Chapter 3: Infection
It is easy to go to the bas.e.m.e.nt. When the fire door is unlocked and I go down the stairs, I will reach the first floor of the bas.e.m.e.nt, which is the food section.
The fresh ingredients would go bad, but it is probably still preferred to be eaten rather than canned foods. Some cake should almost reach the expiration date too. However, the reason why I didn’t go to the bas.e.m.e.nt is clear so far; and this is because I knows it was connected to the outside. If I have to say specifically, the reason reason which leads the bas.e.m.e.nt connected outside is the garage. Oh, the meaning is; at the same time, the outside world is connected here without any obstacle.
I came to the first floor of the bas.e.m.e.nt and I don’t hear a sound.
“…….Haa――――ha”
My breathing got heavy and short. I covered the flashlight in my hand using my palm so the light doesn’t spread out as much.
The view is limited and if I trip on something with my step and make a sound by any chance…… my steps get heavy when I think so. I can’t felt any sign of a zombie around, but only for the time being. The boys before left take some food supply from here, and two people died at that time. With the two boys even if it is the lowest chance, there must be a zombie who devour the boys greedily.
“……Canned peaches”
I found canned peaches when I looked for something which seemed to be eatable. If my memory was right, Honjo-san had canned peaches in her hand at the very beginning one month ago.
This is essential and I screw it inside the pocket of my jacket forcibly.
For the time being I hang a shopping bag on my right arm, but when I´m attacked by a group of zombies, I will abandon this and run away. If that time happens, it is an option for me to leave these canned peaches.
“Aa, the lack of exercise is here……”
Because it is necessary to light up the front with the flashlight, I can´t change the angle of my arm. However, since I became a businessman and ten years has pa.s.sed ever since, neither my physical strength nor my muscular power remains.
There is moderate amount of food in the basket. It is physically tiring, so I may return now as well. I will have food to survive for another month if I add it with the remaining I had left. Of course, that is possible if only one person is eating.
“……Tss”
A clattering sound rang.
It was happened so suddenly when I was careless and in a hurry return back, somehow I manage to not drop the flashlight.
“I’m sure, I’m dead”
Fortunately, they are slow-witted. When the power is strong, the speed is quite good. Because the recent zombie movies have many strengthened running zombies, so I must thank them for this information.
First of all, I don’t know whether those guys react to light, that’s why I switch off the flashlight just to make sure.
Click, the sound of the on/off b.u.t.ton is heard. However, it wasn’t noticed by the zombies who are swarming in the surrounding.
I can’t move from here until my eyes are accustomed to the darkness, so I sat down on the spot unwillingly. I stand on one leg to be able to move immediately even if there is something.
“――――Ha……Haa“
Apart from my breathing sound, I sometimes hear a clattering sound. Although there is surely something, but it is indiscernible whether it is one or more beings. I think that it is only one, but if it is wrong I will die. So I can’t help it but to be as careful as possible.
“Yosh”
I gathered my determination as I move while bending my waist. I move as carefully as possible, but the contents of the basket make a little noise nevertheless.
The beating sound profusely is noisy. Although such a thing is understandable, but when I think that it may call a zombie, it weighs my mind.
“……Phew”
I pa.s.s through the food section. On my right and left there are obstacles called food shelves here, so if by any chance I was sandwiched, there’s no way back. The best way is to go through the fresh food department where the ceiling is only waist height tall until I pa.s.s through the cash register area.
However, naturally, the world wasn’t as sweet as I hoped there is nothing here.
“Are you serious”
Tsuu and sweat runs down.
I can’t see it very well from here, but why on earth is there a zombie. f.u.c.k, there should be no problems and it was a premise that I shouldn’t go near this guy.
――――There was only one zombie in front of the door.
I didn´t turn toward the door. Although I didn’t lock the door, because the door is closed and a zombie isn’t able to open it. But I have to deal with that zombie somehow. I make a sound and try to lure him towards me. There is also the opportunity to reach the door from another route, but I can’t avoid death if I call other zombies when doing so.
What should I do? The other side is basically above me in power. I am also in danger when I slowly move along to the other side of the door.
“……I have no choice; victory goes to the one who makes the first move”
I hit the zombie’s head with full strength from behind, because I have no choice but to damage the brain. As for real zombies, their brains are their weak point, so it would be possible to kill them with that.
However, there is a problem――――I never murdered a person before.
The internal organs protrude out and the body who has begun to rot was signifying it was dead. But can I really carry it out and kill a zombie? I had such doubt inside me. The intention that I hit and kill it is of course resolute, but it’s another question whether I can carry it out or not.
I still can’t die here just like this, so I strengthened my determination and advanced forward.
“Don’t take this personally.”
I took some kind of can from the basket, I raised my arm to fling it against the parietal area of the zombie.
But before I swing down my arm, I have noticed a certain sense of incongruity. Since it was dark and I was from far away, I didn’t notice it at all before. The zombie was a girl in her late teens. Of course, I was stunned as the figure which I saw from behind was too beautiful.
“Yo, you aren´t a zombie?”
I think it’s a stupid question.
The girl looked back, reacting to my question. It is a young girl as expected and her body didn’t have any wounds.
“A human……don’t surprise me. Why are you alone in a place like this?”
The girl doesn’t answer and she looks at me with hollow eyes.
“It’s very dangerous around here. For now, let’s go inside――――tss!?”
The cry that I almost raised unintentionally was stopped just before it went out.
“Sh, s.h.i.t!”
This girl was a zombie!
Because she had a really beautiful body, I didn’t notice it, but I can’t see where she was bitten however the brutality shown was obviously of a zombie.
“Gu, this”
I pushed her with full force against the cash register. A loud sound can be heard and I have begun to hear a sound from here and there. It seemed that other zombies also have noticed me.
“s.h.i.t, I need to retreat!”
I interrupt the zombie with my right leg and kick her abdomen with all my might. My guilt rises from the soft touch when I kicked the girl but she isn’t a human any longer.
The girl loses her balance, and faced the door as she falls down.
Because zombies are slow witted, she need several seconds to get up, in the meantime I have enough time to open the door and lock it completely.
“……s.h.i.t, I’m lucky”
I lean against the fire prevention door and check every corner of my body――――A part of my shoulder was missing.
I didn’t know when I was bitten, but adrenaline is the cause that I didn’t faint and feel pain.
Probably in this moment I understood, it is useless. Now there is no way out for me anymore.
“Bad luck and misfortune……”
The meeting with the young girl today, I don’t have any way to predict it, so I can only let out a dry laughter.