Episode 24: The Result of Betrayal

Clouds hung low in the night sky, blocking even the moonlight.

No wind stirred. The area around Kirioka Agricultural High School was wrapped in silence.

Around two in the morning, three vehicles emerged slowly into view before the main gate of Kirioka Agricultural High School, slicing through the darkness.

Hayato, driving the lead sedan, advanced cautiously along the dark road.

Following behind were two massive 8-ton trucks, linked in sequence.

Hayato guided them forward, then stopped. He switched off the headlights, exited the vehicle, and ran toward the gate.

"Hey, Kurohara. You ready?"

Hayato called out into the darkness as he stepped down.

Kurohara emerged from the shadows, shivering slightly.

"I’ve been waiting over thirty minutes already."

"Good initiative. So there are no issues?"

"Same as always. Nothing new."

Kurohara exhaled, as if complaining of fatigue from the unchanging routine.

"Good for you."

Eihei smiled, as though to say he was having fun.

"We go inside, open the zombie truck's cargo bed, leave the truck behind, get into the car and escape. When the car exits the gate, you close the gate from the outside, get into the other car, and drive away. Wait for the results."

"Yeah, I got it."

"Kurohara, don't mess up."

"Of course not."

As they finalized the plan, two men descended from the rear truck.

A middle-aged man with a muscular build, built for physical labor.

A tall, broad-shouldered man, resembling a rugby player.

The older of the two, radiating intimidation, approached and spoke.

"Hey, Eihei. How's it going?"

"Yes, Yamashita-san. Nothing unusual. We can start right away."

The middle-aged man called Yamashita nodded, then relayed the message to the middle-aged man standing behind him.

"Mr. Kooura, he says it's possible."

The middle-aged man called Kooura nodded at Yamashita, then glanced briefly at Eihei and Kurohara.

He raised his chin in a gesture to proceed, then returned to the truck.

Yamashita also signaled to Eihei with a glance, then walked back to the truck.

"...What about those people?"

Kurohara asked hesitantly. Eihei replied with a brief statement.

"Our construction company's vice manager and section chief. Incidentally, Onigawara is the president."

He said it without pause, then turned and walked back to the vehicle.

Watching him go, Kurohara unfastened the chain wrapped around the heavy iron gate.

He pushed the gate open. It moved silently upward.

Oil had been applied to the moving parts to prevent creaking—no sound to attract Zombies.

The gate opened. The convoy moved forward silently.

Hayato’s vehicle led, guiding the truck through the school grounds.

Along the path leading to the dormitories, a series of expanded small plots extended.

The result of desperate effort to increase food production—used for trade, or stored in case of crop failure.

Hayato laughed as he realized the plots would soon belong to his group.

“Surviving women are useful. So it’s fine, right?”

How many would survive was beyond Hayato’s prediction.

Each 8-ton truck carried about fifty Zombies.

Zombies varied in ability. Fresh ones had higher brain and body function. Hayato’s group collected those that appeared freshly active.

One hundred Zombies would play tag with two hundred people.

Once a chain is secured across the main gate, the three-meter-high barricade separating the inside and outside of Kirioka Agricultural High School becomes impassable.

How many will survive is known only to the gods.

But collapse is inevitable. Acquiring a food production site will be easier than subduing two hundred humans.

Because Zombies can be easily guided by the sight of survivors.

"Such a waste, but there are too many."

Eihei turned the steering wheel carefully and advanced the vehicle further.

As the dormitory buildings drew near, the convoy gradually slowed. Eihei glanced into the rearview mirror. A massive truck followed with steady force.

When the dormitory buildings came into view, Eihei pulled the vehicle to the side and stopped.

The truck passed directly beside Hayato’s vehicle. When the two vehicles came to a stop side by side, Hayato took a deep breath.

The dormitory stood directly in front of the truck.

The dormitory windows were dark, but one small light turned on.

Then a second window lit up.

A 8-ton truck moving at two in the morning would produce deep bass vibrations. Someone inside the dormitory would notice.

Kogura and Yamashita stepped down from the truck and began climbing onto the cargo bed.

"Hayato, turn on the lights!"

Yamashita shouted. Hayato switched the car’s headlights from low beam to high beam.

The cargo bed door of the truck, now aligned with the front of the vehicle, was clearly illuminated.

"Yamashita, move quickly."

"Yes, Miss Kogura."

Kogura’s low voice and Yamashita’s loud, clear voice echoed in sequence.

When the two unfastened the cargo bed, the sound of metal scraping twice echoed, a sharp clatter.

Once the lock securing the cargo bed door was released, a faint but unsettling sound began to seep out.

A low growl, the thud of feet on the floor, and the countless steps of many feet—just barely audible.

Kogura and Yamashita, locking eyes, opened the door at the same time.

Immediately after, they dashed toward Hayato’s vehicle, fleeing the foul odor.

Hayato’s eyes, waiting for them, reflected a horrifying scene: nearly a hundred zombies spilling out from two 8-ton trucks packed tightly within.

The zombies’ eyes were vacant, their skin discolored. The light from Hayato’s vehicle made them flinch, their faces twitching as if blinded.

"Good work."

Yamashita opened the rear door of the vehicle and praised Hayato’s efficiency.

"Thank you, Yamashita-san."

Eihei had bowed not only because he had been praised for his efficiency, but also because he could not drive the large truck himself.

At nineteen, Eihei did not possess a large vehicle license. His handling of the unfamiliar eight-ton truck’s cargo bed was clumsy.

This was a situation where failure was not an option. The dangerous task had fallen to the skilled Ogura and Yamashita.

Following Yamashita, Ogura climbed in through the rear door and slammed it shut.

From the dormitory, cries signaling an anomaly had already begun to rise.

Anyone shouting would attract zombies. The danger was clear.

The reason the truck’s high beams were on was to illuminate the dormitory—where zombies could find prey—and to awaken the dorm residents, provoking noise.

The zombies, now aware of the dorm’s prey, swayed their bodies as if uncertain whether to approach the vehicle or the dorm.

"Run."

Hayato’s cold voice reached Eihei’s ears. The brake pedal released.

The steering wheel turned. The accelerator pressed. The vehicle reversed, pivoting, shifting its direction toward the main gate.

“Eihei. Good work.”

“Yes. Thank you, Ogura.”

“Efficient setup. And Kurohara, wasn’t it? If they can perform, it matters little.”

Ogura’s words were brief. But Eihei understood: “Kurohara need not be discarded. They can be included among the lower ranks.”

Recognition as a group member meant sharing in the group’s gains.

Food. Women.

The first was obvious. The second was forbidden among the teachers at Kirioka Agricultural High School. Consent was one thing. Force was another.

So Kurohara had joined Eihei’s group.

“There’s still work left for that one.”

After distancing the Zombies and moving the vehicle forward, Kurohara stood before the gate.

Kurohara’s face, illuminated by the light, showed relief—then twisted abruptly into terror.

Isshin’s sense of unease made him glance into the rearview mirror. From behind the truck’s headlights, a single shadow appeared to follow.

It was not moving at a slow, shuffling pace. It was keeping up with the speed of a vehicle.

Behind you, a zombie is coming!

Hayato’s voice made Ogura and Yamashita turn around at the same time.

And stared at the zombie approaching at an unnatural speed.

A newcomer, then.

Kogura muttered briefly. The tone of her voice carried a faint trace of irritation and impatience.

Newly created Zombie. Possesses intelligence and physical ability comparable to a drunken human, with some individuals capable of running.

Hayato and the others had chosen fresh Zombies, but some of the individuals were too fresh.

"Fast on their feet. Probably someone who used to run on land."

Yui remained calm inside the safe vehicle.

Hayato pressed the accelerator, increasing speed. The shadow of the newly made Zombie in the mirror did not fall far behind.

The car passed through the main gate, then stopped ten meters ahead.

Kurohara hurried to pull the iron grille, attempting to close the gate.

But in his haste, his movements were clumsy.

After finally closing the gate, he reached for the chain, but dropped it.

In his rush to pick up the chain, he dropped the padlock meant to secure it next. Panic led to failure, failure led to further panic, and his movements became unsteady.

Then, just as he finally managed to wrap the chain around the iron grille and attempt to lock it, the zombie’s hand seized his body.

“Hah—let go!”

Kurohara shouted, trying to pull the zombie’s hand off.

But the zombie, who had likely been stronger than Kurohara in life, still surpassed him in strength despite its current state.

It held onto Kurohara’s clothes and pulled him closer.

Watching this, Hayato asked the two in the back seat.

“While Kurohara is caught, should we attach the padlock to the chain now, or proceed with driving the car out?”

“…The objective is to take this place. Yamashita, help. I’ll drive.”

“Understood, Ogura.”

A cold proposal followed by a cold command.

Among the three who exited the vehicle at once, Ogura moved to the driver’s seat.

Hayato ran to the gate and completed the installation of the padlock that had just been finished.

Yamashita ran up with a blunt weapon and covered Hayato, ignoring Kurohara.

"Hey, Hayato!"

Kurohara could not even utter a plea for help. Hayato replied without mercy.

"Didn't I tell you not to make a move?"

Hayato turned on his heel and ran toward the vehicle.

Yamashita followed, entering from both rear doors. The doors closed. Kotake pressed the accelerator.

The vehicle, leaving one person behind, vanished into the night.