Jobless Man’s Zombie Survival Life - Chapter 0: Prologue

Chapter 0: Prologue

“AAAAAAAH!! AAAAAAHH!!!!”

The guy writhing and screaming on the ground took a bokken to the back of his head, swung down with my full weight. A sickening squish echoed as his limbs jolted upward.

I followed with a few compact strikes for good measure.

Mindlessly, like tilling a field.

Soon, he stopped thrashing, his body going limp.

Where his head used to be was a red-and-white paste… I’ll skip the details; it’s making me queasy.

I held my bokken at mid-stance, staring for a few minutes to confirm he wouldn’t get up, then finally relaxed.

I rummaged through his clothes.

Oh, cigarettes—score!

…Thought it was a red pack, but it’s just blood. Never mind.

Resisting the urge to light one, I slung my backpack, stuffed with today’s “haul.”

Some canned goods and vacuum-packed retort food. Not bad.

“Well, job’s done. Time to clock out!”

I hopped in the truck, took a deep breath, started the engine, and peeled out.

Before the “zombies” came running to the noise.

※

“Aaaah!! Every day’s so boring, senpai. Man, I wish zombies would show up or something.”

His daytime yelling made me recall the past.

Someone said that… who was it?

Oh, right—my old coworker, Kouhai-kun. A flashy but decent guy.

Except for always trying to show off his risqué videos with his equally flashy girlfriend.

Congrats, Kouhai-kun. Zombies showed up, and you’re probably in one’s stomach by now.

If there’s an afterlife, I bet you’re thrilled.

Please rest in peace, buddy.

Musing on that, I took a drag from my shortened cigarette, blowing smoke at the ceiling.

I fumbled in the dark.

Five sticks left in the pack.

…Running low. Gotta “restock” soon.

Staring at the stub smoked to the filter, I planned for tomorrow.

The nearby “Seikyomart” should still have some, but food’s running thin there.

If I’m restocking, I might as well grab other stuff.

They mostly had e-cigs anyway, and I’m not switching from paper smokes now.

Maybe I’ll head out to the suburbs, to “Neon” or “Kyonan.”

Alright, “Kyonan” it is.

I’ll grab extra gas and car supplies too.

And some work clothes. Yeah, let’s do that.

A bigger backpack would be nice too.

Decision made—tomorrow’s an early start.

I’ll head out, and if the weather’s good, I’ll go for it.

If it’s rainy, I’ll make do with cans and those nasty backup smokes.

Zombies move slower in daylight.

Even so, I’d rather not bump into them in the rain with bad visibility.

I’m not ready to die or get eaten by those tacky bastards.

I tossed the dead cigarette into the ashtray and crawled into my trusty futon.

I thought of my family, far away, for a moment, then set the alarm for 5 a.m.

“Man, it’s quiet.”

No bugs, no animals, no zombie roars.

I should be able to sleep well tonight.

It’s been two months and three days since what I call the “Zombie Outbreak.”

I’m impressed I’ve survived this long.

Planning my next steps, my consciousness slipped into sleep.

T/N: This reminded me of High School of the Dead