The hum of the truck echoed off of the buildings and streets, attracting a multitude of zombies. Blood caked the bumper and no amount of wiper fluid would make the window clean ever again. Still, the truck provided the trio with a safe haven from the terrors of the world outside.

"There are survivors there," Saeko stated as she pointed towards an apartment complex.

"His priority is to save us," the scarred teen stated. "Now we just have to get Kaname and the others."

"Just how many of you are there anyways?" the blond steering the truck demanded.

"Kaname, Kyoko, and Shinji from Jindai," the darker boy stated. "And then there's Takashi, Saya, Rei, and Kohta – nine of us altogether."

The taller boy nodded grimly.

It was clear to the kendoka that he had known some of the Jindai students. Had he been a transfer student perhaps or was he just one of Sagara's friends? It seemed that the later was more likely, but if so then what sort of friends did Sousuke have? The more she found out about him the more she realized she didn't know anything about him.

Kurz Weber – he was supposed to be associated with Sousuke Sagara, but that's all either boy had said. She could tell that they both wanted to say more and had some exchanges in German, but she hadn't been able to make out what they were actually saying. Still, they'd stopped when they had realized that she at least knew that they had spoken German.

"How'd you find us?" she finally asked as they sped past the besieged apartment complex, the truck managing to take out several dozen zombies that were lumbering towards the barricade.

"The GPS on his cell phone," the blond replied.

"But our cell phones are dead – the EMP blast took out all electronic systems," she stated.

"Only those not equipped to deal with radiation," Sagara corrected.

"But you couldn't call anyone," she added as she turned to look at him. "Wait, you didn't call anyone because you didn't want us to know that you could call someone."

"Negative," he replied. "I did not call anyone because the communications systems are down. The GPS in my phone still broadcasted my position to anyone with the technology to track it."

"So this truck and the Arm Slave are both working, so the military should be able to sort things out, right?" she asked.

The blond scoffed, "The XM9s are probably functional, but from the chatter we picked up there are no viable pilots left. Military bases that received the new third generation Arm Slaves were the first to be hit."

"What were they hit with?" she asked.

"That we don't know for sure," Kurz replied. "We only know that it's biological agent that is capable of reanimating a human corpse giving it the basic imperative to feed and to spread the infection. Those infected are capable of basic motor skills such as walking, climbing steps, going up and down slight slopes, hearing noises, seeing movement, smelling the difference between someone who is infected or not, and in some cases using weapons or tools."

"What?!"

"I've seen cases of the infected using guns," Kurz stated. "I've also seen a few pick up pipes and use them to assault a door, seen a few use keys to actually open a locked door, and a few managed to undo a deadbolt."

His announcement silenced the others as they grasped the true terror of their situation. "We lost Dana."

She blinked, unsure who Dana was. "I'm sorry." The grave look on the boys' faces suggested that it was not the loss of a single, important person, but of something different altogether.

"Survivors?" Sagara asked.

"Tessa went with Mao, I managed to get some supplies before I launched," Kurz replied. "I barely lifted off before the Toy Box was hit."

Saeko could hear Sagara's knuckles as he squeezed his fist tighter.

"Tessa and Mao are at your place," the blond added. "I've been out gathering what little resources we squared away from our last trip to Tokyo."

"How bad is it?" Saeko asked.

Again Kurz scoffed, "It's the end of the world as we know it."

They went several blocks, letting his proclamation sink in before she asked, "How do you know where to go?"

"Kaname has a tracker on her too," Sagara stated.

"He puts them on all the girls likely to get kidnapped," Kurz remarked as he made a hard right.

"I did not," Sagara objected. "I gave it to her in the guise of a watch. I also gave her flash grenades for earrings."

Kurz snickered, "The crazy things you do to lose a girl."

Before anything could be said the blond shifted gears.

"That's everyone," Sagara stated as he spotted the two TOMCARs and the pair on the motorbike.

"Just tell them to follow me," Kurz stated as he turned the truck and brought its heading towards the south and east.

"How'd it go?" Sagara asked as he spoke into the walkie talkie.

"We found Rei's mother," Kyoko replied. "Is that Kurz?"

"Affirmative," the scarred boy replied. "He's going to take the lead."

"We need to check out the East Precinct," Takashi chimed in. "There's no word yet about the police and we've got to stop at my mother's school."

Sagara nodded then turned to the blond.

"I guess the Captain and Mao can wait," Kurz sighed. "But you're gonna be the one to face them."

"Lead the way Takashi," Sagara said into the walkie.

The pair on the motorbike sped ahead of the truck leaving the TOMCARs the trail behind. The trip to the school went quickly though in hindsight Saeko wished that they hadn't reached the school. The sight of so many child-sized zombies shambling through the school yard made her sick to her stomach. The open campus had little defense against any intruders much less against a horde of undead.

Throwing the motorbike onto the back of the truck, Sagara and Kohta watched as Takashi and Rei joined her mother in Saya's TOMCAR.

No one said anything as the group headed to the police station. What little hope that Saeko had that this police station had held up just as the one that she and Sousuke had aided quickly faded as she noticed the carnage that enveloped the station. Like the previous police station the police had sought to defend it with whatever was at their disposal, but there had been too many of Them. Bloody shreds of police officers' uniforms and spent bullet shells were all that remained.

The Fujimi survivors said little as Kurz led them to somewhere safe.

'Safe,' Saeko huffed. 'Will we ever be safe?'

Even with the heavy truck plowing through the roads the survivors were forced to take several detours around large hordes of undead.

"Why are we stopping here?" Kaname's asked via the walkie talkie.

"We need to fuel up," Kurz stated as he pulled the truck up to an empty warehouse. "We'll hole up here for the night."

"Couldn't we get to Sagara's with the truck?" Kyoko asked.

"The bridge is out," the blond replied. "If we're going to cross the bridge we're going to need Al's help."

"Al's here?" the scarred mercenary asked.

"He's with Tessa," the blond sniper smirked. "You'll see him when we get back to your place. The warehouse is secure, but we're going to need to strip it."

Sagara nodded.

Behind them the gate to the warehouse closed, keeping out any of Them that had followed the roar of the truck's engine.

Any suspicions she'd had about Sagara's past intensified as Saeko entered the warehouse. The tall loading bay doors suggested the use of heavy machinery such as bulldozers and other construction vehicles much less allowing entire trucks through. That the building had its own generator (why else would the electric gate and doors still be working) also stood out to the kendoka. The giant crates were too large to be handled by the machinery inside the warehouse, suggesting that something else did the heavy lifting.

Kurz and Sousuke were too hard for her to read. Both young men appeared to be adept at lying, so Saeko was forced to read Kyoko, Kaname, and Shinji's faces for any expressions. For the most part the three seemed to just role with Kurz's excuse that his father's business allowed him to travel to Japan freely and that this building was one of his warehouses. Only Kaname's face failed to convey her belief in that story though, but the fact that she was trying to sell it to the others was telling.

"That's an impressive rifle," the blond said to the scrawny Shinji. "I imagine your shoulder's a bit sore from the kick-back though."

"Yeah," the other boy admitted sheepishly.

"You're going to love this baby then," the taller boy said with a smile. Marching the other over to a crate he pulled the cover off. "M50 – I had its specs retooled to fit you after I saw how you shot around the last time. I'll show you how to strip and reassemble it."

Kohta was simply drooling at the modified weapon.

"We'll need more ammo if we're going to make it back to my place," Sagara said as he pulled the plump boy away. Lifting the top of another crate he produced other weapons.

"L129A13," tears appeared in Kohta's eyes.

"What?" Takashi asked absentmindedly.

"It's the rifle used by the British Service," the gun otaku sighed. "They come with a bayonet attachment, can hold 50 rounds per clip but have an extended clip of 100, and fire at a semi-automatic rate but can also be great sniping weapons as they are lethal up to 800 meters."

"Since you know the weapon I trust that you can show the others how to strip and reassemble it," Sagara stated as he handed the gun to Kohta. The other boy eagerly nodded.

"What are you going to use?" Saeko asked as she moved to follow the scarred boy.

"We might need heavier weapons," Sousuke replied.

"What kind of business ships arms?" she asked as he refused to be brushed aside.

"An arms dealer of course." It was a simple, logical answer, yet befuddling as well.

She continued to watch him, knowing that Kaname was also keeping track of them, as Sousuke approached a smaller crate. "What is that?"

"A MS45 grenade launcher." His flat tone when spouting off weapons was beginning to bother her especially when the gun and weapon otaku practically came each time some type of ordinance was introduced to him. "Technically it's a MS45 semi-automatic rifle with a clip of 50 and a lethal range of 600 meters, but there is a MS45 attached that is capable of firing up to five macro-grenades before needing to be reloaded. I hope that we do not encounter anything that would require us to use it, but with things the way they are it would be best to have a few on hand. Given the rapid escalation of the infection as well as the sudden boom in the number of Them that we've encountered it would be prudent for us to bring along as much weapons and ammo as possible.

"When we left the smuggler's warehouse we had over two thousand rounds, now we are currently have only a few hundred rounds. The warehouse should provide us with sufficient ammunition for the next five months."

Baffled, she left him to his guns and returned to the others.

Looking back at the past year Kaname Chidori was amazed at how easily her classmates and peers had accepted Sousuke Sagara and his antics. From bringing an actual gun to school to setting off smoke grenades, knocking over busts, shooting others (with rubber bullets), blowing up his locker when someone had left a love note in it, to the casual destruction of Jindai's campus, his randomly appearing in the middle of the baseball diamond during PE, the unleashing of a bacteria that broke down petroleum products, and of course the "random" hijacking of their school trips no one other than her seemed to find it disturbing. Well, they had been disturbed for the hijackings, but eventually everyone had blown the incidents off.

It was one thing for Takashi to accept things as the unelected leader of his group he had been quick to come to the realization that Fujimi had encountered zombies. He was headstrong and impulsive, but also loyal to his friends and companions. While they trusted him to lead they also seemed to overlook him, at least the girls did.

Over the past few days Kaname had been forced to work with Takashi as she was the unelected leader of the Jindai teens. Their roles as the group's co-leaders had forced them together. Both had made great efforts to respect the other's wishes and thus their dialogue had become a sort of friendship.

Kaname knew that Takashi had felt betrayed when his late friend Hisashi had started dating Rei before the start of the term. Though Rei had never admitted it, Takashi knew that it was because she felt that Takashi was indecisive and that Hisashi was more supportive of the fact that she had been held back at school in retaliation for her father's investigation of a politician. Takashi knew because Rei's father had secretly told him, but the fact that she hadn't trusted him and had turned to Hisashi had strained their relationship. It did not help that he had been the one to kill Hisashi to prevent his friend from turning into one of Them.

With the world going to hell as it did though it was Rei who had been defensive and hesitant while Takashi had taken the reigns. Perhaps part of it was that he was finally able to express his own anger at the unjust world, but despite his willingness to eliminate "Them" he was slowly feeling the weight of his position.

As the two co-leaders they had bonded as they informed each other of the strengths and weaknesses of their classmates and peers so that the group as a whole could survive. It had hurt leaving Issei and Mizuki behind with Miss Shizuka, and the Maresatos, but they had accepted it. Leaving the Takagi estate had been difficult too, but at least they hadn't left any of the group behind.

When the group had regrouped at the hotel they had spent part of the night together discussing their past as well as drawing up plans for the next few days. With the way things had been going no one had expected them to actually reach his neighborhood as soon as they had. It was nice that Rei had been reunited with her mother, giving the group hope that their parents might be alive where ever they were, but the harsh reality was that the world really had gone to hell. The grizzly remains at the police station and the horde of undead children at the school were stark reminders that the world had drastically changed and that perhaps civilization as they knew it was over.

"What the hell does Sousuke do?" Takashi muttered as he stripped a rifle. It was perhaps the third time he'd done so on that particular weapon, but no one was really counting.

She'd asked several times but each time he'd replied that it was classified. It was not until she'd actually been kidnapped that he'd finally told her, though she'd also had to see him take out an Arm Slave, shoot their way out of a military base, and engage a troop of Arm Slaves for her to actually believe him. "He was a soldier." It was true. He'd been a full-time soldier and had done something to become a part-time soldier, but he was still a soldier.

The look on his face told her of the pain he was enduring. She just wanted him to feel better, to find a reason to go on.

Pulling him into an embrace she offered her bosom to him, allowing him to open up. But it was he who opened her up. Her dirty blouse had seen its final day but she didn't' object. Part of her had wanted it, but part of her had also whispered that she'd been hoping that it would have been Sousuke that deflowered her.

It was not pleasurable, not the first time, but the second and third time were better as the two co-leaders learned to work together.

The light rain nixed any travel plans that the survivors had made, forcing them to remain inside the safety of the warehouse's automated defenses. It was a rare chance for the survivors to relax, though for some it was a chance to reflect on the past few days.

"I don't get you," the pinkette finally admitted as she stood atop the roof. "You're saying that about a year ago Sousuke transferred into Jindai – out of the blue – and no one seemed to think it weird that suddenly grenades were blowing up footlockers, people were being shot and accosted, your class trip gets hijacked twice, and no one seemed to think anything of it?"

"Yeah, that's about it," Shinji replied as he took another shot with his new rifle. In the distance some 750 meters away one of Them slumped to the side whilst the rest of Them did nothing but shamble on.

"Head shot," Kyoko pronounced as she kept track of the hits with the binoculars that Kaname had found for her.

"Damn," Kohta muttered as he searched for a target.

It was no surprise that the warehouse provided them with more than just weapons and ammo. Several sets of military fatigues in varying styles of camouflage, water-resistance, and padding, as well as mechanical and electronic components, and boxes of military rations provided the group with their basic necessities.

Despite Sagara's belief that they would run out of ammo in five months Takashi and Kaname had convinced Sagara that it would be best if the others were allowed to practice with their new weapons. The shotguns and handguns were rendered useless within the confines of the warehouse's defensive grid, but the rifles were proving to be effective and even entertaining as the teens added the silencers to their weapons.

The isolated warehousing district had been relatively untouched by the horde of zombies though the occasional animated dead still ambled up the streets giving the teens something to practice on. It was the perfect excuse for Sagara and his buddy Kurz to get everyone else out of the warehouse.

"I used to think that it was weird," Kaname stated as she watched the boys making their shots.

"Finally, someone sensible," the pinkette said as she nodded at the teal haired girl. "But once our class trip was hijacked we started to see that the world out there really isn't safe."

"Post-traumatic stress disorder or something like that," Takashi muttered. "I guess if something like that had happened to us we might have seen things that way too.

"Three blocks north, one block west – the baseball player with a bat."

Several sets of binoculars turned to spot the zombie.

"It's too far for you," Shinji stated. Thus far the teens had only been shooting zombies two blocks or so away from the warehouse and only Shinji and Kohta had managed to eliminate any zombies with one hit while Takashi and Rei had managed to hit some birds and street signs.

"Don't take the shot," Kohta cautioned. "There's a propane tank behind him."

"Shouldn't we be looking for survivors?" Saya interjected.

"We already did that," Shinji replied. "But this is a warehousing district – there aren't any homes near here. All we've seen so far are groups of Them wandering around looking for something to eat. The only thing we've seen Them chase after is a stray cat in a tree several blocks northeast of here and we took those zombies out."

"Four headshots for Kohta and three for Shinji," the ever perky Kyoko piped in.

"There was that pet store that was overrun," Kohta added. "We couldn't see for sure, but the apartment over it had its door wide open and the windows were smashed from the inside.

"Clear."

Takashi squeezed the trigger. "Damn!"

"You took out his arm," Shinji stated.

"I got it," Kohta gently squeezed the trigger.

The zombie's head flew off as the shot severed the spine. "Too low," Shinji admonished.

"It's no threat to anyone unless they walk too close to the head," the plump boy stated.

"So, what are we going to do oh fearless leaders?" Saya finally turned back to Takashi and Kaname.

"We're going to leave in the morning." Takashi sat up carefully making sure not to let the raindrops fall on his face. "The extra time we're spending here is giving Sousuke and Kurz time to strip the warehouse and prepare whatever it is that they're going to use to get over the gap in the bridge."

"Why aren't we just staying here?" Rei asked.

"Did you enjoy sleeping on the floor?" the elder Miyamoto asked. "Besides, I'm sure whomever was going at it would like a bit more privacy the next time they hook up."

"Mother!" Rei hissed, scandalized by the insinuation.

"I'm not the only one who heard it," the woman stated. "I know how you teenagers are, I was one once myself. Before I was the respectable policewoman I am today I was once the fearless leader of an all-girl gang." The woman sighed, recalling the simpler days of her youth. "I know that there were more than a few of you going at it too. I don't blame you girls – I'm sure that the young men here have done more than enough to impress you over the past few days."

"They have proven themselves to be men," Saeko added. "Though we have not been playing the damsel in distress for them to rescue – we've held our own as well as they have."

"Anyways," Kaname said as she tried to direct the conversation back to the topic at hand, "we're leaving before dark. Kurz thinks that the rain will have stopped by then and there should be just enough light for us to make it through to the bridge without turning on our lights. They've loaded the TOMCARs onto the truck but once we reach the river we'll be on foot other than the drivers of the TOMCARs and the motorbikes."

"Sagara and Kurz suggest that we get used to our weapons and the weight of our packs since we'll each be in charge of carrying our own things," Takashi added as he turned to face the group. "The TOMCARs will be carrying a generator and fuel as well as the extra ammunition, weapons, and supplies so there isn't much room for passengers."

"What about once we reach the other side of the river?" Saya interjected.

"Sousuke and Kurz will try to secure some vehicles for us, but we won't be able to use them until we're already on the other side of the river. We're not taking the regular bridge, but a bridge for the train that spans the river. Kurz and Sousuke are packing as much as they can into the TOMCARs but we'll need to carry our fair share on foot," Kaname reiterated.

None of the others objected to the plan that only the co-leaders and the pair of militants had apparently come up with. It was a sign that the others trusted Sousuke and in extension Kurz. Little was said about the still mysterious past of the scarred boy or the blond newcomer that he vouched for.

The group settled in for the night, leaving Saeko and Kurz to watch over them.

Neither said much for the first hour until Saeko was sure that the others were asleep. Most had situated themselves in the front office near the trucks leaving the rear office with its security monitors and CCTV feed alone.

"So, you and Sousuke, huh?" the blond finally said as he checked the green screens that displayed the night-vision enhanced images from the security cameras.

The proud kendoka barely stirred at the insinuation.

"What is it with the strong silent type that attracts the women? Why don't they ever like the charismatic and approachable one?" he asked as he spared her a glance. He knew that his normal routine of being energetic and friendly was wasted on the serious girl. "Though Saya may think she's the smartest one here, she's not the only one who noticed that Sousuke and I aren't your typical young men."

"How much does Kaname know?" she finally asked.

"Ah," he nodded, "you're concerned about your competition. She knows pretty much all there is to know about us and she's not likely to spill it unless she's sure that it's necessary."

"And you think that it isn't necessary now?"

He shook his head, "Not my call to make."

Her dark eyes looked him over again. Finally, "What can you tell me?"

"About what?" he replied. She shot him a glance knowing that he was being evasive. "Ask and hope that you asked a question that I can answer."

Clear blue sky greeted the group of survivors as they set out from the warehouse an hour or so before dawn. The previous day's respite had greatly improved their spirits and given them the time they needed to come to terms with the chaotic mess that had claimed the lives of their friends and in some cases family.

Takashi seemed to be much improved, though a few knew to attribute that change to a particular teal haired beauty. If Sousuke knew anything he had opted instead to say nothing and carried on as usual.

By the time that the sun had risen over the eastern horizon the group had reached the remains of the bridge. Aside from a few packs of undead the drive had been uneventful. A huge truck managed to fit the survivors and the TOMCARs, though the second remained covered. Only Kurz and Sousuke knew for sure what was in it, but Kaname and Saeko had their suspicions.

Little was said of the second truck, though most assumed that it was carrying weapons and supplies or perhaps a modified vehicle to help the group traverse the bridge.

The ride out to the river was uneventful as the massive trucks plowed through the small groups of undead that loitered in the streets. Several gave chase but were left behind by the steady and sturdy vehicles.

"What happened here?" Kaname asked as the group unloaded from the truck.

The once mighty bridge had stood tall over the river providing people with a means to cross the wide river. The towering structure still stood, but the wreckage that lay scattered about the river suggested that there were plenty of Them milling about.

"It looks as though the military tried to contain the infection and keep it on the other side of the river," Kurz replied. "The fighter jets managed to take out the first pillar and damaged the second, but the explosions probably scared the people off. Rioting broke out and then fighting before the supporting cables finally snapped."

Rather than following the road the trucks had followed the tracks directly to the river once the drivers had found where the tracks intersected the road.

"We'll meet you on the other side," Sousuke said to the blond.

"There are a few zombies on the bridge," Kurz added, "most of them tripped up over the spacing of the ties, but a few are still standing. Sousuke will take the lead clear the way while I stay here to keep them from pursuing us."

There were only a few of Them on the tracks, enough to keep Sousuke busy but not enough to slow him down as he out-paced the others. Shinji and Kohta followed, securing the other side of the river for the TOMCARs. With Sousuke on foot the elder Miyamoto claimed the extra motorbike, assisting Kyoko as she crossed the bridge. Rei and Saeko followed and Takashi brought up the rear.

"Where's Kurz?" Saya asked as she reached the southern shore.

"Still on the other side," Takashi replied via the walkie talkie. "He's dealing with some of Them. It seems we didn't shake Them off our trail merely put Them in the distance."

"No luck finding a vehicle." The scout's announcement startled the group as he appeared out of nowhere. "It appears that the EMP blast took out all of the vehicles I've encountered. I'm making my way back towards the tracks. I advise immediate deployment as there are a number of Them around. It appears that the destruction of the bridge kept Them from crossing at this location and I've seen over a hundred of Them around."

"Go on ahead," Kurz chimed in. "I'm going to have my hands full securing this side of the bridge but I'll catch up."

Things were going according to plan for the Mithril operatives. Though Kurz had revealed the presence of an M9 to Saeko and the survivors at the police department only Kaname suspected that they had the third generation Arm Slave with them and both young women had chosen to not reveal that information to the others. The narrow bridge would support the AS so long as it did not move too quickly but to be sure Kurz would have to take it slow. Given that the others would be on foot it would not be difficult for him to catch up to them and cover their progress while hiding behind itself with the ECS. Once they were at Sousuke's apartment they would let Tessa and Melissa handle things.

The sheer number of Them that roamed the streets though made things difficult for the survivors. While some of their number were safe inside the TOMCARs the majority of them were on foot. The station that Kaname and Sousuke used was a good ten kilometers from the river but that was the direct route. Their apartment buildings were another five kilometers beyond the station.

Glancing up at the sky Sousuke gaged the time to be roughly early afternoon. Had they not used the trucks to reach the river the group would have used much more time reaching their destination, but the unpacking of the truck had been a bit slower than they had liked. Then again, none of the others was used to physical labor and they had not wanted to reveal the M9 to the others.

Weighed down by their packs it had taken the teens close to a half hour to traverse the bridge, more than enough time for Sousuke to scout the southern riverbank and return. Even he had begun to notice the strain of carrying around so much weight, though his pack was several kilos heavier than anyone else. 'I've gotten soft while guarding Kaname,' he thought as he considered the small number of weapons and ammo he brought along with him to school. 'First I start using non-lethal rounds, next I'm carrying less weapons. How could I have allowed myself to slip like that?'

Using simple gestures he guided the survivors towards the station, rerouting them several times to avoid confrontations with large hordes of undead. Had it just been him, or at least a troop of Mithril operatives, they would have made the station in an hour. As things stood though they had reached it several hours later than he'd liked. When discussing the route with Kaname and Takashi the para-military operatives had factored the physical conditioning of the remaining survivors and the need to redirect their path, yet even with those factors the group was late in reaching the station.

Shinji had given up his spot atop Saya's TOMCAR so that Kyoko could rest. As the smallest of them she was least suited for carrying such a heavy pack. The others had put their things atop the other TOMCAR as well, leaving only their preferred weapon, a hand-to-hand weapon, and perhaps a clip or two of ammo. It was up to Kyoko to provide them with more if they needed it, and she gladly stepped up to meet that challenge.

"Go!" he ordered the others. "I'll draw their attention!"

Cocking his weapon he aimed for the largest cluster. The grenade he launched tore into the clustered zombies, sending several flying while also separating a few limbs with the debris. Three quick shots from the grenade launcher emptied the clip but cleared the street for the others. Shinji and Kohta quickly picked off any remaining threats while Saeko, Rei, Takashi, and Kiriko cleared the side streets while he reloaded the grenade launcher.

He estimated at least a hundred zombies approaching from the eastern road and the explosions were likely to draw even more out. As one of the two who knew the area and the only one wielding a weapon without a silencer and as the only one trained in military tactics he was the obvious choice to draw the zombies away from the others. "Go!"

Without further prompting he dashed up the side street. Pulling out his Berettas he began shooting out the windows of the buildings. Broken glass showered the street, drowning out the sound of the TOMCARs. Jumping atop a car he unloaded his clips at the approaching horde.

Only the sound of water spilling into the street reached his ears. Turning around he saw the source – Saeko with wrench in hand, had unleashed a torrent of water into the street creating a wall of pressurized water to hinder the zombies' pursuit of the main group.

The kendoka preferred to use her katana but knew that sometimes a shotgun was necessary. Working in concert with Sousuke she unloaded into crowds of zombies with the intent to hinder their advance and allowing Sousuke to reload. Meanwhile the mercenary took measured shots, killing the closest threats as he marched east then turned south at the next intersection. Once they reached the second intersection he turned west to note the progress of the others. The trail of corpses told him that the others had already left.

Again Saeko found a fire hydrant and after a few moments she unleashed a jet of water into the intersection, slowing any zombies that might try to go through it. They continued to head east, then south, encountering more and more of zombies as they went. By the time the pair reached their fourth intersection Saeko was forced to abandon the spent shotgun in favor of her father's katana. At the fifth intersection they were forced to turn north and had long lost track of the others.

He could feel his heart pumping even as he lightened his load with each shot. By the sixth intersection he was forced to abandon his rifle, though the last grenade cleared their path east. With every step they took the pair was going further away from the others as they were headed west and south.

The clouds overhead had slowly darkened as the sun continued its western trek. The thick storm clouds that had ruled the previous day had returned though the wind brought with it the stench of death.

Taking a curved blade from his pack he unsheathed the saber he'd borrowed from Saeko's father. While he had never picked up proper fencing, he had learned how to use the weapon after an encounter with an enemy officer back in Cambodia. The Russian officer he'd slain had a collection of sabers, though he clearly had not envisioned himself being slain with one of his prized treasures. Sagara had survived that encounter, but the cut on his jaw was a reminder that he could not rely on his skill with a knife, especially when facing a weapon with greater range and speed.

The saber's sharp edge swiftly severed a head from the shoulder of the closest zombie. While it was not as long as Saeko's katana, it also did not require him to use as much of his body. The light blade needed but a simple flick of his wrist to decapitate a zombie, allowing him to focus his energy on their flight instead of the fight. The combat knife in his other hand allowed him to parry and defend against any zombie that managed to slip past the saber's range, though he rarely had to use it as he preferred to use the guarded hilt to bash in the skull of his attackers.

Before he even realized it they were in a park, running from the horde. He knew that he was close to his limit as they had spent at least an hour running and fighting. The sun had long set behind the western horizon but the lingering light remained giving them just enough to see the edge of the woods that they were headed into.

"What now?" Saeko asked through controlled pants.

Sheathing his blade Sagara eyed the area. "Up."

She glanced at the trees. Only one appeared to be tall enough for them to hide in.

Reaching into his bag he extracted two ropes. "Tie this to our packs," he instructed her even as he tied a grappling hook onto the other line.

By the time she had tied the packs on he had already launched the hook into the tree. Testing the line he nodded in satisfaction. Grabbing the first line he tossed the end into the tree.

Katana in hand she cut down a pair of zombies that had emerged from the woods. With no other immediate threats to them she sheathed her blade.

"Climb onto my back." It was a straightforward command that ignored the pleasantries out of necessity. Still, she did not hesitate which impressed him.

Once her arms were firmly around his neck and shoulders he stabbed the tree with his blade then used it as a foothold. Slowly they ascended the tree clearing the reach of even the tallest zombies. He could feel his muscles strain yet he refused to stop until they had reached the nook in the tree some twelve meters off the ground.

A good two dozen remained beneath them, the rest of the zombies shuffled along, no longer interested in the meal that had been treed. With the last light of day fading Sagara pulled their packs into the tree though he had to fish it out of the grasp of several zombies.

The sweet oak gave them little room to move, forcing them together in the narrow nook.

"You should get out of your clothes."

As close as they were he could feel a heat rising in her body wherever they touched. Part of him was glad that she had opted to forego wearing the water resistant jacket and clothing that nearly everyone had worn the previous day.

"You'll need to help me with my bra," she said as she leaned into him. He could feel the osmosis at work as his shirt soaked in some of the excess water from hers.

He nodded, slowly reaching around her so that he could pull her shirt up enough to access her bra. Sousuke was immediately aware of tightness in his pants as his arms brushed up against her wet, bare skin. Due to their proximity he had to peel the soaked garment off of her. With his own shirt wet he knew that he needed to take it off if he wanted to stay dry and warm.

Just as he had helped her out of her shirt she now returned the favor, rewarding him with the feel of her bare breasts against his chest once the task was done. Tying their clothes to a nearby branch he leaned back, allowing the bark to bite into his skin while he fished a heat reflecting blanket out of his pack. With her assistance he draped it around them.

'In my experience the best way to stay warm when facing the elements is to find someone to get naked with and wrap yourselves up together,' Melissa's voice popped into his head. It was advice she'd given him before his last mission in Russia.

He coughed to clear his throat, "I've heard that the best way to stay warm is to get naked." Somehow that didn't sound right, or maybe it did.