Volume 1 - Chapter 25

Looking For Genta

I pressed the button on the walkie and asked, "Genta, can you tell me more about your location? What do you see around you?"

The radio clicked and Genta's voice crackled, "we are on the top. It's the third floor. There's a garden store directly across the street from us. I can see a few zombies roaming around, but most of them are trying to get into the apartment. I can count about twenty right now."

I turned to Ryotaro, “the man’s story hasn’t changed.”

“That's a good sign.”

"I'm assuming he's near the garden store on this road?"

The old man nodded again, pointing down the road. "I know the place. It’s down there after the big white building he described before."

My memory of the area returned. I had never been to the garden store but I had passed by it multiple times in the past.

"Okay," I said into the walkie, "do you have any weapons with you?"

"No," Genta replied, "not really. Only some pots and pans and kitchen knives."

I discussed that with the old man. Ryotaro shrugged. I realized he was right. There was still no way for us to know for certain.

I had to push aside my concerns about safety and just accept that we had already decided to rescue these people. It was an unnecessary danger, and I had promised Aiko I wouldn't do anything like this.

If it was a trap, then we would die knowing we tried to do the right thing. If Aiko and the other women were dead then it didn't matter anyway.

I sighed and rubbed my temples, a headache developing from my anger and tension. Either way, things could end up disastrous. I lifted the radio and talked to Genta again.

"Okay, we're going to have to come up with a plan to get you. Is there any safe way for you to exit the building?"

Genta paused for a moment before answering, "I don’t think so. The window doesn’t open and I know there's a zombie in the hallway outside the apartment.”

“Dang."

Ryotaro shook his head. We were going to need a way to draw them out of the apartment complex.

“This isn’t going to be easy,” I said.

“No.”

It was unlike the old man to be so quiet. Ryotaro usually talked more, and I didn't like the way he'd clammed up with a heavy mind on his failure.

“So…” I asked, “any ideas that might be helpful?”

Ryotaro scratched his chin and thought for a moment. "We could try setting off a car alarm again or making a loud noise to draw the zombies away from the entrance."

I sighed, thinking that was a basic start, but we had already done that a few times and I felt like it was a given at this point.

“It will get them away from the building,” I explained, “but what about the ones inside?”

“I don’t know.”

He didn't have his head in the game. We got mixed up in the chaos of the moment back there with the alarm, but right now we needed to focus.

“Hey,” I said, “I know you’re an old man, but you’re smarter than I am and wiser than I will ever be!”

Ryotaro turned to me. He had a smirk on his face like he knew I was just trying to motivate him.

“Listen, love puppy. I messed up back there. I really did. It’s bothering me.”

“Yeah.”

I nodded my understanding, but deep down I was struggling not to roll my eyes. Everyone processed things differently and in their own time, but that time seriously needed to be five or ten minutes ago.

We couldn't afford to sit in a van in a lumber store parking lot looking all pathetic because of our situation. We had to move on.

“What are you talking about?” I answered. “It’s the end of the world, man. We don’t have a real playbook for this. We’re just winging it. We’re going to make mistakes.”

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

He didn't say anything. I exhaled after a minute, hoping that was all he needed. The awkward silence ticked by too slowly for my taste.

“Well look, we need to come up with something.” I said, “we can drive by the apartment slowly while making noise to draw away the ones outside. Then we circle back and clean up the last few inside the apartment building.”

“Sounds good.”

"You didn’t even think about it, though. I need you with me on this.”

"Okay.”

I looked away from the man and shook my head.

“I have to admit, I don’t like this version of you, Ryotaro. You better get yourself into gear, man. You made a mistake, so what? Now say the plan back to me so I know you got my back.”

He acted like doing this was a chore.

“We take a left out of here. The garden store is about a kilometer down the way. We pass it real slow-like and we can tell Genta to flash something bright in the window so we know where they are.”

I nodded, smiling. “That’s good. I like that part. Go on.”

“We turn on our own radios and we yell at the zombies, attracting their attention, “Ryotaro explained. “They will follow us down the road a ways. Then we turn left and circle back in a hurry, leaving them behind somewhere else while we go in the apartment and kill however many are inside.”

“Yes,” I said.

“It sounds easy enough."

“But nothing has been easy,” I added, “and none of us are perfect.”

“I know.”

“So suck it up, old man. Or else you’ll never get a kiss from Chiemi.”

Ryotaro laughed. “She doesn’t want to kiss me! I’m too old for her!”

In my head I was thinking there was only about ten or fifteen years difference between them. I was thinking after sixty, what did it matter?

“What does that matter in this new world? I bet if you actually tried there might be a spark of something there.”

Ryotaro shook his head but didn't say anything for a long moment. I let him have his thoughts. I could already see his posture straightening and a smile forming on his face.

“Alright,” he said finally, owning up to himself. “We all make mistakes from time to time.”

“That’s right. You ready?”

Ryotaro nodded and looked at me with determination. "Let's do something good.”

I took a deep breath and pressed the button on the walkie.

"Genta. I think we have a plan.”

“Okay,” the man answered. “Do we need to do anything or just wait?”

“Do you have a flashlight or anything shiny?”

There was silence on the walkie for a minute. I assumed they were looking for something that could fit that description.

“There are some silver baking pans!” Genta said. “They might reflect the sun. Will that work?”

I nodded to Ryotaro.

“Yes,” I said into the walkie.

“Okay then,” the man answered. “We can both be in the window with them. Will that work? Where are we directing the light?”

I started telling them the plan, elaborating in detail since I wasn't there to visually see if they understood.

“You will see two vans on the road. Flash the baking sheets as we approach to get our attention so that we know your exact location.”

“Okay then,” the man said. “We can do that.”

"We will draw the zombies away from the apartment. You must stay inside though. The ones in the hallway probably won’t follow us. So don’t do anything unplanned or get worried we are leaving. We are just luring the zombies away.”

“Okay,” Genta said, “I understand. That makes sense.”

“Both of us will drive down the way a bit with the zombies following. After a while we will come back and we will kill the last zombies inside. You will need to be ready.”

Genta sounded relieved.

"Thank you,” he said. “We'll be ready."

“Okay. Just make sure you are. Do you have any questions? Now's the time to ask.”

There was silence on the other side for a moment.

“No. We are just tired and hungry, and so thankful for your help. We will be ready.”

“Okay,” I said. “Be watching from the window. When you see the vans, flash the baking sheets at us.”

“Okay then. We will.”

I nodded, thinking about the plan to myself. It sounded simple enough, but nothing had gone according to plan.

Both times we came to the city we had barely escaped death.

I looked at Ryotaro. The old man had a little bit of spark back in his face.

“Do you have any questions?” I asked. “Or anything else to get off your chest before we do this? We need to be fully focused.”

“No. You are a good man, Hachiro. I know we don’t want to be in this litter box, but I am glad I'm in the shit sand with you.”

I grinned. Ryotaro said some of the goofiest things, yet still his words made sense.

“Same here, old man. Do you want to lead or follow?”

He smiled. “I will take the lead. I want to run over some of these brain dead things if possible.”

Nodding, I knew that Ryotaro had returned from his melancholy. We were both ready to save two people from the apartment building.

After he got into the other van and pulled out onto the road, I followed closely behind.

The plan was to drive nice and slow. It wouldn't be an issue as long as the roads were clear.

We would still be moving many times faster than the zombies could chase, and with any luck we could pick up the two survivors in a matter of minutes.

We drove through an intersection and saw the big white building with the red stripe. It stood tall and wide to our right.

I knew it be a distribution company called TableMark, but beyond that I had no idea what might be inside.

Bigger than I remembered, there was no wonder the stranger named Genta could see it from a distance.

After a minute I thought I saw what was a garden store up ahead. The road narrowed and I saw pallets of green shrubbery all along the sidewalk.

Ryotaro’s van slowed almost to a crawl. I had no doubt he was looking around for any signs of people in windows trying to get our attention.

I also started looking. I saw four tall buildings near the garden store. They were off to my left.

It didn't take long to find the other survivors. A tall man and a boy were clearly visible in a large window.

The silver baking pans they had found shined brightly at us, making excellent improvised beacons.

Reflecting the sun was a good way to get noticed. I had to shield my eyes as the light flashed across my face multiple times.

“Okay,” I said to myself, “we get it. You can stop now.”

But Genta and the boy couldn't hear me. They were excited, and I could understand the hope they had. We were likely the only other survivors they had encountered since day one.

It was time for us to assess the zombie situation. I let my eyes wander down to the street level of the apartment building.

As I continued driving just behind Ryotaro’s van, I saw way more than twenty zombies.

There was a small courtyard from the sidewalk leading up to the three story building.

At least fifty zombies were gathered in the tiny yard, and they didn't seem to be very interested in us, even as our vehicles approached.

The pale group of mindless creatures stood around outside like they were stoned out of their minds.

I had expected them to turn towards the sound of our engines. We were already closer than I felt comfortable, but they didn't seem to care.

Something was off.