Small victories were still victories, it was a lesson Sagara had learned early in life. Simply surviving the day was a victory in itself, especially considering the kind of day that they had endured.
While the bulk of the girls were holed up on the second floor bathing and refreshing themselves, Sagara kept his ears on the radio. Unlike the news reported on the TV and what little seemed to get out onto the internet, the antiquated radio allowed him to track the movements of the police and military.
It was of great concern to him that Wraith had not contacted him since the outbreak had first begun, but it was even more unnerving to know that no one from Mithril had attempted to contact him inspite of the short transmissions he'd sent while at the McDonalds and at the smuggler's warehouse had thus far gone unanswered.
What little he had gleaned from the radio was that the bulk of the JDF was intact but spread thin trying to assist the various police stations. The countryside was as yet unaffected, but the major cities in Japan were being locked down to prevent the spread of the biological agent.
Similar outbreaks had occurred throughout the world in most major cities, though the ones that were hardest hit were the ones with military bases. Many were calling it the largest coordinated assault the world had ever seen.
"Gauron," Sagara growled as he lowered the volume on his receiver. There was only one group capable of pulling off such an attack – Amalgam. Gauron had been one of their top men, until he'd gone off the deep end and tried to start the third world war. It wouldn't be beyond him to have set something like this up in the event that he had died.
"Tea?"
Lost in his thoughts he'd failed to register the kendoka's presence in the garage. "No thanks," he finally replied.
The long day had exhausted most of the combined group. The girls had claimed the lone bedroom for the seven of them, leaving the five boys to lounge in the living room. Kohta and Shinji were taking turns on watch, while Issei and Takashi were packing. He'd volunteered to scavenge the other garages for things they could use.
The apartments themselves had provided them with no resources other than access to another vehicle, but Miss Shizuka's friend had surprised them. Not only had the woman owned several different weapons and have the ammo for them, she also drove a Humvee. The modified SUV was ill suited for Japan's narrow roads and towered over even most full-sized vans. As big as it was though it would not hold all of them. While designed to seat six, it could hold more. That's where the two motor bikes came in. Designed to go off-road, they were quick and nimble making them ideal for the group's scouts. The only other viable option had been the Hilux which would mean that Sagara would have to drive the Humvee and Shizuka would have to drive the Hilux while Takashi rode a bike as scout. Logistically that would just throw their formation off too much.
A toolbox full of tools had been added to their things. Shinji didn't look the part, but he was a mechanic at heart. His nearly intimate knowledge of Arm Slaves combined with his time around the military had resulted in him not only being a skilled sniper but a quality mechanic as well. Kohta was better with firearms, but he also knew his way around a set of tools. Kaname and Saya were also both highly intelligent people capable of reading a repair manual while he was good at improvising things.
"Who's going to ride those?" Saeko asked as she eyed the loot.
"I can handle one," he replied. "Takashi said he can manage the other. That should save some room in the back of the Hummer."
As he'd told Genma at the sports store, he'd started assessing everyone's skill sets and tried to put them to use. While Kaname and Takashi were the accepted co-leaders, their hearts and minds were still not completely in the game so to say.
"You've done this before, haven't you?" Saeko asked as she watched him check the engine.
The answer was obvious and did not need to be stated verbally as he checked the fluid levels.
"I have to say I was surprised how level headed you've been about everything," she added. "You're not surprised by anything."
"It is one thing to be surprised, and another thing to let it get to you," he replied as he set the bike next to the entrance. Even with the gates to the compound closed he opted to play things safe and not leave anything that might draw attention to their location out in the open. They'd seen two types of people this past day, who was to say what they would encounter next time.
"You knew that we were headed into a trap," she remarked. "And you let us walk into it then turned it around on them."
"I chose the best course of action given the scenario," he stated. "Kaname"
"Knows what you're capable of, those of us from Fujimi do not." She stood before him, her arms crossed beneath her ample breasts, almost daring him, but daring him to what?
He stood straight and tall, "Trust me to use the right amount of force for whatever situation we find ourselves in. No one wants to lose any more than we already have, but I know that sacrifices may need to be made. Had we simply opened fire on them before speaking with them they might have been able to get their wits together and counter-attack. Engaging them in conversation allowed us to get a better read of what they had, or at least what they were presenting.
"The situation at the store was different. Genma and his team were not standing in our way so much as they simply had things in their possession that we wanted. The trade was mutually beneficial and prevented each side from incurring any casualties."
She nodded, not breaking his gaze. "You speak like a soldier."
"I am a soldier. Despite my apparent age I have been one for much of my life. The world beyond Japan is not a peaceful, safe world."
"So it is," she ceded with a slight bow. "Within the shadows there are many dangers. Once, on my way home from kendo practice I was assaulted by a man. He sought to rape me, so I took action against him. I used my bokken to defend myself" she lowered her hands, tapping the hilt of one of her newly acquired weapons that was strapped to her hip. "I broke his leg."
It was an unusual statement.
"As a soldier, how many times have you had to kill someone?" she finally asked, her eyes darting to his holster.
"I've lost count." In truth he never really thought about it. The only kills that had bothered him were the multiple times when he'd failed to kill Gauron and the one time that he finally killed his evil tormentor.
"Was there any difference between the battlefield and what you did today?"
He shook his head.
"I've been in countless bouts and matches," she stated. "I've felt the rush of adrenaline in competition, but the rush I felt then when I was beating him…. The rush I felt today… It was exhilarating."
Ah, there it was. There were many soldiers who were never the same after they took a life, even in the defense of their own or of their comrades. But there were a select few who relished it.
"I'm afraid," she whispered huskily.
He'd secretly enjoyed killing Gauron. It had been like the action heroes in the movies who had thrown some smart quip as they executed the antagonist of the movie – a sign that the hero would not be troubled by their enemy's death but also that they were glad to end that person's life. It was something that he hoped to never feel again not only because he dreaded having another enemy of Gauron's caliber, but because he did not want to enjoy killing someone. He did not want to turn into Gauron.
Before yesterday he'd come to terms with what and who he was. He accepted that he would never be the peaceful idealist that Kaname had wanted him to be, not if he wanted to keep her safe. He was not like Al, a tool of war, but a soldier who capable of deciding whom to defend and protect.
It dawned on him then that she was not wearing her bloody school uniform. The apron that she wore covered her, but just barely.
"I'm afraid that I might lose control."
Her words struck him. He'd lost control in those final moments with Gauron and it had nearly cost him his life. The bomb that had been rigged to go off once the death dealer's heart had died had escaped his attention because he'd been so caught up in confronting and then killing his rival. "I won't let you."
An awkward, honest smile was all that he allowed himself to think of as he left the garage. Her smile at that moment had been the trigger to unlocking her mask, to her seeing past him for who he really was. He would always remember the garage.
Over the past year he'd tried to open up to Kaname but despite the things that she had seen and experienced she had always tried to make him believe in her shining paradise rather than seeing the darker, deadlier world that he existed in. Yes, her paradise was enticing, but deep down he knew that he could never truly embrace that world. There were moments when he could enjoy the little things in life – even times when he could forget his worries, but ultimately he had to come back to who he was. He would always be a soldier, a killer.
"Man, that's crazy," the plump boy muttered in astonishment as he listened to one of Shinji's wild tales. "I can't believe you guys managed to subdue him like that!"
The scrawny military brat smirked, "I thought that the beating that Kaname put on him was intense but the truth is had we not fallen from the balcony she'd probably have killed us. I'd never seen anyone take a German Suplex other than on a wrestling show, but, wow, she's a beast when you get her angry. The Incredible Hulk's got nothing on her."
Guard duty had been relatively easy for the pair. His love of Arm Slaves was often the first thing that his classmates knew about him, easily leading them to forget that he was also an avid photographer and cameraman. When the others had focused on the weapons at the smuggler's storehouse he had been busy gathering several remote cameras and hooked them up to a laptop. While out on patrol he had managed to patch his laptop into the complex's CCTV so that he and Kohta could sit on the balcony to monitor the streets around the building.
Of course he had not dared to plant one of his own stolen cameras in the bathroom – that had been all Kohta. While they had some good shots of the girls undressing, there had been too much steam to get any good images.
With the girls now out of the bathroom and inhabiting the bedroom there was no reason for them to activate the bathroom camera. Talk quickly turned to how well they each knew the girls from their respective schools and then of the others in their party.
Kohta actually knew very little of his schoolmates. While Saya and Rei were both in his year Rei had just recently been held back as she was originally in Takashi's year. He only knew of Saya in class and she was far too rich and stuck up to have hung out with the bullied boy.
Shinji could relate to that. Before Sagara had arrived at Jindai he'd been the one the others had picked on. That had changed once Sagara's antics had frightened off even the most hardened of the school's bullies.
Kyoko was the class rep's best friend and was often hiding in the other girl's shadow. Lost in Kaname's wake few bothered to pay any attention to her. Mizuki, well, she also fell under that banner, though she was the more lively of Kaname's friends, she had once been Kaname's enemy and recently turned friend. Issei did not travel in the same circle as Shinji, though he had interacted with Kaname and Sagara.
Everything came back to Sagara for Shinji. It had been Sagara who had prevented the scrawny cameraman from stealing Kaname's panties, which had led to their fast friendship. For some weird reason Kaname and Sagara had become fast friends as well though it was often a love-hate relationship as the two sought to work together but ended up at odds.
"I can see why your upperclassmen thought that about her though," Kohta snickered. "Saya, Rei, and Saeko are definitely exceptions at Fujimi, but Kaname's got something about her too. Myself, I like girls like Kyoko. There's something to be said about quiet girls."
Sitting out on the balcony the snipers were having a good time. They'd each had a beer, having managed to slip two cans out of the kitchen before Miss Shizuka had checked the refrigerator. While they did not enjoy the taste it did help ease the tensions in their shoulders and back. The Cokes they were presently enjoying were more to their liking though.
The sound of a dog barking ended their conversation, prompting Kohta to take up his rifle. Looking through the scope he scanned the street even as Shinji checked the displays on the laptop's monitor.
"Two blocks south," Kohta whispered. He'd seen several small groups of Them headed north, some even passing by the apartment complex they were now inhabiting, but when he'd seen a few of them turning to head back south he knew that They had found something.
"Just a dog?" the other boy asked.
"Shit!" Kohta exclaimed. "Looks like a dad and his kid are trying to force their way past a barricaded door. The people holed up aren't going to be happy that they've led some of Them right to their doorstep."
"We've spotted a situation," Shinji said into his walkie.
"What is it?" it was no surprise that Sagara was the first to respond.
"Two survivors are making their way down the street – a man and what looks to be his kid," the sniper explained. "The dad's trying to break down someone's barricade. They're just over two blocks south of us."
"How many of Them?"
"I count a baker's dozen, but more are coming down the street towards them," Kohta replied.
"Did you put the silencer on the Savage?" the mercenary asked.
"Yeah," Shinji replied.
"Permission to clear the street?" Sagara asked, waiting for Takashi or Kaname to object.
"Permission granted," Takashi's voice chimed in.
"Saeko's in the garage with me, she'll man the gate." The roar of an engine silenced everything else as Sagara sped out of the garage. His skill on a bike was unquestioned as he drove it up a wooden ramp/plank. For a heart-stopping moment he was airborne then he landed the bike expertly. With one hand controlling the bike he executed each of Them in his way.
Pulling up the sniper rifle Shinji took aim, taking out the closest zombies to the man and child. By now it was clear that they knew that help was coming. Abandoning the barricade the man led the child back onto the street as several more zombies fell around them.
Beneath the snipers Saeko rushed to the guard house. She was soon joined by Issei and Takashi as the two boys rushed to assist.
The sound of the bike's engine died down as Sagara reached the pair. "I've got them."
Shinji laid down covering fire, while Kohta cleared the entrance. It felt like an hour, but was probably closer to five minutes. By the time that Sagara returned the gate was open. Letting the rescued pair off, he sped off once again.
"What are you doing?" It was Kaname and clearly she was not happy. From the window in bedroom she'd seen him leave.
"He's drawing Their attention away from here," Saeko explained. "He's going to lead them away, lose them, then cut the engine before making his way back here. Shinji, keep an eye on him. Kohta, make sure that no one else approaches the back gate."
"Shit," the plump boy cursed as he slung his rifle over his shoulder. Climbing the rope ladder that they had managed to put up was not fun, nor was the trek over the rooftop of the apartment building, yet it was far faster than having him go down to ground level, enter the apartment on the far side of the complex and get up to the balcony.
With the gate closed once again Saeko pulled out the bow. The hankyu that she'd picked up at the sporting goods store was new and needed to be tamed as evident by the her first wild shot that sunk into her target's neck. Her second shot though went through her target's eye. Takashi quickly led the man and child into the apartment while Issei moved the plank/ramp to give Sagara a way in.
The sound of the bike's tires squealing in the distance as Sagara performed a donut in an intersection drew the attention of any zombies within a few blocks. The few that ambled by the gates of the apartment either failed to notice Saeko or had opted to go for the target that was not behind a sturdy gate.
In a matter of minutes there were none of Them in the street as Sagara led them further away. Using his scope Shinji tried to keep track of the mercenary, but after a kilometer all he could see was the tail end of the horde.
"There he is!" Urzu 6 proclaimed. "I've got his signal."
"Where is he?" the Captain demanded. Though she was far from the bridge of the Tuatha de Danaan she knew that she needed to look out for the handful of her subordinates that remained.
"He's just at the edge of my range, and he's moving quick," the SRT Sargent stated. "Permission to go after him?"
It was a tough decision. With only three members of the SRT she did not want to further weaken their group. Then again, an M9 should be more than capable of dealing with anything that was coming out of this chaos. "Negative," she finally replied. "You've already reached the edge of our defensive perimeter. Our priority is to rescue any crew from the Tuatha de Danaan first, then establish a base of operations. We cannot do that with only three people."
"Understood," Kurz replied curtly. He understood that the SRT was the only unit able to move freely within the city as the ECS allowed them to move about undetected. It also helped that the zombies could not breech the M9's armor. Still, there was only so much that they could do as the third generation Arm Slaves had only enough fuel for a day. Collecting survivors and supplies was the first priority. Sagara would have to wait until then.
The feel of the nighttime air rushing past his face as he coasted down the hill felt refreshing. While he was not going as fast as when he'd initially run from Them he knew that running the motor would attract Them. By allowing gravity to do the bulk of the work he was not only saving fuel but keeping Them from following him back.
"All clear," he heard Shinji's voice over the air rushing by his ear. "The gate's open."
Steering the bike clear of the few slick patches of blood on the pavement and other debris in the street he felt a sense of relief flood him as he spotted the trio of teens guarding the open gate. Issei smirked behind his thick glasses, holding his fist out for a fist-bump while Saeko and Takashi both shook their heads.
Once the gate was closed and they were in the safety of the apartment Kaname greeted him with playful smack to the back of his head even as Takashi introduced him to the survivors he'd rescued. "This is Akito Maresato and his daughter Alice."
The businessman bowed his head, "Thank you for saving us."
"It was not just me," Sagara replied as he put his hands on the man's arms to pull him upright. "We as a whole decided to save you and your daughter."
"You have our gratitude," Akito said as he fought back tears.
"Why don't I take Alice to use the bath," Shizuka said as she took the girl's hand. "She looks like she needs one before bed."
The little red head looked up at her father. Akito smiled then nodded, watching as the school nurse, Kyoko, and Mizuki led her up to the bedroom and bath.
"Akito was neighbors to my friend Imamuru," Takashi stated once the girls' footsteps could no longer be heard on the stairs. "They lived east of Fujimi."
The man nodded, "We lived near two hospitals. I remember hearing that some military men had been admitted to the hospital. The base was supposed to unveil the new XM9 Arm Slaves so the men were probably celebrating. Anyways, I was on my way to dropping Alice off at school when Hell literally broke loose. I thought there'd been an accident during the unveiling because there were men and women covered in blood, then I realized that they were attacking anyone who came to help them. No, they weren't attacking them - they were trying to eat them."
"Why don't you guys have a seat?" Kohta interrupted. "We've already heard the abridged version, so we're going to resume our watch."
Sagara watched as Kohta dragged Shinji to the refrigerator so that they could take some drinks and snacks before they headed back out to the balcony. 'His father was probably involved with showing off the new XM9,' he thought as he watched the scrawny boy depart.
The mercenary was running on auto-pilot as he took in Akito's tale of personal loss and then of flight. The man's first impulse had been to save his wife. She had been a nurse at the hospital. Unfortunately he had found only her bloody nametag and a pile of gnawed on bones at her work station. The infected had been too busy consuming their victims to care about those who ran into the hospital, though some of Them had chased him and Alice until they found easier pray. With an entire hospital of sick and injured it was unlikely that the zombies would chase healthy pray too far. It was only after they had consumed the easy meals that they had started going after other prey.
The police had of course responded, but they could not deal with the sheer numbers that they faced. When faced with using lethal force they had been trained, but most were trained to shoot their attacker's body. While effective against the living it was ineffective against the animated dead. Head shots were usually lethal but far harder to hit unless one was trained for it.
As a highly trained operative Sagara was better than most, but even he had missed three out of ten times the previous day despite the fact that They were moving at a slow shuffle. He was best when he'd stopped, set his feet, and then took aim, not when he was running.
Given his own experience he was not surprised that the police had been overwhelmed. Had they known what they were rushing into they might have stood a better chance, but that would have cost them precious time as well, allowing the infected to kill even more civilians and spread their disease.
"We should all get some rest," Kaname stated after Akito had told them of the multiple houses that they'd sought help from.
It was no surprise that no one else had been willing to let total strangers in. Had their group not been armed he would have been against attempting to rescue them much less taking them in.
"Takashi, let's go relieve Kohta and Shinji," he found himself saying as he got up.
"Issei, why don't you take Akito to apartment 8 to wash up then grab the mattresses and bring them back here?" Kaname asked the martial artist. "We'll come up to relieve Sagara and Takashi around 3."
By the time they reached the balcony Sagara could feel the exhaustion beginning to set in. He'd over exerted himself in the garage and the adrenaline rush he'd received while saving Akito and Alice had long since worn off.
Shinji and Kohta had each finished their drinks, the empty beer cans an indication that they too were feeling worn out by what they had endured and by the many unknowns that still remained.
"Shinji," he began to say only for his friend so shake his head.
"My dad may not have been a pilot, but he would not abandon his men," the scrawny youth said as he stood tall. "If he died, then he died an honorable death, a hero's death."
To his credit the boy refused to shed any tears as he looked up at Sagara.
"He once told me 'We do not mourn heroes'," Shinji forced out with a twinge of emotion. "'We celebrate their lives and honor the choices that they made.'"
Sagara nodded once before bending down to grab the remains of the six-pack. Cracking them open, he handed them out to each of them. "This isn't for those who died," Sagara stated. "This is for what we've managed to do today. That we have lived to see another sunset is a victory – here's to us!"
Once their beers were finished and Shinji explained the monitor and CCTV, the two snipers retreated to the living room. The extra futons that Issei and Akito retrieved would be useful, sparing them from sleeping on the hard floor in favor of the mattresses and couches while the girls filled the bedroom.
"You surprised me," Takashi said once the two were alone. "Kaname's been going on about how you're a military otaku, but seeing you in action… wow… how do you fit your balls in your pants."
"I've found that having big balls just means that one is either overcompensating, has a death wish, or has too much pent up testosterone," he replied. "Everything I did today was well within my ability, and the ability of our combined group."
That stopped the other boy in his tracks. Finally, "How do you do it? How do you stay calm in such terrifying situations?"
"I've faced worse," Sagara shot back. "Like I told you before, the world outside of this bubble that burst yesterday is not the peaceful world that you thought it was. To survive one has to be able to stay calm and not let their fears overwhelm them."
He could feel Takashi's eyes studying him, re-examining him. "I am sure that Kaname has told you as much about me as she can. What you have to understand is that her view, and perhaps your view of the world, is vastly different than mine.
"Those punks that we saw today are as bad today as they were last week. The only difference is that this week they find themselves freed from the shackles of civilization, or at least the civilization that they dislike. They probably have their own rules and laws within their group, but the laws of the government and society are not the ones that they want to follow.
"The rioters we've seen are like the punks, but their rules are closer to those of society and civility than the biker gang. The looters that we avoided, they were probably normal people like you were last week. But with the chaos erupting around them they've resorted to taking what they need to ensure their survival just as we did when we took food from the McDonalds and the smuggler.
"The world is slowly changing. More and more people are finding themselves free of the old order and their laws. It's up to people like you and Kaname to retain order within our group."
Again Takashi took a moment to consider his words. "You would have let Akito and Alice die if we hadn't approved of you going?"
Sagara nodded.
"And if we were to order you to your death?"
"I might object, but if I thought that it was necessary I would do what was necessary." It was a stark, brutal truth.
With the addition of two new members to their group it was not surprise that their plans had to be adjusted. The Humvee and the Hilux were both packed full yet allowed most of their group to be seated comfortably. Miss Shizuka was the only one other than Sagara who could drive the hulking SUV, leaving Mr. Maresato to drive the Hilux, while Sagara and Takashi took the motorbikes. Shinji would be the gunner for the Humvee while Saya rode shotgun along with Issei, Kyoko and Kaname. Kohta would be shotgun for the Hilux, with Rei, Saeko, Mizuki, and Alice in back.
At least that had been the plan.
"It's safe here," Mr. Maresato stated. "The other apartments have plenty of food and supplies for us to hole up here."
"But we need to see if our parents are alright," Takashi pleaded.
"The phones are working," Mizuki countered. "Sure, the line to the police and emergency services keeps repeating the same thing, but the other numbers work."
"Just because your parents are fine doesn't mean that ours are," Rei snapped at the other girl. "We haven't been able to contact our parents and we want to know that they're alright."
What no one wanted to say was that their parents were most likely dead.
"It's safe here," Miss Shizuka reiterated. "I know that when we left the high school it was because we weren't safe. But we are here. You've cleared Them out of the complex, the gate and wall around us will hold, and we have plenty of food."
"Is there any guarantee that you'll get us to Sagara's and that it'll be safer?" Mizuki added. "We've already lost so much…." Her voice faltered, silencing everyone as they all considered those who were no longer with them.
With a sideways glance Kaname urged Sagara to speak up. "Give us a few hours and some of the food and we can make this place safe for those who want to stay." From the look in her eyes it was not what she'd wanted him to say.
The fortifications were completed by 9am. The back gate was completely barricaded while the primary gate was fortified so that only a tank or AS could breech it. It was a lot for the five who remained to look after but it gave them a fighting chance.
"Take care of yourself," Issei stated as he offered his hand to his former rival turned friend.
The loss of the skilled martial artist would hurt, but given his short-sightedness it was best that he remain somewhere familiar rather than moving around constantly. He alone would bolster the defense of the apartment complex beyond virtually any traps or fortifications that Sagara could rig on the fly.
"You too," the mercenary returned as he clasped the young man's hand.
"Remember," Kaname said as she hugged Mizuki, Alice, and Shizuka, "we're on channel 13.7, okay? Don't forget to let us know if you need anything."
"You'll always be welcome here," Akito said as he shook each of the boys' hands.
"We know," Takashi replied.
There was much that they all wanted to say, but the travelers knew that they needed to hit the road. While the boys had been fortifying the gate and the apartment the girls had been taking driving lessons with Miss Shizuka. The Hilux and the Civic were packed full of their things while leaving enough room for the riders while leaving Takashi and Sagara free to scout on the bikes. While they had confidence in Saya and Kaname's driving skills it had become clear to all of them that they would need to take a slower pace than they had liked.
When the travelers finally departed there were many glances behind at those that they left behind, not because they had been lost, but because they were not sure if they would see them again. The roar of the motorbikes' engines soon drew Them out as the group made their way north.
'At least there will be less of Them for the others to deal with,' Takashi thought as he focused on the road ahead.
Sagara's thoughts were not focused on who or what they were leaving behind so much as he was about the unfortunate fates of some of those whom he had passed by the previous night. There had been at least three out of five houses that had been barricaded when he'd led Them away from the apartment complex, yet there were more of Them spilling out of many of those houses as the two scouts made their way up the street.
"This isn't right," he muttered as he slowed his bike down. While he had turned well ahead of the edge of the jammed roads around the nearest bridge there had been evidence of at least several hundred people trying to cross the bridge. Now there were only empty cars and blood, lots of blood. "What have I done?"