"You trying to join up with us, is that it?"
I didn't answer right away. My throat was dry, but I forced the words out.
"I'm not useless," I said.
A pause.
"I can clean. Fix simple stuff. I've been alone for weeks."
I could feel their stares pressing down, heavy, like they were waiting for me to trip over myself.
"I know how to use a blade," I added. "Not like you guys, but I practiced. With a kitchen knife. I know where to hit if I have to."
The girl with the bangs tilted her head slightly, unimpressed.
"Why should we believe you? You're just a kid."
I didn't flinch.
"Yeah. I am."
"And I'm still alive."
That shut her up for half a second.
I looked at each of them.
"You've got guns. Gear. A group."
"I had none of that. Just a knife, a couple of locked doors, and knowing when to shut up and stay still. That's what kept me alive."
I stepped forward slightly, just enough to show I wasn't afraid to stand behind my words.
"You don't have to believe me. But if I was lying, I wouldn't be here."
The man leaned against a support column, arms crossed. He glanced at the girl with bangs, then back at me.
"He's got balls," he muttered. Not loud, but enough for everyone to hear.
The tall one with the sniper rifle was still watching me like a puzzle she hadn't solved. Her fingers flexed on the weapon, but her grip loosened slightly.
She was thinking it through. Weighing me against whatever line they didn't say out loud.
Then, finally, she spoke.
"What's your name?"
"Yahiro," I said, voice steady.
I hesitated for a second.
"What about yours?"
She didn't smile.
"I'm Sora," she said. Then she gestured to each of the others.
"That's Yuta," she pointed to the man. "Wina," she said, nodding at the girl with the bangs. "And Mika."
Mika, the one in the gas mask, gave a subtle nod.
They didn't tell me I was in.
They didn't tell me I wasn't.
But none of them raised their weapons again.
And in this world, that was the closest thing to trust I'd seen in a long time.
We kept walking.
Past the train yard, across an overgrown overpass, down a crumbling road with weeds splitting the asphalt. The silence between them was normal. No one talked unless they had to.
Eventually, we reached what used to be a FamilyMart.
The sign was still up, sun-faded and cracked, half of it hanging off its bolts. The windows were sealed with metal grates, and the doors were chained shut.
Wina stopped a few feet from the entrance and turned to face me.
"Still want to prove yourself?" she asked.
I nodded, unsure if I should speak.
Yuta unslung a small pack from his shoulder, opened it, and pulled out a crowbar. It looked heavy and used. The edge was stained.
He tossed it at my feet.
"Open it."
I stared at the door.
"Why not just shoot the chain off?"
Wina smirked. "Because that'd be easy and loud."
Sora crossed her arms and nodded toward the store. "We've seen shadows inside. Could be zombies. Could be worse. Could be nothing."
Mika leaned against the wall beside the busted vending machine. "Figure it out," she said, her voice muffled behind the mask. "If you're lucky, it's just locked and empty."
"And if I'm not?" I asked.
"Then we find out how fast you are," Yuta said.
I looked down at the crowbar. Picked it up. It was cold and solid in my hands. Heavier than I expected.
My heart was already pounding, and I hadn't moved yet.
The chain around the handles was rusted, but thick. There was no clean way in. No one offered advice. No one offered to help. They just stood back and watched — like this was entertainment.
I stepped up to the door. My palms were sweaty. The crowbar kept slipping in my grip, so I wiped my hands on my jacket and tried again.
I wedged it between the chain and the handles and pulled hard. Metal groaned, but didn't give. I adjusted my stance. Pulled again. Still nothing.
"You're gonna need more than that," Yuta called out.
I gritted my teeth. Didn't answer. Just shifted the crowbar again, planted my feet, and threw all my weight into it.
There was a sharp crack. Then another. The bolt snapped halfway out of the wall. The chain didn't fall, but it loosened enough to slip down one handle.
I stepped back, breathing hard.
I looked at them.
None of them clapped.
Wina gave a shrug. "Go on. You broke it. Now open it."
The air felt colder near the doors. The glass was fogged on the inside. Dusty. I couldn't see what was waiting.
I pushed one open slowly. The chain rattled down and hit the concrete.
It was dark inside. Shelves knocked over. A few scattered boxes.
I turned and looked at them one more time.
Sora nodded once. "Don't take too long."
I stepped inside.
My grip tightened on the crowbar.