Hello fellow readers! After spending so many years reading stories and seeing so many come and go from this site. I know I existed here long before many great writers graced this website with their ideals. After sitting in the dark, I decided to finally try my hand at writing, see where it goes, and maybe attempt to bring something to the light of day! I don't mind criticism as long as it is constructive to enrich my fledging skills.

Without further ado, here's my first story.

Disclaimer: Do not own Naruto nor Highschool Of The Dead.


The relentless rain continued to render its liquid sheen throughout the devastated metropolis, giving it the feeling that it was slanting ever more over the edge of the abyss into the ravenous jaws of the void. Stopped cars piled the roadway with most of them parked haphazardly around each other or on top of one another as the former owners ditched the safety of the vehicles and assumedly traversed on foot to escape the terror that had befallen the downtown district.

Outside the dead stillness, lights and sounds would've spilled from the many patronages that overlooked the populated area. Sounds of men and women going about their business would have filtered into the streets as traffic ebbed and flowed onwards.

Several boutiques lined the street bore broken-out windows and torn-off doors from prior looters or undead. Luggage or other kinds of baggage layed ditched and knocked over, with nearby vendor stalls left in total disarray. Newspapers and ramen carts were flung about like a hurried uproar ravaged them. The lights from a nearby cafe flickered on and off, showing half-eaten bodies still littering the sidewalks or hanging out of cars or windows, with some of them still erratically grasping at the air. Broken glass lay everywhere like ghoulish confetti. All that was missing was someone jumping out and saying welcome to the bash like it was a morbid Halloween party.

Everything in view felt like a tomb for the souls lost during the night, with no proper ending for the affliction gripping the district in its unrelenting grasp.

Two individuals continued to run within the downpour with duffle bags and backpacks filled to the brim with supplies that could keep their holdout going a while longer. At least until someone from the outside world finally decided to do something beyond leaving them to their fate...

Zigzagging among wrecked or abandoned cars, Rei Miyamoto and Yuuki Miku were average everyday high schoolers until an unbeknownst illness ran unhindered in the Japanese countryside. Some didn't pay much attention as the effects were flu-like, and the Japanese administration assured them there was nothing to worry about. The local government played it off as the start of Flu season and that everyone just needed their flu shot and a few days of bed rest.

It wasn't until they heard of bizarre murders and people acting in a stoic yet demented state that bred all sorts of concerns in the more rural areas of Japan. Uncontrollable hunger for human flesh and individuals rose once more after the feasting upon the body ceased. Those same individuals could somehow walk around and move with lethal wounds or have their chests completely ripped open, all signs of life vacant from their eyes and actions.

It took days for things to start tumbling down and only a few months for the entire island nation to show the manifestation of fragmentation into factions or other bidding power bases at the seams of what was once a functioning bureaucracy. Much like what you saw in horror movies, these things didn't care how they got fed. Only that you had to be alive when they overwhelmed and yanked your guts out of your chest, you couldn't reason or plea with them, and they wouldn't stop until every scrap of human flesh was down their rotting gullets.

Reaching the alcove of a nearby bank, Rei and Yuuki leaned against an alley wall, peering out to monitor the stumbling dead who had lost eyesight of them around a towering delivery truck.

A swinging sign above them swayed in the current and created a tempo of 'tings' against the metal of the rusting pole beside it in the bellowing wind of the night sky. A nearby groan raised their awareness, and the redheads correlated with the closest shambling figure who had spotted their crouching stance against the wall.

A grimace marred Rei's lips as she never understood how these lifeless things could tell who was alive among those already dead. Did they have some life detection that made it easy for them to hone onto targets that still had a heartbeat? Even in this raging rainstorm, the zombie had no trouble finding where they were. Without either girl realizing the sign near them gave away their position with all the commotion it caused.

Before Rei could unholster her weapon from her belt, Yuuki sprang forth, already mid-swing, cracking her baton into the rotting skull of the imminent threat as it soughed and mewled until a wet plop of its head being busted open like a ripe melon being dropped roughly on the floor was heard.

She flicked the weapon a few times to get the brain matter or bodily fluids from it before Yuuki slipped her baton back onto her pack and returned to Rei's side. Much of their survivability was all thanks to their Sensei, who kept them alive throughout the ordeal that befell their homeland, taking a bunch of teenagers that had never seen combat outside of video games and readying them to adapt and prevail in a world that seemed like it was circling the drain.

Thoughts of that whiskered man touched Rei's mind briefly. He was a true godsend when initial confusion and chaos at the Fujimi Academy broke out when the zombies breached the school, and he's been something like the group's guardian angel ever since.

"What's the plan, Snips? The undead is getting denser and denser. We need to get off this street before the horde finds us." Yuuki says in a soft tone. "We might need to ask Sensei to provide a distraction to get this undead wall to disperse enough for us to get through," she implied, utilizing the radio to see if the retired shinobi could provide backup.

Rei said nothing at first outside of scanning the area from their small hideaway within the alley. The temptation to ask Naruto for help did appear reasonable for their current predicament. Still, one of the lessons he had been trying to teach was him getting them to figure out things on their own rather than utterly depend on him for survival.

This was a harsh lesson Miyamoto took to heart after Hisashi tried protecting her from an infected teacher before getting bit and becoming infected himself. Being forced to put down her former boyfriend after he became a zombie, that feeling of helplessness in the aftermath spurred her on to ensure she would never be powerless again, even though the pang in her heart will always remain.

I won't always be there when you need me, much like what happened with Igou. Every one of you can make it through this crisis. Because I believe in each in every one of you... It doesn't matter how bad things get. Sensei is always in your corner where ever you go!

Seeing how huddled the dead became during their aimless wanderings, she peered toward the Ryokan Inn across the street. She could take the connecting road off Kunimoto and move toward the recreation district. With many of the streets still heavily clogged with wreckage, the alleyways were the only thing left to keep them from being swamped out in the open.

Her gaze happened to catch on to some posters for the Yomiuri Giants with a short intake of the date; Miyamoto realized it was now later in the evening of September 24th. The Yomiuri had been playing not too long ago before things went to hell; it made sense why so many people were around here and why the lifeless were so numerous.

Nudging her friend, they took the alleyway they had been hiding in as she decided to move towards E Huron and maybe take the adjacent street past the many love hotels and possibly be able to get back to their hideout within the adjoining apartments that they set up as a home base.

After the duo stepped over an abundance of baseball hats that littered the dark alleyway, outside of the heavy pelting of the cold water falling from the heavens and the slush-like sound of their shoes among the water-logged pavement, a soft gurgling sound brought them to a standstill before a figure thrust itself from the gloom in hopes of nabbing ahold of fresh prey.

Evading the sudden lunge of a man with half of his shirt torn off his torso. Deep burns lined half of the right side of his body, and even with the heavy rain plastering the narrow path, they could still smell the stink of burnt flesh that could make anyone's eyes water.

Readying her weapon once more, Yuuki strikes soundly at the man's kneecaps, compelling a faint crack to be heard, breaking the bone, and causing the zombie to face plant onto the ground. One thing they discovered from the first couple of days of the outbreak was that you didn't need to kill every zombie you came across.

Sometimes you need to incapacitate them or slow their movements until you break their line of sight.

They were moving once more as they dismissed the groans of the crawler that slowly dragged itself behind them. The duo continued their trek as they quickly moved from the alleyway to the street ahead. Rounding the corner to Kaigan Dori, a large hunk of cars welcomed them, with their path obstructed once again. Kaigan was the fastest way to reach the next district; still, Sanjo lay parallel to them. The route looked less compacted if they continued up Kunimoto with them, strolling towards a well-known eatery.

Matsuhisa Ramen House, or Matsuhisa-Chan's by the locals, was a well-known old fashion noodle house that cooked everything from scratch; it was one of Naruto Uzumaki's typical haunts for food and would take Shizuka out for dinner there sometimes, or if the whiskered blond had a colossal Ramen itch to scratch he would go there himself.

Sometimes Rei wondered if Mr. and Misses Beppu were still alive; she knew Naruto missed the way they made Ramen with how he would sulk over a 5-minute instant cup while muttering how it could be instant when it needed time to cook.

A buoyant among contraries that still makes her giggle to herself every time she sees the older man mope over something so trivial.

While they made their way down Kunimoto, A bus lay in between another pileup; with them noticing how the rig door was still open, they knew they could walk through and get out the backdoor to continue their journey. The foes that had been following in their steps wailed loudly to let them know they weren't losing interest as the voices of the dead slowly grew, with more and more undead seemingly coming out of nowhere to join swelling ranks.

A dog yelped somewhere in the distance, which should have been a common element in any community. Still, Rei couldn't help but tense up at her recollection of previous encounters with canines. Human zombies were a handful enough; zombie animals were entirely different, and they usually tried to avoid them the best they could.

Rei endeavored to muster her courage once more, unholstering her Glock, a gift from Rika, before the older woman left with the second group in an attempt to reach the Takagi Estate to see if anything was salvageable among the wreckage. She flips the safety off before stepping onto the leaning vehicle nestled among a sandwich of twisted steel and broken windshields. From the corner of her eye, she could see a body hanging out from one of the windows, but she forced her eyes to remain steady on the body still in the driver's seat of the bus.

The man operating the vehicle was unmoving and didn't look like he was getting up anytime soon. Still, Rei wasn't going to assume anything anymore. These things didn't play by the rules, and many would feign to be dead so that you could walk by them and give them a chance to bite you unawares.

With the hairs on her neck rising, the duo took their time climbing the bus steps. There was no need to take rash actions to arouse anyone lying in wait.

Sometimes it was best to let a somnolent zombie slumber.

The stench of blood and cessation became a living thing in her nose; you couldn't get used to how bad it reeked, and it took every ounce of willpower the duo could gather not to hurl right then.

Activity on the narrow floor of the aisle made both girls tense up. A few bodies remained in the seats, but one woman had fallen to the floor as she had most likely tried to escape. The legs dragged behind the infected woman were nothing more than chewing sticks of twisted gore of broken bone, ligament, and muscle that pulled behind her like the pitched skin of a snake after shedding its skin.

"I'll handle her; see if you can close the doors. That should stall the ones outside." Yuuki says while slipping from behind Rei with her weapon in hand.

Glassy brown eyes stared hungrily up at the approaching redhead before the weight of the girls' duffle bag was dumped onto the zombie's back. Thrashing wildly as its hands tried to grab anything, Yuuki placed the heel of her left foot onto the back of its neck, jumped up while using the seats between the aisles like a springboard, and landed heavily on its spine. She repeats this action several times before a sickening crack of the woman's neck snaps from the onslaught as the body goes limp.

With that out of the way, another groan emits from one of the seats as a male rises before getting his jaw busted by a baseball-style swing with its head firmly slammed into the metal siding.

"Anytime you are ready to close those doors, Snips..." Yuuki drones out while whirling the baton in her hand, keeping her eyes fixated on the remaining bodies still slumped over in the seats.

Blinking, the girl in question couldn't help but look sheepish as she turned to do the task she was asked to do. The driver was still not moving, yet his hand was still on the lever that would make the doors open or close. Her experience prompted her to ensure he wasn't pretending and just waiting for her to touch him.

Rei quickly digs into her duffle bag before pulling out a tennis ball. Taking the said ball with an underhand throw, it bonks harmlessly off the dead man's head as it remains motionless.

She repeats the act a couple more times, pressing the dead man with the small ball before tossing it out the doors as it thumps off a car nearby that causes the zombies outside to stop momentarily to check out the sudden noise.

Moving to the driver seat, Rei places one hand on the man's shoulder and her other hand on the door lever as she uses the dead man's hand to manipulate the controls.

She tries to push the lever down, it rasps a little, but nothing happens. She tries again, but the lever again refuses to move an itch.

Rei pushes down with all her weight as the console groans a little before the handle breaks off, almost causing the redhead to face plant onto the steering wheel, virtually falling on top of the dead driver.

"Trying to get something going there, red? Or zombie spoonage, a kink you wanted to conduct for the entire class. Just because it exists doesn't mean you need to share the love, ya know." The other redhead gibs with a jest of amusement at watching her survival partner essentially mount a dead guy.

Pulling herself up in a huff while still holding the handle, Rei flings the piece of scrap metal as it sails past Miku's head, making a resonating ping as it bounces off someone's still hunched over in one of the nearby seats. Before she angrily turns and kicks the folding doors close with a sound able click of them roughly touching the siding.

(Chuckles) "You could have done that at the start, then dry-humping your senseless boyfriend over there."

"Ha ha... Laugh it up, Miku..." Rei growls with an embarrassed blush on her cheeks, her eyes narrowing at the fact that Yuuki will more likely hold that little mishap over her head for quite a while.

"Oh, I am, and speaking of boyfriends. You should see what he wants as the man of the hour has a severe case of morning wood."

Turning, Rei could see and hear the dead bus driver as he made a dry gurgling sound with him starting to move and sit up. Before it could do anything, it was pistol-whipped repeatedly by the now infuriated redhead next to him before having his deteriorated skull forcefully driven through the cracked window beside him by a solid boot to the face.

"My, such a temper you have there. I guess Hisashi got off easy, huh."

"Oh, go fuck yourself!"

"I do; it's much more fun with Sensei, though."

"Y-you know what I mean!"

"Mhm, and once you are ready to be a real woman. You'll do the same too."

Blushing heavily, Miyamoto could only grumble as she secured her duffle bag before taking a few steps forward and saying. You ready or what?"

Yuuki made a sweeping gesture to the back of the bus to the door. "Waiting on you, Casanova. And do make sure not to tea bag anyone else before you leave."

Walking forward hotly with her eyes rolling at the barb thrown, Rei pulls the red lever down to release the emergency lock on the door and pushes it open. With an expelled breath, the duo jumped onto the ground below before hearing the sliding door opening intensely, with ravenous wails reverberating in the confined space.

Her knees gave a twang of discomfort when she hopped from the bus with the added weight of everything she carried and all the miles she ran. Even though her calves hollered for a breather, now wasn't the time to take a break.

Numerous zombies continued to leak into the streets, hearing their brethren howling excitedly about food.

Looking at each other once more with a subtle nod, they quickly race forward to the next set of alleys. Once again, renewing their quest to get home in one piece.


Sometime Later...


The small, dim alley ahead looked clear within the gloom, with a few garbage cans toppled over from an earlier disturbance, but nothing moved from within the darkness before the bend. Rei and Yuuki's steps were discreet and careful as the unfortunate effects of tiredness took their toll. They knew they had been running all afternoon and very late into the evening, put in foul weather and thoroughly soaked to the bone. You have two highly weary ladies that want to fall head-first into the nearest bed.

It was becoming evident that they had to get home soon, or one would collapse from exhaustion; all the training and conditioning in the world couldn't keep a body going when it ran out of gas.

Walking for a while, trying to peer into the dark the best they could, they could still hear the moans that parroted through the walls. Those damnable monsters made it feel like they encircled them in all corners, an uncomforting sound that could drive anyone to madness. The sound around the bend grew louder as they approached the edge of the cut. Peering around the intersection, they balked at the sight of so many of them; hundreds had to be tightly compacted among the debris and roadway.

Backpedaling backward a little to use the gloam as cover before kneeling, Miku whispers lowly while trying not to let the apprehension overtake her tone. "Any bright ideas, Rei? We know we can't go back the way we came, and it's tighter than a priest's asshole out on that street. And I doubt we got anything in our packs that could cut open a path without us giving them dinner for the night."

Unsureness marred Rei's face as this was beyond anything two people could handle. she doubted an entire army could fare better.

She strained her brain, attempting to find a solution, every variable that came to mind would be them screaming into the night as those things dined on fresh meat.

It looks like meat's back on the menu, boys!

A line from the lord of the rings rang in her ear suddenly. Almost mockingly, considering the goblin got his salad tossed and eaten by his brethren.

"The trash cans...!" Rei states in a low tone, with an idea coming to mind. "We can use those tossed cans we passed while coming up here."

"The rubbish bins? What are they supposed to do outside of us being courteous enough to give them a bin to toss our bones in after they eat us! Next, you're going to say we'll dress up like a pair of cafe maids and ask them if they want dessert."

She bops her companion over the head before saying. "No, you idiot. Think! The zombies are unperturbed. They only become curious or stalk prey when they are excited. They should leave us alone if we can obscure ourselves from their sight and watch our steps."

Chewing her lip, Yuuki didn't like how it felt. It was a total crap shoot with a 99% chance that this would end with death. Yet, what choice did they have?

Alright... Let us go back then. No use of us sticking around here."


(Scene Change)


"I can't believe we are doing this. This is beyond suicidal. That even someone wanting to commit suicide would say, this is fucked up way to die!" Yuuki hissed under her breath.

"Hush you," Rei says in a low tone. "Just follow my lead."

After taking a moment to do a bit of reconstruction, the duo knocked the undersides out of a pair of trash cans while using some rope to tie the lid along with the can itself to their bodies while strapping their packs as close they could to their bodies without it dragging or rubbing against anything while they walked.

"Oh yes. I always wanted to play the most fucked up game of red light, green light. Squid game has nothing on this..."

Taking small little steps out to the junction once again. The duo slowly started to walk in a crouch as they kept themselves low to the ground while keeping their eyes peeled on the zombies that wandered about. When one got too close, they would huddle inside the can and wait, hoping the lifeless things wouldn't bump into it or cause a racket.

It only took one of them to make a noise, and then you would have all of them coming at you like curious George.

It was move a few feet and stop. Move a few feet and stop. A repeated cycle that would appear comical if it weren't for all the moans and wailing of hungry dead hairsbreadths from your face.

Yuuki sucked in a bated breath when an old lady bumble fucked suddenly into her path, causing a slight ding-like sound when its body stuck into the can.

'You old fucking bitch!' The girl swore loudly in her head, apprehensive that every zombie on the road was coming her way.

After waiting a few minutes with no sounds outside of shuffling of feet, Miku pops her head up slowly to see that the undead still milled around, none the wiser of her presence.

Looking forward, Yuuki could see Rei ended up a little way up the street from her current position. 'Is she seriously going to leave me here?' She thought with a look of concern while chewing her bottom lip.

Yeah, she loved to pick at her. But she would never ditch a friend.

Taking a moment to gather her wits and resume her quiet march. She kept the same rotation, moving when she needed to and stopping when it became too dangerous.

The further they went, the more packed the zombies became. And the louder the voices were, It was like you couldn't cram a piece of paper between them even if you had a crowbar. The sounds of them bumping into each other became more common, even some losing their balance and falling to the floor. Yet, luck still held out as they weren't yet noticed.

After what seemed like forever, the horde started to part; with it clearing up and the road becoming more open—Rei motioned toward a gift shop that wasn't far from them to be their rendezvous spot.

It was supposed to be smooth sailing until the glass shattered abruptly ahead of them, and a frantic voice hollering filled the air.

"Help! Somebody help!"

Perking up, the duo could see a disheveled man running into the pathway with a few zombies closely behind him, screaming at the top of his lungs.

"WILL SOMEBODY HELP ME!"

Like the timer to a stovetop going off to let someone know supper was ready. It felt like multiple people walked over Yuuki's grave with the way a chill crept up and down her spine. The drone-like moans reached the frenzied pitch of excitement before she was surrounded; the stupid survivor continued to scream for assistance that would never come. She could hear him being forced to the ground, cursing, flailing about, even able to get up to run before getting taken down again with the man's body bouncing off Miku's hiding spot as she had a splendid view of seeing a person get their clothes torn off and hearing the wet slop sound of flesh and blood being torn from his body. And the screams, those loud-pitched, almost squealing screams that would haunt her dreams if she ever went to sleep tonight.

It didn't take long before the sounds of the victim diminished, and the sounds of gorging took their place. The sounds of someone ripping a piece of paper from a notebook combined with a wet branch snapping were the closest to describing what a person's body sounds like while chunks of meat were taken and devoured along with the myriad of orgasmic sounds of ecstatic undead that filled the stilled ambiance.

'Yup, I'm going vegan after this...' The usually tough-as-nails teen thought while the color of her face took on a more squeamish tone. Being forced to watch while the neighborhood had a picnic on that man's remains.


Kiriko's gift shop

A few minutes later...


"Miku... I know what you saw wasn't good, but-" Rei tried to say before getting cut off by her hysterical partner.

"Wasn't good... It wasn't good?! What the fuck of seeing a person get made into a Manwich right in your damn lap was supposed to be good!?" The other girl exclaimed, wide-eyed and wild, quite unsettled from the occurrence mentioned earlier within the confines of the gift shop they took shelter in. "Look at me; I got their fucking leftovers all over my god damn face and clothes with all the blood they strayed all over the place! It was like I joined in the festivities, my damn self!"

Wincing from the outburst, Rei could only pat her friend on the back and hold her close as Yuuki took deep breaths to keep herself from hyperventilating or going into shock.

That was still one of the shiest ways to die, and even after the outbreak started, that kind of thing was something you couldn't get used to...

"Look, we are close to home. Do you think you can make it all the way? Or do we need to camp out and wait till dawn?"

Watching her move from the embrace to heave over into a nearby corner. It didn't take a rocket scientist to realize that maybe her friend would need a moment to gather herself.

While Rei didn't get courtside seats, it didn't mean she wasn't unsusceptible from the spectacle seen before her eyes. But having bodily fluids spewed on you like an out-of-control water gun would be the most consequential hit to your sanity.

"Let us take five, and I'll see if I have a bottle of water..."


(Scene Change)


"You alright, Yuuki?" Rei says nearby while moving stuff around her duffle bag and backpack. "If you need more time, it's not like we're in a hurry..."

"Yeah...No use sobbing over spilled guts..." The other girl mutters with renewed steel, ignoring the frigid coolness racing up and down her spine from the mental images that refused to leave. It took time to overcome the psychosis of seeing a man ripped limb from limb after freshening up with a bottle of water to rinse the gore off her face.

The more feisty redhead of the group took the time to look around the store to see if anything could be of use; during times of trouble, many good things were usually left behind, or stores like these became hidey-hole for loot. Nothing out of the mundane stood out except overpriced stuffed animals, throw-away airport luggage and handbags, and other souvenirs tossed about on the floor or hanging off slightly busted shelves. Things like sweets, snacks, or beverages were long since sacked.

Although Yuuki hoped that maybe a soda might've got pitched under a stand somewhere, it's been a long time since she tasted a cola...

One thing either could say as a positive was that there weren't any signs of blood on the floor or sprinkled upon the walls. And the lightning was still attached to the ceiling if one of the lights was slightly swinging and still functioning. So, that had to count for something, right?

With the safety gates down on the entrance and the broken window from when that absurd man crashed through like a deranged Kool-Aid guy.

It gave the small store a sense of safety; for the moment, it was even tranquil, considering the amount of hooting and hollering they had gone through before reaching this point. A much-needed time to reconsider their next move if the mental map Rei kept track of in her head was still precise; they weren't too far off from home.

Picking up one of the many stuffed animals that lay discarded on the floor. How pristine it looked in contrast to her disheveled appearance of dried bloodstains that smudged all over her academy's uniform, crusted dirt and other filth on her face, and sleep-deprived eyes from the lack of sleep and comfort. Memories of a simpler time filtered through her mind; Miyamoto could recall with flawless clarity the many times she would have tea ceremonies with her father.

A time of pigtails, dolls, and dresses... A time when everything seemed so pure, so warm...

Look what I got for you, Rei! Go on and give her a name!

My little girl is getting so tall now that I'll have to look up at you one day when I'm old and scrunched over.

Don't be afraid to chase your dreams; soar as high as you can. I'll always be there to catch you when you fall...

The stern and gentle detective dressed up in frivolous hats and clothes with makeup doused head to toe in glitter. The sound of her giggles and his as they made up songs and stories or roughhoused in the little backyard when he would come home from work. He was always there with a kind word on countless birthdays or when she was sick or felt like life was unfair.

No matter how much you grow, no matter if you go and make a family of your own. You'll always be my little princess, Rei...

She held the small white bear against her chest; such a small thing could entice such feelings the young girl pushed aside or repressed for her own survival. She didn't know when the tears began, but her heart ached and yearned for those beyond her reach.

Always remember I love you, even if I have to go away. Keep my story in your heart, and carry me when I am no longer around. As long as you do so, I will never leave...

This wasn't how her life was supposed to go... She was supposed to graduate and go to college. Get her degrees, marry Hisashi after settling into life, have a few kids, and be happy. Sharing those fond memories of her upbringing when her own children grew up and left the nest themselves one day.

She wasn't supposed to fight others for bottles of water and the scraps that remained while praying to any god that was listening that the next time she closed her eyes, it wouldn't be her last. To find a reason to live when everything around her spiraled and tumbled headlong into the fiery chasms of perdition.

She wanted her old life back!

She wanted her parents back!

She wanted to wake up from this damn nightmare and see Hisashi standing near the doorway, telling her she had fallen asleep in class studying all night.

She just... ...wanted things to be normal...

But normal was long gone. Her parents were long gone. Hisashi was gone. Only she remained to make meaning of a life that felt no longer meaningful.

Even now, she could see the girl she once was walking away into those pearly white fields with her mother and father in hand. While the girl she was turning into was lost in the dark, darker than anything she had ever dreamed of, chasing after the light that had already left her life.

Her innocence thrown to the wayside; invisible hands lay in wait eagerly to tear every piece of her humanity until she was just as broken as the dead left forsaken when someone opened hell's gate. All she could do was keep moving forward; where that murky road led, she didn't know.

A ship without a sail... A girl without a purpose...

Feeling a hand on her shoulder jousted Rei from her inner world; she turned and looked over her shoulder. "Rei... Let's take our new buddy home." Yuuki states softly, wishing there was something more she could do to ease her friends' sorrow. but no considerable words came to mind to help; her home life was shitty long before the zombies appeared.

Looking down at the tiny teddy bear that looked like a ball of pure snow in her hands. Untouched by the carnage, almost like a blemish of purity in an impure world.

Bringing her hand up to wipe away the tears, Rei smiles sadly before tucking the bear away into her backpack. "Yeah, let us go home..."


I think I'll stop right here. A lot going on in this chapter, and I hope you will enjoy reading it as I enjoyed writing it out. Give me some pointers if something isn't right so I can try making modifications as I continue on. I know with the tag that Naruto will be in this story, but his time will come, and I think the pace am going at is good for character development and showing how things are in the world around them and how it affects people of the group.

This story will get quite dark, as anything with zombie media tends to be. While there will be some stuff that is normally in HOTD, do expect a lot of emotional and psychological factors and how the others will prevail in a mad max kind of world.

Review and let me know what you think.

Until next time peeps!