Chapter 27: Street Rampage

The police car was instantly knocked aside by the tremendous impact. The Honda immediately squeezed through the gap but didn't continue forward it swerved out of control, veering wildly before crashing headfirst into the roadside barrier. "Let's go check it out." Sosuke Kitahara pulled his Suzuki over and rolled down the window. As he expected, the driver lay slumped in the seat, his face covered in blood. A woman with disheveled hair clung to his neck not in a passionate embrace, but as a zombie, tearing off bloody chunks with every bite. The driver, still barely conscious, spotted the living people in Sosuke's car. His face twisted in pain, blood pouring from his mouth as he feebly stretched out a trembling hand. "Help me... help me..." "There's no saving you now. But I can help you end it quickly." Sosuke drew his katana. As long as the man nodded, the blade would pierce straight into his skull. But to Sosuke's surprise, the man shook his head despite the unbearable agony, the motion ripping at his wounds. Within seconds, he stopped breathing. "They're closing in from behind..." Utaha Kasumigaoka glanced back nervously. In the brief moment Sosuke had stopped to check, a large group of zombies had appeared not far away, swarming like ants that had been stirred up dense enough to be considered a small horde. "Let's move!" Sosuke frowned and slammed on the accelerator, quickly spinning the car around and fleeing the scene. But as they reached the main road, they were met with nothing but devastation burned-out vehicles, overturned police cars, and swarms of zombies aimlessly wandering the streets. "This is insane..." Utaha pressed her face against the window, pale and shaken. Only now did she truly realize how lucky she had been to hide in the convenience store during the initial outbreak. If they had been caught in a crowded area, they would've been torn to shreds by the endless tide of zombies. "Bang bang bang" Sudden gunfire nearby grabbed their attention. Both Sosuke and Utaha instinctively turned toward the source and saw two burly men trapped in the middle of a zombie pack, their pistols firing wildly, the barrels nearly overheating, yet the zombies just kept coming. Even more zombies were leaping from the five-story shopping mall behind them. "They won't last long." Sosuke was certain. The gunfire was attracting more zombies from the main road. Pistols were only useful for small skirmishes, and the proper tactic was to fire a few shots and immediately retreat. But these two had been surrounded. They'd run out of bullets soon. "What should we do? Should we go save them?" Utaha anxiously tugged at Sosuke's sleeve. "Hold on, let's wait and see..." Despite his words, Sosuke's foot was already resting on the accelerator. As he expected, the two men soon ran out of ammo, frantically scrambling to reload. The surrounding zombies instantly pounced. Two screams rang out, and the men were dragged to the ground, consumed in an instant. "Hang on tight!" Sosuke suddenly shouted, flooring the gas pedal. The twin yellow headlights lit up the swarm, and although the light wasn't too bright in daylight, several zombies at the front paused in confusion, only to see the Suzuki MPV roaring toward them like a mad beast, plowing into the horde and sending zombies flying like bowling pins. "Don't get out. Wait for me in the car!" Sosuke gripped the steering wheel tightly, his hands trembling from the rattling impacts as zombie after zombie slammed against the hood, their black, tar-like blood splattering across the windshield. "Screech" With a sharp drift, the tires screeched painfully as the car spun sideways. Several zombies were sent flying by the sudden tail whip. "Huuh" Sosuke took a deep breath, flooding his lungs with oxygen as power surged through his limbs. He kicked the door open and leapt out without hesitation, every muscle tensed to its limit. His katana vibrated with a cold hum, transforming into a silver arc of light. The blade reflected Sosuke's icy, unflinching face. His eyes burned with a chilling resolve, his entire presence suddenly shifting, exuding an aura that demanded respect. Lethal. Fierce. The edge of his blade shone with deadly intent. The zombies' feral snarls clashed with the razor-sharp glint of his sword. There was no grating clatter only the clean, crisp sound of the blade slicing through flesh, like a chef's knife through soft fruit. The katana slashed cleanly through several zombie skulls, splitting their grotesque heads in half. Blood and brain matter splattered like a crimson mist. Before the droplets could fall, Sosuke had already darted to the barely breathing man on the ground. Several zombies were hunched over the man's torso, digging into his abdomen and stuffing intestines into their mouths. With swift, precise strikes, Sosuke dispatched them one by one. He grabbed the fallen handgun and the spare magazine that hadn't yet been reloaded. Just as he was about to leave, the dying man suddenly clutched his pant leg with surprising strength, his expression filled with pleading desperation. Sosuke understood. With a soft "thud," he drove the hilt of his katana into the man's skull. To remain conscious, watching your own body being devoured bite by bite that must have been unbearable. Utaha was still stunned by the ferocity and precision of Sosuke's assault when a zombie suddenly lunged at her. Its head got stuck in the half-open car window, but it frantically forced its way in, its decayed flesh oozing black pus all over the glass. "Sosuke, get in the car hurry!" Utaha snapped out of her daze and shouted. She braced her bat against the zombie's face, shoving it backward. The zombie tumbled to the ground, and before it could rise, Sosuke's katana cleaved its skull, dropping it instantly. Sosuke leaped back into the driver's seat. As soon as he slammed the door shut, zombies began slamming against the vehicle. Utaha paled, screaming, "Drive! They're swarming us!" "I see them!" Sosuke stomped on the gas and barreled toward an opening in the horde. The thudding impacts of zombies bouncing off the MPV echoed as the vehicle sped away from the scene. But Sosuke didn't slow down. More zombies recklessly threw themselves at the car in desperate attempts to block their path. Utaha was certain this was the wildest ride she'd ever been on. Sosuke weaved through the zombie horde like he was driving bumper cars, the constant jostling nearly making her sick. Thankfully, they weren't the only ones fleeing. Two heavily modified Land Cruisers raced alongside them, working in perfect sync, their powerful engines plowing through the densest parts of the horde. After every impact, cheers erupted from inside their cars. Even Sosuke, trailing behind them, could hear it clearly. More cars quickly caught on and maneuvered over to join the chase. But then, Sosuke suddenly slowed down, yanked the wheel, and veered into a side street. He glanced back and, just as he predicted, the two Land Cruisers had charged straight into a larger horde and were quickly swarmed, immobilized in seconds. Several smaller cars following too closely crashed into the Land Cruisers in a chain reaction, creating a massive pile-up that was instantly buried by the endless tide of zombies. "That's what they get for showing off." Sosuke shook his head. With their horsepower, the Land Cruisers could have easily cleared a safer path, but they'd chosen to recklessly plow into the thickest part of the horde just for the thrill. Against an unrelenting zombie swarm, it was only a matter of time before they were overwhelmed, especially with the chain-reaction crash behind them. Now completely entangled, there was no escape. Sosuke had no intention of going back to save them. His focus was on the road ahead. Taking this side street meant he'd need to find a new route to Chizuru Hotel.