Getting arrested was now the least of my worries.
I decided to head to the nearest police station.
If memory serves, it should be just three minutes away on foot. I’d dial 110, but it’d take too long and time is of the essence.
“That’s... odd.” As I trekked across the neighborhood, I noticed a striking lack of people. There wasn’t a single soul in sight.
Granted, it’s still pretty early... Wait, no, that’s the whole problem! It’s rush hour right now, and there’s nobody out! Nada! Zilch! That can only mean one thing...
“Keep it together, man.” I nipped my thoughts in the bud and kept on running. I couldn’t bear to lose all hope just yet.
Soon, I reached the local police station.
“There’s been an accident. I need help, pronto!” I stood at the door and cried out for help... but nobody answered.
They’re probably just out patrolling the streets. Why they thought that was a good idea when somebody could need their help at any time is beyond me, though.
From what I understand, 24/7 convenience stores are the ideal place to hide from any shady individuals... But in this case, beggars can’t be choosers.
“It should be safe here,” I told myself as I locked the door.
Not even a full second later, I heard a distant thwump.
“What if there’s someone sleeping in there?” I wondered aloud, looking toward the other door where the sound had come from.
I’d heard once that police stations had their own dedicated nap rooms where they’d take turns recharging their batteries.
I circled around the counter and approached the door. This area was most likely off-limits to civilians, but I honestly couldn’t have cared less.
Do what you want with me; I just want some peace of mind.
Unfortunately, fate had something else in store for me.
“Ugh, there’s that nasty stench again.” I had opened the door just a crack, only to be greeted by a familiar foul odor.
I should’ve gunned it right then and there. Instead—whether I was just desensitized or totally off my rocker—I decided to do the exact opposite and step inside.
A uniformed police officer was on his knees, zealously chowing down on something in his hands.
Nom. Nom. Nom. Nom.
He munched and crunched away without a care in the world.
Beside him lay a girl’s corpse, clad in my former high school’s standard uniform. You heard me right—a corpse, without a shadow of a doubt. The massive, gaping hole in her stomach was all the proof I needed. Judging by the absence of any oozing blood, it was safe to assume that her heart had long ceased functioning.
Half of the internal organs rested in the officer’s grubby little hands, while the other half was, presumably, getting all warm and cozy inside his belly.
That could’ve been me.
Upon closer inspection, I noticed another two bodies sprawled across the floor. One of them had an excavated stomach, just like the girl, and the other was missing a good chunk of its neck. Common sense would dictate that they were dead, and it would’ve been right on the money in a normal world, but their jaws were quivering, indicating life.
“Th-They’re...”
Alive. All of them! Well, actually, they’re dead, but they’re also not? Man, this is way too confusing.
Anyway, I think it’s fairly safe to assume that these kids sought out the policeman, hoping he’d make the big bad monsters go away, only to find out that he’d been one all along.
This line of reasoning made me realize something else.
Wait, I’ve been doing the very same thing. Doesn’t that mean if I don’t change my course of action, my bowels or my neck are also gonna become dinner, and then I’ll become a mindless, flesh-eating zombie just like them?!
I’ve gotta get out of here, stat.
I carefully crept back to the door.
So long as the officer doesn’t take notice, I should be in the clear. The zombie fledglings are too busy violently convulsing to pose any tangible threat. Don’t you dare turn around. Yep, that’s what I thought. Good boy.
One imaginary exchange later, I was scarcely a meter away from the door.
Free at la—
“Eek!”
I was so sure I was in the clear, up until the Field Battle opening theme started playing out of nowhere, causing me to shriek.
I forgot to turn off my alarm!
My buddies and I had a set time for when we’d get together and chill in the virtual realm. I had the alarm set as a reminder... and now it was about to signal my time of death. I would’ve tried to turn it off, but it was already too late.
“Grrrgh?” The police officer lifted his head and slowly turned around.
Easy does it.
I tried calmly backing up, only to immediately trip on a folded steel chair.
Oh, gimme a break.
I tried getting back on my feet, but to no avail. My body wouldn’t—no, couldn’t move.
Dammit, dammit, DAMMIT!
“S-Stay back! Stay back, I said!”
He kept getting closer and closer until I could feel the warmth of his rotten breath as his face approached mine.
“Grargh...”
Is this game over? Am I done for? It can’t end like this!
“GraaAar—hrk!” Next thing I knew, the incessant growling had stopped.
“Hm?” I pried my eyes open and saw that the zombie’s head had fused with the blade of a shovel. Well, not exactly “fused”... More like the thing was sticking out of its skull.
This was what happened to one’s mind under copious amounts of stress.
Once I started coming back to my senses, I assessed the situation a little more objectively. The shovel’s blade had entered the zombie’s skull through its left temple and pierced it about halfway through before losing momentum and grinding to a halt.
“Eep!”
Just as I finished my evaluation, it slipped out of the skull, splattering blood all over the place. The shovel-wielding renegade must have pulled it out.
Having suffered a fatal blow to the head, the zombie fell to the ground, revealing the person behind the act.
“Is that... a girl?”
It was indeed. She appeared to be in her teens, roughly my age.
Her hair was cut in a short... whatchamacallit... bob, I think? Anywho, she had something of an androgynous vibe, but not the outdoorsy kind. Well, not with those red plastic frames resting on her nose, in any case.
The pink barrette was kinda cute... until I realized it was weeping big black tears, and that it had one eye and a chunk of its cranium missing. It wasn’t an adorable little piggie like I’d initially thought; it actually resembled a cartoonish zombie.
Questionable taste, but hey, whatever floats your boat.
The well-rounded facial features, the tapering jawline, the doe-eyed expression... This girl was plenty cute.
She perched the shovel atop her shoulder and then made a masterful horizontal swipe, slicing the officer-zombie’s head clean off.
His dome-piece bounced off the wall and landed by my feet, and I stared down at the gray matter peeking through loose bits of cranium. I’d thought I had gotten desensitized to these kinds of horrific displays by now, but the sight was so disturbing I couldn’t even muster the will to scream.
The girl walked right up to the remaining fledglings and chopped off every single one of their heads with mechanical precision, completely unfazed. It was oddly satisfying seeing fountains of blood going off to an almost rhythmic beat of tearing flesh in the background.
“Atta girl!”
Glad I never got the chance to turn off the music; makes this whole thing feel like a crazy slasher film.
Once she was finished, she turned back and started heading in my direction. As she approached, she brought the shovel overhead in one fluid motion.
Is she thinking what I think she’s thinking?
“Whoa, whoa, whoa. Chill, chill!”
The girl froze mid-swing. I could feel the blade tickling my hair.
Whew, way too close for comfort. Who is this girl anyway? And why’s she so... businesslike? It’s almost as if she’s been doing this for a living. Doing what, exactly? That I’m not so sure about.
“Are you some unique type of zombie?” she asked, tilting her head to the side.
“Uh, ‘type’?”
What an odd way to classify other humans... or what’s left of them anyway.