The city reeked of death. Groans of the undead drifted through the streets like a dirge no one wanted to hear.
A shout from the left caught Gantzuke's attention.
An old man was hacking at a female zombie's skull with a rusty blade.Shhk— the weapon sank deep into her head, too deep. When she fell, the sword went with her—ripped from his grip.
"No! Get away—get away—AARGH!"
Unarmed, the remaining zombies swarmed him without hesitation.The old man screamed as teeth tore into his arm. He tried punching, flailing, doing anything to fight them off—but it was no use. He went down under the weight of gnashing jaws.
Gantzuke dropped to one knee, shouldering his rifle. The distance between him and the old man: maybe twenty meters.
He aimed for the neck of a heavyset zombie in a torn T-shirt and jeans, kneeling beside the dying man, feasting on his leg.
Phfft—The suppressed shot blew the creature's throat open, its head snapping clean off.
The other zombies didn't react. Still busy chewing.
"Papa... Papa!"A voice—small, panicked.
From behind a dumpster, a high school girl in a blood-stained sailor uniform emerged, wielding a baseball bat far too large for her frame. She sprinted toward the old man without a second thought.
"Run... just run..."The old man managed to croak the words, but they barely had the strength of a sigh.
A zombie in a football jersey rose and shambled toward her.
Gantzuke fired.Phfft—The bullet took its head clean off, body collapsing mid-step.
"Aaah!"The girl screamed, splattered with blood and brain matter.The shriek stirred the remaining two zombies. They lifted their heads.
Phfft. Phfft.One bullet ripped through the throat of a suited zombie with a bright yellow tie.Another drilled into the skull of one dressed like a chef.
The girl didn't care where the shots had come from. She only ran to her father's side, dropping to her knees.
"He's not going to make it," Gantzuke said flatly as he stepped out from behind cover.
The girl flinched. Her tear-streaked cheeks were smeared with blood. Her eyes—glassy, unfocused—looked at him like a ghost looking back.
"Are... are you a cop?" she asked.
"No. Name's Gantzuke. We need to move."
He glanced down at the dying man.Then around them.Zombies everywhere. Bumping into walls, cars, doors—like broken vacuum bots on low battery.Some stood frozen, gazing blankly at the sky, like drugged-up statues.They hadn't noticed him yet. But soon they would. Sound and motion always woke them.
"Go. Just go. I'm staying with my dad," she whispered, cradling the old man's trembling body.
Blood gurgled from his mouth. Limbs twitching.
Gantzuke had seen it before—in prison, during the first outbreak. He knew what came next.
"I'm sorry. But I have to do this."
He raised the gun, aimed at the old man's head, and pulled the trigger.
Crack.The man's skull exploded.
The girl froze. Shocked.She hadn't expected that."Y-You... y-you... what did you—"
Her scream caught halfway as Gantzuke clamped his hand over her mouth.
Let me go. Let me go...She struggled to speak, tried to fight him off, but he dragged her into a nearby storefront—its rolling shutter halfway open.
"What the hell is wrong with you?! What are you doing?!"She thrashed, shouting, as he cuffed her to a rolling office chair.
"I'm saving your ass from doing something stupid," Gantzuke snapped, jamming a glove into her mouth to muffle the noise.
Let me go, damn it!She writhed, tried to scream around the gag. She twisted her wrists, fought the steel cuffs behind her back—but the chair didn't even budge.
"Quiet. And stay still."
He shined the flashlight directly into her face, the gun following the beam. Sweat streamed down her forehead. She turned away, trembling, until her breathing finally slowed.
Only then did Gantzuke lower the gun.
The room was dim.Only a soft yellow glow leaked in from the half-open shutter.
He swept the beam across the space—one-room storefront, probably used as an office.A glass door at the back wall looked like the only path deeper into the building.
Should be safe here for a bit... he thought, turning the light back to the girl—this time gently, careful not to blind her.
"Promise me you won't do anything stupid, and I'll take the cuffs off."
She stared at him—long and hard. Searching.Then, after a moment, she nodded.
He took a deep breath, then holstered his gun.
Clenching the flashlight between his teeth, Gantzuke lowered the shutter, hooked it to the ground latch, then got up to find the light switch.
The room, once drowned in shadows, lit up—harsh fluorescent tubes humming to life.