Chapter 8 - Episode 7: The Story of Never Letting Your Guard Down
Now that one of the school buildings is burning grandly, there is no leeway to stay long at the evacuation center. When I said that searching for Mana-chan's family is just a side task while looking for necessary supplies, she nodded obediently. Since I thought she might say selfish things like a child, it's to the point where I'm honestly taken aback.
When leading her out of the gymnasium which had turned into a sea of blood, Mana-chan seemed to be enduring something with her eyes closed. When I think that a close friend might be mixed among the gruesome corpses, even I don't want to see such a sight, but from now on, it won't be like that. Until the day before yesterday, Mana-chan was protected by adults and spent time peacefully, but from now on, she won't survive unless she fights herself. It might be a cruel story, but I want her to get used to corpses early.
"So, do you know where the food is?"
"It was gathered in the cooking room. I was also cooking as a help several times."
Well, it's natural, I think so while flying my gaze around without letting my guard down. The only place in the school equipped to make meals is the cooking room; here too, they seem to have cooked in the cooking room and distributed it to the evacuees. It would be good if survivors hadn't taken all the food in the confusion.
According to Mana-chan, there are also medicines and bandages in the nurse's office, but regarding medicines, it was fine. I haven't caught a cold in these three months, and I haven't been injured. In the first place, if you are bitten by a Infected, it's useless no matter how much you treat it.
In the early stages of the virus epidemic in various countries, many people who were bitten by Infected rushed to hospitals to get treated. Because of that, hospitals turned into dens of Infected, and it brought the result of losing precious doctors and medicines in large quantities. If you are infected, you're out; since that is the nature of this virus, it can be said that stopping bleeding or disinfecting is useless if you are bitten.
When the virus landed in Japan, the government was trying to make an antiviral drug, but I don't know if that was completed. Even if it were completed, the means and targets to administer it have decreased significantly.
Therefore, medicines have a low priority. If an amateur takes out and uses medicine appropriately, they might even get sick, and the important thing was to secure food first.
"Hunnu!"
Along with a suppressed voice of spirit, when I swung the machete down diagonally from above, the blade bit deeply into the neck of the Infected who was wandering with its back to me. As long as the Infected also has a human body, it becomes unable to move if the nerves are done. Along with the sharp sensation of the machete smashing the spine, the Infected who lost control of its body was about to fall. So as not to make a loud noise, I grabbed its clothes from the back, lowered it slowly to the floor, and struck the finishing blow to the head.
"Hih..."
Seeing the machete growing from the head of the Infected, Mana-chan lets out a small scream. As expected, she is not yet fully used to corpses; she covered her mouth with her hand and averted her eyes from me.
"It's okay, this way."
I scanned the left and right of the hallway continuing long from the stairs, and after confirming that nothing was moving, I called the two. The two, who were watching me process the Infected at the landing, approach quietly so as not to make footsteps.
It seemed some Infected remained in the school building, perhaps they didn't follow the survivors. In fact, I defeated two until entering the school building from the gymnasium, and I just did one now. Fortunately, I was able to defeat all of them secretly from behind while they were wandering alone, but if several were gathered like this, I would have chosen to run away without fighting.
"So, which way is the cooking room?"
"I'll guide you now, please follow me."
Mana-chan says that, and passes by the side of the Infected I just defeated while avoiding it by a full meter, and started walking the hallway in a timid way. To protect her, I proceed beside her while bracing the machete, and Yui follows at the very end while being wary of the rear with the crowbar. Although she is mature, she is after all an elementary schooler who is afraid of scary things, I think so while looking at Mana-chan.
Slaughter was also carried out inside the school building, and traces of it were seen here and there in the hallway. In the puddles of blood, several bright red footprints. And right arms that I don't know if they belonged to a man or a woman, and numerous pieces of meat that I don't even want to think about what they were. Mana-chan had a face as if she were about to wet herself even now, but to live from now on, she can't keep going if she vomits at seeing one or two corpses. I think it's cruel, but I wanted her to prepare so that she would be okay no matter what sight she sees in the future by having her see the situation as it is.
Yui opposed showing corpses to Mana-chan. She had an intensity as if to say, "Showing gruesome sights to a child, you're not human!", but eventually she gave in. Yui also seems to understand what is best for Mana-chan. However, even now, she sometimes thinks about things based on the standards of when the world was peaceful, so she sometimes didn't show understanding for what I try to do.
Beside the door of the room with the "Cooking Room" plate, there was a corpse of what seemed to be a man leaning against the wall. The reason I say "seemed to be" is because everything from the jaw up was blown off. Bloodstains and bullet holes also remain on the wall, and apparently, he despaired at being bitten and seems to have pulled the trigger with a shotgun muzzle in his mouth. After that, the gun was taken away, and only a red plastic shell casing was falling on the floor.
"Uwa..."
This also made me feel nauseous. Corpses shot in the head by JSDF, police, or hunters are nothing but terrible. After all, the contents of the head are fully visible; white skull fragments, brain matter, and squishy brain are mixed together, just like a soup.
"I don't want to eat meat for a while..."
Yui seems to be of the same opinion. Mana-chan finally couldn't endure it; she thrust her face into the bag she had dutifully brought and started going ge-ge.
In this evacuation center, they seem to have been able to run a generator, and they seem to have been using a refrigerator to preserve food until now. But because the people to replenish fuel disappeared due to the attack, the electricity stopped, and furthermore, because the temperature is starting to rise recently, I was worried whether the food inside had rotted.
I peek into the cooking room through the frosted glass fitted in the door. But because the curtains are closed or the room is dark, I don't think I'd know even if something were moving.
When I put my hand on the doorknob, the door opened easily. I turn on the Maglite and try to illuminate the inside. The ring of light reveals the state of the cooking room where washstands and gas stoves are here and there. Fortunately, no silhouettes of people are seen.
Leaving Mana-chan who still seems to feel sick, I step into the room first. Several cardboard boxes are placed in the corner of the room, and furthermore, refrigerators brought from outside are lined up. Originally the number of cardboard boxes must have been more, but they were trashed as if someone had taken them away during the attack.
Looking inside the cardboard boxes, luckily they are packed with cans. In other boxes, dried noodles and water. This alone was an amount that seemed like we could live for a month. However, naturally, it's too much to take all and run, so I have to narrow it down to some extent.
"Wait a minute, you mustn't open the curtains."
As soon as she entered the cooking room, Mana-chan tried to open the curtains that remained closed. She seemed to have thought to make the room brighter, but if she opens the curtains, we might be discovered through the window glass if there are Infected outside. Their attention toward the upper side is scattered, but even so, I can't let my guard down.
"That's how it is. It's dark, but can you endure with the light?"
"Yes, I'm sorry..."
The way she looks downcast is also cute. This won't do, I'm about to awaken to some strange fetish at this rate.
"Yui and Mana-chan, please gather food here. I'll go around the school building a bit."
"Where are you going alone? Or rather, wasn't acting alone forbidden?"
"I have to search for Mana-chan's family, right? Since there's no time, we have no choice but to divide the work."
"There's no time?"
Yui, who received the almost empty backpack I threw, said that while suddenly looking around.
"Come to think of it, it feels like it's becoming hot somehow..."
It means the fire in the next school building has become stronger and is spreading more and more. Because many combustibles were brought into the school building during the long evacuation life, they caught fire and the fire seems to have spread throughout the school building. Fire might occur in this school building too due to sparks or radiant heat, therefore, we must secure supplies and furthermore search for Mana-chan's family early. Even if we call 119, it's not like the fire department will rush over.
"But it's dangerous to go alone. If you are attacked, we won't notice anything, you know?"
"It's okay, no problem. In an emergency, I'll ring this."
Saying that, what I held up was a crime prevention buzzer I picked up in the gymnasium earlier. It's a type that rings by pulling a string, and if I use this, the alarm sound will be heard anywhere in the school building. Of course, in that case, if there are Infected nearby, it will result in drawing them in myself.
"Using this is really for an emergency. So if the alarm is heard, at that time, don't mind me and get the hell out of the school quickly."
At the point I ring the alarm, there is no doubt that I've fallen into a critical situation. Maybe my whole body is being bitten and I'm squeezing out my last strength. If that happens, it's close to suicide for the two to try to help me.
"But..."
"It's okay, do I look like a person who dies so easily?"
"You do."
"Are—?"
I heard that if I set up a death flag myself beforehand, I can avoid a dead end later.
When I say that, Yui showed a smile fuu.
"Well, it can't be helped. It's true there's no time. And you, you don't look like you'd die even if killed."
"Am I a cockroach or something?"
"Your tenacity might be cockroach-level. Be careful and go."
It seems she has given consent. Next, I borrowed a photo of Mana-chan's family.
"Since I only have this, please don't lose it, okay?"
Saying that, what Mana-chan gave me was a photo that seemed to have been taken at a photo studio for some commemoration, where the family of four was gathered. Is it something from a bit long ago, Mana-chan looks younger than now.
Beside Mana-chan, there was a family smiling gently. A slightly plump man and a woman who looks like what Mana-chan would become when she gets older. And one boy in his mid-teens whose face resembles the man. Apparently, he's the brother Mana-chan mistook me for. To have such a cute younger sister, how envious.
"Has the face or style changed?"
"Come to think of it, Father is thinner. He hasn't eaten much rice, and he was moving here and there."
The supply shortage and the battle with Infected for these three months is just like a forced diet. I haven't measured accurately, but I've probably lost 5 kilograms. My meat also fell quite a bit. I can only pray that Mana-chan's father's face hasn't changed much.
Just as I was about to leave the cooking room, from behind, gently, Mana-chan grabbed my hand.
"Um, it might be rude for me to say... please be careful. Also, for doing various things for me, thank you very much."
The reason I go alone is not just because there's no time.
Mana-chan's family is dead, my intuition was telling me so.