Gas-Station Raid! (Private: Hizoku, Elfie & Lad)

[Hizoku Tsuwamono]

A blue 4 door car spun around the corner at around 90 miles per hour. It appeared to have 3 people inside, a giant blond haired man, a little child in the back seat and a middle-aged woman driving. The 'things' all looked at it in the area. For its tires made the screeching sound as it made turns to dodge 'them'. Hizoku was in the front passenger seat, looking for survivors from this, horrible event. The woman was frantic, and wanted nothing to do with this horrific beast of a man. "Make a stop here, at Shell." said Hizoku, while pointing at the gas station.

"Y-yes." replied the woman. She was scared of him. He was a delinquent and basically highjacked their car and kidnapped them along the way. She slowed the car down and parked it at one of the pumps at the station. “Let’s go.” Hizoku continued, opening his car door. “W-why?” the woman asked, looking at Hizoku with a frightened look. He looked at her, then the child in the back. “You and your daughter will live longer if you stick with me.” he said with a warm caring expression. She looked at her daughter in the back and sighed, if it meant saving her precious little girl, then she would follow this beast. “My name is Youmei, and this is Rayuuku.” she said with a false smile on her face. “The names Hizoku.” he said, getting out of the car, looking at the ‘things’ that approached them.

“Hurry inside, they’ll get here soon.” he said helping the little girl get out of the car. He was the first inside the building, to check if it was secure. He spotted something moving in the back. He slowly crept up behind it, ready to punch. It was indeed one of ‘those’. It quickly saw him, and lunged. Hizoku threw a quick jab, not strong enough to smash its head off, but enough to stun it. It staggered back and he threw another, this time it was a uppercut, and it tore off its head, hitting the ceiling. He looked at the two and motioned them to come inside. So they did. There was food, some things that could be turned into weapons and some other handy devices. Hizoku cleaned off the shelves of a nearby stand and put it infront of the door, hopefully, keeping ‘them’ out for a short amount of time.

“Hizoku-sama, can we eat some of this food?” said Rayuuku, who couldn’t be older then 8. He looked at her with a pitied look and nodded. “Yeah you can.” he said, going to the back and looking at the backdoor. Seeing 3 of ‘those’ walking around. He did a low snarl and opened the door, going inside. The closest one, facing away from Hizoku was the biggest one of the lot. He spotted a shovel, and decided it would be a useful weapon. He picked it up, and smashed ‘it’ a few times over the head with it. He saw showered in ‘its’ blood and it was making a thudding noise, alerting the other two. A police officer, and a kindergartener. The shovel was dented too much, so it was no longer usable. The police officer lunged at him with speed, and Hizoku grabbed ‘it’ and threw it head first into a dumpster, basically exploding on impact.

The kindergartener went at Hizoku, and he moved back a few to get away from it. It was indeed a undead child, but a child non-the-less. He jumped back again when it went for a bite then the little girl opened the door and screamed at the ‘thing’. Hizoku was shocked and the little kindergartener lunged at her, biting her shoulder. Hizoku ripped the little ‘thing’ off and ‘pile driver’ its head into the ground, exploding. Hizoku grabbed the girl and leaned her against the wall, taking a dirty rag and putting it on her shoulder. “Keep it there for a few, to stop the bleeding.” said Hizoku, she nodded while crying. He went outside and moved the dumpster infront of the door and slide through the top, getting back inside.

He picked up the girl and walked over to her mother. The mother screamed and ran over. “My poor baby! What did you do you monster!?” she screamed and Hizoku had a saddened look on his face. “I went and killed 3 of those monsters, but one bit her before I could kill it.” he said in a apologetic tone. He put the child down on the counter and walked away. Seeing the mother start to cry He walked back outside, remembering the cop he basically blew up. He pushed the dumpster out of the way and took the cops gun and a few clips of ammunition. “A 9 millimetre, 13 rounds per clip, current clip has 4 rounds and 4 clips with 13 rounds each.” he said as he examined the gun. It appeared to be in gun usable condition. But it would attract too much noise.

He put the gun in his side pocket, along with the 4 clips. He went back inside, pulling the dumpster infront of the door. He walked into the room, seeing the little girl start to change. She was turning pale, shivering, and screaming in pain. He knew she wouldn’t last, and it was only a few minutes as well. He walked over and put a hand on the grieving woman’s shoulder. “Youmei, she won’t last long...the last thing you can give her is a merciful death...those ‘things’ wouldn’t give her the light of day for that...I saw a small child do this.” he explained, but she only had rage on her face and slapped his hand away.

“She’s going to be all right!” screamed Youmei as she stood up. “She’s all I got! Without her, I won’t have a reason to live!” she added and was about to slap him as he caught her arm. “I’m sorry, but she’s going to die soon and become one of ‘those’, and she’ll try to kill us then.” he said, letting go of her. He walked over to Rayuuku and put his hand on her head. “It’ll be over soon...” he said as the petrified mother watched him grab the cash register, then slammed it down on Rayuuku’s head, twice. A bloody mess was left behind. He moved away from the body and looked a Youmei, who was crying silently. He put a hand on her shoulder and walked away to the window, to watch ‘them’.

He sighed and looked back, seeing Youmei running to the back of the gas-station. “WAIT!” he screamed, running after her. She climbed through the cap that the dumpster left and jumped into a horde of ‘those’. He climbed onto the dumpster and watched as 10 or 15 of ‘them’ tore away at Youmei. He shuddered and turned around to climb up onto the roof of the gas-station. It was easy for him, seeing as he was basically a giant for most. He looked over at the ladder coming up, and he thought that they couldn’t get in, that and it had a fence around the base and top, both with locked doors. He moved over to the edge and saw a small wave of ‘those’ all over the place. The number, roughly two hundred, maybe even close to three hundred.

Hizoku was shocked to see the numbers, such large numbers in such a small time since the infection started? It was madness to him. But all he really cared for, was finding survivors, and surviving himself. He heard the gated door at the base of the ladder force open, and the groaning of ‘them’ grew closer. He needed to get out of this area and fast. But the car was down there and he was up here. But for now, he was safe, at least until ‘they’ climb up a ladder and force open the next one. Hizoku walked over and looked down the ladder, seeing ‘them’ all bunched up in a small space, trying to reach for the ladder. They knew he was up there, but for how long was he safe? He backed away and looked at the small roof that covered up the gas-pumps.

He was thinking, if he could jump and make it across, he’d be closer to the car. And maybe put some gas into it so he could drive longer. He backed up and took in a deep breath. “You can do this Hizoku. You are a WARRIOR!” he said, finishing in a loud voice. He bolted towards the other side and as he foot touched the end of the roof, he lunged off of the building, and actually jumped on target and did a roll as he landed onto the cover. He smiled and started to laugh in joy. He finally found a small safe place, but it wouldn’t last long, he needed to get out, and fast. He looked again, noticing that the large number from earlier was moving towards the east, towards a place with large amount of smoke and fire coming from. He could hear faint bullet noises, which was most likely drawing them. “Lucky me.” he said, as he sat down close to where the car was. Now he would wait until it was safer before leaving, but to wait for what to leave? ‘Those’, or other humans?

[Elfie]

The running footsteps were barely heard amongst the shooting and screaming. Quick like an alley cat pouncing on it's meal, Reiko dashed across the street before pressing her back against the wall of a building that was disserted. In her ears blasted the tones of "Getting Away With Murder" by Papa Roach, as she had fortunately brought her Ipod with her to school that same day which everything had begun. Perhaps it was not the wisest thing to keep your hearing occupied with music, but Hell if she cared. If she was about to go and kick ass then she would do so with good music playing under, and if she was about to get killed then what better way than go out with style and some rock? Her breathing came in short gasps and she felt like she had been running for days, but perhaps that was just because her adrenalin was finally starting to slow a bit? Small blood spots stained her blue uniform, and a bandage was around her knee where she had banged it pretty badly against the concrete while evading an attack from one of "Them" which had resulted in her falling off of the bike she had stolen. She had yet to check her knee out, but as far as she knew then she could still move even if her knee was starting to swell a bit up.

Next track started, the wonderful weirdness of Angelspit's "Paint Hell Red" making a small grin appear on the young girl's face as she pushed her lithe body away from the wall she had been resting against. It didn't seem there were many of "Them" around here, but then again she would not take any chances. She had one of her trench knives in her right hand, the other sheathed securely on her left thigh. The blade had old blood smeared over it, a proof that the weapon had indeed done some good. She wasn't sure how many she had killed of "Them" up until now. It was impossible to really tell in all this chaos and confusion. How the fuck did things get this chaotic in such a short time? It felt only like an hour ago since she had seen the first of "Them". She had been on the rooftop of the school, enjoying a bit of a time for herself. A dragging sound had caught her attention, making her roll onto her stomach from her earlier lazy position and glance around. A fellow classmate of hers had been advancing closer to her, and weirdly enough, he seemed to have a broken foot or something since his walking was really weird and creepy. Oh geez.. is he gonna try to scare me? "Hey shithead. Shinji right? Do us both a favor and get out of here." There was no answer but rather didn't his moving speed up a little bit?

Groaning softly out while spitting out a curse, Reiko had gotten up and gotten ready to let out a string of insults when she hesitated. Something was... very wrong. Now that she had gotten a closer look, he had seemed very unnatural. His skin having a grey-ish color, his eyes not having any pupil.. just plain white and dead. And what made her really get a shocked look on her face was the fact that about half of his torso was missing. Like someone had just... ripped it out. Swallowing while stepping back, Reiko felt her heart skip a few beats. "S-stay back! I'm warning you!" That -thing- in front of her didn't listen to that, but rather kept going until it lunged towards her. It's mouth was open and a hungry moaning sound emitted from that monster. A loud yelp escaped Reiko as she dodged the attack, and out of instinct she had turned her body and kicked at the things back. Sending it flying to the ground. Not pausing to see what would happen next, Reiko had run to the door which lead to the staircase. And found herself in the middle of the depths of Hell.

And now she was here, not really sure where the fuck -here- was. She had just ran, not caring to see if there were survivors anywhere. Just outside the school she had stolen a bike and just went into the direction where it seemed to have the smallest amount of chaos. And by now, after she had gotten this far, she had gotten to know how to best kill "Them". And Reiko had not held back in that department. What was mostly bothersome were other human survivors though. It seemed that most of the population had just.. lost their mind when this had all begun. And more than once and more than twice had Reiko had to fight a fellow survivor. I need food and somewhere I can sit down for a few minutes Looking around, she tried to grasp the environment. If she was not mistaken, she thought she had been to this part a few times before. And that meant there was a gas station not full 5 minute walk down the street. Alright.. just gotta hope not too many others have thought the same as me.

She went to a full sprint, with a sligh limping in between. It wasn't like she would be able to use the bike any longer as it had gotten pretty trashed when she had fallen. One of "Them" passed her by, but Reiko swiftly dodged it and left it standing in confusion behind her. "Above and Below" with The Bravery started playing. And Reiko couldn't hold back the short and low laughter that erupted from her. That song was just a bit too fitting not to find this amusing. Perhaps her knee wasn't as bruised up as she had thought at first since it didn't really hurt that much after some running. I can't afford being banged up. It will only mean my death. The shop was now finally in range, and automatically Reiko slowed down her running. She could see a dozen of "Them", but it seemed they were heading away from the gas station. Pulling out one of her earplugs, she immediately knew why as she heard a few gunshots and some loud noises further down the block. Idiots. But thanks for drawing the attention. Circling around the building, she tried to see if there were any others near. Last thing she wanted to do was to bump into some psychopath. Turning off her Ipod, she stopped and listened then crept a bit closer.

Coming to a halt, her emerald green eyes spotted out a blue car in the parking lot. And close to it, at the rooftop of the gas station, sat a man with blond-ish hair. And that man seemed huge, even when he was sitting and at some distance from her. There was nothing awkward or unflattering about his size though, but rather he looked to be only made of pure muscles. Reiko wasn't sure if he had seen her already, but after standing still for a full minute she decided to get a bit closer. She had to just count on her own speed if he would decide to attack her. She was now in full range of him to see her, and again she stopped. Her eyes quickly scanned the area around them, while she seemed to be trying to make up her mind if it would be safe to get closer to him in order to get into the gas station. She still hadn't said anything, deciding that if there were any of "Them" around, she'd rather not attract them to the spot she was standing. It was weird, but the blonde giant seemed to be a bit familiar. And yet she couldn't quite grasp it where she could have met him before.

[lifeanddeath]

Akira’s hand lazily traced across the books of the school library, his hand slowly moving down the spines of each book as he walked among the isles. He felt different today, as he walked through the sections of books, this time classics sections. He inhaled deeply, getting a nerd-ish pleasure out of the smell of the old books as he curiously gazed down the isle. Today felt different, it felt as if something were looming on the horizon. He shook his head, trying to shake away the depressing thoughts as his blue eyes caught a book laying on scratched and scuffed wooden floor. Crouching slowly, carefully shifting the balance of his large form, he picked up the book. Flipping the book over in his hand, Akira examine the title through the faded title, ’Dracula‘, his examined the bound book, the pages were old and faded and both the covers torn, it was old, destroyed by previous students, held together only by three rubber bands holding the overs too the pages.

Holding the old book in his hands, Akira slowly began to stand. Just as he started to move, there was a loud snap and every light within the Library snapped off, leaving the room in total darkness. Akira let out a low snarl as the lights went out, staying in his crouched form he waited the minute or so as his eyes adjusted to the darkness and he could see at least vague outlines of shapes in the darkness. He kept low as his eyes snapped around the pitch black room. “It’s probably just one of the student’s pranks again...”, he whispered to himself. It was an unfortunate habit that, although he rarely spoke to others, he always seemed to talk to himself.

Knowing the library like the back of his hand, Akira kept low and crept towards where he knew the door was. He was assuming this was just another classmate trying to fight Akira, but knowing they couldn’t stand an even fight, they were resorting to the underhanded tricks. He was in the back of the library, so he had to make his way all the way to the front without making his location known. ”Fucking Great“ he growled under his breath, as he moved around the corner, hugging the wall in his low crouch, still holding the book in his hand.

It seemed like hours as he slowly moved through the dark of the library, the time and lack of movement around him making his skin crawl with worry. If this were another attempt to gang up on him, they would certainly be louder and more obvious with their movements. ’Something else is going on here...‘ His mind began to burst with situations that it could be, but before his mind could force him from his calm, he shook his head throughly to calm the thoughts. ”Keep a hold of yourself“ he growled, a bit louder than he had meant to, his voice seeming to carry in the dark and silent library.

A low moan answered the sound of his voice. It was not a moan of pleasure...nor a moan of pain, but one entirely different. To Akira it sounded like a moan of hunger, the sound brought a chill down his spine and for the first time in recent memory, Akira felt fear. His stomach lurched and he felt the pace of his heart quicken, the organ thumping loud and rhythmically in his chest as he felt his muscles tense. His mind abandoned all reason and he released his muscles and sprinted towards the door, abandoning all reason as he ran. Operating purely on adrenaline and instinct, he felt his sense sharpen, his pointed ears picking up more low moaning and what sounded like shuffling feet as his eyes began to make things out with more accuracy in the darkness.

On instinct he hopped over a small cart loaded with books in the same manner a track runner would jump a hurdle. Within a few more strides of his long legs he felt his hand on the old brass door knob. Just as his hand grasp the doorknob the lights snapped back on, bright light flooding the library as Akira snapped around, blinking quickly momentarily blinded by the sudden bright lights. He looked around, blurringly making out shapes as he noted a humanoid figure advancing towards him, hearing another unnerving moan as his vision began to clear. The figure was the librarian and at Akira’s first glance, she appeared normal, but as his vision came back, Akira noticed the odd tinge of her skin..there was blood covering her mouth and it seemed as if her arm was snapped in several places.

With a lung, the creature attempted to attack Akira and his body reacted, his foot snapped out kicking a cart of books at her with surprising force. The cart collided with the female creature with surprising force, yet she made no note of the pain as the momentum carried her across the library, only the same hungry moan as she collided with a bookcase, causing the whole shelf to collapse on top of her. If it weren’t for the confusion and fear of the situation, Akira may have found the scene a bit comical, yet by the time the bookcase fell, he was long gone, running down the hall towards his locker.

~

Akira’s feet skid against the floors of the floors of the school as he stopped in front of his locker, his heart still pumping in his chest, as he ripped the damn thing open with surprising force. Leaning his head against the locker he let out a deep breath, attempting to calm himself as he reached in and pulled out a long object wrapped in cloth. ”What was that things?!“ His mind was rapidly trying to figure it out, certainly nothing he had seen before, but he sure as hell knew what it looked like. ”But that c-cant be possible.“ He sputtered, catching his breath as he turned away from his locker, now carrying both his sword and his bag he knew he needed to go figurer things out.

He started down the hall, towards the exit to the school, picking up into a slow run, keeping an eye out for any people. The school was strangely dead for the time of day and Akira’s mind still in reflex mode was trying to figure out why as he rounded a corner. another one of the creatures shuffled from an open door way. Acting again on instinct, he swung his wrapped sword around and hit her forcefully in the skull, the blow enough to knock her onto the ground as he took off again. His legs moving with serious force as he sprinted through the doors into the world outside, not entirely prepared for what he found.

~

As Akira slammed through the doors, his eyes instantly surveyed the carnage, more of the creatures were on the streets and a people were running in terror. ”What exactly are these things?!“ Three more of the creatures stood on the step of the school and lunged up the steps at the sound of Akira coming through the doors. No longer holding back, Akira quickly unwrapped his sword in one swift movement, gripping the sheath and pulling the blade free in one fluid move. The nodachi was swift as Akira moved it, his foot dashing forward he removed two of the creature’s heads in one swipe of the long blade. He was no longer holding back, witnessing the carnage had brought back his fighting instinct.

His footwork was quick as he swung the long blade around and dispatched the last of the creatures on the steps, sheathing the blade and completing the movement before taking off down the street. Keeping his keen eyes out for more of the creatures as he moved. Adrenaline pumped through his veins as he ran down the street, each of his senses enhanced because of it. He could both smell and taste the smoke in the air and his ears picked up the sound of gunshots in the distance as he ran. ’Where would be a safe place to go?‘ His mind began to think of locations, safe and away from people and these creatures, yet still a suitable place to gain information and after a minute and a large amount of distance covered he decided on the gas station outside of town, hoping no one else decided to go there. Turning down a road he started into a full speed run, able to see the gas station in the distance. He noted that there were fewer and fewer of the creatures and the one’s he saw seemed more distracted by the noise of the gunshots and were headed in that direction and so he ran on, thanking any gods that would listen for the luck.

Akira closed in on the Gas station, slowing his pace a bit as he took note of a blue car parked at an awkward angle infront of it. 'I was clearly not the first person to think of this....', his hand reached down and gripped the handle of his blade as he crouched low and silently moved closer. As he silently moved closer, Akira noticed a figure he recognized. The -short- skirt and tight shirt, the purple hair, even the way she stood, a small blade in her hand gave it away. Once he realized who it was, Akira instantly felt annoyed, there was only one person who could do that to him.

" Reiko!" Akira kept his foot steps silent as he crept up behind her, his mind flooding with emotions. He couldnt figure out how he felt entirely so he pushed the thoughts from his mind. Quickly he crept up and poked her in the small of the back roughly with his sheathed sword. ”So you‘re still alive are ya, Bitch?“ he spoke in a snarl as his telltale confident grin grew on his face. After speaking his eyes snapped up to the top of the gas station eying the muscular man with distrust before examining Reiko, his eyes immediately going down to her wounded leg. ”Didnt get yourself bitten did ya?“ he growled quietly to her, trying to not draw attention from the man on the roof as he spoke; “Cause I’ll gladly end your suffering..”

[Hizoku Tsuwamono]

A small greyish puff of smoke arose from Hizoku’s lips. He put the cigarette to his lips and inhaled more smoke. It was indeed what he did to calm his nerves, and this was a time to do so. He was mourning the loss of two people he was hoping to protect. A woman and her child, yet he couldn’t do even something as simple as that. He was indeed different then most folks, being a giant and having brute strength that could crush a babies skull with one hand, maybe a man’s skull with both. He was called a monster, beast, animal, demon...many names that derived from his brute strength and monstrous height.

“Even children aren’t safe for these monsters?” he said in a low solum tone. He normally didn’t care for humans, but children, who can’t even defend themselves shouldn’t even be attacked and turned into ‘those’. Hizoku puffed more smoke into the air, as he watched more of ‘those’ move in the direction of the gun fire and smoke. “Idiots need to learn, bullets won’t save you.” he exclaimed, just loud enough for anything within ear shot to hear. But ‘they’ didn’t care for something like Hizoku, he wasn’t loud enough to catch their attention. Well, at least not the ones who are on the roof.

They still wanted Hizoku, even if it meant falling off the roof and getting their heads smashed by the pavement. He sighed as he put out the cigarette. He didn’t have that many smokes left, so he should save them. Well, he was at a gas-station, he could just hop over the counter and grab a few. But he wasn’t about to hop down from his position yet. He decided he would look at the gun he had just found instead. He took it out of his pocket and looked it over. Clean, and ready to use. But he wasn’t about to use it any time soon. The noise caught their attention, and unless he had a silencer, he wasn’t about to use it. He turned on the safety so it wouldn’t go off and put it back into his pocket.

He stretched his arms as he looked around, and noticed some people moving about. He thought about running after them, but he saw on the third floor of a building they just entered, had a group of ‘them’. He sighed and took off his gauntlets and ran his right hand through his hair. “This is crap, why did this have to happen? I hope Satsu is okay.” he said as he looked towards the sky. He was hoping his foster-father was okay being in the prison, and that ‘they’ never got inside. Which they most likely did, and got attracted to it because of the guns and sirens that the guards love oh so much. His entire ‘family’ has been taken away by the police. “Being involved with the yakuza is bad business for a gang huh?” he said to himself as he folded his legs and placed his elbows on his knees and leaned onto his hand.

It wasn’t that he didn’t like being apart of his family-like gang, it was just that they got arrested for being a front for a yakuza group. Hizoku didn’t care much for what the gang did, but if they asked him to beat someone up, which they never did because they didn’t want him involved with their activities and get arrested. Hizoku would do it, he’d do it to prove that he was grateful to those who took him in and raised him as one of their own. But because they got involved with a bunch of yakuza they couldn’t? That he was a bit angry about. But not enough to hold a grudge. Then he let out a small chuckle, hoping the leader of that yakuza group got bitten and turned into one of ‘them’, just so he could kill it. He yawned and turned his head towards the blue car, and saw a girl standing there.

She seemed familiar. Huh? Tight clothing, dyed colour hair, knuckle blades? I only know one person like that... he thought to himself. Then a smile and a almost eerie laugh came from him. “KAKAKAKA! Miss Yamaguchi! A girl deadlier then most who ran in the same crew as I did during middle school!” he said, or basically screamed. Most would call it insane, but it was a relief. Someone who was actually capable of surviving this outbreak, and wasn’t him. Or someone called a monster...well, it was Reiko Yamaguchi, she was basically rumoured a monster. Even though those who ran in the crew and were known as the strongest knew she wasn’t such a ‘bad’ girl. She was just insane.

He was about to jump down, then he saw another shadow behind her. Someone who didn’t look quite so friendly to his standards. He put his gauntlets back on and sat there for a few seconds. He knew of Reiko’s family, the Yamaguchi yakuza leader. He knew because he did some odd jobs for them, and they were his neighbours, and they had influence with his families gang. So he knew this guy wouldn’t stand much of a chance against her. Maybe 2 or 3, not including himself, could stand against her while she was in his crew during middle school. She left cause of a knife fight turned wrong, and he never had much contact with her outside from that. But this other guy, didn’t seem friendly AND he looked like he went to the south school, for all those posh kids went.

After a few more seconds he jumped down and walked over to them, ignore those ‘things’ still squirming on the roof moaning for flesh. He walked up to the two, towering over them like a bear does its prey. He stood there looking down with a face of indifference, and seeing as both of these kids raised in a rich home, and him in a poor home, didn’t mesh over too well for his belief in their fighting abilities. “How many?” he asked in a emotionless voice, completely different from his previous tone. Some who find that a confusing question, How many what? some would ask after that. Then he sighed and tilted his head to the right. “How many have you each killed? Of ‘those’? And how many fights have you ever been involved before this happened, and how many got injured.” he asked these questions with a lax expression and tone, but his body seemed tensed. Why? Because he knew that soon, those ‘things’ would be on the ground and come at them.

[Elfie]

His loud voice startled her just a bit, before a slightly surprised look entered Reiko's face. "Hizoki? Hizoki Tsuwamono! You piece of shit! I should have known someone like you would survive." Even if her words were harsh, like they always were, then Reiko did give him a certain amount of respect. A smile ligtened up her face before she let out a slightly thrilled laughter. He was someone worthy hanging out with in times like these. If she remembered correctly then he was a part of a gang that had worked for her father. She and the giant on the roof had went into fights a couple of times together, and he was just as much of a monster as his size indicated. With a joyous look she recalled those times when she had seen him literally punch someone to death with just a single swing. However much she admired such strength, Reiko had to admit to herself that she did enjoy more to use means that made the blood flow. Hizoki was probably one of very few who seemed to never feel bothered by people's statuses and just that alone made Reiko hope she would never have to try and kill him. It was a pain in the ass to have to kill those which she thought could be fun.

It would be better to be careful when around this fella. As even if he seemed to give a somewhat a "good fella" feeling at first, then Reiko was sure he was not about to let anyone get in the way of his survival. They were pretty similar when it came to that, so if there would be any type of... misunderstanding between them, then that could end pretty badly. What had happened to him and his gang? She had lost all contact with them after just a few fights, but it wasn't as if she was dwelling on things in the past. At least he seemed alive and well for now, and Reiko was pretty sure that they could do some serious shit if they'd combine their force. The question was just how they would go on about that.

For a minute her guarding stance had lowered as she recognized who it was she was confronting, and almost instantly she could feel the harsh poking at her lower back. Shit. At first a sudden chill entered her limbs, and Reiko's body had almost started moving before her mind registered the voice and the words directed at her. Her knuckles got white as she gripped the trench knife in her right hand even tighter while a mixture of annoyance and anger flooded her mind. The poking in her lower back almost made her snarl out, but she bit her teeth together before hissing out in a low voice. "What a surprise to see a spineless bastard like you actually making it this far, Akira." His name fell off her lips like a curse. Deep down, she recognized a feeling of relief over meeting someone she knew. But that feeling got quickly overwhelmed with the normal desire to beat his face in. Twisting her head slightly so her green eyes could glare into his blue ones, Reiko allowed a small grin to appear on her full lips. "Are you telling me you'd feel confident in trying to kill me?" Even if she seemingly had her attention on the tall, raven haired boy behind her, then she was also ready to whatever movement the blonde giant would make.

Pulling just a bit away from the poking in her lower back, she moved with the trained speed and agility of a karate master and someone who was very used to fighting on the street. Her right hand whipped out into the air, the blade just barely licking the air next to Akira's head, cutting a small strand of his black hair before Reiko was done jumping just a bit out of his reach. A small, very taunting smile crossed her tempting lips while she braced the blade in front of herself. "I missed your face on purpose. Wouldn't want to have your screaming attract those things to us." As if to answer his later question, she pointed casually down at her knee. "There's no blood ya moron. I just banged it up a bit, doesn't even bother me anymore." That was a bit of a lying, as even now she felt a throbbing sensation running up her leg from her knee. It would probably swell up to the size of a football soon if she wouldn't get the chance to cool it off and rest it a bit. But Reiko would rather be gutted like a fish than to ever admit that she was in pain. And especially when it came to Akira. He was the last person on earth she would admit any type of weakness to. So here I find myself alone at a gas station with Hizoki Tsuwamono and Akira.. This should get interesting.

"If you feel like trying your luck against me then now is the time ya shithead." Her words were directed at Akira, while her gaze darted between the two of them as the blonde giant had jumped down and now made his way towards them. It didn't seem that Akira was going to make a move, so for now she listened to Hizoki. How many? ..how many indeed? Reiko tried to pull out a number from her memories, at first she had just moved frantically and sliced up anything in her way while she had been fleeing from the school. Lowering her right hand to her side while still having her muscles tensed to be ready if anything happened, she guessed a number that was close enough. "Maybe around .. 14..15.. or something like that. Probably not all were killed from what I recall. But it's not like I was really sticking around to check for that." She shifted a bit while shrugging. "And I've been fighting my whole life. You should know that well, Hizoki-kun. But I can't very well recall all that have died or gotten injured during that timespan. Just have my word that I am trained enough not to care about a few squealing idiots here and there whom I gotta take care off if they get in the way." A small sneer added a glint to her emerald colored eyes, her amusement apparent while she shrugged over the matter. As if fighting was as natural as breathing was. But in this new world which was filled with chaos, then Reiko guessed fighting would become just as essential as breathing. They would have to fight for every scrap of meal, they would have to fight for their right of existence.

Her gaze fell upon Akira, her eyes piercing as she waited on his answer. If that little "good student" had been involved in any sort of fighting, other than fighting over his study books, then she would feel surprised enough to actually gape like a fish on dried land. An uneasy chill ran down her spine as she could hear a few dragging footsteps accompanied with hungry moaning sounds starting towards them. It seemed like Hizoki's voice had given a hint of something alive and very tastey in the area, so of course those damned zombie things would want to come and check out the special order of the day.

[lifeanddeath]

The way she spoke his name, as if it were a curse or a fowl word cause Akira to let out a snarl from his lips. Her words were quick, her movements even quicker. With expert skill as Akira would expect, she moved, her knife coming out. Akira made no movements, his muscles tensed but froze, knowing that the wrong move could cost him more than just taking the first blow. He felt the small knife scar on his side ache as she came in, the blade cut a small wisp of his hair and Akira was suddenly glad he had not responded, no point in showing more of his abilities than he needed. He sharp ‘fangs’ poked his lower lip slightly as his smirk grew wider, his gaze going from Reiko to the tall man, ‘ Hizoki’ or some such as Akira had gleamed from Reiko’s words. He seemed to be a friend of hers..‘Probably a full blown bastard if they‘re friends’

As she spoke again, Akira’s eyes fell on Reiko’s wound as she spoke. ‘Lie, Lie Lie’ Akira was a quick learner and years of street fights taught him to pick out weaknesses in opponents and his two years of medical education didnt help her case either. No matter what she said, Akira knew the leg wound was causing her pain. Yet he felt within his confusing mind, a twinge of sympathy for her before he burred it in sadistic pleasure his smirk showing his pleasure all the same. Akira briefly wondered if he would waste valuable medical supplies on the leg of the bitch as he heard the large man’s words.

’How Many?‘, his mind began to buzz, numbers were his favorite. There were the five creatures at the school. But the numbers of fights and people he’s injured was a bit harder. Counting up the number of fights since he was twelve, he estimated quickly but did not speak right away, instead listening to Reiko’s words. ’14 or 15 of the creatures‘ His eyes flared in annoyance as he heard her words, she being the only person in the world who can make him competitive. ’And now for the spew about fighting all her life and her willingness to kill if needed‘ Akira had heard the countless rumors, yet words were just that. Words, he would only belief her if he saw proof.

He waited until she was done speaking before smirking and speaking himself, his words confident and clear. ”What I‘m saying Reiko...“, he spat out her name in a bitter manner, "Is that, if I need to kill you, I will....HELL I might even enjoy it", his blue eyes glared at her as he smirked and continued. ”And I dont think fighting with you would be fair given your present condition..“, he waved his hand down toward her leg before resting it back on his blade and spat the next words in a teasing manner. ”Besides, you are, after all a woman after all, I wouldnt want to give you another disadvantage“, he truly didnt believe his words, but he would say anything to get a rise out of her.

Akira, turned his gaze to Hizoki, examining him ones more. He was certainly a bear of a man, his entire bod y muscle, yet Akira wasnt impressed. He was a firm believer that speed would win out over strength in any fight. But he had to admit, the man seemed as if he would be a suitable challenge, but Akira wasnt going to fight unless it was required, he merely entertained the thought of a brutal battle with the bear. His words came in an indifferent voice, but if they were paying attention, they would see his smirk grow wider and a small, but noticeable confident flare in his sapphire eyes. ”As for how many...“ he shrugged in differently, ”Five of the creatures assuming the bookcase killed the first one. As for fights...“ he tilted his head a bit while thinking, his fangs biting his lower lip slightly, ”A rough guess of  one thousand and three hundred fights in the last five years, not counting fights I was forced into.“, he paused briefly to see Reiko’s reaction. ’Let’s see how much of a ‘spineless bastard’ I am now’ “As for injured? It’s impossible to tell, but it’s safe to assume that I’ve never walked away from a fight without injuring the other opponent. ”

As he finished speaking, Akira’s confidence disappeared into a growl as his ears picked up the telltale hungry moan of the creatures and he turned a bitter glare at the bear of a man, his loud booming yell must have attracted them. On instinct, Akira felt his body naturally assume the perfect footwork to utilize his blade, his body crouching slightly as he gazed for any creatures near them. He felt his eyes glance down at Reiko’s leg and a concerned feeling ran through him, only causing him to growl again in denial of the feeling, yet he couldnt stop his mind from wondering..’Would she be alright?'

[Hizoku Tsuwamono]

He snarled in a low tone. It was like watching two five year olds bickering over a toy. It wasn’t really any of his business, but they needed a cool head for this sort of thing. Surely these two little feud will last only a short while. What was best for them was surviving, which was his priority. These two would place second best to that. He knew that Reiko could take care of herself, but with the way her leg is, she wouldn’t last as long as she claimed she could. This other guy, Akira, from what he could tell that was his name. He didn’t know if he could survive as long as Reiko, or even as Hizoku.

“You haven’t killed as many as I then...I’ve killed 3 here, one infected also, around 40-50 during the initial outbreak as far as I can tell.” he said in a low tone. He still didn’t feel right that some of them are children. But thats what makes these beasts even more unforgiving. “I know you’ve been fighting alot more then most Reiko, but unless you’ve seen what I’ve seen, most people wouldn’t even raise a fist again.” he said in response to Reiko, then he turns his gaze towards Akira. “Akira, right? Listen, you fight alot outside of school. Thats the only way you’d fight that many battles. A warrior defends his own, and as I can tell by that blade, you must be a warrior.” he said with a cool expression, but being cut off by some zombies moans for their flesh.

A twitch came to his left eye. He slowly turned his head towards the small pack of zombies coming from around the corner. “SHUT THE FLYING FUCK UP YOU MAGGOTS!” he screamed, and almost for a couple of seconds, you could smell what would be called ‘fear’ coming from the ‘undead’. “We no longer have time to talk. Show me what a real warrior can do, Akira. And Reiko, show me the powers that I once saw, the powers of a psychotic woman. And I shall show you the monstrous beast that is from the north.” he said, walking towards the group of zombies, who was now at full sprint. He quickly counted them.

1... 2... 3... 4... 4? Supposed to be 10, where did the other 6 go? He thought to himself as he went towards them. The first one quickly lunged towards him, and he dodged with years of experience in street fights. He tripped it, and it landed onto its stomach, and he stomped onto its head with his left foot, causing a explosion and a large crunching sound. The fact he could crush a humans skull terrified people, but that he could do it with ease, earned him the name Monster-Beast Of The North

[/u]. A large amount of people would know only rumours of him, and his brute strength. He quickly moved forward, and grabbed a lead pipe that was right on the ground and rammed it straight into one of their heads, causing a bit of blood to splatter everywhere.

A grin could be seen on his face. One that would stretch right across his face from ear to ear. It was like he was a different person who only cared for the blood of the enemy. One of the zombies came at him, and he didn’t even bother to move, instead he just punched it in the chest, making a slight hole, then kicking it in the leg, causing it to bend the other way and it seemed to have come off. Sending the zombie, to the ground. Then, as its head laid on the ground, he stomped it, ripping it in half for its jaw was open and he stomped right in the middle of the jaw line. The last one, he wanted to have some fun with. He played keep away with it for a few seconds, then got quickly bored and let it lunge at him.

He did a right hook across the face. Sending its jaw right against the wall. Now it had no means to infect him. He laughed as it tried to bite at his metal makeshift gauntlet. He grabbed it by the neck and brought it back to the blue car. It was struggling, trying to get at him, but he was just out of its reach. He kept laughing sadistically at how it struggled. He was taking some sort of joy out of this. He decided he would kill this one when the others returned from whatever they decided to do... maybe kill the other six zombies? Or maybe have a make-up sex session. Whichever one, he bet the make-up sex would be quicker. Then he laughed, making a mental joke. “Quick-shot.” was the only word escaped from his lips.

As they returned he sighed and smiled. “What took ya so long? I was bored talking to Mister Flesh Eater here.” he said with a twisted smile, as he forced the zombie to look towards the two. Then he grabbed it by the arms and started to pull, it’s jawless face making weird motions towards the two. Making weird sounds as well. His grin grew even larger as the sound of its bones cracking and its flesh tearing could be heard. His grin disappeared when the entire body tore in half, almost directly down the center. “Aww... my fun is gone now.” he said with a laugh at the end. “Come on, lets go inside. We need some supplies.” he said as he walked into the gas station.

He cleared off a partial of the counter, cept he left the body of the young girl there. He jumped over the counter, and started to raid the cigarettes, grabbing his favourite carton of smokes and putting it on the counter. He grabbed a few lighters, for both zombie killing and smoking. He took out his pack and then following that took out a smoke and put it into his mouth. He light it up and then put the package back into his pocket. He blew a puff of smoke into the air and grabbed a city map. He unfolded it onto the counter and looked it over. “You two want a smoke?” he said, offering each of them a cigarette. He didn’t know if either would take one. He couldn’t quite remember if Reiko smoked or not, and he wasn’t sure if Reiko knew he smoked. It’s only been a few years since they last saw each other.

“Oi, Reiko, Preppy, we need a plan or something...a place to be secure for at least a week. Last place I was, it was secure for quite sometime.” he said as he blew another puff of smoke into the air. He leaned back and noticed a bottle of rum in a clear through cubbert. Maybe belonging to the guy on shift? He took it out and threw the glass that was ontop of it to the side, smashing it. He took the top off and started to drink straight from the bottle. The burn it did on its way down was somehow refreshing to him. As he put the bottle down he put the cigarette into his mouth. “What do’ya think we should do?” he asked the both of them, letting some smoke escape from his mouth.[/blockquote]

[Elfie]

The anger was clear in her eyes as she glared at Akira. Even if it would be her last thing, she would kill him. "Just you wait.. fucking bastard." He would get to know the hard way that her leg was not affecting her in any ways that would prevent her from smashing his face in. And when he mentioned her gender being an issue, she was already taking a step towards him while raising her right hand a bit. Realizing what she was doing, right before she would have jumped at him, Reiko stopped. Her nostrils flared a bit as she struggled to calm herself. She bit her teeth hard together while narrowing her eyes a bit, the gaze being venomous. "You will regret those words. That I swear to you." With a look of such strong hate it would have been enough to melt the concrete on the parking lot, she spat on the ground in front of Akira's shoes before taking a step backwards and returning her attention to the other male. Under -any- other circumstances, she would right now be doing her best job of slicing up Akira's face. But right now, they needed to focus on the problems at hand.

However, despite what she had believed at first then Akira kept talking. And he mentioned fights. And that a fair number of them. A swift look of surprise entered her face as she glanced at him before she hid the expression. Was he just bluffing, or was he speaking the truth? Reiko wasn't really sure, he had never struck her as being someone that lied to gain attention. That was one of the few good things about him. The others... Reiko's eyes lingered a bit on his lips and moved down his throat and chest before she mentally slapped herself. He was a prick whom she hated. That was it. There was nothing to admire. At all. Fortunately the blonde's voice made her snap out of it. The number of kills from Hizoki didn't surprise Reiko the least. She had rightly been expecting a number at least close to that. She knew what that monstrous guy was capable of.

Before any more talking could be, it seemed they would have to take care of the small problems who were getting rapidly closer. Hizoki went first, after asking of them to show some of their abilities. Gladly. Off he went, going for the 4 first "Things" who had been quickening their pace towards the living ones. Looking backwards, Reiko saw 6 more approach from there. They were almost evenly split up into 3 and 3, which would suit just fine. Now she would get to see if Akira was just full of it or not. "I'll race you, fucktard." A smug, quick look got aimed at Akira and a casual smile was thrown his way before she was off towards the "Things". Her speed was admirable, and there was no more limping to be seen. Reiko was hunting, and there was nothing which could ruin her concentration.

Quick like a snake striking it's prey, she jabbed forward with the knife and cut open the abdomen of the "Thing" in front of her. Just as it started to lean a bit forward to move with the force of the cut, Reiko spun her body and dropped her elbow down at the back of the "Thing's" neck. The hit was hard enough to send the "Thing" sprawling on the ground before Reiko's army boot came down on it's head with a loud crack. 1.. Off she went again, completely ignoring her protesting knee as she whipped through the air with the grace of a dancer. Pivoting on the tip of her right foot, she brought her left foot with full force into the nearest "Thing" sending it with a crack, as something inside of it burst, into the wall of the gas station. Off towards the third "Thing" she went, not stopping until she was right at it. Then with a movement so quick it was hard to follow with the naked eye, she stabbed upward, feeling a bit of softness and then the impact as the blade struck bone. Her dagger was protruding from the "Things" right nostrel. It wasn't moving any longer, but that wouldn't really stop her now would it? With a light and very shrilling laughter, Reiko pulled the knife back from it's position before grabbing at the "Thing's" shirt collar. With a single arm she held it somewhat upright as she stabbed it countless times in the face with a smile plastered on her lips who could have made anyone feel a small chill run down their backs. You fuckers.. you think you can walk around here and get away with it?

After a few bloody seconds, the purple haired girl dropped the limp body and focused her gaze on the "Thing" she had sent flying earlier at the wall. It had finally managed to get on it's feet and was lunging towards her with it's filthy mouth open. Ready to catch whatever flesh there was to catch. A small scoff escaped her as she ran towards it, whipping out her hand and cutting a bit into the front of it's neck. She kept though running and stopped behind it, waiting for it to turn and face her. A sickening gurgling sound emitted from it's torn lips as it tried to moan out while having it's throat and mouth filled with blood from the cut. Reiko lowered herself just the slightest bit, watched it turn around, and then with a playful smile she jumped into the air and spun, bringing her foot into the right jaw of the "Thing". The brute force of the kick along with the cut she had just made, sent the head of the "Thing" flying off and landing a couple of meters away. During the whole fight, she had not flinched nor showed any type of weakness. But right now, a slight twitch at her right eye could have given her away. It felt like her knee was burning, and that last kick had taken all the strength out of it.

She glanced over at Akira, seeing how he was doing. She felt somewhat curious as to how his abilities were. After being both done, they made their way back to Hizoki who was just finishing ripping apart one of "Them", amusing Reiko once more with his brute strength. It seemed he was as derranged as she had remembered him, toying and playing with the zombies before killing them. It wasn't something she would really comment on, it wasn't as if she never played with her prey. And besides, in this world of dog eat dog then people should start learning to appreciate the little things. Reiko nodded in approval to the suggestion, before following behind Hizoki and ignoring Akira's presence. His words from earlier still made her blood boil. Much to her annoyance she could not completely hold back the slight limping, but she was pleased with the fact that the injury hadn't affected her fighting at all. That should just show Akira. She could take him on anytime.

As they came inside, she started glancing around for something useful. A cooler caught her attention and she advanced towards it, grabbing 2 cans of Coca Cola before lifting herself up and sitting on the counter next to where Hizoki unfolded the map. Then she proceeded to decline his offer of a smoke while she removed the dirty clothe which had been shielding her knee before she pressed a cold can against it, a light growling sound escaping her as the cold metal touched her soft but swelling and bruised skin. The skin hadn't broken anywhere, only a few scrapes being visible, but it would be as colorful as a rainbow in a few hours. And the swelling was really being a pain in the butt. But fortunately she should be able to minimize that with the cold metal of the soda cans. Hnn.. a plan yes. She glanced at both the males, wondering to herself. Were they honestly going to be teaming up? Would she and Akira be able to work together without murdering each other? I guess we just have to.... there's no room for any weaknesses now. She followed Hizoki's movement after with her eyes as he reached for the bottle of rum and took a sip of it. A smoke she did decline, but this rum was another thing. As he put the bottle down, her small hand reached for it and raised it to her lips. The burning sensation when the liquid slid down the inside of her neck made Reiko half close her eyes. Only 2 good sips were taken before she placed the bottle down again. This would be good to distract the pain and unwelcomed thoughts a bit, but she was not planning on becoming drunk.

"Well.. it's already an upside that we have a car." She replaced the soda can with the other one on her knee as she pondered a bit to herself. "We should find a place to stay tonight. Get good rest. I'd suggest a random apartment or a house which have been abandoned. Going to stores or supermarkets or any places like that will only be attracting other survivors to us. And in my opinion that will only give us trouble."

[lifeanddeath]

Akira growled and dashed off towards the six creatures, his speed easily matching Reiko’s as he moved. ’She wants to compete, I’ll compete‘ It seemed they would be dividing them up three to three. He glanced at Reiko before forcing on the focus. It did not take long for Akira to assume the ‘fighter’ persona, closing everything out except for his three targets. He was a wolf, they were his prey, that was the only thing that existed. His hand dropped to his blade, tilting it downward and exposing the blade slightly. This would increase the speed of the draw as he closed in on the first of the three.

Akira’s arm snapped out, swinging the entire blade and it’s sheath at the leg of the first creature that came in range. The blow, strong enough that he heard the creature’s shin snap and begin to fall because of the sudden loss of balance. As the gray-skinned creature fell, Akira swung his blade free of it’s sheath, and lined up a quick swipe to the creatures head and swinging at an angle, the blow came with enough force that it severed the neck of the creature, cutting clean through the bone and leaving nothing but a headless corpse as the head rolled away.

It did not matter to Akira what these creatures were, be them schoolteachers or children, policemen or doctor, they were all the same to Akira. When he fought, it mattered not what they used to be, only what they are now. And now, they were threats and threats were nothing more than targets in his sight. He did not focus on their appearance, only their movements, their attacks, they were nothing more than child’s play for him at his current level. As an animal closing in on his prey, Akira closed in on the second and third creature, yet they were two close together for him to bring the full force of his large sword to bear, so he took another approach. Lifting his leg and turning his body in once solid snapping movement he caught the first creature with an angled kick to the jaw, sending it flying away from him as his movement continued. His movement was acrobatic, not a dance per say, but a series of flips almost as if he were in the circus. Continuing the momentum of the kick, he flipped over the second creature, swinging his sword down and slicing it clean down the middle with his expertly sharp blade.

Akira felt the hunter within him fade as he glanced around, all the targets having been taken care of. His eye caught the one creature he had kicked, it was stuck on the ground, the force of his kick having snapped it’s neck and spine. He let out a small growl and walked over two it, pressing his foot down upon it’s head and slowly crushing it against the concrete. Slowly he applied more force until the creature’s head cracked and it fell limp. Reaching down, he ripped a section of the creature’s shirt off and ran it over his blade, cleaning it from blood as he walked back towards the group. Reiko was coming back and the large man was already there and Akira silenced a protest of complaint as he ‘played’ with the pitiful creature. Akira saw no sense in that, toying with the mindless creatures was not his style.

Akira stayed silent as they entered the Gas Station, the threats having been dealt with effectively by each of them. He did not speak, but he kept his attention on Hizoki and Reiko. The Bear of a man quickly leapt for the cigarettes, grabbing various things from behind the counter. Reiko went to grab two cold cans of pop before hopping up to sit on the counter near Hizoki. Akira watched her mostly, leaning against the wall right next to the door., ready to leave quickly if it was needed. He watched as she unwrapped her wounded knee, and saw the injury first hand. He cursed under his breath and quickly shook away the slight worried feeling. "Dammit, I -hate- her.” He walked over hesitantly, glancing at the map before stopping in front of Reiko as she finished speaking.

Akira’s blue eyes glanced at hers before quickly looking away and growling, flashing an annoyed look before crouching his tall form and better examining her leg. He spoke, growling fiercely, ”Stay still bitch“ He moved the can and her hand forcefully out of the way before looking at her leg. After moving her hand away, his hands lacked any of the ferocity that was conveyed in his voice as it gently traced down her lower hip to her knee, gently grazing over the injury in his examination. He sighed and traced his fingertips down her injury once more before standing up.”Hnn...", reaching over he picked up the bottle of rum and took a quick drink, shaking his head a bit before setting it back down and reaching into his bag. ”Take two of these...“ He pulled his hand out and held two small pills out out for her to take, ”Painkillers ...and Im going to wrap it -properly- before we take off again...“ he said, to quell any possible suspicions from the pills before continuing on turning his attention slightly to the other man. ”She needs some place to rest for a day or two“ he turned to her and gave her a severe look, showing that he would not listen to any complaints. ”If we are going ‘team up’ she needs to rest because otherwise she‘ll just be dead weight.“ Akira glanced down at the map, his mind figuring out the distance, “We have a car...and I believe I can help with a -safe- place to stay. There’s a building on the south side of my property that’s almost completely escape proof, so I imagine it’d fend of these creatures fairly well...” He put the idea out there, not completely sure why he was helping.

[Hizoku Tsuwamono]

Hizoku grabbed a small bag and chucked in the smokes and lighters. What else do I need..? Food. he thought to himself as Akira examined Reiko. But the touch on her leg seemed to be more sexual then professional. Hizoku snickered at the idea of these two in a relationship together. It would be like putting Doctor Jackal and Mister Hyde in the same room. Mister Hyde obviously being Reiko, she is a psycho. And Doctor Jackal is Akira, because he seems to have medical training. As the two of them divulged their ideas on a plan, and the diagnosis from Doctor Preppy. It seemed the best bet was to go to this luxurious property owned, by Doctor Preppy.

"Alright.. next we need to know each others skills. So we can use them to our advantage. From what I can tell, you guys have some battle experience. And are good with blades and acrobatics. And Doctor Preppy here, is good at medicine, which is vital.” he said in a official sounding voice. Trying to be professional. But alas, he wasn’t good at it. He took another sip from the rum before grabbing a cloth and putting it onto the bottle. “Since Reiko is ‘injured’, I’ll grab some necessary supplies, while you Doctor Preppy, go fill up the car with gas. And put some gasoline into the rum bottle.” he said as he reached into his pocket and pulled out the 9mm police standard pistol.

“4 rounds within this gun, and I have 4 clips.” he said, while taking out the 4 ammunition clips. “We only use this gun as an emergency. Never to use it so freely. Any questions?” he said with a shrug. Then he stopped. “Oh yeah, my skills... I know these streets like the back of my hand. Always have, basically raised on them. I have mechanical skills. Need some mechanic shit done? I’ll help it out. And as you can probably tell, I can fight better then your average street gang. Fighting is my first nature, not my second. And finally, NEVER piss me off. A couple of men lost their lives for getting in my way or pissing me off.” he said, as he looked both of them square in the eye.

He went around the counter with a couple of leather bags and containers and started to put food and liquids into them. He was hoping they could have some food to bring with them. And as long as they got some gas, they can keep on driving. Then he stopped and looked at Akira. “Fill some containers with gas too, we might need some on the road.” he said, as he went back to gathering food and supplies. He looked for what else they might need. He stacked all of the bags and containers near the door, so they can get them into the car quicker. He grabbed some flashlights, batteries, his smokes of course, and a couple of other necessities. He walked to the back of the gas station and looked around. Maybe there was another thing they could use. Then he spotted it. A crowbar. What was a crowbar doing in a gas station? What was zombies doing around here period? You can’t expect all the answers.

He put it over by the rest of the stuff and walked over to where Reiko was. “How’s the leg?” he asked, not because he cared, but because if it was dead weight to him. He’d get rid of it, no questions asked. He looked over at Akira once he got a answer from Reiko, and he didn’t really know what to say to him. A friendly introduction or something? It was worth a shot. If they were going to survive together as a team, they needed to at least get to know each other. He walked over to Akira and stopped a few feet away. “The names Hizoku Tsuwamono. Sorry it took so long for a proper introduction.” He said, looking slightly bit down at him. It wasn’t because he didn’t respect him, he respected him just a bit, cause he knew how to fight. But because of the height, and how he treated someone he did respect more. The bickering was annoying yeah, but the fact thats how he said that being a women was a handicap. It would normally cost you your life with Reiko.

Hizoku looked him over from head to toe, wearing a school uniform, with some blood splatter. His face looked like that of a wolf. Which would mean he would have to give him a new nickname. Doctor Preppy Wolf? Wolf Preppy Boy? Nah... none of em are any good. He thought to himself. “So Preppy boy, tell me, whats with you and Reiko? School yard crush in secret?” he said, with a laugh at the end. He loved to tease anyone bout love. Back when he was with his gang, they would gloat and joke around with each other. And the initiation within the gang, was brutal to most. They would circle around you, and beat you within a inch of your life. If you cried mercy, or even cried or wanted to give up. They wouldn’t let you in until you passed that test. Hizoku did the test, and they actually let him in because he beat them up. He was indeed a monster. But he’s also gentle. He’s like a fucking grizzly bear.

Even though, he and Akira are from two different worlds. They might be able to work together. Hizoku knew he could work with Reiko and not have that many problems. But any misunderstand or miscommunication, would lead to disaster. Hizoku thought that a third party member would be able to handle things. And since these two bicker like cats and dogs, they needed him more. He was hoping he wouldn’t have to, but these two seem to be the complete opposite of each other. Which made Hizoku in a very awkward position. He knew they would either be at each others throat one minute, and the next humping like rabbits in heat. He knew this because, their personalities and the way they act around each other just scream it to him.

[Elfie]

Reiko was ready for anything as Akira stopped in front of her, his blue gaze locking momentarily with hers. He seemed to be feeling overly annoyed and she wondered if she would have to reach for the blade she had placed on the counter. But instead he crouched in front of her, seemingly looking at her knee while telling her in a rather harsh tone to stay still. A slender eyebrow raised itself a bit but she didn't say anything. Was he going to play some good guy now? Try to earn her trust and then stab that sword of his between her ribs? Well he could think again. Reiko's thoughts of suspicion and annoyance quickly came to halt though as she gripped the counter so hard that her fingers went white. His touch was gentle, and she didn't feel any extra pain as he was examining her. But his touch felt like it lit small flames underneath her skin. She had to hold back not to slap his hand away and move to a safe place away from him, and that was something entirely new to the young and fierce girl. Biting back any disturbing feelings or thoughts like that, she turned her gaze away from the raven haired boy that was crouched in front of her. As if to make up for her embarassed state, she snapped out. "Couldn't wait to get your hands on me huh?"

With a look of anger she glared at the pills he handed towards her before snatching them up and swallowing them down without any liquid. How come he was doing this for her? If she truly was a dead weight then shouldn't they leave her here? She would probably do that to them. And the look on her face showed exactly what she was thinking. For just a few seconds, so briefly that one would have to rethink if he had really seen that side of her, Reiko was truly just a scared 18 year old girl who didn't have anyone she could trust or count on, as she was done burning most bridges behind her. She wanted to argue against the fact that she needed to rest but she knew that Akira was right. And damn it did she hate him for that. Turning her head quickly to the side, she blinked away the small tears of frustration before looking coldly at the two men. Daring them to do anything they seemed fit. She was not about to be begging for mercy or begging them to help her. That was not how Reiko Yamaguchi had lived her life up until now, and damn it all if she was going to be acting like a coward for the last few days of her life.

If not for her pride, she would have let out a small sigh of relief as it seemed neither of the males had any intention of dropping her off. Deciding she would not be lingering on that subject at hand, she listened to what Hizoki had to say about their skills, while Akira was bandaging up her knee. It was really troublesome trying to ignore the small shivers that went down her spine each time his fingers touched her skin. The purple head was almost done yelling at him to ask if he was fucking done, but she decided against it. Didn't want anyone to suspect anything. "Well, I'm experienced in hand to hand combats and knife fights. I also have the black belt in karate, and am fairly street smart." She stretched her long leg a bit, getting accustomed to the bandaging before letting herself slide down from the counter. Standing a -bit- close against Akira. It was annoying to say it, but she guessed it was the least she could do. Throwing him an annoyed look, she muttered a word of thanks before turning away and limping a few steps away while looking for something useful to bring with them.

Grabbing a plastic bag, she started grabbing random food containers which weren't expired. Only to pause when Hizoki approached her. "The leg is fine." It did feel better with the proper bandaging, but she was still sore and hurting. However this did not hurt as much as being kicked repeatedly in the ribcage or being stabbed, so the pain wasn't something which was demanding her attention. The limping was more just the body's way of telling her not to put too much weight on the weakened body part. While she kept gathering a few things, her gaze fell on the the males. A small grin appeared on her face while she thought about how weird it was if they would befriend each other. Each and every one of them was very different from the other, but she guessed that she and Hizoki could relate most to each other. Then again, I don't know that much about Akira's past. She stopped with her hand in the air, reaching for a bag of chips while secretly watching Akira for a short moment. It was new for her to see the gentle side of him when he had been bandaging up her knee. Reiko truly hoped she would not have to confront that side of him often, since it worked very well with shattering the walls she had built around her heart. However surprising and annoying that was.

She remembered a few people back from school who had teasingly asked why she and him had never dated. Why indeed... Could have been because they seemed extra ordinary good with ticking each other off, or could be because of their very different places in the society. Could of course also be because they were both stubborn bastards who enjoyed getting on each other's nerves. There is no way ever that I will -ever- fall for a guy like him. A scowl entered her face as she went back to the picking up of food. And yet, there was a small very teasing voice at the back of her mind which seemed determined to taunt her. Then why haven't you ever dated? Why does he always pop up into your mind when someone hits on you? Why is it that you keep comparing others to him? A soft cracking sound was heard, and Reiko realized that she had broken a piece of chocolate in half while squeezing on it. To Hell with that. She was going to stop thinking now, before she would stab herself in the neck.

Lifting the bag up, she walked/limped towards them two just in time to hear Hizoki ask Akira if this was a school yard crush that was between the two. At that moment, her face flared up with a red color. Her left hand was raised up in the air and she punched Hizoki in the shoulder. The hit would have bruised any -normal- person, but the hit would probably just be enough to humor him a bit more. "Don't be a fucking idiot. There's no way anything could be between me and him. You really think I have that bad taste?" However her eyes couldn't meet Akira's as she tried to stop the red color from spreading over her cheeks while she turned on her heel and stomped away from them. She was fuming and fussing in her mind, wanting to strangle Hizoki with his own vocal cords.

[lifeanddeath]

Akira's face became a wall as soon as those last words left Hizoki's mouth. His eyes and face showed about the same expression as a brick, not the slightest twinge that would give away his internal conflict as he fought to keep his self-denial. But it was Reiko's reaction that both puzzled and greatly ammused him. Her face was -bright- red as she came back, overhearing Hizoki's words and a wolfish smirk grew across his face as she punched the man in the arm. The blow probably packed considerable force, but Akira felt it would be unlikely that the bear of a man would even feel a thing. "Something wrong there Bitch?" despite his puzzlement at her reaction, Akira couldnt let the teasing pass, because it obviously bothered her so he yelled after as she turned and stommed opff.. "You love me dont you Tomato?" His grin grew even wider, his fangs poking out in an almost menacing lion-like smile, the tomato nickname obviously being in reference to her face at Hizoki's words. "I'll let you know, -very- nice panties! I woulnt have expected you to wear pink!" He let out a deep laugh, he hadnt really seen anything during his examination of her leg, but if she thought he had and it got a rise from her, then it made it all the more fun.

Akira turned his attention back to Hizoki, his grin still easilly apparent on his face before he let out a deep laugh as he took the bottle of rum and spoke. "Akira Tetsuya. Fairly skilled fighter. Trained to use a variety of weapons. Semi-experienced Medical skill. A large variety of knowledge in other categories." He was ever so polite as he began to pick up several gas cans, somehow balancing them easilly without dropping them. "It's a pleasure to meet you my good man, but if you insist on giving me a nickname, drop the ''Doctor' Im nowhere near a doctor -yet-.", his change in mood was aparent, but even he hadnt quite figured out why. Turning from the man, he gave a small and playful salute with the rum bottle in hand before kicking his sword, which had been leaning beside the door upward and somehow catching it and expertly balancing it atop the gas cans as he pushed his way through the door, somehow not dropping his rather large and awkward set of items.

Akira's grin subsided as he walked out of the gas station, trying to shake off the confusing mood as his mind began to ponder about this 'team up'. It seemed that Hizoki was naturally assuming a leardership position, something Akira wasnt completely sure of, yet was overall greatful for. He knew that himself would've been a rather bad choice for leader at the current time. To himelf, he seemed much more the, pardoning the cliche, but much like a 'Lone Wolf'. As a product of his past, he was certainly a loner, friends, ties, bonds, all of them did not exist in his life. Even family was merely a word. The only person who even came close to fufilling any of these words was Reiko, the bitch and Akira hated that she was the only human connection he truly had.

He let out a quiet chuckle as he neared the gas pumps, hoping that the electricity still worked as he continued to try and work out the team dynamic. If Hizoki expected Akria to play only the medic position, he was in for a rude awakening. Akira was a fighter first, the near constant fighting and training of his entire life made him a fighter first. He picked up medicine as a matter of convience, one cant get the shit beat out of them on a regular basis without learning to take care of injuries. Akira knew he couldnt play the role the medic was supposed to play, hanging back ready to support his teammates. In a true fight, Akira would be more a hinderance than a help to any teammate, he fought on instinct, often recklessly until his opponent was defeated, yet in this enviroment, with these kind of opponents, fighting like that could easilly get him killed. He knew he'd need some work, but that would come later.

Akira set each of the cans down, infront of the gass pump, keeping his keen senses wary for any more of the creatures as he turned on the pump, filling the rum bottle partly first before moving onto each of the gas cans, holding them and listening to the gasoline fill them as he continued his thoughts. He was trying to figure out what part Reiko would play in this little team of convience, she seemed rather similar to Akira, as much as the comparison made him snarl in anger, so for now, he would just play her as a wild card, the black queen. Who could tell what she would do, other than herself. Reaching for the next of the five gas cans which he had grabbed, Akira sighed quietly. 'Why had she reacted such a way at Hizoki's teasing....' he shook his head slightly and let out a growl, 'Could she have possibly felt...No!' He let out a snarl as he switched to the next can, shaking his head in denial of the thought. 'That bitch is just playing mind games'

Quickly filling the last two cans Akira carried them two at a time to the car, they were far from being heavy to his trained muscles, but he was slow and careful, seeing no point in wasting gas. Using the first can, he filled up the tank, before placing the other full ones securely in the tank and returning to the pump to fill the one he'd used and then returing it to the trunk and closing it securely. With his task completed, he slowly walked back towards the bunker, forcing his mind to silence itself as he entered the door, his previous mood gone as he walked up to Hizoki and handed him the rum bottle, his voice cold as he spoke, "You arent gonna want to drink that..." After speaking, he leaned against the wall and casting a glance around for Reiko as he made a list of what he would need to keep them from if they were going to hide on his property, he didnt really want them finding some things out. He cast a quick question to whomever would answer, "Exactly how soon do we leave?"

[Hizoku Tsuwamono]

Hizoku rubbed his arm after Reiko punched him. A giant grin stretched form ear to ear as he looked at the red light bulb of a girl. “Such a reaction little miss Reiko, who knew you felt that way.” he said with a laugh. The teasing was so much more fun, especially since mister stuck up preppy boy here joined in. Probably because it was Reiko. When Akira did the panty comment, Hizoku actually imagined it. He laughed, but not loud enough to draw any of ‘those’ in. He patted Akira’s shoulder and laughed again. “Nice Preppy, nice.” he said, regaining what little composer he has.

He calmed down quite quickly after the laugh. He looked straight at Akira. “Medical huh? Thats good to know. But don’t think just because you heal means you won’t be fighting. I expect a warrior on the front lines with me.” he said with a stern voice. He was going on about warriors again. He has a weird fascination with them. Believes in their honor system. He put one hand on Akira’s shoulder. “And all warriors have something to protect, what is it that you protect?” he said, in a low voice. Without waiting for a answer, he walked away, following Reiko.

“You okay girlie?” he said, putting one arm around her and slightly leaning forward, but not applying any weight. He didn’t want to start a fight with her, it would put a kink in this small teams chance at survival. And he could use some human companionship. “I hope ya know I was only teasing ya both. Can’t always be serious ya know?” he said with a smile. He took his arm off of her and walked towards the back fridges. Taking out a energy drink. He opened the can and took a large mouthful, and he turned around to look at Reiko. She was just like he remembered her, spunky and always mouthing off to everyone.

“How have things been on the home-front?” he asked, basically asking how things have been at her home. He knew being apart of a vicious family would lead to vicious ordeals. He knew these things too well. Some members of the gang was like that with Hizoku, but he would always deal with them. Like a monster, they feared him. Some called him a wild grizzly, and others just called him a monster. Which one was he truly like? Who knows, maybe a little bit of both. “And exactly what is the relationship with you and Akira? If its anything that’ll jeopardise survival, you know what I’ll do.” he said with a cold expression. One that meant he was serious. Which usually scared people off.

He drank the last of the energy drink and crushed it, before getting a answer Akira showed up and handed him the bottle. “It’s not meant for drinking. And Reiko, we’ll talk about that later.” he said, looking at her then at the bottle of rum mixed with gas. he walked over to the little girls body and ripped a piece of clothing off and stuffed it into the top of the bottle, soaking only a bit of it. “It’s a weapon.” he said with a devilish smile. Akira asked when do they leave, Hizoku just looked at him with a cold stare. “We leave when everyone is ready. Some of the stuff got into the car, but not all of it.” he said, pointing at the last of the stuff.

He put the bottle onto the counter and folded up the map. He looked at the gun and put it into his pocket along with the clips. He put the map into one of the bags and started to carry out all the stuff in one go. He put some of it into the trunk and the rest in the back seat. Someone was going to be stuff in with all that shit. He stopped to see three containers. He chuckled and grabbed them. Then he started to fill it up with gas, to the brim. He carried the three inside and looked at the other two. “Fuck it, lets go.” he said as he put two down and started to pour the gas in the back of the store. He took the other container, and poured it in the middle of the store. Then he took the last one and poured it in the front of the store and over the counter.

He watched as the two left the gas station as he light up a smoke. He puffed some smoke into the air and laughed. He grabbed the bottle off the counter and walked out the door, setting fire to the cloth attached to the bottle. “Hope ya got what ya need.” he said, as he chucked the bottle over his shoulder, throwing it through the door and into the gas covered store. Now it was engulfed in flames, burning away the metals and other things left inside. Including the body of the little girl. He got inside the blue car in the drivers seat and turned the engine on. “Lets go, your burning daylight!” he said as he threw fully light cigarette near the door of the station, setting a very small flame moving slowly towards the pumps. He tapped the steering wheel as the two got into the car. He quickly spun the car around and drove off towards the location they specified. “Hey kid, if this place is infested, I’m holding you accountable for.” he said with a chuckle, reaching into his back pocket and pulling out a small MP3 device.

He had a plug that allowed him to put it into the car and play his music that way. He had it for his truck, but alas, his truck is not here. So he had to use this car instead. He hooked it up and turned it on. The first song that came on was Warrior by Disturbed. Hizoku smiled and pressed the gas petal harder, flooring the cars speed. It was going 140 mph, and he was laughing like a mad man dodging/hitting the zombies on the road. Surprisingly, all the cars on the road crashed. And it was basically a free road to drive straight down the middle.

[Elfie]

Don't let him get a rise out of you... dooooon't please him like that. Trying her best to ignore Akira's remarks, Reiko didn't walk far away from them, but far enough for her to be able to curse as she wanted under her breath without them hearing her. "Stupid males and their stupid ... penises. I'm gonna fucking slice off their balls and feed them to the zombies." She crossed her arms while cracking her neck, calming a bit down after having the opportunity to curse, when a muscular arm snaked around her. Turning her head, she looked into Hizoki's dark blue eyes before growling out, though not without a hint of humor behind her words. "Things are just -peachy-." She drawled the words out, but wasn't really that mad. She was aware of things being more serious than wasting time acting childish over a few words, and making the mood in the group bad. However much it would irritate her, then they all needed each other in order to survive. Reiko threw a smile at Hizoki, poking his side lightly as he kept his arm around her. "I guess some laughing does good in times like these. But beware you don't wake up without a limb you'd sorely miss." She threw him a saucy wink before grinning as he let go of his grip on her and moved a bit ahead to grab an energy drink.

She stood and watched him, admitting to herself that she could somewhat admire what she saw. If not for a certain other -idiot- that seemed to be haunting her mind, then Hizoki would have been someone really tempting. But then again, she figured that it would be better not to complicate things in that area. Instead she was going to try and re-establish some of the old link that had been between them. How have things been home-front? A small sigh escaped her rosey pink lips while she waved her hand casually in the air. "About the same as always. The geezer tries to run everything according to his own strict believes. Unfortunately no one has been able to kill him yet, but I will have faith in those zombies. Even if I would have been liked to be the one to end his life." She guessed Hizoki wouldn't judge her for the things she said. Everyone knew that Jirou Yamaguchi was a sadistic bastard. It had occurred more than once and more than twice that he had punished his own daughter in front of others just to make an example. Reiko couldn't remember if Hizoki had been around one of these times or not. The slight scarring on her back after the iron buckle of his belt stung a bit just at the thought. "But things in business have been doing good, can't complain about that part." Reiko guessed Hizoki would view her as a somewhat pampered little Yazuka princess, but she was grateful he didn't let that show. She had for most part fought hard for her place in life, not using her father's name to get her ahead since she had been little and too stupid to know better.

Thinking about his next question, Reiko tilted her a bit to the side. "Me and Akira.. have always annoyed each other. Ever since I first met him when I was 15. But it's nothing that will have any effects on our survival. You can have my word for it. I guess we just enjoy letting some stress and steam off by cursing each other a bit and bickering." That was it. Right? Yeah she thought so for sure. There was -nothing- more. Ever. She stopped talking while watching Akira advancing closer to them. Nodding curtly towards Hizoki, she very gracefully walked past Akira with only a slight limp. Fuck.. it really feels better after that twat wrapped it up. She hated owing people. And owing Akira something... unbearable. Right as she passed him, she turned her head towards him and stuck her small, pink tongue out before keep walking with her small chin thrust out in a stubborn way.

She grabbed the bag of food she had gathered before grabbing some of the other stuff Hizoki had put out to take with. She shoved it in with other things Hizoki had put in the trunk before looking at the backseat. "I guess the smallest person has to squeeze in there?" Reiko huffed a bit before clambering into the car, wriggling around until she was seated in at least a bit comfortable way. After feeling content, her forehead was leaned against the cool glass while her green eyes studied the scenery outside. Her slow breathing marked a small steamy spot while she lazily ran her eyes around. Everywhere dark smoke was rising up, showing hints of burnt remains of what had once been humanity. I wonder if that place Akira spoke of is going to work out well. It would be nice to be able to rest peacefully for at least 1 more night. Why did Hizoki though spend time to lit the place on fire? Meh.. whatever. She wouldn't push the matter.

And so off they went. This group of 3 people who had at first only been somewhat of strangers to each other. The two from the same school who couldn't stand each other... the big brute who shared a connection with the Yakuza daughter from the past. Not many would have betted on them three to team up. The car sped down the road, Disturbed blasting in the stereo. A quite nice taste for music, she had to admit. But Reiko felt like just.. being able to kick back and listen to her own stuff. "Poke me when we get there." She yawned a bit, stuffed the headphones of her Ipod in her ears and pressed shuffle. Soon enough the "soothing" tones of "Push It" with Static-X filled her hearing and with a content look she closed her eyes. There was only a slight throbbing in her knee, she had a semi comfortable car to sit in and wasn't alone. So now that most of the stress was leaving her, she found herself quite sleepy.

[End of thread.]