The Takagi's meeting room was tastefully austere, sacrificing much of the victorian charm of the rest of the main house to capture a distinct sense of purpose and absolute focus. The furniture was still antique, and probably worth more than my parents' house, but much more subdued in its beauty. In the rest of the house, even the chairs were a point of conversation. Here, however, focus was to be kept on the subject at hand, and not on the object upon which one sits thine ass.
On the table was a large map of the grounds of the failed Crystal Peaks Ski resort and the surrounding area. I had to admit, it was a bit of a strange bird. While designed primarily as a Ski resort, it had been later expanded to include a lakeside marina when the the geniuses behind it realized that they were building on a mountain next to a dam. This lead to them adding a small marina to the design, and while it had barely started construction when the entire project crashed and burned, it still have a couple of temporary docks from where they brought in the construction equipment by barge.
"Mt. Suishoyama. An interesting choice," " Miss Takagi remarked as she studied the map, "Protected on two sides by mountains, one by a large body of water, and the other is a narrow mountain valley with no major settlements or outlets. The only major approach is over the dam and through a winding mountain road." she glanced up. "In other words, it is a fortress."
I smiled. "Security was one of my utmost concerns. After all, while zombies are not known for their mountaineering talents, ultimately the most dangerous predators will be the living and not the dead."
This of course, was relative bullshit. While I knew it was ridiculously hard to approach, the security had been a distant consideration to the fact that it could be reached via a reasonably simple and direct route, was close enough that that we could walk it if push came to shove, was isolated enough that we would not have to run a gauntlet to get there, and most importantly, was completely abandoned. I'd only realized how stupidly protected it was after the fact.
She nodded then glanced up. "It does raise one major concern, however. That being food. While the lake is richly stocked with fish due to the thoughtlessness of the developers..."
I blinked. "Really?"
"You didn't know?"
I shook my head. "Never heard anything about fish."
She nodded. "Understandable. It was something of an ecological scandal that was quickly overshadowed when the business imploded. It seems that in order to promote fishing, they had the lake stocked with several invasive species of fish. Brown and Rainbow Trout, I do believe, along with Large Mouth Bass. There was a call to exterminate them before they could damage the local ecosystem, but the regional government couldn't assemble the will, nor the money to fund the project."
Well, I wasn't really the fishing type, but even I knew those were actually some pretty sizable fish, and with this much time virtually uninterrupted in the wild there'd be some monsters in that lake.
"I see. But what is your issue with food?"
"These mountains are not well suited for farming, and even with access to the valley, it would take a great deal of time and effort to clear."
I smiled. "I see. You're right, farming most grains would be extremely difficult, but we already have several stretches of clear land perfectly suited for farming: the ski slopes."
She peaked an eyebrow.
Saya smiled. "He's thinking potatoes. Mother. At first, I was wondering why he had so many varieties and subspecies, but it makes sense now. It seems that he's hedging his bets."
"I'm almost as Celtic as Cú Chulainn and Brian Boru," I replied drolly. "My mom's side of the family were literally potato refugees. The downsides of having limited genetic diversity in your potato crop has been all but burned into my racial memory."
For the first time in the conversation, Mr Takagi spoke up, in the form of a dull chuckle. "I see you have much in hand. However, do you really expect us to subsist on a diet of potatoes and lake fish?"
"My ancestors subsisted on similar fare and were taller, stronger, and healthier than their bread and beef eating English overlords." I replied coolly, not liking his tone. I politely refrained from mentioning that your average Japanese man of the time, subsisting on a diet largely consisting of fish and rice, was just about the height of your average Irish woman of the time. "But you are correct. I have no desire to live off of fish and potatoes."
This was mainly because I didn't know about the fish.
"There are a number of farms and rural villages south of the lodge. Once we have the civilians to safety we can send teams into them to recover as many domestic animals and livestock as possible. Chickens and pigs, ducks, rabbits, goats if we can find them. Cattle will be more valuable as a source of labor. And we can't forget dogs and cats as well... To be companions and guards, not food," I added after the moment.
Felix and Fido were worth more alive than on a dinner plate.
Then Mrs. Takagi dropped a bomb.
"So, how did you know this was coming?" Mrs Takagi asked without even raising her tone. "And why didn't you warn anyone?"
I closed my eyes and sighed. "What makes you think I knew?"
"Because one does not invest this level of preparation into a simple zombie plan, while everything I have seen implies a man who knew not only exactly what he would have to deal with, but when," she replied. "Potatoes have a usable lifespan of three to five weeks in normal conditions. This can be extended up to several months if stored properly, but one does not buy and refresh multiple tons of potatoes every few weeks for something as trite as a zombie plan, nor would you be able to afford the sheer volume of supplies you seem have gathered on a assistant teacher's wage."
"Takagi-dono," I said in a tired tone. "Do you know the difference between a mad man and a prophet?"
Saya's eyes went wide at my answer, while her mother seemed to defer to her husband.
Mr. Takagi said nothing but inclined his head after a moment, silently asking me to continue.
I looked up at him, my eyes red with exhaustion. "One of them is proven right by history. Who would have believed me? How many people could I have saved from the inside of an asylum?"
Saya whispered softly, "So... you knew it. All of it. You knew this entire time. So that's why you trained the boys? That's why all the weapons. That's why you tried to arrange that school festival..." her eyes went wide. "Sensei, where's Shido-sensei?"
"In the sewers, a block down the road from Yorinaga's Yakitori," I replied drolly.
She gaped, her eyes going wide.
"Shido was the kind of man who'd happily lead us all to our deaths as long as he was the one who got to do the leading," I said dryly. "He was far too ambitious, far too arrogant, and far too influential. The divisions he would have created would have cost us time and lives." I also just despised the bastard on a personal and professional level, not that anyone would consider that an excuse... except maybe Rei.
Souichiro locked eyes with me, unblinking for a long moment then gently dipped his head. "Duty heavier than a mountain," he said with a respectful tone. "We shall never speak of this again."
Well that went better than I hoped, thank God for Takagi pragmatism…
"So how long have you known?" Yoriko asked. "I'm guessing a year?"
I blinked. "How did you know?"
"You do not believe we'd allow a mysterious gaijin to educate our daughter without first inquiring to his origins. You appeared as if from nowhere a year ago," he paused, "Exactly one year ago, yesterday. The timing is extremely convenient, and when combined with your foreknowledge, leaves many questions to be answered. And I'm also assuming that it is directly connected to your reasoning for killing Koichi Shido."
"He'd have gone full psycho, and his behavior would have lead to dozens of deaths, including your own," I said with a growl.
Saya blinked, her mask of calm slipping for a moment. "What the hell did he do?"
I sighed. "Well, without my intervention all of about a dozen people would have survived the school. You, Kohta, Takashi, Rei, Shizuka, Saeko, Shido, Yuuki, Yamada, Taniuchi, Tsuda, and Kurokami. Once you were away from the school in the bus, he would have started acting like it was his personal fiefdom and made insane proclamations like how you'd all be needed to repopulate the species."
She blinked. "What."
"After you, Kohta, Takashi, Rei, Shizuka, and Saeko decided that he was completely nuts, he left you all by the side of the road to die." I snorted. "Hell, he even tossed Yamada to the undead because he was more interested in worrying about his family than participating in Shido's Fuck Bus."
Saya's face slowly twisted into an unmoving rictus of shock, disgust, and utter bewilderment as all of her blood seemingly made its way to her face as she blushed completely red in that special way only a female anime character could. It was a bit off putting to see it in real life.
"And how did his actions lead to our deaths?" Souichiro all but growled.
"He ended up plowing through your barrier in his bus after the EMP went off. The undead swarmed your compound, leading to the deaths of almost everyone within. The two of you died fighting, as back to back badasses in a last stand to buy time for Saya and her friends to escape." My tone still quiet but on the inside my gut churned, it was one thing when they were just cartoons, but these were people. People with hopes and dreams for the future.
"Then in a way, you avenged us retroactively and in doing so prevented our deaths," Yuriko remarked before letting out a deep sigh. "I never thought I'd see the day where the only serious, logical explanation for a situation that I can think of is is that it is all 'a big ball of wibbly wobbly, timey wimey stuff'." she said in the most droll tone physically possible.
Saya began to sputter, and turned to her mother. "Seriously? Doctor Who? At a time like this?"
Her father turned to her with a glare, obviously annoyed that she raised her voice to her mother, but he was cut off by his wife.
"Daughter," her mother said with a sigh. "We are in the midst of a literal zombie apocalypse and are dealing with a man who has seen a possible future. The world has officially become a place where only the only logical answer is one, that by all standard convention, sounds like lazily written science fiction. I believe I've earned this moment of irreverence, if only to preserve the lingering wisps of my sanity."
Saya paused for a moment, gaping like a goldfish trying to figure out a logical retort before simply lowering her head and simply muttering "Point".
"Brody-dono," Mr. Takagi said calmly. "If it were not for my wife, I would consider this madness. But I trust her judgement and can find no fault in her logic. So, in this 'future' your foresaw was what would have happened had you not been present?"
I nodded. "My 'visions' largely centered on your daughter and friends. As if watching an anime or reading a manga."
He nodded lightly. "And in that future, who now live hundreds would have died without your intervention, including myself and my wife?"
I nodded gently. "Yeah. Like you said, I woke up here, in Japan a year ago, with the shirt on my back, the knowledge of what was to come, and no possible way to get home. So I did what any man would do."
"No you did not," he replied sharply. "Most would have seen to their own safety, and that of their loved ones. They would not have dedicated their lives to ensuring that as many survived the coming disaster. They would not have raised an army to protect those survivors. They would not have prepared a safe haven. Yet you did these things. You do not give yourself nearly enough credit, Brody-dono."
He then stood up ramrod straight and bowed to me. Deeply. For a moment his torso was almost vertical. "Thank you very much for your actions, on behalf of my family and my countrymen."
I was unsure how to respond, I was overwhelmed that the couple had just accepted me somehow knowing that there was a zombie apocalypse coming a year before it happened. And I had to admit, that Souichiro had just hit me right in the feels with that one.
"And in doing so you have both avenged our deaths and saved our lives. For both I owe you a debt."
"Then you can repay that debt by helping me keep as many of our people alive as possible." I finally replied after gathering my wits about me.
He chuckled dully. "Of course. That is answer I'd expect of you."
Saya looked over. "Okay, Nostradamus-sensei, earth-shaking, sanity-melting revelations aside I believe we still need to discuss how we plan to reach your promised land."
"I'm thinking we get as many vehicles as we can that can survive or at least be shielded from the EMP and move out in a convoy as soon as the power dies. We should be able to make it in a day."
"You're sure about the EMP?"
I nodded. "Yes. The Chinese launch some time tomorrow. The US Navy launches ABMs to counter but one of the Destroyers was overrun, and they missed one of the missiles which exploded in an airburst EMP strike."
She grimaced. "So how much do you actually 'know'?"
"Only until a couple days from now," I admitted. "Beyond that, it's just fragments."
Mrs Takashi scowled. "Do you know what causes it?"
"Something supernatural," I admitted. "Beyond that I got nothing."
"Supernatural, of course," she said pinching the bridge of her noses as if she were in pain.
I shrugged my shoulders as I gave her a sympathising look, "Sorry, all I know is that it wasn't some sort plague that went out of control. Whether Hell ran out of room or some idiot sneezed while saying "Klaatu Barada Nikto", all I can honestly tell you is that something other caused this."
The couple looked to each other then nodded, some wordless decision had been made and I somehow knew this would be a massive headache… joy…
"Very well," Mr Takagi said with a nod. "Then the plan shall be this. We will begin to strip the grounds immediately, then relocate to your encampment. Once there we shall strip every vehicle present of its electronics and place them into shielded storage. After the Pulse we will return the vehicles to working condition and begin to move."
Thinking back to the size of the lot, I tried to picture whether or not the extra three hundred people would be able to fit inside the walls of the lot. After a few moments of rough calculations, it'd be a tight fit but it'd be doable. Then the image of a certain pixie haired twit came to mind.
"You are going to have problems with a small group who will ignore reality and try and argue that the zombies are still people. They mean well, but they're basically going to make fools of themselves. You're probably want to have measures in hand to manage them before they do something stupid and get themselves, or more important anyone else, killed."
He simply nodded. "I have heard rumblings but did not believe that anyone could be so foolish. I am not a man who likes to admit when he is wrong, but in this case I shall do so with great... disappointment."
"I might be able to point out the likely ringleader if you like." I offered.
"Do so and I'll make sure they stay quiet and out of the way," Mrs Takagi offered with a hard edge to her voice.
I raised an eyebrow. "You're not going to kill her, are you?"
She smiled beatifically. "Of course not. I value the life of every man and women under our protection, and will seek to protect them with my all, even from themselves if need be."
I paused for a moment and nodded. "Okay then. We've worked out the details and you have the location. I don't want to sound rude but we're burning daylight and time is of the essence."
Mr. Takagi nodded as he stood. "Of course. I shall issue the orders to my men immediately."
"I'll go tell my pack of wildmen to get ready to move out, and remind them to cooperate," I replied. "Shintoko Third Elementary is being used as a shelter by the JSDF and Takashi's mother works there. I don't think the authorities will listen to me, but I'm going to have him tell his mother where to go for when things go pear shaped."
Souichiro raised an eyebrow. "And you believe they will?"
"It's likely that they have no long term plan besides wait for extraction. Such a passive direction is weakness." I replied. The manga had never really given much information on the school or what was going to happen there, but let's not fool ourselves. This is Highschool of the Dead and nobody is allowed to have nice things.
I only lasted this long by defying the genre and going full Zombieland. Because fuck Highschool of the Dead. Fuck the Walking Dead. Fuck the entire Action-Horror zombie movie genre. And fuck you, George A. Romero, you motherfucker. I'm going full on Survival Horror, thank you very much. Emphasis on survival.
"I'd also like to check Rei's fathers' station. If he's alive, he'd be an asset. If it is abandoned, it would probably be a good idea to strip it of any firearms. If you can reach any in the time we have, I suggest you do so."
"We shall do so," Mr Takashi replied calmly. "Do you know of any other survivor groups?"
I shook my head sadly. "Outside the Airport, no. However I can give you the numbers of several of the teachers from the school. They can likely coordinate with the students to see if anyone can find out. As much as I'm loathe to say it, you're much better equipped to do large scale rescue and evacuation than we are."
"That is understandable. You are only one man who was working in secret on a teacher's wages. I have access to an organization that is the product of decades of hard work and effort backed up by a not insubstantial personal fortune."
"Alright then," I said after a moment, "If you want I can leave you two alone with Saya for a moment..."
He shook his head, dismissing my offer. "There is no need. Our daughter is safe. That is what is important. We will have time together once we are secure and have the time to dedicate personal concerns. For now, we must attend to our duties."
I nodded. "Lets."