The basement door creaked open and shut, leaving the survivors with only the low buzz of lantern light and their own uneasy muttering.
Kenji adjusted his glasses nervously. "D-did he just say he's going to… bring one of them down here?"
"Is he insane?" one of the younger men blurted. "He's going to get himself killed!"
Takuya crossed his thick arms, his voice dripping with scorn. "Or he's going to get us killed. Dragging a monster right into our shelter? Brilliant idea."
Murata's sharp glance cut the grumbling short. "Quiet." He leaned back against the counter, arms still folded, but his eyes never left the stairwell door. "Let's see if he's as reckless as you think… or if he knows exactly what he's doing."
Upstairs, Riku moved like a shadow through the second floor. He had already scouted the layout the day before: a mix of clothing outlets and cheap electronics stalls, most of them already gutted. But the dead still lingered here, drawn by the echoes of the living below.
