Volume 1 - Chapter 35

Speedy Boy

Yuki's convulsing stopped abruptly, like the infection had won a battle against her immune system, and then it flipped a switch.

Her head tilted to the side and her eyes stared blankly at the wall. She went completely limp and still.

I could feel the warmth leaving her body, as if her life force was seeping away. It was surreal to me, and I watched Chiemi struggling to accept it.

Yuki had just died.

She had no pulse and no breath.

Chiemi frantically kept checking Yuki's heart rate, her fingers trembling as they pressed against the cooling, clammy skin.

Tears streamed down Chiemi's face, and she kept shouting "NO!" over and over again, as if she could will Yuki back to life.

I felt helpless. I didn't know what to do or say. I had never seen anyone die before, and the sight of Yuki's lifeless body was difficult to maintain.

I wanted to comfort Chiemi, but I didn't know how. I felt like I was intruding on her grief, like I didn't have the right to be there.

This was definitely a better job for Aiko, and yet I still wouldn’t trade this one for the task of talking to Mio. The petite woman and I would no longer be friends.

Chiemi's cries grew louder and more desperate. She was rocking back and forth, cradling Yuki's head in her lap.

I could see the pain etched on her face, the anguish that came from losing someone she cared about. I wanted to take that pain away, but I knew I couldn't.

I reached out tentatively and placed my hand on Chiemi's shoulder. She flinched at my touch, but didn't pull away. I didn't know what to say, so I just sat there with her.

After what felt like an eternity, Chiemi's cries began to subside. She looked up at me, her eyes red and swollen.

"This can’t be the way Yuki dies," she whispered. "She was such a good person. She didn't deserve to die like this.”

I was about to answer but Haru said, “she’s not dead. Just wait a minute.”

The boy wasn’t even looking towards us. It felt like an offhand comment but it came with a strange confidence.

Chiemi shook her head. I could tell she was holding back a harsh response since Haru was just a child.

He seemed like a smart kid, but I had lost faith in his wisdom. If Genta had survived the infection the way he’d said, I doubted it was like this.

I didn’t think people could just come back to life at will after being dead for so long. Yuki’s heart had clearly stopped, and it hadn’t beat even just once in a very long time.

We sat there for a while just trying to accept the reality she was gone. I would have liked more time to process things, but our new world didn’t work that way.

I saw Chiemi's face pop up, looking behind me.

Her eyes widened in terror, and she let out an awful scream that pierced my ears.

The woman scrambled backwards, reaching for her rifle on the floor behind her.

"What?" I yelled quickly, turning to look at the entrance to the shed.

My heart raced as I saw a zombie man standing there, looking in. His face was ripped open, with flaps of skin hanging from his high cheeks, revealing teeth and bone.

One of his ears was missing, leaving a gaping hole in its place. The lopsided grin on his face was sickening.

I shuddered, completely creeped out by the guy. He looked much like the other zombies, only his eyes were normal and I could clearly see him thinking.

“MOVE!” Chiemi yelled.

I crawled away from Chiemi's aim so I didn't get hit by any gunshots. She pointed her weapon at the thing.

My heart was pounding heavy, mind racing. Haru didn’t panic like we did but he was smart and ran to the back of the shed.

The zombie man gave us a low chuckle like something was funny.

Chiemi opened fire. Gunshots popped loudly in the shed.

The zombie disappeared from our sight in a blur, running away faster than I thought was possible.

I saw the anger in Chiemi's eyes as she stood up and fired out the doorway again, this time at nothing.

“AAAAAAHHH!!!” She screamed, finger hard on the trigger, no care for the wasting of ammunition.

I scrambled to my feet as she finally stopped shooting. She stood in front of me pissed off and breathing heavy.

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Her finger was still trying to fire but nothing was happening. I realized she’d run out of ammo but she didn’t let that stop her. She was still squeezing like her brain had stopped functioning.

Chiemi’s face flashed with multiple emotions, and then finally animated frustration.

She threw down the gun. It clanked on the ground and I didn’t know what to do.

“Are you…”

“That’s the bastard that bit Yuki!” Chiemi yelled.

"I…"

She ignored me, picked up the rifle, and stomped out from the shed in a hurry.

I looked back to see Haru. The boy was huddled at the back of the shed, his eyes wide with fear. He was scared, but he was holding himself together.

I was torn between chasing after Chiemi and staying with the boy. I couldn't leave him alone, but I couldn't let Chiemi go after that thing without any ammo.

I realized speedy boy was smart. He was luring her away on purpose.

"CHIEMI!" I called out, "stop!"

The zombie man had disappeared from sight, but I could hear Chiemi's footsteps pounding outside as she ran somewhere. I knew I had to do something.

She was blinded by anger and hate, and didn't realize she was falling into the zombie's plans.

I glanced back at Haru, who was still huddled in the corner. He looked up at me with fear in his eyes.

"You can't stay here," I said.

"But I want to stay here. It's safe!"

I shook my head. "Not anymore, kid!"

"Not going!”

I exhaled, trying not to get upset with him. I knelt down next to Haru, trying to keep my voice calm and steady.

"Hey, buddy. We need to get out of here, okay? It's not safe anymore."

He looked up at me with wide, scared eyes. "But what about Chiemi? She's going after the zombie man! What about Yuki?"

I looked down at the dead woman. "Yuki's dead, kid, and Chiemi's walking into a trap. She's not thinking straight right now. We need to go find Aiko and Mio. Can you do this with me? I have to go help them but I can't leave you here alone."

Haru hesitated for a moment, then nodded slowly. "Okay. But we will come back for Yuki, right? She'll be waking up in a minute."

"Right," I said, ignoring his fantasy about Yuki waking up. I offered him my hand. "Let's go."

We crept out of the shed, keeping low to the ground. I scanned the area quickly, looking for any signs of danger.

The coast seemed clear, but I knew that could change in an instant. Speedy boy was fast, hence the nickname. There was no wonder he'd been able to leap onto their van, evade all their gunshots, and sink teeth into Yuki.

I led Haru over to the van I had brought back, where I left my rifle earlier. I checked the magazine and saw it was less than half full. I had no idea how many shots I had left, but I it would have to do.

This day was turning absolutely horrible.

From the van, I could see Chiemi in the distance, stomping towards the edge of Aiko's property. She was heading into the woods, where I guessed she had seen the zombie man disappear to.

I cursed under my breath. I didn't want to leave her alone out there, but I knew I couldn't go after her without backup. I needed to find Aiko and Mio.

Ryotaro's help right about then would have been nice. Looking towards the house I saw no sign of the old man.

Back to the older woman, I called out, "CHIEMI!"

She still didn't look back. I sighed, tired of struggling every single minute of every single day just to face another moment of panicked decision making.

Chiemi made her choice, whether she was conscious of it or not. I couldn't protect everyone, and I couldn't take Haru into the trap.

I turned the boy towards the house and damn-near dragged him. "We need to find Grandpa Ryotaro!"

"Is he lost?" Haru asked.

I would have laughed if I wasn't getting angry.

"No. He's taking a nap!"

Haru's little legs barely kept up with me. The front door opened as we approached, and Ryotaro stepped out, still looking stiff and half-asleep from a good nap. I was envious.

"Watch the boy!" I yelled. "And lock up tight!"

Ryotaro asked, "What's the notion of all this commotion?"

"Just keep him safe!"

I didn't have time to chat with him. He got the message. I turned and walked from the front door as it slammed shut behind me.

Haru was safe; as safe as he was ever going to be.

I walked quickly, torn between two paths. My heart wanted to go after Aiko, to make sure she was safe and sound.

I knew she was strong and capable, but the thought of her being in danger was unbearable.

It was difficult fighting the urge to simply run down the mountain road and find her.

Then there was Chiemi. She had charged after the zombie man with no ammunition, fueled by anger and grief. I couldn't just leave her to fend for herself.

She was a valuable member of our group, and I couldn't let her get hurt, or worse. It was her own fault for being stupid, but I liked Chiemi. She was a good person.

I sighed, trying to clear my head. I knew I had to make a decision, and fast. I couldn't afford to waste any more time, and I was already nearing the end of the driveway.

I glanced back at the house, where Ryotaro was now watching over Haru. The boy was safe, at least for the moment. That was one less thing to worry about.

I turned my attention to the woods, where Chiemi had disappeared. She was out there, alone and unarmed, facing off against a zombie that she hadn't been able to kill with an automatic rifle.

Chiemi was as good as dead unless I did something.

"Damnit!"

She was almost two hundred yards away, maybe more, and nearing the woods. I took a deep breath and started running across the field.

Thirty yards, sixty, and more. My lungs were burning. And still, Chiemi was barely visible in the tree line ahead, at least another hundred yards away.

I had to slow down to a jog, not used to running. I was a cubicle worker, not an athlete or hunter.

In the thick underbrush ahead of me I saw Chiemi. She was pushing her way through, still angry with rage.

I saw a blur to my right. It was speedy boy, at least two hundred yards away but closing in on her faster than any man could possibly run. His zombie body zipped through the woods with ease.

I stopped, chest heaving, and raised my rifle to take aim. The barrel was moving too much. I couldn't keep it steady, but I also couldn't afford to miss.

Why me? I kept thinking. There was no way I would hit the target.

I squeezed the trigger and three shots popped out.

Nothing happened and the zombie man closed in on Chiemi. My heart raced. I tried to steady my breathing and aim again. My arms were sore and I sucked at this.

I squeezed the trigger and missed. He kept moving. He was too fast and I was a poor aim.

I fired again and again, but each time I missed. This wasn't like the movies where the hero became a perfect marksman after their first try. I was too far away and I couldn’t do it.

"CHIEMI!" I yelled again, my voice hoarse from the strain. But she didn't respond. She was too focused on pushing her way through the thick underbrush.

I could see the zombie man getting closer and closer, a blur between the trees.

There was nothing I could do.

Speedy boy slammed into Chiemi, knocking her to the ground. She let out a scream that was cut short as he tore into her flesh, his teeth and claws ripping through her body like it was made of paper.

Rage washed through me, but I couldn't let it blind me the way it had done to her. Chiemi was already gone, her body a mangled mess of blood and gore, with zombie man above her.

It was too late for her but I could still kill him. I tried to shoot again but when I pulled the trigger nothing happened. I was out of ammunition.

All I could do was stand there and be frozen with shock and disbelief. I wanted to turn away, but I couldn't let myself ignore the death of a friend.

I had failed her.

Chiemi didn't deserve this.

None of us deserved any of this.

I felt tears stream down my face as I lowered the rifle. I was trembling with grief and anger.

Nearly falling over, I found resolve in the thought of Aiko still being alive. I straightened up tall and clenched my teeth.

Chiemi was dead and I was out of ammo, but the woman I loved still lived.

If I stood there doing nothing it would be the end of my life. Speedy boy would turn me into the next victim.