Hero Pandemic chapter 52: A man who could not become a hero
“……Tsu!”
I managed to pull out the power as far as I could and managed to pull my left arm from the ground. But with that momentum I slide my leg and fall to the bottom.
“Au!?”
I do not know where I struck, but my body hurts. Everything, feet, hips and buttocks are dull, sometimes acute pain.
The flashlight was broken under the sheet, and it did not react even if the switch was pushed twice.
“U……ku”
I move my hands to the wall like crawling. I heard a falling sound of something behind me. The manhole might have been forcibly shifted in search of the prey.
When I looked behind my back, I could see countless zombies wriggle in the light. Zombies fall one after another. Some of them are almost intact because they were trapped in a zombie.
I run desperately, dragging my body and not knowing whether it is hot or painful. If I put my weight on the wall, I could manage to get away quicker than the zombies.
Eventually my left hand that was on the wall touched the ladder. Of course the light can not be seen because it is blocked by a manhole. I still climb the ladder as if to hope in the dark.
The left arm pulled by the zombies was hot and it was numb and had a painful pain. I do not know what is going on, but I will climb the ladder while telling myself that it will be alright if I move.
(In a place like this……）
Far from reuniting with Kazuya, I have not even gone to the ground yet. Of course I did not intend to die in such a place and it could not have been enough to die.
“Tsu”
My hand touched the cover of the manhole. Below I can hear the zombies crowd and unpleasant sounds.
The only way to escape is to dismiss this manhole. If a car parked on top of this manhole, the game will be over at that point. It is tough to lift even a single manhole in a state where your body is tattered, but waiting in this place only death awaits.
I put much force on my legs and lifted the manhole while biting on my teeth.
“Gu……uu”
I put my arm in a slightly born gap. Even if the fear of a moment revives, I intentionally disregard it and stagger the manhole. ……Fortunately, there was no zombie attack this time.
However, there were zombies in the vicinity just not gathered near the manhole. The zombies who found me crawling from the sewage came up looking for food.
I have to get away. I have my hands on the ground――――it was stained red.
“…………A”
It is not a mass hemorrhage. Just a little bit, with a scratching wound……I was bitten, the skin torn and the flesh revealed. If proper treatment is given, a scar will not remain.
But in this world I will die from the wound.
“U……kku……hu”
Tears are overflowing. It was good that I had waterproof makeup and I stood up while I was thinking to escape from reality.
It’s game over. But why did I stand up? It was simply because my body moved.
Even if my mind has forgotten, my body didn’t because it has repeatedly moved. My feet move without permission when becoming food in such a place. I’m going to meet Kazuya and my arm will cut the sky.
(Factory……over there）
My left arm has been bitten, and my right leg seems to be buckling and I can’t walk with my weight in satisfaction. I was just a little bit faster, as if I´m a newborn type of zombie.
Still, I put my hands on a higher pass gate than my own head and managed to climb. When I got off, it was not possible to land a splendid landing, and I fell clumsy. I fall down just like the zombies I saw before.
I´m still human. It was ridiculous to move closer to zombies than anyone else, even though they were struggling to be human.
The zombies who have followed me strike the entrance gate. But they have no knowledge of climbing it. Because they are already dead.
“Hu, ……Huhu”
It is a clear difference. There was a boundary line in front of me. Only humans come to this side. Zombies can only reach for gaps from the gates.
“Okay, I’m okay……still, human……Matoba-san……”
While mumbling like a grinding story, I stood up with staggering feet. I turned my back to the zombies that were not chasing me and began to walk slowly.
But immediately attracted to the noisiness behind me, I look back.
“……Lie”
There were countless zombies. It’s a spectacle that just doesn’t change. But the zombies are pushing the zombies in front and approaching towards me. Zombies in the back also pushed the zombies in front of the zombies further ahead.
The zombies that are in the place closest to the gate are eventually crushed, their eyeballs jumped out and their faces screwed into the gap of the gate drips sticky liquid.
As the fragile faces were slowly crushed, it was a repulsive grotesque forme who had survived in this world. There is no way to averted my eyes unintentionally and it might be natural not to be able to move from the place.
However, the zombies did not have to worry about such a thought and walk further ahead. As a matter of course, the body of the zombies at the forefront will be destroyed……finally, whether the gate itself is giving up to that pressure, it makes sounds that are ridiculous and disgusting.
It was obvious that it would break soon. Of course I understand that too. However, my body does not move in spite of desire. My mind refuses that it is a bad dream in front of my eyes.
A mysterious horror propagates to my body and my joints became immovable like a broken robot.
(I have to……run away…………where?）
A peculiar sound that metal rubs is sounded, and the rail part of the gate ends its role at last. It is only a degree to suppress the momentum after all, of course, the weight of the passing gate refuses the invasion to some degree.
The gate is pushed and the zombies collapse from the vacant space. Zombies that slammed and crushed are crushed, zombies who stepped on their fellows collapse and collapse on the ground.
However, it does not live from the origin. In the place where the neck is twisted somewhat , the distance with me is shortened while facing behind without caring.
(If this is the case）
The fear was thin with the mystery and the zombies approaching. At the same time, the vitality of life.
“I wanted to die with Matoba-san”
I eat canned peaches, which Matoba-san doesnt like……come to think of it, what is Matoba-san’s favorite thing?
It was just a regret that I didn’t even know it.
The zombies reach out. When I opened my mouth, saliva mixed with blood was drawing strings.
And――――With the sound of crackers ringing, the zombies in front of me fell. Chubby and red liquid wet my clothes.
“…………Eh?”
I stare at the dead body that sinks to my chest stunned. The zombie’s head, which attacked at a good opportunity, danced high.
“Prioritize from nearby! Cut the legs! Go back to the gate!”
“Okkaayy”
“Rough treatment……noo”
It was Makoto.
The group of high school students who survived safely from that shopping mall to the Self-Defense Force Base expel and shambles the zombies.
Makoto roughly confirmed the safety of me and returned the gun that shot the zombies that had been trying to attack me earlier to the holster and gripped the sword that he was holding with one hand with both hands. Apparently the head of the zombie danced in the air seems to have been cut off with that sword.
“I will finish it……!!”
Makoto swings his sword and neutralized the zombies accurately after thrusting into their eyes.
I was looking at the scene without reality with a opened mouth.
“Yes, it’s done”
“Gate cleared, we can keep it for a while”
“Hey, prince. The princess is rescued. We gather together at the gate with KY”
“Tsk, noisy……hey, Yumi. Can you stand?”
I looked at his outstretched arm. And, the face of Makoto is seen.
“Makoto……kun?”
“Who else can you see……just let me worry”
A slightly rough telling seems to come from embarrassment rather than anger and Makoto did not match eyes with me.
“……Th, Thank you……”
There was no real taste than when zombies were about to kill me. Because the fragment did not think that it was help under such a desperate situation, and Makoto came yet, I forgot my purpose and took the arm of Makoto. With my left arm.
“……A”
Makoto’s eyes narrowed and I remembered about my left arm immediately. Even hiding it quickly, Makoto’s expression is not calm. It seems he has noticed.
“……Te”
“Eh?”
“Why did you leave the base!? You didn’t think this would happen!?”
It is reasonable for Makoto to clog me.
His childhood friend who had been picked up by a helicopter through his influence suddenly disappeared from the safe base. Taking Kaede with her who is knowledge of pharmacology.
Of course there are medical teams in the SDFB, but if you are told to make antibiotics, they would only shake their heads.
Indeed there was responsibility for what I did, and I was in a dangerous position. Still he came to help me in this way, there is no Kaede and I have been bitten by a zombie.
“Even a child can understand! If you go out, something like this will happen! Why……Why didn’t you say a word!?”
I’m bad. I know that. However, I cannot be obedient if it is denied unilaterally.
“That’s……at that time, I left in a habit!”
“I thought for Yumi!? ……How many people do you think are dead? Didnt I take care of you?”
“……For me……it’s not for me……that food at that time was not enough at all! Makoto-san wasn’t able to secure food in the basement Well, we were both dead!?”
“It was not enough……, that……it was a comprehensive step to get to the base quicker……I wouldn’t abandon my childhood friend!”
Makoto is dismayed by the word that the food was insufficient. Because he did not properly calculate the necessary food to live for a human at that time.
Usually, you will not see the food consumed by two people in a month. Therefore I even thought that I could afford to see a large amount of ingredients.
“But as a fact, Makoto-kun was not in time. I was lucky to be alive……no, it’s thanks to Matoba-san”
“W……Wh……Why do I have to be blamed……”
Makoto bit his lips.
“I’m not the hero of the story, just because I’ve been behaving sincerely to everyone’s expectations! I never wanted to be the hero! ……I’m just as normal as everyone else. But I’m relying on it, so I adversely. Because I could……however, I´m only a student. What can I do in a world like this, just as a high school student?”
I was startled by Makoto’s true feelings which had not been heard up to now.
Makoto was able to do anything in my view and I was despises to be compared to this childhood friend. However, it seems to have been a mistake.
“Why do you think we can use electricity and water now? That’s because I headed to the power plant and the water purification plant. If a high school student is heading, the SDF will follow to protect him. The SDF has the priority to protect the people and didn’t have the duty for infrastructure. That’s why I became an excuse. After all, I’m not doing anything just to be there. Zombies are real, and if you have the right equipment, you can’t get killed. So who has proper equipment? There is a human who is killing a zombie than me in front of the gate there now. What am I doing? ……Do you understand? After all, I’m not a particularly good person. It’s just a jockeying of someone’s excuses. ……Why is that? Because I’m just a high school student.”
I hold my fist so strongly that my skin splits. I couldn’t keep my eye on it.
“I’m just a bit more athletic than others and I’m just an ordinary person with a quick head rotation. Such a person, there are a lot in the world. But what I tried to do was…for you, Yumi. Even when I left the mall. I wanted to protect you. So now I’ve been chasing you……and it is like that. Am I a hero? A hero? ……No way. Because I was not in time. I could not even help my important childhood friend……!”
Slowly, Makoto reached out to his leg holster.
“Hey, Makoto! What are you doing? It’s dangerous here! Let’s get away from here quickly!”
“Makoto-kun! It might be a little dangerous!!”
I hear a friend’s voice in the distance. If you pointing a glimpse, more and more zombies were gathered at the gate.
Makoto ignores them deliberately and turns the muzzle towards me.
“I couldn’t help you but……I want to kill you with my hand before you becomes an ugly zombie at least. ……You can have a grudge. But don’t worry. We’ll bury you properly”
Rather than the eyes being directed, a muzzle is directed to my chest.
My body didn’t move at all. My head spins around. Makoto is a great person who can do anything, a childhood friend of pride. So it was disgusting. It was us, and Makoto was suffering with it though Makoto had been made to do so.
Even so, I accused Makoto because of his own arbitrary thought. At that time, as if to blame Kazuya.
I thought I had changed from that, but I just wanted to think. In fact, nothing has changed.
Makoto and Kazuya. I feel disgusted with my dwarfs compared to these two people. I can not help being embarrassed.
“……Okay”
I did not say anything. But I accepted Makoto.
I like Kazuya and I wanted to meet him again, therefore I could not just accept Makoto here.
“……I wanted Yumi to know……I’m just a tiny human”
“I don’t know what to say!”
It was a real intention that irritability would mix. But that anger is also towards him.
“……Is that so?”
Makoto laughed like he was in trouble.
The minds who passed each other finally passed. We understood the feeling of the other person only a little. But it is too late. It’s all over now.
(I’m sorry, Makoto-kun）
Tears are overflowing. Where did I make the mistake――――surely, it must be the first time. Rewound to that time, surely the ending will not change.
(Still, I wanted to see you at the end……Matoba-san）
A trigger is drawn, and a bullet pops out from the muzzle. And I bowed to the ground.