It was dead... At the very last moment, all I could do was thank my luck that my desperate, almost blind shots had struck so accurately
and hit its vital spot.
Under the moonlight, the veins that had stood out on the monster's skin had turned an eerie color. I didn't want to stay. I forced myself
to my feet and picked up
the Big Black Eagle from where it had fallen, slinging it over my shoulder. Then I went back to where the monster had first hit me and retrieved the military
knife I'd thrown aside in the heat of the moment. Leaning on my katana,
I made my way back one step at a time.
I had no strength left. What mattered most now was getting home and resting.
A cool breeze swept across my back. I had nothing on above my waist; the monster had torn my clothes away, leaving only
my white lace bra. Even that had been
slashed through the middle during the struggle and hung from my shoulders like an ornament.
There was no fastening it now. I could only hold it in place to keep those two lumps of excess fat from bouncing around.
"I wasn't eaten by the Zombies while I was unconscious... Looks like my theory was right."
Alone in the dark night, weak to the point of collapse, I felt deeply uneasy. Right now, even the most
ordinary Zombie would be enough to kill me.
All I could do was distract myself to ease my fear a little.
I couldn't draw the crossbow anymore. All I had left was the katana in my hand and the military knife hanging at my chest. I
was glad the knife's strap was sturdy
enough that the monster hadn't torn it off. At the thought, I touched it without thinking. The leather was thick and tough, yet
soft.
"These mutated things all have their own territory. Zombies rarely go near them... Or maybe... they even
eat Zombies?"
The more I thought about it, the more likely it seemed. Then I remembered the sliver of pale flesh I'd seen in the monster's mouth
at the last moment yesterday. Nausea surged
up my throat, but when I opened my mouth, nothing came out.
"This time..." My knees buckled, and I nearly fell. Luckily, the katana was long enough for me to prop myself up. Once I'd
steadied myself and caught my breath, I kept climbing
upward.
At least I hadn't run into any Zombies, either on the way there or on the way back. That was something to be grateful for.
At last, I reached the Iron Gate beneath my apartment building.
I let out a long breath. With one hand on my katana and the other on the stair rail, I dragged my weak, aching legs
up the stairs and reached for my key.
The instant I stepped inside, it felt as though the last of my strength had vanished. Sleepiness came flooding into
my head. I forced myself
to turn back and close the door, then stripped off my underwear, pants, and everything else. As I did, I glanced at my jeans...
They were covered in black blood. It reminded me of when the monster had grabbed the Big Black Eagle and I'd pulled the trigger on instinct.
Had the sharp bowstring sliced a piece of flesh off its hand?
I no longer had the energy to check. I stumbled into the bedroom and practically threw myself
flat onto the bed, landing face down
with a loud bang!
Even that couldn't hold back the overwhelming tide of sleep.
"I hope... they don't leave... too soon..."
Sleep washed over me. I could only pray that the helicopter wouldn't leave right away as I slowly closed my eyes.
Eating Noodles~
The next day, I woke with a start from a nightmare.
In the dream, the monster had...
No! I really didn't want to remember that awful dream. But for some reason, my lower body felt damp.
When I sat up and saw it, I wanted to jump out the window and die!
I got up and pulled off the sheet. Fortunately, it hadn't soaked through. I bundled it up and tossed it aside. In this
world, fresh sheets weren't hard to find.
Water, on the other hand, was scarce.
"Wash it... I might as well get another set from Big Brother Liu's place. That's what I'll do."
I threw the sheet that made my cheeks burn straight out the window. Only then did I let out a long breath. My lower body still
felt strange in a way I'd never experienced before.
All I could do was sigh.
"Another bath..."
Still, I first dug some food out of the backpack I'd left at home. I still had gas, and because I used
a gas cylinder, I could
cook noodles.
I pulled four packets of instant noodles from a box...
That's right, four. I was starving.
Click!
With a sharp click, a blue flame sprang up from the gas burner. I grabbed a bottle of water from the floor,
unscrewed the cap, and poured it into a clean stainless-steel
pot, then threw in the noodles.
I took a pair of chopsticks from the cupboard. As tiny bubbles began to form in the water, I
thought about what had happened yesterday.
That monster... It was clearly different from the green monster I'd encountered before. Its abilities were strange: it could camouflage itself,
move incredibly fast, and use its hands
and feet almost interchangeably. It was strong, too.
If I'd been my old self, I probably would have died the moment I laid eyes on it.
I'd watched plenty of Zombie movies and read plenty of similar novels, but monsters rarely singled out women.
Yet both Mutant Monsters I'd encountered
had shown a particular interest in women.
I didn't think I was so charming that monsters would spare me, but it had happened.
So the most likely explanation was... these monsters still retained some human genes and had
mutated from there. In that case,
their urge to mate made sense.
There was no question about the first green monster: it had definitely mutated from a human. Half its body still looked
human. Maybe it hadn't had enough nutrients?
Or perhaps some genetic defect had kept it from fully becoming another species.
But that Gecko monster I met yesterday... Ahem! Forgive me, I'm terrible at naming things.
Gecko monster it was...
At that thought, something flashed through my mind... An adult anime?
Ahem!
But a world with Mutant Monsters that targeted women really did sound like the plot of one.
I shook my head, tore open the seasoning packets, and stirred the powder, sauce, and dried vegetables into the pot with my chopsticks.
My stomach kept growling
all the while...
Steam drifted from the pot into the room. The air grew humid, and I narrowed my eyes slightly as it brushed my skin.
I used to enjoy taking off my shirt and going bare-chested. It made me feel relaxed. But now...
I looked down.
"These two lumps of fat really get in the way."
I used to stand right in front of the pot, and the steam would rise straight past me without touching me. But just now,
those two lumps of fat had caught it.
It had actually burned.
Luckily, the pot was low enough that I wasn't scalded, but it reminded me of another miserable change.
"Sigh... Why did I have to end up like this?"
I had no choice but to cradle those two lumps of fat with one arm. My shoulders felt a little lighter. I looked down at the pot.
The water was already boiling, and the sauce and seasoning powder
were releasing an enticing aroma. Then I remembered that I might still have some eggs at home.
But the power had been out for over a month. Would they have gone bad?
I set down my chopsticks and walked to the refrigerator, one arm holding those frustrating... pale, pink-tinged lumps of fat.
I opened the door!
"Pfft! Cough, cough, cough!"
Bang!
A foul stench hit me, and I slammed the door shut. Only then did I remember that the day before everything happened,
I'd bought a big piece of cooked pork head
and put it in the refrigerator.
"Urgh..."
The stench nearly made me vomit. I shook my head. It looked like everything in there was a total loss.
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