Date: September 11
Place: Nagoya, Japan
[Rei]
As I looked from where the rumbling might've come, my eyes widened at the huge number of those blood-seeking creatures slowly running in groups towards our direction.
"Cedrick," my feet slowly walked backwards as I grabbed the kids who were frozen in place after they saw the same sight as I did.
"Forget about us and stop this music," my voice composed while analyzing the situation.
My sight caught a glimpse of the speaker and a camera just beside the running crowd, and another one from inside a store. The light was beeping red, a sign that it was fully functional which I overlooked much sooner.
The girl wrapped her short arms around my neck after I carried her in my arms while I grabbed the younger boy's hand and ran with them. "Keep up," I say quite harshly to the eldest who was constantly looking behind us as he followed the path I took.
"But—" I cut Cedrick off before he could finish.
"Go!" I shouted as I also picked up our pace.
My eyes widen at the number of those blood-seeking creatures. Their number didn't match my expectation of how many could have been left even after the fight I was in earlier.
"Noel," before I knew, I was gasping for air as my legs started to shake, and I almost lost my balance. "Kikoe," I continued after a few deep breaths. "Drop everything and come find us," my tone demanding and irritated as I adjusted the girl in my arms.
I looked back to see that we've come back to the convenience store where I left them before which was pretty far from the crowd now. But there was no proof that they'd stop the chase just like that when I noticed the speaker that we're closer to, plays the loudest while the one we passed had already stopped broadcasting the song.
"Roger," I hear both of them answer as I focus my sight on the surroundings, trying to spot something that might be useful for now.
"Here," I gave the kids a ragged big tarpaulin of an advertisement that I saw just in the corner. "Hide over there and don't get out unless I tell you to, okay?" My lips curling up as I pat their heads for an exchange of nods.
"Also, keep your eyes peeled for remaining survivors," I wiped my knives on the side of my pants to clean the stains as I faced the direction we came from.
"And, make sure to ki—" I got distracted by Shin who was still standing near me and staring while the other two dragged him inside. "End every unOrdinary in sight as quietly as possible," I posed a thumbs up at the kids who were looking gloomy as they hid under a table.
"Hide," I mouthed until they finally covered themselves up with the tarpaulin.
"We're heading there now," Noel's voice cracking as I heard them running.
Stretching my body as I slowly walk towards the herd, the music stops.
"There was nobody here," Cedrick's sharp inhale and the trashing of the controls were too loud for my ears. "I'll come down there now—"
"Take a copy of every data there first," I gritted my teeth as I jumped on the first unOrdinary that came my way.
"But Rei!" There he goes again, retaliating. His voice was annoyed and in distress.
"Cedrick!" I shouted back, slicing the next unOrdinary's head off after I landed on the blood-stained floor and dropped to the ground with my legs stretched out to trip some nearby ones as I spun myself.
I heard a faint groan on his side and nothing more.
I was progressing faster in the light compared to earlier. Everything was clear and bright.
This type of unOrdinary, I can proudly take out on my own even without that stupid ability. But their number are an obstacle I might have a hard time without it.
Throwing my main knife onto a neck and running towards it to sink it more as it dropped on the ground, standing on it as I got my gun and shot nonstop. Their bodies exploding after the other.
"What are these rounds?" My smile turned into an excited one, expecting no one to answer.
"That's a prototype that Butch secretly handed me," Cedrick was still sounding aggravated when he explained as I heard violent keyboard typing on his part.
"Why are you telling me just now?" I pulled the trigger that had the last two prototype rounds.
"I honestly forgot," his tone now ashamed for only a couple of seconds.
I threw my gun at another unOrdinary that had its claws gawking at my neck as I ducked and stabbed it on its stomach and pulled upwards to split it in half.
I have already thinned out the crowd as I stand looking at the ground and the pile of undead bodies lying under my feet. Catching my breath as I slowly noticed that the others are now beginning to ponder whether to step forward.
I slowly stepped down the pile, walking in front of them. But weirdly enough, they only stood frozen in place. I tried stabbing it on their chest and it shockingly let me finish them off without a fight.
Then after I removed my knife from the body, it slumped on the floor and every one of them started to stomp their feet in sync.
I jumped back as I watched them howl and scream in a certain rhythm.
"What is happening?" I mumbled and unexpectedly got a reply from Noel.
"They're communicating," he answered without hesitation.
"What?" I was too appalled to understand him.
"I've experienced something similar back where I was from," he continued. "I know it sounds crazy but the moment you let your guard down, something will emerge to—" my ear started to ring as I felt my back slamming into a thick wall before I could even hear him finish his sentence.