Chapter 17- Guts
Michiru bent down and kissed Hotaru on the forehead. The little girl looked up with tears in her eyes. "Michiru-mama, when are you coming back? You are coming back right?"
She patted the little girl on the head. "Of course. Now, with me gone, remember to listen to Haruka-papa okay? And remember to brush your teeth every night. I love you so much, my little firefly..." Michiru blinked hard, trying to keep her own tears from spilling.
"Be careful out there." Haruka squeezed her hands hard. "I will be waiting, right here, for you to come back. Okay?"
"Just don't eat too much of my cookies. I want some when I come back." Michiru tried to keep her tone light, but her voice cracked, betraying her feelings. She looked into Haruka's eyes, taking a moment to remember that handsome face, down to every single last detail. She pulled Haruka in for the last kiss.
She got into the driver's seat and turned the key. Mako and Setsuna got in, both quiet with tears in their eyes. She put the car in reverse and drive slowly out of the long driveway.
"Mama..." Hotaru started to run towards them. "Mama..."
No longer able to hold them back, the tears spilled freely down Michiru's face. She saw Haruka grabbing Hotaru and how the little girl struggled...she saw the look on Haruka's face and felt her heart break...
The mission was what mattered. Michiru clenched the wheel tightly and wiped away her tears. For them, for her family, she would make them proud...
The sun hung low, rising slowly on the horizon. The country road was eerily quiet, not a single zombie in sight.
"You want to take a right at the next intersection, then you should see the train track right ahead of you. If we drive on it, it will take us directly to the lab..." Setsuna said as she stared at the map. "Hopefully, the track is still clear..."
Michiru nodded and swerved the car to the right. Up ahead, she could already see abandoned cars blocking the main roads. She pushed the accelerator and pushed the car up the sloping curb. Thud. The car protested as it rested on the tracks. "Alright, fingers crossed we don't run into an abandoned train with zombies."
In the back seat, Mako was fiddling around with her portable solar panel. The thud caused her to lose one of the screws and she swore loudly. Michiru looked at her through the rearview mirror. "You okay back there?"
"Yeah...found it. Sorry, I am just on edge." Mako met Michiru's gaze. She sighed deeply. "How long is the estimated drive, Setsuna?"
"If everything goes according to plan, this track literally pass by the lab. We will get there in three hours. If we are forced to ditch our car halfway, then I don't know..."
Michiru popped one of her CDs in and turned up the volume slightly. "Then let's settle in. It's going to be a long ride...hopefully..."
Two hours passed and their luck ran out. A derailed train blocked the rest of the way and they were forced to abandon the car. Michiru took out her spear and her bag from the trunk. Quickly, they covered the car with some fallen branches and made their way down from the track.
"Okay, let's keep going this route until we get to here, then we start running. Once we are out of the cover of the forest, then the clock starts ticking...we will try to avoid fighting for as long as possible..." Mako pointed at the map.
Setsuna gripped her axe tightly. Her breathing was shallow and her face pale.
"It's good to be scared. Fear will keep you alive. Remember that." Michiru patted on Setsuna's back. "Trust your gut."
The trio made their way through the small patch of forest, walking slowly and quietly. They took out some zombies here and there, but they were easy compared to what's to come.
"Okay. Everyone ready?" Mako looked at everyone. "Let's do this..."
They dashed out of the forest and sprinted toward their destination. Michiru could feel her palms getting sweaty and her heart pounding hard in her chest. In a matter of minutes, they could see zombies following them.
"Keep running...don't look back. We are faster." Mako urged. She grabbed Setsuna, who was starting to fall behind.
"Zombies to the right." Michiru pointed out a new herd of zombies closing in. "Come on.." She turned left and ran into one of the alleys.
The roar of the undead was getting louder, but the group kept on running. Mako and Michiru took turns navigating, while Setsuna struggled to keep up.
"Shit!" Everywhere Michiru looked, there were zombies coming from every direction. "Let's get inside." Mako nodded and smashed her axe into one of the houses' door. They quickly retreated inside and barricaded the entrance.
Setsuna sank to the floor, her chest heaving. Mako and Michiru looked at each other, realizing the situation just went from bad to worse.
"Now what?" Mako threw up her hand. "I wasn't going to use the grenades till later, but maybe we should now?"
"What? You brought grenades? We had grenades?" Michiru raised her eyebrows.
"Ami. She got it from the trading post. Anyway, she told me not to use it unless it was the last option. The noise would draw more zombies in, but should momentarily clear a path for us."
"I...have...a...better idea..." Setsuna squeezed out the words between breaths. "Let's go see... if there're any zombies trapped in this house. I heard a shuffling sound earlier..."
"Why? We need to conserve our energy. One lone zombie upstairs is no threat." Mako said as she looked out the window. "The herd is getting bigger..."
"Trust me. Go kill it and bring the body down here." Setsuna unzipped her bag and took out her med kit. "The only way through that herd is to become one of them...zombies identified the livings through smell. We need to cover ourselves in zombie blood and guts."
After twenty minutes and a whole lot of mess, the trio was ready. They dosed themselves in blood and guts, and for good measures, Setsuna drapped some intestines around their necks. Now smelling like decomposing bodies, the group was prepared to head out. Michiru glanced up and could see some storm clouds rolling in overhead and prayed that they would have enough time to make it to their destination before the rain fell…
"Remember. Walk like them. Don't run and don't make a sound." Setsuna instructed. "Let's go."
They opened the door and stepped out. Michiru held her breath as the zombies got close to sniff her. The pungent smell got stronger, as the dead bodies surround them. Fighting back a gag reflex, Michiru willed her body to relax.
Slowly, the herd started to dissipate and the trio made their way through the crowd. They walked through Tokyo, blending in with the rest of the undead.
A low rumble sounded and the sky turned darker. They looked up in fear, as drops of rain started to fall. Michiru looked down in horror and saw her zombie blood started to wash off, leaving behind a trail of red.
Getting a new whiff of human scent, the zombies turned lively again. At first, disorganized. Then, they start to converge again.
"Run!" Mako grabbed Setsuna, and the three of them started running again.
Michiru looked back at the crowds following and her heart sank. She turned and looked at Mako and Setsuna running ahead. In that split second, she made a decision. The mission was what mattered. Michiru said a silent goodbye and then turned in the opposite direction. They were still a good 15 minutes away from the lab, Michiru needed to buy them some time...
"Michiru? Where is Michiru?" Mako asked in horror. She was just there a minute ago.
"No. We have to keep going..." Setsuna started to run faster.
Mako slowed her pace and turned to face the herd. She couldn't abandon Michiru. She just couldn't.
All of a sudden, a beautiful melody sounded from the distance. They stopped and turned to its source.
Michiru was perched on a second floor overhang and playing her violin. The herds changed directions and started to advance towards her.
Setsuna looked down and clenched her fists. Then she shook her head and looked up with new determination. "We. Have. To. Go!" Setsuna grabbed Mako's hand and yanked Mako out of her stupor.
Reluctantly, Mako followed. Michiru would be safe for now...but for how long? How long could those columns stand with that many zombies pushed against it?
A.N.
I know in the anime and manga, Setsuna is a bad ass fighter. In this AU however, she doesn't have any fighting training and so I am making her physically weaker.
Also, I think even though Setsuna is both loyal and have a strong sense of duty, in this case, she chose duty over loyalty. She wouldn't want to waste Michiru's sacrifice...
