Ch.142Chapter 18. Trust (End)

The clanking sound of chains. It’s a military police zombie. Its increasingly ugly face is expressionless. It reminds me of the customers who used to come into the convenience store during my night shifts. Of course, I probably looked similar to them.

Those people seemed like they’d had a layer of skin peeled off. If even a collar brushed against their inflamed flesh, they’d explode in rage. Only anger could break through their hardened emotional layers. And anger is a shared emotion.

“Camilla. Spray this on your body. You don’t need to use too much, but don’t breathe it in. Give some to Leticia too.”

Since she already knew what Cassandra had been making, no explanation was necessary. Though I wasn’t sure about the side effects. Fortunately, Camilla followed my instructions. Normally she would have snapped something back at me, but perhaps she was tense.

“Hup.”

I stepped forward toward the military police zombie. It turned its head and bared its teeth. It seemed more like a warning than an intent to attack. As if to say, if you come closer, I might hurt you.

“Alright.”

I stopped in place. The creature sniffed the air, smelling me. Suddenly, it inhaled and shouted in my direction. But I couldn’t sense any rage from it. The creature had no intention of charging at me.

It rubbed its arms together. The chains wrapped around both arms collided, making a grinding metal sound. A sharp friction like needles piercing my ears. Still, I didn’t back down. If I did, it would be over. I had to wait quietly until it lowered its tail, like in a standoff with an aggressive dog.

Its face finally contorted.

Now.

I took one big step forward. It flinched and backed away. Of course, it immediately roared again as if nothing had happened, as if embarrassed for retreating, but it was much weaker than before. I had the upper hand now.

“We can’t be friends. Right? Between you and me.”

I spoke to the military police zombie. With my eyes, I scanned the “dominant zombies” lined up behind it. Their faces were expressionless too. The ones bound with ropes and nooses seemed to be watching these “dominant zombies,” who in turn were watching the military police one.

“Then what’s left is a master-servant relationship. Follow me. I’ll give you food and shelter. But if you attack me or my people, I won’t let it slide.”

“Grrrr.”

Do these creatures understand what I’m saying?

Like children, do they understand to some extent but don’t know how to express themselves, so they just get angry, bite, and swallow because that’s all they can do?

I don’t know. But understanding isn’t always necessary for following. Humans can befriend animals of different species. The same should apply to things that were once human.

The creature seemed perplexed. Despite me having the upper hand, I wasn’t trying to eat it, just muttering incomprehensible words. If it can’t understand words, I should probably demonstrate through actions. But how?

– Johan?

Cassandra’s radio call.

“Yes. Go ahead.”

– About ten zombies are coming from the east. I’ve been watching them, and judging by their unwavering direction, they seem to be heading straight for us.

Maybe it’s because so much time has passed since the zombie outbreak, but all sorts of creatures have emerged. Like now, with small groups of four or five roaming together like wild dogs.

“Got it.”

Ten zombies. Normally, I would have waited for them to pass by or, if necessary, shot them from a distance. But now it’s different.

“You all, follow me.”

I pointed at the military police zombie and the others around it. I got back on the electric bicycle.

“Let’s go east. A group of zombies is coming.”

“Can you please tell me what you’re doing?”

Leticia asked, moving beside me. Camilla kept looking back at the zombies behind us. They were following us. How should I explain this?

“Trying to communicate.”

“Communicate? With whom?”

I pointed at the zombies.

“Are you out of your mind?”

Leticia was shocked. Well, I didn’t expect to be understood. I don’t even know if this will work. I’ve often indirectly lured zombies and made them fight each other, but I’ve never tried to communicate with them directly like this.

“If it works, great. If not, we’ll just shoot them all.”

“…You better explain properly later.”

Camilla, who had been listening, suddenly moved forward. Leticia, not wanting to be outdone, increased her bicycle speed. We rode for a while across the dried-up, abandoned land. In the distance, I could see a group of zombies approaching quite quickly despite limping.

I shouted.

I tried to make the sound zombies make when they’re about to attack someone. A roar pulled up from the lower abdomen and expelled as if scraping my throat. The kind of scream that would ruin my vocal cords if I did it twice.

“GRRRAAAH!”

“KANG, KUNG!”

The zombies behind us reflexively roared back. From their perspective, I had essentially declared, “Let’s fight!” But as I moved forward, I shouted again, though more weakly than before.

The foreign zombie group was now approaching on all fours. Even from a distance, I could clearly see their rolled-back eyes, exposed gums, and broken teeth.

I stopped the bicycle and raised my gun high. Bang. A loud noise. Even zombies that don’t recognize guns understand gunshots. I could see the ones behind us going berserk.

Ignoring them deliberately, I aimed at the foreign zombies and fired. One shot. Then another.

Some missed, some grazed. But eventually, one hit the forehead of the lead zombie. The thrashing creature collapsed. Two more slid forward, unable to overcome their momentum, but the ones behind them stopped in place. They poked at the fallen zombie and opened their mouths wide.

Bang. Bang.

With stationary targets, it was easier to hit. Camilla and Leticia joined in shooting. Soon all ten zombies were down. The smell of blood and decay wafted over on the wind.

I turned to look at the zombies behind us. They were dripping saliva and sweat, panting heavily. I pointed my gun at them. They still didn’t seem to understand the relationship between guns, noise, and fire. They couldn’t imagine “bullets traveling at invisible speeds to shatter heads.”

So I nodded.

“Go eat.”

The zombies didn’t move. Then, Camilla quietly approached and stood beside me. A breath later, Leticia also lined up. Standing between the two of them felt quite reassuring.

“I said go.”

They moved. Toward the fallen zombies. They glanced back occasionally, but I showed no hostility. There was no reason to.

“So.”

Camilla grabbed my left buttock.

“What exactly is going on here? What is this spray? Why are those creatures listening to you?”

* * * * *

The laboratory.

Camilla chewed on a piece of jerky. Not because it tasted good, but because she seemed to need something to chew on. Leticia was sipping from a beer can while rubbing her forehead. Cassandra was the one taking notes with a pen.

“Emotions, you say?”

“Yes.”

“Can you tell me the story again? The part where you felt emotions, Johan.”

I retold the story after spraying Cassandra’s concoction. Certainly after spraying it, I could feel the zombies’ “emotions.” Nothing but anxiety, hunger, and emptiness.

Cassandra looked at Camilla.

“You used the spray too, right? How was it?”

“How was it? The smell was actually quite nice. Johan told me not to breathe when he sprayed it, but next time I might spray some on my face.”

“No, what Cassandra means…”

“I know, I know. You’re asking if I felt anything? Not at all. I just guessed ‘Johan is doing something weird again.’ I was so tense thinking the zombies might rush in and tear our throats out that my shoulders are still stiff.”

Camilla answered nonchalantly, but somehow it didn’t seem like the whole truth.

“For someone saying that, you were quite… supportive back there. When you came and stood by my side.”

“This tastes good. I should have another. Huh? What did you say?”

Camilla clearly understood my intention. Since she wanted to pretend otherwise, it seemed best to let it go.

“Nothing. Leticia, what about you?”

“What kind of lives have you people been living? Controlling zombies with emotions? I mean, I don’t get it at all.”

“Didn’t you feel anything back there?”

In normal conversation, Cassandra was still uncomfortable with Leticia. But now she was staring directly at her like an interrogator. Perhaps because it was work-related.

“I don’t know. I agree the spray smelled good. By the time it got to me, less than half was left, which was disappointing. But I don’t know about zombie emotions or whatever. My heart was racing though.”

“Your heart was racing? How?”

“What do you mean ‘how’? It was just pounding like crazy. Like I was drunk. I wondered if there was alcohol in it or something. Why are you asking?”

“I thought Johan might be imagining things. If both of you had the same experience, I would have found it quite credible. But it seems only Johan felt the zombies’ emotions. Reading someone else’s emotions isn’t easy, you know. So it’s possible Johan was just overly immersed in the situation.”

Cassandra put down her pen.

“…I don’t think that’s it.”

At that moment, Camilla opened one of Leticia’s beer cans and gulped it down.

“Ugh, my mouth is salty from eating this stuff.”

“What do you mean that’s not it?”

“I was about to say earlier, I felt strange back there too. The zombies were growling and threatening us, but Johan was trying to stand there calmly? Though I could tell he was half-doubting himself. I thought, ‘This guy needs support right now,’ so I immediately stood beside him.”

So it was me after all. But she immediately blushed with embarrassment.

“Well, um, that’s just what happened. It could have been my imagination!”

“I think it was imagination. What? Support? Weren’t you the one who needed support?”

Leticia smirked. She might have expected Camilla to explode in anger, but instead, she looked triumphant.

“Well, what would you know? You’ve only been here a few days. Johan and I have been working together for a long time.”

“Wasn’t I brought in because that teamwork wasn’t sufficient?”

“Hey!”

Camilla finally lost her temper, but Leticia just grinned.

“About earlier. When we sprayed that stuff. I actually felt pretty good. Despite the situation not calling for it. To be honest… well, this doesn’t seem right.”

“Being honest will help all of us.”

Cassandra, who had been watching quietly, added. Mischief flashed in Leticia’s eyes. She slithered over to Cassandra and whispered something while glancing at me.

“Whew!”

Cassandra’s face turned pale. Leticia winked.

“You’re the one who said to be honest? But no matter what, I couldn’t pull down my pants there. So I’ve been holding back, thinking something was strange. But I don’t see how that relates to the zombies.”

“I think there is a connection.”

Cassandra was quite flustered but tried to calm herself.

“What kind of connection?”

“The spray doesn’t make you understand zombie language. But it does open up your sensory receptors to surrounding atmospheres, feelings, pheromones. I think… the spray opened all our senses, but the results varied depending on what each person was more interested in.”

“You’re really lewd. How did you even get through military service?”

Camilla pointed at Leticia.

“…That’s not it.”

Cassandra answered in a small voice.

“What’s not it now?”

“People usually can’t detect pheromones coming from their own bodies. Most people sense those from others better. So what Cassandra means is that Johan was more interested in the zombies, so he picked up on their feelings, while you two were more conscious of Johan and each other…”

Camilla’s face turned bright red.