Chapter 24: Moving On
"Welcome back."
Saeko's voice was calm.
I tried to answer.
What came out was mostly air.
"Haa…"
Excellent.
Very reassuring.
I remained bent over with both hands planted against my knees, waiting for my lungs to remember their purpose.
Alice stood close enough that her shoulder nearly touched my arm. Her fingers still held the edge of my jacket, apparently unconvinced that I wouldn't disappear the moment she let go.
The dog waited beside her.
His tail wagged.
He looked considerably less tired than I did, which seemed unfair considering his contribution to the rescue had mostly consisted of barking and running through convenient holes in fences.
Komuro lowered his weapon and glanced toward the gate.
Several of Them had already started pressing against the bars, attracted by the movement and noise.
"They're gathering."
"Yeah, that's my fault I think," I managed.
My voice sounded terrible.
Komuro looked back at me.
He seemed like he wanted to say something else. Probably about me leaving alone.
After a moment, he let it go.
For now.
Saeko stepped closer to Alice, though she stopped before entering the girl's reach.
"You're safe here."
Alice looked at her, then up at me.
I nodded.
Saeko's gaze shifted briefly toward the blood on my clothes and the crowbar in my hand.
"We should go inside before that changes."
A reasonable suggestion.
Possibly the best one I had heard all day.
I straightened slowly.
Every muscle involved objected.
"Inside sounds wonderful."
The dog barked once.
I looked down at him.
"You've done enough."
His tail moved faster.
Apparently, criticism only encouraged him.
—
The others met us near the entrance.
Kohta came down the stairs first, moving quickly until Alice flinched at the sound.
He stopped almost immediately.
"Sorry."
His voice dropped.
"I didn't mean to scare you."
Alice stayed close to my side.
Kohta glanced at me, then toward the dog, clearly unsure what he was supposed to do next.
Saya arrived behind him.
Unlike Kohta, she approached slowly, studying Alice for several seconds before looking at me.
"Was she bitten?"
"No."
"Scratched?"
"I checked what I could. Nothing."
Saya nodded, though she still inspected Alice's exposed arms and legs herself.
Then her attention moved toward me.
Most of the blood on my clothing had dried dark.
Some of it had not.
"And you?"
"No bites."
"You're sure?"
"I've had enough people try to chew on me today. I would remember."
Saya gave me a long look.
Not amused.
Fair.
Before she could continue, Shizuka-sensei hurried into the room.
Her hair was messy, and she still looked half asleep, but that disappeared the moment she noticed Alice.
She slowed down.
Good.
At least someone here understood that rushing toward a frightened child might not help.
Shizuka-sensei crouched several steps away.
"Hello."
Alice didn't answer.
"My name is Shizuka."
Still nothing.
Shizuka-sensei kept smiling.
Not the usual empty, cheerful smile she wore when everyone else was panicking.
This one was softer.
"I'm a nurse. Can I check whether you're hurt?"
Alice looked up at me.
"She'll help you," I said.
After a moment, Alice finally released my jacket.
Shizuka-sensei extended her hand.
Alice hesitated, then took it.
They moved toward the couch together.
The dog followed.
Kohta's eyes narrowed slightly when it passed him.
"Wait."
He crouched near the animal, careful not to make any sudden movements.
"There's something on his collar."
The dog allowed him to turn the small metal tag.
Kohta read it.
"Zeke."
Alice repeated the name quietly.
"Zeke."
The dog's ears rose.
Then his tail began moving again.
Apparently, he approved.
Kohta smiled.
Within seconds, he had become more comfortable with the dog than with the child.
Honestly, that might have helped.
Alice watched as Zeke placed his paws against Kohta's knees.
Some of the fear left her expression.
Only a little.
But it was there.
While Shizuka-sensei checked Alice, I removed the sling bag and started working on the vest.
The straps resisted.
Probably out of spite.
Komuro noticed me struggling and helped pull one loose.
"Thanks."
He nodded.
For a few seconds, neither of us said anything.
Then he glanced toward Alice.
"You could've told us more clearly what you were doing."
There was no command in his voice.
No attempt to establish authority.
He simply sounded tired.
And worried.
"I didn't know exactly what was happening," I said. "I heard the dog, remembered the houses I'd checked earlier, and went to see."
"You took a bag and a weapon."
"I had a bad feeling."
Komuro looked toward the crowbar.
"And if Hirano hadn't seen you?"
"I told Saeko before I left."
"That isn't what I meant."
I knew.
He rubbed the back of his neck, searching for the right words.
"If something had happened, we wouldn't have known where to look."
The vest finally came loose.
I lifted it over my head and dropped it onto a chair.
The sudden lack of weight felt wonderful.
"I should've given you more warning," I admitted.
Komuro looked mildly surprised.
Apparently, he had expected an argument.
I probably would have expected one too.
"But I still would've gone," I added.
His eyes moved back toward Alice.
After a moment, he sighed.
"Yeah."
A short silence followed.
"I probably would have too."
There it was.
Not agreement exactly.
Understanding.
That was enough.
I rolled one aching shoulder.
"If this happens again, I'll leave a note."
Komuro gave me a tired look.
"Just tell someone."
"That also works."
The corner of his mouth shifted.
Not quite a smile.
Close enough.
—
By the time Shizuka-sensei finished checking Alice, it was already midnight.
No bites.
No serious injuries.
Only bruises, dirt, and the kind of shock nobody in the mansion was qualified to fix.
Alice remained with Shizuka-sensei while we prepared food.
Zeke stayed beside her at first.
Then Kohta opened something edible.
The betrayal was immediate.
Dinner was quieter than usual.
Alice sat between Shizuka-sensei and Saya. Zeke stayed beneath the table, moving from person to person whenever food came close to the edge.
Kohta attempted to feed him.
Saya noticed.
Her foot connected with his ankle beneath the table.
Kohta jolted.
Alice looked between them.
Then, unexpectedly, she laughed.
It was small.
Barely there.
But everyone heard it.
Nobody commented.
That would have ruined it.
Later, after Alice had gone upstairs with Shizuka-sensei, Saya spread a map across the dining table.
"We need to leave."
Nobody argued.
More of Them had wandered into the neighborhood throughout the afternoon. The mansion remained secure, but the roads around it were becoming steadily worse.
Rei leaned over the map.
"To your parents?"
Saya's fingers rested beside the location of the Takagi estate.
"If they survived, they'll be there. My family has walls, supplies, vehicles, and people who know how to use weapons."
"And after that?" Rei asked.
"We find everyone else."
Saya said it simply.
Not dismissively.
Rei nodded.
Komuro moved closer to the table and studied the roads.
"The main route is probably blocked."
"Most main roads will be," I said. "Everyone tried to leave at the same time."
Kohta adjusted his glasses.
"We could take two vehicles. If one breaks down, we still have another."
"That also divides the group," Saeko said.
"And the weapons," Saya added. "If one vehicle gets trapped, the other either abandons them or stops and becomes trapped too."
Kohta's expression tightened.
He clearly disliked the idea of placing every gun in one location.
Understandable.
The school bus had more space, but it was large, slow, difficult to maneuver, and currently parked across the gate.
More importantly, several of the smaller roads on the map would barely fit it.
Shizuka-sensei pointed toward the garage.
"The Humvee."
Everyone looked at her.
She smiled.
"It can carry all of us."
"Is it really fine if we use it?" Rei asked.
Shizuka-sensei thought about it.
"Rika would understand for sure."
Probably guesswork at best.
But no one pursued the topic further. We are desperate for decent option, and everyone seems to be on the same page in that regard.
The conversation continued as Saya traced a route through the residential area.
"We take the main road until it becomes unsafe, then turn here."
Komuro pointed toward another street.
"This connects to the river."
"The bridge might be blocked," Rei said.
"It probably is," I replied.
Everyone looked at me.
I shrugged.
"Bridges are exactly where people would get trapped."
Saya adjusted her glasses.
"There's a shallower section farther north. If the roads fail, we use the riverbank."
Shizuka-sensei appeared entirely too pleased by that possibility.
"Rika's car can handle it."
Something about the way she said that made me wonder what Rika normally did with the Humvee.
I decided I was happier not knowing.
By the time the discussion ended, we had three routes.
The fastest.
The safest.
And the one we would use after the first two inevitably went wrong.
Planning.
A beautiful concept.
—
A little later after all that, I found Rei alone near the hallway.
She stood beside an open window, letting the colder air reach her face.
When she noticed me, she looked away briefly.
Not avoiding me.
Gathering herself.
"About earlier…"
Her voice faded.
I waited.
There was no reason to make the conversation harder than it already was.
Rei rested both hands against the windowsill.
"I remember some of it."
"Do you?"
"Enough to know I made a mess of your shirt."
I glanced down.
"I've worn worse."
That earned the beginning of a smile.
It disappeared quickly.
She remained quiet for several seconds.
Then she looked at me properly.
"Thank you for staying with me."
No laughter.
No attempt to pretend it had not mattered.
Just the words.
"You don't need to thank me."
"I wanted to."
I nodded.
"All right."
Rei breathed out slowly.
The tension in her shoulders eased.
"I still don't know what I'm doing."
"With what?"
"With anything."
That sounded more honest.
"You don't have to figure it out tonight."
"I know."
This time, the silence between us wasn't awkward.
Rei eventually stepped away from the window.
"Good night, Hiro."
"Sweet dreams."
"...Thank you."
She walked upstairs.
I watched her go for a moment.
Then returned to helping with the supplies.
There would be time to complicate things later.
Assuming civilization allowed it.
—
We spent the next morning preparing.
Food and water went into the Humvee first.
Then medicine.
Then ammunition.
Then more ammunition, because Kohta apparently considered bullets essential nutrients.
The lightweight vest remained with the equipment.
I had learned my lesson.
It might stop a bullet, but against Them it trapped heat, restricted my shoulders, and turned every wall into a personal enemy.
I would wear it when people started shooting.
Until then, mobility seemed healthier.
By late morning, everything was ready.
Alice sat beside Shizuka-sensei with Zeke pressed against her legs.
Saya kept the map.
Kohta guarded the weapons.
Komuro and Rei watched opposite sides of the road.
Saeko sat near the rear door, her wooden sword within easy reach.
I kept the crowbar beside me and the pistol hidden beneath my jacket.
The mansion gates opened.
Shizuka-sensei guided the Humvee onto the street.
Rika's house slowly disappeared behind us.
For a while, nobody spoke.
The first route lasted less than fifteen minutes.
Abandoned cars completely blocked the intersection ahead.
Shizuka-sensei reversed before the nearby corpses could surround us.
The second route worked longer.
Residential streets.
Narrow corners.
Occasional bodies wandering between houses.
Then smoke appeared ahead.
Beyond it, the road was packed with Them.
Too many to drive through safely.
Saya unfolded the map again.
Komuro leaned forward from the back.
"The river."
Shizuka-sensei turned at the next street.
Several minutes later, the pavement ended at a muddy slope.
The river stretched below us.
The opposite bank looked mostly clear.
Mostly.
Shizuka-sensei studied the descent.
Then smiled.
I immediately grabbed the nearest handle.
"Everyone hold on!"
The Humvee tipped forward.
Alice caught my sleeve.
Kohta wrapped both arms around the nearest case of ammunition.
The Humvee rolled down the muddy bank and entered the river.
Water climbed past the tires.
Then higher.
And higher.
I watched it rise along the doors.
"…Sensei."
"It's fine."
Shizuka-sensei sounded far too cheerful for someone driving us into a river.
The engine continued rumbling beneath us, and somehow, impossibly, the Humvee kept moving.
End of Chapter 24