Chapter 44
The moment I opened the gate of Happy House and stepped out, I saw a massive figure prowling at the bottom of the hill.
Eden quickly blocked my path and drew his sword. We had decided to refrain from firing guns if possible to avoid the noise.
Flutter.
A cloak whipped through my vision, and in an instant, Eden vanished. Before I knew it, he had reached the virus monster in the distance and swung his sharp blade high.
Splaaat!
The monster collapsed right then and there, unable to even let out a scream.
‘Wow. He’s not the protagonist for nothing.’
To be more precise, Eden occupied the role of the female lead’s older brother, but still.
After checking to make sure the kerosene lantern in my bag hadn’t broken, I approached him. I had brought the lantern just in case the sun set while we were searching for Knox.
Since the world was set in a background similar to early 19th-century Europe, there were many inconveniences, including the lack of flashlights.
Eden was using a handkerchief to wipe the green slime off his blade.
“It would be a good idea to secure extra kerosene while we’re out. Alcohol too.”
With a flashlight, you just pop in batteries and you’re done, but a kerosene lantern required both kerosene and alcohol for preheating.
Well, even without the lantern, kerosene was essential for making torches. I had prepared some before the downfall, but I figured it was best to gather as much as possible while we could still find it.
Regardless of what it was, supplies had to be secured to the absolute maximum.
I let out a sigh and walked past Eden. He followed behind me. At the bottom of the hill, the edge of Brunel Village came into view.
At a glance, the village was quiet. It was hard to believe there had been such chaos earlier. It was so excessively quiet that it felt a bit eerie.
‘Where did all the monsters go?’
I gulped and walked down, scanning the village with tension.
“Stand behind me.”
Eden spoke as he strode past to get in front of me. I nodded and stepped back. Gripping my axe, I followed him, my body taut with nerves.
Only after walking a bit further down the winding slope did we finally enter the outskirts of Brunel Village.
The tidy stone pavement was covered in bloodstains.
It was an afternoon bathed in warm sunlight, but every scene within sight was stained blood-red, creating a gruesome landscape.
I tried to shake the horrific images from my mind and looked toward the clock tower. Neither the clock tower nor the police station was far from here.
I had to save Knox. A doctor was an incredibly precious existence in this ruined world.
“Sir Eden. Even if Mr. Rudfercher isn’t at the clock tower, I think we should look a little more if he’s somewhere in the village. He’s a doctor, after all.”
I wasn’t sure how Eden took the emphasis I placed on the word ‘doctor.’ He stared intently at my face for a long moment before asking me:
“I want to save Rudfercher too. But Miss Cherry, if… if the world outside Brunel Village is fine? If so, prioritizing requesting reinforcements as soon as possible is the right move.”
“No, Sir Eden. Wait a moment.”
The situation outside Brunel Village is the same.
Judging by Eden’s reaction now, if he had to choose between Knox and a telephone, he would likely choose the phone without hesitation.
‘The capital might not even have anyone left to answer the phone anyway…!’
I swallowed the words I wanted to say.
Kraaaaakh.
While I was agonizing over how to persuade Eden, something suddenly approached from behind. I swung my axe irritably, feeling a headache coming on.
“Ugh, quit distracting me!”
Thwack.
Squeal!
I felt a dull impact through the axe, but I didn’t care and leaned toward Eden.
It was just as Eden’s bewildered face turned toward whatever was over my shoulder.
“Aaaaaagh!”
A scream rang out from somewhere.
And it seemed we weren’t the only ones who heard it.
Gurgle? Gurrrgle!
Kuaaaaakh!
Screeeech!
From all corners of the infinitely silent village air, the hair-raising howls of monsters burst forth. Tension and shivers ran down my spine.
“Shouldn’t we go? What if Mr. Rudfercher has been discovered!”
“Dammit.”
Eden immediately drew his longsword and began to sprint. I gripped my axe tightly and ran after him.
The direction the human scream came from was toward the medical center. It really seemed like it might be Knox.
As we ran toward the medical center, I saw monsters in the next block running at the same speed as us. As expected, their numbers were vast.
“Wait.”
Eden stopped at the mouth of an alley and blocked my path. Just then, the clouds cleared, and bright sunlight poured down, making the view much clearer than before.
Virus monsters of various forms were crowded in front of a building. As expected, it was the medical center.
“Is there someone inside?”
“Even if there is, I don’t know if they’d still be alive by now.”
Just as Eden said, several monsters had already infiltrated the building. Eden watched the scene silently and spoke.
“It looks like it’s already too late to save them.”
Eden was right. It looked too late. The scream from earlier wasn’t heard anymore, either.
I bit my lower lip hard.
“Let’s head to the clock tower for now.”
A glance at the medical center showed it was already a mess, and it looked difficult to even approach due to the swarming monsters. Checking the inside of the center seemed practically impossible.
Eden looked at me intently with a stoic face, perhaps out of tension, and then placed a hand on my shoulder.
“Do not leave my side.”
I nodded obediently and gripped my axe. No matter how strong I was, that was all I had. I wouldn’t be able to keep up with Eden, a police officer, in terms of combat ability.
“I’ll support you from the back.”
Eden looked back and forth between me and the axe in my hand, then let out a small chuckle.
“That axe really doesn’t suit you, Miss Cherry. Do you know that?”
Then he laughed again.
Huh? He’s laughing? How can he laugh in this serious situation?
Eden’s laughter seemed composed, almost out of place in this bizarre situation. Perhaps that was why having him by my side felt a bit reassuring.
“Then I’ll leave the rear to you.”
After replying, Eden turned around. He adjusted his grip on the handle of his longsword and walked forward.
Because of the human scream from the medical center earlier, we had ended up going in a different direction from our original destination. If we had just gone straight from the outskirts of the village, we would have reached our original goal, the clock tower.
Even if we took the back roads to avoid being seen, we would still have to pass the main road where those monsters were gathered. This was because the police station was located on the line opposite the medical center.
I whispered in a small voice toward Eden’s back as he walked ahead.
“The monsters are quite large, so it’s best to stay as low as possible. Stay out of their sight.”
Eden glanced back at me.
While Eden was looking at me, a monster suddenly jumped out from the front. I shoved Eden aside and swung my axe, blowing away the lunging monster.
Kueeeeek!
Along with the monster’s scream, the sound of a building collapsing echoed.
The monsters that had been wandering and crowding in front of the medical center stopped moving. Simultaneously, they all turned their heads toward us.
XX. We’re screwed.
I grabbed Eden’s hand.
“Run!”
After a moment of bewilderment, Eden tightened his grip on my hand and began to run with me.
In the current situation, it was impossible to get to the police station via the back roads. This was because the monsters were charging at us from the very alley that led that way.
We first turned into the back alley of the line where the police station was located. Then, we opened the back door of the first building we saw and quickly hid inside.
Eden, who went in first, quickly pulled my wrist inside. The moment I entered, the door slammed shut.
Eden leaned his back against the closed door and surveyed the situation outside. I held my breath, leaning into his chest as if burying myself there.
Kuaaaaakh!
A monster’s roar echoed from not too far away. My palms began to sweat.
‘If I had known this would happen, I wouldn’t have used the catapult so loudly.’
Eden’s chest, where I rested my head, rose and fell with a quiet tension. His hot breath touched my forehead. My mind felt like it was going white with nerves.
Thump-thump-thump—
The irregular sounds of footsteps, as if the monsters were moving in a pack, could be heard right in front of us.
After a round of noisy footsteps passed and the outside seemed to grow a bit quieter—
Tramp. Tramp.
The sound of quiet, heavy footsteps was heard very close by.
I swallowed hard and held my breath again.
Over the back of my hand, which was trembling with tension, Eden’s large hand came to rest.
