Chapter 4 - Episode 3: The Story of a Survivor
The first thing I did after descending to the ground was to check the safety of the road. It's not that I'm being careful of cars running; it's to confirm if there are any Infected. Or rather, I haven't seen a car running for these past few weeks.
If found, I can lose them by fleeing into a house or something, but until then, I'll be chased anywhere as long as I'm within the Infected's field of vision. So when I run away, I first escape from their sight at a corner, and then look for a place where I won't be found. Therefore, when I move, I made sure to choose a route with corners.
However, the fact that I can escape from the Infected's sight at a corner also means that I can't see the Infected beyond the corner either. Therefore, when moving, it was necessary to move cautiously without making noise, and to be careful at corners and places with good visibility.
Just like the special forces appearing in movies, I stick to the wall of a corner and poke only half my face out to confirm that there are no Infected. In these three months, I've become able to do these kinds of things smoothly.
After confirming there are no Infected, I proceed cautiously so as not to make footsteps. Since the hearing of the Infected is human-level, I won't be found unless I make a loud clattering noise. But since I don't know where they are, I need to move assuming they are in every possible place.
I don't run when I move. It makes footsteps, and above all, it consumes physical strength. If I'm tired and can't move when found, I'll become their bait. Therefore, when I move, I was careful to be quick but not to run without making noise. I've seen many times people who started running to reach their destination quickly when it was right in front of them, and as a result, were found because they made noise and were caught and killed because they were tired.
The target supermarket was across the main street where the woman was killed earlier. Places like main streets have good visibility, so if you are moving, you'll be found by Infected even from a distance. In places like this, I have no choice but to move by running to suppress the risk of being discovered.
I looked left and right down the main street well and confirmed many times that there were no Infected, and then jumped out from behind the scrap car I was hiding in. I ran with all my might with feet that hit the 6-second range in a 50-meter dash, but the distance of just a few dozen meters feels as if it were several hundred meters. Without feeling like I'm making progress, just as the thought that I'd be found was born in my head, I had crossed the main street and slid into the shadow of an overturned trailer.
From that position to the supermarket was literally a stone's throw away. I cautiously step into the supermarket where all the glass of the windows and automatic doors had been smashed.
The inside of the supermarket was trashed as if a typhoon had passed through. There must have been looting, but surprisingly, products remain. Perhaps rioters tried to loot it, but the Infected who sensed the commotion came and attacked those rioters—something like that. Since this town is almost uninhabited now, there were probably few people who came to take the remaining supplies again after the looting.
However, the remaining items are also becoming few because I came to take and consume them several times. I can only rely on this supermarket for a few more weeks. When the supplies here are exhausted, I'll have to procure them from elsewhere. That apartment was quite good in terms of conditions for barricading, so if possible, I don't want to leave...
The shelves in the food section were empty. When I came before, I had moved them so they wouldn't be taken away by other survivors who might come. I don't want to just hand over precious supplies to others, and other survivors probably think so too. The food in this supermarket is too little to share.
I headed to the checkout area, thrust my hand into the space for putting plastic bags under the number six register, and took out several bags with contents inside. Inside, water and food are categorized and placed, but there are no signs of them being taken away. I started putting about a week's worth of food and water that I thought was necessary into my backpack from among them.
Looking at the checkout area, several registers were broken and cash was scattered on the floor. The rioters or survivors who raided this place must have taken it, but what use would cash be in these times? Now, supplies are more important than money, and life is even more important. Even if you offer cash, there isn't a shop that will sell you things.
The Japanese government, which guarantees the value of cash, is now on the verge of collapse, and I hear that even in the communities where survivors gather, they only do bartering.
If this commotion settles and currency becomes effective again, the people who stole the cash would be able to become very rich, but I don't think such a peaceful future will come.
I packed the cans and such with towels so they wouldn't make noise from vibration, put them in the backpack, and just as I was about to close the zipper and shoulder it, I saw something move near the entrance. I reflexively lowered my posture and watched the entrance from the shadow of the register.
Someone was entering the supermarket. The number is one, but I can't see the face due to backlighting. Is it a Infected or a survivor, which one? But if the opponent is one, it's easy to defeat.
I gripped the crowbar and Maglite and waited for the silhouette to approach. The Maglite can also be a baton, but it's ultimately a light, so it's not something for hitting people over and over again. Therefore, I made sure to use the crowbar to defeat Infected. The crowbar is a handy length and has some weight; it's not a hindrance to carry while running, it's just right for swinging, and it has considerable power. I can well understand why it's often used in crimes as a "crowbar-like object" in the news.
That silhouette seemed to be cautiously checking the inside of the shop. If it were a Infected, it wouldn't do such tedious things, and in the first place, they don't have the intelligence left to check something, so it's probably a human.
However, just because it's a human doesn't mean I intend to let my guard down. In this world that has become lawless, there must be many fellows who try to kill people half for fun. There might be even more people who attack others with the reason "to survive." I can't be careless.
The silhouette proceeds toward the food section while watching the surroundings. To go to the food section, passing in front of this number six register is the fastest, so the silhouette is approaching closer and closer. I waited for the silhouette to pass right in front of the register and stood up.
"Who is it!?"
I challenged in a low but clearly audible voice and shone the light. With a scream of "Kyah!", I saw the silhouette fall on its backside.
In front of me was a girl about the age of a junior high student. She has black hair in a short cut and is wearing a sailor uniform that seems to be a school uniform. She is slumped on the ground in a skirt, but because she was wearing short pants underneath, her underwear was not visible.
...I don't think it's a shame, though!
"W-Who are you...?"
The girl says in a trembling voice. After checking her hands and confirming she doesn't have anything that looks like a weapon, I turned off the Maglite. Although the possibility is low, considering the event I'm attacked, I still grip the crowbar.
"You're the one, who are you? A resident of this town? Where did you come from, are there other survivors?"
"I-I fled here from elsewhere. The place I was evacuating was attacked..."
"Are you alone?"
When I asked that, the girl nodded. And then she realized she had blabbered out information and looked at me with suspicious eyes. I had heard that if you continue to ask questions without giving the opponent a gap to think, they'll answer unintentionally, but I didn't think I'd have an opportunity to put it into practice.
I look forward to your opinions and impressions.