บท 13: 13
Chapter 6 - 2, H.O.T.D
The team was back together. I was reunited with the group and we were all happily greeting each other and I moved over to where Hikari and the others were waiting for me. None of them looked injured, so they should have had a better time than me who was shot, but I could see exhaustion in the eyes of two of them as the stood next to the minibus... That was riddled with bullet holes on one side and with shattered windows. The one who wasn't like them and was full of energy smoking a cigarette called out to me first.
Aqua: So you are still alive.
Shin: I guess I am. Just barely.
Hikari: Is that how people who were separated in an apocalyptic world greet each other? No, "Are you alright" or "I am glad to see that are fine" and "That I was worried"?
Shin: Hikari... Did you-
Hikari: Me? No way. I was worried about Takashi and Rei who are negative 1100 points if they died. You could have never come back for all I care.
Shin: ...Is that so (Middle school girl are the worst... even if she is cute). Whatever the case I am glad to hear your poisonous words again. Misaki, thanks for looking out for her.
Misaki: It was no problem. Just returning a debt, right?
Hikari for some reason was blushing and avoided looking at me after telling her that I was glad that she was okay, but I didn't give her a second thought now that I knew she is safe. What I wanted now was information and I looked towards Aqua for answers.
Shin: So what happened while I was gone? Also, where is Mr. Shido's group go? I've noticed that you guys still have the minibus which they were supposed to keep.
Aqua: Oh, that's a boring story. Let us just say we got here alright in one piece.
Hikari: How was that alright!?
Misaki: How was that alright!?
Both Hikari and Misaki both couldn't agree to Aqua's assessment of what happened, so reluctantly she went over the events of yesterday/this mourning. From the time Takashi, Rei and I left the group. They were attacked multiple times by THEM after leaving us behind, but Aqua was there so they had no troubles dealing with them, so the first day of H.O.T.D's apocalypse ended with nothing serious happening (Lucky them. I was SHOT and they got to rest peaceful in a bus). The real trouble began the next day. The next day, traffic was horrible and they made little to no progress. Not only was there talk about about ditching the bus, they were also worried about my group and wanted to look for us.
Mr. Shido made a fuss about that idea, yet Aqua also agreed that my group was fine and there was no need for them to look for us. They would all receive notifications that a main character had died and that we lost points if something happened to Takashi and Rei, so it was unlikely that anything major happened to my group. It was true in a sense, but not accurate since I was shot and almost got toasted by a flamethrower, but no need to mention that all now. It was around the time that the main characters were at the peak of the argument with Shido and his cult in the makings that they were almost killed. Not by Aqua's standards, but for anyone else it was as close as you could get to a BAD END in a game.
While stuck in traffic, rioters attacked the minibus and the other cars and the civilian on the roads. They were much like the ones we encountered, out to destroy and kill anything that were in their path of destruction. The traffic then came to a complete standstill when the undead entered the mix it made the situation worse, as if that was possible. THEM on one side and rioters on the other. No one thought that they could escape the situation, but Aqua lead the way to victory. She literally moved the cars that were in their way by just pushing them and for all the rioters and THEM who came within 100 meters of the minibus had their heads blown away by Kouta.
Aqua had lent him her gun and although he had questions about a real infinite ammo gun with multiple type of bullets and firing modes, he stopped asking questions when he was allowed to use it to his hearts content and he did... So much so that everyone became more afraid of Kouta then Aqua who was making a path through dozens of cars with physical strength alone (Might have been the whole point. A distraction in a already chaotic situation to avoid the others asking questions about Aqua and the other Players). Then once a path had been cleared, they drove the minibus, with the new driver being Aqua, right onto the sidewalk and broke through/ran over the crowd of rioters and undead to escaped to safety. As they were driving over the rioters, Hikari made a point to remember how the most scary part wasn't running over living or nonliving humans and the undead, but Aqua who was laughing like a maniac on drugs (Probably because she saw how many points she was making just by driving and running them over. So lucky).
Hikari: And so we made an successful escape, but once we found that using the bridge was impossible and that it was unlikely that your group crossed it, we decided to wait for you guys in this area. A few hours passed and here you are.
Shin: Seems like you guys had quite the adventure. It doesn't even sound that bad since Aqua was there.
Hikari: Doesn't sound bad!? Are you stupid? How would you feel if endless army's of THEM and rioters kept coming at you no matter how many of their comrades were killed and lying on the ground dead. It was a literal sea of fire and blood back there. It was something right out a religious bible page!
Misaki: Also, don't get us started on that Kouta guy. Aqua giving him that gun was the scariest thing that I have seen since I arrived here. He was like a berserker with that gun. Head shot after head shot and body after body fell to the ground in a ever rising lake of blood. Even after it was all over he was still in that strange state and firing that gun even with the risk of more of THEM coming at us. We were all too scared to talk him down.
Shin: So what happened?
Hikari: In the end... Aqua had to punch him and take back the gun to get him to calm down. He was knocked out cold and when he woke up he was the same timid guy as before. It was like he had a second personality.
I look over to said gun manic and rooftop sniper in the making, Kouta Hirano.
He looked just fine to be, except the fist imprint on the left side of his face, but I understood where Misaki was coming from. Among all the main characters of H.O.T.D, Kouta is the one who has most embraced the zombie apocalypse. He was a timid and bullied kid in school, but was actually a gifted marksman with real training experience, so when normalcy and morality no longer mattered in this new apocalyptic world, Kouta began to change for better or worse, and made the best use of his skill set (A lot of which to appeal to Saya Takagi. I never did get who she really liked, Takashi or Kouta, but he had made a lot of good impressions on her, and some bad). He naturally becomes excited about guns and shooting THEM, but because of the end of mankind and the stress of it all has mixed with his love for guns, he looks like he has gone mad a lot of the time.
Shin: Sorry. It looks like you all have been through a lot, but I still have one more question.
Hikari: What is it?
Shin: Where is Shido and his cult?
Hikari: ...
Misaki: ...
When I asked the question I wanted to know the most, both Hikari and Misaki began to look pale. I don't know what happened, but for Misaki as well to have such a strong reaction it must have been something. Although hesitantly, it was Hikari who eventually spoke up in the end. All the while taking glances at Aqua while doing so, but it was Aqua who gave me a clear answer.
Hikari: Mr. Shido and his group... They, they were-
Aqua: I got rid of that annoying bunch.
Got rid of?
What the hell does that mean? Killed?
Shin: When you say you got rid of them... What do you mean?
Aqua: It is like I just said. I got rid of them. Nothing more and nothing less.
Hikari: It is as Aqua said. Aqua forced them off after they a fuss about them all meeting up with Shin and the others and not escaping somewhere safer. Also, when our side said that wanted to look for you even of it meant abandoning the minibus, they agreed, but demanded that we leave Shizuka behind since she is a valuable medic. That was when Aqua got involved.
Aqua: I couldn't just allow them to keep that nurse. Also, I felt that unlike in the original manga and anime, Shido wasn't going to let the nurse Shizuka go no matter how much he was threatened.
Hikari: Then while Hisashi amd Shido were arguing, Hisashi trying to come to some kind of comprise...
Misaki: Aqua, she drew her gun and things went south fast.
Aqua: So I drew my gun. What of it? Soon as the conversation got to negotiations which didn't happen originally, I couldn't stand by any longer and do nothing. So I shot Shido in his right hand and told him and his cult to leave. The cult cried about staying, but they were already corrupted by Shido, so I gave more warning shots and they all ran out of the bus screaming. What happened next was non of my concern.
Shin: What happened?
Now this was the part both Misaki and Hikari couldn't say out loud, so Aqua explained. It was just as I was beginning to guess and I was right for better or worse. Mr. Shodo and his cult were wiped out not one minute after being ejected from the minibus. The cult shout curses at them all as they drove off and which attracted THEM. Faster then they could prepare themselves to run or fight, they were quickly surrounded and eaten alive. This included the only antagonist so far named in H.O.T.D, Koichi Shido. They all watched the scene in horror as he was chased down and killed by THEM.
Shin: Did anyone say anything about this later?
Hikari: N-no. No one did. Although it was cruel, no one went against Aqua for what she did. Her timing was so good since it looked like she took a stand for Shizuka and all of them, that they felt responsible as well for not stopping her. It became shared responsibility, so there was no one to point out and blame. In fact, I think they saw Aqua in a better light since she showed them she could make tough, yet ultimately right decisions.
Shin: Was that your plan all along?
Aqua: No. It just happened that way. My reason was just to save Shizuka, but I also just wanted to get rid of that Shido prick once and for all.
Shin: Well, long as you are making the world a better place.
Misaki: What better place? She is a murder! Maybe that cult leader Shido is one thing, but the students... The students weren't too far gone. If they were separated from that man, then...
Aqua: That is too much of a risk Misaki.
Misaki: What?
Aqua explains that it was too much of a risk to her and the group to let them keep going with them. As she explained it, if she didn't then there would be be a good chance that they would hold a strong grudge against her for kicking out their group leader Mr. Shido. There was more then a good chance that they would retaliate against her or the group later on. They might go after her, Hikari, Misaki or one of the other main characters and as a result they could lose hundreds of points as a result. It wasn't a risk she was willing to take, especially if it involved her own safety. After hearing this, Misaki seemed to understand that it was a hard choice and a choice that had to be made and calmed down. I then asked Aqua it was a good idea to do what she did? Not because of the morality of the situation, but since it might change the plot for the worse.
Aqua: It shouldn't be a problem, right? I studied up on manga and anime since I was informed of the change to the missions and was told what the next mission will be as an exception, so I know and remember H.O.T.D to the last released chapter. After separating from the main characters, Shido and his cult don't reappear till the main characters reach Takagi's parents home. We and the mission won't last that long, so taking them out early shouldn't effect the plot at all for us.
Shin: And you don't believe there wouldn't be much of a ripple effect?
Aqua: That is what I believe. Even if it is something happens as a result it shouldn't be a big change. You guys are the fearless ones for changing the plot as newbies. This is my sixth mission from God, so I can change the plot with some confidence. I would have never added an another main character like you did Shin.
Shin: No, I am far from fearless. Just stupid enough to try.
Aqua: Well, that is one kind of strength. If you die you are a dead fool, yet if you live you are a courageous fool. If it the later, then you might make it out of this place alive yet.
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