What Remains (Book 1): The Outbreak

by Barrett, Tyler

  Takeo dug into his pack, rummaging for something. He pulled it out and unfolded a map; a map of Tokyo, more specifically the area they resided. He put the map on a table and motion everyone over to the map. “When we moved into the building and were trapped I started to write down all the streets and roads that had checkpoints. I marked where they were in a circle, and if they had been overrun, I crossed them out with an X. It should give us a better idea of where to head if we avoid most of the checkpoints.”

  Kenji looked it over and frowned at all the checkpoints that marred the map. Many of the checkpoints had X’s going through them. He hadn’t realized the military had lost so much ground. It disheartened him to see the amount of destruction the infection had caused when laid out in front of him. It would be an almost monumental task to make it across the city, and he wasn’t sure if he could lead the group without anyone getting hurt. He had to try, at least, they couldn’t stay in the building forever.

  There was simply too much ground to cover, and still too many apartments that had to be deemed safe. It would be easier to find somewhere that was easier to secure and maintain. Kenji figured that somewhere, near the harbor, would be best. Maybe a warehouse, somewhere that had plenty of space, but with few entrances. If they were lucky, they would find a boat that was still operable. It was a high hope dream, but he felt it didn’t hurt to hope for the best.

  “Alright, well let’s just keep this with us and maybe we should just move around the checkpoints and skirt the worst of the crowded areas. We should make our way to the downtown area and then find a good warehouse to hole up. Secure it down make it a fortress; then we can send out scavenging parties to find the supplies we need. If we get lucky, we can find a boat and maybe get the hell out of here entirely.” Kenji said.

  Everyone shook their heads in agreement, it sounded like an easy, yet a solid plan. Better than anyone else, which included staying in the apartment, building until they ran out of supplies to pillage.

  Kenji started up again, “I think that we should first discuss our supply situation now. We need weapons for everyone and ones that don’t make too much noise. The Yokai seem attracted by the noise. After that, we need to find a way to transport enough supplies with us, so we don’t run out before we find a suitable spot to fortify. The last thing is finding enough food and water for everyone. Any suggestions?”

  Nobuto jumped in, speaking quietly, “We could search for some camping gear. It’s designed specifically for long treks without being too uncomfortable. We could carry a good amount of supplies for each of us.”

  Tadao shook his head in agreement, and spoke, “I think if we can find some more sturdy blunt objects for the rest of the group we should be fine. It seems Kenji has his katana, Nobuto has that metal pipe, I have my knife, and Takeo has that fire ax. If we can find a baseball bat made of metal rather than wood those would be good, possibly even some golf clubs. They would be a good alternative.”

  Kenji replied, “Those are all good solutions to the problems we have at hand. The only thing that worries me the most is water. While we have several bottles of water we need to find more, we just simply don’t have enough to last us. Maybe we can find some canteens if we find and camping gear.”

  Kenji paused taking a breath, “I know that we have had our fair share of close calls with the Yokai, but I think we need to open up the apartments that are locked. They are more likely to have supplies and useful items since they were probably left behind or not looted.”

  Takeo interrupted, “I think I can handle busting open the doors with the ax if we need to. If not, I am sure we can try to kick in the doors, Tadao and I trained how to do it properly.”

  Kenji nodded, “Well then it seems we have a plan. Does everyone agreed or want to make changes?”

  Everyone was silent.

  “Alright, well let’s get some rest and then start tomorrow, it’s going to be a long day ahead of us. We should probably start early, I will try to have us up around seven a.m., but until then enjoy the relaxation.”

  Kenji and Kiyomi walked back into the bedroom, Nobuto sat down on the couch and Ren joined him. Tadao and Takeo slouched against the wall and started a game of cards. For just a single moment everything seemed more human, everyone was just hanging out, with a group of friends that don’t have anything to do but are trapped inside. Everyone was left to their own devices, thinking about god knows what, as human beings do.

  Tadao and Takeo thought about home and their families, understanding that they would probably never see them again. Ren thought about her sister some more, the pain of losing her hung heavy over her. Nobuto sat in silence, wanting to talk to Ren, comfort her and get her mind off losing her sister, but was too socially inept to do so. Kenji and Kiyomi embraced each other and talked about the things that had happened.

  Kenji unloaded how he felt about killing the Yokai, about how sick it made him feel each time. How he wondered if they still had any part of the person they once were trapped inside, enslaved and helpless by the infection. Kiyomi comforted Kenji, telling him that even if they were, they would forgive him. No one would want to be trapped, unable to stop themselves from hurting others, especially their loved ones. They talked late into the night, helping each other move on from these dark thoughts.

  Tadao and Takeo, both went out onto the balcony watching the streets and inspecting the Yokai that shuffled on the streets below. They watched how they moved, what drew their attention; they listened to the far-off screams and distant gunfire. People were still alive out there, but there was less and less every hour. Both soldiers knew that soon the infected would outnumber the uninfected, making their odds of survival even worse. Things seemed grim, but they both felt that they needed to help these civilians make it to safety.

  Ren eventually tried to eat some food but ended up not finishing it. She joined Nobuto back on the couch catching the awkward glances from the teen, which looked like he wanted to talk to her but was too afraid to do so. Eventually, he worked the courage up to talk to her, asking her about herself, trying to make small talk. Somehow, Nobuto started to open up to her, something that he had never done before, even with his friends on the internet.

  They both fell asleep on the couch, he protectively covered her up, and let her take the couch, and he moved to the floor. He stayed up the latest, wondering, what had made him change so quickly. He hardly ever talked to people in real life, so much so that he hardly even knew how to handle it and would have nervous breakdowns. He had always had a tough time relating to people, getting to know them, and understanding their emotions. Something in Nobuto had changed in the past week, whether it was the uncertainty of life versus death that he now faced, or he realized soon there wouldn’t be anyone to talk with.

  Nobuto felt that he had made a connection with the people he now shared with his apartment. It was an odd sensation, knowing that people were concerned about him and cared about him. He started to feel like they more of a family than his parents had been to him. Finally having someone to open up to, to talk to, and someone to relate to; it left him with emotions he hadn't felt in a long time, happy.

  He understood how Kenji and Kiyomi, Tadao and Takeo, felt. Someone to bond with, share feelings, whether it was verbally or visually. An outlet to share common emotions and embrace each other’s humanity. The group was a good one; each person had a connection with each other in some way leaving it whole. Each person had a feeling of contentment, while around the others. The group could survive, if not on sheer will, then belief in one another.

  Chapter 22

  The Silence

  The storm had stopped, and the only noise was the occasional drip of water hitting something. The silence after such a powerful, and forceful storm was bizarre, and it left the soldiers irresolute to go outside. Knight and Ramirez had talked, and after reporting to Knight what Ramirez thought was going on, it sounded grim. The others heard the briefing of the infection that the civilian bodies showed.

&nbs
p; They cursed and shook their heads disbelieving. Surely, they would have been given biohazard gear if the government had an idea of a new virus or disease. Even though at the briefing, they had been told that it was airborne, they didn't know if they could contract it from touching a dead infected person, and none of them wanted to find out. They all concluded that they would have to take extra precaution when approaching and one and check them for infection. Civilians now became a liability, if they could even find any. This mission had been in ruins from the beginning, and now it seemed worse.

  Knight tried to calm the men down. “Now I know that we have been under a lot of stress for this mission. However, we need to keep it together and find those pilots. It is our job to make sure they return safely from that crash. Now we need to move out; the storm has passed, and it’s clear to move.”

  Ramirez interjected, “I just want to make one quick point before we head out. Seeing as we haven’t seen any of the infected alive, I would say it is safe to assume that there aren't that many infected left around. However, I don’t know how they will act, so that means we need to treat them as hostile. Is that clear?”

  The soldiers replied with a nod and began to gather up their gear. It didn’t take long since they didn’t stay long enough to rest much. They all checked their magazines for their rifles, charging the firing pin after slamming the magazine back into the gun. They were ready to head out and left the office room. They entered the hallway, heading for the door.

  Knight was in the lead, and motion for everyone to maintain noise discipline. He scanned the street one last time and motioned for the group to stay in a line formation. They left the building, barely making a sound. They could see well now that the storm wasn’t messing with their night vision. They were even catching a little bit of light from the moon, which bathed the street in silvery light.

  Knight held up his fist and then motioned for the group to fall in on him. They complied and got closer. “Alright, let’s use our night vision goggles again. There shouldn’t be anything to mess with it this time.”

  They all lowered their goggles in almost perfect unison. The group resumed their column formation, hugging one side of the street. Everyone was alert and constantly scanning their field of vision. They moved silently through the night, making their way to the crash site. Each man was completely focused, aware of their surroundings. There would be no mess ups on this rescue.

  The moved down the street several blocks, finding only abandoned bikes and cars scattered in the streets. It was still dark, but it would be dawn in a couple of hours. Navigating the streets took longer than it should have, but they checked the map every couple of blocks. They didn’t want to get lost in unfamiliar territory, especially one that had an infection running rampant.

  Finally, they came up to an intersection and cleared it. It was at this intersection that the group could make out a body of a downed helicopter, about halfway down the street on the left. Knight signaled the team, telling them to focus on the crash site. They approached the helicopter guns raised and aimed at the buildings nearby, a habit from they had gathered from missions involving ambushes.

  The street was dead silent, like all the others before it. The various buildings that lined the street were blackened beasts waiting to swallow up anyone who dared to enter them. Several of the buildings were storefronts; most had their windows smashed in with merchandise scattered into the streets. Signs of looting were obvious and meant that people were desperate. Knight never liked going into fights with desperate people, because you never knew what they were capable of doing.

  They were now only about one hundred feet away from the downed helicopter. Knight signaled for them to break formation and perform a line sweep of the street. The soldiers complied, fanning out across the street from one side to another. Silence greeted them, as they moved to the helicopter, towards the cockpit of the helicopter. A ring of dead bodies littered about it, all with their heads caved in.

  Knight stopped and kneeled next to one of the bodies. The head of the person was completely cut off; he looked around seeing it a couple of feet away. He still didn’t understand why there were so many dead bodies everywhere. It was obvious that someone had gone through the area after the helicopter had crashed, but who had killed all those infected.

  Knight shoved these thoughts out of his head; he had a pair of pilots to rescue. He got up and moved to the cockpit window, it was still secure, but had several bloody handprints on it. The rain had washed some off, smearing it down the side. Carter called out from behind the helicopter, where the ramp was. Knight moved quickly, noting the urgency of the call.

  “Knight!” Carter called again.

  Knight picked up the pace, jogging towards the back, reaching the small distance quickly. He almost half expected to see the pilots’ dead, lifeless bodies. He was thankfully wrong and found only the back ramp opened. He raised his gun instinctively, sensing that something wasn’t right. There was no sign of either pilot, even in the dim glow of his night vision goggles he could see they weren’t there.

  He looked around trying to piece together what happened. He was about to conclude that the pilots must have left the helicopter, and they were probably the ones to take on the infected outside. It didn’t fit together. Why would they go the opposite direction of the forward operating base, where they knew it was safe? How could they have taken down so many infected, and on top of that the wounds didn’t match any weapons that the pilots would be carrying?

  Knight was about to call for his team to search the area when he found a hastily written note. It was lying next to one of the pilot’s helmets. He reached down and grabbed it, pulling up his night vision goggles so he could read it. He turned on his rifles flashlight and pointed it at the note. It was short, but its message clear.

  We have your men. Come get them.

  It struck a note within Knight, and he didn’t like the sound of it. Someone had made off with the two pilots, and by the sound of it, they were holding them hostage. It was a calling card, the person who left it daring the soldiers to hunt them down. He realized that with all the looting of the buildings around the crash site could only mean one thing. They were bandits, marauders looking to extort the soldiers into giving them help for the lives of their men.

  He didn’t like the look of the situation, but he knew that they would have to deal with any opposition. If they didn’t the group might attack them with their guard down, leaving them hopeless. No, they would have to strike first and get their men back. Knight called the other men. They entered the hull of the helicopter and looked at Knight, wanting to know what he found.

  Knight gave it to them straight, no lies or fluffing. “It seems that someone or a group has taken the pilots. They left a message telling us to get them, and with all the looted-out buildings, I would say it’s a good chance they aren’t friendly. We need to find out where these people are holding our men and get them back.”

  The other soldiers nodded their heads in agreement. Smith spoke up, “I will radio base let them know the situation.”

  Smith pulled out the radio and contacted base, telling the situation quickly. It was Langston who answered the radio and copied their call. Langston talked a bit to Smith before disconnecting. Smith walked up to Knight, “Hey, Langston said he needs to speak with us when we get back. It’s about the soldier we found, Parker.”

  “Ok. Alright, let's head out!” Knight said.

  ✽ ✽ ✽

  They had searched the area around the street and decided that since they didn’t know where the group was located, that had taken the pilots, they needed to find some clues to the direction they had gone. It didn’t take long to find that someone had pillaged the whole street; both sides were looted of important supplies. The common factor they found was a trail of bodies, all infected, leading away towards the bay area. It looked like the group that had taken the pilots had most likely been through here and judging how the bodies all lead in the same direction
; they had found their path to follow.

  The only reason they knew for a fact that it was the same people was the weapons marks, and ways the infected had been killed, were the same as the bodies found at the crash site. Some bodies were missing limbs and heads; while others had their heads bashed in by a heavy and blunt object. The path beset with ghostly figures that filled the vision of the soldiers. They looked like demons sleeping on the streets; the blackness of the dead’s eyes threw off the men since eyes normally reflected light. The effect gave them all a bad feeling of discomfort.

  Knight motioned to watch the buildings. He had the feeling that they were being watched; an old habit that crept up on him, from so many years of walking enemy territory. He looked for any choke points, anywhere that would be an advantageous position to ambush them. The streets looked clear, but it was hard to make sure. Urban environments have too many places to cover at once, which means that the enemy had naturally good ambush positions.

  They moved soundlessly towards bay area, allowing the trail of destruction led them towards the pilot’s captors. They had gone four blocks when they started to notice the infected, which looked more decomposed, indicating that they were getting closer to thugs who took the pilots to their base of operation. Knight signaled for a half pace approach down the street.

  The buildings that lined each side of the street had started to look different, less like shops, and more like business offices. As they got closer to the bay area, he could tell why it was a safe location to hide. Several of the businesses had erected fences around the property, mainly to thwart wood-by criminals from stealing goods. Soon the office buildings turned into warehouses, with even bigger and stronger fences.

  This warehouse is where the group would hide, a place that was big enough to hold their supplies, and yet they could easily defend it. Now the only part was figuring out which one contained the criminals they were hunting. Knight started to wonder what kind of defenses these people had, whether it is the actual building itself or if they had gotten their hands on some real weapons. He had seen groups like this before, a rag-tag team of “mercenaries” who thought they could make an easier life taking what they wanted.