Everyone's expressions changed dramatically. The point of sending the younger ones out for training was to help with supply runs, not to get them killed. Fujishima instinctively reached for the pistol at his waist, but the moment his fingers touched it, he hesitated.
The deafening sound of gunfire would definitely draw the surrounding zombies, making this entire operation far more dangerous. As the leader of the settlement, he had to be responsible for the nearly 400 people under his care. If Hayama were a weight on a scale, his life still couldn't outweigh the entire group.
"Damn it!"
As a teacher, Shizuka Hiratsuka couldn't possibly just stand by and watch her student die. She gripped her sword and rushed forward, but she was a beat too slow. Just as the zombie was about to bite down, a look of sorrow crossed her face.
Too late...
At that moment.
A gleaming long blade suddenly plunged straight into the zombie's mouth. The creature jerked twice, groaning, and its foul black blood splattered all over Hayama's chin and neck. Screaming in panic, Hayama thrashed around, frantically wiping his face.
"Hayama! If you keep wiping like that, you're gonna smear that zombie blood all over your lips!"
Sosuke Kitahara kicked the corpse off Hayama and grabbed him by the collar, yanking him to his feet. A guy like Hayama no matter how many deadly techniques you taught him would never become a master swordsman. His weakness was fatal.
Hayama spat several times and scrubbed his chin with his sleeve. His face was pale with fear, far more than shame. Trembling, he stammered, "D-did any blood get in my mouth? Check for me do I have blood on my lips?"
"You can't taste it yourself?"
Sosuke snorted coldly, then turned and dashed to the other side, swiftly cutting down two more zombies that had been lured by Hayama's screeching.
Shizuka Hiratsuka's eyes widened in disbelief. Just a moment ago, she'd been sure Hayama was done for. All she'd felt was a sudden gust of wind and then, Sosuke's back appeared in front of her.
Fujishima looked equally stunned, his heart skipping a beat. What had just happened? When they got out of the car, he'd taken a good look Sosuke and the others had been at least three parking spaces away. How had he gotten here so fast? Fujishima hadn't noticed a thing.
"Fujishima-san, this kid's a bit... spooky," murmured Tsumura beside him. Cautious by nature, Tsumura had been keeping a close eye on the new recruits. But all it took was a brief glance away, and Sosuke had appeared at Hayama's side like a magician.
"Spooky's fine. As long as he's warm-blooded, he's a brother," Fujishima replied with a shake of his head. Zombies didn't have body heat. He'd shaken Sosuke's hand before he was human. Besides, a strong comrade was a huge asset to the team.
Just then, the side door's chain lock was pried open. Fujishima nodded at Sosuke and said with a smile, "You're pretty strong, kid. Wanna run point with me up front?"
"Why not?"
Sosuke grinned. Sometimes, it was better to show a little strength up front. It discouraged the wrong kinds of people from getting ideas.
He turned and waved to Megumi Kato, Utaha Kasumigaoka, and Yukino Yukinoshita. The three immediately fell in line behind him. Fujishima raised an eyebrow at the trio, then quickly smiled in understanding, while Shizuka Hiratsuka watched thoughtfully.
Sosuke and Fujishima took the lead. Their presence at the front gave off the vibe of true vanguard leaders, and the rest of the team quickly filed in behind them. But even as they entered, everyone's nerves were stretched taut. A shopping mall this massive being zombie-free? No way. That would be the real ghost story.
"Shhh..."
Fujishima held up his machete and carefully crept forward. Sosuke noticed that he was wearing a bracer on his left arm. Just inside the door was a hallway, the walls lined with colorful advertisements. The floor was unusually clean not a trace of blood, unlike the grisly mess outside.
Gulp...
Someone swallowed hard. In this silence, it was jarringly loud. The mall was eerily quiet, unnaturally so. Not a single ambient sound. For people used to the noisy chaos of the outside world, it felt like everything here had been paused. It was unsettling.
What's most terrifying is the unknown. No one knew what might be waiting inside. And the more they thought about it, the more terrifying it became.
But just as Sosuke turned the corner and stepped deeper into the mall proper, what greeted them wasn't a horde of zombies but a massive black-and-white mourning curtain.
"What the hell?! A memorial portrait?!"
Tsumura jumped, shuddering all over as goosebumps covered his back. The group stood directly beneath the curtain, which was suspended from the second floor, and at its center was the enlarged portrait of a young man. His slightly upturned smile looked like a mocking grin aimed straight at them, sending chills down their spines.
"Haunted mall, stay out."
Fujishima read the words under the curtain aloud and scowled. "Trying to spook people, huh?"
Sosuke sniffed the air instinctively and looked up, brows furrowing.
He could smell a strong stench of corpses coming from above.
"Tch. I might've bought the zombie story. But ghosts? Give me a break."
The others suddenly understood and their eyes lit up with admiration. Tsumura chimed in, "I bet the mall's manager put that up to scare people off so they wouldn't fight over the supplies. Too bad for them now it's all ours."
"Haha, yeah! That means all this stuff belongs to us now!"
Takashi Hiromi got excited. Whatever the reason, the idea of owning an entire mall's worth of supplies was enough to make anyone's heart race. But Utaha frowned and said, "Don't get too cocky. In a mall this size, there should be either survivors or zombies. But we haven't seen either so far. That's... odd."
Crash!
Before Utaha could finish her sentence, Sosuke suddenly picked up a vase and smashed it against the floor. In an instant, a chorus of guttural growls echoed from above. Everyone jolted in shock, immediately understanding what he was doing. They gripped their weapons tightly, eyes darting around, not daring to blink.
This six-story structure was designed like a giant loop, with spiral escalators connecting the levels and a grand exhibition space in the center. From below, one could see all the way up to the glass dome ceiling above.
Seconds later, the sound of disjointed footsteps rang out from every direction. The dread was palpable they were here.
"Spread out! Don't cluster up! And for god's sake, don't hit each other when it starts!"
Sosuke cautiously stepped to the side. He didn't trust these people he hadn't fought alongside them before.
The others got the message and quickly fanned out. Several familiar faces instinctively grouped up around Fujishima, while Megumi, Utaha, and Yukino naturally formed a triangle with their backs to one another. Having survived life-and-death situations together, they trusted each other with their lives.
Soon, a bald zombie swayed into view on the upper floor.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Oh, you like the story? Wow, who knew. Go ahead, drop a review and throw some power stones maybe I'll be motivated to keep going.
The story's already ahead on Patron. Go there if you want to catch up faster!
[email protected]/_theon
Change @ to "a"