Chapter 18: Final Stand

Chapter 18: Final Stand

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(A/N: Is that a Power Stone I'm sensing? You should leave it here for safekeeping. Don't worry, I'll take good care of it.)

Word Count: 2984

"It's them!" Kohta's voice rang out, jolting the group into alertness. "Distance: 300 meters," he announced, his gaze fixed on the approaching undead through the binoculars.

"Go to the right," Saya directed Shizuka, hoping to evade the approaching undead. Yet their efforts were in vain, as an even larger horde emerged from that direction as well. "They're here too!" Shizuka exclaimed, her voice tinged with alarm.

"Then turn left there!" Saya commanded, her finger pointing towards the nearest intersection. Without hesitation, Shizuka swiftly maneuvered the Humvee around the corner, accelerating away from the perilous area.

"What's going on?" Takashi questioned in a state of confusion. "The closer we get, the more of them there are." Nagi shared the same sentiment, finding the concentrated presence of zombies in nearby areas peculiar.

He speculated that the barrier had been drawn back, leaving the important sections of the city protected while the vicinity of the bridge became a hunting ground for the undead.

This theory aligned with Saya's father's position as a politician and the leader of the ultra-nationalist organization in the Tokonosu prefectures. It wouldn't be far-fetched to assume that the Takagi Mansion had been transformed into a survivor camp, given its strategic location and ample space.

A massive horde loomed ahead, leaving them trapped with no viable means of escape, Saya's command rang out with authority, "Just keep going, don't stop!"

Navigating through the sea of undead, Shizuka pressed harder on the gas pedal, propelling the Humvee forward with a surge of power.

The vehicle surged through the horde, its tires colliding with the bodies of the zombies, sending them flying into the air, their bones shattering upon impact with the unforgiving pavement.

"Stop the car! Stop the car!" Rei's panicked shouts echoed through the vehicle. Rising from his seat, Nagi leaned over Saya's seat and caught sight of the wire barricade looming in the near distance.

His eyes widened with urgency as he swiftly advised, "There's a wire barricade ahead. Turn the car to the side."

Following his instructions, the Humvee veered into a drift, its path altered just in time. The result was a gruesome spectacle as the onrushing zombies collided with the wire barrier.

The vehicle's kinetic energy and weight tore through their bodies, severing limbs and causing grotesque dismemberment. Heads went flying, arms were torn asunder, and the window became a canvas of splattered undead blood.

Reacting swiftly to the impending gore, Kohta shielded Alice from the gruesome sight, using his forearms as a protective barrier. "Don't look!" he commanded, his voice firm and resolute.

"We're sliding too much!" Shizuka exclaimed in a state of panic as she struggled to free the Humvee from the entangled wires. "Stop! Why won't it stop?"

"It's the blood and guts from the zombies," Saya explained, her voice filled with a sense of urgency. And indeed, she was correct. The relentless skidding of the tires over the blood-soaked ground, coupled with the vehicle being caught in the wire barricade, rendered it immobile.

"The tires are locked!" Kohta exclaimed, providing crucial information. "Release the brakes and apply gentle acceleration!" Acting swiftly, Shizuka disengaged the brakes and pressed the gas pedal slightly.

The Humvee surged forward, dislodging itself from its previous entanglement with the wires. However, their escape route was severely limited, with a concrete wall looming ahead.

Turning the vehicle around was not an option, as it would expose them to the approaching horde. Any delay could result in the undead overwhelming the Humvee and the group.

"Look out!" Takashi's panicked voice pierced through the tension as the wall rapidly approached. With no other viable option available, Shizuka reacted quickly, her urgent shout resonating throughout the vehicle. "Hold on tight!"

With a forceful stomp on the brakes, the Humvee came to an abrupt halt, causing it to tilt forward. In the midst of the sudden movement, Rei's grip slipped, and she was propelled off the vehicle.

Her body collided with the hood of the Humvee, flipping over and landing heavily on the unforgiving concrete below. The impact left her motionless, struggling to rise as the chilling moans and groans of the undead drew closer, encircling her vulnerable form.

Reacting swiftly, Takashi leaped off the Humvee and positioned himself in front of Rei, clutching the shotgun firmly in his hands. He followed Kohta's instructions precisely, pulling the slide, aiming for the head, and pulling the trigger.

The blast from the shotgun dispatched one zombie with a well-aimed shot to the head, but the others were merely struck in the torso.

The recoil from the powerful weapon caused Takashi to stumble backward momentarily, but he quickly regained his footing. Frustrated, he voiced his complaint, "What the hell? I aimed for the head, and only one of them was killed!"

Kohta's voice rang out from the roof hatch of the Humvee, offering his expertise, "You don't know what you're doing! The recoil throws off the muzzle, causing the shot to go high. Shoulder the gun and lean into it. Aim for the chest!"

Heeding Kohta's advice, Takashi shouldered the shotgun firmly, leaning into it to counteract the recoil. With a well-placed shot, he dispatched two zombies, blowing them back with deadly precision.

Despite their best efforts, the undead seemed to multiply with each fallen foe replaced by another. Time flew by, marked by the sinking sun and the mounting exhaustion that weighed upon the group.

Ammunition dwindled, sweat streamed down their foreheads, and a sense of despair crept in as the horde showed no signs of relenting. Saeko and Nagi, once agile and precise, found their movements gradually slowing under the strain of fatigue.

Escape seemed impossible. The barbed wire fence loomed before them, tightly bound and towering several meters high.

Jumping over it was out of the question, and they lacked the necessary tools to cut through the dense wires.

Nagi, maintaining a steady and composed demeanor, controlled his breathing, attempting to calm his racing heart.

Thoughts swirled in his mind as he considered their predicament. 'There's only one remaining option,' he pondered stoically, rising from his leaning position against the Humvee.

Amidst the encroaching horde, the sound of a bark pierced the air as Zero leaped from the Humvee, dashing towards the undead and sinking his teeth into the nearest one's shin.

Observing the puppy's surprising fierceness, Nagi approached Saya, who was visibly fatigued and gasping for breath, her intention to swing the shotgun at the advancing zombies evident.

Acting swiftly, Nagi firmly grasped the weapon, halting her motion and locking eyes with her. "You've done enough. I want you and the others to seek refuge in the Humvee while I divert their attention. As long as you remain hidden and keep quiet, you should be alright."

Saya's voice carried a sense of urgency as she adamantly questioned Nagi's decision. She insisted that he should join them inside the Humvee for safety. Saeko interjected, joining the conversation and expressing her support for Nagi's plan.

"He's not going alone," Saeko asserted, stepping forward to stand beside Nagi. "I will accompany him. Saya, the reason why hiding in the Humvee is not a viable option is because the horde will remain in this area until they are lured away by something else, and we have no way of knowing when that will happen. This is our only choice at the moment."

Nagi concurred with Saeko's assessment, nodding in agreement. "She's right. Rei is injured, Kohta will soon run out of ammo, and our equipment isn't optimal. This is the best course of action if any of us wants to survive. Besides, we're not particularly easy to kill, Takagi."

"Saya," she said, meeting Nagi's puzzled gaze. Locking eyes with Nagi's sharp orange orbs using her own intense orange eyes, she repeated with greater emphasis, "Just call me Saya."

Saya's unexpected action caught Saeko off guard, yet she couldn't help but feel a hint of amusement at her courage amidst such a dire situation. However, Saeko's brief amusement quickly faded, as their mission demanded their attention.

"Are you ready, Saeko?" Nagi asked, tightening his grip on the shotgun he had taken from Saya. Saeko inquired, "Have you finished talking with Saya?"

Nagi nodded in response, gesturing towards Saya as she assisted Rei and Takashi into the Humvee, with Zero following closely behind. "Now, our task is to break through the horde and create as much noise as possible on the other side."

"Alright, I'll take the lead. Make sure you keep up," Nagi instructed Saeko as he charged towards the horde, gripping the shotgun by the muzzle and wielding it like a bat.

With a powerful leap into the air, he brought the gun down overhand, crushing a zombie's skull before gracefully landing on the ground, relentless in his assault. Saeko swiftly followed suit, kicking back one undead creature while knocking away another with a swing of her bokken.

Reaching the stairs, Nagi scraped the shotgun against the concrete wall, producing a piercing screech that attracted the nearby undead. Meanwhile, Saeko struck her bokken against a pipe, creating a resonating thump that echoed through the desolate streets.

The resonating sounds lured the nearby undead, their relentless pursuit intensifying as Nagi and Saeko swiftly ascended the stairs.

With the horde in close pursuit, they leaped over a pit and reached the other side. Nagi forcefully slammed the shotgun against the rail, generating a resounding noise that reverberated through the air, further attracting the attention of the relentless undead.

However, despite their efforts, the noise alone wasn't enough to deter the relentless horde. Some of the undead continued their menacing advance, dangerously close to reaching the Humvee. Just as the situation seemed dire, a group of individuals resembling firefighters emerged.

"Get the ladder! Get them out of there now!" commanded a woman's voice, and the group swiftly complied, following her instructions.

They unleashed pressurized water upon the horde, forcefully pushing them back. As the undead stumbled and faltered, the firefighters aided the group in safely crossing over the fence to the other side, where they could find refuge.

Nagi pondered aloud, "Are they firemen?"

"I don't think they're from the fire department," Saeko remarked. As they scrutinized the situation more closely, Shizuka expressed her gratitude to the leader, removing her headgear to reveal herself as Saya's mother.

"So, she's Saya's mother," Nagi remarked aloud, shaking his head in acknowledgment. Turning his attention to Saeko, he pressed on, "Regardless, we need to find a way out of here. The horde will soon converge on our location, and nightfall is approaching."

Saeko inquired, "What's your plan then? I'm not familiar with the surroundings here."

Nagi responded confidently, "I know this area well enough to navigate. Saya's house is situated atop the hill, so it should be relatively easy to locate. Let's make our way there."

With their decision made, Nagi and Saeko set off, leaving the immediate danger behind them.

Author Words:

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