Jobless Man’s Zombie Survival Life - Chapter 14: The Shelter, Part 2

Chapter 14: The Shelter, Part 2

“Wow! It is you, Onii-san! You’re looking super intense!”

What a cruel twist of fate.

Why do I have to run into the relative of my first zombie kill here, of all places?

Yukiko-chan’s supposed to go to a different high school, so why’s she at Yurei!?

God, you jerk! What did I ever do to you!?

…Too many sins, mostly slaughter-related.

Ignore it! Humans protect their hearts by forgetting!!

“Yeah, just grabbed whatever useful stuff I had at home… By the way, why’re you here, Yukiko-chan?”

I ask, keeping my inner panic off my face.

Yukiko-chan was close with my little sister, always popping by our house when they were kids.

That’s how we got to know each other.

Back in my carefree college days, we’d play games together with my sister.

Did fireworks in the yard too.

Time flies—like an arrow, as they say.

…No, wait, that’s the phrase.

Back then, ossan wasn’t as harsh as he got later.

After I became jobless, he’d tear into me just for saying hi.

“What’re you planning, hitting on my daughter!?”

Come on, ossan, that’s ridiculous.

Talk about wild paranoia.

Thinking about it’s pissing me off again.

No, no, let’s not speak ill of the dead.

“Me? I was here for student council stuff when that whole mess started…”

Huh, some kind of school exchange event?

“Oh! Hey, Onii-san! You said ‘home,’ right!?”

Crap! The question I dreaded…

What do I do? What do I do!?

I can’t exactly say:

“I bashed your zombified dad to death and buried him in the yard, yo!”

“Mama hasn’t come back!?”

…Huh?

“No, she hasn’t shown up yet…”

“Oh… I’m worried… Is Mama okay?”

Huh!?

Wait, what’s going on!?

She’s not… asking about her dad?

The family breadwinner doesn’t even cross her mind…?

I’m curious, but is it okay for me to ask?

No way! Let’s brush it off!

Just make small talk and part ways smoothly…

Then sleep like a baby and hightail it out tomorrow!!!

“That jerk’s probably at work, but I hope he just stays dead… (muttered)”

Oh no, I heard that!!!!

Keep it down a bit more!!!!

Your family drama’s terrifying!!

“Oh, sorry, Onii-san… Things are kinda complicated right now…”

I get it! That dark mutter gave me the gist!!

I didn’t want to know!!

“It’s fine, it’s fine. Your mom works at the hospital in the next town, right? She’s probably holed up there. She’ll be okay.”

“Yeah…”

“Hospitals have food reserves and power, so they’re way safer than home.”

“Right… yeah.”

“Exactly, cheer up. Here, don’t tell anyone, okay?”

“Wow, thanks, Onii-san!”

I sneak a chocolate bar from my pocket and pass it to her.

She doesn’t seem to want to talk about that ossan, so I comfort her without mentioning him.

Suits me fine—I don’t want to touch that either.

Did ossan cheat or something?

Hard to believe with such a great wife, but I don’t want to understand why either.

“You living alone at home, Onii-san? Why not stay here…?”

“Nah, I’m not great with crowds, haha!”

Yukiko-chan sounds disappointed, but the freedom of being alone beats safety.

I’m not exactly struggling either.

Plus, this place is apparently full, so I’ve got an excuse to bail.

“Sorry to interrupt, but could we have a moment?”

A voice calls from behind.

I turn to see a cop, maybe my age or a bit older.

Whoa, he’s huge—190 cm at least.

Built like a tank.

His ears are perfect gyoza… no, cauliflower ears, right?

Definitely a judo guy.

The young cop from earlier is standing behind him.

“We’d like to ask about the situation in town, in private…”

“Sure, no problem. Catch you later, Yukiko-chan. If I find your mom, I’ll bring her here.”

“Okay! Thanks! See you, Onii-san!”

I say goodbye to Yukiko-chan and follow the cop.

Feeling guilty about ossan, I’ll keep an eye out for her mom.

…Maybe I should bury ossan deeper when I get home…

*

“…So, that’s how things are out there.”

“Yeah, no major looting or fires so far. But a few days ago, I saw a lot of smoke toward city hall.”

“Gas station, maybe? We’re struggling to contact city hall too.”

In a room labeled “Office,” I share info with the cop.

He introduces himself as Miyata-san.

Despite his massive build, he’s soft-spoken.

The young cop’s Moriyama-san.

No need for a fake name with police, so I give my real one.

“How many survivors have you seen?”

“Three at the North District hardware store, and the student I found today. Oh, what about her group?”

“…One’s still missing. It’s hard to search in this situation.”

“Got it. Night’s dangerous.”

As we talk, I get a sense of things here.

About 500 refugees, including the original students.

Classrooms are roughly divided by region.

Around 30 cops, including Miyata-san, gathered via radio.

Other schools, gyms, and hospitals are shelters too.

Radios work, but some shelters and police HQ are out of contact.

Same with the Self-Defense Force.

They were taking in refugees at their base, but contact was lost.

Hmm, police struggling makes sense, but the Self-Defense Force?

They’ve got guns, tanks, jets.

Could zombies that even I can handle take them out?

“Miyata-san… do bites really turn you into a zombie?”

I ask the big question.

“We think so, but… no solid proof.”

“How so?”

“The time from bite to… turning varies. Some take hours, others a day and a half.”

“That long?”

“Yeah, so we have to isolate bitten people. If they turn, we… deal with them.”

“…I feel for you.”

…That might explain why everything’s such a mess.

Sounds like things could’ve collapsed from within.

You can’t just kill everyone who’s bitten, especially in this country.

It’s like holding a ticking bomb.

Yikes, that’s rough.

Gotta be extra careful not to get bitten…

Oh, right.

Almost forgot something important.

“Miyata-san… mind if I smoke?”

He looks stunned for a second, then gives a wry smile and says it’s fine in this situation.

I was at my limit—thanks.

I’ve got my portable ashtray!

They’re staring enviously, so I give them each a pack.

…They were really staring.

It was a spare, so no big deal.

It pays off—they let me keep my Japanese sword, as long as I don’t draw it.

Technically, it’s a weapons law violation, but they can’t be bothered to arrest me.

The power of bribes…!

They say I can sleep here, so I settle on the office sofa.

…What the heck! This sofa’s so plush!!

I’m hitting a furniture store next!!