Chapter 85 - The Story of the Dog Soldiers
After that, snow fell occasionally as if it had just remembered to, but for the most part, there was more time when it was clear. The accumulated snow melted steadily, and in some places, the ground became visible.
In proportion to the snow melting, voices began to rise among the students again questioning if the boy was a dangerous person. It was true that more than a week had passed since he came to Sayuri Girls' Academy, and during that time, he had done nothing to harm the students. He had accepted requests for heavy labor that was difficult for girls without complaint. While it was natural to have him help with various things since they permitted his stay, it was a fact that the boy had been useful.
Everyone acknowledged that he was a useful person. However, the many firearms he possessed continued to smolder as a source of anxiety for the students.
Furthermore, the fact that they didn't know what the boy was thinking was one reason they couldn't clear their suspicions. Since the incident with Aki, the boy had only given the minimum necessary responses no matter what was said. Even if they asked something about him, he would evade or not return an answer most of the time.
It was natural for the students to continue to hold distrust. However, since the boy had told them he had no intention of staying at the academy for long, a dispute over whether to kick him out or not didn't break out.
For the past few days, there had been no heavy snow, and clear weather continued. The snow had melted quite a bit, but the boy felt it was still too early to depart. First, he had to go out of the forest spreading around the academy, explore the surroundings, and find somewhere else that looked livable. Fortunately, he knew that if he drove for a while outside the forest, farmhouses were dotted around. He could grasp from the map that if he went further, there was a town, albeit small in scale.
For that, he had to make thorough preparations. This time he had come to a place where survivors were due to an unexpected heavy snow, but next time he had to make sure such a thing didn't happen. While the ones he encountered this time were girls who didn't even have weapons, the next party he encountered might be tough, armed men. If possible, he wanted to continue avoiding contact with survivors as much as possible.
Although he thought he had to depart soon, he had ended up staying longer than expected. Reasons included the fact that it snowed on and off and he didn't know when heavy snow would fall again, and that the snow hadn't completely melted. However, if he wanted to leave, he could leave right now; it wouldn't be an obstacle.
And on this day too, the boy was helping with work as requested by the students. Even though he thought there was no need to do such a thing since he would leave here soon, he had accepted it. He made excuses in his head that he didn't want to have unnecessary conflict until the end, and thus forced himself to be satisfied with having accepted the work.
"The fence has fallen over, so could you help us fix it?"
The one who asked was Aoi. Since he let her touch the gun, she had stopped approaching him. As expected, her interest was in the gun and not him; the boy felt relieved and at the same time held a fuzzy sensation. That too had long since vanished, and it was the first conversation between the boy and Aoi in a while.
"The fence?"
"Yes. It's the fence behind the sports equipment warehouse, but the snow that fell from the roof hit it and it's leaning over."
The students had begun reinforcement work on the fence surrounding the school grounds since the snow started melting, but the speed of that progress was slow. The boy had been called out to help a few times, but in the first place, it was difficult to stretch barricades around the entire academy, which had vast grounds. It was likely better than nothing, but by the time they had to use the barricades, this academy would be in a situation one step away from annihilation.
The boy, having accepted the request, slung his backpack over his shoulder as usual and went out of the classroom that had become his room. He kept it as organized as possible so he could leave at any time, but traces of life remained.
As usual, there was no sign of people in the hallway. The lessons that had been held until now seemed to have been suspended for a while. Instead, the students were beginning to take actions for survival, such as reinforcing the fence, procuring firewood, and clearing snow. They might have realized once again that the peaceful world had already vanished.
The deserted hallway kept the traces of the days before the pandemic entirely. The types of prints and posters pasted on the bulletin board were as they were, and the boy somehow stopped his feet in front of the bulletin board before the entrance.
'Regarding the submission of career survey forms'
'Career status of this year's graduates'
'Beware of stray dogs'
'Notice for students wishing to submit works to the 43rd City Art Exhibition'
Similar sights should have been seen at any school during that period. It felt as if time had stopped here, and the boy held complex feelings at the speed of the passing months.
When he went outside from the entrance, Aoi was waiting. Snow remained in the schoolyard, but the snow that had melted into a sherbet-like state was only as high as the boy's ankles. At this rate, the snow would vanish completely in another few days.
However, gray clouds were beginning to spread in the sky again. While hoping it wouldn't snow heavily again, the boy headed toward the warehouse with Aoi.
"By the way, until around when do you plan to be here?"
"Until the snow melts and stops falling."
"As for me, I think it would be fine for you to stay longer, but do you not have that intention?"
"No."
If this academy were deserted, he would have made it his base, but unfortunately, there were prior residents, so it couldn't be helped. This academy, where electricity could be used and there was a greenhouse, was an ideal place for a base, but since uncertain elements called students existed, he couldn't live here.
It wasn't that the thought of brandishing weapons to kick them out, or massacring them all to eliminate future trouble, hadn't occurred to him. However, that would be a rule violation. If they had launched an attack, it would be a different story, but since he hadn't been attacked, he couldn't make a move from his side either. To justify himself and maintain mental stability, the rules had to be kept.
"Ah, your backpack is open."
Aoi said in a purposefully bright voice, perhaps trying to do something about the awkward atmosphere. The flap of the backpack wasn't fixed with the buckle and was swaying left and right with the boy's movements. Aoi thought the contents might spill out, but the boy answered, "No, it's fine."
"It's better this way."
She didn't know what was better about it, but if he said so, it was probably fine. Aoi thought so and guided the boy to the site.
The fence in question was on the south side of the schoolyard, in a position facing the fence that separated the inside and outside of the grounds. The roof of the sports equipment warehouse slanted toward the south, and the falling snow hit the fence directly. Since it reportedly rarely snowed in this region, almost no thought had been given to falling snow. Accumulated snow has considerable weight, enough that people have died from being hit by clumps of snow falling from roofs.
The fence behind the warehouse also had its supports leaning significantly outward. Originally, it wasn't a sturdy construction assuming intrusion from the outside but a flimsy fence just to show the boundary of the grounds, so it was natural for it to collapse.
"I wonder if anyone has entered? I think the fence fell over a few days ago, though."
Because it was hidden in the shadow of the warehouse and couldn't be seen, discovery had been delayed. A gap large enough for an adult to pass through spread between the supports of the collapsed fence, but the boy answered, "It'll be fine." Snow remained behind the warehouse, but no footprints could be seen on the ground.
"But it needs to be fixed early. It would be better to cut the broken parts of the supports, attach replacement iron pipes or something, and secure them with wire. Since the same thing might happen again, reinforcement is also necessary. It would be good to install a barricade at the same time."
The work didn't seem that difficult. If just returning it to how it was, it wouldn't take much effort. Of course, if making it sturdy enough to withstand falling snow and the attack of infected, a whole day's construction would be necessary.
He wanted to start the repair immediately, but he had neither tools nor materials on hand. When he came out from behind the warehouse to get materials, two figures appeared before the boy and Aoi. One was the third-year Sakuma, a nervous-looking girl wearing glasses, and the other girl with her hair in braids was a second-year whose name the boy hadn't memorized yet. The two in jerseys wearing work gloves were carrying iron pipes and a toolbox in both hands.
"Ah, Sakuma-senpai and Shibata-san, what are you doing in a place like this?"
"We will fix this place. Fortunately, if just fixing it, your strength shouldn't be necessary."
Saying so, Sakuma looked at the boy with suspicious eyes. Apparently, she didn't like the current situation where he was walking around outside with such freedom. Sensing that, the boy said, "Then, I'll leave it to you," and left the sports equipment warehouse.
"I'm sorry, Sakuma-senpai is strict with men... And look, it's this kind of situation now."
"I don't particularly mind. If I were in her position, I'd likely treat me the same way."
If a dangerous-looking guy with a large amount of firearms suddenly came, anyone would be wary and try to kick him out.
"I heard Sakuma-senpai was almost attacked by a man in the past, so maybe it's because of that..."
"Heh..."
Then it can't be helped if she directs a wariness bordering on hostility toward me, a boy. The boy thought so. A feeling of sympathy didn't well up, though.
Whatever the circumstances, it's fine as long as they don't attack. Of course, if they do attack, he'll just pay them back without mercy. He intended to send them all to the other world after making them regret what they did. Not showing mercy to enemies was also included in the rules the boy had established.
"As for me, I think it would be more reassuring if the Sergeant was here."
"Who's the Sergeant?"
"No, I just somehow felt like calling you that..."
I'm not someone who yells at recruits or imposes hellish special training. Just as the boy was about to open his mouth to say that, a girl's scream like silk being torn resounded. The scream came from the direction of the sports equipment warehouse they had just left.
That scream was heard throughout the school, and students who were working in other places or holed up in their dorm rooms also showed their faces to see what was happening. As if following Aoi who had started running upon hearing the scream, the boy also ran aiming for the sports equipment warehouse.
Two figures jumped out from the shadow of the sports equipment warehouse. It was Sakuma and Shibata who had just taken over the repair of the fence, but following them, something brown showed its form from behind the sports equipment warehouse.
Is it an infected? Just as he thought that, the boy noticed those shadows were unusually small. Smaller than a child. The thing that jumped at Shibata, who was running behind, from the back and pinned her to the ground was a dog that closely resembled a Doberman.
There wasn't just one dog. Those that showed their forms from the shadow of the sports equipment warehouse numbered at least 10 or more, and they attacked Shibata, whom they had dragged down, as a pack. Shibata, surrounded by the dogs, shrieked, and Sakuma charged at the dogs while swinging an iron pipe for repairs.
"Stray dogs—?"
The boy was relieved it wasn't infected, but the situation hadn't improved. Remembering the 'Beware of stray dogs' poster pasted at the entrance, he recalled once again that enemies weren't just humans or infected.
He had witnessed stray dogs a few times until now, but he had never been attacked. The stray dogs the boy had seen only scavenged the corpses of humans attacked by infected, and their numbers were few. Dogs in the city had starved to death while chained up because their owners had fled.
However, it seemed there was a pack of stray dogs here, whether they were originally settled wild dogs or dogs whose owners were lost in nearby houses had gone feral. And many of them were starving.
The dogs seemed to have intruded into the school through the gap in the collapsed fence. Shibata covered her face with both hands, and Sakuma tried to drive away the dogs swarming her. If this were infected, he would have long since abandoned them and fled, but the opponent was dogs. Driving them away would be easy with firearms.
He had no obligation to help them, but he had no necessity to abandon them either. The boy, having pulled out his handgun, first fired one shot toward the empty sky.
The gunshot resounded surprisingly loudly. Aoi, running ahead, momentarily trembled her body at the suddenly echoing gunshot, and the dogs all looked at the boy at once. It would have been good if they had been surprised by the loud noise and fled, but the dogs seemed to be extremely hungry. Seeing the dogs' attention turn back toward Shibata, the boy charged in one go.
He aimed his handgun from a little distance away from the dogs and pulled the trigger. The dog that had been snarling with its sharp teeth bared at Sakuma, who had dropped her iron pipe, let out a "Kyan!" and flipped over, and the snow remaining on the ground was dyed bright red with blood. The boy, shouting "Run!", continued to fire two, three shots as he was.
However, it's difficult to hit dogs, which are smaller and more agile than humans, with bullets. Additionally, the dogs seemed to be in an excited state and didn't seem to feel much pain even when shot. The dogs seemed to have judged that the boy with the gun was the biggest threat, and they abandoned Shibata and charged toward the boy all at once.
He fired three shots and somehow managed to hit one. The dog that took a bullet to its crown collapsed while sliding over the snow and stopped moving. However, there were still 8 dogs left.
Although he shot another one, a medium-sized dog like a Shepherd kicked the ground and leaped, trying to bite into the boy's throat. He somehow dodged those fangs by twisting his upper body and, as they passed each other, struck its belly with all his might. The hard plate covering the knuckle part of his glove slammed into the defenseless belly and snapped its ribs.
He fired one shot into the head of the dog writhing on the ground with a high-pitched scream, ending its life. However, the dogs attacked one after another. One bit into the boy's ankle and shook its head significantly, trying to tear the flesh. However, the boy, who weighed several times more, only stumbled slightly, and moreover, the dog was biting from over his boot.
"Trash like you can't hurt me."
It didn't hurt or itch. He fired one shot from above toward the dog biting his leg and, with his boot, stepped with all his might on the head of the dog that had flipped over. From under the sole of the hard boot, the dull sensation of the dog's skull cracking was transmitted.
After firing a few more shots and reducing the number of surrounding dogs, the slide of the handgun remained back and stopped moving. He had fired all the bullets in the magazine. He pushed down the magazine release lever at the base of the trigger guard and ejected the empty magazine. He tried to reload quickly, but the dog jumping at him was faster.
"Watch out!"
Aoi, who could only watch the scene from a distance, shouted so, but that didn't mean there was anything she could do. The dog jumping toward his defenseless flank would likely pin the boy to the ground a few seconds later. Reloading the handgun wouldn't be in time—.
However, the boy's action was unexpected. The boy, having let go of the handgun, thrust that hand into the backpack he was wearing and, like a ninja drawing a sword, pulled something out from inside. And the next moment, a gunshot far louder than that of the handgun resounded.
What the boy pulled out from the backpack was the sawed-off shotgun he always carried. The shotgun, with its barrel and stock cut down to the limit, was only about the length of a large handgun and could be handled sufficiently with one hand. The boy, having pulled out the shotgun, pointed the muzzle in the direction the dog was coming from and pulled the trigger as he was.
Because the choke for converging the buckshot had been cut off along with the barrel, the released buckshot spread at close range and was scattered over the dog from the front. The head of the dog that took the countless buckshot burst like a pomegranate, and its mangled bright red body fell to the ground pulled by gravity. When he shot another dog with the sawed-off, the dogs realized they had no chance of winning and fled all at once.
He broke the barrel and quickly loaded shot shells, picked up the handgun, and inserted a spare magazine. Silence returned to the surroundings, and what was left behind were the corpses of the dogs dyeing the snow bright red and the empty shells sparkling from receiving the sunlight.
"Shibata-san, hang in there!"
Into the ears of the boy, who had confirmed the dogs weren't coming back, came Sakuma's desperate voice. Turning around, he saw the students who had noticed the situation rushing to the front of the sports equipment warehouse and surrounding Sakuma, who had been attacked by the dogs.
Although they were attacked by the dogs, fortunately, neither Sakuma nor Shibata seemed to have suffered serious injuries. The fact that they had worn heavy clothing as a cold countermeasure might have worked in their favor. Shibata also seemed to have continued protecting her face with both hands wearing work gloves, and although blood was flowing from her arms and hands, the situation of having the flesh of her face torn off was avoided.
"It hurts, it hurts..."
The boy muttered, "It's proof you're alive," as he watched Shibata, who was sobbing and moaning in pain, being placed on a stretcher Yuko had brought from the school building and rushed to the infirmary.
I await your opinions and impressions.