Chapter 9
Z-Day + 4 7:02 p.m.
"What do you mean by that?", Takashi asked Raijin. "That the nights will be truly dark?"
Raijin looked at everyone. Saeko, Takashi, Kohta, Shizuka, Rei, and Saya were looking at him in confusion. Save for Saya's mother, she must have already known.
'It's like nothing can faze that woman.', Raijin thought, before noticing Saya's expression. He could see the gears starting to turn in her head. He decided to bring her into the conversation, to keep her busy. 'It's a good idea, considering that she practically broke down minutes ago. She needs to be distracted. Besides, I have to find the kids.'
"Do you mind explaining this one, Saya?", Raijin asked as he started to turn and walk away from the group. "I have to find Masaaki and Alice."
"I'll come with you.", Saeko said as she jogged to catch up to him, and they both walked towards the back of the mansion.
"So what did you mean by that?", she asked as soon as they turned the corner of the mansion towards the back where Masaaki and Alice were most likely playing.
"I'm pretty sure the phone in Shizuka's hands died as a result of an EMP. I'm not too sure what caused it, though", Raijin lied a bit as they reached the back of the mansion and began to scan the area for the kids. Saeko came to a stop beside him as she began to look for the kids.
"Makes sense I suppose. How do you know this?", she asked as Raijin spotted the kids playing with the puppy closer to the rear gate.
"Masaaki, Alice. Get your things ready, we might be leaving soon.", he said and the kids started gathering their backpacks. "Remember how my father was a Marine?", he asked in a hushed voice so the kids wouldn't hear him. Saeko nodded. "He drilled these facts into my head in case a war reached U.S. soil.", he finished saying as Masaaki and Alice finally made their way beside them.
"What happened, Rai? Is it time to go already?", Masaaki asked as the four of them started walking towards the mansion's front door, with the puppy following their steps.
"It might be, come on.", Raijin said and the kids followed them as they made their way back to the front of the mansion. The four of them arrived just in time to see a mob of Them rushing towards the gate. And the guards trying desperately to physically close it.
'Shit! Guess I was right!', Raijin thought as he took off without a word to help the guards close the gate. The gate barely closed in time, catching three of Them between the bars.
"Thanks kid.", a guard said as he leaned against the wall and slid down to sit on the ground, raising his hand to take off his hat.
"No problem.", Raijin responded as he started walking back to the group.
"Look out! One of Them got in!", yelled one of the nameless guards, causing Raijin to look back towards the gate. Indeed, one of Them had gotten through, and was shuffling towards Raijin, intent on devouring him. Rai simply made to unsheath his wakizashi, but when he looked back he saw the glint of a scope.
'Ah, Kohta's got this one.', he thought as his hand left the handle of the blade and he continued walking back to the group nonplussed.
"What?! Are you crazy!?", screamed one of the refugees. Raijin then turned toward the refugees and looked for the owner of the voice. "Kill it! It'll infect us all!", screamed the same voice, belonging to a woman with short black hair. She opened her mouth to yell again when she noticed Raijin wasn't responding at all.
Raijin had turned towards the refugees with an annoyed look, surprising the refugees. He then took two steps towards them so as to give Kohta a clear shot at the undead behind him.. He then looked towards Kohta and nodded and a single shot rang through the air, followed by a squelch and grotesque popping sound and a final thud as the body dropped a few feet behind Raijin. 'Must've been a headshot.', Raijin thought before he gestured behind him to where the now headless body lay in a pool of its own blood, bone, and brains.
"So…..we're just some gun crazy brats, huh?", Raijin said whilst looking at the refugees. He then continued as he walked toward the group, "At least we know how to take care of ourselves against Them."
"Nice shot, Kohta.", Raijin said as he started climbing the steps of the mansion.
"Thanks man."
"So what's the plan?", Raijin then asked Takashi.
"We should probably leave now.", he admitted with a grimace, before looking over at Saya, expecting some kind of residual opposition to his plan from her.
"Yeah, now seems to be the best time.", Saya said, surprising everyone, even the children. "What? I'm a genius, and as much as I'd hate to admit it, staying here will probably get us killed.", Saya said with a sigh.
"Alright, you heard her.", Takashi said with new fervor in his voice. "We're leaving, get ready to go in five!"
Z-Day + 4 7:17 p.m.
Everyone had gotten their things ready within four minutes of Takashi's command. They now stood gathered around the Argo ATV in the Takagi's garage.
"So this thing still works? Even after the EMP?", Takashi asked the Estate's mechanic. The mechanic then gestured grandly towards the ATV.
"The Argo 8x8 Military ATV prototype is top of the line for a vehicle of its class. This ATV was designed for use in the Self Defense Force, and was ready to go into mass production before the dead started attacking us. The Argo has a top speed of 50 kilometers per hour! Along with seating for eight people! Also, this baby is amphibious! Bridge blocked? Hit the river and avoid traffic! It's also EMP proof due to the electrical components being separate from the rest of the vehicle's components. This baby is the vehicle of choice for those times when shit hits the fan!", the mechanic gasped for air as he finished his little speech.
"Nice sales pitch.", Rei commented while she looked at the vehicle appreciatively.
"Are you sure we can all fit in there?", Saya asked. "Doesn't look all that accommodating."
"I'll admit, this was designed to fit eight people. Not seven adults and two children, but we don't have much of a choice now do we? It's either this thing, or going out there on foot.", the mechanic stated matter-of-factly.
"Wait, the Humvee's busted? But I thought military equipment was supposed to be EMP proof.", Kohta said.
"Yeah but the version you had was stripped down due to budget cuts. Useless now.", the mechanic replied.
"All right, enough talking. Let's get this thing going!", Takashi ordered the group. Within seconds, everyone was piled in save for Raijin. "Aren't you coming with?", Takashi asked, motioning for Rai to join them inside the Argo. "You talked me into being this group's leader, you can't just ditch now."
"Yeah, of course. But I doubt we can just run Them over with this thing.", Rai said nodding his head at the Argo. "Someone has to clear a path towards the rear exit.", Raijin explained as he unsheathed his swords. "I might need a little help, though."
"Right behind you Rai.", Saeko said as she leapt from the Argo toward Raijin. "Lead the way.", she said with a wink.
"Thanks.", Raijin said with a grateful smile. Then turning toward the Argo, "Things are looking pretty bad out there. We might need to separate and the two of us will catch up with you in a day or so. Where are you headed?".
"Raijin, not again!", Masaaki cried out, horrified at the thought of his brother being alone again.
"Relax Masaaki. I already survived once. And besides, I have Saeko with me this time, we'll keep each other safe ok?", Raijin reassured his brother with a wink. "I'll be back, besides, who else is going to make sure you behave?", he added as a joke. Masaaki only nodded sourly at that, obviously not happy at the idea of being apart once more, but knowing that his brother had already made up his mind. Raijin then turned towards Takashi.
"We'll meet at the Taiei Mall. We'll wait there for three days.", Takashi supplied.
"Alright.", Rai replied and turned towards Saeko. "Ready?"
"Let's go.", she said as she brandished her own sword and another katana as well.
The two teens headed out of the garage and ran alongside the mansion in order to head towards the back of the Estate, avoiding the battle that was happening by the main entrance. But the defenders at the main gates were losing their numbers fast. The screams of those who were being devoured alive rang throughout the Estate. The group encountered no resistance within the Estate as the fighting was only at the main gates.
"Maybe we won't need to split up!", Raijin shouted back over his shoulder at the Takashi who was driving the Argo.
"It'd be nice not to have to!", Takashi responded.
"Aww, and here I was hoping to have some alone time with you.", Saeko said so that only Raijin could hear her. Raijin only blushed at her remark but froze when they opened the rear gates and stepped into the alleyway.
A couple dozen undead that were leaning against one of the gates that led out of the alleyway and into the streets, nearly breaking it down when three or more of Them bumped into it on accident. But the arrival of the Argo, namely the rumbling of its engine, caused the horde of Them to walk towards and push against the flimsy gate. Raijin and Saeko looked at the other end Thankfully, the other gate was devoid of Them, leaving a clear getaway route, if they hurried.
"What's wrong?", Takashi asked as he drove the Argo a bit past the gate, leaving enough space to turn either way. Raijin and Saeko looked at each other in knowing.
"Guess we will have some alone time after all.", Raijin teased Saeko as he turned to run towards the empty gate and she settled into a defensive stance, ready for Them to break through the other gate. "This way!", Raijin shouted, beckoning Takashi to drive towards him.
As soon as the Argo turned completely into the alley, the sound of metal crashing onto asphalt was heard, signifying that the gate at the other end of the alley holding Them back was broken down. The only thing holding them back was the cement roadblock a few feet from the busted gate, which They were shuffling towards already. Raijin spared a glance behind as he continued running to the gate, only to see Saeko tense up, ready to strike at the first undead that was wandering within range of her swords. 'Damn, that was fast.', Rai mentally cursed, as he arrived at the road block in front of the empty gate with the Argo right behind him. "I'm going to need help pushing this out of the way!".
Immediately, Kohta jumped off the Argo and went to one end of the roadblock. Raijin situated himself in the center and both teens then started pushing the roadblock against the wall of the alley. "Hurry! They're almost through the other roadblock!", Rei shouted as she unslung her rifle, took aim at the horde, and fired, giving an undead a hole in its forehead. Raijin then pushed himself harder, he could feel the strain on his stitches, but it wasn't enough for it to tear once more.
"Ok, that's wide enough! Now the gate!", Takashi shouted as he drove past the roadblock the two teens had cleared. The gate itself was held closed by chains and a padlock. "Kohta, shoot the lock!".
"On it!", the otaku answered as he grabbed the rifle hanging off his back and shot the padlock off the chain, causing the chain to uncoil and fall off the gate. Raijin and Kohta then pushed open the gate for the Argo to get onto the nearly empty street. A few undead were shuffling towards them from the front of the Estate, having been drawn by the noise of Kohta's gunshot and the engine noise.
The Argo stopped at the gate for Kohta to get on. "Come on! You two can still come with us!", Takashi yelled at Raijin. Raijin only shook his head.
"Sorry, if we did, we would only slow the vehicle down. It's already near its weight capacity. Go on, we'll see you at the Mall in a day's time.", Rai answered calmly. "Stay safe.", and with that he ran back into the alley towards Saeko.
"Dammit!", Takashi cursed as Raijin took out his swords and rushed towards Saeko's side.
"Takashi, he's got a point!", Rei consoled. "Besides, he already made it once alone, and this time he has Saeko to back him up."
"Doesn't mean I have to like the fact that I'm leaving people behind.", Takashi muttered as he drove the Argo away.
"Hey, ready to get out of here?", Raijin asked as he arrived in the center of the alley, decapitating an undead with his katana, only to sever another's spinal cord with jab of his wakizashi.
"I don't know, this is pretty fun.", Saeko replied as she sliced the head of one of Them in two, and axe kicked another, caving in its skull with her heel. "Aren't you enjoying yourself as well?", she said as an afterthought. Raijin laughed at that as he kicked an undead back into the horde, knocking three more over.
"Well, I cant say that I'm not. But what do you say we get out of here? I'm all in for good fun, but this is hardly the place for a date.", he joked as he continued slashing away at any of Them that walked within his blades' reach.
"Hmm, depends on where. I like a good fight.", Saeko played along.
'Screw it. She's attractive and she's attracted to me. Time to man up and go for it and get out of here', Raijin thought. He then finished off the remaining two undead, causing a lull in the action as the next wave was barely rounding the corner of the alley. Raijin sheathed his katana and wrapped his right arm around Saeko's waist, pulling her towards him with their faces barely a few centimeters apart from the other. This caused Saeko to blush slightly at the sudden close proximity of their bodies, surprised at Raijin taking the initiative and enjoying it. Raijin then moved his mouth beside her left ear.
"I can think of a few places where we can do things that are more exciting than fighting.", he whispered causing Saeko to gasp and don a full blush. He then pulled back from her and sheathed his swords and offered her his hand. He noticed her breathing was shallow and ragged. "What do you say?", he asked with a wink. It took Saeko a second to regain her composure before she sheathed her swords and took his hand.
"I'll hold you to that.", she teased back and gave him a peck on his cheek as she took his hand, causing him to smile.
"Ok then, follow me.", Raijin said as he let go of her and turned around towards the wall separating the alley from the Estate. Raijin then ran three steps up the wall before jumping, grabbing the ledge at the top, and pulling himself up. He then turned back to look down towards Saeko. "Come on. I thought you wanted to get out of here.", he called to Saeko, smirking. Saeko, in turn, was liking the way Raijin was acting and quickly imitated his move and got up onto the wall.
"What are we waiting for?", she replied simply when she stood beside him on the top of the wall. Raijin smirked, turned around and motioned for her to follow him before he started running at a crouch with his arms held out to either side for balance. The noise of her footfalls behind him assured that she was following him. The two teens continued along the wall, going with the turns, until they stopped at the front corner of the Estate. Raijin did a quick look around.
To their right a ways away was the main gate that was now broken down. Raijin and Saeko could see the remaining refugees and guards had joined together to try to break through to the outside of the Estate. They looked like they would succeed, too. To the duo's left was a three meter drop from the wall they were on, as well as to the front of them. However, the streets were relatively empty of Them, the main horde seemed to have come from the street that led to the main gate of the Estate, not from the side streets. The side streets only had about one undead every ten meters or so, and even then those were walking towards the sounds of fighting in the Estate, easily avoidable, even in the now setting sun.
"Seems like we can sneak past Them with no problem. The fighting going on at the gates is distracting Them.", Raijin whispered behind him to Saeko, who nodded. "Ready to make a run for it?", he asked.
"As if we walk anywhere these days.", Saeko replied easily.
"Alright, here we go."
Z-Day + 4 8:04 p.m.
2 kilometers from Takagi Estate
"Almost there.", Raijin gasped out as he and Saeko ran down the street. They had been running at a steady but slow pace since they had jumped off the Estate's walls onto the streets. Dodging Them was easy, but with the setting sun waning behind buildings and the moon hiding behind the clouds along with there being no electrical lights left the teens essentially stumbling in the dark. Luckily, they hadn't heard Their shuffling footsteps for the a while now.
"Where do you think we should spend the night?", Saeko asked gasping as she ran alongside him. Raijin then motioned for them to slow down to a walk.
"Well, there is the store where I stopped to stock up on supplies when I was alone.", Raijin mused after catching his breath, "It should be pretty safe, considering that we haven't seen any of Them for the past kilometer and a half."
"That's pretty weird.", Saeko continued. " A relief, but weird….actually no, not so much. We can still hear the sounds of battle coming from the Estate." As if to punctuate her point, the faint staccato of gunfire was heard from the direction of the Estate. "And considering that the EMP knocked out all electrical alarms and noises of the sort, and the fight at the Estate is loud, I wouldn't be surprised if it attracted Them for kilometers around.", Saeko finished with a thoughtful look on her face.
"It would, wouldn't it?", Raijin realized. "Hot, smart, and deadly.", he complimented as they continued walking. "I would be terrified if I was on your bad side."
"Why would you be scared of little me?", Saeko asked as she made an innocent face.
"Yeah, I would fall for that if you didn't tease me so much, and if you didn't look like an urban samurai with your pads and two swords. When did you find time to change and where did you acquire that second sword?"
"Oh, this thing?", Saeko asked, patting the katana in question, "Saya's father gave it to me. Said that the least he could do for his former sensei was to provide his daughter with his best sword.", Saeko shrugged. Rai just nodded before he really gauged her words.
"Wait, your father trained Saya's father?", he asked.
"Yes. Why?"
"….small world.", Rai stated simply, causing Saeko to giggle.
"It would seem that way wouldn't it?", Saeko paused and then asked. "By the way, where are we spending the night? Sure, They are distracted by the gunfire at the Estate, but there are bound to be stragglers here and there and might run into another horde of Them making its way towards the Estate. Gunfire was loud before, but now the EMP knocked out car alarms, sirens, and anything else that made noise."
"We can go to the store I stopped at when I was on my own.", Raijin answered after thinking for a bit. "It's only about a kilometer from here, and we should be able to get onto the roof of the store without too much trouble.", Raijin said as he remembered seeing trash cans and crates around the back when he had checked to see if the coast was clear. "The shelves were still full when I was there, so we should be good on food. If it's been raided, I have some food in my bag. How do you feel about granola bars and canned fruit?", he asked with a chuckle, causing Saeko to giggle.
"That sounds just fine to me."
"Alright, we should be able to get there before the light completely goes away if we pick up the pace once more.", Raijin said as he started running again, followed by Saeko.
Z-Day + 4 8:28 p.m.
"Alright, here goes." Raijin said as he threw the bag of food towards the roof's edge, where Saeko caught it. Raijin then proceeded to climb the crates stacked up against the store's wall. From there it was only a small jump to reach the edge of the roof and pull himself up and over. He then sat down leaning against what he assumed was the AC unit before the EMP. Raijin was just starting to relax when a chocolate bar appeared in his face.
"Hungry?", Saeko asked as she shook the bar. Raijin was about to decline when his stomach growled.
"I'll take it.", Raijin said while scratching the back of his head in embarrassment. After taking a bite he asked, "So do you know how to get to the mall we're supposed to meet at?"
"Yes, I've been there a few times before. We should be there by tomorrow afternoon, tomorrow at noon if we get lucky.", Saeko replied as she sat down next to him and drank from a water bottle. "My friends would occasionally drag me there after school."
"Drag you there? Don't tell me you were 'Ms. Antisocial' before all this.", Raijin teased as he took another bite of his chocolate bar. "Or was it just not your thing?"
"I wasn't antisocial as I was more focused on kendo.", Saeko shrugged. "I would hang out with members of the club, but I preferred to train more often than not. I would go about once a month with them, the rest of my time was spent on school and training.", Saeko answered before looking at Raijin and changing the subject. "I believe we made good progress, don't you?"
"We escaped with no casualties on our end and got far enough that there are nearly no undead around is.", Raijin answered in between bites. "Yeah good progress, how far is the mall from here?"
"It's only about 20 minutes away, driving. Walking there should take us about a couple of hours, but far more with Them around. I'd say about a day, day and a half at the most.", Saeko answered. She noticed Raijin fiddling with his right hand, his left holding the chocolate bar. She grasped his right hand in her own, startling Raijin. "You're worried about your brother aren't you?"
Sighing, Raijin replied, "Yes, I prefer not to leave him. But I stayed to make sure he got to safety, that vehicle couldn't run very well with all of us on it. If we had all jumped in, we would've slowed it down too much. The last thing I wanted was another stand off like at the fence with the Humvee. I worry for him though, what if something else happened?"
Saeko squeezed his hand, "Relax, Takashi and the rest are capable of taking care of themselves and your brother. And worrying never helps anything, it'll just keep adding up and aggravate you further, leaving you distracted. That can be the difference between life and death now, so just do your part and get back to him alive.", Saeko said as she looked into his eyes. "Remember how you said that you don't like seeing beautiful girls cry?", she asked, eliciting a blush from bother herself and Raijin. "Well, I don't like seeing handsome men worry over something out of their control. It's charming, really shows how much you care, but you need to focus on the here and now.", Saeko finished, having moving her hand from Raijin's to his cheek instead, causing him to blush even further and to slowly move in closer to her.
'She's right. Worrying will do no good.', Raijin thought as he noticed her slightly parted lips. 'Masaaki is in good hands. And so am I.', he thought before he closed the gap and kissed Saeko. A simple chaste kiss, the way a first kiss should be. Raijin felt his worries go away at the feeling of Saeko's lips upon his own. A calm overcame him that he hadn't felt since the Outbreak which felt like so long ago to his tired body and mind. He didn't worry about having to fight for his life, fearing what could be around every corner, knowing that every breath might be his last. All he cared about was showing Saeko how much he appreciated her, and quite honestly, was starting to care for her.
Both teens broke apart after a few seconds, though the kiss seemed much longer to both of them. Raijin and Saeko had matching blushes on their faces and clouded eyes. They then looked at each other and leaned in so that their foreheads were touching as they looked at each other with smiles on their faces.
Saeko was the first to break the silence.
"You taste like chocolate.", she said with a slight smirk, causing Rai to laugh.
"Did you like it?", he asked in a low voice.
"Oh yes,", Saeko answered as her eyes narrowed slightly. "Mind if I have another taste?"
"Saeko, you can have as much as you want.", Raijin answered before he leaned in once more.
Alright guys. I have to apologize for being sooooooo goddamn late. I'm not going to bore you with the details as to why this took forever and a half to update. Not this time at least. I'm starting another story and going to keep this going up until I'm caught up with the manga. I think the story will be a crossover between Fable and Fairy Tail. Pretty much see how a Hero would fit into Fairy Tail, might be a self insert, or probably just from first person instead. Anyway, enough is enough. See you next time.
That button is back again. Says they're sorry and that they miss you. I don't know, I would give them another click, wouldn't you? Show it how much you care! Or don't cause, you know, that's cool too.