Chapter 4: The Dead's Call.
Two days had passed since Setsuna's death and the broken bond of the friendship her and Saki had. Saki was silent at what she had to do, but it had to be done.
"Saki…." Takashi said consoling her. "Are you gonna be fine?"
She nodded slowly. "I'm okay…."
Saeko walked over. "Takashi, she's going to be okay. Leave her be for right now."
"Alright then." Takashi and Saeko walked into the toy store to check on Arisu and Miss Shizuka.
"You guys alright in here?" Takashi asked. The two were playing hide and seek with each other, along with Makoto's daughter and Zero.
"Shhh!" Shizuka said. "You're going to get me caught!" She looked around the corner with no one in sight. She shooed them away with her hands. Saeko sighed, smiled and walked away with Takashi back to the main lobby. Then looked at everyone in the lobby. Most survivors were sitting there tending to their wounds or sleeping. hirano and Takagi were watching over them. The only people missing were….
"Hey where's Rei and Karatake?" Saeko asked.
"I don't know. haven't seen them all morning." Takashi replied. "They've gotta be in here somewhere, they'll turn up eventually."
Rei and Yoshino were in the clothing department. Yoshino was forced….I mean he voluntarily, helped Rei try on some new clothes and gave her his opinion.
"Remind me again why I'm doing this for you?" Yoshino asked glumly as he waited outside of the dressing room.
"Oh shush!" Rei said. "I'm not asking Hirano, the perv that he is. Takagi will just ask 'What's the point of this?' She said that in her best Takagi impression. "Busujima wouldn't even bother."
"What about Takashi?" He asked. Silence for a few brief moments. "Miyamo-"
"CAUSE TAKASHI DOESBN"T HAVE A DAMN OPINION!" She yelled. Yoshino's eyes widened at the response.
"What happened between you two? I could've swore you liked each other. I heard you two even went out."
Rei told him about what happened between Takashi, her and Hisashi. And everything that she didn't like about Takashi.
"He didn't even pay me any mind. He was just….around. It's not that I don't like him, he's just…."
"Independent." Yoshino finished. "Look, i can understand. But even with all that, if he really didn't care, you would be somewhere else trying to survive. To me, he still treats as you a best friend."
"And that's the problem. That's all I am to him. Nothing more." She said softly.
"Maybe there's a reason for it. Maybe he keeps it that way to keep you and everyone safe. You know, relationships can kill friendships. Not just with the two, but everyone around them as well. If he spends some much time with you at a time like this, he's not being the leader he should be. He has to make sure everyone is okay. Not to just stay focused on you."
"I'm not saying that…"
"Then what are you saying?"
"I'm saying….he should've just stayed with me. Now I don't think that's ever going to happen."
"In a time like this….it might not. Just being honest. You have to move on, even if it hurts you inside. Move on. He's gonna be your friend till the end, that much I do know."
Rei began slowly smiling, "Thanks Yoshino. You're a great advice-giver."
"I guess. Most people hate me for it. Well 'used' to anyway." Yoshino said with a chuckle. "Anyway, are you almost done?"
"Just about." She said. She walked out of the dressing room wearing a plain red V-Neck and black capris with black low=top Reebok sneakers. "How about it?" She asked him.
"If you're able to move in them. i have no problem with it." Yoshino said smiling.
Rei pouted, "Maybe I shouldn't have asked you, jerk."
"Yeah yeah whatever." Yoshino grabbed some new clothes he had on the floor.
"Oh? You're gonna change now too?" Rei said jokingly. Yoshino looked at her deadpanned. She laughed as he walked in and changed.
"Hey can you hand me my sword?" Yoshino asked.
"Sure." rep reached over and grabbed his sword and slid it under the door. "What do you need it for?"
"Cutting my hair."
Rei's eyes had widened. "Noo! You have beautiful hair! Don't cut it."
"it'll start to grow back in a couple of weeks or so." He began cutting his hair and hair dropped on the floor.
A few minutes had passed and he came out wearing a white and light blue stripped kung fu top with the matching bottoms. He wore pure white Adidas and his hair was cut down to his neck. He left the ends shaggy and banged his hair in the front, almost covering his eyes. Rei was shocked to see how he looked so different that she didn;t realize she was staring at him until he said.
"What?"
"Oh!" Rei fixed herself. "Nothing at all. You're just…"
"Looking good." Yoshino said confidently.
'Shut up." Rei said laughing. "Well we should go back since we're done." Rei and Yoshino left the clothing department and made their way to the Lobby.
As they walked out, Saeko and Takashi were in the lobby and took notice.
"Well we can see where you-" Saeko stopped mid-sentence as she glanced at Yoshino.
"Dude you look totally different!" Takashi said.
"Thanks and I know." Yoshino said smiling. "rep stared at me for a minute."
"Did not!" Rei said pouting.
"Surrrrreeeeee." Yoshino said.
Saeko sighed. "Well anyway, we've been doing pretty good on food and what not. The survivors are coming along fine. Everyone's just enjoying the peace for now."
"That's good." Rei said. "I guess we can re-" He sentence was interrupted when a loud crash was heard. Everyone looked over to the main entrance, and the glass doors became shattered. The dead has broken into the mall.
"Shit!" Takashi said. "Everyone! Go find somewhere safe to hide! The Lobby is not safe!" The survivors then ran upstairs to safety with Saki and Makoto guiding them, The gang grabbed their weapons and prepared for battle.
"We're going to get outnumbered soon." Yoshino said as he glanced outside. "We have to get everyone out of here."
"Yeah but where?" Takashi said. "I don't know this area well. Is there any place close?"
"Yes actually." Hirano said. "There's a Recreation center East of here, the hospital north, and an elementary school west."
"Ok." takashi said. "I guess when we push these things back, everyone's gone have to make a break for it."
"Sucks." Takagi said.
"Has to be done I guess." Yoshino said,.
The dead had gotten farther in the Lobby and that when the gang attacked. Rei, Hirano, and Takagi stayed back for cover fire with their guns. Takashi, Saeko and Yoshino went in for close combat. Takashi shot with his shotgun and hit the few infected in his way, he then smashed their heads in with the butt of the gun, not noticing one infected in front of him. It lunged at him and was on top of him, trying to gnaw at his face. Takashi was holding it off by its chin with his hands, slowly getting overpowered. Takagi shot it in the head, breaking Takashi free and he resumed killing more.
Saeko and Yoshino were killing infected back to back. If Saeko knocked one down, Yoshino finished it and vice versa. Yoshino swept one infected under its feet and stabbed it in its forehead, Saeko rolled off his back and kicked one, pushing it back into the others knocking them down. Yoshino stood up and sliced an infected in half horizontally on his right side, while Saeko cut through an infected's stomach and followed through vertically. Blood gushed everywhere as the battle ensued.
They began to reach outside. More infected were coming, they were slowly running out of ammo and were getting tired.
"Takashi!" Yoshino yelled killing an infected. "I think its time to make a break for it!"
"Dammit!" Takashi smacked an infected with his shotgun knocking it down. "Hirano! Go tell Saki and the survivors to get out of here now!"
Hirano nodded. "On it!" He ran inside and ran upstairs. he looked in the food court and there they were. "Everyone! Its time to go! There's a hospital, a school, and Recreation center around. Run as fast as you can until you see any of those. Go now!" The survivors followed Hirano back downstairs as they separated going in different directions dodging the zombies.
Makoto and his daughter were running to the Recreation center's direction. Suddenly, his daughter tripped and fell. Makoto crouched down and helped her get up.
"Are you okay?" Makoto asked her. She had a scrape on her forehead.
"I'm fine…Dad look out!" She pointed and screamed as a zombie lunged at her father, he covered her up with his own body. Waiting to be brought down and bit, Makoto felt nothing. He looked over to his left side and saw the zombie on the ground trying get back up when a sword sliced its neck. Yoshino had saved them.
"Come on." Yoshino said. "You two hurry and go."
"Thank you…" Makoto said as he ran with his daughter to the recreation center.
Yoshino looked around as more zombies were coming and everyone was growing tired, including him.
"This is bad…" He said running to Takashi's aid.
Takashi looked over and saw him. "You okay?" He asked.
"yeah. What about you?"
"I'll survive….hopefully."
"It ain't over yet. Where are you guys gonna go?"
"Maybe the school. 'Cause if my memory serves me right…thats the school my mom works."
Yoshino nodded and his arm began acting up. He clenched his arm as he winced.
"Damn come on…Not now." Yoshino began shaking his arm, trying to get rid of the numbness.
Takagi, Rei and the others were on the other side of the street, protecting Yoshino and Takashi.
"Come on you guys!" Takagi yelled. "We're running out of energy and bullets!"
"Yoshino…." Takashi said looking at him. He was still clenching his arm.
"Go…" Yoshino said softly.
"What?"
"Just go…" Yoshino began shaking his head.
"No! I'm not gonna leave you here!"
"There's no other way. I'll just slow you down. All of you." His voice began to tremble.
Takashi was at a crossroads….literally. Go without Yoshino and leave him to die, or take him with me or have a chance to die? He thought for a second, but before he could get an answer, Yoshino stood up with his sword in his hand.
"Takashi…the school right?" Yoshino asked in a monotone voice.
"Yeah…." He answered looking at him as he stood up.
Yoshino looked back at him. "Get going." He looked at the incoming zombies. "I'll catch up."
"Dude! NO!" Takashi said shocked trying to change his answer. "Come on! You're up now! Let;s go!"
"Takashi….go. You have a family member to worry about." Yoshino thought about his sister at the hospital. He clenched his sword tighter. "I don't have a family. I'm alone at this point."
"Yoshino. You have us. Your friends. Let's go man." Takashi said slowly.
He looked back at him, smiling with a year going down his left cheek. "Thanks man…but no can do." he turned around and ran froward to the infected.
"YOSHINO!" Takshi yelled as he reached out to him.
"Karataka!" Saeko yelled.
"Yoshino!" Rei shouted in disbelief.
"Yoshino no!" Saki screamed.
"What is he doing!?" Takagi said.
"Karataka-chan!" Arisu shouted.
"Oh boy…things are getting out of hand now." Miss Shizuka stated.
Yoshino began fighting and holding off the zombies as long as he could, still feeling the numbness in his arm. He sliced a zombie's left leg off, making it fall over. He turned around and stabbed one in its eye, then kicking it off his sword. He looked over to his left side and and did a 540 kick to the zombie's head, knocking it down face first, he then stabbed it in the back of its head. As he continued fighting Rei was about to run to help, when Saeko pulled her back.
"Stop! We need to help him!" Rei said assertively.
"No we can't! He's doing what he believes is right. This is what he wants. For us to escape. Even if it….means without him." Saeko looked down as she listened to what she was saying. Who am I kidding, she thought. That kid is my best friend. he's been around me since i was a second year. Hmph, damn near my apprentice. Rei looked at her sorrow and looked down.
"Guess there's no way to save him." Rei began to tear up.
"Guys look!" Hirano pointed east. "There's also a police station down there! Maybe we should head their first and get ammo and stock up!"
"He's right." Takagi said. "Let's go now." She began leading them to the police station.
Takashi looked over and saw them running. "Yoshino!" He yelled. "I'll come back for you man! Stay alive!" He then ran to follow the group.
Yoshino looked back as he began breathing heavily, but he managed a smile. He looked back to the zombies closing in on him. He took a stance and began for battle once more. "Come on….YOU FUCKS!" He charged them and continued fighting.
5 hours….5 hours had passed since the group left Yoshino in Taiei Shopping Town. 6:45 PM…..to 12:04 AM. Those were the longest hours they waited for him to follow them.
Takashi then stood up and grabbed his new semi automatic shotgun. "I'm going to get him." He said.
"Are you crazy?" Takagi said. "He's probably dead Takashi. Let him-"
"No!" Takashi said. "I told him I'll be back for him. I'm not gonna let another friend die!" He thought of Hisashi, then he walked out back to the Mall.
Luckily they were no zombies around to stop him or slow him down.
"Lucky break i guess." Takashi said to himself. He reached the parking lot and saw a bunch of bodies and blood. "Wow….he took care of *THEM*….but where is he?" He looked around the entire lot and was about to give up, until he saw Yoshino's sword lying on the ground. No, Takashi thought as he picked up the sword. He can't be…..
Takashi looked through the lot again. He took a deep breath and looked at the Mall, something in his gut told him to walk inside it. He looked around for someone he knew wasn't going to be inside. As he turned around about to leave the lobby, he saw someone sitting down with his head down. The white kung fu top and matching bottoms…Yoshino! He ran over to him and checked to see if he was bitten.
"No bite marks, so he's not of *THEM*. That's good….but is he dead…?" He put his ear next to Yoshino's mouth to hear for breathing. Nothing. Takashi then checked Yoshino's pulse from his neck.
Takashi felt a thud…another thud…and a third thud.
The gang waited for Takashi to return. He was gone a good 20 minutes.
"He is so damn stupid…" Takagi said angrily. "He knows he's dead. He's so damn stubborn."
"Shut up Takagi." Rei snapped. "Even if he is. Takashi told him he was going to check."
"And then what? What if he's been bit? Huh?" Takagi snapped back.
"He has his gun, he'll take care of it if that the case." Rei said.
"The idiot shouldn't have left. He's wasting his energy."
"Is that how you really feel right now?"
"It's survival of the fittest now. We don't have time to be checking up on every single person who decides to play hero."
"Takagi…." Rei was getting increasingly angry with her and smart-aleck tone. She clenched her fists. "If it wasn't for him, you'd probably be dead! If he didn't buy us time, you would be saying a damn thing!"
Takagi was surprised by her reaction.
"Wanna know something really funny? Your parents…"
"NO! Don't you dare bring my parents into this!"
"Your parents bought us time to escape from their mansion….the same thing Yoshino did, yet you complain."
"But did Takashi or any of you go check and see if they were okay?! No! So my point exactly!"
"Takagi! Stop!" Hirano yelled. Takagi looked at him. "You;re acting like a fucking child. Both of you. All three of them did what they thought was right. You…" He pointed at Takagi. "….stop taking the things people have done for you for granted. He didn't just save Rei and Takashi, he saved all of us AND the survivors. Now Rei…I understand your feelings on this, and you're 100% right, but don't go overboard. You brought a totally different situation up to prove your point. Which wasn't cool, especially that one. Both of you, get over yourselves."
Both Rei and Takagi were shocked at Hirano's lecture towards them both. They looked at each other, and looked down.
"Sorry…" they said simultaneously.
The station's front door opened, and they looked to see Takashi.
"Takashi!" Everyone said. They grouped around him when they stopped and noticed an arm around his neck.
"No…" Saeko said softly. "Is he…?"
"Miss Shizuka!" Takashi yelled as he cleared off a table."
"Uh, yes?" Miss Shizuka said.
"I need you to watch over Yoshino….He's not dead, but he's very close. His heartbeat is getting slower and slower, and I know that shouldn't be happening."
"Ok." She grabbed her bag of medical supplies and sat next to Yoshino as she began to see what was wrong.
She began putting pressure on Yoshino's body, to try and increase his heart rate. She did mouth-to mouth resuscitation and repeated the process. She leaned in on his mouth to hear breathing, she repeated the process and leaned in on his chest to his heart rate. It began picking up. She repeated the process one more time and while she was pressuring him, he coughed a couple of times as he woke up.
Ok…he should be fine for a bit. He needs to rest though." She stood up and closed her bag and smiled. "He has soft lips…." The gang looked at her and she went back to sit down. "What?"
Yoshino groaned as he sat up and opened his eyes. "I…made it?"
"Told ya I was coming to get you." Takashi said smiling.
"Hmph thanks man." Yoshino said showing a small smile, he then grabbed his side as he was in pain. "Yeah…I need to sleep." He lied down and turned on his right side.
"Yoshino's fine, we're all safe. Now what do we do?" Saki asked.
"Guess we just sit and rest up some more. We can use the Mall as a checkpoint and get some food there."
"What about Yoshino's arm?" Rei asked. "Someone's gonna have to go to the hospital and get his medicine for him."
"I'll do it." Saeko said. "Since you've been there, just tell me where to get them."
"Ok that works." Takashi said. "But do that tomorrow. Right now get some sleep. Hirano. Help me barricade the shit out of this door."
Chapter 4: The Dead's Call
