Hi guys! If your reading this I just want to thank you for taking your time in reading my story. This story is a continuation of the anime set after leaving Takagi's house. I will somewhat stick to canon but haven't decided how far I want to go with it. When I watched the anime I realized that despite the ecchi it was pretty dark but it could be darker. Anyways enjoy and I will see you after the chapter!

Edit 6/28/20

as of the 5th chapter i decided to take the story down a supernatural route more so then just the darkness. If that is your thing then i hope that you find this an enjoyable read, if that is not your thing, then feel free to message/ write a review and i will do my best to help you out.

Act 1 The Dead's Decision

17:30

Takagi's House +1

Takashi

It had barely been 24 hours since they left Saya's house, but to me it felt like just seconds ago. The group and I, were currently still in the Humvee, traveling down some, now abandoned, highway high up in the hills. To the east of him was the countryside, the bright green and reds of the trees a stark contrast to the death that was going around them.

Throughout the hills, houses dotted the gaps in the trees, a few them just husks of a house, the ruined remains of what was clearly an inferno of a fire. Behind him to the south, he could only make out some pillars of smoke rising above the trees, their origin unknown.

We currently were heading towards the north, where I was able to see the city. Or rather, what was left of it.

The numerous skyscrapers that once shined upon the city with their dazzling lights and colors were now dark and silent, the numerous windows flickering from the flames below being the only source of light in the city. Dotted among the many small buildings, I could just make out still raging fires, with the smoke that was emanating from some source, was the color black as death.

Standing through the bay on the top of car, I looked around at the trees, thinking of what my next step was for the group. Rei's and my house were towards the west, turning my head I look at what I think is the general area of where we lived. All I was able to see were trees and a building through the smoke, it was just starting to get dark, the sun turning a deep red as it lowered. It was as though the sun knew just how bloody my world has become.

Actually, more so how I had become. I only just realized it that day at the shrine with Saeko. How they both had that darkness. When I shot that guy defending Rei, I enjoyed it, that feeling of power, that ability to know I was capable of defending her, it was addicting.

But with Saeko it was different. It was though on some level they connected, this darkness. They alone, knew that in this new world killing would always be inevitable. But it wasn't just that, that made me feel this attraction, it was her desire and her mental state. If we were in a tough situation and I was with her, I know I would be safe, I know I can trust her with my life.

But does she feel the same?

I shake the thought out of my head immediately.

Why am I thinking that, I still have feelings for Rei, don't I?

Rei. The girl who I had pinky promised to marry, only to be dumped for my friend. I wasn't mad, more hurt, but over time I learned to deal, however for the first few days, all she kept fucking talk about was Hisashi! God it made me so mad. Really mad, you know? Like I understand that her boyfriend just died, but I had to kill him! Me! Not Her! But you wanted to kill him, didn't you? Him being one of Them just gave you an excuse. I shake the horrible thoughts out of my head, horrified that thought went through my head, and went back to think of Rei.

When I argued with her at Shizuka's friend's house, I know something finally clicked in her. It made her realize that she should be happy she's still alive, and that whatever it was with Hisashi, ended that day.

But still, where does that leave us? As friends definitely, but could there be more? Should there be more? After all what about Saeko? When I told her I needed her I meant it, but, love? I do love her, don't I?

"Hey Takashi, what's that over there?" Kohta's voice suddenly bringing me back to reality, instead of being among the chaos that was now my heart and head. Looking up, I see him point at something in the distance. Lifting my rifle, I look through the scope at where he pointed. It was that building that had poked through the smoke to the west.

Kohta was an interesting person, who definitely changed since shit hit the fan. The dude found his true calling in becoming the groups gun expert and sniper. From long range, Kohta was by far the most lethal in the group with guns. He also seemed to have feelings for Saya, as he was very protective of her.

"Uhh, it looks like a big complex. Hold on there's writing on the top." I say to Kohta, adjusting the scope to get a better look at the building. "It looks… it looks like a mall!" I say happily at Kohta. Mall means stores and stores means supplies and food.

"Yea it could be a good thing, but how far do you think it is?" Kohta says, his hands shading his eyes as he looked at the distance between them and the mall. "Looks to me about 10 miles, and it's near the city" Kohta said dejectedly. 10 miles. In normal traffic that would only take them about 30 minutes, however this was not a normal situation.

We still have yet to get there; we don't know what lies ahead. I thought, mulling over this information. Mall means resources, but it's close proximity to the city could mean more of Them. It's a tough decision, and even as their leader I know I can't make this decision alone. I look around at my friends as I prepare myself to inform them of our current situation.

The blonde-haired Mrs. Shizuka was in the front driving, staring intently out the windshield as she waved her way through the carnage that littered the highway. As I was briefly looking past her, I couldn't help but stare briefly at her huge chest, the peaks of her hills almost smushed up against the steering wheel. Her breasts were by far the biggest in the group, and the adorable klutz could easily suffocate you with them purely by accident.

As far as fighting skills is concerned Mrs. Shizuka would be dead last. That blonde was true to her stereotype, klutz and all, however when it came to medical knowledge, I'm very happy that she's with us. She was the doctor and driver of their group.

Even though she was only a nurse, she knows a hell of a lot more then the rest of our group. Maybe not Saya, I chuckle to myself at the thought. Speaking of which, Saya was sitting in the passenger seat next to Mrs. Shizuka, staring out the window, her pink hair dully shining in the fading light of the sun. If you didn't know her, you would've thought she was looking at her surroundings.

But I knew. And I know her. She was staring into the nothingness, her mind right now so fragile like glass, that it made me really worried about her. It's barely been 24 hours since her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Takagi, sacrificed themselves to ensure that their daughter made it out alive. Whatever happened of them we may never know, but it was safe to assume that that was the last time Saya will ever see her parents.

Despite all this, I knew deep down that Saya was strong, and given her time she will bounce back. Right now, she needs to grieve, but this information was more important. She was the brains after all, and her knowledge and factual way of looking at things was a very useful asset.

I look behind me in the backseat, where the rest of their group was sitting. Saeko was to the left of him, resting up against the side of the car, soundly asleep. Even though she was asleep, she could kill within a second of waking up. As the group's swordswoman and combat tactician, she was without a doubt their most lethal fighter in the group.

Alice and her dog Zeke were in the middle. Alice was their little sister in the group, and the rest of us made a promise to always protect Alice first. Alice was fast asleep, her head resting on Rei's breast, the pressure of her head causing Rei's nipple to poke out firmly through her shirt.

Oh my god, she's not wearing a bra!

Briefly thinking very, very dirty thoughts, I finally snap out of it as I look up to Rei's face. Unlike the others in the back she was wide awake. She was staring out the window, her eyes in the reflection whizzing at everything that was going around them.

Even now, as we drive, she's taking in everything.

That was another thing that amazed me about Rei. Ever since the high rise she's become more… determined. About what I didn't know.

Crouching down, so I was inside the cab, I motioned to Kohta to follow suit. "Shizuka pull over for a second." I say to her with a stern voice, ensuring she knew it was serious. "Umm okay." She says meekly, clearly confused about the request, but listening regardless.

The car jolted slightly as she hit the brakes, resulting in jostling all the people on board, effectively waking them all up. Saeko perked up immediately, looking straight at me with questions clearly floating in her blue eyes. With the car finally coming to a stop, along with a quick check to make sure none of Them were around, I leaned down and began to tell them what me and Kohta saw.

Saeko

Running through the tree's I center my breathing to maintain my energy, dashing under branches and over roots I keep running, running towards his screams. "SAEKOOO!" the voice screams again. It always sounded farther, no matter how hard I ran.

"I'm coming for you!" I shout into the blackness beyond the endless trees. "I'm coming!" I yell again, as I struggle to maintain my speed. My legs were beyond the point of burning that I barely felt them from the pain. My arms, numb from the countless slashes and hacks I lashed out, felt as though they were made of molten lead.

"I'm here!" the voice shouted now as though it was behind me, making me momentarily stop as I readjust to hear this new voice. This voice was different, almost as though it was softer, like a feather. "HELPP MEE!" The voice called out in front of her again, this time sounding as if it was pleading with me. Overcome with guilt for delaying, I immediately continued running towards the voice.

"Please don't go" The voice says again behind me this time as though the source was almost her ear, despite her currently running. The voice sounded familiar, and as I tried to focus on why, all around me it started to get brighter, not by much but by a fraction.

Seeing this difference, I immediately stopped running, turning around desperate to see where the voice had come from…..

Only to be shaken awake and immediately go alert.

Why we stop? What's wrong? Is Takashi ok?

This last thought immediately made me turn to my… well Takashi, I looked at him with questions in my eyes. He stared at me and his gaze was comforting. There was no hate or anger, only respect and something else that made me wonder what he was thinking.

He finally tore his gaze from me and looked around at the rest of the group, clearly determined about something. "Me and Kohta have something to tell you guys." Takashi looked at Kohta, who was nodding his head in response. "We see a mall about 10 miles west of us. This means possible supplies and rest"

Saya immediately perked up and started talking. "true, but that mall is the one by the city, right? Is about 12 miles from the center of the city which could still mean that there are a lot of Them, there right?"

"Also true, but we need to consider the fact that other survivors might have the same idea, meaning that we might not be the only ones going there." I say to the genius. "Your right, and these people may or may not be friendly." Saya replies as she readjusts her glasses. "Which leads us to our second choice, right Takashi?" looking up at him as she finished.

"Right" Takashi responds, "The other option is to head to Rei's house then mine, however that will start to bring us in the opposite direction of the mall." He says grimly.

"Going farther away from it decreases the chances of us actually going to it, which could be a gamble because eventually we will need resources and supplies." I interject him, Takashi looked over and gave me a small smile with his lips, but his eyes were still dark. "Yes but we need to consider what's important for the group, not just Rei and me."

Taken aback, I immediately can guess as to why Takashi said that. There is a very big chance that any survivors in Takashi and Rei's neighborhood may have also thought of heading to the mall for shelter and supplies. This would then mean that any attempt of going to their parent's house would be a wasted effort, and could possibly lead them worse off.

Looking at him, I knew he was thinking along the same thing, that's one of the things I admired about him. Regardless of the situation he has always kept his calm, even when me, the fearless one, froze up at the shrine, he was able to do what I couldn't.

He woke up something inside me that fateful day, something that had been buried underneath all that darkness inside me, and he was able anchor it. He kept that part of me above that abyss of inky blackness that threatened to swallow me whole.

I would die for him.

I would kill for him.

He was my light in the dark.

Light in the dark… my dream? Could it be? Could Takashi have been that voice behind her? If so then who was the voice in front of her?

Lost in my thoughts, the group was silently processing this new information until finally Saya spoke up. "So, I think we should go to the mall." Her voice being one of resignation yet at the same time, determination. "There's too great a chance that Rei and Takashi's parents headed that way and more importantly, we need supplies. Mainly food." Ahh so she thought of the same thing as me and Takashi did. Smart girl.

The group listening to her realized the deadly truth in her words. Sure, they had plenty of ammunition for their weapons, but food? Their food supply only had maybe a day's ration left if not two, should they use it sparingly. They needed to secure more rations, but more importantly…

"It's getting dark, where are we going for the night? I doubt Mrs. Shizuka can keep going all night, and its not safe to have the lights on, we would stick out in the darkness." My comments, immediately ended whatever conclusion the group had come too regarding the previous discussion.

"We should find a house nearby and secure it for the night." Takashi suggested. The group thought about it. "Wouldn't it make more sense to keep driving Brother Takashi?" Alice said with a sleepy voice. "No little one," Shizuka said sweetly to the little girl. "Its's safer for us to be in a house right now okay?" "Okai" Alice said sleepily as she drifted back into ignorant bliss.

"Ok so it's been decided then, Shizuka pull off the highway at the next exit." Takashi directed to the buxom blonde, his voice, despite the situation, was full of confidence when he talked. The nearest exit sign indicating they still had 6 miles to go.

Isn't he scared? No, he is scared, but he puts a brave face for the group. Oh, Takashi… You don't have to put on such a brave face. You have the rest of us here to help you, and you will have me. I will always be there to defend you. To be your sword, and let you wield it as you see fit.

Floating aimlessly, I drift off in my thoughts, the others around me completely oblivious to the swirling storm in my head as they continue their conversations. Looking outside I take note of how far we've gone as a group. Despite all that we had faced, we were still here, as a family.

19:30

Takagi's House +1

I lost track of how much time had passed when the next exit sign for the highway finally appeared. As we made our way towards this new hope that lay ahead of us, the road began to become more clogged with abandoned cars. "We must be getting closer to the city." I say to myself quietly. Sure enough the 2 mile marker for the exit passes by the window.

Well it's a good time for a stretch. Gliding up from my seat I hoist myself through the gap, pushing Kohta and Takashi aside.

"Excuse me boys" I say to them, as I keep my eyes on Takashi. I was well aware of the fact that due to the small space the three of them occupied, my breasts were pressed firmly up against Takashi's chest. My nipples immediately hardened at the thought of being in such close contact to him, his face mere inches away from mine. His face had taken on a slight red tone, and for the briefest of moments I caught him looking down at my breasts. All I have to do is lean forward and I could kiss him, his lips no doubt just as soft as they were at the shrine.

*cough*

The sound cut right through the fantasy that played in my head. Looking down I realize that the source of the noise came from Rei. She was staring directly at me, her face flickering with different emotions; rage, contempt, and jealousy? Hmm… so maybe she does have feelings for him, the mere thought making my heart feel heavier. I look over back to Takashi, who was looking at Rei, embarrassment written all over his face. But does he still have feelings for her?

Not letting the thoughts go any farther then that I continue hoisting myself up though the cab, and stand up on the car. Stretching out my back and my arms, I moan in relief at the blood coursing through my once idle muscles. I preferred moving, I hate staying in a vehicle, but I understand its purpose.

I looked out towards the west, were the sun was now low enough to be looked at briefly. We need to find shelter fast it will get pretty dark soon. They couldn't rely on the moon tonight, for it was barely a crescent, the new moon only happening a few days ago.

"Ok, so where do I go now" Shizuka replied, as she slowed the car down and prepared to exit the highway. "Make a left and slow down we will take a look at the houses." Takashi responded. Seeing what he saw it was the smart move, the right of the exit leading towards the city, and inevitably towards more of Them.

"We shouldn't go too far from the highway; we may need to use it as an escape route." Kohta said quietly to Takashi and me. "True but you also saw how crowded the highway was getting, there's no telling that we may end up blocked somewhere between exits." I add on. "How far is the mall from here Kohta?" Takashi asked. "Umm…" Kohta pushed the bridge of his glasses up his nose, looking out towards the west, deep in thought. "Not including the possible numerous detours, we need to go about 2 more miles, so we should arrive by tomorrow. With hope" the last part barely a whisper from Kohta, as he focused on inspecting his gun.

"Either way we need to find shelter for the night." Takashi said, his voice cutting through the silence that followed Kohta. "What about that one?" I said pointing towards the house that just appeared around the corner.

Takashi lowered his head into the cab underneath them. "Shizuka go to that house over there please." He said, pointing out the house I mentioned. "Okay!" Shizuka replied cheerfully. How she stays so happy is beyond me.

Shizuka pulls the car up to house and I finally get a good look at it. The building resembled a doujou, the rectangular building facing the road length wise, an iron gate wrapped around the property. In the center of the front yard there is what remains of a statue sitting in the middle of a long-abandoned fountain, the statues face destroyed, as though some vandal smashed it in half.

The house itself was in better shape, the walls freshly painted white, and the wood tiles on the roof glowed softly in the fading light. "This is a fighting doujou, there may be weapons and or some supplies here at least." I announce to Takashi and the others. Takashi nods his head and tells the group that he agrees as well and we should stay here. His eyes told me more. They told me that he didn't just agree for the group, but he agreed because he trusted my judgement.

He loves me.

Right?

Takashi jumps off the Humvee, landing on the sidewalk. "I'm going to go see if I can find a way in." He says urgently. The loud noise of the car had no doubt attracted what few of Them remained in the area.

Alone?

"I'm coming with you." I say to Takashi as I stand and glide off the car. Hitting the ground with feline precision, not a noise was made as I finished the descent. Standing up I look straight at Takashi and stare into his eyes. "You are not going alone. End of discussion." I say to him firmly, my eyes showing there was no room for argument.

"I'm coming too then!" I look up to see Rei half outside the Humvee, worry and anger written over her face. "No stay here with Kohta, defend the Humvee till we come back." I say sternly to her. "But…" Rei meekly replied, taken aback at the tone in my voice. "Three is too many for a scouting party, please Rei we will be right back." I now say, almost pleading to her. I really wasn't, but I knew that's what the girl would've wanted. Sure enough, she took the bait and sighed, clearly relieved in her *victory* "Ok, but if anything happens to Takashi I will kill you!" she say with her finger pointed right at me. You can try little girl, you can try. Instead, I gave her a nice smile, "Of course Rei, we will be right back." I turn around and leap over the fence, quickly followed by Takashi.

A.N.

Sooo what you think? I'm thinking of doing the next chapter in third person instead of first, so let me know if that's something you want or if I should keep it as is.

This story will be rated M going on for violence, gore, nudity, sexual action etc.

As always please read and review I would love to hear your thoughts.