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[HOTD] Chapter 54 – Raid
🕑 Added 2025-04-25 14:25:51 +0000 UTCA smile tugged the corner of her lips. She knew that boy would survive. The boy who somehow knew a lot about guns and was enthusiastic about them.
Her friend, a highschool nurse, introduced him to her. Though she didn't quite like it at first, they quickly found common interest after knowing each other better.
Moreover, being a part of the Busujima family who were known to be martial artists in Japan made the boy an excellent fighter. Or so she assumed.
"Let's see..."
The message was pretty short but on point.
Boy: Miss Shizuka is safe. I took your guns. And we will go to Chicago soon.
"Not bad, boy." The woman grinned.
A loud explosion from afar didn't bother her at all. She only raised her head slightly and frowned.
"It's time to leave."
The people inside the police station were experts, known for their skills of survival in extreme situations.
Rika didn't need to linger any longer. Her mission of protecting them to reach the police station safely had concluded.
A sniper didn't overstay their welcome.
And so she packed up and left the city, returning back to Chicago in her motorbike.
***
We arrived at the same conclusion.
Going to the airport to find a pilot and a plane would be the fastest route available since JSDF were too busy managing the situation. Moreover, we had no way to gain trust from them just for us to request transport service.
Thus, we geared up for our trip.
Humvee was still functioning well after refilling the tank, so it became our primary transportation. As for protection? Well, the black armored car was already bulletproof and sturdy. So, it's kinda alright if I said, adding more protection is unnecessary.
Unless it's really necessary, like putting spikes on its body to make sure zombies would suffer massive injuries when it collided against them.
"The city is so empty." Saya commented, looking around from inside the passenger seat. "Just what the heck is happening? Where are the people?"
I shrugged at her words.
"Dead?" I suggested dryly.
"Of course, genius." She replied sarcastically.
I ignored her sarcasm and focused on looking out.
What Saya said had truth in it. Compared to the number of zombies and people I saw in the first day, the corpses on the ground were less numerous while there were no humans besides us. This means there were little to no people running around or fighting for survival.
Where were the other corpses?
Well, I noticed some being piled up in corners, like in the shadowed area below stairs or beside trees. Most of the zombies were clustered together on sidewalks where they seemed to converge in a single spot.
Did people turn into zombies and they all gathered here to die? Or were there survivors moving these corpses?
But who? Who would move corpses to certain spots? The police or military should be helping survivors, not picking dead bodies. And civilians wouldn't be willing to touch them.
Anyway, despite these questions lingering within my mind, we finally reached our destination. Or at least, nearly reaching our destination. There were too many abandoned vehicles blocking our way, forcing us to stop some distance from the police station.
"The area here looks crowded though." Saya pointed out, referring to the number of zombies.
"Many people must be flying to the police to ask for help. It's natural that there are more zombies here, considering the chaos on the first day." I deduced. "I will go to the police station with Saeko first. Saya and Miss Shizuka should stay here. Please get the vehicle ready in case we need to run."
Saya pursed her lips, clearly unhappy.
"I want to go inside too." She demanded childishly. "How come only you and her enter? That's unfair!"
"And risk your life?"
As I said that, her body froze and she swallowed hard.
'Right? You don't want that.'
I wanted her to learn and accept that it was okay to avoid danger, especially when it wasn't something worth risking lives for.
Anyway, I got out of the car carrying an M1A1 and Wildcat crossbow. Saeko also took her katana and her riot shotgun with her. She didn't want to be helpless when her blade couldn't cut her opponent again.
Both of us moved cautiously as we approached the gate.
The atmosphere suddenly changed once we stepped past the cars. Zombies groaned louder, filling the streets with an eerie atmosphere, like a scene taken straight out of a horror film.
Fortunately, it wasn't all that terrifying. As long as I paid attention to my surroundings and avoided making noises, we could pass without issue. Slowly advancing while staying alert every step of the way took longer than expected but we eventually made it safely.
Once near the gate, a pair of zombies stumbled forward to greet us.
Crunch!
Saeko thrust her katana between their temples, piercing them instantly. Her movements were swift and fluid; no hesitation whatsoever.
Their brains ceased functioning and fell backward lifelessly afterwards.
"Hmm, this is sharp." She mused as she looked at her new blade, one of the collections in our house.
"Glad you like it." I whispered while peeking at the gate. "Now, then... The air here is so unpleasant. I have a bad feeling about this place."
"Yes." Her brows furrowed slightly before turning towards me.
I stared deeply into her eyes for a brief moment, trying to read her emotion beneath her stoic expression. What I found was anxiety mixed with anticipation. She wasn't afraid of danger nor fearful of death but anxious about unknown possibilities and hoping for something unexpected to occur during our search.
Something more exciting than zombies... The idea of having a durable killing target to test her strength on... Just like the Tyrant we met last time.
She yearned to hone her skill in actual combat again.
"Ready?" I broke off my stare, focusing back on the task ahead. "Let's check inside. Be careful, though."
With that said, we began searching the perimeter outside the police building. Nothing out of the ordinary. The interior was clean as far as we could tell. No sign of blood anywhere or corpses lying around everywhere. There were even signs posted telling civilians to evacuate.
No traces of violence were detected. The front door wasn't destroyed. Rather strange considering the amount of zombies outside the station.
'It was easy to deal with zombies in small numbers... The police probably barricaded themselves inside?'
But then, as we advanced, the strangeness of the atmosphere increased exponentially.
Despite the number of corpses strewn everywhere, the street itself seemed almost spotless, unlike what one would expect from such chaos.
'The road isn't even bloody.'
My gut feeling told me that there was no active presence within the building. At the same time though, it was unnerving. My intuition was rarely wrong when dealing with dangerous situations, thus I stayed vigilant.
And then, I saw it. A path underground, something that I had been suspecting since arriving at this place. On the entrance, a familiar red and white logo of the biggest biohazard company in the world, Umbrella corporation, was drawn on top of a steel plate.
It read: Underground Laboratory Access.
'There was another lab!'
And just then, I heard multiple gunshots being fired from downstairs, confirming my suspicion. Zombies shrieked in response, presumably startled by whatever caused those sounds.
Shit.
Someone was still alive down there.
"Let's go, sis!"
