High School Of The Dead: Betrayal

Chapter 24: Shiki

"So... where did you come from, Aimi?" I asked our newest member as we walked through the city,carrying her on my back. "Well, I'm not really supposed to tell strangers... but you seem nice.. that and your friend has pretty hair." She told me, giggling as she said this last part. "Thank you, sweetie... now, where's your group?" Saya asked, smiling sweetly. "I'm sure you have someone worried about you."

'Nice, Saya. Real nice.' I mused, chuckling. I understood what she was doing. Since she and Aimi were both girls, Saya was trying to appeal to the girl's sense of trust.

"I live in a big place... it has trucks, and a big fence, and a really big, white building that goes underground!" She told Saya, "it's like a hotel, but it goes underground!"

'Sounds like your little friend lives on some kind of base.' Tengu mused. I could practically hear the gears turning inside. 'Problem is, most of the bases here are probably either destroyed, or under heavy, heavy duty protection.'

"Saya, can you take our friend?" I asked the older female, noticing the closer proximity to the mall. "Maybe you can get more info from her." "Alright. Be careful., Quin." Saya told me, taking Aimi, grunting slightly from the weight. Nodding in acknowledgment, I slowly approached the parking lot, pulling my katana out. Looking up to the roof, I flashed the windows, and also at the roof, hoping that someone had seen me, and they weren't planning on using a gun to blow my head off.

((Minutes later, inside the mall.))

"Well, look who's back." Rei said, her voice sounding a bit too snarky for me. "Where's Hirano, Miyamoto?" I demanded, getting a scoff. "She's with Shizuka and Katya... dealing with your little rescue survivor... who's the kid?" She asked, folding her arms.  "Rei, this is Aimi." I told her, gesturing to the small girl hiding behind me.  "Aimi... this is Rei Miyamoto. Rei... can you let Katya know that Saya and I are back. I gotta see Alice." Getting a grunt of annoyance, I lead Aimi into the mall, holding her hand. "Alice? Alice? I'm back!" "Quin!" Alice squealed, tackling me around my waist. "Hey honey... I brought you a friend.. you might like her." Alice looked confused, and looked at Aimi, smiling. "Hi! I'm Alice!" "I-I'm Aimi.." the blonde girl replied, smiling back, before looking up at me, seeming to ask permission.

'She's just like the little red head.' Tengu laughed, sounding amused.

"Play nice girls." I told them, watching them run off. Chuckling, I turned and walked back towards the direction where Shizuka and Katya were, only to be stopped by none other than Takashi. "What do you want?" I asked, folding my arms. "I want to know what the hell you're thinking, Quin." He hissed. "We barely have enough food as it is to feed everyone... let alone two extra!" "Chill out, Kumuro..." I told him, pushing past him. "They needed help." "Yeah? So do we... we can't hold out here for long." He told me, making me freeze in my steps. "Eventually... we're gonna need to leave." Keeping silent, I took in Takashi's words, before shaking my head. "I'll keep that in mind." I grunted, before walking away.

"How's our patient doing?" I asked, walking into the impromptu infirmary. "He's alive...and stable, thank god." Shizuka told me, smiling. "He was just dehydrated, and a little shell shocked. His leg will heal over time as well." "Good... is he awake?" "Yes... Katya is with him, so be nice." She teased, leading me inside.

"So... what happened next?" Katya asked the stranger, making me blink. "Well... I was disoriented for a little while... I guess I ended up here." He told her, before looking up, smiling. "Ah. You must be Quinton." He said, sitting up straight. "Katya's told me so much about you." "She has? Interesting... and who are you?" I asked, holding out my hand. "I'm Shiki Okada ." He replied, shaking my hand "It's nice to meet you. I have a question: how do you know Katya?" I asked, leaning  against the wall.

'Way to go for the throat there, bud.' Tengu mocked me. Ignoring him, I waited as I stood there, surprised to see Katya stand up to intervene. "You don't need to know that." She hissed defensively, pushing me backwards. "It's okay. Katya... He does have some right to know." Shiki said, massaging his leg. Watching Katya slowly back off, I felt the tension in the room slowly drain, as Shiki took care of his leg.

"Well... just to clear something up, Katya and I are... allies, in a way. We had met originally back at Don Takagi's mansion." "Wait... you're serious?" I interrupted, taking a step towards Shiki. "That... that's insane!" "I know it's hard to believe, but there were people who managed to survive the breach." He told me, holding his hands up to stop me. "The explosion did take out quite a few of the infected, but it took out some living as well. Don Takagi and The Lady managed to survive as well..."

The room was dead silent when I heard this news.

'Ooooohhhh.... shit.' Tengu whispered. 'Oh... shit is right.' I thought.