Highschool Of The Dead: Katya Edition

Katya Rivera: Looking Ahead

Eleven

Remember when I said that I couldn't swim? If you don't it's fine. What I've come to find out however is that I get seasick.

After we'd left Saya's we had to ditch the Humvee pretty soon on account that the noise from the engine was attracting more of the dead than we could fight, what with the EMP making every other electronic object a worthless pile of wires and motors.

We found an abandon both near the river and since we already knew the dead couldn't get to us in the water we decided that was the best place to be. Was I nervous? Hell yes I was. Did I let anyone know it? I'd rather die.

What I couldn't hide however was how seasick I felt.

"Is she gonna be okay?" Kohta asked Shizuka, looking at me worriedly. Saya had been silent since we'd left the estate and it didn't take a genius to guess that it was because she'd had to leave her parents behind.

"I'll be fine," I mumbled trying to ignore my poor rolling stomach.

"You don't look so good," Alice mumbled, looking upset.

"I'm perfectly fine, Alice, sweetheart," I told her forcing a smile.

Rei giggled from across the boat and I didn't have to look up to see Takashi whispering something to her.

Ever since we'd left the estate, he hadn't said a word to me and it was like I'd ceased to exist. It looked like he was finally taking my earlier advice and pretending that I didn't exist.

So much for his grand declarations of care for me...asshole.

I wish he'd fricking done this before I realized I had any feelings for him because now it was actually hurting more than pissing me off and I hated that.

On the plus side, Saeko and Quin were at the front of the boat and they looked really happy just to be in each other's presence. It made me want to smile and I would. Just as soon as the nausea passed.

A particularly nasty bout hit me and I turned over the side of the boat and started throwing up what few nutrients I couldn't afford to waste now that we were on our own.

I was leaned over just a little too much toward the water which I found out when I felt myself falling forward. My eyes widened in fear and I bit my lip almost hard enough to draw blood. I was grabbed and pulled back by Kohta.

"Thanks, Kohta," I mumbled breathlessly, my heart pounding in my ears. I remember falling into water once when I was younger. My stepfather had decided that he would take my mother and me out to his lake house to spend some quality time together. I remembered being really excited about it. Water was something I loved playing with and when we arrived at the house, I came upon the biggest expanse of water I'd ever seen in my small life, stretching on for farther than I could see at the time.

I was so excited that I ran ahead of my mother. I got too close to the water and fell in. I remember flailing around wildly yelling for my mother to help me as I got farther away from land. She'd stood on the shore and just stared as I struggled to stay above the water.

I remember seeing a small smile on her face just before I went under and that was the first time I'd truly realized that my relationship with my mother was not like other people's. My stepfather had come and seen me as I went under and he didn't hesitate to plunge in and save me. I'd almost died that day and since then I tried my best to stay away from lots of water. I never made the effort to learn to swim because I was certain that I'd never have a reason to go near water ever. Of course back then, I didn't know I'd have to use the water to escape the reanimating dead today but who would right?