Chapter 36 - Chapter 34: A Story of Being Underground
In movies, they often say that various things flash through your mind while you're unconscious, but that's a lie. I just learned that for myself right now.
Without even seeing a dream, what was in front of my eyes when my consciousness was suddenly pulled back to reality was the rugged ground tilted at 90 degrees. The cold bedrock chilled my cheek, and the coldness seeped into my body, which was as heavy as lead.
"This place is..."
My body is heavy and doesn't move well. When I turned onto my back, the ceiling covered in rock filled my entire vision. When I turned my head to check the surroundings, I noticed that the place I am in now is like a basement. This was because not just the floor and ceiling, but even the walls were exposed rock.
A single light bulb hanging from the ceiling emits a dull orange light, but it's an unreliable light for dispelling the darkness. In the room are a rusted pipe chair and an old-fashioned bed that looks like it would break in one go if I tried to lie down. And at my feet, there was a sturdy-looking iron door.
For now, I put my hands on the ground and try to lift my arms to stand up. But when I lift my right hand, for some reason my left arm also comes up as a set. Straining my eyes in my blurred vision, for some reason both wrists are tied with a thin rope.
"Wha—!?"
Why am I tied up? I don't have those kinds of SM hobbies, you know? Could it be that while I was unconscious, I was brought to that kind of shop? Is this a type of that kind of play?
"...There's no way, right."
In this day and age, there's no way such a shop would remain. If so, where on earth is this place?
I remember going to the village office and talking with Yamato-san. But I have no memory beyond that. I remember up to the point where Yamato-san was talking about the consciousness of the infected and such, but——————.
"Even so, it's a pity; since you seem like an honest person, I thought you would take our side."
Those words suddenly flickered in my mind, and my drowsy consciousness awakened all at once.
Come to think of it, at that time, Yamato-san didn't even try to help me as I collapsed. As if that were the purpose. Plus, he was unusually concerned about the time. And the orange juice with the strange taste that I drank.
Those pieces of information gathered into one, and a terrifying hypothesis was derived. Before I could give it a clear shape, the iron door at my feet was opened with the faint metallic sound of unlocking. An intense light, incomparable to the light bulb on the ceiling, stabbed my eyes.
"You're awake. You wouldn't have had to suffer if you'd stayed asleep."
The identity of the thing bathing my face in light, visible through the gaps of my arms as I instinctively covered my eyes. It was Kaburagi-san, whom I first met when I came to this village. A face like a Noh mask, from which no emotion could be read, stared at me.
On both his sides stood two village guards I had seen several times. And what they were brandishing were side-by-side double-barrel shotguns.
"What do you mean 'awake'? What is this? Where is this place? What on earth did I do!"
Just as I tried to stand up and snap back like that, an impact along with an intense pain ran through my temple, and my vision momentarily went dark. It seems I was hit with a gunstock by one of the guards. As I writhed in intense pain, the guard roughly pulled me up and roared, "Stand up!".
"Don't use rough measures. It's meaningless if he dies here."
Kaburagi's——————no, Kaburagi's tone was like ice, chillingly cold.
One of the guards poked me with the muzzle, saying "Walk." When I said "No," I was pushed forward. Just as I thought I was going to kiss the ground where the rock was exposed, I was roughly grabbed by the scruff of the neck and made to stand.
Outside the small room I was in was a place like a tunnel. Just like the room, the floor, walls, and ceiling had soil exposed, and pillars stood along the walls every few meters, perhaps to prevent collapse. Judging by the row of light bulbs hanging from the ceiling at intervals of about 10 meters, this tunnel seems to be quite long.
Is this an abandoned mine or something? Without time to think about the identity of this tunnel, a short but sufficiently intimidating word flew from behind: "Go." There wasn't a shred of friendly atmosphere in their words, unlike when I met them a few days ago. All that could be felt was hostility.
"Where do you mean 'go'?"
"I said move! Or do you want to be knocked unconscious again?"
"I get it, I get it, I get it already!"
One of the guards said that and showed a motion of swinging down the gunstock, so I hurriedly began walking forward. I've had enough of tasting that pain. The place where I was hit just now still throbs. Since it's dark, I can't see well, but I feel a sensation like my cheek is wet, so maybe the skin is cut and bleeding.
Stumbling many times in the narrow, thin tunnel, I continued to walk. It's clear that the people of this village, or at least the group in the guard, are not favorable toward us. Otherwise, they wouldn't do things like locking me in a tunnel after knocking me unconscious or threatening me by hitting me.
But why do I have to suffer like this? Did I do something? If going to ask Yamato-san questions is so bad, they shouldn't have guided me to the village office from the start.
Plus, Kaburagi's words just now: "It's meaningless if he dies here." 'Here' means there's no doubt they intend to kill me. Why, and for what? If we were a nuisance, they should have killed us when we came to the village, or they could have just done it quickly while I was unconscious just now. It's too much trouble to go out of their way to bring me to a place like this to kill me.
Despite being in a situation where I might die, I was strangely able to remain calm. That's right, I've nearly died many times until now. The number of times I've almost been killed by the infected cannot be counted even using the fingers of both hands.
But this is the first time I've been harmed by a human. This is because until I met Yui, I made sure to run away immediately if I saw other survivors. I didn't have the power to protect others, and I didn't know if other survivors were worth trusting. It was precisely because I had the fear that they might attack me that I had been able to avoid fighting humans until now.
However, unfortunately, the people of this village seem to be hostile toward me. It was careless; if I had sharpened my senses more, I might have been able to notice that they harbored hostility toward me. I had become completely dull from the life in this village where food, clothing, and shelter were sufficient.
I should have thought more deeply about it—the fact that the people of this village would give us food without any compensation in this day and age. I should have always kept the words 'nothing is more expensive than something free' in my head. But I mistakenly thought the people of this village were kind and didn't doubt them deeply.
That's also because all the people I've met until now were good people. Yui, Mana-chan, and Naomi-san. Because I had met only such people, I had unconditionally believed that the people who are surviving are only good people.
This is the result of letting my guard down. I was knocked unconscious without knowing why and am being made to walk endlessly in a tunnel like this. And I will probably be killed before long.
I've had enough of that. Just because I've almost died many times doesn't mean I want to be killed obediently by someone. I will survive no matter what; my life hasn't been fulfilling enough to think it's okay to die at such a young age.
I have to escape. For that, I first have to cut this rope binding both hands. Then, I remember that when leaving the house, I had forced a folding knife into my sneaker. The reason it's been unusually difficult to walk and my foot hurts is because the knife given to me by Naomi-san is in the gap of my sneaker.
Could it be that Naomi-san foresaw this situation? Probably so. She probably doesn't completely trust others. That's why she was intentionally hiding a knife, and she gave me a knife for self-defense when I went to the village office.
I wonder if everyone is safe. I don't think Naomi-san, who easily slaughters infected with two knives and even received training from a soldier, would be killed so easily. However, the group in the village guard has guns; not just hunting rifles, but even submachine guns for police use. If asked if a knife can match a gun, the answer is no.
Plus, Yui and Mana-chan are also at the house. Can three women stand against men with guns? Moreover, we are nearly empty-handed.
Fortunately, my wristwatch hadn't been confiscated. Looking at the watch face under the dim light, the long hand of the watch, which was painted with luminous paint and glowing green, is pointing to seven. I don't know if it's AM or PM, but it's probably PM. The date probably hasn't changed either.
If so, it means I was unconscious for about three hours. That's enough time to attack the house we were staying in. Maybe Yui and the others are also imprisoned somewhere in this cave.
I couldn't stay in this village any longer. I don't know the reason, but I don't want to stay long in a village where there are people who knock others unconscious and even use unreasonable violence. Has this Osawa Village, which seemed like a utopia, also failed to escape from this world that has turned into hell?
For now, it was lucky that I wasn't empty-handed. The group poking me from behind with guns probably wouldn't think I've forced a knife into my shoe; that's why they didn't take the knife away.
However, it's impossible to escape here right now. If I stop even a little, the group behind me pokes me with the muzzle and urges me to move forward. If I crouch down to take the knife out of my shoe, I'll be beaten again.
Moreover, it's impossible to stand against three guns with a single folding knife. I've seen Kaburagi carrying a handgun at his waist before. Two guards, plus Kaburagi. There's no way I can win against three opponents with guns. Even if I brandished a knife and stood against them, shouting "You bastards, I'm going to win!", at the moment I luckily stabbed one to death, holes would be opened in my body.
I've defeated many infected until now, but I've never fought against a human. Even before the world became like this, I've hardly ever even had a quarrel. Much less a big fistfight.
Furthermore, unlike the infected whose reason has been blown away, humans can think about things calmly. That was the difference between the infected and humans, and the most troublesome point.
Anyway, it seems I have no choice but to wait for an opportunity for now. Where I am heading and for what purpose—it won't be too late to take action even after knowing that.
I look forward to your opinions and impressions.