The sun blazed bright overhead while people continued to trickle in from the surrounding area. Mostly the Thegns and their crew and kin, but a few were either escapees from the city that happened across the storage lot in their attempt to get out of the city. As well as one group that would have a lasting impact in this ever growing community.
Smoke billowed over the horizon as a grim reminder that the world was ending. Many stood watching the smoke, pausing from whatever task they were doing. No one spoke, no one felt the need to. As for myself, I was getting something to eat.
The last time I'd eaten had been that morning at Shizuka's, the scrambled eggs only a distant memory. I paused in my walk over to the hastily set-up grub tent, really a tarp with a large pot over a fire with rice, meat and vegetables bubbling away. Had it really only been a few hours since the world had fallen apart? This morning I had a stable job, my own place, a girlfriend who adored me and me her, and even a good chunk of my students liked me. Now it was barely the afternoon and I was the unofficial leader of a refugee band hiding in an abandoned storage lot and planning to flee a dying city to the mountains….
I fingered the cross around my neck and muttered a prayer to Saint George and Saint Martin of Tours, the patron saints of soldiers, to give me the strength to fight on, before squaring my shoulders and marching onward to what seemed to be an ad-hoc kitchen area: a nearly empty unit that had conveniently contained little more than some lawn furniture and a large gas grill. To my surprise, serving out the food were Miss Kyoko Hayashi along with a female student I didn't recognize and one of the Gyaru girls that had come with the Thegns. About nine others were busy cooking under the direction of the school's head chef and Ishiyama's rather terrifying lunch lady.
I will admit, the bottle blonde was a bit offputting. She had the most radiant and chipper smile I'd ever seen in my life. Normally I'd be lamenting the fact that her "fashion sense" was detracting from her beauty, but right now, considering the events of the day, it almost seemed a bit 'Stepfordy'.
Taking a breath to relax myself, I greeted them with a nod. "Afternoon, ladies. Smells divine." To my mild surprise the younger girls blushed at that. Miss Kyoko noticed their red faces and, after clearing her throat to get their attention, turned to me with a professional face and said: "It isn't fancy, but it's filling and I've not heard anyone complaining." Not that many would, Miss Hayashi was more than just another pretty face. She had a spine like steel, took shit from nobody, and had been one of the few people brave enough to tell Shido to shove it. In about those words, as well. Though the fact that she also was a world championship table tennis player didn't hurt. It was easy to bury your average Joe. An Olympic bronze medalist in ping pong? Not so much.
"I'm sure it's fine." I said, and gladly took the bowl she handed over. Looking down I was mildly amused. Red beans and rice. A simple, reasonably tasty meal that just happened to have some cultural connotations in Japanese culture. One of the many little cultural oddities I'd learned over the past year. At least when I wasn't playing 'Gaijin Smash' to neatly avoid the obnoxious shit.
"Sekihan?" I asked with a peaked eyebrow and a small smile. "Well then? What's the occasion?"
"We're alive." Mr. Kaga, aforementioned chef, replied. "Considering everything, that is worth celebrating. It also is nutritious, easy to make in quantity, and you just happened to have several tons of both in your container."
"All perfectly valid reasons." I replied with a thin smile.
Turning around, I searched for somewhere to sit. I spotted Shizuka eating with several of the other teachers near the former office. I quickly made my way through the groups of other people already eating. Most were focused on the food, making little conversation, not wanting to strike up conversations that would inevitably turn to the events of the day and the future. A few did look up when I walked by and smiled or said a few words of greeting. I returned the greetings with a few words or a smile myself, these people were scared out of their wits, some comforting gestures were easily given and enormously beneficial to their mental wellbeing.
When I reached Shizuka's group seated around a turned-over bucket, I cleared my throat to get their attention. Once I had their attention I asked if I could sit with them, one man, an older guy who taught Japanese History, nodded and shifted over so that a space was opened up next to Shizuka. Thanking the man I quickly sat down. Giving Shizuka a quick smile which she returned I turned back to my bowl. Before I dug in I made a quick sign of the cross and softly worded grace, using a prayer that my father had gotten from when he'd been growing up Methodist.
"Good Lord, Accept our thanks. For these and all our blessings, we ask in Christ's name Amen. Name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen."
I made the Sign of the Cross again, clasped my hands for a moment, then dug into the rice and beans. I'd never been the biggest fan of rice growing up, and my Cajun ancestors were likely shaking their heads in disgust at that. Though after a year of living in a nation where where the amount of rice needed to feed a man for a year was a traditional unit of measurement, and the goddess of prosperity was also the goddess of rice, I'd learned to love it.
Or at least passively tolerate it.
In this case, the stuff was actually pretty good, though that may have been hunger talking. After eating several bites, I finally looked up to my co-workers. Several faces were drawn and slightly haggard looking, and one person had a bruise on their face. But overall they seemed to be holding up for the moment.
A little unsure what to say I decided to just break the ice and and cleared my throat. "How's everyone holding up?"
Everyone was silent, most just staring into their bowls or laps, not wanting to say anything. I realized a bit too late that they were obviously still traumatized by the world crashing down around them. And genius I was, I'd just reminded them what was going on outside of our refuge.
I was about to start kicking myself for saying something so stupid when Shinzo Takayama, one of the surviving P.E. teachers and coach for the judo club, spoke up. "Physically, we're alright…" He listed off, his eyes not focusing on anything.
There was another awkward pause before one of the other teachers spoke up. "We're alright, for the moment. Considering the alternative…" He too trailed off and shuddered, the terror seeping out of every one of his pores.
He recovered himself and stood up. He set down his bowl, turned to me, and bowed so low I thought he was going to fold himself in half. "Brody-san, you saved our lives, and those of our students. I can never thank you enough or ever repay you, but I'll spend the rest of my life trying to." His voice was tight, emotion tinting his tone. The man looked ready to start sobbing, whether from relief, terror, or gratitude I couldn't tell.
Feeling a bit embarrassed at his dramatic display, I muttered; "Christ's sake, man. I'm your kohai, not your daimyo!"
There was a tired chuckle through the group, and Mr. Kurokawa was the first to speak. "As a teacher, this is true. But I do not believe we will be returning to those duties any time soon. As you made so clear to us, this is a new world. And in this world, we are but anxious disciples looking to you for guidance... Brody-Sensei."
I was too stunned to speak, completely taken aback at Kurokawa, my immediate superior, the man who I was an assistant to for the past year, was acting like a supplicant…
But it made a twisted sort of sense, I was the only man in the world who had known what was coming. Meaning I was the only one who could prepare beforehand. To those who were blindsided by the zombie plague, someone with just a level head would seem to be a godsend. A man with my level of preparation… a lesser... more self-interested man could leverage that if he were so inclined.
But I had no desire to use this to turn myself into some kind of... Immortan Tom.
I schooled my features. No. What I wanted... was to save as many people as possible. Because I wanted to be able to look at myself in the mirror. Because it was the right thing to do. Any man who wasn't a complete bastard would feel the same way.
Though I have to admit the thought of Shizuka in a harem girl outfit was all kinds of fun.
Clearing my mind, as not to look like a perverted idiot, I spoke up. "I was planning on having an open air meeting, to air out what needs to be done next. Please be there."
I dug into my bowl, finishing as quickly as I could, and wiped my mouth with my sleeve as I stood up, walked over to Shizuka and gave her a kiss on the cheek. The world was ending, social propriety was out the window at this point. Then I turned and nodded my head to the others and went looking for the other teachers, Huscarls, Thegns, and anyone else I thought might have something useful to add to the meeting.
Before I was out of earshot, Takayama called out to me. "My wife and child are still out there."
"Have you called them yet?" I asked calmly.
"Of course," he replied. "It was the first thing I did. My wife is holed up in our apartment. I told her to lock the door and answer for no one but me..."
I frowned. "What floor do you live on?"
"The Seventh," he replied, earning a wince from me.
"She's going to be hard to extract," I admitted. "And while I'm not going to stop you, you will need to figure out a strategy for getting her out if the building is infested. That's part of the reason why I want to call a meeting. Blindly rushing off to the rescue is just rushing off to your death."
That seemed to satisfy him for the moment, though my mention of her living that high up making things difficult only seemed to make him even more uncomfortable.
"Don't worry about it, teach." one of Eric's boys, cut in with a sideways smile. "If you're willin' ta swing around and help me pick up my mom, I'll watch your back."
He paused. "Where do you live and what do you mean watch my back?"
The delinquent grinned. "I live near Shizume Station. And I like to go climbing so I'm pretty good with ropes. If we stop by my place I could pick up my climbing rig... all else fails she can just rappel down."
Kurokawa's eyes lit up. "That's on the way to my house! You have a deal, young man."
The... Minion(?) held out his fist. "You got a deal, bro!"
There was an awkward silence for a moment. "Don't just leave me hangin'."
The teacher sighed and gave a chuckle, then returned his brofist. "These times make for strange bedfellows."
I nodded at them. "You see, this is exactly what I want to see. By working together and making plans we can save the people we love." I paused and then added: "And make sure to bring proper protective gear."
I then headed on my way, the others needed to know...oh wait, looking over my shoulder I called to the two, "Mind spreading the word? I want a meeting with all the adults, gang leaders, and anyone else you think might have something useful to say. Understand?"
"Gotcha boss." The kid called out. Satisfied I moved on, now if I remember right Saeko was somewhere around…
----------
A stretch of the parking lot had been cleared of most of the junk, and chairs from both the office and the emptied storage lot had been pulled out so that people would not be forced to stand.
Speaking of standing, I'd found a large painter's stepladder that was big enough and comfortable enough that I could use it as an impromptu podium.
Surveying the crowd, which consisted of almost everyone except for the guys on guard duty, I cleared my throat and in a loud voice called out. "Can everyone hear me? If you can't, please let me know. Anyone?"
I waited for a moment, everyone seemed to nod or make some sort of affirmation to being able to hear me.
Nodding, I continued. "Alright, first off, let's just get this out in the open now so there's no bullshit later. We're in the middle of a zombie apocalypse, just like in the movies. To be clear, the undead are wandering around in hordes and they hunger for the flesh of the living. If you're bit, you WILL die and then you will come back as a zombie yourself. And before you think the authorities will roll in with the JSDF, the US Marine Corps, or the Salvation fucking Army, think again. We don't have the set up here, but before we left the school, we saw video from Tokyo to San Francisco, from New York to Madrid. This is an international pandemic. God willing, things will be back to normal soon enough. But God helps those who help themselves, and we can't pretend it's just all going to be okay and wait for Big Brother or the Heavenly Choir to swoop in from on high and make it all better."
"You realize most of us aren't Christian, right?" a voice spoke up from the crowd.
I sighed and facepalmed. "Yeah, but I am. And it's pretty much the closest thing to Armageddon you're going to find outside of a Baptist sermon out there, so pardon me for defaulting to what I was raised with."
There was a little laughter. Well. More dull chuckling. But let's be honest, it would take a better man than I to be jovial in a time like this.
"As I was saying... there is no government, no Self Defense Force, no U.S. Army coming to the rescue, they've got more on their plates than they can handle to spare anything for us. For the foreseeable future... we're on our own. All we have is our wits, what we can salvage, and most importantly, we have each other. Did anyone not understand that? If you didn't then ask someone else because I don't have time to explain it again."
I was about to continue when my phone rang.
Of all the timing...
I reached down to turn it off but froze. It was a call from Souichiro Takagi.
"Shit," I muttered before looking back up. "I apologize, but I absolutely have to take this call. It's from someone with whom cooperation will be paramount to our continued survival."
I glanced over to Saya and said: "Miss Takagi. I know that you've probably spent the past several hours analyzing my predictions and at this point probably understand them better than I. Do you think you can take over this briefing while I speak to your father?"
At the mention of her father, Saya went ramrod straight before giving me a stiff nod. "Yes Sensei."
Sighing in exasperation, and wondering when I'd finally be free from the goddamn cell-chain, I walked away from my spot. Saya quickly stepped in and gave a clear and concise rundown of everything that had happened, my predictions for the immediate future, and my escape plan to anyone who hadn't heard it before. For myself I stepped behind a building and, covering one ear so that I wouldn't be interrupted, spoke into the speaker.
"My apologies, Takagi-dono.You caught me in the middle of a briefing and I had to excuse myself."
"Ah. My apologies then, Brody-dono, for the inconvenient timing."
"It's alright. Saya's handling the details for me. She's a very capable young woman."
There was silence on the line but I had a feeling there was some parental pride going on behind Mr. Takagi's stony exterior. "I see. Very good. Several groups of your soldiers have arrived at my compound. They are capable, but willful. Though considering what you had to work with, I must congratulate your efforts. Saya explained the generalities of your plan as well as your long term predictions. They paint a grim picture."
I heard a deep sigh, a rare show of emotion from the otherwise schooled man.
"Even worse, neither my daughter nor wife could find fault in them."
"I wish they did," I replied grimly.
"Greetings. Brody-dono," spoke a feminine voice that I assumed to be his wife.
"Hello, Lady Takagi. I assume that you know about my eventual goal of using the Crystal Peaks Ski Lodge as a base of operations?"
I swore I could hear her wince. "Yes. I have."
I blinked. "There something wrong with the plan?"
"The plan is good," she replied, "I have questions, and will admit that while I do have some personal reservations as to your choice of location, but they're immaterial to the issue at hand."
My eyebrow peaked. "What's the problem, ma'am?"
"It is nothing of substance. Please go on."
I lightened my voice. "Lady Takagi, in times like this it is helpful to vent one's frustrations. Please, let it out."
"Very well." she admitted, "I've seen the plans for Crystal Peaks. They were a crime against good taste. It looks like..." she trailed off for a moment.
"The deformed prom night dumpster baby of Edo period and traditional Swiss architecture that was subsequently drowned in glitter?" I offered.
There was a pause, followed by a dull chuckle. "Well put, Brody-dono. Needless to say it probably would not have been my first choice. But as I said, it is immaterial."
Clearing her throat, she continued: "Back to the business at hand. How do you intend to feed your survivors once you get the ski lodge?"
"I have multiple tons of organically grown potatoes in multiple breeds that I intend to use as a seed crop, as well as a number of other crops that would do well on a mountain. In addition I've plotted the location of a number of farms. We should be able to rescue or release a large quantity of livestock along with crops and additional seed stock. I've also made sure to mark the location of a number of food distribution centers. Between them, and the other rations I have packed, we should be able to survive until we are growing our own food."
"I see, you have put an impressive amount of planning into this. But what of defending this little haven?" She asked.
"The location is naturally defensible," I replied. "We also have a large quantity of various traditional arms. And my girlfriend's roommate is a police sniper with a personal gun collection that's extremely impressive, by American standards. She's currently holed up at the airport, and I have permission to raid her armory."
That I asked over drinks during a theoretical conversation of 'Hey, if there was a zombie apocalypse, could I raid your weapons stash?' went without saying.
"Beyond that, I have assembled a sizable library on demolitions, gunsmithing, and a number of other topics that probably got me on an FBI watch list. Or at least the local equivalent."
"The Koanchosa-cho isn't quite as intrusive as your Federal Bureau of Investigation. And besides, they probably had 'important' things to worry about… such as ruining my daughter's birthday party…" The last part was a mutter, and I had a feeling I wasn't supposed to hear it, so I wisely kept my mouth shut.
I unconsciously nodded. "Right, your husband told me that several groups of 'Thegns' from around the city have been showing up at your estate, correct? We've got the other half of them coming here to the outskirts of the city, along with most of Fujimi Academy, a large contingent of Ishiyama survivors, an entire Catholic preschool complete with priest, and the promise of possibly another Catholic priest leading the survivors of a small Catholic High School. Then I've made a promise to locate as many of their families as I could before we moved on, but as is we have a glut of teenagers and are short on adults."
"I see…." Lady Takagi was silent, likely a bit surprised at the sheer numbers and eccentricities of the people I'd gathered around me. If it wasn't me involved I'd be asking where the Rabbi and the bar were.
"Anyways," I continued, "I have a bead on a largish group of survivors who also have access to a sizable stockpile of supplies that would be very useful to us in the days to come."
"And we have a fortified refuge with more and older people able to supplement your fighting men who, while brave and skilled for their age, are still boys." she added.
There was a grunt of assessment from Souichiro. "And what information do you have on this group?"
"They're under the leadership of a pair of female police officers and are holed up in the Taiei Shopping Town."
"A mall would be a significant resource," Yuriko observed. "Though if what he says about the EMP attack is true, we will have to commit a large amount of effort into food preservation."
"The... less prepared survivors among my group are becoming restless," Souichiro observed. "Some practical labor would give them something useful to occupy their time with."
"And considering where we are going, any warm clothes we find would be a blessing," Yuriko thought aloud.
Souichiro gave a sound of agreement. "Yes. It would be a significant resource," he repeated, echoing his wife. "Brady-dono. How do you know of this group?"
"The junior officer is the girlfriend of one my students," I replied. "If you feel it would be useful, I'll text you her number so you can coordinate the rescue."
"That would be ideal." he replied. "And if you find any other groups of survivors who you believe would be more easily rescued by my group, inform me. Together we shall save as many of my countrymen as possible."
"Agreed. I'm going to be holding a group meeting momentarily. If you wish I can leave the phone on speaker phone so you or your wife can listen in and provide input."
"That sounds ideal," Yuriko remarked.
"Great." I said with a smile. "Any other pressing issues?"
"We will need to link up," she stated. "Ideally before the EMP attack."
I nodded. "Agreed. We can discuss that later. I need to get back to the meeting."
"I understand," Mr. Takagi stated, "Attend to your duties, Brody-dono."
"Thank you, Takagi-dono." I paused. "Just one last thing."
"Yes?"
"Do not be hesitant to deploy the more... particular skills of my Theigns. A good number of them know how to, among other things, hotwire cars. I'd strongly suggest making full use of them at the mall."
There was a chuckle from the other end. "Do not worry, Brody-dono. I will keep your subordinates very busy."
"Excellent. Please pardon me, but I've got a meeting to head." I turned around and headed back to Saya, who seemed to winding down with her catch-up for the group. No one's eyes were glazed over, so I assumed she hadn't gotten too technical for them.
"Lord gimme strength and eloquence." I muttered as I stepped back onto my step ladder, making sure to hit the speakerphone button as I did so