Chance Encounter

It wasn't long after I woke up and witnessed the end of the world. An unforgettable morning that will haunt me for about a few days at most.

"Haah... You're last!"

I said softly, hacking an undead's neck causing its head to fall to the ground.

"Haaaah... Haah... So tireedd...". 

Fortunately, there were only three floors in this complex, or else I might just collapse from exhaustion. Both the 1st and 2nd floors are filled with the undead.

My knife has already reached its limit so the only weapon I have left is this small axe.

I have to get to the store as soon as possible.

Slowly making my way outside, I recalled my current objective. It's the convenience store nearby. Although to be honest, I'm not as hopeful to find supplies there.

If my guess is correct, then the outbreak should have started way before I woke up. This means that that convenience store should either be looted already or some group settled on it. A staple in an apocalypse.

Still, it's the closest to my apartment so I should just plan my way after seeing it.

After getting out of the apartment complex, I rested for a bit in an empty alley before mildly dashing to my destination. 

"Rarghh!!"

One appeared after a turn so I quickly slashed at it. I have to save as much energy as I can but I can't dwindle around these parts either.

Scanning my surroundings, I saw a lot of them roaming around so I tried to avoid being spotted and making noise.

Without much difficulty, I arrived at the convenience store. However, the front was also filled with the undead, so I made my way to the back.

Surprisingly, there are no living people inside and there are only a few undead that I managed to kill stealthily. 

Unsurprisingly though, most of the shelves are already empty. Some baskets seemed to be thrown around, they must belong to the people who didn't make it.

I made rounds through the shelves while lying low and I was able to pick up a few canned goods and some biscuits, quickly packing them into my bag so I could easily escape when needed.

However, the sound of a rustle in the staff room caught my attention. When I reached it, I found that the door was locked.

The chance of living people being inside is pretty high. But I can't take risks from a simple assumption so I readied my weapon and lowered my face near the doorknob.

"...I'm a living person," I whispered. "Please open up if you're not one of them, we can help each other get through this."

Silence. A silence that made me feel like I was talking to a dead. A few seconds later, I heard the voice of a girl.

"Y- you're not a bad person?"

"No, I am. Now open up before I kick this door down. The noise will surely attract those monsters and swarm this place." 

The way she said it sounded kind of cute so I thought of a joke. However, I accidentally spoke with a tone of seriousness.

It was followed by a thump on the floor as if the girl had fallen backward but it seemed she complied as I heard a click and the door slowly opened.

What was revealed was the figure of a girl, who seemed to be somewhere close to my age, and a little boy who was clinging to the hem of her dress. The two looked strikingly similar which should mean they are siblings.

"P- please don't hurt us... We'll do anything, or at least... leave my brother alone."

The girl spoke timidly as she lightly grabbed her little brother, seemingly shielding him from me. It was a sight that instantly made me feel bad.

Moreover, their behavior isn't as normal as one might think. They must have seen some crazy things if they witnessed the world go down way before I did.

"I'm sorry but... Well, that just now was a joke. I'm not really a bad person. As you can see, I just came here to see if I can scavenge some food, it's a tough world out there."

"R- really?"

"Yeah! This might not reduce your unease but for all it's worth, I'm still a student, you know? Although, I can't say I'm one of the normal ones."

Thinking about it, a student who has been trained from childhood and knows how to fight isn't exactly normal by any means. Still, knowing that I'm a student should help.

The girl looked at my face and thought for a bit before exhaling. She also patted her brother's back as a gesture to calm him down. 

"I understand the situation now... I'm glad you're not like the others."

"The others?"

"Ahh! Please don't worry about it, as you said, it is a tough world. Now now! It's still morning and you might not have eaten yet. P- please come in! We have some spare food here!"

I could more or less guess what she meant when she referred to the other people they met. Well, at least she seems less suspicious of me now. She's rather fidgety though...

Accepting her invitation, I came into the room and quickly closed and locked the door. It's a suspicious move but the undead I saw at the doors of the store made me act reflexively.

Fortunately, she didn't seem to mind it. I looked into the room and found that it hadn't been changed much aside from the barricaded windows and a sleeping bed rolled on the floor.

"Here, please eat!"

The girl handed a food tray that contained bread and a small carton of milk. I smiled and took it, before sitting down at one of the benches.

I finished the food quickly as I also only ate a piece of biscuit earlier at my house. After I was done eating, I thanked the girl and asked her to sit so we could talk as well.

"I'm sorry I already got food and all but... can you tell me what is actually going on? No, can you tell me your name first? I'm Leon."

"Ah yes, my name is Clarisse Forth, please just call me Clarisse. Just like you, I am also still a student."

Clarisse? The name seemed familiar but I couldn't pinpoint exactly where I heard it. So she's also a student huh?

"I could guess a lot of things but first let me ask, when did this start? This whole thing I mean, when people were turned into those monsters who bite and eat other people."

"Yes... It all started last night..."

From there I got a briefing of the situation from Clarisse. Apparently, the outbreak started last night, when I was dead asleep.

Seriously, how the hell did I not wake up even with all that? At this point, even I am confused.

Clarisse said that she was buying groceries with her little brother before this happened. Things have gone down so fast and they ended up barricading themselves in the store.

However, she explained the others she referred to earlier. One of them had gone a bit crazy. Fortunately, an undercover cop was there with them and tried to contain the situation.

Their commotion escalated into a fight and the noise pulled in a big number of the undead. While that was happening though, Clarisse had gone to the restroom and while she was there, another man followed her and tried to molest her.

He said some fucked up stuff like it's the end and he'd at least enjoy himself. Well, she managed to run away but when she got out, the undead already broke in.

The attempted rapist got caught by one, giving Clarisse the time to bring herself and her brother to the staff room.

"That's mostly what happened, what about Leon? What were you doing last night?"

"I was sleeping..."

"Eh?"

"No, it's nothing."

Missing a big event like that, I'm both disappointed and relieved. Still, If I was aware of it happening, I could have prepared more.

While the two of us were talking, I finally took notice of Clarisse's little brother. Just like her, he had a dark-brown hair and irises that matched them.

"Sorry, I was a bit absorbed talking to your sister. Can you tell me your name as well?"

"Mister? I'm Leo..."

"Leo? Haha, our names are pretty close huh?"

When I asked him his name, I was surprised that our names were pretty close. It was a pleasant coincidence.

The boy tugged me as I was daydreaming, seems like he wanted to ask something.

"Mister, do you think my sister is attractive?"

"Attractive?"

It was a strange question, nonetheless, I concluded that it was just a whimsical question of a child.

However, looking at Clarisse, it is indeed undeniable for her to be called attractive. But perhaps, because I was exposed too much to the girls from my club, my mindset had put them on a pedestal which is what I used to judge other women.

It's not necessarily a good thing per se, but that was just my honest thought. That's why a woman like Clarisse, despite being attractive to most, did not stimulate my mind at all.

Though I still answered properly.

"Of course, she is an attractive woman."

"Then, will you be her boyfriend?"

"H- hey! What are you saying!"

Clarisse intervened before I could process the boy's question.

"But sis, don't you also think the same?"

"That's... But he should already have women who are far out of my league, especially the ones from that club."

Leo snickered like an imp as if he'd seen through his big sister completely. However, something else caught my attention.

"Clarisse? What do you mean-"

She muttered something interesting but as I was about to respond, a banging resounded from the other side of the door.

The dry moans of the undead can be heard clearly, that should mean it's not a living person.

Crap, this is bad! Was it because of Clarisse's shout? No, that's not even a shout.

Understanding the situation, Clarisse turned to me but I quickly stood up and looked around the room while speaking.

"Go and pack everything you need, food, water, and even weapons if you have them."

"...Alright!"

Clarisse hesitated for a bit but still complied. Leo, her little brother, also helped her.

I quickly barricaded the door with one of the chairs but it probably wouldn't last for long. Damn, those rotting guys shouldn't even be that powerful.

Now, our only way out is that one window. I moved the blockage over it and opened it after making sure that there was no undead surrounding it.

However...

"Kyah!!!"

Clarisse let out a shriek, along with the sound of the wooden door being broken.

Are you fucking kidding me!?