"Kitahara!"
"I knew you'd come back!"
Two elated cries rang out from inside the vehicle. The tightly shut car door swung open, revealing Haruno Yukinoshita's radiant smile, and behind her, Mrs. Yuigahama stood teary-eyed, overwhelmed with emotion.
Sosuke Kitahara returned their gaze with a relieved smile. "I knew you two would still be alive. Come on, we need to get out of here."
"Right!"
The two women hurriedly climbed out of the car.
Splash!
Before they could move far, the sound of water splashing echoed behind them. Haruno handed Sosuke a hand-crank flashlight. He quickly illuminated the area with a sweep of the beam. Several flight attendants were clambering out from another car, cautiously approaching them.
"You planning to hide until the world ends? Why didn't you say anything earlier?"
The lead stewardess looked embarrassed. "S-sorry, we have claustrophobia. When the lights went out, we froze up. Please let us come with you."
"Just admit you're scared. You can come, but let me be clear follow orders. If anyone screams out of turn, don't blame me if I leave you behind."
He turned to Haruno and Mrs. Yuigahama. "Get into the water. Now."
Then he added, "Find something to tie yourselves together with belt, anything. We'll go underwater, and I'll lead the way by pulling the rope. No one speaks. No loud breathing. If we run into the Tyrant, you better hold your breath or die trying. Understood?"
"Yes."
The stewardesses nodded quickly, unbuckling their belts and tying them together, forming a chain behind Haruno and Mrs. Yuigahama. Sosuke glanced at them again, resolve tightening in his chest. If any of them endangered Haruno or Mrs. Yuigahama, he wouldn't hesitate.
"Let's go."
With a flick, the flashlight was extinguished, plunging them into darkness. A gasp from the rear echoed sharply in the silence, but Sosuke ignored it and pulled the makeshift rope as he slipped beneath the surface.
He was a strong swimmer, but guiding a chain of people through deep water wasn't easy. He grimaced and pushed forward, knowing they had to reach the surface before the situation above got any worse.
Then he smelled it.
Gasoline.
A powerful, choking reek of fuel hit his nostrils. He instinctively flicked on the flashlight and scanned the water.
Colorful oil slicks floated over the surface like a deadly rainbow. He traced it back to a tipped-over tanker truck, leaking fuel into the flooded underground lot.
"Move! Now!"
Sosuke yanked the rope and surged forward. They had to get out of the fuel-soaked water fast.
Ratatatat!
Gunfire erupted from the left. Sosuke halted. His first thought was that Utaha or Yukino had come down to help but he saw three strangers instead: a man in camo with military posture, flanked by two panicked women. Zombies were closing in, and the man's rifle lit up like a strobe light.
"No! Stop shooting!" Sosuke shouted.
But the man couldn't hear or wouldn't listen. Muzzle flashes rained bullets indiscriminately, and then...
Ping!
A stray bullet sparked off a car door.
BOOM!
The fireball came almost instantly. The gasoline ignited in a tidal wave of flame, roaring across the surface of the water.
"Dive!"
Sosuke threw himself underwater just as fire rolled over his head. He dove deep, fighting the burn of rising heat, lungs aching.
Meanwhile, Haruno, a strong swimmer, had already gone under. Through the lit waters, she saw Mrs. Yuigahama flailing, panic-stricken and out of air.
A shadow sped through the water.
Sosuke.
He clamped his lips over hers, exhaling precious air into her lungs. The panic faded from her eyes, and she clung to him with desperate gratitude.
Haruno blinked, startled. Her heart skipped a beat but there was no time. She swam ahead.
Sosuke, after giving Mrs. Yuigahama a reassuring nod, pulled her along and raced to catch up.
BOOM!
An explosion shook the waters. Sosuke's head broke the surface just in time to see a vehicle explode, launching debris like missiles. One chunk struck Haruno, flinging her into a wall.
"Haruno!"
Mrs. Yuigahama screamed.
"I'll get her!" Sosuke passed her off. "Go!"
He plunged after Haruno. Grabbing her limp form, he gave her mouth-to-mouth, pushing precious air back into her lungs.
She coughed. Her eyes fluttered open.
Another explosion.
Concrete shattered above. Beams and pillars cracked. Chunks of rebar and cement began to fall like meteorites.
WHAM!
A massive slab of concrete smashed onto Sosuke's back.
"Ugh..."
He groaned, body buckling. Haruno saw what happened and tried to push the slab off.
No time.
"Move! Go now!"
They swam frantically. The tunnel was collapsing in on itself.
The exit just ahead began to cave in.
"No!"
Sosuke tucked both women under his arms and sprinted.
"Help! Please help us!"
A group of wounded crew members, pinned under debris, screamed from the side.
"Sorry," Sosuke muttered. "I can't save you."
Then
WHAM!
A familiar shape burst through the smoke.
The Tyrant.
It snatched one of the injured and crunched him in two.
It turned.
Saw him.
"Seriously?! Again?!"
The Tyrant roared and launched itself.
"Go! I'll handle this!"
Sosuke shoved the two women forward, pulled out his last grenade, and hurled it with pinpoint precision into the Tyrant's gaping mouth.
BOOM!
It exploded mid-charge. The beast recoiled, smashing into a pillar triggering another round of collapses.
And the world fell in.