Bio Defense ~A City Built in a World That Has Ended~

Chapter 1-4

They turned on the television at the dojo, hoping to find some information, but there were no special reports or emergency alerts so far. The online news sites showed the same information.

At that time, if they had checked social media and forums, they would have seen various updates, but neither of them was very familiar with those platforms.

As they were becoming increasingly desperate, Haruka’s smartphone started playing a lively melody.

“Oh, it’s Dad,” Haruka muttered as she operated her smartphone and put it to her ear.

“Hey, Dad? What’s going on? We were suddenly told… What? What do you mean? Calm down a bit. Yeah… yeah, huh? How… yeah, at Grandpa’s place. Yeah, I understand. Wait!”

Hinata could hear the panicked voice of Haruka’s father on the other end of the phone, as he seemed to be speaking to her non-stop…

“Haruka, Hinata. I might be getting old. I don’t quite understand, but is this really happening?”

As Hinata tried to listen to the phone call’s content, Haruyoshi’s slightly dazed voice spoke up. Haruyoshi had been changing the channels on the television, but the screen, which had been showing regular programming just a moment ago, now displayed a chaotic scene from somewhere. The footage, which seemed to be filmed from a distance, showed people screaming and running away, and the caption read “Emergency” with the instruction to “Stay inside your homes, lock the doors, and do not go outside under any circumstances.”

“What’s happening?”

Hinata asked, and Haruka, who had come to stand next to her, answered.

“Dad’s phone call was about that too. Apparently, someone suddenly started acting violently in Suou Town and attacked people around them, injuring them. The police and ambulance were contacted, but when the people at the scene went to help, they were also attacked… and it seems like the people who were attacked are also acting violently, causing a panic. Dad doesn’t have a clear understanding of the situation either… but since it’s relatively close, there might be an evacuation order. When Dad said he was going to Grandpa’s place, he told us not to move from there. He said to lock all the doors and not let anyone in. I’ve never seen Dad so panicked before.”

Haruka, who had turned pale, summarized what she had heard on the phone. Haruyoshi, who had been listening to the conversation, started to look serious, like during practice, and began locking up various parts of the dojo.

They were at a loss as to what to do in this sudden, unusual situation. On the television, they could see a person who had fallen being covered by a bloodied person. In the background, there were many dark red patterns on the brand-new, white walls of a store.

The reporter who had been providing updates on the situation a moment ago was now only heard screaming, and somehow, the screen had become tilted.

Hinata felt like she had seen a similar scene a little while ago… A flash of memory from the DVD that Kanata, who loved horror movies, had rented. Something about zombies…

“Hiss!”

Haruka, who was next to her, took a deep breath and covered her mouth with both hands as she stared at the screen. Hinata, who was drawn to the television, saw that the image, which had become tilted without her noticing, now showed a close-up of a bloody man. His shirt at the collar was torn, and his flesh seemed to be gouged out. The man was slowly walking with a limp, but suddenly, he lunged at a woman who was running from behind and bit her without hesitation.

Hinata and Haruka were transfixed by the screen, unable to look or listen away from the spraying blood and the chilling screams. Blood from the woman splattered onto the camera lens, turning the screen red, and Hina watched it all as if it were happening in a distant world. Her mind began to refuse to think when a small but unmistakable word reached her ears.

“Kanata…”

Haruka’s muttered words made Hinata feel like she had been doused with cold water.

“Haruka?! Onii-chan’s there? In the place shown on TV? Hey!”

Hina grabbed Haruka’s shoulder and shook it hard, but Haruka’s gaze remained fixed on the television screen.

“Haruka! Please listen to me!”

Hinata shouted, and Haruka, who seemed to snap out of it, now looked very hesitant as she whispered.

“Just now… I saw him briefly on TV… at the newly opened game center. They were talking about going there today…”

Hinata’s mind went blank halfway through Haruka’s sentence, and at the same time, she felt a chill down her spine.

“Hinata-chan!”

In the next moment, she was in motion. She opened the entrance door, which Haruyoshi had just locked, with such force that it seemed like she was about to kick it down.

“Wait!!!”

Haruka called out from behind, but Hinata was already focused on her destination.

She didn’t know what she could do once she got there, but she had to go. Kanata might be there. That was enough reason for Hinata to go there.

Haruka stood there, staring at the direction Hinata had run off to. Her words might have been careless, but she couldn’t have imagined that Hinata would react so strongly.

“Still, this is my fault…”

Haruka bit her lip hard. Hinata was a kind and straightforward person who cared deeply about her brother. If her brother was in danger, Hinata would want to help him. Haruka had also been deeply shaken before, but now that Hinata had gone out of control first, Haruka was able to remain calm.

“I have to help… I can’t let Hinata-chan go to a dangerous place alone.”

If the television reports were true, the situation was quite abnormal, and it was hard to imagine that it could come to a matter of life and death. The woman in the footage had been bitten on a vital spot. If she could receive treatment immediately, it might be okay, but in that situation, it seemed unlikely. She would probably bleed out soon…

Hinata-chan must not go through something like that.

Haruka had spent a lot of time with Hinata since they were little, and as an only child, Haruka thought of Hinata as her little sister. She remembered a time when… it might have been during some playful moment… Hinata was thinking about how to call Haruka. Haruka wondered what was going on, but she found it adorable. She trusted Hina enough to know that she wouldn’t say anything weird, no matter how she was called.

When Haruka told her this, it seemed to make things more complicated, and Hina started calling her different names to see how it felt. Haruka told her that she didn’t need to respond or give her opinion, so Hina was probably just trying to feel out the names.

“Haruka-chan!” Hmm, there’s no problem, but it doesn’t quite feel right.

“Haruka-san?” … That’s a bit too formal and lonely.

“Haruka-oneechan” That’s it! Hinata was about to answer immediately, but then she remembered that he called Kanata “oniichan”, and if she suddenly started calling Haruka “oneechan,” it might lead to misunderstandings. Hina hesitated, and her strange behavior caught Hinata’s attention, who stared at her intently. Hina felt a bit embarrassed and replied, “Just call me Haruka like before.”

“Okay. Onee-chan will save you!”

With that in mind, Haruka felt strangely determined. Judging from the television footage, she could imagine that the situation on the ground was extremely chaotic. And the bloody man who had bitten the woman. Just thinking about his appearance made her shudder, and she couldn’t imagine him as a normal person. She would need something to protect herself. Haruka quickly grabbed two wooden swords (bokken) from the ones hanging on the wall of the dojo.

These bokken were not used for sparring but for practicing swings. Haruka’s bokken was custom-made with an iron core to add weight, something she had requested. She had never imagined a situation like this, but now she believed it would be an effective weapon.

Haruka swung her bokken once and nodded at the feel of it, then she ran after Hinata. Hinata’s figure was already out of sight. Normally, it would be a distance that they would cover by bus, but if they wanted to hurry, they would take the bus.

Haruka’s miscalculation here was that she assumed that if they wanted to hurry, they would take the bus, but Hinata, who was in a rush, couldn’t wait for the bus to arrive.

In the end, Haruka was unable to meet up with Hinata that day, and this left a lingering regret in her heart.