Taking a shower, not including the infected Arthur, really felt great, after not being able to for so long. The girls ate and had settled in under the dim light of a lamp. Arthur sat against the mat where I was going to sleep dressed in a comfortable pair of pajama pants and sweat shirt. He ate with me saying little things here and there about what he did before he was infected.
"So, who's taking first watch?" Kyome asked leaning against her pillows. Suzumi was fast asleep out on pain killers, I was fighting exhaustion, but I didn't want to make anyone do it.
"Natsumi's not doing it, she was out all day. I can take first watch," Suzuki stated. "Least I can do for saving my sister,"
"I don't want to make anyone stay up, I can do it really," I sounded kinda drunk.
"You sleep," Arthur patted my head and nearly pulled me down on him. I blushed brightly not used to this type of male attention. I glanced up from his lap seeing the awake girls looking at me.
"Arthur can stay up and watch too, he can keep an eye on this room," The unsure glances I got from the others wasn't supportive.
"I feel pretty safe having a guy around to watch after us. So I'm going to go to sleep," Kyome grinned and got under her covers. Asaki shook her head and looked over at me.
"Are you sure he's not going to kill us in our sleep," She asked. "No offense,"
"He brought me back here alive and saved my life twice, if he wanted to kill me or any of you, don't you think he would have done it already?" I pulled my pillow over, positioned it in his lap and laid my head back. "I...I trust him," I yawned feeling sleep pulling at me.
For the first time, in the longest time, I felt like I could finally get some sleep, and relax. With how everything was lately, it took me hours to fall asleep. I dreamed my first good dream in a long time.
Being back in Japan with my family, having dinner, going shopping, and going on dates with my senpais. None of that was possible now, but at least my thoughts weren't lucid.
"Pst, Natsumi-Yuki, wake up," Someone shook me taking me out of my dream state.
"What? I'm sleeping, go away," I covered my eyes from the light.
"This isn't the time Natsumi, we're having a problem," I sat up quickly and looked around. Arthur wasn't next to me anymore, but by the door way keeping the door shut, my sister sat next to me staring intently, Suzumi was no longer laying down and stood by the window keeping watch.
"What's going on?" My eyes drifted around.
"Some assholes out there are trying to get in. They've been drawing attention to us," Asa spoke with a hopeless look on her face.
"Humans?"
"Yea humans, fucking americans are causing problems because we refuse to let their hostile asses in," Suzumi griped peeking through the shades.
"Ne ne it's nice to know you're doing better, ya know," Something hit the top of my head and landed in my lap. A juice box.
"Don't start that up, Natsu," Kyome commented coming back into the room with Suzuki and Kyoko. "There's a lot out there, but they're keeping those assholes busy,"
Oh that was great to know. It seemed everyone had slept and Arthur heard shouting from outside and kept an eye on my sister while she checked it out. They were hostile and wanted to take the place over from us, and she told them to go fuck themselves. So, here we are now, locked in a single room with not a single plan to get us going.
"I suggest we get dressed, and get the hell outta here. Those assholes will get themselves killed, but I'm not ready to die yet,"
"That's not really possible Suzuki," Kyoko glared.
"Hey, we have to figure something out or we're going to join them. I almost died once this week, I'm not looking forward to doing it again," The room was currently dark and trying to hear the girls over the screeching and moaning of the zombies was becoming impossible.
I decided to get up and walk around. I got dressed quickly and went over to the door where Arthur was. He was dressed in a normal outfit now, probably something Kyome had given him.
"Did you get any sleep?" I asked getting his attention. His pale eyes met mine quickly before returning to the door. He shook his head slowly. "You should have slept, ya know,"
"Needed to...make sure you were safe," He spoke low, keeping his eyes directed on the door. "Manhole behind store,"
"Eh, really? How do you know that?"
"I'm not dead...just infected. Jumped a lot," Arthur was definitely keeping up his guard.
"Guys, Artie said there's a manhole behind the store!" I repeated what he said. He glanced at me and repeated the nickname before shaking his head.
"The sewers really? It's so icky down there," Kyome crunched her nose in disdain. I really didn't want to go down there either, but it was either there or attempt our way back to the hospital.
"Can't we just head somewhere with Arthur? The infected didn't attack you when you were with him," Kyoko questioned.
"I don't think that's possible," I started and looked at the man. "There was only me so I just kept close. With 6 of us, it wont really be possible,"
"Too big of group," Arthur added.
We all knew that. 6 was still too big of a group.
"Well we have to figure out some-" gun shots were heard from outside, much closer than before. In a matter of seconds, a stream of bullets came through the boarded windows taking us all by surprise. Soon, I was tackled to the floor by the sandy blond haired male. I grimaced in pain and hid myself underneath him. My eyes drifted up to Arthur who kept his body over mine protectively.
"Grenade!" Everything was moving way too fast. I couldn't even keep up. Arthur swooped me up into his arms and he jumped up the ladder without any difficulties taking us to the attic.
"Stop, I need to help!" I yelled trying to get away from him, only for him to tighten his grip and get us to the furthest part of the room.
Boom!
The sound of the grenade was almost deafening and it shook the whole upstairs. I waited. Everything had gotten quiet. All I could feel was the pain seeping through my arm. I checked it noting the gun shot wound. My mind couldn't wrap around the pain, as it was too focused on the girls that I traveled with.
"Why is it so quiet?" I whispered, my voice gone. I wasn't going to cry, I wasn't. My throat started to close up and my chest tightened. "Arthur?" Our eyes met.
"I'll check," He reassured and placed me down on the floor. I felt weak. Why was I always the one being saved? He made his way over to the ladder and jumped down with ease.
My eyes checked around the room and fell on our supplies. I crawled over and grabbed my pistol. My arm would wait. It wasn't important right now.
Checking the ammo, I grabbed what I could before walking with shaky legs over to the hole. My ears still buzzed from the explosion, my heart pounded hard in my chest. I didn't hear anything.
"Is everyone alright?" I uttered, my hands balling up at my shorts. No response. "Arthur?" It didn't take long for him to reappear underneath and look up at me.
"Jump," He held his arms out. I nodded and holstered my pistol before jumping down. He caught me easily and placed me on the floor. Immediately, I looked past him where the explosion went off. Blood sprayed up the destroyed wall, bullet holes littered where I was along with explosion residue. I couldn't breathe.
"Asaki!?" I screamed and ran over to see who was dead. My eyes drifted over the purple hair that was matted with brains and skull fragments. Kyoko. Her body laid under debris with a single shot gun bullet through the head.
"No...no no no no..." I covered my mouth in horror. I looked at the broken bathroom door where blood trickled from the walls inside. I approached the door slowly and looked inside. Tears trailed my face seeing both my sister and Kyome inside. Asaki was the one blown through the door, her limbs mangled with pieces of bone sticking out of certain spots and her head smashed from hitting the tiled wall so hard. Her blood splashed across the wall like a work of horrible art. There wasn't any point in checking if she was still alive.
"I-itai," The pained sound came from Kyome as she held her head.
"Kyome! Are you alright?" I asked and slipped in through the door. I refused to look at me sister.
"I think so. My head hurts and I got shot a few times, but I'm alright," Her purple eyes met mine before drifting to Asaki. "Oh god, Asa..."
I wiped away some of the blood on her face.
"Where's Kyoko? Is she alright? What about Suzumi and Suzuki?" I lip trembled.
"I don't know where Zumi and Zuki are...but Kyoko is..." I choked and covered my mouth. She instantly understood and looked down at her hands. Kyome quickly began to sob and covered her face with her hands.
"Please leave me alone," She mumbled between sobs. I obliged and quickly lifted myself from the floor and walked out of the bathroom without sparing a glance to my dead sister. Our supplies were on the floor now ready to go. Arthur held out clothes with an unreadable expression.
"I don't have time to be sad...do I?" I questioned taking the clothes from his hands. Looking at him now, he had a few bullet wounds, but he didn't seem phased.
"Don't be sad," His large hand patted my teal hair down.
"Have you seen Suzumi or Suzuki?" I asked and walked to the far side of the room to quickly change.
"Outside, they went outside," To fight. That was something they were raised up doing, to protect us. They must have seen the three of them and ran out to kill those men.
"Arthur, it's time to go,"
We had everything packed up and ready to go. Suzuki had come back into the room in a fit of rage and tears. Suzumi had still yet to come back, but her sister had informed us that refused to come back inside and was waiting for us down in the sewer. Things had really quieted down, except for the sobbing and cursing from Kyome and Suzuki. Between my sister and Kyoko, we had a blood bath. Kyome limped out of the bathroom a while ago and just stared down at her sister.
"Aren't you upset? Even the slightest? Your twin sister just died, and you only cried a little," Suzuki asked looking at me.
"Tears won't bring her back to me Suzuki. I'll live with the guilt that I couldn't protect her. I'll live with the emptiness that she's leaving in my heart. But I wont sit here and cry. I can't," She understood. As much as I wanted to die, I couldn't.
"We need to go," Arthur placed his hand on my shoulder holding 2 of the bags. I nodded and looked at Kyome.
"Yome we have to leave now," Suzuki spoke approaching the girl.
"Go...I'll catch up," Her voice sounded dead, and unattached. We looked at eachother than at our friend who hadn't moved from her spot next to her sister.
"Right, let's go," We gathered the rest of our supplies and left the room leaving the purplenette by herself.
As we reached the manhole and started to drop things down, a gunshot came from inside the store gaining all three of our attentions.
"She...she wouldn't," We stared at the doorway. No Kyome coming through.
"Fuck, she took the easy way out," Suzuki clenched her teeth and shook her head. "We need to go," I couldn't peel my eyes away from the store. Not Kyome too.
"Natsumi," Arthur disrupted my gaze. I stared up at him with hopelessness. "You wont die," Without thinking I threw my arms around the man and cried. I cried letting everything out, all the pain, all the loss everything.
"I'm losing everyone," I sobbed pushing my head into his chest. He tensed up and slowly placed an arm around me. In some shape or form, I felt like all of this death, was my fault. If I hadn't run out there, maybe they wouldn't have known where we were.
"We can't do this right now Sumi, let's go, we can be sad another time," Suzuki strained holding back tears of her own. Arthur held me at arms length taking in my appearance.
"No more crying," He spoke soft wiping my tears with his thumb. I sniffled and nodded, my lips quivering.
One by one we all went down the hole, leaving our friends up there to be eaten by whoever comes along. Walking through the path we ran into Suzumi who had one guy at gun point.
"If you and your stupid friends hadn't come along, our friends would still be alive!" She yelled at him kicking him over.
"Nee-chan, we're ready," Suzuki greeted. "What are we going to do with him?"
I knew what we were going to do with him.
Bang Bang Bang
I fired 3 shots into the mans head holding no remorse, or stutter. He needed to die.
"He's dead, no reason to shoot him anymore," Suzumi held my hand and pulled the gun from it.
"3 shots for 3 of our friends," I responded and looked at her with teary eyes.
"Kyome wanted to be with her sister," Suzuki added.
Suzumi shook her head and hugged us both.
"The 4 of us are a team now, got that Arthur? You're one of us now," He did nothing and walked pass us to lead the way. We needed a smaller group, and we got it. It wasn't what we wanted or planned, but maybe we could slip into the city now without much of a problem.
'I'm sorry we can't go home together nee-chama...' I gripped my sisters necklace and followed the others. No more death, no more tears. I'll be looking up to new angels in the sky now, to help me get through this.