He had said five hours, Shai reckoned it took them four and a half.

It was still dark. Dawn would not come for another five hours.

Ahead of the group the city loomed. The houses from the suburbs were now right before them. The clouds above had opened and snow began to fall.

"Just our luck," Fabian complained as he rubbed his arms and stomped his feet.

They had come up with a plan on the way. It was simple. If Yuji was alive, he was most likely somewhere nearby. The group was betting on the fact that as a first timer the boy would be hiding somewhere out of sight, too terrified to move.

Shai reached out a hand and stopped Asumi from taking another step. She turned to shoot him a questioning glance but he shook his head.

"We should probably take it slow from here," Roanna's voice was hushed. Her eyes were on the houses before. "The infected are probably still fighting over the scraps..."

Shai felt Asumi flinch.

"At least they can't see that well in the dark either," Fabian commented. "I don't know about the infectors though..."

"They never stay in an area long," with those words Shai took the lead, this time somewhat more slowly.

"Oh?" Roanna raised an eyebrow. "Quiet boy over there knows something about the infectors?"

Shai didn't reply as he continued on his path. A gun was in his hands and his eyes scanned the area.

"Fabian," Asumi murmured.

Without a word, Fabian turned. He lifted his gun and kept an eye on their backs.

Asumi took one side and Roanna took the other without being asked.

The four continued down the street, keeping close to the walls of the houses. As they neared the site of the convoy, Shai lifted a hand. The group stopped.

Shai strained his ears, eyes narrowing.

He stood for a moment.

"There's nothing there..." Roanna seemed to lose patience. She walked forward, rounding the corner.

Shai moved in a flash. He grabbed the girl and jerked her back, pulling her close as his back silently hit the wall. A hand was over her mouth.

"Mff," came the muffled protest.

Asumi and Fabian joined the two, with Fabian putting a finger to his lips. Hand still over the girl's mouth, Shai glanced around the corner. There was a distant growl and the sickening sound of something snapping. The sight that greeted him was far from pleasant and would have made most people sick.

Deformed and rotting creatures covered the area. Some wandered aimlessly, rocking back and forth as their hunger had been momentarily satisfied. The others were crouched over still forms, chomping as they tore chunks of human flesh and devoured it. A few turned to each other and snapped their teeth when another got too close.

Shai's stomach churned and yet he didn't turn away. Is she... He didn't dwell on it. Instead, he let his eyes wander across the area. Five...eight...ten...fifteen...sixteen in sight. His gaze turned to the area behind. Who knows how many more are spread out... His eyes darted to the vehicles that stood abandoned. Boxes lay scattered all around.

"What's the situation?" Asumi asked.

"Infected." Shai pulled back. "They're eating, so I think it's safe to assume the infectors are gone."

Silence.

"They probably left after they had their fi..." Fabian trailed off.

"Mff..."

Realizing he still had his hand clasped over the poor girl's mouth, Shai dropped it.

Roanna took a deep breath. "Was that necessary?" she hissed.

Shai shrugged.

She turned. "Let me take a..."

Shai pulled her back before she could glance around the corner.

"It's not a pretty sight," he warned.

Roanna hesitated. She let out a sigh. "How bad?"

A shake of the head.

"Can you use words to communicate?" Roanna asked.

"Do you have a plan?" Asumi cut in. She clutched her gun close, looking like she wanted to storm around the corner at any moment.

"Up?" Fabian suggested. He turned to Shia and pointed. "I've never seen an infected climb. Maybe if we can get to the roof they can't reach us. Think it's an option?"

"Just because you've never seen it doesn't mean it can't happen," Roanna warned.

"Hiding won't help us find Yuji," Asumi cut in. "Let's take them out and search. We don't have much time."

There was a growl nearby and the teens tensed.

"How about we wait till they're all full?" Roanna suggested.

Shai turned his eyes on her.

"That way they'll be..."

"Sluggish," Fabian finished for her.

An infected that's eaten a human becomes sluggish...almost...drunk...or something like that. Intoxicated on human flesh, an unnecessary voice reminded Shai.

Asumi shook her head. "We can't waste more time. They're probably mostly full anyway."

A pause.

"What if Yu–"

Shai nudged Fabian, cutting him off.

The boy looked like he instantly regretted starting to say what he had.

Shai turned to Asumi. "You search the nearby houses. I'll cover you."

The girl nodded.

"Or we could toss grenades..." Fabian suggested.

"What?" Roanna asked. "Are you guys serious?"

Fabian leaned his head back against the house, a grin on his face.

"If Yuji is nearby that might scare him," Shia warned.

"The sound of fighting means people."

"It's his first time off the island, we don't know if he'll react the same." Shai turned his eyes to the other boy. "Besides, set off a grenade and you'll have every infected within earshot head over here." He glanced up. "I'll be your eyes above."

Roanna was looking between the other three as she seemed to try and figure out what exactly the plan was.

"The window?" Fabian asked.

"Roof." Shai's eyes travelled further up. "Better view. I'll follow along from there. Use hand signals to communicate, I'll see you."

Asumi nodded.

"You know if there's infectors you being up there isn't going to help," Roanna muttered. "Besides, the infected will come flocking as soon as they hear you..."

Shai pulled out a silencer. He began to screw it on the end of the rifle.

"Ah..."

Fabian's hand landed on Roanna's shoulder. "Don't worry," he leaned closer to her, "Shai's a good shot."

Shai slung the Rifle over his back. "Give me five minutes to set up before you move."

"You better not miss," Fabian told him. "Because if I get bit, you're the first person I'll be coming for."

Shai snorted and Fabian only grinned in response.

A nod to Asumi and Shai was off. He went for the backdoor of the house. It was unlocked. He paused before pulling out a knife. The door was opened, he slipped through. The interior was dark, but so was the outside, so it didn't take much for his eyes to adjust. He padded straight for the stairwell, making little to no noise.

Muscles tensed, he strained his ears for any sign of anything not human around him. Infected were clumsy. If there was one near him he would usually hear it first.

He was up the stairs in moments. The house was only two stories and so having gone up as far as he could, Shai went for the first room. Door opened, door closed. He was in a bedroom again, only this time he didn't pause to explore. His eyes swept the room to make sure it was clear, and then he went for the window.

The road was clearly spread out before him. The same dreadful view as before greeted him. He paid it little attention as his fingers went for the latch. At the same time his gaze was directed to the side as he looked for a route leading up.

There was a soft click as the latch was undone. The window was slid open and cold air instantly flooded the room. The boy didn't even seem to notice. With the gun on his back he was already on the sill. His hands moved for his next hold. Five seconds later and he was pulling himself up to the roof, barely making a sound. Groans from the creatures below drowned out what little noise he made.

Another second and he was on the roof. It was steep and so he crawled up. At the top he removed the Rifle from his back. He turned, body lying at an angle as he used tip off the roof to balance the gun on. A deep breath was taken as he set up, slowing his heartrate down.

His bulky gloves were pulled off to reveal the fingerless ones he wore below. Cold wind nipped immediately but he ignored it as he stuffed the gloves into his backpack. The area below was scanned once more, eyes darting from one infected to the next. Then he lowered his head, an eye moving behind the scope. He had picked this particular rifle for a reason – it came with night vision.

With one click on Shai's part the scenery below turned green. Everything was clearer to him now. The shredded bodies on the group, the corpses that defied death and moved. A familiar face with bloodshot eyes flashed before Shai. His eyes squeezed shut and his grip tightened on the gun.

Some memories never leave you, a voice echoed in his mind, Rather than run away you have to embrace them. A breath was let out and the image disappeared.

His eyes flew open. The gun turned as Shai scanned the area by the house below. The others would be moving shortly and he needed to get ready to focus. Not seeing anyone yet, he turned the gun once more over the infected as he counted and memorized positions.

He watched a particular one amble around aimlessly. It clumsily hit another as it went past. A hiss was sent in its direction as a result. Seeing another he froze. Blonde hair... Shai adjusted the scope slightly. Not her. The gun was turned to the area from before. Maybe she got away on the helicopter.

He saw the figure emerge. Everything about it, from the way it was dressed to the way it moved, gave away that it was human. A hand was raised and a motion made. Two others appeared.

They're on the move.

Shai turned the gun slightly. He saw the infected that was nearby. It hadn't noticed the group but was too close for his liking. His finger hovered over the trigger. He took a deep breath. You hit the infected right between the eyes and they don't get back up, he remembered what he had learned the day he had taken up arms. Anywhere else and they'll keep coming.

The breath his took slowly escaped his lips. His finger squeezed. The gun kicked back and a bullet flew. Hours mixed with years of training paid off as the moving corpse dropped to the ground where it stayed as it should have long ago.

The others continued to wander, not seeming to notice their comrade's fate.

Shai's view turned back to the humans. They had successfully moved to a house and slipped inside. He saw Fabian stay in sight with the door half open, eyes on the infected in the area and gun raised in case of movement in his direction. The boy turned his eyes toward Shai and lifted a thumb to show that things were fine.

Going from house to house will take a while. Shai's eyes scanned the sheer amount of buildings. Calling for Yuji would be quicker...but that'll alert the infected. He saw another that was getting too close. The gun was aimed, a breath was taken and a trigger pulled. It fell. I could take them all down...but the more that I do, the more likely they'll be alerted that something is going on.

His fingers were already frozen from the cold, but Shai knew there was nothing he could do. The warmer bulky gloves would make things difficult.

Three figures emerged from the house. Shai saw the thumb down before he watched them move to the next. He followed them, taking in anything around them. They paused at the next door. Roanna was turned, silently watching the infected that wandered around not too far off. Fabian tried the door only to shake his head.

Locked? Shai watched. Maybe... He searched for a mark on the door. No paint. The hope rising disappeared immediately. It hasn't been scavenged yet so most likely it's been locked for a while.

Asumi tried it again. Nothing happened.

Fabian leaned in to whisper something but she shook her head.

She's not going to skip any... Shai lip's twitched. Thorough as ever.

Asumi turned, eyes searching the roof tops. She jabbed a thumb to the door.

"Yes your majesty," Shai murmured as he adjusted his aim. Fabian and Asumi stepped to the side. Aim was taken. The bullet hit where expected and the doorknob fell. Fabian caught it before it could clatter to the ground. He turned, a thumb raised in Shai's general direction. Asumi had already disappeared inside.

Roanna turned to stare from the door into Shai's direction. She shook her head in disbelief before following the other two.

You're welcome, Shai thought as he kept watch. He did regular sweeps, yet no infected came close to the house. At the back of his mind a clock was ticking, counting down the seconds. He was tempted to pull his hands to himself, to rub them together, yet he resisted the urge to do so, eyes glued to the area below.

The explosion ripped through the air unexpectedly.

Shai lifted his head, snapping it in the direction of the boom. The darkness hid the smoke he was sure would have resulted from the incident. His eyes narrowed. An explosion could mean only one thing.

Eyes returning to the scope he saw the infected had instantly moved, lumbering in the direction of the noise. It would have been the perfect diversion, yet Asumi appeared at the door in a matter of seconds. The girl paused before bounding forward, all sense leaving her as she headed in the same direction.

Shai tensed. He saw Roanna appear and try to grab the other girl. She missed.

"Shoot..." Shai's eyes were on the infected that had noticed her presence.

Asumi's gun was drawn. She looked ready to shoot anything in her path. All care of going unnoticed seemed to have fled her, and Shai knew why. At the moment he didn't doubt that there was one thought on her mind. Wherever the explosion had occurred, that was where she would find Yuji.

Roanna was standing on the porch, seeming unsure. Fabian appeared. A quick hand motion toward Shai and the boy instantly knew what was being communicated. Fabian sprang forward, heading after Asumi, who was already nearing the corner.

Shai followed the movement. He used the scope to pick out three infected near each other. His finger tightened ever so slightly on the trigger. Another breath. As he released it he pulled the trigger.

One.

An infected heading for Asumi fell.

The gun swiveled.

Two.

Another dropped to the ground

Gun moved again.

Three.

The shots were coming in rapid succession. Infected fell left and right, clearing the path for Asumi and Fabian. The two hadn't had to fire even a single shot yet. Roanna seemed to have made up her mind. She sprinted after the others, opting to stick together.

Shai's finger squeezed the trigger again before he leaped to his feet. The others were moving too far too quickly. Rifle in his hands, he took off across the roof. Not taking time to think it through, he increased his pace.

Taking a leap, he was momentarily airborne. His feet kicked in the air. Then he landed on a surface, right on the roof of the house next door. He slid downward but then recovered and was moving forward again. This roof was sprinted across and he took another leap to the next. His eyes caught sight of the infected near Roanna. Skidding to a halt he turned, gun raised at the same time. It weighed heavy in his arms and so he didn't give himself too much time to ponder. The longer he waited, the heavier it would get and the harder the aim. As soon as he saw the shot he took it.

Another infected crumpled to the ground. Shai turned. He was too close to the other roof to get the momentum to get across. Not hesitating, he backtracked a few feet before taking off again. When he landed he heard the gunfire begin.

Swearing under his breath, Shai landed another house over. He ran for the edge before he realized his mistake almost too late. He dug his heels in and leaned back, bringing himself to a skidding halt only moments from the edge. The next house was missing. Instead, he found himself staring down at rubble.

Shai's nostrils were filled with the smell of smoke. It was spewing from a house where the explosion had happened only moments before. A little ways away, Fabian had caught up to Asumi. He was holding her arm, gun raised as he shot another infected. Roanna came skidding around the corner.

Shai dropped, gun instantly aiming for anything other than the three humans. He got two infected before his gaze was pulled to his friends below.

"Are you crazy?" Roanna's voice could be heard. "Every infected is going to be headed this way!" She made no effort to stay silent as anything within hearing range would already know they were here.

Another infected rounded the corner. Shai took care of it. Another. He pulled the trigger. The gun clicked, no bullet flew. His backpack was shrugged off in a second and his hand plunged inside. A gunshot rang out as one of the three below hit the approaching infected.

Shai reloaded with another clip and immediately after took out another.

"Yuji!" Asumi called from below. The smoking building was her destination. Managing to shake a preoccupied Fabian off, she headed for it.

Left, right, left. Shai kept turning to scan for danger. He knew the infected were coming. It was just a matter of when.

The explosion. Eyes briefly scanned the building from which smoke was coming. Asumi had paused before it. Relief filled Shai when she didn't enter. Who set it off? The question weighed on his mind.

Something caught the corner of his eyes. An infected. Somehow it had managed to make its way close to Roanna without anyone noticing.

Until now... Gun turning, Shai's finger squeezed on the trigger. As he took in the creature he froze. This infected was smaller than the others. His black hair gave him an almost human look, yet the way he staggered and the blood shot eyes gave it away.

Shai's heart sank as he recognized the face.

Yuji.

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