『Deep breath…』
Leo adjusted his breathing as carefully as he could, trying to minimize any unnecessary noise and soften his footsteps.
His effort paid off. At least, as he approached the zombie that was currently sleeping, it wasn't startled by the sound of his steps. It remained slumped forward in sleep, its fragile cervical spine fully exposed.
Leo suddenly inhaled deeply, drawing in air thick with the stench of decay. The fire axe in his hands came crashing down. The already-rotting neck of the zombie bent grotesquely under the blow, and its entire body collapsed face-first onto the ground.
But Leo didn't stop.
He didn't bother pulling out the axe stuck in the zombie's neck. Letting it fall together with the corpse, he decisively reached behind his back and drew a second axe, hacking viciously at the zombie's head. However, because the creature let out a howl and struggled to rise, the angle was off—the axe lodged itself in its forehead instead of killing it outright.
Even so, Leo was prepared.
He released the axe again, stepped back two paces to dodge the zombie's counterattack, then pulled out a hammer from his back. He swung it in a full arc and smashed it straight into the axe embedded in the zombie's skull.
The back of the axe had been wrapped in cloth on purpose, so the collision produced only a dull, muffled sound. Along with that sound, the axe was driven straight through the zombie's head, and the creature wobbled before collapsing to the ground.
Leo didn't approach rashly. Instead, he walked over to the other zombie that was still twitching, yanked the axe out of its neck, and before it could crawl back up, chopped its head clean off with a single swing.
Only then did Leo finally let out a breath and slump down against the wall inside the house, recovering his strength.
Still, he couldn't help muttering a curse.
"This fucking world…"
He had arrived in this world yesterday morning. The moment he opened his eyes, two lightly dressed blonde women lunged at him, trying to throw themselves into his arms.
If not for the fact that half their necks were rotted away, their intestines and spleens hanging out while they somehow still walked normally, he would've been very happy.
Add to that the upper-half-only corpse crawling toward him from the side, and he immediately understood—either he had landed on the set of a zombie movie, or he'd ended up in some kind of horror world.
In moments of danger, most people instinctively freeze and scream. It's a natural reaction—like when a car is about to hit you. Even though running is the best option, people often panic so badly their minds go blank.
But Leo was different.
He punched back.
And the last time that happened, what should've been just a light scrape turned into a fractured right arm and a full month in the hospital.
This time, when the two blonde zombies pounced on him, he instinctively tried to shove them away—and got scratched by their nails.
So yes, he had been scratched by a zombie.
Looking at the already scabbed-over wound on the back of his hand, Leo couldn't help lifting his head with a bitter smile. This was embarrassing. Other people who ended up in situations like this usually managed to counter-kill or escape unscathed. He, on the other hand, had practically speedrun getting himself infected with a reflex.
It wasn't the most humiliating transmigration story ever—plenty of predecessors had done worse—but it was still embarrassing enough to qualify as gossip.
That said, if not for that reflexive punch, the zombie's sharp teeth would've torn straight through his throat. He wouldn't have had time to grab a crowbar and smash their now-fragile skulls.
After realizing he was injured, Leo searched through the RV for anything he could use to clean the wound. He even considered chopping off his arm, but he knew full well that without proper medical conditions, that would only kill him faster.
So after thinking it over for an entire night, Leo decided that whether he was infected or not, he would live his remaining time properly.
He refused to starve or die of thirst at the end.
After a brief rest, he began searching for supplies.
Most of the food in the ruined house was inedible. Only five cans of luncheon meat, two bottles of jam, and one unopened bottle of water remained. Everything else was either rotten or dried beyond saving.
He moved as quietly as possible while gathering supplies, but despite his thirst, he found very little water. Instead, in a rooftop storage cabinet, he discovered two perfectly preserved jars of honey.
"There's still stuff like this…"
Leo licked his lips. He wanted to enjoy life as much as he could now, so he opened a jar and casually drank a huge mouthful.
The sweetness of the honey lifted his mood significantly. Normally, he would never dare eat honey like this, but now things were different. He might be about to die—why care about stuff like that anymore?
Chugging honey and eating the luncheon meat he found, Leo only dared relax after confirming there were no other zombies in the house. Still, he planned to return to the RV at night. The nearby houses were mostly wooden and clearly rotting—if a large group of zombies attacked, he'd be done for.
There were reinforced concrete buildings nearby, but after taking a quick look and spotting no fewer than twenty zombies, he gave up immediately.
Just as he packed up the remaining supplies and prepared to head back to the RV, a girl's scream suddenly rang out.
The next moment, Leo saw a blonde girl in a Japanese school uniform burst out of a house across the street.
Behind her were two or three zombies.
Worse still, the noise she made woke up all the zombies on the street. Leo saw it clearly—at the instant she screamed and ran, objects fell inside surrounding houses, and rotten, swaying figures appeared at the windows.
Among them was a zombie that moved like a frog. When lying flat it looked unremarkable, but it could leap an incredible distance, and it was quickly closing in on the girl.
"Stupid woman…"
Leo glanced at the scar on his arm. If he hadn't already been bitten, he absolutely wouldn't have gotten involved.
But unfortunately, he already showed signs of infection.
And these zombies weren't that fast. Even the quickest ones only moved at a normal walking speed.
Leo kicked open the door, axe in one hand and hammer in the other, charging out as the girl stared at him in terror.
"Get down!"
His shout made the frightened girl instinctively crouch. In the next instant, Leo threw away the axe and swung the hammer with both hands, smashing it hard into the frog-like zombie that was leaping at her in a yellow shirt.
The hammer struck squarely in its face. Leo heard a sickening crack of bone. He twisted his body, released the hammer, drew another axe with his backhand, and hacked it brutally into the face of another charging zombie, splitting its forehead and dropping it to the ground in convulsions.
As zombies began pounding on doors and smashing through windows, Leo picked up the axe and hammer. Without even looking at the staggering corpses, he grabbed the girl's pale, delicate hand and ran toward where he had come from.
"Move!"
The terrified girl nodded repeatedly as she sprinted with Leo into the forest. Before long, they shook off the shambling zombies and escaped their detection.
Only after entering the woods and confirming there were no zombies nearby did Leo stop. He pulled the girl behind a tree. Her full, soft body was pressed tightly against him, but he didn't have the time to care. He scanned the surroundings tensely, and only after confirming everything was clear did he finally relax.
Panting, he turned to look at the only living person he had seen.
Only then did he realize that the girl was far more beautiful than he had expected. Her skin was fair and delicate, her eyes a deep purplish red, and combined with her pitiful expression, she looked undeniably stunning.
It was just a little strange—her clothes were far too clean and pristine, completely out of place in a zombie world.
Someone like him, after just one day, was already covered in dust and blood.
"How did you end up screaming like that?" he asked bluntly.
Tears glimmered in the girl's eyes as she spoke in a small, aggrieved voice.
"I—I was too hungry, so I wanted to find something to eat, but…"
Leo immediately understood. He nodded and didn't say much, simply handing her a can of luncheon meat.
But after catching it, the girl pursed her lips and hesitated before speaking softly.
"Um… is there anything tastier? I can't eat this kind of food. I threw up after eating canned food before, and that's why—why the zombies noticed me…"
Even she knew her request was excessive and lowered her head in embarrassment.
Huh?
Leo froze and looked her over again.
"Then how did you survive in this world? Were you some big shot before and just got kicked out?"
He couldn't understand it, but recalling scenes from novels he'd read, he imagined a possible explanation.
"N-no! I arrived here yesterday morning too. I just opened the door to my room, and suddenly I was here!"
As she spoke, tears welled up again. Nearly dying had clearly terrified her, and seeing Leo was the only reason she felt slightly calmer.
Noticing Leo's strange expression, she suddenly realized something. She hurriedly bowed deeply, causing her chest to jiggle wildly.
"Ah, I'm sorry! I forgot to thank you! Thank you so much for saving me! My name is Erina Nakiri. Please take care of me!"
Erina Nakiri?
Leo's expression turned strange.
If he remembered correctly, Erina Nakiri was a character from an anime.
And she arrived here yesterday too?
Leo carefully examined the blonde girl who claimed to be Erina Nakiri—especially her pale legs exposed beneath her skirt.
It wasn't because he was being perverted.
It was because…
There was a blood-soaked scratch there as well.