Jobless Man’s Zombie Survival Life - Chapter 8: Hardware Store Expedition

Chapter 8: Hardware Store Expedition

At the entrance of the nationally famous home center “Kyonan,” with its phoenix logo, I stood alone.

No living humans around.

The North District’s power is out too, so it’s dim inside.

I flicked on the light taped to my helmet, but I couldn’t see much from outside.

If I get the chance, I’ll grab a brighter one.

I chucked a rock I picked up near home as hard as I could into the store.

It flew deep, making a loud clatter.

Listening closely, I heard zombie noises from the back.

Two… no, three maybe.

After tossing rocks in different directions, I figured there were at least seven or eight zombies lurking inside.

※

…That’s a lot.

Or maybe not, considering the store’s size.

I’ll move as stealthily as possible.

Noting where I threw the rocks, I slipped inside quietly.

※

Scanning my surroundings, I started looting.

First, the charger section near the entrance.

No sound reactions here.

Jackpot! Big mobile batteries and solar chargers!

These first.

I stuffed them into my vest pockets.

Grabbed all the batteries from the next aisle too.

Got a charger at home, so I took every rechargeable one.

Across the aisle, a huge poster caught my eye.

A half-humanized phoenix mascot screaming:

“Disaster Supplies Fair!”

Talk about timing!

Dry biscuits, alpha rice you just add water to, canned goods, calorie bars, long-shelf-life bread!

I crammed as much as I could into my backpack.

※

Hyping myself up, I got close—then something grabbed my leg.

A young clerk-looking zombie, missing its lower half.

“Oaaaaah!!!!”

“Whoa!?”

Crap! It screamed, and I yelled too!

Zombie screams echoed from the shadows, answering it.

Damn it! Right at the entrance!?

“Ora!!”

I yanked my bokken from my belt and smashed the half-zombie’s skull.

My grip loosened!

Hit it again, grabbed my backpack, and sprinted to the entrance.

Heavy footsteps thundered behind me.

I burst through to the parking lot.

Looked back.

Three zombies chasing.

I tossed my backpack to the ground, steadied my breath, and waited for the first.

Shouldered my bokken like a batter.

“Ra!!”

As it lunged, I stepped forward and swung down.

Nailed it—its forehead caved in hard.

First one dropped.

Second one closed in.

I turned and ran again.

Ten meters, then spun back, readying my stance.

“O!!”

Too early!

Smashed the second one’s nose, flipped the bokken, and swung up, cracking its jaw.

Third was right there.

“…No!!”

Kicked the wobbling second one, knocking it into the third.

Both fell.

Closed in fast and smashed their heads.

They spilled something I didn’t wanna look at and went quiet.

I let out my held breath, recovering, scanning around.

…Nothing moving.

※

Thought I was done for, but this worked.

I call it the “Bakumatsu Samurai Tactic.”

Run, let them chase, and take them out one by one.

Borrowed from a manga I was obsessed with in school.

Thanks, man-slayer guy.

But damn, this is exhausting.

※

I went back to the entrance, using the tactic to lure and deal with the rest of the zombies.

When I got tired, I climbed onto a car roof in the lot to rest.

Higher cars seem to stump them.

Zombies being brain-dead saved my ass.

Tiring as hell, though.

※

I chugged well water from a PET bottle I brought and lit a cigarette.

Zombies littered the parking lot in front of me.

…Nine total.

There might be more like that half-zombie, but their mobility’s low—just crush their heads carefully.

Feeling tougher after these past few days, I went back in.

…First, better lights.

Found a high-powered helmet-mount light in the flashlight section and swapped it on.

Bright as hell. Civilization’s glow.

I can see everything now!

Ugh… the floor’s covered in blood and human bits. Gross.

Seeing too much is a curse.

※

Stuffed my backpack with preserved food, gas for the portable stove, and other small stuff, then headed to the truck.

Dumped the haul in the bed and went back to the store.

Made a few trips, scoring a ton of food.

Finally, I grabbed a cart from the entrance and hunted for the big prize: a generator.

This place was surprisingly untouched.

Maybe the zombies scared others off.

If someone notices I cleared the zombies, this place might get picked clean.

Gotta load the truck to the brim today.

Picked a diesel generator.

Lightweight, low noise, according to the tag.

Electric ones are obviously useless.

Secured it, then looked for other useful stuff.

Poly cans for diesel, electrical cables, a decent-sized iron pipe.

Wanted boards to seal the house, but those can wait.

Found vegetable seeds in the gardening section.

Gotta avoid nutrition issues.

With power out, supermarket veggies are done for.

I’ll try planting these in Mom’s garden space.

If that fails, I’ll raid a farm outside town.

Pretty barbaric thinking, huh.

In the auto section, I grabbed a side mirror.

And a small car navi—truck doesn’t have one, so yoink.

They had nail guns too.

But Japan’s safety regs make them useless as weapons.

Pass for now.

※

That’s it for this trip.

Got the generator, tons of preserved food, and more.

I’ll come back for anything else.

Whether zombies move long distances, I’ll figure out later.

I pushed the heavy cart back to the parking lot.