Bloom and Scatter [Free! Zombie AU]

Survivors - Part 2

There was no way around it.

Makoto and Rin stripped two dead bodies of their black gloves and vests. They put on the masks and bandannas. They casually slung rifles (fully reloaded) from their bodies, stuffing as much ammo as they could into their pockets. Rin shoved a butterfly knife in his boot. Makoto found a handful of grenades that Rin forced him to keep. They looked like guerrilla fighters about to wage a two-man war.

He left the car alarm alone, hoping it would draw attention away from them as they snuck through the shadows towards his house.

Rin felt had never felt more sick in his life.

At the end of the main road which turned into Rin's street, they spotted five figures idling with their weapons. They were just five minutes away from their goal. Rin tried to get himself into the right mind set, recalling the terrifying experience of mingling with a zombie horde, and just as he was about to stride casually up to the roadblock, Makoto clapped a hand on his shoulder and pulled him back.

"What is it?" Rin hissed irately, wondering how on earth Makoto could have been calm when he'd been surrounded by zombies, but this nervous when faced with five armed men.

"I don't... I don't like this idea."

"We're blending in. It's a great idea."

"It's not. We're not going to fool anyone like this."

"We look like them."

"But we don't sound like them. What if they talk to us? What do we say?"

Rin gave a few false starts, "Make shit up and hope for the best. Honestly, Makoto, what do you expect? If it ends up in a fight, it's not like we didn't plan for it."

"I don't like this," he muttered, sounding miserable, "Please, let's do something else."

"Like what? Distract them and make a break for it?"

"They're people," he emphasised.

"They're trying to kill us," Rin's tone brooked no arguments, "We didn't do anything wrong, and they're targeting us."

"I killed a person," Makoto's voice shook, "I didn't know it at first, but now I can't... I can't do this, Rin. I can't turn into this."

"You're trying to survive, Makoto," he grabbed Makoto by the forehead and forced him to look into his eyes, "This isn't a game. We're trying to make it out alive. Are you saying that we don't have the right to defend ourselves?"

"... I'm not saying that," he finally conceded, "But I... I regret coming back here."

"I know, Makoto. I'm sorry it's like this. But I can't turn back now, okay? And I can't leave you. So just hold on, for a bit longer. All right?"