In the end, the bike was gone... the engine naked and unusable... I had to create yet another bike, spending points. This evening I felt like a loss more than if I had gone to a casino with a million dollars. All for the sake of keeping all of us alive.

Once again, not spending that money on gacha rolls was a wise choice, If I haven't had that many points stored during this ordeal, we wouldn't be here.

"You made it!" We heard the shouts from the people upstairs, the vehicle was parked rather neatly in the middle of this housing complex. This building was where Rika's house was located. The group of girls and boys were greeting us from the window upstairs. Not too long after Shizuka came down the stairs to open the door for us.

There weren't many zombies around but there was a particular one that me, Saeko and Lucy noticed right away, she was a little girl... the contrast was too great compared to the rest of the zombies. She walked aimlessly together with another adult zombie, her hair was dark pink.

"That's so bad..." Shizuka said, covering her mouth in shock upon witnessing the girl.

She's the first 'kid' we have seen transformed into a zombie. Perhaps... she didn't make it into the evacuation, unlike the rest.

"Rest in peace".

Lucy said before taking the shot, sending her into the heavens if she already wasn't. I don't know who produced this catastrophe, but it is my mission to end that bastard's life.

***

***

We met everyone upstairs, the house was quite complex and luxurious, I hadn't been here before, but it literally 'smelled' like Rika, she was always someone organized... too much may I add. In my memories, she always scolded me for the most stupid of things, but when I hugged her... she settled down.

Saya came running into me, taking me into her embrace. She had been worried.

I could make a rather mischievous remark about her rebelliousness now, but I didn't want to. My girlfriend is worried for me, what's there to not rejoice about?

"It was a harsh road, we almost died".

I looked around and saw that the two girls -or ladies- Arisa and Mikoto, had already changed into pyjamas from their tattered clothes. The high school girl Mikoto was standing quite close to Takashi while Arisa seemed to be chummier with Kyoko.

"Thank you for saving us again, Brand-kun... we understand you're the leader of this group?"

"Provisional... but yes, I am... I'm glad that you two made it. Now that we know we're safe, let's just relax, eat and sleep... I'm so damn tired" I answered them politely before brushing past them with Saeko and Lucy, we're covered in droplets of blood much like the rest. This day wasn't any easier than the last.

"Brand-kun, we found the place where the weapons were, I didn't want to touch them without your permission" Hirano stated out of nowhere.

It made me raise my eyebrows and come to an abrupt stop, 'why are they being so cordial?'

I looked up at everyone in the room that was regarding me as if I was an odd elephant in the middle of dolphins. A pretty weird scenario.

"Why are you all looking at me like that?" I asked, puzzled.

All of the sudden, most of the people in this room just bowed down towards me. The one to speak was Kyoko.

"Thank you for saving us and taking us so far, Brand... although we don't understand what your power is or how it works... if it were not for you, we would have already died so many times".

Said like a proper Japanese, they all bowed to me like I was their saviour... all of them except for Saya who was too prideful and Lucy who didn't give a fart but even the two of them smiled at me with gratitude.

They made me feel awkward all of the sudden, all I could do was scratch my head, "Stop... it is not like I'm such so heartless monster, I did what was right".

"You may not be a heartless monster, but you're definitely a lustful monster~"

Saeko's words produced a round of laughter that didn't seem to amuse two particular individuals, Mikoto and Arisa who made some distance from me, understandably so.

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.

'And she had to mess it all up'.

...

The crib was immense; we all stood in front of the terrace with a window towards the street. Safe for another day and in a way better condition than before. We have food, we have weapons and we have a vehicle.

"Why didn't you tell us anything about Blackwatch? it was Kyoko who noticed them at that time" Shizuka spoke to me first.

"It was too much to explain and we didn't have the time. Moreover, even though I don't know what Blackwatch is, it is thanks to Lucy that we now know this is some American organisation apparently related to biological weapons" I explained to them, producing gasps.

"I see... so they could be the cause of this catastrophe?" Saya asked next, rubbing her lips in contemplation.

"The way they behave certainly indicates so... they kill zombies and store them in order to study them, they also kill living non-infected people; also to study them... I presume they desire to analyse the progress of the virus mutation in their bodies, but... if that is the case then we're in for a lot of trouble" Lucy added with an ominous voice that even called for my attention.

"W-Why?" I asked with a frown.

"Because that would mean that we're all infected already".

!!!

I think she could have chosen a better time and moment to say that phrase, it caused immediate panic among the group who began looking at one another.

"Calm down... Lucy, explain yourself" I said with a cold and dry voice that made everyone look at me as if wondering why I wasn't scared. The answer is simple, if Lucy hadn't given this information, we'd all still be sleeping peacefully tonight. There is no need to fret over something that is not an immediate threat to us.

"H-How is that possible? how would we get infected?" Kyoko went as far as to hold me by the wrist as if that was going to help anything.

"Think about it... so far we know that zombies are infected by being bitten... they killed people that were obviously not bitten in order to study them. Why would they do that? the only answer is that the virus is already inside us... but in a more passive state. Another option is that they want to study if people were indeed infected in the first place without being bitten, there are many possibilities, but I am leaning towards the former. Scientifically speaking, it should not be possible for someone to get infected merely by getting bitten, right, Shizuka?"

"Yes... the bite could be just a catalyst to spread the infection faster into the subject's body".

"Y-You two are scary," Higuchi said and shook his head before giving up and walking down the stairs... he was followed by a big chunk of the group.

"Can I say something?" Takashi lifted up his hand as if we were in class. Now only my girls, Takashi and Hirano remained... even Kyoko had left together with Arisa and Mikoto, she looked a little distressed.

"What is it Takashi?"

"L-Lately I have been experiencing coughing".

"..."

"I tried to repress it... thinking it was not something important, perhaps I am the only one?"

"I have had coughing as well..." Saeko said all of the sudden, raising my alarms.

"Who else? whoever has experienced lift up their hands".

Everyone did except Lucy and me.

"Why didn't you say anything?!" Lucy growled and I was just as outraged.

"I mean, it is just coughing, Brand, it could be anything else!" Saya said, but I held her shoulders, enraged... this is serious, I just hope this is not what I am thinking.

"Saya... we're in the middle of a damn infection that we don't even know how it works! do you think it is wise to remain silent for such a thing?!"

"Sorry... but it could be nothing... I haven't felt anything else aside from random coughs, you don't need to worry..." Saya held my hand, but I noticed she was shivering.

"Let's take a shower... get rid of all the blood".