Horror Fan Fiction ❯ Yuri of THE DEAD ❯ Two: Regrets ( Chapter 2 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Note: This is NOT a continuation of the first chapter, instead it's a divergence based on a scene from the anime going differently.
Yuri of the Dead
Regrets
Misuzu had been friends with Toshimi forever, or at least it felt like it. They had known each other since elementary school, advancing together. And over the past year their feelings had... deepened, growing into something more. Love? Maybe. She didn't know.
But now, they were running for their lives as the school went mad around them. Some kind of... zombies were walking the school, biting and transforming everyone they met. They pelted down the hall, holding hands as they fled.
"We'll be okay if we stick together, Misuzu," Toshimi promised.
"Duh," Misuzu smiled weakly, "we're friends forever, Toshimi."
They came around a blind corner and ran into someone, literally. The undead attacked without warning, chomping down on Toshimi's shoulder in a splash of blood. The girl's hand convulsed on Misuzu's hand, making her cry out in pain, "Let go!"
Toshimi was dragged down, zombies tearing at her as tears of pain and horror welled in her eyes. But somehow some shred of reason remained, and she shoved Misuzu away. "Run!" she gurgled as blood sprayed from her neck.
Misuzu's throat was tight with agony as she stumbled away, then turned and ran as fast as she could, tears streaking her face.
The rest of the day was a blur to Misuzu. She stumbled across Takashi and his friends, and followed them because she couldn't see anything better to try. Him, Rei, Hirano, Saya, Saeko and the nurse Shizuka came up with a plan to escape this death trap of a school, and she followed doily.
They ran for the mini-bus, a coordinated effort getting them away from the horde of THEM, as Takashi called the creatures. As they got into the bus she turned a moment, watching the walking dead. Was Toshimi in their number, waiting for her?
She saw a teacher named Shidou callously kick a wounded student in the head, even as Rei and Takashi argued over saving him. Dully Misuzu told what she saw to Shizuka, who was justifiably horrified. They got the surviving students they could reach on board and bolted, slamming the door in the stunned Shidou's face.
"Thank you," Rei said quietly as they drove, the bus literally plowing down THEM as they fled, "it would have been bad if he'd joined us. He's... a despicable individual."
Misuzu shuddered as they ran over a female zombie, the strange black blood splattering violently 'Was that Toshimi?' she wondered. "Don't thank me," she said flatly to Rei, "just.. don't. I don't deserve your thanks."
"Huh," Rei gave her a odd look and moved off.
There was some trouble over Takashi seeming to take charge, but a glare from Saeko seemed to quell that pretty quick. Misuzu had watched the tall girl calmly decapitating THEM with a simple wooden sword, and there was no way she wanted to cross her.
"So what do we do now?" Misuzu asked quietly.
"I'd like to try to rescue my mother," Takashi admitted. "In fact I think we should try to find our families and make sure they're all right."
"My parents will be all right," Saya said firmly, "but yeah... we should try at least."
There was some debate in the group, but all the strongest kids seemed to have lined up behind Takashi. Even the odd otaku, Kouta, had been pretty damn impressive, rigging up a gun and shooting THEM in the head. With him, Saeko and Rei, no one was really arguing with Takashi. It was kind of interesting to watch...
"So where to first?" Shizuka asked practically.
They headed down the road, and as they did the pure scale of what was happening hit Misuzu. The streets were littered with THEM, cars wrecked and abandoned. Buildings were burning here and there, and the only sounds were THEM's low moans. No planes crossed the sky, no cars ran, the noises of the modern era were gone.
'Toshimi would like the quiet I think,' Misuzu thought, then flinched in memory.
They went through the edges of town, stopping occasionally to recover useful things. A police car yeiled some bullets and a gun and a shop that Saeko knew about was a source for the crazy durable wooden swords she used.
(Misuzu had her doubts how useful a pile of swords would be. Still, THEM only seemed to die from headshots, so a weapon that increased your reach and could be used to decapitate was a good thing. Besides, Saeko could use the others for spares if they needed to.)
Two of their classmates houses were nearby. One was deserted, no bodies and no THEM either. The other had several THEM shambling around. He clearly recognized one of THEM, hurrying from the bus as he cried, "Dad! No!"
He bolted before anyone could stop him, and was set upon in seconds. "Oh god," Misuzu winced as the blood splattered.
"Go! Go!" Rei yelled to the teacher as THEM turned ominously towards the bus.
The bus jerked into motion again, leaving the moment of blood and horror behind them. "He should have at least brought a weapon," Saeko said flatly.
Rei ignored that. "What do we do if our families are..." she trailed off, unable to finish the sentence.
"Fuck," the other boy groaned, "we're doomed. Just doomed!"
"We can survive," Saya said stubbornly, "there are bound to be people who have built secure bases. Even if normal people get overrun, there's still the army."
"We saw army helicopters go by overhead earlier," Misuzu conceded. "Do you think the government is still functioning?"
"It has to be," Rei said, shaking her head grimly. "Find any survivors of our families, then we try to reach a safe place?" she suggested.
"Sounds like a plan," Takashi agreed.
"Get me out of here," another boy sighed, the same one who had freaked out earlier.
"What?" Shizuka looked at him curiously.
"Running around isn't helping," he said. He looked out the window, "There. That's a older house, with a wall. Drop me off there."
"But...," Takashi said as they slowed to a stop.
"No," he shook his head, his normally neat hair messy and eyes sad. "I want to just wait this out. I can lock the doors and wait to be rescued." His eyes showed despair but his voice was firm, "It's got to be better than this."
Surprisingly a few other survivors agreed with him, decamping from the bus together. Saeko forced a few wooden swords on them, then they watched the smaller group walk away. In the bus now was just the group of survivors Takashi had led out, along with Misuzu. They drove on another hour, trying to find a way across the river while avoiding the worst of THEM.
As they drove Misuzu found her eyes looking at THEM, especially the ones who had once been girls. Was Toshimi out there? Did she remember any of her previous life? Misuzu didn't want to dwell on it, but the idea haunted her.
"It's getting late," Shizuka finally pointed out. "Driving at night would be dangerous, we should find somewhere to hole up for the night."
"We could take over a castle," Saeko said seriously.
"We don't have enough people to defend it," Saya told her, shaking her head.
"I know someplace nearby," Shizuka offered, "and there might be supplies there we can use."
They joked about it being Shizuka's boyfriend's place, but everyone agreed to check it out. It was a nice condo on the river bank, and better yet there was a high fence around it for protection. The group armed themselves with wooden swords and in Takashi's case a crowbar, and they cleared out any of THEM lurking around them.
'I feel so useless,' Misuzu thought as the watched them destroy any of the undead, Saeko especially acting like some... unholy dervish. She used her wooden sword as if it were a real blade...
For a moment Misuzu wished she had been there when she and Toshimi had been attacked, then shook her head. There was no point in blaming the other woman. Besides, SHE should have been able to save Toshimi, anyway. She crushed the last head of a attacker, then panted tiredly as they went inside after Shizuka unlocked the door.
Both Takashi and Hirano volunteered to stand guard, then Shizuka excitedly suggested they should ALL bathe together. Before you could say 'unnecessary fanservice' their clothes were being washed and the five girls were in the bath, scrubbing each other clean.
It was a little odd for Misuzu, honestly. Back in school most of the girls had been aware of her and Toshimi being... together. It had made things a bit uncomfortable in the showers and such. But apparently surviving a zombie apocalypse together changed things a bit.
"Oooh, they're so big!" Saya exclaimed, looking at Shizuka's full, bouncy breasts.
"I get that a lot," Shizuka said a bit smugly.
"Don't be smug." Saya shot back. Lunging across the tub she began to manhandle the older woman's breasts jokingly as she cried, "Take that!"
Misuzu rinsed herself off, debating climbing into the bath with them. 'Toshimi would have loved this,' she thought sadly, then shivered.
Rei noticed, the girl giving her a sympathetic look. "Are you all right?" she asked.
Misuzu shook her head and forced a smile, "I'm fine."
As soon as she could Misuzu escaped the bathroom, dressing quickly then walking to the widows overlooking the street. Night had fallen but streetlights illuminated the road, where THEM stumbled around aimlessly. She watched them a moment, almost hypnotized by their random motion. Was it peaceful, being changed like that? Did you grieve for your lost life?
A girl stumbled by, and Misuzu pressed against the glass. Toshimi! It was Toshimi, she was sure of it! Without thinking about it she hurried downstairs, stopping at the door to slip her shoes on.
"Hey, wait..." Takashi started.
"I'm sorry, Takashi," Misuzu said as she opened the door, "and thank you."
Before anyone could react she was outside, then hurried to the locked gate. Knowing THEM reacted to sound she was careful to open the gate quietly, then relocked it. No need to put the others in danger. She turned to face the street, smiling as she saw THEM shuffling towards her.
"Toshimi," Misuzu smiled as she spread her arms, "I'm sorry I made you wait."
And with that, THEM descended on her...
To be continued...?
Notes: Based off a early scene where two girls pledge they'll be best friends forever... then one gets attacked by a zombie and the other sacrifices her to escape only to get eaten as well. I got to wondering what would have happened if the one girl survived, and, well... here you go.