(Nope, can't do it. I just can't. No matter how much I want to. I… just… can't… Sleep!)

I was sitting between the Humvee's back seats. Awake, while the rest of the group slept soundly.

While I did doze off from time to time after we started driving. I kept having the same god damn dream, over and over again. Nothing scary like a nightmare mind you.

What I dreamed was, that I had a hat made of ringing alarm clocks strapped to my head. And while I knew it was a dream because of the ridiculousness of the situation, it felt 'real' enough to wake me up, every, single, time.

(Uhh, while I can see fine now, and my ears have stopped ringing. I still have a horrible headache. Probably the reason why I keep seeing that same damn 'dream'.)

I then turn my head to my right. Takashi was fast asleep with Rei sitting next to him, both covered under the same sleeping bag.

(Rei certainly did not miss her chance huh? Still don't understand what goes on her head though. Don't think I ever will.)

Actually. Now that I looked around me, everybody was actually covered with a sleeping bag. Even me.

(Somebody probably covered me while I was out cold.)

I sigh silently and turn my head towards the front seats. To the only other person that was also awake right now, aka. Shizuka, who was still driving, probably towards the river.

Saya was sleeping with Alice on her lap, in the front passenger seat. Kohta was, umm, on the floor next to Takashi, his back against the front driver seat.

(Saya sure sleeps a lot. She was out cold in the house as well. Heh, I would like to believe that she's less toxic towards me now. But she was asleep for half the day, and when she was awake, I was deaf. So go figure, I don't know either way. It's more like she didn't get the chance to be pissed at me. She did look worried back then though. Still, that could just have been my blurry vision, showing me what I wanted to see.)

Lastly, I turn to my left to see Saeko sleeping with her head against the window, also covered by a sleeping bag.

(Well, I did say that I would cockblock Takashi. Should I feel proud of myself now?...

But, you know what? I also realized that I was never present when Saeko and Takashi spoke with each other. For all I know, she could have already developed feelings for him seeing as things seem to be trying to stick to the events of the anime.

Ugh...The world has ended. I have killed things that used to be human without batting a frigging eyelash. Hell I might end up dead by tomorrow.

And what I'm actually worried about is whether Saeko has fallen for Takashi? I need to get my fucking priorities straight.

I mean, it's not like I'm any better from Takashi when it comes down to this subject. He wants both Rei and Saeko, and I like both Saeko and Saya. Though I don't think they know that, and I intend to keep it that way. For now at least)

Just as I was about to try my best to sleep and start a new war within my head, the car takes a sudden sharp turn to the left, causing me to almost fall on Rei.

"Oh crud" I hear Shizuka 'curse' before she starts looking to her left, and then glances back.

"Oh thank goodness. They're all still asleep. I'm still a teacher, I can't speak like that in front of my students." Shizuka says as she looks around before turning her sight back towards the street.

(Just a couple of hours ago we were on a killing spree. She herself ran over a lot of corpses, yet she's worried about swearing in front of us? Heh. Shizuka will be Shizuka I guess.)

I smile slightly, only to raise my eyebrow a second later. For some reason, I was feeling weighed down. And just as I moved my left shoulder, where I felt the weight, I heard a soft moan. I turned my head to the left following the source of the voice…

(Oh sh...)

And almost bump my head into Saeko's. Who was now mere inches away from my mask.

(Well, I guess now I know how she ended up on Takashi's crotch in the anime. If Shizuka ended up taking that sharp turn off-screen in the anime like she did just now and he was sitting where I am now. Yeah, I can see it happening.)

I stayed like that for some time, staring at the beautiful sleeping girl. I don't know if it was because she looked so vulnerable right now. But, while something has been 'bothering' me ever since we escaped Rika's house. It was now starting to eat me from the inside.

(I made a pretty bad call back then, and I almost got Takashi and Alice killed with that flashbang…

I know that I don't want Takashi to keep being the 'protagonist'. Because I don't want Saeko and him to get together. The reason. Plainly put, I'm jealous.

But...What if she ends up with no reason to live if I try to interfere with the pairing? In the anime she chose to live on because she loved Takashi. She kept on fighting because of him. She didn't go batshit crazy because of him. And let's be real, if she already likes him, then trying to keep them apart is going to get her killed, or worse...

I already made a bad call that almost got two people killed, while in the anime with Takashi in charge, they were just fine. Who says I won't end up fucking up again and get somebody killed?...)

I let out a silent sight and closed my eyes.

(Ughhh, fuck. Why does this have to be so fucking complicated?

I mean sure, Takashi ain't no angel either. Going for both Rei and Saeko in the anime. Or well, going after every single girl if we count the island ova.

But did he ever make a bad call? Because I don't remember him ever making one. And if he did, then my sadistic memory likes to watch me suffer by not letting me remember it.

Maybe... I should just sit back and let him lead on? Leave everything to play out like it did in the anime. That way I can be sure that the group will survive. But still… then… I… )

I take a deep breath, shake my head slightly and open my eyes.

(No… I'm not gonna think like this. For one, I know that if I let things play out like that, then I won't be able to stay with the group. I know myself, and I know that I will get sal… jealous. And probably do something very fucking stupid. Something that might get myself killed, at best. If I made a wrong decision, I will just have to make up for it. Saeko and Saya are the only ones that are 'worth' it in this damn shit storm...

Ughh, my head already hurts. And I'm not doing myself any favors thinking like this. I'm just going to burn myself out and still gain nothing out of it. I don't have time to beat myself with my own insecurities. If I need some proof that I did something good, then I just need to get my ass to Saya's house, and make sure that it will stay standing. So, focus on what's coming up next. In other words, Saya's house.)

I take my eyes off Saeko and look straight ahead, at the barely lit road.

(Saya's mansion. It will be the turning point for me.

If Shido appears there with a truck, if no matter what I do the truck still ends up crashing the barricade. Then there's a chance that the whole thing. No, that the whole 'world', is hard scripted to the events of the anime. And if after that we still end up with Saeko and Takashi splitting up from the group… I will then leave the group myself before they return. For their safety. And my sanity.)

I close my eyes, decision made in my mind.

(If Shido won't appear though, or if there won't be a truck to ruin our day. Then it'll be the proof I need, plus, it will be the first time I'll be able to take a real break. The whole mess with the adults versus us aside of course. Maybe I can get that training I asked Saeko for. Or maybe, even try to get Saya to be less toxic towards me…

Heh, yeah, fat chance. She actually gets even more grumpy during the time she spends in her home. I also have to check how Kohta is hanging on, his change from a passive guy to a guns-blazing maniac was, too sudden, even for him…)

As I opened my eyes after that thinking session, I could see the day's first rays of light.

(Alright me, new day, new problems. Whatever is bothering you, put it on hold and deal with it when the time is right.)

I spent the next ten minutes or so, looking at the rising sun, kinda funny if you think about it. Seeing the rising sun in the land of the rising sun…

And then, I heard a groan coming from the passenger's seat as Shizuka looked to her right.

"Ohh good morning Takagi." Shizuka speaks up.

"Morning… " Saya whispers groggily.

"How far till we reach the river?" She asks as she rubs her eyes.

"Five minutes or so." Shizuka answers.

"...Did the idiot wake up?" Saya asks again.

"Idiot?" Shizuka asks back, tilting her head confused.

"Ughh. Sepfier did he wak… " Saya turns to look at the rear seats as she spoke, only to stop mid-sentence.

"Hmm? ...ohhhh." Shizuka, probably curious with Saya's reaction, turns around as well.

(My mask hides my eyes… right?)

"Awww, they all look so cute like that." Shizuka giggled.

(All cute? Huh, what?)

Seconds later, it hit me.

(Right, Saeko is sleeping on my shoulder and Rei is cuddled up to Takashi.)

I could see Saya, puffing her cheeks?

(Uhh, why is she looking at me? Don't tell me she's...)

"When he wakes up, give the idiot his sleeping bag back. You guys told me it was his..." She says as she gets out of said sleeping bag, carefully placing Alice on the seat, before moving towards the hatch that was in front of me. And as she opens the hatch and lifts her self up,

(Wait… that sleeping bag was m… )

she throws a kick, aimed towards my shin.

(The hell? Well that didn't hurt because I have the leg guards. But still… the Hell? Did she just kick me?)

I hear Shizuka giggling before she turns back to look at the front.

I stayed unmoving for some time, processing the information, only to notice Kohta as he started moving about. And a couple of minutes later he opened his eyes.

He groans as he looks around, his eyes stopping on me, then on Takashi. And then he just stops there, and starts staring between me and Takashi...

He sighs as his shoulders drop.

"Ughh. Why can't I have a girl cuddling up to me?" He whispers to himself.

(Actually bro, only Takashi is getting the cuddling treatment. Mine was just an accident.)

He was about to get up when Saya came down from the hatch.

"Ohh good morning Takagi." He says happily, his face instantly lighting up.

"Morning." Saya replies with the same grumpy voice as always.

She picks up the binoculars that were lying around and then lifts her upper torso over the hatch. Leaving her 'lower body' in front of me. And, just like that, another problem 'appeared'.

(The others think that I'm asleep right? Because right now, Saya has her butt half a meter away from my face...Gahh, it's going to be rather hard to uhh, pretend to be asleep. With that butt in front of my face!)

I close my eyes to avoid any, 'accidents', from appearing.

"Naier has still not woken up?" Kohta asks, sounding a little bit worried.

"Nope. You know, Takagi asked the same thing too." Shizuka whispers to Kohta with a giggle.

As I open my eyes again, I see Kohta turning to Shizuka.

"R… really?" He asks as his shoulders drop again.

(God damn it you airhead! That's not something you should say to Kohta, even if it meant nothing!)

Shizuka was about to speak again when something caught her attention, making her turn her head to the passenger seat.

"Ohh… good morning little one. Did you sleep well?" She asked softly with a kind smile.

Alice pokes her head out of the front seat, still covered with the sleeping bag, looking like a mini Eskimo.

"Good morning. Umm… I'm Kohta." Kohta said quietly as he turned to the side so he could see Alice from behind the seat.

"Alice." Alice replies while rubbing her eyes.

"I'm Shizuka. Nice to meet you Alice." Shizuka says cheerfully shortly after.

Kohta narrows his eyes for a bit, seemingly in thought.

"Hey Alice. Want to go to the roof? We can sing a song up there and we won't wake anybody up." Kohta whispers.

(Huh, so that's why they were up there?)

Alice smiles and nods a couple of times.

I could see Kohta was also smiling as he picked up the little one and climbed the hatch, causing Saya to groan as she also had to climb up in order to allow them to pass.

(Alice will be a big morale boost for the team huh.)

My view did not stay butt free for too long though, as Saya climbed back to her old place shortly after...

And a couple of minutes later, the Humvee started tilting forward, as it finally reached the riverbank and went into the river.

Not long after, I started hearing a faint voice… singing?

(This is where the anime episode normally starts, isn't it?)

As we passed the shallow river I could hear Alice singing, only to be joined up soon after by Kohta. Who was then shouted at by Saya...

"Hey guys, wake up we will be over the river soon." I hear Shizuka speak up, this time with a voice loud enough to actually wake 'us' up. And just like in the anime, Rei wakes up first.

She shuffles around, rubbing her head against Takashi's arm, before opening her eyes, then staring at Takashi's face with sleepy half-closed eyes, her expression slowly turning into a closed-mouth grin.

(Jeez… get a room you two.)

I complained as I closed my eyes.

A couple of seconds later I hear Takashi groan as he wakes up.

'Ughh, morning everybody." I heard Takashi say as I felt movement next to me.

After a couple of seconds, I heard Rei giggling.

"Hey Takashi, look at those two." I hear her say.

I open my eyes and look at Rei and Takashi without turning my head.

While Rei was giggling, Takashi was staring at me, a slight frown appearing on his face.

(Oh no, you didn't just do what I think you just did. But anyway. Now, I can either 'wake' up and get this charade over with, or wait for Saeko to wake up first to avoid the awkwardness. For as much as I know, she might not actually want to wake up like this…

And here I go again. Shooting myself in the foot. God I swear, I am my worst fucking enemy)

"Wow. Busujima is really bold" I hear Rei say while giggling, a wide grin on her face.

(She really needs to be like that even if it's not about Takashi? )

Finally, as if hearing Rei's remark, Saeko reacts and moves her head a bit, before opening her eyes.

And then, she turns her head towards me. And starts staring...

(I am not sweating. Not at all...

Hey, Let's play a game me. Let's call it, don't freak out and stay still. Completely… fucking… still.)

Saeko finally 'wakes up', causing her eyes to go wide. She quickly lifts her head from my shoulder and looks around.

(Actually, she didn't drool this time around. Did the way she ended up on my shoulder closed her mouth?)

"Good morning Saeko" Takashi speaks up shortly after.

"Good morning Komuro" Saeko replies as she rubs the sleepiness out of her eyes.

(Saeko huh? So she did tell him to call her by her first name in the house...)

She then turns to look at me again.

"Naier is. Still asleep?" She asks.

"Yeah, he just missed quite the wake-up call, don't you think?" Rei says while staring at Saeko. Causing her to blush slightly.

"Cut it out Rei, it's not funny." Takashi says right after, Rei frowns as she turns her attention to him.

"So, should we let him sleep some more?" Takashi asks.

"Well. I don't see a problem with it. I mean… he is sleeping right?" Rei speaks right after.

"What do you mean?" Takashi asks as he turns towards Rei.

"Well… he has been asleep ever since he got back after falling from that wall? I mean… you know." She says a bit hesitantly as she glances at me.

"He didn't get bit, did he?" She finishes.

"If he was bitten back then, he would probably already be 'up'" Takashi says as he also stares at me.

Saeko then brings her face closer to mine. I could see her eyes looking towards my chest.

"He is breathing. He is not dead Rei." Saeko says as she grabs my shoulder and shakes me.

(Ok time to wake up before they end up putting a bullet in my head for good measure.)

"Ughh… No shaking." I say with my best 'just woke up' groan

"Naier, are you ok?" Saeko was the first one to speak to me.

"Hmm? Yeah. I can hear just fine now. My head feels like it got hit by a train though." I say as I move my neck, bones cracking in the process.

(And my neck is sore after staying still for so long. But they don't need to know that I heard every single thing they said.)

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

"You had us really worried there for a second." I hear Takashi say with a groan.

"Hmm, well. The whole thing was my fault to begin with. So it had to be me. " I say as I turn my head to Takashi, who had one eyebrow raised.

"Huh? what do you mean?" He asks.

"I was the one that told Kohta to use the flashbang. I also didn't take into account the fact that you could not protect yourself. So, as I said. My bad, sorry about that." I explained as Takashi was looking at me like an idiot.

"Uhh… well… "

"And so you took the hit instead of Takashi to correct your mistake. I think that is good enough for an apology. Even if it was, not a very smart idea." Takashi didn't even get to speak as Saeko intervened.

"Huh, stick around. I'm full of bad ideas" I say with a mirthless chuckle.

(Hmm, where have I heard that line before? It seemed relevant to my situation… something about zombies? Aliens… zombie aliens? Hmm, can't remember. Oh well...)

"You should be more careful Naier, you will end up hurting yourself if you keep doing such stunts." Shizuka says as she turns around, looking at me with a, frown? I think it was a frown, though she looked more like a pouting hamster to be honest.

(Well 'hurting' myself is putting it mildly.)

And with that done, the Humvee reached the end of the river, climbed a slope, and along with a little air time, it then landed safely on the riverbank.

Once we drove a bit further, and upon seeing no corpses around, the car stopped.

"Well seeing that it's safe around here, I think it's time we get a much-needed break. Because I for one, need some fresh air." I say as I look at the door behind Saeko.

Saeko nods and opens the door before stepping out of the car herself. I stretch in the car before also getting out.

(For a humvee, it's awfully spacious. I have already been in a military humvee in my uhh… old life? And let me tell you, these things, are a lot of things. Spacious, they ain't. It is weird, but this one has quite the open space inside for some reason.)

With that strange thought in mind, I scooted outside. And the moment I got out…

"Naier!"

I turn to the voice to see Kohta on the roof.

"Hey there Kohta." I say as I wave at him.

"Uhh, hey… I'm..."

"That nade was my bad call, don't blame yourself for it." I cut Kohta off before he can finish.

Kohta, along with Alice, were just staring silently at me now.

"Yeah the idiot is right. It Was, his fault." Saya says as she turns her frowning face to me.

"Good to see you too Takagi." I respond to her, before turning my attention back to Kohta.

(God, that girl is always grumpy.)

"I do agree with Takagi here though. That flashbang was my fault, so don't put the blame on yourself. I told you to use the flashbang and I almost killed myself because of 'my' bad decision, not yours." I continued as I looked meaningfully at Kohta.

After a couple of seconds, Kohta finally lets up his frown, and smiles with a sigh.

"Well. It's good to see you are not dead at least." He says, finally with an actual smile. I nod and then turn to Alice.

"I guess you still find me scary huh?" I say as I tilt my head.

The moment Saya saw Alice nodding, she snapped at me.

"Hey! idiot! What did you do to her!" Saya shouts, as she slams both her hands on the roof and leans towards my direction.

"Nothing! She just thinks my mask is, that's all!" I shouted back as I put my hands up.

"Then take it off, you nitwit! You have been wearing that damn thing ever since you found it!" She responds with a huff.

"Nope. Not gonna happen. The mask stays. Or what, you want to see my face that badly?" I finish my reply with a chuckle as I fold my arms.

And sure enough, Saya's face turned red and as she was about to start screaming? Shouting? Screamshouting?

"Well, it's good to see you three are fine. Now some of you might wanna start changing? I don't think you want to stay in the humvee with your previous 'clothes', no?" I say as I turn around and start walking a bit further away from the car. Ignoring whatever was about to happen.

And so, a couple of minutes later, the girls were behind the car. While the rest, aka Takashi and Kohta, stayed in the front. I, on the other hand, was by the slope.

(You know. It's 'funny' how when I was alone while the others slept, all that crap that crawled up into my head and almost choked me. And now, with everybody around, I feel like everything is going to be just fine. That… or I'm keeping my brain busy.)

With that thought, I slowly moved back to the humvee.

"Take one for the team, Takashi!" Kohta says with a grin.

(And some things just won't change huh.)

"Trying to get Takashi hated by the girls now Kohta? Uncool, bro." I say with a chuckle as I move closer.

"What? No, I was just… ehh." Kohta laughs nervously a bit before he turns to me.

"So, how are you? That flashbang, while going off in an open area, still went off still pretty close to you." Kohta asks with a serious expression.

"I'm fine, only a mild headache left. A headache that I suspect is more from the fall I took and not from the flashbang in itself." I reply as I massage my right temple with one hand.

"Still man, that was pretty amazing back there." Kohta exclaims excitedly.

I tilt my head, a little bit confused.

"Taking the hit for Takashi and Alice and then going all 'Blind and deaf I am still going to kick your asses!' Bang! bang! bang!" He finishes by trying to imitate some sort of badass Rambo?

"Wait, I actually said that?" I ask in surprise.

"Said? Man, you screamed it at the top of your lungs." Kohta answers as he starts laughing.

"Well, damn. So much for my silent persona." I groan with a shrug.

We continued chatting aimlessly for some minutes. Until Takashi got bored of sitting still and started walking away. Kohta and I followed behind him as he walked by the riverbank.

"So, the little one is named Alice huh." I say, confirming what I already knew to Kohta.

"Yep, Alice. Maresato Alice." Kohta says right after.

And speaking of the devil, we hear her calling out to, somebody she considers to be her big brother? Either Takashi or Kohta then. She's scared of me after all.

Turning to the source of the voice, we see the girls in their new getup.

The outfits they wore were exactly the same as in the anime. The difference being that Saeko once again, wore the guards I gave her in the sports store.

And after a couple of moments of staring at each other later, Rei speaks up. I couldn't really focus on what she was saying though, as I noticed that Saeko was walking towards me.

"Thank you for the jacket Naier." Saeko extends her arm, holding my jacket towards me neatly folded.

"Glad I could help. You didn't have to fold it though, I'm going to wear it now anyway." I replied as I took the jacket and started wearing it on the spot, leaving it unzipped as I pulled the hood up over my mask.

With nothing more to say, we just kind of stared at each other. At least until I heard Saya 'ordering' the men to check the top of the slope.

"Oh. I think that includes me too." I say as I bowed slightly and turned my back to Saeko.

(Uhh… Why did I just do that?)

With that small bit of weirdness over with, I walk up to the guys.

"Ya'll ready.?" I ask the other boys.

They both respond with a nod. With that, we slowly started to accent the slope leading to the road.

(Well I know it's clear but, ughh. Yeah, there's no way I can explain that. Let's just play along.)

After slowly going up the slope, checking it and seeing that there are no corpses around, Takashi motions to the girls that the location is clear. While he was doing that, I walked up to Kohta.

"You might wanna move a bit from where you're standing right now" I advised Kohta.

"Huh? why?" He asks.

"I don't think the humvee is able to turn while driving up here, and you are right in its path." I chuckled a bit as I pointed towards the car down hill.

Kohta looks at the car behind him for a few seconds before nodding, moving away from his old spot with me. And after the car climbed up the girls followed along.

Saya then checked the roads around us with the binoculars.

"Wonder where all the corpses went." I wondered out loud.

(Well they all went to the refugee camp, aka Saya's house.)

"No idea… but the bridge was attacked."

Saya says as she looks through her binoculars towards the bridge.

"But, there should be some cops left… right?" Rei speaks up as she looks at Saya with a worried expression.

Saya frowns for a bit before answering.

"Yes… Japanese officers are all about their work after all." She says with a reassuring smile towards Rei.

(Well, would you look at that. Saya being considerate of others for once.)

I think as I kept a look around us. Rei smiles and replies with a nod, trying to make herself believe what she just heard.

"So, now what?" I ask.

"Takagi, isn't your house near here?" Takashi asks as he turns to her.

"Yeah." She replies sullenly as she turns to Takashi.

"So that's where we are heading next." Takashi adds right after.

(Again going exactly the same as in the anime. I don't think I will ever get used to hearing these lines from them. Still, I should find a way to avoid the car crash and Rei getting the 'git gud or learn to fly' treatment.)

"Hey, Naier. Come on we're leaving." I turn to the sound to see Kohta waving his arm from inside the humvee.

I nod and run to the car, climbing inside. And with everyone back inside the humvee, we went off.

Rei and Takashi were now up on the car's roof, pretty much the same deal as in the anime.

Saya on the front passenger seat. Alice on the back seat with me next to her. And Kohta, sitting in the trunk of the car with our equipment, as the Humvee has an 'open' trunk that connects with the rest of the car.

(Why in the actual fig is he sitting there when there are empty seats? Oh well, whatever floats your boat Kohta. More importantly.)

I move to the center and lean forward, so I can be between the two front seats. Saya then turns to me and moves her upper torso slightly away from me…

"What, what do you want?" She asks me with a frown.

"I don't see any corpses on the road. I don't like it." I say to the two in the front seats.

"Huh, why? Isn't it a good thing that there aren't any corpses around?" Shizuka asks.

"No. Because there's no way they just disappeared, I don't even see any 'dead' corpses around. The corpses here are gathered somewhere. Somewhere with a lot of constant loud noise." I warned as I kept looking outside.

Shizuka opens her mouth to say something..

"Just be alert in case we have to react fast." but I cut her off.

And just as I finish my sentence...

"I see corpses ahead!" Kohta shouts while looking over me through the binoculars.

"Slow the car down!" I shouted towards Shizuka.

"What, why?! And don't shout next to my ear you idiot!" Saya shouts back at me.

"You want Takashi and Rei to be up there while we're drifting around the corpse infested streets?" I ask as I turn to her, pointing to the roof with my finger.

Saya just stares at me with the same old frown before she looks away with a huff.

"Fine, slow down the car." She says a couple of seconds later. And so, Shizuka slows the car down to a stop.

I then opened the hatch and turned to look at the two people who decided that sitting on the roof of a moving vehicle was a good idea.

"Oi Love birds. Get back inside, lest you literally fly off." I say with a smirk before going back inside. With Rei, Takashi following behind me shortly after.

"Alright, we are all set, let's go" I say as I lean close to the front seats again.

With everybody safe inside, Shizuka started driving, following Saya's instructions on where to turn.

"What the, we keep seeing more and more of them as we get closer to Saya's house." Takashi speaks up. Causing Saya's face to turn grim.

"So there's a good chance that there are survivors there." Saya's head then darts instantly to me.

(Takashi you dorkenstein, think before you speak)

"Think about it. Loud noises could draw some corpses, but there were no corpses for miles. Meaning there should be a constant source of noise that is drawing them all there. And a constant source of noise means that there is a higher chance than not, of survivors being there." I keep staring at Saya as I speak.

She just nods, and turns away. But, I could see an ever slight smile as she turned her face to the window.

(No matter how bad her relationship with her parents might seem in the anime. I know she loves them. She would not call out for them during her breakdown otherwise.)

While I was thinking, I noticed that the humvee was picking up speed, probably so to pass through the corpses. I also started seeing brick-paved walls from the side windows.

(Brick paved walls? We're here, now, the wires. I got Rei back in the car meaning she won't be able to spot them. Not that it helped her much. But more important than that, I must make sure that the Humvee won't crash into the wires and get totaled .)

I get up and open the hatch...

"What are you doing Naier?" I turned my head to the voice to see Saeko looking at me.

"I need a better view. " I say as I pull my upper torso over the hatch of the car.

(Ok… what am I looking for. A sudden break of corpses on the road could be where the wires are.)

I think as I keep looking towards the street, but I could see no real end to the corpses.

And as I was doing that, the humvee kept picking up speed. A couple of seconds later, we started colliding with corpses, the Humvee sending the ones unlucky enough to be in our path flying to the left and right.

(Ughh, I can't see it… )

I lower myself, until my head is back in the car, and speak to Shizuka.

"Can you go a bit slower? We don't know what's up ahead." I asked Shizuka.

"If we slow down here we won't have enough force to carve a path through all of them you idiot!" Saya shouts at me.

(Ughh, got damn it.)

I go back up with a silent groan.

(Ok, Naier, just keep yourself focused. It won't be hard to see it, as you know what you're looking for.)

I narrow my eyes and keep staring at the front. And then, I saw it. A sudden break in the corpses ahead of us.

(There!)

"There is a sudden break in the corpses up ahead! There's something blocking their way! Slow down!" I shout at Shizuka as I climb back inside. And finally, someone saw the fence.

"It's a wire fence!" Saeko shouts.

Shizuka hits the brakes and the car starts screeching as it tries to come to a stop, slowly drifting sideways as it keeps sliding towards the fence.

(Shit, shit, shit.)

I know I was faster than Rei in spotting the fence. But still, I could feel my heart beating down my ears as the wire fence got closer.

(Come on. STOP DAMN IT!)

The Humvee goes up against the Fence wall, pushing it, slightly. And finally stops.

(Ughh too close for comfort. But now, we have a new problem…)

Corpses. A lot of them. And all of them, turned to 'stroll' towards our direction.

"Kohta! Where are the shotgun shells?" I 'ask', as I turn to Kohta.

"In your backpack! As you are the only one with a shotgun, I left all the shells there!" He shouts as he gripped his gun tightly, staring at the oncoming horde from the side window.

"Good." I nod as I quickly move to the back and grab my bag.

While I was getting my stuff, Kohta went up the hatch and started shooting the corpses that were near the car. I opened my bag and grabbed the first box with shotgun shells I saw. then started loading the first six shells into the gun, I was about to take three carton boxes of ammo. But my eyes stopped on the grenade belt.

(This time, no fuck ups.)

I grab the belt and strap it on me. I then finally walked out of the door that was on my right, three boxes of shotgun shells in hand.

(I could use the flashbang right now and clear the corpses near the Humvee. But, if I did that now, the corpses that will arrive later will just waltz right into us. No, I need the whole horde to be here before using it.)

Not using the flashbang now, meant that we had corpses coming towards us from all over the street. With that in mind, I walk towards the horde before kneeling down, leaving a box of shells on ground, several meters away from the corpses.

I then run to the left of the humvee, towards the wall to my left, and leave the second box. Again, several meters away from the corpses.

Lastly, I sprint in the opposite direction to the right and leave the final box on the road. With that done, I was ready to get into the 'real' part of this fight.

All the while I did that, Kohta was blasting heads off, while Saeko had gone in close combat along with Takashi and Rei. Saya, Alice and Shizuka were left inside the humvee.

I get up and look down the shotgun's sight, toward the oncoming horde of corpses. The sound of Kohta's gun echoing as I looked at the horde.

(Too many to run over with the car, and more are coming. It seems that we just have to hold on until Saya's mother arrives. So, now. We kill.)

And I pull the trigger...

With a loud echo, two corpses get sent flying back, falling down motionless.

(Two down, an unlimited number to go.)

I turn my shotgun slightly to the right.

Pump.

(5)

And pull the trigger, three more corpses down. Blood splattering on the brick-paved walls to my right as the corpses behind my targets get knocked down by the flying bodies.

Pump.

(4)

I aimed straight ahead, took a step forward, and fired. With a loud blast, two more corpses down.

Pump.

(3)

I take a step back and aim slightly to the left.

I didn't even aim as I pulled the trigger, three more corpses down.

The blood from the corpses I had shot was starting to paint the street in front of me red

Pump.

(2)

I then looked to my left. Saeko was in the 'middle' of the road, holding off the corpses with support fire from Kohta.

I look back ahead of me. And pull the trigger, three more corpses down.

Pump.

(1)

I then turn to look towards the far left wall. On the far left, Takashi and Rei, had taken position, holding off the oncoming corpses.

I glance at 'my' side again, and pull the trigger one last time.

(0)

I pumped the last round out, kneel down and start reloading the shotgun from the box of shells that I left on this side of the street. With each new shell I put in, I looked back at the oncoming corpses...

After I finished reloading the magazine, I pumped a new round in the chamber, before loading in the last shell. I then get up and turn my back to the horde and kick the carton with the inside part of my foot, causing it to slide a couple of meters away, towards the humvee. I grip the gun's forearm and turn around, staring back at the incoming horde.

(If i keep it up like this. I will be able to hold them off from 'my' spot, even though they just keep coming...)

I raise my shotgun again, but quickly realize something. I did not hear any gunshots. With the gun still aimed towards the corpses, I glance back at the Humvee.

(Kohta is reloading? Can't hear him shoot. Saeko might be a badass, but without Kohta to pick off the ones that walk past her, we will get overrun. If one side falls, then we get surrounded.)

I sidestep to my left, leaving the gun to fall to my sides, and start running towards the center.

"Saeko! Switch! I'm taking the center!" I shout at her. I then instantly saw Saeko doing several back hops away from the horde, before turning her head to me. She then started running towards me.

(My side has them further back compared to hers, also she won't have to worry about 'both' sides. Being center is more dangerous, but I got a shotgun.)

The moment she got close to me, she slowed down and turned to me.

"Be careful Naier" She says before she starts running again, moving towards the spot I was in before.

"You be careful. I got a fucking shotgun with a crapton of ammo." I say under my breath as I keep running towards the center…

After I reached the ammo box I left in the center, I turned to the horde.

They were near, almost in my face type of near.

Just as I aim down the sights, I see a corpse in front of me getting blown back, blood pouring out of a new hole in its head like a fountain...

"Kohta! Support Saeko on the right! I got this spot covered."

The moment I finished shouting, I restarted the massacre.

One pull of the trigger. Four corpses down.

Pump.

(5. As long as I got ammo left, you fuckers ain't taking a step towards my car.)

I fire another cheaply aimed shot towards my right. Three more corpses down.

Pump.

(4)

I turn to the left and fire, two more corpses down.

Pump.

(3)

I stop aiming and just point my shotgun towards the mass of corpses, and pull the trigger. Three more corpses down.

( It's near impossible to miss with this many ahead of me.)

Pump.

(2)

With each shot the wall was being pushed back, slowing down. Albeit, only momentarily.

Each corpse I sent flying back would fall on other corpses, causing all of them to fall to the ground. Each mount of corpses would then cause the ones behind them to either trip and fall, or to slow down to a crawl as they stumbled on the fallen corpses.

I shake my head and look down the sight. And with a quick motion, fire, pump and re-fire the last two rounds in the gun.

(0. There's no fucking end to them)

I look around me to see the ammo carton to my right, some meters away from me.

(When did I walk away from the box?)

"Reloading!" I shout to Kohta as I run to the carton, stopping with a slide as I grab it.

I open the box and start loading new shells into the gun, keeping an eye on the horde after each new shell. After I was done I kicked the carton back towards the humvee the same way I did with the last one.

I then glance towards Saeko to see how she's holding on to the right. And judging from her constant movement, counters, and number of bashed heads around her?

(She's holding up fine.)

Then I turn my attention to the left.

From where I was standing, I could see that corpses had already walked past the 'defense line'. If I counted the ammo cartons I left on the ground as a 'defense line' that is.

"Takashi, Rei get over here! I'm taking your spot!" I shout out at the two as I start moving towards the left.

Looking at the left side I could see even more corpses than before. Actually scratch that… I could see more corpses coming from all sides.

(Come on! Saya's mother better be here soon!)

As I run towards the left, Rei and Takashi run past me. I kept my sight focused towards the horde that had shambled past the 'defense line' as I kept running. Once a couple of meters away from the horde, I stop dead in my tracks, then aim down the sights.

Right now I had the main part of the 'left' horde to my right. Ahead of me I could see a smaller cluster of corpses which had already stumbled past me. The left side led to the fence. Thankfully, it was still clear of corpses.

I quickly fire a shot, chest height, aimed towards the main horde to my right. The shot caused several corpses to be blown back, and in the process, the other corpses behind them to either fall on each other or sidestep away from the direction they were going.

I pump a new round and turn back towards the group ahead of me, which was now looking straight at me.

Pump.

(5.)

I start walking straight towards the corpses.

(The blast from my last shot caused the corpses on the right side to fall back some, so I won't have to worry about the right for a few seconds.)

I aim at the corpses ahead of me. Then shoot, again at chest height. And another group of corpses gets blasted back.

Pump.

(4. I need to clean them from the ammo carton, or at least get it out of their shambling feet)

I think as I pump a new round in the gun. The box with the ammo was now almost a meter away from me. I aim the shotgun straight ahead once more, and pull the trigger.

I pump a new round and instantly pull the trigger again.

Another chest shot on the corpses ahead of me, and a new round in the chamber.

Pump.

(2)

I drop the gun to my sides and run to the box of shells. With all the knocked down corpses, the box was under a pair of feet right now. Thankfully, feet don't bite, yet...

I kick said feet away and kneel down, grabbing the carton. I then hug the shotgun and roll towards the fence, dodging a few wandering hands.

Once I felt the ground on my feet I stand up straight and turn around pointing the shotgun with one hand, the box held with the other.

(This will be one inaccurate shot. Not that it matters much, there's a fucking wall of corpses here.)

Another loud blast echoed Pump

The recoil was enough to cause my arm to bend, the shotgun almost hitting my face as corpses got sent flying back. It had reached the point. that I could just blind shoot towards the horde, and all the pellets would still find a target...

In other words. It was time for plan two.

(Too many of them… )

Box of shells still in hand, I ran to the humvee.

"Kohta! Cease fire, cease fire!" I shout as I open the humvee's door and throw the ammo box inside before slamming the door shut.

"What! Are you crazy!?" Kohta shouted back at me, I could see a hard glare on his eyes. I pull the flashbang out of the belt's pocket, and show it to him.

"Yea, I fucking am." I respond as I climb up the humvee from the hood. Kohta looks at the flashbang and nods. He then goes back inside the car as he turns the safety on his gun.

"Everybody! Back in the car. Right now!" I shout at Takashi, Rei and Saeko.

I saw Rei and Takashi looking at me for a split second before they turned their heads back towards the horde. Saeko was, probably too aroused to even hear me...

(Oh for fuck's sake you hillbilly berserkers!)

"Get back to the fucking car! I'm not taking another flashbang in the face for your sorry asses!" I scream as loud as I can, raising my hand and waving the flashbang in the air.

This time the three reacted appropriately and started running back towards the humvee...

And the moment the last person reached the car, I prepped the flashbang.

"Eyes shut, ears closed." I say in a calm voice and pull the pin.

"And you shitheads, can go… Deaf!" I shout as I toss the flashbang as far back from the horde as possible.

I quickly duck and cover my ears while I turn my upper body towards the fence, my eyes closed. And then, not a second later, a dull sound echoes in my head for a couple of seconds.

I open my eyes, shake my head, and look back. Heart beating like a drum in my chest.

(If this didn't work, we are screwed. In more ways than one.)

I stared at the horde of corpses, as they slowly started turning around. Walking in the opposite direction of the fence, of us. I nod and climb back inside the car, shit-eating grin on my face and all.

Yet, I didn't even manage to sit down before Kohta started being 'noisy'. Good thing the car has some basic soundproofing. I hope...

"I can't believe that actually worked!" Kohta shouts with a loud voice, still looking at the horde as it shambled away.

"Please. My ideas might occasionally be made out of stupid, but it's the working type of stupid." I respond with a shrug.

"Occasionally?" Saya says as she turns towards me with a slight smirk and one eyebrow raised.

"We're still alive ain't we? And this time around, nobody went blind, or deaf, or worse. I call this a win." I respond as I turn to Saya, slightly raise both my hands and shrug.

"But what do we do now?" Saeko asks shortly after.

"We wait for them to leave and then drive away?" Shizuka adds on.

"The fence. Maybe there are survivors on the other side?" Saya asks as she stares at the other side of the fence.

(We should have Saya's mother to the rescue soon. Or not. We are safe enough to wait here so it doesn't really matter.)

"I think we should wait for now, shut down the car engine so it won't attract any more corpses on us. And after the coast is clear, we'll see what we'll do." I respond as I look past the fence.

And like that, a couple of minutes passed with the engine turned off, and us staying as silent as the grave. Even if Kohta's initial shouting was proof enough the corpses ignored us, or did they actually go deaf?...

Until finally. A sound other than the moaning of the distant corpses was heard. A knock on the window, from the side of the fence. The whole group jumped in surprise, only to see a person in a firefighter suit waving at us.

(We made it..)

The group starts smiling, and the smiling then turns into cheering as they open the hatch and climb outside. It seems that there's a whole group of people in firefighter suits on the other side of the fence. Again, just like in the anime.

The people in the suits then helped us to get on the other side of the wire fence. And once we were all over, Shizuka walked up to the one that was apparently giving the orders.

"Thank you for saving us." She says as she takes a deep bow.

The person whom Shizuka was speaking to then proceeded to remove the helmet of the suit. Revealing it to be none other than Saya's mother.

"There is no need for that now, it's only natural to help my daughter and her friends after all" Saya's mom responds with a smile.

(And we, are, done. I wonder, should I ask Saeko to train with me tomorrow? I'll also need to make sure Kohta won't get bullied with the gun business. As for Saya, well she will be extra grumpy now soo. Yeah, good luck with that me. Rei and Takashi will probably do, 'stuff'?)

"That being said. Who is, Naier Sepfier?" Yuriko , aka Saya's mother, asks as she looks at the group, her sight stopping on me.

(Hmm, she knows my name… Wait. She knows my name? Why the hell does she know my name?)

I raised my hand and. I didn't even manage to speak before I found myself surrounded by the people wearing the firefighter suits.

(Oh, This… can't be a good sign)

Yuriko then walks up to me. And seconds later. I was staring down the barrel of her luger.

(Does this have something to do with my debts? I mean Saya's family is filthy rich. Wouldn't be surprised if she owned a bank or two.)

"So, you are the one who placed my daughter in needless danger." She says as her eyes turn into a cold stare.

(I, did, what?)

Was all I could think as I slowly raised my other hand...

The rest of the group was now talking? Shouting? I couldn't really tell. Too focused on the gun aimed at my head.

(What… the… fuck?)