The morning mist hung low as the depot doors opened. Four figures stepped into the pale light ... Kazuma, Mike, Leina, and Dan ... each carrying the weight of survival like armor.
London's skyline lay silent, jagged, and gray. The streets looked abandoned, but the city was alive in its own way ... whispering through echoes and shifting shadows.
Their boots crunched over shattered glass. No one spoke for a while.
Kazuma moved first, scanning every corner. "Half a mile to the block," he said quietly.
Mike adjusted his grip on the pipe. "Half a mile of fun."
The city answered with a distant scream. It rose, cut off, and silence settled again like dust.
The Market
They reached a grocery store on a narrow street. The sign above it swung loosely in the wind.
Dan pushed the door. "Unlocked."
Inside, rot and mold hung heavy. The shelves were half-collapsed, packaging scattered like confetti from another life.
Mike poked a shelf. "Gourmet dining ... ketchup and cat food."
Leina knelt, finding a few intact cans. "Still better than nothing."
Kazuma's light cut through the gloom. "There's a basement."
Mike sighed. "Great. Because that always goes well."
Kazuma ignored him and led the way down. The stairwell smelled of rust and stagnant water.
The basement was flooded ankle-deep. Rats fled the light.
Dan's beam caught a freezer chest. He pried it open ... and froze. Plastic-wrapped limbs. Bite-marked. Human.
He shut it quietly. "We're leaving."
No one argued.
The House on the Corner
They took the backstreets. Smoke still rose in the distance. Movement flickered between buildings ... shadows that twitched wrong.
Leina's breath trembled. "We can't stay out long."
Kazuma nodded. "We'll find shelter."
Mike pointed ahead. "That one looks good."
A small ivy-covered house stood at the end of the street, curtains drawn, door intact.
Kazuma studied it. "Intact structure. No visible breach. We check it."
Dan murmured, "Untouched doesn't mean safe."
Still, exhaustion won.
Kazuma smashed a side window with one controlled hit. The sound echoed.
Leina flinched. "You're sure no one's here?"
"No movement. No lights," he said.
They climbed inside.
The Girl in the Dark
The house was silent ... unnervingly clean. Books lined the shelves in perfect order. Dishes were stacked, polished.
The air smelled faintly of lavender.
Leina whispered, "Someone lives here."
Mike's voice was uneasy. "Yeah, or did."
Then came a voice from behind them ... trembling, young, alive.
"W-what are you doing in my house?!"
They turned. A girl stood at the end of the hall, barefoot, wearing an oversized hoodie and pajama shorts.
Her hair was a tangled curtain, her glasses slightly crooked.
She held a frying pan like it was a weapon.
Kazuma lowered his tool slowly. "We didn't know anyone was here."
She pointed the pan. "You broke my window! Are you insane?"
Mike blinked. "Oh thank God, a human. A really angry one."
"Don't you dare get blood on the carpet!" she snapped.
Leina stepped forward, calm and kind. "It's okay. We thought this house was empty. What's your name?"
The girl hesitated. "…Luna."
"Hi, Luna. I'm Leina. We're survivors. We didn't mean to scare you."
Luna's eyes darted between them. "Survivors? Of what? It's just Sunday, right? People are out shopping?"
Kazuma frowned. "You haven't gone outside recently."
She crossed her arms. "Outside is disgusting. I have food. Wi-Fi. Peace."
Mike whispered, "She's serious."
Dan's voice was quiet. "She doesn't know."
Kazuma sighed. "Then she's about to."
The Truth
Ten minutes later, Luna sat on her couch, a blanket around her shoulders.
Her face was pale. Her voice was small.
"You're lying. Zombies? That's fiction."
Mike shrugged. "Wish it still was."
Luna shook her head. "No. I'd have seen it online."
Leina said softly, "The internet's been gone for weeks."
"Oh," Luna whispered. "I thought my router was broken."
Silence. The kind that hurts.
She looked down. "Everyone's gone?"
Leina's answer was barely a whisper. "Most."
Luna swallowed hard. "I didn't even notice."
Dan's voice was steady. "You weren't supposed to."
The Choice
They stayed the night. The house was warm, quiet, stocked with food and bottled water.
While Leina tended Mike's arm, Luna handed over a jar. "Try this. Antiseptic. Homemade."
Leina blinked. "You made it yourself?"
Luna nodded. "Chemistry hobby. It's easy once you know the reactions."
Mike stared. "You learned medicine from forums?"
She shrugged. "Better than dying clueless."
Kazuma's gaze sharpened. "Your knowledge could help us. We need medical support."
"We?" she asked, confused.
Dan spoke from the couch. "He means, congratulations ... you're drafted."
Luna froze. "Go outside? With people?"
Leina smiled gently. "We'll protect you. But we need you too."
"I can't fight," Luna said. "I can barely talk to strangers."
Mike grinned. "Perfect. You can be our tactical hermit."
She glared. "That's not funny."
Kazuma rose. "You'll stay alive. That's what matters."
Luna looked around her tidy little world ... lavender air, closed curtains, silent walls ... and suddenly it felt too small.
She stood. "Alright," she whispered. "I'll come."
Leina smiled. "You won't regret it."
Mike gave a mock salute. "Welcome aboard, Professor Pajamas."
Luna groaned. "I already regret it."
Kazuma opened the door. The gray morning spilled in. "Pack light. Once we leave, we don't come back."
Luna hesitated, glancing once more at her house.
"I didn't realize how quiet it really was," she murmured.
Then she stepped into the fog ...
and the world swallowed the silence.