Silence
Two weeks had passed since I barricaded myself on the top floor of an apartment building.
I carefully cracked open the front door and winced as the hinges creaked slightly. After being locked in a pitch black room with all of the windows covered, the sudden rays of sunlight hitting my eyes from the corridor partially blinded me for a moment. I closed my eyes in anticipation of this, but it still wasn’t enough to prevent it entirely.
My vision returned to normal after a few seconds and I was able to see out into the hallway through the crack in the door. I couldn’t see much, so it’s possible there could be something hiding in the shadows further down the hall.
I sat in silence for a minute as I waited to see if anything had noticed me. After confirming that nothing was moving in the hall, I opened the door the rest of the way and quickly emerged out from the doorway before closing it behind me. I was alone.
I let out a sigh of relief and removed my hand from the hilt of the axe hanging from my waist. I didn’t even remember putting my hand there, but there were many reasons that I may need to use it.
In this new world, it’s rare to see anyone not carrying a weapon. Without a weapon, you’re welcoming death and with a weapon you’re only postponing it. My axe has seen plenty of use and the wooden handle has been dyed red.
It was a weekday — not that the day of the week mattered anymore — yet the town was eerily quiet. There were no cars driving on the streets and no neighbours idly chattering away. The only sound I occasionally heard were the caws of the countless crows circling the buffet beneath them.
I moved to the end of the hall nearest the staircase and took my binoculars out to look out the window. This vantage point gave me a good chance to survey the utter devastation that had overtaken the town.
There was a burnt out truck that had crashed full-speed into a block of houses.
An overturned car that had crashed.
The charred remains of a home that had burned to the ground.
Two trains had collided head-on at some point with the wreckage now lying sprawled out across the silent city streets.
…and the countless crows perched along the power lines.
This scene has been the norm since around three months ago. Civilizations across the world have all fallen into ruin.
I looked toward the direction of main street where a small amount of movement caught my eye.
Through the lens of the binoculars I could see several humanoid figures moving through the streets. At a quick glance, they appeared to be normal humans, but the skin around their mouth was stained red and a stringy object was grasped in its hand. If I looked closer, I could see that it was something like the intestines of another human.
There was a small group of these creatures huddled around something on the ground. It reminded me of a group of old ladies swarming to the market when there was a good sale on, but, in this case, the object they were swarming to was a dead body. And they were devouring it.
The body was once a young woman. It was as if she were being assaulted by a group of men, but through the gaps in their arms and in between them I could see she was covered in blood with huge chunks of flesh being ripped away while the creatures swarming her gorged themselves on her organs.
Bits of dangling flesh and the white of bone could be seen where her left arm had been ripped off below the shoulder. Her right arm was shaking about in response to the creatures tearing at her flesh.
It was a horrific scene, but I didn’t look away. I used to get squeamish watching horror movies and even when there were clips of doctors operating in documentaries, but I’ve grown used to this. I’ve seen corpses in worse condition and I’ve lost count of the number of people I’ve seen eaten alive. Their screams, however, will forever haunt my dreams.
A man wearing a suit that was probably on his way to work the day the outbreak started, turned to me as if he knew I was watching him. A piece of meat dangled from his teeth. The shirt on his right arm was torn off completely and the skin of his arm was almost as mangled as the body he was feasting on. He quickly returned his attention to the meal on the ground causing me to lose sight of the young woman’s body.
I lowered my binoculars and turned away from the nightmare on the street. I’ve grown accustomed to seeing people eat other people over the last few months. I no longer think about why it’s happening or what caused them to become like this. Thinking about that is meaningless. All that matters in this new world is action.
Those people — the infected, they attack people on sight and eat them. I don’t know exactly why, but they seem to be motivated by an uncontrollable hunger and increased aggression. They’re constantly starving and angry. Just the sight of a human is enough to send them into a frenzy.
I remember hearing reports before when the TV and radio were still working that the cause was some type of virus. If you become infected by the virus, you’ll lose your humanity within a few hours and turn into a creature motivated purely by rage and hunger.
The infected view humans as enemies (or maybe simply as meals), but they either consider other infected as allies or they merely have no interest in them.
All the memories they held and everything that made them human is gone. They become pure beasts that only resemble humans.
When the infected become frenzied at the sight of a human it’s as if the limiter in their bodies has been turned off. They use their full strength and feel no pain. They still remain human, however, and a mortal injury can kill them. They could lose an arm or two and keep coming at you, but the blood loss would eventually take them down.
They clearly resemble zombies from movies or games, but these infected never died before resurrecting. They were just normal humans that have been infected by a strange virus that makes them violent. This hasn’t stopped many people from referring to them as zombies and it’s honestly understandable considering the infected will continue chasing a human even if both of their arms and legs are broken.
Well, it’s not like there are many people left to call them anything.
The virus originated in Africa before quickly spreading throughout every country on the planet. The saliva of an infected possesses the ability to transmit the virus near instantly. A single bite from one of the infected will transform a human into one of them in only a few hours.
The number of infected increased dramatically with no real way to control it. Governments across the world collapsed one after another. The police and military fought valiantly against the growing horde, but in the end, all they did was add to their numbers. When your opponent is something capable of running as fast as an Olympic sprinter and can continue moving even when their limbs are cut off, there isn’t much hope for anyone. In addition to this, with each ally that falls a new enemy is born.
In Japan just like many other countries, the infected soon become the dominant species. Before the final radio broadcasts ended, there were reports that nearly ninety percent of Japan’s population had become infected or died. Public transport ended and people hid within their homes as the electricity and other infrastructure fell into ruin.
People fled from the cities to more remote areas in order to hide from the infected. But the infected were unrelenting in their pursuit and this only served to spread the infection across all reaches of Japan.
The government fell. I’ve heard rumours here and there that the SDF and whatever remains of the police have set up a base somewhere in an attempt to rebuild. I’ve also heard rumours that the base was overrun. The latter seems more likely.
I was just a normal high school student only a few months ago. After the outbreak started and we lost electricity, my family moved into a refugee camp not far from our home. Within a week of living their a large horde attacked the camp. I managed to escape but lost sight of my parents in the panic.
I met countless survivors after that day, but they’ve all either died or we became separated during an attack.
And today is the first day in a while where I’ve decided to venture out into this hellscape. I’m not doing this out of choice either but by necessity. My stores of food and water are beginning to run low.
The infected attack humans on sight, but if you remain out of sight you’ll be safe. The infected have no limiter when it comes to their physical abilities which means they can run as fast as an Olympian, but this doesn’t apply to their senses except for when it comes to no longer being able to feel any pain. They can’t see in the dark and they won’t be able to smell you unless you’re creating or emitting a particularly strong smell. If you were to drive a car or make a loud noise, they’d be able to find you based off of the sound. As long as you remain quiet, they can’t find you.
And so, after a few days of wandering alone, I found a suitable shelter for me to temporarily call home. I lived with the curtains drawn all day and night and only lighting candles when I absolutely needed to. I lived like that in relative silence for two weeks. The room itself wasn’t anything special; I simply settled on it because it was left unlocked and on the sixth-floor. The fact that I could get away with making a few small sounds without attracting attention was the main appeal of this place. Not to mention that keeping the infected out was as simple as blocking the stairway.
The infected won’t stop chasing a living human as long as they can locate them, either by sound or sight. If you hide well enough, they’ll eventually give up. It may be impossible to outrun them entirely, but if you can run fast enough and turn a corner, it’s possible for them to lose track of you. They’ll linger in the area where they last spotted you, paying attention to the slightest sound or smell, but they will always eventually lose interest. I’ve been attacked on several occasions, but I’ve always managed to escape by hiding in some manner.
The reason I’ve survived for so long comes down to two simple factors: luck and speed. I’ve loved playing outside since I was a child and tag, in particular, was my favourite game to play. This led to me being in good shape when I entered middle school and also led to me deciding to join the track and field club where I was able to set several school records for short distance sprinting.
But one of the biggest hindrances you can create is overburdening yourself. A large bag swinging back and forth on your hip can slow down even the fastest runners. There’s a convenience store not far from here that still has some supplies remaining. I’m not sure if the people here were evacuated early, or if the infected overran this area before it could be looted. Whatever, the reason it’s good for me.
However, the amount left there was more than what I was willing to carry at once. It may seem prudent to bring in as much food and water as possible, but if I got caught out in the open with a heavy bag strapped to my back, I’d either be killed or end up tossing the bag to the ground as I fled.
I decided that I’d play it safe and only take supplies with me that I could carry while still being able to run comfortably. I brought enough with me each time to last a few days and would head out again whenever I started to run low. I never starved myself. I needed to keep myself near full strength in case I were to ever be attacked while outside.
I made sure I had my weapon and a small amount of food and water in my bag before heading out. If I’m spotted by any infected, I plan on running or hiding, but a weapon is necessary in case I’m forced to fight.
I had the hatchet and crowbar I could use as a weapon and I could even use my maglight as a baton if I needed to. I didn’t own any of these before the outbreak. They were all just a few of the many items I had found in one of the houses or apartments I took shelter in at some point. It would be nice if I could find a gun, but I think the chances of me finding one in a random home are basically nonexistent. If I had survived for this long in America, I’m sure that I could’ve gathered enough weapons and ammo to have a proper arsenal, but this is Japan. The only guns I can think of are the ones possessed by the SDF, US soldiers, and only a small number of hunters. Some gangs own guns illegally, but I doubt I’m lucky enough to randomly stumble upon one of their members that just happened to have a gun on them.
Infected people aren’t like zombies from movies. They don’t have a specific weakness that is the only way to kill them. Admittedly, they are difficult to kill, but if you properly damage their vital organs or mortally wound them in some other way, they’ll die like any other human. It’s not my preferred strategy, but if it comes down to a fight, aiming for the heart will be enough to take one down.
As always, the strategy when encountering any infected is to hide first and only fight as a last resort.
If I run into a single infected, it should be easy enough to take them down with a weapon, but if there are two of them, I’ll observe the situation before deciding what to do. Taking down two is challenging. The first kill is easy, but if the two infected are anywhere near each other, the sound will draw the attention of the second and I’ll only have a split second to take that one down before I enter a foot race against the equivalent of an Olympic sprinter. If there are ever any more than that, the only option is to run.
If this were a movie, I’d be able to take down an entire room full of infected before any of them even noticed me. Even if things turned for the worse, I’d easily be able to escape, but this is reality. These infected will relentlessly pursue their prey unless they lose sight of them.
Driving a car is a suicidal act. I never got a license before the outbreak, so I’d be likely to crash without the added hazard of the horde of infected chasing after the sound of the engine. Most of the roads are blocked off by crashed vehicles or other debris left over from the chaos that consumed the world three months ago.
There’s still plenty of fuel left over at gas stations, but that’s because most of the remaining population realize the dangers of travelling by car. Hitting any of the infected while driving is also a real concern. The collision could send the body through the windshield, body parts under the tires causing them to slide, or there could be severe damage to the engine.
I remember travelling through the mountains when I was a kid, and we crashed into a wild boar. The car was in such terrible shape that we were stranded there for hours. It may be possible to modify a car to prevent these issues, but I don’t possess the skill, time, or tools necessary.
With my bag strapped to my back, I moved the sofa out from in front of the staircase and got ready for my descent. With the elevator no longer operational, this is the only route I had to worry about any infected coming from. If any did manage to find me, my plan was to escape out through the window of my room and down the fire escape.
The total weight in my bag was around ten kilograms. This included necessities like clothing, medicine, food, and water. This was the heaviest weight I felt comfortable carrying while still being able to run.
Incidentally, with my supply of food and water running low, I left nothing behind in the apartment. I don’t know what waits for me outside this building, but if everything goes to plan, I’ll be able to return here with enough supplies to last a few more days. If I were discovered and tried to return here, I’d just be leading the infected straight to my home. Even if I managed to hide before returning, they’d still continue roaming around the area they last saw me. The better option would be to hide and find a new shelter.
The only non-infected person in this town is me. I’d check outside infrequently while locked in the apartment, but the only living creatures I ever saw were crows and wild cats and dogs. Even if there are some survivors here, none of them would go out of there way to help me. If I’m spotted while outside, I only have myself to rely on.
I took my binoculars out once more and looked in the direction of the dead woman I spotted earlier. The infected were no longer gathered there and there were none in sight. I wonder if they ate their fill.
The amount of damage done to the woman means she’s without a doubt dead. That’s good. She won’t turn into another infected and I don’t have to worry about her screams drawing any infected my way.