Sup! New Chapter!
My PatronsBig ToFu, Losthero, ELLOMYGELLO, fiddlerlee, Fijiwater, A11StarReader, Gawain, ieatstars, random_debuff, ZaweRD, RedReaper, Moises3names19, Shadowflare300, Someguy34, AtreusGodOfWar, StriderAnarchy99, Leroy, LeadStar, Nathan Hall, Austin, SoraOS, eric, MrZoop, Exactingspoon, Ken Chau, Ksj, Victor Gealtach, Danny Fowkes, Gracieθρ, Red_Valstrax, Wunderwaffles, chris blakeley, Gerardo Hernández Sánchez, Alita, Luke, joshawa brooks, bbbbbb, Kharn, Brent Sears, Warlock With A Warglock, Kristopher Welsh andAnon.
------
POV Kiriko Miyamoto
"As you all know, the world is going to hell, and the problem Isao saw wasn't just the ordinary zombies, but the Mutated ones."
"Yeah? What's your point?"
"My point is that Isao-kun decided that right now, we can't afford to fight the dead just to live in this city. It's too dangerous." As soon as she said this, Tadashi narrowed his eyes and questioned her.
"Please don't tell me this kid decided to move hundreds of people somewhere. That's impossible—most of the cars are dead, not to mention a dozen other problems."
"Well, unfortunately for you, that's exactly it. He and Yuriko decided everyone needs to head toward Kotsu Island to establish a zone safe from the mutated dead." Tadashi let out a frustrated, almost angry sigh and looked at her.
"And you're just going to listen to him? No, I get it, the plan is good on paper—reach a remote island where it's safe—but the reality will be completely different and likely incredibly difficult."
"Oh, Tadashi, stop it. What other option do we have? Stay here? Isao already fought one mutated zombie himself, and Yuriko and the others ran into them when they left the Takagi Estate. Do you think he'd leave if he could stay? Why do you think he wants to cross that kind of distance?" Hayashi and Sayori watched them with some awkwardness, while Rin looked like he didn't want to be in the room at all.
"Well, yeah? We have you, we'll have those soldiers Yuriko Takagi is getting from the airport, we can awaken powers in even more people and create a perfectly safe zone right here!" He shouted the last words, slamming his hand on the table, which made her look at her husband like he was a fool.
"Tadashi, are you an idiot? Do you think Isao is just going to awaken powers in more people for no reason?" The moment she asked that, he lowered his gaze slightly, making her sense something was wrong.
"...What else is he going to do? Huh? What else can he do? Understand, Kiriko, this boy is only eighteen. Who knows what's going through his head? He wasn't exactly a stellar personality before the apocalypse, and now? You think he won't start... I don't know, asserting himself at the expense of others? Using his powers to do something disgusting? Won't he start, for example, harassing... you, or Rei?" He raised his head and looked at her with a focused stare while she tried to process his words.
She stared at her husband in shock, not understanding where he was even getting these thoughts.
What the hell was wrong with him?
"Are you joking right now, Tadashi?"
"No. Kiriko, you and I know better than anyone how corrupt people with power are. Look at Koichi Shido. We all knew about his disgusting actions, but what did we do?! What?" At the mention of Shido, Sayori and Hayashi looked away, and Rin, though a rookie, clenched his fists, showing his knowledge of that bastard. "Nothing. We did nothing. We feared for our lives while ordinary people with power were committing atrocities. What can we do if one guy with actual supernatural strength decides he wants to rape women too? Exactly the sa—"
He went abruptly silent as the smell of ozone filled the air and a bright blue light emanated from her hand—or rather, from the long, massive lightning spear she was holding.
"You should shut the hell up, Tadashi," she said through gritted teeth, her words dripping with anger and contempt. "Feared for our lives? You're the stupid piece of shit who caused that. You, a fat, pathetic, brainless piece of shit, decided to dig for Ichiro Shido's dirty laundry until the end. If it weren't for that, we would have lived our lives peacefully without ever being on that disgusting animal's radar." She glared with fury at the man responsible for most of their troubles while he stared back with round eyes. "And now you've decided to accuse a genuinely good guy—who's been doing everything in his power since yesterday to save lives—of potentially being a total bastard? Are you sure it's not just your paranoia talking, huh?"
"Kiriko..."
"Shut up, Sayori. Please, just shut up for a few minutes and let me explain things to this fool. Let me chew over the obvious so this grown man with the brain of a damn toddler can understand." She took a breath and calmed herself slightly, dissipating the lightning spear. "Listen, Tadashi, I don't care what you say. That boy could have taken everyone close to him yesterday and just sailed to the island to be perfectly safe, but he didn't. Even though it wasn't his responsibility, he went to save people. The safety of civilians isn't the concern of some 'schoolboy,' as you put it—it's our concern. The police, the military, the adults." She exhaled wearily at Tadashi's stupidity. "And here you are, accusing the guy based on a hypothetical that he might start raping women. Do you even realize what you're saying? You piece of shit, you've known him through Rei for over ten years. He's a friend and practically an older brother to Takashi and Rei. Sayori can confirm that, and you damn well know it!"
Total silence reigned in the room. Sayori sat nervously clenching and unclenching her hand; Hayashi looked wearily at both of them; and Tadashi, who had just been scolded in front of his mistress and his best friend?
He sat there staring at her with a glassy, unblinking gaze, his hands curled into fists.
"So, we're going to listen to the boy. We'll do as he says and sail to that damn island. We'll regroup there, get used to our new reality, and only then—if he gives the green light—will we come back to take our territory back from a staggering number of zombies. Do I make myself clear?" She looked him straight in the eye, forcing him to nod, and only then did she relax her tensed body and sit back down, not having realized she had stood up.
The silence that followed was different; this time, they were waiting for her to speak. The aura of authority had shifted from Tadashi to her, but right now, she didn't want to talk—her head was throbbing.
That bastard had just spiked her blood pressure. How the hell did she ever marry him? She bit her lip, remembering how he was in their youth, and exhaled, trying to toss away the feeling of self-disgust. She felt like a cliché right now, some woman protecting her "lover" and humiliating her husband, despite the fact that their marriage was held together by a thread named their daughter and she no longer gave a damn who Tadashi was sleeping with.
"Kiriko-san?" The door creaked open, admitting a short but stocky man in Takagi's black semi-military uniform. "We decided not to sit idle. We checked the status of all the buses on the grounds and asked the police staff about the headcount."
"And?" she asked wearily, trying to wave off the pain in her head.
"Four buses out of fifteen are still functional, but their tanks were dry. We solved that by siphoning what was left in the other buses. As for the headcount, there are 277 people on the school grounds right now. Half—over 120—are children. Apparently, when it all started yesterday, most of the kids scattered and... well, I won't say what happened to them." She felt incredibly sick at what the man said.
"When... when did you even get here?" she snapped her gaze toward Tadashi.
"...Only a few hours after the shit hit the fan. By the time we arrived, most of the kids had run off. The teachers couldn't hold them back."
"What the hell?! The gates should have been locked!" She slammed her palm on the table, making Sayori flinch.
"We don't know how, but since the principal's car is gone? He opened the gates, drove out, and most of the kids who saw it ran too... the teachers noticed too late because they were trying to gather everyone in the gym."
This sounded like absolute garbage! How did a dozen teachers fail to manage children? Pre-pubescent kids?!
"This is... fuck, fuck." She bit her lip, staring at the map spread across the table. "Alright... fine, let's calm down. The buses are working, right?"
"Yes, Kiriko-san, they are functional."
"Then why are we sitting here?" she asked, staring at everyone. "Get up. The faster we get to the mall, the sooner we can rest." She practically hopped up from her seat.
"Will over two hundred people even fit in four buses?" Hayashi asked, approaching her.
"Of course. Why wouldn't they?" she looked at him, confused. "We'll just split 277 by 70 and cram them into the four buses. It'll be tight, but they can handle a thirty-minute drive to safety." With that, she walked out of the office, feeling the gazes of Tadashi and her friends on her back. The man who had reported the status followed right behind her.
"Rei?" As soon as she stepped away from the door, Rei was there with Takashi and Hisashi. "Is something wrong?"
"No Mom, everything's fine. I just wanted to ask about our next move." She glanced at the man behind Kiriko and then back at her mother, while the boys stood behind her with expectant looks.
"Well, we're going to gather everyone and put them on the buses. Then we head to the Mall." Kiriko nodded as she passed the kids, hoping they wouldn't run into any Mutated zombies. She had zero desire to deal with them, especially with this headache.
She walked down the corridor toward the exit, hearing Rei and the others following. As she reached the front school yard, she saw the four buses ready to go. Police officers stood around them; some she knew. Seeing her, they headed her way, questions written on their faces.
"Kiriko-san, aren't we going to wait for the government-organized evacuation?" a female officer asked. Her face was familiar, but Kiriko couldn't place the name.
"No. Staying here right now is stupid. I know a safer place for us all to go. There are enough supplies there, and we'll be better protected than here." The woman didn't look convinced, watching her with doubt.
"Well... if you say so, then what should we do?" Almost all the police formed a semi-circle around her, looking at her with expectation—not just for orders, but with a natural interest in her powers and a desire to obtain similar strength. Most of them were likely trying to be extra helpful right now for that reason.
"Right now, we need to gather all the civilians and get them into the buses. We need to move toward our base before evening sets in." They all nodded and headed into the school at a brisk pace; no one wanted to risk staying near the fence.
She stepped aside to gather her thoughts and try to soothe her headache. She noticed her daughter approaching with a focused expression, while the boys lagged behind, looking concerned.
"Mom?" Rei asked once she was close enough. "What's wrong with you and Dad? Why... why does it feel like you've gone cold toward each other?" Her brows were furrowed, her face showing a childish hurt that made Kiriko's heart ache. But Rei wasn't a little girl anymore; she had to understand.
"It's complicated, Rei..."
"I'm not stupid. Please, tell me, what is wrong? Why does he look at you like you're a different person? And you... you just let him, keeping your distance?" Her voice and expression made everything feel worse. Kiriko sighed, looking around.
There were too many people, and the police were already starting to escort civilians toward the buses. Rei noticed too, but she didn't drop her stubborn stare.
"Are you going to tell me? I wanted to ask Dad, but he didn't come out with you. He stayed behind to talk to Uncle and Auntie."
"Rei, let's discuss everything once we get to the Mall, okay? There are just too many people here right now. I'd like to discuss our family business where we have more privacy." Her eyes conveyed the seriousness of the situation, and it seemed to work; Rei's shoulders relaxed slightly, and she looked down.
"Fine..." Rei sighed wearily and stood beside her, making Kiriko smile.
Now, the most important thing was to get to the Mall safely. She prayed there would be no trouble on the road.
------
My patreon: https://www.patreon.com/2FSukuna?utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator
My Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/sukuna2f