The bathroom door under the stairs on the left was slightly ajar.Inside—nothing. Just a dangling showerhead and the steady drip of water hitting tile.
At the end of the hallway stood a barred metal door, leading into the kitchen.
Gantzuke swept his flashlight toward the staircase on the left.The beam caught a faint bloody handprint smeared across the stainless-steel railing.…That's a small hand… he thought.
He lowered the light toward the floor. A thin trail of blood curved up the stairs.
Glancing behind him, Gantzuke nearly chuckled when he saw what Mari was holding.
…An umbrella? Seriously? he thought, but didn't say it.
She clutched the black umbrella tightly, gripping the sharp tip like it was a holy weapon she could ram through any zombie's skull.
Gantzuke gave her a small, amused smile, then turned and crept into the kitchen.The fridge stood beside a pantry cabinet. On the counter sat a plate with apples. A few used cups rested in the sink, stained yellow with mustard.No windows here.Only a small ventilation fan on the wall—not exactly a zombie-sized entry point.
He turned back toward the staircase, his eyes following the blood trail again.Cautiously, he reached for the light switch next to the kitchen doorway.
The white LED lights flickered on, illuminating the blood-smeared steps leading up to the second floor.
The scent hit him—sharp, metallic.Fresh.
He looked at Mari again. She stood frozen but alert.
He motioned for her to stay.She nodded and tightened her grip on the umbrella.
Gantzuke raised his hand to cup his ear.There it was—the soft, wet sound of chewing.Upstairs.
Something was feasting.
He cast one more glance at Mari, then began ascending.At the top, the hallway ended in a room with the door slightly open.Dark inside.
With each step, he made his breathing shallower.The chewing sounds grew louder, more grotesque.
He pressed his back to the wall, avoiding the blood on the floor, M4 raised—red dot trained forward.
To the left: a bathroom door, closed.A tipped-over laundry basket spilled bras and panties across the floor.
To the right—the sound.
Only four steps left.
He glanced back at Mari once more—just in time for his right eye to twitch.
"Look out!" Mari shouted from below.
He snapped his head around.
A girl—long-haired, maybe six or seven—crawled out from the dark doorway.Pink Hello Kitty pajamas. Skin gray. Eyes white.
Before he could think, his finger jerked the trigger.
BANG.
The recoil knocked Gantzuke off balance.He slipped and fell, the last rounds in his magazine spraying wildly upward.
Two bullets grazed the child zombie's side.The rest punched through the ceiling, sending chunks of plaster raining down.
His left hand caught the railing, saving him from cracking his skull—but he wasn't in a position to fire again.
"Hhhrrraaah…"The little girl snarled, flashing violet-tinted gums slick with blood and spit.She was missing teeth. Bits of what looked like an ear were stuck between her baby incisors.
Her grin and dead eyes locked onto his throat.
Mari screamed—raw, terrified.
She hurled the umbrella.
It smacked the zombie in the face.She turned, hissed, claws rising.
Bang! Bang!The first shot took her in the neck.The second—right temple.At less than five meters, even lying on his back, Gantzuke didn't miss.
He yanked himself upright using the railing, breathing hard, eyes locked on the girl's twitching hand.
He stepped forward and drove his steel leg down.
CRACK.
Her skull caved in under his foot like a popped soccer ball. Blood and brain matter sprayed outward.A pale eyeball shot from the socket and rolled down the stairs.
It landed at Mari's feet.She stared at it like it might jump up and bite her throat.
Gantzuke reloaded his M4 quickly and efficiently.Sweat and blood dripped from his face as he wiped it with his sleeve.Then he raised his leg again and kicked the upstairs room door open.
Inside—a woman's corpse lay face-down.He shot her in the head.
The body jolted, then stilled.
The left ear and part of her throat were missing.
That must've been her mother.
He walked back downstairs.
Mari still stood at the bottom, frozen.
Her eyes were locked on the eyeball, as if it might spring to life.
Gantzuke calmly stepped on it, crushing it underfoot.
"It's over. You're safe now."He pulled her into his arms, her body trembling like a bird soaked in stormwater.
His hand rubbed her back gently.He pressed a kiss to the top of her head. His warm breath calmed her.Mari's arms clutched him tight, like a gecko clinging to a wall.
"It's okay now… It's over…"His voice was a whisper near her ear.It sent shivers down her spine.
Thud.
Something slammed against the upstairs bathroom door.
They both flinched.
Shhh...Gantzuke raised a finger to his lips.
He tightened his grip on the M4 and moved quietly, step by step, back up the stairs.
The bathroom door was cracked open just a sliver.And something inside… was moving.