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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Zaped
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We were in the final stage.
Camilla had finished her part; all that was left was mine:
Neither Camilla nor I had driven a bus before, which presented a problem.
Luckily, among the rescued people was a truck driver.
While I kept watch, Camilla, guided by the driver’s advice, took the wheel.
“If you ram it too hard, the impact will jolt you. Try pushing gently, like you’re subtly crushing them.”
“Okay.”
Creak
Instead of shooting, we pushed and ran over zombies as we escaped the country club.
Fortunately, the bus was sturdy.
Clearing the barricade at the shopping center’s side entrance was a bit of a struggle, but we managed to escape.
Some zombies followed, but they soon drifted off, lured by the more spectacular sights and exploding sounds coming from the main building, where a grand festival, or perhaps a mass funeral, was taking place.
The main building, as I last saw it, resembled a swarm of black ants clinging to earthworms writhing on the sidewalk after the rain.
We drove down the road winding through the hills.
We parked in a suitable clearing hidden by trees and turned off the engine.
“Look at that.”
The light filtering through the curtains gradually faded. Darkness nibbled at the sky.
It was a flock of zombie crows.
They seemed to be heading towards the fire at the country club.
Long, black feathers rained down like heavy snow.
The sounds of the world abruptly ceased.
Only the faint flutter of wings remained.
The flock didn’t take flight again until sunset, retracing their path.
I suddenly wondered if they had homes.
If so, what would those places be like?
“What do we do now?” Camilla whispered.
“Let’s go back up.” I replied without hesitation.
“Seriously?”
“It’s probably safest now.”
Since the flock had passed through, the zombies would be either dead or hiding.
The remaining gang members would be gathered at the main clubhouse, quite far from the hotel, and surrounded by zombies, they wouldn’t have time to come here.
Besides, we couldn’t take all these people with us.
While Camilla and I were exhausted, the rescued people might die if they slept on the bus.
Their bodies were weak from prolonged malnourishment and abuse.
Soaked by the downpour, they were all shivering.
Compared to that, the hotel at least had clean water, towels, and clothes.
Though it ran on an emergency generator, so we didn’t know how long it would last, it seemed to provide electricity for now.
More importantly…
“We finally hit a decent place. We should take what we can. It’s a waste not to. There are plenty of working cars. Lots of supplies to grab.”
“Johan, won’t this smoke be visible from afar? What if someone comes?”
“Anyone who sees this smoke would have also seen the flock of birds. They looked like the type to devour everything in sight, so they’re probably suffocating right now and the zombies, they’ll still be scattered in the woods around here. They’re hiding from the birds now, but they’ll act as our guards.”
Instead of answering, Camilla placed her hand on my forehead. Then she checked my eyes and even felt my pulse.
“What are you doing?”
“Checking if you’re hurt.”
“I’m fine. Just a little tired.”
“…Let’s work out together. I was worried when you stumbled earlier. I’ll train you rigorously.”
I thought I heard something strange at the end.
“Do what?”
“Huh? What?”
Maybe I misheard.
The bus climbed back up.
I carefully aimed my gun out the window as we moved.
White, skeletal corpses littered the road.
Burning vehicles were also visible.
A single zombie crow, seemingly unaware that its friends were gone, cawed and took flight.
It was large, about 50cm long with a 1m wingspan.
Well, that explains how it could carry a human head.
Black smoke billowed from the main building.
The entire structure was ablaze.
The acrid smell seemed to reach us even from here. Intermittent explosions echoed.
In contrast, the hotel was quiet.
Although it was a four-story building, the first floor housed the lobby and a cafe, leaving three floors for guest rooms.
“I’ll go check it out.”
Camilla stopped me as I tried to get up.
“No. I’ll go. You stay here.”
Her gaze was so firm, it was almost intimidating.
It was clear I shouldn’t say anything like, ‘I know the layout here, I can go quickly.’
“Uh, okay.”
Camilla, her face flushed, grabbed her gun and ran off.
I heard a soft chuckle from behind me, which stopped as soon as I turned around.
“Turning on the heater. Bear with the smell.”
Since the bus engine was already running, turning on the heater wouldn’t be a problem.
Warm air spread through the bus. I heard faint gunshots from inside.
After a while, Camilla returned safely.
“It’s cleaner than I thought.”
“What were the gunshots?”
“Oh, there was a zombie on the stairs to the third floor.”
“And people?”
“None.”
“Then let’s go. Everyone, please stay put for a moment.”
We passed through the lobby, covered in graffiti and shattered glass, and went up to the second floor. Rooms lined both sides of the hallway.
We opened each door, checking for zombies. They were either single or double rooms.
“Hmm. Uh.”
Some rooms were incredibly filthy.
I’ll never understand why people smoke in hotel rooms.
Other rooms were filled with adult toys.
The pools of blood on the floor suggested what had happened.
Camilla shook her head and locked the door. She looked depressed.
“Ahem. Manager?”
“What?”
Camilla looked at me, startled. I pretended not to know what she meant.
“We have guests. How many rooms should I book?”
She chuckled and lightly pushed my chest.
“…Let’s get single rooms for everyone. Seventeen people, so eighteen rooms.”
She acted so natural that I almost let it slide.
“If you and I get separate rooms, shouldn’t it be nineteen?”
“Are you talking informally to the manager?”
Camilla put her hands on her hips.
“I apologize.”
“You and I will keep our doors open and take turns keeping watch. Don’t tell me you were planning on sleeping comfortably?”
Now she was even lifting my chin with her fingertip.
“No, ma’am.”
“Heh.”
“Is it funny?”
“No. Just keep up the good work.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
Camilla doubled over with laughter, even shedding a few tears.
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We fashioned makeshift stretchers and carried everyone inside, one by one.
We distributed chocolate, candy, and water, wondering what to feed them.
Cooking anything seemed impractical, and even if we did, they didn’t seem to be in any condition to digest it.
It seemed better to give them sugar.
“Thank you… thank you.”
Parched lips moved weakly, and swollen eyes couldn’t even shed tears.
But there was a strange vitality in their movements.
“I’m afraid we don’t have anything suitable for a patient’s diet. Perhaps some porridge…”
“No. That makes us hungrier.”
I looked at the man in surprise.
He smiled broadly, despite his swollen gums and gaps between his teeth, classic signs of malnutrition.
“It’s strange, isn’t it? Everyone felt the same way. Eating made us hungrier. So we learned how to conserve food among ourselves. We recited prayers instead.”
“What kind of prayers?”
“Prayers to the Goddess of Hunger. If it weren’t for faith, we wouldn’t have survived.”
“I see.”
I didn’t have anything else to say.
The water was lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, but with shampoo and soap available, washing wasn’t a problem.
The people insisted on washing themselves.
They didn’t want to be a burden any longer.
We had the men wash together and the women together.
It took some time, but they managed to help each other bathe and dry themselves with towels.
Clad in bathrobes, they looked relatively comfortable.
An older man and woman were carefully examining the others.
They said they had worked as nurses at the resort for a long time.
“There are no bite marks. There are some scrapes exposed to dirty water, but no signs of infection. However, just in case, some disinfectant would be good.”
“I’ll get the first-aid kit. I saw it in the hallway.”
Camilla quickly got up.
I suddenly became curious.
“Excuse me. I know that contact with infected saliva or blood transmits the infection, but is transmission possible through contaminated… water?”
Both I and these people had come into contact with the dirty water on the first floor of the shopping center – a mixture of zombie blood, human blood, dust, dirt, and water.
The man answered calmly.
“I’m not a doctor, but… to my knowledge, and according to the infection control guidelines distributed to us, such cases haven’t been reported. You see, before this entire area was declared a non-protected zone, infection control guidelines were issued first.”
“What did they specifically say?”
The woman answered my question.
“There’s a high probability of infection if saliva or blood enters the body. However, it’s not airborne… and when mixed with large amounts of water or other liquids, the virus is diluted, so the risk of infection is virtually nonexistent, according to the guidelines.
In fact, that’s the case with most viruses, unless it’s a waterborne disease like dysentery or salmonella. Besides, in the case you mentioned, the water wasn’t stagnant, it was flowing, right? That lowers the probability even further. Tetanus is more of a concern, actually.”
I felt relieved.
I had no open wounds, and my eyes and mouth were tightly shut, so the chance of it entering through my mucous membranes was small.
Though Camilla had scrubbed my face hard enough to peel off the skin.
“By the way, thank you.”
The couple bowed to me.
I felt awkward and almost waved my hands dismissively, but I just nodded instead.
“You are the one sent to us by the Goddess of Hunger.”
“Me?”
That was a bit much. But the man’s eyes looked resolute.
A certain firmness, like someone leaning on something solid.
“The survivors prayed and fasted, waiting. Those wicked oppressors rejoiced that we conserved food, but we don’t see it that way. We believe we offered it to the Goddess of Hunger. And so we have finally gained our freedom.”
“…Uh, the doctrine seems quite ancient.”
“What’s there to hide now? The Goddess’ faith is Elza’s tradition. I believe that faith will ultimately save us. You and this beautiful lady are proof of that. By the way, are you two lovers?”
This guy’s conversational drift was impressive.
“No.”
“Oh, then you must be married.”
“Why does the conversation keep going that way?”
The older man burst out laughing, and the older woman looked at us with gentle expectation.
“We have a purely business relationship.”
I emphasized my words, and the older woman asked again,
“Does the lady think so too?”
I turned around and saw Camilla holding the first-aid kit. She raised an eyebrow.
“That’s right. A very, very strict business relationship. We’re not a couple.”
But why did she flick my head as she walked past?
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Camilla and I took the room at the very end of the hallway, closest to the stairs.
We barricaded the opposite end with furniture piled against the fire door, which we bolted shut.
Unless a bear attacked, it wouldn’t budge.
As a precaution, we wedged mop handles with towels tied around them under each door.
Since the people weren’t very mobile, it was a sign to shake the stick if there was a problem.
If a zombie attacked, they could simply pull the handle inside and shut the door.
Back in the room, I took off my shoes and put down my gun, and a terrible stench arose.
Camilla’s feet were probably just as bad, but I couldn’t help but feel embarrassed.
“You wash first. I’ll put away the gear and check on the patients.”
Camilla stomped into the living area.
Did she really hate my foot odor that much?
“Why are you back?”
Without answering, Camilla flung open the closet opposite the bathroom.
Bathrobes and towels were inside.
She brusquely opened and closed the drawers below, pulling out soap, shampoo, conditioner, and cosmetics.
She glanced at me and pouted.
“I came for tissues. So what?”
She yanked open the bottom drawer and slammed it shut.
The noise was deafening. Camilla’s face seemed to be getting red a lot today.
“Did you pinch your finger? Why’s your face so red…?”
It wasn’t a strange question.
There was no need to look at me like I was crazy.
“Just hurry up and wash, you stink!”
She stormed off to the living room without the tissues.
Wondering what was wrong with her, I opened the drawer.
A small cardboard box had writing on it:
“Ahem. Ahem.”
Well. Whatever. The door will be open anyway, so what could happen?
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