Chapter 18: Infection Crisis (Part 2)

"Kitahara, the alcohol and hot water are here!" Utaha Kasumigaoka rushed back, carrying a storage box and a kettle of boiling water. Her katana was tucked against her ribs, and her red, swollen eyes were still streaked with tears. Seeing Sosuke Kitahara lying motionless on the bed with his head tilted to the side, Utaha seemed to have her nerves suddenly struck. She rushed over in three frantic steps, placed the items on the ground, and urgently patted Kitahara's cheek while calling out, "Kitahara, wake up! Kitahara, please wake up!" "So cold! How can this be..." As soon as Utaha touched Kitahara's arm, she realized it was ice-cold, as if it had just been pulled from a freezer. Though he was drenched in sweat, except for his face, the rest of his body was frighteningly cold. Black pus from the scratch on his arm had already flowed onto the bed. "It was just a scratch, how did it get this bad so fast..." When she felt his nose still had faint breathing, Utaha finally breathed a temporary sigh of relief. She wiped her tears and grabbed the alcohol and cotton swabs. "Hang in there, Kitahara, don't give up. You have to survive. I don't want to owe anyone favors, and now I owe you too much. You have to give me a chance to repay you..." Utaha gritted her teeth. She didn't care about anything else now. She poured alcohol directly onto Kitahara's wound, scraped off the pus with a cotton swab, and rinsed the wound repeatedly with hot water. She went through the process over and over until an entire bottle of alcohol was used up. Only after the pus stopped oozing did she carefully place Kitahara's arm back in position. The basin of hot water had already turned black and red. She then replaced it with clean hot water, wrung out a towel, and gently wiped the sweat from his forehead. Even her parents had never been cared for this tenderly, yet now she was doing this for a guy, a guy who usually acted like a lecherous scoundrel. Even in her grief, Utaha couldn't help but lament the unpredictability of life. "Kitahara, if you're gone, do you think I'd even have the ability to survive?" The occasional scratching outside the door reminded her that the zombies hadn't left. The growls had lessened since the room went quiet, but Utaha knew the zombies were still lingering in the hallway. If she were to knock on the door, the horde would immediately gather again. When she carried the water basin out, a phone suddenly rang in the otherwise silent room, startling Utaha so much she nearly spilled the basin. "It's my phone..." Hearing the familiar ringtone, Utaha quickly ran back to the bedroom. Seeing the caller ID, she answered the call in excitement, "Hello, Auntie? Are you okay? Are my parents with you? Can you let me talk to them...?" She fired off a string of frantic questions, only to hear her aunt sobbing on the other end: "Your uncle and I got separated from your parents. The people on the street went insane, attacking everyone, the ground was covered in blood and screams. We couldn't stop them. We panicked and got separated. The police hotline doesn't connect, and I haven't been able to reach your parents. Even when the call goes through, no one answers..." "Ugh, ugh..." Utaha's tears poured down uncontrollably. She covered her mouth and cried in anguish. Her parents always kept their phones on them. After more than five hours of no contact, their chances of survival were practically nonexistent. Still, the fact that her uncle and aunt were alive brought her a sliver of comfort. Now was not the time to cry. Utaha wiped her tears and hurriedly said, "Auntie, all of Tokyo has fallen into chaos. The streets are full of those man-eating zombies. I'm trapped at a classmate's house and can't leave. You and Uncle must find a safe place and stay put. Please, don't run around. Just hold on a little longer until... until the Self-Defense Forces come to rescue us." "Utaha! It's already too late. Your uncle has turned into one of those monsters. He just bit me. I'm hiding in the bathroom right now..." Her aunt's sobs echoed through the phone. "I feel so awful. My whole body is burning up. It's so hot I can't breathe... Utaha, am I going to become like your uncle? I don't want to become one of those monsters... ugh, ugh..." "Auntie, no, you won't, you won't..." Hearing her aunt's agony crushed Utaha. She bit her lip, trying hard to stifle her sobs. She knew her reassurances were useless, but she still kept saying them over and over, until the crying on the other end gradually turned into the familiar guttural zombie groans. "Ugh, ugh..." Utaha collapsed against the desk and slowly slid to the floor, burying her face in her knees as she sobbed uncontrollably. Her cries pierced through the door, reawakening the zombies outside. Soon, loud thuds resumed as they slammed into the door. Just as Utaha looked up, a horrifying scene made her skin crawl. Sosuke Kitahara, who had been lying still on the bed, suddenly rolled off with a thud, his face smashing heavily against the floor yet he made no sound. "K-Kitahara..." Utaha's face tensed as she grabbed the katana nearby, drawing it and gripping it tightly. Her eyes were filled with panic and urgency. She wanted to approach but instinctively kept retreating. "Kitahara, are you okay...? Say something..." Her palms were soaked with sweat, and her voice trembled. Though she had already mentally prepared for his death, emotionally, she still longed for a miracle. She mustered her courage, refusing to give up, and moved closer to confirm his condition. "Scratch..." Suddenly, Kitahara's fingernails scraped across the wooden floor, making a spine-chilling sound. That brief moment shattered Utaha's composure. She quickly backed away in terror, staring wide-eyed at Kitahara's twitching fingers. When Kitahara let out guttural zombie groans, the last of her hope collapsed. That ghastly sound, like phlegm caught in his throat, was all too familiar she had heard it countless times today, more than in her entire seventeen years of life. It was the sound of the infected. "No, no! Even hordes of zombies couldn't stop you! How could you possibly turn into one of them..." Utaha screamed in despair, tears streaming down her face. "What did I do wrong? Why is my life so unbearably cruel!" She had only lived for seventeen years her best years were just beginning. She had never even fallen in love, never experienced what a first kiss felt like. Her first novel, Love Metronome, had abysmal first volume sales. It faced cancellation right after release. Reality had dealt a crushing blow to her proud spirit. But things changed after her first signing event. At that event, she met Sosuke Kitahara the only friend she had in high school. She still remembered how he boldly cut off the rambling fan in front, and how his name finally jogged her memory he had been her classmate. After the signing event, during their walk together, Kitahara earnestly encouraged her, praising her talent and urging her to persevere. He even offered in-depth critiques of her work. Even though he was just a reader, his understanding of Love Metronome surpassed her own as its author. Following his advice and refining her work, the second volume's sales exploded. Just as she was confidently preparing the third volume, the zombie outbreak arrived. "Damn it, why did you have to confess? You're just some shallow guy who was after my looks..." Utaha looked at Kitahara, who was now slowly crawling across the floor, and her heart clenched. He had been so calm and unstoppable when facing the zombies. He had held her hand as they fought their way out of the school building and all the way to this apartment. More than once, when faced with danger, Kitahara never considered abandoning her. He had always stood firmly in front of her, constantly encouraging her, giving her the courage to survive until now. His shoulders, though not broad, had given her unparalleled safety. Without Kitahara, she would likely have been dead long ago. And now, she had to kill the very person who had protected her all this time the person who had dragged along a burden like her, fighting and running to this point. "If I'd just listened to you, exercised more, learned kendo would things have turned out differently...?" Tears streamed down Utaha's face. The slim chance of her parents' survival, combined with Kitahara's apparent death, pushed her toward a complete breakdown. She knew full well that regret, grief, and tears were useless. The dead could not return to life. She should be strong and live on in this brutal world, fulfilling both her parents' expectations and Kitahara's encouragement. But still... Still, her sorrow surged uncontrollably. Her tears and sobs wove into a symphony of grief. The zombies outside continued scratching at the door relentlessly. Even if she killed the now-infected Kitahara what then? Could she fight her way out alone like he did? Maybe... Utaha suddenly smiled faintly. "Clang." The katana slipped from her grip and fell to the floor. Utaha slid helplessly down the pristine white wall, sitting on the ground. As Kitahara crawled closer, she let out a long, exhausted sigh and lifted her chin slightly, maintaining the last shred of human pride. A single tear traced her cheek, falling and creating a delicate splash on the floor. "Bite me." ------------------------------------------------------------ If you're enjoying this thrilling journey through the apocalypse, don't forget to drop a Power Stone and leave a review! 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