Chapter 124 - Chapter 107: A Story of Diary of the Dead
"What about the car?"
To the boy's question, Naomi only answered, "You can come get it later." The wagon the boy had arrived in was left as it was under the eaves of the private house, and there wasn't the slightest sign of it being tampered with. A thin layer of snow had begun to accumulate on the vehicle body, but the interior could barely be glimpsed through the window glass. Brownish-discolored blood was caked on the driver's seat and floor, making him realize anew that he had bled enough to almost die.
"So, where are we going?"
"The school, the junior high school. You should have seen it when you came to this town."
Even being told that, because he was delirious with the pain of the gunshot wound and blood loss while driving the car, he didn't have the leeway to look at the town's situation in detail. He barely remembered the route he took, but there might have been a school on the way.
Something about the word school got caught in his head, but he decided not to mind it. Right now, he wanted to move to a safe place as quickly as possible. The boy followed Naomi, who went ahead, dragging his staggering body. His footprints were etched into the snow accumulating on the road.
Abruptly, the boy wondered if he should ask her if she resented him. Although it was something that couldn't be helped, she had fallen into the river because he let go of her hand. The boy intended to have done his best, but if he were in the opposite position, he would resent the other person.
After hesitating a bit, the boy decided not to ask the question. Since she was alive like this, wasn't it fine? If there were complaints or words of resentment, they would likely come from her side. Besides, that was something that couldn't be helped; she would have done the same in the boy's position. Therefore, she should understand what the boy did. Reaching that conclusion, he followed after her in silence. Naomi said nothing.
Truthfully, how did she survive from that muddy river, and how did she get to this town? And how did she know the boy was in that house? There were mountains of things he wanted to ask, but he decided not to. He didn't even think about why he did so.
Surprisingly, he didn't see any corpses in the town. In the towns he had seen until now, corpses were always rolling on the roads. There were always corpses somewhere in the town that had been overtaken and eaten by the infected despite escaping desperately, or had been run over by a car while trying to flee and left as they were, rotting and turning into white bones. But this town didn't have that. There were no traces of accidents accompanying confusion, nor were there any burned-down houses.
Since this town was in the suburbs, there might have been time until the infected arrived. Many of the town's people likely escaped, and those who remained probably hoistered themselves in the school. Or did the people who evacuated to the school bury the corpses that were rolling around?
After walking for about ten minutes, the school said to be the shelter finally came into view. Iron plates were hammered onto the fence surrounding the school grounds, making it impossible to see the situation inside the premises. On top of a watchtower apparently hastily assembled from bamboo, a human figure was visible.
The school gate, which also had iron plates hammered onto it, remained open, and Naomi-san urged the boy and stepped into the school first. The boy, who followed after her with a feeling of trepidation and passed through the gate, was surprised that human figures were visible here and there in the wide premises.
He had thought there would only be a few people, but unexpectedly many people seemed to have survived. Tents, apparently school equipment, were pitched on the schoolyard, and several passenger cars and buses were parked. In a corner of the schoolyard, a large hole was dug, and he could see people carelessly throwing trash into it.
"Now, come this way."
Naomi said so and pointed to the gymnasium. Following her, the boy also aimed for the gymnasium. He passed several people on the way, but strangely, no one called out to him. For some reason, he felt like there was a familiar face among the people he passed. He tried to look back to see that face well, but his vision suddenly blurred and he couldn't confirm it. He wanted to lie down and take a sufficient rest as soon as possible, but he had to endure it for now.
"Go up."
Opening the door of the gymnasium, which had been closed tight, Naomi beckoned. The inside of the gymnasium seemed to be a communal living space, and partitions made of cardboard or wooden boards were placed everywhere. Perhaps they were saving power, as the ceiling lights were not lit. Just like the outside, the inside of the gymnasium was silent. Although it was something that couldn't be helped since there might be infected, the boy felt it was unnaturally quiet.
Something made a dry sound under his feet, and the boy noticed he was stepping on a single notebook. He picked up the notebook and was about to call out to Naomi to have her return it to the owner, but Naomi had disappeared into the crowd inside the gymnasium. Even when he raised his voice and called her name, she didn't show herself. Wondering if she had some other business, the boy sat down by the wall and gazed intently at the notebook he picked up. If he looked inside, he might know who the owner was.
Inside the gymnasium, the same scene as the shelters he had seen on TV long ago was unfolding. Adults lying on cardboard spread on the floor, and children running around without minding them. There were kids playing ball, but as expected, it was quiet. Something was strange. The boy harbored some discomfort at the scene before him, but he tried not to think about it and turned the pages of the notebook.
"March 16
The infectious disease has finally landed in Japan. Five people, including myself, have been dispatched to guard Sakuragi Junior High School, which was designated as a shelter. The infection seems to be centered in urban areas, and the commotion hasn't reached this town yet. However, if the notice from the main office is true, this town will also be in great trouble soon. Most of the residents still harbor optimistic hopes, but I don't know what will happen. For my part, I hope the confusion subsides soon. For the sake of record, I want to record this series of events in the form of a diary separately from the reports."
Apparently, the owner of this notebook is a police officer. Come to think of it, he felt like he saw several police officers outside earlier. Just like the junior high school he evacuated to on the first day, police officers were likely dispatched to the places designated as shelters.
He thought about stopping reading the notebook since it was a personal diary, but he was curious about the continuation. Making the excuse that it was to identify the owner, the boy turned the pages of the notebook.
"March 17
The reinforcements scheduled to be dispatched from the Prefectural Police Headquarters are not coming. I requested reinforcements from the station as well, but it seems they are not in a position for that. Apparently, a large number of line-of-duty deaths are occurring.
Even though only one day has passed, the infection is said to have spread nationwide. Reports have come in that urban areas are already full of infected people. There are stories that those infected attack and eat others, but I can't believe it. My honest feeling is probably that I don't want to believe it.
For the time being, the guarding of Sakuragi Junior High School will be conducted by only the five of us. Apparently, the headquarters is requesting cooperation from the JSDF, but I wonder how it will turn out. What is needed might not be guarding reinforcements, but rather a means to move the residents to a safe place."
"March 19
Anxiety is spreading among the residents. More than half of the TV channels are no longer broadcasting, and radio stations that are not broadcasting have begun to appear. The government is calling for people to keep their houses strictly locked and not go outdoors, but regardless of that, nearby residents are increasingly gathering at this Sakuragi Junior High School.
Fortunately or unfortunately, it seems infected people have not yet arrived in this town. No signs of the infection spreading among the residents are visible. Perhaps because of that, there are many residents who, while harboring anxiety from the TV, hold hope that they can return to their original lives soon.
But how long can we remain safe? At the station, contact has come in that more than half of the police officers have already died in the line of duty. Apparently, they are even mobilizing people from accounting and traffic to the field, but how long will it hold? It might be better to think that reinforcements will not come."
"March 22
Contact with the station has been cut off. No matter how much I call, there is no reply."
"March 26
Assistant Inspector Nomura and the others who headed toward the city for reconnaissance have returned. They said that as soon as they entered the urban area, many human figures were wandering outside, but their appearance was strange. Looking at the footage taken with a smartphone, they were certainly human in appearance, but their behavior was not normal. I wonder if that is the end result of an infected person.
The Assistant Inspector and the others headed for the police station, but they reportedly turned back on the way. Considering the state of the city and the lack of contact, the people at the station have likely been wiped out or moved somewhere else.
The residents' anxiety has reached its peak. At any rate, we must somehow calm them down and think about the future now. But can the five of us do it?"
"March 27
I gathered the residents and explained the situation. The people who thought the situation would settle down immediately seemed to be in shock, and several were carried to the nurse's office during the talk.
Most of the residents listened to the talk calmly. However, from their appearance, it might just be that they cannot fully accept the series of events as reality.
For the time being, it has been decided that this shelter will be governed with us police at the center. For now, we will prioritize securing the defenses of the shelter while cooperating, and taking contact with the outside. With the city in that state, hope is thin, but there might be many regions that are still safe. We will wait for the JSDF to suppress the infected or come to the rescue."
At least in this shelter, it seems the infected did not appear. The fact that police officers were there from the start was likely one factor that allowed the residents to gather well. Somehow or other, at times like this, what is most useful is weapons.
"March 29
From today, we have decided to go out of the shelter to procure food. Even if a junior high school is considered a temporary shelter in times of disaster, it lacks equipment and supplies to be used as a permanent living place.
Since the figures of the infected are not yet visible, there was a proposal that the residents should be returned home considering the living environment, but it is easier to manage if they are gathered in one place. I feel sorry for the residents, but they will have to live here for several months.
First, it was decided to gather food and daily necessities from nearby private houses. There were those who revolted against their own houses being rummaged through and their private property being taken, but we managed to persuade them. Since it is such a time, I want them to cooperate obediently. It is troublesome to have them say selfish things. Though, I could never say such words in front of the residents."
"April 4
Today, the residents who went out to procure supplies were attacked. Apparently, they found human figures wandering outside and carelessly approached them, thinking they were people who had evacuated from the urban area. Two were killed, and Sergeant Kondo shot the infected.
The infection route has not been identified in detail, but it seems contact infection is the primary one. For the time being, it was decided to isolate the residents and conduct physical examinations.
The families of the killed residents protested to us. Certainly, I understand it is sad to lose family, but we are also short-handed. How are only five of us supposed to protect over 200 residents? Without any reinforcements from headquarters, we are the ones who have been working without sleep or rest for over ten days now."
"April 6
Since the residents were killed by the infected, I feel the atmosphere inside the shelter has worsened all at once. Troubles have increased, and fistfights are also occurring. Problems occur regardless of day or night, and since I am called out each time, I can't even rest properly. For five days now, I haven't had more than four hours of sleep.
Give me a break. I want to shoot and kill everyone who causes problems."
"April 10
To the residents, we police officers remain reliable existences, and at the same time, seem to be nothing more than convenient existences. They seem to think that any trouble or problem will be solved if they tell us, and they complain to us when it takes time to solve.
I am called out by residents every few minutes for trivial things. The toilet is clogged, a child's figure is missing, food is insufficient, the generator broke down... Give me a break. Don't push every single job onto us.
In the end, the residents probably look down on us. Just like in the old days, they only think of us as convenient existences who will listen to anything they say if called. There were fools who called the police just because a cockroach appeared, but considering the current situation, this is worse. It makes me want to say, do it yourself, even for things they push onto us.
It is already near the limit for the five of us to run this shelter alone."
"April 15
Sergeant Tahara went missing. According to the note he left, he is going back home to confirm the safety of his wife and children.
Sergeant Tahara is married and has children. Since coming to this shelter, he had voiced his anxiety many times about whether his family was safe, and I have seen him continue to call his mobile phone knowing it wouldn't connect.
I talked with the remaining members about whether to chase and bring him back, but with Assistant Inspector Nomura's words "Let him go," we decided to wait for Sergeant Tahara to return for the time being. Perhaps he will find his family and return to this shelter together with them.
What I think after the situation has become like this is that it was good I wasn't married. If I had a wife and children, my heart might have been crushed by anxiety."
"April 30
In the end, even after waiting for two weeks, Sergeant Tahara did not return. It is impossible for the remaining four of us to bear the management, operation, and maintenance of public order of the shelter.
After discussion, we decided to gather residents who are cooperative with us and have them also work on guarding the shelter. Recently, every time we go out for supply procurement, we witness suspicious human figures that seem to be infected. Guarding personnel are insufficient."