Chapter 5
The roar of the Humvee drowned out everything else.
It was a deep, metallic sound that not only announced its passing but also seemed to call out to the creatures infesting the streets. Every vibration of the engine resonated like a war drum amid the shattered silence of the dead city.
Marikawa, both hands firmly on the wheel, kept her eyes fixed ahead as the vehicle plowed through the zombies blocking its path. Tires crushed skulls and shattered bones, leaving a viscous trail across the asphalt. The windshield occasionally caught dark splashes, but she didn't blink; she simply turned, accelerated, and straightened again.
Every street they took seemed worse than the last. Between sharp turns and sudden changes in route, the hordes grew, emerging from alleys and open doors as if something invisible was driving them toward the group.
"What's going on?" Rei called from the roof, her voice filled with surprise and fear. "The closer we get to Higashi Hill, the more of them we run into!"
"There must be… some reason!" Komuro replied from his position, trying to sound firm, though the tension in his voice betrayed that he didn't understand either.
The Humvee rammed through another row of bodies. The sound of breaking bones and splattering entrails was so raw it made little Alice Maresato, curled up in the back seat, shudder.
Her father, Akio Maresato, noticed the trembling in her shoulders. Without a word, he wrapped an arm around her protectively, shielding her from the outside view as if that could spare her from the horror. He felt his daughter's racing heartbeat against his chest and clenched his jaw. He was afraid too, but he couldn't afford to show it.
Outside, the world offered no promise of safety. Inside, with every passing second, the Humvee mowing down zombies was the only thing keeping the end at bay.
The engine's roar continued without pause, devouring the distance to Higashi Hill, but not the dead, who multiplied with each street they crossed.
From the side window, Saeko scanned the road with the cold precision of someone who knows a single second of distraction can cost lives. Then, her eyes locked onto something crossing the street.
"Careful!" she shouted firmly. "There are wires stretched ahead!"
Marikawa jerked the wheel sharply, and the Humvee responded with a controlled skid. The maneuver kept the barbed wire trap from slicing their tires, but not entirely: as they passed, the bumper caught several mangled bodies and remains tangled in the metal. The dragged flesh and viscera clung to the underside of the vehicle like a plague.
Within meters, the problem became clear.
The wheels began to slip over a disgusting mix of blood and tissue, as if the asphalt had turned into rancid butter. The Humvee vibrated and shook, unable to move properly.
"We're skidding too much!" Takagi warned.
"Stop! Why won't it stop?" Marikawa asked, trying to brake.
"It's all the blood and guts—they're making us slip!" Takagi explained, looking toward the wheels.
"Sensei! The tires are stuck!" Hirano shouted from the passenger seat. "Stop braking and give it some gas!"
"What? Uh—okay!"
Marikawa released the brake and pressed the accelerator. The engine roared and the Humvee regained traction, lurching forward.
"Sensei! Ahead! Look forward!" Komuro yelled, holding Rei to keep her from losing her balance.
"I'm not supposed to be this kind of character!" Marikawa blurted, her face flushed with embarrassment and strain.
The vehicle managed to escape the stretched wires, but the violent movement caused a dangerous imbalance. On the roof, someone lost their footing.
"Huh?"
Komuro reached out with his right arm, trying to grab Rei's before she fell… but missed.
"Gah!"
The sickening thud echoed as Rei hit the asphalt on her back.
"Ugh… agh…" she groaned, a sharp pain shooting down her spine.
Komuro didn't hesitate for a second. He jumped from the roof, landing beside her. A zombie was already lunging at her, jaw wide and tongue dangling like a rotted rope. Komuro raised his weapon and fired straight at its head—or at least tried to. The recoil jerked his aim, and the bullet tore off part of the zombie's head, sending it crashing to the ground.
"Uh…" Komuro was stunned. "Wow, wow… what the hell? I aimed at the head, but that shot barely hit anything."
"Hey! You're no good at this! The recoil will make your aim go up a bit! Pay attention to it and aim for the chest!" Hirano yelled.
Following Hirano's advice, Komuro readied the gun and looked through the sights.
"Pay attention to the recoil…" he told himself. "Aim for the chest… and fire!"
The bullet struck and killed a pair of zombies nearby.
"Perfect… but… there are too many…"
Komuro watched anxiously as more zombies approached.
"For every shot, you have to chamber the next round and pull the trigger! Try not to move the gun when you reload!" Hirano shouted while firing at distant zombies.
Komuro followed Hirano's instructions, aiming at two approaching zombies and blasting their brains out.
"Wow! This is amazing!" Komuro tried to reload. "Out of ammo!"
His spare rounds fell to the ground. "Oh! Damn it!"
"Komuro-kun! I'll help you—protect Miyamoto-kun!"
Saeko stepped out of the Humvee.
"No! There are too many of them for you to fight with your bokutō!"
Komuro shouted in panic as a zombie approached Saeko's back.
"I know that already!" With a tense expression, Saeko unsheathed her sword and cleanly sliced through the zombie nearby. More zombies came at her, and Saeko began cutting them down. Komuro could only watch tensely.
"Damn it!"
Seeing the number of zombies swarming toward him, Komuro muttered to Rei.
"At least… we'll die together…"
"Takashi…" Rei looked at him tearfully, only to be pulled into a tight embrace as zombies closed in. Then Komuro felt the weapon Rei was holding—a rifle that could help right now.
"Of course! Sorry about this!!"
"Huh?"
Throwing his other gun away, Komuro left Rei confused—until embarrassment hit her at what he did next. Her large breasts swayed as Komuro used her body as support for the rifle, the barrel pressing into them.
"Hirano!" Komuro shouted. "Tell me how to use it!"
"Push the lever in front of the safety! Then take off the safety! After that, pull the charging handle on the right! And shoot!"
Komuro followed the instructions. His first shot was dead-on, but nerves and adrenaline ruined the next ones.
"I can't hit anything!" he growled in frustration.
Then, something changed.
The zombies… stopped.
No one knew why. For a few seconds, the street was eerily silent, as if someone had turned down the volume of the world. Unsure whether to keep fighting or run, they all reached the same conclusion: take the chance.
Komuro carried Rei back to the Humvee.
"What…!" Takagi exclaimed, looking up. "Why is there a log flying?!"
Everyone looked up.
A massive log was plummeting toward them.
"Step on it, sensei!" Hirano yelled.
Marikawa didn't hesitate. She slammed the accelerator, and the Humvee roared, surging forward. The jolt shook everyone inside, but the important thing was gaining distance.
Seconds later, behind them, the world seemed to split.
The log—no, a mass of wood the size of a three-story building—crashed down with brutal force.
The impact was like thunder breaking in two. The road split, and the ground shook as if it had been bombed. The zombies left behind were pulverized instantly, reduced to dust, bone, and shredded flesh under the inconceivable weight of the massive log.
Had Marikawa not reacted immediately, the Humvee would have been caught underneath… and they would have been crushed along with the horde.
Inside the vehicle, no one spoke. The only sound was the engine's growl and the distant rumble of the wood settling on the shattered pavement.
With their hearts in their throats, they stopped looking back and focused only on the road ahead.
Then, as if God had extended a hand, they saw a group of people blocking the street. Dressed in firefighter uniforms, they signaled when they saw the Humvee approaching.
Komuro let out a long sigh, as if expelling all the terror of the last few minutes.
They had escaped not only the darkness and the roar of the horde but also the colossal log that had obliterated the zombies behind them.
Marikawa drove the Humvee up to the barbed wire strung across the street. The barrier was designed so that no zombie could get into this safe zone.
The Humvee stopped, and they got out one by one—until a firefighter approached.
"It's a relief to see you safe," a woman's voice said with a tone of nostalgia for someone. "I wish I could have helped you—especially since you're friends of my daughter."
She removed her helmet, revealing a beautiful, mature-faced woman.
"Mom!"
Takagi's shout rang out as she saw her mother again.
The others smiled at the mother-and-daughter embrace, a wave of happiness washing away the fear and tension from minutes earlier.
Takagi wept against her mother's shoulder, clinging tightly.
But the moment was interrupted.
A dull thud—something heavy hitting the ground—echoed nearby.
Takagi instantly broke the embrace.
Her eyes widened as she recognized the figure lying on the ground: a girl of barely ten, with light injuries and torn clothing.
"It's… Alicia," Takagi murmured, rushing toward her.
Alicia, weak and breathing heavily, slowly opened her eyes at the sound of her name.
"Well… looks like you're okay…" she whispered, managing a faint smile that couldn't hide the exhaustion in her gaze.
Takagi immediately knelt to check her, taking her wrist and feeling for a pulse.
Her skin was cold, and her body bore small cuts and scratches, as if she'd been attacked or had passed through a dangerous place. The way she spoke—just before collapsing again—made it clear she had escaped from something… or someone.
At least she was alive. That alone was a relief. But the question burned in everyone's mind: what exactly had she escaped from?
And more importantly… where was her father?
Senji Muramasa had always been a man devoted to protecting his daughter. If Alicia had arrived alone, injured, and on the verge of collapse… then the only possible conclusion was that Senji was in danger.
…
Deep in the forest, far from any trace of civilization.
The trees stood tall and imposing—except for one, missing, torn from the ground with inhuman force.
Suddenly, a distant crash echoed. The deep, prolonged sound sent a shockwave that shook the tree branches, swaying them as if they were grass under a wild wind.