04. The Journey Begins

After the meeting ends, everyone starts to prepare for their journeys.

Kazuto, determined and ready, takes the bag of ammunition, guns, and the small refrigerator. Although it's not easy to carry all these, he manages.

Opening the door on the far left, he's surprised to see a modified jeep and a bike, both designed for survival and carrying luggage.

Looking at the vehicles with excitement, Kazuto thinks,

"Which one should I choose? Hmm, I can take the jeep, but it won't be convenient because, according to the doctor, the outside is likely to be blocked by cars or fallen buildings. So, I'll take the bike."

Kazuto thought, "I should at least take the sleeping bag and the tent from the jeep."

As he went to retrieve them, he discovered a survival kit.

Opening it, Kazuto exclaimed, "Oh, look at this! It has a medikit box, a lighter, some matchboxes, gunpowder, a flare gun, a rope, and a small knife too. Excellent!"

He arranges everything on the bike and just as he sits on it, he receives a call from India's captain, Hayama Hoshino. He answers the call, and they introduce themselves to each other.

Hayama, a good-natured and kind-hearted guy, starts the conversation,

"Hey Kazuto, it's nice to meet you my name is hayama hoshino, 22 years old, how are you holding up?"

Kazuto, always easygoing and funny, replies, "Hey you are the captain right! nice to meet you too, my name kazuto kurosawa 20 years old and how I am holding up Well, just trying to remember if I played enough zombie games to survive this."

Hayama laughs, "You'll do fine. Just remember to report back every 3 to 4 hours. You can see the bunker location on the map. My hospital is closer to the bunker, so I should reach there in a day or two if nothing goes wrong."

"Got it. Stay safe, captain," Kazuto responds.

"You too, stay safe, and stop calling me captain it's a little embarrassing" Hayama adds before ending the call.

Ending the call, Kazuto notices a red button on the wall. He presses it, and the heavy door in front of him opens.

As sunlight streams in, it reveals a world in ruins. His heart races, but he smiles and reassures himself,

"This is just the start, don't be afraid."

He starts the bike engine, which runs silently, and as he rides out of the bunker, he sees destroyed buildings, roads covered with grass, and lots of trees. There's no sign of monsters yet, so he follows the road on the map.

Suddenly, he hears the sound of running—3 to 4 creatures. Looking behind, he sees a monster with a tail running super fast.

He remembers the doctor mentioned this is a first-level monster called a Stinger.

Kazuto thinks, "Wow, it's really fast! Impressive—wait, this is not the time to be impressed!"

Realizing the danger, he speeds up the bike. One Stinger gets close, and he takes out his pistol, trying to shoot it. With no experience, his aim is poor, but after emptying a while magazine, he manages to kill one.

Ahead, he sees a truck blocking the way but notices he can jump the bike over it from the left end.

He thinks, "Ha, this is the first time I'm going to jump a bike this high. Help me, Ricky!" (Ricky being the name he gave his bike, in a joking manner).

He jumps the bike over the truck, lands safely, and speeds away, escaping the monsters. Due to the chase, he misses several roads, extending his journey towards the bunker.

Despite this, Kazuto feels a mix of fear and excitement.

"My first destination is going to be Kurumi's hospital in the next city. If nothing goes wrong, I will reach there tomorrow afternoon. The situation seems a little calm now, so I should call and inform Kurumi of my arrival."

Kazuto tries to call her, but there's no answer. He's a little worried but then thinks,

"If she stays inside her hospital bunker, she should be safe. I should reach her as soon as possible."

As Kazuto reaches the highway, he sees another Stinger, but this time it's only one. Taking out his gun, he aims and shoots it, hitting the core on the first try.

Continuing towards the next city, he encounters more Stingers on the highway but finds it easier to avoid or kill them as his aim improves.

After five hours, Kazuto stops his bike under a tree on the highway where it seems safe. Sitting on the side of the road with his back against the bike, he starts to eat some food and calls Hayama to report his progress.

As the call is ending, Kazuto senses a strong presence nearby.

"Hayama, I have to end the call. I think a giant is nearby," Kazuto says urgently.

"Don't try to engage it. Run away and stay safe," Hayama advises.

Kazuto ends the call and walks to the middle of the road, trying to pinpoint the source of the sound. Suddenly, a massive rock comes flying from the sky.

He dodges it successfully and sees a humongous monster emerging from the woods.

"So, this is the second-level monster, the Giant, huh?" he mutters.

Kazuto quickly heads to his bike but realizes the Giant is too close. He grabs two grenades, a shotgun, and an M4A1, then runs away from the bike.

As the fear develops in kazuto's mind he murmur to himself, "Sorry hayama I guess I have to fight this one."

The Giant closes the distance and swings its right arm towards him. Kazuto jumps high, lands on the Giant's arm, and shoots its head twice with the shotgun. As he descends, the Giant swings its other arm, hitting Kazuto in his stomach and send him flying and hitting a tree and causing both to be slightly hurt.

While standing up kazuto says, "oww it hurts, this one is really strong" and chuckles.

Keeping a safe distance, Kazuto throws a grenade at the Giant, remembering the doctor's words that the Giant's core is near its lower back. He fires with the M4A1, and after a struggle, the Giant falls.

Kazuto takes a deep breath and says, "I need some rest for today."

Searching for a place to stay the night, he spots a small barn nearby. Deciding to rest there, he approaches cautiously. The barn isn't empty; two Stingers lurk inside.

Kazuto kills them and locks the barn doors tightly and as he feels that it is safe he lost his consciousness.