I have returned! Hey guys, sorry about the wait. My laptop broke down a while back, and then I lost my flash drive. Just one thing after another! A lot of things are happening this chapter, but I think I paced it ok. Oh, and to Mari-Nee, NO YAOI!
Disclaimer: I do not own Highschool of the Dead. If I did, I wouldn't change a thing. I mean, seriously, guns and boobs!
"Alright, we need to establish some ground rules," Seth says to the congregation of groggy survivors. "While I will not hold Da's transgressions against the rest of you," he starts, casting a meaningful look to an innocently whistling Da, "there are certain things that need to be said. One, no snooping. If we have something to share, we'll share it. But please, we are not fond of thieves. Two, finder's keepers. You all can decide to share amongst yourselves, but if Da or I find something that isn't vital to the group, we're keeping it. Fair enough?"
Everyone in the group nods, accepting the terms. Seeing this, Seth continues in a somewhat authoritative yet friendly tone, "Now then, there are certain things that need doing today. Because of yesterday's incident, we'll need to find a new base. Kohta and I will scout ahead, Da and Saeko will sweep the rear, and Rei and Takashi will stay with Shizuka, Alice and Saya. The scout team will make sure there is a clear path and look for potential bases. We will then send a signal to the main party with the flashlight; two flashes means follow, three means help, four means get the sweep team, and five means you get your ass out of there. The main party will wait at a designated area until the scout team gives the signal to move. The sweep team will stay hidden and make sure no one is following us while keeping sight of the main party. When the main party gets a signal, they will relay it to the sweep team. Understood?"
Saya is the first to speak up. "Wait, who made you leader? Who says we're going to follow your orders?"
Seth looks patiently and the pink-haired girl. "You are traveling with us. You may leave whenever you wish, but if you want to stay with us, you will do exactly as we say. We have received advanced training in combat and tactical maneuvers for many years, so our plans are usually the best." It wasn't gloating. It was the truth.
"Says who?" Saya challenges.
Seth rubs the bridge of his nose with his forefinger and thumb. "If you'd like for me to explain our reasoning, all you have to do is ask."
"Alright, let's hear it," Takashi says, cutting off Saya's retort.
"Each team has both a marksman and a melee specialist. Kohta is a sniper and has received military training as well, so he'd be perfect for scouting at long distances and won't slow down our progress. Also, since we are the slowest moving group, he won't have to move as quickly. I know what to look for in a potential base, so I'll be with him. Takashi is your group leader, so he should stay with the ones least able to defend themselves and keep them motivated. Rei is more than likely still recovering from her recent trauma, so she'll need his support as well. Da is skilled in firearms and stealth, so she is perfect for the sweep team, and I've seen Saeko fight. I trust her," Seth explains. "Now, there are a million more reasons as to why we're doing it this way, but I don't think that will be necessary, will it?"
Saya is looking for a flaw in the plan, and is agitated that she can't find one. All in all, it is the best possible plan, so she just remains quiet, a small blush of humiliation on her face. Taking her silence for acceptance, Seth continues, "We'll be leaving shortly. Pack only the bare essentials. Once we find our new base, a small team will be sent back here to retrieve the tank and everything else. Meet back here in 15 minutes."
Kohta raises his hand. "Yes, Kohta?" Seth says politely.
"Why exactly are we leaving? I mean, this is a pretty solid base, don't you think?" Kohta inquires.
"Due to last night's events, there has been a surplus of cuddly cadavers in this area. The garage door won't hold a lot of them, and we don't need to be trapped in here when the streets get really dense. We'll need to move to a whole new area, maybe even look towards leaving the country, depending on the direction the zombies will come from. After all, we aren't that far from the coast. If we can't find a good place to stay, we'll need to see if the ship is still in good condition and leave," Seth explains, half to himself.
"Wait, ship? What do you mean, ship?" Takashi asks.
"If it comes to that, you'll see. For now, though, pack your things," Seth says.
The group splits up, leaving Da and Seth behind. They had packed the night before, aware that they would need to change locations. In fact, they had known for a while that they needed to move again, but not just because of the hordes of the undead.
"So, are we going to tell them?" Da asks after a while.
Seth pauses. "Eventually, maybe. Right now, let's just focus on moving."
"We should tell them before too long, though," Da points out.
"And we will. As soon as we're safe," Seth responds.
"You know as well as I do that there is no 'safe' from these people," Da says seriously.
"I know, ok? I just… I just…" Seth says frantically, clenching both his fists and eyes shut. "I need to think of a plan o-or something to…" he starts quickly, his voice wavering slightly. Da puts a hand on his shoulder across the table.
"Hey, it's ok, alright? Relax a little, calm down, and we'll work something out together," she says, comforting her old friend.
"Thanks, Da," Seth mutters. He quickly regains his composure and waits for Takashi's group to pack their belongings. Once everyone has gathered around the table once more, Seth grabs his own pack, along with some minor rations, and enters the garage.
"Now, I'll imagine that you all are about out of ammo, right?" Seth inquires.
"Yeah, we used all of it up when you saved us," Kohta says, sensing that the group will be getting new guns. Da had set up a few easy targets the day before, and Kohta had got them all in rapid succession with a BB gun on iron sights. She'd told him that he'd be able to see "the armory" soon, and that got him excited.
"Well, if you'll hand your empty weapons to me, Da will help you all pick out new ones." Takashi, Rei and Kohta each hand Seth their weapons, even if a little begrudgingly (Kohta). Seth places the weapons to the side and joins Da at the open panel on the ground. He grabs the end of a metal pole with a very intricate design of two dragons chasing each other and starts to pull out the 3 meter weapon, revealing a simple yet beautiful pointed blade, a slight curve on the middle of each side.
"Here," he says, handing the lance to Rei. The girl is speechless; she hasn't wielded a real lance in so long, and it isn't a very common weapon anymore.
"How did you get one of these?" she asks incredulously.
"Long story. I just thought you'd like to use and actual lance instead of the bayonet of a rifle," Seth says. "Was I wrong?"
"Not at all!" Rei says quickly.
"Right then. Da, are we ready?" Seth asks, turning to his friend, who is holding her M16A4 in the typical downward position.
"As soon as the big one stops orgasming," Da replies. "The big one," of course, refers to Kohta, who is cradling his M-110, rubbing his face against the cold metal. Takashi is holding his AA-12 in some disbelief, Da having told him that it did the same thing as his old gun, just faster and without the jerking around. Saeko, Rei and (after a bit of complaining) Saya all have taken Baretta M9's, silencers on each.
"Alright, Kohta, let's roll out," Seth says, opening the door and, armed with two 9 inch knives and a Smith & Wesson 500, starts walking quietly down the street. With Kohta at his rear, he maneuvers silently down the crowded street, clearing a path with his knives when needed. Even when he does need to dispatch of a zombie, he just delivers a quick blow to the head, making as little noise as possible.
At the end of the street, they stop and look around. They are in a large city with a bunch of tall buildings, so they can't really see much except the boarded up entrances and crowds of the undead gathered here and there.
"There," Kohta whispers, pointing to a small opening in the blocked off buildings. The two slowly work their way to it and determine that it used to be a homeless shelter.
"Alright, I'll go in. You stay here and keep an eye out for anything that wanders too close," Seth instructs quietly. He then silently slips through the entrance and disappears into the darkness. He emerges a couple of minutes later, the look on his face grim. He gives a tight shake of his head to indicate that it isn't safe, and Kohta doesn't particularly want to know why.
They start scanning the area again, looking for even the smallest alcove for the main party to wait in for the next signal. They eventually find one, where a car must have swerved around the corner and caused a small pile up that is leaning against the wall buildings. There is only a small entrance that the two had to crawl to get into, and they quickly dispatched the few zombies inside the small area. After removing the bodies, they flash the flashlight twice and Seth places a large red sticker on a white car to indicate the entrance. They then move on to the right in a similar fashion.
When the main party receives the signal to follow, they do. They keep it as quiet as possible, Rei and Saya in front and Takashi in back, while Shizuka hugs Alice close to her. The little girl is visibly scared, but she knows better than to make any loud noises. It's times like these that she wishes Zero was still with them. She misses the small dog immensely.
They get to the pile up and get the hint from the sticker. Everybody crawls quietly and carefully through the small hole, grateful to be out of the immediate danger for a short while. There is a small opening to the right, just barely enough to be able to see down the street, and Takashi takes up watch for the signal while Rei looks for an opening on the other side. When she doesn't find one, she assumes that the scout team must have seen this and gone right. So, she just sits with the group, the tension thick in the air. Her thoughts still stray to what happened last night, but she knows that she has to remain strong for as long as she can.
Saya had been put in charge of their flashlight. Well, to be more precise, she had demanded that she have a more active role, complaining that a "genius" like her shouldn't be wasted. So, Seth stuck her with signal duty. When Takashi informs her of the double-flash signal, she sends the same signal back to the sweep team.
Da sees the signal and motions for Saeko to follow her. They stick to the shadows, keeping low and out of sight, which makes Saeko wonder as to what they're really doing. She didn't really buy in to the whole "there might be bandits" excuse that Seth had given her when she asked why they needed a sweep team. She knew by the guarded look in his eyes that he was hiding something, and when Da wouldn't meet her gaze, she knew it was bad.
Da is thinking hard. She knows that, if this new group of people is to stay with them, they'll need to know everything. It may not be pleasant, and they may decide to leave, but it needs to be done. She looks at Saeko and can see the intelligence in her eyes, and she knows that the girl knows that something is amiss.
Can we trust her? Seth said he did, and he's always been a good judge of character. He had received high marks in both criminal and civilian profiling in their training. Training. They'll need to know about that, too.
Perhaps they could tell Saeko before the others? Da wonders if that's a good idea. She seems like a reasonable person, and Seth trusts her, but how would Takashi react to being the second to know? After all, he is the leader. He should be consulted before anybody else is told. But how well can he keep a level head? A good leader can sway their people's opinions easily, and he's definitely a good leader.
…
Several hours later, Seth and Kohta turn onto an almost completely empty street. There are a large mob of walkers crowding the end, though, and they'll need to clear a path for the others. There is also a large amount of tension in the air, and Seth takes this as in opportunity to release some of it.
"Hey," he whispers to Kohta, gathering the gun otaku's attention.
"Yeah?" Kohta replies quietly.
"Think you can take them out?" Seth inquires.
"What!?" Kohta asks in a harsh whisper. "Are you kidding me!? There's no telling how many of them are in those buildings, just waiting to come out!"
Seth looks slightly disappointed. "Kohta, I would've thought that you, of all people, would know that the M-110 is internally suppressed- and excellently so. Besides, we'll have to clear them out anyways, and I'm getting a little tired from all the work I've been doing. Just go for it. That is, if you think you can," Seth teases.
Kohta immediately responds with a whispered, "Oh yeah? Well watch this!" and raises his weapon up, presses the stock against the inside of his shoulder, one hand on the grip and another on the barrel. He presses his face against the cool metal behind the scope, his finger on the trigger. He aims, holds his breath, adjusts slightly, and…
*SNAP* *WHOOSH* *THUD*
At the end of the street, the farthest zombie falls, a hole barely visible between the eyes from the 300 meter distance. Then, others fall, until seven of the 20 have dropped. Kohta unloads the magazine, careful to catch it and prevent the loud clatter on the pavement it would've caused and reloads another one, seven more semi-automatic rounds. Another seven drop deader than dead, another magazine is exchanged, another six zombies fall, the last one with two holes in its head.
Kohta stands there, the rifle in his hands, frozen in place while Seth lets out a low whistle. He lowers the firearm to a carrying position, breathing hard from holding his breath in. He looks to Seth and smiles sheepishly at his appreciative grin.
"Let's head down there and check your aim," Seth whispers, swiftly moving down the street. He saw the excited look in Kohta's eyes when he was done; saw the lack of any hesitation in dispatching the once living, breathing people. I wonder what his story is.
At the end of the street, Seth is pleased to see that each shot was dead on, save for the first one, which was a little to the left. "Well done. To be that accurate with a new weapon and to be able to correct yourself after only one shot is phenomenal. I've only seen shooting like this from Da," he says, causing Kohta to blush slightly.
"Thanks," the marksman replies.
"Well, better send the signal. We'll turn left, and they can stay in that store entrance," Seth says, moving once more.
…
Upon entering the now completely abandoned street, Takashi decides to check up on Rei. He lags behind and picks up pace beside her, remaining silent for a while before finally speaking up.
"Hey."
"Hey," she replies shortly, obviously stressed.
"Are you alright?"
"Perfectly fine."
"Are you sure? You know you can talk to me, right? I mean, what you saw back there…"
"Yes, I'm sure I'm fine right now I have to be later when we've found a good place I'll tell you all about how I am but right now is not the time." The words, which was meant to sound calm and collected, came out as one long, quick sentence.
Takashi hesitates before answering. "Alright, later," he says, looking her in the eyes with a stern look to show that he means it.
"Later," Rei agrees.
…
"So, you wanna know why we're really out here?" Da asks Saeko when they turn on the empty street.
"Yes, please," Saeko replies immediately, but politely. It's been nagging her mind all day.
"Promise not to tell anyone, not even Seth?" Da asks.
"Of course," Saeko responds.
"Alright, and I mean it. Seth doesn't know that I'm telling you, but he trusts you, and I trust his judgment," Da replies.
"I promise, I won't say anything," Da assures.
"Alright, it's a long story, but I'll give you the short version…"
FLASHBACK
Red hair is followed closely by blonde, the two teenagers running down the street. They are trying to reach their group of six, excluding them, to warn them of an incoming horde.
They burst in to the door of the safe house, gathering the two sentries' attention immediately. "They're coming!"
"Seth, Da, what the hell is going on?" the taller of the two sentries ask.
"It's them… they're coming…" Seth pants out.
The sentries go white. "How many?" the tall one speaks again.
"Hell, Michael, I don't know! We didn't exactly stay to count how many dozens there were!" Seth replies. "We need to get out of here!"
"I'm not sure the others will be happy about moving again," Michael warns.
"I don't give a damn about whether they're happy or not! I'm sure they'd rather be alive than comfortably dead!" Seth says, pushing into the main room. "Everybody, we have to-"
His words are cut off as he sees a man with brown hair pointing a gun at him, point blank. "Sean, what the hell do you think you're doing?"
"I'm staying, that's what," Sean says. "I'm tired of taking orders from you. I'm not moving, and neither is anybody else. We are going to stay and fight!"
Seth looks behind Sean to see the last three members, all girls, behind him, each one looking nervous. "Sean, you don't know what you're talking about. Look, I know that it's tedious and I don't like running either, but we have to-"
"No!" Sean cuts in. "I'm taking over now, and I say we're staying!"
"Do you honestly think you have what it takes to lead?" Seth inquires. "You wouldn't make it past day one as leader."
"Shut up! They're following me, not you!" Sean yells, shaking his weapon in Seth's face. "This gun says so."
"Sean, look at them! They're scared, that's why they're listening! They don't believe in you any more than hostages believe in a bank robber!" Seth says. "Put the gun away and we can settle this later!"
"NO!" Sean screams. "It's already settled! All of us are staying, and that includes you!"
Seth stares at Sean down the barrel of the pistol. He puts his forehead onto the end, right between his eyes. "Or what? If I leave, what will you do? Will you shoot me, Sean? Huh?" Seth keeps raising his voice, anger filling it more and more with each word.
"Shut up! Shut up right now!" Sean yells, shaking his sidearm once more. As he does, Seth reaches a hand up and grips the barrel, pulling the slide off and disassembling the weapon in about a second. He then delivers a punch to Sean's gut, letting him fall to the floor. He looks at the three girls with hard eyes.
"Well?" he asks expectantly. They shake their heads, cowering away from the angry man. The two sentries from earlier have similar reactions, though Michael seems apologetic. Spineless coward, Seth thinks. He then looks to Da, who is preparing to curb stomp Sean. That makes him smile. Da's always on my side.
"Leave him," Seth says. Da looks at him and shrugs. "Alright, we're leaving," Seth says, turning towards the others. "And we're taking our equipment with us. We'll leave some weapons and some food, but if any of you try to stop us, we will take everything."
"Dammit," Sean groans out from the floor. "I'll find you, you hear me? I will hunt you down and make you pay!"
"Oh, will you?" Seth asks, kneeling beside Sean. "Tell me, how do you plan to do that? You've barely managed a mutiny full of scared little girls and a couple of your old buddies from high school. None of you have any real training, only what we've taught you. So go ahead, follow us. Track us down, if you can. We'll see what happens."
END FLASHBACK
"But why are you scared if they're as unorganized as you said?" Saeko asks. From the sounds of it, there has to be more to the story.
"A lot of stuff's happened since then, and they've gotten better. Either way, they're still no match for us. We just don't want to have to put them down," Da explains, a grim look on her face.
Saeko wonders what she means by "a lot of stuff," but doesn't push the issue. "Were they your friends?"
Da nods. "Yeah, or at least we thought they were. Guess not," she says. Then, noticing the signal once more, she slips back into the shadows and advances, followed by Saeko.
…
Two days have passed. The group has still not found a suitable shelter, so they have kept moving east- towards the sea. There haven't been any confrontations so far, but the tension has been building more than a cheesy horror film. There has been little speaking for fear of the over-population of the dead crowding around them, seeing as it's hard enough to maneuver through the ones that are wandering aimlessly.
Currently, it is too dark to see clearly, so the small group of survivors is hiding out in a police station that seems to be abandoned. Any supplies have already been cleared out, and most of the desks are upturned with their contents scatter across the floor.
They don't have a fire, so their rations are cold and dry. This is the way it has been since the first night, and it's growing old. However, they all have to endure it for as long as they can, which is easier said than done.
"Alright, let's get some rest," Seth whispers after the meager meal has been eaten. Everybody then separates to their own little area on the floor, guys on one side and girls on the other.
Saya, while annoyed and discomforted at the style of traveling they have been using, is starting to see the point in it all. She has to hand it to Seth; he does know how to do things. The group has covered a large amount of ground without any accidents so far, and she can't see any reason why they will. However, there is one part of it all that still confuses her…
What is the purpose of the sweep team?
She remembers Seth's bullshit excuse about bandits and whatnot, but she doesn't believe a word of it. She just doesn't know how to find anything out without revealing her suspicions.
Shizuka's mind is occupied with thoughts of her friend, Rika. She can't remember the last time she saw her. Oh wait, yes I can… oooh… Rika…. The nurse lazily hugs the little girl between her breasts, reliving her last encounter with the infamous Rika Minami.
Meanwhile, Alice is fighting for air, squished between what continues to be the largest pair of breasts she has ever seen in her life. She is thinking about the day she lost Zeke, the memory still fresh in her mind as it had happened only days ago.
They had been stopped on the roadside because Alice had to use the restroom. The group had given her some privacy, but had also missed a zombie that was in a ditch. When Alice had squatted, the undead monster had grabbed for her, making her scream and attract some other nearby zombies that seemed to have been lying in wait behind the various cars littering the street.
Zeke had been the first to react, jumping out of the Humvee and barking at the first offender, drawing more attention to the group. One thing led to another, and Alice ended up in the Humvee, whereas Zeke had been lost from sight. Nobody was willing to risk the safety of the group for the dog that was surely already dead, and so they left. Alice had been hit hard by it, but tried to remain joyful for the rest of the group.
Rei is restlessly turning, unable to sleep. Her nightmares won't give her more than two minutes before scaring her awake again, so she has all but given up on sleep. She just can't stop thinking about her mother, hobbling towards her with that hungry expression, those cold, dead eyes and that obvious intent to devour her whole. The image seems to be printed onto the inside of her eyelids, seeing it every time she closes her eyes and dreading the next time she has to. She just wants to find her father now, hoping beyond hope that he is alright. It's the only thing she can hold on to.
Takashi can't stop worrying about the girl across the room from him. Rei has been through hell the past few days, even more than the rest of them. He knows that he can't do anything to make it better, seeing as he can't bring her mother back, but it kills him to see her like this. He can tell that she is broken inside, and that only a shallow shell remains of her. However, he is determined to see the old Rei again.
And then there is the matter of his own parents. What if his mother is dead? Or worse, what if she's still alive, and they can't find her? Will she starve to death? Will she be turned into one of them? Is she safe and already with another group of survivors? Are those survivors treating her well? He swears that if he finds out that anybody has touched his mother that he will pump them so full or lead that they'd be closely related to Iron Man.
Saeko is pondering the story Da had told her. If indeed it's true that these people are after them, and that they have gotten better, is there really any way to stop them? Sure, Da seems confident in her and Seth's abilities, but what if they attack the main party? They're the weakest link, and a well-planned ambush could easily overtake them.
Plus, there is the matter of whether or not the most capable people in the group would be willing to kill the attackers. Da said herself that she did not want to kill them, but what if she had to? Would she? Or would she let herself or somebody else be killed? There are too many open variables for Saeko's liking, and she is determined to get the whole story.
Both Da and Seth are pretty much thinking about the same thing. The scene where all of this running and hiding began, along with many others, is replaying through their heads like a horrible tragedy movie, and they wonder how it will all end.
Little do they know, it's all about to.