Chapter 50 - Chapter 48: A Tale of Escaping
Yamato, who remained kneeling on the ground and continued to shed tears, already seemed to have lost his will to fight. His beloved daughter, whom he had tried to protect even if she turned into an infected, had been buried alive along with the bunker. For Yamato, who had lived with his daughter as his heart's support and with the resolve to turn everything into an enemy, it was the same as having lost his meaning for living.
Kaburagi, who stood behind Yamato, also seemed to have no intention of fighting anymore. He returned his handgun to its holster and stared intently at the back of the wailing Yamato. From Yamato's right hand, the revolver handgun slipped out and made a dry metal sound as it hit the ground. Seeing that, the young man breathed a sigh of relief.
"Now, let's leave this village. We can still start over now."
"Start over...?"
"Yes. We must live for the sake of the people who died and make amends. You, who kept sacrificing many people for your daughter, and we, who tacitly approved of it..."
The young man said so and reached out his hand to Yamato, who was kneeling with his head down. Yamato, who raised his face, stared blankly at that hand, and then looked up at the young man's face. In those eyes, a different emotion from the hatred until just now seemed to be dwelling.
That attitude of the young man, as if he were trying to forgive Yamato, was somehow disagreeable to me. Yamato sacrificed many people as offerings to the infected, and on top of that, he even tried to kill us. I simply cannot perform the feat of forgiving such a guy. I am not a saint; I want to do back what was done to me, and actually right now I am angry enough to want to kill Yamato.
Yui groaned at my side, and I finally remembered that Yui and Mana-chan were still tied up and gagged. I sidled up to Yui, who was tied in a prone state, and removed the cloth wrapped around her mouth. The blood that ran down my hand made a bright red stain on the cloth of the gag, but the pain was subsiding more than when I was shot.
"You, your arm...!"
"Yeah, I'll probably be fine. More than that, are you guys okay? Any injuries?"
"Both Mana-chan and I are safe. ...Sorry, for getting caught. Even though you went to the trouble of providing cover."
"I don't mind, we were able to meet up like this again."
Immediately after, a dry laughter echoed in the parking lot of the public hall, and I instinctively looked that way. The source of the laughter was Yamato kneeling on the ground, and he was laughing like crazy while looking up at the night sky stained orange by the blazing fire.
"Make amends, you say? What for, why? I haven't done anything wrong, Aki was my everything. I just wanted to protect Aki."
I thought he had lost his mind, but those eyes seemed to be perfectly calm. Yamato is a convinced criminal; he doesn't think what he did was wrong in the slightest.
The young man's bewildered face was illuminated by the light leaking from the office window. In the next instant, just as I thought Yamato's hand moved quickly, a flash burst from his hand and a dry gunshot echoed.
The young man recoiled as if he had taken an upper cut, and something suddenly scattered from his head. The young man's body didn't even stay on the spot and fell onto his back just like a doll whose strings were cut.
"Noooooooo!"
Yui's scream and Mana-chan's muffled groan echoed. Under the fallen body of the young man, a puddle gradually spread. If it were seen under bright sunlight, it would surely be a liquid of a red color.
"How dare you, kill Aki...!"
With an automatic handgun emitting gunpowder smoke in one hand, Yamato stood up. Come to think of it, when he shot me, Yamato held a revolver. He must have been hiding that automatic handgun somewhere until now. And the young man had completely let his guard down and forgotten to take the weapon away from Yamato.
That way of dying, which was all too abrupt, made me think that the young man's death might be a joke. The young man, who was trying to help us and the Yamato he respected, was shot through the head and killed by that Yamato. Without his feelings of wanting to save Yamato from the path of Shura being considered in the slightest.
What kind of person he was, the opportunity to know that hardly ever came. Even so, for me the young man was a good person, and he was a person I even vaguely thought I'd be grateful for if he became a comrade in this crazy village.
Yamato killed him easily, as if he were just moving a pebble on the roadside. The Yamato the young man wanted to save didn't end up taking in his feelings after all.
"I don't care what happens to this world anymore. Now that Aki is dead, my meaning for living is gone. But..."
Yamato pointed the muzzle toward here and continued with a growl.
"I'll kill at least you guys. I won't forgive you guys who made a mess of everything."
Apparently Yamato had been living in this world with his daughter as his heart's support, and had been leading many residents. Even if that daughter turned into an infected, she was an important existence for Yamato.
But now that the daughter is killed, everything seems to have become something that doesn't matter to Yamato. His own life, and our lives.
Yamato's face seemed to be distorted with the pleasure of sadism. Right now, we are no match for Yamato. Whether to kill us while tormenting us, or to shoot us dead one by one, Yamato can decide as he likes.
Yamato, holding a handgun, approached step by step. The thought of running away wasn't in my head from the start. I can't do such a thing as abandoning the three, and in the first place, if I ran with my back turned, I'd be shot from behind immediately. It's useless even if I try to run.
If Yamato had overconfidently assumed he was at an advantage and approached more, I might have been able to go on a rampage and create a chance to escape. But although Yamato was closing the distance, he was keeping just enough of an interval so that he could shoot me dead immediately even if I jumped at him. Even though his intestines are boiling with rage, is his heart remaining calm?
"Die—!"
Is this it? Even though I managed to escape from the infected until now, to be killed at the end by the hand of the same human.
His finger was placed on that trigger and was being pulled slowly. Immediately after I instinctively closed my eyes, a gunshot echoed in the parking lot again.
This time a sharp pain more than when I was shot in the arm—didn't attack me. Far from that, no part of my body hurts.
Did he miss at this distance? Even though the distance is this close? Or did Yamato actually not intend to kill us?
I slowly opened my eyelids, looked at both hands, and then the knees and thighs on the ground entered my vision. Everywhere is blood-stained, but no hole is opened in my body.
When I raised my face, there was the figure of Yamato who was falling onto his back while drawing a streak of blood from his chest. His eyes, which stained his pure white shirt with the red of blood, seemed to be saying he didn't know what happened.
And when I looked back, there was Kaburagi, who had been standing still without saying anything like air until now, standing there gripping a revolver handgun. The gunpowder smoke rising from that muzzle tells who shot Yamato.
"Wha..."
Why, Yamato probably wanted to say. But before he could finish those words to the end, Kaburagi's revolver spat fire, and Yamato's body, which had fallen on the ground, bounced once greatly. Yamato, who had a hole opened in his forehead, didn't seem to understand why he was shot until the end; his mouth, which remained half-open, seemed to show the state of mind of the man who died abruptly.
"...Let's stop this already. Yamato-san..."
So muttering, Kaburagi lowered his handgun.
Is he going to target us next? Thinking so, I immediately snatched the automatic handgun from the hand of the fallen Yamato and aimed it at Kaburagi. But Kaburagi let the hand gripping the revolver hang down, took a box of cigarettes out of his pocket with one hand, added one, and lit it. Amidst the smell of cigarette smoke mixed with the scent of gunpowder smoke, Kaburagi had a somewhat satisfied face.
"You, why did you kill Yamato? Weren't you Yamato's comrade?"
"No... certainly I was a police officer, and he was in the same trade. But I didn't heartfully agree with what he was doing. That said, I'm not on your side either. At the end, I saved Yamato with death. That's all."
Kaburagi didn't seem to have helped us. But from the current Kaburagi, an atmosphere of trying to harm us wasn't drifting.
"Here, use this to set those girls free."
So saying, Kaburagi threw the knife he took from me. I instinctively caught it in the air and immediately cut the ropes tying Naomi-san's arms behind her back. Naomi-san, whose both hands became free, picked up a handgun from the young man's corpse and similarly pointed the muzzle at Kaburagi, but a bewildered expression was floating on her face.
"What on earth did you want to do?"
"Nothing, I didn't think I wanted to do anything. When my daughter who had gone to the city died in this mess, everything became irrelevant. That's why when Yamato started the rule by terror in this village, I somehow joined in. That's all."
"Somehow, you say... how many people were killed because of that!"
Yui, who became free, shouted, but Kaburagi still had a face as if it didn't matter. He deeply inhaled the cigarette smoke and then exhaled.
"Who knows, anyway they were all people who had nothing to do with me. I don't care if they live or die. But Yamato went too far. Even if he lived, what's waiting ahead would be hell. And he, who killed many people and even lost his daughter who was the reason for it, would never be able to escape from there as long as he continued to live. That's why I saved him. Right now Yamato must also be happy to meet his daughter in the next world, right?"
"You're crazy..."
That was my honest feeling now. But I cannot know with what feelings he lent a hand to Yamato's actions and then killed Yamato. I don't know him well. The only thing I know is that Kaburagi must also be a person who became 'crazy' somewhere at the point when he lost his own daughter.
Yes, everyone is crazy. Yamato who was killing survivors for his daughter who turned into an infected, and Kaburagi who followed him without either opposing or approving, thinking it didn't matter. And the residents of this village who were half-accepting such cruel acts.
Or maybe I am also one of the crazy people. Otherwise I couldn't explain the fact that I killed many residents until I came here and even laid a hand on defenseless people making the excuse of 'no choice.' I, Yamato, Kaburagi, and the residents of this village, everyone has lost important people. And that fact might have driven everyone to madness.
"Then what will you do, will you kill us next?"
While still readying the handgun, Naomi-san said. Her index finger was already placed on the trigger, and it was in a state where a bullet would be fired if she pulled her finger just a few more millimeters. Looking at Naomi-san, whose posture of readying a handgun was cool as expected of someone who learned how to handle weapons in America, the listless voice of Kaburagi, "No, it doesn't matter," reached my ears.
"Sooner or later, this village was over. You guys just hastened it, and I just put the finishing blow to it. I have no reason to kill you guys. Though, the day might come when you think it would have been better to die here, though."
"...What will you do?"
To my question, Kaburagi answered wordlessly. When he took a photograph of a size that would fit in a pocket out of the breast of his jacket, he held it up to the moonlight and gazed at it.
"I'm already tired. I'll take my leave from this hell one step ahead."
There was no time to stop him. Kaburagi looked at the photograph one last time, then quickly pressed the muzzle of the revolver in his hand against his temple and pulled the trigger. A somewhat muffled gunshot echoed, followed by the dull sound of Kaburagi's body hitting the asphalt parking lot.
At that moment the wind blew, and the photograph Kaburagi held left his hand and rolled to my feet. When I instinctively picked it up, in the photograph were the figures of Kaburagi, a little younger than now and wearing a police officer's uniform, and two women standing on both sides of him. The faces of the women are dirty with scattered blood and cannot be seen, but they are probably Kaburagi's wife and daughter.
On the back of the photograph, a date from about 3 years ago was written. Apparently it's the date this photograph was taken. Kaburagi hadn't talked anything about his wife, but what happened to her?
"...In the end, we were hardly able to know about the people of this village, weren't we?"
Naomi-san muttered so. Yes, we were hardly able to know. With what thoughts Yamato had been offering survivors as sacrifices for his daughter, about Kaburagi whose everything became irrelevant due to the despair of losing his daughter, or about the young man who acted desperately risking his life to return the favor of being saved.
But now that they have died, the opportunity to know those things is lost forever. It's not like anything would happen even if we knew, and the current situation wouldn't change. But it's somehow an unpleasant thing to remain without knowing anything.
"There's no need to know, such crazy people. Killing people, starting infighting as they like, and committing suicide at the end. What on earth is it, I don't understand the meaning!"
While rubbing her both wrists which had been tied, Yui cursed the three corpses rolling in front of her eyes. Come to think of it, Yui hardly knows why Yamato was trying to kill us. I, who was almost made fodder for the infected, was able to hear the reason from Yamato, but for Yui and the others, it was just that the residents suddenly attacked. For them who had been running around the village until just now, there was no way to know in detail what happened.
Just as I was about to open my mouth to try to tell her what Yamato was trying to do, a roar like a beast that I hadn't heard for a while roared in the surroundings. Apparently the infected who were lured by the explosion have broken through the guards and started invading the village. If I listen closely, screams are echoing here and there mixed with gunshots, telling me the state where a hellish scene of carnage is about to unfold inside the village.
Hearing those screams, I somehow thought it served them right. The people who were giving survivors as sacrifices to keep the infected alive are finally killed by the infected who came from outside the village. It's divine punishment, they got what they deserved. Even if they didn't directly launch an attack on us, there's no mistake that they were members of the people who tried to kill us.
"It seems we'd better leave this village quickly. I'll go see if the car moves, everyone gather the weapons."
"Food and water... we don't have time to load them, do we?"
"That's right. Mana, come with me and stay in the car. It's dangerous outside."
Since we couldn't leave them in the car under the blazing sun, we had moved all the food and water to another place on the day we came to the village. The same for clothes and fuel. Although tools and the like are left in the car, now that we might be attacked by the infected at any moment, we can't afford to move around the village seeking those supplies.
It was fortunate that there were weapons. As long as there are weapons, we can at least repel the infected even if we are attacked. I tucked the automatic handgun Yamato held into my belt and started searching the corpses one after another.
It could be said it was a good decision that Naomi-san didn't let Mana-chan help with searching the corpses. After being attacked by the same humans and being shown the sight of people dying in front of her eyes many times, could an elementary school girl do such a thing as searching those corpses? Unlike us, Mana-chan is still young; there's no telling what kind of influence the experience here will bring later.
Yui also steeled her resolve and was picking up the scattered guns. She recovered the handgun holster and the pouch containing spare magazines from the corpse of Yamato, the hateful man who tried to kill us, and picked up the over-under shotgun that was rolling at the side of the young man. As for the red plastic shells, several came out when I searched the young man's pockets. Besides that, I picked up the police revolver of Kaburagi who committed suicide and stuffed them into the backpack I was carrying.
After I was shot in the arm by Yamato, all my weapons were taken away, but they were placed together in a place a little apart. I picked up the crossbow and hung the rifle on my shoulder. Behind me as I dragged my body which had become heavily weighted toward the car that was left parked in the parking lot, Yui followed carrying handguns and ammunition in both hands.
"Fuel is loaded for the time being, but I don't know how long it will last. We have to procure gasoline nearby."
"The one in this village... come to think of it, I blew it up."
"That explosion, you did it?"
Yui's eyes went round. Originally the reason we came to this village was to get fuel which was becoming scarce. But now we don't have time to refuel, nor is there a place where we can. The only gas station in this village is now a sea of fire because I blew it up.
"We have no choice but to go as far as we can, anyway this village is over. If we dally, we'll be surrounded by the infected."
"True... alright, everyone get in the car quickly! It's going to be a rough drive, so wear your seatbelts properly."
After throwing the gathered weapons and ammunition into the back seat and circling to the passenger seat, I didn't miss something moving on the road illuminated by the headlights. Immediately one infected showed its figure in the circle of light and rushed toward us while dripping saliva mixed with blood from the corner of its mouth.
"Dammit...!"
I instinctively pulled the handgun from my belt and pulled the trigger. A sharp pain ran through my shot left arm, but I fired continuously regardless. The slide of the automatic handgun recoiled and the ejected shell sparkled as it caught the moonlight. It's difficult to finish off a moving infected with one shot, and at the 5th time I pulled the trigger, finally one hit the belly.
Immediately Naomi-san opened the door, leaned out her upper body, and shot through the head of the infected whose movement had become dull in one shot. Before she could shout "Close the door!", I slid into the passenger seat, and without even time to fasten the seatbelt, Naomi-san started the car.
Immediately after leaving the parking lot, we turned right and aimed for the gate which was said to be on the east side of the village. We encountered infected several times on the way, but Naomi-san skillfully avoided all of them with her steering. Modern automobiles are surprisingly fragile things, and if you hit many people, the engine will break. If we lose our car here, we have no choice but to escape from the village on foot, and that meant death for us.
"Whoa..."
It was when we came out to the street that runs through the village east and west, where I killed the man with the rifle on the roof of the building and provided cover for Naomi-san and the others. A minibus had crashed into a utility pole, and we encountered a scene where infected were crowding around it. Apparently the minibus was carrying residents who were trying to escape the village, and moreover they seemed to be still left inside the car.
The infected with bloodshot eyes were surrounding the minibus that had stopped moving and were slamming their fists against the car body. Right now they haven't invaded the inside of the car yet, but that will also be a matter of time. With infected around the bus, the residents inside the car cannot go outside either. And now that the windows are being broken by the pounding of the infected, the inside of the bus is not a safe place either.
"...Let's go."
Mana-chan's moistened eyes were reflected in the rearview mirror, but I said so without hesitation. Either way, we cannot help them with that many infected surrounding them. Naomi-san also seemed to understand that, as she stepped on the accelerator without saying anything.
When we sprinted past the side of the bus that caused the accident, the infected also seemed to have noticed our existence. The state of several of the infected who were surrounding the bus chasing us was reflected in the side mirror, but those figures rapidly became smaller. And behind them, finally the window glass seemed to have been broken, as an infected was seen thrusting its upper body into the inside of the bus from the broken window.
When we continued to run east just like that, a gate like the one we passed on the first day we came to this village was built on the road. Whether they ran away or were annihilated, the figures of the guards protecting the gate were not around, and the gate which should have been strictly closed was also left open.
After passing the gate and entering the forest, a sigh of relief leaked from everyone's mouth. Though, it's not like this forest is decided to be safe yet. Behind Naomi-san who was gripping the steering wheel while carefully watching the forest spreading to the left and right of the road, Yui said with an exhausted expression.
"Somehow, I'm tired."
"Yeah, I'm tired. I wonder how many times I almost died in just today. Well, I guess this is a precious experience too."
Usually laughter should have come back, but the inside of the car remained wrapped in silence. That everyone is silent is not only because they are tired. Through the events in this village, everyone is starting to have some change sprout inside themselves.
That said, I don't think that change is a good thing at all. A change that sprouted after killing people and seeing the way people die cannot possibly be a good thing. And from now on everyone will probably revise their recognition. That until now it was enough to just run away from the infected, but from now on we might have to fight against crazy survivors.
I was unconsciously looking down at the automatic handgun Yamato held. Will the time to point a gun at a person come again?