Volume 1 - Chapter 14

Surprise At Home

I sat in the driver's seat of the van. The engine hummed softly beneath me.

Ryotaro's silver van was parked behind me, and I could see his silhouette through the windshield.

He was leaning back in his seat, eyes closed, taking a rest. I hoped he was not fully asleep.

The quiet mountain was almost eerie in its stillness. The only sounds I could hear were the gentle rustling of leaves in the wind and a distant trickle of water.

It was a stark contrast to the chaos we left behind in the city. I took a deep breath, inhaling the crisp, clean air. It was a reminder that there was still beauty in the world, even amidst the horror.

I glanced at the clock on the dashboard. Aiko and Chiemi had been gone for almost twenty minutes. It had been a long time since I visited Boga Shrine, but it was only about one minute from our location at the bridge.

I hoped they weren't in trouble. It was difficult not to imagine the worst things possible.

I knew they could handle themselves, but this world had already provided surprises.

I couldn't lose Aiko, not when I just met my angel. She was the only reason I didn't immediately die again when I arrived in this zombie nightmare.

Focusing on the scenery around me, I breathed slowly. The trees were tall and majestic, their branches swaying gently in the breeze. The leaves were vibrant green, a contrast to the grey and brown of the city.

Looking out the window, I let the cool air wash over me. It was peaceful. I could hear the faint sound of birds chirping in the distance, and I smiled.

It was a small thing, but it was a reminder that life went on, even after all of humanity had pretty much been turned into zombies.

My peace didn't last long. Yet another reminder that I had to remain ever watchful.

I saw a zombie stumbling down the road ahead of me. The brain dead man was walking directly towards the sound of my van's engine.

I almost panicked but then figured it was a good thing. I didn't let myself get worried. It meant the zombie would not be heading towards the house in the woods.

I honked my horn to get Ryotaro's attention. In the rearview mirror I saw his form through the windshield. He jolted up from a good nap.

The zombie picked up speed after I honked. I wasn't worried about being quiet then, because Aiko's plan was to make a lot of noise anyway.

Our actions were meant to draw all the nearby zombies to the shrine area, leaving the house clear of any threats. This was exactly what we wanted to happen.

I was about to get out of my van and kill the zombie when I heard the noise of a car radio, followed by the sound of Aiko's sports car. Looking to my right where the road meandered up the mountain, I saw the red car returning from Boga Shrine.

Shifting the van out of park, I hit the pedal and the vehicle slowly picked up speed across the bridge. The zombie man was too stupid to move out of my way, and I plowed right over him with a loud thunk.

His body vanished beneath the van. In the rearview mirror I saw the zombie get even more twisted up underneath Ryotaro's. He was a flesh pancake on the road after three vehicles mashed him thin.

I was now leading us up the mountain to the house, but the road was winding, narrow, and steep. The weight of the van full of groceries was a lot for the engine. Thankfully we didn't have far to go.

After two more turns, my field of view opened and I could see Aiko's childhood home. It would normally be a beautiful thing.

It wasn't a good sight this time. At least twenty zombies were gathered at the front of the home, and I had no idea how many might be at the back.

"Oh shit!" I couldn't believe what I was seeing. "What the hell!?"

I stopped the struggling van and turned the engine off before the driveway. Most of the zombies near the home had already started looking in my direction.

Some of them wandered towards the woods. They could hear the car radio from the family sedan Chiemi left running. Since we were closer and louder, some had turned towards us.

Most of the zombies still crowded along the front of the home, but I didn't see any open doors or broken windows.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

The cars behind me stopped in the road. Ryotaro was too slow to turn his engine off, and the zombies decided we were more interesting than the house or the car radio.

I tried to think of options, but only two existed. Either we left or we stayed. It was too late to avoid them because we were now their focus.

If we wanted to stay in the house tonight, we would have to kill the zombies. If Mio and Yuki were still alive, we needed to save them by killing the zombies or leading the undead away.

I got out and looked back at the others. They were still in the vehicles.

I ran back to them, and only then did I realize they couldn't see. My van full of groceries and the curve in the road had blocked their view.

Aiko noticed my distress and opened her car door. "What's wrong?"

"Zombies!" I said, "and they know we're here!"

"Damn!" she said. “How many?”

“A bunch!”

Chiemi shook her head.

Ryotaro climbed out of the silver van. "What's the deal, banana peel?"

I knew he was ready to be home. We all were. But home was not the safe place we expected it to be.

"Zombies!"

"Oh!" the old man said, "that's mad crazy!"

Ignoring the old man's goofy response, I looked at Aiko. Her eyes were wide with shock when she got out to look. Chiemi and Ryotaro exchanged worried glances.

"What do we do?" I asked.

Chiemi's jaw clenched. "We can't just leave. Yuki and Mio might still be in the house."

Aiko's eyes filled with fear. It was the first time I had seen her falter, even for a second. "I'm tired of this!"

Ryotaro nodded in agreement. "So am I! But I will fight to the end even if I have no energy!"

Chiemi looked at the silver van. "We have what we need in there."

"But no time!" Aiko pointed at the zombies approaching. "They're already here!"

I glanced back at the zombies, now only a few yards away from the florist van. Nearly a dozen of the things were seconds away.

This was my last chance to get back in the van.

"Okay!" she looked at each of us and ordered, "get back in. We're going down to the bridge and regrouping!"

I didn't hesitate. I jumped back in and cranked the engine just as the zombies surround the front hood. Their outstretched arms slapped across the metal panels like thunder, trying to get at me.

Aiko's red car backed down the road in reverse, followed by Ryotaro's silver van. I popped mine into neutral and let the weight of all the groceries carry me down the mountain.

Zombies fell into the road like drunks when I backed away. Others stumbled over the fallen trying to follow us.

Down at the bridge, I pulled up behind Aiko's car. The zombies were far enough away that we could take a moment to catch our breaths and prepare for what was next.

We knew they would soon arrive.

Aiko, Chiemi, and Ryotaro were already out of their vehicles, standing at the edge of the bridge. I joined them, and we took a moment to express emotions.

Chiemi looked at me. "What the fuck happened up there?"

I was confused by her words. Was she blaming me for something?

"I don't know," I said, "I just saw the zombies, I didn't tell them to be there!"

Aiko shook her head. "Did you see the others? Mio or Yuki?"

I tried to recall exactly what was happening when I pulled up to the driveway. Exhaustion had fogged my thinking, but I thought through it.

"No," I answered. "Only zombies. The door was closed. No windows were broken."

"Good," Aiko said.

Chiemi shook her head and pointed at me. "You almost got us killed!"

I didn't know what she meant, but I didn't like being blamed for things I had no control over.

"What are you talking about?” I said, “I saved our fucking lives! Now they're not at the house!"

I saw Aiko and Ryotaro looking between the two of us. I had no idea why Chiemi was suddenly mad at me.

If I hadn't stopped back there and warned them, we would have been swarmed by the zombies. Best of all was we drew their attention away from the house.

"We need to get geared up," Aiko said, her voice firm and determined. She turned to Chiemi. "We can talk about this after we handle the zombies."

Chiemi didn't look happy about Aiko's order, but we accepted her statement.

I nodded, and Ryotaro opened the van. We looked in at all the armor, helmets, shields, and guns.

Aiko, Chiemi, Ryotaro, and I stood near the back of the van. The weight of the situation pressed down on us, but we remained focused.

The moans of approaching zombies, and the thought of rescuing Mio and Yuki motivated us.

Aiko and Chiemi were the first to put on bulletproof vests. The heavy material hung from their shoulders, a stark contrast to their usual attire.

Aiko's vest emphasized her athletic build, while Chiemi's hugged her older figure. They both looked determined and ready to face the zombies.

I followed suit, slipping into my own vest. It felt unfamiliar and restrictive. I wasn't sure how useful it would be against the zombies but I was in the moment doing whatever the others did.

Ryotaro was the last to gear up. Instead of a vest he grabbed a helmet from the pile and placed it on his head.

The sight of him wearing only the helmet was comical, but there was no denying the pride in his stance.

The old man looked like a clueless warrior, ready to charge into battle with no other armor.

I laughed at him. Aiko and Chiemi shook their heads. I thought he was only playing at first, but then he never put a vest or any other gear on. Ryotaro was helmet and plain clothes only.

Chiemi distributed loaded rifles, handing them out with practiced ease. She gave one to Aiko, popped in a magazine, and racked it for her.

Ryotaro received his next, and he held it like someone who had never held one. He probably hadn't, just like me.

When Chiemi handed me a rifle, it already had ammunition loaded. She hesitated for a moment, then put the gun in my hands.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you," she said, her voice softer than before. "I'll explain later."

I nodded, accepting her apology. I wasn't sure why she was so upset, but I was grateful for her support. We needed to work together if we were going to survive this.

As Chiemi gave us a quick tutorial on how to use the automatic rifles, I wondered how she knew so much about them.

She spoke with authority, showing us how to stand while remaining in control as the gun kicked back. She explained that we should do quick trigger squeezes with confidence.

I made a mental note to ask her later how she knew all this, once we were safe.

She was the only one who actually held the rifle like she knew what she was doing. I was impressed but I wouldn't admit it then. I was still upset that she was mad at me for some unknown reason.

The moans of the zombies grew louder, providing a chilling soundtrack to our situation.

We didn't have much time left. Chiemi finished her instructions, and we all took deep breaths, steeling ourselves for the fight ahead.

Aiko gave me a reassuring nod, and I returned it with as much confidence as I could muster.

A small horde of zombies appeared on the road ahead of us, just as we expected. It was a terrifying sight, but we were not backing down.

We were finally prepared.