Chapter 2 - Episode 1: The Story of a Fortunate Son
I was staring fixedly at the flickering red flame of the candle. In the pitch-black room, only the small light of the candle illuminated the surroundings.
The lifelines, including electricity, stopped a long time ago. It's not that I forgot to pay the electricity bill; it's because the people to run the power plants are gone. So no matter how much I press the switch, the light won't turn on, and even though it's night, the streetlights don't light up.
I approached the window, which was tightly covered with blackout curtains, and shifted the edge of the curtain just a little to look outside. The town remained shrouded in darkness; I couldn't see any room lights or car headlights. Since the sky was also covered with clouds, there was no moonlight either. It was truly pitch black.
Perhaps the wind had grown stronger; the sound of rain hitting the window glass became even louder. It had been raining heavily since noon, and it was lucky that I was able to find this room before getting hit by the rain.
Where I am now is a room on the top floor of a certain apartment building. Even though it's a fairly large apartment, there was no one when I visited. Everyone must have either died or turned into Infected. The doors of several rooms were left wide open, and the interiors were trashed. It didn't feel like they had been looted, but rather as if something had gone on a rampage inside.
Just in case, I checked the rooms that were unlocked, but there was nothing moving in this apartment besides me. After confirming that, I decided to set a room on the top floor, which was luckily unlocked, as my temporary hideout.
This room shows no signs of being trashed. Perhaps a careless resident went out nearby without even locking up and just never came back—that kind of feeling. Either way, a room where the door could be locked and wasn't trashed was very appreciated.
Moreover, it's good that it's in a high place; Infected don't pay much attention to high altitudes. As long as I don't leak light outside or make a big fuss, I probably won't be found by the Infected. I also blocked the stairs leading to the sixth floor, and if I live with bated breath, it's safe here.
"Now then..."
I sat on the living room floor facing the window and lined up the contents of my backpack on the table where the candle was placed. From among them, I chose a can of corned beef and a bottle of water, and returned the rest to the backpack.
"Itadakimasu."
I muttered that, pressed my hands together, and opened the can. A few months ago, this would have been a meal like an impoverished life, not just meager, but now even canned food is precious sustenance. There aren't so many supplies overflowing that I can afford to be picky. There were even people who raided shops just to get a single can.
I took my time savoring the greasy corned beef, trying to increase the feeling of fullness even a little. Although I can't say I'm running out of food yet, I can't consume it aimlessly. Because I don't know when I'll be able to obtain food next. If I'm lucky, water might still remain in the tank installed on the roof of the apartment, and it might come out if I twist the faucet. I tried it earlier, and luckily, this apartment could still use water.
After the meal, while chewing xylitol gum as a cavity preventative and a substitute for dessert, I decided to scavenge this room a bit with the candle in one hand. Since there are no signs of it being trashed, something useful might still be left. The reason I don't use a flashlight is not just because it's a waste of batteries, but also because the light is too strong and there's a possibility of being noticed from outside.
First, I naturally headed to the kitchen. Most of the contents of the refrigerator had rotted into a mush because the electricity stopped, but several bottles of unopened mineral water were found.
From the storage space under the kitchen, I found several cans and 500 grams of white rice. There are also seasonings, and if I'm careful about noise and smell, it seems I can have a civilized meal for the first time in a while.
With this, most of my objectives were as good as achieved, but I decided to check the other rooms just in case. As a result, some tools, dry cell batteries, lighters, and medicines were found. Now that it's impossible to be seen by a doctor, medicines are especially precious. I sort these properly and throw them into my backpack.
There was a children's room in this house, perhaps a family lived here. A study desk and chair, a bookshelf, and a chest of drawers—a standard children's room. In the closet, a school uniform still in its dry-cleaning plastic bag was hanging. Probably a boy used this room; test answer sheets are scattered on the desk.
Looking at the children's room, I suddenly remembered things from the past. Even though I say the past, it was only a few months ago, but in those times, unlike now, I was able to spend peaceful days. Without even thinking the world would become like this, I, like the resident of this room, went to school, suffered through studies (though that might just be me), and spent days playing with friends.
Yes, until a few months ago...
Unable to bear it, I returned to the living room, brushed off the dust, and lay down on the sofa. Then I took out something I found in this house from my pocket.
It was a portable music player. That said, it wasn't a state-of-the-art ultra-compact one, but a fairly old palm-sized item. Moreover, it wasn't a built-in memory type, but a type that uses cassette tapes. According to my memory, this type of player came out more than 40 years ago, but surely the people of this house took good care of their belongings.
I chose one at random from the pile of cassette tapes I also found in the house, put on the earphones, and pressed the play button. In the room that had become pitch black after I blew out the candle, bright and upbeat music began to flow from the earphones.
I can't help but wryly smile, thinking what a very old song this is... If I recall correctly, this song was an anti-war song made during the Vietnam War, and it should still be used in movies and games even now. With lyrics singing about the feelings of an ordinary person being drafted and heading to the battlefield, the phrase "I'm not the fortunate one"(T/N: Reference to 'Fortunate Son') sticks in my head.
"I'm certainly not fortunate."
Was I lucky to have survived in such a world? Or am I the unluckiest man in the world? I don't know that, but many people probably think it's the latter. People who despaired of this world and took their own lives exist in large numbers, starting with that man's corpse during the day. And now, that has turned into a normal thing.
Certainly, there is an opinion that it's better to die while holding happy thoughts rather than dying in intense pain while having your whole body eaten, or perhaps joining the ranks of the Infected yourself and attacking people close to you. I agree with that too, but cowardly as I am, I didn't have the courage to die. And while the people around me were dying, I just dragged on and survived alone; that is the current me.
"I wonder why it turned out like this..."
As I muttered that, sleepiness suddenly attacked me. I've been moving constantly since yesterday, and I haven't slept much lately. Although my body has become more capable of pushing itself compared to before, I am still only 17 years old. I'm not a trained soldier; I can't move for several days straight without sleep or rest.
I was concerned about the Infected, but I told myself it would be fine. This is the sixth floor, and since I turned off the lights, there's no way I'd be found from outside. The sound of the rain should drown out some noise, and I also blocked the stairs. I've already confirmed that there's a means to escape even if I'm attacked.
So it's safe here. Immediately after I told myself that again, a drowsiness incomparable to before surged in. Exhausted by the events of the past few days, I couldn't resist it and let go of my consciousness.
"March 7th, here is the morning news. Regarding the riots that have been occurring in various parts of Africa since the other day, the AU, African Union, has issued an emergency statement seeking support from foreign countries. ..."
A few months ago, the world was still peaceful. I perceived that news of violent riots occurring all over Africa and resulting in many deaths as if it were an event in a different world. While leisurely nibbling on toast at the morning dining table, I had thoughts like a bystander, thinking, Ah, that looks tough. And that wasn't just me, but my parents too; no, rather, it might have been the feeling held by most of the people in this country. Anyway, at that time, I wasn't even paying attention to such news.
"The mysterious riots that have been troubling all of Africa since the other day have finally spread to Europe and South America. These riots, which have already resulted in more than tens of thousands of deaths..."
Even when such news was reported a few days later, the majority of people must have been convinced that it was still an event unrelated to themselves. In fact, I was the same. Rather than the fact that tens of thousands of people I didn't know were dying, everyone was just worried about the stock prices dropping significantly due to the riots. While feeling something ominous somewhere in their hearts, those times when they told themselves it would surely end soon could still be called peaceful compared to now.
"Regarding the riots troubling African nations, South America, and Europe, it has been revealed through an announcement by an American research institution that the cause is a new type of virus..."
"Humans infected with this virus lose their reason and become ferocious, attacking others..."
"To stop the damage of this virus spreading in South America, the President of the United States has instructed the closure of the Mexican border..."
"The government has also held an emergency cabinet meeting, and an announcement was made that they have entered into consideration of methods to prevent the virus from landing in Japan..."
Even when the situation suddenly began to move a few days later, I was still able to remain unperturbed. People with good intuition were already trying to start evacuating to sparsely populated areas, but many working adults, including my parents, went to their companies as usual and worked as usual. Everyone averted their eyes from the crisis that was approaching before them and tried to maintain their usual daily life by finishing the work in front of them.
The flights departing and arriving at airports decreased extremely, and the economy was also taking a big hit, but even at that time, I wasn't taking the situation seriously. The government tried to close many schools, but because it overlapped with the schedules of entrance exams and final exams, they received protests from faculty and staff, and in the end, when the schools didn't close, I even had the leeway to feel disappointed about that with my friends.
In the end, many people tried to continue their usual daily lives, but naturally, that didn't last long.
And that day—.
"...!"
I woke up there. The player had long since finished playing all the songs and was silent, and sunlight was streaming in through the gap in the blackout curtains. Looking at my wristwatch, it was already morning. While rubbing my eyes, I stood up, approached the window, and looked outside; a blue sky without a single cloud was spreading, as if yesterday's rain were a lie.
Because I had been remembering unpleasant things, my underwear was damp with sweat. Thinking that I might have continued to see that dream, I became a little frightened. Even though I intend to have accepted it, the events of that day still leave scars on my heart. Those scars probably won't heal for the time being.
Forcing the past events that I'd remember if I let my guard down out of my consciousness, I slapped my cheeks to psych myself up. Today too, there are many things I must do.