Chapter 41: To the Fire Exit

"My flat is a bit far from here, we would need a vehicle to get there," Shizuka commented. She put her finger on her cheek and thought. "There is the school bus and the key is usually in it," she added.

"That is a good idea," Rei remarked. 

"Does anyone know how to drive a school bus?" Saya asked.

"I can," Shizuka volunteered. She put her hand up. 

"I have driven a car, a bus should have the same controls," Lois added. 

"What's a bus?" Jasmine asked. She has not heard of this before, in fact everything here is so new, there are so many new things to learn and see and do.

"It's like a camel but without the camel. You can get on it and go places without walking," James explained. 

Rei, Saya and Saeko exchanged glances. Saya thought, she does definitely have a middle eastern princess aura around her however they should have buses. Rei wondered about a camel but without a camel, she giggled at that thought. 

"That sounds amazing," Jasmine replied. James noted her smile was back. He thought of asking what upset her before. He will make sure they don't smile for upsetting his princess. 

"Once we get on the bus," Takashi's voice cut through the tension, "we will have to drive there," he added. 

Rei's curiosity sparked. "And?" she asked. 

Takashi's gaze shifted. "With all the chaos, the road may be blocked and hard to use," he added. 

"That is a possibility," Saeko nodded, the Slasher gleaming in the dim light.

"It is better than waiting in here, with the undead outside," James chimed in. 

"James is right there, there is a risk but we are armed and we can hold our position for a while and clear the obstacles," Lois said. 

"Okay, we have a plan, let's follow it," Rei shouted. Almost all of them agreed. Hisashi looked down. 

Lois walked to the door. She could hear the zombies moving around and groaning. "Grrrhhhh," a voice was heard. 

Positioned and alert, Rei and Lois stood side by side, their weapons ready and trained on the zombies. A shared smile passed between them. 

Lois broke the silence, her voice edged with mischief. "Ever fired a gun before?" she asked.

Rei's response came with a hint of uncertainty. "No, but the M4W, it talks to me. There's something about it,"she chuckled. "Maybe it's those drinks we had earlier," she added. 

Lois's laughter bubbled forth. "Just aim for the undead, not me," she teased.

Rei saluted playfully, her resolve firm. "Will do," Rei replied.

James looked at the duo at the front. They were ready. "Saya, Jasmine," he directed, "you both take the rear."

"Everyone else stay close," James emphasised. "We move as one," he added. 

His gaze shifted to Saeko. "Saeko, keep them at bay." he ordered. 

Saeko's lips curved into a chilling smile. "They will die," she murmured as she looked at Slasher. 

James took the suitcase. The girls were armed to the teeth, he was not worried about the zombies. Hisashi, Takashi got next to James. Takashi readied his bat. Hisashi looked strange. "Let's go," James shouted. 

Lois's boot connected with the door, sending it crashing open. In front of them was a horde of zombies, their decayed forms lurching around. They heard and saw the door being kicked and turned their attention towards it. "Uuuurrrr," a zombie was heard. 

Instinct kicked in, and Lois unleashed a hail of bullets from her M4W, each shot hitting the head of the zombies. The bullet would hit the zombie in the head and they would go down. She moved forward, firing her M4W at the zombies. She took out a dozen zombies in rapid succession. 

Rei joined her, but her aim wavered. The first few bullets missed, ricocheting off walls and splintering wood. She thought the gun had more kick to it. She managed to hit the zombie in the chest and it went down. The M4W was powerful. Panic surged, but she steadied herself as a zombie approached her. Her fingers gripped the weapon's cold metal. She stopped for a second and composed herself. She then fired again, this time hitting her mark on the head of the zombie. The undead crumpled, their grotesque heads exploding in bursts of decay.

Lois pushed up. She aimed down the sights and fired more of her bullets. Each zombie took a bullet to the head as it went down. She noted all of them were wearing a school uniform. She thought about the poor souls. The zombies screamed as half a dozen came running out of the classroom. Lois aimed her gun and fired three bullets. Each hit the zombie in the head as they got flunk backwards and landed on the ground with a big thud. 

Rei came up and fired another three bullets and hit the zombies on the head as well. She looked down the sight as she fired. The zombies stumbled backwards as they went down. "You are a natural," Lois remarked. 

"Thank you," Rei replied. She smiled, thinking this felt natural. 

Danger came from all sides as 4 zombies emerged from the rear, drawn by all the noise. Jasmine, swiftly turned around. She aimed her Red Hawk and fired the first shot. The bullet travelled through the air and hit the zombie on the chest. A hole appeared in his chest near his heart as he stumbled forward and hit the ground. She fired another two bullets in rapid succession. The two bullets hit the zombies. The force which impacted them knocked them to the ground. She fired again however there was a clicking sound. 

Saya heard the clicking sound from Jasmine`s gun. She spotted the lone zombie approaching them. She aimed the weapon given to her by James. The Ray Gun hummed to life, its energy building. She aimed, steady and focused, and fired. A red energy wave left the barrel and impacted the zombie. The zombie exploded in a burst of light and gore. 

Saya was shocked. The blood went everywhere and painted the walls. She felt sick. James saw this and walked to her. He gathered her into his arms, pulling her close to his chest. "It's okay," he murmured against her hair. He added, "It was you or them, you made the right choice."

Saya, still reeling from the adrenaline, felt assured by the words. His words echoed in her mind: it was you or them. The weight of that truth and this new world was too much. However, she thought they were in the midst of a battle, surviving. She pushed James away, pouting like a child. "I don't need a hug from you," she declared.

James smiled. "Sure, I was just checking," James said. At that moment a zombie came towards them from a window. It was about to grab them when Saeko came with her Slasher and slashed the zombie. She slashed the zombies on his chest. Blood splattered from his wound. Saeko smiled. "Thanks Saeko," James thanked. 

"You should focus on that battle," Saeko remarked. 

"The safety and mental well being for you girls is my priority," James stated.

Jasmine quickly pressed the magazine release button and released the empty magazine. She then rapidly pulled the magazine out of the grip. Jasmine reached into her pocket and took out a new magazine and loaded it into the magazine holder until it clicked into place. She pulled the chamber back. Jasmine thought that was quick and she knew how to do it. She was surprised.

"Let's keep moving," James shouted. Takashi and Hisashi who stayed nearer to Rei and Lois nodded. Rei and Lois moved forward with their weapon. As the zombies came towards them, they gunned them down. They all hit the ground with a loud thud. James, Saeko, Saya and Jasmine came up the rear and noticed most zombies had a single bullet wound to the head. 

They all pushed through until they saw the fire exit. It was a square sign with bold white lettering. "Through there," Takashi shouted. The group saw the sign and rushed though. They all got out. Jasmine slammed the door behind them. 

"Looks like we made it," Shizuka said. 

"Yes, we did," James replied. 

Lois and Rei exchanged smiles. 

They heard some noise coming from the upstairs, Lois and Rei pointed their guns upwards. Saeko got her sword in the Ox guard position.