As the Outcasts stared wide-eyed at one another, aghast at the blaring of deafening alarms, though no words were spoken, they came to a consensus. Whatever the means, they needed to get the fuck out. Impressively unanimously, the four broke out into a sprint.
Needlessly, Soryan pointed to the stairs. "Go, go!" he hissed. He hurried down the steps, but after only getting halfway down, he nearly stumbled to stop his momentum. He stared, horrified as a horde of zombies began pouring in through the broken windows and the hole in the archery store. "Fuck! Go back, go back!" he said as Mitchell and Kasumi reached him.
Seeing the torrent of dead flooding in, they were reminded of the veritable ocean of Zs that they'd seen on the highway. Their faces paling, they whirled around and hurried back up the stairs, Mitchell running by and pulling Wakaba along, who hadn't heard Soryan's call among the alarms, had yet to see the Zs, and was still descending the stairs. They moved a considerable distance from them before pausing, if only because they couldn't spot any obvious identifiable escape routes.
"What now?" Kasumi called, her voice fighting over that of the alarms. Mitchell opened his mouth to respond. He stopped when he noticed some movement.
Tensing, his eyes flitted over, and he caught sight of a figure rapidly approaching them from the opposite staircase. His companions noticed the sudden shift, and they turned with him, paranoid.
Kasumi flourished her spear and pointed it towards the potential threat, Wakaba notched an arrow and drew the drawstring as far as it could go, and Soryan took a low stance, lifting the bat over his shoulder. Similarly, Mitchell grasped the hilt of his sword in the event that the figure was hostile.
It was a stranger—a human to the group's surprise, but that didn't make them any less wary. The stranger was a man equipped with a large hiking backpack and a dented, bloodied baseball bat. The man stopped once he noticed the group, recoiling at the sight of their armaments, especially Mitchell's fucking bastard sword.
"Woah! Woah! Calm down," he pleaded. "I'm just here for camping equipment!" It was then that the group noticed the pieces of broken glass on his clothes.
"So you're the one who caused this," Mitchell said, eyes narrowing into a glare. "There were plenty of other ways you could've got in here, dude."
Soryan bit his lip. He took a peak over the nearest railing into the first floor. The Zs were slow, but they were piling up quickly. "Fuck this. We don't have time, guys," he blurted.
Mitchell halted his emotions and focused on their priorities. "Yeah, you're right. Y'all got any ideas on gettin' out?" The moment he eased up on the stranger, the man bolted in the direction opposite from them. Good, they wouldn't need to deal with him.
Soryan swept his gaze across the complex. Eventually he found a single, unlabeled push-bar door in the corner of the upper waiting area. "Over there," he pointed. "Maybe it's an alternate exit. Fire safety and stuff."
"Let's go then," Kasumi said, eyeing the slowly advancing horde. "It's not like we have any better ideas."
The spear-user didn't waste a beat, taking the lead and hurrying to the door. The others followed hastily, Wakaba watching their rear. With little hesitation, Kasumi shoved the door open, finding that it did indeed lead to a secondary emergency staircase. She peered over the railing. There were already a number of Zs stumbling about one floor below them. She inwardly cursed when they began haphazardly tripping over the stairs.
"We'll have to go up," she informed the group. They each took a look over the railings, then followed her wordlessly. It was strange—how quickly they were getting accustomed to the shambling dead. Though the sight still incited fear and anxiety, freezing up or halting entirely no longer happened.
"You think there will be any at the top?" Soryan inquired.
"Nah, I'm willin' to bet they walked off when they heard the plane. The roof is our best shot right now. There may be an outside fire escape we can use," Mitchell replied, hurrying up the stairs.
The group barely made it up a flight of stairs when they flinched at the sound of a door slamming open. They turned and saw the stranger from before bursting through without care. He looked over the railing and swore loudly. For a second, he froze up, then, like his life depended on it—it probably did—he began ascending the stairs. Not a moment later, Zs pushed through the door, flooding in after him.
Kasumi cursed. "Is this guy trying to get us killed?" she growled, glaring at the man.
"Don't worry about him. Just keep goin'," Mitchell said, hurrying his companions along. It was hard to hide the displeasure in his voice, though.
The group moved faster as the Zs grew more numerous. Anger mixed with fear and anxiety, but it was all shoved to the ground so that at least some semblance of rational thought could take its place. The alarms continued to blare, growing quieter through the stone walls of the complex, the groans of Zs becoming more prevalent.
Adrenaline coursing through their veins, they finally reached roof access. Unfortunately, it was another push-bar door, meaning that the Zs that were slowly ascending wouldn't have much trouble getting through. At that point, it was their only choice. They pushed through the doors, quickly surveying the roof, searching for any Zs or a potential escape route. Luckily, as Mitchell predicted, there were no Zs.
It took a moment before a means of escape caught Wakaba's eye. She squinted in confusion at it, then its design dawned on her. "There's the fire escape!" The archer said, pointing out a red, overhanging ladder to her companions.
The outcasts hurried over, ready to get the hell off of the property. Their hearts dropped when they noticed a number of Zs lingering about the lower stairs, more undead crowding the alleyway beneath it.
"Well…" Soryan pursed his lips as he shook his head. "Damn." He couldn't stop the glare in his eyes when the stranger bashed through the roof access door, clambering to shut it.
Mitchell didn't let contempt for the stranger get the better of him. With keen eyes, he searched for another way. He wasn't going to let this be the end, not when they'd just barely started.
On the far side of the roof, and to his surprise, he spotted numerous metal poles just barely sticking out above the edge of the roof. He made his way over, ignoring the stranger...
Scaffolding!
"Hey, Sor!" The American called. "Gimme a hand here!"
Soryan wordlessly complied, Kasumi and Wakaba following. As they passed the stranger, who looked worse-for-wear, panting as he looked down at his clothes, Soryan and Kasumi both eyed him with no small amount of hostility, while Wakaba only gave him an indecipherable look. They reached the other side quickly.
"Oh, shit!" Soryan uttered. The scaffolding was long enough to get them to the adjacent building's roof! He hurried to Mitchell's side.
"Help me swing this thing around," Mitchell said. "We can cross over with this."
"Sure."
The two positioned themselves on one side of the scaffolding and kicked it outwards, just enough for them to reposition it without too much difficulty. Neither of them had noticed the numerous paint cans just below the top of the scaffolding, and the sudden jostling tossed them to the ground. Some smashed against the wall of the complex, others reached the bottom without hindrance. All of them clattered loudly, and any Zs in the alleyway and adjacent streets turned.
"Ah shit," Mitchell grimaced.
Soryan clenched his teeth. "Whatever, we'll just have to do it quickly."
"What's wrong?" Kasumi inquired, looking over the ledge. "Oh." She bit her lip. "Why am I not surprised?"
"You gonna go first? You're lighter than me," Soryan offered to the spear-user.
Before anymore could be said, there was a loud thumping and a rattling of metal. Everyone looked back at the roof access, and much to their anxiety, the groans had gotten louder. The stranger yelped and scrambled to his feet, hurrying away from it and towards them.
Mitchell ignored the man, unsheathing his sword and performing a single flourish. "If you're gonna go, ya better go now," he urged. Next to him, Wakaba notched an arrow. "Zach's nearly here."
"Fine by me," Kasumi said. She stepped over the ledge and onto the scaffolding. She was alarmed when it wobbled a bit, Soryan letting out a yelp of worry. She made her way across quickly. When she reached the other side, a breath of relief escaped her. "C'mon, Sor. Your turn."
"Right then." A bit slowly considering the situation, Soryan stepped onto the scaffolding, immediately bending his legs to find balance when the scaffolding shifted, a shiver of anxiety running down his spine. After a moment, and when it continued to move slightly, he hurried across. The Ung practically threw himself to the safe and steady ground. "Fuck me…" he mumbled.
Kasumi didn't spare him a glance. "Waka! You're up!" she called to the archer. Wakaba turned and gave a nod before stepping over to the ledge. Suddenly, Kasumi's eyes widened. "Look out!"
The warning came too late. As Wakaba put one foot on the ledge, and before Mitchell could turn around to see what was happening, a pair of rough hands grasped the archer's shoulders. She let out a yelp as she was yanked backwards and thrown to the ground, barely having enough time to look up and see the stranger rush past her. The stranger all but leapt onto the scaffolding, ready to rush across.
"Oh, no you fucking don't," Soryan growled, seething as he positioned himself in front of the scaffolding, his grip on the bat tightening as a bolt of anger struck him. Kasumi glared and raised her spear in contempt, ready to run the man through.
Suddenly, the scaffolding was jostled, but nobody noticed. Nobody, but the looter. As he attempted to dash across the scaffolding to safety, the zombies below grew increasingly ravenous, the commotion of human voices above them raising their aggression, and they pushed and shoved against the supports with no care for their own well-being.
The scaffolding shook, now unstable, the top leaning to the side, throwing the looter off balance. He yelled, then tripped, then fell. Desperate, his arms swung wildly, and much to his relief, his fingers found purchase on one of the metal supports. He let out a breath. Then, the tower leaned. His eyes widened. There was a loud snapping sound, and with a scream of fear, the looter fell to his demise, taking the scaffolding with him.
Soryan and Kasumi were stunned, as were Wakaba and Mitchell. They each looked over, just in time to see at least a dozen Zs crowding around him. The Zs leaned down, each grabbing ahold of whatever flesh they could, and they brought the appendages to their mouths. Then they bit down. The stranger released a blood-curdling scream, but was silenced when his throat was torn out by gnashing teeth. In seconds, the ravenous Zs ripped and tore through the looter, ripping off chunks of flesh and pulling out vital organs. After just a few seconds, they dispersed, and another moaning voice joined the horde.
The Outcasts were horrified.
"Guys!" Soryan called across the rooftops, now viscerally paranoid.
"You just had to fuck us over one last time didn't ya, you selfish prick," Mitchell lamented. He patted Wakaba's shoulder. "You good, Waka? I'm gonna need ya to cover the door. I'll look for another way across."
"I'm fine," the archer replied as she readied her bow. The Zs were getting even louder. The sound of human speech was drawing them more than the alarms were. "Please hurry."
Mitchell complied as Wakaba steeled herself, and she stepped over to have a direct line of sight into the roof access door. The American surveyed the rooftops once again. It took a moment, but he noticed an advertisement billboard on the far side of the roof, facing the main street. He recalled that the process of changing billboards required platforms to reach them. With this in mind, he sprinted over to it, stepping around to the rear of it, hoping for a second stroke of luck.
To his immense relief, he found one. He heard Wakaba's bow twang and a loud thud following it, and he quickly hefted the large platform, urgently hauling it over to the gap farthest from the staircase door to buy time. He heard Wakaba let loose again.
Soryan was on the other side, motioning towards himself as Kasumi watched, tense and anxious, immensely worried, practically jumping up and down. Mitchell lay the platform on the ledge of the roof, then carefully slid it over, trying not to let it fall to the alley below. Without the proper leverage, it was difficult. As more and more of the platform hung over the side of the building, his muscles strained with effort to keep it from falling. He heard Wakaba let out a cry of effort, and another arrow soared, piercing through flesh.
He didn't turn to see how close the Zs were, focusing on securing the means to safety. Finally, after he'd pushed the platform far enough, Soryan gripped it and pulled, resting it on the ledge of his roof. Wakaba's bow twanged again, then again, then again. He finally looked back to see that despite Wakaba's best efforts, Zs had begun to pour from the doorway, shambling towards them both, Wakaba falling back to him. It was now or never.
"Let's go, Waka!" Mitchell tapped her shoulder. The archer nodded and turned. With less regard for safety now, she quickly made her way across the platform, Mitchell following right after. The platform rattled loudly, making the Zs more aggressive, but once both Mitchell and Wakaba had crossed safely, Soryan pushed the platform, and it fell over the edge, smashing into a number of Zs below.
All four of the Outcasts steadied themselves and backed away from the edge of the roof, and they watched the Zs on the other roof with intensity. The dozens of zombies that had managed to reach the top of the roof tripped over one another before rising again and shambling towards them. Without care, they threw themselves over the edge of the roof down into the alley below.
Soryan ran a hand through his hair as he breathed, closing his eyes. "Shit me… we did it."
Despite how shaken she was, Kasumi smirked at him. "You weren't doubting us, were you?"
"Well I mean, hurdurhurduhur," he grumbled.
Kasumi ignored him. "Speaking of, nice save. Good thinking Mitch."
The American shrugged. "We were lucky. That's what that was. Good shootin', Waka."
Wakaba looked sheepish. "Thanks Mitch. You too." Her face lit up. "Er, I mean, thanks for saving us, and all, and not the good shooting part… Not that you might not be a good shot!" she rectified. Mitchell smiled in amusement at her antics.
"Oh, please," Kasumi laughed. "If Mitch can hit a decent shot with a bow, I'll eat Soryan's cooking."
Soryan made a face. "Hey. You haven't even seen my cooking before."
"I'm kidding, I'm kidding~" Kasumi relented. "I've never seen you use a bow so I wouldn't know any better."
Soryan narrowed his eyes at her.
"Good thing you weren't serious about that then," Mitchell informed, brow raised. "I've been bowhuntin' many times with my dad and grandad. With live, moving targets. Your mouth was about to write a check your ass can't cash, little miss."
Kasumi merely stuck her tongue out at him, playful. Wakaba and Soryan stared, amused before the latter's lips thinned. He focused back on the matter at hand.
"So, uh… how are we getting off of this roof?" he inquired of his companions, eyeing this building's roof access. "I'm pretty sure the streets will be full of zombies."
At the mention of their current reality, the sudden curve in their moods was dampened, and they listened to the all-encompassing groans of the Zs below. By now, the alarms had shut themselves off… or were somehow smashed in the process of the Outcasts escape.
Without a word, Mitchell stepped to the edge of the roof and took a lap around, looking for an area where Zs were thinnest around the building. His friends merely watched with idle curiosity. He stopped at the back of the building when he found the fire escape. He gestured to the others to come over. They complied.
"Looks like right here is our best bet," Mitchell said, frowning. His companions peered over the edge. "Not many over here." The fire escape was a single red ladder that led down into a barren alley with a surprising amount of space between it and the nearest building—about eight meters. There were a few Zs that shambled about, but not in any particular direction—after the plane crash and the alarms followed by sudden silence, there was nothing left to attract them.
Kasumi nodded. "There's enough space for me to fight if it comes down to it. Alright. Who goes first?"
"I'll go this time," Mitchell said. He stepped towards the ladder.
"Wait." Everyone looked at the Archer. "Let me clear the alley first. That way, we can navigate without trouble. We'll have a head start if anything hears us," she explained.
"Huh. Good thinking, Waka," Kasumi praised. The American gave her a thumbs up.
Wakaba gave them a winsome smile, then her expression shifted into one of uncompromised focus, and she drew two arrows from her quiver, notching one of them. With nary a fraction of a second to aim and focus, she let it go, and before it even hit her first target, she had the second arrow notched, then she fired. Each arrow met their targets without resistance, and before any of her friends could be awed at her immense skill, she drew two more arrows.
As easy as rain would fall, so too did each Z, and in a matter of seconds, the alley was clear. When she finished, she looked at her friends. They each stared at her in varying amounts of awe. She blushed.
"What?" she inquired coyly.
"You know what," Mitchell said knowingly, smirking as he stepped down the ladder. Without waiting for a response, he slid down.
Soryan shook his head. "Never change, mate." He followed after Mitchell in the slower, step-by-step manner, mostly because he didn't have gloves to slide down with.
Kasumi gave Wakaba a teasing poke. "Jeez, way to steal the spotlight. Leave some for me, why don't you?"
Wakaba shrugged with a smile. "If I'm going to be helping us survive, then I'll be pulling my weight as much as I can."
To that, Kasumi returned a genuine smile. "Well, with what you're doing, you have nothing to worry about. Let's go."
With that, she copied Mitchell, quickly sliding down the ladder. Wakaba watched, amused before she followed suit. Once they reached the alley, Wakaba retrieved her arrows, then the Outcasts came together.
"Right, so who's taking the lead?" Soryan asked. "I don't know the way to the bridge from here."
"I will," Kasumi replied. She gestured to her eleven o'clock, away from the Sporting Goods Complex. "It'll take a while on foot, but I don't see any other options."
Mitchell nodded, checking the sun's position. "Aight. It looks like we got maybe nine hours before nightfall. We better get movin'."
To his right, Soryan checked his phone. "Yep. About nine hours if the sun sets at six—which it should." He put the device away, then looked at Mitchell. "You Crocodile Dundee or something?"
Mitchell just shrugged innocently.
"Alright… Just making sure." He turned his attention to an amused Kasumi. "Well. Lead the way then."
Kasumi nodded, and the trek began. She led the group down the alley and cautiously peeked into the main street, looking both ways. To their right was a mob of undead that crowded the street. She took the group to the left and out of immediate danger.
After the chaos of the plane crash and the harrowing roof escape, they took no chances. Street after street, alleyway after alleyway, they never once let their guard down. Every so often, they were left with no choice but to quietly dispatch a pair or more of zombies that impeded their progress, but with the group now fully armed, it was quickly becoming no more than a tedious chore.
Despite numerous detours and small, insignificant skirmishes, the group made decent time across the city. The sun steadily dipped towards the horizon, and with only a vague sense of how far they were from their destination, they were tempted to pick up the pace. In the end they kept their cautious, yet timely method. There was no need to take unnecessary risks.
Soon enough, and to the group's relief, they heard car horns and... light gunfire. Just in time too, as the sun was slipping under the horizon. They circumvented a number of Zs that were drawn to the noise, and eventually, they came upon a police blockade. They had made it.
The police blockade was, for an area in Japan, heavily fortified. Police forces armed with riot gear and firearms lined the blockade, watching the streets with a keen eye, and waiting for survivors to arrive. When the forces caught sight of the Outcasts, the response was immediate—a sudden tensing before an immediate relaxation.
Though their weapons weren't trained on the group, they were ready to act as needed. The Outcasts approached quickly, and an officer called out to them.
"You there! Get over here," he said. The group complied. "A group of academy kids? How did you guys survive?"
"It's a long story," Kasumi replied, stopping in front of him.
The officer eyed them, then his eyes flitted to their weapons. "… I bet it was." With a shake of his head, he pointed to a checkpoint where numerous other people were standing in line. "Head over—"
The officer's radio buzzed with activity. He answered the call. "Yes sir?"
The Outcasts watched.
"Sir? We will be leaving… I… understood sir. We'll be right on it." The officer turned to his squad mates. "We're closing up shop. These will be the last ones in. After that, nobody gets through." With a heavy sigh, he turned his attention back to the Outcasts. "It's your lucky day. Head on over to the checkpoint and get yourself screened."
Kasumi looked surprised, but she nodded. "Yes. Thank you."
Soryan's eyes widened a little at the realization, and Wakaba looked conflicted, but she said nothing. With that, the Outcasts morbidly proceeded.
Mitchell stepped forward with a grim frown, making sure to keep his hands away from his weapon as he passed the officers. "God be with ya, officers."
When they got to the checkpoint, the Outcasts had to wait for the people before them to get screened first. It wasn't long before even more survivors arrived, but instead of being let through, the officers put up their shields. A fierce argument quickly ensued.
"You can't do this! I have a family to protect!" one man shouted, standing before a woman who held hands with a young girl.
The officer kept a straight face. "Apologies, sir, but we are not letting in anymore people at this time."
The man growled. "What about those kids!" He pointed at the Outcasts. "They're still in line."
The officer held steadfast. "They came before the allotted threshold."
The man wilted. Then, he froze. He turned to the girl at the woman's side and pulled her over. "Then, at least take my daughter," he pleaded.
"Sir, we cannot make any exceptions."
The man clenched his teeth. "Are you going to let a child—!" At the last second, he held his tongue. He turned to his likely family. "We have to go."
At that moment, as the family turned away, the little girl eyed the Outcasts, a look of child-like curiosity in her eyes. In the next moment, they were gone.
Another minute passed, and more and more people arrived, desperate to get through, and soon they were pushing against the police, who retaliated with equal force. By then, the group had gotten through the checkpoint. With little left to do, they moved forward, onto the bridge.
It wasn't too long before someone spoke.
"That's…" Soryan paused, then thought better of what he was about to say. "So where to now, guys?"
"I'm guessin' they're gonna have transportation to carry people to refugee centers," Mitchell guessed. He looked back at the growing commotion with a frown. "They're makin' a whole lotta noise right now…"
"Yeah," Kasumi agreed. "Do you guys wanna keep moving?" She stretched, making admittedly cute sounds as she did so. "I don't know about you but I'm just about ready to fall asleep."
"Too right," Soryan affirmed. "Where do you want to sit down?"
"Can we go a bit further?" Wakaba asked. "I'd prefer not to hear all of the… yelling."
"Over there might be good," Mitchell said. He nodded towards a group of people milling around on the sidewalk. There was a decent amount of space, enough for them to sit a comfortable distance away if needed.
Kasumi gave an affirmation, and they made their way over, dragging their feet if only slightly. When they approached, a number of people noticed them. A few looked at them with curiosity, others gave Kasumi and Wakabi immediately sleazy leers, and some were slightly wary. A lot of them noticed the high-grade weaponry the group had, at least, compared to everyone else in the area thus far. One person, a girl in a white hoodie, had been staring at them curiously ever since they'd stopped at the checkpoint.
The Outcasts made themselves comfortable at the edge of whatever mingle area this appeared to be. Kasumi sat on the hood of an abandoned car, and Wakaba plopped herself down right next to her before leaning on her shoulder. Mitchell was a little more overt. He stepped onto the hood of their vehicle and sat on the roof, feet on the hood. He ignored the looks he got.
Soryan stared at the scene for a while before he tried the door. It was unlocked. At the moment, he had little regard for trespassing—there was no key, meaning the car had to be abandoned. He couldn't imagine anyone would want to get out of their car to rest, or even take their key with them. The only reason would be to get to the other side of the bridge without the hold-up.
Thus, Soryan sat himself in the driver's seat and reclined. It was at that moment that he realized that he got a really 'unsafe' view of his companions' shapely rears through Mitchell's legs, which draped over the windshield. He curled his lips, nodding to himself, then he looked away.
After a good few minutes of undisturbed rest and maybe a few indecent glances at the view, he heard a thump on the windshield, and he looked to see Kasumi waving at him. With a grunt, he pulled himself from the plush seat and left the car.
"Yeah?" he asked.
"Come. Give me a massage," Kasumi demanded, petting the open space next to her.
Soryan raised a brow. "Is this going to be a regular thing now?"
"Yes it is, Sor," Mitchell rolled his eyes. "They felt the touch. Expect more."
Kasumi grinned. "What he said. And besides," she put her hands on her hips, "I'm sure you enjoy these little sessions we have."
"I thought they were fun," Wakaba added, oblivious.
The Ung's eyes narrowed as Kasumi's grin became mischievous.
"If you really don't like doing it, you can just consider it payment for the view~" she teased. The fact the Soryan knew exactly what she was referring to spoke volumes.
"Oh, fuck off," he said, even as he approached.
Wakaba looked lost. "What view?"
"Well—"
Soryan smacked a hand over Kasumi's lips. "Nothing. Don't worry about Kasumi's ramblings, aight?"
"Anyway, y'all wanna use this time to eat and stuff? I'm pretty hungry," Mitchell cut in. Soryan gave him the most grateful glance.
"Yeah, sure." The Ung hefted the duffle bag and gently lay it atop the car hood, next to Kasumi, who had pushed his hand away playfully.
Mitchell reached in and pulled out a couple of large salted rice balls and a bottle of water for himself. Soryan went for a dorayaki, and Wakaba took an Anpan. Kasumi frowned into the bag, mulling over what to fuel herself with before she settled on Mitchell's choice of salted rice balls.
The group noticed that a couple of the other survivors seemed jealous, but nobody approached. They ate and traded light conversation. It didn't take too long before they finished, and Soryan made sure to zip up the duffle bag and keep it close.
"Hello there. You four look like you've had it rough."
The Outcasts turned to see who spoke. A friendly, young-looking woman with violet hair and hazel eyes had approached, stopping a meter away from the vehicle.
"Rough is an understatement, miss," Mitchell replied flatly. "I'm pretty sure we've lived out an entire action movie today."
The woman blinked. "Oh. Well, I'm sorry to hear that. You guys seemed like you could use a bit of company. I'm Yoshie Kurahashi. Sorry if I'm intruding."
Soryan stared for a moment, looking her up and down.
"Oh, you're not intruding," Kasumi said, waving off the woman's worry. She smiled. "I'm Kasumi Mizuhara. Nice to meetcha."
"Soryan Ung," the Cambodian greeted. He didn't have much to say, really.
"Hello, Kurahashi-san," Wakaba said, waving a bit. "I'm Wakaba Otonashi. Thank you for your concern."
Mitchell gave the woman a two finger wave. "Evenin', Miss Kurahashi. I'm Mitchell Marlowe."
Yoshie smiled. "Nice to meet you all. Where are you guys from? You don't seem like your typical group of kids." She gave their weapons a curious glance.
"We came from Fujimi Academy," Kasumi replied. She leaned back, resting her weight on her hands. "We had ourselves a nice, fun-filled adventure."
"Fun isn't exactly the word I would use," Soryan mused. He paused. "Okay, maybe just a little bit."
"Uh-huh, speak for yourselves," Mitchell retorted with a lidded look. "All 'fun' ended for me when that airliner nearly pancaked us."
"Yes. You really need to rethink your definition of fun, you two," Wakaba agreed, mirroring Mitchell.
Soryan's face scrunched up. "I think we're talking about different things, but proceed."
The woman merely blinked, processing the American's earlier statement. "I'm sorry, what? Airliner? You guys saw that crash too?"
"We survived it, if anything. Came down right on top of us." Kasumi replied, shaking her head.
Yoshie stared with wide eyes. Mitchell gave her a raised brow. "Ya thought I was kiddin'? We've been livin' on a prayer ever since this whole apocalypse started."
The Outcasts went silent. None of them were particularly good at making conversation with random strangers—especially if they came over with seemingly no reason, and were a good bit older than the group collective. It would've been easy to just fall back into their little group dynamic, but unfortunately, that wasn't very stranger-friendly.
With a squint, Soryan leaned over to Kasumi. "Is it me? Or is this awkward?" he whispered.
Mitchell didn't like awkward pauses in the conversation, so he just ceased caring. "Look, miss, none of us are sparklin' conversationalists," he said bluntly, shrugging. "You'd probably be better off talkin' with someone else. Sorry if this is awkward for ya."
"Oh, no, I understand," Yoshie replied easily. "Don't mind me, I'm just a curious woman. I'll leave you to your devices." She smiled and gave a wave before heading off, back into the crowd.
Soryan scratched at his eye. "Right, so it was awkward."
"Yep," Kasumi replied, popping the 'p'.
"I agree, but did you have to put it so bluntly, Mitch?" Wakaba reprimanded lightly.
"Y'all were all thinkin' it," Mitchell defended. "Someone had to bite the bullet—and it sure as hell wasn't gonna be you three."
"That is true," Soryan said. His eyes flitted over to the sun that was almost completely out of view. "So are we going to spend the night here?"
"This place ain't ideal," Mitchell replied, shaking his head. "It's a buffet just waitin' to happen."
"That's what I was thinking," Soryan replied. "We should probably head to the other side. At the very least, I don't want to be at the back of mob panic. Not here."
"Uh… you don't mind if I join you, do you?"
Once again, the Outcasts turned to regard a newcomer. When the males of the group caught sight of the speaker, they were stricken by her beauty. A stunningly attractive girl at Wakaba's height approached them, watching them with a soft, pretty, youthful face and captivating wine-red eyes. Black hair that went down to her mid-back was tied in a neat ponytail, and she had a friendly smile on her lips. She wore a half-zipped white hoodie, the method of which brought attention to her impressive bust. The red shirt she wore underneath the hoodie only emphasized this, what with its gaze-drawing color. Going lower, just beneath the hoodie was a pair of short jean shorts that squeezed thick yet athletic thighs, the milky, creamy, unblemished goodness of which was concealed only by a thin layer of cloth from her black tights. Protecting what were probably athletic feet were a pair of brown lace leather boots.
The fact the other male survivors were openly staring at her, committing her wondrous curves, and beautiful face to memory was a testament to her attractiveness. All-in-all, she was up there with Kasumi and Wakaba, who, as of yet, had failed to shake the leers of other survivors as well.
Soryan took a breath and slowly put a hand to his head.
"Is… that a no?" the girl worried.
Kasumi grinned, relishing the looks on her male companions' faces. "Not. At. All. Please, have a seat."
"Goddamnit," Mitchell groaned quietly to himself. "As if she needed more ammunition."
Soryan shot him a look, making a knife-cutting motion across his neck.
"Ammunition?" Wakaba asked.
"Fuck," Soryan cursed.
Mitchell was now past the point of caring. He looked at the girl, who was looking at Soryan. "I don't care. Go right ahead—join the club. Just be careful around that one, if ya know what's good for ya." He casually flicked a thumb at Kasumi.
"Unless you can endure the… corruption," Soryan added ominously.
"Well alright, I'll take your word for it," she said. She then proceeded to sit down right next to Kasumi, opposite from Wakaba. "Nice to meet you. I'm Chizuru Takahashi."
"I'm Kasumi Mizuhara," Kasumi smiled. "You and I are going to get along just fine." She shook Wakaba, who yelped slightly. "This is Wakaba Otonashi." She nodded to Mitchell. "He's Mitchell Marlowe, our armored cowboy."
"Yee-haw," Mitchell drawled. She ignored him.
"And this," she tugged at Soryan, who stood just adjacent to the hood of the car, "is Soryan Ung, our resident masseuse."
"Masseuse?" Chizuru asked with interest.
Soryan gave Kasumi a flat look. "Bruh, that happened for the first time yesterday. Is there really nothing else you've got?"
Kasumi hummed. "Well, he can be our wit. Sometimes. Sometimes he can be a bit of a dummy."
Soryan stared. "... Fair."
"Anyway, welcome to the circus," Mitchell welcomed the newcomer.
"Any reason you chose this here team?" Soryan inquired.
The newly 'indoctrinated' Chizuru shrugged. "If I'm being honest, you guys seem reliable… and look, you know, young… and you also don't look like a bunch of pervy sleazebags."
Soryan curled his lips. "... How old are you?"
Kasumi looked aghast. "Sor! How could you ask that to a woman?" she demanded, more jest than serious. Wakaba made a half-hearted sound of agreement.
"Because I don't care," Soryan replied easily.
Chizuru seemed amused. "I guess since I'm the one who approached you, it's only fair that I answer some questions," she mused. "To answer your question, I'm nineteen."
"That's about what I was expectin'," Mitchell said. He idly readjusted his sword.
"It's rude to assume a woman's age, you know," Chizuru said, raising a brow, though the small smile on her face said a lot.
"It's also rude to ask a woman's age so fuck me, I guess," Mitchell shrugged, forming a small smirk of his own.
"What about you?" Chizuru asked. "How old are all of you, then?"
"Seventeens all across the board, except for Mitch," Kasumi replied. "He's eighteen."
"Huh. I thought you'd be older," Chizuru mused.
Soryan licked his lips. "What was that about assuming someone's age?"
"Ahem," Kasumi cut in, "A woman's age—"
"Piss off."
Chizuru hid an amused smirk. "I can see you guys have a great relationship. How did you meet?"
Instantly, Kasumi's expression darkened, and Wakaba wilted just slightly. Soryan eyed them for a second.
"Through battle and bloodshed," he answered.
"I think you mean bullshit, Sor," Mitchell corrected with a sigh.
Chizuru caught the sudden shift. "Uh... judging from your expressions, I'm guessing it's pretty personal. You don't have to tell me." she said, waving her hands apologetically.
"Thanks," Kasumi replied. She gave the girl a grateful look, as did Wakaba. "It's not exactly easy for us to talk about."
"Yeah…" Wakaba agreed.
Before anymore could be said, Mitchell noticed a growing commotion coming from the way they came. He looked back and saw a good number of people hurrying across the bridge with urgent strides and fearful faces. He also noticed people down the line of cars frantically abandoning their vehicles and rushing towards the bridge. Then he heard the groaning.
"Time to go, y'all," Mitchell said seriously, getting up from the car. "Zach's here."
At Mitchell's words, everyone stood. Soryan cursed. "Fuck me, already?"
Suddenly, distant pops and cracks indicative of gunfire rang out. As Mitchell said, it was time to go. The group slowly started moving away from the noise. It wasn't until Kasumi yelled for them to go until they really started moving. Although sudden, the Outcasts broke into a sprint along with Chizuru, who took to following them.
Seeing the throng of panicking people, Mitchell took a detour. He jumped onto the hood of a car and started running across the roofs and hoods of abandoned vehicles, bypassing the crowd entirely. Soryan had the same idea, and soon, so did Kasumi, Wakaba, and the astonishingly nimble Chizuru.
They passed pedestrians who yelped in surprise, but the Outcasts paid them no mind. As they advanced across the bridge, Chizuru noticed an empty bus on the other side. She immediately considered its weight and size.
"Hey, you guys, I see a possible getaway vehicle!" She called, pointing it out to them.
They each turned and looked. Soryan was just slightly skeptical. "How do you know the key is still in there?"
"I reckon the key's still in it," Mitchell theorized. "It's likely a refugee bus so it should be fine. Besides, do y'all have any better ideas?"
"Mitch is right. It couldn't hurt to try," Kasumi added.
"Oh yeah, is this a good time to mention that I know how to drive a bus?" Chizuru ventured, raising her hand.
"Right then, let's crack on," Soryan relented.
Mitchell looked back to see an advancing horde of zombies crossing the bridge, eating its way up the line of vehicles, and screams of terror, gunfire, and undead groans assaulted his eardrums. It was a scene right out of Hell.
Before they knew, the group reached the bus. Pedestrians rushed past them as Mitchell pulled the door open, allowing Chizuru to enter. She searched for the keys, frantically pulling at compartments and cupholders, then she opened one of the sun-blocker mirrors, and out fell a small silver object.
"The keys are here! I'll get it started!" Chizuru exclaimed. She turned to the others. "Can you guys see if you can get people on here? We can fit a lot!"
Soryan said nothing, but he brought his bat to bear, as did Wakaba ready her bow.
"We'll do what we can," Kasumi replied. She twirled her spear, flourishing it before facing the approaching horde. The wall of Zs was still very far, but it didn't take them long to overwhelm an area. The group cringed when they saw people in the distance getting horrifically maimed, tripping before getting torn apart by the horde.
Mitchell wordlessly strode away as he started calling out to nearby citizens. "HEY! GET TO OUR BUS! MOVE YOUR ASSES, PEOPLE! MOVE!"
At his command, passerbys turned, and when they heard the bus's engine roar to life, they rushed frantically towards it. Many others ran past, either unaware, or pessimistic.
The American caught sight of a purple-haired woman carrying an infant, just barely out-pacing a group of Zs that surrounded her, stumbling over cars, climbing over vehicles with little intelligence to get to her. Seeing her plight, Mitchell wasted no time, and he rushed to her. Suddenly, a Z swiped at her, and in her attempt to dodge, she stumbled. Before any more could be done, Mitchell arrived, and he pulled the woman up and pushed her behind him, stepping towards the Z that had attempted to take her. With clenched teeth behind closed lips, he viciously kicked the zombie's center mass. It was launched backwards into the rest of the group, causing them to tumble into a groaning heap.
With the woman now free to run towards the bus, Mitchell turned and saw a small group of citizens atop a sedan, Zs clawing at their feet as the survivors yelped, crying out. He quickly sprinted over and noticed Yoshie among them. Quickly, the group noticed his approach and called out for help, but Mitchell's focus remained only on the Zs that surrounded the sedan.
"HEY ZACH!" he yelled in English as he drew near the sedan, stealing the Zs' attention, and they slowly whirled to him. Their focus now in his hands, Mitchell gripped his blade and unsheathed it with a single flourish. In a tight half-sword technique, he thrust his blade forward and stabbed into the nearest zombie's skull, destroying the brain and killing it instantly. As the second zombie began to move, Mitchell ripped his blade out of his adversary, and the corpse fell to the ground. Then, he immediately stepped forward with another half-sword technique, savagely slamming the pommel of his sword into the side of the Z's head. The strength of the blow forced the zombie's head through the passenger side window, where it lay unmoving, dead. The third and final Z lunged at Mitchell, but the man's adrenaline was through the roof, and he nimbly side-stepped into a pirouette, slicing into the Z's neck. He slashed powerfully, decapitating the Z in a smooth but vicious motion. More zombies approached but Mitchell focused on the wide-eyed citizens.
He pointed to the bus and yelled over the commotion. "THE BUS! FLY YOU FOOLS!"
The citizens jumped at his roar, but they quickly dismounted from the sedan, thanking him profusely as they ran for the bus. He noticed one gave him an irritated look for some weird reason, but he ignored it. His ears caught the sound of fighting, and he turned just in time to Soryan swing his bat with enough force to send a Z to the floor. The Cambodian roared his unusual insults.
"You scum-sucking sugar plum FRUIT BASKETS!" the Ung all but screamed, each word accompanied by a blow from his bat. "Mongrels! I'll send you all to Hell, you bloody fruit shop owners!"
A few pedestrians stopped only to gape at Soryan's inane ramblings before the moans of the Zs caught up to them, and they turned and ran, some for the bus, some into the distance.
Soryan yelled again as he swung his bat once more. "I'll turn your veins into colored rain!"
A Z crept up to him, but it was struck in the back of the head by an arrow. Even though it was already dead, Soryan turned around and struck its zygomatic bones anyways, dislocating its jaw. He eyed Wakaba, who gave him a gentle nod from atop the bus. He gave her a nod in return before the Zs came forth once more. He turned to them, but what took him by surprise was their object of focus: a dark-haired woman in a brown dress suit, a microphone in her hand. It was a news reporter. Though she was surprisingly quick on her feet, there were a number of Zs flanking her.
Soryan teethed his upper lips, and with a vicious growl, he sprinted towards her, tearing the Zs apart emotionally. "They'll find you all dead on the shoreline, with seagulls PICKING AT YA!"
At his inane roar, the Zs and the news reporter turned, eyeing him like he was a maniac. Soryan gave it no mind, and he swung for the head, clubbing the nearest Z's head, destroying its brain. The kill was just enough to allow the woman to escape safely, and with that, Soryan turned away, rushing back towards the bus.
Suddenly, Kasumi rushed past him, and in a burst of speed, she actually tore through the Zs, her steel spear stinging like a wasp, all whilst she leapt across the bridge like a cheetah. Her spear plunged into the head of the nearest Z, the flat end smacking another Z's head. Another Z swung at her, and she jumped and made her body flat in the air to dodge, grasping her spear and using it and the corpse on it as an anchor. As the Z's arm passed beneath her, her feet found purchase on the Z's face, and with a mighty kick that sent its head into a car hood, she flipped, pulling her spear from the corpse once her feet were towards the sky. Her feet landed on the face of another Z, sending their head into the back windshield of a car, and at the same time, her spear impaled a Z through the heart. Before it could react, she wrenched it out and stabbed it through the neck. She ripped it sideways, and in a perfect one-hundred-eighty degree spin, the spear slashed the neck of another Z as the back of her spear knocked the first one in the temple, killing both and sending them to the ground. Her knees bent, she rose to a stand as she flourished her spear, glaring at the Zs that continued to approach.
Soryan gaped at her like a fish out of water. "What the fuck, Kas?"
Mitchell looked away from the carnage. He had faith that his friends could handle themselves. His eyes fell on a girl wearing a pink and white dress who frantically sprinted across the tops of vehicles, just barely managing not to fall and get devoured by the Zs that reached up at her. She approached Mitchell quickly, but just as she neared him, she tripped on her own feet. Mitchell lunged forward, going low and reaching out his left arm to catch her. When he caught her over his shoulder, a Z suddenly reached out from under a nearby car, swiping at his legs. Instinctively, Mitchell harshly slammed the sole of his boot into the Z's face, then quickly backed away. He immediately set the girl down and pushed her towards the bus. "Get to the bus! Go!"
The girl nodded furiously and took off, giving him a thankful harrowed look, her limbs shaking. Mitchell quickly surveyed the area for any more survivors, but as he backed up toward the bus, all he saw were the endless hordes of staggering Zs, some of which fell off of the bridge due to their sheer volume alone. He couldn't see anyone else. At least, those that weren't dead or dying.
Mitchell turned and sprinted back to the bus, but a trio of Zs stumbled out in front of him. He readied his blade to take them down, only for an arrow to impale the side of the lead Z's skull, knocking it into its companions. The remaining two Zs stumbled from the sudden weight. Mitchell didn't stop as he rushed past, giving Wakaba a grateful two finger wave. To his slight amusement, she returned it.
On the other side of a few cars, Soryan smashed a Z in the arm, most definitely breaking a bone. The force was just enough to make it stumble, hampering the progression of a few more Zs. Once Soryan looked beyond the Zs before him and saw the wall of undead approaching, he turned and ran. A Z jumped at him, only for the butt of a spear to smack it away. Before his brain could process what happened, Kasumi gripped him by the arm and pulled him along without relent, practically diving into the bus. Once they were inside, Chizuru, who already had the bus on drive, electrically shut the doors.
Soryan looked around, making a quick head count, but he couldn't spot Wakaba. He realized: she was still on the roof. Zs were already throwing themselves at the bus. Teeth clenched, he surveyed the bus until he spotted the one thing most buses had in common—the emergency fire hatch.
"Mitchell! There!" Soryan pointed.
Mitchell, understanding Soryan's intent, and being the only one tall enough to reach it, hurriedly reached up and undid the seal, popping it open. "Waka! Get in here!" He shouted.
Wakaba quickly dropped her bow in, allowing Mitchell to catch it and immediately set it aside. The archer practically jumped in feet first. Mitchell saw a brief flash of white panties before he caught her and set her down, then reached up and closed the hatch.
"Okay! We can leave now!" Kasumi said, tapping Chizuru's shoulder urgently.
At Kasumi's words, the bus's engine roared, and with the space it was given, it began accelerating, pushing between the spaces of each lane, running over a few Zs and scraping against cars horribly, but finally escaping the grasp of the approaching horde.
Soon, the bus sped down the bridge. They were safe.
As the refugee bus sped down the eerily silent streets and away from the chaos, the Outcasts each gave their own antics of relief. That was yet another disaster narrowly avoided. How many brushes with death had they had in the past forty-eight hours? More than they should, that's for sure. At the moment though, none of them wanted to look back on it. For now, another problem arose with their short victory: where to now? Of course, that question was very quick to derail.
"So, uh, any idea where I should go? Because I have no idea," Chizuru asked, her eyes on the road.
"Don't ask me. I'm just as lost as you," Kasumi said tiredly. All that fighting was exhausting after the day she had. She needed a way to unwind, and she knew exactly how she would do it. She turned her attention to Soryan, who sat next to her, his back towards her, and skillfully, she put her lips by his ear and breathed. "By the way," she started, flattening her massive chest against his back, "you still haven't given me that massage."
"... Do you really need it?" he inquired, his voice shivering at the feeling of her sudden touch, slightly roughened by his enraged yelling.
Kasumi smiled softly. "Well, no. But it would certainly feel nice."
Soryan said nothing.
"I promise I won't moan too loudly this time," she assured him, a teasing grin on her lips.
"Yeah, ya probably shouldn't. Unless ya wanna give these guys here a free show," Mitchell cut in flatly, gesturing towards the other male survivors that sat at the rear of the bus.
Immediately, Kasumi's tease was broken, and she made a face. "...Yeah, I'll definitely keep it down." She stopped leaning on Soryan, who faced her as he sighed dramatically.
"Right then. Come here. Give me those shoulders." The moment his fingers touched Kasumi's back, she let out a light gasp. It would only be a matter of time before she failed to keep herself contained.
Mitchell shook his head at their antics. He turned to Wakaba, who sat beside him at the window. "Stellar shootin', Waka," he praised, nudging her with an arm. "You've been savin' our asses all day today."
Wakaba smiled, but she blushed at his praise, averting her eyes slightly. "Thank you, Mitch. You've been working pretty hard too, haven't you?" In a strange bout of confidence, she punched him lightly on the shoulder. "Reserve some praise for yourself!"
"Yes, ma'am," Mitchell smirked good-naturedly. He raised his fist for a fist bump. "Let's keep at it then, yeah?"
Wakaba beamed happily, and her fist met his. "Yes, sir," she echoed.
"Ah, just like that," Kasumi breathed quietly. Though she attempted to contain herself, both Mitchell and Wakaba could hear her tiny gasps and near non-existent peeps and moans. "Lower please."
"…" Soryan complied with her demand, but not before studying her delightful body. As he dutifully caressed her aching curves, he remembered seeing her leap and flip across the battlefield like a death machine in the body of an acrobat, and he shivered slightly knowing her prowess. He'd seen Kasumi go all out before, and yet she never ceased to amaze him. Where had Kasumi learnt such skill? "... You were a menace out there. I mean that in a good way, by the way."
"Is that so?" Kasumi inquired between grunts. "How close were you watching?" she teased. "Were you charmed by my skills?"
Soryan merely hummed. "I refuse to answer any of those questions," he replied. "I was just curious, that's why I brought it up. You were flipping like an acrobat. I don't think I'll ever get used to it. It's like watching a Donnie Yen movie."
Kasumi chuckled. "Thanks. I'm pretty awesome, aren't I?"
"I can't say that's untrue," Soryan muttered.
"What about you?" Kasumi turned, eyeing him with a grin. "If I was a menace, you were a bloody maniac."
Soryan flushed with a straight face, but said nothing.
"Scum-sucking sugar plum fruit baskets? What goes on in your head sometimes?" She stopped to let out a moan. Soryan stopped, and he looked to the rear of the bus. A couple of guys were staring, but they did nothing else. His eyes narrowed, then he continued the massage.
"Really? I don't know sometimes. That's what you get when I don't think before I speak."
As Soryan and Kasumi conversed, Mitchell leaned forward, tapping Chizuru's arm. "I've been meanin' to ask, but do ya have anywhere you wanna go? I mean, you're drivin', Miss Rescue Leader."
Chizuru blinked, glancing back at him. "Huh? Rescue Leader? Aren't you guys the ones who saved these people?"
"Don't sell yourself so short, now. You were the first one who valiantly elected to save these poor helpless souls. We just answered your noble call. Rescue Leader Chizuru. It has a ring to it, doesn't it?" Mitchell drawled teasingly.
"Oh, stop it," Chizuru said, blushing. "Who said you could tease me?"
Mitchell shrugged, despite Chizuru not seeing the motion. "No one." He smirked, and you could hear it in his voice. "But ya signed up for this when you joined our little group. Especially if you're gonna be besties with Kas."
Chizuru blinked. "Duly noted." She felt the need to retort. A small smirk formed on her lips. "Doesn't that work both ways, though? I hope you know what you're getting yourself into, cowboy."
"Pfff, bring your best then. Compared to the massage addict over there, you've got your work cut out for ya," Mitchell replied, brow raised in challenge. Wakaba just shook her head in amusement at the exchange, hiding a smile behind her hand.
Mitchell returned to his previous topic. "So, anywhere ya wanna go?"
Chizuru shook her head. "No, not really. I was living on my own when all this happened. My parents are overseas in Europe."
Mitchell's eyes softened. "I see. Well, we'll help ya survive so you can see 'em again. Just stick with us."
Chizuru hummed in affirmation. She gained a slightly teasing air. "I'll be relying on you guys. Please take care of me."
"Mhm! I'm looking forward to working with you, Chizuru-san," Wakaba said suddenly.
Chizuru looked over at the archer. "You don't have to be so formal. Just call me Chizuru. It's easier that way."
"Uh, okay then."
Across from Mitchell, Soryan eyed the people at the back of the bus—the males, to be exact. Kasumi's volume had risen, and while the guys had been staring earlier, now they were leering. Soryan put his mouth by Kasumi's ear. "Kas, I don't mean to worry you, but your little symphony has an audience now."
"What?" Kasumi gasped.
"People are staring. People are legitimately getting off to this."
"See, Kas? What did I tell ya?" Mitchell rolled his eyes and turned to glare warningly at the peanut gallery.
"Ah. That's enough, Sor," Kasumi said quickly. She ducked down into her seat, using Soryan as a blind. Considering that she was three inches taller than him, it worked only moderately.
"Right then," Soryan breathed. He decided to stare straight ahead, until he felt a tap at his side. He looked over, and he saw Kasumi gazing at him with genuine eyes.
"Thanks, by the way. For the massage I mean. It honestly, really helps." She gave him a small smile.
Soryan stared at her, then he gave a small smile of his own. "Yeah… sure."
From behind the Outcasts, two sets of footsteps approached, and they turned to see Yoshie approaching with a small smile and a woman beside her. The woman wore a pink form-fitting halter top with a yellow undershirt and a beige skirt. She had waist length light brown hair and soft brown eyes. The woman wore a grateful look, directed at Mitchell.
"Hello again," Yoshie greeted warmly with a small wave. "Seems it's thanks to you guys we survived that nightmare. Thank you for that." She smiled at Mitchell. "You especially. You saved our lives back there. Also, those two over there say thanks for saving them." She jerked a thumb a couple of seats back.
Mitchell craned his neck to see the girl he had saved waving sheepishly at him with a small smile. From across the aisle next to the girl, the purple haired woman with the infant bowed her head at him. He shifted uncomfortably as the woman beside Yoshie spoke up, looking directly at him. "Yes, thank you very much for saving us. You were very brave. All of you were." She smiled a light-hearted, cheerful smile. "I'm Chisato Murakawa. I'm glad to meet you!"
Mitchell did his damnedest not to look the slightest bit flustered, so as not to give any potential ammunition to his friends. "Nice to meetcha, Miss Murakawa. You too, Miss Kurahashi. It's nice seein' ya again. I'm Mitchell Marlowe." He greeted them with a neutral nod. "By the way, the real credit goes to Miss Rescue Leader—" he gestured to Chizuru, who's eyes widened at the mischievous twinkle in his eyes. "—who bravely sent us out to rescue you. You should thank her too."
"Really? Well! Thank you very much, Rescue Leader-san!" Chisato completely missed Mitchell's undertones and genuinely thanked the girl. It took everything Mitchell had not to laugh at Chizuru's beet red face.
"T-There's no need! I'm Chizuru Takahashi, by the way. Nice to meet you both," Chizuru stuttered, fighting her blush. She gave Mitchell a look that promised payback.
Wakaba waved timidly. "Hello again, Kurahashi-san. And it's nice to meet you too, Murakawa-san. I'm Wakaba Otonashi."
"Yep, nice to meet ya again, Yoshie-san," Kasumi nodded. "You too, Chisato-san. I'm Kasumi Mizuhara."
Next to her, Soryan gazed at the new arrivals. He kept a straight face as he greeted them. "Hey, I'm Soryan Ung," he said simply. He inhaled deeply, then exhaled before eyeing Mitchell. He gave the American a single, indecipherable nod.
Mitchell merely shrugged. He looked at Chisato and Yoshie. "It's no problem. Don't mention it. Sorry I yelled at y'all."
"Mhm! Don't worry, it's fine. I understand it was a pretty intense situation. Thanks again," Chisato reiterated. Yoshie nodded back at him, a small smirk on her face.
At Chisato's thanks, there was an obnoxiously loud grumble that emitted from somewhere at the back of the bus. Immediately, a wave of exasperation came over Chisato. Pretentious, almost child-like stomps echoed from the rear of the bus, and everyone in the bus excluding Chizuru turned. A painfully skinny, rat-faced boy walked towards them with clenched teeth and beady, glaring eyes. Chisato covered her face with her hands as the young man approached.
"Stop thanking him, Chisato." He pointed accusatively at Mitchell. "God, could you move any slower? If you weren't dragging your feet like an autist, I wouldn't have had to be in that situation in the first place. I nearly died. And here my sister is, thanking you."
Though only Kasumi heard it, the joints in Soryan's fingers popped harshly as he balled his fists. He did nothing irrational, but dear God he already loathed this man—the self-entitled could sometimes be the worst.
"Masao, why are you like this?" Chisato said, sighing in exasperation.
Mitchell just gave the irate boy a flat, unimpressed look. He looked over at the deathly embarrassed Chisato. "You have my sympathy, Miss Murakawa."
The boy, Masao, scoffed. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"I think he means you're an ass," Yoshie sassed, mirroring Mitchell's flat, unimpressed look.
"Oh, please, if anyone is the ass, it's him," Masao argued nonsensically. "Waving that big sword around like it makes you tough. I bet you keep it to compensate for something."
"If I'm compensatin' for somethin' by helpin' y'all, does that mean ya have nothin' at all—sittin' up there hidin' behind your sister?" The American replied, brow raised. He heard an amused snort from the driver's seat. He shook his head. "Go sit down, dude. You're actin' foolish."
"I agree. You weren't doing much of anything, I saw it myself," Wakaba added. "You have no right to be saying any of this."
"Preach, girl!" Kasumi gave the archer an approving grin. "Couldn't have put it better myself."
Soryan stared at the girl's witty assessment, then he glared at Masao. The manchild made to protest, but a hand was slapped over his lips.
"Masao! That's enough!" Chisato ordered. Before he could make any arguments, Chisato took the opportunity to drag the man away. "I'm so sorry about that!" she apologized, promptly pushing her petulant brother into an empty seat. Everyone near him scooted away from him.
Yoshie looked back at the Outcasts. "Well, now that he's gone, what's the plan? Anything you guys think we should do?"
"I don't think we should keep driving for the rest of the night," Soryan said. "If there is any relatively open area with unobscured sightlines that are not occupied by zombies, we can settle down there, kill the engine, and get some rest for the night."
"Found one," Mitchell drawled, flicking a thumb at a wide, deserted parking lot coming up.
"Damn dude, I said find an open area, I didn't say speedrun," Soryan blurted.
Wakaba giggled at that and Kasumi smiled. Yoshie just shook her head with a smile.
With a smirk of amusement, Chizuru slowly pulled into the lot, wordlessly agreeing with their assessment. She parked in the very center, and after a moment, she cut the engine, but kept the dim-lights on, just enough to slightly illuminate the interior of the bus.
With a sigh, Soryan stood, and he turned to the survivors, each one staring at him. "Right, can we all come to the unanimous agreement that it would be better to get moving during the day when we can actually see shit? I don't want to deal with the zombies that we can't see. Moreso, a massive bus with bright lights will probably attract unwanted attention—considering that people are already killing each other for the most trivial complications."
"And we don't have to deal with a pedophile and his cult, unlike the last time we were on a bus—which means we can get some actual sleep. Nap-time it is," Mitchell sighed quietly, leaning back in his seat to get comfortable. Wakaba wordlessly did the same, leaning on his shoulder.
"You lot better get some rest. You're probably going to need it," Soryan finished. With that statement, he sat back down. Kasumi shuffled next to him, and he looked at her. "You alright?"
"Yeah I'm fine, it's just that this sleeping arrangement might be awkward," she replied.
Soryan raised a brow. "How so?"
"I, well… can I lean on your shoulder?" The question was surprisingly timid. Her eyes kept darting towards Wakaba. "It's just, having nothing to actually lay down on is a little…"
"Sure."
"Thanks." She did so, shaking her hips to make herself comfortable. Soryan simply refused to think about it, and he closed his eyes.
Between the Outcasts, only the newly indoctrinated Chizuru sat awake, perplexed, and she stared back at Yoshie, who was similarly surprised. The woman gave an asking gesture, to which Chizuru replied with an unknowing shrug. After a moment, Yoshie returned to her seat. Chizuru stared after her. She looked between her new unlikely travelling companions, and her thoughts drifted to what she'd seen them do, and their strange little group dynamic.
For a bunch of teenagers, they were exceptionally skilled, and each of them had a defined personality that made them unique. They were interesting… awesome, even. They were unusually endearing—from the little she'd spent by their sides, she had a good time, and she wouldn't mind staying with them longer.
As she readied herself for the sweet embrace of unconsciousness, she decided that she'd made a good choice. If she stayed with them, then the future may be bright.
A/N: Too much? A lot can happen in one day. So yeah, Chizuru is a part of the team now, so to speak.
RPG Proficient: Yeah, that happened. It's good to be back working on this story though. We haven't forgotten. I was finally inspired enough by SYD's Demon Lord story that I created my own MGE fic. So, yay?