Bloom and Scatter [Free! Zombie AU]

Masks - Part 2

The mall looked like something out of a disaster movie. The glass from the doors and displays were broken and the floor was covered in paper and rubble. There had been a handful of actual bodies he'd tripped over – some crushed under the rubble and some dead from other means, though the layer of dust made it hard to tell – but he made no mention of them and Tachibana, who was far ahead of him, was none the wiser. Like Tachibana had said, the mall had been looted within an inch of its life, with some leftover items strewn here and there. Rin had eyed a pair of new sneakers thoughtfully at the sports outlet, eventually shoving them in his pack as Tachibana called for him to move on. The grocery store inside smelled of rotting vegetables, but there were a few aisles still stocked with preserved food, so he and Tachibana took their pick – he noted that Tachibana was far more generous in leaving things behind, but attributed that to his lack of survival awareness – and when they were satisfied with that, they made their way towards the pharmacy.

A big old placard reading 'Plague Preparedness' with running ink and yellowing paper hung outside the shop. It was in the worst shape of everything in the mall; nothing wasn't overturned or smashed in. As Tachibana sifted through the medication behind the counter, Rin took a good look around. Something caught his eye, and as he dragged a shelf up, he saw what it was. A sawed-off shotgun. It was a hell of a find and he picked it up, cocking the barrel to check if there were any rounds inside. The loud clicking made Tachibana look up, and his surprise was obvious.

"No rounds," Rin said casually, "But it's still worth keeping. Shove it in your sack."

"I don't know..."

Rin threw it at him anyway and he caught it instinctively. After a moment of hesitation, he reluctantly placed it in his sack. Rin grunted in satisfaction.

"Any luck with the gas masks?"

"None," Tachibana sighed, hopping over the counter, "I've got a few bottles of pain killers and some first aid, but that's about it."

"Better than nothing. Gimme those pills, my head's killing me."

He could hear the frown in Tachibana's voice as he passed a bottle of pain killers along, "We're very near Ground Zero, we really should step up looking for that mask or else..."

There was a loud crash that made both of them jump up. Rin downed the pills quickly and shoved the bottle into his pack.

"Sounds like trouble," Tachibana muttered, hitching his sack over his shoulder.

"Thanks, Captain Obvious," Rin rolled his eyes, pulling out his machete, "Grab a pipe or something, it looks like we may have to fight our way out."

"I don't think it's come to tha—"

The ceiling fell on them, and both he and Tachibana rolled away. Rin felt a weight on him, thankful for the goggles, and he peered up to see a man in a gas mask on top of him, punching at him. Rin held his arms up to defend himself and looked around wildly for something he could use, machete thrown out of his grasp during the collapse. Not too far away, he spotted a broken microscope lying on its side, near the counter. Before he could attempt anything, his arms were knocked aside and he received a brutal jab to his left cheek, and then to the chest. Rin tasted blood in his mouth and quickly placed both hands on his assailant's shoulders, keeping him an arms length away as Rin shimmied his legs up as quickly as he could. He placed both feet against the man's hips and took his moment of confusion to heel the man's chin with his hand. Reeling from the blow, Rin kicked him in the stomach and in the face as hard as he could, propelling himself upwards so that he could half-crawl, half-run to the microscope. His ankle was caught and pulled just as Rin grabbed the microscope, and with as much strength as he could muster, he swung it at the man's head. It connected with a loud crack and he fell over. Rin couldn't tell if he was dead or not, only that he'd stopped moving, and he quickly looked up to see Tachibana cornered by two masked men, trying to dodge the blows as they came.