Mikoto cautiously entered the back of the Freedom van after a quick debate with herself about whether to go with the sketchy deliverwoman or not, as she immediately arrived at the conclusion that she didn't really have a choice not to go with her since the promise of escape from this hellish city was too tempting to refuse.
As Mikoto finally got inside the van, she immediately saw the simple interior with a monochrome theme that was spacious enough for ten people to stay inside comfortably with the black foldable seats for passengers to sit down on that were connected to the opposite of the walls, as well as five extra people who already occupied the seats with seatbelts fastened on their torsos. Looks like she was not the only survivor that was rescued by the Freedom van, it seems.
Mikoto was quite relieved that there were actually some survivors inside the van as she looked at the five individuals briefly while looking for an available seat for herself to sit down.
Among the survivors, there are a middle-aged man with a little girl with a short pink hair and purple eyes who appeared to be related to each other in some way, an exhausted woman in police uniform, a depressed high school boy, and an old lady. in a green apron with a large rucksack on her feet.
Some of the survivors looked at Mikoto briefly as a gesture that acknowledged her existence before they got back to brooding by themselves without paying her much attention, except the little girl that greeted Mikoto with a friendly smile and a cute wave of her hand that Mikoto awkwardly waved back in response.
"Alright boys and girls, take a seat and fasten your seatbelt~! And for our latest arrival, my name is Zeshibana, your beautiful driver who will surely deliver you to safety without fail~!"
The Freedom Carrier deliverwoman who just introduced herself turned her face back and winked at Mikoto with a friendly smile as Mikoto decided to take a seat next to the policewoman while she listened to Zeshibana's introduction.
"Well then, let's goooo~!"
Seeing that Mikoto had fastened her seatbelt, Zeshibana said as she stepped on the accelerator while the shutter door at the back of the van closed down automatically. The music blared once more as they drove along the road while the rainbow lights illuminated the interior of the van.
"Listen to the song and light up people~! There's no need for such a gloom and doom in the apocalypse, you know~?"
Zeshibana giggles as she tries to lighten the mood of her passengers with minimal results, but she doesn't appear to notice as she starts to sing along to the song.
"Dance on me balls~! Cat fucking a handbag~! Yours only yours~! I wanna stay with Winston~! Disco light~! Lisa in the crowd said look Harry had a vagina malfunction~!"
The ride was anything but comfortable for the passengers, except for the little girl, who seemed to be enjoying herself quite a bit. Zeshibana's driving was erratic as she weaved through the streets as if she were in a game of Mario Kart. The passengers held onto their seats while bouncing around with every sharp turn and sudden acceleration; if they didn't have seatbelts to hold on to, they would be ragdolling around right now.
"My name is Alice; what is your name?"
After the long bumpy ride, the ride finally became smoother as there were no obstacles on the road anymore, much to everyone's relief, while the little girl with pink hair suddenly introduced herself to Mikoto with a cheerful smile, seemingly unbothered by the horrors outside. Her eyes sparkled with excitement as if the apocalypse were the greatest adventure she had ever been on. The man beside her, her father, tightened his grip on her hand, his expression quite complex with a mix of heartache and determination.
"Ah, I'm Mikoto…"
Mikoto was a bit surprised by the girl's question but still managed to reply, her voice a bit raspy since she didn't find anything to drink for some time. The two of them then started chatting with each other as the little girl's cheerfulness was a stark contrast to the grim atmosphere, but it was also oddly comforting to the people in the van. Mikoto gave a small smile back, trying to reciprocate the cheerfulness of Alice as she glanced at the other survivors.
The policewoman next to her, whose name tag read Officer Matsushima, had a stern look on her tired face, her hand never leaving the holstered gun at her side despite already having run out of bullets. She kept glancing at the front through the van's front window, her light blue eyes scanning the streets for any signs of trouble. She was rescued by Zeshibana when she was out to contact the police station before she got surrounded by the zombies.
Matsushima had tried to get Zeshibana to go pick up the survivors in the mall that she was in charge of previously but got denied as the survivors were still safe in the mall and not in need of immediate rescue like the survivors who were wandering the streets, which Matsushima can only helplessly nod in acceptance of such a solid reason.
Mikoto's gaze then moved past the policewoman to the high school boy, Daiki, who sat in the far corner on her seat's row, his eyes red and puffy from crying. He had lost his entire family in the initial outbreak and was found wandering the streets in a daze by Zeshibana. He barely spoke or reacted to anything, lost in his own grief and trauma.
Then Mikoto turned her gaze to the last passenger in the van, the old lady, Tabito, who looked around the van with a calm gaze despite the chaos; she had an air of experience and resilience about her that spoke volumes of the tough life she must have lived.
After observing everyone, Mikoto took a deep breath, trying to calm herself as she leaned back on her seat.
"Where are we going?"
She asked, not to anyone specifically, as she looked absentmindedly towards the front window of the van at the illuminated street outside from the van's headlight.
"Zeshi-san said that the Freedom Carrier had set up extraction points for the survivors to get out of the city with helicopters! She is bringing us to one of them right now!"
Alice spoke up cheerfully, bobbing her head to the rhythm of the oddly Japanese but not Japanese song she had never heard of.
"H-helicopters? You're not kidding, are you?"
Mikoto's eyes were wide in surprise after she heard that there's a helicopter to transport them, as she managed to ask the little girl, her hope rising a little.
Zeshibana chuckled, the sound almost lost in the upbeat tune of the music.
"It's just going to transport you guys to the temporary survivor camp outside of the city that the Freedom Carrier had set up. My company is planning to evacuate everyone who is still alive from the city, so no more zombies for you to worry about for the time being~!"
She explained before she blew a big bubble gum until it popped on her face, which amused Alice. Then the van suddenly took a sharp right turn to dodge a car wreck, causing everyone to lean to the left. The policewoman, Officer Matsushima, gritted her teeth as she gripped the seatbelt for stability before the ride became smooth once more.
"I still think it's hard to believe that a delivery company has the resources to set up all this…"
Matsushima muttered, her voice laced with skepticism, which caused Zeshibana to laugh and look at the policewoman with a cheeky grin in the rearview mirror.
"Believe it or not, we're a very rich company with many means to play hero and even save the world. Just this much is nothing to the company, you know~?"
Zeshibana's response was filled with a hint of mystery that piqued the curiosity of the passengers, as the Freedom Carrier is quite famous for its secrecy, but Zeshibana is no longer talking anymore, which disappointed them.
The van continued to navigate through the desolate streets, the vibrant lights of the city long gone as the electricity had been out since the morning.
"If you don't mind me asking, what happens at this 'temporary survivor camp'? Can we stay there permanently?"
After some time, Tabito spoke up for the first time, her voice filled with skepticism as she doesn't think that such a place would last very long according to her own experience.
"Well, how do I say this..."
The old lady's question was met with a pause from Zeshibana, who took a moment to think before responding as she tapped her fingers against the steering wheel in rhythm to the music.
"To be honest, Tabito-san, the camp is called temporary for a reason, as you already noticed. It will be a safe zone for the people to stay for the time being, as the company's got a big plan to purge the city and eliminate all the zombies so they can reclaim the city for the living once more."
Zeshibana finally answered, and she surprised all of the passengers with the revelation of the company's bold plan to reclaim the city.
"But that's for the big boss to figure out; you all shouldn't be worried about that and just wait for good news~!"
Zeshibana's answer with a smirk as she spoke of the vague plan to reclaim the city while the survivors made various expressions, mostly with skepticism or disbelief to the claim of Zeshibana. The van's engine roared quietly as they sped down an eerily quiet avenue with the only sound being the upbeat music of the Caramelldansen.