Chapter 35: A Choice Among the Living

Shing! Shing! Shing! The narrow blade in Sosuke Kitahara's hand flashed relentlessly. Every arc of silver light was accompanied by the clean slice of a zombie's skull. The bodies piled up quickly. Thick, blackened pus and yellowish brain matter coated the staircase, and more and more zombie corpses were left sprawled in a chaotic heap. Without thought, without fear driven only by primal instinct the zombies kept tripping over the fallen. The ones behind clambered over their fallen comrades, desperate to press forward, clawing their way up step by step. Sosuke Kitahara's face remained cold and focused. He didn't waste a single breath on useless words. Each floor they reached, another wave of zombies surged into the stairwell. If he didn't cut through them quickly enough, the stairwell would soon be flooded completely packed with the dead. When that happened, forget about boarding a helicopter to escape Tokyo they wouldn't even have a chance to survive. Sosuke Kitahara fought like a machine. His katana sliced mercilessly, his arms and hands already slick with zombie gore, the stench clinging to his clothes and skin. But he didn't have the luxury of caring about that. To ensure the safety of their small four-person team, Kitahara had to carve a path through the undead. He couldn't allow a single one of the girls to be dragged down, couldn't afford to let anyone fall behind. He had to find a place to hide. If they kept running like this... they really might die here. He didn't know how long he had been mechanically swinging his blade, only that his arms were beginning to ache, his legs burning from the relentless climb. "Ah!" Suddenly, Yukino Yukinoshita let out a panicked cry. In her panic, her foot slipped off the edge of the step, and she crashed hard to the ground. "Yukino!" Haruno Yukinoshita immediately stopped and bent down to help her. "I'm fine! Don't worry about me! Keep going, Haruno!" Yukino shoved her sister's hand away, her mind too full of terror to notice the pain. After witnessing firsthand the horrors of zombies devouring people alive, she no longer dared to take chances. Gritting her teeth through the pain, she clawed her way up using the railing, limping but still forcing herself to move. Kitahara caught the commotion behind him. In his brief pause to catch his breath, he glanced back and saw Yukino struggling. Despite her pale face, despite the sweat streaming down her forehead, Yukino pushed on stubbornly. Even through the pain that twisted her brows, she refused to let her sister support her, insisting that Haruno focus on escaping. But there was no way Haruno would abandon her little sister. They'd come here together they would leave together. Leaving Yukino behind was simply not an option. For a moment, Kitahara understood why the system had marked them. Yukino's trembling lips and pale face betrayed her. She wasn't nearly as composed as she claimed. She was terrified truly terrified. She didn't know why the world had suddenly collapsed, why this hell had unfolded around them. And those relentless roars echoing from the stairwell below? They were getting closer. Her leg throbbed in agony she didn't need to look to know her knee was bruised and swollen. She'd lost count of how many floors they'd climbed, and her calves screamed in protest. But she couldn't stop. She couldn't afford to give up. It wasn't just about survival anymore she knew Haruno would never leave her behind. If the zombies caught up, not only would she die, but she would also drag her sister down with her. For the first time in her life, Yukino felt like her lungs were going to burst. She'd trained in Aikido, played tennis, but she'd never pushed herself to this limit. If Sosuke Kitahara hadn't carved a bloody path ahead of them, they would have been overrun long ago. She was nearly at her limit but the zombies were tireless. Their eyes burned with twisted excitement, driven by the primal desire for fresh flesh. They surged forward, trampling the fallen, howling with bloodlust. Open door after open door flashed past Yukino's eyes. She didn't know what floor they were on anymore, nor did she have time to check. More zombies poured in from those open corridors. She realized then those fire doors couldn't be locked from the outside. That was why Kitahara had led them ever upward without stopping. If they hid inside, the doors would eventually give way. The only real chance was to push straight to the rooftop. "How much farther, Kitahara?" Utaha Kasumigaoka gasped, her legs as heavy as lead. She felt like her lungs were burning, her body screaming for rest. "I...I can't keep going. Just... just go on without us." The same despair weighed on the hearts of the other two women. "What are you talking about? We're almost there! Just hang on a little longer!" Kitahara barked back, though he had no idea how many floors were left. And even if they reached the top what then? What if there was no place to hide? But he couldn't show doubt not even a sliver. Despair was contagious. Even the slightest hesitation on his part would shatter the whole team's will to survive. Just when his vision was beginning to blur... [Single-handed zombie kills exceed 100. Body enhancement upgrade unlocked: Tier 1.] [Current points: 100. You may immediately consume all points to learn the Breathing Technique: Total Concentration – Constant. Learning this skill will instantly upgrade your physique to Tier 1. Future upgrades may also be purchased with points.] [You may spend 50 points to unlock Sword Techniques compatible with the Breathing Technique.] The system's voice rang out! His physique had just leveled up! A rush of excitement jolted Kitahara awake. He hadn't even realized it, but he'd killed over seventy zombies by himself. Without hesitation, he chose to upgrade his physique. Sword skills could wait. What he needed now was stamina. With enough stamina, he could bulldoze through ordinary zombies without fancy techniques. Besides, he already had solid sword training. He didn't need more for these slow, lumbering corpses. Boom! Boom! Just then, Yukino heard a loud crash behind her. She whipped around in terror three men had burst through the fire door and bolted up the stairs. Before she could even feel relief, one of the men's expressions twisted with panic. Without warning, he shoved Haruno hard. "Get out of my way!" Caught completely off guard, Haruno stumbled, and her heart sank as she saw Yukino fall down the stairs. "Yukino!" Haruno's mind went blank, cold terror flooding her veins. "Bastard!" Utaha screamed furiously. The scene hit her hard memories of the school building resurfaced. If Kitahara hadn't grabbed her that day, she'd have died in the exact same way. But Yukino wasn't so lucky. She never expected it there was no past grudge, no vendetta. Why would a total stranger shove them without hesitation? Thud! Yukino's body slammed against the wall at the base of the stairs, her vision spinning. But she didn't dare pass out. Gritting her teeth, she forced herself upright, driven by sheer instinct. Then she looked up and what she saw instantly turned her blood to ice. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Oh, you like the story? Wow, who knew. Go ahead, drop a review and throw some power stones maybe I'll be motivated to keep going. The story's already ahead on Patron. Go there if you want to catch up faster! [email protected]/_theon Change @ to "a"