Any good soldier worth his pay believed in daily rituals. Not the type where one sacrificed something or other to some unseen being, but the kind that revolved around familiar actions. For martial artists it would often be a kata, but for soldiers it was often the stripping, cleaning, and reassembling of a firearm or loading ammo into a clip or even looking through one's trophy case of metals, pictures, or other souvenirs from previous campaigns. For Sagara it was a mixture of both as he checked his ammo and weapons, and glanced at a beat up picture of the first AS he had piloted.

The Shamrock had been riddled with several dozen bullet holes, three of which indicated that the previous pilot had been ripped apart in the cockpit, but he had managed to repair the AS after stealing several liters of hydraulics and oil from an enemy camp. Though he could do little about the armor save for wielding on patches he had taken the Shamrock into battle, nearly destroying an enemy convoy single handedly despite being outnumbered six to one. He'd managed to salvage the remains of those six arm-slaves, all Savages, and with some work pieced together a strange Shamrock/Savage hybrid that had served him well until he had the misfortune of running into a squad of Apache helicopters.

Those had been the days – living life to the fullest despite the dangers around him. The men in his unit had called his AS Ravage, then mounted a spare tire rim to the back so that they could use Ravage whenever they wanted to play a game of basketball. They had all understood that they might not live to see the next day, and thus they had made the most to enjoy every moment.

It was so different from his time in Japan. When he had first come here he had a hard time relaxing – how could he relax though when the possibility for danger was everywhere? Yes, Japan was a nation at peace, but that fragile illusion had quickly been dispelled when Kaname and the entire junior class had been hijacked during their trip. All the other incidents had only served to highlight how dangerous things truly were, yet all of the others seemed to brush things off as if nothing happened, never once imagining that those freak incidents that were growing in frequency would one day be the new normal.

Yesterday was not just an unusual day; it was the start of the terrible new reality. His scans through the walkie-talkie frequencies had led to no new leads, but the news broadcasts on every channel suggested that what was happening to them was also occurring throughout the world. Major military bases had been the first ones hit, then police forces, adding to the chaos as those were the two most governments relied on to keep the peace. Some suggested that it was a Middle Eastern conspiracy because many of those nations had thus far been untouched, but it was more likely due to the fact that they did not have major bases outside of the American and Russian bases.

Images from throughout Europe, Asia, and the Americas showed eerily similar scenes as those that played out in the streets of Tokyo – rioting, looting, and people running wild. There was little to no police presence except at a few key locations, and there was no mention of the military other than a few tanks and helicopters. No hulking Arm Slaves were seen save for a few older models like Japan's Model 96, M6, and Savages. Something about that bothered Sagara.

Patches of light filled the street below as several storefronts remained illuminated though most had been broken into by the various groups of vagrants that had continued to wander the streets overnight. There had been a few groups of Them shambling by as well that had chased away the vagrants, but the street below them was now empty. The fact that the office supply shop had been closed due to the passing of the owner meant that the storefront had not been opened and thus appealing to any of the looters that had passed through the shopping district.

Unfortunately the same could not be said of the car that had been parked in the alley. Though the car itself was not overly valuable, someone had obviously been affronted by the brand or the color, or perhaps the multiple dents that suggested that the car had seen some action the previous day, and smashed the windows and slashed the tires. Not wanting to draw any unwanted attention, Sagara and Chidori had managed to convince the others to not chase down the offending party arguing that the car was an acceptable loss for maintaining their safety in the unnoticed apartment.

Aside from the guards/watch the other survivors had also been busy when not sleeping. Issei had managed to fashion five spears out of wooden broom/mop handles, knives, and duct tape, though no one found the idea of shin/forearm guards made of magazines and duct tape to be appealing. Still, they had decided to take several dozen rolls of the sturdy tape with them when they finished packing up.

Saya had managed to procure three laptops, and Kohta had been able to create ballistic knives for each of the girls (for additional self-defense). All of the girls had spent their time picking through the assortment of clothes.

Bottled water, canned drinks, bags of ramen, gum and candy were split evenly between them all, though some opted to trade various items due to preference and taste. With their things packed, Sagara led them down the stairs towards the back alley.

The five boys had initially taken it upon themselves to guard the girls, but after being reprimanded by Chidori and Saeko they had relented. Sagara and Saeko would take point, Kohta would offer support, then Kaname and Takashi would be in charge in the middle with Miss Shizuka, Saya, Mizuki, and Kyoko, then Shinji as support, and finally Issei and Rei bring up the rear.

The group moved at a good pace, though they were forced to stop a few times and even to reverse course to avoid groups of crazed civilians. While they had the firepower needed to dispatch any small groups, Kaname and Takashi had both agreed that it was best that they avoid confrontation.

It was no surprise that they did not pick up stragglers as there were few individuals and most small groups shied away from them upon seeing the batons, spears, and the rifles that they bore. Most sensible survivors were probably holed up somewhere they believed to be safe or attempting to flee only to find themselves bottlenecked along the streets that lead to the bridges, leaving only the most undesirable element to wander the streets.

Mentally he mapped the area. Jindai and Fujimi High were behind them to the south, but to the southeast was the nearest American military base with a JDF base to the northeast. If he was right then they would be encountering more of Them as they sought to reach their destination. Their current detour was taking them east away from the riverbank and bridges where traffic was as standstill. For two blocks people were stuck in their cars, while another block east of that was where the looting was occurring. That seemed to run for another five or six blocks as the looters drew the bulk of the attention from the infected. Beyond that any possible survivors had holed up inside their homes. Most of the viable houses had brick fences and from what little he'd seen the windows and doors had been boarded up or barricaded with furniture.

Their way was mostly filled with silence, though they occasionally heard the cries and pleas of stragglers.

The sound of muffled gunfire told him that Kohta had spotted some of Them approaching the group from the east, prompting the group to quicken their pace as they headed north along the desolate street.

From his vantage point he could see a row of cars blocking the street ahead of them, almost as though the residents had sought to create a barricade out of cars. It was definitely not the result of a mere accident as none of the cars were on fire and their placement seemed to be too convenient. For at least an entire block all of the vehicles were gone, at least until one reached the barricade. Failing to see light beneath the cars he eyed the cars again, spotting the rows of carefully stacked cinderblocks that prevented anyone from crawling under the cars to bypass the barricade.

Reaching the last intersection before the barricade he glanced both east and west. Neither option appealed to him as several dozen of Them ambled along the street before what appeared to be another barricade prevented them from going any further west and the way east was inhabited by what appeared to be a biker gang.

"This doesn't look good," Saeko stated as she stood beside him. Behind him the others were slowly coming to a halt as well.

"There's a group of two dozen of Them coming from behind," Kohta stated as he extracted the spent clip from his rifle. The sound of Shinji's rifle did little to ease Sagara's mind.

"We're being led into a trap," Saeko stated. "They've closed off the street, and they know that our only option is to head East directly into them or West directly into a horde of infected."

"We head north," Sagara insisted as he handed his rifle to Kohta. "Be careful, I'll catch up to you."

With a nod the two proceeded up the road. The others followed with only Kaname and Takashi eyeing him skeptically as they passed. Only the teal haired girl knew what he was really up to as he knelt on the street.

"Save your ammo," he advised Shinji as the scrawny boy passed by him.

As Issei and Rei reached him he saw the gang slowly approach, making sure that there were no stragglers. "Get ready to run when I give you the signal," he ordered them.

The buxom brunette eyed him skeptically before Issei nodded, "When things to go Hell then?"

Sagara nodded as he walked back towards the head of the group. Reaching Kaname and Takashi he slowed his pace, "I'll clear the path, but you'll have to lead the others through."

"Through the barricade?" the other boy asked skeptically. Having just met Sagara he had no idea what to expect of the mercenary.

The scarred boy nodded.

As they approached the barricade they could see several figures standing stop the disabled vehicles. Though many sported baseball clubs, knives, crowbars and other blunt weapons there was little save for their numbers that gave Sagara any reason for concern. Having avoided many of the other hooligans thus far they had not had to come into any direct confrontations, but this time it was unavoidable. There were over two dozen punks before them with another four dozen behind. The fact that they were throwing up a hastily constructed barricade that consisted of segments of chain-linked fencing suggested that they were together and reasonably organized.

Stopping his group at over twenty meters he eyed the opposing force. All of them were armed, though some of what he had thought was clubs and metal pipes were perhaps modified air guns or one shot flame throwers.

"Nice toys you have there," the apparent leader of the gang taunted as he stood atop the center of the barricade. The beat up Toyota was covered in blood, a likely sign that the gang had stood in the back of the truck and bashed in the heads of the infected from high ground. From where he stood it was easy to mistake their firearms for airsoft guns.

"They're not toys," Sagara stated as he stepped forward, taking his rifle from Kohta. Slinging the weapon over his shoulder he removed the silencer. A quick, calculated shot brought the punk down a level as one corner of the flatbed lowered. Several gang members jumped, clearly startled by the gunfire.

Startled as he was, the punk refused to give ground as he signaled to his men on the wall. "Well, we've got guns too."

Sagara ceded the point. "I see that, but best ones are shotguns – they're great at crowd control, but not vary accurate. Plus they're slower and while they have stopping force, they aren't always lethal. The rest look to be modified potato guns – pressurized air that spits out maybe ball bearings – they'll hurt if they hit, but again they lack accuracy and lethal force. I doubt that your guns are effective past twenty meters."

"There are more of us than there are of you," the brute growled. "Even if ours aren't lethal you sissies are gonna break once we fire ours off" the punks with guns raised their weapons "you might get a few shots in, maybe even kill a few of us, but that's it." Nearly two thirds of them had some sort of gun aimed at them, leaving just enough of them to rush them, not to mention the group closing in on them from behind. "Once we're done kicking the shit out of you we're gonna take your girls and fuck'm right in front of you then kill you once we've each had a turn. Hell, we might make them watch as we feed you to the zombies."

"You're thinking that just because there are more of you that you'll win, even though I've shown you that we have superior firepower," Sagara cut the man off before he could get into his diabolical monologue. He really didn't have time to let that play out. Instead he lowered his rifle, drawing a grin from the punk even as he pulled out a grenade and a remote detonator. "Let me show you just how much firepower we have."

The charges he'd set along the intersection went off, throwing bits of concrete into the air eve as the flash grenades and tear gas filled the street with more debris. Kohta and Shinji quickly took out the punks with shotguns before a Sagara tossed a grenade into the barricade. Kaname, Takashi and Saya opened a path as they unloaded their shotguns into the startled punks.

His grenade detonated, sending two cars flying and opening a hole in the barricade. Saeko smacked several punks aside with her twin batons as she led the way into the breach. The three shotgunners followed, sending any offending punks to the ground with their non-lethal blasts. While the others had picked out clothes Kaname had filled the girls' shotguns with non-lethal rounds, leaving only Takashi with the deadlier rounds. While he was hesitant to kill, he knew that he needed to defend the others. His shots connected with legs and arms, sending any assailants to the ground where they would no longer be a threat to the others.

Kohta and Shinji followed, the mere sight of them taking aim stopping the punks in their tracks before they dropped their weapons, turned tail and ran, or both. Scanning the street ahead of them the two snipers made sure that there were no other threats ahead of them, allowing the rest of their group to proceed unmolested by the gang.

Overwhelming firepower might have been the norm for the students at Jindai, but for those unused to such a display it truly was terrifying. There was no shame for the punks as they scattered when confronted with grenades, C4 charges, and the firearms that they currently faced.

With the last of their group of survivors through the breach Sagara pulled out another pair of grenades. Once they were reasonably past the barricade he tossed the first at the closest cluster of punks before covering his ears and closing his eyes. The flash grenade would disorient them, but it would also attract the infected, preventing the punks from following the survivors. The smoke grenade would make it even harder for them to follow the survivors if they were so inclined.

For now it was enough that the punks were deterred. Even over the ringing in his ears he could hear Kohta and Shinji's muffled shots as they stood atop a second barricade and picked off more of the infected. Evidently the punks had not expected anyone to actually breach their barricade, though it was low enough that the survivors could easily climb over the hoods of the cars rather than blowing another hole in the barricade.

Missing were the shotguns, a sign that any of Them that were on the other side were not immediate threats. None of the girls fired their handguns, further reinforcing that notion as Sagara rushed leapt atop a car hood. A final glance back told him that the punks were in no position to seek retribution cowed as they were by the overwhelming firepower. Had this occurred during a war Sagara would not have hesitated to kill them all, but he knew that their own ammo reserves were limited and the threat of the walking dead was far more pressing.

"Keep an eye on our flank," he ordered Rei. With the group clustered together she was their true rearguard.

The brunette nodded as he rushed past her. Once he passed Shinji he signaled for the sniper to resume his position towards the rear of the column to support Rei and Issei.

The group was well out of sight of the barricade when they finally turned west. The roads were once again littered with burnt out shells of cars, some of them overturned, others intertwined with street lights or other cars. There were of course no bodies to be seen, only red smears and sometimes bits of clothes.

"Let's secure the overpass," he suggested to Saeko as they neared a larger intersection.

The violet haired girl nodded. Since their hasty escape from the biker punks' barricades they'd encountered only a handful of Them. Though they were easily able to out run Them, it was quickly evident that They didn't tire out unlike the faster survivors. It did not help that they were each carrying between 15 and 20 kilos of supplies. The group needed a break soon.

Overpasses were fairly common in parts of Tokyo providing pedestrians a means of crossing busy intersections without actually having to cross traffic, and they were supposed to be some of the more popular locations for cheap dates around the Christmas season as many shops set up holiday lights. In the midst of spring they were just a means to cross the street.

The streets were fairly empty beneath the overpass, and the structure itself was intact despite on end having been struck by a minivan. Signaling the others to wait he rushed up the stairs to make sure that the structure was clear of any threats. Saeko followed behind, her trusty batons in hand as she bounded up the steps. Once at the top he surveyed the area. There were still plenty of Them around, but there were other things around to keep the attention of the infected. Rushing back to the eastern end of the overpass he directed the others to the overpass even as he crossed the overpass and descended the other side so that he could examine the damaged vehicle.

The lack of blood suggested that the driver had survived the crash and left the minivan. The keys in the ignition were of little help as the van appeared to be out of fuel.

The ever familiar sound of shuffling alerted him to the presence of some of Them, prompting him to bring his Beretta up. As quick as he was Saeko was quicker, leaping over the railing to smash a baton into the head of a bloody blonde girl before he had even put the zombie in his sights. Blood gushed from her head as the living girl caved in the undead girl's skull.

"Thanks," he said as she kicked the corpse away.

"You are welcome," she replied, an eager glint in her eyes as she wiped the blood off of her weapon onto the corpse's school uniform.

"Set up a watch," he said into his walkie talkie. "We're going to check out the restaurants to see if we can find something to eat besides candy bars." He did not need to turn around to see Shinji and Kohta as they took up guard/sniping positions on opposite ends of the overpass. "Let's check out the McDonalds first."

Saeko nodded, slipping behind him as he approached the fast food restaurant. "You are an unusual boy," she remarked once they had made sure that the store was secure.

He chose not to respond as he turned on the deep fryer then headed towards the refrigerator.

"Most boys would have frozen," she added. "Even Takashi hesitated when he killed his best friend, yet you were willing to kill those punks even before they announced themselves as a threat to the group. You probably even thought about killing them just to remove any possible future threat to us, right?"

"I doubt that they'll be a serious threat to us anytime soon," he replied as he ripped open a bag of French fries. "Their secondary barrier won't hold out long, and if half of them escaped unharmed by our assault on their barricade then that half will be too busy fending off Them, or repairing their defense to chase after us."

It was a logical argument, but it also ignored the fact that their bruised pride. As a man with little pride himself he did not believe it possible for them to be that upset at him to seek retribution, but were they that petty?

"Do any of you suffer from food allergies?" he asked as he pulled out a package of frozen chicken breasts.

"I do not think so," she replied, not realizing that he had been speaking into his walkie talkie.

"Good," he muttered as he accepted her answer. "The McDonald's is clear, but Shinji and Kohta should stay on guard, the rest of you can come inside." He tossed her a bag of buns. "There's cheese and lettuce, and the rest of the condiments. Set them up on the counter and start prepping some for us to bring along with us."

She nodded and did as he commanded.

Soon the rest of their group save for the snipers were inside the restaurant and had cleared out an area to sit in. Issei and Takashi stood guard at the front door, watching as Shinji and Kohta picked off any of Them that came too close to the storefront and the overpass. Kaname quickly assumed control of the kitchen, ordering Kyoko to man the fryer while Mizuki handled the grill.

With the first batch of food ready Takashi offered to take an order up to the snipers, even filling up two large cups of Gatorade with plenty of ice for the guards. Sagara scanned the news channels, marking out areas where there were reported police or military barricades as well as areas where rioting and general lawlessness had broken out.

"We should have a bag of just frozen goods," Saya suggested as she handed a bag of wrapped, warm food to Takashi. "The cooked food should last us tonight and tomorrow, but if we do manage to find shelter we can cook more of the frozen goods. We should fill our packs with food now."

Takashi and Kaname both nodded in agreement. This location had already been looted, the cash registers broken and the ready food taken, but no one had bothered to raid the refrigerators and freezers. There was no guarantee that their homes were still intact either. Having gone the previous night on just instant ramen and candy bars the group realized that they did need to start planning ahead.

Paper bags were quickly filled with cooked foods while bags of frozen chicken and patties were thrown into their packs, filling them to capacity. They ate light so that their stomachs were sated but not weighed down.

While the others packed away food, Sagara stripped his guns, reassembled them, and then refilled the spent clips for the rifles. He had not room for extra food as he had several ration bars that no one else was willing or able to stomach. The rest of his pack was filled with ammo and grenades, leaving him with the heaviest pack of the group.

"We've got several dozen of Them closing in on our position from the south and east," Kohta's voice came through on several walkie talkies.

"We're on our way," Kaname replied before zipping up her pack. The teal haired girl helped the other girls with their packs even as Sagara and Saeko rushed out of the restaurant. "Come on down."

Kohta rushed to fall into place behind the kendoka and mercenary.

Pulling out his Berettas, Sagara took aim at the closest of the zombies before eliminating them from the equation.

"I got these," Saeko stated as she dashed past him, her batons connecting with an audible crack as she shattered the skulls of the next pair of undead. They worked well as a team – her cutting down those closest to them while he thinned the crowd so that she wouldn't be overwhelmed.

There were more of Them as the group made their way north, though nothing that the hardy survivors could not handle. Rather than expending too much ammo, Sagara had shifted to using one Beretta and one baton. After only a few blocks the group had to shift tactics as their approach of traveling in a rough diamond formation allowed too many of Them to close in around the group on their sides.

Shifting into a wedge formation with Sagara and Issei at point, then Kohta and Shinji to snipe, followed by Takashi and Kaname and finally Rei and Saeko at flank to protect the inside of the wedge. Though slower it was more efficient.

By the time they broke through the crowd of undead some six blocks later the group was feeling exhausted. After another three blocks the zombies were far enough behind that they would not be an immediate threat. Still, the survivors needed to find somewhere secure to rest again.

Gone was the business district with its shops and offices, and apartments over the stores. Here and there a few small businesses dotted the street but most of the buildings were residences. A small sporting goods store drew their attention. Several dozen of Them were splayed across the street, their heads crushed by what appeared to be bats.

"We should check it out," Saeko suggested. "The batons are great, but mine are starting to show the effects of a hard day's work."

As the advanced guard she had spent a considerable time swinging her batons around. The once extendable batons were now locked in full extension as the various dents and dings kept them from retracting easily. Sure, they had enough batons to go around, but it had been clear that while she could use them Saeko was used to swinging something else.

Even with the street seemingly cleared of Them, most of the group opted to stay outside of the store. Sagara, Rei, Saeko, and Issei ventured inside, quickly sweeping the entrance to make sure that there were no surprises.

Unfortunately for them there were plenty of surprises in the store as a group of some twenty teens and a few adults milled. From the look of them he could tell that they were a high school sports team, their outfits suggested that they were baseball players.

With one hand on his gun, Sagara carefully lifted his other, "Who are you? And what are you doing here?"

"We're the St. Gabrielle baseball team," the apparent leader of the boys stated. "We're just trying to find somewhere safe to hole up man, take it easy."

Sagara scanned the group. The store was filled with sporting goods but it also had a camping and outdoor section. Fittingly they were all armed with baseball bats and some even had protective gear, but what concerned him was that they were armed with the bows and arrows, crossbows, and guns. As a sporting goods store the weapons were meant for hunting, though the guns were not military grade, they could still be lethal. There was an assortment of energy bars and drinks thrown into a cooler as well as sleeping bags, cots, and even a few sleeping bags.

"We're not here to cause trouble," Rei added as she tried to ease the tension. She kept a firm hold of her spear even as she shifted into a less threatening position.

"We just want some things from the store," Sagara said as he motioned for Issei to move over to him. "We'll trade you for them. I'm Sagara, this is Issei, Rei, and Saeko."

To their credit the boys didn't appear to threaten them with some kind of show of force given their numbers. "My name's Genma," the team's speaker said. "What do you have that might interest us?"

"We've got real food," Sagara replied as he opened up Issei's pack and pulled out his bag of burgers. "Some of it's cooked, but we've also got some frozen chicken patties and hamburger, and chicken nuggets. I know you're athletes, but there's only so much you can take of the energy and protein bars, right?"

"This ain't enough for us," Genma replied as he eyed the bag.

Rei and Saeko both opened their packs, revealing still frozen bags of patties and fries.

"We just need some flashlights, a tackle box full of supplies"

"And some of the bokkens from the kendo section," Saeko interrupted Sagara.

Genma glanced back at his group. None of them objected to the deal.

"We'd also like two bows and two quivers of arrows, some rope and climbing gear, propane burners and tanks," Sagara finished. "I'll throw in a pair of Glocks and two clips of ammo."

"A real gun?" He wasn't sure who had made the remark but he knew that they were surprised.

"They're military grade," Sagara replied. "My friend's father is military." It was the truth, but only partially.

"There are more of you outside," Genma concluded as he glanced past the foursome at the broken windows.

Sagara nodded. "Do we have a deal?"

Again Genma glanced at his teammates, "Fine. Pick out the stuff you need from the racks."

With a nod he sent the others into the isles while leaving their food on the counter.

"This place is not easily defended," Sagara said once Genma slide the food over to his team. Extracting his Glocks he mercenary removed the clips and then the bullets in the chamber before setting them on the counter. "We ran into a gang of punks a few kilometers from here. They had some airsoft guns and shotguns, probably a hundred of them altogether. They'd swarm you guys easily."

"We're not planning on staying here long," Genma replied as he eyed the firearms. "We were on our way to a game when the shit hit the fan. The traffic locked up then we saw those… things attacking people in their cars. We managed to defend the bus but then we saw a gang starting to shoot anything that moved so we hightailed it. We happened to find this place last night and managed to clear those things out."

"Which way are you headed?" Sagara asked as he pulled out two maps. The first was the one he'd kept track of while the second was free of any of his marks.

"East."

"We're headed west," he pointed on his map. Pulling out a pen he copied his marks, then added a few. "Here's where the gang we ran into was, and here's the vacant McDonalds we stopped to get lunch at. We locked it up, but of course the storefront's smashed. There's still frozen food in the freezer and refrigerator, and their soda fountains were still working when we left this afternoon. We had to break through a group of perhaps a fifty zombies but there's no guarantee that they aren't still headed this way."

That gave Genma and the others a scare.

Calmly he folded up his map then shoved the other towards Genma.

"They're not good against barricades over a meter and a half tall, but it doesn't look like you've got anything that that tall to use. Your best bet is to take the ladder up to the roof, pitch your tents up there overnight, and use some ropes to create an escape route in case they do swarm this location." It was a sensible and easy defense that they boys should be able to pull off. "If I were you I'd pack any weapons you can, as well as any first aid kits you can find, some sleeping bags, and whatever food you can carry."

"You think it's that bad?" Genma asked, his formerly cool façade cracking under the burden he was now faced with.

"I'm preparing for the worst," Sagara replied. "Best case is it takes a week for this to blow over, maybe only a few more days, but from the news reports I've seen every world power has been rattled. Their military power has been compromised and everyday people like you are left without anyone else to rely on.

"Go find those important to you, and do everything in your power to keep them safe." He saw the doubt in the other boy's eyes. "Take charge of your team. Keep them together and keep them safe." He put his hand on the other boy's shoulder and gave him a firm, reassuring squeeze. "You can do this."

Genma nodded. "What do you think we'll need?"

"The Leathermans and Swiss Army knives, rope, jackets and coats, and the walkie talkies too," Sagara listed. "Scan the frequencies to make sure no one else is using yours. If you want to keep tabs on us we're on channel 13.7. Make sure everyone has their essentials packed, then fill your packs with food and water, ammo, and weapons. Find out what everyone is good at aside from baseball and use their skills appropriately. Bring extra stuff along that you can use to trade but don't expect anyone else to be as helpful as we've been."

Genma nodded again, this time his resolve was unwavering. "Thank you."

Seeing that the others had gathered everything they had needed, Sagara extended his hand to Genma. "Good luck."

The baseball captain clasped his hand and gave a firm shake, "Good luck to you too."

Little was said of what had transpired inside the sporting goods store when the foursome rejoined the rest of their group outside as the sun began to set behind the store. The group quickly decided to continue going north. After about a block the road began to climb a hill. At the top of the hill was a small park, providing them with a good view of the way they'd come and the way ahead. From this distance he could see the tents being pitched on the roof of the two store building.

"I know this park," Miss Shizuka said as she claimed a swing. "I have a friend that lives around here."

The co-leaders exchanged glances. The former school nurse had said little of use outside of tending to a few scrapes and cuts.

"I house-sit for her when she's out of town," she added airily. "It's much closer to Fujimi than my place too, so I often stay over at her place whenever we go out. It's just down the road." She pointed west causing everyone to turn so that they could look down the indicated street. The way was relatively clear; there were fewer signs of Them having been down that street, though in the distance the riverbank could be seen. "Her apartment has a great view of the riverbank and has private parking."

Reinvigorated, the group set off towards the promise of a safe place to sleep. Many of the properties were hidden behind meter tall fences and a few had tall hedge behind the fences. A handful of the houses were barricaded, though there were more with broken windows and bloody trails through the yards and gates. Here and there one of Them would shamble through a gateway or through a hedge only for Saeko or Rei to bash it. Still, it occurred enough that the group had decided to travel in the middle of the road rather than walking along the sidewalks.

As they ventured closer to the river they could see some of Them banging on windows and doors. Sagara would even swear that he had seen one of Them trying to put a key into the key hole of the door it was assailing. It almost appeared as though this were an ordinary day, almost. The red handprints on the otherwise pristine walls, windows, or fences as well as the crimson trails and broken windows were quick to dispel that illusion.

Then there were the various wounds that They had. Necks bent at unnatural angles, bloody shirts and pants, some had knives still sticking out of them, and a good number had what looked to be bloody bandages that had probably covered bites that had eventually turned them into Them.

Even with the sun slowly setting behind the horizon the lights along the riverbank illuminated the street. The not so distant hum of honking horns and people shouting suggested that the bridges had been barricaded by the remains of the police department as an attempt to contain the spread reanimated the dead. They were fortunate that Miss Shizuka's friend lived perhaps a kilometer or so from the nearest bridge as the street was clear of any traffic. Unfortunately that did not mean that there weren't any of Them around.

Several dark patches and buzzing swarms of flies suggested that a dozen or more residents had met their grizzly demise inside the gated complex. The fact that the complex was locked up suggested that there were plenty of Them still inside.

The complex itself was not that of a typical apartment setup. Unlike the ones that he and Kaname lived in, there was not an open plaza on the ground floor where all of the residents needed to pass through on their way to their individual apartments. This was a higher end complex that took up the entire block. Three meter brick walls enclosed the block with two gates on opposite sides of the block, and a guard house attached to each gate. The central building was a giant rectangle two stories tall comprised of eight attached townhouses each with their own individual entrance and garage. The garage itself took up a third of the first floor.

Once they secured the apartment, Sagara, Takashi, Issei, Rei, and Saeko decided to clear out the rest of the complex while also checking for survivors and for additional supplies. The first apartment had been completely vacant as the new tenants had yet to move in. The next was empty save for bloody hand and foot prints that lead into the third apartment. The third had six of Them waiting for the quintet. All of Them had been adults, but the teens made quick work of them without having to resort to their firearms. The fourth and fifth apartments had also been empty of any movement, though the sixth and seventh showed that the undead craved flesh from warm blooded creatures as the group found the remains of a pair of dogs while the arowanas in the seventh apartment were unmolested but the green and yellow birds had not been so fortunate.

A/N

I think I'll leave things here for now.

Dreamingfox