episode_0272

The thick rain showed no sign of stopping.

It poured so fiercely that I worried the umbrella I held would tear.

The sound of raindrops hitting tree branches and the ground was deafening.

It was a natural sound that felt both familiar and unfamiliar, but I had no aversion to it.

If anything, it felt calming.

Amidst it, the sound of rain hitting the umbrella’s canopy felt out of place.

The splashing footsteps of the two of us walking on the water-soaked ground were also a little awkward.

Heize and I, wandering through the rain in the middle of the night, were a mismatched picture for the current scenery.

“I can’t see well.”

Heize was right.

The rain narrowed and uncomfortably obscured our vision, like a thin curtain.

The flashlight did its job, but it was no match for the natural phenomenon.

Instead, it illuminated the raindrops so clearly that a distinct pattern of rain streaks created an optical illusion before our eyes.

“Haa…”

It was a bad condition that naturally drew a sigh.

In this case, we had no choice but to search on foot.

If we couldn’t see, we’d just close the distance and check with our eyes.

Returning or waiting until the rain stopped were not options.

The impact of the earthquake was too great to just turn back.

I felt like I wouldn’t be able to sleep until I confirmed “All clear!” with my own eyes.

‘…Better to take the first beating [a proverb about getting unpleasant things over with quickly].’

Thinking we would be wandering in the rain for a while longer, I took an uncomfortable step.

Splash- splash-

It was a considerable amount of rain for winter.

Thanks to it, my shoes were already soaked.

The water, having already soaked the bottom of my pants, crept slowly up to my knees.

Wet clothes clung to my skin, stealing my warmth.

The only saving grace, perhaps, was that there was no wind.

It was still cold and chilling, but I felt relieved that it wasn’t the absolute worst, and I continued to scan around.

Aside from the tree branches swaying weakly in the rain, there was no suspicious sign.

The only thing stimulating my ears was the clear sound of the rain.

‘This area is clear for now.’

We circled the building, but there were no issues.

Next…

“Han. Are you looking for zombies?”

“Huh? Well, yes. Just in case.”

“Hmm~”

“Why?”

“Usually at times like this? What is it? You inspect the facilities.”

“Ah, I see.”

I gave a wry smile at her refreshing, yet not entirely critical, observation.

Even I thought it was a bit absurd.

When I worked in the field, I would set up a pump and inspect various facilities when it rained.

But now I was looking for zombies, so I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

“I checked the house. Clear.”

A sensible woman like her always seemed beautiful.

“Oh. Good job.”

Hee hee~

She even checked the parts I missed.

At my spontaneous little compliment, Heize let out a pleased hum.

Since we were already wet, we decided to check the surroundings a bit more and kept moving.

From the solar panels and our private lane, to the wall between the tunnel and the shelter.

Listening to Heize’s advice, as she seemed accustomed to such situations, we thoroughly searched and inspected everything.

There was nothing wrong with the equipment or facilities.

Nothing had fallen, tilted, or broken.

The lane was clean, the dust washed away.

The crucial wall also showed no signs of twisting or gaping cracks.

“…Seems like there’s nothing wrong?”

“Mmm. Nothing wrong.”

Perhaps our efforts were commendable.

No problems were found.

Since we had both cross-checked, I think we could rest assured for now.

I let out a small breath and looked at Heize.

Holding the flashlight and meticulously inspecting every nook and cranny, her demeanor was utterly serious.

Perhaps because she had been moving continuously in the cold, her pale face was flushed.

The tip of her nose was also bright red, like someone drunk, which was somehow cute.

Her soaked pants, clinging tightly to her thighs, perfectly revealed the curves of her legs, which was quite…

“…Heize. Are you okay?”

“Huh? I’m fine. Sniff-”

“Let’s head back soon.”

She said she was fine, even though her lips had turned blue.

She didn’t seem to realize how much tension was in her neck from enduring the cold.

It seemed Heize had become too accustomed to enduring and bearing things.

Although she was well-dressed, we had lingered in the winter rain for a long time.

Thinking this was enough, we turned back.

We leisurely walked a distance that would have taken less than two minutes by car.

When we were tense, it was a desolate scene, but now it had changed into a rather atmospheric sight.

And I wasn’t the only one who felt that way.

“Mmm~ The smell of rain~ I like it.”

Heize, relaxed, wore a comfortable smile.

The gently curved arc of her smile was very charming.

“When I was little, I played in the forest. Every day.”

“…In the forest?”

“Mmm. A clean forest smells like this.”

“Right.”

“Oh~ You know about forests?”

“Just a little.”

If nothing else, I knew well how ridiculously dangerous they were.

Animals, and even mushrooms, threatened you with poison.

‘Mosquitoes, damn it…’

Especially, I remember being so startled that I jumped when I saw a mosquito the size of an adult’s face.

For me, a newbie full of modern sensibilities, it was truly a culture shock.

The forest was nothing short of a hardship story manufacturing zone.

This was all I knew about forests.

In contrast to me, the forest seemed to be a place of great significance to Heize.

But I can guarantee that if Heize experienced the forest I did, she definitely wouldn’t be smiling like this.

Unaware of my thoughts, she smiled like a child, recalling her innocent childhood memories.

“I picked and ate berries~ played with deer~”

“Deer??”

“Yeah. Have you ever seen a deer? They’re so, so pretty. Their fur is pretty, and their tails are cute~ Hehe~”

Watching Heize happily recount her childhood memories, I couldn’t help but think…

‘Is she a wild girl or something…’

Her experiences were quite far removed from the typical girlhood of most women.

“The first thing I ever hunted was a deer?”

“…Didn’t you like deer?”

“I still like deer now. I love animals.”

It was ironic that she hunted a deer, rendering her recent praise for deer meaningless.

“……”

I closed my mouth, watching her pure enjoyment.

At the same time, Heize lowered her voice.

“…What?”

Instead of answering, I pointed a finger in a direction and shifted my gaze.

I hadn’t misheard.

It was drowned out by the rain, but I definitely heard a sound.

At my reaction, Heize immediately tossed her umbrella aside and pulled out a pistol from her coat.

I, too, folded my umbrella and put it away, muting my footsteps as I slowly headed in the direction of the sound.

She immediately turned off her flashlight, placed a hand on my shoulder, matched my pace, and maintained distance.

Whoosh-

…Agh-

Heize must have heard the sound too, as her hand on my shoulder tensed.

…Agh- Agh-

‘The sound is fucked up, but the feeling is strange. What is it?’

The direction we were walking was along the bottom of a sheer cliff.

As the distance narrowed, the irritating sound grew clearer.

Splash- Splat!

A pained shriek!

After walking a considerable distance, estimating the blurry direction, I could finally make out the outline of whatever was making the grotesque sound.

“An agonizing cry!”

“……”

“……”

It was bleeding, its limbs twisted, struggling in a small puddle.

“It’s a deer, your favorite.”

I felt all the tension drain from me and let out a sigh.

“…That?”

Heize narrowed her eyes.

“A water deer is also a type of deer.”

“That’s a water deer…?”

No wonder the presence felt strange; it was a water deer.

I had seen them before, but this was the first time I’d heard their cry.

I had only heard about it, but hearing it in person, it was a sound as grating as a zombie’s cry [and as irritating as a father and son might squabble].

“…Deer don’t cry like that. They don’t have teeth like that either.”

“But it is a deer. You know, it’s a protected species in your country, right?”

“……”

Heize lowered her pistol, a complicated expression on her face.

It was like watching a child whose innocence had been shattered.

“…It looks like it’s in a lot of pain.”

Regardless, the words she murmured, tinged with pity, showed that she truly loved animals.

In Heize’s stead, I slowly approached the struggling water deer.

“An agonizing bellow!”

“……”

…It sounds like a drunken old man.

Frowning slightly, I inspected the water deer’s body; there was not a single healthy spot.

All its legs were broken and twisted, and some intestines had spilled out from its ruptured belly.

Despite that, it was still gasping and screaming in agony.

It was cruel, but its vitality was incredibly tenacious.

‘It wasn’t attacked.’

There were no bite marks to be wary of.

I quietly observed the water deer writhing in pain and…

Thump-

Crunch-

I laid the water deer’s limp head down, putting it out of its misery.

“……”

I looked around the spot, but couldn’t find any reason for the water deer to appear there.

‘…No way?’

I straightened up and looked up along the cliff.

It was a far-fetched thought, but there was a possibility it had fallen from up there.

Considering its injuries, rather…

“That could be.”

Heize seemed to have noticed my thoughts and approached, speaking.

“Animals are sometimes silly. They make mistakes.”

“…Really?”

According to Heize, safety barbed wire or fences aren’t just for humans.

Anyway.

We decided to deal with the water deer’s carcass, which had needlessly made us nervous, when it got light, and inspected the surroundings a bit.

I had wondered, but as expected.

The inside was fine.

As Heize said, it seemed to be a mishap caused by a wild animal’s absurd mistake.

“…Shall we go back now?”

It was as I approached Heize, who shivered and nodded her head.

Click- clack- thud~

Splat-!

Something fell behind us.

“Something’s there.”

“Shh.”

I slowly turned and shone the light in the direction of the sound.

Near where the water deer lay, a rock, which hadn’t been there before, was embedded in the dirt.

“……”

The moment I shone the light in the reverse direction, tracing where the rock must have fallen from, and looked up.

Grind- grind-

“…Ugh, damn it.”

Midway up the rugged, sheer cliff, a large zombie was watching us.