Riku prepped his armaments by slinging the M4A1 carbine across his back and securing the M24 sniper case over his shoulder. Then he slid the Glock 17 neatly into the thigh holster strapped to his right leg.
"We should leave now," Riku said, grabbing Miko gently by the arm before turning toward the others. His tone was steady, but his eyes carried the weight of the risk.
"Stay here," he instructed. "We'll be back later. Suzune, Ichika… please take care of Hana."
"Brother…" Hana murmured, her voice trembling as tears welled up in her eyes.
Riku crouched down and placed a comforting hand on her head, gently ruffling her hair. "I'll be fine, Hana. Be a good girl, okay? Listen to them. Don't open the door for anyone else."
She sniffled, nodding silently.
Suzune gave him a firm look, masking her own concern. "We'll wait for you. Good luck, and… please bring Miko's family back safe."
Riku gave a silent nod. No promises. Only intent.
He and Miko moved swiftly to the front door. Riku cracked it open first, scanning the hallway with a quick glance. All clear. With a wave of his hand, they slipped out. The door shut behind them with a soft click of the lock.
The apartment complex was oddly quiet. Riku's guess was right—this district wasn't dense with foot traffic. Most of the neighbors probably locked themselves inside, fled, or… didn't make it. But for now, the silence was a blessing.
Outside the gates, parked near the sidewalk, the Toyota SUV sat exactly where they left it.
Riku exhaled in relief. He fished out the keys from his pocket and pressed the key fob. Beep-beep. The locks disengaged with a click, the headlights flashing twice.
"Let's go," he muttered.
Miko opened the passenger door and climbed in, fastening her seatbelt. Her hands were clasped tightly in her lap, her legs shaking slightly from anxiety she wasn't trying to hide.
Riku entered from the driver's side. He buckled in, pushed the brake pedal down, and pressed the ignition.
The engine purred to life.
He reached for his phone, plugged it into the console, and pulled up the navigation app. The map loaded quickly, and he entered the destination: Seijō, Setagaya City.
A purple route traced across the screen, showing a path westward through familiar Tokyo streets. Estimated travel time: 20 minutes—under normal circumstances. But today, it could be anything.
He slotted the phone into the vent-mounted holder and tapped the screen to start the navigation.
"Alright…" Riku gripped the steering wheel. "Hold on tight."
The SUV rolled forward, the tires crunching over debris and stray paper. Miko turned her head to the window, watching the world outside pass like a haunted dream—shuttered shops, abandoned bikes, traffic lights blinking meaninglessly over empty intersections.
"Please be okay… Mama, Papa, Nee-chan…" she whispered.
The SUV continued rolling down the narrow street, engine humming steadily beneath the hood. Riku kept one hand on the wheel, the other close to the Glock on his thigh.
Miko's hands were still clenched tightly in her lap, her eyes scanning every alley and sidewalk as they passed.
Then she stiffened.
"Riku…" she said, voice barely above a whisper. "Up ahead."
He narrowed his eyes.
At the next intersection, just fifty meters out, shadows began to spill into the street—dozens of figures, shuffling at first… then turning their heads.
They spotted the vehicle.
And then they ran.
"Shit," Riku muttered under his breath.
The zombies charged.
"Hang on!" he barked, twisting the wheel sharply.
The SUV swerved hard to the left, tires screeching as he maneuvered into a side street, narrowly missing a lamppost. Miko cried out as her body jolted from the turn, gripping the handle on the door.
"They're fast!" she gasped, glancing through the rear window. A group of the infected had already turned the corner, sprinting after them with unnatural speed and aggression.
Riku pressed down on the accelerator, the engine roaring louder as the SUV picked up speed. He took another sharp turn, dodging between an overturned garbage truck and a row of abandoned bicycles.
But the road ahead wasn't empty.
Zombies poured from a smashed storefront on the right, others clawing their way through broken fences and alleyways. A small crowd gathered right in front of the vehicle, arms flailing, faces bloodied and twisted with hunger.
Riku's jaw clenched. His foot hovered over the brake.
But there was no time to stop.
He made a split-second decision.
"Sorry," he muttered grimly—and floored the gas.
THUMP.
The SUV struck the first body like a battering ram, sending the zombie flying across the hood and into the windshield with a sickening crunch. The body rolled off to the side.
THUMP—THUMP-THUMP.
Miko screamed, hands over her mouth as the SUV plowed through the horde. Blood smeared across the windshield. Bones crunched under the tires. Bodies were tossed aside like ragdolls.
Riku gripped the wheel tighter, eyes locked forward. "Don't look. Just don't look," he said through gritted teeth.
"...Umu…"
Another zombie lunged at the passenger side window—WHAM!—but Riku jerked the car sideways, scraping the side of a sedan to shake it off.
"We're almost past them!" he shouted.
The last few stragglers bounced off the front bumper, and finally, the road cleared.
Riku didn't ease up until they were four blocks away, only slowing once they reached a stretch of relatively quiet residential streets.
The SUV was spattered with blood and gore, but still intact.
Riku slowed the car to a crawl, breathing hard, hands sweaty on the wheel.
Miko stared ahead in silence. Her body was stiff, her face pale.
"…Are you okay?" Riku asked, glancing at her.
She nodded shakily. "I—I will be."
He exhaled and reached into the glove box, pulling out a napkin and wiping the blood smears off the inside of the windshield.
"Sorry you had to see that," he said.
"I'm the one who asked you to come," Miko whispered. "If I didn't… you wouldn't have had to…"
"You don't need to feel guilty." Riku cut her off. "This is how the world is now. And if we don't adapt, we die."
Miko looked at him, her eyes still wide but soft with gratitude. "Thank you… for not turning back."
"We're not out of danger yet," Riku said, eyes flicking back to the GPS. "Seijō's still five kilometers out. I'm taking us through a smaller road next—less likely to be jammed up or full of walkers."
"I see…you do know the way around the city…" Miko observed.
"Well thanks to my routine of walking around the city when I'm bored," Riku said.