The Body

"Hissssss~~~"

A sound that made my face burn reached my ears, and the discomfort in my lower abdomen suddenly eased considerably.

But...

"Being a woman really is such a hassle!!"

I couldn't help complaining. I wiped myself with the wet wipes I carried, then got dressed...

How embarrassing... And what was that inexplicable sensation when I brushed against that spot?!

Were all women like this?!

My mind was a complete mess as I staggered to the lounge. I hugged my backpack but couldn't fall asleep. The more I thought...

Ahem! I couldn't think about it anymore!!!

Right! I couldn't think about it anymore...

"Whoooa~~~"

I let out a long yawn, and sleepiness swept over me.

"I'm so sleepy..."

So sleepy...

So...

Only when sunlight shone on my face did I slowly wake up. I instinctively felt around my lower body... Ahem! Don't call me weird!

The first thing a normal man did after getting up was go to the bathroom, right?

Women probably did the same...

Ahem!

But... that empty feeling made me instantly snap to attention. I opened my eyes and looked at everything in front of me:

White tiled walls, a white ceiling, and the ceiling fan.

"They're really stingy... They didn't even install air conditioning in the lounge."

I murmured, my long hair hanging loose down my back. At the same time, a steady buzzing sound made me frown.

"Is that... a fly?"

I listened carefully and confirmed that it was. Everything that had happened since I woke up had made me unconsciously ignore the flies, but fortunately, they had corpses to feast on, so they probably wouldn't bother me for now.

I'd recovered a lot of my strength and was more or less back to normal. I glanced down at my watch.

"Almost... one o'clock?"

The minute hand was at fifty-five. I instinctively rubbed my stomach and looked at my backpack.

Whether to eat or not... I was torn, but only for a moment. If I ate, I might at least fill my stomach. If I didn't, and something really happened to me, someone else would get the food. Worse, it might go to those annoying flies!

With that thought, I grabbed the backpack I'd tossed onto the floor, pulled out some food, and started today's breakfast.

"Mmm... A real feast! Bread, ham, and glucose!"

I nodded happily. Eating was the only time I ever felt truly cheerful.

After eating and drinking my fill, I took stock of what I had. It looked like I had enough to eat well for two days. The rest was mostly dry food, like instant noodles, and I'd already finished all the bread.

"Right! Next, I should get home as soon as possible. I remember there are two boxes of instant noodles at home and a bucket of mineral water that I've barely touched. The water dispenser has no power, but that water is still clean." And more importantly, there was a crossbow at home. A weapon like that was as good as it got!

I decided to act on the idea. After tidying up my belongings, I carefully checked my gear. The fruit knife was broken, leaving only the military knife. The gun was out of bullets—no, I still had one bullet left in my pocket.

"Dear Bullet... you really are my last lifeline now. I hope you'll save my life when it matters." I pressed the last bullet into the magazine and chambered it. The bullet I'd found in the gun's chamber was back where it belonged. Then I...

Slowly pushed open the sixth-floor Iron Gate and once again began my journey through this dangerous world.

The stench hit me as soon as I opened the sixth-floor Iron Gate. Looking toward where it came from, I saw swarms of flies crawling over the corpses, ceaselessly devouring the charred, rotting flesh.

Stomach acid rose into my throat. I fought down the nausea and couldn't bear to look again. I went straight down the stairs on the left. It was much like last night. Even though I knew the zombies in the stairwell had been cleared out, I still gripped my dagger. At least it made me feel a little safer.

Black bloodstains clung to many places on the white steel handrail. The concrete emergency stairs were littered with blood and debris, and blood had splattered all over the walls. It showed just how hard that man had fought to make it to the sixth floor.

I went all the way down to the fifth floor. The Iron Gate there stood open, making it obvious that the mother and daughter had escaped through it. My feelings about them were complicated.

I could understand why they'd done it, but I couldn't forgive them for abandoning me when I was in the most danger.

The little girl had clearly warned me at the last moment. Otherwise, I couldn't have rushed upstairs so quickly. If I'd taken just a couple more steps and only discovered by the Iron Gate that it couldn't be opened, I'd have been done for.

I was still grateful to that brat for that, even if she had a mother I really couldn't stand.

There was no point thinking about it so much. I should keep moving.

As I entered the fifth-floor corridor, I tightened my fingers around the dagger. I was so jumpy that any little gust of wind or rustle immediately drew my attention.

I knew that this kind of pressure could mess with a person's state of mind, but I had no choice. If I couldn't even manage this, I might as well jump out the window and kill myself.

This transformed world wasn't nearly so kind.

My eyes kept sweeping over my surroundings. Then I leaned my head inside.

The floor was covered with black blood crusts, and rows of bloody handprints marked the white walls. They must have been left by people struggling before they turned into monsters.

There was a lot of clutter: convenience-store bags, a medical cart, and a white coat that had probably been dropped by some doctor while fleeing. It was covered in dirty footprints.

I moved slowly, scanning my surroundings. Fortunately, nothing seemed out of place. Sunlight streamed in through the windows, adding a little warmth to this floor that looked like hell.

It was a strange feeling.

After thinking it over, I still wasn't sure, so I looked down. A filthy drink bottle lay right at my feet. I crouched and picked it up. Mmm... it was a glass bottle, with some hawthorn berries floating in the drink. The bright red liquid stood out.

I gritted my teeth, ready to retreat at any moment, then suddenly hurled the bottle forward!

"Crash!"

The glass bottle shattered against the white wall covered in bloody handprints. Red liquid splashed across it, and broken glass scattered over the floor. At the same time, a roar came from the right side of the Iron Gate.

I turned to look. At the far end of the corridor, banging and growling came from a room with a closed door.

"So it's a zombie that's locked up..."

I let out a sigh of relief. After about ten seconds, the zombie locked inside the room gradually quieted down. With no other sounds in the corridor, I finally relaxed.

The outdoor fire escape was in the direction of the room with the zombie. To my right was a window. I glanced through it, and what I saw made my blood run cold!

"So many..."

There were almost too many to count. Zombies stood packed across the courtyard, which spanned several hundred square meters. Everywhere I looked, there was nothing but zombies!

"How many are there?!"

I muttered the question, then suddenly remembered that counting zombies wasn't what I needed to be doing. I had to get out of here.

Since there didn't seem to be any danger, I headed straight for the far end of the corridor. As I passed the room, I peered through the glass. There was a zombie inside, still wearing a white coat. It was probably a doctor or someone like that.

Never mind. There was no point looking at it.

At the far end of the corridor stood an Iron Gate. The security door that should have been closed was now swaying gently in the breeze.