policewoman's uniform sprawled on top of him who's drooling jaws were wildly snapping away at him mere inches from his face as he tried desperately to push the hideous being away from him.
Yet despite his larger size, the creature was surprisingly strong, and much to Takashi's surprise, he was having great difficulty just trying to keep the creature at arm's length despite using all his strength as the thing continued to claw away at him mercilessly.
"SOMEBODY F_CKING HELP ME!" Takashi shouted, his voice rising in panic as he struggled desperately against the foul-smelling beast, his grip on the creature beginning to slip on the blood-drenched uniform the thing wore.
"HELP!" Takashi shouted as he summoned his last reserves of strength and pushed the policewoman's body away from him and held it at arm's length as the beast continued to claw away at his face.
"Somebody help me_...OH, F_CK!" Takashi screamed in terror as he suddenly saw the point of a sword burst through the infected policewoman's chest and come to a stop mere inches away from his own face.
"SHIIIIIIIIIT!" Takashi swore at the sight of the blood-smeared katana that was almost touching his nose as the body of the policewoman was suddenly flung to one side as Takashi immediately scrambled away from it before glancing up at the shadowy image standing a few feet away in front of him.
"Saeko?!...WHAT THE F_CK...?!" Takashi shouted half-relieved at the sight of his rescuer and half freaked out by the heart-stopping way she had rescued him. "...YOU NEARLY F_CKING KILLED ME!"
"Uh...Saeko?" Takashi said hesitantly as he gazed up into Saeko's face and suddenly noticed to his surprise that she was crying.
"Hey Saeko, its okay, don't worry about_ OH SHIT!" Takashi suddenly shouted in fear as the infected policewoman suddenly bolted to her feet and then letting out a loud roar, began to charge towards the two teens with arms outspread and jaws wide.
"Saeko...look out!" Takashi shouted as he attempted to protect Saeko by moving in between the charging creature when to his surprise, he suddenly felt Saeko roughly push him out of the way as he then fell heavily to the ground.
"HEY!" Takashi shouted in surprise as he gazed up towards the teenage girl who suddenly lunged towards the Infected policewoman with her katana held high over her head and then slashed downwards with one expert stroke of her sword, slicing the creature from shoulder to waist, blood and viscera spilling out onto the already blood soaked lawn as the creature's legs crumpled underneath her and she fell heavily to the ground.
"Ummm...thanks Sempai." Takashi said sheepishly as Saeko then turned and silently walked towards him as she then reached down towards him and held out her hand and helped him to his feet.
"Are you hurt, Kumuro-kun?" Saeko asked with tears still running down her face as she swiped her katana sharply downwards in order to get rid of the excess blood dripping down its length.
"Uh...No, I'm fine...she didn't bite me..." Takashi said brushing the dust off his clothes as he continued to stare at Saeko quizzically, wondering why the normally level-headed girl seemed to be so uncharacteristically distraught. "...she just knocked the breath out of me."
"Do you still have your weapon, Komuro-kun...?" Saeko asked turning her head away and wiping her tears upon noticing that Takashi was staring at her as she then took a defensive stance with her katana held in front of her as she began to scan the area all around them for any more threats.
"Um, yeah...I dropped it around here someplace." Takashi replied as he then began looking around for the American's pistol that he had dropped earlier when the Infected policewoman had attacked him.
"Find it quickly Komuro-kun..." Saeko said as Takashi held the red chemlight hanging around his neck like a torch as he searched the ground intensely around him. "...we need to head back to the mansion immediately before any more of the Infected detect our presence."
"Yeah, yeah...I think I may lost it somewhere over_" Takashi said his voice trailing off upon noticing a glint of metal reflected in the light of his chemlight as he finally located the chrome-plated pistol.
"Got it." Takashi said with relief as he reached down and retrieved the American's HkP7 pistol that Saya's father had handed him earlier.
"Good, let's go..." Saeko said curtly as she glanced back towards the mansion as Takashi brushed the dust off the pistol and then frowned at Saeko's words.
"Let's go...?" Takashi said gazing at Saeko with a puzzled expression. "...wait, what about Jimu-san?"
"It's too late, Komuro-kun..." Saeko replied her voice becoming noticeably more serious as Takashi's eyes widened at her reply. "...he's gone."
"What...?!" Takashi said with alarm as his eyes scanned the darkness behind him. "...how?...Did you see him_?!"
"He's dead, Komuro-kun...!" Saeko snapped angrily causing Takashi to jump in surprise as Saeko then whirled around. "...we have to leave...now!"
"Ummm...sempai, I don't mean to argue..." Saeko heard Takashi reply as she tried desperately to keep her emotions in check despite the wave of grief and anger coursing through her.
"But he sure looks okay to me." Takashi said as a cold chill suddenly shot up Saeko's spine as she immediately whirled around and reflexively held her katana in front of her in a defensive stance as she spotted the familiar shadow of the American approaching them from out of the darkness.
"Uh, then again, maybe you're right, sempai..." Takashi added as Saeko's eyes widened in shock at the nightmarish figure slowly approaching them that appeared to both teens to be something out of a horror movie.
The American was barely recognizable as human anymore, his clothing torn and splattered with blood from head to toe, giving the man the appearance that he had actually bathed in the blood of his victims, his empty carbine in his right hand dripping blood as well as Saeko noticed with revulsion that bits of tissue and other bloody matter were falling off of it with each step the man took.
Adding to the man's already frightening appearance were the man's eyes which seemed to be almost ablaze as the light from the flames of the numerous tents ablaze behind them reflected off of them, giving the man the appearance of a hideous spectre set loose from the underworld to rain down death and destruction upon man and creature alike.
But what truly made Saeko's blood turn cold was the way the man's his eyes seemed to be locked on to both her and Takashi as he slowly made his way towards them as Saeko gripped her sword even tighter as the man came closer.
"Umm, sempai...is he okay?" Takashi asked with growing alarm in his voice, his finger reflexively moving towards the trigger of his pistol as he continued to stare nervously at the American drawing closer towards them.
"Get behind me, Komuro-kun...!" Saeko replied in a nervous voice as she shifted her body into an attack stance and prepared to defend themselves from the obviously now-infected American. "...hurry!"
"Wait...what?!" Takashi asked growing even more alarmed upon noticing the offensive stance Saeko took as his eyes shifted back and forth between Saeko and the approaching American.
"DAMMIT TAKASHI, GET BEHIND ME, NOW!" Saeko shouted as the American suddenly lunged forward and began to charge towards them.
"LOOK OUT!" Saeko shouted at Takashi when to her shocked surprise, the American suddenly let out a loud, angry roar as he suddenly raised his empty carbine over his head and then swung the heavy weapon directly at the two teens with all his might as both teens eyes widened in horror as the blood-covered missile flew end-over-end towards them.
"SHIIIIIIT!" Takashi shouted as both teens quickly hurled themselves to the ground to avoid being struck by the oncoming missile that flew through the air between them as the sound of a loud "THUD!" followed by an ear-splitting screech erupted in their ears as the heavy weapon made impact with something that had apparently been standing somewhere behind them.
And as both teens glanced over their shoulders they were shocked to see the Infected policewoman that Saeko assumed she had killed earlier was now writhing fitfully on the ground almost as if she were in the throes of a seizure as both teens watched her body convulse grotesquely.
"Oh shit!...I thought she was dead!" Saeko heard Takashi exclaim as the Infected woman continued to convulse uncontrollably on the ground.
"I-I thought so too." Saeko stammered as the her eyes widened at the sound of someone approaching as she immediately began to scramble to her feet and nearly crashed headlong into the American who casually strolled past as if not seeing the two teens.
"Oh shit!" Saeko heard Takashi shout in horror as he also noticed the big man passing between them as both teens then instinctively scrambled away as the American continued to walk over to where the Infected policewoman continued to convulse uncontrollably on the ground.
"Damn, I thought he was actually going to kill us." Takashi said his voice filled with relief as both teens scrambled to their feet and then watched as the American came to a complete stop in front of the Infected woman and then drew his long-bladed survival knife from its sheath that was strapped to his leg and raised it up high in the air as both teens saw the man's body suddenly tense up as the man prepared to strike.
But to both of the teens surprise the fatal strike never came as the man's arm suddenly and unexpectedly froze in mid-air, as the American just stood frozen over the Infected policewoman's body for several long awkward moments, without moving.
"What's going on...?!" Takashi asked glancing nervously at Saeko who was also staring quizzically at the American standing silently over the woman's body. "...what the hell is he doing?!"
"I don't know." Saeko replied nervously as she motioned for Takashi to move towards her as both teens kept a nervous eye on both the American and their surroundings.
"What do we do now?" Takashi whispered so as as not to attract the attention of either the American or any of the Infected nearby.
"I don't know..." Saeko replied licking her lips nervously as her eyes darted back and forth between the shadowy figure of the American and the darkness as shadowy figures and high-pitched screams continued to erupt nearby.
"Well, we can't just leave him like this." Takashi replied nearly jumping out of his skin as an extremely high-pierced scream of pain erupted from the hundreds of others in the refugee camp, followed by dozens of loud roars from the Infected.
"I know!" Saeko hissed in frustration as both teens then suddenly flinched in alarm as they noticed the American abruptly lower his arm, and then slowly move over towards the woman's right side and kneel beside her, placing his left hand over the woman forehead and holding it fast as the rest of her body continued to convulse uncontrollably.
"Gomen nasai." The American said in a low voice that seemed filled with regret as both teens then flinched as the man pressed the blade of his survival knife under the infected woman's chin and then quickly shoved the blade sharply upwards as the long blade pierced through the soft tissue and into the base of the skull as all of the muscles in the woman's body suddenly stiffened for a long moment before finally relaxing as the entire woman's body finally went limp.
"Descansa en paz... hermanita." The American said in a voice that was almost a whisper as both teens watched in mute silence as the man then withdrew his knife from the woman's skull and then to their surprise, reached for the blood-stained silver badge pinned to the policewoman's uniform and removed it along with her metal name tag pinned on the other side of her uniform jacket.
"What's he doing?" Takashi whispered as Saeko merely shook her head in response, as they then watched the man place the policewoman's badge and name tag into one of the small pouches on his tactical vest before he then wiped his blood-covered knife blade on the blouse of the dead policewoman and before returning it to its sheath that was strapped to his leg.
"What should we do?" Takashi asked as Saeko ignored him as the two teens watched nervously as the big man then reached down and retrieved his carbine, and from all appearances, seemed to be examining it for damage.
"Saeko...we need to do something!" Takashi hissed anxiously at Saeko as he glanced nervously out into the darkness, expecting one of the Infected to come running out of the shadows at any moment.
"What exactly do you suggest, Kumoro-kun?" Saeko replied without emotion, her sword at the ready as she continued to watch the American closely as the man pulled out what appeared to be a small hand towel from a pouch on his combat vest and began to wipe off the blood from his weapon.
"Well say something to him at least!" Takashi said growing even more anxious with each passing moment as the man continued to ignore the two teens as he finished wiping the blood off his weapon and then tossed the blood-soaked rag to the ground.
"Like what?!" Saeko asked sarcastically as the man pulled back on the forestock of the shotgun attached underneath his carbine and then seemed to inspect the opened breech for a moment before sliding the grip back forward.
"I don't know!" Takashi hissed angrily as the American reached into a pouch on his vest and pulled out three shotgun shells and began stuffing them through the loading chamber of his shotgun.
"Rally up on me..." The American said unexpectedly, abruptly startling the two teenagers as Takashi hesitated a moment upon noticing that Saeko was not moving at all as the big man suddenly lifted his head and scowled at the two teens.
"What, did I stutter?...Get your butts over here...now!" Jim snapped irritably at the two teens as Takashi and Saeko warily began to move over to where the big man knelt.
"Get down on one knee and turn around with your backs to me." The American said curtly, not looking up at either of the two teens as he twirled his left finger in the air for Takashi and Saeko to turn around as both teens then positioned themselves behind the man as he had ordered.
"Keep your eyes focused on the area directly in front of you..." The American said, his eyes scanning the darkness in all directions as he reloaded his weapon. "...this way each of us can see any approaching threats from any direction and still cover each other's backs."
"Takashi..." The American added as he continued to reload his shotgun as Takashi flinched at having his name called. "...how many rounds do you have left?"
"Rounds?...Oh, um...you mean bullets..." Takashi replied feeling his face turning red from embarrassment. "... I still have all of them, I got knocked down before I could shoot anything."
"Understood...Saeko, how about you...?" Jim asked as Saeko hesitated a moment before answering as she noticed out of the corner of her eye that the man had stopped reloading his weapon and was massaging his left hand.
"I-I have not fired the pistol you gave me... Ji-san." Saeko replied in a choked voice as Takashi glanced over his shoulder and looked over at Saeko, and was shocked to see tears falling down her face again and wondering what it was that was bothering her so.
"Good...when we get moving, don't shoot unless you absolutely have to..." Jim said as he shoved another shell into his Masterkey shotgun as both teens nodded their heads in response. "...and make sure that if you do have to shoot, you hit what you're aiming at."
"Now listen up..." Jim added loading another shell into his shotgun.
"I don't have the luxury of chewing both of your butts for being out here..." Jim continued in an icy tone as the two teens then flinched nervously as the American contractor sharply racked the action of his shotgun. "... because right now we need to focus entirely on surviving this mess, and in order to do that, you kids need to do exactly what I tell you or we're all gonna die."
"Because in case you two haven't already noticed..." The American interrupted not even bothering to look up at either of the frightened teens as he withdrew the empty magazine from his rifle. "...while the three of us have been getting our asses kicked, the front gate has apparently been breached and the rest of the Infected are now wandering all over the front yard of this place."
"And from the look of things, it seems like most of them are headed towards the mansion..." The American continued as he stuffed the empty magazine in his hand into a large pouch hanging from his belt as the two teens stared in horror at the enormous herd of slow-moving creatures shuffling towards them. "...but as you kids can see, there's still a whole hell of a lot of them heading our way."
"Which means we're now completely cut off from any front approach to the mansion from our current position." The man continued as he pulled back on the charging handle of his carbine several times to check the action of his weapon.
"And that being the case, the only way left open for us to get back to the mansion is to approach from the rear..." Jim went on as he opened a pouch on his tactical vest and withdrew a very large magazine from it. "... and the only way to do that, is to make our way in between both herds by skirting around the right side of the camp."
"The-the camp...?!" Takashi sputtered as the American shoved the large magazine into the magwell of his carbine and then pulled back on the charging handle. "...tha- tha- that's suicide!"
"Suicide?...son, 'suicide' would be trying to charge through all that..." The American said scornfully as he gestured with his hand towards the large herd of slow-moving Infected swarming all over the lawn nearby.
"And while those guys ain't those fast moving suckers that kicked our butts awhile ago, you kids have seen enough to know that we still wouldn't get more than a couple hundred feet or so before even those slowpokes would catch up to us..." The American contractor added with a sigh. "...and then it'll be game over for us then."
"And so as much as it sucks to be us right now, the fact remains that those "runners" over there in the camp are completely focused on killing everyone still left alive in there..." Jim continued as he then rose to his feet. "...but they won't be for long once they've run out of fresh victims to feed upon."
"Which means if we're going to survive we're going to have to move as quickly and quietly as possible..." The American contractor added. "...and if stealth doesn't work and we have to fight, then if we have to hit them, we need to hit them hard and fast."
"But what if there's any survivors still left alive?" Takashi asked. "...shouldn't we_?"
"It's too late for them..." Takashi heard the American contractor reply in a voice that seemed cold and un-feeling as Takashi glanced up at the big man standing behind him.
"But what if we come across someone...?" Takashi replied shocked at the coldness in the man's tone. "...shouldn't we at least try to help them?"
"It's too late for them...!" The American snapped causing both teens to flinch.
"You two focus on nothing else but staying right on my hip and doing exactly what I tell you to do...!" The American said sternly. "...you move when I tell you to move, you stop when I tell you to stop, you fight when I tell you to fight and you run when I tell you to run...got it?"
"And if I do tell you kids to run..." The American said glaring down at the two teens. "...then you two damn well better run like the devil himself is after you because I can guarantee you that he sure as shit will be, along with a couple thousand of his buddies."
"All right, let's move out." The American said through gritted teeth as he began moving in the direction of the refugee camp with his weapon at his shoulder as both teens once more glanced over at each other with absolute fear in their eyes before they then fell in step behind the big man.
Time: Zero Dark Thirty
Location: Takagi Manor – Front Terrace of Takagi Mansion (Soichiro and Kohta's Position)
Z-Day Times Five
"They're on the move, finally." Soichiro said in an anxious voice as he continued to observe Jim and the teens through the lenses of his high-powered binoculars.
"That man's insanity never ceases to amaze me..." Soichiro grumbled as he watched the trio stealthily made their way towards the refugee camp. "...what sane man would even dare to think that he could possibly sneak himself and two teenagers past those abominations?"
"It's not like he really has much of a choice, Takagi-san..." Kohta replied matter-of-factly as he followed the movements of the trio through the lens of his riflescope. "...now that the rest of the Infected have come through the wire and scattered themselves all over the place, Jimu-san and the others are pretty much cut off from any approach towards the mansion, except from the rear."
"In fact..." Kohta went on. "...it won't be much longer now before the herd reaches us and then we're gonna have to "di-di" out of here as well."
"Come through the wire?...Di-Di?" Soichiro thought to himself sourly as he shook his head in scorn. "...this boy has obviously been playing far too many video games."
"And just what the devil do you think you are you doing out here, Hirano-san?!" A familiar angry voice snapped from directly behind the two men, startling them both as a cold shiver suddenly went down the backs of both men.
"Well young man, I'm waiting for an answer...?!" Yuriko Takagi snapped angrily as Kohta shivered once again involuntarily as he could feel Yuriko's angry gaze on him. "...why aren't you inside with the others?!"
"And by the way... why does he have a rifle in his hand, Soichiro-san?!" Yuriko added glaring accusingly at her husband as Soichiro Takagi now also began to sweat as he felt his wife's angry gaze suddenly lock on to the back of his head.
"Well, what can I say, my dear...?" Soichiro said at last with a tired sigh and a shrug of his shoulders.
"The boy makes a convincing argument about his marksmanship..." Soichiro said with a nervous laugh just as a long burst of automatic gunfire erupted from the camp as the trio ducked instinctively in response.
"Where did that come from?!" Yuriko said kneeling next to her husband. "...was that Cxxxxxxx-san doing the shooting?"
"Negative...Jimu-san and the others are approaching from the front of the camp!" Kohta replied as he swung the muzzle of his rifle in the direction of the middle of the burning camp just as another loud burst of automatic gunfire erupted from somewhere in the middle of the camp.
"Those shots came from somewhere in the middle of the camp." Kohta added, sweeping the crosshairs of his riflescope over the entire camp as he searched frantically for the unseen shooter.
"I don't see anything." Soichiro muttered in frustration through gritted teeth as he panned the lens of his binoculars over the entire camp as well.
"Neither do I..." Kohta replied still scanning the interior of the camp before suddenly shifting his rifle to his right when several rifle shots suddenly erupted from out of the darkness near the front of the camp.
"What do you see?" Yuriko asked anxiously as she noticed, even in the darkness, that both men had suddenly became very tense.
"Oh shit..." Kohta said in response as several more shots suddenly erupted out of the darkness.
Time: Zero Dark Thirty
Location: Alpha/Bravo Position of Refugee Camp - Front Lawn of Takagi Manor
Z-Day Times Five
"STAY WITH ME!" The American roared as his carbine spat twice and Takashi watched blood burst from the chest of a "runner" charging towards them before the man's carbine spat twice again as half of the creature's face suddenly disappeared in splash of blood and gore before the thing's chest exploded as the American let loose a load of buckshot from the shotgun mounted underneath his carbine, sending it sailing backwards through the air.
"KEEP MOVING, DON'T STOP...DON'T STOP!" Jim shouted at the two teens as he continued to advance forward continuously firing his weapon as he moved as Takashi struggled desperately to keep from accidentally stumbling into Saeko in the darkness as the two teens tried to stay as close to the man as possible as the trio made their way towards the burning remains of the camp.
"STAY WITH ME!" Jim shouted as he swung the muzzle of his weapon in the direction of another "runner" and fired three rounds in quick succession at it, each shot sounding like a thunderclap to Takashi's ears as the creature stumbled and fell as the American then fired twice more into its head bringing the thing down for good.
"WHERE THE HELL ARE WE GOING?!" Takashi shouted panic-stricken, trying to be heard over the roar of the American's rifle as well as over the high-pitched screams coming from the unlucky civilians still hiding within the camp as the Infected hunted them down and tore them apart.
"TAKASHI, DOWN!" Saeko shouted as Takashi instinctively ducked as a loud "WHOOSH!" sounded over his head and something heavy fell to the ground behind him.
"WHAT THE HELL, SAEKO?!" Takashi screamed in fear not bothering to look behind at whatever it was Saeko had struck down with her katana as the deafening roar of the American's rifle exploded in his ears.
"DON'T STOP!...DON'T STOP!...KEEP MOVING!" The American roared over the loud ringing in Takashi's ears as Saeko grabbed his hand and yanked him forward as the two teens once again tried to fall in step behind the American as the man's rifle continued to roar into the night.
Barely a few moments had passed as the teens had begun to follow the American towards the left side of the burning tent city when a long burst of automatic gunfire had suddenly and unexpectedly erupted from somewhere in the middle of the camp.
"GET DOWN!" The American had roared as both teens as both teens suddenly found themselves being roughly shoved to the ground by the American in order to avoid the hail of bullets that suddenly flew over their heads as Takashi landed hard on the ground with a loud, wet "SPLAT!" as Takashi shouted in dismay, believing that the American had accidentally shoved him into a large puddle.
But immediately upon glancing down at his wet hands, it was all eighteen year old Takashi Kumoro could do to keep from screaming just as loudly as the people being attacked by the Infected all around him as he tried desperately to keep his wits about him amongst the indescribable hell before his eyes.
In the light of the flames from the scores of burning tents all around the refugee encampment, Takashi could now plainly see that he had not fallen into a puddle at all, but rather, the ground all around the refugee camp was now completely covered in blood as the frightened teen fought the urge to vomit as he felt the wetness of the ground soaking into his clothes as Takashi tried desperately to achieve a fine balance between keeping his head down to avoid the bullets whizzing over his head while also trying to keep his face above the blood-drenched earth.
With bullets flying mere inches over his head and the mind-numbing roars of the Infected ringing in his ears along with the blood-curdling screams from the hundreds of unfortunate victims being torn apart nearby, Takashi's sanity was barely hanging on by a thread as he chanced to glance up in the direction from where the shots were coming from and suddenly noticed the remains of a blood-soaked hand just inches from his face...a hand that was far too small to be that of an adult as Takashi finally lost his battle with his nerves and promptly threw up.
His breathing coming in gasps as he wiped his mouth Takashi let out a strangled whimper as he gazed at the ground all around him that was littered with mutilated bodies, parts of bodies, and piles upon piles of human viscera scattered all around the encampment.
Many of the bodies that he saw had been completely torn apart and scattered all over the ground with a few still left somewhat completely intact possibly due to the fact that many of the Infected had been whipped into such a frenzy by the panicked screams of the refugees that they had continued attacking other victims without bothering to feast on the kills they had already made as Takashi watched in horror as some of the bodies suddenly began to spasm uncontrollably as the Contagion began to spread through their bodies and some of them began to climb to their feet as Takashi quickly ducked his head down as another burst of gunfire was suddenly fired at them.
Fear almost completely overwhelming him, Takashi instinctively closed his eyes and tried to cover his ears against the loud roar of the American contractor's carbine as the man once again opened fire in the direction of the unseen gunman as hot brass began to rain down upon both Takashi and Saeko, burning their exposed skin on contact.
Yelping as a hot spent shell casing went underneath his collar and began to burn the sensitive flesh around his neck, Takashi swore as he tried to fish the hot brass from underneath his collar when he suddenly heard the sound of someone screaming in agony nearby.
"GET UP!" Jim roared over the screams as he shifted his rifle to the left and then opened fire on another "runner" charging towards them as Takashi felt the American grab him by the collar of his shirt and roughly yank him to his feet as Takashi glanced in the direction the screams were coming and then gasped as he saw the figure of a man completely engulfed in flames standing amongst the burning tents nearby, screaming in agony as he burned alive right before Takashi's horrified eyes.
"WHAT THE F_CK?!" Takashi shouted his wits beginning to unravel as he watched the burning man screaming in pain and thrashing the air all around him as the burning tent suddenly collapsed onto the man engulfing him completely as his pain-filled screams continued to echo into the night and threatened to burst Takashi's eardrums.
"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON...?!" Takashi shouted in panic and confusion, his eyes wild as his brain tried but failed to register the horror unfolding before him, time itself seeming to come to a crawl. "...WHY WAS THAT MAN SHOOTING AT US?!"
"DON'T WORRY ABOUT THAT!... JUST MOVE, BOY!...MOOOOOOOOVE!" Jim roared, obviously no longer concerned about stealth anymore, as Takashi was snapped out of his temporary delirium as the American contractor once again began to rush forward with his weapon at the ready as Takashi jumped over the bloody remains of a woman with a blood-stained cleaver in her hand, never realizing that the body he had just leapt over had been Maiko Homura, the very same woman that he had pointed his pistol at on the very first day that they had arrived at the mansion.
"WATCH IT!" Jim suddenly shouted, as Takashi immediately winced as the American fired two sets of double-taps at a shadow hurtling out of the darkness from their left as the creature then lurched suddenly by the impact of the rounds before finally pitching to the ground in a heap.
The next few moments as they made their way through the center of the burning tent city was a horror unlike anything he had seen before, nor was it something he would ever forget as Takashi and Saeko tried as hard as they could to stay close to the American who was now continuously firing his weapon as more and more dark shadows began to rush towards them from inside the burning tent city.
"LOOK OUT!" Takashi heard Saeko shout in warning as Takashi turned his head in response to Saeko's warning shout as he saw two "runners" completely covered in flames come leaping towards them from out of one of the burning tents on their left as the American turned to face the threat hurtling towards him.
With no time to aim his weapon Takashi watched stunned as the American roughly shoved the barrel of his weapon into the chest of the nearest of the Infected as hard as he could, knocking the flailing creature back against the other "runner" behind him as Takashi heard a loud blast and a gout of flame erupt from the shotgun attached to the bottom of the American's carbine as a spray a blood erupted from the chest of the first Infected and from the back of the second as both creatures then fell heavily to the ground.
"Damn, that was actually pretty cool." Takashi muttered under his breath just as the sound of automatic gunfire once again sounded in his ears along with the now familiar "ZING!" of bullets whizzing past his head.
"DOWN!" The American roared in warning as both teens once again dove down into the blood-soaked ground as bullets once again whizzed overhead as Jim immediately opened fire at another unseen assailant who had let loose a burst of gunfire in their direction before immediately ducked for cover behind a tent that was not yet aflame and then let loose another burst of gunfire in their direction that went wide.
"SHIT!...KEEP YOUR HEADS DOWN AND HEAD FOR THAT TENT ON THE LEFT...MOOOOOVE!" Jim roared still firing his weapon at the deranged gunman as both teens immediately scrambled to their feet and then ducked as several rounds suddenly more whizzed over their heads.
"GO! GO! GO! GO! GO!" The American shouted still firing his weapon as he too began to run after the two teens as Takashi and Saeko both lowered their heads instinctively to avoid the spray of bullets being fired at them as they dashed at top speed towards the front entrance of the hospital tent.
"RUN, DAMMIT, RUUUUNNNN!" Jim shouted as he let loose a short burst of automatic fire towards the unknown assailant who immediately fired back at them, the rounds licking up the dust near their feet as Takashi noticed to his horror, that the front flaps leading into the tent had been sealed shut, apparently in a last minute attempt to keep out the Infected.
"SAEKO, CUT THE TENT FLAPS!" Takashi shouted as Saeko immediately leapt forward and with one swing of her katana, smoothly sliced the cloth doors of the tent apart as both teens then burst into the hospital tent followed by the American who immediately tackled the teens to the ground as bullets tore through the thin fabric of the tent behind them.
The wind knocked out of him by the American's unexpected tackle, Takashi wheezed as he tried to catch his breath as he and Saeko immediately tucked themselves into a ball as bullets whizzed overhead as the interior of the tent was suddenly filled with the sounds of bullets slapping against flesh followed by wet splashes that was then drowned out by the American roaring in rage as he began firing his weapon towards the front entrance of the tent.
"F_CK YOUUUUU!" The American roared as he fired blindly through the thin fabric of the tent sweeping in a large arc as Takashi heard a sharp cry of pain as the person who had been shooting at them suddenly went silent.
"F_cking assholes!" Takashi heard Jim swear as he felt the American move off him and Saeko and then move over towards the tent flap and took a kneeling position near the entrance. "...I knew it was a mistake to hand weapons over to those f_cking pendejos!"
"Hope the Infected f_cking choke on your stupid ass." The American muttered angrily as he then glanced over at the two shadowy figures of the teens next to him.
"You kids okay?!" Jim asked breathing hard as Takashi quickly glanced over to where Saeko lay next to him, not moving.
"I'm okay." Takashi replied growing concerned that Saeko had neither moved nor even responded to Jim's query as Takashi assumed that perhaps Saeko might have been injured or even shot as he then reached over in the darkness to where he thought Saeko's shoulder might be.
"Sempai, are you all right?!" Takashi asked growing anxious as he placed his hand on what he thought was Saeko's shoulder and then squeezed as Takashi heard Saeko suddenly let out a sudden yelp of surprise as his hand closed on something round and soft to the touch.
"Oh shit!...sorry, sorry, sorry!" Takashi shouted in a mixture of surprise and embarrassment upon fully realizing that the soft object he had squeezed was definitely not Saeko's shoulder after all.
"Da- da-daijobu, Komuro-kun..." Saeko replied her face blushing a crimson red as Takashi quickly drew his hand away from her breast and she instinctively crossed her arms over her chest protectively.
"Go-go-gomen nasai, Sempai!" Takashi stammered apologetically reflexively rising to his knees and bowing repeatedly in apology. "...I really didn't mean to_!"
"Shhhhh...!" The American suddenly hissed as Takashi immediately stopped talking and both teens froze as a sound they hadn't noticed before suddenly reached their ears, even over all the horrific screams going on outside. "...we're not alone in here."
"Oh shit, what the hell is that?" Takashi whispered to Saeko as both teens then began to peer wide-eyed all around the dark interior of the tent as they tried to locate the source of a loud gurgling noise that was coming from somewhere inside the tent.
"I don't know..." Saeko whispered back, her hands reflexively tightening their grip on her katana, trying as best she could to locate the source of the sound in the darkness.
"Quiet...!" Takashi heard Jim hiss in a low voice as the big man silently moved between the two teens and then dropped to one knee, his weapon raised to his shoulder.
"You two stay behind me and don't make a sound." The American said grimly as he and the two teens anxiously scanned the darkness for any signs of movement from the unseen threat.
Despite the extremely bright light emitted from the many tents burning all around the camp, the thick, mil-spec, fire-resistant fabric that the military hospital tent was constructed of allowed only a minute amount of ambient light to pierce the thick fabric.
And even with the bright red glow being emitted from the chemlight mounted upon the American's weapon or the one's hanging from teenager's necks, neither of them were able to make out much of anything in the darkness as both teens suddenly jumped at the sound of a loud "snap" that startled them both.
"Ya'll two kids get ready to run..." The American said activating one of the cyalume tubes he had removed from his tactical vest as both teens then squinted reflexively as the chemicals in the clear plastic tube began to mix and it began to glow a bright white.
"...or fight." Jim added as he then tossed the cyalume light into the air towards the interior of the tent as both teens watched with nervous eyes as the clear plastic tube twirled end over end in a large arc before finally falling onto the floor in the middle of the tent.
"Welllllllllll... shit." Takashi heard Jim mutter miserably as he also heard a loud gasp escape from Saeko's lips as Takashi's own heart almost stopped at the sight of dozens of glowing eyes staring back at them, as the gurgling noise that still echoed all around the tent suddenly grew even louder.
Author's Notes:
In case ya'll were wondering, yes, I'm still very much alive and so is this story.
It's been a long time since I posted a new chapter, and I apologize for the unexpected delay and I want to thank all of you for being so patient.
Let's say that a lot has happened in the past few months, including the almost full-time care of a family member who finally passed away from illness back in December.
It was hard finding any time to sit down and focus on this chapter due to all that and thanks to my good friend Poynton90, I've finally managed to get back into the swing of things.
Speaking of Poynton90, back in September my good friend managed to grab a flight from merry old England and fly across the pond to visit this old smoke eater for a couple of weeks.
Needless to say, after visiting some of the sights around San Antonio including the Alamo, as well as a few gun ranges and steak houses, a good time was had by all, and Andy and I had a lot of time to talk about Last Alarm, as we watched every episode of One Punch Man on Netflix.
While I have to admit, Last Alarm is taking waaaaay longer than I anticipated to finish, Andy and I both intend to finish what we started, and in order to ensure that we're not in our eighties by the time we wrap up Last Alarm-Book One, Andy has very graciously offered to help me finish out the last remaining chapters especially the Mansion Scene that takes place in the finale which is gonna be much more dramatic than what was in the manga and the anime and was inspired by the Iranian Embassy Hostage event that took place in 1980 where the British SAS raid "Operation Nimrod" took place.
In this chapter that you just read I really wanted to embellish more on the fight between Jim and the Infected based on some moves that I saw in John Wick and John Wick 2. However, as much as I wanted to do that, I felt that the moves Keanu Reeves used in his films was way too fluid and controlled, unlike the way I wanted Jim to act who would not be fighting with skill so much as rage from his troubled past.
So much as I hated to do it, I went for the "Hulk Smash!" method for Jim's fight scene in this chapter...although, in future chapters Jim's fighting skills will be more professional and less caveman, I promise...lol.
I also really wanted to embellish more on the massacre at the camp and make it more hellish, as I was inspired by the vampire massacre scene in the movie 30 Days of Night.
Since this chapter like all the others is a "rough" copy, maybe in the future I can embellish on it more at a later time.
Anyway, I hope all of you enjoyed this chapter, the next one should be ready by middle of next month, more or less and will be written by Poynton90 who has agreed to help me with all the chapters concerning the Andrew and his team as well as the Mansion Scene which will be an adventure in itself.
It is our hope to finally finish Last Alarm-Book One by the end of this year, and with Poynton90's help I'm pretty sure we can reach that goal putting an end to a six-year journey before diving into Last Alarm-Book Two (Which hopefully won't take as long to write...LOL)
Once again, from both Poynton90 and I, thank you for your support! Jim