Dead and the Better Zombie

The undead are becoming more dangerous, which means very bad news for Takashi and his friends.

[Author Note: This story follows the story Dead and the City, which in turn begins where the final episode of Season One ends.]

By: Darkpenn

Z+13

Saeko and Saya had filled their packs with bottled water, canned goods and gas cylinders – enough supplies for a few days, at least – and were starting on their way back to the hotel that the group had moved into. They all knew that it was not going to be their permanent home, but for the moment it offered a place to rest and the chance to re-group, re-supply, and consider their options.

It was several days since the battle at the park, where they had destroyed thousands of the undead. But they were not taking any chances. There might be some zombies that had escaped the carnage, or perhaps some had wandered over from across the river.

"I need to get something else," said Saya.

"We have everything that was on the list," replied Saeko.

"This isn't on the list," said Saya. "This is … personal. I have to go to a pharmacy. I can go by myself. I would prefer to, really."

"We should stay together," said Saeko. "What is it you need?"

"It's, uh, well … okay, it's condoms, alright? There, I've said it."

Saeko gave a little smile, which is about as much humour as she ever showed. "I did notice that you and Hirano are sharing a room," she said.

"Well, I got a few from Miss Marikawa, but now I – we – need some more."

"How many is 'a few'?"

"Ten. Quite a lot, really, for just a couple of days." Saya giggled. "It's really good," she said. "It took him a while to get the hang of it but now … really good."

Saeko smiled again.

So they went to a pharmacy they had passed previously. Saya was loading boxes of condoms into her pack when they heard a noise – a scraping, metallic noise. And then the sound of shuffling, dragging footsteps.

Saeko touched a finger to her lips: without knowing how many zombies there were, silence was their best strategy. Without a sound, she pulled her sword, still sheathed, from her belt. Saya, equally silently, drew her Luger from her shoulder holster and eased the safety off.

There were three zombies, two women and a man. The man – or the creature that once been a man – was dragging an iron bar, which was making the noise. The three of them appeared at the end of the aisle; Saeko and Saya were at the far end, ten metres away. They held their breath.

The zombies continued to shuffle past. Then one of them stopped. She turned her head towards Saeko and Saya. She … looked at them!

Fuck! thought Saeko. They can see us!

The zombie growled. Then all three started to come down the aisle. And not just in the usual shambling zombie gait; they were almost running.

Saeko drew her sword and ran forward. She took out the first one, one of the women, in a single decapitating blow. She stabbed out at the second, her sword piercing the zombie's chest.

The zombie howled in something that might have been pain. Then she grasped the blade and pulled it, drawing Saeko closer towards her. With her other hand, she reached out.

Saeko slashed upwards. The zombie's fingers fell away, and the blade continued its course until the body fell almost in two.

One left, the man. Saeko swung her sword … and the zombie lifted the iron bar to block it.

Fuck! she thought again. They're getting fast.

There was a single shot, and the zombie fell back, a Luger bullet in its head.

Saeko looked at the body. Its eyes were still open. They were not the blind, empty eyes that she had seen before. Now, there were pupils. Cloudy, but there. She checked the other two. The same.

Saya came running up.

"Thank you," said Saeko.

"What the hell was that?" gasped Saya.

"How long has it been?" said Rei. She and Takashi were in the hotel garage, working to replace the fried parts of a motorbike. They had found a helpful book in a nearby store: Bike Repair for Dummies.

"Uh, let me think, it's, uh, thirteen days," said Takashi. "Which would make today the eighteenth of the month."

"Thirteen days," mused Rei. "Feels like much longer. The eighteenth. Do you realise that if we were still in school we would be having a geometry exam today?"

"I'm glad I missed it, I'm terrible at geometry," said Takashi. "Let's try this thing."

He turned the key, and the bike stuttered into life. He gunned the engine to full power, and then, satisfied, turned it off.

"We can use this for scouting, easier than the bus and faster than foot," he said. "We can weld a rack onto the back of the bus and carry it that way. Did you see the hole that Hirano cut into the roof, with a hatch that can be closed? There's a ladder so we can climb up, and a stand for his favourite big gun. And he put some extra bars on the front, as well. He's turning into a very useful guy."

"I sometimes think that Hirano is enjoying himself, through all this," said Rei. "Especially sharing a bed with Saya. Who would have imagined that, a fortnight ago?"

There was a knock at the security door. Two groups of three knocks: Saeko and Saya, back from their supply run. Rei unbolted the door and let them in.

"We have a problem," said Saeko.

"This links up, I think, with what we saw at the barricade," said Takashi, as the group considered Saeko's and Saya's news. They were sitting on the hotel patio balcony, on the second floor, overlooking the city. "They're … well, I suppose the word is 'evolving'."

"Getting smarter, faster, and tougher," said Saeko.

"Judging from their eyes, I would say that their vision is probably sort of fuzzy," said Saya. "But it might get better. We should assume so, since at the start of the Outbreak they seemed completely blind."

"You know, I had always hoped that their bodies would just sort of rot away," said Miss Marikawa. "They're dead, after all."

"The implication of this," said Saya, "is that we can't just wait them out. Our big advantage so far has been that they were slow and stupid. In small groups, we could out-fight them. If they keep getting stronger, pretty soon that might not be the case."

"I just want things to go back to normal!" wailed Miss Marikawa.

"This is normal now," said Rei. "There's no going back."

Miss Marikawa began to cry, in a series of heart-wrenching sobs. The others could do nothing but watch. She was, after all, crying for all of them.

Then Saeko said: "Shut up."

"Let her cry," said Takashi. "There's a lot to cry for."

"Shut up because I hear something," said Saeko.

Miss Marikawa stopped her sobbing.

"I can hear … something … too," said Hirano. "Is it … gunfire?"

It was: sporadic shooting, coming from the direction of the river. They rushed to the balcony rail. Hirano pulled a sniper-scope from his pocket. Alice ran off, and then came back with a pair of binoculars, which she handed to Takashi.

"There!" said Hirano. "On the river, at the bridge!"

"Got it," said Takashi. "A boat."

"Survivors," said Rei softly. "So we aren't the only ones."

"They're in a heap of trouble, by the look of things," said Takashi.

"Let's go," said Saeko.

The boat was a cruiser, the sort meant to take tourists on scenic trips along a river. Now it was wedged between the bank and one of the bridge's concrete support pillars, pushed there by the current. There were zombies trying to climb onto the boat from the bank, and others were coming down from the bridge. There were two people with rifles on the deck, shooting as fast as they could. But it was not going to be fast enough. And they looked like they were running out of ammunition.

Miss Marikawa drove the bus along the road that ran to the bridge, Takashi on the bike in the lead, with Saeko perched on the back. They were two hundred metres from the boat when the road was blocked by abandoned cars. The bike could squeeze through, but not the bus. Miss Marikawa brought the vehicle to a halt.

Takashi pulled up alongside. "Miss Marikawa, you and Alice stay with the bus," he said. "We can't afford to risk it. Keep watch along the road in case any of them try and get behind us, and start shooting if you need to."

She nodded. She held up the pump-action shotgun that Hirano had found for her.

Rei, Saya and Hirano got out.

"You'd better go, and we'll get there as fast as we can," said Rei to Takashi and Saeko. They were all armed, courtesy of an abandoned police station.

There was a grassy strip that ran alongside the river. Takashi turned onto it. As they neared the horde of zombies, Saeko drew her sword.

"Straight on, and faster," she said.

One zombie down, two, three, four, and suddenly they were in a crowd of them. The zombies realised the danger and turned. Then Saeko was off the bike and slashing her way through.

Takashi drew his Mauser automatic pistol but suddenly realised there were no targets left. "Guess her leg got better," he said to himself.

The boat was only ten metres away. Saeko dispatched the last zombie, and she and Takashi ran over.

"Good afternoon," said Takashi to the two astonished people on the deck.

"Who the fuck are you?" said one of them, a young woman.

"Not zombies, and at the moment that's all you need to know," said Takashi.

The two people cast dubious looks at each other.

"Perhaps this is not the time for formal introductions," said Saeko. She pointed to more zombies coming along the bank, and to those climbing down from the bridge. Then a shot rang out and the head of the closest zombie exploded.

"That'll be Hirano," said Takashi. He looked back, and saw Hirano and the others approaching on foot, Hirano's sniper rifle still smoking.

Rei ran up. "Good afternoon," she said to the two people on the deck. "Come with us if you want to live. You know, I've always wanted to say that."

"There's, uh, more of us," said the woman. "On the lower deck."

"How many?" said Takashi.

"Twelve, all up."

"Then it's a good thing we have a bus. Gather everyone together and let's go. Hirano, give us some covering fire."

Hirano switched his gun to automatic mode and let loose a burst at the zombies climbing from the bridge. Two were hit and fell. Amazingly, the rest retreated and took cover behind the concrete wall of the bridge.

Hirano grunted. "Never seen them do that before," he said.

The team began to help the others off the boat.

They were back at the hotel. The new arrivals were in bad shape: hungry, dehydrated and exhausted. There were three families: five adults, three older people and four children. They had been living on dry biscuits and river water for days, so they were grateful for the hot food and tea that Miss Marikawa provided. And they were grateful for the soft hotel beds and clean sheets.

The two people who had been on deck were Aki and her younger brother Tsuga. Aki was in charge of the group.

Takashi and the others were on the balcony when Aki entered. Her hair was damp and she had fresh clothes from Miss Marikawa.

"I was starting to think that I'd never be clean again," she said. "Where does the water come from?"

"There's a tank on the roof," said Takashi. "The filter isn't operating so you can't drink it, but it's good enough for a shower."

"How come everything electrical has stopped working?" she asked.

"There was an electro-magnetic pulse from a nuclear explosion," said Saya. "We don't know the back story but the bottom line is that every chip and circuit in the area got fried. We've managed to repair some vehicles but everything else – lights, phones, computers, automatic doors – is useless. Even elevators, which is why we're not on a higher floor of this place. We don't know how large the affected area is but it must be pretty big."

"Well, that explains why the boat engine stopped," said Aki. "We come from a town upriver, near the mountains, and when the outbreak happened we got onto the boat because we thought it would be the safest place. We thought we could maybe get to the coast, find some help. We went ashore a couple of times, got some food and fuel but lost some people. Then the engine went out and after that we were just drifting. Until today. Thanks for the rescue, by the way." She looked at them. "You are a strange bunch," she said.

For the first time in a long while, Takashi looked at his group of friends. Yes, he thought, we are a strange bunch. A samurai, a gun otaku, a kid, a genius, a princess, and a bubblehead whose bra size is bigger than her IQ – but who can drive and fight like hell when she has to. And me, struggling to hold myself and everyone else together.

"We get by," he said.

"You're all so young," said Aki.

"Quite a lot older than we were two weeks ago," said Rei.

"How many zombies have you seen?" said Saya.

"For a long time, along the river, we didn't see any," said Aki. "Then, a few days ago, we started seeing more of them, and they started walking along the river bank. A couple of them jumped off a bridge onto the boat. It's almost as if … well, it's almost like they were watching us. Hunting us."

"Hmm," said Saeko.

"We think they're getting smarter," said Rei. "There are some signs that they are learning to work together."

"We've killed quite a few," said Aki. "Maybe thirty."

Hirano and Saeko glanced at each other. Hirano grinned.

"Well, how many have you killed?" said Aki to them.

"627," said Saeko.

"593," said Hirano. "Not counting the ones at the park, of course."

"Of course," said Saeko. "That was a group effort."

"What about the park?" said Aki.

Briefly, Takashi recounted the battle, and explained why it meant that there were only a few hundred zombies in the city, rather than thousands.

Aki looked astonished. "Wow," she said. "I had no idea that you were so … pro-active."

"Yeah, but in the end it's only a holding action," said Takashi. "We think that eventually we'll have to get out of the city. But to where, that's another question. Hard to know where would be safe. We've seen zombies push down iron gates and get through army barricades."

"And some of the human survivors we came across, well, if people are desperate enough they can be almost as bad as the zombies," said Rei. "You have to be careful who you link up with. Maybe staying in small, mobile groups is a better idea."

"There is also the question of supplies," said Hirano. "Eventually, all the bottled water and canned food and petrol will be used up. And the bullets, too. Even if we get out of the EMP area, there's no guarantee that things will be much better."

"As you see, Aki, we have talked about future options quite a lot," said Takashi. "But not yet come to a conclusion."

"And now there is the problem of better zombies," put in Saeko.

"Aki, what do you think your group will want to do?" asked Rei. "Stay with us, or continue on your boat? We might be able to fix it for you."

"I'll have to discuss it with everyone, but I think that we will probably want to continue to the coast. My people aren't really designed for combat."

Takashi looked at Hirano and Saya. Hirano sighed. "Yeah, I know," he said. "I'll find a book on boat engines."

The next day Hirano and Saya took the motorbike to the boat to check the damage: Saya driving with Hirano on the back, holding on for dear life. They were surprised to find that there were no zombies about.

"I guess when they realised there was nothing to eat they moved on," said Hirano.

"Maybe," said Saya. "But somehow I doubt it."

They inspected the boat. As far as they could tell, the only thing wrong with it was the electrical system that controlled the engine and rudder. They decided they could replace the damaged parts; it would probably not be more difficult than repairing the bus. They ensured that the boat was securely tied up so it would not be carried away by the current and started back to the hotel.

They were halfway there when they encountered four zombies. They were standing in a dark alley. Saya stopped the bike and took out her Luger. Hirano hefted his gun. There was no doubt that the zombies could see them. They waited for the attack.

But it didn't come. One of the zombies growled and hissed at them. Then all four began to shuffle further back into the shadows.

"I think … I think they're scared of us," said Hirano. "They're retreating, like the ones on the bridge."

Saya turned on the bike's light and they went down the alley – slowly. They saw the zombies shuffle through a doorway.

"Let's go after them," said Hirano, getting off the bike.

"No," said Saya. "It's a trap." She picked up a piece of rubble and threw it through the doorway, along the ground. Immediately, on the other side of the entrance, a huge chunk of plaster crashed down.

"Son of a bitch!" cried Hirano. "How did you know?"

"I am, as you will recall, a genius," she said. "Come on, let's get back."

"Hmm," said Takashi, after Saya and Hirano had finished their story. "I think we should advance our plans to get out of the city. Once Aki and her people are on their way, we should leave too. How is our supply situation?"

"We have as much as we can carry," said Rei. "We'll start taking supplies to the boat tomorrow, and when that's done we'll pack the bus with our own stuff. Which way will we be going?"

"The EMP blast was north-west of here, so I believe we should go south-east," said Takashi. "That direction will take us away from the EMP area. If we can get past the border, maybe we can find a working radio and see if there are any other groups of survivors. We should aim for the Tomo area. It's fairly rural, according to the maps, so maybe there won't be too many zombies there."

"Tomo!" cried Alice. "My grandpa and grandma have a farm there! I was there for holidays last year! They grow apples and potatoes, and they have goats and a cow."

Takashi looked at her. "Do you think you could find your way there again?" he said.

"I … I suppose so," she said, a bit taken aback.

"Then that's our destination," he said. "One more thing. If someone works on the boat engine, there must be someone else standing guard. Okay?"

"After what we saw today, damn right okay," said Saya.

Saya and Hirano were lying in bed together.

"Kohta," she said. "Do you ever cry about the past?"

"No," said Hirano.

"Me neither," she said. "But I was very moved when Miss Marikawa was crying yesterday. Sometimes I feel guilty that I don't miss things more. Even my parents, who sacrificed themselves for me in the end. I think that if I could cry, even once, it would be better. It would mean I could let go of things. But now at least I have you."

"Well, I promised your father that I would keep you safe."

"I don't think he meant that we should start sleeping together," she said with a laugh.

"He was one of the few adults to ask me to do something serious and important," said Hirano. "All my life, everyone has seen as a fat nerd."

"Well, you are a bit on the chubby side." Then she pulled the sheet back and took a closer look. "Hmm," she said. "Kohta, have you lost weight?"

"Yes, I think I have. No candy bars or chips. And a lot more exercise. Running from zombies is good for you, apparently. So long as you don't get caught."

"And you seem to be taller. I'm not sure that's possible."

"I stand up straight now. I sort of hunched before. I suppose I had some idea of being a small target."

"Huh. And how many zombies did you say you'd killed?"

"593. Quite a lot, really."

"I didn't know you were counting."

"When you only do one thing well, you keep track."

"I can think of at least one other thing you do well. Kiss me, hero."

It took them three days to fix and prepare the boat. During that time they saw no zombies, something which Saya described as 'a bit disturbing'. They had taken supplies of food, water, fuel and weapons salvaged from around the city to the boat, and re-stocking was almost complete. After some decent food and rest, the refugees were in much better shape as well.

"You know," said Hirano to Takashi, as they put the housing back onto the repaired engine, "after we finish here, I would like to do a personal errand. It's Saya's birthday tomorrow, and I would like to get her something. But I don't know what. Maybe you can suggest something, since you know more about women then I do."

"No man knows anything at all about women," said Takashi, as the two of them jumped onto the bank. "I have no idea what Saya would like. She might not even know it's her birthday. We've all had a lot on our minds, obviously."

"Oh, she knows. She mentioned it. In a roundabout way. That's how I know."

"Uh-huh. In that case, you have to get her something."

"I was thinking of a gun."

"Er, no. Not a gun. I think she would want something romantic. There's a row of ritzy stores in the next block, so you can get anything you want. Take Miss Marikawa with you, she'll be better at this than me. Look, here she is now."

As they watched, the bus, with Miss Marikawa and Alice, pulled up. Aki's party got out of the bus and onto the boat and began to make final preparations. Takashi watched as Hirano spoke to Miss Marikawa and Alice. Miss Marikawa laughed, and then the three of them began to walk up the street to the stores.

Rei, who had also been on the bus, came over to Takashi. "The bus is loaded and ready for us to go," she said. "Saya and Saeko are at the hotel, we can pick them up on the way."

"Sure," said Takashi. Then he stopped. "So, at the moment we're all in the different places, right? You and me here, Hirano, Miss Marikawa and Alice are a couple of streets away, and the others back at the hotel."

"Yes, that's right. So?"

"So, we're strongest when we're together."

"True, but we haven't seen any zombies for days."

"Exactly." He called to Aki on the boat. "Get into the middle of the river, away from the bank and the bridge!" he shouted.

Aki looked a bit puzzled but she untied the mooring line, started the engine and began to move the boat.

Takashi began to run to the bike, Rei following.

Saeko and Saya were standing on the hotel balcony. Saya had a suitcase of 'personal stuff'; Saeko had her two swords, the Hokusawa blade and the sword from the temple.

"I know we've only been here a few days but I'll kind of miss this place," said Saya. "And I'll miss having a decent bed to sleep in. Of course, they say that any place you lay your head is a good place if it's with the right person – "

She realised that Saeko wasn't listening. She was looking down at the streets around them.

"What is it?" said Saya.

"Something," murmured Saeko. He started to unsheathe one of the swords, just a finger-span of metal. "Something – "

It happened fast. Streams of zombies came pouring out of nearby buildings, moving quickly. Some came towards the hotel, and others ran towards the river. There were hundreds, maybe more. Some of them carried iron bars and other makeshift weapons.

"Fuck!" said Saya. "Do you think we can make it down to the street before they get here?"

"No," said Saeko.

They had gone to a jewellery store and a perfume store, and now they were in a shop that sold fancy bedroom things. Miss Marikawa had not been very useful as a gift adviser, and Hirano had not seen anything that seemed right.

"Maybe a nice set of silk sheets," Miss Marikawa said, picking up a luxurious-looking package.

"Do women like sheets?" said Hirano.

"Oh yes, especially to …er, not sleep on."

"After today, we might not have a bed for a while," Hirano pointed out.

"I didn't think of that. Maybe some perfume then."

"We've already been to the perfume store, and we couldn't find anything Saya-ish."

"It's not about the finding," said Miss Marikawa. "It's about the shopping. Well, perhaps I'll just keep these for myself." She began to stuff the sheets into her pack.

Alice giggled. Then she stopped. "What's that noise?" she said.

Hirano unslung his gun and released the safety. "Where?" he said.

"There," said Alice, pointing to the front of the store.

Three zombies came crashing through the glass windows. Hirano, warned, fired immediately, and all three went down. But more came bursting through the door.

"Up here!" said Alice, pointing to a flight of stairs. It was the only way.

"Go!" said Hirano. "I'll cover!"

They ran.

On the bike, Takashi and Rei saw the mob of zombies advancing along the street. He came to a stop and began to turn.

"What have you got?" he said.

"Automatic pistol with a twelve-shot magazine, one extra clip. You?"

"Just my Mauser, ten shots. So I would say we are short by about, oh, three hundred bullets."

"At least."

The zombies were blocking the road to the hotel. Rei pointed to a small alley, and Takashi turned the bike down it. It was eerily quiet.

"Look out!" shouted Rei. Takashi took the bike down and they slid along for several metres. A huge steel beam, suspended by chains, came sweeping along the length of the alley at waist-height, missing them by the width of a hand.

"Holy shit!" said Takashi. Bleeding from grazes but otherwise unhurt, they struggled to get up and right the bike.

A horde of zombies came running along the alley from the street. Rei drew her gun. Takashi pushed the foot-lever to re-start the bike.

R-r-r-r. Then nothing.

"Whatever you're going to do, do it fast!" said Rei, as she began to shoot.

The hotel had reinforced doors but they were not enough to halt the suicidal force of the zombie attack. The undead creatures smashed their way through and into the ground-level foyer. They began to charge up the stairs.

On the second floor, Saeko and Saya could hear them coming. There were glass doors that separated the balcony area from the rest of the floor but they would not last long.

"Two minutes until they find us, maybe less," said Saeko.

"So what do we do now?" said Saya.

Saeko drew her swords. "We die," she said. "With honour, I hope."

"Fuck that," said Saya. She looked over the balcony and onto the street below. "Look, nearly all of them have gone in. If we can get down we might be alright. But it's too far to jump, and there no way to climb down."

Then she saw it. A flagpole, sticking out near-horizontally, still displaying the flag of the hotel chain. And the flag was held in place by ropes.

"I have an idea," she said.

Rei was on her second clip. Her fire had slowed the zombies but not stopped them.

Takashi tried to start the bike again. Nothing. "Third time lucky," he whispered to himself. He heard Rei's gun click on empty. He crossed his fingers and rammed the lever down again.

And the engine roared into life.

"Let's go!" he said. She jumped on and they were moving.

There were three zombies at the far end, probably the ones that had operated the beam trap. Rei pulled Takashi's gun out of its holster and fired, leaning over his shoulder. Three down. Then they were out of the alley and heading back to the hotel.

The zombies had followed them up the stairs. Now Hirano, Miss Marikawa and Alice were on the flat roof of the store.

Hirano pulled a big pistol out of a pocket of the military-style jacket that he wore over his school blazer. He handed it to Miss Marikawa. Then he took a little pistol – his weapon of last resort – out of another pocket and handed it to Alice. "Do you know how to use this?" he said to her.

"I used to shoot zombies in video games," said Alice.

"Much the same thing," said Hirano.

There was a wooden door at the top of the staircase, but it was already starting to give way.

"Get ready," said Hirano.

"I can lower you down a bit, onto that ledge near the pole," said Saya, "and then you can throw a rope back to me and I'll climb down. Then we can use the ropes to get to the ground."

"Uh, maybe you should go down first," said Saeko.

"Won't work," said Saya. "I'm not tall enough to reach the ropes."

Saeko looked dubious. "I … don't like heights very much," she said. "Not at all, really."

"Huh. So you can kill 627 zombies but climbing out there is too much for you."

"Basically, yes."

"Well, grow a pair, girl."

There was the sound of zombies advancing along the corridor. A lot of zombies. Roaring and moaning and crying out for blood and flesh.

Saeko re-sheathed her swords. "Tell me more about this plan of yours," she said.

The zombies came bursting through the wooden door. Hirano began to fire; over his own gun he heard the bang-bang of the big pistol and the pop-pop of the little one. He wondered how many bullets he had left. Not enough, he thought.

Saya was not strong, and she felt as if her muscles were cracking as she lowered Saeko. She was lying on the rough concrete floor of the balcony. This is going to give my boobs a gravel rash, she thought suddenly. Maybe Hirano will kiss them better. Then she almost laughed at her own absurdity.

"Just a little more," said Saeko. "A little more."

She reached the ledge. It was only a few inches wide, but firm enough. And now she could reach the flagpole. She let go of Saya's hand and tried not to look down.

A huge zombie was coming up behind Saya, she could hear him. She rolled and pulled out her Luger in one motion, and shot. The zombie's head exploded.

Saeko could feel her heart pounding as she stretched for the ropes. One … more … inch. And then she had them. She pulled them towards her and started tying them together. She could hear Saya shooting above.

"Done!" she called up.

"I can't climb down!" shouted Saya. "They'll be on me as soon as I try!"

"Then jump! I'll catch you!"

"You'll … what!"

"Grow a pair!" shouted Saeko.

Damn that woman, thought Saya. She put her Luger back into its holster and climbed onto the balcony wall. She looked down, past Saeko. Actually, the ground was a lot further away than she had thought it would be.

A zombie hand grabbed one of her long ponytails.

She jumped – and yelped in pain as a chunk of hair was yanked out of her scalp.

And then Saeko somehow caught her, swung her in, and they were both standing on the ledge.

"Hold on to this," said Saeko, with a degree of calmness that seemed extremely inappropriate. She handed Saya a loop of rope. The other end was wound around the flagpole.

They launched themselves into space.

Takashi and Rei pulled up in front of the hotel. "You think they got out?" said Rei. "Where do you think they might be?"

"I think that Saeko and Saya are two people that zombies don't want to fuck with," said Takashi, although he was not sure they could have survived such a massive attack.

Then three zombies came out of the hotel, and started towards them.

Rei still had the Mauser in her hand. She raised it and pulled the trigger.

Click.

"Damn," she said. The three zombies continued to advance.

Then, seemingly out of nowhere, Saeko and Saya swept to the ground, letting go of the rope at a run. In a moment, Saya had taken out her Luger and shot the middle zombie between the eyes. Saeko had both swords out and, sliding forwards, decapitated the other two in a single graceful movement.

"Hi," said Saya.

"We've come to save you," said Rei.

"This is not a good place for banter," said Saeko. "Where are the others?"

"Shopping," said Takashi.

"Uh, did you say shopping?" said Saya. "Er, where, exactly?"

"To find Hirano, follow the sound of gunfire," said Saeko.

The first wave of zombies had been decimated by the concentrated fire but a second wave was readying themselves for an attack.

They've begun to develop a sense of tactics, thought Hirano. They don't just walk into your sights anymore.

"Hey, up there!" came a voice from the lane that ran behind the store. Rei. "Need any help?"

"Welcome to the party!" shouted Hirano back. He turned to Miss Marikawa and Alice. "Got any ideas on how to get down?" he said.

"We can jump, and they can catch us in the sheets," said Alice. "I did that at school once, in a fire drill. There were firemen, and they had a big round thing that they held and you jumped into."

"Nice plan," said Hirano. "Except that we don't have any sheets."

"Miss Marikawa has some in her pack, from the store," said Alice.

"Oh, so I do," said Miss Marikawa. She pulled the package out of her pack and threw it down.

"What the hell is this?" said Rei, as she tore the package open.

"I've got it," said Saya. "Everyone grab a corner, and double it up for strength."

When they were in position, they called up. Fortunately, the zombies had not found them – yet.

On the roof, a gang of zombies came storming through the doorway. Hirano fired, mowing them down. "Alice, you first!" he said.

Alice jumped. She fell squarely into the sheets. Rei helped her out, and then they readied themselves for Miss Marikawa.

"Not so sure about this," said Rei. "She's heavier than Alice."

"She probably bounces," said Saya.

"We're going to find out," said Takashi. "Here she comes!"

Miss Marikawa, her skirt billowing out around her waist, landed with a sound like a gentle sigh.

"Come on, Hirano!" shouted Takashi.

On the roof, Takashi's gun finally gave out. He looked at the advancing zombies.

"I have to be on my way," he said to them. "But I can't leave without giving you something to remember me by." He took two grenades from his pockets, pulled the pins, and rolled them towards the zombies. "Goodbye, and fuck you," he said. Then he went over the edge. The grenades exploded as he hit the sheet. He quickly untangled himself.

"Bus?" said Rei.

"Definitely," said Takashi.

"Most of the zombies are still in the hotel, I think, but as soon as they realise we aren't there they'll be after us," said Saya as they ran.

"Oh, I left a surprise, just in case," said Hirano.

At that moment, a zombie shuffled into a particular room of the hotel. It tripped a wire, which led to another wire, which led to –

Even from several blocks away, the explosion made the earth shake.

"Hirano," said Takashi, "I'm glad you're on our side."

"Probably not as glad as I am," said Saya.

Hirano looked at her. "You seem … sort of … lopsided," he said.

"I'm trying a new look," she said.

They reached the bus without further trouble, and found it untouched. Aki's boat was still anchored in the centre of the river, unharmed. She and Tsuga and the others waved when they saw them.

For several kilometres, the road ran alongside the river, and the bus and the boat stayed together for that distance. Eventually, the road turned away, heading south. Miss Marikawa stopped the bus, and they all got out to watch the boat disappear around a bend. The city was behind them now, and there was no sign of zombies.

They gave Aki and the others a final wave. Alice was watching through the binoculars. She suddenly gave a little yelp. "There, at the back!" she said, handing the binoculars to Takashi. Hirano lifted his gun so he could look through the telescopic sight.

At the stern of the boat, a rope trailed in the water. Holding on to it were four zombies. As Takashi and Hirano watched, the zombies began to pull themselves along the rope towards the boat.

Saya took the binoculars from Takashi. "Kohta, can you hit them from here?" she said.

"Too far," said Hirano softly.

"But you can try!"

"Too far," repeated Hirano.

"Aki and the others have got weapons," said Rei. "Maybe they can – "

"Maybe," said Takashi. "Let's hope so."

It was the next day. After several hours of driving through the country, Miss Marikawa had stopped so they could stretch their legs.

While Takashi and Rei re-fueled the bus, Hirano and Saya walked to a small grove of trees.

"I'm sorry," he said, "but yesterday there just wasn't the time to get you a real birthday present. I looked at diamonds, and perfume, and lace, but there just didn't seem to be anything appropriate. Not for you. You are very special. To me."

She smiled. "Silly, I don't want diamonds or perfume or anything else," she said. "I just want you." She kissed him on the cheek.

"All I have is this," he said. "I've been carrying it with me for a long time, years and years, long before all this happened."

He took a small object from his pocket. It was dog-eared from many readings, the leather cover faded and cracked. It was a book of poetry. He handed it to Saya.

She took it and held it tenderly. "I have received many expensive gifts in my life," she said. "But nothing as valuable as this."

Then, finally, she began to cry.

END

NEXT STORY IN SERIES: INTERLUDE - THE HAPPY FEW