CHAPTER 51: PLANNING ON STAYING

"What do you mean you are going to stay here? With that girl you brought with you?" Murata asked, he was caught off guard by the statement of Riku. He thought they were just going to grab supplies and leave but now it changed.

"I’m thinking that this is a suitable base for the meantime before we get a hold of our current situation. Given the supplies of foods, waters, necessities, I believe holding on to this place is of strategic importance."

"I have no problem taking the two of you in, after all, we would want someone who can fight against zombies. Most of the survivors down there are too afraid to fight one," Murata replied.

"Really? I take it that you are the leader of this group?"

Murata shook his head. "I’m not a leader. Actually no one was. I just stepped in so the group can calm down."

"I see, so still, that makes you the de-facto leader of this camp. Which means you can tell the others that you are taking me in. And another thing, it’s not just the two of us, there are still three who are in my apartment. I will pick them up and get them here," Riku said.

"Oh I see, who are they?"

"Two of them are my classmates, the other one is my sibling," Riku said firmly.

Murata’s brows rose slightly, surprise flickering across his worn features. "Classmates... and your sibling?" He let out a slow breath, almost as if the weight of that information pressed down on him. "So you’ve still got family alive."

Riku nodded once. "Yeah. I left them at my apartment. It was defensible at the time, but with the amount of supplies and space here, it makes more sense to move them in. Leaving them alone out there isn’t an option."

Murata crossed his arms, his gaze narrowing as he studied the boy. "You realize what you’re suggesting, right? Moving through the city again—it isn’t just dangerous, it’s suicide if you draw a horde and led them here."

"I will not be stupid as to bring them here, don’t worry about it."

"Of course, after all, you won’t want our supplies to be overrun with zombies just like earlier. So how do you plan on getting there and returning?"

"I’m going to commandeer one of the vehicles and drive there. I will leave through this dock. You make sure the roll-ups are closed but leave the door unlocked so we can get it. Don’t worry about the zombies getting in, they don’t know how to open a door."

"Okay, that is a solid plan."

"We should close this roll-up now and I will take Miko with me."

"Very well."

They closed the roll-up and then head back to the basement where he found Miko still in the place where he left her.

"You haven’t socialized with them?" Riku asked as he approached her.

Miko shifted where she sat, hugging her knees slightly. "I’m... shy," she admitted, her voice low, almost embarrassed.

Riku exhaled softly, crouching down in front of her so their eyes met. "You don’t have to force yourself. It’s always the first in such occasions like this. Anyways, we are leaving. We are going to pick up the three from the apartment."

"We are leaving?"

"Yes, and we are going to return later with them. Come, get ready."

Miko rose to her feet. Riku on the other hand turned to face Murata.

"We’ll be leaving now. We were going to return promptly when I picked up the three. Good luck and I hope nothing happens during our trip."

"You too, we can’t just leave the door unlocked forever. If you aren’t here by the end of the day, we will have to lock it. It’s a good thing that you were the first people to enter since the outbreak, who knows the next wouldn’t be as kind as you?"

"I understand your reasoning," Riku replied with a firm nod. "If I were in your shoes, I’d do the same. Lock it down if we don’t make it back in time. Don’t hesitate. Survival comes first."

Murata’s lips pressed into a thin line, his weathered eyes studying the boy carefully. Then he gave a short nod of his own. "Good. Then we are agreed."

Riku adjusted the sling of his M4, he turned back to Miko. "Let’s move."

***

At the loading dock, Riku and Miko moved swiftly among the abandoned delivery trucks.

Riku checked each vehicle methodically—handles, gas caps, batteries. Most were dead.

Finally, near the far end, he found a delivery van with its windshield intact and tires still holding air. He opened the door carefully, half-expecting an alarm to blare. Nothing.

Sliding inside, he checked the ignition. The keys were still hanging, a small miracle. "We’re in luck," he muttered. He twisted the key. The engine coughed, then roared to life, loud in the emptiness. Miko flinched, her Glock rising instinctively before she caught herself.

"Relax," Riku said quickly. "Noise will carry, but we don’t have time to be subtle."

He shifted into gear, the van rolling forward as the dock gate clanged shut behind them. The streets stretched out ahead, gray in the early morning light, littered with abandoned cars and debris.

Miko sat beside him, her eyes scanning nervously through the windshield. "Do you think... they’ll be okay until we get back?"

"They’ll be fine," Riku said firmly, keeping his eyes on the road. "Murata knows what he’s doing. Our job is simple—get in, grab the others, and get back before dark."

The van bumped over cracked asphalt, weaving between stalled sedans and overturned scooters. A few lone zombies staggered in the distance, but Riku avoided drawing close, steering around them whenever possible.

His grip tightened on the wheel. The thought of his sibling and classmates waiting back at the apartment lit a fire under his chest.

"Hold on," he said quietly, more to himself than Miko. "We’re almost there."