Volume 1 - Chapter 13

Zombie Mind Wi-Fi?

Ryotaro kicked open the locked room and exclaimed, "my heart is dancing!"

The old man was such a character. It was hard for me to believe he might be too shy to express interest in Chiemi.

Aiko, Chiemi, and I all got behind Ryotaro so we could see inside the locked room.

I saw a giant walk-in closet with multiple unique spaces. They were organized with different names on them. Each space looked like it had a full body suit of riot gear, with storage and supplies.

Aiko said, "it's a dressing room for the riot squad!"

I followed Ryotaro into the room, my eyes wide. It was a locker room, but not just any locker room. This one was specifically designed for the local riot squad.

Each locker space was big, with a name neatly printed on it, designating the officer and their supplies.

The first thing that caught my attention were the helmets. They looked sturdy and capable of withstanding heavy blows.

Next to the helmets were the shields. They were large and rectangular, made of reinforced plastic and metal. Some had clear windows in the center, allowing the officers to see through them.

The boots were heavy-duty, with thick soles and reinforced toes. They looked like they could withstand anything, from broken glass to flying debris. Beside them were piles of body armor, including vests and knee pads.

The weapons were neatly organized in their own section of each locker space. I found batons of various lengths, some with telescoping handles, tasers and stun guns, along with handcuffs and zip ties.

I noticed a few rifles and pistols, but they seemed to be the exception rather than the rule. That was fine.

More than twenty lockers, and half of them had multiple types of guns, including rifles, shotguns, and pistols. There were only six of us. It was more than enough firearms to start with.

Ammunition was stored in cabinets, with separate compartments for different types of rounds. I didn't know much about them but I could clearly see all the ones in the personal lockers were labeled as non-lethal.

It made sense, but it didn't help us much. If we wanted to survive we would need some real ammo.

Chiemi pointed to a locked cabinet in the corner with a placard stating it had live ammunition within.

“Need your drill again,” Chiemi said to Ryotaro.

He looked and then got excited. “Oh! I like drilling!”

The older woman smiled as Ryotaro retrieved his power drill.

I kept looking through the open lockers. There were boxes of tear gas canisters and smoke grenades.

In another corner of the room, I saw where the car had tried to drive into the building. The white bumper of the sedan could barely be seen.

Beside the broken wall was a large supply of first aid kits. They were stocked with bandages, gauze, and other medical supplies. There were also fire extinguishers and safety blankets.

I was amazed at the level of organization and preparation. It was clear the Japanese police took riot control very seriously.

I felt a sense of gratitude towards these officers, who put their lives on the line to protect others. They were probably zombies now, and we needed their gear in order to protect ourselves.

"Aiko," I said, turning to look at her.

I was about to suggest we be as quick as possible.

Before I could say anything more or realize what she was doing, she wrapped her arms around me and squeezed my face against her breasts.

My vision went dark, buried in her cleavage, and the only thing separating the two of us were her thin garments.

"Hachiro!" she said, "we did it! We have weapons and food! It's a good start, isn't it?"

I awkwardly put my arms around her and let the embrace happen. Her warmth and excitement was invigorating, and I just lived in that moment.

"Yes," I said, enjoying the hug.

She let go and then winked at me.

I looked at her and I blushed. She smiled, knowing she had full control over me. Then, acting as if she had not done anything at all to me, she changed the subject.

"Okay!" Aiko said, letting me go as she looked around. "We take everything!"

"Heck, yeah!" Ryotaro exclaimed.

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Chiemi laughed. "An excellent plan!"

I stepped over to the first locker and start grabbing every piece of gear I could get my hands on.

I was the first one to carry a load of stuff to Ryotaro's silver van, and I took an extra minute away from them to pretend like I was organizing things.

It felt like forever before I was able to calm myself down. The thought of Aiko's supple bosom against my face, and the warmth of her beautiful body embracing me was difficult to shake away.

Having grown up in the system and in foster homes, and with limited relationship experience, I had never felt such love before. Intimate physical interactions made me feel a strange sort of way.

Eventually I was able to focus back on the job at hand.

As we worked, we talked and made jokes to keep our spirits high. Aiko was the first to crack a joke, saying this whole thing was a riot.

I laughed at the pun, grateful she could lighten the mood even in the midst of chaos.

Ryotaro chimed in, saying he was once called a one man riot. "Now I'm too old for that nonsense," he said with a chuckle.

Chiemi playfully scolded him, saying that age was just a number and he was still as spry as ever. It was the first time I had seen Chiemi give any sign of being more than friendly towards him.

I couldn't help but join in on the banter, making a joke about how I was glad I didn't have to wear the riot gear right.

"I'd probably trip over my own feet and fall flat on my face," I said, causing everyone to laugh.

As we finished up, Aiko turned to me and gave another warm smile. She purposefully waited until Ryotaro and Chiemi were out of earshot, and then she whispered. "Remind me to thank you later, Hachiro. You earned it."

I blushed, in love with the constant teasing. Gulping, I said, "I… I will."

Aiko grinned devilishly and then turned to follow the others. I smiled, proud of myself for not messing up my chances with her.

I couldn't wait to return to the house in the mountains.

After the van was loaded up with gear, we met up together outside the police station and discussed our next step.

"What do you all think?" Aiko asked, looking at each of us in turn. "Should we head back home now?"

Ryotaro scratched his head, considering the question. "Well, we've got a lot of supplies here. It might be best to get them back to the house before we do anything else."

Chiemi nodded in agreement. "Yeah, we should think about the others. They'll be worried if we don't return soon."

I glanced at Aiko, who seemed to be weighing the pros and cons in her mind.

When she didn't say anything, I suggested something. "We still need to find a decoy car on the way back, and then somewhere it can draw zombies away from the house."

"You're right," she said. "We managed to avoid most of the zombies on our way here, but it might not be so easy on the way back."

Chiemi frowned, her brow furrowing as she considered my words. "I agree. I want to get back. Leaving Yuki and Mio has me stressed to no end."

Aiko looked thoughtful for a moment before nodding. "Alright, let's do that. They're probably expecting us soon."

We quickly got in the vehicles.

I was driving behind Aiko's red car, following her as we made our way. The outer streets of Kanonji were eerily quiet as we left the city, with only the occasional movement of a zombie breaking my attention.

It had been a few hours since we first arrived in the city, and not much had changed. Abandoned cars still littered the road, their owners long gone or turned into the undead.

The city that once bustled with life now felt like a ghost town with mindless creatures. The only signs of movement were the occasional zombies that stumbled aimlessly through the streets.

I gripped the steering wheel tightly, my knuckles turning white as I tried to keep my focus on the road ahead. I was getting tired.

My mind constantly drifted to thoughts of Aiko but I did the responsible thing and kept my eyes open.

Aiko's car weaved around vehicles, her expert driving skills on full display. I did my best to keep up. Each time we drove I had this weird feeling that everything was staged.

The way cars had wrecked, stalled, and been left abandoned just didn't feel exactly right. But I had never experienced a zombie apocalypse before and so I had nothing to base my judgment on.

Despite dangers, there was a strange sense of calm that washed over me as I followed Aiko. I trusted her completely, and I knew she would do everything in her power to keep us safe.

I could feel the weight of the groceries and supplies in the back of the van, and I still had concerns it would be difficult going up the mountain.

As we approached Iseki Pond, I could see the green water shimmering on my left. In the fall it was drained low, but it was full right then.

We pulled into a parking lot on the right. The spots were full of abandoned vehicles. Ryotaro parked next to me. The museum parking lot was eerily quiet, save for the distant moan of a single undead.

As I stepped out of the van, I took a moment to survey the scene. There was a sleek black sports car with its doors left wide open, a family sedan with a smashed windshield, and a rusty old truck.

I saw one zombie not knowing what she was doing. It was at one point a pretty woman, dressed in a blood-stained sundress. Her face was now twisted in a weird snarl.

The zombie wandered towards Aiko and Chiemi as they got out of the car. My heart raced as I watched them, ready to intervene if necessary.

But Aiko was quick, as usual.

She pulled out her baseball bat and swung it with all her might, connecting with the zombie's skull. The creature crumpled to the ground and then Aiko flattened its head with a few more strikes.

I felt a sense of awe as I watch her. She was like a warrior, fierce and unstoppable. Fate had dealt me a wonderful hand when it came to this woman.

Ryotaro got out of his van and stood beside me. We watched the two women for a minute.

"What are they doing?" the old man asked.

"We need a decoy car for the house."

"Oh, yeah," Ryotaro answered. "I forget. I'm getting old and ugly."

I laughed, but the day had been incredibly stressful and it wasn't even half-way through yet. I felt like Ryotaro was doing extremely well for someone who was in his 70's.

"How are you on fuel?" I asked.

"About half."

"Good. I'm still way above three-quarters, but it will burn a lot going up the mountain."

Ryotaro looked up in the direction towards the house. "Yep. And I gotta be honest with you, I don't know if I have the energy to make two trips today. I might need a nap when we get back."

"For your beauty?" I asked.

The old man laughed. "We both know the sleep's not helping my beauty."

I heard a new engine start up and looked towards the family sedan with the busted windshield.

Chiemi was behind the steering wheel and Aiko was jogging back towards us.

She got to within talking distance and then slowed to a walk. "Okay, do you know where Gogo Dam is?"

"Yes." I nodded. I had seen it on the way down the mountain.

"Okay," she explained, "after the dam, turn left onto the bridge like normal and then wait for us. We will go straight up to a parking area for Boga Shrine. That's where we'll leave the decoy car running."

"Good plan," I said.

I hoped against all odds the shrine was close enough any zombies could hear the engine and the radio.

I also hoped a bunch of impure creatures like zombies didn't haunt us for eternity if we desecrated a shrine. To be fair, it was a parking lot we were planning to use and not the shrine itself.

Feeling terrible but not knowing any other option, I stayed silent and hoped nothing bad happened to us spiritually because of the plan.

"Okay," she said.

Ryotaro nodded, "okay."

"See you at the house," Aiko winked at me, then blew a kiss.

"I…"

The old man elbowed me in the side as Aiko jogged back to the red sports car.

"Love puppy," Ryotaro smiled at me. "I bet she'll put you on a leash if you're not careful."

I laughed, but considered the idea. Being on her leash didn't sound that bad to me.