Highschool of the Dead: Fanfiction Darkpenn

Chapter 22: terminal

Terminal

A last gambit, a final sacrifice.

"I've never liked flying," said Saya.

"Don't worry about it," said Alice. "We'll probably get killed by zombies, so the return flight is somewhat moot."

"Why can't we just drop it out?" said Kemi. "With one of those things, what do you call them, parachutes or something. And then fly away. Fast."

"We considered it," said Saya. "But the patched-together firing mechanism wouldn't survive an impact. Neither would the timer. The whole thing is by-passed like a Christmas tree, so it won't take too many bumps."

"So unless we want to be vapourised along with the zombies, this is the only alternative," said Hirano.

They were strapped into seats in the Ryukyu, itself sitting on the road near the Maresato farm. In the middle of the cargo space was a military-style jeep; the warhead was strapped in the back, with the jumble of wires and devices added by Saya and Satsuki. The word Gojira was painted on the side. The timer mechanism was controlled by a key, which Saya carried on a cord around her neck.

"Momma," said Nozomi, "I wish you'd stayed at home. You've done your part in building the damn thing."

"If something goes wrong, there has to be someone to fix it," said Saya. "Which means me."

"But - " Sachiko started.

"Your mother's mind is made up," said Hirano. "So that's it."

Together with the jeep, there were three motorbikes in the hold. Aside from Saya, Hirano, Nozomi, Sachiko and Kemi, there was Alice, Kazuki, and Hotaru. Benaro and Rei were on the plane's flight deck. Everyone was heavily armed, and everyone was aware of the odds against them.

Rei emerged and began to check that the equipment was secure.

"I don't mean to rush you," said Hirano, "but time is an issue here. Remember what the message from Rise and Lian said."

Everyone knew what the most radio recent transmission from the Observatory had been. The freeway is nearly clear. One more day, maybe.

That had been yesterday.

"I know," said Rei. "We're just waiting for the fuel tanks to be filled. Takes a while with a manual pump, but Shun and Sora are doing their best."

At that moment, Benaro's voice crackled over the loudspeaker. "Air Ryukyu about to get under way," he said. "Next stop, Mareno Airport, Tokyo."

Rei looked around at the group. "If anyone has any doubts about coming on this little jaunt," she said, "this is the last chance to get off."

No-one moved or spoke. Rei pushed the button to close the ramp at the back of the plane. She went back to the flight deck, and the engines started up.

"I've never been in a plane before," said Kemi. "It's exciting. But I also feel kind of sick."

"What do we know about this Mareno place?" said Sachiko. "Why there?"

"Not much choice," said Alice, as the plane began to move. "The other airport in Tokyo was completely destroyed, and at Mareno there is only one serviceable runway, and it's further from the terminal than we would like. But there are no clear streets or open spaces in the city that we could see."

"Is the airport in the middle of the zombie area?" said Nozomi. "We want the bomb to take out all them, don't we?"

"The specific location doesn't matter much," said Saya. "After this, there simply won't be a Tokyo."