Volume 1 - Chapter 22

The Radio Stranger

I still wasn't sure what to think about the stranger on the radio.

He sounded genuine but some people could act extremely well.

Not being able to see his face made it difficult to trust their authenticity.

I did know one thing. Our little group of six survivors was more important to me than any other survivors. We had a good thing going and I didn't want to mess it up.

I said to Mio and Aiko, "I think we need to make this choice as a group."

Mio nodded.

Aiko said, "okay, I agree with that for sure."

Before we could even get out of the vehicle, the older woman was already answering.

Chiemi asked through the walkie, "where are you at? Where are you hiding?"

A few seconds went by and the silence was deafening. Aiko, Mio, and I exchanged worried glances. Either the strange man wasn't exactly sure, or he was making up a lie.

Finally, Genta answered. "We are in an apartment building on the third floor. I'm not sure what road. I am not from Kanonji. I was here for work. When I look out the window, I can see mountains all around and a big white building with a red stripe that says TableMark."

I nodded, knowing the approximate location was not very far away. I wondered if the others were familiar with the big warehouse building. It was about two kilometers from us or maybe less.

"Let's go talk to Chiemi and the others," I said, opening the car door. "Turn the walkie off to save battery."

Aiko nodded. She set the walkie down on the dash. We closed the van doors gently and jogged over to the silver van parked in front of Zag Zag.

Luckily we didn't have any zombies nearby to deal with. Ryotaro opened the side door for us and we all piled into the vehicle.

Chiemi asked us, "what do you think?"

"I don't know," I admitted.

Aiko was blunt, "why did you answer them? We were trying to tell you to be quiet."

"I can't just ignore him," the older woman said, "they need help."

I shook my head. Chiemi was the protective mother type. She had immediately latched onto the idea that Genta and the boy needed help.

I understood, but didn’t like it. When the man said there was a little boy with him, how could a nice person refuse that?

"We need to be careful," I said, "it could be a trap. We have no idea who this person is or if they're telling the truth."

"Thank you," Ryotaro said, "that was my thinking."

Yuki shook her head. "I believe him. I can hear the fear in his voice. He sounds desperate."

Aiko said, "Some people are good actors.”

She was right, of course, but no one answered.

We went silent for a moment, trying to think of what to say. It was sometimes a cruel world even before the zombie outbreak, and not everyone could get the help they needed.

Some people were quick to take advantage of one another. Now that there were no laws to be enforced, a group of people with no ethical boundaries might try to kill other survivors just because they could.

"Hello?" Genta asked through the walkie, "are you there? Did you hear me? What is your location? Are you near?"

"Don't answer that," I said quickly.

Chiemi and Yuki looked at me with frustration. The older woman asked, "why not?"

Aiko answered for me, "because he doesn't need to know where we are if he's trapped in an apartment."

Ryotaro and I both nodded, and then Mio agreed. I believed it was a solid fact that if he couldn't get outside and he didn't know the city anyways, then it shouldn't matter to him where we were.

"So what's the plan?" Chiemi huffed, “we just leave these people to die?"

That wasn't what I meant.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

"No," I shook my head. "We just need to be smart about this. We have the luxury of a few minutes to think about it."

Aiko agreed with me. "We came here for the supplies and the zombies are currently distracted. It will be easier to load up more supplies now when we know we can, and then we will see about rescuing this man and the boy when we’re leaving."

"But the vans will be full," Yuki said.

"We can leave a little bit of space," Ryotaro said, "in the back of one of them."

I was nodding my head but I didn't say anything. Aiko spoke almost exactly what I was thinking.

She said, "ask them how many zombies are there."

Mio whispered, "oh, yeah, that's a good question."

Chiemi raised the walkie to her mouth. "Genta. How many zombies are there?"

A few seconds passed. "At least twenty. Maybe more. That’s what I can see. They're mostly near the front of the apartment. They are there from the last time I went to the convenience store. They followed me and won't leave so I can’t get out anymore. We’re trapped. Are you coming to get us? Are you in a vehicle?"

I shook my head again. "I don't like this."

Chiemi asked, "why not?"

"Something just doesn't sound right to me. He's asking too many questions about us."

Aiko appeared to agree with me but didn't say anything.

"He's scared," Chiemi said.

Yuki agreed with the older woman. "I would ask those questions if I was scared for my life."

I didn't believe her but I kept quiet. They were right that people said and did strange things when scared.

Sometimes the mind didn't think correctly, like when I first froze in panic before Aiko saved me.

The important thing was that we didn't let something like this divide us as a group. All of us wanted to do the right thing, but we were splitting ourselves trying to decide how to best handle it.

Ryotaro said, "ask if they can wait an hour."

Chiemi looked confused. "Why? We should go now."

I shook my head. "If we do go and save them it needs to be after we get the supplies. They have made it this long, they should be fine. We are trying to figure out if he's tricking us into an act of desperation. There could be others ready to ambush us when we get there. Don't say anything about our vehicles or which direction we are coming from yet."

Chiemi exhaled loudly. It was clear she didn't like our strategy.

Aiko nodded to the older woman. "It's the smart thing to do. You know it is."

"Okay," she said to us and then talked into the walkie. "We can be there in one hour. Can you hold out until then?"

"Oh, my goodness!" Genta almost broke down in tears. "Thank you. Thank you so much!"

We heard a trembling boy's voice that barely came through. "Are they good people? Are they going to help?”

Chiemi and Yuki looked at us. I looked at Aiko and we nodded to each other. Mio and Ryotaro looked satisfied.

I had to admit it was the trembling boy's voice in the background that sealed the deal for me. Hearing a frightened kid ask if we were going to save them almost broke my heart.

Mio and Yuki both looked torn apart by the sound of the little kid.

"Okay," Aiko said, seeing our faces and reactions. "I think that settles it. Tell them we will be there and to be ready to go in one hour from now."

Chiemi smiled and lifted the radio. "Genta. Listen to me carefully."

"Okay," said the man.

"We need to conserve radio battery or else our walkies will die." Chiemi explained, “turn it off for now. In exactly fifty minutes, turn it back on. We will call for you up to three times. If you don't answer. We have to leave without you."

"Okay," the man accepted, and then said one last thing. "Please don't leave us. If we can't hear each other, we are in the big tan building right across from a plant store. We won't make it another night. Please don't leave without us."

I admitted to myself he sounded genuinely terrified about being left alone. We were probably the first people he had spoken to since hiding out with the boy in the apartment.

I looked at everyone. Our faces were turned sad by their grief and terror. He was believable to me.

"Okay," Aiko said to us, "I think we all agree we are doing the right thing here. We have to try and help them."

Ryotaro asked, "After the supplies, right?"

"Yes," Chiemi said reluctantly. "Now we have talked it out and made a plan. I agree with everything we are doing one-hundred percent."

"Good," Ryotaro answered.

I said, "repeat the plan to them about the one hour from now part."

Chiemi said to the walkie, "in an hour we will turn the walkie back on and call you. Be ready."

"The two of us will be waiting," Genta said. "Thank you so much."

Chiemi turned the radio off.

There was an awkward silence in the van for a moment.

We had just made a critical decision. Two people appeared to need help and we were the only ones who seemed capable of helping them.

Doing the right thing was a hallmark of being human. We couldn't forsake the last few remaining people on earth just because it might possibly get us into a more dangerous problem.

We were the human race, and we needed more people to survive our harsh new realities.

"Okay," Aiko said at last. "We need to get on with the plan then."

"Agreed," Chiemi said.

Ryotaro and I exited the silver van, each of us scanning the parking lot for large vehicles that could be filled with supplies.

I found one with keys almost immediately. It was a massive Toyota Alphard. Ryotaro seemed to be having trouble finding a suitable vehicle.

The Alphard was a beast of a vehicle, with its sleek black exterior and tinted windows. It was perfect for our needs, as it had ample cargo space and a powerful engine.

Ryotaro, on the other hand, was still searching. He walked up and down the rows of cars. I was starting to feel a little anxious.

Time was important. The longer we took, the greater the risk of attracting unwanted attention from the undead, and we might not make it to Genta and the boy Haru on time.

Finally, Ryotaro found a Mitsubishi Delica, a boxy, sturdy-looking van that was popular for its off-road capabilities. While not as large as the Alphard, it was still a good choice.

Both vehicles were better than the smaller one-boxes we picked up the day before.

The Alphard's doors were unlocked, which was a relief. I slid into the driver's seat and turned the key in the ignition. The engine purred to life and I let out a sigh of relief.

Ryotaro got in the Delica and it started right away. We just needed to get them backed up to the stores and then filled with supplies.

I got mine backed up next to the other van without too much attention. One zombie was meandering towards me.

Aiko was already walking in my direction with a baseball bat before I could even get out of the van.

She handled the undead man with practiced ease. Killing zombies with a bat was becoming easier, even for her.

Aiko said, "we forgot to clear the stores before getting the vans."

I nodded. "That Genta guy got us distracted."

She agreed. "We're doing the right thing, right?"

I smiled but wasn't entirely sure.

"Yes," I said, trying to sound confident for the both of us. "We are good people. It's the right thing to do."

She smiled. Aiko's beautiful face and confident swagger returned, and she kissed me passionately again.

"You are not like most people, Hachiro," she told me. "You are a good person, and you are mine."

"Yes," I answered, "I'm yours. Together or never."

Aiko smiled, and together we started looting the grocery store.