Volume 1 - Chapter 4

Talking Love

After a little while, everyone else had drifted off to sleep, leaving Aiko and myself as the only two who were still awake.

The fire in the fireplace had died down, but it still provided a warm glow and a comforting crackle. The only other sound was a quiet breeze from outside.

Aiko sat down next to me, and we started whispering so we didn't wake the others. She told me about how much she loved this house in the woods. It always brought her peace when she was here.

"I used to come here with my mom when I was a kid," she said, her voice soft and nostalgic. "We would spend the weekends hiking and fishing and just enjoying nature. It was always my favorite place to be."

I could see the love in her eyes as she talked about her mother and this house. It was clear the place held a special meaning for her.

"I'm sorry about your mom," I said, assuming the woman was dead. I felt a pang of sadness for her loss.

"Thanks," Aiko frowned. "It's been a few years now, but I still miss her every day."

We sat in silence for a moment, watching the embers in the fireplace. Then Aiko turned to me and asked, "What about you? Do you have any family?"

"No," I shook my head. "Well, actually I grew up in different homes, but then I do have a family that adopted me when I was a teenager. They are nice people and I'm always thankful for them, but I'm not close to them. Probably zombies now."

Aiko nodded sympathetically. "I'm sorry. That must have been tough."

I shrugged. "It was. But I've learned to make my own way in the world. I've always been a bit of a loner, to be honest, and I've been trying to move up at the bank by working harder than everyone else."

Aiko smiled. "Well, you're not alone now. We're all in this together."

I nodded, feeling understood. I wasn't alone anymore. I had Aiko and her friends.

She and I continued talking, the fire casting a warm glow on her face. She told me about her childhood, growing up in Kagawa prefecture in the mountains and how she fell in love with baseball in Kanonji at a young age.

"I was always the only girl on the team. But I didn't let that stop me. I worked harder than anyone else and eventually I became one of the best players in the women's league."

I was in awe of her determination and athleticism. I told her about my own childhood, growing up in different homes and never really feeling like I belonged anywhere.

"But that's all in the past now," I said, trying to sound more confident than I felt. "I'm just trying to survive now, I guess."

Aiko nodded, her eyes filled with understanding. "I know what you mean."

We talked about everything and anything, from our favorite foods to our most embarrassing moments. I found myself laughing more than I had in a long time.

It was a welcome distraction from the horrors we both knew existed outside.

Aiko told me about her self-defense training and how it had come in handy more than once before and during the zombie outbreak.

I was impressed by her bravery and skill, but also angry there were sicko's out there who tried to stalk her. Being a professional baseball player meant that plenty of people knew who she was, and some of them had been real creeps trying to stalk her with bad intentions.

"All that training will be handy," I said, only half-joking.

She laughed. "Yeah."

"I have no idea how to fight. I'm glad I have you here to protect me."

"I'll do what I can," she said, her voice filled with sincerity.

I felt a warmth spread through my chest at her words. I couldn't remember the last time someone cared about me like that.

I took a deep breath, trying to steady my nerves. I had been wanting to ask her a question for hours already, but I had been too afraid to bring it up.

"Aiko," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. "Do you have a boyfriend? Or someone special in your life?"

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She looked at me, eyes twinkling with amusement. "No. I don't."

I felt a surge of relief and excitement wash over me. I couldn't believe it. Aiko was single. It suddenly dawned on me that even if she did have someone before, he or she was probably a zombie now.

"Why not?" I asked, trying to sound casual.

She smirked and leaned back in her chair. "In my experience, guys only want one thing from me. Bragging rights. They just want to sleep with the pretty baseball star."

I frowned, feeling a pang of sadness for her. It was clear that she'd been hurt. I didn't want to brag about a one-night stand and I didn't want to hurt her.

"I'm sorry," I said, meaning it. "That must be tough."

She shrugged. "It's normal, I guess. I have learned to be independent and not rely on anyone else for my happiness, just like you."

I nodded, feeling a sense of admiration for her. She was strong and resilient, and I couldn't help but get drawn even deeper into love.

Ever since the moment she caught me looking at her back in the car, I actually found myself trying to look at her face instead. Maybe I felt guilty about letting myself stare the way I had.

"I'm not like that. I don't care about bragging rights. I just want to get to know you better. I think you're beautiful, and kind, and more than capable of doing anything we need to do in order to survive this apocalypse, or whatever is happening."

Aiko looked at me, her eyes softening with the best smile I had ever seen on a woman.

"I appreciate that. You seem like a good guy, but it's obviously not the best time to start a relationship when we're trying to figure out what happened and not die again. I will admit that urges might get the best of us, but don't get ahead of yourself, silly man."

I nodded, feeling a sense of disappointment but also understanding. It was even more dangerous out in the world now, and survival had to come first.

"I understand. But I hope one day, if I'm being honest."

Aiko smiled. "Of course. Let's try and survive a while before we start thinking the way you're thinking, Hachiro."

She made a really good point. There was no reason to pursue something that might not last very long.

We continued talking, the fire casting a warm glow on her face. I found myself lost in her eyes each time I glanced over while we spoke, feeling a sense of connection that I'd never felt before.

I knew she wasn't looking for a relationship, but I was hoping that maybe, just maybe, things would change in the future.

Aiko looked at me after a few minutes, her eyes filled with warmth. "Thanks for being here, Hachiro. I'm glad I found you out there."

I smiled, feeling a sense of happiness and gratitude. "Me as well. Me as well."

I felt good about being honest with her with my feelings in a way that wasn't creepy. She didn't reject me in a mean way or laugh at me, which boosted my spirit and optimism.

The quiet night with a home full of sleeping survivors and a crackling fire was suddenly interrupted by a loud noise outside. It sounded as if someone was punching a car, like fists against metal.

I looked at Aiko.

"What was that?" She asked.

I shrugged.

Aiko jumped up from her seat, and I followed. We both rushed over to the window, hearts pounding in our chests. The others woke up and looked around in confusion.

As we peered out the window, I saw a zombie in the driveway near Aiko's red sports car. He was slamming his head against the car, making a loud, metallic thud with each impact.

"What the hell is it doing?" I whispered, voice barely audible.

She shook her head, eyes wide with shock. "I have no idea. But it's not doing any good. The car's too strong for it."

We watched in disbelief as the zombie continued to slam its head against the car, seemingly oblivious to the fact it wasn't accomplishing anything other than a dent. It was almost comical in a twisted sort of way.

"Where did it come from?" I asked, turning to Aiko.

She shook her head again. "I don't know. We didn't see any zombies after turning left at the bridge. Maybe it was drawn by the sound of the car when we drove here?"

I nodded, feeling a sense of unease. It was possible, but it was also concerning. If one zombie managed to find us, it was likely that others could as well.

They were always slow but persistent bastards in most of the zombie movies I had seen.

"We need to be careful," I said, turning to the others in the room. "There could be more of them out there."

They all nodded, looking around nervously. Mio clutched her blanket tightly, her eyes darting back and forth. Ryotaro stood up, his face stern and determined.

"We need to be prepared," he said. "I wasn't expecting them all the way up here in the woods. We should gather all the weapons we have and make sure we're ready to defend ourselves."

I nodded. It was a good sentiment, but I had doubts the old man could fight a single zombie, let alone a horde of them.

Regardless, we started gathering weapons, making sure we had everything we needed.

I grabbed one of the baseball bats that Aiko brought with her, feeling a sense of comfort with it but not really knowing how to swing it. At least I had something.

I took a deep breath, trying to steady my nerves. I could do this. I had to do this.

We all gathered in the main room, our weapons at the ready. We could hear the sound of the zombie outside, still slamming his head against the car.

Aiko turned to me and said, "Hachiro, I think I have a plan. We need to take care of that zombie outside before it attracts others. We'll sneak outside together. I'll hit it with the bat until it's on the ground, and then you can cut off its head with a big knife."

I nodded, feeling a mix of fear and determination. I had never killed a zombie before, but I knew we couldn't let it keep making noise and possibly drawing more of them to us.

"I don't have a big knife," I said, feeling a little embarrassed.

Aiko nodded and turned to Chiemi. "There should be one in the kitchen."

Chiemi understood. She went to the kitchen, returning a moment later with a butcher knife. It was long and sharp, more like a chef's knife.

I took the knife from Chiemi, feeling its weight in my hand. It was heavier than I expected, but I knew it would do the job.

Aiko took the baseball bat from me and gave a reassuring nod. "We've got this," she said.

I nodded back, feeling more confident. We both made our way to the front door.

Aiko opened it slowly, making sure not to make any noise. We could see the zombie in the driveway, still slamming its head against the car.

She looked me directly in the face. I looked back at her.

"Let's kill a zombie," Aiko whispered.

She was so beautiful in that moment. Her face was like that of an angel. Her eyes gleamed in the moonlight and they showed me a fierce woman that made my heart pound in my chest.

"Okay," I nodded, feeling drunk with love in her presence.

I would do anything she told me to do.

That was when I truly felt like I was in love.