Chapter 15: The Temptation of Going Home (Part 1)

September 20, 2020. 4:50 PM. It had been over four hours since the zombie outbreak. Sosuke Kitahara took a gulp of mineral water, carefully lifting the edge of the shutter and peeking through the gap. Even though it wasn't yet five o'clock, the fiery red clouds had already painted the sky. Aside from a few zombies wandering aimlessly, there wasn't a sound. In fact, it had been nearly an hour since the last desperate scream faded away. The city seemed to have fallen into a dead silence, the kind that made your back go cold. "Most of the zombies outside have already followed the fleeing crowds elsewhere. Get ready. It's time for us to move too." After resting for several hours and replenishing some energy at the convenience store, Sosuke Kitahara felt his strength had fully returned. "Do we really have to leave?" Kasumigaoka Utaha's face was full of worry. "There's plenty of food and drinks here in the store. We could last for days. Maybe it won't be long before the Prime Minister sends the Self-Defense Forces to rescue us..." "You're a little too optimistic..." Sosuke smiled helplessly as he picked up a small knife. It wasn't much, just a fruit knife he found in the store, but it was the only usable weapon he could find. "You saw the news online earlier. The whole country is falling apart. People like us, small nobodies, the Self-Defense Forces won't have time to save us." When he checked the news on his phone earlier, it was flooded with reports about the 'virus outbreak.' The comment sections were filled with desperate cries for help from all over Japan. Similar outbreaks had already started across other continents. The whole world was in chaos. Sosuke handed her the knife, gesturing with his chin. "You can stay here if you want. I'll go back by myself." "No... let's go together." Utaha quickly flipped the knife over and tucked it away. She still felt safer following him. "But why do you insist on going home? The call didn't go through earlier. What if..." "Whether I can get through or not, I have to go home." Sosuke shook his head. His house had the food supplies and weapons he had carefully prepared in advance. Things he couldn't carry to school. Of course, it wasn't something he wanted to say out loud, so he gave another reason. "My place isn't far from here. If we take the back roads, it'll take less than twenty minutes. After all that's happened today, we need a proper place to rest tonight." "Besides, I don't believe Tokyo has completely fallen yet. There must still be some heavily guarded safe zones. We also don't know how bad the traffic is. We can't just blindly run around. Tonight's the perfect time to gather intel and make a solid plan." "You mean... you want to leave Tokyo?" Utaha blinked in surprise. It seemed like he didn't plan to stay in Tokyo for long. "Exactly." Sosuke didn't hide it. Back in his previous life, plenty of so-called 'survival gods' managed to hole up in Tokyo after the outbreak. Thanks to Japan's otaku culture, many had enough food stockpiled at home to last a long time. Even after power and internet were gone, manga was still enough to pass the time over and over. But that comfort didn't last. Once the evolved zombies appeared, that so-called safety crumbled. No one survived by hiding to the very end. Cities would gradually fall, becoming zombie territory, completely off-limits to survivors. Only elite scavenger teams would dare to venture into urban areas to search for supplies. "Whatever. If you say so, I'll just follow you." At this moment, Sosuke was Utaha's only anchor. Even though she didn't quite understand why he was so determined to leave Tokyo instead of finding a safe place to hide, she trusted him without question. After all, he was the one who got her out of there alive. Sosuke stretched his arms, feeling the soreness had mostly faded. Suddenly, he tilted his head and carefully examined her. "What? Is something wrong?" Utaha looked down at her skirt in confusion, then twisted her neck to check behind her. "No..." Sosuke rubbed his chin, his gaze landing curiously on her waist. "You're wearing a skirt. There are no pockets on it. I was just wondering where you're hiding the knife." "That's none of your business!" Utaha's cheeks turned red, but she quickly changed the subject. "Your house has food, right? You won't go hungry, will you? Should we bring some just in case?" "No need." His home was fully stocked. Sosuke prodded the zombie's head on the convenience store floor with his bat. With a squelch, the already rotten skull cracked open like a pile of crushed tomatoes. Black blood immediately poured out, but Sosuke wasn't fazed at all. He had already smashed plenty of zombies' heads today. "We might not own this store, but we've taken enough food. Can't leave without paying. I'll leave the money on the counter." He emptied all the cash he had onto the counter. From now on, money was nothing but scrap paper. Humanity would soon return to the age of bartering. "Come on, stop playing with it... let's go." Utaha felt a wave of nausea and quickly turned away. She still hadn't gotten used to the bloody scenes. Sosuke wasn't pleased. What do you mean I'm playing with it? Can you explain that a bit more clearly? He checked the street carefully, then lifted the shutter. Sure enough, the noise immediately attracted nearby zombies. They dragged their broken bodies and shuffled toward the store. "Stay quiet. Stick to cover." He whispered a reminder to Utaha, then turned down a side alley, carefully avoiding head-on encounters. When there was no way around, he dealt with the zombies swiftly and quietly. Sosuke's home was in an old residential area. Other than the occasional zombie groans echoing from above, the path had been fairly smooth. After killing more than a dozen zombies, his apartment window finally came into view. "What floor is your place? Is it high up?" Utaha kept her voice low as she looked up at the building. Suddenly, her expression twisted in horror. She covered her mouth to stifle her scream, but the fear still seeped out through her trembling voice. "Sosuke! Look at the fourth floor!" "My place is on the third floor, it's not that high..." Sosuke shot her a confused glance. What's she so freaked out about? He casually lifted his head and immediately felt a chill run down his spine. ----------------------------------------------------- If you're enjoying this thrilling journey through the apocalypse, don't forget to drop a Power Stone and leave a review! Your support keeps the story alive and fuels the next chapter!