"So, uhh. Do you by any chance know how to break into a warehouse? Over." I ask after a short silence.

"Uh. Know how to do, what?" Was the answer Saeko gave me.

"Well, you see. There's this warehouse, and it's locked, and I need to get inside. But the door is blocked off, the windows are too high, and the shutters are down. I also can't make too much noise as I got 'unwanted guests' roaming about. Over." I explained my problem to Saeko. And a couple of minutes later, I got an answer.

"Hmm... can't say I can think of anything. Sorry..." A negative one that is.

"Maybe Takagi can think of something? Over." I turn my head towards the window next to me as I speak.

"Takagi? Umm, There are two Takagi's in the room right now Naier. Could you be more specific?" I hear her ask.

(Ohh right. Of course, uh, why do I suddenly feel like Saya is glaring at the radio right now?)

"The one that is probably glaring towards your direction? Over." I could hear Saeko trying to hold back a giggle as I finished my sentence, the radio then went silent. Only for a few seconds later...

"Huh? What did you tell her idiot, why is she giggling? Uhh, Over." Saeko's voice gets replaced by an annoyed one.

(Bullsfucking eye.)

"Hmm? I just asked her to give the radio to the person who looked the most grumpy in the room. Over." I answer casually.

"...What?! You are a goddamn Idiot! You know that!?" Saya comes back with an oh-so original statement.

"Well, I have you to keep reminding me of that, don't I?" All I got as an answer, was a 'HUM'. I could actually feel the tsundere-ism from all over the radio to be honest.

"So, what do you want?" Saya asks, sending the conversation back towards its main point.

(Uhh, doesn't this thing have a loudspeaker or something?)

I sigh under my breath as I explain to Saya about the warehouse...again.

"Did you try forcing the door open? You, you do have a weapon with you right?" Saya asks.

"No can do, the noise will probably cause the corpses around here to surround the area again. I'm not going to risk getting stuck in there with corpses blocking the only exit. And uhhh, all I got is a handgun, not enough to blast open a door. Over." The response I got, was an annoyed sigh.

"Ugh. Why do you even need to get in there? Actually, why did you even agree to go to that place in the first place? Over." Saya asks again.

"Huh, what'd ya mean? Didn't your mother explain that? Over."

"She said that you're going to make the power plant safe for the engineers to go and take over, so that the people would get a more positive view of you by helping the 'community'. Over." I could feel some obvious sarcasm seeping out from Saya's tone on the word 'community'.

(Yuriko lied to her? Saya doesn't know why I'm really here for? Ughh, goddamnit Yuriko, you have to warn me if you're going to pull stunts like these. I could have easily said something wrong and without even realizing it, blow the whole thing apart...)

"Uhhh...yeah. I just figured that the warehouse might have something I could use… you know, stuff… " I quickly made up an excuse, a pretty lame one too, as I heard Saya groan over the radio as a response.

"You. You really are an idiot. You should just focus on what you need to do and come back, needless side trips like these can get you killed. Over." Saya was actually speaking rather calmly now. I on the other hand...

"Y, yea, sorry. I, I didn't think you'd be, that worried about me..." Was trying to hold myself back from snickering.

"W.. wha.. I, I'm not worried about you! Who said that I was worried about you!" I hear a flustered shout from over the radio.

(Heh, why is poking the pinkette so much fun?)

"You did." I answer bluntly.

"I did not!... MAMA! STOP, GIGGLING! UGHH... I'm surrounded by IDIOTS!" The radio then abruptly gets cuts off.

(Saya needs to understand that as long she reacts like this, she will be too fun not to mess with. Anyway, I needed that little break from all the corpses, running and bullcrap I had to deal with ever since saving Alice. I guess I owe one to Saya now for lightening up the mood. She does not need to know that though. And I hope Kohta is not TOO pissed at me right now.)

"You sure seem to know which buttons to push to make my daughter fly off the handle, don't you? Over." The radio comes alive once again.

"Umm. Well, isn't it just that Saya just flips out at the drop of a hat?" I answer back at Yuriko, who was now back on the line.

"So, I am to make the powerplant safe? Over." My tone, probably sounded slightly sarcastic as I spoke.

"Yes, so focus on going back to the main building." Yuriko just kept on with the story, so I guess Saya did not bolt out of the room. Or if she did, the others were still there. Not that it's a bad plan, I need to check the main building anyway. And who knows, maybe Souichirou is there and I don't have to deal with the warehouse at all.

"Roger that, main building it is. Over and out." I shove the radio back inside my side pocket and look around one last time, before turning the engine back on.

(Alright, time to focus back on the task at hand. For starters, I'll drive towards the main building, then shut down the engine mid-way as I did before, then see how to act from there.)

And with that, I step on the pedal, and start driving towards the main building.

(Hmm, did I ever mention to the group that I can drive? I don't think I did. Ohh well. Whatever.)

After the fallen part in the fence where I drove the car over came into view, I shut down the engine once again. And after reaching the opening, I turn to the right, climbing over the toppled west fence. Shortly after, the front entrance of the main building, along with the other vehicles came into view. With no corpses around this time.

(Well looks like leaving with the jeep was the best decision after all. I don't see that group of corpses that blocked off the door anywhere. Could it be that the group of corpses I saw 'parading' down the street earlier was the same group flocking the entrance? Well no matter, all the better for me. This place seems to be empty, so I can move more freely now.)

I let the car roll to a stop near the rest of the vehicles, then take the keys out of the ignition and put them into my pocket before I exit the vehicle and silently close the door behind me.

(Alright, let's get this over with.)

I nod to myself and slowly start walking towards the main door of the building…

Upon reaching the door I stopped in front of it and took a closer look at it.

(The door is made out of the hell did it survive a mini horde banging on it? No, wait, there are a couple of cracks on it. Huh, glad I lured them away before they could get in.)

I then give the door a tug.

(Locked, figures.)

I then look through the glass, at the building's main hallway. The sight, was not very uplifting.

Corpses were roaming the inside of the building, some of them looked like Souichiro's men too. The silver lining was that the stairs on the far end ahead of me, that led to the second floor, were barricaded. So there could be survivors up there, and hopefully Souichirou too.

(Well shit. That's not a good way to start off is it?)

But there was also something else that caught my eye. A metal piece of equipment dangling on the side of one of Souichiro's men.

(Is that a Howa Type 89? Well now I REALLY need to get in there… )

I looked around me to see if there was another way inside. Spotting a window, I started moving towards it. And once there I give it a push, then try to pull it, and finally try to push it to the side.

(Nope, no good.)

I back off the window and look for another way again. To my left, I could see part of the structure that extended towards the south. Yet, none of the visible windows looked open from where I was standing.

(I'll go on a limb and say that all the windows are shut tight. God, I should have invested in lockpicking. I could look around the building, but I don't know how good of an idea that is. Especially if the back of the building has corpses that got stuck there after being attracted by the car horn...)

I then look up at the second floor. The windows up there were either shaded, or the sun reflected in such an angle that did not let me see the insides, and again...

(All of em are closed. So, time for plan B)

I 'sheath' the knife by passing the blade under the belt that had the gun holster on, then pull out the gun itself.

(And as with all my plan B's. Tis a stupid as fuck plan.)

I grumbled as I pointed the gun at the window. But, right as I was about to pull the trigger, a plan came to me.

(Hmm, if I'm going in loud and stupid, I could make use of it.)

I lower the gun and run back to the door.

(Let's see. The main hallway is rather spacious, it looks as large as the school's entrance without all the lockers. It also has… five corpses roaming about, along with a couple of bodies on the floor near to the main door. No idea if they're really 'dead' though.

Two of 'em are to the left, next to an entrance to a hallway that leads to the other parts of the structure. One is to the far right, next to a door that probably leads to a room. The one with the gun is by the stairs. And uh, there is one in front of the main door 'staring' at me. Other than the two corpses that are huddled together to the left, the others are by themselves. So, how do I go about this?

Going from the main door is stupid. Corpse standing next to the door aside, too many bodies on the floor. I could enter by smashing a window either to the left or the right. The left has an extra corpse so, to the right it is.)

With that, I nod to myself and move to the second window to the right, point my gun towards the window, and pull the trigger three times.

The glass window, being a single-pane commercial glass, didn't hold much against the gun after getting shot at point-blank. The first shot made a clean hole with a couple of cracks surrounding it. The second shot landed on the cracks created by the first shot, causing the cracks to spread out even further. And the third shot finally caused the glass to partially shatter.

Using the grip of the gun, I then started bashing the rest of the glass, causing it to give way until the hole was big enough for me to pass through. Before going inside though, I headed back to the main door and aimed the gun again. This time at the corpse with the Type 89. I fired a single shot that pierced right through the glass of the front door. And landed straight into the corpse's face.

The corpse stumbled backward a couple of steps before falling back against the barricade on the stairs. I then walked back to the window, took off my bag and used it as a cushion in order to climb over the shattered window.

(Just to make sure I don't end up cutting myself with the glass fragments. Survive zombie outbreak, die from cut infection.)

As the fourth shot was from the main door, the corpses were now heading towards that spot, ignoring the shattered window.

I climb over and land on the other side, the glass cracking under my boots as I hit the ground.

I turned my sight to the left looking at the three corpses that upon hearing the cracking glass, turned to me. Then look ahead of me at the fourth corpse that had long left the door by the corner and was also walking towards me.

(Ughh, of course they had to hear this.)

I grab the bag and throw it ahead and towards the right, next to the corpse that was straight ahead of me, then run past it from the left, and head straight to the corpse with the assault rifle that had fallen against the barricade. The moment I get next to it, I point the gun to its face.

(Better safe than sorry...)

The corpse's head jerks to the side as another round goes through its head. I then kneel down and shove my gun in its holster before taking the assault rifle off the dead corpse. The moment I managed to get the gun in my hands, I took off the magazine and looked inside.

(Still has bullets.)

I quickly shove the magazine back inside and pull the charging handle back causing a single bullet to fly out of the ejection port.

(It had a bullet in the chamber?)

I let go of the charging handle, and the handle traveled all the way to its initial position, signaling that the gun had a new bullet in the chamber.I then turned around, assault rifle in my hands, staring at the four remaining corpses...

(This is probably one of the most stupid ideas I had, so far...)

I lift the gun and aim it at the corpse that I just ran past, as it was getting a bit 'too' close to my comfort zone. I then switched the rifle to semi-auto and aimed at the corpse's head.

The moment I pulled the trigger, I could feel the difference in power compared to the peashooter I was using some time ago, as I could feel the gun's recoil pushing against my shoulder. Thankfully, all the 'fun' training I had before the outbreak let me hold the muzzle relatively steady. And with a loud 'Crack', the bullet pierced the corpse's head and went on flying behind it, embedding itself into the wall behind the corpse. I then turn my sight to the entrance and at the three last corpses that were shambling towards me. I look down the sights once more and take a deep breath. Three more shots, three more corpses down to the floor, never to get up again.

I take my eyes off the sights and look at the corpses, resting the gun's stock on the side of my hip.

(I just rang the dinner bell for every corpse in the vicinity, didn't I? Weird as it was though, I didn't see any other corpses roaming towards me from the hallways. Locked in some room perhaps?)

I move to where my bag was and pick it up. I then kneel down and pick it up. Yet, before I could turn around...

"Don't move!" I hear a voice shout, causing me to freeze in place and look around.

(Behind me, on the stairs.)

I turned my head to see a guy dressed in the outfit Souichiro's men wore. Standing over the barricade, a Type 89 in his hands, aimed straight at me.

"I uhh, come in peace?... " I say as I keep my finger off the trigger while lifting the hand that held the bag.

"Sure you do, by attracting every single monster here! Drop the gun, hands in the air! Now!" The guard shouts, if my gunshots didn't attract corpses, his shouting sure did.

(Well, just perfect. At least that's a positive on the survivors?)

I slowly crouch down and let go of the assault rifle, then take the handgun and leave it next to the other gun, then let go of the bag and stand up again, raising my arms.

"Uhh, I know it sounds weird but, I'm actually the rescue team..." I say as I keep my voice as calm as I can. The dude's eyebrows almost fused together from the expression he took. But before he could speak, I continued on.

"I was sent by Yuriko Takagi to find Souichiro Takagi along with any survivors in the Power Plant. The estate is in a bit of a 'pinch' you might say, she can't come herself or send more men." The guard just stares at me as I keep talking, his gun still pointed at me. After a couple of seconds I sigh through my nose, as we just kept staring at each other.

(For fuck's sake dude. I probably just summoned every single corpse in the facility, you know this, and you're wasting my time with this crap.)

"I have a radio in my pocket that you can use to speak with Miss Takagi." I speak up as I lift my left knee and point my finger towards the side pocket on my pants. Yet again, the guard just narrowed his eyes and said nothing, but more importantly, did nothing...

"Ohh for crying out loud, you said it yourself, I probably just ringed a dinner bell for every single thing in the area. Just let me take the radio and give it to you, then you make your decision." I groan as I lower my leg and shake my head slightly.

"No sudden movements. Or you get one in the head" Was all the guard said.

(Ohhh, if I find you in a dark corner inside the estate...)

I slowly lowered my arm and put it in my pocket, I could see the guard tensing up the moment my hand disappeared, to the point that I half expected he would just shoot me to make sure. Thankfully, that didn't happen, as I pulled out the radio by the antenna with my thumb and index finger, then showed it to him.

"See. Tis a radio" I say as I wave it at him, slightly failing to hide my annoyance as I spoke to him.

The guard finally seemed to relax a little when he saw the radio, as he lowered his gun a bit. It was 'still' trained on me though. He motions me with his gun to come to the barricade, I nod and slowly walk to the stairs.

"Leave the radio on the barricade and back away." He commanded the moment I got close.

(Oh, you've gotta be kidding me. This guy watched way too many action flicks...)

I do as the guard says and leave the radio on one of the messily put together tables, then take a few steps back. The guard clumsily holds the gun with one hand by the handle as he moves down the steps and reaches for the radio with his free hand.

(If that guy shoots me by accident with the way he is holding that gun, I'm going to give him to Saeko as a punching bag, after I castrate him...)

The guard finally takes the radio, and pushes the speak button.

"Is this Miss Takagi?" He speaks up...

(No, it's a radio. Yea, that guy was getting on my nerves.)

The guard moves the radio to his ear, apparently listening to the response. And a few seconds later, he turns to look at me,

"How do I know this is Miss Takagi and not some random woman?" He 'asks'...

(AAAAHHHH FOR FUCK SAKE! THIS GUY AND HIS PARANOIA!)

"Just, just take the radio to Mr. Takagi, he'll know..." I could feel my left eye starting to twitch. Yep, this guy was ticking me off. The guard in response, did nothing, and was just staring at me.

"Ohh no, I'm not leaving this spot for you to do as you please buddy." The guard 'finally' responds.

(I'm seriously going to bite him...)

"Then call somebody else to take the radio to him. It's not that hard, is it?" I tried to stay as calm as I could while I spoke. If I flipped out here. Well, I would probably get shot by mister paranoia over there.

The guard keeps staring at me as he leaves my radio on the handrail that was next to him, then takes another radio that was in his chest pocket. And shortly after speaking into it, another guard appeared. And then started to stare at me as well.

(Ohh god, they're multiplying. Somebody call an exorcist.)

After an uncomfortably long period spent re-enacting The Shining, the second guard finally took the radio and ran up the stairs. Now, it was just me and the guard again. Oh, and corpses had gathered outside, flocking at the front door once more. Did I forget to mention that? Yep, corpses had gathered outside… again.

(God I hope they don't get inside now. With that idiot over there, I truly believe he will tell me to not move, even if they break in.)

"Just great, now even more of them have gathered outside. Some 'rescue' you turned out to be" The guard started speaking with an obviously sarcastic tone in his voice.

(Why didn't you die at the beginning of the outbreak again?)

The guard opens his mouth to speak again...

"Let him through" When a commanding voice echoed from the top of the stairs. The guard darted his head to the top of the stairs as he straightened his posture.

"Y..YES!" He quickly moves down the stairs and starts undoing the barricade, while I move to take my guns and bag, turning the safety on after picking them up.

(Fucking finally. Talk about a switch in personality.)

I then walked up to the corpse that I took the gun from, with the barricade moved, it was now laying flat on the ground. I kneel down and take off the sling it was wearing, then give the corpse a quick pat-down for any extra magazines before getting up and walking up the stairs.

I could see the guard giving me a really funny look now, as I walked up the stairs.

(What, never played a looter-rpg before bub?)

I just ignore the guard and walk past him. Fixing the sling on me and attaching the rifle on it.

(Thank god this is a three-way sling as well.)

Upon turning to go up the second flight of stairs I see the big boss himself, Souichiro, in all his glory. Waiting at the top of the steps with two other guards flanking him. He was staring or well, glaring at me. Good thing I know that that is his 'casual' face.

(Wait, he has a sword with him? Hmm. In the anime he 'did' have a sword. But in difference with the manga, he never gave it to Saeko. But, Saeko did not get the shrine sword as she did in the anime. So, will she get the one from Souichirou? And if she does get a sword from Souichirou, does this mean that the one at the shrine is still there?)

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Realizing I have been 'staring' at nothing during my inner monologue, I lightly shook my head and turned to look at the boss man.

"Mister Takagi I presume?" I ask as I strap my backpack back on me.

"Yes, I am Souichiro Takagi, and you must be Sepfier Naier, from what my wife informed me." He answers as he turns his head away from me. I turn to glance where he was looking at, only to see the guard from before still glaring at me with a disapproving face. At least he did so, until he realized that Souichiro was staring at him. Where he quickly moved to fix the barricade afterward.

"Did Miss Takagi Inform you about the 'situation' back at the estate?" I ask.

"Not in detail," He bluntly replies.

"But whatever is going on back at the estate can wait, we can't leave right now. Not until the power plant is operational again." He continues.

(Well, that's just great. It's not like it won't all be for naught after the nuke blast anyway. Not that I can tell him that. Or do power plants have some sort of safety measures against EMP? Uhh whatever, more importantly, I need to convince Souichirou to come back to the estate.)

"No, it can't. Somebody is trying to gather the people at the estate in order to take control of the place by. Uhh, a majority of vote? And, well. From what I've been told by Miss Takagi, he seems to be doing a pretty good job so far. Pretty much all of the refugees are apparently already listening to his preaches." I stop for a second as I glance towards the window behind the tall man.

(Well, I don't know if that's what he's really trying to do, but I don't care as long as it gets Shido kicked the fuck out my lawn, or his, seeing as it's his house.)

"The name of the person responsible is Koichi Shido." I fold my arms as I finish speaking.

I remember from the anime, that Souichiro had some sort of connection with Shido's father, and that did not hold his father in very high esteem. I hoped that this will be enough motivation to make him come along.

"Even so, the guards at the estate should be more than enough to deal with one stray dog that thinks itself a wolf, no matter how many of its kind it brings along." Souichiro replied lightly with a wave of his hand. I sigh under my breath after hearing his answer.

"That guy ain't an idiot, I highly doubt that he would just do nothing or stupidly put his head on the line. He already has the support of the unarmed civilians, the guards won't be able to do much against 'all' of them." Souichiro just folds his arms and looks at me without speaking back.

"If he forces a conflict between the armed guards and the refugee's, nobody is going to win, other than him. The guards are far outnumbered by the refugees as they have to patrol the perimeter outside the estate. And, if the ones in the estate open fire against unarmed civilians, not only will it be a perfect reason to label them as 'Ineffective' at keeping order and blame it on you, thus gaining an even tighter grip on the remaining refugees." I glance at the rest of the guards before turning back to Souichiro.

"That would also make the refugees be even more distrustful of the 'armed and dangerous' men. At worst it can lead to a full revolt. And I'm pretty sure Shido is more than capable of fueling the fire. With their numbers, the guards will get overrun sooner or later. I can also guarantee you that, should he get the chance, he will use your wife or daughter as a hostage to get what he wants." Souichiro, just kept staring at me after I finished talking. I could not see much of a change in his expression to be honest.

(Also Shido wants me dead. You know, nothing really important.)

"A driver, with me. I am returning to the estate" He finally speaks up with a stern expression.

(Pfew.)

The annoying guard lets out a silent groan as he moves to undo the barricade he just finished setting back up.

"I can drive." I say as I take the car keys out of my pocket.

(It's not that I don't want to stay here with ya lads. But I would rather be hanging around with Saeko, or Saya, or Kohta, or Shizuka, or Zeke.)

The people around just looked at me.

"Ain't you a bit too young to drive?" One of the guards speaks up.

"I'm too young to have a car license, not to drive. And right now, I don't need a license to drive." As I finish, another guard speaks up.

"You can't expect a kid to drive in a situation like this, one mistake could easily prove fatal." The same guard retorts.

(Ughh. Kid this, kid that. Now I see why Saya was getting extra grumpy in the estate.)

"Well, I did deal with the giant horde in the warehouse, and the group that was blocking the entrance while uhh, 'borrowing' one of your jeeps, and I'm still here. So I think I can manage 'not' crashing a car." I was actually grinning under my mask as I spoke.

"If you say you can drive, then you better be able to take the responsibility for your claim." Souichiro speaks up, causing whatever protest there was from the guards to cease.

"And somebody radio in with the guards in the warehouse. If the horde was really driven away and they are still alive, tell them to return here and keep guard. Otherwise, continue as you were. I want the powerplant up and running by the time I'm back." And with Souichiro's order, the men scatter to do what they were just told. Without a word, I move down the stairs and look at the front door.

(Looks like shooting a gun was not a very bright idea after all. Well at least it also drew the attention of the guards here, who knows how long I'd have to search otherwise.)

Saya's father followed up behind me, then stared at the exit and street ahead, now filled with corpses.

"Hmm, wait here." Was all he said as he walked back up the stairs.

(Is there another exit up there? Hmm. No, he said that I should wait here, so he should return. He got a bazooka stashed up there or something?)

My question was answered a couple of minutes later, as Souichiro walked down the stairs, a pair of red, long, thin sticks in his hand.

(Ohh, OHHH. This guy loves his dynamites.)

"The noise will draw the ones blocking the door away, and as we are taking a car, we will use the second one to draw them away from the facility." Souichiro then starts walking towards the broken window I used to enter the building, lights up one of the dynamites with a lighter, and with a strong throw. He tosses the dynamite towards the oncoming corpses in the distance.

(And I was supposed to save 'this' dude? Yuriko must be pulling my leg...)

Seconds later, a loud explosion shook the ground, this one being far away from the building. Needless the say, with a noise that loud, the door was clear of corpses in a matter of seconds.

"Move out." Souichiro orders and he starts moving towards the door, sword in hand as he sidesteps over the bodies on the ground.

Once he was at the door he opened it after unlocking it, and then started moving towards the parked vehicles. I just followed behind him...

"Which car did you use?" He turns to me as he speaks. And I point at the jeep that was parked a bit further away from the rest of the vehicles.

He nods, turns around and starts walking towards the jeep I pointed out. Once we reached the jeep, I entered the driver's seat as he got on the passenger's seat. Then plugged in the keys back in the ignition and started the engine. Souichiro lowered the window in the meantime.

"Move towards the west fence." He orders once again.

(Yes my master. I also kind of like your daughter.)

I chuckle silently as I turn the car around and drive towards the toppled fence. The moment the jeep left the premise of the facility, Souichiro lights up the second dynamite. And tosses it out of the window, away from the facility.

I press on the pedal a little harder, causing the car to speed up, getting away from the horde that was going to arrive soon. And then, a second deafening explosion.

"So, now that that's done. Could you direct me towards the estate? I don't know this place very well." I say as I glance at Souichirou. He just nodded while taking a radio out of his pocket.

"Yuriko, I am returning to the estate. Inform the guards to find Koichi Shido and bring him to the estate's entrance." Just as Souichiro stops speaking, I butt in.

"Uhhh. Also, it will be for the best if I am not seen with you when you meet with Shido. I don't think the refugees that are with Shido will react well when they see me and… "

"Yuriko informed me about your 'problem'. It will not be necessary to hide. The people that want to follow Koichi can share the same fate as him." Souichiro turns to me as he interrupts my interruption. He then turns to look at the street ahead nonchalantly,

(The same, fate? And I like this guy's daughter? Unless I'm reading what's he's implying terribly wrong, I must have a god damn deathwish.)

"After we have climbed over the hill, turn right on the next intersection, then keep going straight" I just nodded at what Souichiro said and kept my eyes on the road.

"It didn't seem like your team needed any rescue in the end..." I speak up a couple of seconds later.

"Because we didn't. We were simply unlucky that when the western fence fell and they got into the facility, our long-range communication equipment got destroyed during the horde's attack. Still, we had managed to contain the corpses that managed to get into the building into one part of the facility, and were in no danger from being overrun or running out of supplies any time soon." Souichiro keeps looking down the street as he speaks.

"But, we were unable to relay such information back. So the estate was left with the knowledge that we're being overrun by a horde. It is understandable that Yuriko wanted to mount a rescue team. I did not expect just one person though." He adds as he glances at me, looking like he was sizing me up.

"Neither did Miss Takagi. This whole thing was my idea, as she was opposed to me coming here alone, and was going to send a normal rescue team tomorrow. But, with how Shido was going after my neck at the estate, and his ever-increasing influence, sitting on my thumbs hoping for something to happen, was not an option. In any case. I still think that I shouldn't be present when you meet with Shido. If he doesn't know I helped, he will at least have one less thing to crow on." I lean my head back on the headrest as I finish speaking.

"Do as you wish then." He answers. And with that, the car fell back into silence.

(Hmm, now that I think about it, how many days do we have till the nuke? Right now it should be, one day before the group reaches the estate in the Original Timeline, if we base it on the anime. And in the anime they stayed there for a day, or two? Uhhh. At least the sun is still out, so I got some time before this day ends. Should I try to E.M.P proof some equipment? But, how do I explain that to the others? I don't think I look THAT paranoid… yet.)

-Sometime later-

"Turn left here, and go straight, we should end up at a barricade. The guards have been informed that we are coming, if you want to get out without anyone in the estate seeing you, now is the time." I nod as Souichiro speaks. And as he said, a barricade came into view not long after I turned the car to the left.

Two guards were standing by a concrete barricade, guns in hand, with a forklift next to them. Getting near the barricade, I start to slow down the car until it finally stops next to the guards. I then exit the car and walk to the guards.

"You two again? Small world… " I say as I look at the guards that had driven me to the power plant.

"Ohh, Ninja boy! What's the matter? Go on, Miss Takagi has informed us of your arrival." The fist guard speaks up with a grin.

"There has been a change of plans. One of you will have to drive Mr. Takagi to the estate. I got an errand to run." And the grin instantly disappears from the guard's face as he stares at the jeep behind me.

(Have fun saying jokes next to the scary big boss.)

I smirk as I start walking away, rifle hanging on my sides.

(Still. Ninja boy, better than Ninja penguin.)

I look at the buildings that surrounded the street as I kept walking

"Hey! Are these buildings clear?" I shout as I turn my head towards the guards.

"Yes! And they have been picked clean, so you won't find any chocolate bars in there!" The same guard speaks up before entering Souichiro's car.

(Hmm. Interesting.)

I continue walking down the street, the estate now visible to my far left.

(So. How do I go from here to there? I need to get back inside, undetected.)

I think as I take a turn to the left upon reaching the first intersection.

(For now, let's just get near the entrance.)

I heard the jeep's engine zoom past behind me as it kept going straight instead of turning to the left as I did.

(And now I want some chocolate. Retarded ass guard and his retarded ass jokes. At least, I did eat while I was being held captive, so it's not like I'm starving or something.)

I chuckle to myself as I keep walking down the street...

After several minutes, I reached the next intersection and took a turn to the right. The estate was now a straight road ahead from where I was standing.

(Wonder what Souichirou will do. He seems more than capable of handling Shido without causing a fight to break out. Or well, I hope he does.)

As I closed in towards the estate, I could make out figures behind the gates. Lots of them.

I stop and look consideringly around at the houses that were next to me.

(I better not show up yet, too many people at the gates. I can stay in one of the nearby houses for some time until the estate's driveway clears out.)

As I could not think of a better plan, I moved to the side of the road, towards the fence door of a house and gave it a push. The door opened with no resistance. The moment I walk inside, I lift my rifle and look down the sights.

(They did say the houses are clear, but I'm not taking any chances.)

I looked around the yard before turning my sight towards the house itself.

The door-sized window that led into the house was wide open, the curtains blowing outwards, giving me a clear view of the insides.

(Looks clear.)

I slowly move towards the window and peek inside.

(Is clear.)

I walk inside the house through the window, and do a quick scan of the room.

(Looks like a living room. The building is a two-story apartment so there should be a staircase somewhere.)

I moved deeper into the house. It seems that the living room was next to the kitchen and between them a hallway that continued to the right.

(A kitchen next to the living room and with no wall between them? Who the hell wants to constantly smell food when sitting in the living room?)

I move to the hallway and with the gun still ready. And shortly after, along the hallway, I found the staircase that led to the second floor. I climb the stairs up and end up in another hallway that extends to my left and right. There was also a closed-door straight ahead of me.

(Well, all clear so far.)

I look around the hallway and decide to go to the right as it was the corridor with a room that would let me see the estate's gate. As I got closer, I realized that the room was already open. So I peek through the open door before completely opening it.

(A bedroom, empty.)

I enter the bedroom and close the door behind me. I then move to the window and get out on the balcony. I could now fully see the gate from the balcony. I nod and move back into the room, doing a quick last check. Closet, room corners, ceiling, under the bed, the usual stuff.

(No corpses, ghosts, or croaking evil spirits. Time to finally sit back and relax.)

I move back out to the balcony, close the window behind me and sit down, my back against the railing. I then took off my rifle and removed the magazine, unloading all the bullets left in it.

(Two, three, five, six counting the one in the chamber. Hmm, gonna need to restock when I get back in the estate.)

I start loading the bullets back in the magazine. And let out a yawn in the process.

(Guhh, c'mon I'll sleep later at the estate, leave me alone.)

I shake my head and finish loading the magazine, then slap it back in the gun. After that I turn to stare absentmindedly at the gate. I could still see the mass gathered near the gate, but that's about it. I could not 'hear' any sort of commotion.

(What's happening there? Ehh, whatever. It doesn't concern me yet.)

I then turn my head to the sky.

(I wonder if any of the 'stuff' from the anime and manga happened while I was gone.

Like Saya going ballistic about her Kohta having to fend off the people that wanted his guns. Though in the anime, that happened after Souichiro returned. What I do know is that Takashi and Saeko should not be as close as they were in the anime during the events at the estate. For one, they did not go to the shrine so they should not be so, intimate with each other. I mean, I hope they are not… Bleh, time to change the subject.)

And like this, time started to pass. Ten minutes? twenty minutes. Two minutes? I lost track of time since nothing was really happening.

(I think I'm going to fall asleep if this goes on… )

I grumbled as I looked back at the gate. Except this time, it was wide open.

(H..Huh?)

I reflexively lower my body, and intently keep staring at the gate. I could see two figures moving away from the estate.

(Somebody's leaving?)

Shortly after, two more figures started walking behind the other two, while still keeping a good distance away from them. I just kept staring, until finally. I could make out the features on the two people on the front.

(A snake… and a donkey.)

In other words Shido and Tsunoda. I jump to my feet and run back into the room so those two won't accidentally see me as they walk down the road.

(They got kicked out? Ohh, SHIT. This, this could be it. My proof that things can change.

No Shido and no bus, which means no broken barricade. No broken barricade means no overrun estate. No… no, no, calm down Naier. Even if Shido is getting kicked out, there's still the possibility of another truck 'somehow' hitting the barricade anyway. Or that the nuke could explode while the barricades are being moved by the forklifts. There are still a lot of things that can go wrong. Still, this is a BIG step towards what I'm looking for.)

My brain was going into overdrive as I jumped down the stairs. I exit the building from the same way I entered it and hide behind the concrete fence wall.

(From the direction they were going, they should probably pass through here. I should stay hidden so Shido won't see me.)

With that, I kneel down next to the concrete wall and wait. And a couple of minutes later.

"You don't understand! I never did anything wrong, they are lying, they are trying to frame me!" A voice could be heard from the distance, slowly getting louder.

"And why the fuck only the two of us are getting kicked out! Yuuki gets to be spared because she can fake her tears and shake her tits?!" I could hear another voice now, this one sounding rather angry, pissed off.

(Tsunoda. Hmm, wait. Yuuki was spared? Well, she is shown to be able to seduce people in the manga and the anime. But I doubt Souichiro would fall for that. Did the guards protect her? Uhh, whatever. A problem to deal with later.)

"All I did was try to protect you people, why don't you understand that! You still have time to make this right! Don't make this mistake!" I pushed my back against the wall as Shido's voice got closer and closer, not that it mattered. But ehh, reflexes.

(From the way they run their mouths. Seems like the guards are not on 'their' side, good. For me that is.)

And soon I could hear them right behind the fence, still talking, still shouting.

"Come on man, we won't survive out there like this. I am just a school kid! What are you expecting me to do? Wrestle with these monsters barehanded?! You are going to kill us!"

(Tsunoda, is really going at it.)

"OHH! For the love of, will you two shut up already! No matter how much to scream at us things won't change. This decision was made by Mister Takagi because of your actions during his absence." One of the guards, probably fed up by all the yapping by the two, speaks up.

"You are making a fatal mistake!" Shido was probably about to snap, as he shouts sounded rather distressed. And as the seconds passed, their voices started to fade away again...

I peeked outside to see that the guards, along with Shido and Tsunoda, had moved past the fence door and were moving towards the barricade that was located down the road. I silently walk out the door and start following behind them. Other than a forklift, I could also see no guards at the barricade, meaning the only guards around here were these two.

(Did the other guys stationed here go back to the estate?)

Once we got near the barricade I moved to the right and entered the nearest house, hiding behind the concrete wall once more. Shortly after that I hear the sound of an engine coming alive.

"You take one step in the wrong direction, and you are dead. Understood?" One of the guards speaks up.

(Hmm, one of em is using the forklift?)

And after a minute or so.

"Out." one of the guards barks.

"At least give us something to defend ourselves with!" Tsunoda shouts, he had probably given up on getting spared, so now he was begging for equipment. I hear one of the guards groan in response.

"Fine… Catch!" I could not actually see what was happening. But by the snickering I could hear, I had a pretty good idea.

"Dude, I am not giving you my knife later, now that you've tossed yours." The other guards speak up while snickering.

"You people. Are a disgrace to humankind. Do you enjoy making people suffer?" Shido asks. I could 'feel' the scowl on his face.

(Ohh? Did Shido find himself a mirror?)

"Shut up and get out, you wanted a knife, you got a knife. Now scram!" The guard shouts. And seconds later, I heard the sound of a gun bolt 'clacking'.

"Don't make me repeat myself… sir"

(That was the most sarcastic sir if I ever heard one. I already like that guy.)

"Ok, ok we are leaving, we are leaving… " I turn to look at the rifle in my hands as I hear Shido speak.

(If he leaves now, he still might make it to the evacuation zone like in the manga. I'll follow him for a bit, see if I can make out what he will try to do next. No time to lose.)

I got up and ran into the house, ending up in a living room once again.

(Same layout as before… Is this place some kind of housing complex?)

I ran to the stairs that were in the hallway, climbed them and then turned to the left and ran down the corridor until I was at the door in the far end. I entered what used to be a kids room and ran to the window on the left wall of the room, and then looked outside.

(Bullseye.)

I had a clear view of the whole road leading away from the barricade now. It seems like Shido and Tsunoda were going straight down the road.

(So, they are going straight. The next intersection is a good distance away. So I should be able to track them for a short while.)

Several seconds later Tsunoda runs up to the side of the road, kneels down and picks something up. Before turning back to walk down the street next to Shido.

(He has the knife? Good to know...)

I turned my sight to the guards that had just finished fixing up the barricade, and were walking away.

(Alright. No time like the present.)

I grip my gun and run back down. Once at the fence door, I peek outside and see the guards walking away towards my left. I wait for a couple of seconds before taking a deep breath and exit the house. Then turn to the right and head straight towards the barricade.

(Jumping over that might be a problem with that barbed wire on the top. Hmm, I could enter the house next to the barricade and jump over the fence wall. Ok, let's do that.)

Course of action settled, I moved to the right and walked to the fence door of the house that was right next to the barricade. I enter it, and once inside the yard I turn to the left and run towards the concrete fence wall. Using the momentum, I climb the wall, and stay up there. Checking what was on the other side, along with the surrounding area. I could see corpses moving around, nothing too freaky though.

(Guess they are focused on keeping some barricades clear of corpses? They will probably want to use a road if they have to abandon the estate, so they try to keep them clean?)

I jump down the wall and end roll forward to 'muffle' the sound. Once I was down on the road, I walked up to the barricade and looked to my right, at the road that extended ahead. I could see two figures jogging in the distance.

(There ya are ya little shits.)

I look at the corpses around me as I grab the rifle with both hands, switch the safety to semi-auto and start moving down the road. I was still a bit far from them, so they could easily mistake me for a corpse if I acted like one. Yet, they never bothered looking back, they just kept going forward. And after a while they stopped jogging , and started trying to walk around any corpse that blocked their way.

(Wonder if Tsunoda's flip flops make noise when he walks...)

Thanks to the fact that I was alone, and better prepared. I was able to close the distance between me and them pretty fast. And as their figures became clearer. My mind kept repeating the same question over, and over again.

(I could end Shido right here, and now. Should I really go through with it though? It is one thing killing a corpse that is pretty much a walking meat bag with no cognitive ability whatsoever, and another killing a living human being. Even if that human being is a dumpster fire that also tried to kill me twice. Still, what will the others think of me if they find out that I went, and actively tried, or did kill somebody? And well, they do say that if you go down that path once…)

I let out a sigh through my teeth as I kept staring at Shido's back.

(Uhhh, but if I let that slimeball go and the whole thing continues the way the manga did. He will get to the evacuation center. And I will be at a huge disadvantage there, if I'm still alive till then that is. For one, it will be after the last chapter of the manga. Meaning, no knowledge of what will happen, and Shido proved one too many times that he wants me dead. And his third try, without me having an inkling of what he might do, in a location I have no idea about, might be his lucky one.)

I grip my rifle a little harder.

( I should follow them for now. Maybe, maybe he will have different plans. And who knows. He might not even know there's even an evacuation. No need to jump the gun, even if I hate his ass.)

And step by step I got closer, up to a point that I could hear them talk.

"...going to do now sir… we won't survive out here alone." I heard part of Tsunoda's question as I closed in.

"I heard from the refugees that there's an evacuation zone at the Shintoko Third Elementary School. We will head there." Tsunoda's expression looked like a scowl after hearing Shido's answer.

(Well, shit...)

"What? That is way too far. We'll never make it." Shido nods at what Tsunoda said before he started speaking again.

"That is true. So, we will return to the estate to 'borrow' some equipment." I could see Shido's face turning to a smirk as he spoke.

"As you saw yourself, the barricade was unmanned. It won't be, too hard to get back inside later. After we get through the barricade all we will have to do is wait for an opportunity to get inside the estate, and trust me, one will come. After all, these people are not trained soldiers. They will make a mistake sooner or later. And if not, we can create a situation that would benefit us. Say for example, an ill-placed barricade maybe?" Shido responds with a slight grin as he speaks.

(Oh that son of a… No. no, no. Stay calm. Just, listen. Don't overreact. Not, yet.)

Tsunoda lets out a huff as Shido finishes speaking and starts talking to himself.

"Ohh I do want to get back at the bastards. Though I wish I could do so myself, rather than let these undead freaks do the job for us." Tsunoda stabs the air around him in quick motions as he responds.

"And that slut Yuuki. I bet she seduced the guards to avoid getting thrown out. Now she's in there, sitting safely on her ass. While we are here trying to avoid being eaten alive." He stops stabbing his imaginary foe and turns to look at the knife he's holding.

"After we lost that bus. Everything has been going to shit." I could see Shido's face turning grim as Tsunoda spoke.

"Yes. It was really unfortunate that we lost that bus because of that transfer student and his little group. And after that, we lost everybody other than you and Yuuki. And now, even Yuuki has betrayed us. Why did this have to happen, Souichiro was supposed to be stuck at that powerplant based on what the guards said. Yet he just appeared shortly after that transfer student and his group arrived. Did they have something to do with this?" Shido narrowed his eyes as he spoke.

"That fucking inbred hypocrite, I knew he was no good the moment we picked him up. We should have left him back at the school to rot." Tsunoda keeps staring at his knife as he speaks.

(Keep talking shit donkey. It is doing reeeaaal good for you right now… )

"Indeed, we could have avoided all of this had we not picked him up. To think that he even managed to split our group in two." After that last jab at my character, even if they 'knew' otherwise, they continued walking in silence.

(Ok. They're definitely up to no good. So, what now? I shoot them? I can't let them sabotage the barricades… )

Tsunoda being unaware that I was about to decide their fates, spoke up again.

"That house. Did it really belong to the Takagi's?" Tsunoda asks, Shido sighs as he looks ahead of him.

"Yes, a real shame we didn't manage to, persuade the people in there." He chuckled.

"Damn. that foul-mouthed bitch has more than just her looks huh." Tsunoda chuckles to himself.

"But she just had to tag along with that fucking retard and his friends. Wonder what bullshit he filled her with to make her agree on leaving the safety of the bus? Ohh, if I just had some time alone with her. I could show her what she was missing." Tsunoda lifts his knife to head-high as he smirks.

"I would make her moan like a b..."

Yet… he never managed to finish his sentence. As he fell forward, hitting the ground with a loud thud. A slight trail of gunpowder smoke coming out from my gun's muzzle. And Tsunoda, now laid motionless on the floor, blood seeping out from the hole in his head, painting the street under him red.

Shido, just froze for a couple of seconds, staring at Tsunoda's dead body. I stayed silent as I started walking towards him, with my gun now pointed at him. The sound of the shot had already made it obvious that I was there. So Shido turned his eyes toward me, before turning his whole body towards me. Each step I took forward, was a step he took backward. He started flapping his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Until…

"You… you killed him..." He squeaked out. I didn't reply, I just kept walking towards him.

"You've...you've gone crazy! You… you just committed murder!" He shouts, pointing his finger at me as he keeps taking steps backward. Again, I didn't reply. I just kept moving forward, the gun still pointed at his face.

"St, Stay away from me! Don't come any closer!" He shouts. I lower my gun slightly and lift my head from the gun's sights, then I stop walking. Shido, seeing that I had 'listened' to his demand, stops moving and opens his mouth again.

"I was right, you… YOU ARE!..."

"Behind you." I cut him off.

Shido instantly stopped talking as his eyes went wide, realizing that a pair of hands were going over his shoulders. And then, a scream as he fell forward. A corpse biting the back of his neck as it also feels on top of him. I start walking towards him again, this time stopping a few feet away from his flailing arms.

"Congratulations. You just turned me into what you kept portraying me to be. Feeling proud yet?" Blood was flowing from the back of his neck as he kept trying to shake the corpse off his back. But, He was already bitten, even if he did somehow manage to escape. He would not survive, not as a human at least.

I turn around and walk past the corpse that was creeping up behind me and start walking forward. I gave Tsunoda's dead body a quick glance as I walked past it from a distance, corpses slowly starting to gather around it as well.

The sound of screaming was now slowly being taken over by the sound of corpse moaning. Yet, I just kept moving forward. Towards the barricade. Which I reached in what felt like the blink of an eye.

I climbed over the same cement fence which I used to exit the barricade's perimeter, then left the yard from the open fence door. After glancing at the barricade, I started moving straight towards the estate's gate, my rifle still glued in my hands. With each step I took, the gate seemed to grow larger. Yet, before I could reach it, a voice stopped me.

"Are you Naier?" I turn to the questioning voice to see a guard looking at me, I answer with a nod.

"Finally, where did you disappear to? Mr. Takagi asked us to find you after you took too long to appear at the gates." The guard turns around and motions to me to follow him as he starts walking towards the gate.

"You missed quite the show! Mister Takagi made quite the fool out of this Shido dude before kicking him out. Heh, even his followers bailed on him." The guard says in a merry tone.

I just kept silent and looked at the guard for a couple of seconds before turning my sight towards the locked gate. He then grabbed a radio that was hanging from his chest pocket and spoke up again.

"Miss Takagi we found Naier, bringing him from the gates right now." And with that, we kept moving forward towards the gate in silence. A couple of minutes later, I could see people gathering behind the gates.

And as we got close, I could see who these people were. The moment the gates opened, they gathered around me. Speaking, shouting, whispering, talking. Yet, I could hear nothing. I just kept walking forward, moving past them without saying a word. I could feel their stares on my back now. I stop and turn my head slightly toward them.

"I'm tired. I'm going to sleep… "