"Tell someone who gives a shit."
The gunshot echoed throughout the room.
The sound was deafening in their ears.
Ren lowered the revolver slightly.
Behind him, Ryuji was speaking to the girls.
"You're good…you're good," he said quickly, crouching slightly as he looked them over. "Nobody's hurt, right?"
Shizuka and Hina both shook their heads, while Miyu just gave a quiet answer.
"We're good," Miyu said. "Let's just get out of here."
A couple of feet away from them, Ren was already crouching down next to the body.
The boss lay'd still as Ren searched his corpse.
Of course, he found exactly what he was looking for.
Keys.
He quickly unlocked the cuffs around his wrist.
The tension in his arms eased as he rolled his wrist.
Ren kept searching for anything else...anything else he could find that would be useful.
Thankfully, he had the all powerful mighty Leon S. Kennedy on his side.
A small handful of rounds for the revolver was in the corpses left pocket.
There was something else in the mans left pocket.
The key to the Bus.
Ren finally turned towards his group.
Miyu spoke before he could, "Ren, we have to move," she said. "That gunshot is going to bring all of the remaining people here."
Ren spotted the beautiful nurse before he tossed her the keys to the bus.
"Let's go," Ren said.
They didn't even get to walk before someone walked into the room.
A large figure sprinted into the room.
It was the same big guy who pried the bus's doors open with a crowbar.
The big guy's eyes locked onto them before he glanced down at the limp body of his former boss.
"You-!"
Ren didn't let him finish, as he raised the revolver.
Ren pulled the trigger as a bullet tore through the big guy's left leg.
The big guy dropped to the floor instantly.
Letting out a scream as he clutched his leg. "AAAAGGGHHH!!!"
The scream rippled through the room and out into the hallway.
It was loud. If they didn't hurry, they would be swarmed in seconds.
Ren crossed the distance in seconds.
The crowbar the big guy was holding slipped from his hands when he fell to the ground.
Ren grabbed it and raised it above his head.
He had no hesitation in his eyes as he swung the crowbar down with force.
The big guy's head caved in as blood splattered all over Ren and his clothes.
The impact of the blow echoed as the big guy's body went limp.
He was dead.
Ryuji stared for half a second.
"…Holy"
Ren stepped back, already turning.
He held the crowbar out toward Miyu.
"Take it," he said.
Miyu looked for a brief moment.
The crowbar was covered in blood, but that wasn't going to stop her.
Her grip tightened around the metal. "Got it," she nodded.
Ren turned towards the hallway before he spoke.
"I'll take the front while Miyu stays behind me, " he continued. "Hina and Shizuka will stay behind us while Ryuji protects them from the rear."
Ren glanced behing his shoulders.
They were all ready in formation.
"We're getting out of here, it doesn't matter if it's loud."
He gave them a brief nod before taking the first step toward the hallway.
They moved fast but not recklessly.
They heard the voices of bandits shouting as they ran.
"They must have found the bodies," Ryuji shouted. "There's no way they don't see them."
Another shout echoed through the hallway.
"They're missing!"
"Look around and find them!"
Ren spoke to his group, trying to give them a bit of reassuring words.
"Without their boss, they're not organized," he said. "That's good for us."
Miyu's eyes flicked toward him.
"…Because they'll move fast instead of smart."
"Exactly," Ren said.
Ryuji exhaled.
"…I'm starting to see a pattern here. Every time things get worse, you somehow act like that's a good thing."
Ren glanced at him briefly.
"Depends on who handles it better," he said.
They stopped just before rounding a corner.
Enough time to catch their breath and speak.
Ryuji leaned in slightly.
"So what's the plan when we get outside?"
Ren didn't answer immediately.
"We don't fight them all," he said after a second. "We don't even try."
"Then how do we get out?" Hina asked in a soft low voice.
"We make it worse," Ren said.
That got everyone's attention.
"Worse?" Hina repeated, confused.
Ren nodded slightly.
"They're already loud," he said. "We add to it."
Miyu's eyes sharpened.
"The Dead," she muttered. "...You're planning to draw the dead here?"
Ren looked at her and nodded.
"Not a few," Ren said. "Enough to split their attention."
Hina swallowed.
"That sounds…really dangerous."
Ren didn't sugarcoat it.
"It is," he said. "So we don't stop moving once it starts."
He looked at Shizuka as he spoke.
"Shizuka, once were all on that bus you drive."
She blinked, still catching her breath.
"I...I can do that," she said, a bit unsure at first, then steadier. "Just tell me where."
"Straight out of here," Ren replied. "Don't worry about the road, don't worry about anything in front of you. If it moves, just go through it."
Her grip tightened slightly at her sides.
"…Alright," she said. "I won't stop."
Hina swallowed, staying close to Shizuka.
"So we're basically throwing them into a bigger problem…"
Ren glanced at her.
"Exactly," he said. "And while they're dealing with it, we leave."
Ren's pace picked up immediately as they continued to move.
"Alright," he said. "This is where it starts. Once we're outside, don't hold back. The louder we are, the faster it pulls them in."
Ahead of them, Ren could see it.
The doors had a sign saying Exit above them.
Reaching them, he wasted no time in pushing them open.
The doors burst open as they stepped out into the cold night air.
Outside, it was already a bit of chaos.
Bandits moved through the lot, weapons in hand, dealing with scattered zombies that had already begun to gather.
Low groans from zombies mixed with curses and shouted orders.
Ren took it all in at a single glance.
The number of zombies was way more than the bandits outside dealing with them.
In the distance...the bus they needed for their escape.
"They're already busy," Miyu said, lowering her voice slightly.
"Not enough," Ren replied.
He stepped forward and raised the revolver in his hand.
He still had three rounds in his chamber.
Miyu blinked at him, "What are you doing?"
A single shot rang out from the barrel of his revolver.
Across the lot, one of the bandits dropped to the ground as the bullet tore through his leg.
He hit the ground hard with a scream of pure pain escaped his mouth.
"AAAAAAGGGHHHH!!!"
The scream ripped through the lot.
Every head turned, both alive and dead.
Ren fired again.
A second man dropped to the floor with a scream escaping his mouth.
Among the bandits, even more chaos erupted.
"What the hell?!" one bandit shouted. "Where are those shots coming from?!"
The zombies reacted instantly.
They all moved towards the screams.
Ryuji's eyes widened slightly.
"You're using them."
Ren didn't lower the gun.
"Yeah," he said.
His final bullet shot out.
A third man collapsed, clutching his leg, screaming louder than the rest.
Zombies broke away from their original targets, drawn toward the fresh noise
More and more zombies started their march towards the noise.
The bandits tried to recover, but confusion and panic took over.
One of the injured men was grabbed and dragged down
He was eaten alive before he also came back from the dead.
This was the perfect chance they were waiting for.
"Move to the bus!" Ren shouted.
They all ran towards the bus in the distance as the lot turned to pure chaos.
Bandits were shouting over each other, trying to figure out what was happening.
But the noise only made it worse.
Zombies poured in from the edges and the dark corners between buildings.
"GO!" Ryuji shouted from behind.
They pushed forward, weaving through the edge of the chaos.
A bandit stumbled across their path, bleeding.
Ren didn't slow.
His foot drove forward, slamming into the man's chest and knocking him flat onto his back.
"MOVE," Ren said.
The bus came into view, but the path wasn't fully clear.
Zombies had already begun to gather around it.
"We're not making it like this!" Hina cried, her voice breaking.
"We are!" Ren said.
He reloaded five rounds into the chambers of his revolvers as they ran.
Ren raised his hand as he aimed.
System: [Weapon Aim Proficiency]
The closest zombie dropped as the bullet left its chamber.
A second shot rang out as another zombie fell.
"Stay tight!" Ren said. "Don't spread out!"
Behind them, Ryuji swung at a zombie that lunged towards Hina and Shizuka.
The body dropped as soon as Ryuji made contact.
"Okay...yeah, keep moving!" Ryuji shouted.
Miyu stepped in on the other side, the crowbar coming down with controlled force as another got too close.
Shizuka grabbed Hina's arm, pulling her forward.
"Don't look back, just run!"
The street behind them was filling with waves of dead bodies pushing forward.
"Ren!" Ryuji called out.
"I see it," Ren said.
The bus came into view, with the doors still open from when they were pried open.
He grabbed the side of the bus as they reached it, pulling himself up onto the step.
"Inside...NOW!"
Hina scrambled in first.
Shizuka was right behind her as she quickly sat in the driver's seat and started the bus.
Miyu followed, turning just long enough to shove a zombie back with the crowbar before climbing in.
Ryuji jumped up last before Ren, grabbing the door handle and pulling it open wider.
"GO, GO!" Ryuji shouted.
Ren fired one more shot into the forming crowd outside the open doors.
He finally stepped in before Shizuka shut the doors.
The engine roared to life as Shizuka gripped the steering wheel.
She didn't stop for anything as she ran over anything in their way.
A sickening crunch echoed beneath the bus as it forced its way through.
Behind them, the lot disappeared into chaos as they finally made it out of that place.
Ryuji leaned back against a seat, breathing hard.
"We actually made it."
For a while, no one said anything.
Just the quiet hum of the bus's engine as they drove through the night.
Time slowly passed by.
The dark gray sky stretched into pale light along the horizon.
The sun was going to rise soon.
Shizuka kept both hands on the wheel, her posture more focused now than it had ever been.
Ren stood near the front at first, watching the surroundings, making sure nothing followed them.
Only when he was sure did he finally step back and take a breather.
Ryuji straightened in his seat, rubbing the back of his neck.
"…So," he said, breaking the silence, "we're not just driving around aimlessly, right?"
Ren glanced at him.
"No," he said. "We head to the shopping district."
Miyu looked up from where she sat.
"Where the others went."
Ren nodded.
"That's the last place we know they were heading," he said. "Open space, supplies, multiple exits. It's the best option."
Ryuji frowned slightly.
"…And if they're not there?"
Ren didn't hesitate.
"Then we check nearby," he said. "But we start there first...no guessing until we confirm."
Shizuka glanced at them briefly through the mirror.
"…I think I remember the way," she said. "It's not too far from here if we stay on the main roads."
"Stick to wider streets," Ren added. "Less chance of getting boxed in."
A small pause settled in between them.
"…We really got split up back there," Hina said quietly, her voice softer now that everything had slowed.
"They'll be fine," Ryuji said quickly, though his tone carried a bit more hope than certainty. "Saeko's with them, Takashi too. They can handle themselves."
Miyu didn't comment.
But she didn't disagree either.
Ren looked toward the back of the bus.
"We'll know soon enough," he said.
Ren turned away and walked toward the back.
Every step felt heavier than the last as fatigue was finally settling in.
He dropped into a seat near the back, leaning back slightly.
"Wake me if something happens," he said.
Ren closed his eyes and was out within seconds.
Back up in the front, Hina sat with her hands resting in her lap, still a little tense.
Miyu watched her from across.
"You okay?" Miyu asked.
Hina blinked, looking up.
"Yeah…I think so," Hina said. "I mean…I don't feel like I'm gonna throw up anymore."
Miyu let out a quiet breath.
"That's progress."
Hina gave a weak smile.
"Yeah"
Outside, the sun was visible, peeking its head out to the world, bringing with it light.
"…Do you think," Hina started, then hesitated.
Miyu tilted her head slightly.
"Think what?"
Hina looked down at her hands.
"…Do you think any of this is…normal?"
Miyu didn't answer immediately.
She looked out the window instead, at the corpses walking around.
"No," she finally said.
Hina nodded slightly. "Yeah…I didn't think so."
A small silence lingered between them before Hina spoke again.
"My parents," Hina said quietly.
Miyu looked back at her.
"They're not in Japan," Hina continued. "They've been overseas for a while now."
"…Where?" Miyu asked.
"North America," Hina said. "They work for a company out there."
Miyu's eyes sharpened slightly. "What kind of company?"
Hina hesitated.
"Pharmaceutical," she said. "At least…I think that's what it is."
She looked down again.
"They always said their work was important…that it helped people."
Miyu didn't respond right away.
A thoughtful expression appeared across Miyu's face.
"Did they ever talk about what they actually worked on?" she asked.
Hina shook her head.
"…Not really. They avoided it a lot…said it was confidential."
A small silence settled between them.
Outside, the sun finally broke over the horizon.
"What's the company's name?" Miyu asked.
Hina's voice softened as she looked at Miyu.
"I think they said it was called...Umbrella."
.....
End of Chapter 11