Ch.136Chapter 18. Trust (6)

The weather got too hot, so I put up a shade on the rooftop. Since it was difficult to do alone, I asked Camilla to come with me. Surprisingly, she agreed with a simple “Sure” and followed me. She worked silently alongside me.

Suffocatingly so.

Since I brought Leticia, Camilla had stopped engaging with me. She never came looking for me, and when I went to find her, she would send me away saying she wasn’t in the mood.

Avoiding conversation?

She still participated in daily activities—exercise, work, or reconnaissance—without fail. She still exchanged casual greetings and even washed my dishes. But beyond that, when it came to emotional connection, it felt like she had built a wall.

It’s the same now. As soon as we finished working, Camilla naturally headed for the exit.

“Johan, I’m going down.”

I positioned myself between Camilla and the exit.

“Camilla. Can we talk for a moment?”

“About what?”

Her tone suggested she was reluctantly listening. This is really dangerous.

Camilla is straightforward about her likes and dislikes. When someone like her responds this formally, it means she’s really holding herself back.

If she explodes, the results could be catastrophic, and she herself doesn’t want that. So I need to approach this carefully, like slowly releasing pressure.

“Ah. I was talking with Cassandra about this—you know the reagents and lab equipment we brought back? We want to cultivate ‘our’ virus and spread it among the zombies outside.”

Thankfully, Camilla showed interest. If it had been something ordinary, she would have cut me off with “later,” but something this outlandish was different.

“What are you talking about?”

“We want to try re-infecting the zombies outside with the Cro virus that’s in ‘our’ bodies. So…”

I explained what I had discussed multiple times with Cassandra and, though I didn’t mention it, with Leticia as well.

Cassandra had worked at the Disease Control Agency, and Leticia was with the National Military Police. Different positions, but both had been on the frontlines dealing with the virus and zombies.

All zombies try to eat living creatures when they see them. Aggressively. They’re somewhat less aggressive toward different species, but they still recognize them as food and attack.

However, they generally don’t attack zombies of their own species first. A zombie magpie might tear apart a living magpie or a zombie crow, but rarely another zombie magpie.

The same applies to humanoid zombies. There are exceptions like the Military Police zombies, but generally, zombies might squabble with each other but don’t immediately try to eat one another—unless the other is bleeding or covered in blood.

“So I thought, ‘Maybe zombies can make at least minimal distinctions?’ I’ve never seen a zombie dig up dirt or chew on rocks out of hunger. They know what they can’t eat. Look at those ones outside. With a little training, they follow us pretty well. That means they have at least some intelligence. Like animals.”

Perhaps my explanation was too lengthy. Camilla seemed a bit overwhelmed.

“So what are you trying to say? You want to infect those zombies outside with the Cro virus in your body?”

“Yes. Exactly.”

“What’s the point of that?”

“Remember what Cassandra said? The Cro virus in our bodies produces pheromones. If zombies and we emit the same pheromones, wouldn’t they consider us their kind? It’s like wearing the same uniform. Soldiers might try to shoot each other, but they don’t shoot those wearing the same uniform.”

Camilla seemed to grasp what this meant. I’m not expecting friendliness. Even neutral zombies would dramatically improve our quality of life. It’s such a hassle to worry about them sneaking into the base or attacking from outside.

“So Camilla, this is a repetition and amplification of what we’ve been doing. Remember how we threw our worn clothes and blankets at them to imprint our scent? It worked to some extent. This is basically the same thing. What do you think?”

Camilla answered immediately.

“Good luck with that.”

“Come on, is that all?”

“What do you want me to say?”

“Anything.”

Camilla’s face contorted. I spread my arms to show I was sincere.

“Really. Just say something. Anything at all.”

“Anything?”

“Yes.”

“So three human women aren’t enough for you, and now you want zombies too?”

Wow.

I wasn’t expecting something this scathing.

Camilla, having made up her mind, brushed her forehead.

“Do you know how I felt? What if I went on a solo mission and brought back a tall, handsome, well-built man, and said, ‘I felt sorry for him so I picked him up. I slept with him too. I’m going to take care of him.’ How would that make you feel?”

Wait, I didn’t say it like that. Camilla was trying to stay calm, but she was getting excited and speaking faster.

“And it’s not even a stranger. Isn’t she the woman who was clinging to your side when I was driving to Hampton? And she’s a National Military Police officer. She still has her phone. One call and the National Military Police could drive trucks right up here.”

And she wore spandex tights and fired smoke grenades to help us escape. I should probably mention that later. Throwing a cup of cold water on a burning forest won’t put it out.

“Is what I’m saying strange?”

“No. You’re right.”

“Then why did you bring her?”

This worked with Cassandra. Will it work with Camilla too?

“…I thought it would be better for us. Me. You. Cassandra. I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you beforehand. The situation was deteriorating so quickly that I had to make a decision fast.”

“Am I included in that ‘us’?”

That stings.

“Camilla?”

“I get it.”

Camilla lowered her head.

“I understand how you feel. You never really liked me from the beginning, right? I approached you first because I liked you, and you reluctantly accepted me. Then when other people came, you accepted them the same way. You’re really special to me, but I guess I wasn’t to you.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You were more than enough for me…”

Camilla blinked rapidly and lowered her head. She gently pushed me aside and ran down the stairs. I quickly followed her. Somehow, I felt if I didn’t catch her now, I never would.

“Wait, Camilla—aaagh?”

“Get out of my way!”

I felt the ceiling and floor flip. Camilla had thrown me. I frantically reached out and grabbed her. I pulled her into an embrace.

THUD.

Camilla and I fell side by side on the corridor floor. I barely managed to hold onto her as she desperately tried to break free. My back felt like it was going to burst from the fall, but I gritted my teeth and endured.

“Let go!”

“J-just wait!”

I thought my strength had improved considerably, but apparently not. Camilla was trying to push me away with just her arm strength. I wrapped my legs around her lower body. Our bodies were pressed together quite intimately, but there was no time to worry about that.

“L-let go, I said!”

Camilla, flustered, didn’t know what to do. I desperately turned and pinned her to the floor. Even in the dim light, I could see sparks flying from Camilla’s eyes. She was trying to lift me up with her strength.

“I said let go!”

I desperately held onto Camilla. If I gave her space, she would probably punch me. And it wouldn’t end with just a broken rib or two.

I was as scared as when I saw Virginia running toward me. Even when I was lying in the trunk of a moving car, it didn’t shake this much. But it seemed like she was about to break free.

“Don’t go.”

I barely managed to whisper to Camilla. Not romantically in her ear, but gasping it out with difficulty.

“D-don’t go. Camilla.”

Camilla gritted her teeth and shook off my arms. She broke free. I still had my legs wrapped around her lower body, but Camilla was lifting my body with all her might, and my strength was fading.

“Get. Off. Me!”

Camilla was also using all her strength. But so was I.

“No!”

“Because you’re important to me!”

The strength in Camilla’s arms suddenly gave out. In the moment I was thinking “uh-oh,” her lips approached mine. It was a bit too fast.

“Ow.”

Our faces collided. My forehead felt like it was splitting, and my nose felt like it was being torn off. At least our teeth didn’t clash?

“J-Johan. You’re b-bleeding…”

Camilla’s voice was panicked. Her face was covered in blood. Something was dripping from my nose. The next moment, I landed on my backside, and she jumped up.

“I’ll g-get some tissues.”

“Juh-wai-muh-men (Just wait a moment).”

My nose and mouth were numb, making it hard to speak properly. But I could still grab her ankle.

“Your nose is bleeding, let go!”

“Your place is he-uh (Your place is here).”

No. I tried my best. It’s impressive I managed to say this much with a numb mouth. I tapped my chest.

“Al-ways he-uh (Always here).”

I wonder if I look like an idiot, grinning with a nosebleed. But if not now, I feel like I’ll lose Camilla forever. This is better than that.

“…What…do you want me to do? Seriously…”

Camilla sat back down. Without hesitation, she took off her top and wiped my face.

“Ow, ow, ow. That hurts.”

When I exaggerated the pain, she pressed harder. I saw stars.

“I wanted to hit you, so this works out.”

Camilla wasn’t in great shape either. She had a bump on her forehead and her lip was cut and bleeding.

“You jerk.”

Camilla’s shirt covered my face. Something soft touched my lips through the fabric. It was Camilla’s lips.