Highschool of the Dead: Us or Them

by HoTDFan

Three brothers from a military family are transferred to Fujimi Academy one day prior to the Z-Day outbreaks. Just when their lives seem to be getting back on track the world is completely unprepared for the living nightmare that opens up a new chapter in human history. The day humans were put back on the food chain. Rated-M. It is Highschool of the Dead afterall.

4. Chapter 4: Armed to the Teeth

Tokonosu City, Japan

Z-Day+1

While the hundreds of people now caught in backed up traffic on the nearby Onbetsu Bridge attempted to gain access beyond the police barricades and checkpoints, Noah just watched it remain a complete standstill from the safety of his vantage point of the hotel. Part of him hoped that the police would show some form of leniency and start moving people now before one of the hordes he witnessed last night would catch up, especially with all the various shouts and cries of the people accompanied by a barrage of various car horns. There was no way the dead on the south side of the city wouldn't be able to hear all that noise. If all those people on the bridge were to be devoured and reanimated, it would be near impossible for the police to control. He then set the binoculars down on the ledge of the balcony before retreating back inside to see the female police officer who brought him and Marcus here; using one of the emergency first-aid kits they'd found in the manager's office, currently using it on Johann's mutilated hand as he was laid out on the dining room table.

The hotel itself was a large three-story I-shaped building that gave the group a great sight advantage over the local area. The management office was on the left side of the bottom floor of the building while on the opposite side was where the storage had been kept. In the basement level was where the generator powering the entire building was kept. Between the other various utility sections were over twenty-seven personal rooms across all three floors. Best of all though was the two glass doors at the front of the hotel that served as the only main entrance, since the back doors had already been locked by the staff by default beforehand. Better yet, the glass doors were made of tempered glass, making them virtually shatterproof, and as though fate had decided to provide them a lucky break; Noah had managed to come across the keys when he, Marcus and their police girl escort had first arrived here, allowing them to rest easy that no unexpected guests would arrive. This hotel was more than ideal enough for the newly reunited group to survive in, let alone the fact it had running showers, electricity, and some food and beverages left over when abandoned by the former owners and its' guests. That had also thankfully left the whole hotel free of any lingering undead occupants when the group had initially moved in.

"It's a shame you couldn't keep the severed fingers with you. This officer might've been able to do something, but my humble guess is that you were just in the heat of the moment. Nevertheless, I'm sorry about your friend. I can't imagine it's going to be easy for him to cope with this when he wakes up. So what became of the bastards that did this, if you don't mind my asking?" the female officer explained as she finally finished wrapping Johann's wounds up after disinfecting and treating his hand for the last two hours; turning her gaze upon Frasier as she wanted to know if they should stay vigilant for this mysterious violent group or not.

"Just as I told my brothers, officer: I took care of them." Frasier answered bluntly without even trying to conceal what he did.

"YOU took care of them?" the female officer inquired with a raised eyebrow; her tone now very suspicious, and for very good reason too.

"Like a wolf among lambs." Frasier continued without any humor in his voice; almost as if deliberately admitting to a crime.

"You took the law into your own hands, then? Well, normally that would be a serious problem, but given the circumstances we're facing...this officer has no choice but to focus on the more vital priorities right now. This isn't over, though. I hope you understand this officer will have to keep an eye on you from now on." she responded in a dead serious voice; still somewhat shocked to hear that this boy would go as far as to slaughter four people without any hint to feeling regret or remorse.

"Go ahead. A fair tale of caution, though...you might not enjoy what you see, officer. I will do anything to protect my brothers. Even if it means-" Frasier said with a far more firm tone as his stance began to form into a slightly more aggressive one, with his shoulders slightly cocked up as if trying to intimidate her. Marcus suddenly rushed in, covering his mouth before he could say something to set the young officer off. She just shot Frasier a cautious glare before slowly walking away; checking the ammunition count for her pistol just to feel some form of security around him. Luckily she managed to find some extra bullets off of an undead officer Marcus had shot when they fled from the evacuation bus last night.

"What the hell are you thinking?! We don't exactly have many friends here right now, Frasier; so burning our bridge with a police officer of all people is not something I'd advise on doing." Marcus scolded in a soft whisper as he held his right index finger in Frasier's face to keep him from arguing with him.

"I still can't believe you killed those teenagers...h-how do you feel?" Noah asked concernedly, still in disbelief before asking how this emotionally affected Frasier; silently hoping to get a real answer from him.

"I feel like I need to change out of these clothes. I look like something out of one of those horror movies you and Marcus would watch together back when we were little. Now are we done here?" Frasier responded in an emotionless tone, completely missing the intention of Noah's question.

"Y-Yeah, I guess we are done for now. That police officer's name is Hitomi, by the way. You know, she wanted to wait for you two to catch up to us before discussing what our next move would be. Almost like she believed you would come back to us like me and Marcus did." Noah then said as he was somewhat stunned, feeling a deep brotherly concern over Frasier's non-existent empathy for taking human lives like it was nothing.

"Help me move Johann out of here, first of all. We can set him up in one of the bedrooms for this suite while we come up with a new plan." Marcus said to Frasier as he nodded in response, picking up Johann's unconscious body off the table effortlessly before slowly dropping him into the nearest bedroom with a decent looking bed for a relatively small hotel with a modest suite.

"I remember you mentioned some other survivors followed you and the police girl here from the bus on the walkie-talkie. Where are they?" Frasier then inquired as he finally noticed it seemed rather empty around this hotel.

"Well, most of those who weren't killed when the dead caught up to us fled in all directions, including the two other police officers that were initially with us. Some others were able to keep a cool head, though, and followed Officer Hitomi and us to this abandoned hotel. However, they all felt this place wasn't worth hunkering down in, so they took their chances and left to go further north since we were able to cross the river into this side of the city. I hope they made it out alright." Marcus explained as he could still remember Hitomi taking immediate charge despite the panic and chaos that had encircled them at the Tokonosu Bridge. Part of it almost sounded like he was expressing admiration for her brave efforts.

"Hmm, well at least that's a few less mouths to feed. With any luck, we can actually settle down and hold out here. This hotel does seem sturdy enough, and it could prove to be a real safe haven if we touch up the perimeters just right. Where is the police girl now? It's best we start making plans while this window of opportunity is present." Frasier then followed up as he clearly didn't share a second thought or concern for the wellbeing of the other survivors that had left.

"I'm right here, and my name is Hitomi, young man." the police woman suddenly announced before approaching the three brothers with her police cap off. She had semi-long raven black hair tied with a pink ribbon in a ponytail on the left side of her head that slightly flowed with any gusts of wind that would pass by through the open balcony door. She had two gorgeous amber-colored eyes that seemed to show genuine maternal concern while matched equally by an intense fire that accentuated her tough girl attitude. Despite her attitude and physique, she had a delicate-looking face adorned with light freckles on her cheeks, which helped her overall look fall much more on the 'cute' side of the spectrum as opposed to 'beautiful', but she was still undeniably attractive in that 'cute' way. She had taken off her police jacket while still wearing the accompanying skirt, and she had rolled up the sleeves to her tight-fitting white undershirt to reveal some rather toned arms. Her chest was somewhat average in terms of bust size, most likely a C-cup, yet it seemed actually befitting to her strong, authoritative figure.

"Who do you think you're calling 'young man'? You barely look older than I am." Frasier retorted, clearly not liking being spoken to by a girl who looked like she was barely even into her 20's, regardless of whether she was a cop or not.

"I may be 19, but I still expect you to treat me with at least a little respect as an enforcer of the law; especially if we're going to be staying here together for the foreseeable future. So I would appreciate it if you would address me by name instead of just as 'police girl'. You do that, and I won't call you 'young man' if it bugs you so much." Hitomi shot back, this time not intimidated by the advantage Frasier had over her and everyone else height-wise.

"You'll have to forgive my older brother, Miss Hitomi. All this running and constant struggle for survival has made him rather cranky." Marcus suddenly interjected before Frasier could spearhead Hitomi's trust any further than he already had; the eldest Lawson raising an eyebrow to the suggestion that he might be 'cranky' as if he was now being compared to a child or an old man.

"Please, if we're going to be staying here together, let's not stand on formality here. You can just call me Hitomi. But with that being said, before we begin to discuss our plans for any long-term survival, I'd feel much more comfortable knowing a little something about you three first. I hope you don't mind?" Hitomi brought up, giving a faint smile at Marcus' willingness to play peacekeeper before making her request in a more approachable tone.

"Certainly! I-I mean...of course. Heh, I'm Marcus! Our unconscious friend you just patched up is named Johann Kessler. The little bugger over there is Noah, and the cranky one is Frasier. We're the Lawson brothers; at your service, ma'am! You can especially rely on me for anything, anything at all, no matter what." Marcus said excitedly with a rather flustered look on his face that caught not only Hitomi's attention, but Noah and Frasier's as well. Hitomi however found it somewhat amusing and undeniably a bit cute, and couldn't help but form a half-smile at his frantic introduction.

"Well, lucky me. It's really nice to officially meet you all...well, most of you, anyway. So, I take it you know just how serious our situation has just become?" Hitomi responded as she spoke with direct conviction, cutting straight to business.

"Well, if we intend to hold this hotel efficiently for the foreseeable future, I suggest we do several things. One: Set up physical defenses and ensure the perimeter can't be breached from all levels. Two: Locate and acquire firearms, or at least some better melee weapons to increase our combat effectiveness against both the living and the dead, because if living people are already becoming as dangerous as the ones who attacked Johann were, then we'll need to be prepared for more. Three: We need to find a suitable food source and try to get as much preservatives as possible. A lot of food will be spoiled if we don't act fast, and I can't imagine the stores will be restocked anytime soon." Frasier explained as he paced back and forth, listing off what he considered to be a rock solid plan.

"Hmm, not bad. You're a bit too calm and on point to be a civilian if you ask me. You wouldn't happen to be military or one of those survival enthusiasts; would you?" Hitomi begrudgingly complimented as she was now somewhat curious what these surprisingly resourceful kids did before the world had turned upside down.

"Well, aren't you observant? Yes, all three of us have been trained by our father to survive and fight. Very strong military history in our family, you see." Marcus said in a friendly tone as he seemed quite eager to impress her with how he and his siblings could clearly easily hold their own.

"Yes, I thought as much. That would also explain how you've managed to acquire a handgun. I hope you realize that civilian possession of a firearm is a very serious offense, right?" Hitomi asked in a more inquisitive tone as if this had suddenly become a cross examination.

"Would you rather have us be defenseless, Hitomi-san?" Frasier then countered as he wasn't sure why she would care about something like that, especially given the current situation of the city.

"No. I'm just saying that other officers might not take as kindly to seeing a civilian they've never met before wielding a semi-automatic handgun with a seventeen round capacity. That and I want to be sure I can trust you, since you know I intend to stay and try my best to keep you three safe." Hitomi tried to explain her perspective as her authoritative tone suddenly began to shift into one of concern instead; almost as if she felt personally duty-bound to look after these three young men in such a crisis, despite the fact they just claimed to have serious military training.

The brothers were rather taken aback by such a statement and proclamation to protect, especially when she could've easily just abandoned them, just as the two other officers they were with earlier had.

"Here, Hitomi-neesan. If you don't feel safe, then take it." Noah suddenly offered with the Glock 17 facing downwards in his hand for her to take. Both Hitomi and his older brothers were visibly shocked to see him do such a thing so readily. The young officer just stared at it for a brief moment as if contemplating what to do next. In the end, she gently placed her hand on his before using his other hand to cover the weapon. She then motioned Noah to put the weapon back, a gentle and warm smile forming across her lips as she did so.

"No. Its best you hold onto it for now. I'll put my life on the line and trust that you'll be responsible with it, Noah-kun . Don't let me down, okay?" Hitomi then said as she looked at the smiles forming on both Noah and Marcus' faces. Even she did not expect him to be so forthcoming and cooperative on the matter.

"Alright, now that we have that cleared up, I believe we should head over to the Eastern Police Station since it's the only station reasonably close to us. It shouldn't take us too long to get there either, depending on how the roads are. Once we get there, we have to grab as many firearms and munitions as we can possibly carry." Frasier cut in before Noah could say anything. It was clear he was eager to re-arm himself after seeing how dangerous the city had become in a matter of only 24 hours.

"It's a good start. Two of you will come with me while one stays behind to watch over Johann and the hotel. Sound good?" Hitomi then suggested before earning a nod of acknowledgment from each of them.

"Good. Before we go, I suggest you all take a moment to collect yourselves and change out of your student uniforms. Aside from the blood stains, you boys smell like a locker room." Hitomi then advised before walking off; prompting the Lawson's to take a moment to sniff themselves only to realize their uniforms were drenched in sweat, leaving a noticeably strong BO, along with the fact the blood from the undead had started to become crust on the fabric.

"Where does she expect us to get new clothes? I don't suppose any of you packed a spare outfit?" Noah said sarcastically as he pulled off his gurken to reveal a white undershirt with two large pit-stains under the sleeves.

"I would be lying if I said I had. I'm going to go check the laundry room and see if we can get some new clothes. I'm sure the people who left them behind in such a hurry won't mind…I hope." Marcus announced as he left to change and hopefully not have to smell like death and sweat for too much longer. Suddenly the fact they had running showers available had become that much more of a blessing.

"I'll go check how strong the entrance is. Just give me a yell if you find anything." Frasier called out as he rolled up his sleeves and walked away on his own.

"Really? I thought I'd keep it to myself! Yeah, I'll yell if I find something." Marcus called back with obvious sarcasm in his voice before taking it serious in the end. Frasier slightly scowled before just forming a soft grin to himself, realizing this was a rather good sign if his younger brother could still smile after all he'd been through.

Both Marcus and Noah made their way downstairs to a room with a few washers and dryers lined up along the beige walls. A couple of baskets could be seen tipped over while a small radio played nothing but static on a countertop. It had most likely been reporting the outbreaks before going off the air. A small fan could be seen whirring overhead; giving the room a refreshing breeze compared to the hot and humid temperature outside.

"Hey, Noah! Think I could work this?" Marcus suddenly joked as he held up a lacey pink bra and held it up while making a rather silly pose as if imitating a model in a photo session.

"Oh, I knew you were always a little off, but now I think this just confirmed it, Marcus." Noah said mockingly as he began to slide out of his clothing until he was left in nothing but his bright red briefs.

"Ah, sod off! I was just having a laugh. Besides, if I did have tits, it would be much bigger than a bloody B-cup." Marcus chuckled before tossing the undergarment aside to ruffle through the rest of the clothing in the basket.

[The Walking Dead OST - Alive]

"Whatever you say, Marcus. I'm not judging." Noah teased as his older brother just smirked at his tongue-in-cheek attitude. With nothing left between them to say, Marcus then looked down and couldn't help but start to think of Mark. That one final smile he gave seconds before he vanished into the sea was now burned into his memory. He'd never forget such a pain as he felt at that moment.

"So how are you holding up, Noah? Are you doing alright?" Marcus suddenly asked in a far more serious tone with a hint of concern evident in his words. Noah almost froze for a moment, as if processing Marcus' words before forming a look as though he was drowning in regret.

"I...I hate that we couldn't save Uncle Mark, or even the rest of Johann's family. It makes me feel weak, and it gives me this really painful heavy feeling in my heart, feeling we could've done something if we were just faster. Part of me can even now see what Frasier was talking about. If we left those people alone, there's a big chance that Uncle Mark would still be alive, and Toshimi, Joe and his daughters would still be with us right now." Noah responded as he had to fight the tears threatening to form in the corners of his eyes; trying to remain tough in front of Marcus.

"It wasn't an easy choice, Noah. One life given to save so many more. I don't regret helping those people at all...I just regret that I couldn't be there to save Uncle Mark from the killing blow. I feel like if I had just been a little bit closer, I could've stopped the undead fuck that got him." Marcus said in an attempt to sympathize with Noah before expressing his own inner turmoil over their beloved uncle's death. The elder Lawson then couldn't help but start softly sobbing as he turned away, embarrassed to be seen crying in front of his younger brother.

"I guess we just have to be stronger and do what we must to keep those we still have alive. But Marcus...please don't blame Frasier for what happened to Uncle Mark. If it's anyone's fault, it's MINE. I made the call to intervene, not him." Noah then said with a soft sigh before he placed a gentle hand on Marcus' back; wanting there to be no resentment between what was left of their family.

"I know, Noah. It's just...you know I always used to look up to Frasier, knowing he was one of the most powerful family members in our entire family line. To see him just standing there, like a helpless child...something about it just caused me to lash out at him. I thought he of all people would've been able to do something. But I can only imagine how he must feel about the whole thing since he was close enough to do something, and he no doubt knows it. I really should go apologize to him when I get the chance." Marcus confessed as he could still remember those old days when he'd looked up to his older brother. It was quite clear that he still felt betrayed, evident by the tone in his words. He then wiped the tears from his eyes and sniffled slightly, not wanting to dwell on those brooding feelings anymore.

Noah simply nodded, pleased at the rather mature approach his brother planned to adopt before he got his mind back in the game and pulled a simple light grey t-shirt over his head and hoisted up a pair of dark blue denim jeans. Marcus on the other hand managed to find a pair of black jeans with a slight tear at the knees and a long sleeved red shirt that was almost an exact match for him despite the wrists being a bit too short for his long arms.

"Marcus, wait. Don't put that on." Noah suddenly said with a hand outreached as if it was of the utmost importance.

"What? Why? Is there something on it?" Marcus asked before quickly pulling it off to double check that there wasn't a disgusting stain or some kind of insect crawling on it that he had failed to notice.

"No. Just please don't be the guy in the red shirt. It always goes bad for the guy in the red shirt." Noah then commented as he couldn't help but make a reference that he felt only he could get. Nevertheless, it still got Marcus to chuckle a bit, which was good enough for Noah.

"You're such a dork sometimes, I swear. So, got any better suggestions then?" Marcus teased before lightly slugging Noah in the arm after he shook his head with in response to that ill-timed joke. Both of them then started to actually laugh a little harder before Marcus tossed the red shirt aside in favor of a sage green t-shirt with a leaky red heart design etched on the left side.

"It's kinda funny. I was worrying about how I'd manage to keep up with school AND make up for lost time with you and Frasier. Well, I guess I don't have to bother with the former until we're rescued." Noah softly spoke as he couldn't help but somehow find that minor detail funny in a rather morbid way.

"No kidding. Well, no use on trying to understand this mess. Its best we just do what Frasier suggests…mostly, anyway, and we'll be just fine. Those creatures don't seem to possess much beyond what we've seen. Let's just hope we can get a good haul in tonight." Marcus responded as he re-tied his shoes before turning to look out a window and see a few slowly shambling shadows moving down the street aimlessly a good distance away.

[]

(Several hours later)

Marcus and Noah took the next few hours as an opportunity to rest and recover after moving nonstop for nearly two days. Every hour they'd check on Johann to make sure he still had a pulse. In spite of Hitomi managing to professionally treat his wounds, he had still lost a lot of blood beforehand, so as far as they knew, what would happen to him next was anyone's guess. Luckily, he was much stronger than most would consider first glance, so it was more than likely that he'd survive despite the blood loss. Hitomi and Frasier meanwhile had been quick to set up a makeshift barricade of multiple panels of plywood they nailed together across the entrance; seeing how it was the only way into their now personal sanctuary.

"Not bad. If we can find a warehouse depot or a construction yard, we might be able to get some real defenses set up. Think we could get some barbed wire to set along the balconies and windows if it's possible?" Frasier asked, letting out a heavy sigh of relief to at least know the entrance was now a little more secure.

"Do you really think that's necessary? I mean, I don't want to underestimate 'Them', but I've noticed that the dead aren't really agile. No way 'They' can get over such a large wall." Hitomi asked as she really couldn't see why putting defenses so high up would be necessary with creatures as slow and overall dimwitted as 'Them'.

"The wire isn't for the 'Them'. What if some non-friendly survivors come around, and say some of them are exceptionally good climbers? It would be a good way to keep them from sneaking in on any floors." Frasier corrected as he kept intensely looking up as if imagining the whole hotel being strung up like an impenetrable fortress.

"Oh...right." Hitomi said, as it was still hard for her to imagine that despite all the chaos and walking dead slowly pushing humanity closer to extinction, that people could still find a reason to kill one another.

"Here, try these on. We figured this is the only thing that would fit your particular physique." Noah suddenly announced as he walked over with an outfit he and Marcus scavenged for their big brother.

"Hmm, this will do. Thank you, Noah." Frasier said gratefully as he began to look over his new outfit: a dark brown bomber jacket with a leather finish, black cargo pants with plenty of pockets and pouches on the sides, and a navy blue undershirt to top it all off.

"What? No love or respect for Marcus?" Marcus complained sarcastically to convey a somewhat obvious jealously that his older brother wasn't quick to deliver credit where it was due.

"What did you pick? You voted against this outfit." Noah suddenly protested as he nudged Marcus in the ribs.

"Yeah...that's because it will probably look silly on him. Just watch." Marcus suddenly predicted as he watched Frasier unravel the bomber jacket.

"Are you two done yet?" Frasier said as he pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance at their childish bickering for his favor. Both his brothers quickly settled down now as he began to unfasten his belt buckle, dropping his trousers and lifting up his shirt without hesitation nor care that he was down to his undergarments in broad daylight.

"What?" Frasier then asked as he looked down at Hitomi, uncertain why she was just blatantly staring at him despite the fact he stripped down like she wasn't even there.

"N-Nothing. I'm just surprised you'd change in front of a stranger without any hesitation." Hitomi responded in a somewhat flustered tone as if feeling she had to be embarrassed for Frasier at this point. Her eyes were slightly trembling as they just barely were kept at his eye level. A slight blush could be seen forming along her cheeks before she managed to take a deep breath to compose herself and ignore the sight.

"Does it matter? It's not like you're seeing anything that revealing." Frasier said dismissively before pulling the red leather overcoat across his arms and zipping it up to where it appeared to only be a little firm on his arms, but otherwise a good fit.

"That's not the point, but I digress. We should go while there's still sunlight. It most likely will be dark by the time we reach the Eastern Police Station. So who's staying here?" Hitomi grumbled out of annoyance before focusing on who would be staying to hold down the fort for them.

"Marcus will. Noah and I will escort you to the Police Station. Are you ready?" Frasier then asked as Noah proceeded to hand off the handgun to Marcus for protection.

"Ha! You escort me. That's funny. Whatever helps you sleep at night, 'soldier'. Alright, let's go!" Hitomi scoffed as she couldn't help but laugh at the very suggestion that she'd need him to survive the trip to the Eastern Police Station, not even able to form a response to the fact he intended to take point.

"Hey! Can I say something before you go, Frasier?" Marcus suddenly requested as his brother turned to see him looking up at him with regret in his eyes.

"Is it important, because I really need to go, Marcus. Time isn't exactly on our side right now." Frasier asked with a hint of impatience evident in his tone as he wanted to be sure this was even remotely worth delaying their progress.

"I just wanted to say I'm sorry. You know...about taking my anger out on you after what happened to Uncle Mark. I was being a knob head and just couldn't handle it in the heat of the moment. I hope you didn't take it too personally." Marcus expressed in a heartfelt apology; knowing that Noah was absolutely right when he said to not blame Frasier for what happened the other night.

At first there was a momentary silence. Both elder Lawson's just stared the other down before the unexpected happened. Frasier formed a genuine smile and let out what had to be a soft chuckle as if he'd been caught completely off guard and could form no other response.

"Just remember that I'm on your side, you muppet. Don't ever question my motives, no matter how terrible they might seem. I'm always going to be on YOUR side. You'd do well to remember that, Marcus." Frasier said before playfully punching Marcus in the right shoulder with restrained force, causing his little brother to jump back a bit.

"You got it, tuss-pot. I'll be sure not to let the place burn down before you return. Best of luck." Marcus said with a big smile before turning back to take up a better vantage from the hotel and occasionally check up on Johann while he was at it. He just watched from his perch on the third floor as the group slowly drove off in a commandeered mini-van with a minty green paint job.

(1 hour after sunset)

Hitomi was in the driver's seat while Frasier sat in the passenger's seat with his eyes constantly looking out the window to ensure they weren't about to pass something worth of value. The mini-van slowly cruised through the streets, carefully maneuvering around various wrecks they'd come across. A few survivors could be seen running down the sidewalks every now and then as they kept to themselves. The dead had been sweeping through the southern half of the city and most likely had started bleeding into the northern side through all the various bridges along the river that had either been overrun or abandoned; and 'They' were undoubtedly slowly adding more casualties by the minute. It was quite clear that all police efforts to contain the situation were futile aside from barricading the few bridges they still had control over.

"Noah, before I forget, I couldn't help but notice the considerable strength some of 'Them' had last night, despite having a noticeably weaker build. 'They' also appeared to be far more aggressive and alert. Do you have any idea what that could possibly mean?" Frasier suddenly asked as he figured this was vital information worth bringing up to help increase their knowledge of the situation, especially now that night had fallen yet again.

"I'm not sure. There are a lot of different interpretations of what zombies are capable of. My only guess is that the living dead operate differently after the sun sets. It's hard to say without really knowing 'Their' true anatomy." Noah attempted to explain before finally giving his speculation on the subject.

"Great; all the more reason to fear the dark. Well, at least 'They' can't move very fast...right?" Hitomi groaned before an uneasy tremor ran down her spine when Noah didn't answer; now feeling that they should've left while there was more daylight. However, she kept on driving, fueled with the knowledge that they couldn't hope to hold their own without any additions to their already small arsenal.

Suddenly, Hitomi brought the van to a steady halt. The tires could be heard rolling over the asphalt as the two Lawson brothers' looked forward to see the Tokonosu East Police Station right in their line of sight; a tall building that had several officers standing outside equipped with what appeared to be more than the standard issue revolvers. Several motionless corpses could be seen lined up along the sidewalk in body bags, up to the point tarps were laid out over the rest. Even a few shells from expended ammunition could be found lying in the parking lot.

"Holy shit...Hitomi-san? Is that you? Get over here!" one of the officers called out as he waved the young police woman over when he managed to recognize her in spite of only wearing half of her uniform.

He was of average height but seemed to be particularly muscular compared to his fellow officers. He wore what looked like body armor covering his torso, and had thick service boots indicating he was most likely under an SAT (Special Assault Team) unit. His brown hair was hidden under a standard riot helmet, and light stubble could be seen along his jawline. Both Lawson's could see in his hands was an H&K MP5A4 sub-machine gun with a flashlight attachment.

"Masanori-san? I hate to admit it, but for once I'm actually glad to see you. What's the situation?" Hitomi said with a notable sense of relief as she clearly had some kind of personal history with this man. A sly smirk formed along the male officer's face as he approached her when he noticed the fact she had just rolled up in a mini-van.

"It's pretty fucked up at the moment to be honest. We're scrambling and trying to establish a line in the sand, but these damn monsters just keep on pushing us back. Luckily we seem to have Onbetsu Bridge at the moment, but we haven't been receiving any communications from any of the other bridges, so it's mainly a lot of wishful thinking on our part right now. Where are Hachi and Ryo?" Masanori answered as he explained the clearly dire situation to her. His expression became one of concern when she just lowered and shook her head without any answer in terms to their current whereabouts.

"Shit. Well, get those two civilians inside and we can brief you on what's next. The chain of command has been getting shorter by the hour around here, and we're now taking orders from a detective. He's tough as nails though, and he seems to have a plan to evacuate to a nearby elementary school. With any luck, we'll be able to start doing our damn jobs and finally save some people." Masanori said in a moment of sorrow for the uncertain fate of the two M.I.A. officers before he went on to explain who was now taking charge of the situation, stifling any of his other unnecessary emotions that could potentially make this horrible situation any worse.

"Come on, you two. Don't be shy." Hitomi then called out as Frasier and Noah stood there awkwardly by minivan. Before they could respond or begin to approach, a low groan could be heard coming from the shadows. Moments later, out stepped an undead man holding what appeared to be a microphone clutched in his cold, dead hands. He wore a rather nice tan sports coat only for it to be covered in blood, tears and bite marks.

Masanori and the other officers quickly raised their weapons up, ready to add one more to the piles of bodies, only for Hitomi to motion them not to shoot. The corpse slowly shambled over as its whole body appeared to be trembling.

"Don't fire. You're just going to attract more of 'Them'!" Hitomi warned in a hushed whisper, which caused all the other officers present to look at her confusedly, as if they didn't know it was sound that attracted the dead.

"Then how do we stop it?" one of the other officers questioned nervously as they prepared to take aim again when the monster drew near.

"Now would be a good time to help." Noah whispered to Frasier, watching his older brother nod in response before he suddenly approached the undead reporter. The other officers formed looked on in total shock as this young man was now within reach of the creature as if he'd completely lost his mind.

"Kid, what the fuck are you doing?" Masanori called out as he was poised to rush over to get him out of the way, only for Hitomi to motion him to stand back; knowing exactly where this was going given what she'd seen the other day.

The reporter suddenly lashed out with both arms outstretched to suddenly take a swipe at Frasier. A large mess of spit and pus dribbled down its jawline as the teeth could be seen chomping together eagerly. The wretched stench filled the air as Frasier was now fully aware that at night he should avoid a direct grapple with the likes of 'Them'. He quickly side stepped to avoid the rotting nails from scratching him before his leg swept at the ankles. The undead man fell onto his face before the young Brit spared no time by pinning it down with his knees on the back.

"Not this time." Frasier muttered under his breath as he grabbed a fist full of hair only to start slamming the reporter face first into the ground. The officers watching slightly cringed at the sight of the face being smashed into a bloody pulp. Bits of rotting flesh had been pulled away to reveal bone after several blows. The police had seen a fair share of gruesome tragedies the job came with in the last 24 hours alone, but to see it happening so fast and unravelling before them was something else.

"What the hell is he doing now?" Masanori asked, momentarily shell-shocked to see a kid managing to fight one of these monstrosities with such vicious and deadly efficiency.

"Being thorough. He's actually quite good at it." Noah answered as he just stood there watching as his brother began to repeatedly stab into the back of the already mangled head of the undead reporter; the steel blade gouging and mangling the reporter's cranial cavity with a squishy *squelch* filling the air.

Frasier then stood up and wiped the bloody knife off on the back of the reporter once he was certain it was dead on a permanent basis. He then sheathed the blade into its holster beside his hip only to approach the others. Masanori couldn't help but let out a light whistle in response, clearly impressed with what he'd seen.

"Hold on, sir. You can't enter the station with that weapon. This officer will have to confiscate it." one of the other male officers suddenly instructed as he held his hand up to stop Frasier where he stood.

"Don't worry, Hiro. You can trust him." Hitomi suggested as she was certain Frasier wouldn't start any trouble, along with the fact that he'd be in a building filled with police officers would also be a likely deterrent to not start something up.

"You know the rules, Hitomi. This officer will still need to confiscate it." Hiro explained as he held his hand out for the knife and any other potential weapons Frasier might've had on him.

"Go ahead..." Frasier responded in a low voice as he then set his arms aside with both palms open and facing outwards. His body loomed over the officer with both height and intimidation on his side. There was now deep hesitation in the officer's demeanor, given how vicious this young man proved to be just moments ago.

"Take it from ME." Frasier nearly growled in a challenging voice as if he wanted the officer to try and take the honorary knife Uncle Mark had given him. A slight twitch in his right eye went off, only upping the fear he instilled in the now terrified officer, who quickly turned back to look at his friend as if expecting backup. However, the second officer standing on guard of the police station, with an equally terrified look, simply shook his head as if knowing this could just be a one-time exception.

Frasier then lowered his stance and simply smirked before entering the precinct with Noah behind him and Hitomi in front; both of them somewhat amazed that he could intimidate two officers who were both armed considerably better than the aggressive Brit. They entered through the front doors only to hear multiple voices calling out from all across the lobby and behind the front desk. Phones could be heard constantly ringing nonstop as people were rushing around in the background. It was absolute pandemonium here.

"Wait here. Let me go see what's going on." Hitomi instructed as she had Noah and Frasier stay behind when she walked over towards a bundle of officers gathering around a television on the wall to see news feed of the Onbetsu Bridge barricade.

A large group of protesters could be seen in the background chanting and proclaiming that the police were puppets of the government. One man then stood out in front of the crowd, proceeding to shout that the United States and Japanese governments were responsible for this due to the use of a biological weapon; the people rallying behind him as he shouted and showed no signs of backing down. A single gunshot could suddenly be heard only to be followed by several more going off.

'Those idiots...they're going to be slaughtered if they don't shut up!' Hitomi thought to herself as her fellow officers all had looks of disgust and anger at the very claim that this living hell was produced by the very governments they'd sworn to protect and uphold. None of them bought it for a second. There was no way all of this could have been done by man. It was far too organized yet chaotic, seeing how it was happening all over the world at once.

"Hey...isn't that the chief?" Masanori suddenly brought up as a male officer brushed past the camera crew and boldly approached the man leading the protest, all alone. He was roughly in his late forties and had a few grey hairs hidden by his police cap.

"You must please leave immediately. I'm afraid it's too dangerous for you to be here." the older officer announced in a calm yet dead serious voice as he placed his hand on the protest leaders' shoulder to get his attention, only for it to be swatted away aggressively.

"Oh, is it?! Any more dangerous than the government? Than your conspiracies?!" the man scoffed as he made it clear he was resolute in his cause to defy and denounce the government as much as possible.

"I'll only ask you one more time. You all need to disband and go." the officer explained in his soft spoken voice, his hand slowly forming a fist as it was clear that his words simply went in one ear and straight out the other one.

"Hell no! You go!" the protest leader roared out in defiance as he appeared to be holding up his fists as if expecting a fight now; his body fidgeting in place as he glared down the older officer.

"Go home! Go home!" both he and all the protesters began to chant as they refused to take even one step back; their voices echoing through the air as they held up their signs, hatred seeping off every chant they made as tensions were very high and only getting worse by the second.

"You don't seem to understand, sir. I've been given strict orders to maintain public safety. By any means necessary…by any means I see fit." the officer said in a low voice as his hand slowly unclenched, only to slowly reach for the holster attached to his hip. Everyone in the station looking up at the screen just watched completely dumbfounded when they watched the man fire a single shot point-blank into the protest leader's forehead.

His body trembled for a second only to suddenly collapse over backwards like a stiff board being dropped. The anti-government chants instantly stopped and were immediately replaced by screams of both panic and fear from the protesters. Most were quick to flee and disband while a few rushed over to check on the gunned down man. The officers in the station felt their jaws collectively drop as they watched the sudden execution; feeling all their blood collectively go cold that things had already gotten this bad.

"Noah, follow me. Something tells me they're not keeping a close eye on the armory right now." Frasier suggested in a low whisper as he kept a close eye on the amount of officers going back and forth between rooms.

"Are you sure that's wise, Frasier? I don't think they'd really appreciate us snooping around; especially by the armory of all places." Noah quietly protested as he wanted Frasier to heavily reconsider what he was about to do; knowing that if he wasn't careful, he might end up dead.

"Now isn't the time for hesitation. We can either arm ourselves, or we can pretty much just stand around and wait to be eaten alive." Frasier said as he brushed off Noah's concerns, knowing it would be foolish to just leave when they had the perfect opportunity to better arm themselves.

Without hesitation, the older Lawson slipped through a twin set of doors before carefully maneuvering through the hallway to see the entrance to the armory was not only open, but was also completely unguarded at the moment. The officer watching over it had most likely left to see the news broadcast with everyone else, which would help explain why it was so easy for him to enter without any detection. It was quite clear now that those left over in the station primarily consisted of cadets fresh out of the academy.

When Frasier entered the room, he took a large inhale as if he felt right at home. The rows of guns stocked perfectly together on their respective racks accompanied by countless boxes of ammunition neatly stacked to the side. It was like an early Christmas for him to be surrounded by so many weapons. It was just like he was entering his father's personal armory for the first time all over again. A rather wicked smile formed along the young man's face as he stepped deeper into the armory; all the while Noah remained outside in the hallway, resigning himself to serve as lookout so Frasier wouldn't get into serious trouble if caught.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" a low, yet very firm voice suddenly asked from above Noah with a curious ring in it.

Noah slowly looked up from the chair he had planted himself in to see a tall man wearing a tan trench coat was looking right back down at him. He then knelt down, as if he didn't want the young boy to feel afraid to talk to him. The man had a soft 5 o'clock shadow and light brown hair that was kept relatively short and disciplined. He had a rather powerful build as he appeared to be at roughly 6'3" tall when standing upright. He was most likely in his mid to late thirties by now.

"I-I was brought here by one of your officers. She's been doing everything she can to help keep us safe." Noah replied with obvious hesitancy hanging in his voice; uncertain why this rather friendly man was talking to him instead of watching the declining situation on the television like everyone else was.

"I see. Well my name is Detective Tadashi Miyamoto. I can only imagine the things you've seen before arriving here, young man. But you don't need to worry; you're safe with us now. We'll take good care of you. I promise you those things out there won't get inside on my watch." the mature man vowed after politely introducing himself to Noah. He then walked away with a purposeful stride, as though eager to find out how any other stations were holding up.

'Wait...Miyamoto? Why does that name sound familiar?' Noah thought to himself as he looked away to not draw attention to himself. He felt certain he'd heard that last name from somewhere before, but couldn't place an exact memory. Could it have been one of his classmates from back in school? With that possibility in mind, he couldn't help but start silently hoping to himself that they somehow got out okay. Either way, he felt somewhat safer knowing a man like that detective was actually calling the shots around here. He was clearly living proof of how a broken police force could remain resolute despite such overwhelming circumstances.

Meanwhile, the rest of the distracted remnants of the force watched in total dismay as bit by bit, the police barricade on the Onbetsu Bridge began to slowly find itself up against the wall. Civilians trapped on the bridge could be seen jumping off of it in an attempt to escape the larger undead hordes that had finally caught up to them and spared not a single soul 'They' touched. The cameraman however just kept recording, despite the fact the young reporter he was with had been dragged down and devoured within seconds. He just ran as fast as he possibly could until a bulldozer drove by, just narrowly missing him.

The undead horde trying to get through was crushed if not rammed aside when an entire line of bulldozers attempted to kill as many of 'Them' as possible. Limbs and crushed corpses could be seen scattered along the road now as the bulldozers suddenly came to an abrupt halt. Despite the overwhelming force, some of the dead managed to get ahold of the construction vehicles and eventually kill the drivers. The best chance of pushing 'Them' back had been snuffed out just as quickly as it had arrived.

"Oh my God…t-they can't hold it. These are veterans of the force, and they're hardly making a dent in those crowds..." one officer announced aloud as they all began to talk at once in despair.

"It's no use. We're all doomed now." another said in weakly as if she'd given up all hope to restore order right then and there.

Suddenly, gunshots could be heard from outside. Most likely the two SAT officers left to stand guard were taking shots at more of 'Them'. At first, the officers all assumed everything was fine because there was no sound afterwards, meaning that it was most likely just a small pack of 'Them' that had wandered over. A moment later, one of the SAT officers walked in to give thumbs up to indicate they were alright.

However, moments later on the news feed, the undead in frame could be seen looking up before slowly shambling further into the scene. One by one, the undead that weren't busy consuming flesh were starting to advance further up the bridge, cutting through the remaining forces making up the barricade like it was nothing, as if spurred on by the sound of even more fresh meat past the victims 'They' already had right in front of 'Them'. 'They' moved like a massive wave when 'They' would stumble and limp in near perfect unison, easily overwhelming the few remaining police officers on the bridge as their screams were quickly silenced and replaced with the sickening sound of tearing flesh accompanied by the near wall of inhuman growls and moans. The cameraman caught as much as he could before the car he was standing on was suddenly pushed over. The feed finally cut off as the camera most likely broke upon impact, leaving the inhabitants of the east police station to realize that that massive horde was now left completely unopposed and most likely headed in their direction after those gunshots from outside.

"Everyone, I need you all to remain absolutely calm-" Detective Miyamoto began to instruct before being cut off by the officers suddenly rushing around as if ready to flee for their own lives. Multiple cadets and lower ranked officers stormed right past him as he just stood there, feeling his iron-strong resolution starting to fade, as if he had no idea how to calm his fellow officers down enough to listen to him.

"Fuck this! I'm not dying like this!" one of the various officers cried out in fear as he started trying to shove his fellow officers out of his way.

"Get out while you still can! This is hopeless!" another cadet warned to the rest as they all began to head for the door in desperation.

Just as it seemed there was no chance of calming the panicking remnants of the local police force, a loud whistle sounded out, miraculously making them all stop in their tracks. The loud sound echoed as all eyes and sidearm sights focused upon Frasier, who had ditched the bomber jacket for a black Kevlar vest and forearm guards most likely made of reinforced plastic. A pair of black gloves covered his hands as he clenched an MP5SFK in his firm grip.

"How the hell did that man get a gun? Did someone leave the armory unmanned?!" Detective Miyamoto questioned as he kept his hand near the grip of his revolver just in case the young man who had clearly just helped himself to their weapons might've been insane.

"All of you pansies and rookies shut your mouths and listen up! Normally I would leave you all to your fates, but due to the severity of the situation, I'm feeling generous enough to help you all out here." Frasier announced as he tried to control the crowd of fleeing officers that had felt their spirits be crushed and their hope broken beyond all belief.

"Fuck you, kid, this is serious!" Masanori called out angrily as he gripped his fist at the fact this upstart kid was trying to tell the police what to do.

"Get out of the way!" a female officer announced as the others began to join in and shout back at their aggressor.

"Hold on...HOLD ON! Listen to me, everyone! I know this guy is young, but he's also military-trained! Trust me on this; I've seen how he handles himself against these monsters. Listen to him of you intend on surviving!" Hitomi suddenly called out above the others in an attempt to bring the boiling tension down long enough for order to be restored. This rather crucial piece of information caused all of them to settle down as they just looked up at him with less anger and primal fear, but still with heavy uncertainty.

"Military-trained? Are you certain about this, Hitomi-san?" Detective Miyamoto asked quietly as he looked over to the young woman, only for her to answer with a simple nod. A sense of relief simultaneously flowed through him and all the other officers as Frasier now had an audience ready to hear him out.

"Alright, now listen up: you have guns, and you have a pulse; but most of all, you're the last, possibly only, line of defense these helpless people have left. With my strategic planning, you all just might have a chance to not only save yourselves, but help reduce the potential casualties these things will create if left unchecked and unopposed.

"I've got one rule under my command you should all take to heart. Everyone fights and nobody quits. If you so much as consider abandoning your duty to yourselves, to each other, and to the people of Tokonosu, I'll personally shoot you myself. Any questions?" Frasier warned as it was quite clear he wasn't going to accept a cowardly attitude from what should've been Tokonosu's finest, even if they were still green. Not one of them doubted that he'd do it neither, given by how dead serious his voice and glare was. Even the way he carried himself helped them forget the fact he wasn't even in his twenties yet.

"It's about time we really did something about all this. So what's the plan, Frasier?" Hitomi said with admiration in her voice as she was quite eager to do something while there was still a chance.

"As far as I'm concerned, these creatures aren't anything mankind hasn't faced before. Our largest advantage as a species is that we learn to adapt and we can overcome any situation if we use our most powerful weapon, which just so happens to be located between our ears. We lure these undead into a kill zone, just like as if it were a standard military ambush. We keep 'Them' from leaving, and then we will unleash everything we have! Now get to the armory and prepare to make a stand!" Frasier called out as he paced back and forth; speaking to the small remnants as if they were an army, seeing both their worth and potential to actually make a stand against 'Them'.

A round of applause fueled by inspiration was all that could be heard as everyone without a proper firearm and equipment quickly headed to the armory to suit up. Whether they liked it or not, this young man certainly seemed to be the best chance they had in hopes of surviving the night and restoring a bit of order to the chaos.

Tadashi approached Frasier with a rather gracious look in his eyes; the eyes of a man most would be able to see had never endured defeat before and now would not have to face it this night. His light brown eyes appeared to be tired as the stress of the last 24-hours had clearly taken a toll on him. A deep sigh of relief now could finally escape past his lips.

"Thank you, young man. I couldn't have possibly done this on my own. Those poor rookies were broken beyond my control. With your military experience though, we just might be able to survive the night after all. My name is Tadashi Miyamoto. Who are you?" the noble detective said in thanks before bowing out of respect to Frasier.

"My name does not matter right now, detective. Right now, we should focus on making a proper kill zone before that massive horde arrives. Those things might be slow, but we'll still need every last minute we can get." Frasier said in a distant tone of voice as he decided to skip the formalities and instead get straight to work. His determination was quite clear and he was not about to be broken this night.

"If you're looking for a good place to lure those things over where we can follow your plan, there's a sizable gated community just two blocks north of here, and it ends in a cul-de-sac. The houses are high enough that we could even have our forces pick 'Them' off from the rooftops if things get ugly." Detective Miyamoto explained as Frasier's eyes steadily grew wide and a satisfied smirk formed on his lips.

"Yes…yes, that's perfect! Tell everyone that that neighborhood will be where we lure 'Them' to enact the plan. And make sure you gather every last bit of ammunition and other hardware you can get. No matter how good a location this is that you have in mind, this isn't going to be easy." Frasier exclaimed enthusiastically before giving the detective the go-ahead to start rallying everyone together, eager for everyone to get their feet firmly planted in the ground for the battle that was to come.

"Very well. Just know that whatever happens, I will not forget this. I intend to rally any survivors to a local elementary school once this is all over, and you'd certainly be more than welcome to join us. Thank you again for your assistance." Tadashi said in an attempt to explain his future plans before he then left Frasier to rearm himself too.

"What can I do? And don't you dare even consider putting me on the sidelines, because I want to help too! I'm probably a better shot than most of these blokes combined anyway." Noah suddenly asked as he noticed Frasier was heading outside to start planning on his next step in preparations for the incoming horde. A strong determination and sense of duty flowed through the young Lawson's heart as he saw the intensity in Frasier's demeanor. This was virtually everything he'd been trained for, and this was finally his first real opportunity getting to put it all to use.

"Like I said, Noah; everybody will fight, including you. This is what we've been trained to do, so I hope you're ready for some REAL combat. Now go gear up and await further orders, soldier!" Frasier then said in a proud voice at Noah's show of bravery and commitment. His younger sibling gave him a proper British salute only to then follow up by hugging Frasier's torso. The older Lawson couldn't help but feel warm inside at this display of brotherly affection as Noah left to arm himself for the upcoming fight. There was nobody else he'd rather have going into the heat of battle with him, and no matter what, he was going to make sure they'd both live to see the end of it.

(Twenty minutes later)

During the time the police force at the station was preparing for the massive horde to arrive, a squad cruiser had managed to pull up with blood coating the very front bumper, hood and windshield. Tadashi rushed over to see several men stumbling out of the vehicle.

"K-Kato-san? My God, is that you? What happened to you?" Tadashi asked out of deep concern as he could see his close friend slowly falling out of the driver's seat when he tried to exit the cruiser. He was a rather short man in comparison to the towering detective, with dark black hair oiled back which went rather well with this thin yet noticeable mustache. His square glasses nearly fell off as he slowly pulled himself back up.

"Tadashi-san...oh God, it was horrible! I tried my best, but those things just kept coming! All those people...I can still hear them all screaming! We had to retreat while we still could! We're literally the ONLY ones that were able to get away! We should've just destroyed the bridge while there was still time! And we kept seeing more and more of those damn things on the way here! They must be pouring into this side of the city from all the other bridges along the river that fell! There's no way we can hope to contain those monsters anymore!" Kato expressed in deep regret and paralyzing fear as he confessed that he had no other choice but to flee the failed attempt to hold the line at Onbetsu Bridge.

"It's going to be okay, old friend. Just go inside the station and lock up. I can send someone to pick you up if we return from this operation. Can you walk?" Tadashi instructed as it was clear he didn't want this man to further risk his life any more than he already had. He had done his part.

"As much as I hate to abandon you in a crisis such as this...I can't help but take you up on that offer. Please, don't die out there, Tadashi-san. Your family will need you if they manage to survive all this." Kato accepted with his head hung low before he coughed into his sleeve, his face pouring with sweat after such a close encounter.

"Don't worry; I don't plan on dying anytime soon, Kato-san. And I have faith I'll see them again. Kiriko and Rei are both much stronger and capable than anyone else would think. Now, you four just hang back here, and if anyone comes by, you need to redirect them to the elementary school. It's imperative that we save as many survivors as possible." Tadashi said with confidence before giving Kato one final salute as they parted ways. Tadashi let out a soft sigh as he couldn't believe how out of hand things had become. This city he grew up in was always peaceful but to see it fall so fast; to see neighbors, friends, and former colleagues come back from the dead had broken a part of his otherwise strong spirit. But nevertheless, deep in his heart, he felt an unshakable faith that his family would manage to make it through anything this hellish nightmare would try to throw at them, and that faith was exactly what he needed at this very moment.

Frasier and Noah meanwhile stood side by side as they watched the very last of the firearms and ammunition in the armory being loaded up into a nearby SAT van. The plan now was to take the remaining police force and head north to the gated community Detective Miyamoto had mentioned in order to set up a defensible kill zone and not only lure the massive horde that had formed at the Onbetsu Bridge but any other stragglers of 'Them' that had managed to make it to this side of the city. With their renewed confidence and faith in Frasier's supposed military background, the fresh officers were ready for action.

Exactly thirty officers, men and women that had survived the initial outbreak and dedicated themselves to ensuring the public's safety long beforehand, packed up into the few remaining police cruisers and vans left, ready to stand against the tide, finally capable of suppressing their still nagging fears and replace them with the drive to finally fight back and protect the living people that still depended on them to fulfill their sworn duty.

"Mount up, you two. We're ready to roll out whenever you are." Tadashi suddenly announced as he pulled up in a squad car that came to a sudden halt a couple meters away from the two Lawson brothers.

"Ready, Frasier?" Noah asked as he looked up to see his older brother taking in a very deep breath before finally exhaling, as if psyching himself up for entering his element.

"Simulation 62: Set up an ambush for the enemy and inflict as many casualties as possible. Abso-bloody-lutely! Let's make our ancestors proud, Noah!" Frasier called out as his heart and voice was teeming with pride as he didn't just see this battle as a fight for survival, but a chance to determine just how well his training had held up despite the gap in his final years of training. To him, this was the ultimate initiation.

The convoy slowly pulled up into the nearby gated neighborhood that had fortunately been abandoned by its inhabitants. It made the execution of this insane plan that much less risky now. A reasonably high wall surrounded the once beautiful display of now empty homes. Signs of the panicked evacuation could be seen all over the neighborhood. The lights were still on in some, and there were various suitcases filled with clothing spilled across the yards and streets, as if the residents literally had not even enough time to take their own belongings with them when they fled for their lives.

It was eerily quiet now. There were no screams of terror or gunfire echoing out to be heard (as far as they could tell). The assembled officers' breathing began to speed up as the tension made most of them uneasy while they just stood there, waiting for the inevitable horde to come crashing down upon them. The wind would occasionally bring a chilling breeze as it carried papers and trash around with it. A glass bottle slowly rolled down the road as everyone looked around as if they couldn't help but feel they were being watched from all angles now.

"Turn on the sirens. This area should be completely boxed in by those walls, so all of our flanks will be secure. Set up defenses and start praying to whatever deity you believe in. This is going to be the roughest night of our lives." Frasier instructed as he stepped out and looked up to Tadashi, who nodded in acknowledgment. The noble detective then proceeded to start issuing out orders and positions to what could very well be the very last remnants of the Eastern Police Force.

*weee wuuu* *weee wuuu*

The officers began to set up red road flares along the street so they could actually see instead of having to take a guess as to what they were going to be shooting at. The darkness concealed everything it could touch. The air gave off a cool, calm breeze every now and then. The cruisers were left on and slowly positioned sideways to erect a makeshift barricade.

(Thirty minutes later)

"Oh shit! Here they come! This is it!" Masanori announced as he came running back with Hitomi and a few other officers who had been standing guard at the entrance to the neighborhood to keep a lookout for the undead horde to finally arrive.

"Remember everyone...you are the peace keepers of Tokonosu. Whatever gets past us will go on to kill our loved ones. While none of us could possibly be ready for this; that will not deter us from our sworn duty! We all hold the line! For honor! For our families! For Tokonosu! For the survival of humanity!" Tadashi said in a voice booming with pride to remind the cadets and the handful of officers who all stood side by side just what it was they stood for even to this very moment; brothers and sisters in arms united against a foe unlike anything they could've ever imagined having to face when selecting law enforcement as their career. Their cheers of valor and restored faith now filled the air as the police sirens were finally turned off now that they could ensure the hordes didn't wander away if any other noises outside the neighborhood were to sound.

"Ready the Molotov cocktails. Keep them centered and away from the houses so we don't end up trapping ourselves between 'Them' and a wall of fire." Frasier instructed to the nearest cadets as he opened up his black book bag from the sporting goods store to reveal several alcoholic beverages with oily rags stuffed into the neck of each glass bottle.

"Whoa...I take it these originally came from the hotel?" Noah asked in amazement as he began to carefully pull them out, handing them to the nearby officers with extreme care not to drop them.

"Indeed. I figured they'd give us an advantage to be able to incinerate multiple packs of 'Them' at once. Let's test how fire affects these things." Frasier said as they both looked over in the distance to see the first of 'Them' were now in plain sight as 'They' shambled through the open neighborhood gates; numerous figures revealing themselves in quickly growing multitudes; shuffling and bobbing in the shadows. 'Their' groans echoed and practically rang through the air, causing everyone's hearts to rapidly beat as they could feel themselves growing goosebumps as they could finally see their enemy face to face for the first time.

"Remember, anything less than a headshot is a waste of ammunition and time. Stay in formation and do not show 'Them' any mercy, for 'They' will not show any to you. Even if one of 'Them' is a family member or a close friend, you cannot afford to hesitate. This is what it's come down to: It's us or 'Them'!" Frasier called out as they all simultaneously took aim to acquire their targets; their fingers slowly running along their respective triggers.

"Let's send the dead a message." Hitomi said aloud as she, along with a few others, lobbed the ignited Molotov's straight at the feet of the first in a line of thousands.

[Metallica - For Whom the Bells Tolls]

*crash*

The slim bottles shattered upon impact only to spontaneously light up the entire street. An orange and yellow glow erupted and consumed everything it touched, as if the fires themselves were alive. Entire packs of 'Them' clumped up close together were caught ablaze, the fires singeing and peeling away the skin of the burning corpses. A rotten smell of burning flesh filled the survivors' nostrils as they tried to ignore the putrid stench. The heat was so intense that those in the front ranks could feel the raging heat emanating from the burning undead.

Soon, the first wave that had been completely roasted began to slowly drop to 'Their' knees. 'Their' grey skin had been replaced by a black, almost charcoal like, crispy gristle. Facial expressions of horror were fixed on the burned up faces as the bodies began to twitch a little, only to eventually become motionless and finally collapse to the ground. It was almost similar to when spraying an insect with poison. Roughly forty-seven seven of 'Them' had been burned to a crisp, yet it hardly seemed to matter as the undead behind the first wave simply pushed on past the dying flames and kept advancing to the police cruisers that the officers were using as their first line of defense and only proper barricade.

Four police cruisers were lined up across the street while two SAT vans were placed on each ending side to help keep the undead from flanking the survivors' positions. Twenty officers, along with Frasier and Noah, leaned on the hoods and trunks for stability while the remaining ten stood on standby for when the first firing squad had to reload or catch their breath.

"Fire!" Tadashi ordered as everyone at once squeezed their triggers with no hesitation, emboldened after seeing how the fires seemed to be very effective. A massive volley of 9x19 Parabellum cartridges flew through the air as their guns crackled for anyone within a couple kilometer radius to hear. It was like they'd created an entire wall of lead that mainly flew straight into the frontline of the horde with only a few shots ineffectively striking the torsos and shoulders. Entire skulls blew out from the back as the bullets pierced the weak decaying mushy grey faces.

The next wave in line hissed and growled as if enraged by the loud gunfire now ringing in 'Their' ears. The primal anticipation of a fresh meal signaled by the massive noise practically sent 'Them' into a frenzy. Groans and sighs began to come from every last one, but they were only answered by a second volley. 'Their' blood painted every inch of the street and splattered against the fellow undead who were standing directly behind 'Them'. The officers did not show any fear anymore as they stood united and refused to let the seemingly endless horde of undead monsters escape their wrath.

It was made all too clear after a few minutes that despite being met with round after round, piles of fresh corpses after piles of fresh corpses, the undead were completely incapable of feeling fear. No matter how many were gunned down, the next in line would come in just as eager as the ones prior. Part of Frasier couldn't help but admire that quality about the undead, knowing that 'They' would be the very role model of a shock trooper. However, he simply chose to ignore that part of his mind as he began to pull the trigger so fast on the semi-automatic carbine in his hands it sounded almost as if he was in full-auto mode.

His body trembled with joy as it had been so long since he was last able to fire a proper weapon. The recoil hardly bothered him neither, as this was what he was trained to do, to fire with deadly accuracy and show absolutely zero mercy to his foes. A fixated grin formed over his face as he managed to nail an entire clip into the crowd without wasting a single shot. His tongue slowly traced his lips as he slapped in another clip and continued to shoot with machine-like accuracy.

Noah on the other hand took careful aim, trying to distinguish the best targets, mainly being the more heavily built-looking undead; not that it mattered though, seeing how at night, all of the undead were considerably stronger and much more aggressive. He then stood back to let the next person behind him take a shot while he reloaded and tried to survey anything ahead that should be conveyed to the others.

"Frasier, at this rate we're going to be in close quarters with these things. Get the riot shields and M4 Benelli's ready. We can let a few of 'Them' move in and shield-wall the wankers." Noah suggested as the virtual wave of undead seemed to be getting closer and closer despite the continuous volley of bullets mowing those of 'Them' at the forefront down over and over again.

"Alright. Everyone move back! Get into a shield formation!" Frasier ordered as the officers finished off whatever was left in their carbine's clip. All thirty officers quickly jogged back as 'They' slowly began to pile up against the parked cruisers.

A wave of hands and nails clawed at the cars as the undead tried to use 'Their' sheer numbers and force to push the cruisers aside. Gurgling groans and sighs practically erupted out of what could only be assumed to be an unconscious frustration from being kept away from a fresh meal to satisfy 'Their' endless hunger. No matter how many lives the dead took, no matter how much flesh was consumed, it was never enough.

When the horde finally did manage to create a gap big enough to slip through, 'They' were met by an entire row of heavily reinforced riot shields held by the strongest of the SAT officers. The valiant and courageous officers making up this secondary line of defense let out a powerful war cry as the dead clashed against their shield wall. Bloody nails clawed and stained the black steel shields while the SAT officers behind them had to use all their might just to hold the human tidal wave back.

From behind the shield wall, several small cylinder-shaped objects flew into the mob of the dead. A bright light suddenly flashed as an extremely loud bang pierced the air. The undead suddenly stopped scratching and pounding against the shields, shambling backward confusedly, completely disoriented. 'Their' heads weaved back and forth as 'They' could only just swipe in random directions to the point some even ended up knocking each other down, leaving a whole bunch of 'Their' ranks completely exposed and vulnerable.

"The flashbangs work! This is it! Now push!" Frasier roared out as the SAT officers all slowly reeled their arms back, only to suddenly slam their shields forward as if to create a shockwave. The undead still scratching and pulling at the shield wall were all flung back, creating a temporary gap between the two sides. All the undead following up on the first wave were knocked back down to the ground as a result in a domino effect while those that stood up were stumbling in place out of recoil.

The men holding the riot shields upright suddenly got down on one knee only to suddenly tilt the shields back at an angle to where they still touched the ground but gave plenty of space for the row behind them to unleash a barrage of shotgun blasts. The 12-gauge shells formed multiple massive cones of death that blasted the undead into many pieces and gruesome bursts of blood. Limbs were blown clean off and torsos and heads were reduced to gruesome chunks of meat as round after round was constantly being pumped out of the semi-automatic shotguns and into the fleshy bundles of 'Them'. Steel balls ripped through entire bodies as the corpses would be sent flying back from the sheer force being blasted repeatedly into 'Them'.

The barrage of shotguns then stopped after several seconds to allow the front row of riot shields to then tilt back upright and move the line straight into the pile of undead once again. Some of 'Them' were still moving despite entire portions of 'Their' bodies being completely eviscerated and destroyed beyond recognition and repair. Without hesitation, the SAT began to bash in the skulls with the bottoms of their shields, their heavily reinforced boots, and their batons.

*crash* *bash* *smack*

Until the officers were satisfied and certain that the undead beneath their boots would never be getting back up, they just continued to lay on the beat down before switching back to holding up the shield line by the time the next wave had arrived. Just as before, the undead continued to prove 'They' were tenacious creatures that just would not give up no matter how many were being slaughtered around 'Them'.

"Again! Push!" Frasier called out as the officers all suddenly shifted their formation to where the undead bulk was actually shoved away in different directions after a second bundle of flashbangs were tossed overhead. As the dead were shoved in all directions, the frontline of SAT officers pulled out the heavy wooden batons from their hips; charging into the undead horde valiantly as they clashed head on into the thick of it all.

Spread out and unable to use 'Their' sheer numbers, the dead were quickly being teamed up on by multiple groups of officers while the rest were still limping over the remains of 'Their' previously slain compatriots to join in the bloody clash of man versus monster. The batons cracked and battered the undead with no shred of mercy as the officers felt a massive boost in confidence that they could not only kill the undead, but actually see 'Them' in a moment of weakness and vulnerability.

"Frasier, we're out of flashbangs, and at the rate those things are still pouring in, we're going to be overwhelmed within the next few minutes. Pull back most of the officers to the rooftops so they can take the high ground." Noah suggested as he could tell that despite how well things seemed to be going; conventional methods still weren't going to win this battle.

"Right. You lot, move up to the rooftops. We'll hold them back." Frasier instructed as Noah, Hitomi and Tadashi split off with some other officers to head for the furthest houses in the neighborhood.

"Help each other take those ammo crates up to the rooftops while you're all at it. We can't risk running out of munitions. Not when we've still got plenty of monsters to kill." Tadashi ordered to several other officers as they headed back towards their final stand off point in the cul-de-sac. As they ran for higher ground, Frasier suddenly had an idea that could buy their group some time.

"Hold those bastards back. I've got a plan!" Frasier suddenly shouted to Masanori, who gave him a quick thumbs up before he initiated another 12-gauge barrage to push the dead waves back even just a little bit.

The eldest Lawson quickly dashed over to a squad car. With the keys still in the ignition, he gave it a quick twist and felt the engine rev up before climbing inside. He carefully lined the car up with the center of the seemingly endless horde. Frasier suddenly shifted it to park mode before stepping out and crawling under the cruiser. With his knife in hand, he sliced the fuel line, only to then head back to the driver's seat and wedge one of the wooden batons between the seat and the gas pedal.

*vvvvrrrroooommmm*

The car suddenly roared out as the engine was ready to send the cruiser speeding forward the moment the brakes were released.

"Oi! Step aside if you don't want to be road kill!" Frasier called out to the other officers who quickly moved out of the way when they saw what he was doing. Without a second thought, the young Brit shifted the brakes off and felt a massive jolt as the cruiser instantly sped down the road, heading dead on a direct collision course with 'Them'.

Making sure the cruiser didn't go off course, Frasier remained inside before jumping out with only precious seconds to spare. His body rolled on the ground before the other officers quickly moved in to help him back up. He quickly brushed them off however and ran towards the large trail of fuel the cruiser left behind that led right into the horde it had just plowed into. Corpses were crushed beneath the spinning wheels, run over, and knocked clean aside several meters before Frasier knelt down with a lighter in hand.

A small fire quickly followed the trail and straight past the feet of the various undead that stood over it. The police cruiser had already flipped over and was now wedged between a sizable amount of 'Them'.

"Get down! Get down!" Frasier called out in warning as he then pulled over a few of the many fully dead corpses around him for cover; knowing that whatever was about to happen was going to be big. The officers quickly pulled up their shields in defense as they waited for whatever it was that caused Frasier to call out like that.

*KA-BOOM*

A massive ball of fire suddenly went up in a blinding flash as a loud explosion rang out that dwarfed all other sounds with ease. Heat could be felt blazing through the entire street as the squad cruiser had been completely destroyed along with a sizable chunk of 'Them' that had been caught in the immediate blast radius. The remaining body of the car flipped up into the air, only to crush those undead below it when gravity reeled it back in. Body parts and pieces of the car were now raining down across the neighborhood-now-turned-battlefield, plinking and bouncing hard against the heavily reinforced riot shields that were now propped up for cover.

"Alright…we're falling back. The rest of you follow me." Frasier ordered when the piles of mutilated burning bodies began to get in the way of their lines of sight, and also when he could see that all the constant maneuvering with those heavy shields for the last several minutes against such tremendous force was starting to wear the officers out.

In a final show of willpower, the officers then broke the ranks up and turned straight around to make a steady retreat. However, one of 'Them' that had been inadvertently buried under the piles of scorched corpses managed to reach out and grab a passing rookie's boot. He let out a loud cry of pain as he face-planted into the asphalt before calling out for help as he desperately tried to break free from the vice-like grip the creature had on him. Unable to leave him behind, Masanori and several others valiantly rushed back over to help. Even the advancing corpses shambling past the raging inferno did not deter them from saving a comrade that needed their help.

Despite their strongest efforts, they could not hold the dead back as well as anticipated without the full support of the others, who were now still busy loading up the crates of ammunition upstairs in their respective designated houses around the cul-de-sac. Knowing that their fate had just been sealed, instead of cowering like weak children in the face of certain death, they instead stood their ground like men; firing off multiple rounds of 12-gauge shells into the crowds before being completely surrounded and joining the very officer they attempted to rescue. A brutal barrage of batons thwacked and smashed down into numerous undead skulls defiantly; but soon the sounds of flesh being torn filled the air as the officers' screams of pain were quickly muffled by the sound of the other officers finally being able to start taking shots from the rooftops.

Masanori, covered in both his and 'Their' blood, was now firing his .38 revolver at point blank, despite knowing how ultimately pointless it was. 'They' could consume his flesh, break his bones, tear him limb from limb; but no matter what, his spirit did not dare falter even once. Just as he came face to face with another undead officer, his entire world suddenly went dark as a single round nailed him in the side of the head. Blood slowly trailed down his nose and face before his eyes closed peacefully.

A tear filled eye looked through the scope of the semi-auto carbine as it watched Masanori's body go limp and vanish in the sea of undead. Hitomi slowly leaned away from the scope before wiping the tears away, fully aware that now was not the time to panic or let her personal feelings get in the way. Instead, she just clenched her teeth and continued to take carefully placed shots; hoping to kill as many of 'Them' as possible.

Frasier and a handful of the remaining SAT officers rejoined Noah, Tadashi, and the terrified cadets on the rooftop, as they could only watch as the less fortunate SAT officers were mercilessly torn apart before their eyes. 'They' did not take prisoners; it was only bite, rend, tear and consume every last bit, down to their bloody splintered bones. That was all the dead knew.

"Don't stop firing. There's nothing we can do for those blokes now. Keep it up!" Frasier ordered as he could see some of the hesitation among the remaining ranks. He then unleashed another clip into the first of 'Them' that had decided to break off from the feeding frenzy and head their direction now.

[]

Z-Day+2

The dead continued to draw near the houses at the cul-de-sac as 'Their' numbers seemed to just keep going on and on like an infinite loop. The sun could be seen rising on the horizon, soon bringing daylight to the battlefield. Several hours of nonstop fighting and running had taken its toll on the remaining officers though. Despite all the undead they had put down, the remaining ones did not care for 'They' could not feel fear, pain, or even a sense of self-preservation. These were the ultimate shock troops, incapable of wearing out. The walking dead were simply an unstoppable force that threw out all conventional methods in 'Their' animalistic drive to feed.

It was rather surreal to Noah to see that despite being on the verge of being completely trapped on these roofs with everyone else without any hope of escape, the morning was otherwise a beautiful sight, the orange skies complimented by the white fluffy clouds. The smell of salt water from the oceans would occasionally help him forget the stench of death and fleshy decay that now filled the neighborhood. He then looked up to the infinite sky above, as though silently asking what they were going to do now that they were stuck on the rooftops with not nearly enough ammo to take out the rest of the horde below.

[John Willams - Qui-gon's Noble End]

Suddenly, the front-most line of 'Them' began to violently twitch as dirt, limbs, blood, and bits of the street were flung up in an instantaneous hellfire that undoubtedly outmatched anything the remaining officers were carrying on them. A dreadful buzzing sound suddenly pierced the air seconds later.

*bbbbbrrrrzzzzz*

A fighter jet suddenly flew overhead as it was moving at a rather low speed for a jet, bringing a massive gust of wind behind its low altitude flight pattern. The survivors all looked up in awe at the results of a single strafing run that had completely torn any undead caught in the flyby into so many pieces that destroying the brain wouldn't even matter at this point; reducing the dead to crawling around without legs and arms. 'Their' skin and clothing were torn to shreds as the 30mm cannons fired again when the jet made a second run.

"This is Hellcat 6. Couldn't help but notice you folks appeared to be in trouble. Just stand back and let me take over from here. Over." a female voice said in an unmistakable American accent on their only radio, leaving the survivors dumbfounded as to how she was able to get their frequency. The jet zoomed by again as it fired another barrage into the undead that were still crawling around along the road; still mindlessly determined as ever to eat the remaining survivors.

*bbbbbrrrrzzzzz*

A large mass of undead that hadn't already been shredded like wet tissue paper was violently flung in multiple directions like rag dolls as the large caliber rounds completely obliterated 'Them'. Some had even landed into the nearby houses with a satisfying crash. Like a bird of prey, the fighter jet continued to lay into the rotting horde; reducing the already ravaged battlefield into that of a full-blown fiery war-zone.

"I don't believe it! That's an A-10 Thunderbolt II...where the bloody hell did it come from?" Noah shouted as he covered his ears from the insanely loud explosions that made it near impossible to even think straight; ducking down as bits of debris flew high enough up into the air to rain down onto the rooftops. The resulting heat from this distance easily made the Molotov's feels like a small candle in comparison.

"Don't look a gift airstrike in the tail fin, Noah! Just get down now!" Frasier ordered as he was quick to push Noah to the floor, knowing that the A-10 was certainly not done just yet.

"It looks like we've caught someone's attention! It must be the United States Marines!" Hitomi cheered out of relief as the survivors of the police force just stood there from the multiple rooftops and watched as strafe after strafe peppered away at the undead; the neighborhood being torn to pieces from the barrage of heavy firepower raining down from above, although the pilot was careful enough to not fire close enough to endanger any of the survivors.

*bbbbbrrrrzzzzz*

What was once over a thousand decaying monsters hell-bent on consuming the living were now reduced to bloody giblets and battered bullet sponges. So many limbs and appendages had been blown off; it would've taken a miracle just to figure out what belonged to whom. None of 'Them' were left standing now. Those that were not completely and utterly destroyed by the brutal bombardments could only lie there in place, unable to move any further; 'Their' jaws still snapping and letting out groans of inhuman hunger.

"Looks like my job here is done. I'll leave the rest to you. Best of luck, you guys. Over and out." Hellcat 6 announced before the jet soon vanished up into the skies and vanished as soon as she had arrived.

Aside from the occasional groan from the very few of 'Them' that had barely survived the devastating airstrike, it was finally quiet. After hours of constant gunfire and shouting, there was finally a moment of calm bliss that rushed through all the survivors simultaneously. One of the completely unoccupied houses suddenly began to implode on itself from the integral damage it had endured.

[]

"It's...it's over. We did it! We actually won!" Noah muttered in absolute shock as everyone let out a collective sigh of relief; knowing that the undead weren't nearly as invincible as once perceived, and feeling all the more grateful for it.

None could bring themselves to cheer, though. Aside from those that had been lost in this battle alone; the thoughts of all the other fallen officers, along with the overwhelming fact that all the mutilated corpses and shredded remains below them were once the very people they'd sworn to protect was too much to bare. No, this could only call for a moment of silence and respect from all present; a chance for them to respectfully express just how grateful they truly were for the sacrifices that had been made so that they may live.

(Ten minutes later)

With the last of the remaining ammunition now having been loaded into one of the SAT vans that was still able to run smoothly; Tadashi turned to see Frasier and Noah approaching him after having made sure that the area was clear and that another horde wasn't anywhere nearby.

"Are you sure that you don't want to come with us, boys? You'd stand a much better chance with us if you ask me." Tadashi offered as he wanted to confirm that the two young men were 100% certain of their choice.

"As tempting as it may be...I still feel a small group is best. Sorry, detective." Frasier answered as he was absolutely resolute in his decision.

"I see. Well, should that ever change further down the road; you know where we'll be. I want to thank you, not just on my behalf, but the entire Tokonosu Eastern Police Force. I will never forget this kindness for as long as I live, and it has been a great honor to serve with you, soldier." Tadashi said sincerely before bowing out of respect and firmly shaking hands with the two Lawson brothers immediately afterwards.

"Sir, before you go, this officer would like to make a transfer request to stay with these young men. They may be tough, but they are also young, and this officer feels it is her duty to ensure they are kept safe." Hitomi suddenly brought up as she entered the conversation, causing all three of them to focus their gaze upon her very determined expression, almost as if she speaking less out of a professional sense of duty and more out of natural maternal instinct.

"We're in a state of emergency, Hitomi-san. The rules and guidelines are very clear that all officers must relocate to any official designated points for evacuation. However, due to the fact you 'perished' in the line of duty, I think there's nothing else to talk about here." Tadashi said in a serious tone before giving her a wink at the end, now turning back to lead the remaining officers to the elementary school he'd intended to set up for any survivors that might come across the message he'd left at the station.

Before he left however, he set down two crates of ammunition before the three. A warm, sly smile could be seen on his lips before closing the van door behind him. The heavily armored van and remaining squad cars then finally took off before leaving the three survivors to their thoughts and each other. A crow could then be heard as several could be seen perched on a telephone pole above.

"Well, that takes care of that. Let's go load this stuff up in a car and get back to Marcus and Johann. Hopefully they've kept it down and didn't have any trouble come knocking on the door." Frasier instructed as he effectively broke the momentary silence between the three of them.

Without hesitation, the two helped him find a suitable vehicle left abandoned nearby and loaded up over several thousand rounds of 9x19 cartridges and several hundred 12 gauge shells packed neatly into two massive surplus crates into the back seat.

"So tell me something, Frasier...why did you stay in the end?" Hitomi suddenly asked as her gaze quickly shifted over to Frasier for a response.

"I don't know what you're talking about..." Frasier said as he looked away while trying to keep from making eye contact.

"Don't try to bullshit your way out of this! You and I are both fully aware that you easily could've just grabbed what you needed and took off with Noah without any of us knowing…but you didn't." Hitomi snapped in frustration tone as she was quickly beginning to lose her cool with his secrecy after everything they'd just gone through. Part of it almost sounded like she felt regretful, as if she had misjudged his character from earlier.

"She's right, that is what you would've done if your attitude from before was to be believed. C'mon, Frasier! Be honest...why did we stay?" Noah then interjected as Frasier had a conflicted look in his eyes. All his training and the simulations he had endured as a youth naturally told him to look out only for himself and the safety of his squad. Everyone else was expendable according to what he was taught. This night had shown that not only had he passed his personal initiation; he had also managed to fight his own mental programming.

"I have absolutely no idea what you're on about, Hitomi. Don't focus on why and just be happy that I did." Frasier said as he looked out the window as they climbed into the car; obviously trying to avoid the subject and keep from answering their questions.

(Several hours earlier)

Just as Frasier had finished loading himself up with a few carbines and enough ammunition to last quite a while if used sparingly, he quietly strolled out of the police station's armory. Just before he left though, a nearby room had its door open to reveal several security monitors flashing wildly. Out of curiosity, he walked over and could see it was a private security system that showed multiple places across the local area being broken into, mostly by desperate survivors just trying to escape 'Them'. There were even monitors watching over places on the south side of the river.

However, what instantly caught his eye was that on one of the feeds, he could see six survivors: two males, and four females, almost all around his age. All except one were wearing the same Fujimi Academy uniform he had on earlier. They were entering a tall, three story single-apartment building with a military-style Humvee parked behind the side gate exit. He felt his heart suddenly skip a beat as he could see that among those survivors was without a doubt in his mind, Saeko Busujima. She appeared completely unharmed and in good health, a wooden kendo practice sword in hand.

Frasier formed the goofiest looking smile on his lips as he felt his entire body start heating up and his heart start racing, just with the knowledge that she was alright. His hand subconsciously slowly ran along the screen before he then tried to figure out just where her exact location was. As he got a map layout on the screen, he just felt his jaw drop when he realized it appeared to be dangerously close to the Onbetsu Bridge barricade. It was quite clear to him, even without seeing the broadcast, that the area she was in was going to be in serious trouble if the undead hordes further south would reach the barricade, regardless of whether or not 'They'd' be repelled. 'Their' numbers were clearly so immense that she'd be in trouble no matter what if he didn't try to do something to lure 'Them' away once 'They' would arrive.

He took a moment to think about what he should do. A heavy feeling weighed on his heart, spurred on by the knowledge that he knew he needed to try and save Saeko's group. Another heavy weight then began to pull at the back of his mind, nagging that he should be only focusing on the survival instincts that were burned into his memories and just focus on protecting himself and Noah. Both his lungs felt sore as his throat became dry. He then closed his eyes and let out a soft sigh before marching back out to the lobby with his final decision cemented in his mind. And the rest…was history.