RED AND THE APOCALYPSE
Chapter 56 — The Storm Approaches
The conversation inside the truck continued for several more moments.
Then—
KRAKABOOOOOOM!!!
A massive clap of thunder exploded across the sky.
The sound was so powerful that it seemed to have echoed throughout the entire city.
Tokita stopped halfway through his sentence.
Nezuko's eyes widened.
"Whoa!"
She looked toward the darkening sky.
"That was a huge thunderclap, right?"
Natsuki kept his eyes on the road, his hands tightening slightly around the steering wheel.
"Yeah."
He glanced toward the clouds ahead.
"Maybe we should find shelter before it actually starts raining."
Aoi's voice immediately came through the radio.
"I agree."
Static crackled between the vehicles.
"We need somewhere safe where we can lay low until the storm passes."
Tokita looked out through the windshield.
It still wasn't raining.
Not yet.
But the signs were everywhere.
The breeze had become stronger, sweeping across the road and carrying the cold smell of rain with it. Above them, the sky had slowly transformed from gray into something much darker, the clouds gathering in thick layers that swallowed what little sunlight remained.
Tokita leaned back against the seat.
Mira glanced at him.
Then she subtly nodded toward Natsuki.
Tokita understood what she meant.
"Oh, yeah."
He paused.
"So, what I was trying to say..."
Natsuki remained focused on the road.
Tokita continued.
"I don't actually know why he doesn't like me."
His eyes moved toward the front of the truck.
"Well..."
He scratched the side of his face.
"I think I might know."
Nezuko glanced back.
"Really?"
Tokita nodded.
"Maybe it's because he doesn't like me getting too close to you."
Nezuko blinked.
"Wait... what?"
Tokita shrugged.
"Think about it. Whenever I get close to you, Natsuki immediately gets pissed off."
Natsuki's eyes narrowed slightly.
Kaito replied, "Yeah, I noticed that too. Natsuki seriously hates it when a guy gets too close to his sister."
Tokita continued, completely unaware—or perhaps simply unconcerned.
"Yeah, it's like he thinks I have some kind of secret motive involving you."
Nezuko stared at her brother.
Natsuki remained silent.
Tokita thought about it for another second.
"But then again..."
A faint grin appeared on his face.
"Maybe it's just his sister complex showing itself."
Silence.
For approximately one second.
Then—
Nezuko burst out laughing.
Mira covered her mouth, trying to suppress her laughter.
Aoi's voice could be heard faintly through the radio, laughing despite herself.
Kaito joined in as well, laughing uncontrollably over the statements made by Tokita.
Even Tokita couldn't hold it in.
He started laughing along with them.
Natsuki, however, looked absolutely horrified.
"Dude..."
He tightened his grip on the steering wheel.
"Sister complex?"
His face reddened.
"I don't have a fucking sister complex!"
That only made everyone laugh harder.
Natsuki continued, clearly becoming more irritated and embarrassed.
"The only thing I want is to take care of my sister and keep weirdos from getting attached to her! Especially during this period—there are a lot of weirdos out there!"
He glanced briefly toward the rearview mirror.
"That doesn't mean I have a sister complex!"
Tokita wiped the corner of his eye.
"Okay, okay. I'm sorry."
He tried to suppress another laugh.
"Yeah. I get it."
Natsuki grumbled.
"Good."
Tokita leaned back.
"But seriously..."
His expression became more thoughtful.
"Is that really the reason you don't get along with me?"
Natsuki's eyes remained on the road.
For a moment, he said nothing.
Then—
"No."
Tokita raised an eyebrow.
"No?"
"That's only part of it."
Tokita waited.
"Then what's the main reason?"
Natsuki's expression hardened.
"I don't want to talk about it."
Tokita frowned.
"Now?"
"Especially now."
The answer was immediate.
Tokita stared at the back of Natsuki's head.
"Ah..."
He leaned back again.
"So you really don't want to tell me."
Natsuki didn't answer.
Tokita sighed.
"Fine."
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
Then Nezuko suddenly unfastened her seatbelt.
Click.
Tokita looked toward her.
Nezuko turned around in her seat.
She looked directly at him.
Then she raised one hand and gestured for him to come closer.
Tokita blinked.
"Huh?"
She motioned again.
"Come here."
Tokita hesitated.
Then he leaned forward from the back seat.
"What's up?"
Nezuko reached out, grabbed the front of Tokita's collar, and pulled him toward her.
Hard.
Tokita's body lurched forward.
"Whoa—"
He barely managed to catch himself.
Mira's eyes widened.
She stared at Nezuko in surprise.
Even Natsuki glanced briefly toward the rearview mirror.
Nezuko had pulled Tokita surprisingly close.
Their faces were now only inches apart.
Tokita froze.
Nezuko leaned closer.
For a moment, it almost looked as though she was going to kiss him.
Tokita's face immediately turned slightly red.
His mind went blank.
Then her lips moved toward his ear, away from his cheek. Nezuko spoke quietly.
"Don't worry."
Her voice was soft enough that only Tokita could clearly hear her.
"Natsuki doesn't hate you."
Tokita blinked.
Nezuko continued.
"There's a reason he acts like this."
She glanced briefly toward her brother before looking back at Tokita.
"It's not because he despises you."
Her voice remained calm.
"And when we stop somewhere to wait out the storm..."
She leaned slightly closer.
"...Aoi can explain everything to you."
Tokita could feel her breath near his ear.
Her voice seemed almost to tickle against him.
For a moment, he completely forgot what they had been talking about.
"Ah..."
His eyes wandered.
"Yeah."
He swallowed.
"Yeah, yeah. I totally understand."
Nezuko smiled.
From the back seat, Mira stared at them.
Her eyebrows slowly rose.
Then she smiled.
"Wow."
Tokita immediately looked at her.
Mira's smile widened.
"So..."
She tilted her head.
"Are you two dating or something?"
Tokita froze.
Nezuko froze.
Natsuki's head snapped slightly toward the rearview mirror.
Mira continued teasingly.
"Tokita, your girlfriend is pretty dominating, huh?"
"Girlfriend?!"
Natsuki and Tokita nearly shouted simultaneously.
"She is NOT his girlfriend!"
Natsuki's voice echoed through the truck.
"Please don't ever say that again!"
Nezuko immediately burst into laughter.
She released Tokita's collar and sat back.
"He's right about one thing."
She smiled.
"I'm not his girlfriend."
Tokita rubbed the front of his collar.
"Yeah..."
He looked away awkwardly.
"We're just friends."
"Just friends," Nezuko repeated.
The two exchanged an awkward glance.
Then both smiled nervously.
Natsuki stared ahead.
His expression remained tense.
But after a moment, his eyes shifted toward the rearview mirror again.
He looked at Tokita.
For the briefest moment, there was something almost guilty in his expression.
Tokita noticed.
His smile faded slightly.
He swallowed.
Then he looked away.
Nezuko reached for her seatbelt.
Click.
She secured it across herself once again.
Then she turned toward the rear window.
Through the glass, she looked back at Tokita.
A small smile appeared on her face.
She lifted her hand.
And waved.
Tokita stared at her.
For a second, he didn't know how to respond.
Then he gave her an awkward smile and a small wave of his own.
Mira saw everything.
She slowly turned toward Tokita.
A mischievous grin spread across her face.
"Hmmm... Interesting."
Tokita immediately looked at her.
"...What?"
Mira simply smiled.
"Nothing."
Meanwhile, in the second jeep, Kaito glanced toward the other vehicle.
He had been listening to the radio conversation.
But now there was silence.
Too much silence.
He looked at Aoi.
"Wait."
Aoi kept driving.
"What?"
Kaito narrowed his eyes toward the first truck.
"What's happening over there?"
Aoi glanced at him.
"Over where?"
"The other jeep."
Kaito leaned slightly toward the window.
"It's suspiciously quiet."
Aoi sighed.
"Don't start."
Kaito grinned.
"I think something spicy is happening over there."
Aoi looked at him.
Kaito continued.
"I should go check."
Before he could do anything, Aoi raised one hand and pressed her finger firmly against his forehead.
Tap.
"Face forward."
Kaito blinked.
He laughed nervously.
"Come on. I'm just curious."
Aoi kept her finger against his forehead for another second.
"You're not going anywhere."
Kaito slowly settled back into his seat.
"Fine."
He looked forward again and chuckled.
The jeep continued down the highway.
Then Aoi spotted something ahead.
Her eyes narrowed.
A large parking structure stood beside the ruined road.
Its entrance descended underground.
The building looked abandoned.
Aoi immediately pointed toward it.
"There."
Kaito followed her gaze.
"An underground parking lot?"
"Yeah."
Aoi studied the entrance.
"We can shelter there."
Kaito slowed the jeep slightly.
Mira's voice came through the radio.
"Are you sure?"
Aoi pressed the transmission button.
"What?"
"That place could be dangerous."
Mira continued.
"An underground parking lot is exactly the kind of place infected could hide in."
She paused.
"And I'm not just talking about normal infected."
Everyone became quieter.
"The special ones could be down there too."
Tokita looked toward the entrance.
Mira continued.
"The Night Crawlers. Horde Leaders. Anything else that might have taken shelter underground."
Aoi understood the concern.
But she remained calm.
"We'll be careful."
The trucks approached the entrance.
Their headlights switched on.
Two bright beams cut through the growing darkness.
The first truck descended toward the underground parking structure, followed closely by the second.
The daylight behind them slowly disappeared.
Concrete walls rose on either side.
The air became colder.
Darker.
The sound of their engines echoed throughout the enormous structure.
Tokita glanced around.
Everyone was already prepared.
Weapons were within reach.
Hands rested near blades, firearms, and whatever else they carried.
No one spoke unnecessarily.
Aoi's voice came through the radio.
"Once we get inside, stay alert."
The trucks continued forward.
"If we see any infected, take them out quietly."
She paused.
"Don't make unnecessary noise. We don't know how many are hiding down here."
Everyone understood.
They couldn't afford a loud fight.
Especially not against the special infected.
Their abilities were powerful, but inside a confined underground structure, using them carelessly could attract even more enemies—or put the entire group in danger.
The headlights swept across rows of abandoned vehicles.
Nothing moved.
For now.
Aoi tightened her grip on the steering wheel.
"Keep your eyes open."
The two trucks disappeared deeper into the underground parking lot.
And somewhere in the darkness...
Something moved.