Chapter 45
I looked up to see Eden staring blankly at the window next to the door.
Damn it. I hadn’t realized there was a window there since I’d been looking the other way.
Beyond the glass, I saw a silhouette backlit by the fierce sunlight. It looked like a virus monster had approached right up to the wall.
Grrr…
The creature’s low growl filtered through the window. I squeezed Eden’s hand tight and bit my lower lip hard.
Shhh-drag…
The sound of something dragging a leg echoed from outside.
My body began to tremble. Through the window, I could see the chest of some creature covered in thick, black fur.
Sniff. Sniff.
The thing began to catch a scent from outside the glass.
Sniff.
The shape visible through the window moved slowly. It looked as though it was lowering its head toward the glass.
It was trying to peer inside.
My heart hammered against my ribs. I gripped Eden’s hand with all my might and grit my teeth.
Grrr—
The low, beastly growl grew even closer. Just as the creature’s face was halfway down the window frame—
Clatter.
The dull sound of something hitting the floorboards rang out. Startled, I whipped my head toward the noise.
The building we had ducked into was a clothing store, and there was someone hiding under a table near the front entrance.
It seemed the shop owner had been crouching there.
He sat frozen, face pale as a ghost, with his hand outstretched. A utility knife, which he must have been holding, lay on the floor.
Meeting my eyes, the man’s trembling lips barely moved. I couldn’t hear a sound, but I could read his lips perfectly.
H-help me.
And at that exact moment—
Crash—!
A massive virus monster smashed through the window and burst inside.
“A-aaahhh!!”
The man screamed, and the monster lunged straight for him.
Roar—!
A sound like a great tiger’s roar erupted, followed immediately by—
“Aaaargh!!”
The man’s agonizing scream and the sound of a wall being smashed echoed in succession.
“We have to go.”
Eden grabbed my wrist and ran toward the back door. I didn’t have the courage to look back and see what had become of the man.
Skreeee—!
The monsters seemed to be swarming toward the noise coming from the clothing store.
Should I be calling this a stroke of luck?
My hands wouldn’t stop shaking from the sheer tension. Sensing this, Eden’s hand, which had been gripping my wrist, slid down to envelop my hand.
I didn’t say a word. I simply squeezed back harder, as if his hand were a lifeline. We ran like that, hand in hand.
The back alley behind the police station line was narrow. Perhaps hearing our footsteps, a virus monster lunged out from behind us.
I let go of Eden’s hand and immediately swung my axe.
Thwack—!
Gurgle.
The monster that had been lunging at me was sent flying, crashing into the side of a building. Eden looked back at me and reached out his hand again.
“Are you alright?”
I pointed behind him.
“Watch your back!”
Eden swiftly drew his sword and swung.
Slash—!
Thick green fluid sprayed like a fountain. The charging virus monster was sliced in half before it could even scream, its pieces hitting the ground.
“Sir Eden, hand!”
I waved my hand at him urgently, signaling him to hurry. Eden looked at me with a peculiar expression before placing his hand over mine.
I ran while holding his hand, not even realizing I had called him over like one would a pet.
‘Damn it, I need to come up with a proper signal for retreating.’
Honderf Train Station.
It was the stop right after Kintne.
Vanilla hid behind a platform stall at Honderf Station. She loaded her shotgun, her nerves on edge as she scanned her surroundings.
The station was crawling with grotesque monsters. Her field of vision was filled with creatures she felt she’d seen somewhere before.
They looked remarkably similar to the monster she had encountered at Cherry’s Happy House.
She had subconsciously thought it might be infectious, but had some kind of germ really spread this far?
“Shit, what the hell is going on?”
Spitting out a coarse curse, Vanilla irritably brushed her pale blue hair back.
Immediately after the Happy House incident, she had received a call from the Benton Police Station saying there was an investigation and asking her to come to the capital at once.
This was because Vanilla was the owner of the mansion located at Notium Street No. 61.
‘Did they say there was a monster disturbance?’
She recalled seeing something about it in the newspapers. A headline that read: ‘Monster Incident at Notium Street No. 61.’
At the time, she hadn’t even realized it was a mansion she owned.
‘It’s not like I own only one or two pieces of trash real estate.’
The only things her father had left her after dying in a car accident were massive debts and crumbling mansions that weren’t worth a cent.
The dilapidated house in Brunel that Cherry Sinclair had purchased was one of those headaches.
‘Now I actually miss that old shack, damn it.’
If she were in that fortress-like mansion on the hill, she wouldn’t be suffering like this and might have been able to hide in relative safety.
Because monsters had swarmed the train coming from Kintne to Honderf, Vanilla knew that both towns were in this hellish state.
‘Then the capital probably isn’t any different…’
If that was the case, it was better to head back down to Brunel than to continue to the capital. It was closer, anyway.
“Huh? Wait! Lawyer, I think there’s someone over there!”
Just then, she heard voices. It was a man’s voice, sounding somewhat young. Vanilla peeked over the stall again.
Two men came into view, running along the train tracks.
“Run! Run away!”
A pretty young man with pink hair waved his hand toward her.
The brown-haired man running beside the pink-haired youth suddenly skidded to a halt and turned around. He aimed a rifle forward, took a firing stance, and pulled the trigger.
Bang! Bang!
“Hose Camburn!”
The brown-haired man shouted to the pink-haired youth. Following his lead, the youth also turned and fired his rifle in rapid succession.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
After firing their rounds, they grabbed their weapons and resumed running toward her along the tracks.
Only then did Vanilla notice the horde of monsters chasing after the two men. She faltered, holding her loaded shotgun.
‘Holy shit. What is that?!’
Eden and I finally managed to reach the vicinity of the police station.
There was a small garden next to the station. We hid among the thick bushes there to catch our breath for a moment.
Crouching in the brush, I spoke to Eden.
“We have to save Mr. Rudfercher, and then hit the grocery store. The general store too. Of course, if the situation doesn’t allow it, we head straight for the police station.”
“Understood. Once we save Rudfercher, I’ll let you shop to your heart’s content.”
Eden spoke as if such a task would be easy if he put his mind to it. What a bluff.
I looked up at the clock tower through the leaves.
At the top of the five-story tower, there was a space for a clockmaker to perform repairs, surrounded by a railing to prevent falls.
I stared at it for a while, but there was no sign of life.
“I’ll go in. Sir Eden, you provide cover from the roof of that building over there. You can get up there, right?”
Eden looked at me again with an expression that suggested he had much to say. He clearly wanted to swap roles.
I wanted that too, honestly, but the situation didn’t allow for it.
“When guns need to be used, they must be used. Getting in is important, but getting out is just as vital. So please, cover me.”
I was the one who had knocked Eden out and carried him all the way to Happy House. Therefore, it was better for me to use my strength while Eden provided cover.
In the end, Eden nodded, seemingly convinced.
“I’ll trust in Miss Cherry’s super strength. And if Rudfercher isn’t there, come out immediately. Don’t linger.”
It seemed Eden was worried I might fall into a state of panic or confusion if Knox wasn’t there.
But my real concern wasn’t my mental state; it was where I would even begin to look for Knox if he wasn’t at the clock tower.
‘Whatever. Let’s just go up.’
I nodded to Eden.
“Alright. Then let’s meet at the base of the clock tower in a bit.”
“Let’s meet again safely.”
Eden spoke, looking back at me before climbing onto the roof of the building. I held up two fingers toward him and made a shooting motion. It was the signal to attack.
“Ridiculous.” Muttering to himself, Eden waved at me and disappeared into the adjacent building.
