"Who knows? With a population that massive, anything's possible. Just like the undead every now and then, it's not surprising if a few unexpectedly active ones pop up."
Sosuke Kitahara gestured for Haruno to start the engine. The inflatable boat's motor roared to life, but before they could get far, a slender black shadow shot up from the sea and lunged at them like a bolt of lightning. Reacting instantly, Sosuke deflected it with his sheathed blade and calmly remarked, "Like that zombie fish brimming with energy. These chunks of frozen meat are our toll."
With that, he hurled a piece of bird-blood-stained meat over ten meters away. It splashed into the water with a plop, and the blood quickly dispersed, luring a swarm of zombie fish from every direction. Shadows darted under the surface as they fought frenziedly over the meat.
"This is insane… It's like we're in a world of monsters. The ocean's ten times more dangerous than the land," Yukino said, her face pale as she sat on the inflatable boat. She and Utaha sat back-to-back, both holding their backpacks protectively in front of them as they watched the water vigilantly.
Sosuke naturally took a spot beside Haruno, thankful he had prepared those blood-soaked meat chunks in advance.
Every few hundred meters, he tossed another piece behind them. Each time, it triggered another bloodthirsty scramble. Zombie fish occasionally darted past the sides of the boat, some even leaping up but they narrowly avoided danger each time. The coastline was finally in sight.
"Hang on!" Haruno shouted, not slowing down for even a second.
Thump!
The inflatable boat surged forward and rammed straight into the beach. It jolted a few times, then got stuck in the sand. The four of them quickly leaped out. The shore here was undeveloped, and across from it lay a rundown residential district. Though far from the city center, a few swaying figures could still be seen in the distance.
"Hey, looks like we've got ourselves a beach full of bikini babes," Sosuke quipped.
Having returned safely to solid ground, he finally let out a sigh of relief. Compared to those mutated fish, regular zombies were almost a welcome sight.
"Oh? You interested? Want to go flirt a bit and build some emotional connection?" Utaha gave him a mock-glare, but then let out a light laugh.
In the distance, two supposed bikini beauties had clearly noticed them too. They turned around in unison only, they were no babes. More like middle-aged zombie aunties in bikinis.
"Not funny. They're headed this way!" Yukino warned, gripping her machete and stepping forward to intercept.
Without hesitation, Haruno followed her with her own blade in hand. After overcoming their fear of the undead, lone zombies like these no longer posed much of a threat. A few clean swipes later, the bikini duo lay silent in the sand.
"I've been here before as a kid," Haruno said, shaking the blood from her blade and pointing toward the northeast. "That old housing block was built by my dad. Our home is in that direction. Most of the buildings around there are standalone houses. We could rest there… if my parents are still alive…"
Her voice gradually trailed off.
Yukino lowered her head slightly as well. The entire city had fallen into an eerie silence. Gone were the familiar sounds of engines and car horns. Only the occasional zombie shriek echoed through the air. This oppressive quiet was just like Tokyo.
"Don't dwell on it. Let's check the road first. See if we can find a car," Sosuke said after a brief silence. He didn't offer comforting words there wasn't much comfort to give.
He gripped his katana and led the way toward the road. He understood how they felt. The closer one got to home, the greater the anxiety and fear. It was the uncertainty hope and dread in equal measure. But understanding it didn't change reality. If things had already gone wrong, then worrying about it wouldn't fix anything.
"Let's go," Utaha said softly, patting Yukino's shoulder and following Sosuke.
The road wasn't particularly wide. A bus lay across the two-lane street, its shattered windows revealing several zombies trapped inside most missing limbs. Bloodstains had dried to a dark brown, painting entire sections of the glass.
Sosuke cautiously circled the broken glass scattered across the ground and studied the bus. Its right front was crushed, fused with the driver's cabin. The driver's corpse had turned into a bloody pulp, staining the white seat black with dried blood. Only a twitching head, still connected to the neck, remained.
The rest of the bus appeared intact. The windows were sealed, and the doors tightly shut. There was no risk of the zombies escaping. Most likely, the infection had broken out mid-ride. The panicked driver crashed into something, died on impact, and the rest of the passengers turned inside.
"Stay alert. See if any cars still have keys in the ignition."
Preserving an intact vehicle was the best-case scenario. Sosuke kept his blade ready as he scanned the dried black fluids and scattered white bones on the other side of the bus. The road beyond was surprisingly clear. Several cars had been abandoned on both sides.
He spotted numerous muddy shoeprints on the ground. Last night's rain had blurred them slightly, but their chaotic patterns were unmistakable. When the outbreak began, everyone panicked loved ones turned into mindless monsters, and people ran like headless chickens.
"Sosuke! Found a Nissan over here!"
Haruno called out. She had just opened the door of a black sedan, with Yukino and Utaha standing guard beside her. None of them rushed in immediately. A moment later, a zombie crawled out from the driver's seat. Once its full body emerged, Haruno struck it down with one clean swing.
"Still got battery?"
Sosuke watched Haruno climb into the driver's seat. In the apocalypse, many cars like this had dead batteries usually because the driver left the lights on or something equally dumb. But when she turned the key, the engine roared to life.
"Looks like we've got some luck," she smiled.
The four exchanged relieved glances and got into the car. The Nissan rolled forward, the sea slowly disappearing behind them. Once again, their journey into the unknown resumed.
Sosuke turned his gaze from the window and picked up a smartphone he had found in the glove compartment. Judging from its location, it likely belonged to the front passenger, who probably dropped it while fleeing after realizing the driver had turned.
There was no password lock. The battery icon was already red, and the message icon had over ten unread texts.
Sosuke scrolled to the bottom and opened the oldest unread one.
It was from the afternoon of September 20th.
"Honey, where are you? I've called so many times, why aren't you picking up? Come home now! People outside have gone mad they're biting everyone!"
September 20th, 5:50 PM:
"Did you get my last message? I'm so scared. Oh, but good news Yui is back. We're both safe."
Yui?
Sosuke froze.
It couldn't be… that Yui, right?
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