| Chapter 31 | |
| Chapter Information | |
|---|---|
| Title | A Rush of Blood to the Melty Head |
| Volume Number | 8 |
| Chapter Number | 31 |
| Chapter Guide | |
| Previous | Chapter 30 |
| Next | Chapter 32 |
| Chapters and Volumes | |
Cell Four, Hanabata Shinpei and Hanabata Riku are driving through the zombie-infested streets of Japan on their way to meet Dr. Sakagami Yukko. When they can safely deliver F-Virus infected Maeda to her, she can try to make a radical cure for the M-Virus.
They encounter several strange sights as they travel. A crashed helicopter. A zombie hanging from a building due to his parachute getting snagged. A tank in the middle of the street. A well-dressed infected man shambling down the street clutching a briefcase dropping money. As they navigate they determine that they need to get onto Bay expressway and past Haneda Airport. But they hit another traffic jam in the process. Looking around, Yamanoi deduces that all of these abandoned cars were left behind by people racing their way to the airport. They left their cars, ran to the airport, and were denied air passage. As they argued with the staff the infection ripped through the airport. This theory is probably correct as they look up ahead and see a large mob of the infected walking away from the airport. "The U-Turn rush" Yoshioka calls it, and they drive away.
At a roadside diner, the guys look over a map. Yamanoi explains the route they need to take. Then breaks
the bad news-- due to all of the abandoned cars blocking all of the highways, they will have to travel on foot from this point forward. This depresses the guys, Hanabata especially. He explains that leaving the armored truck behind will be painful because he and Kasahara, his deceased best-friend, built that truck together. But before the group can get too melancholy Yoshioka calls them to the service counter. He has cooked steak and rice for them all. As everyone grabs their food Yoshioka realizes that Yamanoi has not taken his plate. Yamanoi is staring own at his food with an apprehensive look on his face. When Yoshioka questions Yamanoi he ignores him and takes a seat alone.
Sitting by himself, Yamanoi hears a noise below the table. He looks beside him and sees an infected person climb up towards him. This zombie, who only has it's body from the torso-up, lunges at Yamanoi, throwing an arm around his neck! Yamanoi cringes as the creature reaches over to bite him on the neck. But then the zombie stops. Yamanoi looks over at it and the infected torso loses interest in him. It climbs off of Yamanoi, and drags itself slowly across the diner floor. It doesn't make it very far. Iwakura, who has witnessed this display, bashes the zombie's head in. The others emerge from the kitchen to the sight of Yamanoi calmly sitting down, and Iwakura frowning next to the zombie. Maeda is speechless, a smoking Yoshioka is unfazed, and Hanabata is nearly in panic. He stammers "You... You aren't," and Yamanoi answers "I must be."
They guys are standing outside of the diner, laying out their next move. Though it is raining, there are fires burning within the factories before them, turning the rain runoff black. Maeda askes if they have to go through them, and Hanabata says "prolly" his Kansai drawl, meaning "probably". He then comments that it will be dangerous inside, to which Yoshioka calmly states that the infected won't attack each other.
Before they set out we are shown a flashback of the conversation they had in regards to Yamanoi's obvious infection with the F-virus.
Once they are all sitting down, Yamanoi says that he probably has the F-virus, considering how long it has
taken to manifest. Hanabata asks him just when did he get infected, and Yamanoi visualizes the attack, stating that he has a pretty good idea of when it happened. It was during Chapter 4, after Maeda shot the original Bokor, but the infected began to chase them again. While the guys were driving away the zombies began raining down upon the van. One of them ripped a hole in the ceiling and grabbed Yamanoi by the arm, and scratched him on the shoulder.
Yamanoi then looks up at Iwakura and tells him to "go ahead". Iwakura asks him "and do what?" Yamanoi states, with his usual half-smile, that Iwakura should tie him up and leave him behind, or bash his skull in right then and there. As Iwakura closes his eyes in thought Yoshioka steps in. As a worried Iwakura looks on, Yoshioka states, in his usual haughty manner, that no matter how much of a monster Yamanoi becomes, he would still not be a match for him.
And so Cell 4 and Hanabata moves onward towards the factories before them, with Riku firmly strapped onto his father's back.
Trivia
This chapters title "A Rush of Blood to the Melty Head" is a reference to the Coldplay song "A Rush of Blood to the Head."