16: Plan

"Who were you talking to, Miku?" - Rei asked as she grabbed her head to shake off the pain - "I swear to god I'm not going to drink for a good while."

"Oh, he's a person Cloud rescued along with his daughter" - replied Miku as she shrugged her shoulders while carrying the little pink-haired girl to the bed - "I see you're fine."

"If by fine you mean how our heads feel like drums" - Saya said sarcastically - "Putting that aside, I'm surprised Cloud rescued someone when the whole trip he's been acting so cold"

"It's not like you can blame him for putting the safety of his group over that of some strangers" - Miku replied with hostility.

Saya was silent before averting her gaze because it was obvious that she had over spoken - "I'm sorry."

Miku simply rolled her eyes at her before focusing on the girl and making sure she was okay, in other words, no bites or other possible forms of infection.

"We better go and get something to eat" - Rei interjected as she saw how her two friends looked like they were about to fight.

"Ok" - nodded Miku as she woke Kyoko up.

* * * * *

"Here's dinner, Cloud" - Saeko said as she set the plate aside for him.

Cloud nodded as he continued to observe the situation.

He had been watching the area for half an hour, and the situation was getting worse and worse.

Not only were the zombies more numerous and active during the night, but the chances of escape were slim due to the lack of vision. Yes, the lights helped a little, but there were areas that were dark, which put the humans at a huge disadvantage.

"Thank you" - Cloud said as he took the plate and started eating.

"Has the situation changed?" - Shizuka asked with a frown.

"For the worse" - replied Cloud as he let out a sigh - "This is delicious."

"Thank you" - smiled Saeko - "What do you mean?"

"The zombies are moving into our area, and they're increasing their numbers with the poor survivors who stuck around" - Cloud replied as he sighed again - "In just a few minutes, the zombie population increased by at least 25%..."

"Isn't that dangerous?" - Shizuka asked in terror.

"Yes, that's why we've already started with the preparations to escape" - answered Cloud, who after checking the state of Shizuka's friend's vehicle, discovered that they could use it to pass through the river to the other side of the city.

Shizuka frowned slightly as she looked at Saeko, who was nodding - "We also found a modified motorcycle, such it looks that your friend is more than just a fan of firearms."

"Oh, it's because she's a member of the city's special sniper squad" - replied Shizuka proudly.

"Interesting" - said Cloud while shaking his head - "Back to the point, let's wait for Alice-chan to get some rest before we move, in other words, it will be in the middle of the night to take advantage of the darkness to cover us in case we are being watched."

"I understand, I'm going to make the last preparations" - Saeko said while shaking her head.

"Give me a moment to talk to Ken-san for backup, and I'll help you with the preparations" - Cloud said with a small smile.

"You called for me?" - asked the aforementioned Ken as he appeared in the room.

"Yes, I want you to keep an eye on the surroundings while we make preparations to escape" - Cloud answered seriously.

"Escape?" - Ken repeated with a frown - "Is that a good idea?"

"Yes, because if we stay any longer, then those things will surround our base, not counting our families is on the other side of the river" - Cloud answered honestly.

Ken frowned even more before nodding, he understood their situation, so it was better to support his new group, so at least he could survive long enough to see that his baby was safe.

* * * * *

Two hours had passed since Cloud and Saeko had started with the preparations, time in which everything was quiet, too quiet for the liking of the group of survivors, after all, the slightest noise could cause a horde.

Cloud and Saeko were being careful, at least more than usual to prevent this very thing.

Miku, Rei and Saya, were also helping out, preparing all the supplies that were indeed needed while the two swordsmen loaded them into the humby.

"So, first we'll go for Kiriko-san and Kaede-san" - Cloud said after finishing with the preparations - "The probability of them being together is quite high, more so if we take into account that Kiriko-san has permission to use firearms."

"Now I'm thankful for this, at least I have the relief that my mother can survive long enough until we find her" - Rei said while nodding - "Now I just need to make sure that my father is okay."

"You don't have to worry about that, I saw on the news that he was trying to help some civilians" - said Takashi, who had appeared with a red face and hickey on his neck. When he appeared, everyone started making fun of him and congratulating him for taking the first step on the ladder of maturity.

"Really? Thanks man" - Rei said with a huge smile noticing how Takashi got even more embarrassed.

"Anyway, I'm going to bring Airi-chan something to eat" - Takashi said as he grabbed a plate and ran away.

The guys started laughing when they saw this while Ken just shook his head.

"Anyway, back to the point, what we'll do after checking your homes, is to go straight to the Takagi mansion" - Cloud said as he took out a map and pointed at the residential area, then moved his finger towards a nearby hill - "I wouldn't be surprised if Soichiro has control of this area".

"I also think that's the case, my father is one of those people who have to remain in control" - said Saya with a frown - "Not to mention that he has the qualifications to succeed in creating a safe zone"

"If so, there's a possibility that your mothers are in the Takagi mansion" - mused Saeko as she pondered - "Although it's better that we check your homes, this way we prevent something we don't want to happen"

"I thought about it too, that's why I went along with the initial plan" - Cloud replied while shaking his head - "Now, this is what we'll do first."

Cloud moved his finger to his current location, before pointing towards the river - "This area is low enough for our humby to pass through without much trouble."

"But doesn't that also mean the zombies can chase us?" - Miku asked with a frown.

"No, it's impossible for those things to chase us because the river current is too strong" - Saya replied while shaking her head - "The humby can pass as it's heavier and with more traction."

"Oh, I see" - nodded Miku while looking carefully at the blond - "When will we leave?"

"In the middle of the night, we'll take advantage of the natural curtain of the night to hide our presences" - Cloud answered seriously.

* * * * *

Two hours later, the group had everything ready to leave.

Cloud was looking around, when he saw something familiar, a small white puppy with black ears. The little animal was walking around, looking for food and company until it saw the group of humans.

Cloud smiled slightly because the little animal was with its tail and ears perked up, excited to finally meet someone normal - "Woof ~!"

"Quiet, little guy, don't make any noise" - Cloud said as he looked around and noticed how the zombies were still walking silently.

The little dog lowered his head, though he perked up when he saw how the blond was silently calling him.

The small animal walked over to the blond and began to lick his face, as if he had been his pet for a long time.

"What's wrong, Cloud?" - Saya asked as she walked to the blond and saw the little puppy - "Where did it come from?"

"From the street" - Cloud answered as he rolled his eyes at her - "Anyway, we have a new addition to the team."

"Really?" - Rei asked skeptically - "Anyway, it's not like this will affect our plans."

"A puppy!" - Alice exclaimed as she snatched the puppy out of the blond's arms and hugged it against her chest - "You're cute ~!"

"Alice" - said Ken with concern.

"Sorry" - mumbled Alice as she ducked her head, though she started to smile when she felt the puppy's cold tongue licking her face - "Ehe ~"

"Don't worry, there aren't any of those things nearby, not to mention that we'll be leaving shortly" - Cloud replied as he shook his head.

"Can I keep it, dad?" - Alice asked as she looked at her father with her big eyes.

Ken bit his lip before nodding weakly, after all, he couldn't say no to his daughter, not after everything she had been through over the past few hours.

"You're the best, Dad ~!" - Alice exclaimed with a huge smile.

"Woof ~!" - the puppy seemed happy with this situation as well.