After repacking my things, I rummaged through the wardrobe again. I hadn't noticed it before, but it was a real surprise: how had there just happened to be
a set of women's clothes
in there?
I gritted my teeth and hesitated for a long time before deciding to put them on. My patient's gown didn't have any pockets, but this outfit at least had a few where I could keep my phone, right?
With that in mind, I quickly took off my clothes and looked down at myself.
"Whoa... I really do have a devilishly good figure!"
As soon as I said it, I realized something was wrong. Did that count as hitting on myself?
It seemed... it really did.
Once I'd figured that out, I lost interest in looking any further. I searched around and found a few pieces of clothing, as well as a set of underwear. The bra was way too small, but at least the panties fit, right?
Most importantly, the clothes were brand new!
It looked like someone had booked this hospital room, or maybe a nurse changed in here and left her everyday clothes behind.
The clothes inside were clean and neat. I was relieved, since I didn't want to wear anything filthy.
A pair of jeans. Hmm... They were a little tight around the butt, but I could make do. The legs were a bit short, but they fit well enough.
The top was a short-sleeved blouse. It was a little tight across the chest, but otherwise loose enough. It wasn't too bad.
But... those two little bumps on my chest were what worried me...
No one could see me in this indecent state, but it still felt strange. I had no choice but to put my patient's gown back on over the top. I felt like I was dressed in a ridiculous mishmash.
At least it covered those two bumps. I even stopped to think about it seriously... Was I a D cup or an E?
Ahem...
Once I'd gotten dressed, the old bundle of clothes was useless. I turned around, picked up the ZIPPO that was still lying on the floor after I'd broken the glass, and tucked my phone and cigarettes into my pockets. I didn't hang the keys from my belt, either. I put those in my pocket as well.
After all, the keys were metal. If they made any noise while I was running, that would be bad.
There was also a pair of sneakers in there. I tried them on, and they fit perfectly. I looked down at the size on the other shoe and memorized it, then put them on without a trace of guilt.
In an apocalypse like this, did stealing even mean anything anymore?
If it did, then bring that person here. I was desperate to see someone—at least to know I wasn't the only one.
I knew how frightening loneliness could be. I'd experienced it plenty of times, but even then, I'd occasionally exchanged a few words with my neighbors or the shopkeeper. Now, though, I hadn't seen a single living person.
I was really scared—scared that I was the only person left in the world.
My thoughts were drifting. These weren't things I should be thinking about right now.
I straightened my clothes and tightened the laces on my sneakers. Then I pulled back the slide on the gun!
Click. The gun was loaded, and holding it made me feel a little more at ease.
I looked up at the door, stained all over with black blood, and slowly placed my hand on the doorknob.
It was unnaturally quiet, so quiet it was terrifying. I almost felt as if I were living in another world.
Maybe... it really was another world now.
I didn't know whether there were any other survivors outside. Let's assume there were. Would they still follow the rules of the old society?
The answer was—impossible.
The world had collapsed, and the social rules that had never been particularly stable to begin with would collapse with it.
At that thought, I couldn't help looking down—and was immediately struck speechless.
I couldn't even see my feet!
Ahem... This wasn't the time to think about that.
I pulled my attention back to the matter at hand, crouched down, and peered outside through the bullet hole I'd noticed yesterday. It was a little dark, but there was still a bit of sunlight, so at least I could see better than I would at night.
Back to what I was thinking about earlier...
If the rules of society were already completely useless, then people who'd once lived in a peaceful society might unleash unimaginable darkness. Would the sinister sides of human nature that they'd been forced to hide under society's rules erupt completely now that those rules had disappeared?!
There was no need to think about it. I could say with absolute certainty—the answer was yes!
So... when it came to human evil, its source was human desire.
There was a saying: "At birth, human nature is evil." It was a truth as vast as the universe, one that applied to every living creature.
Human children in today's society were a little different. To give an example... if a mother had three children but not enough milk, those three children wouldn't take turns sharing it. The instinct to survive came first.
The two strongest children would get enough to eat, while the weakest would gradually grow frail. That was inevitable.
Put simply... if you placed a portion of food in front of three people, they wouldn't split it evenly. One of them would get full, another would get a little, and the last one... wouldn't get any at all.
In an apocalypse where supplies were scarce, that evil would be magnified without limit.
As a novelist, I knew that human nature was one of the basic ingredients every story needed. I often studied it, too.
And... there was plenty to say about desire...
Some people wanted wealth, some wanted fame, and some wanted beauty.
Chapter 7: Danger!
Though wealth and fame were always mentioned more often than beauty, there was no denying that some people would choose a beauty over a fortune—
I'd gotten too carried away with my thoughts. Maybe I really needed to break this habit of overthinking in the apocalypse. If something dangerous happened while I was lost in my imagination, that would be a problem.
I watched through the bullet hole for a long time. There was no danger outside. I put my hand back on the doorknob and slowly turned it, while my thoughts continued to wander back to what I'd been considering.
Wealth, fame, and beauty. In the apocalypse, all three were easy to obtain: all you needed was strength...
If someone was stronger than you, you wouldn't be able to resist them. That was especially dangerous for someone like me. Though I'd only taken a quick glance at myself in the mirror while changing, my almost angelic appearance had still shaken me. I didn't dare look any longer. I was genuinely afraid I might fall in love with myself...
That would be a tragic story indeed...
With a face like mine, I believed that at least ninety-nine out of a hundred men would have some unsavory thoughts. And the last one...
Ahem. He'd be blind.
Maybe I was exaggerating a little, but in an apocalypse where desire was magnified, my appearance was just too eye-catching. Maybe I should think of a way to cover my face.
If there were any other living people in this world besides me...
I shook my head and banished those wild thoughts. My first priority now should be figuring out how to escape.
When I'd picked up the ZIPPO, I'd taken a quick look outside. I seemed to be on around the twentieth floor. It was a city hospital... I'd never had a serious illness in my life, so I wasn't familiar with the place.
Still, I'd accompanied other people there a few times, so I vaguely remembered that the emergency stairwell was beside the elevator. At the far end of the corridor, there was also an iron fire escape, but that only went down as far as the fifth floor.
The doorknob turned slowly. I gently pushed the door, but something seemed to be blocking it from the other side. I had to use a little more strength before it finally budged. At the same time, a faint scraping sound rang out!
"Creeeak..."
The sound wasn't loud, but in the empty, silent corridor, it was startlingly clear!
"Hiss!" My whole body tensed. I hurriedly pressed myself against the back of the door, and at the same time, a series of quick tap! tap! footsteps came closer. With my back pressed to the door, I heard heavy breathing growing nearer. Every hair on my body stood on end, and sweat filled the hand gripping the gun!
"Tap!"
With that final footstep, the heavy breathing stopped right outside the door. And at that very moment, I was pressed against it—