Chapter 9

It all began with a video that was uploaded to the internet.

The video, which was posted on a popular video site, was quickly deleted, but it continued to spread as it was repeatedly reuploaded to other accounts and social media platforms, eventually becoming known to people around the world.

The content of the video.

In a white room, there was a cage, and inside it, a man and a woman were each restrained.

A person dressed in a heavy protective suit approached and injected the woman with a syringe before leaving the scene.

The woman struggled, but of course, the restraints did not come off. Gradually, she became limp and docile.

However, soon after, she began to thrash about as if the restraints on her hands and feet didn't matter.

She let out incoherent groans and turned her gaze towards the restrained man.

At that moment, the restraints on both of them were removed.

The woman, with a vacant look in her eyes, slowly but steadily walked towards the man.

The man called out to her repeatedly, but her only response was groans.

The woman then grabbed the man and, without hesitation, bit into his neck.

Blood spurted from his carotid artery, and the man convulsed and fell to the ground.

But the woman did not stop biting. She then bit into his arm, his abdomen, and chewed on his flesh in various places.

The white room was stained red with blood, and the woman, with blood around her mouth, stood up and turned towards the camera. Behind her, the man who had just been "eaten" also stood up.

That was the content of the video.

The video was shot continuously from the same angle without any cuts, making it very difficult to believe it was a fake.

Another story then emerged on the internet.

Initially, it was thought that the video was being deleted because it violated the site's guidelines for graphic content. However, it turned out that this was not the case. According to the story, the video was obtained by hackers from a research facility in a certain country, and the facility was putting pressure to have it removed.

Whether this story was true or not was unknown, but it made people feel even more that the video was real.

By the time this story came out, several days had passed since the video was first uploaded, and everyone was living with an indescribable sense of unease.

+++++

"Hey, Dad, what was that video all about?"

"The zombie video?"

My mother and I had just finished work, and we were having dinner with my father, who had just returned home. We were watching the news on TV as background music and having a casual conversation.

"Both of you, stop talking about such things during dinner."

Mother sighed and scolded us.

"Would you like a beer?"

"No, I'm good today. I have to get up early tomorrow."

After dinner, I was playing with my phone at the table, and my father was relaxing on the sofa, watching TV.

"Kaede, you should take a bath soon."

"Okay."

Just as I was about to stand up after being told this by my mother, who was doing the dishes, an ominous news report came from the TV.

"We have just received a breaking news report. There are multiple injuries in Shibuya. There is a possibility of a riot or terrorist attack, and residents in the area and those on their way home are advised to..."

The video footage taken from a helicopter showed many people in the crowd thrashing about, others trying to escape, and some trying to grab onto people to prevent them from escaping. Some had fallen and couldn't get up, and the scene was in complete panic.

"Wow, this is serious..."

Father leaned forward from the sofa, staring intently at the TV.

"Mom! It's serious, come and look!"

I couldn't take my eyes off it and called out to my mother, who was in the kitchen.

She seemed to have not heard the TV over the sound of the running water and came into the living room with a slight sigh, shuffling her slippers.

"Hey, Dad, this is..."

I swallowed hard, trying to say more, but then a loud sound came from my phone, making my heart nearly stop.

It was a sound similar to the emergency earthquake alert, which I hadn't heard in a long time.

The notification instructed us to move to the nearest designated evacuation center.

"It seems something similar is happening at the station three stops away. Get ready immediately."

"Change into something easy to move in. Wear warm clothes and put on tights under them."

Feeling a chill in my chest at my parents' words, I went upstairs to my room to change and pack my things.

I put on jeans, a hoodie, and a jacket over a casual outfit, packed a small bag with necessary items, and hurried down the stairs. My parents seemed to have finished their preparations, and my father was already outside, opening the garage and preparing the car.

"I'll take the emergency kit just in case, Kaede, put your things in this bag."

Mother told me to put my things in one of the two large backpacks, and we left the house and got into my father's car.