Take two

"Are you s..."

"Yes." I cut Shizuka off.

"It doesn't h..."

"No." I cut Shizuka off again.

"Why do you keep c..."

"Because this is the hundredth time you wanted to check my arm in the last five minutes." I cut off Shizuka yet again. And she finally lets go of my arm.

I then re-tie the bandage Khota gave me from the stuff inside the Humvee and lower my sleeve.

"Kitchen wares my butt..." Saya mumbled with her arms folded, leaning her back against the door next to her seat. Staring at me from the back of the car, as I was now sitting on the front passenger's seat.

"Yes, Kitchen wares your butt." I reply flatly.

"If I had just, followed your orders and did not kill these corpses near the fridge, as you told me to..." Saeko, who was in the middle of the back seats mumbled as well, her sight locked to her legs.

You see, now we had another problem. That being that Saeko started blaming herself that I tripped on a corpse that was 'dead' near the fridge, since she was the one that killed them...

"And if I had remembered to change my broken armguard. And if Rika had not dragged me into that job that cracked my armguard." I respond.

"Hey now..." Rika frowns slightly as she pops from behind my seat.

"The point is, it's nobody's fault. Or it's everybody's fault. Besides, had you not stomped that corpse as fast as you did it might have managed to actually bite me. Plus, I should have been more aware of my surroundings. We got too relaxed, we should be glad 'this' is the worse that happened for not taking it as seriously as we should have." I continue as I keep looking at Saeko.

"Are you sure you are ok?" Saeko then asks as she lifts her head.

"Asami has seen a person after they got bitten. They become sick, very fast. Naier does not look sick." Asami responds as she glances between me and Saeko with a worried expression.

"I also checked the bite mark, there aren't any cuts, the armguard and clothing under made the bite more like a bruize from a blunt object if anything." Shizuka adds.

"Uhh. Did we get any corpses coming from the forest?" I ask as I turn to Rika. Mostly to at least try and change the damn subject.

"Nope, none popped up from behind us. No idea what's happening behind the estate or the actual zig zag road though." Rika responds. I nod back.

"Right. So, as much as I want to skip this. We 'still' need to clear like half of the estate..." I sigh as I turn to look back towards our 'base'.

While it looked clear from here. Aside from corpses that needed to get burned or buried. We still had the warehouse, dojo, and two upper floors to check.

"And we're burning daylight here. We got, what, three more hours before the sun bails on us?" I add as I lean towards the windshield to look at the sky, then pull my watch from my vest's chest pocket.

"Ummm, maybe if we sleep in the car. And return to the airport tomorrow..." Shizuka mumbled.

"No. Absolutely not, I am NOT going back there." Saya declared as she leaned towards the center of the car, narrowing her eyes at Shizuka.

"Sorry..." Shizuka just lowered her head apologetically.

"Ekhem, time for round two it is then. Before you guys start clawing at each other." I clear my throat and exit the car before the group could really react.

Though, I walked less than ten meters before Saeko climbed through the car's roof hatch, jumped down, and ran up to me.

Yet the moment she reached me, she didn't speak. She just gripped her blade's sheath with both hands, not making eye contact with me...

"You're not going to ask me 'not' to go now are you?" I ask as I turn to her and tilt my head. Saeko just glanced at me before lowering her head again.

"You know that is not an option. Who will go?" I ask back.

"I will. It is my house, my respo..."

"Except it's not your house. It's your father's. And your father asked me to clear it. And to keep you safe. Plus, didn't you mention that you'd give me 'everything you are'. Pretty sure that makes the house my responsibility then." I arch an eyebrow as I fold my arms, leaning slightly towards Saeko.

"...Please, do not do this to me..." Saeko whispered as she kept looking away.

"Look, Saeko. Normally, I'd let you go. Even by yourself. But not now. Not this time. Not when you look even more shaken than Saya." I lean back and shake my head. Saeko just kept looking away.

"I'll be back before you know it. Have some faith sweetheart." I pat Saeko's head before turning to walk towards the main building again...

Throwing a glance behind me a few seconds later to find Saeko still standing there like a statue.

(...She's just going to freeze there?...)

I turn to look towards the car, looking at Rika, who was now in the front passenger seat. Once I saw her looking at me, I bring my fingers to my eyes, then point at her, then point at Saeko. Rika quickly nods and exits the car, running up next to Saeko and leaning over her shoulder to whisper something as she passed her arm over her other shoulder. And then they both started walking towards the car, or more like, Rika led Saeko to the car.

(...She's, really out of it huh...)

I take a deep breath and turn to walk to the main building.

(Better make sure I don't realize her fears then. Didn't make it this far to croak on the last fucking straight.)

And I enter the building.

(Ok, so. The main room, is clear. Bathroom, clear. The hallway that's fused with the main room, clear. Kitchen, I need to check the damn fridge. Then, second floor.)

I nod, and turn to walk towards the kitchen.

"Naier, if you want us to make a distraction tell us." And my radio speaks up.

"Roger. For now though, try not to speak to my radio unless I speak first Saya." I respond.

"R, right. Sorry." Saya mumbles back before closing the radio.

And with that, I enter the kitchen. The place looking the same as before.

I take a deep breath and walk up to the fridge, glancing at the corpses I tripped over.

(To think I almost got done in by your ugly asses...)

I grab the corpse nearest to the fridge by the leg, and drag it back.

"Guess pulling them by the leg will be the safest way to drag em out of the estate after we're done." I whisper to myself as I nod. And then head to the fridge door.

(Now, let's finish this damn thing.)

I grab the fridge handle, and pull the door. Which once again, with a loud -THUD- opened up. Yet this time, nothing jumped out.

While still hiding behind the door, I peek inside. A few steps inside the fridge, the piece of my armguard, laying there, almost as if it was provoking me. Deeper in, the corpse responsible for this shitshow, laying on its back, arms and legs sprawled, unmoving.

Otherwise, the place was almost empty. There were a few carton boxes in one corner, but that was about it.

I nod and enter the fridge. After making sure that the door had a handle on the inside that is. Lest I end up like some poor old butler named Winston.

I first went to check the corpse. That was indeed, very dead. Head smashed in and all. Then, I went to the carton boxes in the deeper corner.

Opening the top one, which was about half my height, I find it to be filled with canned food.

"Leftovers?" I ask as I tilt my head.

"Well canned food does not really need refrigeration, so it should be good to eat." I nod as I close the carton box and turn to exit the fridge. Then proceed to exit the kitchen.

Once in the main room, I turn to walk towards the staircase, only to find a corpse walking up the stairs of the porch that led to the garden, behind the main building.

(The fuck you popped out from?)

I draw my blade, and after a quick glance around me, I run up to the corpse. And as it was still not completely up the stairs, I manage to easily land a stomp kick right into the center of its chest, sending tumbling back down on the stone-paved floor.

I walk down the stairs and switch my sword to reverse grip as the corpse landed flat on its back. And before it could get back up, stab it right between the eyes.

Pulling my blade back, I look around me.

The garden looked clear, as it lacked any type of thick vegetation to hide any corpses. Thought it would need some good mopping, like the rest of the place.

(The porch is walled off, no way it came from under it. So where the fuck where you hiding at?)

As I keep looking around, I spot a single, rather large blood splatter on a cracked stone floor tile a few meters to my left.

I scratch my head and look up. Yet could not really see anything, since other than the porch ceiling, the second floor had this slopped roof running around it, the type you'd see in a Japanese castle.

(Maybe from the second floor?)

"Fist floor clear. Moving to the second floor." I whisper to my radio as I walk back inside the building.

"Naier, Rika is saying to look at the rooms on the side that overlook the car. The noise of all the gunfire should have drawn them away from the doors." The radio responds.

"Good thinking. Radio silence." I nod as I answer, then pat my vest down.

(Where did I...Oh.)

And pull the elastic headband flashlight I used in the cinema from my bottom vestpocket.

(Here we go.)

I nod and strap the flashlight on the helmet, then open the flashlight. Since the staircase led into darkness, too much darkness.

And so, I climb up the stairs silently, readying my sword.

Upon reaching the second floor, I found myself on the end corner of a dark hallway.

Said hallway turning to the right into an equally dark hallway.

Looking behind me, the hallway continued the distance of the whole building, before ending with a turn to the left.

Now, I could see a total of three doors. One on the center in the wall on my left which was adjacent to the stairs, one on the wall straight ahead of me, near the corner. And equally, one door on the far end behind me, on the wall that was facing me.

(Hmm, big chance this hallway runs around the second floor as a square. With the wall to my right being part of a square room in the center. So, we have at least three rooms on this side, so six rooms total? Seven countings the central one)

Before deciding to check the rooms, I walk down the end of the hallway that was near me, then turn to my right, and start walking down the next hallway.

(I see some blood splatters on the floor, no corpses though. No idea how we can clean blood stains off a carpet though...)

In this hallway, much like with the door in the corner behind me, there was another door on the other end of the hallway, in the wall to my left. Once again, near the corner. Plus, there was also a door on the wall to the right, proving that there was indeed a square room in the center of the second floor. Also, the next hallway seemed to have some illumination, as I could see light coming off from the corner of this hallway

Upon reaching the corner of that hallway, I turn right to find a new staircase, this one going up. A single, unmoving body on the bottom of the staircase in an unnatural pose, seemingly as if it fell from the top of the stairs. The stairs were also the source of the light.

(Hmm, this time there are two doors in the wall adjacent to the stairs, so, nine rooms total?)

I walk up to the body by the staircase and kick it lightly. No reaction. Needless to say after the last fuck up, I didn't take any chances, I made sure that that body would not be getting up with a quick stab to the head.

I then gave one last glance at the staircase before walking past it, heading towards the last hallway in the set.

And, much like the second hallway I checked, this one was an exact copy of it, it even had the door that led to the square room, which meant the room in the center had two doors that led to it.

Thing is, that door was partly open, and partly missing. With its top part seemingly broken, or ripped off.

(What the fucked ripped a door apart...)

With that though, I ready my sword and walk up to the open door. Once next to it, I peek inside the central room...

A single corpse standing in the center with its back turned to me, a fire axe in one hand. The other hand was close to its face, holding what seemed to be a severed hand. There were also two more bodies on the ground around it, and I mean that literally, around it as they were chopped apart and tossed around the room...

(Wait, this guy busted it here, chopped these two apart, and then turned?)

I frown slightly as I silently walk up behind the fire axe-wielding corpse, making sure not to trip over any body parts.

And the moment I closed in, lean forward and stab the thing right on the back of its head. Causing it to drop the fire axe and fall to its knees, sliding off my blade's edge as it fell forward.

(The other bodies are mutilated beyond recognition. So unless they can pull an Addams family on me and start having sentient moving hands they ain't going anywhere...)

Looking around this room, I found it to be a storage of some sort, having two metal racks with various sanitary items. Mostly house cleaning ones, though it did also have some soap packs as well. Along with several mops and buckets next to the metal racks.

(Well, this is good. Hell knows we'll need to do a major clean-up here.)

I nod and walk to the other side of the room, to the door that led to the second hallway I checked. Then, I open the door and exit into the hallway.

(Ok, uhh. I'm sort of disoriented. The staircase I came from, which is nearer to the dojo and warehouse is to my left now. So, the car should be.

I point to the right.

(That a way. On the hallway with the staircase that leads to the third floor.)

I nod again and walk up to the said hallway.

(Hmm, all four hallways are clear. So before checking the rooms. Let's see the third floor, just in case I need to bail, and going up is the only path.)

With a small nod, I walk up the staircase.

To end up in a rather big, almost empty room.

Other than the fact that it was on the top floor which was much smaller in total compared to the second or first floor due to the pyramid-like structure of the building. This room was essentially more than half of the third floor, having windows on all sides except to the left. There was also a telescope right ahead of me by the window, but that's about it.

Oh, and five corpses. Non dead ones. Thankfully, none seemed to have spotted me.

Two were in the center, kneeling down over a mangled body, another two by the only door on the floor in the wall to the left. And one by the telescope 'looking' out of the window.

(Ok Naier. Go for the lone one. Then to the ones kneeling down, that leaves two corpses standing. Maybe use a gun on em then.)

I take a deep breath and silently creep to the corpse by the telescope.

(All or nothing now.)

Readying my blade, I make a sideways slash, severing the thing's head in a clean slash. Making it fall on the floor, and on the telescope, toppling the thing along with it, causing a crash loud enough to warrant a save-state load...

(Really now?)

"Not a fucking ninja apparently." I groan as I quickly turn to see all four remaining corpses turning towards me.

The two by the door had already started walking, while the two on the floor started to get up.

"Yea well, fuck that!" I let my blade drop and ready my handgun.

First shot, and the first corpse in the center fell, the second shot, and its friend next to it joined.

I then turn to aim at the two walking corpses. But do not pull the trigger.

(Wait, the radio. It's not in this room, must be behind that door.)

"I need to change position, can't shoot while the corpses have the wall on their back, lest I roll a zero and shoot the radio with this pea shooter." I groan as I run towards the other side of the room, jumping over the now three bodies in the center of the room, if you count the mangled one the two were munching even a body anymore.

Reaching the other end, I turn around and aim again.

"Ok, we're going to lose at least one window now..." I hold my breath as I take aim, and.

One shot, and one of the two corpses fell, the window right next to the wall behind it getting a new set of cracks.

I then take a few steps to the left to align the fifth and final corpse with the already cracked window, before firing again.

And as the last corpse fell, the window shattered.

"Hope insulation in the rooms bellow is good, or I just gave us some very cold nights, since this will create a stream of wind with how the bottom floor is one giant ass hole." I pull my radio as I stare at the broken window.

"Nobody's screaming why I'm shooting? I'm impressed." I speak up.

"You told us to keep radio silent. And, I expected to you report after shooting. Otherwise, we'd just have to come and save your sorry butt." Saya responds from the radio

"Good. I've checked part of the second floor and half of the third. I'll make sure the third floor is clear and then clear the second. Ps, the second floor is probably staying quarters, found like, nine doors that led to rooms. None checked." I answer.

"I see. God I hope the beds are not soaked in blood." Saya sighs.

"True that. Going silent." I respond as I turn to look at the door on the wall to my left.

Upon heading up to it, I try to open it. To no avail.

"Uhh, locked?..." I groan as I back off.

"How the fuckity Ima get in?" I tilt my head as a gust of wind that entered through the broken window caused me to sway slightly.

I turn to look at the window and narrow my eyes.

"Wait." Then walk up to it. And look outside.

Now, needless to say, the view from up here was pretty amazing. Being this high up I had a very good view of the forest and its hills. I could also not see the city from here as it was hidden behind some rather tall hills, or was it that we were in a spot where the ground had receded? Either case, this was good. As if we can't see them, they can't see us.

More importantly, right after the window, was the slopped roof with the solar panels.

"I could enter the other room via the window. If the wind doesn't decide that my planet needs me and flings me into outer space." I let out a small sigh as I walk to an intact window and open it, then carefully climb out.

"Hey! What are you doing you idiot?!" And my radio shouts. The reason being that upon looking to my right, I found that I had a pretty clear view of the car...

"Photosynthesis." I respond flatly as I crouch down and start walking next to the solar panels, using the wall as support.

Now thankfully, while the wind 'was' being a bitch, it was not strong enough to turn me into a kite, so after cleaning some glass shards from a solar panel that was next to the broken window, I walk towards the window right next to it and peek inside.

"There. Le Radio." I nod as I spot a desk with a ham radio set up on it, adjacent to the door. Along with several pieces of machinery, probably receivers, amplifiers, and the such.

Next to the desk, a single body slumped to the ground on a sleeping bag, hugging a teddy bear. With several open cans of food next to it.

There were also several carton boxes on the far end of the room. And an open window a few meters after the desk with the ham radio.

"No need to break even more windows" I nod and keep walking until I reached the corner of the wall, then turn to the left and carefully walk up to the open window. And after a quick check inside, I climb in.

I then holster my handgun, and draw my blade.

Or I would have, had I not forgotten it on the floor in the other room.

"Ts..." I click my tongue and pull my knife, then walk up to the body.

But in the end, I didn't really have to check. As other than the teddy bear it was hugging, it also had a Nambu m60 revolver clenched into its hand, and a hole into the back of its head.

"Took the easy way out huh..."I whisper as I carefully push its trigger finger off the trigger, before pulling the whole revolver from its hand. Then, I press the release button to release the cylinder. A single bullet was visible inside, which I soon found to be used.

"Not that I blame you. Being the last living person left in the middle of fucking nowhere with nothing but a teddy bear and one bullet." I add as I leave the revolver on the desk with the ham radio.

I then get up and look at the radio itself...

"Uhh, no idea how you turn this thing on. Khota probably knows since I'm pretty sure I've seen these in military installations. Right now though, it looks as dead as the previous house's inhabitants. Hopefully, it's just because the building has no electricity right now, we'll have a problem on our hands if it's actually fried." I back off from the table and turn to look at the carton boxes on the far end.

Walking up to them, I find that they were also full of canned food.

"Damn, guy was stocked. Guess the idea of being stuck here alone for the rest of his days broke him down. Good for us I guess. More food left, less alive people to deal with..." I sight as I turn to look at the dead body.

"And now I'm about eighty percent sure that my pre-outbreak self wouldn't be very proud of me for saying something like that." I add as I head to the door, the key still in the keyhole.

After unlocking it and opening the door to the room with the dead corpses and the toppled telescope, and sword.

"Third floor clear. Second floor left." I speak up as I walk up to my sword and puck it up.

"You're an idiot." The radio flatly responds.

"Scuse me?" I ask back as I sheath the blade.

"Why did you walk out the friggin window?!" Saya shouts back.

"Door was locked?" I answer just as flatly.

"You could have fallen!" Saya responds with an angry tone.

"I could have also crept into your room while you slept. But neither did happen in the end." I shrug as I look towards the open window, then towards the stairs.

"N, now is not the time for jokes you retard!" Saya yelped back, though her voice sounded more flustered than mad now.

"H,hey! What are you, I wansdfff..." And Silence.

"Oi commando." And a new voice speaks up, Rika's. Judging from how only she calls me commando all of the time.

"If you start clearing the second floor I got an idea." She adds.

"Me and Saya can go towards the dojo and warehouse when you'll start clearing that side. While my sexy old car is a bit too fat to pass through the building gaps, we can get some ammo crates and start clearing these places out, that should also give you some breathing room to clear the dead things on that side." She continues.

"Good idea. Take Saeko with you too." I answer with a small nod.

"Saeko?" Rika asks back.

"Yes, but give her a gun to use. Help her with the basics aight?" I respond.

"Hmm, three is better than two." Rika mumbles.

"Saeko, think you can do it?" She then asks, her voice now sounding distant, as if she had lowered the radio.

"Alightly, me and your two girlfriends will go on the other side once you're set." Rika responds and closes the radio.

"I'm sure Saya just flipped from that last line. Though, they 'are' my girlfriends now, are they not? I think..." I tilt my head as I start to head toward the second floor...

(Anyway. Focus. Just one floor left...)

[So, got an Important (For me) announcement to make.

And that is that. Well, holy crabs! It actually happened. I actually got my very first donor/Supporter! Now that was something I never expected to see.

So bring out the confetti peeps, tis a very important moment~ And to that one person, you have my personal thanks!]