"Don't give up! Everyone, hold your positions!" The leader shouted encouragement, smashing a zombie's skull with the butt of a rifle. The voice was firm and clear—a woman's.
"I can't... I'm out of ammo... I can't keep going..."
"Ahhh! Somebody, help—!"
"Dammit... it's too late..."
A series of agonized cries were swiftly silenced. Moments later, only the leader remained, desperately fending off the encroaching horde, her back to a wall. "Is this it?... Saya…" she whispered, a note of final resignation in her voice.
"Goku, go save her! Quickly!" Saya urged from the Humvee, her voice tight with panic. There was something hauntingly familiar about that last voice.
"Got it! Stay here!" Son Goku nodded, grabbed a metal spear from the vehicle, and burst out the door.
He moved like a whirlwind, the spear in his hands less a weapon and more an extension of his will. He wielded it like a staff, each sweeping blow sending zombies flying with terrifying, bone-shattering force, clearing a path through the press of bodies.
"So... so strong!" the woman breathed, watching his approach with stunned awe.
"Wow! Goku-niichan is amazing!" Alice cheered from the safety of the car, her face alight with hero-worship.
Beside her, Saeko watched with blazing eyes. The years of restraint, of holding back her violent nature, had melted away under Goku's acceptance. The pent-up frustration was gone, replaced by a thrilling, liberating hunger.
"I'm going to help him! Rei, protect everyone!" Saeko declared, flinging the door open and launching herself into the fray. Her wooden practice sword became a deadly instrument, thrust forward to pierce a zombie's eye socket, then whirled around in a brutal, elegant arc to cave in another's temple. She danced through the mob, each movement efficient, lethal, and disturbingly graceful—a bloody ballet where every step was a precise, fatal strike. If Goku's combat was raw, overwhelming power, Saeko's was a seductive and deadly art form.
"This feeling… this is it… yes…" she murmured, her breath coming faster. The more she fought, the more exhilarated she became, a flush rising on her cheeks, a soft, involuntary moan escaping her lips as she lost herself in the carnage.
"She's... incredible too," Takashi observed from the vehicle, her voice a mixture of admiration and unease.
"But Saeko's expression… it's a bit unsettling," Rei murmured, frowning.
Goku chuckled, watching her from across the chaos. "Watching her fight is a real pleasure! Well, I can't look bad either!" He redoubled his efforts, the spear becoming a blur as he bulldozed forward, creating a clear zone around the stranded woman. With one final, powerful sweep, he sent the last nearby zombies crashing into a concrete wall with wet, final thuds.
He turned, planting himself between her and any remaining threat. "Hey. You hurt?"
"I'm… I'm alright. Thank you," the woman said, her initial shock giving way to rapid composure. "But we need to retreat. There are too many of them."
"Retreat? Too easy!" Goku laughed. "Just stick close to me!" He charged back the way he came, Saeko falling in beside him, and the woman followed closely in their wake. They carved a path of devastation through the undead, leaving only broken forms in their wake.
"This… this is impossible…" the woman stammered, utterly stupefied by the display of inhuman strength.
"In a world of zombies, he's the real monster," Saya sighed from the Humvee, a complex mix of relief and awe in her voice.
In minutes, the horde was decimated. Goku walked over to Saeko, who was calming her racing breath, though a post-climactic flush still colored her skin. "Feel better?" he asked, a knowing smile on his face.
She met his gaze, her own intense. "You… you will take responsibility for me, won't you?"
"Absolutely," he said without hesitation, taking her hand. They walked back to the Humvee together.
The group disembarked. When the rescued woman saw Saya, she froze. "Saya?!" She tore off her hood, revealing a mature, elegant, and now-tear-streaked face.
"Mama!" Saya's eyes welled up instantly, and she threw herself into her mother's arms, sobbing.
After a long moment, Saya's mother gently extracted herself and bowed deeply to Goku and the others. "Thank you for saving my life. I am Takagi Yuriko, Saya's mother. If not for you, I would never have seen my daughter again. And thank you for protecting her all this time."
"It was only natural. Friends help each other," Takashi said, returning the bow with a respectful nod.
"Mama, why are you here? Where's Papa?" Saya asked, her voice trembling as she wiped her eyes.
Yuriko's face clouded with profound grief. "Your father… he is gone."
"What? Papa…? No… that can't be!" Saya stumbled back, stunned. Despite their differences, the news was a physical blow, and fresh tears spilled down her cheeks. "H-how…?"
"He was… killed… by my own hand," Yuriko confessed, the words laced with immeasurable pain.
"What?!" Saya gasped, her face a mask of horrified disbelief.
"A large group broke through our home's defenses. He was protecting me… and in the chaos, he was… bitten." Yuriko's voice broke. "He turned so quickly… He was in agony… He begged me… he begged me to end it for him…" She could no longer speak, her body shaking with silent sobs.
"Mama…" Saya whispered, and mother and daughter clung to each other, their shared grief echoing in the silent street.
Goku listened, a faint frown on his face. I don't remember this in the original storyline. Is this the butterfly effect from my presence, or a timeline divergence? The thought was a quiet disturbance in the back of his mind.
He clapped his hands together, drawing everyone's attention. "Alright. That means our trip to Saya's house is unnecessary. Our next objective is Shizuka's friend, Minami Rika. Shizuka, you remember her number, right? Give her a call."
"Ara~ Of course I remember something that important! But… I left my phone at the school…"
"Use mine," Takashi said, handing over her cell phone.
"Ah, thank you!" Shizuka chirped, taking the phone. She stared at the keypad with intense concentration. "Um… the 1 is here… the 2 is here… the 3 is here…"
Saya facepalmed. "Just let me dial it for you."
"No! I'll forget the number! Don't interrupt me!" Shizuka insisted, pressing each button with deliberate, painstaking slowness.
The rest of the group collectively sighed.
Over a minute later… "Moshi moshi?" a voice finally answered.
"Ah! Rika! You're alive! We managed to get some guns, and… wow, so many terrible things have happened!" Shizuka exclaimed, her relief evident.
"Save the details. Where are you now? My apartment?" Minami Rika's voice was all business.
"We already left… we're coming to find you. Where are you?" Shizuka replied.
"Baka! Who told you to look for me?! My location is extremely high-risk. You find a secure place to hide, and I'll come to you later!"
Shizuka waved a hand airily, as if her friend could see her. "Ara~ don't worry about it! I've got a super, super strong boyfriend now! He can kick a bus into the sky with one foot… and… he can even fly…"
"…What?! You have a boyfriend?!" Rika's voice sharpened, seizing on the first part of the statement and completely glossing over the latter, impossible claims. "What's he like? He's not taking advantage of you, is he?"
Shizuka's cheeks flushed bright red. "He is not! Goku is a wonderful person!"
A sigh came through the receiver. "I'm at the Offshore Airport. Get here if you can. Bring this 'boyfriend' of yours… I'll find a window to extract you…"
The line went dead. Shizuka beamed, handing the phone back. "See? She's at the airport! Let's go!"