DEADly Confessions

The humvee's engine thrummed beneath me as I clambered onto the roof, the metal warm from the sun. I settled myself near the front, legs dangling over the edge, and closed my eyes. The breeze whipped through my hair, carrying with it the faint scent of cherry blossoms and a blessed respite from the stale air of the vehicle.

For a moment, I let myself just breathe. In and out, the steady rhythm a balm to my battered soul.

The peace was broken by the sound of someone climbing up to join me. I cracked an eye open to see Rei, her face flushed from the exertion. She plopped down beside me, close enough that our shoulders brushed.

"Needed some air too, huh?"

She nodded, her gaze fixed on the horizon. "It's nice up here. Quiet."

And it was. As we sped down the deserted street, the only sound was the hum of the engine and the soft whisper of the wind. No birds, no traffic, no signs of life at all. It was eerie, but also strangely peaceful.

We sat in silence for a while, just watching the world go by. But then, I felt Rei shift next to me. Her leg pressed against mine, the contact deliberate and lingering.

I glanced at her, a question in my eyes. She met my gaze, something unreadable in her expression.

"Hey, Kai..." she started, her voice hesitant. "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course. What's up?"

She chewed her lip, seeming to struggle with the words. "It's about Takashi. And me. I just... I don't know what to do."

I frowned. "What do you mean? Did something happen?"

Rei sighed, her shoulders slumping. "No. Yes. I don't know. It's just... ever since this whole thing started, it's like we're on different planets. He's trying, I know he is, but..."

She trailed off, her eyes shining with unshed tears. I reached out, laying a hand on her arm.

"But?" I prompted gently.

"But I don't think I love him the way he wants me to. The way he deserves. I've tried, Kai. I've tried so hard to feel that spark, to see him as more than just a friend, a brother. But it's just not there. Not anymore."

Her voice cracked, the pain raw and evident.

"I know he's trying his best. He's been so patient, so understanding. But I can see it hurting him, the way I can't give him what he needs. And it's killing me, Kai. It's tearing me apart."

I reached out, laying a hand on her arm in comfort.

"Rei... have you talked to him about this? Really talked, I mean. About how you feel, about what you want?"

She shook her head miserably. "How can I? How can I look him in the eye and tell him that all these years, all this time... I've just been going through the motions? That I've been hoping, praying, for feelings that just won't come?"

I squeezed her arm, my heart aching for her. "Because he deserves the truth. And so do you. Rei, you can't force yourself to feel something you don't. It's not fair to you, and it's not fair to Takashi."

She looked at me then, her eyes searching mine. "But what if it ruins everything? What if I lose him, lose our friendship? I can't... I can't bear the thought of that."

"You won't," I said firmly. "Takashi cares about you, Rei. That's not going to change, no matter what. But he needs to know where you stand. He needs to know that it's not his fault, that he didn't do anything wrong."

A tear slipped down her cheek. I brushed it away with my thumb, cradling her face.

"It's going to be hard. It's going to hurt like hell. But you both deserve a chance at real happiness. Even if it's not with each other."

She leaned into my touch, her eyes fluttering closed. For a moment, we just stayed like that. Connected. Sharing the weight.

Then, softly, she spoke.

"What if... what if my chance at happiness is right in front of me? What if it has been this whole time, and I've just been too blind to see it?"

"Rei..."

But before I could form a response, she leaned in. Her lips brushed mine, soft and tentative. 

I froze, my heart pounding. Every instinct screamed at me to pull her closer, to deepen the kiss.

But I couldn't. Not like this. Not with things so uncertain, so unresolved.

Gently, I pulled back. Rei's eyes fluttered open, a flicker of hurt and confusion in their depths.

"Kai? What's wrong?"

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "Rei... I'd be lying if I said I didn't want this. Didn't want you. But... I can't. Not until you've talked to Takashi. Not until you're sure this is what you really want."

She stared at me for a long moment, emotions warring on her face. Then, slowly, she nodded.

"You're right. I know you're right. I just... I needed to know. Needed to see if..."

She trailed off, shaking her head.

"I'm sorry, Kai. I shouldn't have put you in that position. It wasn't fair."

I took her hand, squeezing it gently. "You don't have to apologize. Never apologize for how you feel, Rei. Your heart... it wants what it wants."

A ghost of a smile touched her lips. "You're a good man, Kai. Better than I deserve."

I snorted. "I don't know about that. But I do know that you deserve to be happy. Truly happy. And if there's even a chance that I could be part of that happiness... I'll be here. Whenever you're ready."

We lapsed into silence again, but it was a different kind of quiet. Charged, weighted with unspoken things.

After a while, Rei spoke again, her voice thoughtful. "You know what's weird? We haven't seen a single infected all morning. It's like they've all just... vanished."

I sat up straighter, realization dawning. She was right. The highways, the streets... they'd all been eerily empty. No shambling figures, no distant groans. Nothing.

"That's... that's not normal," I muttered, a sense of unease settling in my gut. "In fact, it's pretty fucking far from normal."

Rei nodded, her brow furrowed. "What do you think it means?"

I shook my head, at a loss. "I don't know. But I've got a feeling we're going to find out. And I've got an even stronger feeling that we're not going to like the answer."

She sighed, leaning her head on my shoulder. "Story of our lives, right? One mystery after another, each one worse than the last."

I chuckled, the sound dry and humorless. "Yeah, well. No one ever said the apocalypse would be boring."

And as the Takagi estate loomed ever closer, I clung to that comfort. To the warmth of Rei's body against mine, the steady beat of her heart.

Because in this world, in this life... it was the little things that kept us—

"Guys! We've got trouble!"

Kohta's urgent shout shattered the peace, snapping me back to high alert. 

"What is it? What do you see?" I called down, my heart already starting to race.

Kohta had the binoculars pressed to his face, his knuckles white on the grip. "Infected, 300 meters ahead on the right. A whole fucking swarm of them!"

From the passenger's seat, Saya's voice rang out, sharp and commanding. "Shizuka, take the next left. We'll try to bypass them."

The humvee swerved, tires screeching as we made the abrupt turn. But our relief was short-lived. As we rounded the corner, another cluster of infected came into view, shambling and groaning in our path.

"Shit," Takashi cursed. "We're cut off. There's no other way through."

A grim silence fell over the group. We all knew what this meant. The only path forward... was straight through the horde.

Saya's voice cut through the tension, steady and resolute. "Then that's what we'll do. Shizuka, don't stop for anything. Plow right through them."

Rei and I exchanged a glance, a silent communication. As one, we dropped down, bracing ourselves against the roof of the vehicle.

The humvee surged forward, the engine roaring as Shizuka floored the accelerator. I felt the moment of impact, the sickening thud and crunch of bodies under the wheels.

But something was wrong. The vehicle was slowing, the forward momentum faltering. And then, Saeko's voice, sharp with alarm.

"Wire! There's a wire fence on the street!"

"Turn!" Takashi roared. "Shizuka, turn now!"

But it was too late. The humvee caught on the wire, the metal biting deep into the undercarriage. The tires spun uselessly, unable to find purchase on the road slick with infected blood.

For a moment, everything seemed to hang suspended. The growls of the infected, the cries of my friends, the frantic pounding of my own heart... it all faded away, replaced by a high, keening whine in my ears.

And then, chaos.

Kohta's voice, tight with barely restrained panic. "Shizuka! Shizuka, listen to me. You've got to work the brake and the gas, build up the RPMs. It's the only way to get free."

Through the window, I could see Shizuka's face, pale and taut with concentration. Her hands white-knuckled on the wheel, she did as Kohta instructed, the engine whining and straining.

With a lurch and a shudder, the humvee broke free. But the sudden release sent us careening, the vehicle fishtailing wildly.

"The wall!" Saya screamed. "Shizuka, the wall!"

I braced myself for impact, gritting my teeth against the inevitable crunch of metal and concrete. But at the last second, Shizuka wrenched the wheel, the humvee swerving mere inches from collision.

The sudden stop was jarring, the force of it slamming me back against the roof. For a dizzying moment, the world spun, my equilibrium shot.

And then, a scream. A scream I knew, a scream that chilled my blood and kicked my heart into overdrive.

Rei.

I lunged for her, my hand outstretched, my fingers grazing the fabric of her shirt. But it was too late. The momentum of the stop flung her from the roof, sent her tumbling to the ground in a tangle of limbs.

"No!" The cry tore from my throat, raw and desperate. I scrambled to the edge of the roof, my eyes frantically scanning the ground below.

She was there. Alive. But dazed, unmoving. And all around her, the infected were closing in, drawn by the commotion, by the promise of fresh prey.

I didn't think. I just moved. I swung myself over the edge of the roof, ignoring the white-hot flare of pain in my ankle as I hit the ground. All that mattered was Rei. Getting to her, protecting her.

My pistols were in my hands before I'd even fully registered drawing them. I moved on instinct, on muscle memory honed by countless hours of practice and too many close calls.

Bang. Bang. Bang. Three shots, three infected dropping like marionettes with their strings cut. I placed myself between Rei and the horde, my body a living shield, a barricade of desperate determination.

"Rei!" I called over my shoulder, never taking my eyes off the approaching infected. "Rei, talk to me. Are you hurt?"

A groan, a rustling of fabric. "I... I can't move."

Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck. I redoubled my efforts, my fingers aching from the constant pull of the triggers. But for every infected I dropped, two more seemed to take its place.

The crack of a shotgun, deafeningly close. Takashi, armed and aiming into the fray. But his shots were wild, the recoil of the unfamiliar weapon sending his aim wide.

"No, not like that!" Kohta's voice, urgent and instructive even in the midst of the chaos. "Brace it against your shoulder, lean into it. Let the gun do the work!"

Another shot, and this time, the result was devastating. Three infected dropped at once, their heads virtually vaporized by the spray of buckshot.

"Yes!" Kohta crowed. "Just like that! Keep it up!"

My pistols were running hot, the slides locking back on empty chambers. I ejected the magazines, my hands fumbling for the nonexistent spares in my pockets.

"Kohta!" I yelled. "I need a rifle! Toss me a rifle!"

But Kohta was pinned down, his own weapon chattering as he laid down a suppressing fire. He shook his head, his face stricken. "I can't! I'm out of ammo!"

Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck. I looked around wildly, my heart pounding. There had to be something, anything...

"Kai..." Rei's voice, weak and thready. "Mine. Use mine. On me..."

Of course. Her rifle was still tied to her. I dropped to my knees beside her, my fingers scrabbling at the straps but they wouldn't budge. 

Looking around, I saw Saeko dancing in and out of the infecteds near her, using her shinai to kill the infected left and right. But I could see the exhaustion in her movements, the growing sluggishness of her strikes.

Takashi was faring no better, his shotgun clicking empty as he fumbled for more shells, the casings rolling away. 

At that moment, I made a decision. A stupid, reckless, utterly desperate decision.

Carefully, I positioned myself over Rei, straddling her body with my knees on either side of her hips. I braced the rifle against her chest, my arms bracketing her head.

"Rei," I panted, my voice strained. "This is gonna hurt. I'm sorry. But I need you to hold still, okay?"

Her eyes met mine, wide and frightened but full of trust. She nodded, her jaw clenching.

I sighted down the scope, picking my target. A particularly large infected, its face a ruin of torn flesh and exposed bone. It was close, too close, its hands already reaching for Saeko's unprotected back.

I exhaled. Squeezed the trigger.

The rifle roared, the recoil slamming into Rei's chest. She cried out, her body jolting under mine.

But my aim was true. The infected's head snapped back, a spray of dark blood and brain matter painting the wall behind it.

"Again," Rei gasped, her face pale but determined. "Do it again."

I adjusted my aim, found another target. Fired. The kickback was brutal, jarring my teeth and sending a bolt of agony through my abused muscles.

But it was working. The horde was thinning, the press of bodies lessening. Saeko and Takashi redoubled their efforts, hope kindling in their eyes.

And so we fought. Rei and I, our bodies intertwined, the rifle our lifeline. Each shot was a fresh agony for her but we didn't stop. Couldn't stop. Because stopping meant death, meant the end of everything.

Time lost meaning. The world narrowed to the jerk of the rifle, the splash of infected blood, the ragged chorus of our breathing.

Until, finally... silence.

I lifted my head, blinking sweat from my eyes. The street was still, the last echoes of gunfire fading into the distance. 

We had done it. Against all odds, we had held the line.

I felt a hand on my shoulder and instantly knew it was Saeko. 

"Kai, are you alright? Is Rei...?"

I nodded, my throat too raw for words. Saeko helped me to my feet, her arm around my waist as I swayed, my exhausted muscles screaming in protest.

Beside us, Takashi was helping Rei up, letting her lean on him as she gingerly tested her weight on her injured leg. She winced, but stayed upright, her jaw set in a stubborn line.

"Everyone okay?" The shout came from behind us, unfamiliar and urgent.

As one, we turned. And stared.

A group of men stood at the end of the street, clad in firefighter gear, their faces hidden behind masks and helmets. They were armed, but not with guns. Instead, they wielded hoses attached to air canisters of some kind. 

One of them, a tall figure with a red helmet, gestured towards us. "Come on, we need to move. It's not safe here."

Saeko tensed beside me, her grip tightening on her shinai. "Who are you?" she called out. "What do you want?"

But before the man could answer, another figure stepped forward. Smaller, slighter, with a distinctly feminine gait.

"It's alright," she said, her voice muffled by her mask. "We're here to help. Please, come with us."

The woman in the firefighter gear was already moving, her team falling in around her as she strode towards a narrow side street. There, propped against the wall... was a ladder. A bridge over the wire that had been our downfall.

"Quickly," the woman urged. "Before more of them come."

Alice, her small face pinched with fear, scurried forward. With Kohta's help, she clambered up the ladder, her little legs pumping as she crossed to the other side.

Shizuka followed, then Takashi supporting Rei. Saeko went next, her eyes never leaving the strangers, her body coiled and ready.

I brought up the rear, my progress slow and labored. My ankle throbbed with every step, the pain a dull roar in the back of my skull.

As I reached the other side, I stumbled. Would have fallen, if not for a strong hand gripping my elbow, steadying me.

I looked up into the masked face of the woman who had called us over. "Thank you," I muttered. 

The woman nodded, her eyes crinkling behind her visor in what might have been a smile. "It's only natural," she said softly, her hand moving to the strap of her helmet. "For a mother to help her daughter and her friends when they're in need."

With a hiss of releasing clasps, she pulled off her helmet. Shaking out a mane of lavender hair, she turned to face our group fully.

I heard Saya's gasp, saw the way her eyes widened, her mouth falling open in a perfect 'o' of shock.

"Mom?" The word was a whisper, a prayer and a plea all in one.

The woman - Saya's mother - smiled, her eyes soft and shining. "Hello, sweetheart."

Saya moved as if in a dream, her steps slow and hesitant. As if she couldn't quite believe the evidence of her eyes, the reality of this impossible moment.

And then, with a sob that seemed to come from the very depths of her soul, she was running. Flinging herself into her mother's arms with a force that rocked the older woman back on her heels.

"Mom," Saya wept, her face buried in her mother's shoulder. "Mom, you're here. You're really here."