Lights out

(So, four bullets in the rifle's magazine, two shells in the shotgun, and uhh, three bullets in the p220, along with one eight-round magazine in the backpack. Yeah, I'm in dire need of ammo here.)

I grumbled to myself as I looked at the guns that laid on the same bed I used to sleep on last night. A bed which was definitely, beyond saving now. As I used it as a table for cleaning the guns after taking them apart.

(Hmm, fat chance Souichiro will give me any ammo for the type 89 though, it uses 5.56x45mm NATO rounds, while the ammo we mostly used till now consisted of shotgun shells and 7.62 ×51mm rounds. So, if I can't get more ammo for the type 89 and want to use a rifle, I'll need to either get the Ar-10 or M1-A1 from Kohta or Rei. Or, I can just ask for more shells for the shotgun. Seeing as it's the only weapon I have with me right now that we had ammo for it before arriving here. And honestly, with how powerful the shotgun is, it might just be all I'll really need.)

I take my eyes off the guns and stare at my backpack, the bokken I used against Saeko strapped on its side.

(After I finished my little sparring match against Saeko, I decided to 'borrow' the bokken I used. As the only close-range weapon I have is the combat knife, and I don't want to risk shoving my fingers into the wrong place every time I have to use a close combat weapon...)

I also spent a good one hour trying to get the rifle and handgun back from Kohta, who took it upon himself to personally 'teach' me the history of the rifle before returning it to me. Though, I think he was just buying time before he had to return the guns he was holding...

After that, the group and I, upon deciding to leave the Takagi estate, stayed under some cover and waited for the rain to stop. Or well, that was the initial aim at least, as we ended up hearing a bunch of refugees shit-talking about Souichiro. And Saya, being her usual self, wanted to go and yell at them for bad-mouthing her dad.

If this all sounds familiar, it's because it is. The whole thing seemed to head straight towards the opening events of the last episode of the anime, which meant the nukes were coming, and soon. So, I decided to split from the group then. Even though I 'did' want to go with Saya, and I get the feeling that the stink-eye she gave me was because I bailed on her when she wanted to go and uhh. Pick a fight, I sadly had other stuff that needed doing.

And so, I first went to check the garage with the Humvee for anything I could use, the only thing I did find though, was two extra shotgun shells. Now, why do people leave shotgun shells lying around? Who knows, I know I don't. Then, I went to grab something to eat, before locking myself in 'my' room.

I also watched a bunch of online videos before actually deciding to check the condition of my guns, which led to the bed's current sorry state, covered with gun grease and gunpowder, among other things...

(Hmm, you know, the Humvee gave me an idea. Why try to use a car that won't even start to temporarily block a barricade and risk getting eaten alive, when I can use a fully functional one?

While there is the risk of losing the Humvee. And I also need to find the keys first. The risk of losing the whole estate outweighs the potential loss of the Humvee by far. Even if I have a soft spot for that car. As for the keys. Well, if they're not with Shizuka, then she'll probably know where they are, I hope.)

I turn my head and look at the phone that was on the bed next to me.

(Ten past Seven P.M. Hmm, based on what the guards said, they should have gone to the 'center' barricade at twelve-thirty, then more to the right one after three hours. Ending their shift at the right barricade at six-thirty. Meaning, right now they must be at the center one again, or the left one…)

I shake my head and glance outside at the evening sky.

(Anyway, time to move. That Humvee plan sounds solid enough so I will work on it, seeing how this way I can block the barricade even if some corpses manage to get through it before I manage to get there. Pushing a non-functioning jeep would put me in danger of getting chewed up by a corpse if they will be past the opening. Also, even if relatively slow, the Humvee is obviously faster than my running speed.)

I load the magazines back into the guns and strap them on me, then throw the backpack over my shoulder.

(Alright, let's find Shizuka and get myself a Humvee.)

I nod to myself and leave the room…

And uhh, a glaring problem reared up its ugly mug pretty fast...

(Where, exactly is Shizuka at?)

I then started to randomly walk around the hallways, in hopes of running into her, but to no avail.

(Why is it that when you need something, it always disappears?)

I groan under my breath as I keep moving down a hallway...

(Maybe I should check the garage with the Humvee before looking for Shizuka, she might have contracted the 'leave keys near car' disease that everybody seems to be carrying around here.)

I nod to myself as I head towards the building's main exit, hoping to end this search before it can actually begin…

The moment I got out, I noticed that the rain had also stopped. The sky now a deep shade of orange.

(Crap. I'm running out of time.)

I quickened my pace as I moved towards the garage.

(So far, I can think of four ways this can play out.

One, nothing happens. The blast will be during a change in rotation, or the barricades will already be closed when it goes off. Now, seeing how this world keeps trying to stick to the events of the anime and manga, I don't think we'll be this lucky...

Two, a barricade is open but no car crashes into it, leaving a small open hole that can be closed relatively easily.

Three, a car crashes into the barricade. Even with the 'happy funtime' bus missing, and Shido being dead. It can still end with a barricade that has a hole that's too big to cover in time...

And lastly, an open barricade and a crashed car at that barricade. Honestly, if this happens, then I'm going to sue whoever is responsible for me being here after I get eaten alive, along with suing whoever was driving that crashed car.

In any case, let's focus on the Humvee for now.)

And so, a couple of minutes of speed walking later, I was at the garage. The place still empty, like the last time I checked it...

(Guess the mechanic did not need to fix our car as we did not crash this time around. Though it makes me think. Can a Humvee be damaged that badly from a crash like the one from the anime? I mean, even with all the customizations, it's still supposed to be a military-grade vehicle right?)

I walk by the car as I think, letting my hand run along its hood.

(Still, I'll miss this bad boy if we lose it. It's an awesome car to have for a zombie apocalypse. And uhh, I might have linked it a bit with the episode it appears in, you know. Rika's house...)

I then pat the Humvee on the hood.

(Guess I'll have to try and keep you alive as well huh.)

I then move to the driver's seat. Upon opening the door, I sit inside and grab the steering wheel, glancing at the ignition switch to my left...

(No keys, but the doors were unlocked. And, thinking about it, I remember that in the anime, right before they bailed the burning, overrun estate, Shizuka turned on the car with a switch. Meaning, in the anime the car didn't use keys. Weird, then again, in the anime smartphones didn't exist either. Something we obviously have here. Uhh, whatever, focus on important things Naier. Keys, keys.)

I then start looking around in the car, on the off chance that the keys might be inside the car somewhere.

(Glove box, negative.

Next to handbrake, negative.

Visors, the car does not have visors.

Between the seats, negative.

On the seats, negative.

Under the seats, is that a cigar pack? )

After spending a short amount of time looking around...

(Hmm, can't see them anywhere around here.)

I exit the car and go behind it, towards the workbench.

(This is where I found the two shotgun shells, and obviously, no keys.)

I rest my hands on the table and let out a sigh.

(Shizuka it is then.)

I think as I lift my head and look straight at the tool rack on the wall, then freeze. A key, hanging there, right in front of me.

(Uhh, yeah, there's no way. Right?)

I take the key nonetheless and go straight to the Humvee. Get inside, and put the key in the ignition switch. The key slides in without any resistance.

(Okay...)

I then turn the key, and the Humvee roars to life.

(Ohh! I'm a happy panda now, err, penguin.)

I chuckle to myself as I kill the engine and remove the key, then move back to the workbench. And as I was about to put the key back on the wall...

(Better not. Somebody might have the bright idea and try to escape with the only working vehicle after the panic starts.)

I pocket the key with a small nod, and leave the garage…

As I walked back towards the main building of the estate, I looked at the open main gate.

(Ever since Souichiro returned, they have been leaving the gate open for people to move about. That's good for me actually. Less time wasted opening the gate after the bomb goes off. I will just have to be quick about this so they don't close the gate before I can actually drive out of the estate. And well, hope that the Humvee actually works. You never know how bad your luck is, until it hits you in the face.)

I let out a huge sigh as I looked at my phone.

(Didn't Saeko tell Takashi that men should not sigh? Eh, whatever.)

I close the phone and look towards the sky.

(It's seven-thirty right now, the sky is starting to take on a heavy shade of orange. It's going to happen, soon. But, what are the chances of no nuclear explosion? Hmm, that would require the ship that was responsible for taking care of the nukes to not get overrun. And, I don't think there's anything I can do for that. That ship will probably get overrun, no matter what I do here.)

Upon nearing the main building, I spot my group by the entrance. Shizuka hopping about excitedly. Pulling Alice in for a surprise hug a few seconds later as she kept hopping with a giggling face that I could honestly see from here. And after what seemed to be a small chat, she extended her arm, and yanked Takashi's phone out of his hands. Looking at that, I stopped dead in my tracks...

(This? Oh you gotta be fucking shitting me...)

I slowly took several steps back, and after I made sure that nobody from the group had realized I was there, I quickly turned around and walked away. Breaking into a dead run the moment I lost my line of sight with them.

(Fuck. FUCK. FUCK! Seven-thirty, seven-thirty, which barricade, which barricade. Uhh, central!)

And as I kept running, a blindingly bright light flashed in the sky, lighting up the orange sky like the sun just decided to go back up in there. But, I didn't stop. Instead, I run even faster…

And by the time I arrived at the garage, the sky had already returned to its orange coloring...

I swing the Humvee's door open. Take off the two guns and bag, and throw them on the passenger's seat as I seat myself behind the steering wheel. I shove my hand into my pocket and pull out the key. And as I was about to put it in the ignition, I hit my hand on the steering wheel, making me drop the keys after losing my grip.

"Well, this is a fucking cliche!" I shout as I bend down and grab the key that fell next to the pedals, then shove it in the car's ignition switch.

(Please, please, PLEASE work.)

I turn the key, and feel the whole car shaking as the engine comes alive.

"YES! Yes You beautiful bastard!" I slap the steering wheel with one hand as I stomp on the pedal, wheels screeching as I exit the garage.

(Ok. Focus, focus, calm down. I need to get to the central barricade, pronto. On the way I can check the left barricade from afar. That leaves only the barricade to the right unchecked, but it should not be used right now.)

As I sped down the yard, I could feel that every single person present there was staring at the speeding car.

(I bet my leg that ninety-nine percent of them think I'm trying to flee right now, the rest are probably still wondering why the sky just turned into a temporary Fourth of July.)

I zoomed past the gate and kept driving forward, until I reached the intersection that led to the three barricades. I then turned the car to the right before hitting the brakes, causing it to slightly skid as it came to a halt. I quickly open the door and lean my upper body outside of the car as I look behind me, towards the 'left' barricade.

(Clear.)

I close the door as I pull my body back to a normal sitting position, and with a roar from the engine, the Humvee starts moving forward again...

(I really wish there was a pause button right now, because I can't seem to be able to calm my fucking self down.)

Upon closing in on the next intersection, I slow down the car and prepare to look to my left.

(If this barricade is also clear, then the right one will be the last one I'll have to check. And then, home free…)

Yet, I got my 'answer' faster than I expected. As I saw a guard appear from the left side of the next intersection, running like a total lunatic.

(Not, good.)

I press on the pedal harder as the guard starts to frantically wave at me. I close in to him, and then speed past him, before pulling the hand brake while turning the car left on the next intersection. And, well…

(Already?!)

Corpses. Lots of them. They had already moved past the barricade and were slowly shambling towards us. Behind them, I could see the barricade, one of its concrete blocks was on the forklift that was next to it. A couple of corpses, were also munching on what seemed to be the remains of the second guard that was still seated on the forklift.

(Why? Why is it that no matter what I do, things seem to always end up like in the anime? Even without Shido here, nothing changed… )

I looked behind at the guard that I passed by, he was just standing there, staring at me. I opened the door slightly, and took a deep breath.

"Why are you still standing there you dumb fuck!? Go warn the estate! NOW!" I slammed the door shut after I was done shouting. The guard, snapping out of whatever trance he was in, nodded multiple times as he quickly turned around and started running again...

I give the running guard one last glance before looking back at the oncoming corpses, then close my eyes and take a deep breath.

(What if no matter what I do, things will always somehow end up playing like in the anime? Having to accept that Saeko will be fucking with Takashi, will be the least of my worries then. Saya fleeing her own burning home with her parents still inside, Kohta breaking down after shooting Asami...)

I open my eyes, and look at the barricade in the distance, gripping the steering wheel as I breathe through my nose.

"No. Fuck that, fuck all of that. I'm either stopping this, right here, right now. Or I'm dying on this goddamn fucking street. " I step on the pedal as I release the handbrake, and start driving straight towards the oncoming corpses. Straight towards the barricade.

"If I have to be a viewing bystander as everything around me falls, then fuck this world, and everything it stands for." I growl as I narrow my eyes, and seconds later, the first corpse collided with the hood of the Humvee, only to be followed by another and then another. And soon, the bumping sound of corpses crushing their skulls against the car's bumper was the only thing I could hear. The only thing I did care for though, was for the car to keep moving forward, to reach that barricade.

Which, it did...

As soon as I could see the opening, I hit on the brakes, causing the Humvee to start skidding as it closed in on the barricade. Being bigger than the hole, the car ends up hitting the corners of the nearby concrete blocks, causing them to slightly slide along with the car, like a two-door gate. The impact also ended up sending me violently forward, making me hit my forehead head against the steering wheel.

"Ughh, second time my mask saves my face from blunt force trauma. This thing really needs some seatbelts… " I groan as I look at my left, only to see a seatbelt swaying slightly, as if it was mocking me…

"Or, I need to stop being blind." I turn my sight towards the front, only to see a sea of corpses ahead of me. My eyes went wide as I darted my head around. Noticing that both front doors were jammed shut between the concrete blocks.

(...Must get a better look, make sure. Don't celebrate just yet.)

While constantly glancing towards the corpses over the barricade, I moved towards the hatch on the car's roof. And the moment I opened it, I was swallowed by the deafening sound of moaning, and growling. I pull myself up on the roof and look around…

Half of the Humvee had moved past the barricade, with the concrete blocks enclosing the Humvee on the sides, effectively blocking the hole in the barricade. Before I could even smile though, I felt the car shaking, and moving slightly backward. I dart my head towards the hood of the car to see an ever-increasing number of corpses pushing against the Humvee...

"OH SHI! HANDBRAKE!"

I duck back down and pretty much jump towards the handbrake, pulling it with both hands. And the car, while still shaking like crazy, finally stops moving. I let out a huge sigh as I lifted my head to look through the windshield.

"There goes another two years of my life..." I grab my guns and bag before going back out the hatch...

Once I was outside again, I looked back at the remaining corpses that were on the inside part of the blockade.

"Well this much noise should cause the corpses that got past the barricade to turn around and head towards me. That should effectively keep the estate safe." I then turn and look at the slowly amassing horde. And, seeing them there, trying to walk up against the Humvee with no success, it hit me…

(I've, actually done it? I managed to close back the barricade. Even with this many corpses in front of the Humvee, they don't seem to be able to get on the hood, they just kept clawing at it, putting no effort to actually get on it)

"We're closed, go home… dipshits." I then turned to look at the corpses that had now started to surround the backside of the Humvee from the 'inside' side.

"And, I just trapped myself, perfect." I peek back inside the car and randomly pick one of the bags that were there, then bring it up on the roof, resting my back against the open hatch door.

"Hmm, black clothes? Did Takashi leave them here?" I ask myself as I open the bag and start poking inside…

As I kept searching, I also found a small carton of, energy bars?

"...confiscated." I open the box as I arch an eyebrow, taking one of the packaged bars from inside before throwing the bag back into the car. I then take off my mask and balaclava, passing them through my arm like an armband. With nothing blocking my face now, I opened the wrapping and took a bite out of the energy bar.

(Did, I really just save the estate? This seemed, too easy. There could be another hole somewhere…)

I shake my head as I take another bite.

( No, don't think like that. Especially now that you are stuck here and can't do jack shit.)

I casually turn my head towards the corpses to my right.

"You hobos want some?" I grab a second bar from the carton and point it towards their extended arms. Obviously getting no reaction from them.

"No? Fine, more for me." I turned my body towards the car's hood one last time, making sure that no corpses had actually managed to climb up, before looking back at the street that led to the estate.

"They're taking an awfully long time getting here. Hope everything's ok at the estate. If I have done all this for nothing then. Ughh, no, just, wait. They'll ge...eahh?" And speaking of the devil, a group of people from the estate just appeared at the intersection. After a short moment of what seemed to be them staring in my direction, they started moving towards me. As they got closer, I could see they were also dressed in full firefighter attire, just like when we first got rescued, they also had the same 'gear' as last time.

(Compressed water guns? Guess they didn't get affected by the emp. No electronics in them? Or maybe they had spares that worked, don't know.)

The moment they got close, they started taking out the corpses that had strayed a bit too far from the mini horde that had gathered by the car's trunk. One person shot them with the pressurized water gun, then another would then decapitate the fallen corpse with a fire ax while it was still shuffling on the ground...

While all that was happening, I stayed on the Humvee, munching on my energy bar as I kept staring at the group that dealt with the corpses. While also looking behind me occasionally, to make sure that none of the corpses had gone all ninja on me and figured out how to silently climb…

It also didn't take too long until I also noticed Takashi, Saeko, and Rei. No, actually, the whole group was there, including Saya's parents. Takashi and the two girls I just mentioned were just ahead of the rest, helping the members of the adult group.

(So, I guess they managed to persuade the adults to let them help? Or, you know. During times of crisis, morals tend to go flying out the window.)

I also saw Saya awkwardly aiming a gun, before Kohta moved up next to her and started pointing at something. And judging from her facial expression as she turned to Kohta, she didn't look really all that pleased with the intervention...

(Hmm she got the luger?)

As the whole group got closer, the corpses surrounding the back of the car started to turn around and shamble towards the 'rescue' team.

(Well, time to do 'something'.)

I pulled out my handgun aimed at the nearest corpse with one hand, then pulled the trigger. The noise causing the corpses to stop and turn around towards the Humvee again. Only for the firefighters to move in and take out another couple of corpses, making the whole group turn towards them, again.

And then, I shoot at them again. This cycle continued, even after I ran out of ammo and had to reload with the extra magazine I had in my bag. Until finally, the number of the remaining corpses was too small to pose a 'real' threat...

With that over, I holstered my handgun and continued chewing on my energy bar.

By the time we were really done, the sun had already completely set. Meaning it was night, and the estate was not overrun, or up in flames, yet…

After all the corpses had been dealt with, I picked up my stuff while leaving the energy bar carton on the roof, and slid down the trunk of the Humvee. The moment I touched the ground, I saw one of the firefighters giving me a thumbs up, I returned the motion and started walking away while shaking my legs, to get rid of the numbness I got from sitting on the roof for so long.

"You did this?" Saya's father asks as he walks up to me, looking at the Humvee behind me, I turn around and look at it as well.

(I got SO many sarcastic comebacks for this. But uhh, let's not piss off Saya's scary dad now...)

"As you saw, the corpses were already over the barricade, so I focused on plugging the hole before too many of them could actually pass through." I turn to Souichiro as I speak, to see him nod.

"Looks like your quick thinking really did save us this time. Good job, Naier." Souichiro responded, I just nodded at him, slightly wide-eyed by how, nice he acted. Souichiro then turned around to address the firefighters.

"Search every nook and cranny for any infected that might have escaped! And double-check all the barricades! Letting even one of them escape is not an option!" He shouts at the adults.

(Aaand, he's back.)

The men in the suits responded by spreading out and beginning the search, looking at the houses around the barricade...

"I will return to the estate, we might have lost all of our electrical equipment, but we still need to figure out what to do with, that." He points at the sea of corpses that was making a racket on the other side of the barricade.

With his points delivered, he walked away as the rest of my group came up to me, including Saya's mother.

"You have a knack for doing things that nobody agrees on, don't you?" Yuriko speaks up with a rather soft tone.

"He has a knack for being a huge frigging idiot!" Saya loudly butts in as she leans towards my face with puffed cheeks before I could even reply.

"If you're going to say that I acted on my own again. I'm going to say that you all just acted way too slow instead." I say as I point the unfinished energy bar in my hand towards Saya's face. She stares at the bar for a couple of seconds before huffing and looking away, as the per usual tsundere reaction.

"Yet, the fact still stands. As my husband said, your quick actions saved us from a very bad situation. But still, how did you know?" Yuriko puts her hand under her chin in a thinking pose as she looks at me.

"That the barricade might fail?" I ask as I take my mask and balaclava out of my hand and wear them, Yuriko nods.

"I noticed that the forklifts were the only thing that can be used to open and close the barricades, with nothing else being capable of moving the concrete blocks. After the emp blast, I figured that there's a chance that the forklift might get busted while it was moving a block. Paranoid as it might sound now that I'm saying it out loud. It sadly seemed to be exactly what happened." I turned to look at the forklift that still had the remains of the unlucky guard on it.

(The two guards on the barricade duty today, they were the ones I spoke with several times during my stay here, weren't they? So that person is. Uhh, I don't know, he ever told me his name. Rest in peace, this is all I can offer you now.)

"We should head back. Mister Suoichiro is right, we're not out of the woods yet." I turned my head to glance at the group before I started walking away.

(The horde might not be in the estate's perimeter, but it's still way too close for comfort, we need to get rid of it before I can give the world and its knack for following the anime the middle finger. And, I do have an idea. Seeing how Souichiro seems to acknowledge that I managed to stop this, even if only temporarily. Hmm, yeah, that could work.)

I nod to myself and pick up the pace as I walk back toward the estate…

Upon reaching the main gate I turn around and wait for the rest of the group to gather.

"You all got a minute? I think I might have a plan on how to deal with this horde that's camping outside." The group looks at each other, then turns to me.

"And it includes all of us this time?" Saeko 'asks'. I just chuckled at her question.

"Yes, it includes all of us, because it also includes us leaving the estate." I say as I fold my arms. The group looked slightly surprised by my answer, but they quickly refocused on me as they nodded.

"It's actually pretty simple, we are going to use the Humvee to lure away the horde." I add casually.

"UHH, you want me to tell you that you are an idiot now, or after you explain to us how this is even going to work." Saya replies as she raises an eyebrow, frowning slightly in the process.

"When I was at the powerplant, your father used dynamites to lure away a horde, we can do the same here. Both to clear a way for the Humvee to drive through, and to get the horde to follow us as we drive off." I replied to Saya.

"Wait, they have explosives here?" Kohta asks right after, I turn my head to Kohta and answer with a nod.

(There is also a second part to my plan, but I'll keep that to myself for now.)

Seeing as we were short on time, and we were planning on leaving the estate anyway, the group agreed to my plan as they could not think of anything better. So, we moved inside, towards the estate's main yard, where Souichiro was talking with several other men.

And as we got close, I could make out one of Souichirou's men talking with him.

"We need to get the infected to move away from the barricade as quickly as possible. We don't even know if that car can hold up against so many of them pushing against it for too long. What if they breakthrough?" One of the men in white uniform says as he keeps looking at Saya's dad.

"I know, we'll have to reinforce the barricade. And not just the one that was breached. With the forklifts out of order we need to take countermeasures until we find replacement parts to make them functional again." Souichiro replies.

"I think we can help with that." I speak up as I move towards the men. Who, other than Souichiro, who kept a serious face. Turned to look at me with a 'funny' look.

"What do you have in mind Naier?" To their surprise though, Souichiro motioned for me to continue.

"Dynamite." I answer flatly. Souichiro just raises an eyebrow as he keeps looking at me.

"I know you have dynamites here, you used them in the power plant after all. We'll simply do the exact same thing here. The Humvee can still run, so we'll use it to drive the horde away. It will give you time to seal the hole after the car is no longer there and hopefully lure most of the horde away from the estate." As I finish explaining my plan, Souichiro nods.

"Hmm, it sounds solid, but who would drive the Humvee? You understand that the one driving might not be able to return." He asks.

"We will." I answer as I point at the group behind me with my thumb. And one of Souichirou's men, probably not being able to hold himself anymore, decided to air out some oh so original lines.

"What? Sir!? You cannot expect a bunch of kids to do this!? There is no way..."

"Excuse me?" I interrupted the man before he could rattle on.

"Sorry but, correct me if I'm wrong. But while you got caught trying to pull your pants up, I was out there. Doing your job, by plugging a goddamn hole you 'adults' opened, and then failed to close." I fold my arms and lean slightly forward as I speak.

"We were..."

"Enough." Souichiro spoke up, causing the man to pipe down.

"If you want to do this, I won't stop you. Just know that you will have at maximum two days to return here. We'll be leaving the estate for a more favorable position, now that the barricades are compromised. If you're not back by then, all of you will be left behind." He glanced at the group behind me as he spoke.

"We'll also need supplies." I add, and Souichiro turns to look at me again. And, he was not the only one I could feel staring at me right now.

"We'll be looking for Takashi's and Miyamoto's parents, so there's a chance we might not make it back in time before you evacuate. We would like some extra dynamite, ammo for the guns we use, and fuel for the Humvee." As I finish speaking, one of Souichirou's men speaks up again, wonder if it was the same dude as before...

"Why you little. Who do you think you're… "

"Payment." I cut him off, causing Souichiro to fold his arms as he kept looking at me.

"For saving the estate, twice." I add as I also fold my arms. Souichiro, just stared at me. And he kept staring, for a good two minutes or so...

Until, he finally nodded.

"You will take as much as you can fit in the Humvee. You can decide what you want to take. The horde outside won't wait for us to get ready, so we'll begin as soon as you're finished. Don't dawdle." Saying that, he turns to walk away, the men following behind him...

I waited a bit for Souichirou and his men to enter the estate. Then…

"Ughh. Not gonna lie, didn't think it would get 'that' intense." I dropped my hands to my knees as I took a deep breath, then looked back at the group.

"So, we stick with ammo and fuel?" I ask as I lift my head.

The group just kept staring at me, before they all started nodding slightly.

"Ummm, how are we even going to get everything to the jeep? Nevermind actually using it, isn't it stuck in the barricade?" Kohta asks. I turn to look at the chubby guy with a smirk that he could obviously not see because of my mask.

"Why, we do your favorite thing of course. We walk. A lot. Multiple trips, carrying the stuff from here, to there." I say as I point towards the general direction of the Humvee. Kohta's eyes going wide as I speak.

"You're, joking right… right?" He asks with dread, imagining just how far and how heavy the things he would be carrying over and over again will be.

"Nope. And the faster we start, the faster we finish. And I know I said ammo and fuel only, but as we have Saya's father's permission, we should also take some food and water. So, let's get to it ya?" The group nods at me before they all start heading towards their own destination. Some, with a bit less, 'enthusiasm', compared to the others...

(...Jeez Kohta, now you're making me feel bad…)

"Hey Kohta." I called out to dejected-looking guntaku while he was pretty much dragging himself on the floor. Probably trying to follow where Saya was going. He turns to me while still keeping the same defeated posture.

"You know all the new guns we got right?" I ask, he just nods back.

"Alright, you're the only one who can do this, so decide what ammo is better to take with us and at what quantity. Oh, except from shotgun shells. We are taking a mountain of them no matter what. Because shotguns. Once you're finished, ask whoever is in the 'armory', or whatever place they keep the ammo here, to set up what we need. I'll come to help you carry it once I get the chance." Kohta, probably preferring this over carrying water bottles, immediately straightens his posture and brings his hand under his chin. After thinking for a short time, he gives me a thumbs up.

"Consider it done boss." He then turns around and walks away at a quick pace.

(Boss? Eh, whatever. So, what should I be doing now? Kohta can definitely handle the ammo acquisition. So, either fuel or food, guess we could also do with some extra clothes? I mean, all we got is that mass of black stuff. Though, I guess the mall will have a lot of clothes that the group can pick. Hmm, guess I'll head out to the garage to get the fuel.)

With that, I start heading towards the garage. Hopefully, I could find somebody to direct me to where they kept the fuel from there. Or well, that was where I was going initially, before spotting Shizuka, not five minutes later. 'Lifting' two big crates. She was pretty much walking blindly as the boxes covered her face, and looking from how strained she seemed to be? She would probably not make it more than ten meters before falling flat, or dropping the boxes.

I shake my head and run up to her. And once I was next to her, I poked her arm.

"Give me one of these before you end up tripping over something." I say as Shizuka turns her eyes to look at me, keeping her face pointed forward.

"Umm, ehehe. I think, I got a little, more...than I can handle." She responds as she closes her eyes. Making an awkward smile that proved that she obviously regretted her decision...

(This ain't a challenge you dumbo.)

"Yea..." I say as I grab the top box and take it from her.

"...Thank you." She finally starts speaking normally as she corrects her posture.

"What's in here anyway?" I ask as I get a better grip on the box.

"Food and water." She replied. And with that, we started walking towards the Humvee…

And, uhh. It, didn't take 'too' long for Shizuka to start chatting, probably bored from all the silence.

"Why do you keep wearing that mask."

"I like it."

"Why do you keep wearing black."

"I like it."

"Where did you learn to drive?"

"I li, errr, I had some driving lessons with my father when I was younger, I guess they stuck with me."

"Ohh, Sorry, I didn't mean to..." I turn my head to her as I raise an eyebrow, slightly confused at Shizuka's strange response. Only to understand what she was sorry about a second later.

(Right my 'father' is supposed to be on the other side of the globe.)

"Don't be. I might be away from my parents, but compared to a lot of people, I was actually really lucky. Because I was able to find you all. Trust me, it could all have been much worse, so don't let it drag you down." I say as I turn to look at the street ahead.

Shizuka didn't reply. And after a couple of seconds of silence, I turn to look at her again, only to find her staring at me slack-jawed.

"What? Don't tell me you thought that I wasn't grateful for being here?" I ask. Shizuka shakes her head as she smiles.

"No, it's just that, it is something else hearing you say it." I just laughed through my nose as I also shook my head...

Upon arriving at the barricade, I found Saeko, Takashi and Rei by the Humvee. Several fuel canisters next to the car's trunk.

"Looks like we will be taking some food with us after all." Reacting to my voice, the three turn around to face me.

"Two boxes? That should last us for quite some time actually." Rei speaks up first.

"Ummm, one is actually filled with water bottles, the other one is rations and canned food." Shizuka replies.

"Well, I think we have enough fuel and food then. Remember, we still need a good amount of space for the ammo and dynamite." I say after Shizuka as I leave the box in the car, then look at the canisters filled with fuel.

"Saya went to get the dynamite from her dad. About the ammo, I don't know." Saeko replied.

"I sent Kohta to deal with it. So, we split into two groups now? One to help Saya with the explosives and the other to help Kohta with the bullets. I already said to Kohta that I will be helping him, so I'm going for the bullets." I fold my hands as I add right after Saeko.

(Sorry Saya, but I ain't backstabbing Kohta by bailing on him. Even though, it's really tempting. No, no, no bad Naier, bad. Never backstab a bro, never.)

"Hmm, I'll go help Saya then." Takashi nods as he speaks.

"I will go with Takashi." Rei adds right after,

(I would be surprised if you actually didn't go with him to be honest…)

"Ummm, where should I go?" Shizuka asks.

"Go get Alice." I answer. And the rest of the group turns to look at me like I just spoke in a different language.

"...what?" I ask as I glance around me.

"Are you sure we should take a little girl with us? She'll be safer here." Takashi scratches his head as he speaks, the rest nodding slightly.

(True...)

"But what about her mental state?" I answered, and the rest of the group looked even more weirded out by my answer.

(Really? Damn, sometimes they're denser than densium bricks.)

I let out a silent sigh.

"All of you never wondered why Alice is still her cheery self when her dad died What. Two? Three days ago?" I ask, they all just looked at each other before turning to stare back at me.

"You." I point at Takashi.

"Me?" Takashi points at himself as he tilts his head.

"Yes you, you dork. The moment her father died, you were there to keep her safe when everybody else was leaving her behind. Effectively placing yourself as a father figure in her mind. Of course she knows that you are not her real father, but she sees you as a source of protection and care. So you tell me, how will she feel if you decide to leave her behind as well. You really think she'll be able to handle getting abandoned by two people she trusted her life with in rapid succession? And I know you are not 'abandoning' her, but in her eyes, it won't make a difference, you're going to leave, and leave her behind." I respond as I keep looking at our 'leader'. And now, they were all looking at me like a bunch of fish, even Saeko was doing the 'fish' stare...

(Really? Is it that surprising? Who the hell do they think I am? Fucking Hanibal?)

"Wow. First saying that you feel really lucky to have had the chance to meet us, and now this. You really are a nice person." Shizuka claps her hands together as she smiles.

(And of course. Shizuka would go and spill whatever embarrassing thing I might have said to her to all the wrong people. Fucking… ughhh.)

I darted my head to her for a few seconds before turning my back to the group.

"We're still standing next to a giant horde, let's get going." I said hurriedly as I started walking away. And I swear, I could hear giggling behind me.

(Note to self. Never, EVER say embarrassing things when Shizuka can hear me. Hahh, it sounds so, obvious now that I said it to myself...)

As I kept moving, I heard a voice coming from behind me.

"Well, you're the last person I expected to see running away from something." Turning to the voice, I see Saeko walking up to me.

"I didn't run away from anything… " I say as I turn my head back towards the street ahead. Glancing back at her after a few seconds, only to see her staring at me with an 'oh yeah?' expression.

"Uhh, fine. I'm just, not good with all that diabetes-inducing stuff." I say as I turn to her, raising both arms slightly. She just smiled as she covered her mouth with her hand.

"Yes, I kind of figured that." She says as she looks at me with a fond expression on her face. After that, we kept walking in silence for a short while. It also not long after, when Saeko started speaking again. Though this time, her tone felt rather, somber.

"Lucky. Don't take this the wrong way, I am really glad that you consider yourself lucky because you met us. But, should you really trust people you just met this easily? Some people, they might not be what they appear to be… " Saeko kept her head slightly turned away from me as she spoke.

(Wait, is she? Uhh, shit. Hmm. ok, how do I go about this?)

"I don't trust people easily. But you all have effectively saved my life more than once. Being it by watching my back out there, or just by letting me stay around. And well, name me one person who doesn't have a skeleton in their closet." I say as I turn my head to her.

"You?" She answers as she also turns to look at me.

"Pfft!" I nearly choked as I tried to hold myself from actually laughing at her answer, seeing that she actually seemed at least 'partly' serious.

(She's pulling my leg, right? Let's see. Stealing cash, lying through my teeth about god knows how many things to everybody in the group, killing living humans without getting even slightly shaken, wanting to date both Saeko and Saya. And the list goes on...)

I lower my head before shaking it slightly, then look back at her.

"Saeko. Just look at me." I say as I lift both arms.

"My looks alone should say 'I am fucked up secrets incarnate'. " I answered, Saeko tilting her head as she kept staring at me.

"Secrets, like what?" She asked. I just, snickered at her question.

"Now, you don't actually expect me to just up and tell you, do you? Not when you have not shared anything about yourself with me." Saeko just blinked blankly at me before looking back towards the street.

"True." She says before slightly lowering her head again.

"But, you should really be careful what you wish for… " Her voice was so weak now, that I think she didn't actually intend for me to hear what she just said. But well, I always had good hearing, so yea...

"I understand that there are things that you don't want to talk about with just anyone. There's a reason they're called secrets after all. But, just so you know. I'm here if you need me. After all, you're the one who kept telling me not to go off and do everything on my own" I respond as I keep looking ahead…

Only to dart my head to her a few seconds later.

"Ok, forget I just said that. Way too cheesy..." I add as I shake my head, Saeko just giggled.

"A man must never go back on his word Naier." She says as she turns to look at me with a slight smile.

"Well. My offer still stands. Just, uhh, forget the way I mentioned it?" I answered back. Saeko just closed her eyes and laughed lightly through her nose. Before turning to look at the street ahead of us.

"If I ever feel the need. Then, I might count on your offer." She responded with a calm tone as she kept looking ahead.

I just nodded as we continued walking towards the estate.

(I won't lie, if her opening up to me means us getting closer, then I'm all in for it. But there's also another point of why I'm needling her about secrets. And that is, to stop her from bottling up her emotions to the point of bursting. If I can make her accept herself or at least make her believe that somebody accepts her for who she 'really' is, it will keep her stable. And even if it won't make us closer, it's still as important.)

I then glanced at Saeko, who was calmly walking next to me.

(Because, jokes aside, if she does go berserk. I don't think I'll be able to stop her.)