Chapter 11 - Chapter 10: A Dead-End Story
My body froze at the sight of the infected suddenly appearing before me. Wandering aimlessly across both the sidewalk and the roadway like a pedestrian paradise, were there about twenty of them in total?
All their eyes turned toward me at once. For a fleeting moment, I felt an out-of-place sense of awkwardness, but then life returned to the bloodshot eyes of the infected that had until now been out of focus.
A young male infected, clad in what appeared to have once been a black suit, now mere rags, barked at the sight of me. That beast-like howl vibrated through the air, reflecting off the buildings and carrying far into the distance.
"Run, run!!"
Making an immediate decision, I shouted to the two behind me. Yui and Mana-chan, who had been about to cross the street following me, had also witnessed the infected and were paralyzed. But my shout brought them back to their senses instantly.
"The bridge, go to the bridge!"
The infected began to run all at once. Simultaneously, we also broke into a full sprint toward the bridge visible nearby.
What a stupid thing I've done. Normally, I would have acted only after properly confirming our route, so why did I cross the street so carelessly? As I ran, I cursed myself in my heart. I could hear the howling of the infected and countless footsteps from behind, but right now, I didn't have the luxury to look back for even a second.
The reason I made the snap decision to cross the bridge was my desire not to throw away the supplies we currently had. I didn't know if the infected could swim since I'd never seen them do it, but if we jumped into the river, at least their movements would slow down. However, entering the river while carrying heavy luggage risked drowning.
The experience of knowing that once supplies are lost, they aren't easily replenished made me hesitate to jump into the river. It was a waste to throw away the food I'd finally obtained with such effort, and there was no guarantee that supplies would luckily remain in the town on the opposite bank. Before I rescued Mana-chan at the shelter, I didn't want to taste that hunger again—the time when Yui and I had to share a single person's portion of food—and for that reason, I chose to cross the bridge.
"Aren't we going into the river!?"
"If we go into the river, there's a risk of drowning, we can't!"
Another version of myself screamed in my head to throw away the supplies then, but I ignored those words. Cross the bridge, reach the opposite bank, and hide somewhere. My exhausted brain could only come up with such a crude idea.
I swung my arms and legs with all my might, running to gain even a millimeter of distance from the infected. But the howling and heavy breathing of the infected heard from behind only grew closer; the sound never receded. It was only natural; the limiters in their brains had been blown long ago.
Though I have confidence in my running speed, I couldn't run well while carrying heavy luggage. It went without saying for the two girls, whose stamina and athletic ability were inferior to mine; Mana-chan in particular was becoming hysterical from the fear of the infected closing in from behind and had already begun to slow down.
If Mana-chan fell behind, Yui would be attacked next. Perhaps the infected would become so absorbed in eating the two fallen girls that they might temporarily give up chasing me. If that happened, there might be a possibility that I alone could survive, but I wanted no part of that.
I've had enough of losing people I've become close to. No matter how much it's for my own survival, a life built upon the sacrifice of others has no value. Helping each other is what makes us human; someone who tries to survive alone by exploiting the death of others is no better than a beast. They are the same as the infected who have lost their reason.
Even while thinking that, there was more than a small part of my heart that wanted to survive even if I was alone. If they became bait, I could escape. I wouldn't have to die. I could return to a life where I was alone again, not responsible for anyone else—.
"Mana-chan, run to the bridge!"
Shouting that, I stopped my feet and pivoted my body halfway around. If I were to describe the scene that spread before my eyes, it was the sight of the infected rushing in a great crowd, like housewives charging the moment a store opens to buy lucky bags.
The infected tend to howl when they find prey, and hearing that cry, even more infected gather. They likely gathered because of that; while there were only about twenty when we tried to cross the street, nearly double that number were chasing us now. And surely, the number was bound to increase further.
Among them were a few individuals who were exceptionally fast. The one in the lead, reaching out both hands to catch the slow Mana-chan, changed its target upon seeing me stop.
"Don't you..."
As the distance closed, the face of the infected became clearly visible. Running while drooling blood-mixed saliva from its bloodshot eyes, it was wearing a school uniform just like mine. In another world, we might have become friends as members of the same generation, but unfortunately, that opportunity never came.
"...lay a hand on a little girl!!"
I took a full swing with my metal bat, aiming for the head of the one charging straight at me from the front. Along with a heavy impact came the wet sound of something snapping—bagih—and the infected, having taken a blow from the bat to the side of its head, collapsed sideways with its face distorted. It was convulsing while leaking blood and some kind of fluid from every hole in its face with its eyeballs popping out, but it likely wouldn't be getting up to attack again.
As soon as I took it down, I started running again after Mana-chan. I thought to myself, that was a nice swing. I, who could rarely get a hit in P.E. class, might be able to play at Koushien now. As the cleanup hitter, it would be a guaranteed home run; dreams of going pro were expanding.
There was a distance of about ten-odd meters between the one I just took down and the group behind. But if I let my guard down, that distance would shrink in an instant. Cross the bridge quickly and hide in the town on the opposite bank. If I missed this chance, we might not be able to cross the bridge—such thoughts robbed my mind of flexible thinking.
Supporting the gasping Mana-chan as we reached the foot of the bridge, Yui, who should have been running ahead, was standing there dazed. I had seen a bus stopped in front of the bridge even before we were chased by the infected, but what of it?
"What's wrong, why aren't you pass—"
Coming to the side of the bus, I saw a truck overturned further ahead of the bus and stopped.
That large, dark green truck was likely a JSDF vehicle. That truck and the bus were completely blocking the bridge's roadway. Even the guardrail separating the sidewalk and the roadway had been easily crushed by the several-ton chassis, leaving not a millimeter of a gap. And the tall body of the bus and the wide side of the truck became a wall, preventing us from crossing the bridge.
Looking closer, it seemed not only the truck but also the bus had been in an accident; it was crumpled in places and the window glass was shattered. Other heavily damaged cars that seemed to have been in accidents were left near the truck. Did a car slam into the side, causing the truck to overturn, and then the bus slammed into it, blocking the bridge entrance with the two lined up by what could be called a miraculous probability? In this kind of world, I was always seeking miracles, but it was troublesome to have a miracle manifest in a place like this.
"What are we going to do? We can't cross like this..."
With a pale face, Yui muttered dazed. Between the overturned truck and the bus that had slammed into its rear, there wasn't even a gap a single sheet of paper could fit through. The truck and bus bodies, lined up vertically, completely blocked the road.
I instinctively tried to climb the overturned truck, but just as I grabbed a pipe on the exposed underside of the chassis, I looked back and let go. The infected chasing from behind would catch up while we were trying to climb the truck. Even if we somehow managed to get over the truck, the infected would cross such an obstacle in no time. We didn't even have the time to climb the truck now.
"Discard the luggage and run! We have to give up on this place!"
Shouting that, I threw the heavy backpack filled with food and water onto the ground. There was no time to climb the truck and cross the bridge, and yet I couldn't run while carrying heavy luggage like this. My lack of caution and error in judgment had brought about this situation, but right now, I didn't even have the luxury of time to regret it.
Discarding the supplies was the last resort. With this, we were truly at the end of our rope.
Yui discarded her backpack while hesitating, and Mana-chan followed suit. Because she had kept running at full speed while being chased by the infected, Mana-chan's stamina seemed to be near its limit already. I hoisted Mana-chan, who was breathing heavily, onto my back and started running, taking Yui with me.
My mouth was dry, and my whole body was hot. My shoulders ached from carrying the heavy backpack. Mana-chan on my back was heavy. My legs hurt from continuous running. My head was lightheaded, perhaps due to the high temperature. I was also approaching my limit, but even so, I had no choice but to run.
"I... can't... anymore..."
Yui, her face bright red, said while gasping for breath. I wanted to snap back that if she had the luxury to open her mouth she should run, but that would be a waste of stamina and time.
"They're chasing us from behind!"
Mana-chan shouted from on top of my back, but I was already well aware of that. The countless footsteps, the heavy breathing, and the screams heard from behind were no different from before. Rather, they were closer than before, and their numbers had increased. By losing time in front of the truck, the distance to the infected had closed further.
We went further upstream along the river and then turned west onto the road to enter a residential area. I had to abandon the option of entering the river because we had consumed too much stamina. If we entered the river like this, we wouldn't even be able to swim and would just sink and be finished.
I turned at an intersection haphazardly, trying to escape the sight of the infected even a little. Among the private houses lined up on the left and right of the road, there was only one with its gate left open, and I instinctively rushed into the grounds of that house.
"What, what is it?"
While saying that, Yui followed Mana-chan and me into the grounds of the house. Immediately after I closed the heavy iron gate, the infected who had chased us slammed into the gate all at once.
The infected have no wisdom, so they don't know how to open a gate. The infected repeatedly slammed their bodies against the iron gate, determined not to let the prey before them escape. I felt a moment of relief that we had somehow bought some time, but then the metallic scream of the gate warping and nearly coming off its rails pierced my ears.
"What are we going to do from here!?"
"Uh, I haven't thought of anything."
"Hah!?"
But it was the truth. I had stepped into this house for the simple reason that it might buy us even a little time. I didn't have a single idea in my head about what to do next. I simply wanted to stop my feet for even a moment. That was all.
"The gate won't hold anymore!"
Mana-chan screamed. I tried to think of a good plan with a brain that wasn't getting enough oxygen, but unless we had a Dokodemo Door, there was no way to break through the current situation. Perhaps because this was a high-end residential area, the walls separating this property from the neighboring houses for privacy and security were quite high. It looked like it would be quite difficult to climb without a stepladder, but there was no way such a thing would be conveniently lying around.
With a thunderous sound, the gate warped significantly and half-slipped off its rails. There was no place left to run but inside this house. Realizing that, I headed straight for the backyard. Facing the garden on the south side of the property was a living room, likely for the sunlight. Fortunately, the rain shutters weren't closed, and I smashed the window with the metal bat I'd had Mana-chan hold while I was carrying her. Perhaps for crime prevention, a film seemed to be applied to the inside, and a hole wouldn't easily open in the glass.
I managed to calm my panicking head somehow and slammed a fourth full swing into the window glass. Finally, a hole about 15 centimeters in diameter opened right next to the window lock.
Without hesitation, I thrust my hand into that hole and twisted the lock. I could tell my wrist was being sliced up by glass fragments, but strangely, I felt no pain. I wonder if the adrenaline was in full gear, numbing my sense of pain.
"Get in, quick!"
I opened the window and ushered the two into the house. As soon as they entered, I closed the rain shutters and also closed the window for good measure. The inside of the house, where no light entered at all, was dim, and we proceeded through the house relying on the faint light shining in from other windows.
Just as we finished climbing the stairs to the second floor while bumping into things here and there, a loud sound of destruction was heard from the north side of the house, perhaps because the gate finally couldn't take it anymore. Rolling into a bedroom with two beds lined up, I closed the door and locked it.
"With this, we can finally breathe a sigh of relief..."
"No, let's make a barricade with the beds."
We couldn't afford to be relieved yet. Right now, we had only managed to escape the sight of the infected; those things would chase us persistently until they completely lost sight of their prey. Even if we hid like this, if we made any noise, it would tell the infected we were here, and as a result, they would continue to try to pinpoint our location and eat us no matter what.
Cooperating with Yui, we somehow pushed the large bed in front of the door to make a barricade. We piled chairs and a TV that were in the room on top of it, and finally, we were able to take a breath.
"...!"
When I sat down with my back against the wall, a sharp pain suddenly shot through my right hand. I hadn't felt any pain until now, but perhaps the adrenaline had weakened because I felt safe. Blood continued to flow steadily from my wrist, which had been badly cut by the glass, and the wound burned with pain.
"Wait, isn't that a terrible injury!"
"Be quiet!"
If we were noticed here, everything would be for naught. Fortunately, it didn't seem like I'd damaged any major blood vessels, so the bleeding should stop if I held it. I tried to tie the bandana I'd kept stuffed in my pocket, but it didn't go well with just my left hand. I had Yui help me, and we tied my right arm tightly to stop the bleeding.
"We'll be okay now, right..."
Mana-chan muttered while gasping for breath, her shoulders moving up and down. It seemed she said it not to us, but to reassure herself.
My mouth was dry and sticky, and my body ached from running at full speed. In addition, the wound on my wrist hurt quite a bit, and I was confident I would give up if told to run more in this state.
Perhaps because my excitement was cooling down, the pain increased all at once. I, who had accidentally let out a groan at my blood-stained right hand and the intense pain, hurriedly shut my mouth. If the infected searching for us felt even a slight human presence through sound or something, they would pinpoint our location in no time and start chasing us again. If we were found by them here, there would be no place left to run.
The bedroom had only one window facing north, but there was nothing below that looked like it could be a foothold. If we were to escape from the window, we would either have to jump or take the time to make a rope out of sheets or something. But I didn't think I could do something so acrobatic with my dominant hand injured.
Everyone was praying that we wouldn't be noticed, that we wouldn't be found. But in vain of those prayers, a thunderous sound suddenly echoed from downstairs. It was the sound of the infected slamming their bodies against the rain shutters.
"We're busted, what are we going to do!?"
There was nothing we could do.
Furthermore, the sound of destruction increased in volume, and finally, loud footsteps were heard from the first floor, perhaps because the rain shutters had been breached. The footsteps approached quickly, and then suddenly the bedroom door was knocked violently. From the other side of the door, the groans of the infected could be heard.
Mana-chan screamed. I also instinctively backed away toward the wall and thought: how did the infected know we were in this room?
But before I could think about that, the sound of knocking on the door increased rapidly, and eventually, it became like the momentum of a death metal band pounding on drums. Perhaps because it was held by the bed, the sturdy wooden door wasn't immediately broken, but even so, an unpleasant creaking sound could be heard. The bed serving as a barricade shook violently, and I felt as if even the door frame was finally beginning to warp.
"Could it be that this is... checkmate?"
There was no place to escape, and the infected were outside the door. To begin with, we had used up most of our stamina even if we tried to escape, and no means were left for us who were cornered.
I look forward to your opinions and impressions.