New house, new problems

(Well, it's official. My life… sucks.)

I sigh as I look around the empty room for the millionth time. Right now, I was locked in what seemed to be an empty bedroom on the second floor in Saya's 'house'.

(At least, I managed to get here..)

I think as I look at my right hand, that was handcuffed to a hole in the table in front of me

(At least I'm not in an actual cell. I got a big ass window on my back to let the sunshine in… )

I sigh and hit my head on the table.

(God this is a pack of bullshit.)

I could feel the cold wood on my cheek as I took a deep breath.

(After Saya's mom went all American Cop on me, they separated me from the group and took me here. While I understand why they took all of my equipment. Did they really have to take my mask too? I liked that mask…)

I lift my head slightly only to bump it on the table again.

(Ughhh… I was planning on having a break here. So give me a fucking break.)

I let out a dry laugh as I lift my head and look around the room one more time.

(I have been sitting here for god knows how long after Yuriko, aka Saya's mom, decided to arrest me for… endangering the group? What sort of holy crap is that anyway? We are in the middle of a god damn zombie outbreak people, get with the times.)

I gave my handcuffs a couple of light tugs, when I heard the door open. I turned my head to see Yuriko walking inside. She closed the door behind her and walked to the other side of the table, before taking a seat herself. She then started staring at me in silence...

(Oh great. Now I'm in a fucking detective movie.)

We stayed like that for a couple of minutes, just… staring at each other.

(Does she have to stare so hard?)

"So, uhh…what now? You're going to execute me or something?" I ask jokingly.

"It's one of the debatable options." She answers calmly as she keeps staring.

(She's joking. Right?)

I sigh at her response...

"What do you want from me then?" I ask. And before she could speak up, I continued.

"Because I don't think you came here just to stare at me..." I lean back on my chairs as I switch my glance to the handcuffs on my hand.

"Indeed I did not Sepfier. I'm here for a reason." She says as she folds her arms under her chest and leans back on her chair as well.

"I'm here so we can decide what we will do with you." She says as she keeps staring at me.

(We? Isn't Saya's father supposed to be at a powerplant or something? Actually, why the fuck does she know my name in the first place? Not many people should know it. Other than my group, that did not have any contact with her up until now, my 'family' that is on the other side of the globe and… )

The door then opens once again. And a certain, snake faced, glass toting, suit-wearing slimeball walks in.

(Shido... I know, I shouldn't be surprised… But. How. The. Hell? In the anime he arrived right before the nuke blast, so he is here way too fucking early. Ughh, and let me guess, he is somehow connected to the reason as of why I'm sitting here right now. Why can't he just, fade out from existence or something?)

"Well, I certainly didn't expect to find you here. Sepfier." Shido speaks up, his signature 'I eat shit' grin plastered on his face

"You and me both..." I answer as I keep staring at him..

"Ohh, how the people of this mansion barely dodged a disaster. How lucky they are that I managed to arrive here before you, and warn them of you and what you did to us" Shido puts his fingers on his forehead as he speaks with a rather dramatic flair.

"Sure, yeah. I'm sure you told them the one and only truth. Still, riddle me this. Seeing as I'm chained up to a table and pretty much pose no threat any more. How the hell did you manage to get here before me?" I ask as Shido moves to sit next to Saya's mother.

"Ah, I have to thank you for that Sepfier. Had you not tried to kill us all, I would have never managed to get here in time." Shido speaks up, smugness pretty much oozing out of his mouth.

"Huh, care to explain that to stupid ol me?" I say with a sarcastic tone as I lift an eyebrow.

"Well you see Sepfier. After you sabotaged the bus, after you caused the split and after you abandoned us back there and left us for dead, we became stranded. We had to go on foot because of you for... I can't even recall how long. Thankfully, we were rescued by the esteemed gentlemen from the Takagi Estate, alas not all of us were so lucky. While I did my very best to protect my dear students, Thanks to you. We had casualties. Casualties that could have been easily avoided have you not acted so irrationally. I'm just glad that, the poor souls that you have dragged with you on your merry journey are still all safe. I could not bear it, were I to lose any more of my dear students because of you" Shido was really starting to get into it, by now and was speaking with such passion, such flare...

(Such grandiose bullshit. I asked him how he got here, not to spin me his tale of gory)

"Until, as luck would have it. We crossed paths with an armed group. They helped us get here. Really fortunate, these kind people, that I managed to warn them about you. Who knows what you would have done to these poor souls if I was not present to warn them of your ways." Shido then grinned as he kept looking at me.

('Helped' huh. I wonder if your female students 'helped' them make their decision to pick sorry sorry ass along. Seeing how you turned the bus into a fuckfest in the anime, I won't really be surprised if you used some similar tactic now as well. I would also go on a limb and say that these guards are also on his side now. God I want to strangle him so bad.)

"But, unlike you, I'm not a monster. I shall leave the good people of this fine community to decide your fate." He says with a grin.

"Sure. fill them with your bullshit, then let them stain their hands for you. Sick fuck." I growled under my breath so nobody could hear me.

"What was that Sepfier?" Shido leans forward as his smug grin gets wider than ever.

"I said… this is a free country, so I don't see a problem with that." I say as I try my best to keep my face straight. Shido just keeps grinning as he gets up and turns around, exiting the room from the same door he entered.

And the moment the door closed. I breathe out.

"Well, shit" I turned to Yuriko as I spoke.

"So, when am I getting executed?" I ask sarcastically.

"As he said, this is for the people to decide..." She says as she keeps a serious face.

"Ohh please. For the people to decide? That guy is a politician in a crocodile's skin. I wouldn't be surprised if he has every single idiotic refugee mesmerized with his bullshit." I say as I glare back at Saya's mother.

Yuriko opens her mouth to speak…

"And why in God's name he seems to be the one calling the shots here? Last time I checked this was the 'Takagi' estate, shouldn't you or your husband be the ones calling the shots here?" But I cut her off as I continued talking.

Finishing my tirade, I slump back on my chair. Yuriko stares silently at me for some time. She keeps looking at me until… She lets out a tired sigh.

"I would like to believe that you are smart enough not to buy into that guy's bullshit. While I did cause the initial group to split and I did sabotage the bus. I did it because it was a necessity. That man is far more dangerous than I am" As I keep talking Yuriko gets up, turns around and walks towards the door…

(Welp… I'm fucked.)

And locks it.

(...ehh?)

She then returns and sits on the opposite side of the table once again.

"I was not born yesterday Naier. I have dealt with characters like Shido longer than you could even imagine." She says as she smiles slightly.

(She's talking about the time she worked as a stockbroker? Probably. Actually that is also the reason why I hoped that she wouldn't be swayed by that sleazebag.)

"Then, what's with all this? If I were to believe that you don't buy into his crap, why do you and your husband let him stroll around like he owns the place? Why did you friggin arrest me?" I ask incredulously.

She sighs before looking straight into my eyes.

"Because. Because my Husband is gone… " She says as she keeps looking at me, her eyes leaking a bit of sadness.

(Wait, what?)

"A couple of days ago he and a team of engineers went to fix a nearby power plant. And two days ago a group of guards that went with them as protection, returned without the rest. Almost half of the guards that were part of that team were gone, along with Souichirou and the engineers. They told us that the facility was overrun by the infected." Finishing her story, she then takes a deep breath.

"As for the reason why this Shido character has so much influence now. It's practically my fault." She says. I tilt my head to the side and raise an eyebrow.

"You were not wrong about him acting like a politician, because his father is one actually. And as you yourself have experienced, he is quite the talker, even charismatic in his own way. Perfect to sway the masses when they are in need of somebody to believe in.

He was here less than a day and almost all of the refugees outside are now under his sway… All the while he was gaining influence, I was trying to put together a rescue team to head to the power plant. And without a figure to counter his influence, without Souichiro to lead the men. I have practically lost control. As for why I arrested you. Well, so far Shido has found no opposition from me, he probably thinks I'm a pushover. This is why I acted as I did and captured you. If he thinks I'm no threat, or if he thinks that I'm on his side. Then he won't get in my way." After she finishes she leans forward and rests her hands on the table.

"Out of curiosity, the returning guards. Same guards that found Shido and his group?" Yuriko just nods to my question.

"Oh for fuck's sake. Why does this guy bring trouble wherever he fucking treads, pardon my french" Yuriko just chuckles as I plant my face on the table.

"If my husband was here, he would be able to do something about all of this as he holds far more power than me. And well, more importantly, the other armed personnel would listen to him without question." Her face returns to a serious expression as she talks

"You mentioned something about a rescue. When will that happen?" I ask as I lift my face from the table.

"Tomorrow." She answers bluntly.

"Yea… no. I'll be dead by then if we let Shido do as he pleases." I say as I lower my head to the desk once more, resting my chin on it.

"Ughh. Anyway, how are the rest?" I ask, my head still on the desk.

"The rest?" She asks back.

"My group, the ones I, endangered, you know." I say as I keep my face on the desk.

"They are fine. They went to sleep an hour ago or so." She answers.

"I see. At least they are taking this whole situation well."I say as I lift my head and look down at the table.

(Also considering that the group, in the anime, ended up fighting with each other here. It's not so bad. What with Saya going off about how her parents left her for dead. Kohta going ballistic on Takashi because he kind of manhandled Saya. And Shizuka being, uhh, I don't know. Midlife crisis mode?

I guess if they are too busy with my sorry ass it keeps them from going after each other's asses… Heh. Uhh… Wait…)

"An hour ago? How long have I been locked up in here?" I ask as I lift my sight from the desk and look at Yuriko.

"About, four hours I think? And as for them taking your imprisonment well. Honestly, I think they just got exhausted after screaming at me for so long.

I mean, even if I did believe Shido, with how much Saya shouted at my ear to release you. You can't be that bad if my daughter is so fond of you." Yuriko smiles as she finishes.

"Hhmm...yeaaa… whut?" I blink several times as I keep staring at the woman.

"I think you're probably mistaking me for Takashi. I'm the guy who she doesn't even remember by name, with how she keeps calling me an idiot all of the time." I say as I stare at her.

"Hmm Takashi… Ahh, yes her childhood crush. Turned out to be quite one-sided from what I see. For all the smarts my daughter says she has, she really can't bring herself to understand how she needs to act towards the guy she likes. A real shame really." I just sat there staring while Yuriko kept talking.

She looks at me for a few seconds, before putting her hand over her mouth as she lets out a giggle.

"Whats with that incredulous look on your face? I'm her mother you know. Of course I would understand things like that." She says as she tilts her head, expression full of mirth.

"Ummm. Yes,of course. So uhh, can we get back to how I will be dead before sundown?" I say as I scratch the back of my head with my free hand.

Yuriko, still smiling, starts speaking again.

"Don't worry, I'm still a Takagi and this still is my house, I won't let anybody execute you" As she finishes she folds her arms under her chest.

"And then Shido would use your refusal for cooperation as a reason to turn the masses against you. No, that won't work, we need another plan. Other than actively opposing him and his merry midgets." I say as I put my free hand under my chin.

"Just to be clear. You will help me if need be, right?" I ask, as Yuriko just nods in response...

I then lower my head and close my eyes.

(Ok... I need a plan. First of all, I need to curate the current state of things…

My group is asleep, or so Yuriko says. In either case, they are probably out of action and can't help me right now.

Shido has managed to brainwash the hippie wannabe protestors and a group of armed guards with his bullshit. The guards probably had an extra helping of Yuuki, though that's just speculation, maybe they were just that gullible.

More importantly, said masses of idiots will probably want me dead or exiled if they believe I'm what Shido portraits me as. Yuriko is on my side, but if she were to take any overt action it would let Shido use her act of helping me to turn the refugees against her. And that could turn sour fast

That leaves. The armed forces and the head honcho, Saya's dad, who is now MIA at the powerplant. A place that, if the guards that are under Shido's sway are to be believed, is overrun with corpses.

Being that Saya's dad is also involved in politics, and he is described as charismatic, and scary as fuck. If he was here, he should have beenb able to tear Shido a new one in his own stupid little game.

Question is if he is still alive...)

"Question." I lift my head as I begin to speak, causing Yuriko to focus on me.

"Whose side the armed personnel will take in case things get bad? And, said personnel, are they professionals or not? Knowing their allegiance would be key in any further plans." Finishing my question I lean back on my chair.

"Most of the people acting as armed guards now were loyal followers of my husband long before the outbreak. So they would definitely lend their support if Souichirou was here. And no, most of them did not really have any training. They were not in the military or anything like that." Finishing her reply Yuriko averts her eyes from me and starts looking out of the window, probably to hide how vexed she was with the current state of affair.

(So they have practically no experience handling firearms, though I can't discount the possibility that they have other martial capabilities. They are after all, a part of an Ultra Nationalist Party in Japan, some of them probably have martial arts training. So it seems they just happened to get the guns right after the outbreak because of Saya's dad's influence?)

"And if he is dead?" I say as I keep my eyes on Yuriko.

"Hard to say. Maybe the whole place will get wrapped in chaos as each of the lieutenants struggle for dominance. Normally, if Souichirou were to die, I'm the one that was supposed to take his position as leader. But I'm not him, I'm not confident that I can get the full support of his men. I might have had a hand in increasing this family's wealth, but for his men, I am respected simply because I married into this family.

It was my husband who built this. Who had gathered the people under him. There is a big chance, with Souichirou gone, some of the people that would normally be at our side, will probably decide stay out of it. While it is unlikely that they would turn against me, it's still a possibility." She keeps her eyes on the window as she speaks.

"I see. Did he have any armed people with him, other than the engineers? I don't mean guards like the ones that found Shido, armed personnel that stay with him." I ask after a silent moment.

"Yes he does. And I do believe he is still alive, he's not one to die this easily." She answers with a determined expression on her face.

(She has a lot of faith in him. And well, he was walking around with a bonafide katana. So yeah. Anyway, there are only two things I can do right now. Wait and hope he would return by himself.

Or…

Try to find Souichiro Takagi, Saya's dad, myself before the retarded refuges here try to violently remove my head from my shoulders.)

"Hypothetically speaking, how hard would it be for somebody to escape from here and go to the powerplant on foot?" As I ask, Yuriko turns her sight to me, raising an eyebrow at my question.

"Impossible, especially if said 'hypothetical' person is handcuffed to a table." She says as she folds her arms, disapproving what I'm implying.

I keep staring at her, until she finally lets out a sigh.

"You know what you're planning to do is crazy, almost suicidal in fact, right? We are already preparing a whole team of armed people to go there." Hey eyebrows take a worried frown as she speaks.

"A group that might be in cahoots with Shido you mean." I respond as I tilt my head.

I added the most likely action that Shido would do to sabotage the rescue, causing Yuriko to stare at me. A moment later she released another sigh.

"And what am I supposed to say to your friends then? I already have a negative reputation with them by arresting you. What am I supposed to say..."

"They don't need to know." I cut her off. Yuriko remained silent, so I continued on.

"Because after me, they will likely be the next targets for Shido to try and make disappear. They do know his true nature after all. It's better to try and stop this 'infection' before it gets out of hand." After I finish, Yuriko sighs again and shakes her head...

After some seconds, she gets up.

"Are you absolutely sure about this? I mean, try to see this from my point of view. You are asking me to send a kid to a facility that is supposed to be overrun by flesh eating monsters." She responds up as she stares at my face.

"If I were to stay here, hoping for a miracle that we both know is not coming any time soon, I'm dead either way. Might as well go with the option where I 'might' survive." I answer with as much conviction as I can.

Yuriko stayed silent for some time, her face giving off the impression that she is in deep thought.

"... Wait here." She says as she turns around and moves towards the door. She unlocks it and exits the room, closing the door behind her, before locking it from the outside.

"Oh ok, I was about to take the table and go for a stroll. But I guess I'll wait since she asked…" I say sarcastically as I give the handcuffs a tug and slump back on the chair.

(Sooo, Saya is fond of me huh? Coulda fooled me…heh… )

A couple of minutes passed before I heard the door being unlocked once more. I was actually tense for a few seconds, thinking that Shido had decided to go 'fuck it' and try finish me off now with Yuriko out off the way. Thankfully I didn't see that snake's face coming through the door as Yuriko walked inside, along with my backpack.

The moment she walked into the room two more people followed behind her, locking the door behind them. I just watched the whole event silently.

With the door locked, Yuriko then turned towards the two men.

"Alright, stand by the door you two, this won't take long." She says to the two as she walks to me, uncuffs me and takes the handcuffs away.

(Finally, I thought I was about to get married to this table with how intimate we were being.)

I crack my wrist to limber up any stiffness from being cuffed the whole time.

"Your equipment should all be in here, minus the shotgun obviously." Yuriko passes the backpack to me as she speaks. I nod and take the bag.

(Hello old friend, missed me?)

"So… what's the plan on getting me out of here?" I ask, and one of the guys that came with Yuriko turns to look at me.

"We are to be on the next patrol that will leave in about ten minutes. Before we leave the mansion we'll pick you up en route, and from there we'll take you outside with the patrol jeep. After that, we drive you towards the power plant." The guards speaks up, Yuriko nods after the he finishes talking.

"Okay. Now in the backpack, I've also placed a two-way radio that is normally used by the guards. Except this one has been tuned to only broadcast to a specific frequency so it won't transmit to every single radio in the vicinity, only to this one here can get a signal from it" Yuriko says as she waves a radio in her hand ..

"I also left a handgun with two clips in your backpack. Your shotgun I'm afraid..."

"Too big to hide, and too noisy to stealthily walk around with, I know." I cut in, Yuriko nods before she continued speaking.

"After you reach the powerplant, Look for any survivors. Anyone sent there is quite important to rescue, though your main objective is still finding Souichiro. If he is no longer alive. Bring proof of his death back with you, we'll think of a different way to get you off the firing line after that." Yuriko kept a straight face as she spoke of the morbid subject. I just nodded in response.

"While we do not have a map of the interior of the power plant, we do have some basic information about it. The facility should have two buildings, the main building containing the office and control rooms, and a warehouse. Any other structures there are simply part of the power generation process and only part of the infrastructure, so you should focus your search on these two buildings.

The facility should also have two giant chimneys that you should be able to see from a distance if you somehow lose your bearings on the way there. Now, last but not least, the place is supposed to be overrun, so don't do anything stupid alright?" Finishing, Yuriko stands up and looks at the guards.

They nodded and started moving, probably to the jeep.

"Okay kid, Miss Yuriko will take you to the location we agreed to make a stop so we can pick you up without anyone finding out. You will hide there until we arrive" With that last remark done, they turn around and leave.

Yuriko then signals me to follow her, I get up and throw my bag over my shoulder, once I reach the door, she gives me the handcuffs along with the key.

"Handcuff yourself please. Just in case anybody else sees you, it's easier to explain if you're handcuffed. " She says as she hands them over to me.

"Can't have dangerous me running around the building huh..." I chuckle and put the handcuffs on, pocketing the key in the process, Yuriko just stares back at me...

"Let's go." She said before we both exited the room and started moving towards the stairs...

As we moved down the tall hallways, I could not help but marvel at the opulent house.

(Carpeted floors, marble pillars, all the good stuff. Don't think I'll ever get used to such a house.)

"I feel like a spec ops operative for some reason… " I say as we walk down the hallway. Yuriko was about to speak, only to close her mouth the moment we reached the stairs.

I looked at Yuriko before turning my sight towards where she was looking...

(Ohh boy… )

The stairs had a certain moody pink-haired person sitting on the top stair, both hands under her chin and her elbows on her knees. She was staring off towards the exit...

I turn to see Yuriko, whose face has taken an obvious sad frown.

"Any other way we can exit the building?" I whisper. She turns to me, taken somewhat off guard.

"Y, yes." She turns around and motions me to follow her.

I give Saya a last glance before turning around, picking up speed towards the opposite direction...

If the mood was bad back then, well, it has now hit rock bottom. Yuriko for one looked rather dejected as she walked next to me.

"Don't get killed Sepfier … " She speaks up.

"Don't make me have to be the one to tell them that I sent you off on a suicide mission. Saya already hates me enough as it is… " She continues, sadness very apparent in her voice.

"Nobody hates you, they're just on edge, that's all. And I know that, your daughter loves you. It is just as you said, she simply fails to show it correctly." I say as we keep walking, keeping my eyes straight ahead...

We kept silent until we reached another set of stairs. These ones were empty, so after we went down the stairs we instantly headed out the exit. Once we were outside, Yuriko motioned me to follow her as she went to the right, straight towards a small patch of trees next to the main house.

And after reaching said trees, Yuriko turned around to me.

"Wait here Naier, the jeep with the guards should pass from here, the guards will make a stop in front of you so you can get in. After that keep your head down until they tell you that you are in the clear… " After she finishes talking she turns to leave.

"Saya will understand." I say as Yuriko begins walking away, causing her to stop and turn around.

"And if she doesn't, I will explain it to her myself. After I bring her father back." I say with a slight nod towards Yuriko, before turning around and walking deeper into the cluster of trees.

(Saya needs to cut her mother some slack.)

I think as I sit by a tree, doing my best to hide myself in the foliage.

(I wonder what the rest are really doing. If Saya was not asleep, the rest might be awake too.)

And with that. I take the key out of my pocket and take the handcuffs off. Then, I open my bag, toss the handcuffs in and look inside to better catalog what's inside.

(Let's see, leg guards, arms guards, the walkie talkie, my swiss knife, a flashlight, map, and ohh the pistol Yuriko was talking about.)

I pick up the handgun, take out the magazine and then take one bullet out.

(Looks like a SIG P220, 9x19 mm bullets. Well, it's still a peashooter compared to the Ithaca… And now I miss my shotgun. Ohh well, better than nothing.)

I put the bullet back inside and then insert the mag back in the gun, then leave the gun on the grassy floor and keep looking inside the bag.

(There's the mags, the flashbang belt is here, no flashbangs though. Hmmm I see another belt here.)

I grab the belt and pull it out, pulling a leather holster along with it. I nod, thanking Yuriko in my heart, and strap the belt on my waist. I then take the handgun off the ground and put it in the holster on my right.

(Shame that it's a right hand holster, I'm left-handed. Well won't be too hard to just draw it and then switch hands.)

I turn back to the bag.

(More importantly, where… is… my… mask!)

I was starting to get frustrated as I took the leg and arm guards out of the bag, to make it easier to see inside the bag. I then start looking back inside.

(It better be in here, or I'm going to sue…hmm?)

I grab a hard object from the bottom of the bag and pull it out. Pulling my mask along with its balaclava.

(Why hello there.)

I then put the balaclava on, followed by the mask shortly after...

(Much better.)

I then take the arm and leg guards I left on the grass and strap them on me as well. After I was done, I focused back on my bag and began looking inside again.

(Can't find my screwdriver, guess they took it. Why though?)

With that over with, I put the radio in my front pocket, and strap the bag back on my back...

I then spend the next couple of minutes staring at the people that passed by the road...

(I really have an urge to play video games right now. What the hell is wrong with me?)

I shake my head as I chuckle.

(Guess some habits die hard. Or well, they don't die at all. I wonder, what would the girls think of me if they knew I was an avid gamer…

Other than Saya calling me an idiot obviously. Saeko, would probably tell me I need to train my body or something?

Nahh, I'm just thinking in stereotypes now. Maybe she would like games where she could kill the shit out of the one sitting next to her? So anything PVP?

Or one with excessive violence, isn't that a stereotype too though?

Kohta, fps, shooters. Has guns, he likes. In the anime it was pretty much proven that he did play video games when he spoke with Saya while on the bus.

Takashi. Uhh, I feel like he would be the guy to play whatever his friends would play...

Rei, hmm, she would seem like a fighting game type of person? I can't really tell.

Saya, I'll say RTS or general strategy games. Just so she can show off how smart she is of course…

Shizuka, uhh...umm. The Sims? Goat simulator? I get the feeling that she would play whatever and yet still manage to do something crazy without even knowing the games buttons. Like stuffing a jet plane into a house without exploding or something.

And little Alice. I'll just say pokemon, don't think her parents would let her play something violent. Though I guess beating the crap out of wild creatures and then stuffing them in balls so you can use them to beat the crap of other wild creatures is not very nonviolent now that I think about it...)

I then let off a giant yawn.

(Ughh, if I don't count that half-hour in the humvee. I still haven't slept since yesterday.)

Just as I shake my head to clear the cobwebs, I finally see a jeep stopping some meters away from the patch of trees I was hiding in...

(Is this my ride?)

I then see the guard I met earlier exit the jeep's passenger seat as he begins to walk towards my direction. I get up and walk to him.

"We good?" I ask.

He stares at me for a couple of seconds before nodding...

"Yea… Come on, we can't stay too long." With that, I follow him to the car

(That looks like a Mitsubishi Type 73? Isn't that thing supposed to be used by the Japanese military or something? Uhh whatever, guess I'm hiding in the back.)

I quickly walk to the jeep and enter it via the passenger's seat, then move to the back, then lie down. The second guard then enters the car and closes the door, just as the jeep begins to move.

"Do I hide under a cover or something?" I ask.

"Nahh, just stay down. The front gate guards are too lazy to come and check anyway." The driver speaks up.

"If you say so." I say as I look around the jeep to pass the time...

And a couple of turns later, the guards started speaking again.

"Alright, we are nearing the gate, stay down and stay quiet." The guard on the passenger seat speaks up, and some seconds later, the car comes to a full stop.

The driver opened the door slightly and spoke to, presumably, the gate guards.

"Oi, open up, guard patrol! " He shouts before closing the car's door, and shortly after, the car starts moving again.

(Well, that was simple.)

And a couple of minutes later...

"And we are in the clear, you can get up now" The guy on the passenger seat speaks up again.

With that, I get up to a sitting position.

"There should be a combat knife in the back there somewhere for you. Find it, and take it with you." The same guy adds up.

"Got it" I say as I start looking around the back of the jeep…

It was, Quite the mess to be honest. Bags and packages of snacks or food were tossed around seemingly in a hurry. I could also see the butt of what seemed to be an assault rifle under some bags too.

"The place is kind of a mess, where exactly is the knife?" I ask.

"Uhh. Look behind my seat, should be around there somewhere." The driver answers.

And like that, I start scanning around my left...

(Bags, bags and more bags, what a clutter-fest. Hmm, oh wait a minute, that might be it.)

What seemed to be the hilt of a knife was stuck in the corner next to the seat, I grabbed it and pulled it out, and the combat knife was finally revealed.

"Got it, thanks for the heads up" I respond as I look at the knife.

"Don't mention it, you'll need all the help you can get" The guy on the passenger seat turns to me as he speaks.

"But maaan. Sucks to be you" The driver then exclaimed.

"You are stuck here doing a suicide mission while the other dude from your group is getting all funky with the girls back at the house." The driver continues.

"Who… ? Is doing what… ?" I ask as I stare at the driver.

(Takashi better not be trying to woo the girls while I'm out here trying to stop my execution.

Or worse. The girls, trying to woo Takashi… Gahh God damn it, this is making me salty as hell.)

"Yeah, he was hanging around with two of them near the entrance of the main building. One of them had orange hair, the other one purple." The driver casually continues.

"Ughh… for fuck's sake Takashi. At least wait until I'm actually dead you fucktard." I say as I start tapping my hand on my leg.

"So that's his name huh. So, which one?" The driver asks.

"Which one, what?"I ask back.

"Which one you like obviously..." The driver says as he turns his head to me, and ends up staring at my mask.

"Eyes on the road..." I say back to the driver.

He just laughs and turns his head back to the road. And a couple of seconds later,

"So come on, out with it ninja boy" The driver speaks up again.

"Talk about a personality switch. You were acting way different from when I saw you with Miss Takagi..." I say with a sigh.

"Hey, we do have to show respect to Miss Takagi" The driver answers back.

"Well come on, you are willing to go and run around in an overrun facility and you can't answer that much? Speak up, come on man up. It's not like we're going to blab to anyone about this." The driver says as he turns to me again.

"Ughh...fine. As long as it makes you stop bothering me, It's the purple-haired one. Ya happy now?" I say as I fold my arms.

(I'm obviously not telling them I like Saya as well. I highly doubt Saya's dad is dead, and I doubt these guys can actually keep their mouths zipped)

"See, it wasn't that hard now was it" The driver just laughs as he turns his head back to the street.

"Are you trying to make me flip out? Because you are doing a pretty good job so far." I say as I lean forward and poke the side of the driver's seat with my new knife.

"Yea yea. Hah, sorry didn't mean to pick on you. No hard feelings?" The driver says as he keeps snickering.

I sigh and pull the knife back...

(I expected the guys that work under Saya's dad to be more. You know, all work no fun type, with a katana sheath lodged up their ass or some crap.)

"Well I wouldn't worry about it that much." The guy on the passenger seat adds right after.

"What?" I turn my sight to the passenger as I ask.

"About the girls, my friend here is just being a dick. The guy was not getting funky with anybody, he was just talking." The passenger turns to look at me as he finishes.

(Talking CAN be a reason to worry. Especially when it comes down to Saeko and Takashi. Still, postponing turning Takashi into a gib sandwich… for now.)

The driver was about to talk again, when...

"Naier." The radio in my pocket comes alive, and the driver instantly shuts up as I pull out the walkie talkie.

"I'm here, we have just left the estate and are heading towards the drop off point" I say as I speak to the radio.

"I see. Good. I take it those two are not causing you any trouble?" Yuriko speaks up.

I turn to stare at the driver as he glances at me...

"...We are doing just fine." I answered, as I could see the driver giving off a huge sigh...

"Alright, good… Once you arrive there, inform me" And with that the radio goes silent.

"Well, and that's that, how much longer until we reach my stop?" I ask as I turn my head and look out of the jeep.

"Five minutes? Three? Not much longer is where it's at." The guy on the passenger seat speaks up.

"Aright, thanks." I answer.

(Saya's dad better still be alive, or we will have to deal with some major frigging problems.)

As we kept heading further away from the estate, I could slowly see more and more corpses start popping up.

(You know. In the anime Takashi and Saeko split up from the rest of the group right before the estate. Something that obviously did not happen because I used that flashbang. I would like to say that this is proof that things can change. But, I haven't really changed anything yet.

There is still the fact that in the manga these two split after the estate. And as the anime ends right after the estate, there is still a chance things might just go on as they did in the manga…

Uhh, matter not right now. What matters is finding Saya's scary-ass dad. And more importantly, making sure Saya's house won't fall.)