Those Who Walk Among the Dead

by The Celestial Sky Dragon

Hinata wasn't sure what he was doing the night before the end, he didn't even remember it. It certainly was a surprise to him when the dead started walking the Earth, now he will band with other survivors to ensure his and his best friend Nozomi's survival. Life in Highschool was hard, but dealing with "Freaks" was even harder. Will they survive? or will they walk among the dead?

32. Back to School (The Cinema)

Those Who Walk Among the Dead:

Chapter 31: Back to School (The Cinema)

xxx(7 Days Ago, 1 week and 2 days after Z-Day)xxx

"I've never seen this many of them gathered in a single place before," Mary said, as she looked at the piles of bodies on the football field.

The once lush green turf was now drenched with red. Bodies were scattered all over the place, the product of multiple explosive detonations as well as over 7,000 rounds being fired at them. They had essentially been turned to chowder, and the ones that avoided headshots were destroyed to the point of being unable to attack. Ren had run over hundreds of them with the tank, and they all just kept coming. At one point, they thought there would be no tend to them, but thanks to dumb luck and fighter jets flying over head, dropping bombs in other parts of the city, the Infected had trickled down to a few, which had been picked off by the Sergeant.

It was a quiet and steady calm, one that had unnerved them. Seeing running infected had only made them want to hurry. They had a myriad of questions and no answers to any of them, so they decided to instead focus on the here and now.

"Well, we put a dent in our ammo supplies, we're down by at least 13,000 rounds or so and the rifles we used are basically fucked." the sergeant said, glancing at the muzzle break of his M27 Automatic Rifle. Though it had been designed to put out over 100,000 rounds in a single lifetime, it wasn't designed to put out over 3,000 in a single go. That went to prove how screwed they were. "Thankfully, we have plenty of spares, all we need to do is load these cases up on the tank and we'll be golden."

"I got the food," Chikako said, as she backed one of the troop carriers back toward the middle of the field, where all of the firearms and ammo were. The back of the truck was stuffed nearly to the brim with cardboard boxes, all of them carrying MREs and Medical Supplies. "Are we going to unload these onto the tank as well?"

"No, that truck is strong enough to mow down a few of them if necessary. We managed to clear a lot of the dead for the time being. That means we can risk opening the stairwell and quickly bringing the supplies inside," McNichols said, closing the last crate he had been searching through. "Let's move, people."

Ren hopped off the tank, having emptied all of the storage compartments on top of the tank. He grabbed one of the containers, slowly but surely getting it onto the back of the tank, with the help of Mary. Chikako was loading a few more crates onto the troop carrier, mumbling swears under her breath, mostly about how heavy things were.

"Hey, are you okay?" the scruffy haired boy asked, causing Mary to look at him. He had a worried look on his face. "I know it was rough but-"

"I'm fine, there were a few close calls with some stronger infected being able to climb, but Chikako and the Sergeant had me covered. We only have 3 of those bombs left though. I was hoping we didn't use them all, but I also wasn't expecting so many of them to run at us,"

"I had the same thought. I felt so safe in that tank, and it made me sick knowing the rest of you were out there by yourselves," he admitted, grabbing a hold of the next case. He grunted a bit as they carried it over, pausing briefly as they lifted it onto the tank, being assisted by the Sergeant. "I'm happy we managed, but how long do you think it'll be before more of them come?"

"I dunno, and I'd rather not think about it. I… I wasn't expecting them to start running. Do you think, whatever this sickness is, is changing them?" she queried, as she walked back toward the center of the field, helping the young man with another crate. "They used to be slow and dumb, you could avoid them if you were quiet, but now…"

"I can't say for sure, I'm not a virologist, and I am certain there are things none of us will ever understand about them. But if they are running, that means that something is happening to the human body after infection. The virus reanimates them, but it might be mutating,"

"You mean like a flu?"

"It's exactly like a flu," Chikako said, pausing briefly as she leaned back against the side of the truck. She reached into her shirt for a pack of cigarettes, pulling one out. She lit the end of it with her torch, exhaling a large cloud of smoke. "I'm not exactly a virologist, but I am well read on certain sicknesses,"

"Oh? I thought you were a regular scientist, Miss Chikako." McNichols said, making her roll her eyes.

"I'm a biologist, I study human anatomy as well as how certain things work. I lack information but the initial reports of this sickness came out as an airborne strain. It was spreading all over the place, the original catalyst for it all. It may have even been foodborne, like a tapeworm or something along those lines," she said, glancing up at the sky, frowning at the thick cloud cover. "Now, it seems to have shifted to a vector-borne strain."

"Vector-borne… that means it spreads through outside means right? Like malaria?" Ren asked curiously.

"That is right, Mr. Amamiya, a golden star for you." she replied, her lips curving into a grin. Mary ignored the woman as they continued bringing weapons over to the Abrams tank. "Bites and scratches seem to be how this new strain spread. The initial symptoms included nausea, vomiting, pallidness, dizziness, fatigue and unconsciousness. As the days went on, aggressiveness toward non-infected individuals, vomiting blood and loss of muscle coordination were added to the list. Anyone who gets bit essentially dies, becoming a carrier of this sickness. Like a rabid dog, they go around, biting and spreading the sickness forward."

"So is that what it is? Some form of rabies?" McNichols asked, earning a shrug from the woman.

"Could be, could be a strain of ebola, could be smallpox, could be the plague, it could even be an amalgamation of all of those, with a bit of swine flu for ease of spread. It doesn't quite matter what it is, what matters is what it does inside the human body. If this disease mutates within the human body, then it might be changing them. The initial slowness might be evolving, they might be using more of their brains, meaning they can now run."

The woman paused as she held the smoke within her lungs, slowly exhaling through her nose. "Or… maybe they remember things from before, when they were alive. Maybe they remember how to jog or run, or how to climb. Undead track stars might be able to sprint faster than normal, undead soldiers might be able to shoot firearms. Without extensive research, we might never know,"

"I would rather not think about undead soldiers firing rifles at us. That is not what we fucking need right now," Mary said with a shudder.

"Do you think they have other senses?" Ren asked, causing the woman to look at him.

"Perhaps. Hearing might be the main one, but I do believe they might be able to smell us as well. Taste, Sight and Touch are likely gone, but maybe they can still partially see. Again, it's too early to tell, but from the looks of things, they aren't really focused on looking as much as they are hearing."

McNichols remained silent for a moment, glancing back down at the crates. They had loaded six of 14 large cases, each filled with spare rifles and ammunition. He grabbed the edge of the seventh one, lugging it up on the back of the tank. He placed it back near the others, making sure it was strapped down. "As nice as this conversation is, I believe it is time for us to start heading back."

"Do we have enough stuff?"

"More than enough for now, Mary. We've run out of space on both trucks, let's just focus on getting it back in," the man said.

With a few final selections, the four got into their vehicles and started going back to the school building. Following after the tank, Chikako kept a firm handle on her truck, making sure the tires didn't slip on the bodies that had been crushed not long ago. Thankfully, they managed to make it without any issues. Ren jumped down from the top of the tank, as the Sergeant began positioning it against the building. He grabbed the ladder that had been discarded the day before, positioning it against the wall.

"Mary, hold the ladder steady," he called out, as Chikako stopped next to the building. The blonde was quickly at his side, holding his ladder steady. He started climbing up, looking to and fro for any sign of undead, though thankfully, there weren't any nearby.

Making it into the stairwell through the broken window, he slipped down quietly, making sure not to attract any attention from the dead that were still shambling around the third floor of the school building. He made it down the stairwell as quietly as possible, reaching the bottom of the stairwell. He opened the door, looking around for a moment before holding the door open.

"Come on guys!" he exclaimed. Mary set a box of rations on the ground to keep the door open.

"Now comes the fun part." she said, glancing at the truck filled with boxes. "I am not looking forward to any of this."

"Neither am I, but hey, after we're done we don't have to worry about a thing for a while. We'll have plenty of food, water, meds and good old fashioned American firepower." he said, giving her a grin. "I'll share my Chili Mac and Cheese with you~"

"Oh my, how tempting," she said, rolling her eyes. She gave him a peck on the lips, patting his shoulder. "But I'll totally take it. Let's do this."

The pair moved toward the back of the tank, beginning the long and arduous process of unloading their new weapons from the back. The groans of the dead reminded them just how precarious their situation was.

xxx

By some miracle, they managed to get everything inside the building. Having piled everything up on the fourth floor landing as well as the fifth floor, the building was secured just as another herd of undead started pouring into the football field. Having successfully returned, alive and unhurt, the survivors within the fifth floor had recieved them with applause. They got cheers and thanks from everyone, and even the children had been hugging them tightly. The four, despite being insanely tired, returned their cheers with appreciative smiles.

"Excellent work, you four. We were all watching you with bated breath! You handled yourselves expertly," the professor said, a grin on his face. "I knew you guys could handle it,"

"I'm glad you had faith in us, Professor. It was a lot rougher than it must have looked, that much is certain," the sergeant said, shaking the man's hand. "I sure hope you were brewing coffee for us in the lab,"

"Oh I was, never you mind that," he said, brushing the man off. He looked over his shoulder at the others. "Now then everyone, let us bring the supplies inside so that our saviors may rest. Tonight, we feast like kings and queens!"

"Yes, Professor!" several people cried. Just like that, everyone started moving, excitedly wanting to help their saviors bring the supplies inside. The Sergeant turned to Ren and Mary, giving them a nod.

"Good work out there, you two. Were you in the army, I'd seek promotion for you, but since we don't have any time for rank ups and promotions, let's just say the two of you are now Lance Corporals." he said, patting their heads. "It's all honorary of course but I expect you to be ready to defend the people should we need it, got it?"

"You got it, sir." Ren said, giving him a grin.

"I honestly don't want to risk myself like that again," Mary added, unzipping her jacket, fanning her face. "It was fun but it was far too risky,"

"Such is life, when I was on the battlefield I had to take a lot of risks. Fighting against the enemy, disarming bombs, saving comrades, it's all part of being in the military. I wouldn't wish this job on anyone, especially now. But there are only so many people I can trust in this school, and that list is small," he admitted, glancing at the teenagers that were carrying the ammo crates, wondering if and when they would be given their own rifles. "We need to keep an eye out now, especially with all these weapons lying around. I want you to keep yours close at all times, just in case,"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, Ren. I don't trust a lot of the kids here, we're going to need order and stability, and I'd rather it be from you two. I've gotten to know you, I consider you two a brother and sister in arms. I don't want a repeat of what happened this morning to happen again," McNichols said, rubbing his neck. "Which is also why I am authorizing the use of deadly force. If you think someone is threatening your life, or may be a potential danger to yourself or the group, do not hesitate to take them out."

"Take them out?" Mary asked, her face going pale. "I don't… I don't think I can actually take a life,"

"I know what it sounds like, Mary. But in this new world, the living are more dangerous than the dead. We need to be ready for anything. Besides, if we get bitten, heaven forbid, we'll have to consider taking each other out. We need to be ready for any possibility," he said firmly, taking a hold of her hand. He ignored Ryota's glare as he passed by with a box of MREs. "We'll be fine."

She took a deep breath, but relented as she squeezed his hand. "Alright, we'll do as you ask, Sergeant."

"Good, that's good. I'll survey things and make sure the weapons are locked under lock and key. Meanwhile, the two of you should go and wash up. I'm sure Chikako is already doing that in the spare shower. Have fun, you earned it."

The two didn't even bother with lewd thoughts, they were just too tired for them to think of anything. They returned to the Sargeants room where they had left their school uniforms. Ren sighed with relief as he walked away, slowly unzipping his jacket as he walked, keeping Mary's hand tightly in his own.

"Would you like for me to wait for you to be finished? I don't want to make anything awkward,"

"It's fine, sweetheart. You can wait inside the room if you want, just as long as you don't peek into the shower itself. I… I would like some company while I shower. It's kind of lonely in there, and I don't feel comfortable knowing Ryota might get in."

"He wouldn't dare, especially because we're locking the door from the outside," he said firmly, patting his handgun. "We'll be fine, you'll be fine. I'll watch over you, okay?"

She nodded, giving him a kiss on the cheek. He felt giddy at the feeling of her lips on his skin. A few people whispered things as they walked but they didn't care. They just wanted to relax after their harrowing milk run. Gathering the supplies themselves was certainly a lot harder than going for pipe bomb parts. At least that's what Ren thought.

xxx

"Mmm, you were right, this mac and cheese is fantastic!" Mary said, forking some food into her mouth. She had several MREs next to her, keen on getting her fill. Since Chikako had loaded every box of MREs that had been brought, they had essentially salvaged the entire load, meaning they had more than enough for everyone.

Even if they didn't have enough, it was clear that the Sergeant would let his closest comrades eat as many as they wanted, they had risked themselves after all. Everyone had gathered in the Sergeant's classroom. After much talk, it had been decided that they would share the classroom with the Sergeant and the Professor. Even Chikako had joined them, her long hair soaking wet from her shower. She had been drinking coffee and enjoying her cornbread, praising it as if it was fresh French bread made in a French bakery.

"A favorite among Marines. I remember trading my crappy pizzas for this stuff all the time. There was a heathen in my platoon who preferred those over the mac and cheese, I always wondered what was wrong with him," the sergeant said, making Ren chuckle.

"He just didn't have good taste buds, this stuff is good." he replied, leaning back against the wall as he finished scooping the last of the mac and cheese into his mouth.

"I dunno, these meatballs and tortillas aren't half bad," the professor said, briefly glancing at Chikako who was finishing the last of her cornbread. "My word, were you really that hungry?"

"You try eating peanut butter flavored slop every day for a week. It is absolutely dreadful, I just hid in my old classroom and ate some powerbars I had stashed there for emergencies. I am never eating oatmeal again!" she exclaimed, grabbing another MRE, tearing it open. "How's the Southwest Style Beef and Black Beans, Sarge?"

"Not the best I've had but not the worst, get ready for hot farts though. It'll certainly give you that for a couple hours," he said, making Ren muffle a laugh. The woman shrugged as she pulled out the contents of her meal.

"I could care less about that, I'm not with anyone at the moment," she replied. Mary let out a happy sigh as she cuddled next to Ren, reaching for the candy she had set aside. Chikako quirked a brow, reaching for her coffee. "Is the Golden Princess sated?"

"For the time being, I do plan on eating the rest of what I grabbed. I just want to take my time. I still have a figure I want to watch," she said, hugging Ren's arm as she closed her eyes. "I just want to enjoy this moment of tranquility for a bit."

"Aye, it is something all of us were definitely needing. This supply run was certainly the morale boost we needed. Of course, some are discussing the state of the other survivors and how we will assist them," the professor said, frowning as he cleaned his pipe, stuffing the end with tobacco. "I didn't know how to reply,"

The group remained silent for a moment. Ren sat up a bit, glancing at the Sergeant who had a hardened look on his face. He set down his water bottle filled with fruit juice, looking around the room for a moment. "We do nothing,"

Lightning crackled above them, a bright flash accompanying it. The storm that was moving in was finally above them. Mary looked up, frowning as she saw the small pinpricks of water on the windows. She stood up, reaching for the windows. "I'm gonna start closing these so we don't get wet,"

"Harrison, I do not mean to question your judgement but… is abandoning those people the right call?"

"It's the only call we can take, Chikako." Ren said, a frown set on his face. "We risked our asses to get these weapons and rations for ourselves. We stirred the dead within the school. We are safe up here because of our quick thinking, but the people on the fourth floor are separated by lockers on the opposite end of the school. Not to mention the ones stuck on the second floor are even worse off,"

"It is too much of a risk for not enough of a reward. With our risky mission, we secured parts for explosives, firearms, plenty of ammo, food, water and medicine. But delivering them to the others could be risky. We can live for a few months with what we recovered, if we divide it in half for those people, we shorten our own chance of survival. Not to mention delivering those goods could end in our death,"

"We got lucky once when we went for the bomb parts, and we got lucky today bringing this stuff in. I'd rather we didn't push our luck for a third time," the scruffy haired teen said firmly. "I know, it's a terrible thing to think about, especially knowing there are fellow classmates, civilians and children there, but it's too much. We need to focus on our lives, and if people don't agree then-"

He paused as he drew his pistol, holding it tightly in his hand. "We'll have to make them understand,"

Lightning flashed again, the lights in the classroom flickered for a moment before going out entirely. Mary looked up for a moment, her hand shaking a bit as she lowered it from the latch. By now the storm had gotten a little stronger, the rain coming down hard on the school. The dead they had taken out earlier had been replaced, the herd that had walked in was much smaller but still just as dangerous. She could see the blood washing away, going down the gutters and into the sewage drain.

"Uh hey, how long will the water last without power?"

"A few weeks if we ration it well. This power outage was most likely caused by a failure in the building itself. The rest of the grid looks active from what I can see," the professor said, pointing toward a section of houses that still had power. "See there? The streetlights and houses seem fine."

"Still, we should be cautious. We should start filling buckets with water in the morning, and save the water bottles and gallons we brought for after we go through that. For the time being, we can proceed as normal. Though now that we have no power, cooking is going to be a lot harder, meaning we'll have to rely solely on whatever natural gas the school has left,"

"The school has large gas tanks installed that normally last a few months. We got our shipment a week before the end. That usually lasts us until just after Summer break. With the kitchens not being in use, the Home Economics Room being far out of reach, the chemistry room is the only one in use of gas. It should last us a good amount of time, years if need be." Chikako said, making Mary shudder.

"I don't like the idea of having to live here for a long time. I'd rather we get rescued but if that isn't possible, I would certainly take my chances out there,"

"I have to find a way to get to my sister, that isn't an option. She has a few weeks worth of food where she is, maybe even less since she has friends with her. Ideally I would love to bring her here but that is too much of a risk," he said.

"So then… that means you'll be taking your leave?" the professor asked, causing the boy to nod. "I trust Miss Sakatonaka will go with you?"

"If that's what she wants, then yes,"

"Of course it's what I want. Even if we weren't in a relationship I would go with you. You are the only other person I can trust here. And believe me, trust is a lot harder to earn in this new world," she replied, a look of anger on her face. "You weren't planning on leaving me behind, were you?"

"No, how could you even think that?"

"I was just making sure,"

"Hm… well regardless of if and when you go, things will be dangerous. You likely won't be as lucky as you were gathering supplies. You need to make sure your sister can get to a safe place where you can meet up. It's entirely possible for the two of you to meet up and then come back here." McNichols said, glancing out the window. "There's no guarantees though."

"I am willing to take all of the necessary risks. My sister is the only family I have left in this city and I am not going to let her get torn apart by those dead bastards. If I have to kill them all with my bare hands just to get to her, I will,"

At his sheer determination, the sergeant laughed. He shook his head, reaching for his bottle of juice, finishing what was left. "Oh, I have full confidence that you will get to her. But you have to plan ahead. Our castle won't last forever, we need to figure out what to do after it falls."

"Where do you suggest we go? Tokunosu is fucked, Tokyo is overrun with them and all of the rural areas are far out of our reach." Chikako said, taking a bite from her southern style beef. "If we could get somewhere safe…"

"Why don't we all pack up and head to Kyoto? I'm sure one of the temples there will be servicable," Mary said, in a rather sarcastic tone. McNichols sat up a bit, giving her a serious look while the Professor pulled his pipe from his mouth.

"You know… that idea isn't half bad. The Kiyomizu Temple would make an ideal place to hold out. Barricade it from the outside, hoard supplies and collect seedlings to grow crops during the summer… not to mention it would make a defendable position against them," the professor said, puffing on his pipe. "Not bad, Miss Sakatonaka, not bad at all,"

"It was a joke… you aren't serious, are you?"

"I remember one of my colleagues telling me that the Kiyomizu Temple was turned into a hold out. A huge shelter that was being protected by what remained of the JSDF. That means walls around it were erected and artillery was brought in." he said, a smile on his face. "We can easily overtake it if it was overrun by them."

"It would be a long ride to get there though. It's too far," Ren added, crossing his arms over his chest. "It might be even riskier than heading elsewhere. I think we should head to Akiu. That place is not only rural but confirmed to be 100% safe by the JSDF. All we would have to do is travel on the railway all the way to Sendai and go from there,"

"Heading north would be ideal, the best option would be Hokkaido, that's as rural as you can get." Chikako added, wiping her lips with a napkin. "There's a lot of good farmland up there, not to mention it snows in the winter. If these corpses are truly corpses, the snow would slow them down."

"You guys, seriously that's enough of that. We can't risk traveling anywhere too far. If anything, Okinawa would be our best bet. Not only is it a place where the United States were stationed but it's close to the sea. We could survive off of that for years to come," Mary said, picking at her nails. "Though I will admit, Hokkaido does seem like a great place to go especially if the cold affects them."

"Conflicting areas for potential holdout zones. Shame we weren't in America or in Europe. There are certainly a lot of safer places there. Switzerland comes to mind," the professor said with a laugh. "I bet you all of Switzerland survived this,"

"The Swiss might have a lot of bunkers but remember, a single infected spells the end of that bunker. You'll be stuck with them, not the other way around," McNichols said firmly. "No… I think Kiyomizu Temple might offer us the best chance of survival. Not to mention Kyoto is also near the ocean. It would be a risk, but with weapons, proper training and a map, we will be able to survive. The journey will be rough but it'll be worth it."

"Can we stop thinking about this? We just got back not long ago from a harrowing milk run. I'd like to just sit here, enjoy the rations of our labour and snuggle with my boyfriend while waiting out this storm. Please, it's all I ask," Mary said. At that, the conversation ended. McNichols however grabbed two MREs and opened them, grabbing the attention of the others.

"Have you ever tried southern style beef chili mac and cheese?" he asked, causing the others to shake their heads. "Well you're gonna try it today."

For the next few hours, the group would try the sargeant's weird combinations and try to put their future on the backburner. At least for the time being.

xxx(Present Day)xxx

"Miganohara High School, this is Kaori coming to you from the Miganohara Police Station, do you read me?"

It was silent for a moment, only static filling the waves. The blonde held the mic down again, holding the portable device closer to her lips. "Miganohara High School, this is Kaori coming to you from the Miganohara Police Station, do you read me?"

"Just give it a rest, Kaori. You've been at it for twenty minutes, if they can't read you then they aren't going to reply," Riku said, shoving the last of his granola bar into his mouth. He chewed it for a moment before speaking. "Maybe they're busy doing something, or maybe the Army got them out of there."

"I doubt it. You heard what Ren-kun said, the JSDF and the US Marines abandoned them to their luck. They have a Sergeant with them who has been trying and failing to get a rescue for them." Ayaka said, looking rather nervous. "I think they're doing just fine. Maybe they lost power and can't use the CB?"

"Wouldn't put it past them. A lot of areas are likely losing power all across Miganohara City." Hinata said, leaning back against the wall. He was sitting on a metal shelf that had once been loaded with firearms. Saya was napping next to him, her arms wrapped around his trunk. "We've been used to living without power now, but it's still a commodity we should make use of,"

"We shouldn't get used to it, it won't be long before the grids start going out all over the place. We're lucky if those microgrids that Saya mentioned even hold power by the time we pass through them," Nick said, sighing audibly. "I just hope Mt. Fuji isn't too bad, I am tired of traveling around."

"Mt. Fuji? You guys are planning on going up there?" Riku asked, earning a nod from the leader of their squad. "You must be insane. Who the hell heads up a mountain in the middle of all this?"

"It's one of the safest areas. We've noticed the dead tend to stay away from rural areas. They are attracted to sound. If we can make it to the campgrounds and secure them, we will be able to live comfortably for a long time," Saeko said firmly, turning to face the teenage boy. "Staying in the cities is risky, as you've noticed."

"Mt. Fuji gives us options, we'll be able to fish and hunt and if we need to, we can venture to Tokyo and get supplies. For now, we'll be fine. We just need to get out of this Police Station," Rika added, blowing a cloud of smoke above them. She flicked the ashes to the floor, glancing around the room. "Do you think we'll be able to get out of here safely?"

"We're gonna have to, if we do get injured I have lots of things to take care of it. We'll just have to be extra extra careful so we don't get too gravely injured." Shizuka said, trying to sound cheerful.

"What if one of us breaks a leg? What if it's so bad it requires surgery to fix, ever think of that?" Riku questioned, causing the woman to frown. "You haven't, had you?"

"We've been lucky enough not to injure ourselves like that. That is all it takes, being careful. There is no reason for any of us to take a risk so grand that it'll end with a broken limb," Savannah said. She finished cleaning her gun, putting it all together just like Kohta had shown her. "But if someone does break a leg and it's that severe, we won't be able to do anything for them. They'll have to be left behind."

"Seriously?" Ayaka asked, a fearful look on her face. "You'll seriously leave them behind?"

"If it happens, it happens. You'll have to make peace with that, we can't save you if you end up breaking your leg and its that severe. There aren't any hospitals and no surgeons to fix it." Hinata said, glancing at the three middle schoolers, a serious look on his face. "Don't take risks, don't be a hero and most of all, follow the rules."

"The rules?"

"Number 1, make sure the gun is pointing down when not in use. Number 2, make sure you have a round in the chamber and the hammer is cocked back. Number 3, don't point a gun at anyone even unloaded but if you do, shoot to kill. Number 4, if you are ever in a situation where you are surrounded by them, save the last bullet for yourself." Savannah said. Kaori, Ayaka and Riku all shared a look, none of them knowing what to say.

"There are some new ones," Saeko said, glancing away from the door. "Number 5, do not take risks, if the risk outweighs the reward, then get someone to help you. Number 6, always travel in groups of 3 or 4. If you get separated from the main group, remain in place and let out a single gunshot every 10 minutes. We don't have flare guns but when we get some, everyone will carry a flare for emergencies. Number 7, if we run into another survivor and they are asking for help, under no circumstances shall you help that individual. You do not know who they are, you do not know their intentions. Shoot first, ask questions later. Number 8, the most important one of them all in my opinion, take care of your family members. All of us are family now, we are a united front against them. Do not leave family behind unless you have to."

"Well said, Saeko. That's a really good set of rules to follow, they will certainly help us stay alive. But you forgot another important one. Rule Number 9, Enjoy the little things. If that means breaking shit, stealing shit, shooting shit, do it. It'll help you forget about the shit going on around you. But don't take risks." Rika added, earning nods from the middle schoolers.

"We'll follow those rules, everyone. We do not want to take any risks, especially being so close to my brother. Speaking of, I know you said you don't want to help any other survivors but… will you allow my brother and his friends to join you?" Kaori asked, causing Hinata to sit up a bit.

"Depends, how many of them are there?"

"Just four. My brother's girlfriend Mary, the Sargeant that's been helping them as well as two of his former teachers. Ren told me they all went for supplies not long ago and they've been holding out. If the power went out and they can't use their CB…"

"We managed to talk to them earlier today, right? That means they must have had power for it." Ayaka said, trying to remain positive. "Ren doesn't seem like the kind of person to lie to you about their situation. They're probably just fine,"

"I sure hope so," the girl said, glancing at her handheld radio. She turned it off, handing it back to Hinata. "Thanks for letting me use it."

"No problem, Kaori. If it was my sibling I'd be worried too," he said, glancing at his watch for a moment. "We've been in here for over an hour now. We should get going,"

He shook his girlfriend, earning a few swears from her as she woke up. She stretched her tired limbs, adjusting her glasses on her face as she looked around. "Ugh, we're still here?"

"Where else would we have gone?" Nick asked, shaking his head. "You should be glad that you managed to get some sleep in. The rest of us have been on edge since we got here,"

"Come on guys, let's not break into arguments. Let's focus on getting things ready for travel. Remember, this building is likely burning in areas so we'll have to travel close together. We'll have to move quickly through the burning areas too, smoke inhalation is something we do not need at the moment," Rika advised, causing a sense of urgency in the group.

Hinata placed everything he had pulled out back in his pack, leaving behind the empty bullet boxes on the table. He placed his pack around his shoulders, making sure it was snug before stuffing his magazines into his fanny pack. He had to load every single one he had available thanks to losing Charlotte. He was still feeling the loss of his beloved rifle, it had helped him out since the beginning. It made him realize what an idiot he had been for not paying attention.

"Are you still feeling sad about your rifle?"

He glanced over his shoulder at Saeko, who had a reassuring smile on her face. He gave her a nod, frown deepening. "You'll be fine. That rifle kept you safe, but you can't rely on it forever."

"I know. I just feel bad that it ended up in the bottom of a sewage plant. We went through hell and back. That rifle kept me and Saya alive when those men tried to kill us back in Tokunosu." he admitted, rubbing his neck. "It's stupid feeling so sentimental over a rifle."

"I've gotten rather sentimental over this katana." the purplette said, glancing at her sword. "It was meant to be given to my father but… I believe I'll keep it for myself."

"Do you think your father will ever return here?"

"Maybe, I doubt the dead will prevent him from getting back to Japan. But it will certainly take him a long time. I hope to still be alive by then," she said, only for Hinata to cup her cheek, giving her a smile.

"You will be, I'll make sure of that. You are strong Saeko, I know with full confidence that you will beat this world." he said, glancing over his shoulder at Saya, who was checking her gear over. "We both will, all of us will. It isn't about can or can't."

"Something's in life you just do, I know." she said with an eye roll. "You certainly know how to motivate a girl, don't you?"

"Among my many good qualities it seems. Sit tight, we should be ready in a few more minutes,"

"Hey, Hinata, think I can talk to you for a moment? I got something for ya." Kohta said, causing the boy to turn around. He gave Saeko's hand a squeeze for a moment before letting it go, walking across the room to speak with fellow survivor.

"What's up?"

"I've been working on something for the past hour that I think you might like," he said with a grin, turning around for a second. He held a rifle out to the boy, pushing his glasses up his nose. "Here you are, your new rifle."

Hinata looked it over for a moment. While it wasn't anything close to Charlotte, it was still a beautiful rifle. "This is a Colt M4 right?"

"That's right. But this one is a little different than the standard issue, for one it has an M16 upper with a top rail, allowing me to mount a spare EoTech scope to the top with a green reticle. Should be quite helpful to ya," he said, adjusting the stock for a moment. "This is an adjustable Mag-Pull buttstock that I salvaged from one of the broken rifles left behind. I also attached a flashlight to the bottom rail for ya, now you don't have to hold your own."

"Sweet." he said, looking the rifle over for a moment. He held it against his shoulder, while it didn't feel the same as Charlotte, he still liked it. "Really like the muzzle break, it should help with recoil."

"Indeed, that one is one of the better ones, it has a good return system for the gas block so your action should be smooth. And it has a fun switch on the side, I recommend keeping it Semi-Auto to conserve ammunition. I know you can handle three round burst so full auto shouldn't be too bad if you need it in a pinch." he said, sliding some magazines forward. "The magazines you already have fit this rifle, but I got some extra ones, 50 rounders. This safe room was well supplied all things considered,"

Hinata nodded, sliding the 50 round magazine into the receiver, making sure it clicked into place. He drew the loading rod back. He turned back to the others, seeing everyone had packed everything up including the spare ammo. Rika was holding one of the spare shotguns they had found in the room while Kohta had taken the other. He took a deep breath before speaking.

"Alright, we don't know the extent of the damage to this building. We also are unaware of how many of them there are inside. We have to move quietly and quickly. Shoot if you must but limit yourselves. Now that I don't have a silenced rifle, the sound will attract them more. Be ready to fight. We follow the same procedures we have since leaving Kaori's safehouse. Once outside we fan out, three meter spread, keep our flanks and our asses covered. Anyone have any objections, speak up now."

Riku held his hand up, making Hinata roll his eyes. He merely nodded at the boy, allowing him to speak. "I don't have an objection, I just wanna know where we are going from here?"

"Good question, Kaori, you know where we are, correct?"

"Mhmm… if this is the big station then across the street should be Miganohara Cinema. It was a big building, so it's likely people used it as a refuge. If we can cut through it, we'll get access to the alleyways. From there, we can go down the main streets toward Miganohara High School."

"How will we know if we're getting close?" Nick questioned, causing the blonde to look at him.

"You know we're near when you see a big church. Miganohara was filled with Christians so a lot of Christian style churches were constructed. This one is the biggest one and has a steeple. It's across the street from Miganohara National Bank. From there, all we have to do is go straight and around the bank and the school will be right in front of us." she said.

"Then we have our heading. Let's go everyone, we have a school to get to," Hinata said, grabbing a hold of the two by four holding the armory doors closed. He pushed it upward, opening the railing. Kohta and Nick immediately went through, scanning the corridors for activity.

"We're clear, but it's a bit wet from the sprinklers." Kohta said.

"Watch out for the rubble, it's everywhere and we don't need anyone severely injuring themselves," the brunette added, holding onto his shotgun tightly.

The group started moving out of the armory, heading through the open doors and into the main lobby. Hinata rose his rifle to his shoulder, flicking his wet hair out of his eyes before lining up his shot. He pulled the trigger, nailing the undead woman in the side of the head. Shifting his muzzle, he fired a second and then a third, clearing the main lobby. He shielded his eyes a bit as he walked, avoiding the broken glass and the bright headlights of the police car that had slammed through the entrance.

There was a black arrow painted in spray paint on the wall, leading toward the stairs. The sprinklers were still active, dousing them all in cold water. He moved up the stairs, his eyes scanning his surroundings. It was a lot hotter and dryer than it was on the first floor, likely due to the fire currently burning through the building.

He shouldered his rifle, drawing his pistol instead as he pulled his shirt over his nose and mouth, pausing to look back. "Be careful guys, this whole area is collapsing and burning. I don't see any of them but we can't take any chances. Step only where I step. Savannah, Riku, Ayaka and Kaori, I want you guys with me, Kohta you cover their asses, got it?"

"Yes sir!"

Readjusting their group, the four youngsters moved to the front. Checking his surroundings once more, Hinata climbed back to the top of the stairs, cringing a bit from the thick smoke. He carefully moved around the rubble, avoiding the destroyed cubicles as well as he could. A copper pipe fell next to him, causing him to swing his gun around, aiming at it. Sighing, he looked back to make sure the kids were still next to him.

"Eyes peeled guys, they could be hiding just around the corner." he advised, earning a chuckle from Riku. "What's funny?"

"What do you call 20 Zombies inside a burning building?"

"What?" Kaori innocently asked, making him snort.

"Gorillas in the mist."

Ayaka and Savannah giggled at his joke while Kaori rolled her eyes. Hinata shook his head, slapping the back of his neck. "Alright funny man, enough jokes. Let's get serious."

"You gotta admit, it was a good one."

"Yeah, maybe back in 2012." the older teenager muttered. He shimmied forward over some desks, sliding a bit on the side of a cubicle. He looked down, spotting a large hole that lead back down to the first floor. He paused for a moment, looking back at the teenagers. "Careful here guys, there's a hole. You could end up falling back down to the lobby,"

Successfully clearing it, they found themselves in what had been a meeting room. Hinata silently took down the infected in the room, moving toward the table when he saw the abandoned pile of ammunition. "Kaori, over here."

He forcefully turned the girl around, handing her his pistol while he opened her backpack, shifting things around for the ammo. "It's getting a little heavy,"

"I know sweetie, I know. But we can't ignore all of this ammunition. It's all stuff that the rifles and shotguns we have can use, so it'll go at some point. It might be a bit tough at first but you'll get used to it. You're a runner right? Think about this as um… weight training or something."

"Like Rock Lee?" she asked, looking into his eyes.

"Yeah, exactly! Pretend you have weights on your legs and back. When you start to run weighed down, you'll run fast, but after you drop your gear, you'll be able to outrun them!"

"You know it was proven that weighing yourself down does nothing right?" Riku said, leaning against the table, keeping his Mack 11 tight in his grasp. "It's all just bullshit. I'm sure Myth Busters did some experiment about it."

"Riku, he's clearly trying to keep her calm about this whole thing, you aren't helping." Savannah snapped in annoyance. She turned to the older girl, giving her a bright smile. "It's rough at first but you'll be fine. I started carrying heavy stuff back when Hinata and Saya rescued me. Remember, if I can go through Mercy Hospital and survive, you can cut across this city and get to your brother,"

"You're right, thanks, Savannah, for cheering me up."

"No problem, Kaori! Oh, and feel free to call me Savvy, all my friends do." she said, shifting her gaze back to Riku. "Except you, you shall address me as Takagi-san."

"Yeah no. It's the end of the world, screw honorifics."

"And that is what is wrong with modern society," Kohta said with a sigh. "The younger generations don't give a damn about respect. Ah well, not like we need to be respectful anymore. Let's just get moving,"

Having put everything away, and making sure Kaori's pack wasn't too heavy, Hinata took the lead, moving across the meeting room. He made it to the end of the room where a detective was, sitting in a chair, a bullethole clear in the side of his head. He was reading a paper titled "The Dead Come to Life" printed just the day after the end. He briefly checked the man, finding a 6 inch Colt Python on the floor next to him, along with two speed loaders in his holster. He undid the man's belt and tied it around his waist, making sure it was snug before checking the handgun over.

He saw that there was only 1 spent bullet, with 5 still usable. Nodding, he slid the revolver into his new holster, giving Kohta the go ahead to continue. After silently taking down two more Freaks, they kept moving, carefully across the debris field, avoiding anything that was on fire. The area to the next corridor was pitch black, the emergency lights had been knocked down, though some were flickering constantly. The hallway floor was inundated with water, some of the sprinklers having been destroyed.

"Careful here guys, there's water and sparks and I don't trust that." he advised, glancing back at the others, making sure everyone was present. "Saeko I need you at the front,"

She nodded, keeping her sword tightly in her grasp as they moved down the darkened hallway. Nick was close to them, aiming his shotgun in various directions, his flashlight shining off the walls. Saeko was quick to bring down anything they spotted, allowing them to conserve their ammunition for the time being.

"The stairs are blocked, we're gonna have to go through another room," she said, after scanning the area ahead of them. "Kohta, do you think a shotgun shell will be enough to break through the interrogation room window?"

"It might be, depending on how thick it is, but it's usually one way glass. I doubt it's that strong. Let's go check it out," the young man said. Hinata, Saeko, Kohta and Nick all moved toward the room the purple haired samurai had indicated, opening the door, only to stop in their tracks.

Inside was the remains of a police officer, who had clearly been mauled to death. In front of him there was an infected woman, the same kind that had attacked them out on the road. Her long slender claws were bathed crimson in blood, chunks of flesh having been skewered through them. Her body was riddled with bullets, but it seemed two clean shots to the head had ended her. The interrogation room window had been sliced through, sections of it smeared with blood.

"Well, looks like we won't have to waste ammo on that window," Hinata mused, glancing back at the others. "This way, guys. Be careful with the glass."

Kaori looked down at the horrid scene before her, holding back the urge to gag. Ayaka meanwhile was more interested in the dead woman, who she poked with the edge of her shoe. "What the heck is this thing?"

"That my dear Ayaka is a bitch." Saya said, shuddering. "One of these things attacked a friend of ours, and we got attacked by one earlier today. It's the reason we're traveling through this city,"

"Oh my… I never thought I'd see one of these infected up close," Shizuka said, kneeling down before the body. She looked her over, swallowing the lump in her throat. "She looks emaciated, as if her body processed all the fat stores within."

"We're lucky this bitch is dead, the last thing I need is to get cornered by one of these," Rika said, glancing at the officer. "Look at how this poor bastard ended up. That is a horrible and painful way to go."

"Let's just keep moving. We don't have time to dawdle here," Hinata said, from the other side of the glass. They hurriedly moved along, pausing to make sure everyone was there and accounted for. Kaori briefly glanced at the padded wall, reading what had been written there, likely by a passerby.

"What the crap happened here?" "Looks like the suspect was too much for them," she read, shaking her head. "Understatement of the century,"

It was quiet when they entered the next corridor, by far a lot better looking than the others. Hinata and Saya silently took down any Shamblers that got close. One of them started running straight for the center of the group, but Nick's quick thinking caused it to trip. Rika slammed the stock of her shotgun into the back of its head, three solid strikes was all it took to stop it from moving.

"Down the stairs, quickly," Shizuka said, pointing toward the stairwell. Hinata pressed himself against the edge of the door, gesturing for Kohta and Saeko to go on ahead of everyone.

Once they were all through, he went down, brushing his hair out of his eyes, the remaining water drops falling down the sides of his face. He hung onto the railing, his hand wrapped tightly around the handle of his gun, finger around the trigger. Everyone piled themselves at the bottom landing, having waited for Hinata to show up. With a nod, Kohta and Nick threw the doors open, allowing him, Saya and Rika to quickly move inside, systematically taking down any Infected located within.

"Damn, you guys are good. I haven't had to fire a single shot," Riku said, sounding almost disappointed as he looked around. "It's almost as if you guys have military training,"

"It isn't military training per-se. Just something that comes naturally to us, we have to take down all threats. In a sense, it's almost like a military formation, a uh…" Kohta paused, glancing at the ceiling. "What was it called again? That formation thingie that the Spartans used?"

"A phalanx?" Saya asked, making the boy bob his head.

"Yes, that's it! A phalanx! How the hell did I forget that, old wars are like, one of my favorite subjects."

"I don't blame you for forgetting something like that, Kohta. I mean, look at what we're currently doing," Kaori said, rubbing her face with her hand. Her blue eyes scanned their surroundings, taking in all of the vehicles located within. "Looks like we're in the police station's garage. Think one of these cars will work?"

"Most certainly, but it would be useless to get in one. Unless it was a paddy wagon and even then, driving isn't advisable in the city," Rika said. She moved toward one of the police cars, pulling the driver's side door open. She popped the trunk open, a small smirk on her face. "Search the cars, we might end up finding something good."

With Nick keeping watch of the door they had come from, the group took a bit of a break. After a harrowing walk through a burning building, they all needed time and some semi-fresh air. Ayaka and Savannah had broken off from the others, deciding to search one of the police cars for something. Riku had hopped onto the hood of an abandoned Cadillac, kicking his legs with an expression of boredom on his face.

Kaori meanwhile decided to explore her surroundings. Feeling relatively safe, she decided to return her pistol to her holster, heels clacking softly on the concrete floor as she walked around. She was honestly surprised she had managed to make it that far without snapping an ankle. She realized in that moment the severity of an injury like that, especially remembering what was discussed in that safe room.

"I need to find some regular shoes. These boots might be cute but I can't run in them, I am not dying because I decided to put on leather fucking boots. Ugh… I should have gone with that maid outfit instead. Stupid, Kaori, stupid!" she thought, as she looked around.

She moved toward the other side of the garage, finding some police cars suspended above her, on large pedestals. They had been in the process of being fixed, judging and tools that had been left around. Her eyes shifted toward the wall, where she spotted some writing.

"I can't believe how fast this place went to shit. What that fuck was wrong with those detectives? Keeping civilians out of the safe rooms was a bad idea. Now they all turned and all of us are fucked!"

"Not as fucked as that guy in the interrogation room. I've seen more of those things out there, what the hell should we name them? We need a common name that people can understand and spread around."

"Let's name her Leeroy Jenkins!"

"How about we name her Giant Retard in your honor, asshat?"

"They like to sit in places and cry, I've also seen them walking around. They remind me of those creepy bitches from that one game I used to play. Maybe we can call them that?"

"Real classy, how about we call them Witches? They're wicked, cry a lot, and take an entire magazine to bring down. Witches is fitting."

"An entire magazine? Dude just creep around her and blast her in the head with double odd buck, she will be twitching like Bambi's mother after you're done."

"Okay, that one was fucking tasteless. How the hell have you survived this long, asshat?"

"Will someone please hide the fucking pens?"

"Wait… who the fuck is reading this and adding to it? Why am I adding to it? Christ I must be going crazy."

"Find something interesting?" Savannah asked, causing Kaori to look away from the bricks. The redhead scanned the wall herself, her frown slowly changing to a smile as she continued reading along. "Well, at least in all this people can have a sense of humor."

"Yeah. It seems that thing in the interrogation room wasn't the only instance. You saw two of them and there's one here. I think whatever this virus is, is changing the human body. I can't say how but…" she looked back at the wall. "If this isn't an isolated incident then we should be careful. They called it a Witch, may as well start spreading that among our group in case we see or hear one."

"Gotcha." Savannah said, pausing briefly to reach into her backpack. She pulled out a sharpie, one she had grabbed from the diner and uncapped it. She scrawled something out in English, holding back a bubble. "Now I'm famous."

"Up with bubbles, down with air… wait is that a Spongebob quote?"

"Yep." the girl said with a wink. She held the pen out to the girl, gesturing for her to write something. "Go ahead, add something to it."

Not knowing what to write, she decided to write a poem. "Here I am, regrets rescinded, have come to shit and the world has ended."

Savannah held back the urge to laugh, shaking her head. "That's a nice one, I'm sure someone will get a kick out of it."

"Mhmm, that's what I figured." she said, signing her name at the bottom. "Magical Girl Kaori will continue kicking ass and taking names."

"Girls, it's time to go!" Hinata called out. The blonde capped the pen, handing it back to Savannah. The pair started moving out of the repair shop. Kaori looked to the corner, her eyes widening a bit when she saw what was leaning against the corner.

She grabbed a hold of the weapon that had been left behind, slinging it around her shoulder. She grabbed the leather bag that had been resting beside it, her eyes widening when she saw several canisters within. Her lips splitting into a grin, she zipped it closed, pulling on the strap and slinging it across her back. She moved to join the others, a bit winded when she made it to the top of the incline.

"What took you?" Hinata asked. She gave the boy a grin, pulling the weapon she had found from behind her back.

"I found this tucked in the corner of that shop." she said. Kohta let out a squeal, rapidly swiping the weapon from her grasp. "Wha… hey!"

"This is an MGL, an M32 Riot suppression revolver style grenade launcher! It's used by the police as a crowd deterrent, normally firing non-lethal smoke grenades!" he said, sliding the switch, pulling the top down. He pulled one of the canisters out, whistling as he looked it over. "This sure as hell ain't non-lethal!"

"Maybe you should give that to someone more qualified." Riku suddenly said, giving Kaori a smile. "How about we trade? I'll give you my Mack-"

"No, I found it so it's mine." she said, a pout on her lips. "I claimed it!"

"What? But that isn't fair!"

"Sorry, Riku. We have another rule when it comes to weapons, unless there are spares, they are first come first serve. If Kaori found it, then she keeps it." Kohta said, handing the launcher back to the 13 year old. "I'm sure we'll find you something cool, don't worry. You also gotta remember, you are young, you probably can't handle some of the bigger rifles. You'll be fine."

"I guess that's fine. But I get to fire it once,"

"Deal." Kaori said cheerfully.

"Looks like you'll get your wish." Rika muttered, walking back down the incline. "There's a large metal door barring our exit. I tried the buttons but looks like they were damaged. Probably to prevent people from leaving this way once they came in, or to stop them from following the people inside. That launcher is exactly what we need."

Kaori swallowed the lump in her throat, looking the weapon over before handing it to Riku, who had a grin on his face. "Careful with it, okay?"

"Sure thing, Kaori!" he said, looking at Kohta. "How does it work?"

"Normally this is fired at an angle so the explosive reaches a maximum height. It causes a small explosion that's used as a deterrent. But firing it point blank is a bit different. Hold it against your shoulder and when you think you got it, squeeze the trigger. There's hardly any recoil, but you need to be careful." the gun loving otaku said, earning a nod from the boy.

"There's some sandbags up there, a makeshift firing wall. Lay down behind it and rest the launcher right on the edge of the sandbags. That'll hopefully stop any shrapnel from bouncing back." Rika added. Riku took a deep breath, glancing back at the others.

"Kaori, Ayaka, we started out as enemies and now we're kinda sort of friends. It's been nice knowing ya. If I survive this will you show me your panties?"

"No." they replied in unison, making him bow his head.

He started walking up the incline, partially jogging up it, coming to a stop before the sandbag barrier. He got down on his knees, resting the edge of the grenade launcher on the sandbags. He saw a trail of blood on the ground, likely a bunch of them that had been killed there. He heard movement behind him and looked back, seeing it was Hinata. He knelt down beside the boy, giving him a nod.

"I don't need any help,"

"Oh I know, but there might be a lot of them running in here, so I'll cover you." he said, switching his Colt over to Full Auto. He placed his hands over his ears, giving the boy a nod. "Go for it."

Riku licked his lips, finger wrapped around the trigger. Without hesitation he pulled it, hearing a loud pop followed by an explosion. He let out a yelp of surprise from the loud sound, making him jolt back a bit. He looked up, the smoke clearing a bit only to see a medium sized hole in the iron door. He got up to his knee and took aim again, firing for a second time. The shudders shook as more metal was blown away, the pair coughing loudly from the smoke.

Like Hinata had predicted, several Freaks started moving toward them, their groans filling the otherwise silent building. He noticed a few runners through the smoke, hands outstretched in preparedness to grab at their meal. He rose his rifle, aiming down his sight and firing.

Full Auto felt a lot different than he expected. The recoil of the gun made him bounce a bit, his aim shifting to the right. But he rapidly steadied it before letting out another burst. The shell casings struck the wall, their hollow clangs adding to the myriad of sounds filling the empty garage.

"Hey, we need backup!" Riku cried out, having reached for his Mack-11. He switched it to Semi-Auto and knelt down next to Hinata, opening fire. He jolted a bit from the recoil, but grabbed it firmly in his hands, firing again. "Heh… not so bad."

Savannah was quick to join them, holding her AK up, letting out a burst. It was the first time she had used her AK against the Freaks, but so far it wasn't too bad on her. She noticed Hinata back away, pulling a magazine from his pocket. She took his place, keeping her eyes locked on her targets.

After what seemed like an eternity, the Infected finally slowed to a trickle, the ones left behind being the slow moving Shamblers. Emerging from the garage, Hinata picked his shots, dropping all of the ones in the parking lot, sighing with relief. "We're clear, for now at least."

The parking lot was empty, save all of the fresh bodies riddled with bullets. Some were still moving, broken arms reaching up at the living. Several swipes and stabs from Saeko ended them. Saya looked around, spotting more military vehicles. She looked up at the sky, seeing it was slightly orange, the edges of night slowly ebbing away.

"It's almost sunrise," she said, looking back at their friends. "Shouldn't be too long until the sun is fully up."

"Has it really been that long?" Shizuka asked, brushing her hair out of her eyes. "It feels like a lot longer."

"We made it to Kaori's safehouse and rested until around 7 at night, then we left, went through the tunnel, the offices, across the construction site and into the sewers. Now we made it out of this police station. We stayed there for around an hour or two, not to mention all of the tip-toeing we did just to make it out here." Nick said, loading shells inside his shotgun. "I'm honestly surprised it isn't a lot later in the day,"

"Let's keep moving. Kaori, you said the theater is across the street, right?" Hinata asked. The blonde girl nodded, racing forward, ducking through some trees.

"It's across from us, we're in the right place!" she called back. The others joined her, taking in the street for the first time.

The theater was a large, brick building that took up most of the opposite street. The large triangular sign was blank, save the lone message "Closed for the Sickness" being visible. The lights were flickering on and off every few seconds, and the entrance looked like it was boarded shut. Up ahead, near the other side of the police station, a large wall of concrete highway dividers had been stacked up, and reinforced with a pair of Abrams tanks, parked back to back. The other end of the street had a similar barricade, made entirely out of buses and pieces of plywood, screwed into the side of the buses and topped with wire. Bags of sand were used to secure the gaps.

Bodies littered the road, along with large chunks of asphalt that had been ripped out. Cars had been smashed to bits, drenched in blood and organs. A bulldozer had been left out in the middle of the road, having likely been used to move things around. Whatever had happened there, it had happened fast. No one had any time to react.

"This is horrible," Ayaka said softly, feeling tears at the corners of her eyes. "I was here not long ago, watching that new Pokemon movie that came out. I was with my mom and a few friends from school."

"Last time I was here, I was trying to beat my high score on Pac-Man." Riku admitted, looking down, his face contorting into a look of sadness. "Fuck me man… I didn't think it would be this bad."

"The old world is dead kids, the faster you get that in your heads, the easier it all becomes," Rika said, patting their heads. "The hurt doesn't go away, you just have to make room for it."

"The front doors are barricaded shut, that means we're gonna have to get in through the back." Kaori mumbled, looking up the street. She spotted another store, its storefront having been blown out. "There's another store next to it, an antique shop. If we cut through it we can make it to the back."

"Then that's our play," Hinata said, checking his magazine for a moment. He started moving forward, underneath the bulldozer's claw. "Stay close, and watch your heads. Saeko, Saya I need you out on front,"

The pair quickly joined him, weapons at the ready. As they walked up the street, the noticed the large craters that had been left behind. It was obvious the army had been dropping bombs in this area, judging by the destroyed bodies, they had been very effective. As they moved toward the antique shop, they heard something in the distance. Hinata paused, looking up the road behind them, his eyes focusing on a speck in the distance.

"What the hell is that?"

"That's…" Kohta paused, gasping. "That's a MiG 29!"

"Shit, everyone hit the fucking deck! Quickly!" Rika shouted, urging them all to jump to the ground, covering their heads. Hinata hardly moved a foot forward before the jet flew right over them firing a missile straight into a nearby building. It exploded, sending him and the others to the ground, chunks of brick and concrete flying in all directions.

A loud cry echoed through the area, causing the stunned boy to force himself to his feet, stumbling for a moment. He spotted several infected climbing over the buses, trying to run in the direction of the explosion. The problem was they were right in their path. He looked around for a moment, spotting a familiar red canister in the back of a truck.

"Kohta!" he cried, grabbing the canister from the truck. He moved up the street and with strength he didn't have, hefted the canister forward. Kohta lined up his shot, watching as it bounced across the road.

"I got one, right in my pocket." he muttered, pulling the trigger at just the right moment. The canister burst into flames, the gasoline spilling out on the road, setting the Runners on fire. They hissed and screamed as if they were in pain, moving forward at a slower pace.

"That won't last long, come on! This way!" Kaori cried, running toward the antique shop. She ducked right through the storefront, sliding on the broken glass, but regaining her footing. She spotted the door that led to the alleyway, moving toward it. She tried to open it, but it was locked. "Fuck!"

"Kaori, open it!" Savannah cried, turning around to return fire, the flaming Infected were beginning to move toward them, causing the others to take positions near the front, guns at the ready.

The blonde girl let out a cry of anger as she pulled her Grenade Launcher from around her shoulder. She backed away from the door, kneeling down and holding the weapon to her shoulder. Without hesitation, she fired it at the door, blowing it to smithereens. She shielded herself with her arm, quickly jumping to her feet.

"Everyone move to the back, quick!"

"Go, Go, Go!" Nick shouted, backing away from the windows as he unloaded what was left of his shotgun into the crowd. Rika did the same, gesturing for him to go as he started to reload. When her gun clicked empty, she moved back, grabbing one of the shelves and knocking it over.

Kohta and Hinata did the same, creating a makeshift barrier of destroyed antiques, hoping to slow the infected down a bit. Moving toward the alleyway, they moved toward the right, spotting a fire escape above them.

"Up there, hurry!" the boy shouted, taking aim with his rifle. He glanced over his shoulder, seeing Saeko and Saya helping the others up the ladder. He looked back, just in time to see the first infected emerge from the store, a swift shot to the forehead took it out.

"I'm getting real tired of this shit," Nick said, joining his friend. Hinata chuckled, pulling his empty magazine out, quickly exchanging it for a fresh one.

"Sure gets the blood flowing, eh?"

"I liked it better in Tokunosu, they didn't run at you all the damn time," the former baseball player said.

"Hinata, Nick! I got you covered, go!" Kohta shouted, having taken a position near the top of the fire escape. Savannah was by his side, waiting for the two to clear. They turned around, sprinting toward the ladder.

"Haul ass Nick!"

"What the fuck do you think I'm doing?!"

Hinata jumped at the ladder first, rapidly climbing it, and once at the top, he turned around, holding his hand out to Nick. He pulled the teenager up, grabbing him by his belt and tugging him onto the landing. He grabbed the top rung of the ladder and pulled it up with all his strength, latching it into place. He leaned back, letting out a triumphant laugh as he and Nick clasped hands.

"Hell yeah! We get to live another day motherfuckers, woo!"

"Oh boys,"

The pair looked up at Saya, who had a small smirk on her face. "We still have an entire movie theater to deal with, so don't ring the victory bell yet."

Their happiness thoroughly quashed, they rose to their feet, reloading their firearms before moving toward the top of the fire escape. They shimmied across the edge of the building, dropping down on a lower area, next to some large air conditioning units. Carefully moving down a set of wooden boards and onto a scaffolding, they made it to one of the skylights belonging to the theater. Rika busted the glass with the stock of her shotgun, looking down into the darkened theater.

"I need a flare." she said, holding her hand out. Kohta reached into his pack for one, handing it to the woman. She struck it against the cap, throwing it into the building, hissing when the crimson light illuminated it. "Fuck me, this is gonna be hell."

"Why do you say holy fucking titties." Kohta said, clasping a hand over his mouth as he peered inside the building. Saya and Nick joined in, the color draining from their faces.

"Oh for the love of all that is good, why can't we catch a break?"

"Saya, can I borrow your gun for a bit?" he asked. She looked at him for a moment before reaching for her MP5. "No, the rifle."

"Oh… yeah sure," she said, a bit hesitant. He popped open the scope caps, resting the rifle against his shoulder as he peered through it.

While he couldn't see very well, there were a lot of things that caught his attention. For one, there were plenty of kerosene lamps that could prove useful to them in the future. There were also the emergency lights on the bottom floor, meaning the building had some form of power. Finally, there were the arcade cabinets, which were flashing brightly, waiting to be played. He lowered the rifle, glancing back at Riku.

"Hey kiddo, what games are in that arcade?"

"Pac-Man, Mortal Kombat II, Donkey Kong, Mario Kart Grand Prix, Ironically enough, House of the Dead, and I believe some claw machines. Why do you ask?"

"Hm…" he mumbled, peering through the scope again. He noticed the arcade was away from the main parts of the theater. There was a door near the very back with a large orange house painted on it, a familiar symbol which he had seen all the way back in Tokunosu. That meant there must have been a safe house within the building. He nodded to himself, handing Saya the rifle. "I'm going in."

"What? Are you insane?" Saya hissed, grabbing a hold of his arm. "You are not going in there!"

"I have to, I'll be fine." he said, brushing off her concern, instead shifting his gaze toward Saeko. "I need you with me. I have a plan. We'll be using one of those arcade boxes to attract the Infected to the arcade. Once they clear out, the others can start going in, and once we get them in a single place, Kaori shoots them with her grenade launcher."

"It's a bit risky but…" she paused, glancing inside the theater, noticing there weren't too many infected near their entrance. "I think we got this."

"The balls on you guys," Rika added, shaking her head in disbelief.

"You two promise me you'll be careful. We can't risk ourselves too much, and if you get bit,"

"We aren't getting bit, Auntie, I promise you." Hinata said, giving her a tight hug. "I'll be right back, okay? You take care of the others for me."

Shizuka nodded, silently praying that the pair would be fine. Hinata shared a brief kiss with Saya, silently reassuring her that she'd be fine. He handed Kohta his pack, sharing a handshake before he knelt down, grasping the edge of the skylight.

He carefully lowered himself, hanging for a moment before dropping, landing roughly on a pool table. He drew his 1911, shooting down the nearby infected, his slide locking back. He exchanged magazines, scanning the area for another second before standing up, holstering his weapon. "Saeko, now."

The silent samurai sheathed her sword, following his example. She lowered herself down carefully, hanging down until she was fully suspended. Hinata moved directly below her, grabbing a hold of her legs, standing up on his tip-toes as she let go of the skylight, her full weight falling onto his shoulders. He regained his balance, sighing audibly when he felt her climbing off his shoulders.

"You know, I was contemplating on doing that backward so your face would be buried between my legs," Saeko said, giving the boy a knowing smirk.

"Sweetheart, if you want me to bury my face between your legs, at least let us do it in a safe place," he whispered back.

"You are no fun,"

"Not when we're risking our asses," he said with an eye roll. He gave her a quick kiss, once he had made sure the others weren't watching. She perked up a bit, feeling reenergized.

They stepped off the pool tables, slowly moving toward the arcade. She rapidly drew her Murata-tou, using the momentum of her draw to slice a man's head clean off his shoulders. She spun around her heel, cutting the top of a woman's head off, followed by stabbing another clean through the eyesocket. Hinata lined up a shot, killing an Infected teenager, his body flying back into one of the arcade machines.

The area clear, he moved toward the Mortal Kombat II machine, checking it over for a moment. He reached into his pocket, finding some spare Yen at the bottom, sliding the coins into the slot. He pressed the start button, the music blaring from the old speakers.

"Choose your Fighter!"

He quickly choose one, and pressed the buttons fast, not caring what was selected, just as long as the match began. Once it did, he pulled Saeko back, tucking themselves in a corner.

Slowly but surely, the infected started moving in the direction of the game, allowing them to move back toward the skylight. Hinata climbed back onto the table, gesturing to Saya to start sending people down. The first was Kaori, who Saya and Nick carefully lowered down. He caught her quickly, lowering her down to the table. He did the same with Ayaka and Savannah, who trained their weapons toward the gathering of infected.

One of them however, heard the movement behind him and, ever so slightly, turned to face them. He let out a growl, shambling over to them. Savannah noticed this, tugging on Hinata's shirt. "Hinata, look."

He looked away from the skylight, seeing the Infected shambling in their direction. He drew his pistol, aiming at his forehead. He pulled the trigger, only for the Infected to jerk to the right, his bullet missing entirely. The Arcade cabinet that had been attracting the dead sparked, the gunshot having struck the screen.

"What the fuck?" he muttered, eyes widening. He took aim at the infected again, but just like last time, he jerked at the last moment, causing the bullet to hit the wall. Kaori looked around, spotting a cue stick on one of the tables. She grabbed it and held it above her knee, snapping it clean in half.

Turning the sharp end around, she moved toward the Infected man, thrusting the sharpened stick through the underside of his jaw, almost lifting him off the ground. She pulled her makeshift spear free, his body crumpling to the ground. That sound had been enough to attract the others, who were know moving as a single unit toward them.

"What the hell happened the the game?" Saya asked, glancing at Hinata.

"I dunno, that Infected kept dodging my bullets. You saw it, right Kaori?"

"I did, but we can't focus on that. We need to deal with those infected! With them moving away from the machine, I can't shoot them all!" she said. Riku looked around for a moment, his eyes locking with one of the pool tables. He snagged the edge of it, grunting as he lifted it up.

"Nick, Kohta, Hinata!" he called out. The three boys were quickly at his side, each taking a hold of a corner of the table, lifting it up.

"Where do we want this?"

"Over the railing! Trust me, the bang will be enough to get them to follow it!" he said, pushing the table in the direction he wanted it. Managing to lift it over the edge of the railing they pushed it off, a thundering bang filling the theater as it broke apart on the first floor.

Just as they thought, the Shamblers started moving toward the sound, most falling over the edge of the railing right down to the first floor. It wasn't enough to kill them, but it got them out of the way.

"Where do we go now?" Hinata asked.

"Over there, it's a service room! My brother told me once that one of his friends got him in for free to a movie. He watched it from the camera room!" she said, pointing toward a set of double doors across from where they were.

With everyone safely inside, they started moving in that direction, being as quiet as possible, as the infected continued following the sound. Riku ended up using the pool balls as projectiles, throwing them at the broken table to keep their interest on it. Making it to the double doors, Nick and Kohta quickly secured them, letting Rika, Hinata and Saya to scan the room.

Finding it empty, everyone hurried inside. Retaking the lead, Hinata moved through another door. He took a right, finding himself inside a large room, with a 16 inch millimeter camera pointed straight at one of the theater screens. He peered through the hole in the wall, down into the theater, which had a few Undead inside.

"It's pretty clear, just a few Freaks we gotta take care of." he said.

"There's a house painted on the screen, think it's like back in Tokunosu? With that Video Game store?" Savannah asked curiously.

"I sure hope so, I am tired of moving." Saya muttered, running her fingers through her hair. "Can we just move ahead? If there's a safehouse close then I want to get to it."

Nick looked around for a few seconds, spotting a metal door to the left of the room. He grabbed a hold of the knob and turned it, quickly shining his light into the room. He grinned as he looked back. "Guys, this door leads down into the theater room, come on."

Moving into the room, Hinata and Saya lined their shots and fired, silently taking down the infected within. Saeko did the same, launching herself over the seats as she brought her sword down on a woman whom she sliced clean in half. She landed in a crouch before the stage, darting forward to bring down two more, successfully ending their threat.

Shining his light around, Nick noticed the doors were boarded shut. He looked up, finding a large hole to the outside. The room was otherwise dark, giving him a rather eerie feeling as he turned back to the others. "I'm not gonna lie, this place is giving me the creeps."

"You aren't the only one kiddo." Rika admitted, rubbing her arm to ward off the cold filling the room. "Do you know where this safe room is?"

"Looks like it's just beyond this door," Savannah said. She was standing on the stage, trying and failing to open the door. She noticed the pinpad next to it, along with the numbers written above it. She dialed them in, only for the device to spark, making her jump back. "Well, looks like we're not getting in here so easily."

"Can we break it down?" Kaori asked. Kohta shook his head, frowning.

"Doesn't look like it, it's one of those reinforced metal doors, probably a security door. The area behind this theater might be a storage room for parts and film, so they wouldn't want customers to get in so easily."

Riku looked around the room for a moment, almost tripping on a deceased kid before he caught a familiar whirring sound. He looked forward, spotting the large hole that had been made in the wall. Just beyond it was a desk, which contained a PC. He cleared his throat, turning back to the others. "Hey Fellas, I found a computer."

"Riku now is not the time for that. The internet isn't going to help us," Ayaka said, making the boy sigh.

"I know that, but if there's a computer here then it might do something. What if this place is a security room connected to the system?" he questioned, a look of curiosity on his face. "Ha, didn't think about that, did ya?"

"It's a bit of a risk, isn't it? What if that computer does nothing?" Shizuka added, looking worried. "We might end up wasting our time. Remember what Rei said earlier, about the military,"

"She's right, I completely forgot but with the movements of the military, not to mention those MiG 29s flying over head, a bigger bomb might be incoming. It might be a napalm or it might be something far more dangerous," Hinata said, climbing up into the room. He moved toward the computer, checking it over. "I'll try it out. You guys be ready for anything,"

He wiggled the mouse, bringing up the desk top. He looked it over for a moment, finding that it was indeed connected to the security system. He tried to access it, trying to bypass the code but every time he tried, it would freeze. Rather than waste his time, he decided to shut down the system and restart it. After a second, the familiar Windows XP startup flashed onto the screen, making him shake his head.

"Who the hell still uses XP? I would have moved up to WIndows 10 by now," he thought, backing away from the PC. "Then again, Windows 10 was fairly glitchy. I guess for a security system like this, it's fine."

The screen went to the desktop, the icons refreshing after a moment. He was about to open the system prompt when the computer froze. Mere seconds later, a bright blue screen filled the monitor before everything turned off. Even the large projector that was serving as their light source went off, throwing the whole room into darkness.

"Uh, Hinata… what the fuck did you do?" Saya asked, sounding worried.

"I didn't do anything, this thing just went blue screen on me. Don't worry, I'll have it fixed in a-"

The lights in the room suddenly turned on, and with it came an explosion of sound. The projector restarted, and it seemed as if it began playing whatever movie was left. The speakers rang with sound as it was seemingly turned up to max. Everyone covered their ears from the sudden explosion of music and gunshots, accompanied by some Bruce Willis movie no one recognized.

"Shut it off, shut it off!" Kohta shouted. Hinata looked around for a moment, before grabbing the CPU, pulling it from the wall and throwing it to the ground, but that didn't cause the projector to stop. Finding an electrical box, he quickly drew his pistol, shooting what was left of his magazine at it.

He panted a bit, moving toward the theater, reaching into his fanny pack for a new magazine, only for a loud screech to echo through the theater. The young man didn't need to see it to know that a Screecher had been alerted, and with it, a herd of Undead.

"How many of them do you think will come?" Kohta said, a grim look on his face as he loaded his shotgun.

"100… maybe 2?" Rika replied, licking her lips.

"I'm sorry guys, I didn't mean to."

"It isn't your fault, Hinata. You were just trying to open that door for us. But now that we can open it, we can't let them get close. These walls are thin, that storage room would get invaded and we would get mauled," Saeko said. She wiped her sword clean of blood before sheathing it, drawing her pistol from her holster.

Loud bangs started filling the room as the boarded up doors were attacked. The wood started rattling as the infected continued pushing against it. Ayaka let out a fearful cry as she hid behind Shizuka, who had a firm look on her face, her gun held outward.

"Alright everyone, our battle is about to begin. Train your fire at either of those doors. Shotguns first, rifles stand in for shotguns while they reload. Pistols, aim to the second floor, I'm sure some will come out from there," Kohta said, swallowing the lump in his throat. "If we make it out of this-"

"When we make it out of this, Kohta. No giving up yet, you still have to get an answer from Nozomi, lest you forget." Hinata said, holding his rifle tightly against his shoulder, a spare magazine already in his grasp. The doors cracked, the sounds of the dead growing as they almost burst into the room. "Ready?"

"Ready."

The doors finally gave way. Having already braced themselves, they had nothing left to do but pull the trigger.

---

A/N: So this is the last Chapter I wrote for this story. While I was really into it, thanks to real life and other interests, I ended up not finishing this arc. The next chapter is 55% written but due to time constraints and other projects I've decided to end it with this one for now. Yeah, I leave it at a bit of a cliff hanger but I am going to come back to it soon. I've invested myself in this story seeing as it was one of my favorites growing up. For now I want to focus on working on my FGO fic as well as expanding my AO3 account. That's all I gotta say, thanks to everyone who had read this story so far and waited for a long time to see an actual update. I'll be back soon, I promise. Thanks for everything and for your reviews!