Hey guys, sorry this is so late. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Highschool of the Dead
*KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK*
"Rise and shine! If you're going on the search party, better be ready in five minutes!"
The call rouses Saeko, Rei and Saya immediately. Shizuka sleeps through it and, seeing as her breasts are muffling Alice's ears, so does the little girl in her embrace. The two fighters get dressed quickly and Saya lies back down but remains awake. At this point, while she is starting to trust her new hosts, she decides that it's best to remain on guard.
Rei and Saeko leave the room and close the door quietly so as not to wake up the still sleeping girls. They walk up to the main living area and find Takashi, Seth and Da waiting for them.
"Da will stay here while Takashi, you two and I go out looking. We won't be using the tank this time as we don't have much fuel left. But don't worry, what we've got is better for this mission," Seth informs the girls.
"Just make sure you make it back, alright?" Da says seriously.
"Yeah yeah, don't be going soft on me now," Seth says as he opens the door for the rest to file out. "Oh, and see how good the big guy can shoot. If he's good enough we'll show him the armory."
"Yeah, whatever," Da replies.
"So, what are we riding in?" Takashi asks.
"Bikes. They're quieter and don't need any fuel. We'll be able to get through the streets easier, too," Seth responds.
"That's smart. So, where are we going first?" Rei inquires.
"I'll leave that for you to decide. When you're ready, come and get me, I'll be with the bikes behind the tank. I'll give you five minutes," Seth tells them. "I'd rather get out of here as quick as possible so that we can search longer."
"I'll come with you. My father was away on business when 'They' came, so it's between them," Saeko says, following Seth.
"Well, what do you think, Rei? I'd say your house is closer since we're on the opposite side of the park as my mom's school," Takashi says.
Rei seems to consider it for a minute. "Then I guess we'll head there, and if we have time, we should go to your house, too," Rei responds.
"Sounds good."
-MEANWHILE-
"So let me guess, you're good with a sword," Seth's question is actually more of a statement.
"Yes, I am decent," Saeko replies politely.
"How decent?" Seth asks.
"I was captain of the kendo club in my high school. My father was a well-known swordsman," Saeko replies.
"That's good to hear. You should always have someone in the group who can use a melee weapon. Unlike guns, blades and clubs don't need reloading," Seth says.
"Hey, we're ready to go," Takashi says, he and Rei nearing the others.
"Where to?" Seth inquires.
"First we are going to Rei's house, then mine, if we have time," the black haired teen explains.
"Great. Lead the way," the blonde one says, motioning towards the manual entrance.
…
The group rides silently down the street towards Rei's house, Takashi and Rei in front with Saeko and Seth in back. There have been few of "Them" around, and the ones they did find were simply ignored. Whenever a turn was made it was done from the opposite side of the street, the wide angles ensuring the safety of the group's movements and path. Eventually, Takashi and Rei signal for the others to slow down and stop before coming to a halt themselves in front of one of the many abandoned houses along the street.
"Rei and I will go inside. You two stay here," Takashi says, propping his bike up on the curb.
"Sure thing, boss," Seth replies, adding the slightest hint of an emphasis on the title. Saeko seems to be the only one to notice it as she suppresses a small giggle that goes undetected by Takashi and Rei, but not by Seth. After the other two have disappeared behind the door of the house Seth turns to Saeko.
"Well, I'm glad one of you has a sense of humor," he says, sitting back on the seat of his bike with his hands on his hips.
"I'm sorry, it's rude of me to laugh," Saeko apologizes, blushing slightly at getting caught. He's almost as sharp as my father she thinks.
"Why are you apologizing? It's the goddamned apocalypse! It's a good thing to be able to laugh at a time like this!" Seth exclaims quietly.
"I agree; however, it is rude and disrespectful to laugh at another's expense," Saeko states, though a small smile creeps to her lips.
"See? I'm starting to get to you already, I can tell," Seth says, leaning forward and looking up from a raised eyebrow.
"I'm sure. But we need to remain on guard," Saeko replies politely, pointing out a larger group of the walking dead moving towards them, ending the quiet discussion.
-MEANWHILE-
"Mom? Dad? Are you here?" Rei calls quietly down the hallway, so as not to attract any unwanted attention. She hears a slight shuffling noise around the right corner, and she feels the anticipation build up inside of her. A hand is placed on her back and she turns to smile at Takashi, showing her determination. She continues down the hallway and pokes her head out around the corner before freezing completely.
There, right in front of her, is her mother. Rei's eyes go wide and she can only think of one thing to do, one way to counteract the sudden fear and sadness that has just attacked her heart: she starts screaming, rousing her dead mother's attention, as well as her appetite.
The zombified parent slumps towards the still screaming Rei, only to be shot down by Takashi as he maneuvers behind Rei. The shot rings out, and Takashi doubts that they will have any time at all before the crowds of undead start to make their way towards them. He urges Rei to move, but receives no response; just more crying. Rei then turns to Takashi and buries her face into his shirt, drowning out her wails of agony and sadness.
"Rei, we need to go. I'm sorry, but we don't have time to sit and cry. Come on," Takashi says. Rei eventually pulls away, sniffing.
"Right," is the only response she offers before exiting the house through the front door into the street of newly notified zombies.
"C'mon, it's time to go!" Seth yells at the pair as they make their way towards their bikes. The incoming horde is a large one, but there is a wide path down the street that could easily provide an escape. They group sets off at high speeds, but the mob of the undead are already waiting for them around both corners at the end of the street. They all stop and look for a way out, and Seth is the first one to notice a small opening in the sea of rotting flesh. However, there is only room for one, maybe two people to get through before it closes up.
Knowing what he has to do, he takes out one of the two knives on his hip and pops both of his tires. Then, he starts riding towards the opening, the rims on the pavement attracting the zombies' attentions. He draws his pistol and starts shooting zombies out of his way, making even more noise and drawing the corpses away from the rest of the group.
"Seth, what the hell are you doing!?" Takashi yells at the retreating figure.
"I'm giving you an opening. Just take it and run!" Seth responds, never turning back.
"You can't do that! We're gonna make it out of this together!" Takashi begs.
"Takashi, you're a good leader. I respect your determination. But you can't save them all. Don't worry, though; I don't plan on dying yet!" However, even as he says it, Seth's pistol runs out of ammo. He throws it at a zombie, causing it to stumble backwards and knock over two others. He starts pedaling faster, leaning back to lift the top wheel over any fallen bodies.
Suddenly, Saeko takes off after Seth. She too uses her sidearm before her katana so that she may get to Seth quicker while staying on the bike.
"Saeko, no!" Rei and Takashi both yell. However, Saeko ignores them and continues to dive into the horde. Predictably, she too runs out of ammunition quickly and puts the weapon back in its holster. She jumps from the bike, allowing it to crash into several zombies in front of her, giving her room to draw her blade and start disposing of the reanimated corpses.
"Saeko, what the hell do you think you're doing!?" Seth yells as he notices Saeko's attempt at a rescue mission. "I did this for a reason, and it was NOT so that you could kill yourself!"
"I'm not planning on killing myself, just the enemies," Saeko responds, excitement starting to creep into her voice. Seth notices it and freezes, his mind going into overtime. He turns to the side sharply and jumps off of his bike, effectively turning his bike into a bowling ball to make a small clearing for a second or two to think. He uses it to think about the past.
FLASHBACK
The night was cold, but the blazing cars and buildings created enough heat to make Seth sweat. Then again, that could just be from the running he was doing.
"Seth! Help me!" The cries were getting louder. He was getting closer. Just a little farther…
"Rachel!" Seth yells as he spots his friend over the countless heads of the undead.
"Seth!" the short brunette responds, her voice scared and panicky.
"Rachel! Just hold on! I'm going to get you out of here!" Seth yells, trying to keep his friend within his sight. They had only met a week ago, but she was still as much his friend as Da. He slips his knives from their scabbards and takes a fighting stance similar to that of the wolf fighting technique; his knees bent lowly and his arms near his face. He launches into the crowd and starts killing all of them in his path, bodies dropping left and right, a clear path forming throw the wall of the dead.
Eventually, he makes it to the other side and slides his knives back into their homes on his belt. He grabs Rachel's hand and attempts to pull her back through the hole he had created, but her arms is pulled free from his grasp; fearing the worst, he pulls his knives again and turns to Rachel, prepared to strike. However, instead of a zombie pulling her away from him, Seth sees Rachel looking at him in total fear.
"S-stay away from me…" she starts, moving backwards.
"Rachel, c'mon, we have to go!"
"JUST STAY AWAY FROM ME!" Rachel screams suddenly, still backing up.
"Rachel?" Seth says confusedly.
"Just stay away from me you… you freak!" Rachel yells at him, not stopping her movement. "You… you just… killed them all… so easily… you did it naturally! Even if they're already dead, how can you just kill them so easily like that!?" she screams again, he voice portraying her fear.
"Rachel, please, I'm sorry you had to see that, but we have to go-"
"I'M NOT GOING ANYWHERE WITH YOU!" Rachel screams one last time before turning around to run away and landing right in one of "their" grasp.
"RACHEL! NO!" Seth yells, but it's too late; a large chunk of her neck has been consumed and her lifeless body is starting to twitch. Seth quickly snaps out of his reverie and turns to run away, looking one last time over his shoulder and vowing to never show that side of himself to anyone ever again, to never give anybody a reason to fear him.
END FLASHBACK
Seth's mind is running at a million miles per hour, the scene playing over and over in his head, his promise to himself to never kill with his knives again ever-present in his mind. However, as he watches Saeko's graceful moves, sees the joy in her eyes, he is reminded of himself, and he smiles slightly. Maybe she's like me…
"Rei! Takashi! Go back now!" Seth yells, drawing his knives and resuming his old fighting stance once more.
"No! We can't leave you and Saeko here!" Takashi argues.
"Takashi, please. Just go. We'll make it back, don't worry!" Saeko assures her leader and crush while tearing through the undead.
Takashi is about to continue arguing when he sees that there is no way to reach them at this point and that they're diversion has worked; there is a slightly clear area on the sidewalk where the dead have started to walk towards exactly the same place. "Rei, let's go," he says.
"But Takashi-" Rei protests.
"Don't worry; Saeko can handle herself just fine, and Seth looks like he can too. They're doing this so that we can escape, so let's do what they want us to," Takashi says, flashing a reassuring smile at Rei. The girl hesitates before nodding once and taking off towards the hole with Takashi right behind her. They barely make it, but they are on the other side soon, riding away from the swarm.
"So, Saeko, tell me: what would you do if I killed all of these zombies without the slightest hesitation?" Seth asks the purple haired girl.
"I would join you gladly!" Saeko responds immediately, not even the slightest trace of uncertainty in her voice. Seth smiles; now he can fight.
And so he does. He starts attacking the undead wildly, relentlessly, the smile on his face steadily growing; soon, he starts to giggle and eventually laugh, building up to a full cackle of near insanity, all the while killing more and more walking corpses.
Saeko notices this development and smiles as well, though not as widely; she fears her head may split in half if she tries. She too keeps enjoying her killing spree, the two eventually fighting next to each other, Saeko's graceful strikes contrasting perfectly with Seth's powerful cuts. They carve a path to an empty alleyway where they escape, running while still grinning stupidly. Seth's continuous chuckling incites a small giggle from Saeko as well, the two laughing as the dash around corners, taking turns to slay the undead in their path.
…
"Takashi! Rei! What happened out there!?" Kohta asks as he opens the garage door for his friends. He closes it behind them and jogs over to the two. "Where are Seth and Saeko?"
"They stayed… behind…" Takashi pants between breaths after riding as fast as he could for several minutes.
"What do you mean they stayed behind?" Da's voice sounds from behind them. They turn around and see her looking down with her fists clenched. "You mean you left them?" she asks quietly, but her anger is still clearly projected.
"They did it… so we could escape…" Rei manages to huff out.
"And obviously it worked! But where are they now!?" Da snaps, staring up at them, her contempt in her eyes.
"I… I don't know…" Rei chokes out in a small voice.
"EXACTLY! THEY COULD BE DEAD! HOW COULD YOU JUST LEAVE THEM!?" Da screams at them, barely restraining herself from attacking the pair.
"Da, please, calm down. We need to-" Takashi pleads.
"NO! YOU ARE NOT MY LEADER! SETH MAY HAVE CHOSEN TO HELP YOU, BUT LOOK WHERE THAT GOT HIM!" Da interrupts the black haired boy. "HE WAS JUST BEGINNING TO TRY BEING NICE, AND LOOK WHAT HAPPENED! BUT I'M NOT DEALING WITH THIS BULLSHIT! YOU STAY HERE AND LET THEM DIE IF YOU WANT, BUT I'M GOING AFTER THEM!"
*SLAP*
"How dare you?" Rei grinds out. "How dare you assume that we're just 'letting them die'? They had already separated themselves from us and given us a way out. There was no way we could have made it to them before we ran out of ammo and I am the only one close to being able to fight like Saeko, so we would just get in the way."
"So you're blaming your cowardice on your lack of skill!?" Da yells.
"No! I'm saying that they stand a better chance without us!" Rei yells back.
Da is about to yell back but decides that it's no use, and that every moment she wastes arguing is a moment that could be spent searching for her friend. She stomps over to the bikes, throws her rifle over her shoulder and is about to go out through the smaller door when she sees that the streets are littered with the undead, all of them wandering aimlessly. Realizing that there is no way through, she closes the door, returns her bike and stomps away, disappearing into the house and slamming the door shut behind her.
…
"I guess you weren't lying when you said you were good," Seth comments as he and Saeko walk down the mostly empty street.
"I tend not to lie. You are very skilled as well," Saeko compliments.
"Thanks. I'm glad you think so."
"I noticed that you didn't start fighting until I already had, and even then you waited until Takashi and Rei weren't watching. May I ask why?" Saeko inquires.
"It's a long story," is Seth's short reply.
Saeko is reminded of her own reluctance to reveal her past to Takashi and decides to leave it at that. If he wants to talk, he'll talk. If not, then she can't make him.
"What about you? Do the others know how much you like to kill?" Seth asks.
"Yes, and they accept it as who I am," Saeko replies.
"Hmm. You've got good friends."
"Yes, I do. And so do you."
"What do you mean?"
"You just risked your life for two people you barely know. I'm sure they consider you a friend. At least, I do," Saeko iterates.
A small smile creeps onto Seth's face. "Thanks," he mutters.
"Not at all. If you want to talk, I'll listen," Saeko informs him.
"Maybe later. Right now, let's just focus on getting back. I really don't want to be stuck out here all night," Seth says.
…
Nobody made dinner that night. When asked where the cooking supplies were, Da simply threw a couple large bags of chips at Shizuka and instructed her quite firmly to leave her the hell alone. This command was followed thoroughly by everybody, as no one wanted to start a fight with her. There was no game, everybody, Da not included, just sat around in the kitchen and waited. Eventually, they went to bed, Takashi remaining to try and talk to Da. He finds her in the garage, watching the door to the outside world intently.
"What do you want, Leader Boy?" the red-head snaps bitterly.
"I was just coming to wait with you. My friend's out there too, you know," Takashi defends.
"Fine," Da replies shortly. However, she never looks away from the door.
"Listen, I'm sorry about earlier. We left them, and you're mad. I understand that, I just don't think that being angry at each other is the best thing right now," Takashi attempts to speak with Da.
"Then who should I be mad at?" Da asks expectantly.
"I don't know, I just… I just think that if they actually are in trouble then the worst thing we could be doing is fighting each other," Takashi explains.
Da sighs before turning to Takashi with a weary expression on her face. "I know, I know, I just… If Seth dies, then I'll be the only one left from our old group. I don't know how I'd be able to handle that," she says, putting her hands in her hair.
"It's okay, I understand. I know what it's like to be left behind," Takashi says.
"You know what? You're alright, Leader Boy," Da says, punching Takashi in the arm.
"Thanks, you're not so bad yourself," he responds. Then he remembers something. "Da?"
"Yeah?"
"I was just wondering… why were you named Dakota? Isn't that usually a boy's name?"
Da chuckles. "I don't know. Guess daddy wanted a boy."
"DA! OPEN THE GODDAMN DOOR!" Seth's voice comes from outside. Da is up instantly and runs to obey the order. Seth and Saeko dash in, a huge crowd of zombies on their tail. Da slams the door shut and runs to Seth, who is hunched over and gasping for breath.
"Seth, what happened out there!? Are you alright!?" Da asks frantically.
"Yeah… I'm fine… zombies… too many… you know… what to do…" Seth manages to spit out, pointing to a spot on the ground.
"Right," Da says, walking over to the spot and pressing down on it. A panel pops up and she removes it, revealing a large cache of weapons, ranging from guns to swords and most things between. Da picks up what looks like a grenade and walks over to the door, pulls the pin, throws it, shuts the door and yells at everyone to cover their ears.
*BANG*
A deafening noise is heard, a loud ringing remaining in everyone's ears for a couple of seconds. Takashi and Saeko stumble, unable to keep balance whereas Da and Seth had wisely crouched before the grenade's detonation.
"What was that?" Takashi eventually asks after regaining his hearing.
"Stun grenade. Otherwise known as a flashbang. It temporarily blinds and deafens enemies, and the noise also disrupts the fluid in the ears, causing loss of balance. And when used on zombies, well…" Seth says, opening the door. Takashi and Saeko look outside to see what had happened and were shocked to find the all of the zombies were standing stock still, no movement coming from them at all.
"Why are they just standing there?" Takashi asks quietly.
"The noise overloaded their only sense: hearing. Since they couldn't tell where anything is they just stopped moving. At least, that's my theory," Seth explains, closing the door and locking it once more.
"That's genius," Takashi remarks.
"Thanks, but it wasn't entirely my idea. I just wondered what would happen if a zombie were to lose its hearing. Da's the one who scrounged up the grenade," Seth responds, nodding towards the red-head.
"It wasn't that much, really. He would've figured it out eventually," Da says, shrugging.
"It was still a good idea," Saeko compliments.
"Thanks," Da says, blushing slightly.
"Anyway, what'd you guys eat while we were gone?" Seth inquires while opening the door to the house.
"Da gave us some chips, but other than that we haven't really had anything," Takashi says.
Seth stops and raises an eyebrow. "Da?"
"Yeah?" Da replies, slowly inching down the hall.
"Where did you get those chips?"
"Well, you see, we couldn't figure out where everything was in the kitchen, so I just sort of…"
"Where did you get those chips?" Seth repeats.
Da makes a run for it. Dashing down the hallway, she jumps into the girl's room and slams the door shut, locking it behind her.
"DA! WHAT HAVE I TOLD YOU ABOUT GOING THROUGH MY THINGS!? THOSE WERE MINE! I FOUND THEM FAIR AND SQUARE!" Seth yells, chasing after his friend. He gives up at the door, however, and walks back into the kitchen, mumbling curses under his breath.
"Were there any left over?" Seth asks Takashi, who gives him a bag that says "RANCH DIPPED HOT WINGS". It was open, but there didn't seem to be any missing.
"Here, these were too spicy. Alice tried one and ran to the sink to run her mouth under the faucet," he explains.
"Well, I guess I'm glad I have unusual tastes," Seth says, munching on the chips as though they were plain.
"Yeah, guess so. Well, I'm going to bed, night," Takashi says, walking back to the boy's bunks.
"Yeah, I'll be there in a bit. What about you, Saeko?" Seth asks.
"I was actually wondering if you wanted to talk about what happened," Saeko says, knowing that Seth will understand what she is talking about. Once he is sure Takashi has shut the door behind him, Seth turns to Saeko and agrees.
"Alright, but on one condition: don't tell anybody about what I'm about to say to you, and don't give Da any reason to think you know about it, okay?" Seth demands.
"Of course," Saeko responds.
"Okay then. I guess I should start at the beginning…