Chapter 10

The designated evacuation center was the high school I was planning to attend from spring, located about a 15-minute drive from our house.

However, after leaving home for about 10 minutes, the traffic became so congested that we could hardly move.

"It's not moving at all..."

Father tapped the steering wheel with his fingers, unable to hide his frustration.

The traffic light in the distance changed from green to red, and then back to green again.

Even after this cycle repeated several times, the car remained motionless.

"Was there an accident? This is hopeless."

Father turned the steering wheel and parked the car in a nearby store's parking lot.

I could see other cars slowly pulling in as well.

"There's no choice. It won't take long from here, so let's walk."

I got out of the car at Father's words.

People were also getting out of the other cars that had pulled into the parking lot, and it seemed they had the same idea as Father.

As we walked past the traffic jam, I could see a crowd gathering at the intersection where I had been watching the traffic light.

The sound of car horns made it seem chaotic.

It must have been an accident or something, I thought, and as I approached, I heard human voices, no, screams, mixed with the noise, and a vague, unsettling feeling began to rise from the depths of my chest.

"Mom... Are you okay...?"

I asked the mother standing next to me.

I didn't know what I was asking about or what I meant by "okay."

It was just a vague question, and Mother squeezed my hand in response.

Then, I noticed several figures appearing from a side street.

At first, I thought they were people who, like us, had gotten out of their cars and were heading to the evacuation center, but their movements were unsteady and uncertain.

However, I was so captivated by the scene at the intersection that I didn't pay much attention to them.

One of those figures, a man, approached us directly and pounced on Mother, covering her.

"Wha...!"

Mother was pulled to the ground and pinned down by the man.

"Hey!"

Father immediately reacted, grabbing the man from behind and throwing him away.

For a moment, I recalled a conversation at the dinner table where Father mentioned he had practiced judo throughout his school days.

"Are you okay!?"

"..."

Father helped Mother up and turned to face the man he had thrown.

Although the man had fallen hard to the ground, he got up slowly without showing any signs of pain.

"Ah!"

"Ah!"

I realized that the people who had been walking with us were also being attacked by the figures that had appeared.

Screams were coming from all directions—behind us, in front of us, and from the side.

I was completely confused and could only stand there, frozen.

"Maple!"

At the same time as the word, Father roughly pulled my hand.

I managed to keep my knees from buckling just in time.

Screams were coming from all directions, and it was out of the question to run to the side street where the figures had appeared. We fled across the road.

Some people got out of their cars and ran.

The fear that someone passing by might attack us turned the crowded area into a panic.

I could no longer trust anyone except for Father and Mother, whose hands I was holding.

We avoided the figures that appeared, and sometimes Father pushed them away as we ran and ran.

Father led us to a home center.

"Thankfully, my workplace is nearby. We need to get inside the building."

Father worked at this home center and was the store manager. He led us inside through the main entrance, locked the door immediately, and after a moment's thought, took out his smartphone, turned on the small light, and led us deeper into the dark store.

Father's workplace, which I had visited several times, looked completely different from its usual appearance. The eerily quiet store, combined with the ongoing chaos outside, made the atmosphere feel unsettling.

"Ouch..."

Mother, standing next to me, clutched her arm and leaned slightly on me.

"Mom!?"

"Are you hurt!?"

Father shone the light from his smartphone on Mother. Her coat sleeve was torn in an unnatural way, and blood was flowing from it.

"That guy... did he have a knife or something..."

Father clenched his smartphone, trying to suppress his anger.

"Let's go upstairs. There should be a first-aid kit in the staff room."

As Father said this and started to move, we heard a banging sound. Looking in that direction, we saw many figures pressed against the store's glass windows.

"Ah..."

I was frozen in place, eyes wide and breath caught in my throat, unable to do anything but stare at the terrifying scene.

Father and Mother were also momentarily paralyzed by the bizarre sight.

But then,

Snap

It was a small sound.

Immediately after, a loud crash was heard, and the figures outside began to pour into the store, slowly but steadily.

"This way!"

Father immediately moved, pulling our hands and running towards the emergency stairs.

He slammed the fire door shut and we ran up the stairs.

Perhaps Father already had a sense of certainty that these were not just ordinary people.

When we reached the third floor, the top floor, Father immediately moved the display furniture from the furniture corner to block the escalator, creating a barricade.