AN: Sorry for the delay on this. To answer the question I left time: Saya will be the one to accompany Takashi when he gets off the bus. Saeko is pretty much the only combat-proficient person outside of Kohta, and even then he's only good with the limited nails they brought from the school. Not to mention he doesn't have to personality or confidence to stand up to Shido's group, even with the lecherous teacher being zombie food. Leon will also meet up with his target in this chapter. I hope you enjoy it.
Onwards to the Story!
"Talking"
'Thinking'
"Electronic Talking"
Chapter 3: Into the City of the Dead
[City Outskirts]
The tense silence on the bus to the point it was suffocating. Even more so after Shizuka turned on the radio to see what was going on beyond what they could see. Thankfully they couldn't see any dogs, birds, or monsters yet, but they could hear them.
"It has been confirmed that these outbreaks are caused by a manufactured bio-organic virus. However, there is no way of knowing who or what made it. Officials are calling it the Tyrant or T-Virus for short. As many may already know, this pandemic is spread by being bitten or scratched and is fast acting. Once infected there is no hope, isolate yourself or end your life by means of blunt force trauma to the head. Medical personnel are working to find a cure or at least a vaccine for the Virus.
For now, Martial Law has been declared in many parts of the world. We've lost contact with China, Moscow, and all of South America. Europe and most of Asia have been set ablaze. Looting and Mass Hysteria have been confirmed in the US, Canada, and here in Japan, therefore people are urged to stay indoors unless absolutely necessary.
We will continue to monitor the situation and report it to you live as it comes to us. Godspeed and good luck to you all." The reporter said before the radio went silent.
"Goddamn it... So this is everywhere." Takashi scowled.
"Yeah... but at least now we know the cause. I knew it had to be some sort of disease but I wouldn't have thought this was man-made." Saya mused allowed. "Who on earth could have developed it and why?"
"Who knows, but one thing is for sure is that we can't rely on the hope they will find a vaccine or cure before the world has progressed beyond salvation." Saeko said plainly getting nods from the original group, though the air-head nurse frowned at the kids' bleak outlook, even if she couldn't blame them.
However, one of Shido's group piped up in denial. "I don't believe it! You know that the news is controlled by the government and used to make us live in fear! This is probably isolated here in the city! We need to find someplace to hide and ride it out!"
"She's right! We should find a grocery store or something and barricade ourselves inside." Yuuki said, clearly scared out of her mind.
"And even if you did that... How long do you think that will last before the undead or other people broke in?" The pink-haired genius scoffed. "The pitiful barricade you manage to make wouldn't last more than a day or two."
"Shut up!" Tsunoda growled. "It's not like we all have rich families with a mansion that can be turned into a fortress with a military background to set up a parameter!"
The baseball player struck the bully with the head of the bat, shoving it into his gut with all of his strength, knocking the wind out of the blonde prick. "I won't have you disrespecting her like that."
"Alright let's all calm down." The swordswoman said sternly seeing things were getting heated. "We're all on edge right now and we have at least another hour before we get to town. So cool your jets. Those who want to get out and separate from the group have to tough it out til then."
"Fine. But we're out of here the first chance we get!" Yuuki said as she helped Tsunoda up and into an empty seat.
"Whatever you want." Kohta scoffed.
"We'll even give you a fighting chance, even if you have fought us the whole time." Takashi growled. "There are only 4 of you, so we can spare the weapons."
The two ringleaders scoffed but knew they didn't have a choice and started picking out weapons for the two of them at the very least. They weren't sure if the other two would join them or not.
"So, I'm sure everyone's noticed how close you two have been throughout all of this." Saeko said looking at the childhood friends. "Mind telling us what's going on?"
"Saya and I are childhood friends..." The black-haired young man sighed. "We've known each other since kindergarten. We were pretty much inseparable until that whore came into our lives in the 5th grade. Even then she's been my best female friend and I took up the role as her bodyguard/protector."
"Yeah, I didn't like that girl even back then." Saya growled. "Ever since then, we butted heads, fighting for Takashi's attention. I felt like she was trying to take away my first real friend that didn't see me as the heiress of the Takagi family."
"Saya..." He said with a small smile. 'I didn't know she felt that way. Though I can see where she is coming from, and looking back I wish didn't befriend that slut.'
"As I said before, my father likes him despite his previous hesitant nature. And now that he's taking charge and living up to his potential, nothing is holding him back anymore." The pinkette said with a small blush.
"I agree, he'll be a fine man as long as he can keep that determination." The purple-haired young woman nodded in agreement, Shizuka too nodded with a smile. However internally Saeko wasn't happy. 'So, that's how it is. Childhood friends with a wedge driven between them by that Miyamoto girl. It won't be long before he moves on from his heartbreak... the signs are already there. I will have to subtly enter their good graces. I wouldn't mind sharing him.'
Kohta sighs. 'Yup, I have no chance with Takagi... She's totally in love with Komuro. Oh well, they have been good people so far, and from what I saw he only lashes out when extremely provoked. His triggers seem to be loyalty and honesty, even then he has some restraint.'
[Tokonosu City]
After another hour of driving the group arrived in the city where Shizuka pulled over. "Alright, those leaving the group are welcome to get off now. There is no sign of zombies or monsters at the moment but be careful."
"...Thanks for getting us this far, but the 4 of us don't feel safe with a murderer like Komuro. However, we will take your advice on how to survive." Yuuki said begrudgingly.
"Yeah...and thanks for the weapons." Tsunoda grumbled before beckoning to the other two. "Alright you two, let's go."
"Wait." Saya called out to the trio. "I know we don't like each other, or even agree with how things should be done, but if you manage to survive out there, you should head towards my family's compound. They'll likely give you shelter as long as you're willing to work for your stay."
They just nodded and left the bus, then Takashi got up from his seat with Saya doing the same with a second large duffel bag on her back.
"Saya and I will go and gather supplies." He said before looking at Saeko. "I'm trusting you to keep Ms. Shizuka and Hirano safe. Keep heading for Onbetsu Bridge and wait for us there if possible. If not, find a way to signal us from the apartment."
"Alright. You two stay safe and try to find some form of transport or it will take you at least 2 days to reach Onbetsu." Saeko said, somehow knowing that by the time they reunited that the childhood friends would be so much more. A thought shared by Kohta.
"Don't worry about that. I thought I spotted something a block or so ago that we could use." The pinkette said secretly excited to be spending time alone with her crush. "Hirano, use your judgment with the nails since we will be getting actual firearms soon enough."
"Got it. I think I'll save them for now. As much as I don't want to admit it, if I am going to survive I need to exercise... So I'll stick to my hockey stick for now." Kohta lamented.
"Alright, good luck. See you at either Onbetsu Bridge or the apartment building." The baseball player said.
"Oh! So you know which one it is, my girlfriend has a really big vehicle that looks like a tank." Shizuka said with excitement.
'A military vehicle that looks like a tank...?' The gun otaku thought before realizing and speaking may be a bit too loud. "She has a HUMVEE?!"
"Shit..." The Swordswoman cursed, glaring at her chubby companion. "You two better get going."
"Yeah, at least we have something to go off of when we're looking for you guys." The smartest person in the group nodded before grabbing her crush's hand and silently getting away in case zombies came calling.
A few blocks away, the two stopped once they were sure they were safe. Saya silently pointed to a motorcycle that was discarded with its key still inserted luckily. Takashi nodded while making his way over to the bike, took the key out, and motioned for her to follow him to the nearby convenience store. However, what they didn't realize is that the store had a bell over the entryway, so when it rang, the nearby Zombies stumbled their way.
Thankfully, there were only 5 in total in the area. The pinkette took care of the 2 in the store while the ravenette took care of the 3 just outside of the area. Once they were in the clear, the childhood friends got to gathering the most nutritious yet nonperishable foods they could find in the convenience store, which, regrettably, wasn't a whole lot but it was better than nothing.
"This will likely only feed us for a single day... I really hope that Miss Shizuka's friend has her place fully stocked." Takashi said softly.
"Yeah, or we'll have to make a b-line for my place...and while I know that's the safest place in the city, I really don't want to deal with Daddy since I know he'll be in full military mode." Saya said with a frown getting a nod of understanding from her friend.
"Come on, let's get that bike before someone else does." He said keeping an eye out for the scum of the earth getting a nod in return.
They made their way to the bike without any issues and got moving toward the targeted bridge. However, it wasn't long til they spotted a parked police car.
"Heh, Stolen Bike and food, no helmets, no license. We're just asking to be arrested." Takashi joked.
"Oh, whatever, I seriously doubt they'd arrest us with everything going on. Besides, you're not seriously worried about some police after dealing with so many zombies, are you?" Saya scoffed.
"No way." He grinned as he drove closer to the car, however. "Shit... they're dead."
"...We should check to see if they have anything. We do need firearms, even if I don't have any experience with them." She said hesitantly.
"The only benefit of being 'friends' with that whore, her father was a huge gun nerd on top of being a police officer... He taught me how to handle a handgun and standard-issue shotgun." The baseball player growled. "Just in case I needed to defend his little girl."
'Takashi...' The swimmer thought as she wanted to comfort him. "Come on, let's get this over with. I can hear them off in the distance."
While checking for anything useful, they found two police revolvers, though one had a broken handle and a full box of extra rounds. Saya managed to squeeze in and hop the trunk where they found more ammo and some Kevlar wrist, ankle, and knee guards, enough for them and the rest of their group when they reunited.
"Well, at least we have plenty of ammo. A shame we didn't find a shotgun in the trunk. Still, this armor will provide more protection against the zombies." Takashi commented.
"That's true... though I don't know how the Kevlar will fair against enhanced bite strength, it's better than our clothes or bare skin." Saya nodded before getting back on the bike getting a nod from her companion as he put everything in the bag before handing it to her and getting on in the front and riding off.
[With Saeko's Group]
Kohta, Saeko, and Shizuka had stopped long enough to grab some food since they were all getting hungry, but other than that they've had a fairly peaceful and quiet. Saeko took to getting Kohta to do some "light" exercises by doing 25 push-ups, and sit-ups.
"Bu-Busujima... I-I can't go on..." The fat otaku said gasping for air.
"Hmm..." The swordswoman nodded. "You've done well. Get some rest, we'll pick up again in a couple of hours."
'Geez, she's a slave driver.' Kohta groaned as he pulled himself up into a seat. 'I wish we grabbed more food than just what we had to eat earlier...'
The purple-haired teen sighs before looking out the window, taking notice of what was going on. What she saw horrified her. Down the alley, she saw a massive beast crawling on the side of the wall of the building that was between 6 and 7 feet in length with razor-sharp teeth and a massively long tongue that seemed to have pierced a poor young woman through her chest. The creature seemed to have been skinned or something since all that could be seen were exposed muscles, long razor-sharp claws, and its brain exposed. Funnily enough, it didn't seem to have eyes so that meant it was blind.
"Well shit." Saeko cursed getting the attention of her two companions.
"What is it Miss Busujima?" Shizuka asked cautiously as she kept an eye on the road.
"It seems Igou truly did curse us..." The Kendo expert said seriously. "I just saw one of those tongue monsters Takashi mentioned in that last alleyway."
"That's not good..." The Gun Otaku sighed. "We don't have any way to contact or warn Komuro or Takagi, not to mention we don't know if that was the only one or if there are more of them out there."
"I hope they'll be ok." The nurse responded worriedly. "If they are anything like movies, then those things are extremely fast and deadly."
"It's safe to say they are deadly at the very least. The one I saw had its tongue through a young woman's chest while hanging off the side of a building with its claws." Saeko said worriedly.
The other two nodded and silently cursed Igou while giving a silent prayer for their childhood friends.
[With Leon on the other side of town]
Leon was silently making his way through the city with a scowl on his face. 'Damn it. This is just like Raccoon City all over again... only this time it seems to be on a global scale.'
He peaked out from behind a wall to see the coast was clear. He decided he'd make his way to every convenience store and gas station between the Takagi Estate and Fujimi Academy hoping that his quarry was smart enough to grab provisions when they could. However, his mind was still focused on the photo he was given as a frontal payment.
'Ada, did you really unleash the T-virus here?' He thought before he came to a halt upon hearing something he really hoped he wouldn't encounter.
He took cover in a yard with a fence and bush on two sides to give him cover and peaked over the fence. When he saw not only zombified dogs but Lickers as well, he cursed under his breath.
'Well, this just got a whole lot harder... I can sneak by the Lickers, but those dogs are gonna be a pain in the ass...' The US Agent sighed. 'That means I need to keep an eye on the skies and trees... no telling what else has been mutated by this damned virus.'
Noticing that the dogs were starting to sniff around, he decided it was time to silently divert his current path and head to the next stop on his list, hoping that the kids were alright. Little did he know he was going to have a slight case of Deja vu involving a gas station and saving a girl.
[Later that night]
It was very late out a night, the moon high in the sky, Takashi and Saya decided to stop at a gas station to fuel up their bike and possibly stop to grab more supplies. However, when they got there, there was a slight issue.
"Damn it..." Takashi cursed. "This place is self-serve."
"I'm guessing you don't have the cash?" Saya deadpanned.
"We'll only get fumes with the cash I have." He nodded. "Do you have any on hand?"
"Not physical cash." She said before inspecting the gas pump. "And this thing doesn't appear to accept plastic."
"Well, desperate times call for desperate measures." The ravenette said with a grin. "Keep a look out and scream if something happens."
"Yeah, yeah... Go have fun." The pinkette sighed as she waved him off knowing what he was planning, noticing movement in the shadows nearby.
Inside, before he got to the cash register, Takashi grabbed all the pre-packed sandwiches he could and stuffed them into the duffel bag.
'That should be enough food for a bit, even if Shizuka's girlfriend's apartment isn't stocked with food. Now for the cash we need for gas.' The ravenette thought with a smirk, making his way to his target with his bat at the ready.
Outside, the thug was eyeing Saya like a piece of meat, waiting for the fool to start making noise that would drown out her screams, or so he hoped, not knowing that there was someone else approaching to assist the two teenagers.
However, Takashi didn't immediately resort to bashing the register open, he tried everything before realizing the register wasn't getting any power. So, without knowing how to power it seeing as how it was plugged in and everything, he climbed up on the counter and started going to town on the thing.
The wealthy heiress could only sigh when she started hearing her crush do his thing. 'Given the time he's been in there, I'm going to assume he didn't just resort to destruction. Which is more than I can for most humans...'
However, unfortunately for the prowler, his target wasn't as unaware as he thought. No Saya knew he was there and only appeared relaxed but had a firm grip on her weapon, ready to defend herself, noticing that the asshole didn't notice it from his direction of approach.
'Alright Saya, don't freeze. He's just another piece of scum that needs to be removed. Even if he does manage to trap you, Takashi is close by and will hear your scream. He'll protect you as he always has.' She thought, trying to steel herself.
As the thug started reaching for her overly generous breasts from behind, she spun around, striking his face with her field hockey stick, causing him to cry out in pain.
"You little bitch!" He shouted, not caring if he got the attention of anything or anyone around. "You're gonna pay for that!"
"You think I was gonna let you grope me and whatever else you had planned you perverted asshole?!" Saya shouted louder, knowing Takashi would hear her.
Half a block away, Leon heard the shouting and sighed. "That's coming from the gas station up ahead. I better go take a look in case it's the kids I'm looking for."
Inside the store, Takashi heard the shouting, immediately grabbed the cash in the broken register, and ran out to help his childhood friend, ready to use the 6-shooter revolver if necessary. Outside he saw the evidence of Saya had smacked a thug good upset the head but still ran to help. "Hey, Asshole! Leave her alone!"
"I don't think so, you little prick. She's got an amazing body, and I sure as hell ain't gonna go for one of those Zombie Scanks!" The punk yelled back.
"And I'm not going to let you defile my friend." The baseball player growled raising his bat at the asshole. "The fact that you plan to rape her and then likely leave her for the undead pisses me off!"
"And what are you going to do about it, pretty boy? That bat means you need to get close to hit me and I'm no stranger to back alley brawls using knives and blunt objects." The would-be rapist sneered.
Before Takashi could reach for his gun, he noticed a brown-haired male wearing a leather jacket and blue jeans approaching with a shotgun strapped to his back.
"You guys are making too much noise." The brunette said quietly. "However, given that this scum is the loudest and the instigator, I can understand. However, company is on its way... and not just dogs or zombies. So if we're gonna do something about him, we should do it soon and get out of here."
"Shit..." both teenagers said not dropping their guard before Takashi drew his gun. "We're gonna have to ditch our bike if you're on our side, and if you're saying what I think you are then I hope you have something to stun those monsters."
"We can talk later. Show me what I've heard about you is true." The older male said as he leaned against a nearby pillar.
The baseball player and swimmer looked affronted briefly before Saya walked to the side letting her crush handle this scum. Takashi's eyes harden as he fires his gun, aiming at the head of his target so as not to leave the chance of another zombie roaming around. The bullet hit true, hitting the would be rapist between the eyes, however, a screech from the distance told the now group of three that they need to leave quickly. After running a few blocks from the gas station, they hide in a house that was clearly broken into and looted.
"Alright, now that we have a moment to ourselves, let's go over introductions." The shotgun-wielding man said. "I'm Leon S. Kennedy. I was hired by Ms. Takagi's parents to find you two and get you back to the compound, as well as anyone else in your group."
"I'm gonna say it was more Mom that asked you to find me, and knowing the Takashi wouldn't leave my side in a crisis, she included him in your orders." Saya said firmly, getting a nod in return. "I thought so. Daddy's likely forcing on securing and fortifying our position."
"Are there any others that we need to worry about?" Leon asked, wanting to get a move on.
"Yeah, we have three others waiting for us at an apartment on the other side of Onbetsu Bridge alongside the river, apparently with a Humvee parked outside." The baseball player said. "One is a gun otaku, the school nurse, and swordswoman of amazing skill who was head of the kendo club."
"Huh, I have to say that I'm impressed." The American said, crossing his arms. "Although Onbetsu Bridge is a fair ways away and vehicles will only draw their attention, especially those damned Lickers."
"Wait, there are actually skinned monsters with 6-foot tongues?!" The pinkette asked in a slightly raised voice. "Takashi, you're former best friend is an asshole."
"No arguments there..." The ravenette sighed before turning the agent. "Please tell me you haven't noticed any 7-foot giants that are impossible to kill."
"So far, no," Leon said, honestly relieved. "And this is far too exposed to be silenced by those brutes this time around."
"What do you mean this time?!" The swimmer shouted. "How did we not hear about something like this on the news?!"
"It was in Raccoon City, a few years ago." The brunette sighed. "I'm a survivor of that tragedy. The government launched a high-yield tactical nuclear warhead to sterilize the City and cover it up as a nuclear meltdown, however, Umbrella Corp was shut down and destroyed due to being responsible for the first attack."
"Do you know who is responsible for this global event?" Takashi asked trying to keep calm while moving to hold Saya close to try to calm her down. "And why isn't there a vaccine ready just in case it happened again?"
"There isn't enough for the whole world. Only world leaders and Anti-Terrorism personnel, like myself, have been vaccinated. This doesn't mean I'm immune, just means I'm resistant to the virus." The agent sighed. "As to who is responsible, I don't know for sure. I have a lead but no concrete evidence."
The heiress sighed, having calmed down and thinking rationally again. "Yeah, I suppose that makes sense... this is a big step up from just a citywide infection. It is good to hear that world leaders have some measure of protection. Means we have a bigger chance to recover from this... assuming they don't do something drastic."
Leon nodded. "Come on, let's get moving. We have your friends to rescue unless there is anyone else on the way you want to check in on?"
"No, my mom is on the other side of the city in an elementary school, so I can only hope she's alive." The baseball player responded, trying to hold back his worry.
The Raccoon City survivor nodded solemnly while Saya held him in comfort before they turned to leave, staying as silent as they could, with Takashi handing Leon a metal bat to preserve ammo. They could only hope that Saeko and the others were safe and at the apartment by now.
AN: That's it! As I said before I am so sorry for the delay. There are 2 new stories in progress as well as Wrath of a Demigod. I hope to have them out in the next few months, however, with the new Resident Evil 4 coming out in a couple of days, I will be preoccupied with that and Fire Emblem Engage's DLC that comes out on April 4th. I will aim to be more active in my stories this year. A big thank you to MidnightLost for beta reading for me and a shout out to YeagerMeister31 who has his own HotD fic called the Zombie Apocalypse. Fair well for now.