Chapter 31 - Chapter 29: A Story of Premonitions
When I woke up, I saw an orange sky through the window. Looking at the wristwatch I had left on, the long hand was pointing slightly before 6 o'clock. If I recalled correctly, they said dinner distribution was at 6:00 PM, so I was on the verge of being late.
As I hurriedly jumped up, someone was sitting next to me.
"You're awake."
"Ah, Naomi-san. If you were already up, you could have woken me. Thanks to that, I'm going to be late for dinner."
"No, you looked so comfortable sleeping. I felt a bit guilty about waking you. Well, it takes less than five minutes to walk to the village office from here, so there's no need to rush."
Looking past the open fusuma, I could see the figures of Yui and Mana-chan leisurely folding the futons. Naomi-san's point made sense, but as someone who had been sensitive to time until now, I felt somewhat restless.
It's often thought that once civilization collapses, time doesn't matter anymore, but in reality, it's different. Now that means of communication are almost entirely wiped out, it's no longer easy to communicate. Because of that, acting at designated times has become even more important.
For example, during our journey here, we took breaks and searched for supplies in various places. At those times, we always decided on a meeting time; this was because we lacked means of contact. In the event that someone didn't come to the promised place by the meeting time, the others would know that something had happened. Therefore, except for when I was alone, I always made sure to act punctually.
"Speaking of which, I wonder what we'll get for the meal? Rice, maybe?"
"Well, it'll probably be centered around preserved foods, won't it? Even if we've been accepted as refugees, we're outsiders after all. These kinds of rural places give off that 'There's no food to give to outsiders!' vibe, you know?"
While folding the futons, Mana-chan and Yui exchanged those words. Yui's words were quite rude to people living in the countryside, but I thought she might be right. No matter how much they accepted refugees on the surface, there was a possibility they resented it deep down. It wouldn't be strange if there were people wondering why they had to give away their precious food.
I had seen people engaged in farm work on the way to the village office, but those fresh foods might be distributed with priority to the villagers, while refugees might be given preserved foods. Perhaps the portions would be small, too. Thinking that made me feel a bit gloomy. I wanted to escape from a diet of canned goods and hardtack already.
——————That prediction of mine was to be easily betrayed.
When we came during the day, tents had been set up in the village office parking lot, but now, several gas stoves and large pots were placed under those tents, transforming it into a makeshift kitchen. However, there were few people handling the cooking, and there wasn't much in the way of prepared tableware.
Is it really okay to receive a meal? While heading toward the village office with those thoughts, Kaburagi-san, who was already in the parking lot, beckoned to us as soon as he saw us. Around him were men carrying hunting rifles and handguns; they seemed to be members of the guard patrol. The barrels of the rifles gleamed dully in the evening sun.
The members of the guard were sitting in the corner of the parking lot, each eating their dinner. It seemed that the soup kitchen was being held not just for refugees like us, but also for the people engaged in guarding the village.
"Um, is it really okay for us to get food?"
"Why are you being so reserved? You heard it from the Village Head... no, the Inspector, during the day, didn't you? You're refugees, there's no need to hold back. There are plenty of ingredients. ...Well, lately, almost only the guard members have been using this soup kitchen, though."
Come to think of it, he did say there were few refugees visiting this village, and there was no sign of any refugees other than us. That soup kitchen was originally intended for people like the guards who were too busy to cook, and the refugees who occasionally arrived were just an incidental addition. Kaburagi-san said that ingredients were distributed equally to the villagers, and each cooked and ate them at their own homes.
"Well then, if you insist..."
Taking plastic tableware and lining up in front of the tent, the elderly women in charge of cooking served the food onto our plates. For some reason, they didn't look at us, nor did they try to exchange a single word.
"...As I thought, maybe we aren't welcome."
"That's not it. There aren't many children in this village, so they can't help but overlap the images of their own children or grandchildren onto young people like you."
"Speaking of which, why are there no children in this village? There are young people, but I don't see any middle or high schoolers like us at all."
Maybe I shouldn't have asked, but I was intensely curious about it. Since entering the village until now, I hadn't seen a single child. Even the youngest person looked to be in their late 20s. No matter how depopulated the village was, it wouldn't be strange for there to be at least one child. There should also be cases where people who fled from outside the village brought their families.
The thought crossed my mind that perhaps, like in some movie or game, they had... the children due to food shortages, but since they accepted outsiders like us and distributed food, that probably wasn't it. On the plates we received, chicken on the bone was served along with rice and steamed potatoes. It seemed certain that there was no food shortage.
"...The children were all killed before they could evacuate here. You know it too, don't you? The infected have surprisingly high physical abilities; you can't possibly outrun them without stamina. And the children didn't have enough stamina to outrun those things. That's how it is. From my perspective, it's more of a surprise that children like you have been able to survive on your own until now."
I hadn't considered that. Thinking about it, if it's difficult even for adults to outrun the infected, it would be almost impossible for children to outrun them on their own. I was fast on my feet, Yui was in a safe shelter until she met me, and Mana-chan was lucky enough to survive by hiding. And because we met Naomi-san, who had been trained by a soldier, we were able to reach this Osawa Village without losing a single person. If I had been slow, if Yui had been found by the infected immediately after escaping the shelter, if Mana-chan hadn't been able to hide in the gym storage, if Naomi-san hadn't been trained by a soldier, we wouldn't be able to eat a meal so carefree right now.
But the other children were either slow or unlucky. They must have been found while fleeing from the infected, caught, and then eaten alive or joined their ranks. Even adults with weapons are dying; children must be as fragile as eggs.
"Well, that's how it is. If you have any questions, please direct them only to me from now on. There are many things others can't answer, and if you're not careful, you might end up hurting them."
Even without being told, I would only ask such a question once. I have common sense, and I have at least some level of restraint and consideration.
"Sergeant, it's about time!"
"Yeah, I'm coming."
Looking over, the men of the guard had already cleared their dishes and were beginning to inspect their respective firearms. One of them called out to Kaburagi-san.
"Was Kaburagi-san a police officer?"
"Yeah, that's right. Though I'm not from the Public Security field like Yamato-san, just the resident officer of this village."
Saying that, Kaburagi-san quickly shoveled down the rest of his rice and went to return his dishes to the tent. The hem of the jacket he was wearing flipped up, and I could see a holster containing a handgun hanging from his waist. Since he was in civilian clothes and carrying a hunting rifle, I had assumed he was a civilian who had volunteered, but to think he was a cop.
Looking at the men of the guard, every one of them was armed with a gun. From side-by-side double-barrel shotguns to bolt-action rifles. There was even a man carrying a submachine gun equipped with a telescopic stock and a long, box-shaped magazine. There's no way a civilian would have something like that, so it must be equipment that Yamato-san brought out from the police station.
"With that many weapons, I can see why this village hasn't allowed any infected to intrude until now..."
Yui muttered, and I was in complete agreement. If we had even a single gun, the hellish situations we've experienced until now would surely have been somewhat better. Though, I don't have the confidence to handle one well.
Before meeting Yui, even when I was acting alone, I had thought several times about whether I could procure a gun. I plucked up my courage and tried going to police stations and koban, but they had all turned into deserted ruins. Some police stations were heavily destroyed, perhaps attacked by a swarm of infected while accepting refugees, and since I didn't know what was inside, I had no choice but to leave. Although few, I saw several corpses of dead police officers, but there were no guns, perhaps taken by colleagues or survivors.
The sun had already set considerably, and the entire village was shrouded in twilight. Amidst that, only the village office was brightly lit. The light spilling from the windows was very dazzling. However, perhaps to save fuel, the streetlights standing here and there were not lit; instead, bonfires were burning in various parts of the village.
Certainly, as Yui said, with that many guns, they could surely repel ten or twenty infected with ease. Furthermore, they have enough food to spare to serve outsiders like us. If we stay in this village, we'll surely be able to live a long life.
Even so... I looked down at the tray in my hands, lined with plates of dinner. For some reason, my chest felt restless. It's difficult to explain in words, but I felt a sense of incongruity and anxiety somewhere regarding this village.
I look forward to your opinions and impressions.