Hound of the Dead Chapter 28 (Patreon)

Beta read by Shigiya.

Next update is Snafu and Fate Coiling Sword.

Also I'll be posting the polls for the next extra story soon as well.

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-Tokonosu-

Light flashed across the lenses of the binoculars as they caught the glow of the smoke rising from the distant mall. 

It wasn’t a pretty sight. Perched on the roof of the car, Igou shifted for a better angle, watching the smoke and the chaos around the mall before finally lowering the binoculars.

“Doesn’t look like a zombie attack. Or an invasion.” He looked down at the group, concern written all over his face. “Mostly looks like people getting the hell beaten out of them by one woman.”

Saeko, Takashi, Rei, Miku, Shizuka, and Kohta kept their eyes on the mall, a few of them checking the nearby streets for any sign of the undead.

“Sounds like there’s some kind of internal fight going on,” Igou added. “Whatever’s happening in there, it’s not going well.”

Of course, he had made sure for there to be someone keeping a lookout while the others had their attention drawn to the mall. Having Rei keep her attention on the streets rather than the building. Aside from the small group of zombies that had wandered too close several minutes earlier, nothing resembling a large horde had appeared. "I still can't believe that those zombie runners have started to become more common. As if we haven't got enough problems currently… what's next? An exploding zombie?"

“Don't jinx it.”

"The lack of noise might be keeping them away," Kohta added, glancing toward the smoking mall and then back toward the surrounding streets. "If they can't hear anything, they probably don't have much reason to come this way. It's impressive that this group managed to stay this quiet for so long, given the Takagi estate is always surrounded."

The boy had a point, ‘but it looks like that streak of luck is coming to an end.’

With that thought in mind, he remained perched on the roof of the vehicle, chewing on a stalk of grass before spitting it onto the ground. "It's not hard to believe that some groups have already figured out how these undead work. They rely on sound, they don't seem to have much eyesight, and that means staying quiet is one of the easiest ways to avoid them. The problem is that the commotion inside that mall won't stay contained forever. Eventually, something loud enough is going to reach their ears. They're lucky to be close to the water since the waves dampen the noise to some degree, but that's not enough to keep them safe forever."

"The shouting on the rooftop of the mall might be helping too," Saya pointed out. "It's creating plenty of noise and probably masking some of the sounds coming from inside."

"Hah, what a mess. All of this is temporary." With that, the Irishman's gaze shifted toward the burning building as his expression twitched with irritation. This feeling of deja Vu was getting quite strong. "Eventually, those undead will swarm this place if even a small hiccup reaches their ears." 

Still, the thought did not bother him nearly as much as what was happening inside. The undead were predictable in their own way… but the people inside the mall were not. Whatever had started that fight could have been caused by a shortage of supplies, an argument over leadership, or something as simple as a personal grudge. 

From his own experiences, humans had a habit of creating conflict even when there was no immediate reason for it, and that tendency did not magically disappear just because the world had fallen apart. His teacher had once told him that conflict was part of human nature to some extent. Cu did not need much proof when the last few days with his own group had already provided enough.

From the driver's seat, Shizuka watched the mall with increasing concern. Her hands tightened around the satellite phone she had been carrying. "I hope Rika is safe and sound. She should be somewhere in there, and I really don't want her getting caught up in whatever is happening."

Cu glanced toward her. "What happened to calling her?"

"I've been trying." The nurse lifted the satellite phone given to them by Saya’s father slightly, dialing the number again but no one picked it up. "I'm dialing her number, but nothing is getting through. Even when the call does connect, nobody picks up."

“Uh… I don't want to alarm any of you, but could you describe what this friend of yours looks like?" Igou asked, continuing to use the binoculars to observe the situation ahead.

A huge, cheerful smile spread across Shizuka's face. "She's beautiful, strong, dependable, and she's the kind of friend you can always rely on! Although she can be pretty scary sometimes."

Cu had to fight back a sigh. That was a lovely tribute, but not exactly useful. Still, Shizuka looked far too cheerful for him to give her a hard time, so he left Igou to ask the practical questions.

Igou stared at her for a moment before his expression flattened. "I meant a physical description."

"Oh." Embarrassment briefly replaced the enthusiasm in her face. "She's the one with purple hair. She's also a little tanned because she spends so much time outside, especially when she goes to the beach… or maybe she was born that way? I can't remember..."

The description prompted Igou to raise the binoculars again. His attention moved across the mall's exterior before shifting back toward Cu, the latter having already noticed the sudden change in his expression. The spear-wielder leaned back against the roof until he was almost lying flat, looking up toward the sky.

"That lass was the one on the roof fighting those other guys, wasn't she?"

Quite the coincidence, hard to tell if one would see this as good or bad luck.

"Purple hair and a tan like Shizuka described." Igou adjusted the binoculars and looked toward the rooftop again. "It's possible, I would say it's definitely her."

Shizuka's expression changed instantly. "Oh no! What should we do? We need to save her now!" One hand pointed toward the mall's rooftop. "Cu, quickly, use Spear Attack!"

"For the last time, I'm not one of those little pocket monsters you keep talking about!" If it weren't for the possibility of attracting more undead and his innate fear of touching this woman because she was death reincarnate or even one of Morrigan’s agents… screaming those words at her would have been his first choice. 

The nurse merely puffed out her cheeks. "You're no fun."

A hand went through his hair as the man tried to restrain his frustration. "Regardless of the stupid spear comment, we can't just sit here and do nothin’. We accepted a distress call, and we're here to help. The only difference is that instead of dealin’ with another group of undead, we're apparently going to have to deal with humans."

"At least it's not one of those new variants," Saeko pointed out.

"Please people, can we stop it with these jinxes? I ain't known for my good luck and I’m not taking any chances of making it worse." He gave him an annoyed look before turning his attention toward the mall again. "But she's right about one thing. If one of those things were here, this place would probably have already been overrun." 

“I concur.” 

At least Saya had a good head on her shoulders.

Human opponents were more troublesome in general. The undead were predictable, but people on the other hand… not so much. If there was one guarantee that was the use of hostages. In many ways, dealing with other survivors was more complicated than dealing with the undead.

Igou looked toward the entrance and then back at the others. "So what are we waiting for? We could just drive through the entrance and deal with whoever's causing trouble inside."

“No, idiot!” Rei reached over and smacked the back of his head. "You're being way too reckless with that plan! We'd cause more damage, put innocent people in danger, and probably make the situation worse before we even reach whoever we're trying to help."

“Ooouch, did you have to hit me that hard?” Igou rubbed the back of his head with an annoyed expression. "We've done it before. What's the big deal now?"

"Because we were fighting zombies!" The orangette snapped back. "Driving a car into a metal gate made sense when the other side was filled with undead. Here, that same noise could attract every zombie within hearing distance. The impact alone could announce our location to half the neighborhood, and if we're unlucky, we'll have a massive swarm heading straight toward the mall. Also, this place is not fortified like the Takagi estate and our usual entrance won't work."

Standing next to the front car tire, leaning against the hold, Takashi looked toward the entrance while visibly considering another possibility. "I could try prying the gate open. The car has pliers strong enough to cut through metal locks."

Good plan, if the boy managed to stay hidden or not get shot by those fighting Shizuka’s friend. If she had a sniper then the likelihood of other guns being present there were practically guaranteed.

“Hm?” 

Miku, who had remained quiet throughout the discussion, climbed onto the car and settled beside him, leaning against his body as she rested her chin on his shoulder. Her attention remaining fixed on the mall ahead rather than on the man beside her. "We're wasting our time. There are several people watching the place from over there." She pointed toward different sections around the mall entrance, indicating several figures positioned where they could keep an eye on anyone approaching. "If those people are alive, then the plan might work. If they're not, however, they'll probably start firing the moment they see us, and we have no way of knowing which situation we're dealing wi—ah, hey!”

This lass… still, best to take her warning into consideration. Pushing her face aside, and carefully weighing the options they had discussed — he came to an understanding. Each plan had some merit, and none immediately stood out as the obvious choice. Before making a decision, his attention shifted toward Kohta, who was preparing himself by fastening several handguns around his belt. "Do you have anything in mind?"

The younger man looked genuinely surprised and pointed toward himself. "You actually want to hear my suggestion?"

"Yeah. Why not? Yer part of the group."

“O-Oh… ah, great!” The bespectacled boy cleared his throat and scratched the back of his head while thinking about how to explain it. "I know this mall pretty well. I've been here several times, and I remember there being a trash chute or some kind of ventilation airway behind the building that leads inside. If we can get there, we might be able to enter without going through the front."

An eyebrow rose at the suggestion. "I doubt anyone here can fit inside the airway vents, none of us are exactly thin as a stick. For the second part, I wasn't aware that trash chutes even existed here. Also, while I do like being hugged by you, best you don't make Rei try to murder you."

"Thank you," Miku added cheerfully, completely ignoring the last part. “I am proud of them.” 

The chest lift to make them look bigger was not needed but definitely appreciated. “No problem."

“Ahem!” Kohta continued before the conversation could get sidetracked. "Actually, the air vents are pretty big. I'm not sure why they built them that way, but they're large enough for us to squeeze through. I know I can fit because I used that spot to hide from some bullies who were chasing me. It gets really hot inside, but it leads straight into the building, and nobody should notice us using it. We would only need to be careful getting behind the mall. We could go around through the forest and use the other buildings as cover until we reach the back."

The explanation left Cu caught between laughing and feeling sorry for him. "Lad… the more stories you tell me, the worse I feel for you. It's a miracle you're still this upbeat after everythin’ you've been through. How bad was the bullying, anyway?"

"Hehe… it's… um, it's not as bad as you're imagining." He waved the concern away. "I was walking around here once when I ran into a group of students who wanted to take my money so they could buy beer. I was saving that money for a limited-edition figurine, though, and I didn't want to spend another month or three saving up again, so I ran and hid in the vent. I still had to deal with them another day, but it was worth it for the figurine!" His eyes sparkled as he recalled it, only for his enthusiasm to fade when reality returned. "Unfortunately, with this whole apocalypse happening, all my collections are still sitting in my room. I don't even know if they're in good condition anymore."

“Hahaha! We can handle that later, I promise.” Cu laughed before turning his attention toward the others. "All right. What do you think?"

"It's not a terrible idea," Rei considered, her eyes remaining on the mall. "If we can get inside without being noticed, we can figure out what's happening before making our move. That should reduce the chaos once everything starts. The problem is what happens if we're discovered."

Igou pointed toward Cu with a dismissive gesture. "Nothing. Even if this guy gets discovered, what the hell are those people going to do to him?"

"I'm not worried about Cu. I'm worried about everyone else inside. If those people realize we're trying to interfere, they could take the civilians as hostages, and then we'd be the ones at a disadvantage."

A unanimous hum of agreement escaped everyone as Cu also considered the problem. "Having one plan isn't enough. We'll need something else ready in case the first approach falls apart."

"Why not just stick with the ramming plan?" Igou suggested once again, making him wonder if he may have gotten the former addicted to the explosive entrances they had been doing lately.

"I can be bait." Miku finally gave up trying to close the remaining inch between them and leaned back slightly. "Few minutes of distraction? Easy. All I gotta do is flash a little skin."

Every head snapped toward her at once. Rei's expression shifted from surprised to something that looked less like concern and more like suspicious glare at the strawberry blonde minx.

"What?" The girl looked around at their expressions as though she couldn't understand their reaction. "I'm serious. I can play the role of a helpless high school girl who somehow managed to escape and is desperately looking for somewhere safe. Maybe I'm searching for a brave hero or knight in shining armor who will give me food, shelter, and somewhere to hide. Then, once he's earned my gratitude, I can repay the favor in my own special way~!"

The suggestive edge in her final words became impossible to miss as she casually loosened several buttons of her shirt, pulling the fabric wide enough to leave very little to the imagination before glancing down at herself with a satisfied nod at her girls, as though appraising her own work. Kohta made a sound like a small animal being stepped on and became suddenly very interested in the treeline. Takashi turned away so fast he nearly lost his balance, and even Igou found somewhere else to direct his attention. "Besides, showing a little skin with another sexy person will increase our chances a lot! Want to give it a try, Shizuka-sensei?" She tilted her head toward the older woman with an encouraging smile. "I seriously doubt they'll shoot at someone who looks like us."

"You're disgusting." Unable to keep up her cool any longer, Rei muttered those words with vitriol in her tone. 

“...”

The remark earned no response. Miku simply kept her attention on Cu, waiting to see whether he would accept the idea or reject it outright.

"While I agree that it’s not a bad plan, it’s too risky to use at the moment. Let’s just go in and take care of them. I’ll keep the other satellite phone with me, in case we need any aid." 

"You could just take them all down yourself in a few seconds." Everyone's attention shifted to Saeko, who stood leaning against the car with her arms folded, wearing an expression that suggested she'd rather be doing literally anything else. "Honestly, I find all this planning rather tedious. You and I could slip in there and deal with every one of them before they even knew what hit them."

“Can't believe I'm saying this, but I do agree with that. But I also don't want us to take an offensive approach.” Saya closed her eyes for a moment before bringing her hands together in a single clap. "All right, let's just go with Kohta's plan just to find out what's going on inside and then we'll decide the next part."

In a way, Saeko had a point. He could have jumped straight to the rooftop, knocked everyone unconscious before they had a chance to react, tied them up, and then started asking questions. Unfortunately, doing everything himself would defeat the purpose of getting the others accustomed to handling dangerous situations on their own. Besides, there was something satisfying about seeing what they could accomplish when given the opportunity, and a small part of him was actually curious about how their plan would turn out.

‘Rika is safe for now, she got a beating but no attempts at killing her. They plan on keeping her alive. If things go south, then I'll just take care of it myself.’

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Unfortunately, that curiosity disappeared rather quickly when the plan required him to crawl through an air vent directly behind Kohta. 

“Uuuuurgh, one second… just need to. Push. Myself. Harder!” 

The man's rotund body occupied nearly the entire passage, leaving himself with little more than enough room to squeeze forward. There was nowhere to turn around, nowhere to properly stretch, and certainly no comfortable way to wait for the person ahead to move. "When you said you managed to crawl inside and hide, I pictured a vent with a little more room. This looks like you barely have enough space to breathe."

"I gained a few pounds since the last time, that's all," Kohta replied, continuing to inch forward like a slug. "It's still manageable. Just… hah… just let me sweat a bit more. It'll lubricate me more."

"…I didn’t need to hear that,” he genuinely questioned himself if Kohta was doing so intentionally. “It would've been more fun if one of the girls were in front of me. At least then I'd have something beautiful to look forward to while crawling through this nightmare."

“I want to say the same, but I'm pretty sure I'd get kicked.”

“You just need to know the right thing to say, lad. I'm sure Miku wouldn't mind it.” 

“... I'd rather not take my chances with her. She's scary. Feels like being stared at by a hungry wolf.” 

“Smart lad.”

Regardless, regretting the choice now would not make the vent any wider, so Cu continued crawling after him. They moved farther through the narrow passage while the sounds from inside the mall gradually became louder. Shouts, footsteps, and other commotion echoed through the ventilation system, making it difficult to tell exactly what was happening below them.

"Things are getting messy," Kohta noted as another distant noise reverberated through the metal duct. “I'm shocked she's still giving them trouble.”

"It sure sounds that way."

"We're almost there. There should be an exit right in front of u—wah!”

Crash!

Those words were barely out of his mouth before the metal beneath his legs gave way with a loud crack. His body dropped through the opening with a terrified cry, forcing Cu to lunge forward. “Hold on!” 

For a brief moment, it looked as though he had actually prevented the fall, only for the heavier body to catch against the broken section of the vent and stop itself. Still, Cu grabbed hold and began pulling him back up… only for the metal to start groaning from the pull.

"You're too fat, if I keep pulling you then your arm is more likely to rip away!"

"Something bit me!" Panic took over Kohta's face. "Something touched me!"

…

Thankfully, it was no undead who ended up sinking its teeth into his behind. Yet the last thing Cu expected after crawling through an air vent was to end up sitting inside a janitor's room with Kohta and a young woman dressed as a police officer. 

Best to speak first and break the awkward ice between them. “I'm Cu, and this guy over here is Kohta. Nice to meet ya!"

"Huh, a foreigner? Your Japanese is amazing! My name is Asami, nice to meet you too!" The young policewoman straightened herself as much as she could before raising one arm into a somewhat awkward military-police salute. "I'm a police officer. Well, technically I was a trainee, but I've recently been appointed as an actual officer before the outbreak. It's nice to meet you! Really, really nice to meet you! Uuuuuh, I thought I was a goner! Uuuuuaaah!"

Despite the prior cheerful words, she ended up crying and falling apart instantly. “B-But don't worry, I'll keep you safe! P-Promise!” A nice soul, having a breakdown but still with a forced smile, visibly making the effort to maintain it, which was impressive considering the circumstances.

"Don't cry, a pretty face like yours shouldn't have any tears. It's great to see a happy face during times like these, and it gives us a lot of hope."

"Th-Thank you." Asami shook his hand with a little more enthusiasm than necessary. "Geez, what a mess… y-you look pretty happy yourself! That's the only thing I can do if I want to keep everyone's morale up. If the police officer is constantly looking grim and terrified, it'll only make everyone else feel worse."

‘She's a smart one.’ 

Cu rubbed his chin thoughtfully before nudging Kohta with his elbow. "That's a good thing, isn't it?"

"Yes!" Kohta’s back straightened like a ruler, though his nervousness remained obvious. "She has a beautiful smile!"

Both chuckled at how nervous he looked. Once the brief amusement passed, curiosity returned to her expression. "What were you two doing inside the vents?"

"We saw an explosion happen above us and didn't want to cause a panic, so we decided sneaking inside would be the better option."

"Oh no! Rika is in danger!"

The name did catch Kohta's attention. "So she's really your friend? What should we do now?" He asked while looking at Cu.

"This was your idea for getting inside the vents, so you're the one who should come up with the next plan."

Before either of them could continue arguing about it, Asami grabbed Kohta's hand with both of hers. Her expression became desperate as she looked directly at both of them. "Please, you have to save Rika! She's a good woman who came here because she wanted to help everyone, but things have gotten out of control and now she's in danger!"

With her face so close to his, the boy shifted into an exaggeratedly confident pose, pushing his glasses up with a smug grin. "Leave it to me."

"Leave it to us, you mean."

Cu promptly bonked him on the head, shattering whatever cool-guy moment he'd been trying to manufacture. "Leave it to us, ya glory-hogging eejit."

"Ow! That hurt!" Kohta rubbed the sore spot, his smug expression replaced with an indignant pout. Still, he recovered quickly enough, turning his attention back toward Asami with renewed focus. "So what exactly happened here? Did the people running this place get into some kind of power struggle? Someone refused to follow orders and decided to stage a coup?"

A slight tilt of the head accompanied her uncertain expression. "I think so…? Yes, it's that! Shimada is trying to get rid of Rika, w-we tried to speak to him but he wouldn't listen!"

It was not exactly a confident answer, but Cu shrugged anyway. "Good enough, it's your typical case in the end."

Having a clear image of the overall situation in mind, he stood to stretch his arms and shoulders before heading toward the door. "All right, let's go deal with these people."

"No!"

Before he could even turn the handle, Asami shoved him backward and pressed herself against the door, using her entire body to keep it closed with a loud bam. You can't do that! There's a zombie right outside!"

“For a tiny lass, you’re pretty strong.” He mumbled to himself more than anyone else, ending up flat on his back, staring up at the ceiling before looking toward her with mild curiosity. “It's only one? That shouldn't be much of a problem. Right, Kohta?"

A grin spread across the other boy's face as he reached into his belongings and produced a handgun. "Let's kill this motherfucker."

Asami's expression gradually changed into one of horror. "How did a civilian get his hands on a gun like that?!"

Both boys looked at each other, then turned back toward her with almost identical expressions.

"We got it inside Rika's house." The other guns though we're from the Takagis, not that she needed to know that for now. 

“Ah.”

Asami quickly shook her head, "No! That’s not the important. What’s on the other size is not just a normal zombie. This one runs! It's a runner!"

"Pretty on the nose," Cu remarked, though his thoughts wandered toward the terminology these people had apparently settled on for the undead. Runner basically explained it, but it lacked the imagination he expected from something as unnatural as the walking dead. 

Rising to his feet, Cu reached over and gave Asami's shoulder a reassuring tap. "You don't need to worry about it, lass. We've dealt with hundreds of undead before, including several runners and plenty of other threats. Trust us. We'll handle it."

The reassurance seemed to settle her nerves somewhat, although some doubts had not fully dissipated. Then again, they were two strangers who fell out of the vents and asked her to trust them, he could not blame her. "Besides, wasting time here only gives more of those things an opportunity to get inside the mall. And if the undead aren't the problem, the people holding your friend could be. They might hurt her, or worse, if nobody gets there in time."

"O… Okay." Asami nodded, stepping aside, allowing Cu to reach the door. Once it opened, a dim hallway stretched ahead beneath a red emergency light, the unusual lighting giving the corridor an unsettling appearance. Water covered much of the floor, spreading in a thin layer across the tiles and reflecting the red glow overhead.

"A leak?" He murmured, glancing down at the water. Stealth was already thrown out of the window because of this. “Careful, don't move too quickly.”

Both Kohta and Asami leaned around the doorway to check the corridor from one end to the other. Nothing moved. No undead appeared from the shadows, and there was no sign of the creature that had supposedly been chasing the girl moments earlier.

"I swear it was here," Asami whispered, her eyes continuing to scan the empty hallway. "It was chasing me."

"It probably moved on after realizing it couldn't reach you," Cu reasoned, though he doubted that. Most undead creatures he had encountered were stubborn once they had identified their prey. A runner especially should have remained nearby, throwing itself against the door rather than simply abandoning the pursuit. "Normally, something like that would keep pressing against the obstacle until either it got through or something else distracted it. Unless..."

"Unless it got attracted by something else," Kohta finished, following the thought.

Asami's expression changed. "Oh no! When I came here, those people were chasing me. I managed to lock the door, but they broke through it and started coming after me."

"There's our answer. Let's move."

The three entered the corridor, with Kohta taking one side while Asami stayed between him and Cu. She tried to maintain a brave expression, but every sound made her tense, and she naturally kept close to the two men as they proceeded. After a few minutes, he went to the front, watching the corridor while the water shifted beneath their shoes with each step.

Splash.

Splash.

A few more steps and Cu stopped dead. His nose caught it first—that sharp, coppery tang that never meant anything good. The smell grew thicker with every inch forward, hanging in the air like a warning.

He raised a fist, signaling the other two to freeze.

"You smell that?" he asked quietly, not turning around.

Kohta's face had already gone pale. "Yeah. Blood."

Asami made a small, strangled noise behind them.

Cu crouched slightly, his gaze dropping to the floor where the water reflected that hellish red emergency light. Except now the water wasn't just water anymore. Thin ribbons of something darker swirled through it, spreading outward from somewhere up ahead.

"Well," he muttered, pointing down at the discolored puddle, "looks like we found where our runner went."

“Oh… will you be okay without your spear? I-I have a spare gun you can use.” 

“Nah, it's fine. Saeko will bring it to me after we get them inside.” 

Kohta's expression tightened as the three looked toward the entrance ahead, where the amount of red staining the water became increasingly obvious. The metallic smell was much stronger there, clinging to the damp air.

"How did that thing even get inside in the first place?" Cu wondered aloud. "Were there any other exits?"

"The back door was locked," Kohta replied. "Unless that thing somehow figured out how to use a key, got inside, and then locked the door again, I don't see how it could have entered that way."

That just brought on more questions than answers. Cu briefly considered pressing Asami and Kohta for more details about everything that had happened inside the building, but there was little point in wasting time on speculation while Rika remained in danger. Whatever had happened, they could figure it out after getting her out. For now, the priority was simple; find her and get her somewhere safe.

“Hm?” As they reached the stairs. A figure stood at the entrance, swaying left and right with blood covering their clothes. White eyes zeroing upon them with a feral groan escaping the once alive man. “Get ready, we found the Runner’s leftovers.” 

{Break}

(Around the same time)

“Urgh…” The discovery of there being a migraine worse than hangovers was not a great discovery. 

Rika woke with a splitting headache that made her regret opening her eyes. The pain throbbed behind her forehead and seemed to spread through the rest of her skull, painfully familiar enough to remind her of the last time she'd suffered something comparable after that drinking competition. That experience alone had taught her an important lesson; competing against that blonde nurse over alcohol had been a terrible idea, and she had no intention of ever repeating it.

“Fuck…” Unfortunately, the headache wasn't the only problem waiting for her.

Even the slightest attempt to move sent pain through her entire body, leaving her muscles both numb and sore at once. 

“Hiss!” A hiss escaped between her teeth as she pushed herself upright, one hand instinctively pressing against the floor while the other braced against her side. Only then could she properly assess how badly she'd been beaten. “Feels like I'm back on the field again, fuck.” 

Memories returned in fragments, each one bringing another unpleasant detail of the fight. She had gone from fighting for her life to being dragged into what could barely qualify as a prison cell. Calling it a cell felt generous. It looked more like an ordinary room that someone had hastily converted into a holding area, with whatever materials they could find being used to keep her contained. There was no proper medical equipment, no comfortable place to rest, and certainly no indication that anyone intended to treat her injuries.

"Dammit." The single word came out through clenched teeth as another wave of pain forced her to lower herself again. Rika’s gaze settled on the left arm, where a deep nasty gash could be seen. Blood continued to seep from the wound despite the pressure she'd been applying, slowly staining the makeshift covering she'd managed to put over it. Judging by the amount she'd already lost, she couldn't afford to ignore it for much longer. "At this rate, it'll either get infected or I'll bleed out. Not a fan of either option, especially the former.”

Her gaze went to the dead zombie that Asami had locked up in here, just being near it made her feel goosebumps all over. Ignoring that for now, a pin came free from her hair.

Holding it between her fingers, she crouched beside the lock and began working the mechanism, inserting the pin into the lock while using another hairpin to create leverage. Her first attempt produced nothing.

“Tch, again.” 

The second wasn't much better.

“Third time the charm.” 

Frustration grew as the wound on her arm began throbbing again, forcing her to stop and grit her teeth. The pain had become sharper now, and another unpleasant thought crossed her mind. If the injury became infected, things could get much worse. Even the makeshift cloth she ripped from her shirt wrapped around it had been anything but clean.

"Come on..."

After taking a slow breath, she tried again. This time, the pins found the mechanism properly. One click followed another as she worked the lock, carefully adjusting the angle until several distinct sounds came from inside the door.

Finally, the handle turned.

“Phew, I still got it.” A relieved breath escaped her as the door opened.

Rather than opening the door, Rika leaned toward the gap and carefully checked the hallway beyond it. After everything that had happened, she expected to find several people stationed around the entrance, keeping watch in case she tried anything, yet the corridor looked almost deserted. The only person nearby sat a short distance away, struggling to open a canned soda with a can opener while listening to music through a pair of headphones he had apparently picked up from the store next door. Whatever song played had his attention completely, leaving him so absorbed in the task that he never once glanced toward the room.

"—!?"

Taking advantage of his complete lack of awareness, Rika slipped through the doorway and crept toward him before suddenly pouncing. “U-Urgh!” Her intact arm locked tightly around his neck while her legs wrapped around his body, using her position to pull him backward and prevent him from finding his balance. “N-Noommmph!” The man panicked, clawing at her arm and desperately trying to pry himself free, but the injured woman only tightened her hold and refused to release him. His struggles gradually weakened as the seconds passed, his movements becoming slower until foam appeared at the corner of his mouth and his body finally went limp. Only then did she loosen her grip and carefully lower him to the floor before checking the hallway again to make sure nobody had noticed what happened.

“Huff, so damn heavy!” 

Dragging the unconscious man back into the room, Rika searched through his pockets for anything that could help her escape. Instead, she found chewing gum, several snacks, and a couple of porn magazines. Her expression twisted as she stared down at the collection before glancing toward the unconscious guard.

"Seriously, dude? Even at a time like this?"

The annoyance quickly turned into confusion when her searching fingers encountered something hard around his nether regions. One eye twitched as she slowly realized what she had found.

"...No."

After reluctantly pulling his pants down, the nature of the object became clear. Somehow, the idiot had decided that hiding a knife there counted as a good idea. Using two fingers, Rika carefully pulled the weapon free and held it away from herself as though even touching it offended her, her disgust growing when she looked back at its previous owner.

"This cost me five hundred dollars, idiot."

A quick smack landed against the back of his head before she tucked the knife away. Whatever circumstances had led him to hide a weapon there, she had no desire to think about them.

Stepping back into the hallway, Rika locked the room behind her and continued through the building, keeping herself close to walls and using shadows, corners, and whatever other cover she could find to stay out of sight. Her destination lay nearby; a general store that carried a wide assortment of everyday goods, including phones, clothing accessories, kitchen equipment, and other supplies that could potentially prove useful. Given her injuries and the lack of proper equipment, anything that could help her treat the wound or prepare for her escape could make a difference. She had barely reached the store, however, when hurried footsteps echoed through the nearby corridor.

“—!”

Dropping into a roll, Rika slipped behind a washing machine and pressed herself against its side. The footsteps drew closer, passed through the area, and continued on without stopping. She remained hidden until the sound began to fade, keeping her body low while she listened carefully for any indication that someone else had noticed her.

"Quick! The boss said the car should be outside!"

The conversation was enough to make Rika realize what they were after. They were probably talking about her car, and if they had discovered the weapons inside, then leaving it unattended was no longer an option. "You better be safe, Asami. It's best to run away than risk your life."

Her attention shifted toward the appliances around her. A stovetop connected to a gas line caught her eye, followed by a smaller portable burner with its own gas canister. That would do. After setting the canister beside the burner and turning it on, a flame came to life. Rika placed the blade of her knife over it and waited, watching the metal gradually heat while she massaged her temples and considered what to do next. Going upstairs to confront Shimada would accomplish little if he was no longer there, and even if she managed to take him down, the others still had access to weapons. Securing more weapons for herself had to come first. Otherwise, this would simply become a race to see who could reach them first.

It should be fine. Unlike the first car she had left at home, the second one was reinforced with bulletproof glass and doors that ordinary people could not simply pry open. As long as it remained secure, she still had something to fall back on.

Once the blade glowed an angry orange, Rika snatched it up and jammed the searing metal straight into the gash on her arm, knowing that hesitating would just make it worse.

Hish!

"Fff—!"

The sound that ripped from her throat came out strangled, half-scream and half-curse, as the smell of burning flesh hit her nostrils. Her vision went white at the edges and every muscle in her body locked up, fighting the overwhelming urge to yank the blade away too soon. "Nnnngh—shit, shit, shit—!"

She held it there, counting the seconds in her head while tears pricked at the corners of her eyes. One. Two. Three. Her jaw ached from how hard she was clenching it. Four. Five.

Finally, she pulled the knife back and dropped it onto the counter with a clatter, her hand shaking. The wound had stopped bleeding… cauterized shut in the ugliest, most effective way possible. The woman slumped against the nearest surface, chest heaving as she tried to catch her breath through the lingering agony still pulsing through her arm.

"Fuck-Damm it... forgot how much that fucking hurts."

Her legs felt like jelly and what little strength she'd scraped together had been thoroughly depleted by that lovely experience. Still, the bleeding had stopped. That was what mattered.

“Hah… hah… hah…” 

Relief came with exhaustion, and she took a moment to recover before sheathing the knife and getting back on her feet.

Outside once more, she moved quickly through the area, making use of the makeshift walls and wooden structures scattered throughout the settlement. The handcrafted barriers had originally been built to make the place more livable, but they now provided plenty of cover. Rika stayed behind them whenever possible, slipping from one hiding place to another until she spotted another man searching through the produce section of the nearly empty supermarket. Recognition came at that very moment, another one of Shimada's men.

Before he could turn around, she closed the distance and clamped a hand over his mouth while pressing the knife against his neck. "Move an inch and I'll kill you."

The man's entire body stiffened.

"On my way here, I noticed this place was very empty. Where did everyone who had nothing to do with this mess go?"

He shook his head frantically.

"Nod if they went upstairs or shake your head if he sent them somewhere else."

A nervous nod followed.

"And what about everyone in your group?" Rika kept the blade firmly against his neck while lowering her voice. "I'm going to remove my hand, but if you say anything or try to shout, I'll slit your throat."

The moment her hand moved away, his answer came out in a heavy stutter. "T-they went after Asami… only a few of us were left here. The others went to gather the resources brought in by everyone else and put them all in one place. Ah!"

Before he could finish explaining, the hilt of the knife struck the side of his head. His body went limp and collapsed onto the floor. Rika remained standing over him, keeping the blade in her hand rather than sheathing it as frustration settled across her face. She rubbed her eyes and let out an irritated breath.

"Goddammit. I should be looking out for Asami.”

Rika considered stopping by the pharmacy before going any farther. If there was anything left that could be useful, especially alcohol or some other disinfectant, she could at least clean the burn properly and reduce the chance of it becoming infected. That was assuming Shimada hadn't already stripped the place of every useful medical supply. With no better option available, the woman turned her attention back to the man she had knocked unconscious earlier and searched through his belongings for anything that might help. 

“Nothing.” 

Once again, there was almost nothing worth taking. The only useful item she found was a metal bat, which she kept with her on the off chance that it became necessary later.

Rika still had plenty of agility left, but her stamina had fallen far below where she wanted it after everything she'd already endured. Several fights, being beaten around, and dealing with the injury on her arm had taken their toll, and each passing second reminded her that she couldn't keep fighting indefinitely. There was no reason to waste what strength remained by confronting every person who crossed her path. Whenever possible, she slipped around groups, kept to the edges of the corridors, and used the abandoned stores and displays as cover while gradually making her way toward the other side of the building.

The farther she went, the quieter the mall became. Most of the lights had been switched off, leaving entire sections buried in darkness while only a few emergency fixtures continued to flicker overhead. “Why did Shimada take these people above?” 

Rika slowed as she approached one of the stores, noticing that the entrance stood completely open. Inside, rows of shelves and overturned displays disappeared into the darkness, making it impossible to see very far. Something about the place bothered her.

“...”

Holding her breath for a moment, she listened, her eyes narrowing as she tried to make out anything beyond the entrance.

Nothing.

She took another step.

A faint scrape came from somewhere inside.

Rika stopped.

The sound came again, followed by something that sounded like a slow, wet dragging noise against the floor. Her injured arm tightened instinctively against her side while her free hand moved toward her knife. She couldn't see anything, but whatever had made that noise remained somewhere in the darkness ahead. Another scrape followed, slightly louder this time, and then came a faint clicking sound that reminded her of teeth knocking against one another.

"Please don't be what I think you are..."

Rather than investigate, she started edging past the entrance, keeping as much distance from the darkness as possible. Her foot had barely cleared the doorway when a sudden movement exploded from the shadows.

Two filthy hands lunged toward her.

Her instincts took over, twisting aside as the figure grabbed for her, caught one of its arms, and used its momentum against it. “Hah!” A grunt escaped her as she pivoted and threw the attacker over her hip. The body slammed into the floor hard enough to knock over several abandoned objects, sending them clattering across the tiles.

For half a second, Rika thought she'd dealt with it.

Then the smell hit.

“Urgh,” her nose wrinkled with disgust as a powerful stench of rot and decay filled the air. Something sour and rancid clung to the back of her throat, triggering an involuntary gag. Rika stumbled backward and covered her mouth, eyes watering as she fought against the urge to vomit.

"Urgh! What the hell..."

A wet choking noise came from the floor.

Its fingers scraped against the tiles, dragging its body forward inch by inch. Rika's eyes widened as it planted one hand beneath itself and began forcing its body upright. A broken gurgle escaped from its ruined throat, followed by another wet cough that sent dark fluid running down its chest.

Then it raised its head as she saw the same lifeless eyes she had seen countless times these past few days. 

The lower portion of its throat had been practically torn away, leaving a long, viscous tongue hanging from the ruined opening. Pale, lifeless eyes stared directly at her, refusing to blink as its mouth opened wider than it should have. The creature suddenly jerked forward with a distorted growl, its hands scraping against the floor as it charged toward her again.

"Shit. Those idiots!"

The runner lunged again.

With no firearm available, Rika drew her knife and lowered her stance, waiting until the creature was almost within reach before dropping beneath its grasp. 

“Hn!” Her blade flashed across its leg, cutting deeply into the flesh but failing to sever the limb completely.

‘Should have expected that. Can't waste my time doing that again.’ Not willing to take any unnecessary risk, she turned and sprinted down the corridor, putting as much distance between herself and the creature as possible. 

“Huff! Huff! Huff!” 

Footsteps hammered against the floor behind her, rapidly growing louder as the runner pursued with frightening speed. Reaching the end of the passage, Rika grabbed the bat and turned around. “Come on, want to bite me? I'm all yours.” 

Whether it could understand her or not, she said those words with a grin as its pace quickened. Instead of swinging, she threw the bat directly at its legs. 

Pa!

The item connected with enough force to disrupt its stride, sending the runner stumbling forward before it crashed through the glass railing at the edge of the mall.

Rika stepped aside as the creature tumbled over the broken barrier and disappeared from sight. A moment later, the sound of its body striking something below reached her. Looking over the edge, she saw the runner impaled on a jagged piece of wooden debris. Its body had been badly mangled by the fall, yet its arms and legs continued twitching and clawing at the surrounding rubble as though none of it mattered.

"At least you won't be able to bite anyone from there. But if one of those things managed to get inside the mall, then there is a good chance it isn't alone.”

Unable to afford to stay around and find how many more had slipped through. She rushed toward the exterior and the place where she had left her car, only to slow down as soon as she reached the area. 

“No…”

Blood covered the ground, spreading beneath bodies that had been left scattered across the pavement. Some of the corpses belonged to people she recognized as members of the group that had gathered upstairs with Shimada. For a moment, the sight left her wondering what had happened while she was gone, but the answer became obvious when she spotted the man standing among them.

The blue-haired stranger held the same type of metal bat as the members of Shimada's group carried. Before she could even consider approaching him, the weapon came down against the head of a woman wearing what appeared to be a police uniform. The skull gave way beneath the impact, and the body collapsed among the other corpses.

For a brief moment, anger surged. ‘I should have shot Shimada and his men when I had the chance.’

Keeping low, she moved toward the blue-haired man without making a sound, carefully placing each step so the debris beneath her boots wouldn't give away her position. Once she reached the right distance, Rika sprang forward without hesitation, wrapping both legs around his body and using her momentum to lock herself against him. 

“Ah!” 

Her left arm snapped around his neck while her right hand brought the knife down in a reverse grip, aiming directly for the throat. The attack should have ended the fight before he even realized she had been there.

Instead, his hand closed around the blade itself. 

‘What!?’

The stranger had caught the knife in his bare hand and stopped the attack completely. 

Before Rika could shift her position or release the weapon, his free hand drove into her stomach with enough force to crush the air from her lungs. “Oof!” 

A strangled gasp escaped her as the impact launched her backward. Her body struck the ground, bounced once, then rolled several times across the floor before crashing through a wall. Broken pieces of plaster and debris scattered around her as she landed hard on her back. For several seconds, breathing proved difficult. 

‘Something is definitely broken.’ The woman coughed violently, one hand clutching her stomach while the other pushed against the rubble, forcing herself away from the collapsed section of wall.

Her head lifted, eyes narrowing as she glared through the dust.

The blue-haired man hadn't moved an inch. He stood right where she'd left him, those crimson eyes fixed on her without a trace of anger or remorse for the corpses littering the ground around his feet. No guilt. No defensiveness. Nothing that suggested he'd just been caught red-handed surrounded by bodies.

Instead, he looked... interested. Like she'd done something mildly impressive and he was trying to figure out how she'd pulled it off.

"Oh, that was a nice technique."

Blood trickled from the corner of Rika’s mouth. She wiped it away with the back of her hand, then dropped into a crouch, keeping her injured side angled away from him. Her knife stayed tight in her grip, blade raised as she watched his stance for any opening.

‘Did Shimada bring in more people? I don’t remember ever seeing this guy before.’

The next exchange erupted.

“Ha!” 

Rika launched herself forward and kept the knife moving, refusing to give him time to settle. Her attacks were textbook techniques taught in the military, with a boxing stance, each slash directed toward a vulnerable part of his torso before immediately transitioning into another angle. A cut toward his chest forced him to shift left, only for the blade to change direction and sweep toward his ribs. His forearm knocked the attack away, but then his defense moved, Rika was already changing position. Pivoting around him, dropping her center of gravity, and swept one leg toward his ankles in an attempt to take his footing out from underneath him.

The stranger jumped over the sweep.

‘Got you!’ 

The instant his feet began descending, she pushed herself upright and drove the knife upward toward his throat. He leaned backward just far enough for the blade to pass in front of his face, close enough that the movement forced him to turn his head away. His counterattack came afterward, a punch driving toward her center.

The flat of the knife intercepted his fist.

The impact sent a painful vibration through Rika's arm and forced her backward half a step. ‘Holy, what the hell is this guy made of!? I feel like I'm going up against my instructor when I first got started. Alright, so close quarters won't work… he has a faster reaction and ridiculous strength. Let me see, best to keep some distance first, or just not give him enough space to do anything. Yeah, let's try that.’ 

Using the contact to redirect his strike, she stepped back into his space and swung again, forcing him to turn aside. Another slash followed, then another, each attack designed to keep his attention divided while she searched for an opening.

"Wow, careful there."

The almost casual warning only made her tighten her grip. Whatever advantage this man possessed, she intended to find a way around it before her injuries and exhaustion caught up with her. Another slash came toward his torso, followed by a second aimed at his shoulder and a third that forced him to slap the blade away once more. 

The more she fought, the more she began to realize one obvious point. ‘He definitely was not here earlier, no way I would have overlooked someone like him. Is he… not with Shimada? He's definitely not a normal civilian.’

His movements were not simply based on brute strength. Every time she attacked, he seemed to understand what she was trying to accomplish before she could complete the technique, forcing her to change direction or abandon the attack entirely. "Are you part of the Japanese army or a martial artist? No, you don't look Japanese…"

“The army?” Cu's expression turned thoughtful for a moment before a grin spread across his face. "I was kind of part of an army in the past, Red Branch… Ah, Nevermind that. It's a long story." His eyes moved over her stance with obvious interest. "You're not so bad yourself. Show me what else you got."

"You'll see."

Rika reached toward the corner of the destroyed storefront and grabbed a handful of broken glass shards before throwing them straight at him. The pieces scattered through the air, forcing the larger man to raise an arm and protect his face. “Oh come on!” 

That opening was all she needed. Closing the distance, she seized his arm and twisted her body into a takedown, attempting to use his own size against him. Her feet left the floor as she pulled with everything she had, her entire body hanging from his arm as she tried to force the joint past its natural limit. Under normal circumstances, the technique would have been enough to dislocate a person's shoulder or at least force them to the ground, yet the man barely reacted. 

“Ah, I see now. Not a bad idea." He simply looked down at her as though she had attempted something mildly inconvenient. "You'll need to be better than that."

“Wah!” 

The next movement sent her flying again. A sweep of his arm tore her grip away and threw her across the room, forcing her to roll before planting a hand against the floor and pushing herself back onto her feet. The injury in her arm immediately flared with pain. Cu, meanwhile, looked over her from head to toe, seemingly more interested in figuring out how she fought than actually trying to finish the battle.

"You don't seem to have a main weapon."

"Can't exactly have my weapons when they were taken."

"Are you a sword, bow or spear user?"

The question caught her completely off guard. The purple haired woman stared at him with a baffled expression before tightening her grip around the knife. "Neither. I prefer guns, but I can handle myself without them when I have to. I can show you what I can do if you hand me one."

"Oh, sorry about that. I don't have any guns on me either. My friend should have them, though, he has an entire armory with him. Real gun nut I tell ya."

Huh. For a guy surrounded by corpses, he was weirdly easy to talk to. "Doesn't matter. I've gone up against bigger and stronger before." She adjusted her stance, ignoring the way her arm screamed in protest. "Still standing, aren't I?"

A look of renewed curiosity crossed his face. "All right, then. Let's see what else you've got in that bag of tricks."

This time, Cu moved first. His fist came toward her with enough force that she quickly shifted aside, allowing the attack to pass while trying to sweep his leg out from underneath him. The moment her foot connected, however, the sensation traveled straight through her body. Again, it felt like kicking a metal pole. There was no give whatsoever!

‘Is he wearing a freaking kevlar vest!? No, can't be, even kevlar doesn't hurt as much!’  She abandoned the attempt and tried to use his forward movement for another judo throw, but the result was exactly the same. Her muscles strained as she attempted to move him, yet the larger man remained planted in place as though the floor itself had anchored him.

It honestly started to look extremely silly…

Cu reached for her, forcing Rika to twist away at the last moment. She drove her elbow upward and managed to catch him directly in the eye. The attack finally made him recoil a bit, one hand moving toward his face as he stepped back.

"Ouch. That actually hurt. Going for the eye? A bit cheap, don't ya think?"

“It's the only part of you that doesn't feel like punching rock.” She muttered under her breath, though even his damn eyes had felt like hitting a rubber ball. What the hell was this guy made of? For a split second, the thought crossed her mind that maybe he was some kind of evolved zombie, one that kept its intelligence while gaining superhuman durability. She'd seen a movie like that once. The enhanced ones always went batshit crazy eventually. But this guy seemed way too calm, too amused by the whole thing. If anything, he looked like he was having fun.

"Fair point." He rubbed the area around his eye before lowering his hand, looking more amused than annoyed. "Can't fault you for finding the weak spot. Most people don't figure that out so fast. Unfortunately, playtime's over. My friend should be wrapping things up on his end by now, and I'd rather not keep him waiting." He rolled his shoulder and cracked his neck. "As fun as this has been, I can't spend all day sparring with you."

Whoosh!

He vanished from where he stood, leaving a gust of whirlwind on the ground.

“Huh!?” 

Rika's eyes widened, but there was no time to react. “Gah!” The next thing she knew, the ceiling had filled her vision before her body slammed into the floor. The impact rattled her skull and left her disoriented as she tried to understand what had happened. A second later, the larger man's body settled over her, pinning her down as he sat on top of her of all things!

Where the hell did Shimada find this guy?

Rika tried shifting underneath him, but the pressure made it difficult to move. Even so, she forced a crooked smile onto her face. "I-It's not very gentlemanly… hn, to sit on a lady."

"Well, I can't sit anywhere else. The floor's covered in blood." His expression remained almost casual despite the situation. "You're a good fighter, though. I doubt even Saeko could beat you in hand-to-hand combat like this. Shizuka was right about you. You're a strong woman."

The name brought Rika's thoughts to a halt. At first she wondered if she heard wrong, but clearly that didn't turn out to be the case. "What did you say? Shizuka?"

"Yeah. Isn't she your friend?" 

"How do you know her?"

"Because she told me about you. We came here looking for you, after all."

The revelation made her stare at him for another moment before suspicion returned to her expression. "You're not with Shimada and his group?"

"No. I'm with my own group. I'm technically the leader, I guess, but I'd rather think of us as a team."

Well, shit. What a complete disaster.

Her eyes drifted to the side, landing on the corpse of the police officer sprawled among the others. Silver hair. Not brown. Definitely not Asami.

The realization hit her like a bucket of cold water. She'd seen a woman in uniform getting her skull caved in and immediately assumed the worst. Jumped straight into attack mode without bothering to check something as basic as hair color.

'I'm an idiot.'

Rika felt her face heat up despite everything, the injuries, the exhaustion, the fact that she was currently pinned beneath a stranger who could apparently shrug off her best techniques like they were nothing. Of all the things to be embarrassed about right now, this shouldn't have ranked anywhere near the top. And yet here she was, mortified that she'd just tried to murder someone who was apparently here to rescue her.

"So," she managed, her voice coming out flatter than intended, "I just attacked someone who came to help me."

"Happens to the best of us."

"Then why didn't you say so?"

Cu blinked at her accusation before giving a helpless shrug. "That's not really fair. You're the one who attacked me, and I wanted to see how good you were after hearing Shizuka talk about you. Besides, you managed to keep up with me despite the injuries, the blood loss, and everything else you've already been through. I was curious."

He had a point… her sluggish mind made the wrong decision and she messed up. She hoped Shizuka would not hold a grudge over this, given this guy looked young enough to be a student. ‘Hold on, I'm the one who got pummeled here. Also, no way this guy is a student since he was in some sort of army apparently.’ 

After her body got some rest, she'd definitely find a way to apologize. “Keep up you say, it felt more like a one sided fight with you just messing around. I'm not blind, boy.”

“It's Cu.” 

“Right, Cu.” Rika glanced around the ruined area, finally taking another look at the bodies scattered throughout the surroundings. "Then these people..."

"Yeah. A zombie got loose in here and managed to infect some of them. There is one missing, I suppose it ran upstairs. I was making my way there while dealing with the ones that stayed behind. My friends are outside taking care of the guards posted around the building.”

He glanced toward the bodies before looking back at her. "I take it they were not on your side?"

"Aside from the police woman, no." She shook her head. "We had a disagreement. You can probably figure out the rest."

"I can imagine."

The man finally shifted his position and allowed her enough room to sit up. "They'll take care of the remaining people outside and open the door so our car can get in. After that, we can deal with this Shimada and everyone else. Shizuka and the others are here too."

Rika's expression changed upon that last piece of revelation  "Why the hell is Shizuka somewhere this dangerous? Shouldn't she be with the Takagis?"

"Her friend is in danger and asked for help. Of course she'd come along." Cu sounded almost surprised that the question needed asking. "She's also our medic. If anyone gets hurt, she's the one who handles it. Which means we should probably get you to her, or have her come here and check those wounds."

His gaze settled on the injured arm, particularly the ugly cut that Rika had tried to treat herself. "That looks pretty nasty. Did you seriously try to cauterize it?”

“I couldn't get my hands on any first aid and it was bleeding too much.” 

She had to admit, this guy wasn't half bad. Something about talking to him felt familiar, like bullshitting with her squad back in the day, that easy back-and-forth you only got with people who'd seen some real shit. Her shoulders dropped, tension bleeding out as everything finally caught up with her. "Hah... I really fucked this up." A bitter laugh escaped her. "Should've put a bullet in Shimada's head the second he started acting up. Been more ruthless from the start instead of trying to play nice. Maybe then we wouldn't have zombies running around inside, and maybe..." She trailed off, glancing toward the bodies. "Maybe some of these people would still be breathing."

She'd tried to do it the right way. Tried to protect everyone, keep things civil, give people chances they didn't deserve. And now? Now she had no damn clue how many had paid for that softness.

"Oi." Cu's voice cut through her spiral. "No point crying over what's already done, lass. Everyone makes mistakes—even the best of us. You can't save everyone, and you sure as hell can't see the future." He shrugged, like it was the simplest thing in the world. "So let's just focus on saving the ones we still can, yeah?"

Cu stood and extended his arm, giving her something to brace against as he pulled her back to her feet. The motion made her wince, but she managed to stay upright — barely.

His gaze drifted downward for a moment, and Rika followed it to find what remained of her shirt clinging on through sheer stubbornness alone. The fabric had been shredded during the fighting, leaving most of her torso exposed. Her left breast had slipped free entirely at some point, the tan skin and bright pink nipple on full display.

"Do you always fight half naked?" Cu asked, one eyebrow raised. The question carried more amusement than anything else, like he genuinely wanted to know if this was a tactical choice.

She glanced down at herself, then back up at him with a crooked smile as she tugged the ruined cloth back into something resembling coverage. "I was hoping it would distract you."

"Well, it sure did work with a body like that. Ye managed to get my eye."

“Fufu~! I'll take that as a compliment.” That earned a laugh from her, and the tense atmosphere that had been hanging over the conversation eased for a moment. Rika gave his back an appreciative pat before looking toward the surrounding area. "You're not bad yourself too, these are some serious muscles. By the way, did you see a police girl named Asami? Short brown hair, clumsy, small breasts and pretty cute?"

"Yeah. She should be with Kohta taking care of the guards outside. They should be distracted now."

{Break}

Two guards remained posted outside the mall, unaware of what had been happening inside. The first one finished his soda and let out a satisfied burp before looking at the empty can with mild regret. "I'll miss sodas. I wonder if we'll get more of these during the apocalypse, Kenji. And the internet of course."

The second guy, Kenji, folded his arms and shook his head. "Finding a soda factory, let alone operating it, will be next to impossible. We'd need the ingredients, the equipment, electricity, people who actually know how to make the stuff, and a way to transport it."

"Wasn't there some show or anime where the protagonist managed to make cola using natural ingredients? Why can't we just do that and sell it during the apocalypse? I'm sure plenty of people would want to buy it!"

"There are still plenty of cans lying around everywhere. They aren't going to disappear overnight, and soda doesn't exactly spoil quickly. Give it a year or two before worrying about making more. Besides, how are you planning to sell it? Money doesn't mean much anymore."

"Bullets."

Kenji considered that for a moment before a grin spread across his face. "Smart. I like the idea. Give me fifty percent of the shares, and if you don't, I'll tell the boss and he'll steal the whole thing, Takeru."

"Hey, that's not fair!" Takeru scratched the side of his head before his expression became more subdued. "The boss already got his hands on a pretty neat stash from that car. I still feel bad about betraying Rika, though. She was a good woman."

"She was good, but she was too nice. You've got to look out for yourself before everyone else. Rika kept trying to protect everybody, including complete strangers."

"I wish there could've been a more peaceful way to change leadership."

"Yeah, would've been nice. But what's done is done." Kenji glanced toward the mall before lowering his voice. "At least we can make sure nobody tries anything stupid with Rika while she's tied up. Can't lie, she's sexy but a hell of a fighter, that doesn't mean people won't take advantage of her while she’s recovering."

Takeru nodded, though his expression remained the same. "I wouldn't take my chances with her. She'd probably kick someone in the balls before they even got close. Also, not really my taste taking that approach… I haven't lost my morals entirely."

"I'm not taking my chances either. Besides, I'm still holding out hope that my girlfriend is alive."

"Is your girlfriend still alive?"

"I really hope so."

The conversation was interrupted when Takeru suddenly raised a hand and pointed farther down the road. "Hey, up ahead." Both men turned toward the approaching silhouettes, initially unsure whether they were looking at survivors or another group of infected. As the figures drew closer, the difference became obvious.

"Wait, those aren't zombies."

"Yeah. Two people."

The first person they spotted was a young high school girl with orange hair and another blonde woman behind her with long blonde hair and a significantly big chest. But the most attractive thing was how little clothing they had. The high school girl only had her skirt on, and her school uniform was completely open, revealing her chest with only a bit of revealing bra barely hiding her nipples.

"Help us! Can you help us, please? We don't have any place to live, a-and our friends are dead! Please help us!" the high school girl screamed, waving her arms desperately and jumping around. Each movement making their eyes get glued to the hypnotizing sight of those bouncing breasts. 

Kenji glanced at his partner, uncertain whether to follow the orders they'd been given or make an exception.

"The boss wouldn't mind if we let them in, right?"

"Didn't he say to block everyone?"

"Would you block these two?”

That made him hesitate, until he finally relented with a shake of his head. “Yeah, you're right. Damn, I haven't seen such big knockers in my life. I always thought those were in movies and stuff."

"Weren't you complaining that there aren't many sexy women here? Looks like it's our chance," Takeru added with clear anticipation in his tone.

"Yeah, especially the blonde. She's hot. I wonder if she's single.”

"Hey, you have a girlfriend, Kenji!" Takeru reminded him. “Leave some for the rest of us who are still single!”

"Well, if she's no longer on this earth, then I should technically move on. There's no point staying stuck up on past relationships," Kenji argued back with no shame whatsoever.

"Jackass."

Pa!

Before either guard could react to the approaching survivors, two figures slipped silently behind them. The handles of two bats came down against the backs of their heads almost simultaneously, dropping both men unconscious before they could raise an alarm. 

Asami quickly looked around to make sure nobody else had noticed. "We did it!"

"Shh. Don't make any noise. There could be others nearby. Hide their bodies somewhere else before anyone finds them." Kohta placed his hand in front of her mouth, shushing her with a panic stricken face. “There can be other people here for all we know.” 

“Ah, sorry…” Asami glanced down at the unconscious guards before looking back at him. "That was actually pretty cool. I feel a little bad about sneaking up on them, but it was our only option, right?"

His face reddened at the compliment. "Y-Yeah. I mean, it was nothing."

Her attention shifted toward the two women waiting nearby, focusing on Shizuka who started celebrating with Miku and jumping around. Forgetting that she also was not wearing much. "Wow. They really are big"

"She's our nurse, actually," he explained as his eyes were also glued at the sight. "The other one is part of our group too, but be careful around her. She can be a little dangerous."

Kohta quickly reached for the binoculars and looked toward the distant streets. The quiet atmosphere only lasted for a few seconds, until a loud boom erupted from somewhere on the opposite side of the mall, followed by the distant sounds of shouting and even gunfire!

"Wha-What's going on!?"

"Damn it. Things are probably getting bad over there too."

His gaze shifted toward the surrounding streets, where several figures were beginning to emerge from the distance, and the growing number of silhouettes quickly made the situation obvious.

"And things aren't looking that good here either. More will come here if they keep making noise.