Disclaimer: I own nothing, this is purely a fanfic for enjoyment.
Cross-over from various games, books, anime, manga, and movies.
The familiar characters you see here belong to their respected authors and owners.
"Speech"
Time*
Arc 1: Mental Illness - Chapter 11
I rub my aching eyes, realizing that, in my haste, I have temporarily forced myself to deal with the cost of my new superpower of Schizoaffective Disorder.
Now I can't keep either eye open for too long without feeling as though someone is squeezing my eyeballs until they pop, let alone manage to keep both eyes open at once.
I attempt to see whether I can remove the mental illness I have just obtained, only for a sharp pain to shoot through my brain, nearly forcing me to my knees. It reminds me once again that I need to be extremely careful when gaining more mental illnesses, especially since removing any of them is practically impossible in my current state.
"We're leaving." I say firmly to everyone, causing Takashi's and Rei's expressions to change immediately as they turn toward me.
I pick up my briefcase and the sniper rifle, then turn around and head uphill, taking the lead while completely ignoring Takashi behind me.
"W-Wait…!" Rei stares at me in disbelief, hesitating for a moment before calling after me. "What about Takashi?"
"Fuhai has already said what needs to be said." Saeko answers calmly, becoming the first to follow after me without hesitation.
"What's more, the longer we stand here talking, the more time we're already giving him to jump. Yet there he is, standing around like a fool and forgetting that the zombies will be here soon." Saya speaks up next, pointing her left index finger accusingly at Takashi.
No one says anything else. Even Alice remains silent, holding tightly onto Zeke as she follows the group.
As expected, everyone leaves except Rei, who stays behind and nervously looks over at the dumbfounded Takashi.
From the sound of Takashi cursing and yelling in pain, all of us realize that he eventually leaps over like everyone else. However, with no one there to catch him, he lands badly and injures his ankles, clutching them tightly as he writhes on the ground.
I look at Takashi for only a few seconds before continuing uphill, completely ignoring both him and Rei. I don't care that he is injured or struggling to stand.
Soon, we reach the top of the hill and arrive at the Takagi Estate, an enormous private residence overlooking Tokonosu City.
High walls surround the property, separating its carefully maintained grounds from the ruined streets outside. The main entrance is a wide, reinforced gate watched by armed guards. From a distance, the estate resembles a fortified compound more than a family home, though signs of its former luxury remain visible in the landscaped gardens, neatly trimmed trees, stone pathways, and the mansion's imposing size.
The mansion itself is spacious and elegant, built to display the Takagi family's wealth and influence. Its interior contains broad hallways, tall windows, furnished bedrooms, guest rooms, formal gathering areas, and a grand staircase connecting its multiple floors. Even with survivors occupying the estate, much of the mansion remains remarkably clean and comfortable compared to the devastation outside. However, the constant movement of armed adults, servants, mechanics, and frightened refugees prevents it from ever feeling truly peaceful.
Across the outer grounds, orderly rows of tents house the survivors accepted into the estate. Supplies are distributed under careful supervision, while armed patrols continuously watch the walls and gates. Despite the estate's strong defenses, the refuge remains only temporarily sustainable, as its electricity and running water still depend on facilities located outside the property.
"Halt! Everyone, remain where we can see you!" Several guards raise their weapons as one steps forward and lifts a hand, signaling us to stop before we can move any closer.
Before anyone can say or do anything, I open both eyes and swiftly draw my handgun, firing several shots in rapid succession. Within seconds, the gun runs empty, while every guard's weapon is shot from their hands before any of them has the slightest chance to react.
I swiftly reload with a fresh magazine, pocketing the empty one before aiming my handgun directly at the guard who shouted.
"W-Wait a second, Touhou!" Saya quickly rushes over to me with a panicked expression. She then turns toward the guards with a furious scowl and raises her voice. "Do you not know who I am?! I'm Takagi Saya! Tell my father and mother that I've returned!"
The guards exchange uneasy, confused glances, clearly unsure how to respond.
One hotheaded guard, his face red with anger, glares at me and reaches down to pick up the weapon at his feet. Unsurprisingly, the movement alone is enough to trigger me, especially with the pain in my eyes still putting me on edge. I fire immediately, putting a bullet through his left hand.
The guard screams at the top of his lungs, but barely half a second later, I rush forward and silence him with a swift kick to the face, sending him straight to dreamland so he can avoid dealing with the cruel burden known as reality.
"Leave the weapons where they are." I say in a threatening tone, once again aiming my handgun at the guard who spoke earlier. "You. Why are you still standing there? Saya just told you to report her arrival to her parents."
I suppress the urge to close my eyes as the pain grows increasingly unbearable, though not yet severe enough to make me feel like tearing my own eyeballs out.
It's best that I get used to the pain in my eyes unless I want to go blind and rely entirely on my other senses to move around, which I would rather avoid at all costs. Even so, forcing myself to endure it might somehow trigger another unknown cost tied to Schizoaffective Disorder, something I need to figure out as soon as possible.
"You'd better get moving before he decides to shoot you next. And someone treat this knucklehead before he bleeds to death." Saya orders the guards in a sharp, bossy tone.
That sends the guard running, leaving the others behind to watch over us—or, more accurately, to avoid doing anything remotely threatening unless they want a bullet somewhere in their bodies like the man bleeding out from his injured hand.
I glance over at the injured man, but no one moves to help him. Slowly, a small pool of blood begins to spread beneath his unconscious body.
Shizuka suddenly remembers that she is trained in first aid and quickly moves to treat the man. Rather than use any of the medicine stored in her medical bag, she somehow removes the bullet and tears a strip from his shirt, using it as a temporary bandage to tightly bind the wound.
"Wait, don't you need tools to remove a bullet?" Kohta asks, staring at the quick treatment in awe.
"I do?" Shizuka looks back at Kohta in shock, causing nearly everyone else to stare at her with equal, if not greater, disbelief after hearing that.
Luckily for everyone, the guard who left soon returns with Saya's parents. Souichiro and Yuriko step forward, appearing before the group.
"Who—" Souichiro begins, only to stop when he notices my handgun pointed directly at him. He immediately closes his mouth and fixes me with a cold, menacing glare.
"Touhou?!" Saya stares at me with panicked eyes, clearly afraid of what I might do next.
"So, you two are Saya's parents. You both seem perfectly fine, surrounded by plenty of people under your command. Yet, judging by how calm you are, it seems Saya wasn't exactly your top priority after the outbreak began. Did you simply assume she would be perfectly fine on her own?" I stare at the two of them, suppressing the urge to seize control of the visions brought on by the superpower of Schizoaffective Disorder.
Saya and the others fall silent, turning their attention toward Souichiro and Yuriko as they wait curiously for their response.
I blink hard and frown before suddenly glancing behind me. Saeko notices the abrupt movement and tightens her grip on her wooden sword, immediately becoming alert.
"Saeko, watch over Shizuka and Saya." I order. Saeko gives a firm nod as I ignore everyone else, turn around, and rush back toward the place where we left Rei and Takashi.
In no time, I arrive just as a massive horde of zombies begins forcing its way through the barbed wire. Unable to feel pain, they mindlessly push one another forward, their bodies pressing harder against the barrier. At this rate, it won't be long before the barbed wire is completely breached.
"Are you two serious right now?" I scowl as my emotions spiral further into the negative, with the relentless pain in my eyes only pushing me closer to the edge. "Instead of moving away, you two decide to stay in the exact same spot this entire time AND make loud noises?" I glare sharply at Rei and Takashi, causing both of them to flinch.
That finally shuts Takashi up, bringing his cries of pain to an end. However, it is already too late—the zombies have been drawn here, and they won't be leaving anytime soon.
"Rei, move your ass and drag him away already instead of standing there like a fool." I order. Rei finally snaps out of her daze and quickly drags Takashi away, no longer bothering to be gentle with him.
I don't bother helping them. Instead, I begin firing at the zombies—not randomly, but by relying on my eyes to pinpoint the weakest sections of the barbed wire. I shoot down the zombies pressing against those spots, piling their bodies into temporary blockages to slow the breach.
I hear footsteps approaching from behind, but I don't turn around and continue firing, reloading whenever my handgun runs empty. Soon, several men rush past while dragging two large water hoses, then unleash powerful streams that blast the zombies away from the barbed wire.
"Thanks for the help." Rei looks at everyone with a bright, relieved smile while continuing to support Takashi, preventing him from collapsing because of his injured ankle.
"We didn't come over to help you or Komuro." Saya sneers at Rei, causing both of her parents to glance at her. "You two just happen to still be here while we came to support Touhou."
I rub my aching eyes for a moment before reloading the handgun again. Looking over, I see that most of the zombies have been pushed back far enough for several men to rush forward and replace the damaged barbed wire with fresh sections.
"Saya, go ahead and talk with your parents. The others and I will take a moment to rest before coming back for the Humvee." I give Saya's parents a brief sideways glance. "Of course, if you need me to stay here, just say so."
"…You guys go ahead. I'll speak with my parents in private… alone." Saya looks at me before turning toward her parents for several long seconds, then takes a few deep breaths to steady herself. "Thanks, though."
I give Saya a slight nod, then walk back toward the Takagi Estate with the others. Before leaving, I give her parents a blank stare for several seconds, then look away without saying anything. I don't glance in Rei or Takashi's direction even once, choosing to ignore their existence for the time being.
"How did you know the zombies were about to break through the barbed wire?" Kohta asks quietly once we move far enough away from the others, keeping his voice low so no one else can overhear.
"Well, Takashi's screaming wasn't exactly quiet. I mean, I could still hear him all the way from the Takagi's home." Shizuka smiles toward Kohta. "If anything, I'm surprised no one else but Fuhai heard him. Why else would he suddenly rush back there after pointing a gun at Saya's father?"