"Deiji!" Noah called out to the young woman as he saw her at the top of the stairs.
Noah slowly let go of Daisy and held her by both shoulders.
"Daisy, go pack your things. We're leaving," Noah ordered her with a sweet smile.
"Is it okay for me to come along with all of you?" Daisy asked, referring to what she had done to Michael and how selfish she had been.
"Of course! No one said you couldn't come with us," Noah answered cheerfully.
"There's one. Duh!" Daisy said, looking at Deiji and rolling her eyes.
Deiji laughed at Daisy's behavior right in front of Noah. This reminded Noah that Deiji was standing near them. Daisy went back inside to prepare.
Noah walked toward Deiji and stopped in front of her.
"Deiji, it's not what you think," Noah began to explain.
"Huh? What do you think I think?" Deiji asked with a laugh as she started to walk toward the room they were temporarily staying in.
"What do you mean?" Noah asked, puzzled.
He liked Deiji and believed she still liked him too.
"I mean, it doesn't concern me, and I'm not interested in whatever relationship you two have," Deiji explained with a smile.
Though she wanted to ask Noah who Daisy was in his life since they seemed so close, she held back.
Noah went silent. It hurt to hear Deiji express no interest in him, especially after thinking she might still have feelings for him.
"Uh, what are you doing here?" Noah asked, trying to change the painful subject.
"I left the stuffed toy Zebby was playing with. Yuki asked me to get it," Deiji replied, forcing herself to speak.
After what she saw earlier, her cheeks felt numb, and her whole body tensed. It was hard for her to speak, but she needed to act like nothing was wrong in front of Noah.
She spotted the stuffed toy, grabbed it quickly, and walked past Noah to leave. She didn't want to be around him for now—it felt suffocating.
The two were stopped by a loud metallic crash outside. They rushed downstairs to check with the others.
They found Glenn, Roy, and Christ bracing the door.
"What happened?" Deiji asked as she quickly got her things.
"They're in. Now they're trying to break in here," Glenn explained to Noah and Deiji, both of whom had just arrived with questioning looks.
"We need to move now," Roy suggested, struggling with the effort.
They watched Noah hurriedly go back upstairs.
"Noah!" Christ shouted at him furiously.
"He's getting Daisy," Deiji murmured, hiding her face as she forced a sad smile.
Noah rushed back down, pulling an irritated Daisy behind him.
"I'm not done packing yet. I only grabbed three shirts, shorts, and underwear," Daisy complained, trying to free her wrist from Noah's grip.
"Excuse me, we have no clothes with us. Stop throwing tantrums," Bianca said, rolling her eyes at Daisy.
"Excuse me, too. It's not my fault. And FYI, you didn't bring any clothes when you showed up at my house," Daisy snapped back, raising her eyebrows for emphasis.
Bianca was about to retort when Myrna stopped her.
"Please, let's just go. You're all so noisy. They're increasing in number," Roy yelled at them.
Everyone fell silent and made their way to the back door of the house.
"Please, Lord, protect us," Yuki whispered as they quietly stepped out into the night.
They moved silently outside. The darkness helped them avoid detection by the zombies as long as they stayed quiet.
"Where are we going?" Noah whispered to Glenn, who was leading the group.
Everyone kept quiet, some even covering their mouths to stay silent.
Glenn led the way, with Noah beside him. Behind them were Daisy, Myrna, and Bianca, while Deiji stayed near Yuki, who carried Zebby. Michael and Michelle walked hand in hand, while Roy and Christ guarded the rear.
Michael had insisted on taping his mouth because Deiji didn't want to tie him up again. He wanted to ensure he couldn't bite anyone even if he fully turned.
Suddenly, they stopped, staring at a bright light moving closer to them. They were startled to see a group of people their age running toward them.
"Run!" one of the strangers shouted, even though they were still some distance away.
Glenn and the others looked back and were shocked to see a massive horde of zombies chasing the newcomers.
The group ran back the way they came. Yuki suggested a shortcut to her workplace, a tall, seemingly closed hotel.
The group hurried, annoyed that the other group of survivors was leading the zombies toward them.
Yuki handed Zebby to Myrna and started entering the hotel's passcode.
"Yuki, faster," Roy urged.
"Hurry! They're coming!" shouted a breathless stranger who suddenly appeared, followed by several others.
Glenn wanted to confront them but realized they were also just trying to survive.
As the door opened, everyone rushed inside, causing the friends to get separated.
Michael and Michelle held hands tightly, determined not to lose each other.
"This way!" Yuki called to her friends amid the chaotic crowd.
Within a minute, they regrouped at the VIP elevator.
"Where's Deiji?" Noah asked, noticing she wasn't with them.
"There!" Roy pointed to the far end of the area.
Deiji was looking around, trying to find them.
"Deiji!" Michelle shouted to get her attention.
Deiji smiled and hurried toward them, but just as she reached the elevator, the doors closed in her face.
Everyone froze in fear as they saw zombies entering the hotel behind her.