The soldiers both turned on their flashlights, shining them down the hallway. Halfway down the hall, they spotted a body of a soldier in a hazmat suit. Across from the body, a door to a room sat open. She quickly pressed the ground floor button, wanting to get out of the hospital as soon as possible.
Again, they went down in the elevator, the soldiers ready with their rifles to fire. The doors opened, and the hallway looked as it had before when they had been down it earlier. The soldiers picked them both up and motioned for them to follow. She stayed close to the soldiers as they walked down the hallway, checking to make sure there wasn't any infected.
As they neared the end of the hallway, they could see the two soldiers from the entrance at a door in the lobby. The door was labeled as the stairwell. The two soldiers they were with ran towards the other two soldiers, attempting to stop them. It was too late, and the soldiers opened the door, only to let out a flood of infected.
The soldier in front of the door was immediately attacked and fell to the ground. The other soldier at the door back up, firing his rifle into the attacking infected. This only brought the attention to himself, and the infected split into two groups, one attacking the soldier on the ground, and the other infected chasing after the soldier who had chosen to run.
The soldier had decided to run towards where they were at, blocking off their escape route as well. Now over two dozen infected blocked the entrance, and the soldiers began to back up, taking turns firing a few shots at the infected. Just like the man the night before the bullets did little to slow their advance.
Soon they were running out of the hallway to retreat through, and one soldier had run out of ammunition, instead, pulling out a combat knife. Minori was panicking, knowing that if they returned to the elevator, it would only lead them to where more infected were. Her instincts took over, and she felt behind her along the wall. Minori found what she was looking for, a door handle, and pulled on it.
She struggled with the handle unable to entirely pull down the handle, without bending down. Minori tried looking over her shoulder, but it wasn’t any help. The closest soldier, the one who was using his knife, pushed her out of the way and opened the door. They followed the soldier in, leaving two soldiers in the hallway.
The two soldiers in the hallway were still firing at the infected, with little effect. The soldier that had opened the door, closed and locked it, leaving his friends outside. Nobou looked a pale white, staring at the door with fearful eyes. They all watched as the two soldiers passed the window, still retreating towards the elevator.
After a few moments, they started to see the infected slowly stumbling past. Minori lost count after the tenth passed the door, realizing there was more than she originally thought. The three of them stood motionless, waiting for something, anything, to happen. A scream was heard from outside in the hall, one of the soldiers inevitably being attacked by the infected. Shortly after the first, another cry originated from the hall; the second soldier screamed, and then no more gunshots or screaming.
They were now trapped with no one to help them escape from the room. The soldier started to panic, and carefully stepped over the body bags, moving towards the windows. He loudly began to try to pry open the window that was clearly not made to open. It was one single window piece, with security wire inside to help make sure it couldn’t be broken.
Minori quietly whispered to the soldier, “Hey, stop that. The infected will hear you.”
The soldier ignored her and kept his attempt going. She moved to stop him, but it was too late. He was making far too much noise, and a few infected outside in the hall had started to notice. They wandered up to the door and began to beat on the it. The banging only drew more infected to spot, and soon a mob had formed outside the door. Minori stared at the door; the soldier began to cry from frustration.
The beating became a rhythm that filled the room. It became a war song of the infected, a steady calling. They realized that they had no way to escape the room, no way to break free from their prison. They could only helplessly wait until the infected broke in, or either the soldiers outside came to help. She quickly grabbed the bed that was still in the room and shoved it against the door, hoping it would help it hold.
Nobou walked up to her and embraced Minori in a hug, as she began to cry. The door started to crack at the hinges, too much weight pressed against it, too many infected trying to get inside. The soldier slumped down against the wall, finally accepting their fate. They all collectively knew the door wouldn’t hold forever, and they could only welcome death by staring it in its eyes.
The time came to a standstill as each of them had a moment where they each came to terms what was going to happen. The door would only last a little bit longer, the cracking of the wooden frame was audible. Minori still had no regrets about running the Major General's interview; she only hoped that the truth would help those who would be affected by this virus. She would become its next victim, on a long upcoming list.
As time came back to present speed, one final loud crack was heard. A thud followed it as the door hit the bed and then was shoved to the ground. Minori watched as a sea of infected flooded into the room. Nobou hugged her tightly, and she, him. Neither one let go as they were surrounded. Their screams echoed in the dead hospital.
The soldier/ the bus driver
The Siege of Tokyo
Chapter 1
Yuuto stood in the crisp morning air, in file with the rest of his platoon. He had been woken up early, considering the sun wasn't even peaking over the horizon yet. He wanted to yawn, but he didn't want to be noticed by his officer, expressly since they were in front of the base commander. Only half-paying attention to what was going on around him, since every four months or so they would do readiness drills, he tried to focus on staying awake.
It wasn’t until the last platoon showed up that the base commander finally spoke, “As of 0400 this morning an alert was sent nationwide. All able-bodied self-defense forces have been called to action.”
That piqued Yuuto's attention. He was expecting the same old report of how fast their readiness time was. Instead, they were being deployed, something that had never happened during the entire time he was stationed at the base.
“The only information I can give to you all is where you will be stationed, which is Tokyo. You leave in twenty minutes while we wait to load the supply trucks. Once we get to Tokyo each platoon will report the ward's command, and receive a full brief there,” stated the base commander, before leaving.
Many of the men stood in place, waiting for the base commander to come back and start laughing at them as if it was a big joke. Once they realized he wasn't going to laugh, they all grouped up around their platoon leader. After everyone asked what was going on, it became clear that no one knew anything. Yuuto was just glad to see a different pace and setting than the otherwise dull base. His platoon hadn't been deployed on the last relief effort after an earthquake had devastated a nearby town.
They all chatted in giddy excitement as they waited for their ride to show up. The trucks eventually showed up, and they all loaded themselves into the back, taking their seats along the sides. A few minutes after they were heading down the road towards the metropolitan area. The fresh morning air filled the back of the truck as it sped along the road.
It would be quite the drive to get to Tokyo, but only a few hours. Probably another hour or two from there to get to their ward command. Yuuto was excited to see Tokyo once again, as he hadn't been able to leave the base in quite some time. He thought about this, sitting at the back of the truck closest to the tailgate.
Yuuto watched as the scenery around him changed, and the sun began to show itself, sending its warmth down upon them. It was going to be a beautiful day, almost like a vacation away from the base. The road was straight, and they passed through the rural countryside. Everyone, for the most part, was still quiet, most of them half awake.
He held his rifle between his legs; it had be
en quite some time since he had held it. Yuuto had been off guard duty for almost two months. He hated guard duty even more than anything though, as he found it incredibly boring. Hoping they would be deployed somewhere with a bit of liveliness to it, he decided to start a conversation with the other guys.
“So, where does everyone think we are going to be deployed?” Yuuto asked.
Someone towards the front answered excitedly, “I hope we are deployed in Shibuya ward.”
Another soldier spoke up, “Why would you want to be deployed in a shopping ward?”
The first soldier replied, “Because that's where all the hot young women will be.”
Most of the soldiers laughed, knowing all too well that the chance of them having time to flirt with beautiful women was slim. Instead, they would probably be guarding some government building or keeping civilians out of the way from the cities responders.
The truck fell silent once more until someone else finally asked the question they had all wanted to ask, “I wonder why we are all being deployed? Something big must be happening.”
Another soldier added his opinion, “It could be linked to those riots we have heard rumors about. We are probably going to be set up as a show of force.”
The soldier across from him spoke, “It could be terrorist related as well. Or even it could be relating to some relief effort.”
“Whatever it is, it seems to be very urgent,” stated another soldier.
Yuuto listened for the next twenty minutes as they all speculated why they were being deployed. Eventually, he lost interest in all the speculations, watching the rural countryside go by as they headed to Tokyo. Either way, he thought, we will know in a few hours.
Chapter 2
The terrain had finally turned from rural to suburban, and finally to urban. The day had warmed up quite nicely, and they watched as the daily hum of the city started. It was diminished compared to what he thought it would generally be, but he assumed it was because of the military showing up; they would have announced if possible, that the public should stay home and not to hinder the military's progress. Most civilians didn't want to get stuck in traffic or get in the way of government operations.
The truck sped through the city, not even stopping once until they reached their destination. They arrived outside the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building in the Shinjuku ward, the heart of the city. Trucks filled with soldiers arrived and left fairly quickly. It seemed they weren't the first or last group to arrive.
The entire platoon met together and followed their platoon leader to the officer standing outside the building directing where soldiers needed to report. The officer pointed them in the direction of the parking garage. They all followed in single file and made sure to stay out of the way of the trucks entering and leaving. Eventually, they came across a temporary staging point, where their platoon leader announced their arrival. Behind the staging point, there was a set of two doors, that was left open, they followed the soldier that the platoon leader talked to inside.
The doors led into a semi-lit hallway that went on for a short distance before opening up to a large room. Inside the room, there were many chairs and a small stage with a map of the twenty-three special wards of Tokyo displayed behind it. Finding one of the other platoons from the same base already sitting in the chairs, along with other soldiers from other bases, they sat down as well, waiting. Shortly after the third platoon from their base arrived.
An officer stepped onto the stage and began the briefing for them all, “As of 1800 hours today Tokyo will be placed under Martial Law, and all Self-Defense Forces will be in direct control of each ward. Every platoon here will be split into two groups and deployed near major hospitals, police stations, and schools in each ward. By 1800 hours each platoon stationed will receive a complete manifest to construct checkpoints at each intersection we have highlighted here on this map,” The officer pointed at the platoons on the other side of the room.
“Your three platoons will be deployed in Setagaya ward,” He pointed over at Yuuto's platoon and the other two from his base, “Your three platoons will be deployed in Meguro ward. You are the first responded to these wards, and we will be deploying more troops to reinforce these positions as we see the traffic flow of civilians increase or decrease.”
He paused, looking around for a second, “There is an infectious virus running rampant in the western region of the country. We have already lost control of four major cities and many smaller villages and towns. The course the virus is spreading it will make its way here shortly to Tokyo.”
“We know that a bite from an infected individual is the only way to contract the virus. The virus makes those infected irrational, and extremely violent. The incubation time varies, so therefore someone who is bitten won't turn immediately. At every checkpoint, we have a screening tent in which you will screen civilians you think are infected. There is no cure for the virus, so make no notions of saving anyone if they are infected. If you have screened a civilian and found anything suspicious, report it to whoever is in charge or alert the checkpoints at the hospitals. “
“Their job will be to funnel in cases of infected civilians for treatment. The guidelines for this process will be delivered with the manifests. The procedure will be outlined on how to deal with such cases, and will be included in the manifest. All other checkpoints will have foot patrols around the clock; perimeters will be a three-block radius around each checkpoint.”
“The last thing before I send you all on your way, is that DO NOT speak to any civilian or media outlet about anything I have stated here, or in the manifest procedures. We want to keep this low key and out of the public eye as best as we can. We do not want a panic; anyone found giving out privileged information will be tried for treason. Dismissed.”
Chapter 3
Ten minutes later they were all back out in the parking garage loading back into the trucks they arrived in. Yuuto was at the back of the truck closest to the tailgate once more, waiting for the truck to take them to their ward. Before they had gone back to the trucks, the platoon leaders and the second in command, split each group equally for each checkpoint. Yuuto was to be deployed at a high school, with fourteen other men.
After waiting another five minutes the truck started off, leaving the parking garage. The convoy of trucks began heading east to their ward, leaving the heart if the city behind them. The tall skyscrapers turned into tall apartment buildings, becoming more residential. It was a few hours after noon, and there were even fewer people on the streets than when they had first driven through the city.
As they drove through the streets, most businesses were still open, but with no customers around, it seemed odd. The convoy passed many more shops and apartments, but before they reached their destination, he finally saw someone on the streets. Two people stood staring at the convoy as they passed, a man and a woman. Yuuto stared back at them, wondering what they were doing on the streets. As the couple disappeared around a corner, he wondered how many people they were going to see.
He also wondered how long it would take for them to see any signs of this infection. Yuuto worried what the infection meant for the nation, would it be an end all virus, or a simple over-exaggeration of people being afraid of a boogeyman virus. He remembered the avian flu, and swine flu being a big scare several years back, doctors swearing it was the next virus to wipe out humankind. It also seemed as though the government wanted to save face in the public eye, putting on a big show of stationing military checkpoints across the city.
He figured that they would be watching as people go about their typical day while he had to stop and question them. It sounded like standard guard duty, but worse. However, it seemed that someone thought it was terrible beyond the city and was only going to get worse. The procedure that would be included with all their supplies sounded resolute, and he hoped it would clear up the many questions he still had.
Twenty minutes later they were unloading themselves outside of a s
chool and began to form up into a group. They were with their platoon leader Lieutenant Daichi, who was a by the rulebook kind of man. He was the kind of leader that wouldn’t act on his own accord; instead, he waited for instructions from a commanding officer before doing anything. Command loved him for that since they could give him any task or assignment most would begrudgingly accept. He also liked to favor himself away from the heart of the workload, preferring to be on the sidelines.
It didn’t make him a evil leader, just not an overly popular one with the men. Yuuto hoped that Daichi would prove that he wasn’t going to let them do all the work for this deployment. They would need someone to lead them rather than assign tasks and watch. Either way, he would accept his command since Daichi was the ranking officer.
Lieutenant Daichi looked at them all, “I want half of you to be on patrols and the other half on guard duty. We can just split the group down the middle and call it even. The guard group will stay here and alert any passersby to head home. The other half, I want patrolling to scout out the three-block radius.”
Yuuto was on the three-block patrol and was glad he got to walk around and see some of the district rather than stand at the intersection, telling people to go home. They paired up, deciding to head south while the other two patrols went east and west, before wrapping around to the north to clear those blocks. Yuuto and his partner, Arata, had it easy, all they had to do was clear the three blocks to the south, the others had to clear almost six blocks.
They began their walk heading down the street, which was devoid of any civilians. It was very odd knowing that they were in a hugely populated area, and yet, they saw no one. It wasn’t until they reached the end of the block and got to the next intersection that they saw someone. Stopping a woman, Yuuto asked her to head home; she politely agreed and walked away, continuing their patrol.
What Remains (Book 2): Quarantine Page 7
