Glad you guys enjoyed the last chapter – I just thought some funny-funnies would be good to kick-start the zombie-bashing
"This place looks pretty well-kept," Iza said quietly. "We could hole up here for a while. I don't think any of 'them' could get in. Easily," she added after a second of thought.
Aria sighed to herself. No one seemed to be arguing with her.
Mei nodded firmly. "I agree with Iza," she told them. Her tone said something else, as well: "Disagree and you'll be sorry."
"It's true," Wendy added. "And while we wait, I can help with any injuries – I could even check to see if we've all fully recovered from the tranquilisers."
With a huff, Mei stalked over to a chair at the table, clear disgust on her face. "Stay the fuck away from me, shrimp," she growled, "and maybe I won't kill you."
Aria cast a look at Alec. It was one that asked if he was going to intervene, or if he was going to sit in the sidelines. Alec simply shrugged with a grin.
"I'm not the only guy anymore," he told her, "so bitch to your heart's content."
Displeased with how he had put it, she looked to the black-haired girl with a scowl. "What is your problem?" she demanded. "This kid – this brave kid who was randomly thrown into this mess like everyone else – is trying to help, and you're just pushing her away like she's a friggin'–" She growled at herself. "Name something you can't stand."
"Kids," Mei spat. "I de-fucking-spise kids, schizo!"
Aria threw her hands up in frustration and stalked over to one of the windows. It seemed that they were on the floor above the ground floor, which kind of explained the elevator at the end of the hall outside. Taking a peek outside, she assessed the building's surroundings – or at least the road outside and anything else visible.
The road was devoid of life and was filled with abandoned cars, random bits of rubbish from open cars flying about it the slight wind. Never in her life had Aria imagined being so isolated from humans – from anything alive, actually. All she had for company now was the group behind her, and she wasn't sure she liked what she'd landed with: a girl with obvious anger issues that swore off her head every five minutes and hated kids; another girl that was just too optimistic about all this and always kept her hand by her sword as though she were ready to attack them at any given moment; a little girl that was going to be traumatised or insane by the time she died in this hellhole – or got killed by Mei, either of the deaths would have her insane and disturbed; then there was the fourteen-year-old that had helped kidnap them and then randomly decided to do a good deed and free them, as well as killed his own previous comrades in the process; and then there was Alec. If anything, he probably enjoyed living this kind of life – the life that involved killing to survive and the life that involved the rule of do-or-die. He had also seemed to want to be the one to kill Wendy's older brother, too.
Then again, Aria was one to talk. Sure, she was at war with her mind, liked the idea of using her sword to cut shit that moves, and even had a history of talking to herself over stupid things. Everyone else was probably thinking the same thing she was: How the crap did they end up huddling together for their lives?
Freddy cleared his throat, walking over to Aria with Alec by his side. From how Freddy spoke at times, she could tell he still needed to brush up on his Japanese. It was a good thing at least one person in the group was fluent in both Japanese and English.
"'Sup?" she asked them both. Freddy was the one who answered, speaking English.
"There're other rooms we can use here," he explained. "I've never looked through any of them – not yet, at least – and I think there's a room with a working TV in it." He paused, considered his previous sentence. "The power wouldn't cut off yet, would it?"
Aria glanced at the lifeless street outside once more, then shoved her hands into her jacket pockets, shrugging with a nod. "Let's check it out, then," she replied.
Freddy nodded in response and walked over to the door leading out of the room, waiting for whoever was coming with him. Alec walked over, Aria speaking as she followed.
"Girls," she announced. "We're going to see what other rooms are here. And there's apparently a TV, so I think it might be best to look for any news programs."
"Whatever, schizo," Mei grumbled. "I'm staying put."
Wendy frowned. "I don't think I'll go, either," she told them. "I'd rather stay here."
Iza sighed, smiling slightly. "I guess I have to stay, in case Mei tries to kill Wendy."
Repressing a shudder, Aria wondered if Iza was psychic, what with her voicing what Aria had previously thought.
"Alrighty," Alec decided. "We three will go searching yonder for supplies and shit."
Aria rolled her eyes. "Searching yonder for supplies and shit," she repeated. "Do you always talk like this?"
"Depends." He grinned. "Do you always say 'shut up' at random points in your life for no apparent reason?"
Mumbling something along the lines of, "Touché," Aria nodded for Freddy to lead the way. The fourteen-year-old turned and left the room, leaving the two seventeen-year-olds to follow, and he led them to a door near the end of the hall outside. Next to the door was the stairs that led to the next floor, as well as a wall with a simple window on it.
Alec raised his AKM silently and held it just at shoulder level, preparing to shoot if something inhuman was in the room. Freddy reached for the knob, only to be stopped by Aria.
"If something's in there," she whispered, "you won't have enough time to shoot it. I'll go first – I can get out my dagger pretty quickly, if I have to."
He took a step back from the door as Aria took a step forward, one hand reaching behind her and one hand reaching for the doorknob. She wrapped her fingers around it and twisted, quickly flinging the door open and drawing her dagger. The three let out a breath. Nothing was inside.
Aria walked into the room eagerly, taking in what was there. All along the walls was bare, save for an air conditioner and a flat screen TV positioned perfectly on the far wall. There was a refrigerator – really, a mini-freezer – underneath a bench that had a sink and some mugs already on it, waiting to be washed. Alec opened the mini-freezer and let out a low whistle.
"Nice," he said, satisfied. Both Aria and Freddy looked over to where he was, curious as to what he was satisfied about. Alec, as if answering an unasked question, held out something that had been stored in the mini-freezer: a glass bottle filled with a clear brown liquid. Alcohol.
Aria let out a chuckle. "Dude, the drinking games we could play..." she said to herself.
Alec seemed to hear this and he was nodding in agreement. He placed the bottle back in the mini-freezer and stood, revealing at least seven more large bottles of the stuff before kicking the door shut with his foot. Aria moved on to a set of drawers, pulling open the first one. Inside was a change of clothes – mainly men's clothing and underwear for both men and women. After rifling around for anything that would fit them, she moved on to the next drawer, finding it full of electronics – mobile phones, iPods, TV remotes–
Without thinking, she grabbed for one of the remotes and clicked the power button, aiming it at the flat screen on the wall. Nothing happened. She picked up another one, repeating her actions, only succeeding in turning on the AC across the room. She frantically turned it off, earning confused looks from the boys. She picked up the third remote and closed her eyes, clicking the power button. The sound of a news anchor – Izanagi Ryugu – filled the room quietly.
"If you are just joining us, there has been an outbreak of what officials are labelling as 'Murder Syndrome,'" he reported. "Symptoms of the Syndrome include biting people and passing out before suddenly attacking people nearby. Sufferers have been shown to have paled skin and trouble breathing, but that is all reports have noted."
"Hey," Alec said quietly, walking over. "Turn it up."
Aria did so cautiously, turning it up only by a few bars.
"So far the Murder Syndrome has spread over the majority of Japan's east and has already seeped into the south and north. No reports of the Syndrome have come from the west, but local paramedics say it is only a matter of time."
At a loss for words, Aria's finger hovered over the channel seek button. She hesitated before glancing at Alec.
"What channel is the world news?" she asked, almost inaudible. Alec looked down at her, a question in his expression.
"What?" he asked. Aria frowned.
"World news," she repeated with force. "What channel? I need to see what's happening in England!"
Alec took the remote from Aria and changed the channel, landing on the station that reported international issues. The 'Murder Syndrome' was all over this channel, too. It was currently a report about how much of Europe had been infected with it.
A woman with dark grey hair and glasses was sitting at the desk, a serious look on her face. "Like the Black Death, the new Murder Syndrome has made its way quickly through Europe, already consuming France and Germany and slowly making its way through the UK." Aria's eyes went wide and she stifled a gasp. That meant– "Concerning countries such as Australia and New Zealand, we are unable to disclose the current situation. We can, however, confirm that the Murder Syndrome is indeed worldwide."
Feeling her energy leave her, Aria sat down slowly onto the floor, swallowing a rising lump in her throat. Alec turned off the TV and the boys stood in silence. Freddy finally said something in Japanese.
"I'll go with the girls," he told Alec. Alec nodded and Freddy quickly left the room, saying nothing more as his footsteps told Aria he was out in the hall.
She heard Alec open the mini-freezer and pull out one of the bottles, and then she heard him grab two glasses from somewhere else. Finally, he sat himself down next to her and poured the liquor into the glasses.
"In times of horrible realisation," he told her, "it is best to drink something that numbs the pain."
He held out a glass for Aria to take. She took it. After sniffing the drink suspiciously, she swallowed it all in one gulp.
He placed a hand on the doorknob and twisted it carefully, silently opening the door. Jun's grip tightened on his jacket, but Roberto hardly noticed. He was too focused on getting inside the building without signalling his whereabouts to any of 'them' inside.
The door revealed a dark and empty room, as well as someone crouched in the corner, a sabre in their possession. Roberto took a step into the room, followed by an uncertain Jun, and he reached for his katana cautiously.
"Excuse me," he said. The person in the corner gasped and stood.
"People?" a girl's voice inquired.
"Uh... Yeah," Roberto replied. "Are you okay?"
She stepped out from the corner and ran over. A smile was on her face – a relieved one – and her hazel eyes regarded them happily.
"I'm fine," she told him. Roberto felt Jun's grip tighten on his jacket. "If you hadn't come when you did, I'd probably have gone mad from the silence. Well, aside from the gunshots above. Ooh, is that why you're here? Because you'd better have something to defend yourself with if you're going up."
Raising an eyebrow, Roberto said, "When did you get here?"
She sighed. "I was simply walking away from the chaos – and suffering through the silence – and then I heard a little girl yell out something about a tranquiliser." She shrugged, looking worried. "When I got there, I saw these men carrying some people our age and a little girl toward this building, so I hid on the first floor entrance and waited to ambush them." At that, she grinned. "I probably wouldn't have gotten far with that, though, huh?"
He shrugged and looked around. Cautiously, he took a step into the room. "Is there an elevator?" he asked. "I mean, you said this is the first floor. That means there're others."
"Duh," she laughed. "Obviously." She pointed over to her right with her sabre. "Over there."
Roberto nodded and held out a hand. "I'm Roberto," he said. "What's your name?"
She grinned again, seeming more and more friendly with each passing second. "I'm Misora, but you can call me Sora," she replied. She took his hand and shook it, then looked to Jun. "What's your name?"
Jun took a slight step back and tried to pull Roberto with him, muttering, "Jun," under his breath.
Sora nodded. "Pleasure to meet you two," she said. "Now, are you sure you're going to be able to protect yourself while going up there?"
Roberto sighed and reached behind him, unsheathing his katana. Sora let out a breath.
"Then I'll come, too."
She was still glaring at the shrimp, displeased that they were in the same room. It was a relief that Iza had decided to stay, but it wasn't enough of a relief to ignore the fact that the kid was there, sitting by the window and watching the sky.
Iza glanced between Mei and Wendy, a pondering look on her face. Finally, she smiled and said, "Wendy, how long have you known Aria and Alec?"
Wendy didn't look away from the window. "As long as you two," she said simply. Mei scowled. The kid was hiding something.
"Bullshit," she growled. "You've known them longer."
"Technically," she began. Wendy seemed to think better of what she was about to say and went back to quietly gazing out the window.
"Technically what?" Mei pressed. She could see Wendy tightening her hands into fists. This was obviously bugging her.
"Technically," she started again, "I've known them since around this morning – when they–" She gulped. "When they killed my brother."
Iza frowned and look down while Mei simply smiled cruelly. If only this happened to all the little shits in the world. "You probably deserved it," she said. "Deserved to be left alone and with the pain of being with your brother's murderers."
Wendy turned to her, her face missing any kid of negative emotion. "I probably do," she agreed. "But Kozan didn't." She smiled suddenly, looking down at her hands. "But I forgive them – Aria and Alec. If they hadn't killed him, he would've turned into one of 'them' and I'd probably be one, too. I guess, in a way, they saved me from that fate."
Iza smiled and stood, making her way to Wendy. "A wonderful way to put it," she told her. Mei had to agree, it was a good way to put it. Then again, it was a bad way as well – they'd saved a little kid; one of the very things she couldn't stand to think of, let alone see.
"Mei," Wendy said. Mei's head shot up, wondering what the fuck the thing wanted. "I know you don't like me, but is it okay if I like you? I mean, you're pretty brave – you went after that guy, even when he had a gun, and you stuck with us up till now." Wendy chuckled to herself. "You can even put up with Aria."
Unsure of what to say, Mei simply pouted and looked away, choosing to ignore the kid rather than answer her. It was true, though – she was able to put up with the schizo.
The door opened and the American kid they'd 'recruited' (Alec's words, not hers) walked inside, frowning. He sat down on one of the chairs and sighed.
"It's worldwide," he told them. No one needed to be told what. It was that damn zombie disease.
A ding came from outside the room, causing them all to freeze and glance at each other. Freddy sat up and reached for his gun while Iza drew her sword silently. Mei stood and clenched her fists, ready to beat the shit out of their intruder. Wendy simply got up and hid near the table, keeping a lookout on the door.
Three sets of footsteps followed, no other sound from the intruders. Freddy made his way to the door, gun ready as he turned out of the room and aimed it.
Shit.
Slowly, Roberto and Sora raised their arms in surrender, clearly outgunned by the two guys in the hall. One of them – the older one with black hair and a cigarette in his mouth – grinned.
"Great minds think alike," he said to himself. The grin fell as his attention was turned back to the three in front of the elevator. "Who are you people?"
"My name is Roberto de Jesús McGrath," Roberto quickly said. "The girl is Misora and the boy is Jun. Tell me, did you fire a gun two times just before?"
The guy with the cigarette looked to the younger one. He frowned and looked back to Roberto. "Yes," he said reluctantly. "You heard?"
Roberto nodded, not saying a word, and then two more people burst out of the room behind the younger one.
"M-Mei!" one of them – a white-haired girl – was shouting. "Calm down!"
The other one – the black-haired one – didn't seem to want to do as her friend said. "Why the fuck aren't we hearing a fucking gunshot?" she demanded. Her gaze was turned to the older boy and she scowled. "And where the fuck did you find a fucking cancer stick?"
Another person, this time from the older one's door, walked out, a frustrated expression on her face. She let out a sigh when she caught sight of the scene before her.
"Guys, guys," she said, raising her voice slightly. "Put down the damn guns and let them in. There's always strength in numbers, right?"
"And just what the fuck were you doing, Schizo?" the black-haired girl snarled. Schizo didn't seem fazed by her sentence. In fact, she seemed a little calm.
"I was watching the news," she replied matter-of-factly. "And I learned that this is bigger than we thought."
The guy with the cigarette slowly lowered his guns, grinning again. "I hope you know that weakness also comes in numbers," he told her. She smiled slightly, amused.
"Oh, I know," she replied coolly. "Freddy, you too."
The younger one – Freddy – lowered his gun at last, glancing between them all. He seemed a little confused, to say the least.
"What now?"
Schizo walked forward and stood before them, her smile replaced by a serious face. "I'm Aria," she said. "You guys are Roberto, Misora and Jun – I heard. The one that keeps cursing is Mei, the one holding her back is Iza, and– Oh, where's Wendy?"
"I'm Alec, by the way," the cigarette guy cut in. "That's Freddy."
One more person joined them, and she looked to be around twelve or so. She must've been Wendy. "I'm right here," she announced, letting Aria know where she was.
Roberto stared at them, confusion creeping in fast, and blinked in the hopes it would clear his head. No such luck.
"Well then," Aria said, grinning cheekily. "Let's get you guys settled in."
The situation was making Aria's brain hurt. Or maybe it was the alcohol? She couldn't tell, but it was probably the situation – she only had one drink, and she seemed to be holding her liquor well. But she was once again led to question how the group had managed to come together. Now she was stuck with a guy that fit the description of tall, dark, and silent, a blind chef that came with the previous guy, and a chatterbox that had been apparently on the floor below while Aria and the gang were busy being held hostage.
God, no wonder her brain was hurting.
Should've just killed them when you had the chance.
Shock replaced the confusion in her. That wasn't the little voice – that was her.
She shook her head, frustrated with herself. It could be a side-effect. Side-effect of what, though? It couldn't be from that – it'd been two years since the immunisation. And the effects would've been shown with her dad.
It wasn't a side-effect. She'd always been like this – especially when Holly was born. The point was that it was getting worse.
"Something on your mind?"
The speaker snapped her out of her unpleasant reverie. She turned her head toward them, meeting the curious eyes of Iza. The younger girl cocked her head to the side.
"You seem troubled."
Aria shrugged and half-shut her eyes, thoughts creeping back to her. The news had said it was worldwide. It had even said that the UK was slowly losing to the so-called 'Murder Syndrome'. They all knew it wasn't a syndrome, though – it was a disease.
"I'm just contemplating," Aria replied finally.
"Contemplating what?"
Aria let out a weak laugh. What, indeed. The fact that her country won't survive, more so her family? Or the fact that she was becoming, well, not herself?
"Stuff."
Alec looked around the first floor lobby lazily, wondering how someone like Misora could've stayed down there during the approaching evening. The sun was already starting to set, and Alec could just make out a few stars in the sky, already coming out early. Which one was the bright one? Venus? Jupiter? Or was it Mars?
He let out a yawn and scratched the back of his neck, glancing around. The power hadn't been cut yet, but turning on the lights would be pretty bad. That would attract survivors, and some survivors with bites would come. If one got in, they'd all be doomed.
Maybe not Alec, though. He could hold his own. He wasn't sure about anyone else. Jun and Wendy would hold them back, being the youngest girl and the blind guy in the group. Neither had any weapons on them, either. If he knew anyone from observing them in one day, they'd try to help them. Alec, on the other hand, would try to help himself. The world was going to Hell, and there was never going to be any room for generosity or heroism. Just survival.
He paced through the lobby, passing the front desk curiously. He wondered if this was a hotel, but it seemed impossible – unless they were being held in some kind of storage room. Then again, wouldn't the storage room be on the ground level?
A loud ring made him jump, and he quickly whirled around to face the source. The ring came again, followed by a small, flashing red light. A phone!
He made a beeline for the desk, vaulting over it, and then he picked up the receiver quickly.
"Hello?" he said casually. The voice on the other end was panicked.
"H-Hello? This is Macey Harper. Thank goodness someone picked up."
"Um..." Alec stared at the phone, unsure of what to do. Play along, or say the place was abandoned of its workers? "Who?"
"Macey Harper," the woman repeated, insistent. "Please, you have to help me. Help us. We're stuck inside our house and those things don't know we're in here."
"Ma'am," Alec sighed. "Our group is big enough as it is and I don't think–"
"Please!" Sobbing followed, as well as another voice. Probably that of a young girl. "Help us."
And that leaves it open for one more introductory chapter. That means the next chapter involves zombie bashing ^^
As usual, if I got anything wrong, please let me know. And for those curious about what Aria's thinking about near the end...I'm not telling :D
~Miki