…5 Hours Ago…
"The operation has started," Hiroyuki said, his voice laced with tension as he leaned against the window of the speeding humvee. His gaze was drawn to the sky, where several sleek fighter jets soared above the horizon, emerging from the depths of the ocean where the Destroyer ships were strategically positioned around the coastline. "We won't make it."
"Don't say that, Senpai! I'll get us across!" responded Yuichi Uyeno, Hiroyuki's long-time friend, gripping the steering wheel. Yuichi glanced at Hiroyuki, his brown eyes bright with a mixture of fear and resolve. He swerved the humvee sharply, sending it careening through the intersection, tires screeching against the asphalt as the vehicle skidded slightly. "Just hold on tight!" he urged, his voice rising above the roar of the engine.
Behind them, the sound of heavy machinery resonated as the artillery tow truck, laden with the rest of their squad and their vital equipment, navigated closely behind. Despite the ruins of the city surrounding them, Yuichi expertly maneuvered through the tangled streets of Chiba. The roads were a deserted maze of cars and overturned debris scattered from hasty evacuations. Beads of sweat trickled down his forehead as he deftly avoided every abandoned vehicle and, more perilously, the infected.
Hiroyuki remained silent as he turned to cast a cautious glance at the four passengers crammed in the back of the vehicle.
Saki cradled Keika in her arms, the little girl now quiet but trembling as she clung to her older sister for comfort. Saki's face was now shadowed by sorrow, her cheeks marked by remnants of tears that had long since dried, leaving faint tracks on her skin. Beside her, Taishi shifted uneasily next to Komachi, glancing at her with concern etched on his face. He offered tentative words of solace, but his attempts fell flat.
Komachi sat silently, her expression eerily blank. Tear stains streaked her cheeks, and her eyes, once bright and full of life, now appeared dull and distant, fixated on the wallet in her hands. Her eyes locked on the small picture of her brother on his identification card.
Poor kids. Hiroyuki thought as he turned back to the front to see the bridge they used to cross over in the distance.
Explosions echoed in the distance as several bridges began to collapse from simultaneous detonations. The bridge in front of them would have suffered the same fate if it weren't for the quick thinking of his squadmate, Yasushi Okubo, who removed the remote detonator.
"Hah! We're going to make it!" Yuichi cheered as they sped across the street. He lifted a radio and brought it to his mouth. "Hold on tight, boys!"
"Just hurry the hell up, Yuichi!"
"Floor it!"
The voices crackled through the radios of their squad mates, echoing behind them as the humvee's engine roared to life, drowning out all other sounds. The looming silhouette of the bridge drew closer, now only five hundred feet away.
Hiroyuki gritted his teeth, feeling the sting of sweat trailing down his face, but the sudden flash of two bright lights knifing through the dark sky demanded his attention. He jerked his head upward, his heart racing as he spotted two missiles streaking through the night, leaving luminous trails in their wake.
"Stop! Hit the brakes!" Hiroyuki shouted, panic igniting his voice as he hurriedly lifted his radio. "Abort! Stop your vehicle!"
Yuichi, now acutely aware of the impending danger above, swore under his breath and slammed down on the brakes. The humvee jolted forward, the tires squealing against the asphalt and sending plumes of rubber into the air as they fought to halt their momentum. Meanwhile, Naoki Okazaki, gripping the wheel of the transport vehicle, mirrored Yuichi's frantic reaction, struggling to bring his vehicle to a stop.
Just as both vehicles skidded to a halt a mere two hundred feet from the bridge, a deafening explosion shattered the stillness of the night, the missiles striking the support columns with a ferocity that sent shockwaves rippling through the ground.
Yuichi quickly shifted gears, adrenaline pulsing through him, and slammed the accelerator, reversing as fast as the vehicle could. The hellish blaze and flinging debris erupted from the smoke-laden wreckage that was once the Masagoo bridge, casting eerie shadows in the flickering light.
Once far enough, both vehicles screeched to a halt at a safe distance. Hiroyuki stepped out of the humvee, the air thick with ash and the acrid scent of burning debris. He stared skyward, his breath catching in his throat as two fighter jets roared overhead.
"What now, Okumura-san?" Mikio Takamoto asked as he stepped out of the transport vehicle. "I don't think they'll send a rescue chopper for us after we broke protocol and went against direct orders."
"Probably not. They likely already know that we disobeyed orders and crossed the bridge. We've most likely already been written off," Takayuki Mikami replied as he stepped outside as well. "Not gonna lie, we're fucked."
As his squad mates turned to him, Hiroyuki glanced back at the bridge and scanned the river. "Alright, this is what we're going to—"
Hiroyuki paused as hundreds of guttural screams pierced the sky. The roars and screams were unending, and the ground beneath the now AWOL JSDF soldiers trembled slightly.
"Those explosions… the noise. It's bringing them here," Hiroyuki said. "We can't stay here. In a few minutes, those things will swarm this entire area."
"You heard him, let's get the fuck out of here!" Yasushi said, prompting everyone to return to their vehicles.
As Yuichi drove in the direction Hiroyuki had indicated, their four passengers were lost in their thoughts, indifferent to the approaching horde of the undead.
Komachi's dull eyes slowly lifted. She focused on the back of Hiroyuki's head as he spoke into his radio, issuing orders to his squad.
Her grip on her skirt tightened as she recalled the moment he shot her brother. She would never forget how Hachiman's head jerked when the bullet struck his skull. A biting, unfamiliar cold began to rise within her chest, burning as she stared unblinking at Hiroyuki.
Sensing eyes on him, Hiroyuki discreetly glanced at the rearview mirror. He noticed Komachi's intense gaze boring into him, her cold, dark eyes seeming to penetrate his skull.
With a silent sigh, Hiroyuki turned back to the front, choosing to ignore her stare.
x x x
…The Present…
"Okay. I can do this. I just have to avoid every crazy, killer, undead person I come across. No problem. I got this."
I quietly muttered to myself as I navigated the tight, winding back alleys of the city, my footsteps echoing softly against the damp cobblestones. The scent of stale air and distant smoke hung about me. Clutched tightly in my hands was a metal pipe, an unremarkable piece of scrap I had discovered lying abandoned beside a rusted old washing machine, its faded colors peeling and worn.
The pipe was heavy, its surface roughened by years of exposure, cold to the touch, and slightly bent at one end. It wasn't the greatest weapon, but it offered me a level of reassurance as I cautiously maneuvered through the maze of alleys and tight roads. I didn't have a direction to head into specifically, but I would rather be moving than sitting in one spot.
"Okay. I'm in a city full of monsters with amnesia. I'm pretty sure I have a sister out there, so my best bet to figure out who I am is to find her." I leaned around a corner and saw four infected ripping the corpse of a woman apart. "I just hope she's safe."
Running past them, I continued running down the alleyway until I came out into an open market. The stalls around me were abandoned, and the once fresh fruits and vegetables were either wilted or mushy. Blood was splattered across the walkway as a few mangled limbs were strewn about.
Seeing such bloodshed should have disgusted me. I knew deep down that scenes like these weren't normal. But I wasn't repulsed. At least, not anymore. Had I already grown accustomed to such hellish sights, or was I once so nonchalant and cold?
"Am I the only one left? There have to be more people," I said as I walked over to a small snack stand. I wasn't hungry, but I began filling a nearby backpack with non-perishables and drinks for later. "What I wouldn't give to talk to someone."
As I was about to leave the market, two infected individuals stumbled out from behind a stall selling toys and shoes. The two men wore bloodied suits, their milky white eyes staring blankly at me.
Suddenly, a stack of boxes tumbled from behind me. Turning back, I saw three more infected appear: two high school girls and an old man wearing an apron with the logo of the snack stand I had just raided.
I had nowhere to run.
They had me cornered.
I have to fight.
I gripped the pipe tightly in my hand, causing the material to warp slightly, though I didn't notice it as I focused on the undead. Instantly, the two infected businessmen lunged at me, their mouths wide open, ready to tear me apart.
As I watched them approach, I felt an odd sense of calm wash over me. The initial panic and terror I had experienced upon first seeing the undead were no longer present. Perhaps my initial reaction was due to the confusion and erratic emotions I had felt after waking up with a brain-splitting headache. But now, facing the creatures around me, I found that I was no longer afraid.
Was that odd?
Had I always been this fearless?
I lifted my pipe in both hands and swung it in front of me, striking one of the infected in the head.
But what happened next surprised me.
The infected's skull split open and exploded into chunks from the impact, sending viscera all over the slowly rotting vegetable stand.
I wasn't given time to think about how easy I had split open someone's skull as the creature's fellow corporate slave charged. I weaved under the blow with laughable ease. I twisted my hips and slammed the pipe into his neck, ripping his head clean off.
"Holy shit," I said in surprise. "Are these things that weak and mushy? Or am I stronger than I look!?"
I was quickly reminded of the three infected individuals behind me as they tried to tackle me to the ground. Acting on instinct, I jumped back to avoid them—only to realize that I had leapfrogged five feet into the air. I yelped and flailed my arms as I crashed into a stall filled with spoiled meat, some of which ended up on my face.
"Gross," I muttered, pushing myself up and bracing for the pain from falling onto the metal frame of the barbecue stand. To my surprise, I wasn't injured. Lifting my hand, I stared at it in confusion. "What's happening to me?"
One of the infected high schoolers roared and leaped at me. I looked up just as she landed on me, her hands clawing at my face and her jaws snapping at the air. I managed to grab her wrists, keeping her at bay. No matter what she did, she couldn't push me back at all.
The other two infected hissed and prepared to dogpile me, but I pushed the girl back into them, knocking them both several feet away—a feat that shouldn't have been possible for a normal human.
Standing up, I looked down at myself with wonder.
Just who was I?
What was I?
I wasn't given the time to think about my questions any further as the undead old man made a mad dash at me. Growing angry, I pulled my arm back and punched him.
But instead of me pushing him back by the force of my attack, the old man's entire head exploded. Covering my fist in blood while sending gore onto the ground.
The other two infected didn't care for their fallen comrade and ran at me. Deciding to throw all caution to the wind, I accepted that I was simply capable of incredible feats of strength and lifted my fists into an awkward fighting pose.
I swung my arm out and watched as my fist caved in one of the undead girl's chests. She coughed up blood but didn't relent. Moving in, I reached out and grabbed her by the neck and lifted her up. Spinning around, I threw her headfirst at the other incoming undead. The impact's force caved in both of their heads. They didn't get up after that.
I stood there, panting—not from exhaustion, but from sheer astonishment. I had just accomplished incredible feats of power that could only be found in fiction and dreams.
A loud crash suddenly grabbed my attention. Turning to my right, I saw over a dozen infected creatures approaching me from the market entrance, undoubtedly drawn in by the noise of the fight.
Recalling how high I had jumped earlier, I looked up at the rooftop above me. After taking a deep, nervous breath, I leaped into the air.
x x x
The sprawling street of Chiba lay stretched out beneath me, a vast vista from my perch atop a five-story commercial building. The pavement was a patchwork of cracked asphalt, dotted with abandoned vehicles. Dozens of lifeless bodies were scattered along the sides of the road, some half-hidden beneath tattered newspapers and debris. As I leaned forward, I listened to the sounds of a passing group of the infected shuffling through the remnants of the city.
For the past two hours, I have been exploring everything I could do. I discovered that I was strong—really strong—so strong that I could easily lift a car. I was also incredibly fast, able to run down two entire city blocks in under a minute. My body was remarkably tough, almost impossibly so. To test my durability, I hit myself with a metal pipe. Nothing happened. I then dropped a refrigerator on myself, and it didn't even tickle.
Out of curiosity, or perhaps foolishness, I threw a small car into the air and let it fall on me. While that had stung, I was overall unharmed. Confirming that while I was extremely tough, I wasn't indestructible. I had limits.
As I snapped back to reality, a wide grin spread across my face. I rose up, my heart pounding in my chest. Without a moment's hesitation, I stepped forward, surrendering to the pull of gravity as I plummeted toward the earth.
In an instant, my legs thundered against the pavement, creating a deafening crack that reverberated through the streets. A massive plume of dust and debris erupted around me, swirling into the air like a tempest as the ground quaked beneath the force of my landing. Nearby vehicles were caught in the shockwave, flipping over in chaotic ballet, glass shattering and metal groaning in protest, as clouds of dust rained down like confetti.
A fall like that should have killed anyone else.
But I was built different.
Standing up, I looked out from under my grey hoodie at the infected down the street. They roared and began running toward me in a frenzy.
I smiled and began running in the opposite direction.
As I ran, I passed by undead corpses and feasting crows. The longer I ran, the faster I became. Up ahead, a ruined sedan obstructed my path. Instead of going around it, I effortlessly cleared it with a jump that conserved my momentum.
Down the road, I spotted a pedestrian overpass above several abandoned vehicles. I leaped into the air, landing on a taxi that served as a springboard, launching me over thirty-five feet and clearing the bridge. The pavement cracked as I landed on the other side, but with a front roll, I continued my run.
As I dashed down the street, I encountered another blockade of vehicles. Instead of turning around to find another route, I leaped onto a truck and sprang off it to reach a nearby traffic light to vault over. I cut across the air and headed straight towards the side of a building.
As I flew toward the reinforced glass windows that made up the building's wall, I focused on that familiar feeling from before and saw red wisps enveloping my feet. The window beneath me cracked as I landed on its surface. Contrary to what one might expect, I didn't immediately slide down the glass wall.
No, I began to run up its surface.
It was an exhilarating feeling to run up the side of a building as if it were the ground itself. I was defying the laws of physics by running on a vertical surface. I had no idea how I was doing this, but I instinctively knew how to make it happen—similar to how you move your arm. You can't explain it. You just do it.
I discovered this ability while experimenting to see how far I could jump. During one of my jumps, I miscalculated and was about to crash face-first into a library wall. But just before that could happen, I lifted my legs and planted my feet against the wall. I was left flabbergasted to find my feet covered in a red mist, somehow adhering to the surface. It wasn't a solid connection, though; I could feel myself slowly sliding down the wall, leaving behind cracks and scratches where my feet had been. From that moment, it wasn't difficult to figure out how to run up walls.
Once I reached a significant height on the commercial building at my feet, I charged my muscles and jumped off the wall, breaking the glass behind me. I soared through the air and looked down at the distant streets below. I couldn't help but laugh as I realized I was beginning to fall back down. With a roll, I landed on a rooftop and continued running.
With complete control over my body, I began to jump, flip, and roll from rooftop to rooftop. My parkour skills were at an entirely new level, beyond what normal people could achieve, thanks to my supernatural strength, speed, agility, and coordination.
As I prepared for my next leap, the world around me seemed to slow down. I caught sight of the streets of Chiba sprawling beneath me. With a powerful push from my legs, I catapulted myself fifteen feet into the open air, feeling the rush of wind against my skin and the intoxicating thrill of freedom as I leaped across the city. A large grin spread across my face, my heart racing with the adrenaline of exhilaration.
While I was eager to uncover my identity and search for the person who might be my sister, I allowed myself to have some fun as I navigated through the city.
"Hurry! Run!"
I blinked in response to the distant shout. Forcing my feet into the ground, I slid to a stop, leaving a trail of cracks and shattered concrete in my wake. I jogged to the edge of the rooftop and looked across the city, where I saw a woman and a man, followed closely by a young girl. Behind them, several infected were chasing after them as they ran toward an outlet shopping mall.
"Other people," I said, excited at the prospect of interacting with someone besides myself.
Leaping off the rooftop, I used the building's wall to slow my descent, digging my hand into the brick wall to slow me down. If I wanted to talk to those people, I first had to help them with the small horde chasing after them.