"Isshyou ni Asobu? In Nihongo, Let's play together?!? What's his deal?!!" Markus exclaimed on top of his voice.
Cassandra and Dave were shocked with what Markus has expressed for this is the first time they saw their friend snapped out of anger. They can see his anger on his face and his madness radiates to their skin, feeling the heavy air around him.
"He's definitely messing up with us, with me." Markus walked back and forth. "After all the sleepless nights I've spent on the computer trying to break his damn code, I will just have an answer of 'Let's play'? Tsk. That's impossible! This Damn bastard, I'm gonna beat you up! Just so you wait, I will come after you... I will make you pay for the damages you've done! I won't forgive you." he clutched his fist and punch the glass wall.
"Markus ..." Cassandra grabbed his fist and looked at him hut she can't meet his eye.
"I know who you are now and I will give you the fight you wanted, Bastard!" he said to himself. His face turned into a frown.
"Markus ..." She called again.
"Then, challenge accepted. I'll play with you." Markus continued saying.
"MARKUS!" Cassandra exclaimed and the two flinched with her voice. Markus looked at her in the eyes with a dreadful look.
"Ma... Calm down, Markus. At least now we know how to crack his codes. You have the upper hand." Dave patted his friend's shoulder.
He realized his friends were with him, feeling unease, as he was dressed in anger. He felt shame on himself that he looked away from them.
"Dave was right. Let's rethink what we have to do, maybe, inside this store?" Cassy gave a weak smile and pointed at the entrance of the TV store they're in front of.
After Markus discovered the meaning of the code, he's been flustered at the things they've been through for these past hours. They went inside and took a seat at the couch near the counter.
"Is that guy a polyglot or something?" Dave hanged his head at the edge of their seat. "I mean, Nihonggo? Not all people know the language of the east."
"Maybe not," Markus said.
They felt the need to lay their backs on the couch inside the TV store where they barged in. It was located at the center of the showroom. Dave dived on the armchair, Cassandra sat on the small rounded ottoman, and Markus slouched on the Belgian roll arm sofa.
They all gave a heavy breath and sighed their fatigue off.
Markus munched a cookie and slouched even more on his couch. He felt better after the ruckus he's done outside the store and now he's released some of the stress by eating and drinking water from the store.
"But, come to think of it." Markus raised his arms and stretched. "The first-gen was a Nihon descent and their language is passed and was widely used at some part of the East. We also have records of it at the History class, right? Though we use English as the base language here, it was known that there are 7 more languages that lived with the world today. The rest just vanished like the old earth." he explained.
"And one of which is Nihonggo. I only know a few words in that language since we have classmates whose mother tongue is that." Cassandra hanged herself on her seat like making a back bending. "De, what should we do? We still need to get your Phantom, right?"
"Ahh," Markus replied. "And I still need to go to the place where that hacker is." he hanged his leg on the couch.
"You know where he is?" Dave crossed his legs as if he's in front of a campfire.
"I can think of a place but the fact that I can't defeat him without the Phantom Algorithm still remains." Markus sighed and sank himself more on his seat. "I wish I have iced coffee with me, rather than just plain water."
"Then, why don't we split up?" Dave suggested.
"What are you talking about, Davey?" Cassandra sat properly and glared. "Are you saying we split our group here and move on our own? That is more dangerous knowing that maybe we are the only people walking in the city without being controlled."
"Cassy's right" Markus looked at Dave then turned his gaze to Cassandra. "But Dave has a point. There is no use for us to waste more time. You two should go get the phantom, I'll go check the hacker."
"But it's insane to go there alone, Marky." Cassandra sat facing Markus with her stern eyes. "I can't let you go there alone."
"But I can't let Dave go fetch the Phantom alone as well," Markus replied. "It's more reassuring if you two tagged along with each other while I go there checking on the hacker. Besides, I won't attack him or something. I'll just scout his whereabouts." he sighed.
Cassandra stared at him without batting an eye, trying to win the argument but Markus didn't give in. In the end, she agreed and gave her support for their plan.
"You go there just to scout, understood? You'll wait for us to arrive before you attack." Cassandra warned.
"I promise." Markus gave her a reassuring smile, though he's looking at her upside-down.
"Damn this store. It doesn't have any air conditioning system.." Dave complained and two stared at him with a double frown.
It was already late and Violet covered the whole night sky. The moon appeared above illuminating the dark city of chaos. Gusts of dry but cold wind kissed their skins and dried their cold sweats.
"You two should be careful." Markus reminded. He checked his gears and things before he stepped outside the store. "We don't know when those people will come at us."
"Ahh, It's alright, Markus! Cassandra is with me." Dave boasted with his play-full smirk "You don't have to worry about.." His oversized hippie shorts made him look like an emo guy with a bread roller is taped on his arm while his kitchen knives hang on his belt. His tight shirt was drenched in sweat and dirt. He wrapped his head with a bandana covering his wound.
"About what, huh? Are you trying to say you just can hide at my back, you coward?" Cassandra said, crossing her arms. Her make-up sagged on her face that made her looked like a devastated clown but the two didn't laugh about it because they knew she'll be pissed off. Her blouse was torn on the sleeve and her jeans became a tattered one.
"Ahh... you're a lot monster-like than the ones who are following us, you know?" Dave answered. "They'll surely be scared.."
"What did you say?" Cassandra gripped her piece of steel and aimed to hit Dave.
"Ma..ma... stop it you two... Dave, stop teasing Cassy now. You can't have a fight while you wander on the dangerous street." Markus insisted. He looked around checking on any form of danger. His school pants were torn on the hem, his undershirt was filled with sweat and dirt that made Sponge Bob looked like a Dirty Bob. His white polo turned gray. It was Friday, a wash day where students can wear what they want, but Markus didn't have time to go home so he's still in his school uniform.
The two looked away from each other.
"Besides, were allies here, no need to fight." Markus continued
"Hai, hai..." Dave quieted himself.
Cassandra held her steel weapon on her shoulder and grabbed a rope from the store, hanging it on her torso like a sash.
The three set off and they parted on the crossing about a few meters east from the TV store. Markus ran towards the east street and the other two-faced the west to go to Markus' house.
"Be careful," Markus said and waved goodbye.
"You too," Cassandra replied.
As they started running in their directions, Cassandra noticed something flying towards them. In the dim night, it can't be identified as to what object it might be. They just came to know the "thing" that was flying when it came near the lamp post just above their heads, it was a burning trash bin.
"I can't believe--" She was caught off-guard. She realized it was going towards Markus that she shouted desperately to warn him about it.
"Markus looks out!!" she cried her voice out.
She turned back and ran towards her friend. Adrenaline rush hit Cassandra very hard that she was able to jump on the café tables and railings blocking her way to get to Markus faster.
Markus looked behind, hearing Cassandra's voice, and saw the burning trash bin approaching him. He leaped to the street away from the falling object, but he couldn't make it. His foot was stuck on the crack in the bench he stepped to move away.
Cassandra and Dave tried to run as fast as they could to save Markus from the falling object. They slowly lost their hope as they felt all their weights on their feet, making their pace slower. They saw the fast approach of the burning bin that is about to hit their friend.
Cassandra screamed, trying to reach her hand but she seemed so far not enough to reach her friend. She felt herself moving so slow and Dave felt the same. It is as if, even with the adrenaline rush, they felt like they were swimming in flooding water in an opposite direction.
"I'm screwed." Markus muttered unmovingly.
As when the burning bin was about to hit Markus, a sudden swing of the fork of the backhoe hit the burning bin making it fly to a light post like a baseball. The bulb exploded and electricity went bursting making the whole street blackout.
"Huh, we made it in time!" Brent shouting as he stood from the driver's seat of the backhoe throwing a fist in the air, a gesture of victory. He wore a loose navy-colored polo top and slim-fit gray pants in black sneakers. The left lens of his glasses was cracked in the middle.
"Are you alright, Markus?" Ken jumped from their ride and immediately went to Markus to help him remove his foot from the bench. His checkered green polo and white undershirt were drenched in grease on the hem. His denim pants show they were in a hurry and dread before they got to meet Markus.
They still see each other at school even after what happened in 6th grade. They were indifferent classes but always meet at the school library to drown themselves with the books that caught their eyes. They talk about different kinds of stuff including those from the old earth.
"You two... thanks...ouch!" Markus said "Why are you here? I'm glad you did not collapse like the others out there.."
"We were at the mall when the explosion at school happened. We just heard it from the news at the gaming area." Ken explained.
"We tried to reach you out and Ken saw you with Dave and Cassy at that Café at the back entrance." Brent continued.
"We were about to get to you when you started running inside the mall. That's when we thought there must be something bad that is happening." Ken said.
"We have had difficulty in finding our way out," Brent complained. "The exit was right at the corner but we hardly can't get past the stampede and when we did..." he took a deep breath. "Our phones started to ring at the same time as the others everywhere."
"Ahh..." Ken jumped from the backhoe seat and said as he approached the two "...that's when we thought that it was too much of a coincidence to have the phones synchronically ringing. Then we thought that you were up to something and answering the call is quite a bad idea, so we did not answer it as WELL. I actually threw my phone at the sidewalk."
"I just followed what Ken did." Brent raised his shoulders up, tilting his head to the side. "We thought you might not want us to answer it, so--"
"That was a nice call. Then, where have you been this whole time?" Markus asked. He dropped to the ground, catching his breath. "You've had a hard time as I can see."
"Oh, are you alright?" Ken helped him to stand. "We were shocked as hell you know and then we happen to..." Ken was interrupted when Cassandra dashed and suddenly hugged Markus.
"Thank goodness... you're safe... you're not hurt..." She said crying as he threw her arm around her friend. Her makeup sagged on her friend's shoulder.
"Thank God,, you're alive.." Dave tried to stop his tears "... hehe.. ne Cassandra, stop crying. You are spreading your snot on Marky.."
"Shut up!..." she tried to punch Dave. Her face looked normal now that the make-up's off her face.
"Ma.. ma.... Well, I'm fine right?, thanks to these two..." Markus said trying to gain his footing.
"You're welcome..." Ken said, they stepped back and smiled. "We just wanted to help."
"Ahh... we're here to lend a hand" Brent added "De, What can we do?" he patted Markus' shoulder.
"That's great, right, Marky? We have more hands to do the job, now. Thanks, Ken, Brent." Dave said, putting his hand to their shoulders. "Thank goodness you didn't fall like the others around here."
"So, there is really something going on here, huh?. Perhaps you could fill us in on the way. For now, we have to get away from this place." Ken exclaimed. "I saw undead people walking the street going towards our direction. We should hurry up and find a hiding place."
"They're coming right us, huh?" Dave anxiously replied. He desperately looked around. "We need to run--"
"Ja, let's take that alley for now and talk." Markus pointed at the alley behind the police box. "We'll do this quick."
They stood with their backs from each other for the lookout to talk in defense of a sudden attack.
"So, what are you up to?" Brent asked.
"We're going to Marky's house to fetch something important," Dave said gesturing that he's with Cassandra
"That's Zones away from here," Ken muttered. "That mentioned, where are we? I guess I'm not familiar around here."
"Based on how much we've run away from Sea Mall and angle we see Orion's logo from here..." Markus traced his finger in the air. "...I'm guessing we're at the boundary of Zone 4 and 6."
"Then going to Zone 11 might be a long way round," Brent exclaimed. "That's 4 Zones away from here."
"We just have to get there anyhow," Dave replied. "And, Marky is going to the Hacker." He continued pointing to Markus. "To scout."
"To the hacker?" Ken muttered. "Whereto?"
"I'm guessing..." Markus faced them and said, "He's at Zone 3."
"And you're going there alone?!" Brent asked. "To the enemy's lawn like a welcomed guest?! Aren't you a daredevil or a suicidal?"
Markus didn't reply. Ken and Brent eyed each other and came to an agreement.
"Then it's settled." Ken said "I and Brent will go with Markus. We'll be his guards."
"Is that for real?" Cassandra smiled and faced the two.
"Ahh... just leave it to us, Cassandra. We'll take care of this crybaby." Ken pat Markus' back.
"FYI, I'm not a crybaby." he pouted.
"Yes, you are, Sweetcakes," Cassandra said in a straight face. "Ja, I'll leave it all to you... take care of Marky."
"Ahh.." Ken and Brent agreed.
They exited the alley and went on their way.
Markus and his friends came across the Androids (Dave gave this name to those who were controlled by the computer virus to easily identify the enemy by naming them because he thought, it's too long to call them "people who lost their minds and walking like zombies but are not really zombies because somebody is remotely controlling them through a computer virus" thing) holding their own weapons. There were 9 of them.
When the Androids noticed where Markus and the others are, they started approaching in a faster speed and walk more normally than the ones approaching them in the afternoon.
"They're quite different than the ones before, huh?" Ken asked, gritting his teeth.
"Ahh..." Brent agreed. "we can't let our guards down, you ready Markus?" he added.
"So you faced some of them on your way huh? ." Markus grabbed his bat and raised his defense. "Aren't they troublesome." he looked at the Androids meanly.
The two nodded in agreement.
"Well, this fight's not like the RPG. We can really get hurt here." Brent muttered. He raised his guard and was ready for an attack.
"Then we should avoid getting hurt," Ken replied. "I don't like to ruin more this new top my mom just brought the other day."
"In that case, let's just run for now," Markus said.
"Where to?" The two said in unison.
"Subway."