The view of their school slowly disappears from behind as they speed up down the road.
And on the road, it was like a ghost town. Cars were abandoned here and there, causing Riku to swerve multiple times to avoid it. There were no people around, despite it being crowded during this time.
It had been ten hours and the changes were drastic.
"Good thing you know how to drive, Hayashi-san," Suzune commented.
"My father always taught me how to drive whenever we were in the province. The regulations aren't as strict there compared to the capital. And I'm sure there are no enforcers watching now," Riku said, eyes fixed on the road.
Ichika clutched the seatbelt across her chest, glancing at every alley they passed. "It's like… the whole city just vanished."
"Or turned," Riku muttered, jaw tight.
Miko sat in the back with Suzune, who was trying her best to keep pressure off her wounded foot. Miko hadn't said a word since they left the school. Her eyes were fixed on the passing cityscape, wide and unblinking.
Riku glanced at the rearview mirror. "We'll be safe once we reach my apartment. It's not too far. A few more blocks."
"Is it high up?" Ichika asked. "I mean… your place."
"Yes, it's an eight floor building and we live on that floor. Though we can't be too certain that there won't be zombies there."
"Zombies…" Miko finally spoke. "I thought they only exist in fiction or television. To think they are real."
"No one really expected this would happen," Riku said, and he was right. Zombies exist in fiction or television. All of us Are Dead, The Walking Dead, World War Z, Train to Busan, anime and light novels zombie apocalypse…all of it are just science fiction.
Even the game he was playing was just a game. And to think that he would be able to access that in-game features of it. Meant that someone from the higher-up, omnipotence, is behind this apocalypse.
He still doesn't know the reason why he was chosen, and why this apocalypse is happening. But he is determined to survive.
A moment later, the apartment building came into view. Tall, dark against the starless night sky, its exterior lights still glowed. The metal gates at the entrance were partially closed but not locked—one of the side panels had been bent open, likely from someone forcing their way in.
Riku parked the SUV by the sidewalk and immediately turned off the engine.
"We're here," he said, unbuckling. "I'm going to check the area first and get back to you once it's clear. Under no circumstances should you leave this vehicle until I get back, is that understood?"
The three girls simply nodded in acknowledgement. They don't have much of a choice here.
He opened the driver's door and scanned the area—no zombies in sight.
Riku walked briskly toward the apartment gate. The metal entrance groaned slightly as he nudged the bent panel aside and stepped through. The small guardhouse was still intact, positioned to the left of the entrance. The glass window was cracked, and the door hung open by one hinge.
He slowed his pace.
Something didn't feel right.
His Glock 17 was already drawn, held low but ready. He moved past the guardhouse—then a sudden sound of shuffling behind.
Shkkt.
In a flash, a figure lunged out from the shadows within the guard booth. Riku barely turned in time. The former security guard, now zombified, slammed into him with enough force to knock them both to the pavement.
"Shit—!" Riku grunted as they hit the ground, his back scraping against the rough concrete. The guard's uniform was torn and bloodied, his once-calm face now twisted with hunger and rot. Milky white eyes glared down at him, jaw snapping.
Riku raised his left forearm, bracing it across the zombie's throat to hold it back while his right hand struggled to aim the Glock. The infected guard thrashed violently, growling and clawing like a wild animal.
"Get off me—!"
The Glock's muzzle tilted upward, too close to Riku's own chin.
He changed tactics.
With a powerful twist of his hips, Riku shifted their weight and rolled, slamming the zombie to the ground beside him. He shot his right leg over the torso, pinning it down, and jammed his knee into the undead's elbow to stop its grabbing arm.
Then, with one controlled motion, he raised his gun and fired.
BANG.
Despite the suppressor, the gunshot echoed through the lot like a thunderclap. And it was enough.
They were coming.
Riku scrambled to his feet and backed against the guardhouse wall, scanning the perimeter. Shadows moved—fast and clumsy. The groans rose into a chorus, and soon, he could see them.
Three zombies bolted out from behind a delivery van across the street. Two more came limping from the alley next to the apartment, bloodied, their clothes torn and soaked in grime. One of them was missing half its jaw.
Riku took a deep breath and moved. He had no time to hesitate.
Ten rounds left, he thought, gripping the Glock tighter. Make them count.
The first zombie—an older man with half his face peeled back—lunged at him, mouth wide. Riku stepped to the side, letting it overextend. He drove his foot into the creature's knee with a crack, then twisted and slammed the butt of his pistol into the side of its skull. It staggered, dazed. He followed with a clean shot to the head.
Pfft—BANG.
The body dropped instantly.
Another one was already on him. This one was faster, younger—still wearing a high school uniform. It shrieked and lunged. Riku ducked under its arms, pivoted behind it, and hooked his arm around its neck. In one swift motion, he twisted and dropped it backward into the pavement, slamming the zombie's skull hard against the curb.
It didn't die.
It twitched, trying to get up.
BANG.
He finished it.
The next two were close now, snarling. Riku rushed forward, taking the initiative. He sidestepped the first and drove his elbow into its temple. The force knocked it into the second, staggering them both. He raised the Glock again.
BANG. BANG.
Two more heads popped like rotting melons.
Panting, Riku lowered his weapon and quickly ejected the magazine. Just three rounds left.
He slapped in a fresh mag from his pouch, eyes sweeping the area. Blood was pooling around the sidewalk. Five bodies, all down. But more groans echoed in the distance.
They weren't done.
A thump behind him made him turn—another had come from inside the apartment building. The main entrance was propped open slightly, and through the gap, he saw a shape dart across the lobby.
"Tch…" he muttered, backing away.
He had to deal with the ones inside first. If he brought the girls in without clearing it, it'd be suicide.
Riku moved toward the door and kicked it open fully.
The lobby was brightly lit. The front desk was overturned. Blood trails led deeper inside.
The first zombie came at him from behind the counter—a middle-aged woman, probably a former resident. Her clothes were torn, and she reeked of rot. She screeched and lunged.
Riku sidestepped, ducked under her arm, and used her momentum to flip her over his shoulder. Her back hit the ground with a dull crack. He didn't waste time.
BANG.
He moved on.
Another infected—a delivery man in a torn orange jacket—came barreling out of the hallway, foam trailing from his lips.
Riku didn't shoot.
Instead, he dropped low, swept the zombie's legs out from under it, and kicked its head into the wall with a sharp thud. As it writhed, he put a round between its eyes.
BANG.
He turned again, checking the stairwell—clear.
Nothing else moved.
He waited for another minute.
Nothing.
Only silence.
Finally.
He exhaled, rolled his shoulders, and wiped a smear of blood off his cheek with the back of his hand.
Then he made his way back to the front gate. The SUV was still parked where he left it.
He jogged over, tapped twice on the passenger window. Ichika opened it immediately.
"It's clear," he said, breathing heavily. "Come on. We need to move fast."
Miko opened the rear door, her eyes flicking down to the fresh blood on Riku's sleeves.
"Did you… clear them all?" she asked quietly.
He nodded. "Yeah. For now."
Ichika helped Suzune slide out from the car. Riku moved to support her again.
"Let's go," he said. "The building's safe. But the street won't be for long. They heard the shots."
Suzune wrapped her arms around his neck, and he lifted her without complaint.