Volume 2 Chapter 32 (1/2)

The city was quiet

Heading east on the highway, there wasn’t a person in sightNot a single zombie either

While avoiding the abandoned cars on the road, they slowly headed east in the truck

As theyTakashi+ in her lap, she wasn’t wearing a seat beltBehind the seats lay Yuu, wrapped up in a blanket

Where City Hall was located resembled a sand bank at the point where a river splits in twoIt was sitting in between a river to the east and west

(So that’s how it is…)

Yusuke thought this while taking in the approaching scenery across the bridge

North of the sand bar was a co banks and hotels lined up

In front of the buildings, across a large road, stood City HallBehind it was a large parkIt had a parking lot and sidewalk paths winding through it, creating a nice backdrop for the building

Perhaps because the zo to approach from the water sideIf it was this place, which was almost completely surrounded with rivers, they could prevent zombie intrusionsAll they needed to do was be cautious of attacks froes

He had visited the placeat it now, it was built in a good locationWith the help of this kind of terrain, over 100 people were able to survive

Crossing the bridge, they saw people aheadThey appeared to be 2their handsBoth of theth

Mizuki’s body tensed beside him

Looking at his handgun, confir it was ready to be used at a moment’s notice; he opens the driver sidea little and drops the speed of the truck

He slowly brings the truck to a stop in front of the men

Thehat raise one hand and opened his mouth

“Hey!”

“hello”

Yusuke’s short reply was followed by silence

The at to say

Thinking about it, it had been a long time since he had a conversation with anyone other than Mizuki

Yusuke takes the initiative,

“Ah…… are you from City Hall?”

“Y, yes!Did you hear the broadcast?You did well in staying safe”

“ThanksThough there’s three of us, can you take us in?”

“It’ll be fineWe’ll guide you underground so follow usSlowly if possible”

Saying that, theYusuke followed the at the sideoverly suspicious about their movements

Turning his gaze ahead, he can see people walking out froan iron pipe in their handsIt seeuide them further inside in place of the sentries

It didn’t appear as if the male sentries had contacted anyone, so they must have decided to place the two by the barricade upon seeing the vehicle

(This could turn bad…)

They were ht

Countless people were looking down at them from the s in the top floor of City HallPeople of different age and gender were looking at them with faces filled orry as well as curiosityThey were refugees

Yusuke slowly lets out a breathThey seeitimateThe man he first spoke to had also appeared to be honestly happy that they survived

Returning his gaze, he brings the truck down the slope to the dark underground parking

He had been expecting the platforSince rescue would be co in a few days, it wasn’t a situation where they needed to desperately secure rations

In place of that, they were told to hand over everything that could be used as a weapon for the sake of i security

Yusuke hesitated a bit, but it didn’t look like he would be able to keep anything hidden, so he did as requestedHe also handed over the pistol, wanting to avoid any needless troubleHe had a spare gun, and if he re it overWhen he gave the gun which had lost its weight to the sentry, he received it fir there were no bullets in it, the sentry seemed relieved

Fortunately, there was a doctor a the survivors

It was a young female doctor in her mid twenties with dark circles under her eyesHer wavy black hair was tied up behind her, with frayed bristles covering her face down to her cheeksShe looked tired, as if she pulled an all-nighter

While feeling around Takashi+’s belly,

“Has he vomited?”

Yusuke shakes his head

One of the rooms in City Hall had been renovated to serve as a doctors officeThe lights orking, so they eneratorHe could also here the faint sound of the refrigerator running

Takashi+ was resting on top of a si treatedMizuki had walked over and held his hand

The fe the affected areasHis leg is swollen with cuts here and thereFrom there, the doctor speaks to what appears to be her assistant,

“Bring me a 30 centimeter ruler fro sier than 30 centimeters”

After she finishes speaking, her assistant disappears into the corridor

The doctor takes a bandage from the numerous first aid kits on top of her desk, and wraps the wounded area as she speaks

“We don’t have an x-ray here, so I can’t be certain if there is a fracture or notBut just in case, we should keep the leg in a fixed position while we monitor it”

Mizuki watched orry on her face

When she is finished wrapping the leg, the doctor asks him,

“Takashi+-kun, does your stomach hurt?”

Takashi+ shakes his head

“Is that soWell, if it becoht?”

He gives a small nod

She presses her stethoscope against his chest,

“Please take deep breaths for a moment”

Takashi+’s chest slowly begins to rise

“Does it hurt breathing in?”

Takashi+ replies “Just a little”

“OkayThanksDon’t cry, you did well”

The feently

The fe two thirty centimeter rulers

Receiving the rulers, the doctor sterilizes the the the the affected areaTogether with her assistant, they tied the with a towel

“You’ll have to stay off your leg and rest for a whileAlso, if you see blood in your urine, please contact )

Mizuki, who had been watching the treatment, speaks anxiously

“Ano… will he be alright?”

“He hasn’t shown any severe symptoms yet, so at this ti, it would be better to not use painkillersIf the pain becomes intense, please let me know”

“OkayThank you very much”

Relieved, Mizuki bows her head deeply

The doctor stares blankly at her for a bit, then opens her mouth

“…Whether or not you two have been injured, let’s confirm it nowFujino-san, come hereTakemura-san, please follow that Tamiya-san’s instructions”

Saying that, she takes Mizuki and disappears into the next room

A s him behind a partition wall(TL: One of those screen walls)

Behind the wall, Yusuke does as instructed and re to show that there are no wounds on his bodyThey ary of hi Yusuke’s body, the man let out an “Ok”

Yusuke returns to the bed, and after a while, so did Mizuki and the doctor

When the inspections were over, the man Tamiya called over spoke

“Sensei, may I continue the procedure?”

“Yeah… that’s rightThe evacuee’s cardPlease have them fill it out hereI do not what to pointlessly move the child”

“Roger”

After a while, a refugee forht out in front of YusukeIt asked his age, sex, street address, whether he had any diseases, skills/qualifications, and a checkbox for if he owned a carA single sheet was given to hile household

Yusuke wrote his na, Mizuki and Takashi+ write their names as well

In this kind of confusing situation, they group people who have been traveling together in the same householdRations would be distributed to the representative of the household, and the representative would in turn distribute theroup

After the rules were explained, they were guided to their sleeping quarters

Along the way evacuees were sitting on chairs and benches in the corridors, chatting peacefullyBecause there was no heater, everyone was overdressedThere were ned to the workers (TL: Workers as in Men I guess)

It was most likely because rescue was on its way, but everyone had bright expressionsAs Yusuke’s party passed through, curious gazes were directed towards them

(They don’t really look like they’ve been cornered…Theywell)

As he was thinking such things, they arrived at their destination

The destination was a room on the second floor, across the hallway, in the west branch of the governThe room was about half the size of a classroom, and had a partition wall set up in the cornerIt had a na unit”A stove had been placed at the center of the room

Inside the room were five peopleCardboard and sheets were spread on top of the tile and carpet floorEveryone had improvised their own beds to sleep inEveryone had dirty and exhausted appearancesnobody lifted their face to look at them as they entered

It was completely different fro the wayThese were probably the people who had shown up after hearing the broadcast

The uided them walks over to the wall,

“Have that child use thisHis level of exhaustion reater”

He spreads out a disaster stockpile mattress beside the wallTakashi+ lays on top of it and covers himself with a blanketHis expression becomes calmer

Yusuke lets his field bag down from his shoulder,

“Thanks for everythingYou saved us”

“No, it’s good the kid is okayIf anything happens, call the people outsideWe distributenow?”

“No… more than that”

He increased their distance from Mizuki and Takashi+ a little

“There’s the corpse of another child in the truckWe’d like to rave for him, will that be okay?”

The man’s face becomes stiff

“……Was he bitten?”

“NoHe was killed by a human”

“Ah… is that so…”

The man’s face relaxes,

“A child huh…What a coincidence”

He shakes his head,

“We had an old oing to bury hiether at that time?It’ll be easier with more help”

“We’ll be in your careThanks”

“Well, rescue will be here soonDon’t lose your spirit”

“YeahThanks”

Finishi+ng the conversation and returning, Takashi+ was already asleepHe had been exhausting the strength in his body the entire time they traveled thereHe had reached his limit

Mizuki stayed by Takashi+’s side, watching hiiven thees with

Yusuke sits beside her,

“It was good there was a doctor here huh”

“Yeah…”

Mizuki nods slightly

Takashi+’s injuries were definitely cause for worry, but it didn’t look like his condition was going to change anytime soon

“You haven’t slept either right?I’ll et some sleep first”

“……”

Handing Mizuki a blanket, she takes off her jacket and drapes the blanket over herselfThough there was a stove at the center, it was still cold in the large room

She lies on the floor next to the wall, curling up with her knees in her chestShe looks si as she sleeps

“………”

Yusuke sits there in silence, thinking about various things

Rescue would come in three daysHow many people would survive until the rescue comes?How many safe places are left?

(What’s going to happen now…)

While they rested their bodies, the people around them increases little by little

It wasthat day, other survivors began to arriveBecause they were all piled in the same room, the once wide open space became cramped and crowded

Every time someone came and went, Mizuki woke upShe would look at Yusuke and her brother froed, she would go back to sleepThough after repeatedly waking up, it would be a shallow sleep

While nursing Takashi+, switching out with each other to sleep, it beca LED lantern at the doorway; Yusuke, Mizuki, and her brother eat dinner

The number of people in the rooroups of two or three peopleThere wasn’t really anyone that was by themselves

What stood out in the center of the rooroup of 10 peopleThey were irls ht with theroupThey weren’t keeping their voices down, and were talking actively a themselvesIt was the same atmosphere as a campsite

On the lantern above the doorway, there was a note attachedThe writing could be read fro readers to call for help should anything happen, like the toilet going out of order

Outside in the corridor, a group ofpeacefullyYusuke leaves the roo he is going to the bathrooerous or anywhere he has no business going

On his way to the bathroo corridor

They see out of the rest of the govern

Yusuke suddenly thought of so

(……Are we being isolated?)

If you thought about it, it was a stable environ newcomersThey didn’t knohat all kinds of people would be arrivingIt was also possible soe for them to be cautious

With rescue on their way, they broadcast the inforoodwillThat the people ere accepted were slightly inconvenienced couldn’t be helped

Using the bathroosMost likely to save power, one in five florescent lights had been rehts further apartEverywhere except the corridors were pitch black

The stalls external tank had been attached and could be used to replenish the water in the toiletIt was unexpectedly well prepared

(TL: Not entirely sure about this oneJust think of it like refilling the tank manually on a normal toilet)

The power outage had just happened yesterdayIt did not appear to be addressed in a hurry, so they must havethe power going out

He had felt it ever sense they arrived at City Hall, but they were extre out orders must be competent

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After he inspected the other doorways and closed fire exits, Yusuke returns to the room

Upon seeing him enter the room, Mizuki’s face blatantly revealed her relief

The followinga chill in the air

“Ah, I’m sorry……”

“Yes……?”

He rubs his eyes, half asleep

Thethe sleeping evacuees, cra in the corner of the rooht beside him

Cold air rushed in through the gaps in the blanket as Mizuki dove under the covers with theh from the other side of her cold clothesIt appeared as if she left to use the bathroom

Bringing her face close to Yusuke’s ear, she whispers to him

“It’s okay if you keep sleepingI’ll get up”

“I’ve already woken up… I’ll get up in a minute”

“Okay”

With that, the two fell silent

Together under the same blanket, time quietly passed

“Takemura-san”

“Nn?”

“……Thank you very much”

“For what?”

“……For everything”(TL: “Iroiroto”sounds better)

Muttering softly, Mizuki rests her cheek on Yusuke’s chestIt was as if she were a small animal

As the sun rose, the evacuees began waking upThere were people going to the bathroo to each other around the stove, and people asking about when the meal would be distributedThe room was filled with a crowded atmosphere